The Texanist
August 16, 2022
The Texanist: Does a Texas Musician Need Three Names to Succeed?
A Fredericksburg man wonders how Willie Nelson ever prevailed in a state that brought us Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore.
Being Texan
Being Texan
August 15, 2022
Remembering Paul Burka—The State’s Most Revered Political Writer Was the Heart and Soul of Texas Monthly
Friends and former colleagues share their memories of the legendary writer, editor, and mentor.
By Mimi Swartz![Mimi Swartz's Profile Photo]()
Border & Immigration
August 11, 2022
Why Are Border Smugglers Trafficking Bologna?
The tons of contraband lunch meat seized at the U.S.-Mexico border tell us something about the market value of nostalgia.
Best Thing in Texas
August 10, 2022
At the Little League World Series, Texas and Oklahoma Hug and Make Up
There was crying in baseball after a Pearland pitcher beaned a Tulsa batter on Tuesday. What happened next might restore one’s faith in humanity.
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
July 29, 2022
The Texanist: Why Do Texans Call a Pig in a Blanket a Kolache?
A Lone Star State native living in Chicago insists that only small pastry squares filled with cooked fruit deserve that name.
Texas Country Reporter
July 28, 2022
The Tiniest Bank in Texas Didn’t Deal in Change
For decades, Roddy Wiley ran the only bank in the small town of Oakwood, which happily resisted modern technology well into the twenty-first century.
Texas Country Reporter
July 27, 2022
Two Brothers in a Texas Kitchen Want to Take on the World
Teenagers Nigel and Shane Mushambi started a baking business that combines go-getter ambition with do-gooder optimism.
Art
July 26, 2022
The Texas Artist Who Turns Dirty Cars Into Intricate Art
Scott Wade’s dusty windshield paintings are a temporary art form that makes a lasting impression.
Texas Country Reporter
July 25, 2022
He’s Fourteen Years Old. He Also Runs a 25-Acre Farm.
Beau Burns doesn’t need limits on screen time, because his favorite place to be is out working in the field.
Texas Country Reporter
July 22, 2022
Quinta Mazatlan Is a Mansion With a Mission
The 1930s estate in McAllen is home to a fifteen-acre wildlife sanctuary that invites visitors to foster conservation corridors in their own backyards.
Texana
July 21, 2022
This Quirky Hog-Callin’ Champ Was 100 Percent Herself
In 1998, Texas Country Reporter did an episode about Roxanne Ward, a champion hog caller who was quirky, kind, and so unapologetically herself we’ll never forget her.
Texas History
July 21, 2022
The Real Meaning of Texas Ranger Monuments
In recent years, Seguin has honored the group with memorials. My father agreed to build one—but then started having second thoughts.
Texas Country Reporter
July 20, 2022
A Visit to Vera’s, the Last Bastion of Barbacoa de Cabeza
An interview with Armando Vera in Brownsville, who owns the only restaurant in Texas to offer traditional, buried-in-the-ground, coal-smoked barbacoa.
The Texanist
July 19, 2022
The Texanist: Would a Real Man Wear a Pink Guayabera?
A Houston woman is miffed by her boyfriend’s reaction to a thoughtful gift.
Texas Country Reporter
July 19, 2022
The Last Graduate of Spade School
Sixteen years ago, a small town’s only public school closed its doors. But not before the final graduating class invited a former POW to walk the stage, finishing what he started nearly six decades before.
Texas Country Reporter
July 18, 2022
Step Inside a Time Capsule for the Golden Age of Video Games
Texas Country Reporter visits Maniac’s Mansion in downtown Wichita Falls, offering unlimited play steeped in eighties and nineties nostalgia.
Meanwhile, in Texas
July 15, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: Two Inseparable Chihuahuas Got “Married”
Plus, a man broke ancient Greek vessels at the Dallas Museum of Art, and a mysterious figure walked near the fence of the Amarillo Zoo.
Music
July 15, 2022
In Marathon, Happiness Is a Two-Chambered Wood Flute
Bob Freeman is a craftsman who carves, plays, and sings the praises of the traditional Native American instrument.
Texas Country Reporter
July 14, 2022
The “Garlicmeister” of Central Texas
Bob Anderson says the self-inflicted title is for amusement only, but the quirky farmer sure seems serious about garlic.
Texas Country Reporter
July 13, 2022
Hankering for a Sweet Story? Look No Farther Than a High School in Beaumont
Two special-education teachers at West Brook Senior High launched a school-wide cookie-baking program that brings together students of all kinds.
Business
July 12, 2022
The 175-Year-Old General Store That Came Back From the Brink
I’ve visited the T. C. Lindsey & Co. General Store multiple times over the years, but our most recent visit was a surprise in the best possible way.
