THIS WEEK’S SPONSOR:
Good morning, Bastrop County
The calendar says summer until Tuesday evening. The county has clearly stopped waiting because there doesn’t seem to be an end to the heat. 🥵
Lets jump in to the week ahead!
Friday and Saturday give us something we have never had here: two Hispanic Heritage festivals on back-to-back nights, in two different towns. ¡Viva Bastrop! takes North Main on Friday with mariachi, a Selena tribute, a chancla-throwing challenge 😂 and a street dance under the lights. Saturday, ¡Viva Elgin! answers at Veterans Memorial Park with a charro bean cook-off you get to taste your way through, a grito contest and a tortilla-making station. Both are free.
Wrapped around them: 65-plus local artists at Calvary Art Fest Friday evening and all day Saturday, two home football games, the last weekend of the Soul Circuit exhibit before it leaves the county museum, and a Sunday that hands you free admission to go see it.
Then the week turns. Fall officially arrives Tuesday at 7:04pm, and the back half of the week reads like it knows: a paper fall-flower wreath craft in Elgin, the Mayor of Bastrop taking questions over coffee at the library Wednesday afternoon, and a downtown distillery with fire pits on the patio that happens to be our Featured Business this week.
Missed us Monday? Catch up here.
🎉 Our August winner | Christie J.
Congratulations to Christie J., who is taking home the $50 gift card to Numero 28.
Christie sent plenty of neighbors our way! She recommended this newsletter and our Facebook group as well. Every person who found out about a market, a festival or a small business through us because Christie passed it along, that is her doing. Thank you, Christie. Enjoy a great evening at Numero 28.
Now here is the part where you come in. The September drawing is still wide open, and somebody is going to win that next $50 gift card to Numero 28 for doing something that takes about fifteen seconds.
Here is your own personal referral link. Text it to one neighbor. Drop it in a group chat. Post it in a school parent page or a church group or a neighborhood thread. Every single person who subscribes through your link is another entry with your name on it, and there is no cap. Christie proved that.
👥 Join the conversation
And if you are not in the Bastrop Current Facebook group yet, come on in and bring somebody with you. Know an event we need to cover? Post it in our group and share it with all of us!
Who do you know who would want to know what is happening in this county? Share your link with them today.
✏️ A correction
In our June 18 issue, our Featured Business of the Week story on The Grace Miller ("Gracie's") said the restaurant was owned by Brenda Bush. That that is incorrect, Gracie's is owned by Kevin and Angela Plunkett and Patrick and Rhonda Gannon, the same partners behind Bastrop’s well known Piney Creek Chop House and Old Town Restaurant and Bar. The online version has been corrected. Sorry for any confusion!
🍂 Help us build the Fall Event Guide
Fall…what fall? seriously it’s no where near fall here in Bastrop County, but none the less that doesn’t stop all the coffee shops putting out those pumpkin spice lattes! Sooo… we are pulling together a season-long roundup of the festivals, markets, pumpkin patches and fall fun happening all over Bastrop County, Texas. Hosting a fall event you want included? Just hit reply and we will consider it for the guide!
🥃 Featured Business of the Week | Copper Shot Distillery | Bastrop
There is a copper still in the back, and the whole place is named after what goes on top of the bottle.
Copper Shot Distillery sits at 809 Main Street in downtown Bastrop, a few blocks up from the river, and it is run by a husband-and-wife team, Stephen and Cheri Todee. By their own telling it started with Stephen's love of experimenting and engineering, which is a very particular kind of person to have making your whiskey. They distill everything on site, in small batches, using rain water and local grains. Not sourced, not bottled somewhere else and trucked in. Made in the building.
The name is the nicest detail. Every bottle is capped with an engraved copper shot glass. Buy one at the distillery and you choose it with or without. It is the sort of thing a couple decides on because they like it, not because a brand consultant workshopped it, and it tells you what kind of operation this is.
You will find their spirits in Texas only, at the distillery and at Spec's and Twin Liquors. But the reason to go is the room. There is a tasting bar with Texas stars carved into the front, a wall of infusion jars behind it, and a long covered back patio with rocking chairs, fire pits and string lights that is about to be the best seat in Bastrop for the next three months. There is also a cigar lounge next door, C&S, with its own hours.
