Fourth of July Fireworks at Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center July 4

One of the biggest fireworks displays in East Texas will light up the skies over the Texas Freshwater
Fisheries Center and adjacent Lake Athens on Friday, July 4.

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for regular paid visitation. Free admission for the fireworks show will start at 4 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to fish in the stocked casting pond until 8:30 p.m. while waiting for the fireworks, which will begin about 9 p.m. No license is required to fish, and bait and tackle are furnished for free as long as supplies last.

Food and beverages will be available for purchase, and people are encouraged to bring picnics. KCKL (FM 95.9) will broadcast patriotic music during the show.

Pets, alcohol, tobacco products and private fireworks, including "snap caps" and sparklers, are not allowed.

The event has become an area tradition, with many people dressing in red, white and blue in keeping with the holiday theme.

Parking is available in the main TFFC parking lot and in an overflow parking area on Peninsula Point Road. Persons using the overflow parking may enter through Gate C, which is across the street from the parking area.

For more information, please click here.

National Fishing Day at Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center June 7

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center in Athens will kick off National Fishing and Boating Week on June 7 by making a family fishing trip affordable with free admission for kids 12 and under plus free fishing for the whole family.


Free hot dogs, chip and drinks will be served from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Families may also win prizes in a catfishing tournament at TFFC’s casting pond. Anglers may fish as individuals or as teams with an adult assisting a child.

In addition to fishing, visitors can walk the wetlands trail; see a diver hand feed fish; learn about the history of fishing in the freshwater fishing museum; shop for gifts in the Flat Creek Bait ‘n Goods Gift Shop and watch the alligator feeding at 3:30 p.m.

National Fishing and Boating Week comes at the start of the summer vacation season and is designed to encourage families to spend time together on and around water. No fishing license is required anywhere in the state on the first Saturday in June, which is designated Free Sportfishing Day.

For more information about National Fishing Day, please click here.

83rd Annual Athens Old Fiddlers Reunion May 31

The 83rd annual Old Fiddlers Contest and Reunion is known nationwide, and as far as we know it, is the oldest such contest that has run continuously year after year.

The big attraction is the Fiddlers Contest, which is broken down into 5 divisions, Senior Ages 66 & over, Adult Ages 30-65, Young Adult Ages 19-29, Youth Ages 18 & Under and the Open Division which is All Ages. There will be a playoff between the 1st place winners of each of the five divisions. This will be the Grand Champion and this person will get a Grand Prize of $600, in addition to the $200 which he or she has already won by being the 1st place winner of his/her division.

At 6 p.m., there will be an Acoustic Guitar Picking Competition for all ages. The Fiddlers Contest will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, May 31st and will run throughout the day. Beginning at 8 p.m., there will be a country western band with professional musicians playing until Midnight for the famous Street Dance.

On Friday night, before the Fiddlers Contest, a Jam Session will take place on the courthouse lawn at 7 p.m. There will be concession stands along the sidewalks, and a carnival will be set up just off the Courthouse Square.

Schedule: Saturday, May 31

9 a.m. Invocation, Welcome Address, Western Swing Band

10 a.m. Seniors 66 and Over Contest

11 a.m. Adult Ages 30-65 Contest

12 noon Western Swing Band

1:30 p.m. Adult Ages 30-65 Contest Continued

2 p.m. Young Adult Ages 19-29 Contest

3 p.m. Youth Ages 18 & Under Contest

4 p.m. Open Division, All Ages Contest

5 p.m. Grand Champion Playoff

6 p.m. Acoustic Guitar Picking Contest

8 p.m.-12 Midnight Street Dance

For more information about the event, please click here.

Athens Mayor Jerry Don Vaught Signs Proclamation Declaring Tourism Week

Athens Mayor Jerry Don Vaught signed the proclamation declaring Tourism Week May 3-11, 2014. The travel industry is one of Texas' largest industries with visitor spending generating $65 billion and directly supporting 568,000 jobs with earnings of $18.9 billion. Henderson County generated $125.5 million in visitor spending and supported 500 jobs with earnings of $19.5 million. National Tourism Week is annually recognized the first full week in May, a tradition first celebrated in 1984. Pictured from left to right are Pam Burton, City Administrator; Sherri Skeeters, Tourism Coordinator, showing the two-page ad promoting Athens that is in this month's issue of Texas Monthly; Mayor Jerry Don Vaught; and Lisa Fields, General Manager at Best Western Plus Royal Mountain Inn & Suites.

East Texas Arboretum's Annual Spring Gala May 3

The East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society presents its annual Spring Gala and this year's theme is Beer, Brats and Boot Scootin'!

Get Gussied Up and join the Arboretum at 6:30 p.m. on May 3 for food, drinks, dancing, a silent auction and a roaming garden party. Visit Oma's Haus for Brats, Beans & Beer, Yellow Rose Saloon for Boot Scootin' and Aunt Tessa's Boarding House will be the location for the silent auction and dessert station.

Tickets are $50 and are all-inclusive. Tickets may be purchased online atwww.easttexasarboretum.org or at the East Texas Arboretum. Tickets are also available at the Athens Chamber of Commerce 903-675-5181 or at Redline Power Equipment 903-677-2100.

It's the most fun you can have with your boots on! For more information, please click here.

Athens Farmer's Market Opening Weekend May 3

This Saturday, May 3 marks opening weekend at the Athens Farmer's Market. The Market takes places
every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May-October in the city parking lot located in downtown Athens, one block north of the courthouse. This year, in addition to Saturday's the Market will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday's during Market season.

You'll find everything from baked good (breads, fried pies, sweetbreads and pies), tamales, jams and jellies including strawberry pineapple, peach, blackberry, blueberry, wild plum, picked vegetables, salsas, relishes and soups to locally handcrafted wines from Athens own Tara Winery.

Don't forget about organic free-range eggs, fresh grown herbs, local raw honey, granolas and sugar scrubs. The market also features local artisans handcrafted items such as wood cutting boards, screen printed t-shirts, handcrafted natural gemstone jewelry, girls tutu and hair bows.

For more information about the Athens Farmer's Market, please click here.

Cinco de Mayo Celebration May 3 at Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center

The Athens community will celebrate the joint heritage of Texas and Mexico with a day of dance, food and fishing at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center on Saturday, May 3.

The event will feature performances of traditional Mexican dances in the Hart-Morris Conservation Center beginning at 11:30 a.m. The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center will present a hawks and owls show at 1 p.m. Athens area restaurants will compete in a salsa contest, which will be judged at 2:30 p.m.

All Cinco de Mayo activities are included with regular admission to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.

Highlights are the dance performances by Tyler Ballet Folklorico, Athens area elementary students and Las Tapatias, Athens' own folkloric dance group.

The Blackland Prairie Raptor Center will do walk-around displays of birds including owls and hawks throughout the day. Visitors will be able to see the birds at close range and learn about their abilities and habits.

El San Luis Restaurant will serve food in the Hart-Morris Conservation Center.

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of the joint heritage and history of Texas and Mexico. It honors an important victory of the Mexican army, led by Texas native Ignacio Zaragoza, over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The victory helped preserve Mexican independence.

Schedule of Events:

11:30 a.m. Tyler Ballet Folklorico adult dance performance

12 p.m. Dance performances by Athens ISD students and Las Tapatias

12:30 p.m. Tyler Ballet Folklorico children's dance performance

1 p.m. Blackland Raptor Center Hawks and Owls presentation

1:30 p.m. Athens ISD students dance performance

2 p.m. Tyler Ballet Folklorico regional dances performance

2:30 p.m. Salsa contest judging and Las Tapatias dance performance

For more information, please click here.