Hey neighbor 👋
Big weekend ahead. Elgin's Juneteenth celebration fills downtown with a street dance Friday night and the Grand Parade Saturday morning. Bastrop cools off Friday evening at the first-ever Splash Bash water battle at Fisherman's Park, and the Bastrop County Museum flips the switch Saturday on its new hands-on electricity exhibit. Plus, we pulled up a chair at Bastrop's newest restaurant, where the steaks come with a side of Friday night lights.
Let's dig in. 🗓️
👥 Join the conversation
Our Bastrop Current Community Group on Facebook keeps growing | neighbors are posting events, photos, and local finds every day. Got something happening in your corner of the county? Come share it with us.
🥩 Featured Business of the Week | LongHorn Steakhouse | Bastrop
Steak done right, now closer to home | Bastrop, Texas
For years, a good steakhouse dinner meant a drive down Highway 71 toward Austin. Not anymore. LongHorn Steakhouse opened its doors at Burleson Crossing East this past February, and the 5,780-square-foot restaurant has been packing in Bastrop County families ever since.
Step inside and it feels like Texas | stone walls, wagon-wheel chandeliers, a hand-painted ranch mural, and a longhorn mount over the bar flanked by two football helmets you'll recognize: one maroon Bastrop Bears helmet and one Cedar Creek Eagles helmet. A chain restaurant that shows up wearing the home team's colors is a chain restaurant that did its homework.
The menu is exactly what you'd hope | fire-grilled steaks seasoned with their signature spice blend, from a 6 oz Renegade Sirloin to the 18 oz Outlaw Ribeye. Our table's favorites:
🥩 Fire-grilled sirloin | seasoned and seared with perfect grill marks
🌽 Street corn on the cob | loaded elote-style, big enough to share
🥒 Texas Brew Pickles | crispy fried pickle chips with spicy ranch
🥗 7-Pepper Steak Salad | sirloin over greens with blue cheese
🍹 Texas Tea Margarita | served with its own shaker, blue salt rim and all
Visit LongHorn Steakhouse
📍 653 W State Hwy 71, Bastrop, TX 78602 (Burleson Crossing East)
🗓️ Sun-Thu 11am-10pm | Fri-Sat 11am-11pm
🌐 longhornsteakhouse.com
🏛️ Have questions about the data centers?
Bastrop County has arranged three town hall meetings with EdgeConneX, the company planning three data center campuses spanning nearly 1,500 acres in the Cedar Creek area. Residents can ask questions and voice concerns directly to project representatives about water usage, infrastructure, and community impact.
🗓️ Tue June 16 | 6-8pm | North Bastrop County Community Annex, 704 Bull Run, Elgin
🗓️ Wed June 17 | 6-8pm | Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston, Smithville
🗓️ Thu June 18 | 6-8pm | Bastrop County Community Center, 15 American Legion Dr, Bastrop
All three meetings cover the same information | pick whichever is closest. More details from Community Impact🗓️ Bastrop County Events | June 11-17, 2026
Thursday, June 11
🪢 Zip Lost Pines Half Zip Tour | 12:30pm | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | Guided zip line adventure, $79/person. LCRA Parks
Friday, June 12
💦 Bastrop Splash Bash | A Community Water Battle | 5-8pm | Fisherman's Park, 1200 Willow St, Bastrop | The city's first-ever community-wide water battle. Bring a water blaster and a towel | free family fun from Bastrop Parks & Rec. City of Bastrop
🎉 Elgin Juneteenth | Street Dance & Vendors | 8pm-midnight | Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | The celebration kicks off with vendors and a night street dance downtown. Elgin Juneteenth
🔥 Firewild Summer Social Lounge | Friday| 5:00pm - 9:00pm Enjoy their second Summer Social Weekend with plates from the kitchen & selected wines 📍 201 N. Main Street, Elgin, Texas
🦋 Family Nature Quest | 10:30am | McKinney Roughs, Cedar Creek | Guided nature play for families, $10/person. Runs daily through Monday. LCRA Parks
🎸 Live Music at Neighbor's | 7pm | Neighbor's Kitchen & Yard, 601 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Fallon Franklin LIVE at Neighbor's Kitchen & Yard 7:00 pm. Neighbor's
🎵 The Mean Uncles are excited to bring their unique flavor of rock, blues, funk and jazz to Copper Shot Distillery | 7p-10-p | 809 Main Street, Bastrop
🌟 Saturday, June 13 | The Big Day
🎺 Elgin Juneteenth Grand Parade & Festival | 10am parade through Historic Downtown Elgin, then festivities at Veterans Memorial Park until 6pm | Live entertainment, food, and vendors. Free. Elgin Juneteenth