And this week they have music both nights of the big weekend, which means you can walk off Main Street from ¡Viva Bastrop! and land somewhere with a fire going.
What to order (prices from their own drink menu):
🥃 Copper Shot Old Fashioned, $13.00. Add barrel-aged whiskey for $2.00 more. The house pour.
🌰 Pecan Old Fashioned, $12.00. Pecan shine, aromatic bitters, a cherry. The most Texas thing on the menu and the right drink for the first week of fall.
🍅 Bastrop Bloody, $12.00. Shine, Zing Zang, Worcestershire and Humble House garlic sauce.
🫐 Blackberry Margarita, $12.00.
🥂 Flight of four tastings. Infusions only $12.00, two infusions and two spirits $15.00, spirits only $20.00. This is how to do a first visit.
🍾 Bottles to take home. Moonshine 80 proof $34.00, Lightnin' 120 proof $44.00, Barrel Aged Whiskey 100 proof $70.00.
Live music on the patio this week
🎸 Friday, September 18, 7-10pm | Microbus, classic rock covers
🎸 Saturday, September 19, 7-10pm | Konzi, indie and alt rock
🎶 Thursday, September 24, 6:30-8:30pm | Carter Hampton, live acoustic
Visit
📍 809 Main Street, Bastrop, TX 78602
📞 512-412-6414
🗓️ Distillery hours: Mon-Thu 2-9pm, Fri-Sat 1-10pm, Sun noon-5pm
🚬 C&S Cigar Lounge: Mon-Tue 11am-6pm, Wed-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun noon-5pm
🌐 coppershotdistillery.com
🗓️ Bastrop County Events | September 17 - 23, 2026
Thursday, 🗓️ September 17
🥋 Tai Chi Chuan | Five Basic Stances with Master Boaz | 7:45-8:45am | Elgin Recreation Center, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin | Slow, low-impact movement to start the day, taught from the ground up. City of Elgin Parks & Recreation
📖 Bilingual Storytime | 11:15am | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Stories and songs in English and Spanish for little ones. Bastrop Public Library
🍽️ Lunchtime with Judy | noon | American Legion Post 533, 3003 Loop 150 E, Bastrop | A community lunch open to anybody who walks in. American Legion Post 533
🥬 Elgin Farmers' Market | 4-7pm, live music 5-6pm | Veterans' Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | Every vendor grows, raises or makes what they sell. Free. Elgin Farmers' Market
🧀 Teen Thursday | Cheese Taste Test | 4:45-6:15pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Teens 13 to 17 taste their way through a spread of cheeses and rank them. Bastrop Public Library
🍶 Sake Yutori Night | 5:30-8:30pm | Faire La Nouba, 110 Main St, Smithville | An introduction to sake for the curious, a little tasting, a little learning, and Brian's hot oil salmon. $30. Faire La Nouba
❓ Trivia Night | 7pm | Bastrop Beer Company, 1008 Main St, Bastrop | Weekly Thursday trivia at the downtown taproom. Bastrop Beer Company
🏈 Cedar Creek Eagles Football | Home | kickoff 7pm | Cedar Creek High School, Bastrop ISD | Thursday night lights. Bastrop ISD Athletics
Friday, 🗓️ September 18
🦋 Family Nature Quest | 10:30am-12:30pm | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 State Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | Self-guided mystery-box nature stations, best for ages 4 to 10. $10. LCRA Parks
📚 Book BINGO | 1-3pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Third-Friday bingo where every single prize is a brand-new book. City of Elgin
🎨 Calvary Art Fest 2026 | "Art & Soul" | Day One | 4-8pm | Calvary Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1028 Main St, Bastrop | The fourth annual show, 65-plus local artists, live music and refreshments. Free. Calvary Episcopal Church
🎂 Mini Cake Decorating for Tweens | 6-8pm | Elgin Recreation Center Studio, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin | Grab a cake base, load up on toppings, show off. Ages 11 to 14, all supplies provided. Free, pre-registration required. Elgin Parks & Recreation
🎊 ¡Viva Bastrop! | 6-10pm | N Main St at Spring St, downtown Bastrop | The inaugural Hispanic Heritage festival. Mariachi and the anthem at 6, Ballet Folklórico with Cedar Creek High School dancers, a Best Grito contest and a chancla-throwing challenge, a Tributo a Selena 7:15 to 8:45, a heritage march of quinceañeras and cadets at 8:45, then a street dance 9 to 10. Mercado Hispano, Kids Zone and Lotería all night. Free, and downtown parking is free. Discover Bastrop
