Bluebonnets, Events and THANK YOU!

Now's a great time to head to the Big Bend to see
the bluebonnets along Hwy 170, the scenic River Road!

Last night the region proved there are PLENTY of us who want to to work together to plan great events for our communities and for our travelers.  We were bowled over, frankly, at the to-capacity crowd that showed up at the (wonderful) Big Bend Telephone community room in Alpine for our 1st Annual Events Summit. 

Photo: courtesy of Marfa Public Radio

Our work for tonight was to build the first every regional PLANNERS calendar, so our community leaders can find marketing partners and the perfect dates for upcoming events. 

We were told, "good luck getting people to work together," but the region showed the pessimists, and our crowd was easily double the size we expected.  By working together, our regional event planners and community leaders will have better offerings for YOU, the traveler!  Take a look at the great events on our calendar now! 

A huge thanks should be extended to our sponsors:  the City of Alpine, and Museum of the Big Bend; and Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, Hotel Paisano, the Gage Hotel, Holland Hotel, Big Bend Resorts and Adventures,  Maverick Inn, Saddle Club, Century Bar and Grill, Sierra la Rana, Texas Mountain Realty, St. James Episcopal Church, Blue Sky Productions, and Senator Jose Rodriquez.  BIG thanks also to the event organizer, the hardworking Paige Phelps of Marfa, and our Texas Mountain Trail board members who supported and contributed to this event, including Liz Jackson of the Museum of the Big Bend, Robert Alvarez of the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce, Abby Garza of the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, Travis Roberts, Linda Hedges of TPWD.  Also thanks to Stewart Ramser, our partner with the Big Bend and Texas Mountain Travel Guide, Chris Ruggia of Visit Alpine; and our volunteers, Monte Riggs and Teresa Caldwell, the Texas Heritage Trails Program Director of the Texas Historical Commission.

Our Own Lone Star Legacy Park!

Congratulations to our friends at Indian Lodge/Davis Mountains State Park for their recent honor award as a Lone Star Legacy Park!  We couldn't agree more....the state park complex in Fort Davis; with the CCC-built Indian Lodge; views of the entire Davis Mountains vistas; a place to understand, appreciate and enjoy our high mountain desert flora and fauna...is extraordinary!

From the honoring organization's website, the Texas Recreation and Park Society:

"A Lone Star Legacy Park is a park that holds special prominence in the local community and the state of Texas. These parks have endured the test of time and have become iconic to those who have visited, played and rested on their grounds.  A designation as a Lone Star Legacy is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a park. "

Photo: DMSP

Photo: Indian Lodge

Congratulations to ALL, including all of us, who get to experience all the park has to offer!  As Texans, we are indeed lucky to have Indian Lodge and Davis Mountains State Park as our very own!

Thursday's Regional Event Summit...plan to attend! 

Click on the flyer for a closer view!

FREE Tri-County Event Planning Summit: February 27, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Big Bend Telephone Company community room in Alpine, Texas!  Do work with an organization that is planning a large event, music festival or fundraiser?   Do you work with a business that caters to tourists?  THIS SUMMIT IS FOR YOU.

Bring a list of your planned events from March 2014 through the end of May 2015, so we can build a comprehensive regional events calendar together!  Let's find opportunities in the calendar for strategic scheduling to boost our local economy, as well as opportunities for cooperative marketing.

Includes:  "Publicity 101: How to Get Media Attention for your Event"
with  KTSM 9 El Paso's Andra Litton, CBS7 Midland/Odessa Tatum Guinn,  KRTS General Manager Tom Michael, and Alpine Avalanche Jonathan Wimp

Enjoy live music from Terlingua singer/songwriter Trevor Richman and food from Alpine's Saddle Club!

We are grateful to our generous sponsors:  City of Alpine and the  Museum of the Big Bend with Sierra la Rana, St. James Episcopal Church, Hotel Paisano, Holland Hotel, Blue Sky Productions, Big Bend Resorts and Adventures, Saddle Club, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, Gage Hotel, Maverick Inn, Century Bar and Grill, Texas Mountain Realty, Senator Jose Rodriquez.

Historic Markers: Definitely Worth the Stop

Figure 2 Ranch historic marker on
Hwy 54 between Van Horn and Guadalupe Mtns National Park

Along just about any highway in Texas, historical markers invite travelers to stop and learn about the unique history behind the local places.  Today, markers are the product of local enthusiasm and support, and careful review by the Texas Historical Commission

The first state marker was placed in 1884 at the Fayette County Courthouse; today, there are more than 15,000 across the state.  Learn about the history of state historical markers in Texas, here.

1936 marker, photo: THC

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Texas' independence, more than $3 million was set aside in 1935 to erect Centennial Markers.  Learn more about them, here.

Do you know a place in the state that deserves a historic marker?  There's still plenty of time to do the research and submit an application. 