⚡ Spark Your Imagination | Grand Opening Make N Take | 11am-2pm | Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop | First look at the new hands-on electricity exhibit built with Bluebonnet Electric. Kids 12 and under free. Historical Society
👑 Bastrop Juneteenth | Essence of Beauty Pageant | 1pm | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St | Part of Bastrop's 40th anniversary Juneteenth season. Bastrop Juneteenth
🎤 Bastrop Juneteenth | ManTalk | 6:30-9pm | The Lumberyard Music Hall, Bastrop | An evening of real conversation kicking off 40 Years of Freedom. Bastrop Juneteenth
🚲 Build a Bike | 10:30am-12:30pm | Bob Bryant Park, 600 Charles Blvd, Bastrop | Friendship Church volunteers build bikes for local kids. Helpers welcome. Friendship Church
🛒 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am-2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Fresh produce and local goods. 1832 Farmers Market
🦞 Crawfish Krakhouse at Boring Bodega | 12pm til sold out | 865 FM 1209, Bastrop | Crawfish, shrimp, crab clusters, and sausage every Saturday in June at Hyperloop Plaza. Hyperloop Plaza
🎨 Spray Paint Art with Curtis | 10am-12pm | Lost Pines Art Center, 1204 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Learn spray paint techniques. LPAC
🏁 Race Night at Cotton Bowl Speedway | Gates 5pm | 1175 County Rd 202, Paige | IMCA Modifieds, Stock Cars, and SportMods under the lights. Cotton Bowl Speedway
🔥 Firewild Summer Social Lounge | Saturday| 5:00pm - 9:00pm Enjoy their second Summer Social Weekend with plates from the kitchen & selected wines 📍 201 N. Main Street, Elgin, Texas
😂 Comedy Night at Film Alley | 8pm | 1600 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Stand-up with Derrick Cakley. 17+, two-item minimum. Film Alley
🎸 Live Music at Neighbor's | 7pm | JORDAN HASTO BAND | Neighbor's Kitchen & Yard, Bastrop | Neighbor's
Sunday, June 14
🛒 Smithville Sunday Market | 10am-1pm summer hours | James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st, Smithville | Smithville Market
🧊 Beat the Heat Summer Market | 11am-2pm | Boring Bodega, 865 FM 1209, Bastrop | Local vendors, cool treats. Hyperloop Plaza
Monday, June 15
🏛️ Interpretive Center Open | 8:30am & 12:30pm | Bastrop State Park Historic Golf Shelter, 100 Park Rd 1A | New educational exhibits. TPWD
Tuesday, June 16
🏛️ County Town Hall | Cedar Creek Data Centers | 6-8pm | North Bastrop County Community Annex, 704 Bull Run, Elgin | See below.
Wednesday, June 17
🍱 Summer Meal Box Distribution | 11:30am-12:30pm | Jewel Hodges Park, 1200 Linden St, Bastrop | Free healthy meal boxes for kids and teens. No sign-up needed | just show up. Runs every other Wednesday through July 29.
📚 Reading Ranger with Ranger Madalyn | 10:30am | Smithville Public Library | Buescher State Park ranger reads themed books with a craft. Free, all ages. TPWD
🏛️ County Town Hall | Cedar Creek Data Centers | 6-8pm | Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston, Smithville (enter on south side) | See below.
🔮 Planning Ahead
🎉 Fri Jun 19 - Sat Jun 20 | Bastrop Juneteenth turns 40 | Banquet Friday 7pm at the Convention Center, then Saturday's Grand Parade 10am down Main Street, Freedom Festival at Fisherman's Park, and a 7pm street dance | Bastrop Juneteenth
⚡ Sat Jun 13 - Aug 1 | Spark Your Imagination exhibit runs all summer at the Bastrop County Museum | Historical Society
👨 Sun Jun 21 | Father's Day | treat Dad somewhere local (we hear there's a new steakhouse in town)
😂 Sat Jun 20 | Comedy at Film Alley | Gibbs Saad "The Comegician" | Film Alley
🤠 Thu Jun 25 - Sat Jun 27 | 57th Annual Elgin Western Days | parade Saturday 10am downtown | Elgin Chamber
🎆 Sat Jul 4 | Bastrop's Big BANG! Celebration at Fisherman's Park 6-9:30pm, and Smithville's all-day "Americana" 250th Birthday Bash with 9pm fireworks | Smithville July 4th
🍉 Thu Jul 9 - Sat Jul 11 | 78th McDade Watermelon Festival | parade, BBQ cook-off, melon auction, and the free watermelon feast
🎁 June Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28
Every referral through your unique link below is an entry to win a $50 gift card to Numero 28 (1006 Main St, Bastrop). Share with one friend who'd love a weekly dose of Bastrop County | winner drawn at the end of June.
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See you next Thursday.
Marilyn — The Bastrop Current