The Sam Rayburn Museum is pleased to announce that a capital improvement project is scheduled to begin on September 21, 2026. Planned improvements include repairs to the foundation and drainage system, landscaping upgrades, and enhancements to the main and accessible entrances. Due to scheduled repairs to the accessible ramp and concerns for visitor safety, the Sam Rayburn Museum will close on October 5, 2026, and remain closed for the duration of the exterior construction project.

The fall festival season is officially underway with the 45th Annual Sherman Arts Fest held Saturday, September 19 at Kidd-Key Park and the Sherman Municipal Building.

Fun, farming, and history are all intersecting at the Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site in just a couple of weeks! Come to Farming Heritage Day on September 26, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for antique tractors, farm animals, local farmers and ranchers, community groups, activities, games, and food. This event is FREE to attend! We will have a pop-up store onsite, and tours of the Sam Rayburn House will be on the hour at regular tour pricing.

New Friends New Life (NFNL) is proud to announce that acclaimed actress, producer, and founder/CEO Tracee Ellis Ross will headline the 2026 Stand for Her Luncheon on Thursday, September 24 at 11:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. Ross is a leader whose cultural fluency and skilled storytelling allow her to forge meaningful connections with audiences and customers alike.

Addison Oktoberfest, presented by Paulaner, is recognized as one of the best recreations of the famed Munich festival since it first brought prosts and polkas to North Texas nearly 40 years ago. For four days each September, people come together in Addison to revel in German culture, food, music and bier, enjoying a taste of the original Oktoberfest with a purely Texan twist. Don’t forget your dirndl or lederhosen (or buy them at the festival) – dressing for the occasion is enthusiastically encouraged!

1973 – Singer Jim Croce, songwriter and musician Maury Muehleisen and four others die when their light aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Natchitoches Regional Airport in Louisiana. James Joseph Croce (January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973) was an American folk and rock singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he released five studio albums and numerous singles. During this period, Croce took a series of odd jobs to pay bills while he continued to write and record songs as well as perform concerts. After Croce formed a partnership with songwriter and guitarist Maury Muehleisen in the early 1970s, his fortunes turned. Croce's breakthrough came in 1972, when his third album, You Don't Mess Around with Jim, produced three charting singles, including "Time in a Bottle," which reached number one after his death. The follow-up album Life and Times included the song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown," the only number-one hit Croce had during his lifetime. On September 20, 1973, Croce, Muehleisen, and four others died in a plane crash, one day before the release of the lead single from Croce's fifth album, I Got a Name, during a period of significant commercial success. The crash occurred an hour after Croce had finished a concert at Northwestern State University's Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches. They were headed for Sherman, Texas, for a concert at Austin College. While on tour, Croce grew increasingly homesick and decided to take a break from music and settle with his family when his Life and Times tour ended. In a letter to his wife, Ingrid, that arrived after his death, Croce told her that he had decided to quit music and wanted to write short stories and movie scripts as a career and withdraw from public life.