Oak Grove Cemetery holds some of the oldest graves in Texas. In November, two events a week apart will put names and voices back on them.
Medallion dedication, Nov. 7
The Stone Fort Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, working with the City of Nacogdoches, will dedicate Oak Grove Cemetery as an official historical site of the Republic of Texas on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m. on the cemetery grounds on Lanana Street.
The ceremony also formally marks the resting places of eight men whose service during the Texas Revolution helped establish the Republic: Dr. Robert Irion, John Roberts, Charles S. Taylor, Adolphus Sterne, Captain Hayden Arnold, Hayden Edwards, Thomas J. Rusk and William Clark.
“Preserving the history of the Republic of Texas for future generations is central to our mission,” said Trisha Perkins, historical sites chair for the DRT. “Marking these resting places is one way we carry out that responsibility and encourage an interest in local history.”
After a brief program, guests can walk to the honorees’ gravesites, see the newly installed medallions and learn more about the men and the cemetery. The event is free and open to the public. It falls on the same Saturday as the Historic Skills Fair at the Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, so a visitor could make a day of both.
Living History tour, Nov. 14
On Saturday, Nov. 14, Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc., with Nacogdoches Historic Sites, presents the Living History of Oak Grove Cemetery Tour. Guides lead groups through the cemetery, where reenactors portray historical figures and tell their stories in first person, past aged gravestones and towering magnolias.
Tours begin at 10 a.m. and leave every 20 minutes, with the last tour starting at 12:40 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person at the event, and children 10 and under get in free. Proceeds go to Friends of Historic Nacogdoches, Inc. and its work preserving and sharing the city’s history.
Oak Grove Cemetery was established in 1837 and is recognized by the Texas Historical Commission as a Historic Texas Cemetery. Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence are buried there, along with veterans of the Texas Revolution and other conflicts.
For more information on either event, email historicsites@nactx.us or call (936) 560-4441. Friends of Historic Nacogdoches also posts tour details on its Facebook page.
One Night. Two Celebrations. So Much to Celebrate!
Mark your calendars for November 12 as we come together for an evening dedicated to recognizing the people, businesses, and organizations making a difference in Angelina County!
Celebrate Business Awards will honor outstanding businesses and individuals who help our community thrive, while the Salute to Healthcare Awards will recognize those making an incredible impact through healthcare.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
The Pines Theater
5:30 PM
The nominees have been announced, and now it’s time to find out who will take home this year’s awards!
Be part of the celebration! Get your tickets online today and join us as we celebrate the very best of Angelina County!
Downtown Nacogdoches has five holiday events on the books between early November and the week before Christmas, and the Main Street program has now put dates and times to all of them.
Merry Christmas Market, Nov. 6-7
The shopping season opens with the Merry Christmas Market, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Spend $25 or more at a participating downtown business and you can enter to win a gift basket stocked by downtown merchants. Food trucks will be downtown Saturday. The basket winner is drawn on Facebook Live on Friday, Nov. 13.
Wassail Fest, Nov. 28
Wassail Fest lands on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Downtown businesses serve their own homemade, non-alcoholic wassail for visitors to sample while they shop. Guests rate their favorites by QR code or paper ballot to pick the People’s Choice winners.
Light Up Main Street, all December
Through December, downtown businesses compete on storefronts, window displays and Christmas lights in the Light Up Main Street Christmas Light Competition. Residents and visitors vote online for their favorites, and winners are announced in early January 2027.
Christmas movie nights, Dec. 4 and Dec. 18
Main Street is showing two free outdoor Christmas movies at the Visitor Center Stage in the 200 block of Pilar Street, both at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 is “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Friday, Dec. 18 is “Elf.” Bring blankets and lawn chairs. Free popcorn, hot chocolate and sweet treats are available while they last. Pilar Street closes before each show for setup and safety, and if it rains the movies move inside the Visitor Center.
Stocking Stuffer Stroll, Dec. 18-19
Last call for shopping is the Stocking Stuffer Stroll, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. Start at the Visitor Center to pick up a free Christmas stocking and a map of participating businesses, then collect a small stocking stuffer with a purchase at each stop. Stockings and giveaway items last while supplies do, and a purchase is required to get a stuffer at each business.
