Rally Around the Flag
In 1831, Mexico gave the people of Gonzales a cannon to ward off Native American attacks. Four years later, Mexican troops came to get the howitzer back and were greeted by a lone star flag baring a taunt: “Come and Take It.” The firing of that cannon was the start of the Texas Revolution, and today, the cannon sits in the Gonzales Memorial Museum, the centerpiece of the Come and Take It Celebration, a three-day festival booming with Texas bravado. The festivities take place in downtown Gonzales, which has three town squares, so there’s plenty of room for carnival rides and live music, plus the popular chicken flying contest. (That’s flying, not frying, unfortunately.) A downtown parade is followed with a reenactment in Pioneer Village of the battle of Oct. 2, 1835, when the first shots of the Texas Revolution were fired.
—Michael Corcoran
BIG BEND COUNTRY
Alpine
Big Bend Comic Con
Oct. 5
This celebration of popular culture in the high desert mountains offers special guests, talks, vendors, art contests, and games. Espino Conference Center, 400 N. Harrison St. facebook.com/bigbendcomiccon
Alpine
NCOM
Oct. 12
America’s premier 1,000-, 383-, and 208-mile ultra bicycle road race features solo, tandem, and relay categories. Quarter Circle 7 Hotel, 2800 US 90. ultradex.net/ncom-home
Del Rio
Fiesta De Amistad
Oct. 18-20
Del Rio has a close relationship with its sister city of Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, and this festival is a celebration of that friendship. Enjoy an arts and crafts fair among other activities. Various locations. 830-775-3551
El Paso
Chalk the Block
Oct. 11-13
This free annual public arts festival is an opportunity for artists in all disciplines to showcase their work with live painting, performances, live music, art installations, and art classes. Though not technically a music festival, it features top local musicians every year. The El Paso Downtown Arts District, 400 W. San Antonio Ave. 915-212-0110; chalktheblock.com
El Paso
Hueco Tanks Interpretive Fair
Oct. 19-20
This free event includes Native American dancing and drumming, a buffalo soldier encampment, folklórico dancers, pictograph and birding tours, climbing demonstrations, and campfire storytelling. Hueco Tanks State Park, 6900 Hueco Tanks Road No. 1. 915-857- 1135; tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/hueco-tanks
El Paso
Boo at the Zoo
Oct. 26-27
This wild event offers a fun-filled day with animal encounters, children’s activities, games, and frightfully delightful decorations for more than 19,000 visitors. El Paso Zoo, 4001 E. Paisano Drive. 915-212-0966; elpasozoo.org
Fort Davis
Open Weekend at Davis Mountains Preserve
Oct. 11-13
The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve opens for hiking, biking, equestrian activities, picnics,
