🔥 Win a Firewild Gift Card, The Tiarras Close Out Music in the Park & the First Due 5K | May 28 - June 3, 2026

This Friday night, May 29, the City of Elgin closes out its 2026 spring Music in the Park series with The Tiarras. Saturday morning, May 30, the First Due 5K Run/Walk rolls out of Fisherman's Park to fundraise for First Repsonders. Saturday night, Chingo Bling brings his Tex-Mex stand-up to Film Alley for the Bastrop Comedy Club.

We are also doing two things at once this week. We are featuring Firewild on Main in Historic Downtown Elgin, the rustic-to-refined restaurant and event space that fires up its Summer Social Lounge Pop Up on Friday, June 5. And we are giving away TWO Firewild gift cards to celebrate the launch. One for our newsletter subscribers, one on our Facebook and Instagram. Both entry windows close Sunday, June 7 at Midnight.

Let's get into it. 🗓️

The last Friday night of the 2026 Music in the Park series falls on May 29, and the City of Elgin saved one of the best lineups for last. The spring run started back in April with Llamativa, rolled through Money Chicha, Black Tooth, The Cove (which landed on Mother's Day weekend back in May), Thomas Family, Salt Flat Blvd, and Twisted Round. Friday Night’s closer | The Tiarras | three Austin-born Latina sisters (Tiarra, Tienna, and Sophia Garza) whose sound moves between Latin rock, soul, and old-school cumbia | take the stage at Veterans Memorial Park at 7:00pm.

If you have not heard them, they have been on KUTX, on NPR's Alt.Latino, and they have shared stages with Grupo Fantasma and Brownout. Their live set leans on bass-heavy grooves, three-part harmonies, and the kind of stage chemistry only siblings can pull off. It is the right note to close the spring series on before summer hits its stride.

Bring lawn chairs, a cooler, the kids, and a couple of bucks for the food trucks. The City of Elgin, Friends of Elgin Parks, Friends of Elgin Library, and Downtown Elgin Inc. sponsor the series, and it is FREE.

🗓️ Friday, May 29, 2026 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm 📍 Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin, Texas 💲 FREE | food trucks and vendors on site 🔗 City of Elgin Music Series

If you have never been, the park is a right off Main Street next to the railroad tracks.

You can usually tell within five minutes whether a Main Street restaurant is the real deal. Walk into Firewild on a Friday or Saturday night and you know it in five seconds. The lights are low. The bar pours creative cocktails and the kitchen sources from farmers down the road. It is a sit-down-and-stay kind of place, in a downtown that has earned one.

That is Firewild on Main, the beautifully appointed restaurant and event space at 201 N. Main Street in Historic Downtown Elgin, Texas.

Firewild on Main is the brick-and-mortar home of Firewild, the Central Texas catering and live-fire hospitality company built around three words… food, friends, fire. From the Main Street space, the team hosts curated pop-ups, community gatherings, and private events. On the catering side, Firewild specializes in on-site whole animal roasts and rustic-to-refined live fire cooking, featuring locally sourced menus built around the Texas seasons. It is the spectacle that people post photos of, and the food that they remember for years.

Starting Friday, June 5, Firewild fires up the Summer Social Lounge Pop Up, a no-reservations-needed Friday and Saturday night series running 5:00pm to 9:00pm from June through August.

In their own words:

Friday night, Saturday night, no reservation, no pressure. Drop in for one drink and a small plate, or settle in for the whole evening. Bring the spouse, the gang, the cousins, or a friend who just needs to leave the house. The bar runs creative craft cocktails, mocktails, a tight list of cold local beers and a curated wine list with something for everyone!

Two reasons.

One, summer on Main Street is a thing here. As Bastrop County has grown, Elgin's downtown has grown right along with it, and Firewild on Main is the kind of room that anchors a small downtown into something a community can be proud of. When Elgin shows up for itself, unique places like this stay open, hire local, source local, and become the downtown anchor. The Summer Social Lounge is your reason to show up.

Two, Firewild is giving us TWO gift cards to give away to two lucky readers in honor of the Summer Social opening on June 5. Enter one. Enter both. Make a date out of it.

We are running two separate giveaways so you get two shots:

🎁 Gift Card #1 | Newsletter Subscriber Giveaway Just hit reply to this email (or any Bastrop Current email between now and Sunday June 7) and send us:

You must be a current subscriber to enter. Winner picked at random Monday morning June 8 and announced in the June 11 issue. (Phone numbers are used only to notify the winner | we will not save them, share them, or add them to any list.)

🎁 Gift Card #2 | Social Media Giveaway Follow @bastropcurrent and @firewildonmain on Facebook OR Instagram (or both), like the Firewild giveaway post, and tag a friend in the comments. Each friend tag = one entry. Bonus entries for posting a photo from Firewild's opening weekend (Fri 6/5 or Sat 6/6) and tagging both accounts. Winner picked at random and announced on our channel Monday, June 8th.

