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Freedom Fighters

SUNDAY November 2, 2025

FEATURE
Honoring the Freedom Fighters

All over the Upper East Side of Texas communities pay tribute to veterans with statues of granite and stone, markers, plaques, flagpoles, and more in grateful appreciation for their service to America.

High schools dedicate plaques to former students killed in service, cemeteries erect monuments to fallen soldiers all the way back to the Revolutionary War, and county courthouses have scrolls of names of soldiers that once lived in their towns.

Besides the thousands of visitors throughout the year, special events take place often in these sacred locations, including for Veterans Day each November 11. READ MORE

ART + CULTURE
Find Art and Wine at Winnsboro Festival

Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA) invites guests to raise a glass and savor creativity at the 16th Annual Art & Wine Festival in historic downtown Winnsboro. This free, two-day celebration blends fine art, Texas wines, good food and rich Texas music, making it the ideal fall weekend escape. The festival returns to The Bowery in downtown Winnsboro from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, November 7, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, November 8. Pictured is a work by one of the artists, Bethany Klein, who uses coffee, charcoal, and pastels for her creations. READ MORE

THIS TIME OF YEAR
Remembering Gussie Nell Davis

The birth of dance drill team performances happened first at a rural Texas high school, then on a small college football field before gaining popularity around the world. The inventor of the art form was teacher and choreographer Gussie Nell Davis who brought it to perfection.

Born in Farmersville, Texas, on November 4, 1906, Davis went to public schools there and then to the Texas Woman’s University (formerly the College of Industrial Arts) in Denton with the intention to become a concert pianist. While there, her interest in dancing led to switching her studies to physical education. She graduated in 1927 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began her professional career the following year at Greenville High School as a physical education instructor and pep squad sponsor.

During her first year in Greenville, the pep-squad, known as the Flaming Flashes, did stunts and a little marching. With her experience in music, dance, and physical education, over the next 10 years, the team’s activities evolved and became more elaborate under her direction. From there Davis went on to create the famous Kilgore Rangerettes. READ MORE

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
From parades to shopping and magical holiday community gatherings, to the arts and entertainment, get your calendars ready to experience this joyful season of 2025 in the Upper East Side of Texas. Here are a few things going on this week. Be sure to check the visitor pages of our thriving communities to find even more fun and make plans.

Through November 2

First Monday Trade Days. Canton. www.firstmondaycanton.com

Through November 15

Cowboy Tales. Art Exhibition. Winnsboro Center for the Arts. www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com. See an online gallery of the work on www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com/product-category/2025-cowboy-tales

 

Through November 30

Making a Mark: Women in Early Texas Art. Tyler. Far from encyclopedic, Making a Mark celebrates a few women artists who were active and influential in Texas from the latter part of the nineteenth century through the end of the twentieth century.

While the 17 highlighted artists certainly worked in a broad spectrum of media, the exhibition focuses solely on works on paper. Within that scope, however, the artworks include a variety of printmaking techniques and the direct application of ink, watercolor, pastel and litho crayon on paper.

The artists featured are Emma Richardson Cherry, Marilyn Miller Kincheloe, Julya Kirkpatrick, Kathleen Lawrence, Mary Lightfoot, Verda Ligon, Josephine Mahaffey, Toni LaSelle, Constance Forsyth, Barbara Maples, Josephine Oliver, Janet Turner, Bertha Landers, Mary Bonner, Coreen Spellman, Kathleen Blackshear, and Rosalie Speed. www.tylermuseum.org

 

Through December 20

Six Degrees of Separation. Longview. www.lmfa.org

 

Through December 31

Texarkana and the Railroads. Texarkana. The exhibit includes the history of different gauge railways, short lines, freight and passenger service in Texarkana and the surrounding area. Guests see how Texarkana came to be after the implementation and influence of railroads, including interaction with the military, Red River Army Depot, support from the community, and the local economy through the history of the railroad. A tribute to musician David Alexander, Black Ivory King, is on display. He wrote four songs with his interpretation of life and times and the railroad life in the 1930s and 1940s. He wrote the music and lyrics to “The Flying Crow,” “Working for the PWA,” “Gingham Dress” (Alexander Blues), and “Matchbox Blues.” Nearby is the Scott Joplin display. Museum of Regional History. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (903) 793-4831 and visit www.texarkanamuseum.org.

