Day Trips & Beyond: May Events Roundup

There's plenty to do to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and more.

Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall is fun for the entire family on the banks of the Guadalupe River. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)

Opening day. On Saturday, May 27, a Hill Country tradition with roots back to 1925 begins again. Saturday rodeos and dances first started when Walter and Audrey Crider hosted a rodeo to benefit the Hunt School PTA next to their country store and Humble gas station. Over the years, Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall has attracted patrons of the guest ranches, country inns, and summer camps to the banks of the Guadalupe River for a little two-stepping. The season runs from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend with some of the Hill Country’s best dance bands. The $15 admission covers both the rodeo and the dance. The rodeo starts at 8pm and the music under the Old Oak Tree begins at 9pm. Come early for supper in the cafe. Friday night is catfish night (other menu options available) from 6pm to 8:30pm. The dancehall under the moon is about 16 miles west of Kerrville on TX39.
Memorial Day-Labor Day, Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall, Hunt, 830/238-4441, cridersrandd.com

This year’s winner in the Masters Duo competition at the Texas SandFest in Port Aransas was “Wishing You Were Here” by Sue McGrew and Benoit Dutherage. (Photo by Patty McLeod)

And the winners are… This year’s Texas SandFest in Port Aransas was as marvelous as the 26 previous years. Billed as the “Largest Beach Sand Sculpture Competition in the USA,” the three-day event on the third weekend of April lived up to the hype. There were 25 sculptures created by 5 masters duo teams, 11 masters solo artists, and 9 semi-pro artists. The art ranged from dragons to a pirate with a peg-leg and a hook for a hand. There was only one sandcastle in the lot, and it was “For Sale.”

The judges really like the sandy lips created by Sue McGrew of Washington and Benoit Dutherage from France. This is the second year in a row the pair was awarded first place in Masters Duo competition for a sculpture involving lips. This year’s winner was titled “Wishing You Were Here.” Sue, who also works in snow and ice in competitions around the world, previously won the Masters Solo and People’s Choice top honors in the 2021 SandFest.

Second place went to husband-and-wife team John and Laura Gowdy from Italy, who won the same award and the People’s Choice award in 2022. Third place went to Chris Guinto and Melineiege Beauregard of Hawaii, who were back in the winner’s circle after their first place finish in the Masters Duo category in 2021.

In the Masters Solo category, Abe Waterman walked away with first place “Sleeping with Angels.” From Prince Edward Island, Canada, Abe also won first place in 2022. Second place went to Thomas Koet from Florida with a very cool sculpture of a prospector and donkey, and third place went to Bruce Philips from California for his largely unidentifiable mound of carved sand.

In 2022 the organization gave $305,000 to area nonprofits. The SandFest organization has donated more than $1.5 million to area nonprofits and scholarships from 2012 through 2022. SandFest 2024 is set for Friday through Sunday, April 19-24.

Construction of the new Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi has been at a standstill for most of the last nine months as TxDOT and the contractor worked out engineering details. The bridge is tentatively scheduled to be completed in 2025. (Photo by Gerald E. McLeod)

A bridge to the future. Work resumed on Corpus Christi’s Harbor Bridge in April after the Texas Department of Transportation and the design contractor came to an agreement on design issues. Construction on the main deck of the cable-stayed bridge over the ship channel was halted last July.

• • The $802.9 million (and rising) project to replace the 1950s era Harbor Bridge began in 2016 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2020.
• • The estimated completion date has been bumped to 2025.
• • It will be the second-longest cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and Canada, and largest structure in South Texas. (The Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Canada will be the longest when it is completed in 2024.)
• • If stretched out, the cables that form the harp-like strings of the bridge would reach 862 miles.
• • The new bridge will carry U.S. 181 to North Beach and on to Portland with three lanes in each direction.
• • The project encompasses 6.44 miles of bridge and connecting roadway.
• • The main span is 1,661 feet or the length of about 5.5 football fields.
• • Traffic will pass 205 feet above the water. Pedestrians and bicyclists will have a dedicated shared lane.
• • The old Harbor Bridge will be demolished once the new bridge is opened.

Travel Notes:

Thanks Mom. Give mom the gift of a day trip to Stonewall this Mother’s Day, May 14, to attend a special buffet lunch at Becker Vineyards. Wine tastings and self-guided tours will be available.

History calls. From ornate Victorian mansions to frontier forts, there’s a state historic site to fit every interest. At Texas Historical Commission sites across the state, you can step back into history. During May 7-13, tours and hands-on activities will demonstrate how Texans of the past spent their daily lives at these state historic sites. While you’re traveling through Texas’ past, don’t forget the thriving present. Many heritage travel destinations are near historic downtown districts, where you can dine or shop at local businesses that make their communities unique.

Larry’s garage sale. Items from the personal estate of Texas author Larry McMurtry will go on auction on May 29 at Vogt Auctions, 7233 Blanco Rd. in San Antonio. According to the auction firm the sale will include McMurtry’s typewriters, writing desk, personal copies of his books, firearms, boots, memorabilia from his Hollywood productions, as well as artwork and furnishings from his Archer City home. The complete catalog will be available online on May 5. The Oscar and Pulitzer Prize winning author of Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show died on March 25, 2021 in Archer City.