From the THC's website:

"The historical marker process in Texas begins at the county level. After you have reviewed all the relevant information on this page, contact your county historical commission chair if you are interested in submitting an application.

The THC accepts applications for historical markers each fall for the following calendar year. The next application period is from September 1 through November 15, 2014 for 2015 markers. Please note that all marker applications must be approved and submitted by your county historical commission chair or marker chair. "

The historical marker process in Texas begins at the county level. After you have reviewed all the relevant information on this page, contact your county historical commission chair if you are interested in submitting an application.
The THC accepts applications for historical markers each fall for the following calendar year. The next application period is from September 1 through November 15, 2014 for 2015 markers. Please note that all marker applications must be approved and submitted by your county historical commission chair or marker chair. 
- See more at: http://www.thc.state.tx.us/preserve/projects-and-programs/state-historical-markers/apply-historical-marker#sthash.KHy66HEu.dpuf

Learn more about the process, here.

Attend our Tri-County Events Summit this Thursday night!
Big thanks to our sponsors!  Click on the flyer for details!

Stay tuned in the coming days for more information and photos! 

Texas Mountain Trail Events Summit THIS Thursday Night!

Booths at Fort Davis' Coolest July 4th

We've been building an events calendar so visitors (and residents, too!) can find fun events and gatherings and performances and outings in our Texas Mountain communities.  We saw the opportunity to deliver more value, to bring event planners together to build a comprehensive planners calendar, to share ideas and resources and learn more about marketing events to our audiences.

 

FREE Tri-County Event Planning Summit: February 27, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Big Bend Telephone Company community room in Alpine, Texas! 

Do work with an organization that is planning a large event, music festival or fundraiser?   Do you work with a business that caters to tourists?  THIS SUMMIT IS FOR YOU.

Bring a list of your planned events from March 2014 through the end of May 2015, so we can build a comprehensive regional events calendar together!  Let's find opportunities in the calendar for strategic scheduling to boost our local economy, as well as opportunities for cooperative marketing.

Includes:  "Publicity 101: How to Get Media Attention for your Event"
with  KTSM 9 El Paso's Andra Litton, CBS7 Midland/Odessa Tatum Guinn,  KRTS General Manager Tom Michael, and Alpine Avalanche Jonathan Wimp

Enjoy live music from Terlingua singer/songwriter Trevor Richman and food from Alpine's Saddle Club!

We are grateful to our generous sponsors:  City of Alpine and the  Museum of the Big Bend with Sierra la Rana, St. James Episcopal Church, Hotel Paisano, Holland Hotel, Blue Sky Productions, Big Bend Resorts and Adventures, Saddle Club, Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, Gage Hotel, Maverick Inn, Century Bar and Grill, Texas Mountain Realty, Senator Jose Rodriquez.

More info about the Summit on our Texas Mountain Trail events calendar, HERE. 

Viva Big Bend music performance at the
Holland Hotel in Alpine

Parade at Marfa Lights Festival
Labor Day weekend in Marfa

Click on the flyer for a closer view!

Very special thanks to our major sponsors, the City of Alpine and the Museum of the Big Bend.  Y'all are great! 

Our FREE Events Listing!!

Festivals

If you're an event planner here in Far West Texas consider yourself invited to use our FREE events listing program online! 

Outdoor events

There's an online form you can use to send us all the information on your event...click here to get there:  http://texasmountaintrail.com/node/add/event

Once you fill in the blanks, we'll get an email to review your listing.  As long as your event would hold interest for our travelers--be it an historical, cultural, preservation, active endeavor--we'll post it on our calendar!  We'll review it, make some formatting updates and make it go "live," so it will appear on our calendar here.

Museum exhibit openings

The service is FREE, and we know it will help you spread the word about FUN in Far West Texas!

Posting Your Event!

Part of our mission as a non-profit supporting Far West Texas, is to promote worthy events in the region.  Many event organizers approach us about getting their events on our web calendar, on this Daily Photo blog, and on our many social media outlets.  We've produced this easy 2 step guide for qualifying heritage, cultural, and adventure events for organizers working in the six westernmost counties of the state, from Marathon and Big Bend all the way west to El Paso and the state line.

You can view the flyer by clicking on the image to the left, or following this link.

Be sure to start your publicity as soon as you can to attract the most visitors....six month ahead isn't too soon!  Please do complete both Step 1 and Step 2 at least two weeks before your event takes place.  Another tip?  Send us photos, according to instructions.  The .pdf of your flyer or poster is of limited value.  We may only be able to post it on Facebook or Twitter. 

These services are free, although we reserve additional services and exposure for our Texas Mountain Trail business members.  We want to provide information for a wide range of visitors, however some events may not be appropriate for our audience.  We reserve the right to post events as our staff or volunteer time will allow and as deemed suitable for our social media visitors.  We want our visitors (and residents of the region) to know about the VERY BEST events Far West Texas can offer!

Aguas Frescas

Check out the Events Calendar on the Texas Mountain Trail website for festivals and special events!