Wildflower Days

Wildflower Days are upon us! Along with springtime’s burst of blooms across the state, the season heralds the annual Wildflower Days celebration at the University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (through May 31). Texas Highways is proud to participate with a fetching exhibit of wildflower photography. This year’s show, Wild Thing, runs April 30–May 30 at the center’s McDermott Learning Center and features images from Texas Highways’ April wildflower issue and expert shutterbug contributors Theresa DiMenno, Rob Greebon, and Joe Lowery.

West Texas Jazz Party

Since 1966, premier jazz players from across the nation have made an annual pilgrimage to Odessa for the West Texas Jazz Party—a series of performances focused on traditional jazz and swing music. May 20–22, the West Texas Jazz Society hosts the 50th edition of the party at the MCM Eleganté Hotel. The event includes four-hour performances on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon—broken into ensemble sets—as well as a Thursday swing dance and a Saturday brunch show. Twenty-three musicians are scheduled to attend, among them pianist Johnny Varro from Florida, and from New York, cornetist Ed Polcer and clarinetist Ken Peplowski.

Funtier Days

Summer doesn’t officially start until late June, but Memorial Day weekend sure feels like the season’s debut as events across the state celebrate the three-day weekend and pay tribute to our nation’s war dead. In the cowboy country of Bandera, Funtier Days (May 28–29) features a Memorial Day parade with 90 entries, including veterans groups, and a bustling arts-and-crafts fair on the courthouse lawn. Local restaurants and bars hop with live music, and at 7:30 p.m. May 27–29, the Bandera ProRodeo Association hosts its annual PRCA Memorial Day Rodeo at Mansfield Park Arena, a classic outdoor venue.

Jefferson Train Days

Jefferson may be best known for its rich history as a 19th-century steamboat river port, but the region’s railroad heritage takes center stage May 14–15 at Jefferson Train Days. The weekend includes a model train show with operating demos, clinics, vendors, and a play area for kids; guided tours of railroad tycoon Jay Gould’s private 1888 rail car, complete with plush couches, iceboxes, and a bathtub; rides and gunfighter reenactments on the Historic Jefferson Railway steam train; and the Jefferson Historical Museum’s expansive model of the Texas & Pacific Railway’s West Texas system circa 1950.

Photos: (from top) © Sean Fitzgerald; © David Leonnig; © Larry Haddad; courtesy Excelsior House Hotel.