For a song. The solar eclipse in 2024 will pass right over Texas. What better place to watch the sun disappear than at the Quiet Valley Ranch home to the Kerrville Folk Festival and Kerrclipse 2024 on April 5-8, 2024? Organizers plan to have a full weekend lineup of music, art, and campfires for the occasion. Tickets go on sale in May.

Other May Events:

Visit "Summoning Memories: Art Beyond Chinese Traditions" at Asia Society in Houston, free during AAPI Heritage Month. (Photo by Chris Dunn)

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month
May 1-31, Houston, asiasociety.org

Cinco de Mayo Celebration
May 3-5, Del Rio, www.facebook.com/brownplazaofdelrio

Rockets2023
May 4-6, Stonewall, www.systemsgo.org/events

Louisiana Pirate Festival
May 4-14, Lake Charles, www.louisianapiratefestival.com

Buc Days
May 4-14, Corpus Christi, www.bucdays.com

Maifest
May 5-6, Brenham, www.brenhammaifest.com

Wine & Roses Festival
May 5-7, Bryan, www.messinahof.com

Cowboy Poetry and Music Gathering
May 5-7, Salado, www.saladocowboypoetry.org

The Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie runs through May 29. (Photo by Scott Fisher)

Scarborough Renaissance Festival
May 5-29, Waxahachie, www.srfestival.com

Live Thoroughbred Racing
May 5-July 4, Grand Prairie, www.lonestarpark.com

Texas Brewers Festival
May 6, Buda, www.budaholics.com

Go back in time with the Historic School Open House in Gillespie County, May 6.

Historic School Open House
May 6, Gillespie County, www.historicschools.org

AsiaFest
May 6, Plano, www.asianamericanheritage.org

Willow City VFD Benefit Barbecue
May 6, Willow City, www.willowcityfd.com

Nautical Flea Market
May 6-7, Rockport, www.rockportfulton.com/events-calendar

Galveston Historic Homes Tour
May 6, 7, 13, 14, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org

Blackland Prairie Day
May 7, Taylor, www.taylortx.gov/958/Taylor-Blackland-Prairie-Day

Dine & Dance
May 7, 21, Helotes, www.liveatfloores.com

52nd Birthday of the Frozen Margarita
May 11, Various locations

It's all systems go at a teen rocket-launching competition in Stonewall May 4-6 and Anahuac the week after.

Rockets2023
May 11-13, Anahuac, www.systemsgo.org/events

Handmade Market
May 12-13, Boerne, www.boernehandmademarket.com

Asian Heritage Fest
May 12-14, Grand Prairie, www.asiatimessquare.com

Mile-High Mountains Fest
May 13, Fort Davis, www.tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/davis-mountains

Cherry Mountain School Open House
May 13, Gillespie County, www.historicschools.org

Houston Art Bike Parade and Festival
May 13, Houston, www.artbikehouston.com

Folk Fest
May 13, New Braunfels, texashandmadefurniture.com/livinghistory

Mural Fest
May 13, Odessa, muralfestodessa.com

Songwriters Serenade
May 13, Schulenburg, songwriterserenade.com

Dennis Hopper Day
May 17, Taos, NM, www.robbyromero.com/dennis-hopper-day

Come and Taste It
May 18, Gruene, www.grapevineingruene.com

Lee County Fair
May 18-20, Giddings, www.leecountyfairtx.com

Shrimporee
May 19-21, Aransas Pass, www.aransaspass.org/shrimporee

Main Street Festival
May 19-21, Grapevine, www.grapevinetexasusa.com/main-street-fest

Santa Fe International Literary Festival
May 19-21, Santa Fe, NM, www.sfinternationallitfest.org

Texas Steak Cookoff
May 20, Hico, www.texassteakcookoff.com

Bird Banding
May 20, Lake Jackson, www.gcbo.org

Downtown Mural Walking Tour
May 20, San Antonio, www.thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/casa-navarro-state-historic-site

Bluff Schuetzenfest
May 20, La Grange, www.thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/kreische-brewery-state-historic-site

Eastside Market
May 20, Waco, www.eastsidemarketwtx.com

Muttfest
May 21, Amarillo, www.amarillospcashelter.com

The Moanin’ Frogs in Concert
May 21, Fredericksburg, www.fredericksburgmusicclub.com

Americana Music Jam
May 21, New Braunfels, www.gruenehall.com

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Pearlman Foundation
May 21–Sept. 17, Houston, www.mfah.org

The Kerrville Folk Festival celebrates songwriters for 18 days and nights starting in late May.

Kerrville Folk Festival
May 25-June 11, Kerrville, www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org

Opening of Blueberry Season
May 26, Edom, www.blueberryhillfarms.com

BuzzFest
May 27, Navasota, beeweaver.com

Crawfish Festival
May 26-28, Fredericksburg, www.fbgcrawfishfestival.com

Piney Woods Steam Express
May 26-28, Palestine, www.texasstaterailroad.net

Crider’s Rodeo and Dancehall
May 27-Sept. 2, Hunt, www.cridersrandd.com

The Estate of Larry McMurtry Auction
May 29, San Antonio, vogtauction.com/auctions/the-estate-of-larry-mcmurtry

Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.