Texas Country Reporter
May 24, 2022
Three Brothers Bakery in Houston Is a Story of Survival
Founded by Holocaust survivors, the bakery is known for Jewish specialties rooted in 200-year-old family recipes.
Being Texan
Texas Country Reporter
May 24, 2022
Remembering the Texas Town That Did, Indeed, Start the Fire
A museum in San Felipe, 40 miles west of Houston, commemorates the unique history behind Stephen F. Austin’s founding colony.
Texas Country Reporter
May 23, 2022
97-Year-Old Lucy Dean Record Is a Queen of Western Swing
The piano teacher turned touring musician from Lockney has been inducted into several halls of fame across the U.S.
Texas Country Reporter
May 23, 2022
The Art of Making Tamales
The Comanche Tortilla & Tamale Factory has been making tamales since 1947 and wants to help inspire and educate a new generation of home cooks.
Texas Country Reporter
May 20, 2022
You’ll Find Oodles of Noodles at the Wendish Fest in Serbin
The community 50 miles east of Austin celebrates its Slavic heritage each year with music, crafts, and lots of buttery, handmade noodles.
Critters
May 18, 2022
After the Big Year: What Came Next for the Texan Who Broke a National Birding Record
After taking her thousands of miles across 48 states, Tiffany Kersten’s adventure led her right back home.
Critters
May 18, 2022
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone—and finding her way.
The Texanist
May 17, 2022
The Texanist: Will Fancy Italian Cowboy Boots Hurt My Texan Bona Fides?
An Austinite living in Washington, D.C., worries about the consequences of sporting pricey designer footwear.
Texas Country Reporter
May 13, 2022
Viva la Guadalupe Bass! The Comeback Story of the Texas State Fish
Decades of conservation have helped save the native fish, now iconic to Central Texas anglers.
Meanwhile in Texas
May 13, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: An Escaped Flamingo Reappeared
Plus, a teacher resigned after she reportedly lit a student’s hands on fire, and a Dallas resident ran her thousandth marathon.
Texas Country Reporter
May 12, 2022
The Marathon Motel & RV Park Has Out-of-This-World Views
The small motel has a sliding-roof observatory where people can enjoy some of the darkest skies on the planet.
Texas Country Reporter
May 11, 2022
Check Out Kilgore’s Treasure Trove of Vintage Cameras, Radios, and TVs
From the obscure to the historically significant, the Texas Broadcast Museum tells a uniquely twentieth-century story.
Being Texan
May 11, 2022
The Joy and Struggle of Learning Spanish as a Tejano Adult
I used to feel ashamed that I didn't speak Spanish. Now I understand why my parents didn't teach me.
Being Texan
May 11, 2022
The Bronc-busting, Cow-punching, Death-defying Legend of Boots O’Neal
He’s pushing ninety and still saddling up at the Four Sixes Ranch. Just don’t call him the last cowboy.
Being Texan
May 6, 2022
Meet the Mermaids (Yes, Mermaids) at a San Antonio Aquarium
Kids from nine to ninety will get a kick out of watching the Alamo City’s most mythical sea creatures swim with sharks and pose for selfies.
Texas Country Reporter
May 6, 2022
The Poison Lady in Gatesville Doles Out Deadly Advice
Luci Zahray is an expert on poison and is a consultant to mystery writers around the world.
Texas Country Reporter
May 5, 2022
This West Texas Couple Has Gone Off the Grid—Pioneer Style
On a remote ranch south of Alpine, Bonnie and Dick Cain have carved out their ideal lifestyle, without electricity, refrigeration, or running water.
Texas Country Reporter
April 29, 2022
After a Paralyzing Accident, This Texan Gets Back in the Race
Chris Morris broke his back during motocross practice, but that didn’t stop him from finding a new source of adrenaline and drive.
Texas Country Reporter
April 28, 2022
Calder Kamin’s Art Redefines What is Trash
The Austin-based artist recycles discarded plastic into beautiful animal sculptures and hopes to inspire others to eliminate waste.
Texas Country Reporter
April 28, 2022
You Can Lead Cows to Water, But Can You Make ’Em Swim Across the Colorado River?
In Matagorda, the Huebner Brothers Cattle Company has been leading a semiannual cattle drive for more than a hundred years.
Texas Country Reporter
April 27, 2022
A West Texas Roundup, Without All That Hoopin’ and Hollerin’
After Becky Smith took over the B-C Ranch in Alpine, her all-women team took a different approach to wrangling cattle.
Texas Country Reporter
April 26, 2022
Chicken-fried Steak, Just Like Mama Made
After fifty years on the road, the host of Texas Country Reporter recalls his favorite dish at Mary’s Cafe in Strawn.
Film & TV
April 22, 2022
TM Recommends: Watch Out for Lizzo’s ‘Big Grrrls’
Plus: A lyrical, blistering new memoir and a four-dollar answer to dinner.
Texas Country Reporter
April 22, 2022
Future Welders of America: This High School in Boerne Is Forging the Path
With clients including barbecue joints and the USDA, the welding program at Sam Champion High School is a template for vocational programs across the U.S.
Texas History
April 21, 2022
The Wet, Wild History of Aqua Thrill Way, Austin’s 1970s Water Park
It may not have been safe, but it sure was fun.