“The holiday season is such a special time in Downtown Nacogdoches, and we’re excited to continue some of our favorite holiday traditions,” said Main Street Manager Tori Proctor. “Shopping local is especially important this time of year, and these events are a great way to encourage our community to support downtown businesses while enjoying everything downtown has to offer during the holidays.”
The Main Street Office has details at 936-559-2652 or mainstreet@nactx.us. Updates and the list of participating businesses also go up on the Downtown Nacogdoches Main Street Facebook page.
LUFKIN — The Texas Department of Transportation has put its draft bicycle recommendations for the Lufkin District on an interactive web map, and it wants to hear from the people who ride these roads.
Three things are up for comment: the recommended Bikeway Functions for state roadways, proposed refinements to the Bicycle Tourism Trail, and which corridors across the district ought to come first.
TxDOT is building the plan as a regional framework rather than a list of projects. The point, the agency says, is to find the gaps and rank the places where a bikeway improvement would do the most good. “Input will help shape the plan’s final recommendations and guide future bicycle improvements in the state system,” the advisory says. The draft plan goes out for its own round of review and comment next year.
Two meetings on Oct. 30
If you’d rather talk to somebody than click through a map, TxDOT has set two in-person sessions, both on Friday, Oct. 30:
Lufkin — 10 a.m., Kurth Memorial Library, 706 S. Raguet Street, Lufkin, Texas 75904.
Nacogdoches — 2 p.m., Nacogdoches Public Library, 1112 North Street, Nacogdoches, Texas 75961.
The web map is in English. Anyone who needs interpretation or translation services, or who has a disability and needs an accommodation to take part, should contact TxDOT at 214-535-7261 or elizabeth.jones@txdot.gov at least five business days before the Nov. 6 deadline. TxDOT asks for the advance notice because some services and accommodations take time to arrange.
Questions about the plan itself go to Tim Monzingo, TxDOT Lufkin District public information officer, at timothy.monzingo@txdot.gov or 936-208-5651. The district also posts updates on Facebook, X, Instagram and Nextdoor.
Angelina College’s two basketball teams came out of Wednesday’s Region XIV Basketball Media Day at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens with the coaches poll putting the Roadrunner men second in the conference and the Lady Roadrunners fifth for the 2026-2027 season.
Roadrunners picked second: a team entering the season with high expectations
The Angelina College Roadrunner men’s basketball team is already experiencing high expectations for the upcoming 2026-2027 season, and those high hopes aren’t just coming from within.
At Wednesday’s annual Region XIV Basketball Media Day, the ‘Runners learned they were picked to finish second in the conference in the coaches poll.
Recent pre-season performances helped – the Roadrunners swept four games at the Mullens JUCO Jamboree in Duncanville, prompting one pundit to mention AC as one of the nation’s top programs.
AC head coach and athletic director J.J. Montgomery, who left Angelina College as its all-time leading scorer, first thanked his administration and staff (including new assistant coach Brandon Martinez) before diving into his team’s upcoming season.
Montgomery noted his current squad is returning just two players (Qasim Boyd and Zacc Sells) from last year’s group, mentioning several new additions through recruiting and the transfer portal.
“We spent the whole summer recruiting and putting together the best team we could put together, and I’m excited about this group,” Montgomery said. “I really am. I think this is one of my most talented groups I’ve ever had.”
Montgomery remarked that he’s a “defensive guy” who prefers to keep scores “in the 50s, if we can.”
“My front line is probably going to be the strength of my team this year,” Montgomery said.
Those big bodies include Logan Alexander (6’11”), Justin Houston (6’11”), Didi Zanguim (6’11”), Jordan Russell (6’7”) and Kevin Alabi (6’8”).
“I’m expecting a lot from that front line of ours,” Montgomery said. “That’s going to be our identity this year.”
As for his “wings,” Montgomery mentioned Taj Petteway, a transfer from Coastal Bend Community College who last season averaged 15-16 points and five rebounds per game; Caleb Evans, a “knock-down shooter and high IQ player”; and Amari Edwards, who led Region XIV in three-point shooting percentage in 2025-2026.
Boyd, who missed all of last season after being a member of AC’s Elite Eight squad in 2024-2025, also drew praise.
“Qasim might be the person I’m most proud of,” Montgomery said. “He’s such a great kid, and he’s worked so hard to get back with us, and he really keeps our team together.”
