Celebrate fall in Historic Downtown McKinney during one of Texas' most beloved festivals. McKinney Oktoberfest, presented by Tomes Auto Group, brings Bavarian tradition to life with live music, cultural performances, interactive games, authentic flavors, and family-friendly fun all weekend long. photo by Allen Rich

Mark your calendars: National Fossil Day Celebration returns to the Ladonia Fossil Park on Saturday, October 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., hosted by the Ladonia Chamber of Commerce and the Dallas Paleontological Society. This come-and-go event lets visitors search the North Sulphur River for fossils and get help identifying their finds from the experts. UTRWD is proud to support the Fossil Park that makes this North Texas tradition possible.

This Nashville duo will add some 'dash' to your musical world of blues, country, and Americana folk. "A Tale of Two" will perform at a Harmony House Concert on Sunday, October 11, '26, 3-5 p.m. Here's what Americana Magazine had to say about them: "Vocalist Stephanie Adlington and guitarist Aaron Lessard blended Americana/Southern Gothic storytelling and dirty slide guitar to bring A Tale of Two to the stage..."

Just over 115 years ago, while farmers and businesses were preparing for the State Fair of Texas, African-American Texans were participating in a celebration of their own, and this one was held in Bonham. Miss Adeline Williams of Denison was named Queen and won a scholarship to her choice of the six colored colleges in Texas. Runners up were Inez Stewart of Fannin County, Mable Raws of Denton County, Bissie Chiles of Cooke County, Gertrude King of Red River County, Miss Davis of Navarro County and Jennie Lindsey of Collin County.

Last Day to Register to Vote - Monday, October 5, 2026. In Fannin County, all early voting will be at the Fannin County Justice Center.

1937 – J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit is published for the first time. (September 22 is celebrated by some fans as Hobbit Day, however.) The Hobbit, or There and Back Again is a children's fantasy novel by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. It is recognized as a classic in children's literature and is one of the best-selling books of all time, with over 100 million copies sold. George Allen & Unwin published the first edition of The Hobbit on 21 September 1937 with a print run of 1,500 copies, which sold out by December because of enthusiastic reviews. This first printing was illustrated in black and white by Tolkien, who designed the dust jacket as well. The style and themes of the book have been seen to help stretch young readers' literacy skills, preparing them to approach the works of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Further, it may exercise the reading skills of advanced younger readers better than much modern fiction for teenagers. Educationalists have seen The Hobbit as a means to encourage literacy among 11- to 14-year-old boys in particular