Texas Country Reporter
April 21, 2022
In Cedar Park, the Pralines Are Known as “PRAH-leens”
A fifth-generation New Orleans native, Sharon Richardson never imagined leaving Louisiana for Texas, but when Mother Nature strikes with a hurricane, plans change. After evacuating to Austin, with her life turned completely upside down, Sharon said she just did what she knew how to do: cook.Her business started with homemade
Texas Country Reporter
April 20, 2022
Frank’s Cafe in Hebbronville Is a 100-Year-Old Texas Treasure
The Gutierrez family still runs the South Texas cafe, specializing in Mexican recipes passed down for generations.
Texas Country Reporter
April 19, 2022
Step Inside Z Bar Trading Company, a 30,000-Square-Foot Mercantile Maze
In downtown Sanderson, shoppers can get lost in aisles overflowing with eclectic items, old and new.
Texas Country Reporter
April 19, 2022
For Enedina Vasquez, Life and Art Were Inseparable
Texas Country Reporter remembers the late artist, whose San Antonio house was covered from corner to corner in art, memories, and poetry.
Texas Country Reporter
April 18, 2022
This Texas Caterer Is Taking on Childhood Hunger, One Meal at a Time
Seeing a need in the community, Willa Johnson started Feeding Kids Right, a mobile meal delivery service in Athens.
Texas Country Reporter
April 18, 2022
The Best Fried Chicken in Beaumont Was an Underground Secret
In the courthouse basement, dozens of lawyers, judges, and jurors lined up for Esther Rollins’s famous fried chicken.
The Texanist
April 12, 2022
The Texanist: Why Is El Paso Known as El Chuco?
A San Antonio man wonders how Sun City got its other nickname and learns about the nicknames of many other Texas cities.
Texas Country Reporter
April 8, 2022
A Former Migrant Farmworker From Weslaco Puts His Memories on Canvas
Roel Flores’s folk art paintings are poignant and colorful, and his work is part of the Smithsonian Institution’s permanent collection.
Music
April 8, 2022
TM Recommends: A Tamale-Making Class From One of the Greats
Plus: swing by an Austin jazz festival, then listen to a record dedicated to a SpongeBob SquarePants character on your way home.
Texas Country Reporter
April 7, 2022
In Abilene, Generations of Carpenters Are Behind Central Texas Tool Co.
The Carpenter family, featured in this classic episode from ‘Texas Country Reporter,’ has operated the industrial machine shop since 1937.
Texas Country Reporter
April 6, 2022
A Vast Military History Archive Is Hiding in Plain Sight on This Texas Campus
The Texas Heritage Museum at Hill College has grown into a nationally recognized collection specializing Civil War history.
Texas Country Reporter
April 5, 2022
Forget the Trailer. Weldon Wilson Drove Cattle the Old-fashioned Way.
Across U.S. highways and country roads, Wilson was determined to move cattle in a way that honored the men that came before him.
Texas Country Reporter
April 4, 2022
Cane Syrup Isn’t Just a Thing of the Past
Every year, Floyd Boyett takes a break from his routine to gather with friends and participate in the old-world process of making syrup from raw sugarcane.
Society
April 1, 2022
Dallas Is Without a Leather Bar. What’s a Guy on a Leash to Do?
The Eagle, a gathering place for kinksters and activists for 25 years, closed in 2020. Now, the local leather community has an uncertain future.
Texas Country Reporter
April 1, 2022
The West Texas Jewelry Store Famous for Teeny, Tiny Western Spurs
Born out of the Great Depression, the pieces are still handcrafted in San Angelo and are in as much demand as ever.
Texas Country Reporter
March 31, 2022
The Story of Buckshot Fuqua: King of Hot Carrots
On a farm in Grimes County, one man unexpectedly stumbled upon his life’s passion—double-aught, two-fisted, skull-and-crossbones, hot pickled carrots.
Texas Country Reporter
March 31, 2022
The Man Known as the “Big Bend Photographer” Reflects on His Life’s Work
Texas Country Reporter revisits James H. Evans after thirty years. His long career has taken different turns, but his unwavering commitment to the people and places of West Texas defines his legacy.
Texas Country Reporter
March 28, 2022
Lessons Learned From the Chicken Lady
Mary Ann Fordyce is a straight-talking chicken farmer calling for a return to country roots.
Texas History
March 25, 2022
The Surprising, Fraught History of the Texan Jewish Experience
Galveston was once the Ellis Island of the South. But Jewish arrivals had to navigate a society marked by racial and religious politics.
Texas Country Reporter
March 24, 2022
Nature Is Metal for This Welding Couple in Houston
From inside their shop, the wife-and-husband duo explain how they capture the universe in spiraling steel structures as tall as four-story buildings.
Texas Country Reporter
March 23, 2022
Claire Mestepey Is a Prolific Puzzle Book Author With a Unique Approach
Claire Mestepey has built a steady publishing business around her unique approach to word search puzzles.
Texas Country Reporter
March 22, 2022
Inside the Eclectic Home of Hill Country Sculptor Jonas Perkins
In Fredericksburg, Perkins’s creative approach to life can be seen in every inch of his one-of-a-kind retreat.
Being Texan
March 22, 2022
The Boy From Booker T.
A decade after losing one of their own, the former residents of an Austin housing project reckon with their upbringing and the tragedy that changed them.
Texas Country Reporter
March 21, 2022
The Hardest-Working Man in Del Rio
For years, “Chito” Martiarena has devoted himself to mowing grass along public roadways.
Texas Country Reporter
March 18, 2022
This Costumed Brownsville Historian Will Warm Your Heart
Gene Fernandez has an outfit for every story, but his infectious love for local history is the star of the show.