Good morning, Bastrop County! 🤠
The lights are coming back on. Friday night, all four of our county teams open their seasons — Cedar Creek and Smithville host home openers, Bastrop and Elgin hit the road — and if you have lived here long enough, you know a Texas town in late August starts to smell like fresh-cut grass and stadium popcorn. Then Saturday, Rising Sun Vineyard in McDade turns the afternoon into a grape stomp with a live band into the evening, and Sunday, Cedar's Coppice on Chestnut Street turns one year old with an all-day party. Add live music Friday clear through Sunday and a full moon hike through the Lost Pines, and it is a full week. Want more than just this week? Our Bastrop County events guide runs year round.
Missed us Thursday? Catch up here. Let's dig in.
👥 Join the conversation
Our Bastrop Current Community Group on Facebook is where neighbors drop flyers, ask for recommendations, and share what they wandered into last weekend. Come join us.
🏈 Bastrop County Friday Night Football Is Back
It is the Friday every small Texas town waits for all summer. This Friday, August 28, all four Bastrop County teams open the 2026 season — and two of them do it at home, which means you do not even have to leave the county to get your fix of marching bands, concession-stand nachos, and that first-game-of-the-year electricity in the bleachers.
The home openers
🦅 Cedar Creek Eagles vs. Travis (Austin) | 7:30pm | Bastrop ISD Memorial Stadium, Cedar Creek | The Eagles open at home against Austin Travis. Cedar Creek Athletics
🐯 Smithville Tigers vs. Austin Achieve | 7:00pm | Tiger Stadium, Smithville | The Tigers kick off their season on home turf. Smithville ISD
On the road
🐻 Bastrop Bears @ Lake Creek | 7:00pm | Lake Creek HS, Montgomery | The Bears open the year away in Montgomery. Bastrop Bears Athletics
🐾 Elgin Wildcats @ Manor | Friday | Manor | The Wildcats travel to Manor to start the season. Elgin Courier
Whichever sideline is yours, get there early, bring cash for the booster club, and wear your school colors. Football season in Bastrop County is officially open.
🎂 Also This Week | Cedar's Coppice Turns One | Bastrop
We spotlighted Cedar's Coppice back in July, but a first birthday is worth coming back for. The little vintage cafe and market on Chestnut Street turns one year old this Sunday, August 30, and they are throwing an all-day party to mark it: 8am to 6pm, with face painting, crafts, giant yard games, raffles, birthday cake, and food and drink specials running all day. Bring the kids and go wish a young local business a happy first year, the surest way to make sure there is a second. Cedar's Coppice
🗓️ Bastrop County Events | August 24 - 30, 2026
Today | Monday, 🗓️ August 24
🧘 Mommy and Baby Yoga | 11am - 1pm | First United Methodist Church, 216 W 3rd St, Elgin | An hour of gentle guided yoga for moms and babies 0 to 3, then an hour of free books, resources, and goodies. Free. Bastrop County Cares
🚌 Prime Timer Field Trip | Down Home Ranch | 2 - 4pm | Departs Elgin Recreation Center, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin | An older-adults outing out to Down Home Ranch. City of Elgin
🐉 Tween D&D | 4 - 5:30pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | A weekly Monday campaign for experienced players ages 11 to 14. Bring your character. Free. Bastrop Public Library
🏛️ Bastrop Economic Development Corporation | 5pm | Bastrop City Hall, 1311 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Regular BEDC board meeting, open to the public. City of Bastrop
Tuesday, 🗓️ August 25
👶 Baby Bookworms | 10:30 - 11am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Stories, songs, and bouncing for the littlest readers. Free. City of Elgin
🥃 National Whiskey Sour Day | 2 - 9pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | The bartenders make whiskey sours all afternoon and evening for the unofficial holiday. Copper Shot Distillery
🏛️ Bastrop City Council Regular Meeting | 4:30pm work session, sessions at 5:30 and 6:30pm | Bastrop City Hall, 1311 Chestnut St, Bastrop | The council's regular meeting, open to the public. City of Bastrop
🎨 Tween Art Club | 5 - 6pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Draw, paint, craft, and create with fellow young artists, fourth Tuesdays. Free. City of Elgin
Wednesday, 🗓️ August 26
📚 Bébé Bilingüe | 10:30 - 11am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Cuentos y stories, canciones y songs, a bilingual early-literacy hour for ages 0 to 5. Free. City of Elgin
🍽️ Smithville Quarterly Chamber Luncheon | doors 11:15am, buffet at noon, ends 1pm | VFW Post 1309, 557 NW Loop 230, Smithville | Smithville ISD Superintendent Dr. Molley Ealy is the speaker. $25 in advance, registration encouraged. Smithville Area Chamber
☕ Coffee & Friends | Texas Ranger | 3 - 4:30pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Coffee, conversation, and this month a visit from a Texas Ranger. Free. Bastrop Public Library
🍷 Wine Not? Wednesdays + Live Music | 5 - 10pm | Store House Market & Eatery, 813 Main St, Bastrop | Live music and half off select bottles every Wednesday evening. Store House Market & Eatery