🏈 Bastrop Bears Football | Home | kickoff 7pm | Bastrop High School, 1614 Cedar St, Bastrop | Friday night lights. Bastrop ISD Athletics
🎸 Microbus | 7-10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Classic rock on the downtown patio, three blocks from the festival. Free. Copper Shot Distillery
🎸 Josh Calvin Unplugged | 7-10pm | Swayze's Burger House, Smithville | An acoustic Friday night set in Smithville. Josh Calvin Music
🎭 Disney's Newsies | evening performance | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | The 1899 newsboys' strike, sung and danced, in a run through September 27. Everyone needs a ticket regardless of age, no children under 3. Bastrop Opera House
🎶 Bud Vargas | 7:30-10:30pm | The Grace Miller "Gracie's", 706 Pine St, Bastrop | Friday night music with the kitchen open late. Free. The Grace Miller
🌟 Saturday, 🗓️ September 19 | The Big Day
🛒 Elgin VFW Flea Market | 7-10am | Elgin VFW Post 6115, 118 Old Sayers Rd, Elgin | Antiques, collectibles and finds, every Saturday. Free to browse. Elgin VFW Post 6115
🥬 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am-2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Produce, pasture-raised meats, honey, breads and makers, year-round. SNAP accepted. Free. Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market
🎨 Calvary Art Fest 2026 | "Art & Soul" | Day Two | 10am-8pm | Calvary Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 1028 Main St, Bastrop | The full day, 65-plus local artists, live music and refreshments. Free. Calvary Episcopal Church
🐴 Cattlemen's for Cancer Research Benefit | 11am-8pm | Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | A full day at the vineyard with live music, raising money for cancer research. Rising Sun Vineyard
🎊 ¡Viva Elgin! | 4-9pm | Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | A charro bean cook-off with public tasting 5 to 7, so you get to be the judge. Plus a grito contest at 7:45, a hand-made tortilla station, live performances and La Cultura Market. Free. City of Elgin
🏁 Cotton Bowl Speedway | Season Finale | gates 5pm, racing 7pm | Cotton Bowl Speedway, 1175 CR 202, Paige | The last night of the 2026 dirt season. Cotton Bowl Speedway
🎸 Konzi Band | 7-10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Indie and alt rock on the patio. Free. Copper Shot Distillery
🎭 Disney's Newsies | evening performance | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | Saturday of the run through September 27. Bastrop Opera House
🎶 Chris Max Band | 7:30-10:30pm | The Grace Miller "Gracie's", 706 Pine St, Bastrop | Saturday night music. Free. The Grace Miller
Sunday, 🗓️ September 20
🛍️ Smithville Sunday Market | 10am-2pm | James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st St, Smithville | Locally grown, homemade and handmade only, with live music. Free. Smithville Sunday Market
🦋 Family Nature Quest | 10:30am | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 State Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | The Sunday session of the self-guided nature stations. $10. LCRA Parks
🏛️ Austin Museum Day | Free Admission and the Final Day of Soul Circuit | 11am-2pm | Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Free admission for the day, and the last chance to see Soul Circuit, the Humanities Texas exhibit on Juneteenth rodeos and the Black cowboys and cowgirls who carried the circuit on, including right here. When it leaves, it leaves. Free. Bastrop County Historical Society
🍷 Wine Club Fall Pickup Party | noon-5pm | Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Members pick up the quarterly box and get a complimentary glass. Rising Sun Vineyard
🎶 Kyle Reed Hemmen | noon-2pm | The Grace Miller "Gracie's", 706 Pine St, Bastrop | Sunday lunch music on the patio. Free. The Grace Miller
🎭 Disney's Newsies | Matinee | afternoon performance | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | The Sunday matinee. Bastrop Opera House
Monday, 🗓️ September 21
