Good morning, Bastrop County! 👋
It is a big week up in Elgin. The 57th annual Elgin Western Days rolls into town Thursday through Saturday with a "Peace, Love & Western Days" 1960s theme, capped by the grand parade down Main Street Saturday at 10am. To celebrate, this week we pull up a chair at Southside Market & Barbeque, smoking sausage in Elgin since 1882. There is dirt-track race night out at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, a Sausage Fest at Lightnin' Bar, and downtown Bastrop has art, lemonade, and live music all week. And because the 4th of July lands the very next Saturday, we have rounded up as many fireworks shows, and parades in the county that we could find, so you can plan ahead.
Let's dig in.
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🍖 Featured Business of the Week | Southside Market & Barbeque | Elgin
The oldest continually operating barbeque joint in Texas, and the sausage that put Elgin on the map | Elgin, Texas
When folks call Elgin the "Sausage Capital of Texas," this is the place they are talking about. Southside Market & Barbeque has been smoking meat in Elgin since 1882, which makes it the oldest continuously operating barbeque joint in the state. What started as a downtown meat market is now a Central Texas institution, still family-run, still smoking low and slow over post oak fired pits fresh every single day.
The thing you drive to Elgin for is the sausage. Known by locals as "Elgin Hot Sausage" or simply "hot guts," it is an all-beef, coarsely ground link in a natural casing, seasoned with cracked black pepper and nothing fancy. On a busy Saturday the Elgin restaurant alone moves around 1,400 pounds of it. The brisket gets the same honest treatment, salt and pepper and 14-plus hours over real Texas post oak. Owner Bryan Bracewell grew up in the business, studied Meat Science at Texas A&M, and bought Southside from his grandparents in 2010 with his wife Rachel, keeping the recipes exactly where they have always been. With Elgin Western Days filling downtown this weekend, it is the perfect excuse to make the drive. If you can’t make it to Elgin, they have a restaurant in Bastrop as well.
A few things worth ordering:
🌭 Original Beef Sausage (Elgin Hot Sausage) | about $9.90 per half pound | the bestseller, the one to get
🥩 Brisket | about $18.70 per half pound | salt, pepper, post oak, 14+ hours
🍖 Chopped Brisket | about $16.50 per half pound | piled high, great on a bun
🦕 Saturday & Sunday Dinosaur Beef Rib | weekend special of the day | a giant post-oak-smoked beef rib
🥗 Potato Salad & Mac n Cheese | the sides locals never skip
Visit Southside Market & Barbeque
📍 1212 US-290, Elgin, TX 78621
📞 512-281-4650
🗓️ Mon-Thu 9am-8pm | Fri-Sat 9am-9pm | Sun 9am-8pm
🌐 southsidemarket.com | Facebook
🗓️ Bastrop County Events | June 25 - July 1, 2026
Thursday, June 25
🎨 Spark Your Imagination Exhibit | daytime, runs through Aug 1 | Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop | A hands-on summer exhibit on electricity, invention, and county history for all ages. Bastrop County Historical Society
👶 Baby Sensory Lap Reading | 11am-1pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Early-literacy lap reading and sensory play for babies, part of the Color Our World summer program. Free. Bastrop Public Library
🍋 Lemonade Stand at Found Fine Art | Thursday 10a-2p | Found Fine Art, 912 Water St, Bastrop | The gallery owner's daughter runs her lemonade stand outside the downtown sculpture gallery, so stop in to browse the art and grab a cold cup. The Raspberry & Blueberry Lemonade is my favorite! Found Fine Art
🛒 Elgin Farmers Market | 4-7pm | Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin | Local produce, food, and live music every Thursday, SNAP/EBT welcome. Elgin Farmers Market
🧘 Sound Bowl Meditation | 5:30-6:30pm | Lost Pines Art Center, 1204 Chestnut St, Bastrop | An immersive sound-bath meditation among the galleries. Lost Pines Art Center
🤠 Elgin Western Days Kickoff | Tiny Tot Pageant | check-in 6pm, pageant 6:30pm | SPJST Lodge, 702 N Hwy 95, Elgin | The 57th annual Western Days opens with a children's western-wear pageant and an evening vendor market. Elgin Chamber
Friday, June 26
📚 Preschool Storytime | 10:30am | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Stories, rhymes, and songs for little ones with a jungle theme. Free. Bastrop Public Library
✂️ Make-and-Take Craft | 1:30-3pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Drop-in grab-and-go craft kits for kids. Free. Bastrop Public Library
🤠 Elgin Western Days | Wild West Pub Crawl | check-in 6-7:30pm | starts at Carmona's Western Wear, downtown Elgin | A wristband crawl through Elgin's Main Street bars, western attire encouraged. Elgin Chamber
🎭 Dare to Dream Jr. | 6:30pm | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | A Disney youth musical revue from the summer camp performers, running Friday through Sunday. Bastrop Opera House
🎸 The Red Eyed Gamblers | Live Music | 7-10pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Southern rock and cosmic jams on the patio. Copper Shot Distillery
🌟 Saturday, June 27 | Elgin Western Days | The Big Day
🤠 Elgin Western Days Grand Parade | 10am | Downtown Elgin, along Main St | The 57th annual parade rolls with floats, mounted units, and this year's 1960s "Peace, Love & Western Days" theme. Elgin Chamber