🎱 Bingo | 7 - 9pm | Bastrop Beer Company, 1008 Main St, Bastrop | First half is a free three-card play with prizes, second half is a paid round. Bastrop Beer Company
Thursday, 🗓️ August 27
🧶 Fiber Arts and Friends | 10am - 12pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Bring your knit, crochet, or stitch project and craft in good company. Free. City of Elgin
🥬 Elgin Farmers' Market | 4 - 7pm | Veterans' Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | Produce, meats, and baked goods, with live music. SNAP accepted. Elgin Farmers Market
🚀 Space Club | 6 - 7pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | A fourth-Thursday hour of space facts and hands-on activities with Ms. Heidi. Free. City of Elgin
🧠 Trivia Night | 7 - 9pm | Bastrop Beer Company, 1008 Main St, Bastrop | Weekly Thursday trivia over a cold one. Bastrop Beer Company
Friday, 🗓️ August 28
🧸 Little Learners Storytime & Craft | 10:30 - 11:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Playful storytime and a craft to build school-readiness, ages 4 to 6. Free. City of Elgin
🥩 Prime Rib Night | 5 - 9pm | The Front Room Wine Bar, 116 Main St, Smithville | The weekly Friday prime rib special, seared to order with two sides. Reservations 512-237-3626. The Front Room Wine Bar
🍜 Teen Anime Club | 5:30 - 6:30pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | A fourth-Friday manga read and hangout for teens. Free. City of Elgin
🏈 Friday Night Football | Season Openers | kickoffs 7 - 7:30pm | Cedar Creek and Smithville at home; Bastrop and Elgin away | All four county teams open the 2026 season: Cedar Creek hosts Travis (7:30pm), Smithville hosts Austin Achieve (7pm), Bastrop travels to Lake Creek, and Elgin travels to Manor. See our feature above. Cedar Creek Athletics
🎸 Sidetracked | 7 - 10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Sixteen-year-old guitarist Jonah Tarver alongside Austin icon Marcus Tharpe on the Main Street patio. Copper Shot Distillery
🌕 Full Moon Night Hike | 8:30pm | Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Rd 1A, Bastrop | See the Lost Pines trails after dark on a ranger-led hike. Park entry fee applies. Bastrop State Park
🌟 Saturday, 🗓️ August 29 | The Big Day
🍳 The Armory Men's Breakfast & Fellowship | 8 - 11:30am | First Baptist Church, 305 Hudgins St, Smithville | A come-as-you-are community breakfast and fellowship for the men of Smithville. Bring a friend. Free. First Baptist Smithville
🦫 Beavers, Birds & Butterflies of Buescher Lake | 9am | Buescher State Park, 100 Park Rd 1E, Smithville | A ranger-led walk exploring the wildlife of Buescher Lake. Park entry fee applies. Buescher State Park
🎣 Fishing Knots | 10 - 11am, come and go | Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Rd 1A, Bastrop | Drop in and learn to tie two common fishing knots with a ranger. Park entry fee applies. Bastrop State Park
🥬 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am - 2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Produce, grass-fed beef, eggs, honey, plants, and makers, every Saturday year-round. Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market
📚 Sensory Storytime | 10:30 - 11:30am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | A gentle, sensory-friendly story experience in a calm room. Free. City of Elgin
🍇 Grape Stomp | 1 - 5pm, with The LTD's playing 4 - 7pm | Rising Sun Vineyard (Yegua Creek Brewery), 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Stomp grapes the old-fashioned way and print your footprint on a t-shirt keepsake, with a live band into the evening. Family-friendly. Rising Sun Vineyard
🎶 Cottletown | 2 - 4pm | The Front Room Wine Bar, 116 Main St, Smithville | An afternoon set on the Main Street wine bar's stage. The Front Room Wine Bar
🎸 Dom Cours & Co | 7 - 10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Texas Southern-rock from an artist and military veteran, closing out the distillery's weekend. Copper Shot Distillery
Sunday, 🗓️ August 30
🎂 Cedar's Coppice 1st Birthday | 8am - 6pm | Cedar's Coppice, 709 Chestnut St, Bastrop | The vintage cafe celebrates 365 days with a full day of face painting, crafts, giant yard games, raffles, birthday cake, and food and drink specials. Cedar's Coppice
🛍️ Smithville Sunday Market | 10am - 2pm | James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st, Smithville | Locally grown, homemade, and handmade, with a park to play in. Free. Smithville Sunday Market
🎶 Live Music with Phil Hurley | 2 - 5pm | Rising Sun Vineyard (Yegua Creek Brewery), 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | An Americana set on the winery patio. Rising Sun Vineyard
🎸 Sunday Live Music | Nathan Colt Young | 4 - 6pm | Smithville Brewing Company, 661 NW Loop 230, Smithville | Live music and cold pints to close out the weekend at the brewery. Smithville Brewing Company
🔮 Planning Ahead
📬 In your inbox Thursday | Our midweek issue lands Thursday morning with a fresh Business of the Week and the full weekend lineup. Watch for it.