🍂 Prime Timer Craft | Paper Fall Flower Wreath | 2-4pm | Elgin Recreation Center, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin | Seniors build a paper fall-flower wreath, one day before fall actually starts. City of Elgin
🎲 Tween Dungeons & Dragons | 4-5:45pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | The ongoing campaign for ages 11 to 14. Bring your character. Bastrop Public Library
🎱 Monday 8-Ball Tournament | 7:30pm | American Legion Post 533, 3003 Loop 150 E, Bastrop | Weekly double elimination, bar rules, money added to the pot. $10 entry. American Legion Post 533
Tuesday, 🗓️ September 22 | 🍁 First day of fall, 7:04pm
🦁 Smithville Noon Lions Club | noon-1pm | Quinto Patio, 114 NE 2nd St, Smithville | The weekly meeting, visitors welcome. Free to attend, lunch on your own. Smithville Area Chamber
🚪 DIY Doormats | Step into Peace | 2-4pm and again 6-8pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Design and personalize a custom doormat with Pink Love Houston. All materials provided. Free, registration at pinklovehouston.org. City of Elgin
🎤 Karaoke with Elijah | 7-11pm | 602 Brewing Co, 919 Main St, Bastrop | Every Tuesday. Free. 602 Brewing Co
Wednesday, 🗓️ September 23
🥕 Eden East Farm Stand | 9am-1pm | Eden East Farm, 1910 Main St, Bastrop | Produce, eggs and pantry goods straight off the farm, and you can walk the rows. Free to visit. City of Bastrop community calendar
👶 Bebé Bilingüe | 10:30-11am | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | Cuentos y canciones, stories and songs in a joyful mix of English and Spanish. City of Elgin
🧗 High Ropes and Zip Line | 10:30am | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 State Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | A guided run at the ropes course and the zip line. $45. LCRA Parks
🧸 Toddler Time | 11am-1pm | Bastrop County Community Center, 15 American Legion Dr, Bastrop | Bastrop County Cares and Texas A&M AgriLife bring play-based activities for ages 2 to 5, parenting guidance and toddler essentials. Free. Bastrop County Cares
🎮 Senior Game Day | noon-3pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | An afternoon of games and friendly competition. City of Elgin
☕ Coffee & Friends | The Mayor | 3pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | The Mayor of Bastrop comes to the library to talk about the city and take questions over coffee. Bastrop Public Library
🍷 Wine Not? Wednesdays with live music | from 5pm | Store House Market & Eatery, 813 Main St, Bastrop | Half off select bottles, seasonal snacks and live music downtown. Store House Market & Eatery
🎲 Bingo | 7pm | Bastrop Beer Company, 1008 Main St, Bastrop | Weekly Wednesday bingo at the taproom. Bastrop Beer Company
🔮 Planning Ahead
🎶 Thu Sep 24 | Carter Hampton | 6:30-8:30pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Live acoustic on the patio. Free. Copper Shot Distillery
🎨 Fri Sep 25 | Autumn After Dark | Paint, Sip, Create | 6:30-8:30pm | Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Pick a fox, an owl or a pumpkin and paint it step by step, all supplies included. $30, or 2 for $50 with code 2FRIENDS. Rising Sun Vineyard
🥩 Fri Sep 25 | Prime Rib Night | 5-9pm | The Front Room, 116 Main St, Smithville | 8oz and 12oz cuts with two sides, the last Friday of every month. Reservations 512-237-3626. The Front Room Wine Bar
🏆 Sat Sep 26 | REC RALLY 2026 | 8am-2pm | Elgin Memorial Park, Elgin | Free-throw, pickleball doubles and cornhole doubles alongside the Elgin Cares community cookout. $10 per person per event, spectators free, ages 13 and up. City of Elgin
🎵 Sat Sep 26 | Music in the Museum | Bastrop Live | noon-1pm | Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop | A free community concert out on the museum's front porch. Bastrop County Historical Society
🤠 Sat Sep 26 | Down Home Ranch Gala | "Rhinestone Cowboy" | from 5pm | Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center, 1408 Chestnut St, Bastrop | The 23rd annual fundraising gala for the ranch community out on the Elgin side of the county. Down Home Ranch
🔭 Sat Sep 26 | Star Party at Yegua Knobbs Preserve | 7-10:30pm | 1106 Johnnie Baker Rd, McDade | Dark-sky stargazing out in the eastern county. Registration required for directions. Pines & Prairies Land Trust