🗓️ Both deadlines | Sunday, June 7, 2026 | 9:00pm CT 🏆 Winners notified Monday June 8 (right after Firewild's Summer Social opening weekend) 🎟️ Gift cards picked up at Firewild on Main, 201 N. Main Street, Elgin, Texas

📍 201 N. Main Street, Elgin, Texas 78621 🗓️ Summer Social Lounge Pop Up: Fridays & Saturdays 5:00pm - 9:00pm | June - August (opens 6/5) 🍽️ Tex-Mezze small plates, wine, craft cocktails & mocktails, cold local beers 🎉 Private events, catering, whole-animal roasts email [email protected] 📧 Join the Firewild mailing list 🌐 firewildonmain.com | firewildaustin.com 📷 Instagram: @firewildonmain | Facebook: @firewildonmain

If you go on opening weekend, take a photo at FIREWILD and tag us. We will share the best ones in next week's issue.

Saturday morning May 30, the First Due 5K Run/Walk rolls out of Fisherman's Park at 8:00am.

"First Due" is firefighter language. It is the first engine that arrives on scene. The 5K is named that on purpose. Proceeds go to first-responder and public-safety training for the people in our county who run toward the fire, the wreck, the medical call. Bastrop County, Texas, sits in the Lost Pines, and we know what fire season can do. We know it from 2011. We know it from every dry summer since. The money this 5K raises buys boots, gear, and class hours that we cannot get any other way.

Show up. Run if you can. Walk if you cannot. Bring the kids in a stroller. The route winds along the Colorado River and back into the park. The race finishes early enough that you can still hit the Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market on Chestnut at 10:00am.

🗓️ Saturday, May 30, 2026 | 8:00am start 📍 Fisherman's Park, 1200 Willow St, Bastrop, Texas 💲 Registration via RunSignUp | Bastrop Professional Firefighters Association 🔗 First Due 5K registration (RunSignUp)

If you cannot run, donate. If you cannot donate, show up and clap. It is the same Saturday morning either way.

🧶 Fiber Arts and Friends | Elgin Public Library | 10:00am - 12:00pm Knit, crochet, or stitch with neighbors. All skill levels welcome. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, 404 N Main Street, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🎲 Game Day | Elgin Public Library | 10:00am - 11:00am Monthly board games, card games, and family-friendly competition. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🚀 Space Club with Ms. Heidi | Elgin Public Library | 6:00pm - 7:00pm Hands-on space facts and activities for kids. Fourth Thursday of each month. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🤝 It's Not Your Fault | Peer Support | 6:00pm - 7:00pm Caring, judgment-free weekly group with EPL's Peer Support Specialist, James Baily. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🎭 Puffs at Bastrop Opera House | check Opera House for showtime Second week of the three-week Puffs run (continues through June 7). 🔗 Tickets (Ludus)

🎸 Music in the Park | The Tiarras | 7:00pm - 9:00pm The Austin-born sisters close out the 2026 spring Music in the Park series at Veterans Memorial Park in Elgin. FREE, family-friendly, food trucks on site. (See Featured Event above.) 💲 FREE 📍 Veterans Memorial Park, 109 Depot St, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin Music Series

🎭 Puffs at Bastrop Opera House | 7:30pm Friday night performance of the lovable underdog house's seven magical years. 💲 Ticketed via Ludus 📍 Bastrop Opera House, 711 Spring Street, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Puffs at Bastrop Opera House

🏃 First Due 5K Run/Walk | Fisherman's Park | 8:00am start Community 5K benefiting first-responder and public-safety training in Bastrop County, Texas. River-side route. Strollers welcome. (See Community Spotlight above.) 💲 Registration via RunSignUp 📍 Fisherman's Park, 1200 Willow St, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 First Due 5K

🥬 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market | 10:00am - 2:00pm The Saturday market on Chestnut. Pasture-raised meat, fresh produce, jams, jellies, hot sauce, soaps, ceramics, woodworking, baked goods. SNAP welcome. 💲 FREE to browse 📍 1302 Chestnut St, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Bastrop 1832 Farmers Market

🚶 9:00am Downtown Walking Tour | Bastrop County Museum | 9:00am - 11:00am Guided walking tour through Historic Downtown Bastrop with a local expert. Continuation of National Preservation Month programming. 💲 FREE with museum admission ($8 general | FREE for members, veterans, kids) 📍 Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Walking tour details

🚶 10:00am Downtown Walking Tour | Bastrop County Museum | 10:00am - 12:00pm Second walking tour time slot, same historic Bastrop content. 💲 FREE with museum admission 📍 Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center, 904 Main St, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Walking tour details

🥁 Drums Alive with Patti | Elgin Recreation Center | 8:45am - 9:45am Drumming-based wellness class combining cognition, movement, and rhythm. Ages 18+. 📍 Elgin Recreation Center Studio Room, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