🤠 Through Sat Sep 19 | Soul Circuit: Juneteenth Rodeos in Texas | Mon-Sat 10am - 5pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Sarah Bird's photographs of Black cowboys and cowgirls on the Texas Juneteenth rodeo circuit, with a final free viewing on Austin Museum Day, Sunday Sep 20. Bastrop County Historical Society
🎙️ Wed Sep 2 | Lunch & Learn: Mayor Ishmael Harris | 12 - 1pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Bastrop's mayor shares his family's deep roots in the Juneteenth rodeo tradition, with a free lunch. RSVP encouraged. Free. Bastrop County Historical Society
🌺 Fri Sep 4 | FAME First Friday: Flores de Papel | 6 - 8pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Make traditional paper flowers on the museum porch to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month, part of Main Street's First Friday. Free, all ages. Bastrop County Historical Society
🎭 Sep 4 - 27 | Disney's Newsies | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | The Opera House opens its fall season. Bastrop Opera House
🌿 Sat Sep 5 | First Saturday Farm Tour & Plant Walk | 9:30am - 12pm | Elm Forest Farm, Synergy Dr, Bastrop | Rhizome Revival's nonprofit teaching farm opens for a guided tour and plant walk. RSVP required. Rhizome Revival
🌶️ Sep 5 - 6 | Hatch Green Chile Festival | Sat from noon, Sun through 6pm | Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Hatch chiles by the pound, New Mexico cooking, games, and live music both days. Rising Sun Vineyard
🚂 First Saturdays, Sep - Nov | Meet Me at the Depot | 9am - 12pm | Smithville MKT Depot, 102 NE 1st St, Smithville | A new three-month community series with local storytellers, vintage games, classic cars, live music, and tea and lemonade on the depot porch. First Saturday of September, October, and November. Smithville Area Chamber
🤠 Sat Sep 12 | Cowboy Heritage Day | 11am - 2pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Live demonstrations, historic artifacts, cowboy stories and songs, and hands-on activities honoring the county's western heritage. Included in museum admission; children 12 and under free. Bastrop County Historical Society
🎶 Sat Sep 26 | Music in the Museum | 12 - 1pm | Bastrop County Museum, 904 Main St, Bastrop | A free live concert on the museum's front porch, part of the museum's tie-in with Bastrop Live. Bastrop County Historical Society
🐗 Oct 22 - 24 | 39th Annual Hogeye Festival | Downtown Elgin | BBQ pork cook-off, Cow Patty Bingo, live music all day, and the car and bike show. Mark the calendar now. City of Elgin
🎁 August Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28
Share your unique referral link below with one friend who'd love a weekly dose of Bastrop County, Texas. Every referral through your link is an entry to win a $50 gift card to Numero 28, the Italian wood-fired pizzeria and vineria on Main Street in Bastrop, with our winner drawn at the end of August.
How Did We Do?
Before you go
If you've got a flyer, an event, or a Bastrop County business worth featuring, hit reply. We read every email.
Want your business in front of Bastrop County? Hit reply and ask about sponsoring an issue or being our Business of the Week.
See you Thursday.
Marilyn - The Bastrop Current