September 11 @ 8:00 am – September 12 @ 5:00 pm
Join Us For the Rodeo!
The San Augustine Rodeo will be held this year from September 11-12.
Sponsors are needed! Click the link below to become a sponsor.
Questions? Want to make a donation?
Click to call 936-275-3610
July 25 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Donate now for the best night of the year. On June 1st, we will be selling tickets and tables.
April 17 @ 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Happy Friday! Take an early lunch and come celebrate with the Chamber Family at the Pineland City Hall Ribbon Cutting and Open House! If you can’t stay long, just do a drive by and share the moment of community pride.
See you there! Festivities begin at 11:30 a.m.
Attention Angelina County high school juniors! Applications for the Drug-Free All Star program are now available. The Drug-Free All Stars of Angelina County, funded by a grant from TxDOT, are a group of high school seniors that serve as role models for the community by living an alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free life. All current high school juniors who are passionate about being drug, alcohol and tobacco-free are eligible for the program. The application can be accessed on The Coalition’s website at www.angelinacoalition.org/youth. The deadline for applications is Sunday, May 31st. For more information on the Drug-Free All Star program, visit The Coalition’s website or contact Reagan Strother at rstrother@angelinacoalition.org.
Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes and behaviors, to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. Since the inception of the Drug-Free All Star program, The Coalition has trained over 1,800 youth as drug, alcohol and tobacco-free leaders in the community.
April 23 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Networking Plus Pinch, Peel and Party!
You’re invited to Alive After Five hosted by Ted Smith – State Farm Agent for a fun-filled Crawfish Boil you won’t want to miss! Come hungry, bring a friend, and get ready for a good time.
You are invited to Alive After Five hosted by Ted Smith – State Farm Agent, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23 at 210 North St. Ted is holding his annual crawfish boil with contributions by:
Guests will enjoy music and chances to win cool door prizes! All Chamber members are invited and entered in a $1,000 cash prize drawing – but you must be present to win.
April 17 @ 4:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Get ready for one of the most unique nights on the course! The Polk County Chamber of Commerce invites you to our Glow-in-the-Dark Golf Tournament — where the fairways shine and the competition heats up after dark!
-Neon balls
-Glowing greens
-Nighttime fun
-Networking under the lights
4-Man Team – $500 per team
Spots are limited — grab your team early!
Sponsorship opportunities available!
This is a high-visibility, high-energy event — perfect for businesses wanting to stand out in a BIG way.
(936) 327-4929
info@polkchamber.com
April 14 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Weekly on Tuesdays from 6 PM-8:30 PM
(936) 327-4929
info@polkchamber.com
Some mornings, this place just shows off.
There’s a window of about twenty minutes on a spring morning in East Texas — right after sunrise, before the fog burns off — when everything looks like a painting.
The pines are still. The river is glass. The light comes through low and gold, and it catches the mist hanging over the water like it’s showing you something on purpose.
You can’t schedule it. You can’t plan for it. You just have to be up early enough to see it.
If you were out on the Neches this morning — or standing on your porch with a cup of coffee, watching the fog roll through your back pasture — you know exactly what we’re talking about.
This is the part of East Texas that doesn’t make the brochures. It’s not a destination. It’s just home, doing what it does best.
Take a breath. Slow down. Happy Sunday, East Texas.
Got a spring morning photo that takes your breath away? Send it to us or tag @TFCLiving on Facebook — we’d love to share it.
Storm season is coming, the humidity is rising, and the fire ants are already here. Here’s how to get ahead of it all.
Spring in East Texas is beautiful — the dogwoods are blooming, the evenings are getting longer, and everything is turning green. But it’s also the time when our houses, yards, and budgets take a beating if we’re not ready. Here are six things worth doing before May rolls in.
1. Check Your A/C Before You Need It
Don’t wait until the first 95-degree day to find out your unit is struggling. Change your air filter now, clear any debris around the outdoor unit, and run the system for a test cycle. If it’s been more than a year since your last professional tune-up, schedule one while the HVAC companies still have openings. A well-maintained system runs more efficiently — and that shows up on your electric bill all summer long.
2. Clean Your Gutters and Check Your Drainage
East Texas storms don’t play around. Clogged gutters mean water backs up against your fascia and foundation. Walk the perimeter of your house after the next rain and watch where the water goes. If it’s pooling near the foundation, you may need to extend a downspout or regrade a trouble spot. Twenty minutes of prevention now can save thousands later.
3. Treat for Fire Ants Early
If you live in East Texas, you have fire ants. The question is whether you’re managing them or they’re managing you. Spring is the best time to broadcast a bait treatment across your yard — before the colonies explode in the heat. Look for mounds in the morning when the soil is still cool and the ants are active near the surface. Treat individual mounds with a contact killer and broadcast bait for the ones you can’t see yet.
4. Inspect Your Roof and Trim Your Trees
Storm season in our area typically runs from April through June, and high winds are the biggest threat to our homes. Look for missing or curling shingles from the ground with binoculars. Trim any branches that overhang your roof or hang near power lines. Dead limbs on pine trees are especially dangerous — they’re heavy, brittle, and they come down fast when the wind picks up.
