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Holiday Night Bazaar with The Local at Lake Walk
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Camp Allen: Holiday in the Pines
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A Toast to Absent Friends: A Día de los Muertos Event
Events like holiday getaways in the far lands of the forest and shopping for special artisan gifts that are perfect for the months filled with gift-giving, there is truly something for everyone. For those wishing to spend the upcoming holidays with their family whilst immersed in the realm of holiday cheer, these events promise to provide all of the above.
The Gardens Fall Festival
The Gardens at Texas A&M University feature exotic plants roaming with beautiful butterflies and caterpillars. On Saturday, Oct. 19, The Gardens will host its annual fall festival to celebrate the upcoming holidays. The event will have many family-friendly events for participants to indulge in.
“Really, it's just a celebration of fall and letting folks learn and come out to The Gardens,” says Kathryn Grier, The Gardens’ education and outreach coordinator. “We’ll have our Junior Master Gardener crew out here with a fun activity. We typically grow cotton in the Food and Fiber Field, and we have that on demonstration in the garden.”
Pumpkins will be on display for the whole month of October for those who cannot make it to the event but still wish to visit. The Gardens is free for anyone who wants to enjoy the fall festivities and learn about agriculture, horticulture and ecology.
For more information on the event or how to sign up, visit gardens.tamu.edu.
2024 BCS Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 10K
The 2024 BCS Oktoberfest Half Marathon & 10K will be held on Sunday, Oct. 13 at 7 a.m. outside of Kyle Field. This year’s medal is a beer mug that doubles as a bottle opener. Every participant of the race will receive a custom medal, racing shirt and a beer stein with the date on it.
There will be a packet pickup the day before the event from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. where attendees will receive their race number and a race shirt. Local businesses such as local chiropractors, Clean Eatz and physical therapists will be there to greet and assist contestants.
“It’s just an all-out community effort,” says race director Rodney Wellmann. “Texas A&M rolls out the red carpet, [followed by] H.E.B., Slovacek Sausage [Co.] [and] Anheuser-Busch. I mean, it’s just this celebration of our community of all these businesses that come together and help put on this huge event, and it’s pretty special to see.”
Celebrate Oktoberfest by running alongside others in the community.To sign up for the race, visit bcshalf.com
A Toast to Absent Friends: A Día de los Muertos Event
For the first weekend of November, the Brazos Valley branch of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), also known as Shire of Shadowlands, is hosting a 1500s-themed celebration of Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead.” The SCA is an international educational nonprofit focused on historical research. The organization strives to recreate the earliest history recorded all the way up to the 1600s.
There is a $25 gate entry fee to raise money for future events and an additional $$ ticket purchase to attend the feast; all other activities are included with the entrance. Attendees can participate in weapon throwing, watch sword fights, enjoy historical arts and science displays and engage in the bardic area, a theater area for performing.
“We do events like this periodically throughout the year so that we’re just able to all get together and have fun doing the different activities that we like to do,” says Faith White, an SCA member.
The celebration will take place at Deanville Hall at 6785 FM 111, Deanville starting on Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. and ending on Nov. 3 at noon. The venue will be decked in Día de los Muertos-themed decor and a marigold arch to commemorate the history behind the holiday.
For more information about the nonprofit, visit sca.org. To learn more about how to get involved locally, visit ansteorra.org/shadowlands for events and more.
Sugar Plum Market
Every November Brenham’s Sugar Plum Market gathers a collection of local vendors who cater to customers of all ages. This year, join the festivities on Nov. 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a holiday shopping extravaganza. The goal for this year’s event is to allow more options for shoppers to divulge in the experience of purchasing items made locally and expand vendors.
Originally starting with roughly seven vendors to give local small businesses an avenue to get exposure within the community, the event has grown tremendously. Last year the event featured around 25 vendors to ensure something was there for everyone.
“Just seeing the community come together and support each other is really phenomenal,” says Amanda Klehm, one of the event hosts. “Usually, we have a really good crowd … to see everyone come out and shop and help [local vendors] out because you know when you help out a small business, you’re helping their families too.”
This year, the event will take place at Brenham Fireman’s Training Center for the 11th year. Shop for everything under the sun and more before the holidays!
For more information, visit visitbrenhamtexas.com/events/11th-annual-sugar-plum-market.
Holiday Night Bazaar with The Local at Lake Walk
Celebrate the season and visit The Local at Lake Walk for its Holiday Night Bazaar. Vendors and food trucks will help kick off the eventful night with delicious local eats and must-haves for loved ones in the spirit of the upcoming holidays.
Holiday Night Bazaar promises to have something for everyone with several vendors who have created one-of-a-kind crafts just in time for the month of gift-giving. The event incorporates live music to enhance the ambiance along with a 75-foot observation tower and giant light-up Christmas tree.
“A normal market only has 20-25 vendors,” says Tristan Estrada, market manager of The Local at Lake Walk. “Holiday Night Bazaar has 50-75, and we have more food trucks. We had about 1500 people attend [last year] and [at] a normal market we usually get somewhere around like 200-300 so it really is just a larger experience overall.”
The organization invites everyone to grab a bite to eat while looking at the beautiful scenery with their many onsite food trucks. Holiday Night Bazaar will take place on Dec. 7 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Lake Walk in College Station.
For more information on the event, visit www.thelocalbcs.com/general-7.
Camp Allen: Holiday in the Pines
Camp Allen has something exciting in store for the whole family at the 25th annual Holiday in the Pines event. In the spirit of the season, visits from Santa, gingerbread house competitions, sledding in the front yard full of snow and many more holiday-themed events will take place for visitors to enjoy with their loved ones. This winter-themed gathering will run from Dec. 13 to Dec. 15.
Ladies Tea is another Holiday in the Pines tradition. It takes place in the common dining area and guests are encouraged to dress up, sip tea and play games together. The five miles of trails for hiking that run through the Camp Allen grounds are also a great way to spend time with the family during the getaway.
“We always have snow on our front lawn and sledding, all the moon jumps and bouncy houses that people can go [on],” says Lauren Day, development director of Camp Allen.
Holiday in the Pines guarantees a well-spent weekend with others who wish to embark on the tradition. Make memories with the family and visit the vast land that Camp Allen makes into a Christmas wonderland every December!
For more information on the event, visit www.campallen.org.
Miracle on Main Street
Miracle on Main Street, hosted by Hibiscus & Honey Boutique, will have its second-ever holiday-themed event for vendors to sell and advertise their products to the community. It will be held at Ice House on Main Street in Bryan on Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and promises fun for the whole family with face-painting, live music and crafts.
Taylor Whittlesey, owner of Hibiscus & Honey Boutique, says that she has been planning the event since January and strives to have more business owners and those in the community there at Miracle on Main Street this year.
“I know there’s been a lot of people launching new businesses since last year and we would love for new business owners to come out and share their new creations,” Taylor says.
Taylor says her favorite part about the event is seeing families come together and have fun while giving back to the community.
“They could shop large during the holiday and shop at big chain stores, but they choose to come and support the small business and that’s really special,” Taylor says.
Join Taylor and over 60 local vendors at the Ice House. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/ice-house-on-main/miracle-on-main-street.