📖 Sensory Storytime | Elgin Public Library | 9:30am - 10:00am Calm, sensory-friendly story experience for kids. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🏁 Cotton Bowl Speedway | South Texas Dirt Trucks Night | Saturday evening South Texas Dirt Trucks, Factory Stocks, IMCA Stock Cars, Southern SportMods, Sport Compacts, Jr Limiteds. Family-friendly dirt-track racing in Paige. 💲 Tickets via MyRacePass 📍 Cotton Bowl Speedway, Paige, Texas 🔗 Cotton Bowl Speedway

🎤 Bastrop Comedy Club | Chingo Bling & Javi Luna | 8:00pm - 10:30pm | 17+ Tex-Mex headliner Chingo Bling (the rapper-turned-comedian with a Netflix special and a national tour) plus featured comedian Javi Luna. Two-item minimum from the kitchen or bar. 💲 Ticketed via Film Alley 📍 Film Alley Bastrop, 1600 Chestnut St, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Bastrop Comedy Club

🎭 Puffs at Bastrop Opera House | 7:30pm Second-weekend Saturday night performance. 🔗 Tickets (Ludus)

🥐 Smithville Sunday Market | Summer Hours Start | 10:00am - 1:00pm The weekly producers-only market at James H. Long Railroad Park kicks into summer hours (10am-1pm instead of 10am-2pm). Locally grown produce, baked goods, handmade gifts, live music. 💲 FREE to browse 📍 James H. Long Railroad Park, Main & 1st, Smithville, Texas 🔗 Smithville Market

🎭 Puffs at Bastrop Opera House | 2:00pm matinee Sunday matinee performance. 📍 711 Spring Street, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 Tickets (Ludus)

🌲 Bastrop & Buescher State Parks | hike, swim, fish | open daily The first Sunday of unofficial summer. Bastrop has the pool, Buescher has the lake. 🔗 TPWD Bastrop | TPWD Buescher

🌳 Interpretive Center Opens | Bastrop State Park | 8:30am onward First day to walk through the new educational exhibits inside the Historic Golf Shelter at Bastrop State Park. Worth the trip. 💲 Park entrance fee 📍 Bastrop State Park, 100 Park Rd 1A, Bastrop, Texas 🔗 TPWD Bastrop event

🧶 Prime Timer Skills | Crochet Butterflies for Beginners | 2:00pm - 4:00pm Beginner-friendly crochet workshop led by Leslie M. for ages 55+. Make a delicate butterfly to take home. Materials provided while supplies last. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Recreation Center Studio, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

💪 Core Body Works with Regina | 6:00pm - 7:00pm Pilates, ballet stretches, and yoga to strengthen core and improve balance. 📍 Elgin Recreation Center Studio Room, 361 N Hwy 95, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

💰 Fundraising for Nonprofit Organizations | Bastrop County Cares | check event page for time Practical fundraising guidance for Bastrop County nonprofits. Part of the Community Impact Workshop Series. 💲 FREE 🔗 Bastrop County Cares event

📚 Baby Bookworms | Elgin Public Library | 10:30am - 11:00am Stories, songs, and early literacy for the smallest readers. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🧠 Nurture Your Mind | Beginner Meditation | 10:30am - 11:30am Beginner meditation with the library's peer-support specialist. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

📖 Stories After School (S.A.S.) | 3:30pm - 4:00pm After-school story adventure with books, crafts, and imagination. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🏛️ Elgin City Council Regular Meeting | 6:30pm - 7:30pm Public welcome. 📍 Elgin City Hall, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🌎 Bilingual Story Time | Elgin Public Library | 10:30am - 11:00am Cuentos y stories, canciones y songs. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🤝 Recovery Matters | Peer Support | 6:00pm - 7:00pm Confidential peer-support group with the library's specialist. 💲 FREE 📍 Elgin Public Library, Elgin, Texas 🔗 City of Elgin event

🎁 Firewild Gift Card Giveaway | Still Open Through Sunday June 7 Newsletter entry | reply with FIREWILD in the subject line Social entry | follow + like + tag a friend on @bastropcurrent + @firewildonmain Bonus entries for posting a photo from Firewild's opening weekend (Fri 6/5 or Sat 6/6) tagging both accounts. Winners announced Monday June 8. (See Business of the Week above.)

Summer in Bastrop County, Texas, is the long good thing. The Tiarras under the lights at Veterans Memorial Park on a Friday night. A 5K along the Colorado River for the people who run toward the fire. Firewild on Main Street in Elgin opening its doors next Friday, June 5th. Show up for one of them. Show up for all. Tag a friend, enter the Firewild giveaway, and start dreaming about a cold local beer and a grilled street food style skewer.

We will see you next Thursday with the giveaway winners and the June 5 opening recap.

Marilyn Your Local Guide

www.BastropCurrent.com

The Bastrop Current is your weekly community guide for Bastrop County, Texas, covering Bastrop, Smithville, Elgin, McDade, Paige, and Cedar Creek. Know of an event or business we should spotlight? Reply to this email and let us know!

Know a neighbor who'd love a free weekly guide to Bastrop County, Texas? Forward this email or share your unique referral link.

Share Bastrop Current →Refer 5 friends to Bastrop Current and you’ll be entered into our monthly drawing.