Gearing up for Weekend 2 of Dogwood Trails

It's an almost rainy Tuesday -- it looks like rain, sometimes it even spits a few drops, but there's still plenty of pollen on my truck -- and I think we're all recovering well from Weekend 1 of Dogwood Trails. By now the sunburns aren't stinging like they were, the feet have quit complaining and we've had a couple nights of sleep. So let's talk about Weekend 2.

THURSDAY
The weekend's events actually kick off on Thursday with the start of the annual Old Time Music and Dulcimer Festival. The festival is held throughout the rooms and hallways of the Museum for East Texas Culture, 400 Michaux St., behind Reagan Park. To someone who hasn't been before, holding a three-day music festival in an old school building now used as a museum may seem strange, but it works well. It's an intimate setting, meaning that the audience can be knee-to-knee with the musicians, and considering that there are plenty of break-out jam sessions, that's a really cool thing. Then too, the timelessness of the music and the nostalgic feel to the building blend together well. This is an awesome good time and VERY family-oriented. Cost varies depending on whether you attend any of the offered workshops, and how many days you want to go. The festival runs through Saturday with varying times.

FRIDAY
In addition to the Dulcimer Festival, the Palestine Community Theatre's production of "Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming" continues this weekend at the Texas Theater, 213 W. Crawford St. The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday for the final performance. Cost is $10 in advance for adults or $12 at the door; $6 for students age 18 and under either in advance or at the door.

SATURDAY
The Palestine Area Chamber of Commerce needs volunteers to help out with Saturday's 8 a.m. annual bicycle rides. This year, the Gatherin' Steam Bike Ride begins downtown, just down the hill from the newspaper in Old Town. (this means i need to be here really early Saturday after a late night on Friday if i want my usual parking spot :( ) As usual, there are several distances to choose from, but all start and end at the same location. If you're considering participating as a rider (or a walker in the 1-mile fun ride/walk/run) maps of the routes are available online here. Registration forms may be downloaded from the Chamber website by clicking here.

For those who enjoy rodeo and good Southern rock/red-dirt country music, the Boston Porter Memorial Scholarship Bullriding will be at the Anderson County Riding and Roping Arena, with a concert by local band Whiskey Myers to follow. The money raised goes to fund a scholarship in the name of Boston Porter, the grandson of Kim and Jimmy Ray who died at 14 months old in 2006. Boston’s Little Buckaroos Kid Rodeo will start at 11 a.m. and the Boston Porter Memorial Scholarship Bullriding will be at 7:30 p.m.

Prior to the rodeo, local animal lovers can have a barking good time at the BARC, The Humane Society's Critter Fun Day at the Anderson County Youth Livestock Expo in front of the riding and roping arena. The Critter Fun Day runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and costs $10 for ages 7 and up (pets and kids age 6 and under are free). The event includes dog trainers running their furry buddies through obstacle courses, Bill and Star from the TV show "Greatest American Dog," and more. It's a fun thing to watch, although I have to do it upwind because of my dog allergies.

The Dulcimer Festival wraps up today, but if gospel music is more your style, check out the Gospel Music Festival today at North Jackson Baptist Church, 1213 N. Jackson St. The event is free and runs from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Also, the Lakeview Methodist Conference Center on Texas 294 between Palestine and Elkhart will have its gift shop open for visitors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to view its Dickens Village. The village is an entire collection of ceramic buildings designed around the Dickens Christmas theme. It was donated to Lakeview by Don and Jo Strickland of Bryan so that people could enjoy it year-round.