1 day Ago By The Lufkin Daily News
The first official day of fall may be Sunday, but we’re going to go ahead and say it really starts Thursday. That’s because here in East Texas, the season really starts with the arrival of the Texas State Forest Festival, which will run from Thursday through Sunday. This is a big one, as it will be the 40th annual Forest Festival.
The event actually goes back much further than that, although this will be the 40th consecutive year the event has been held. It will take place at the George H. Henderson Jr.
Exposition Center. Fortunately, it looks like the weather for the event should be OK — at least by our standards here in East Texas. Highs are expected to be in the low to mid 90s with rain chances very light.
Hey, we take what we can get before things finally cool off for a few months. The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce says the festival is the most-attended event in East Texas every year. And more than 14,000 people are in attendance year in and year out because the mixture of exciting new events and tried-and-true fan favorites offers fun for the entire family.
This year’s event will feature the return of favorite attractions including the Pineywoods Car Show, the Big Axe BBQ Competition and the East Texas Cheerleading & Pom Pon/Dance Championships. The East Texas Cheerleading & Pom Pon/Dance Championships will be held on Sunday afternoon this year with the car show opening up that morning. That means some of the dads can take a look at the impressive vehicles on display while waiting to see their daughters perform.
There will be three large entertainment pieces this year, up from the usual two. Those include the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, the Off Axis Stunt Show and Scott’s World of Magic. There will also be live music during the entirety of the event.
The fifth annual Lumber-JACKED 5K & Fun Runs will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday at Ellen Trout Memorial Lake.
Registration details are available on the festival’s official website. Other returning favorites include the petting zoo, the Bear Hollow Wood Carver exhibit, the Children’s Festival and the Vendor Market Day, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday this year. Guests can enjoy a sip of beer or wine as the Beer Garden is here once again this year, as well as a variety of foods — including the Roundtable’s ribeye sandwiches.
“This being our 40th anniversary, there’s been even more excitement,” Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Tara Watson-Watkins said. “We work hard every year to make it the best. This year, we’re bringing in some new and bigger things.
” And the event would not be complete without the Ferris wheel, fun slide, merry-go-round and other rides and games included in the carnival fun. The festival will be open from 5-10 p.m.
Thursday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.
m. Saturday and from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Sunday.
General admission is $8. Armbands for the carnival are $30 and will be good for the whole time the it is open Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The carnival opens at noon Saturday, with armbands good from noon to 4 p.
m. or from 5-10 p.m.
The carnival will be open between 4-5 p.m., but only individual tickets will be sold during that time.
On Saturday, an all-day armband can be purchased for $50. For more information, contact the chamber at (936) 634-6644 or visit texasstateforestfestival.com/festival-info .
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