Saddle Up

By Editor | September 15, 2025 |

SUNDAY September 14, 2025

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FEATURE

The Spirit of the West Rides into Winnsboro

Winnsboro Center for the Arts presents the 2025 Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering on Friday and Saturday, September 26 and 27 with concerts and presentations by top entertainers, free Western fun activities for the whole family, and a juried cowboy-themed art exhibition. The event takes place in multiple downtown locations combining cowboy culture and artistry, and drawing the finest cowboy poets, storytellers, and musicians from Texas and beyond. IMAGE: “The Crossing” by Sharon Cromer. READ MORE

LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT

Event Highlights

September 14

Tango Nuevo. Mount Vernon. Musicians of the Fort Worth Symphony play Piazzolla — jazz, classical, and tango. Mount Vernon Music. www.mountvernonmusic.org.

September 19

Curtis Grimes. Longview. Heritage Plaza. www.visitlongviewtexas.com.

Piney Woods Evening Dinner Train. Palestine. Enjoy a scenic twilight train ride, followed by a savory catered dinner beneath the stars. Indulge in appetizers, a champagne or cider toast, dessert, and refreshments with Texas State Railroad. www.texasstaterailroad.net.

Red Not Chili Peppers. Tyler. Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue. www.stanleysfamous.com.

September 19-28

East Texas State Fair. Tyler. Beer garden, agriculture, food row, petting zoo, live music, www.etstatefair.com.

September 20

Pints in the Pines. Palestine. A vintage train and beer-tasting adventure. Sample local brews, enjoy appetizers, a catered dinner, and dessert. Alternative drinks are available. Texas State Railroad. www.texasstaterailroad.net.

Andie Kay Joyner. (Pictured) Ben Wheeler. The Forge Bar & Grill. www.theforgebenwheeler.com.

Tyler Songwriters Festival 2025. A day-long dive into what makes a song great and how to write one. The workshop is designed for both beginning and seasoned songwriters, as well as for the song enthusiast, with a desire to examine and explore the building blocks of songwriting, including song structure, lyrical content, melodic composition and rhythm and tempo. Workshop from 9-4 p.m. with Songwriters in the Round at 8 p.m. featuring Songwriters in the Round, 8 p.m. with Lauren Alexander, Dave Sherman, Matt Magill, Caleb Joseph, Connie Mims Pinkerton, Clint Alford, Gary Patrick, and Randy Morrison. The Listening Lounge. www.visittyler.com.

Cotton Patch Challenge Bike Ride. Greenville. Bike ride features six different courses ranging from 12 miles to 74 miles with the two longest routes crossing over nearby Lake Tawakoni. All routes start and finish in Downtown Greenville. www.cottonpatchchallenge.com

Terrell Mural Walk. Downtown Terrell. www.discoverterrell.com.

Stella Cole. Tyler. UT Cowan Center. www.cowancenter.org

Lee Street Jamboree. Greenville. Free, family-friendly street party with live music under the stars. Southall performs Southern rock and Americana starting at 8 p.m. www.travelgreenvilletx.com.

MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Museum Seeks to Foster Empathy

Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) has partnered with the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio to bring four traveling exhibits to its campuses this fall. The museum is dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and apathy by teaching the history of the Holocaust and honoring the memory of its victims. Its mission is to connect the lessons of the Holocaust to present and future generations, fostering empathy, knowledge, and a commitment to justice. READ MORE

FOOD & DRINK

Enjoy a Tasty Visit to Paris, Texas

The Paris Farmers & Artisan Market offers a variety of items including specialty breads, locally roasted coffee, fresh produce, fresh eggs, goat cheese, pottery, firewood, and Texas wine. The market is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays from through October. Other things to do while in Paris include visiting the “Texanized” sixty-five-foot Eiffel Tower replica, topped off by a red cowboy hat with a ten-foot brim and four-foot crown. It is a great photo opportunity, as are several creative downtown murals and “ghost signs” from the past.

Taking a walk or bicycle ride along the Trail de Paris is a favorite activity. It is part of the 130 mile Northeast Texas Trail running through 19 towns and seven counties. The trail goes through a 90-acre wooded area in Paris and beyond with sites featuring unique bridges, creeks, rippling water, huge sugarberry and other varieties of trees, crape myrtles, honeysuckle, fireflies, underpass art, wildflowers, and pastoral scenes.

Walkers on the trail enjoy picking up a meal from a local restaurant or buying picnic ingredients from the local farmers’ market and finding a perfect spot to enjoy the day.

There is no shortage of good dining opportunities in Paris, both downtown and on the loop that circles the city. Check out this article for more reasons to visit the second largest Paris in the world and find other culinary destinations in the region as well.