Other players expected to contribute are Grayson Johnson, Chase Wiley, Quinton Sanders, Mason Hervey, Gerron Graham, Cam’ron Myers and Devon Vienneau.
“I’m proud of my group, and I love this group,” Montgomery said.
The Roadrunners will open their regular season at home against Dallas College-Eastfield on Monday, Nov. 2, with tipoff set for 6 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
Lady Roadrunners picked fifth: a team looking to bounce back from a tough 2025-2026
For some head coaches, such a season as the Angelina College Lady Roadrunners experienced in 2025-2026 would be something to forget.
Instead, head coach Addie Lees has chosen to embrace the positives.
Last year, the Lady ‘Runners suffered a depleted roster via injuries and other issues, so much so that the team finished the season fielding just enough players to play. In fact, at the end of the year, team manager Arieyonna Jenkins suited up and saw playing time, as the Lady Roadrunners fought to finish the season.
“Arieyonna was our MVP last year,” Lees said during Wednesday’s Region XIV Basketball Media Day. “She actually saved our season so we wouldn’t end up having to forfeit games.
“But she’s officially retired now, so y’all can mark that down,” Lees joked.
After acknowledging the support the team received from the AC administration and supporting staff (including assistant coach Mercedes Corona), Lees discussed her incoming group, picked to finish fifth in the Region XIV coaches poll.
“This year, we have three returners, and they proved last year that they can step up to the bar of accountability,” Lees said. “They believed in our culture and our foundation, and they had a vision for themselves.”
Those returnees include sophomores Aminah Dixon (1st Team All-Conference in 2026) and Timberlyn Washington (Honorable Mention All-Conference in 2026). Alexis Price also returns after missing the entirety of last season because of an injury.
Lees then turned to the all-important off-season recruiting process.
“Recruiting, to me, there’s no right recipe, right?” Lees said. “But what I tried to do was focus on pillars, those foundational elements that hold up a structure. So in our recruiting process, when we’re talking about our depth chart, we wanted people that bought into our values, our beliefs, and our ideas, and promoted the message that the coaches were trying to preach and teach in the locker room.”
Those incoming freshmen and transfers include Kaedynce Cox-Dunlap, who Lees says “brings a great deal of grit and toughness.”
“We always say we want our players to be an extension of us, right?” Lees asked. “But it’s tough to find those, and it’s tough to really test that. A lot of people pass the eye test, but are they really what they’re made of? And this young lady has shown that time and time again. She’s very vocal in practice, so expect her to be our tough person and our grit person, especially on the glass.”
Lees also mentioned Esra Kurban, a Division I transfer from Turkey; Sarah Gregory, a transfer Lees calls “our tenacity”; Manata Kibuabua, a versatile 6’3” post Lees said “is still growing”; and Jacqueline Osei-Kwame, a 6’2” transfer post from Alabama State University.
Joining the transfers are freshmen Samyra Blount-Williams, Kirstern Smith, Nickaiya Martin, Brooklynn Thomas and Averie Steele.
“Combined with these freshmen, we’ve got these pillars,” Lees said. “We understand what the structure and culture means.
“But the greatest thing about these young women is they’re women of integrity. They are a joy to be around. We’ve gotten several compliments even from our community, from our faculty on campus. Everyone has something nice and great to say about our young people, and I appreciate that.
“We’ve also got good parents, so that’s half the battle, too.”
Lees wrapped up by stating that although she’s now in her 18th season as a collegiate coach, she feels as if she’s “just getting started.”
“I’m really excited to see what this team can do,” Lees said.
The Lady Roadrunners open their regular season Oct. 30 against Delgado College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. AC’s ladies will host their home opener against Southern University-Shreveport at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6 at Shands Gymnasium.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
Close-up of woman putting treats at altar to honour the memory of the dead
The Nacogdoches Public Library is giving Día de Muertos a whole week this year instead of a single afternoon.
The library has run a one-day Día de los Muertos festival in past years. For 2026 it has split the holiday into a series of events running Monday, Nov. 2 through Saturday, Nov. 7, with a different activity each day. Library manager Mercedes Franks said the point is to spend more time on the cultural side of the holiday rather than packing it all into one event.