Through January 1, 2026

Scott Joplin: Father of Ragtime Special Limited Exhibition. Texarkana. Includes two original paintings by Henry Fort II presented by the Texarkana Museums System along with the Scott Joplin Support Group. The two paintings depict Scott Joplin, his music and ties to the community. Titled “Treemonisha – Texarkana, 1866” and “Scott Joplin at Mt Zion First Missionary Baptist Church Texarkana, 1880s,” the paintings are a temporary addition to the permanent Scott Joplin exhibit. “COBRA Ad-Shineum” method from the artist’s master studies at Howard University is represented in both pieces.

The two paintings are part of an expanding collection commissioned and curated by the Scott Joplin Support Group. Texarkana Museums System is offering one-time admission to this exhibit for $5 per person, to include the entire first floor. Each painting depicts an area of town known and believed to be part of Joplin’s formative years in Texarkana from the 1870s – 1880s. Museum of Regional History. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (903) 793-4831 and visit www.texarkanamuseum.org.

Through January 4, 2026

Assembled: A Look at Contemporary Collage. Tyler. The exhibit focuses on the work of four different Texas-based collage artists. Jerry Jeanmard and Kelly Moran from Houston, Lance Letscher from Austin, and Ellen Frances Tuchman from Dallas all use the technique differently to bring their own artistic vision to life. While each artist has their own unique style, through lines within the medium are revealed when the works are viewed together. www.tylermuseum.org

 

Through Feb 21, 2026

My Ears to See. Longview. Art by Lee Albert Hill. www.lmfa.org

 

Flowers and Their Roots. Longview. Art by Diego Loya, tackling the barbed issue of Mexican immigration with powerful and poignant sculptures and installations relating to his family’s heritage. www.lmfa.org

 

November 4

Texas Shakespeare presents Julius Caesar. Greenville Municipal Auditorium. www.showtimeatthegma.com

 

November 6-8

Reel East Texas Film Festival. Kilgore. www.reeleasttexas.com

 

November 7-8

Winnsboro Art & Wine Festival. Juried artists, award-winning wines, specialty foods, and live music. www.winnsboroartandwinefestival.com

 

November 8

Veterans Day Parade. Nacogdoches. www.visitnacogdoches.org

 

Veterans Day Parade. Palestine. www.visitpalestine.com

 

Eldred Marshall. A virtuoso pianist takes the stage for a solo evening. Greenville Municipal Auditorium. www.showtimeatthegma.com

 

British Bash. A Christmas market celebrating Terrell’s long and storied history with England and the British people. www.discoverterrell.com

 

Ilya & Shmukler. Marshall. The Marshall Symphony Orchestra. Memorial City Hall. www.memorialcityhall.com

 

Heritage Syrup Festival. Henderson. Ribbon cane syrup making takes center stage with other activities including folk art and sawmill demonstrations, carousel rides, antique tractors, storytelling, live music, square dancing, pony rides, chili cook-off, and a children’s section. Henderson. Depot Museum, Downtown Square. www.hendersontx.us/14/Heritage-Syrup-Festival

 

Edgewood Heritage Festival. In a backdrop of 19th-century buildings, the festival celebrates regional heritage with an artisan village, classic cars, antique tractors, model trains, blacksmithing, print shop, barber shop, bake sale, jams and jellies, and live music. Heritage Park Museum of East Texas, Downtown Edgewood. www.heritageparkmuseumofetx.org

 

Dueling Pianos: The Eighty Eights. Athens. The Texan. www.thetexanathens.com

 

Art & Farm Block Party. Mineola. Stroll the sidewalks of downtown Mineola with an evening market offering local farm fresh produce and farm products among a backdrop of art galleries, shops, a historic hotel, a cigar bar and tavern. Sponsored by Promise of Peace Gardens and Art By The Tracks. 4-7 p.m. www.artbythetracks.com

WHAT ELSE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
Building Connections Across Generations

The Hidden Wonders of Texas National Forests

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County Line Magazine, PO Box 705, Winnsboro, TX 75494

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