Texas History
July 11, 2022
Mister McKinney Is the Ms. Frizzle of Houston History
Okay, so it’s not a magic vehicle, but the fast-talking tour guide covers Houston’s neighborhoods from an open-air school bus.
Business
July 8, 2022
Mineola Was Home to the Oldest Female Barber in Texas
Getting a haircut in a small town used to be a story-finding strategy for Texas Country Reporter, but the tale of Blanche Harris is one of my favorites.
Style & Design
July 8, 2022
Jimmy Pierce Can Tell a Lot About You From Your Hat
The Hutto-based hatmaker uses decades-old equipment to meticulously customize every hat.
Business
July 7, 2022
Come for a New Muffler, Stay for the Vintage Toy Collection
Performance Plus in Odessa is an auto shop that doubles as an archive of the toys of yesteryear.
Style & Design
July 7, 2022
For This Lubbock Jewelry Artist, No Two Pieces Are the Same
Dawna Gillespie’s handcrafted earrings and necklaces are truly one of a kind.
Business
July 6, 2022
The Lone Locksmith Serving 14,000 Square Miles of West Texas
No matter the time of day or night, Victor Laramore will make keys, rebuild locks, and open doors for a desperate Texan who is having a bad day.
Best Thing in Texas
July 6, 2022
It Takes a Village: San Antonio Shows Up to Celebrate a Local Teen’s Birthday
For Demauriae Bennett, turning fourteen has never looked better.
The Texanist
June 21, 2022
The Texanist: How Much Should You Tip at a Barbecue Joint?
An Austin man wonders if the people who stand behind a counter and take our orders deserve the same remuneration as the waiters and waitresses of the world.
Meanwhile, in Texas
June 17, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Great Dane in Bedford Set a World Record
Plus, a man robbing a Port Arthur home stopped first to mow its yard, and a 77-year-old man went for his first skydive in decades.
Music
June 14, 2022
Dairy Queen Gets an Updated Jingle, Courtesy of Josh Abbott
The Texas country star put his own spin on the fast-food tagline that’s sure to be stuck in your head for days.
Meanwhile, in Texas
June 9, 2022
What Is the “Unidentified Amarillo Object”? We Have Ideas.
Is that you, Buc-ee?
Being Texan
June 7, 2022
Toad Stranglers and Sudden Summers: A Guide to Texas Weather Words
Texas has wild weather. We need a lexicon to match.
The Texanist
June 6, 2022
The Texanist: Would There Be a ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Without Texas?
Moviegoers have returned to theaters in droves to see the long-awaited sequel—and we have Texas to thank.
Best Thing in Texas
June 3, 2022
Texas’s Run of National Spelling Bee Dominance Continues
Harini Logan claimed the top spot last night, making her the seventh Texan spelling bee champ in the last ten years. T-E-X-A-S!
By Dan Solomon![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Small Towns
June 1, 2022
The Scrap-Metal Artisan I’ll Never Forget
Bill Richardson’s creations from discarded metal were featured numerous times on Texas Country Reporter, but our friendship remains near and dear to my heart.
Style & Design
May 31, 2022
An Inside Look at Lee Miller’s Legendary Boot Shop in Austin
The bookmaker apprenticed under the famous Charlie Dunn and is now training a new generation of talented craftspeople.
Texas Country Reporter
May 31, 2022
He’s an Urban Birder, Photographing Birds of Prey in Downtown Austin
Chris DuCharme is self-taught, armed with a telephoto lens and words of encouragement from his late wife.
Texas History
May 31, 2022
How “Cowgirl Accordionist” Cleo Raymond Helped Texas Country Music Find Its Sound
The 99-year-old North Texas musician stumped for LBJ, toured with the USO, and still recalls hundreds of tunes.
Texas Country Reporter
May 27, 2022
A Group of Veterans in Port Arthur Honors Those Who Served
Pastor Buddy Blake led volunteers who help step in for the Department of Defense to honor fallen soldiers with a proper military burial.
Books
May 26, 2022
Inside the Oldest, Largest Independent Comic Book Store in Texas
Third Planet Sci-Fi Superstore in Houston is home to hundreds of thousands of comic books and collectibles.
Critters
May 25, 2022
My Lifelong Dream Came True at South Padre’s Sea Turtle Inc.
Texas Country Reporter paid a visit to the world-class wildlife preservation center, where a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley turtle made a return to the sea.
Small Towns
May 25, 2022
An Internationally Renowned Concert Hall in Small-town Texas
Pianist James Dick has turned a rolling pasture outside of Round Top into a haven for classical musicians from around the world.
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.
Texas History
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.
Music
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.
Tacos
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.