Activities across the week include sugar skull painting, a Lotería night, craft days, a mariachi concert, a movie night and folklorico dancers. The public is invited to put up an altar at the library.
Two performances anchor the week
The Stephen F. Austin State University mariachi group, Los Leñadores, plays a free concert at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.
“We are really excited that the SFASU Mariachi group, Los Leñadores, has resumed and will perform a free concert on Wednesday, November 4th at 6:30pm. The week will include several activities, culminating with a performance by the Ketzaly Folklorico Dance Group at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 7th,” said Franks.
The library has also swapped out the storywalk at Banita Creek Park, which now features a Día de los Muertos-themed book. The storywalk is free and open whenever the park is.
How to take part
Anyone who wants to display an altar or help with the decorating can reach library staff at 936-559-2970 or askalib@nactx.us.
The City of Nacogdoches Main Street program is putting a movie on the Visitor Center Stage in downtown Nacogdoches on Friday, Oct. 30. The film is the Disney Channel movie Halloweentown, rated TV-PG, and it starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
Main Street is asking people to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Snacks and popcorn are free, and the first 30 people to arrive get a free hot chocolate.
The Visitor Center Stage sits in the 200 block of Pilar Street. Main Street closes Pilar Street before its outdoor movies for setup and safety, and moves the showing inside the Visitor Center if it rains.
The city is billing it as a family evening under the stars, which is about right for the last Friday before Halloween.
If you go
What: Halloween Movie Night, featuring Halloweentown (TV-PG) When: Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. Where: Visitor Center Stage, 200 block of Pilar Street, downtown Nacogdoches Cost: Free Bring: Blankets and lawn chairs
Questions about the event go to Tori Proctor, Main Street manager, at proctort@nactx.us or 936-559-2562. The city’s public information officer is Kevin Meyer, meyerk@nactx.us, 936-559-2937. The City of Nacogdoches is at 202 E. Pilar Street, Nacogdoches, TX 75961.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas has finished remodeling its gym and teen area in Lufkin, and the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is opening the doors Tuesday, Oct. 27, so people can walk through both.
The chamber is pitching the evening as part open house, part networking, with the renovated spaces as the reason to come. The gym and the teen area are the two rooms club kids spend the most time in after school, so a remodel of both is a bigger deal for the club than the square footage suggests.
The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is at 1615 S. Chestnut Street, Lufkin, TX 75901. The phone number is 936-634-6644 and the website is LufkinTexas.org.
Drive any stretch of 59 or 69 after a few months of East Texas summer and you’ll see them: yard signs curled up like potato chips, faded to a ghost of their original color, leaning off their stakes in the ditch. Banners flapping loose from one corner after a spring storm.
Between the sun, the humidity and the storms that roll through, our weather is hard on signs. The good news is that the right materials cost less than a second order. Here’s what to ask for, depending on how long yours needs to last.
Yard signs
The standard yard sign is 4mm corrugated plastic, often called Coroplast, on a standard metal H stake. That’s a good choice for temporary signs: event signs, directional signs for a weekend, or anything that won’t sit out in the weather for long.
If your sign is going to stay out in the elements, or it’s going to get thrown in the back of a truck bed or SUV over and over, spend a little more:
Move up to 8mm corrugated plastic.
Add UV coating so the sun doesn’t fade it.
Use heavy-duty H stakes.
The upgrade costs more up front, but you won’t be reordering in a month.
Banners
Standard vinyl banner is 13 oz, and that’s what most people order for temporary signage.
If your banner will be up for a long stretch, or it’s hanging somewhere with steady wind, sun and rain, go up to 15 oz vinyl and add a UV finish if it’s available. That gives it extra protection from the sun.
Two more things to ask for:
Grommets every 2 to 3 feet. More tie-down points spread out the wind load.
Hemmed edges. They give the banner a nice finished look and help it hold up.
With grommets and hems, you can hang the banner just about anywhere you need it.
The quick version
Short-term: 4mm sign, standard stake, 13 oz banner.
Long-term or rough handling: 8mm sign with UV coating, heavy-duty stakes, 15 oz banner with UV finish, grommets every 2 to 3 feet and hemmed edges.
When you call, tell the shop where the sign is going and how long it needs to last. That’s what decides the materials.