🎪 Elgin Western Days Festival & Vendor Market | 10am-4pm | Elgin Memorial Park, 1127 N Main St, Elgin | Live music, food, shopping, and yard games all afternoon, with music from the Thomas Family Group (11:30am), Just Hannah (12:45pm), Erik Smallwood (2pm), and Ben Zuniga (3:15pm). Elgin Chamber
🛒 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10am-2pm | 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop | Fresh produce, meats, baked goods, and local makers. 1832 Farmers Market
🌭 4th Annual Sausage Fest | 4-11:30pm | Lightnin' Bar, 109 Central Ave, Elgin | A family-friendly Elgin tradition with live music, a sausage-eating contest, truck-bed pools, and sparklers. Lightnin' Bar
🏁 Race Night at Cotton Bowl Speedway | Nitsche Group Night | gates 5pm, racing 7pm | Cotton Bowl Speedway, 1175 County Rd 202, Paige | IMCA dirt-track racing under the lights, with stock cars, factory stocks, sport mods, and more. $20 adults, $10 ages 7-12, under 6 free. Cotton Bowl Speedway
🎸 Howlin' Waters | Live Music | 6:30-9:30pm | Copper Shot Distillery, 809 Main St, Bastrop | Raw blues-rock on the patio. Copper Shot Distillery
🎭 Dare to Dream Jr. | 6:30pm | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | The Disney youth musical revue continues. Bastrop Opera House
Sunday, June 28
🛒 Smithville Sunday Market | 10am-1pm | James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st, Smithville | Locally grown, homemade, and handmade goods plus live music, rain or shine. Smithville Market
🦋 Family Nature Quest | 10:30am | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | Guided family nature play in the Lost Pines, $10/person. LCRA Parks
🎭 Dare to Dream Jr. | Closing | afternoon | Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring St, Bastrop | Closing performance of the youth revue. Bastrop Opera House
🛻 McKinney Roughs UTV Tour | 1:30pm | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | A guided off-road tour through four ecosystems, $75 driver (21+), $50 passenger. LCRA Parks
🍺 Sunday Live Music | 4-6pm | Smithville Brewing Company, 661 NW Loop 230, Smithville | Weekly Sunday afternoon live music at the taproom. Smithville Brewing
Monday, June 29
🏞️ Interpretive Center Open | from 8:30am | Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Rd 1A, Bastrop | New educational exhibits in the restored CCC-era golf shelter. Texas Parks & Wildlife
🦋 Family Nature Quest | 10:30am | McKinney Roughs Nature Park, 1884 Hwy 71 W, Cedar Creek | Guided family nature play, $10/person. LCRA Parks
🎬 Movie Monday | 2-4pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | A family movie with snacks for all ages. Free. Bastrop Public Library
Tuesday, June 30
🧱 LEGO For All | 6:30-8:30pm | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | A free-build LEGO session for all ages. Free. Bastrop Public Library
Wednesday, July 1
📚 Preschool Storytime | Silly Stories | 10:30am | Bastrop Public Library, 1100 Church St, Bastrop | Stories, rhymes, songs, and early literacy fun. Free. Bastrop Public Library
🍻 Smithville Brewing Happy Hour | 4-7pm | Smithville Brewing Company, 661 NW Loop 230, Smithville | Midweek deals on wine and guest taps plus a weekly appetizer special. Smithville Brewing
🔮 Planning Ahead | Your July 4th Head Start
The 4th of July lands on Saturday next week, and Bastrop County goes all out. Here is where to be (we will have full details in next week's issue):
🎆 Sat Jul 4 | Bastrop's Big BANG! Celebration | The Pet & Pal Parade steps off downtown at 9am, with a Stars & Stripes scavenger hunt and field games through the day, then the big evening celebration at Fisherman's Park 6-9:30pm with food, vendors, water slides, and fireworks over the Colorado River. City of Bastrop
🎆 Sat Jul 4 | Smithville Americana 4th of July & Texas 250th Birthday Bash | An all-day celebration with bike and golf-cart decorating, the Main Street parade at 10:30am, a free hot dog meal, a reading of the Declaration, live music, and fireworks at 9pm. Smithville 4th of July
🎆 Sat Jul 4 | Elgin 4th of July Parade & Fireworks | A morning parade through downtown around 9am, then an evening concert, food trucks, games, and fireworks at Festival Park. City of Elgin
🎇 Sat Jul 4 | 4th of July at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines | A festive parade, kids' foam party, bottomless BBQ, and a fireworks display out in Cedar Creek (geared to resort guests and day-pass holders). Hyatt Lost Pines
🥃 Sat Jul 4 | Open on the 4th at Copper Shot | Downtown Bastrop's distillery is open to celebrate with Texas-made spirits and cocktails. Copper Shot Distillery
🍉 Fri-Sat Jul 10-11 | McDade Watermelon Festival | The county's beloved summer tradition returns with a Friday street dance, Saturday parade, BBQ cook-off, live music, the prize melon auction, and the free watermelon feast. McDade Watermelon Festival
🎁 June Referral Prize | $50 to Numero 28
Share your unique referral link below with one friend who'd love a weekly dose of Bastrop County. Every referral is an entry to win a $50 gift card to Numero 28 (1006 Main St, Bastrop). Winner drawn at the end of June.
How Did We Do?
Before you go
If you've got a flyer, an event, or a Bastrop County business worth featuring, hit reply. We read every email.
See you next Thursday, and have a happy, safe 4th of July out in the county.
Marilyn - The Bastrop Current