5. Refresh Your Emergency Kit
If the last time you checked your emergency kit was during last year’s storm warnings, it’s time. Replace expired batteries, check your flashlight, update your medication supply, and make sure you have at least three days of water on hand. If you have a generator, run it now to make sure it starts. The worst time to find out it doesn’t work is when the power’s already out.
6. Review Your Electric Plan
Summer electricity usage in East Texas can double or even triple compared to spring. If you’re on a variable rate plan, now is the time to review what you’re paying per kilowatt-hour and see if a fixed-rate option makes more sense before the summer peak. A few minutes comparing plans today could save you hundreds over the next four months.
None of these take more than a weekend to knock out, and most of them cost little to nothing. The key is doing them before you need to — because in East Texas, the heat and the storms don’t wait for anyone.
What’s on your spring to-do list? Drop your best tip in the comments — we’ll share the best ones next week.
How Lumber, Railroads, and Grit Shaped the Communities We Call Home
The transportation of logs and lumber was an issue until the train came through East Texas in the 1880s. This made it possible to transport lumber faster and further than ever before and helped to begin the sawmill boom in Texas which lasted from the 1880s to the 1930s.
Towns grew up around sawmills, and everyone who lived in the town worked for the mill company. Homes were on a graded scale so the better the job, the better quality the home you lived in. Men went to work for the company while women worked at home cleaning, washing clothes, mending, raising kids, and making all of the food from ingredients. Kids went to school but often the girls were the only ones to graduate because if the family needed the money, the sons would begin working in the mill at about 11 or 12 years old.
If the men worked in the woods cutting down trees, the family often lived in front camps and did not travel back and forth to town. These were temporary houses like tents or boxcars that could be packed up and moved to a new site to cut down more trees.
Exploring the History
The list of Angelina County historical markers is a great resource to learn about the local sites of sawmill history. There are free scavenger hunts at the Texas Forestry Museum where you can work your way through the locations. It’s not all sawmill history but many of the dozens of markers are. It’s interesting to see how the town has changed and yet you can still see glimmers of the history that built this area.
The Decline — and What Rose from the Ashes
The decline of the sawmill boom in Texas happened for several reasons including mill fires, the cut-and-get method, and the Great Depression. In some cases, no new companies replaced the lost jobs when the mill closed and the towns became ghost towns. When the whole town is employed by one company and that company closes, there are no local income sources for the residents, and they’re forced to move.
However, in other cases, new industries were brought in like Lufkin’s Southland Paper Co. The paper mill opened in the late 1930s and created hundreds of jobs and was a vital part of Lufkin’s economy until it closed in 2003.
Why This Matters Today
This history is important because all history is important. We do not live in a 2026 time bubble. We are affected by the lived experiences of our parents and grandparents. When we understand more completely what their lives were like and why they are the way they are, we can better understand ourselves and our lives today. The sawmill boom’s effects are a large part of who East Texans are today whether we’re aware of it or not.
Dig Deeper
The Texas Forestry Museum protects 35,000+ artifacts (including 6,000+ photographs) of Texas forest history, and they are open to researchers — from those who are mildly curious to those working on in-depth academic research. To explore their archives, you can make an appointment by contacting them at 936-632-9535.
Local archives like The History Center in Diboll and the East Texas Research Center in Nacogdoches are also great resources for those wanting to learn more about East Texas history.
Recommended Reading
Sawdust Empire by Maxwell and Baker
Axes, Oxen, & Men by Walker
East Texas Mill Towns & Ghost Towns: Vol 1–3 by Block
Nameless Towns by Sitton and Conrad
All of these titles are available in the Texas Forestry Museum’s archival library for public access.
TEXAS FORESTRY MUSEUM
1905 Atkinson Drive, Lufkin, TX 75901
936-632-9535
Kendall Gay, Director
Author:
Bobbie Langston
With contributions from Kendall Gay, Director, Texas Forestry Museum
Texas Forest Country Living is a digital online magazine featuring the lifestyle and community of the Texas Forest Country region. The Counties include Angelina County, Nacogdoches County, Sabine County, Tyler County, Newton County, San Jacinto County, San Augustine County, Jasper County, Houston County, Shelby County, Trinity County and Polk County
Disclaimer: In compliance with FTC guidelines, we at Texas Forest Country Living want to disclose that some of the links and mentions on our website may be part of an influencer marketing campaign. This means that we may receive compensation, such as commissions or free products, when you make a purchase or engage with the linked content through those specific links or mentions. Please note that we only promote products or services that we genuinely believe in and that align with the values and interests of our audience. Our primary goal is to provide valuable and relevant information to our readers. However, it's important to understand that any purchasing decision you make after clicking on these links is entirely at your own discretion. We always strive to maintain transparency and integrity in our content. Rest assured that our opinions and reviews are based on our own experiences and thorough research, regardless of any potential compensation received. We prioritize delivering accurate and unbiased information to our readers, and any influence marketing partnerships will not compromise the quality or objectivity of our content. It is crucial to remember that individual results may vary, and we encourage you to conduct your own research and consider personal preferences and circumstances before making any purchasing decisions based on the information provided on our website. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our disclosure policy or our affiliation with any brand or product, please feel free to contact us. We are committed to maintaining open communication and ensuring our readers have a positive experience while engaging with our content. © 2026 TFCLiving/MSGPR. All Rights Reserved.