💀 Fri Oct 2 - Mon Nov 2 | Día de los Muertos Community Display | 10am-5pm | Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop | Ofrendas built by local families, plus a shared altar anybody may add to. The opening ceremony with live music is Friday October 2, 6-8pm. Free. Bastrop County Historical Society
🎸 Fri-Sat Oct 2-3 | Smithville Music Festival | 5th Annual | Downtown Main Street, Smithville | Twelve hours of live music across two days, free admission. Smithville Music Festival
🍁 Sat Oct 3 | Falloween Fall Festival | 10am-1pm | Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main St, Elgin | The library kicks off fall with Joe McDermott, face painting, twist balloons, crafts and vendors. Elgin Chamber of Commerce
🎃 Sat Oct 3 | Smithville Fall Market Days | 8am-4pm | American Legion Road, Smithville | A full day of fall market vendors, and it lands the same weekend as the music festival, so Smithville is worth a whole day. Smithville Fall Market Days
🚂 Sat Oct 3 | Meet Me at the Depot | 9am-noon | Smithville MKT Depot, 102 NE 1st St, Smithville | The October installment of the first-Saturday series. Free. Smithville Area Chamber
🎃 Sun Oct 4 | Ascension Fall Festival Extravaganza | 10:30am-5:30pm | Ascension Catholic Church, 804 Pine St, Bastrop | Food and drinks, a cake walk, a DJ and live music, a live auction and a silent auction, bingo and games for every age, a country store of handmade things, and a whole Kiddie Row of games and prizes. Raffle tickets are $10, or a book of ten with one free thrown in. Ascension Catholic Church
🎶 Sun Oct 4 | Bastrop Blues Band | 2-5pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Sunday afternoon blues on the patio at this week's featured business. Copper Shot Distillery
🍺 Sat Oct 10 | Oktoberfest with King V | 11am-9pm | Rising Sun Vineyard, 233 Edmonson Ranch Rd, McDade | Bavarian food, beer and live music all day. Rising Sun Vineyard
🎃 Sun Oct 11 | The Great Pumpkin Bash | 5-7pm | Elgin Recreation Center front lawn, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin | Elgin Parks and Rec throws the pumpkin party. City of Elgin
🎄 Sat-Sun Oct 17-18 | Hometown Holiday Market | "A Pastel Christmas" | Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-4pm | Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center, 1408 Chestnut St B, Bastrop | The third annual holiday market, hourly door prizes, pictures with Santa on Saturday. $8, a dollar off with a canned good, free parking. Texas Market Guide
🐷 Oct 22-24 | 39th Annual Elgin Hogeye Festival | Downtown Elgin | The best little pig gig in Texas. BBQ pork cook-off, Cow Patty Bingo, live music, the Pearls Before Swine art show, and a car and bike show. Free. City of Elgin
👻 Sat Oct 31 | Bastrop Boo Bash | 2-6pm | Downtown Bastrop | The downtown Halloween route, with the museum's Boo Bash as one of the stops. Downtown Bastrop
🚗 Sat Nov 7 | Heroes & Hotrods Veterans Weekend Car Show | from 8am | Main St, Bastrop | The Bastrop Area Cruisers bring the hotrods downtown for Veterans Weekend. Bastrop Area Cruisers
🎁 September Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28 | Your link is right below
This is the one. Christie J. won August. September is still up for grabs, and the drawing is at the end of this month.
Your unique referral link is sitting right below this paragraph. Send it to one person today. Every neighbor who subscribes through your link is another entry with your name on it, and there is no limit on how many you can rack up. Share it in a group text, a church bulletin, a school parent page, a neighborhood thread, wherever your people are.
The prize is a $50 gift card to Numero 28, the Italian wood-fired pizzeria and vineria on Main Street in Bastrop. The winner gets drawn at the end of September and announced right here.
Who is your one person? Send it to them before you close this email.
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 next week the way Taylor Tree Service is this week? Hit reply and ask about sponsoring an issue or being our Business of the Week.
See you Monday.
Marilyn - The Bastrop Current