Totally Texas -- Art Jam on FM 279

FM 279

Ben Wheeler to Edom

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What will your sweetheart say if you give her a deadly weapon for Valentine’s Day? “Thanks” -- if it’s a handmade blade from Harrison & Son Knifesmith. Just one of nearly a dozen shops open for the Second Saturday Art Jam running from Ben Wheeler to Edom this Saturday, February 11.

Shops are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the small towns only a few miles apart on FM 279 in East Texas. From Dallas or further west, you can reach FM 279 by taking I-20 east and exiting at either Highway 64 or Highway 19 through Canton. (Highway 19 intersects 64.) A few miles’ drive east on Highway 64 takes you to the fork toward FM 279.

As mentioned in last Monday’s post, you’re nearly there when you see the billboard for Edom’s Blueberry Hill Farms -- but that’s a stop for the summer.

If you’re looking for a more conventional gift than a knife for your valentine or yourself, you can choose from the likes of handmade chocolates from Blue Moon Gardens (a few miles east of Edom), jewelry from Zeke & Marty’s, Studio Metal Jewelry or Ken Carpenter Jewelry. Or a boutique item from WhimZee for her, Edom Ranch Art for him. (Or vice versa.)

Too many choices? Ponder them over pie from Edom Bakery & Grill or The Shed Café, a burger at Moore’s Store in Edom, or panini and a glass of wine at The Forge in Ben Wheeler. Or treat everyone to Blue Bell ice cream cones while drooling over (but not on, please) the vintage racing motorcycles at Scoot’s ’n Scoops in Ben Wheeler.

Special events for Saturday include music by Loretta Callens and the Edom All Star Band on the Edom Jam Stage during the day, and more live music at The Forge and Moore’s Store in the evening. Some shops and art galleries feature demonstrations during the day, including weaving, copper smithing, and raku pottery. Parking and admission are free. No matter which side of the road you park on, FM 279 is easy to cross.

And there’s more, lots more. For a complete list of events and times, see http://279artisanstrail.com/.

Although Saturday is the official event date, most shops and galleries are open this time of year Thursday through Sunday. Check individual listings at the 279 Artisans Trail site for specifics, special hours, or to make appointments.

Totally Texas -- Expedition to East Texas

Even if it’s not First Monday Trades Days, my family stops at the Dairy Palace in Canton on every expedition to East Texas. Located at the junction of I-20 and Highway 19, the Dairy Palace is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It offers more than hamburgers and serves shakes and cones made with a multiplicity of Blue Bell ice cream flavors. Take quarters so the kids can play video games while they wait (but not long) for their orders to get cooked. For a complete menu, see www.dairypalace.com/.

This coming weekend, though, is the First Monday flea market in Canton. A quick review for anybody not from around here -- despite the name, the market runs Thursday through Sunday BEFORE the first Monday of each month. This month, that’s February 2-5. Crowds are lightest on Thursdays, with about seventy percent of vendors already in town by then, according to at least one site, www.cantontradedays.com/.

Canton is just off I-20, about an hour’s drive east from Dallas. You can reach it from exits off I-20 to Highway 64 or Highway 19, which is the main drag past the market. Vendors in most of the covered buildings take credit or debit cards, but bring cash for parking (most convenient sites start at $5) and for vendors in the open areas. I go with goals in mind, but keep my mind open for wonderful surprises.

For more information about Canton’s First Monday Trades Days, see my post of June 27, 2011. Fortunately, the discussion of dehydration is less likely to apply at this time of year.

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Trades Days, however, are not all the near end of East Texas has to offer. I’ll blog more next week about the Second Saturday Art Trail in Ben Wheeler and Edom. But shops are open in both towns Thursday through Sunday, year round. (Usually 9-5, but hours can vary.) Take Highway 64 east from Canton to FM 279. (You’re nearly there when you see the billboard for Edom blueberries -- not ripe at this season, alas.)

In Ben Wheeler recently, the whimsical art at the Blue Moose and Flying Fish galleries, among others, caught my eye. In nearby Edom, make time between shopping for art and
antiques to pick up a pie from the Edom Bakery & Grill. The restaurant made County Line magazine’s Upper East Side of Texas Hall of Fame for its pies in an array of flavors. See
www.edombakery.com/

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Gardeners will want to travel still further east on FM 279 to Blue Moon Gardens,
www.bluemoongardens.com/ or to FM 279’s eastern junction, rejoining Highway 64, all the way to Tyler. The grounds of Tyler’s Municipal Rose Garden, 420 Rose Park Drive, are open year round, from dawn to dusk. In winter, check out its camellia garden. The weather channel predicts possible showers in Tyler Friday and Saturday. But if the weather is fair, bring a picnic -- maybe a pie. See www.texasrosefestival.com/