KILGORE, Texas — The pandemic hit the tourism, arts and entertainment industries hard, but with Texas open again and more Texans getting vaccinated, the group Travel Texas says they're seeing signs of recovery.
That's encouraging news for places like Downtown Kilgore, which is filled with local treasures from museums to shopping and entertainment.
In this week's Totally East Texas, we are taking you to Kilgore where something new is happening this weekend and could be just perfect for a day trip to tour the city.
Kristi McDonald, the founder of Sip and Shop Texas, thought more people should experience all downtown Kilgore has to offer, including the Texan Theater, which was built in 1931.
"Kilgore Main Street is really growing," said McDonald. "There are so many neat shops down there. They're doing so much to bring people into this city. So we partnered with them, just you know, to help bring people in."
McDonald's business usually brings visitors on East Texas wine tours where they hop on a bus and visit 3 to 4 wineries and do a little shopping at small East Texas businesses, but that was all paused last year and they're looking forward to adding new tours. She's also excited about what Kilgore has to offer.
"What I personally really love about the Main Street Kilgore is they still have the old brick streets and they're lined with the historic oil derricks, which they now have covered in lights. They always have a lot of new shops coming in, there's a couple of little cafes and restaurants down there now. It's really a neat place to go check out," said McDonald.
Chip Hale with the Reel East Texas Film Festival is partnering with McDonald, Kilgore Main Street and the e-Teacher app to bring some fun this summer to Kilgore. It begins with a splash of color this Saturday during the color run.
"I'm really lucky to be able to be is actively involved in downtown Kilgore as my nonprofit manages the Texan Theatre for the city and so, that allows my nonprofit to be able to use the Texan for not only our film festival every November, but events to have throughout the year," said Hale.
Kilgore is rich with charm! Speaking of rich, there's the Richest Acre, which pays tribute to the town's oil boom days, along with the East Texas Oil Museum.
"Then, we have an indoor shopping festival happening inside the historic Texan theater. That happens from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then outside is where we have the food vendors, the craft beer, the wine and the live music happening. So, it's an all-day event. There's something there for everybody to come out and check out," said McDonald.
The Texan Theater usually plays host to films and documentaries, but Mario will be on the big screen this Saturday. Gamers, this Mario Kart tournament should be a unique experience.
"We have the big screen inside the Texan," Hale said. "We have a Nintendo Switch. It's really cool to be able to come inside a big theater and play it on a not a massive screen, but still a large enough screen, you know, larger than what most people will have at home. It's kind of an eclectic event, a nice little mix of things just to have an active footprint, to have activity downtown and to do things that are very family friendly."
Seeing events and visitors back in Kilgore is encouraging to Hale.
"I mean, everyone was affected," Hale said. "I think for us, it was just very telling how much we do depend on events, right? How much we are dependent on people coming into our town and seeing its charm and wanting to come back and visit."
If you're looking for something to do this weekend, Kilgore may be the place to be. Cedar Creek Brewing, Texas Taco and Maydelle Country Wines are also scheduled to be there.
Schedule of Events on Saturday, May 8:
8:00-10:00 Color Run
10:00-2:00 Shopping Festival inside the Texan Theater
11:00-2:00 Run After-Party
12:00-2:00 Live Music
Afternoon - Mario Kart Tournament
Summer dates are:
June 12 (Superhero Sprint Theme)
July 10 (Richest Acre Run)
August 14 (Flamingo Finale)
