By Brynna Breen
“You asked for it, and we are going out on a limb to deliver!” says the Old Settlers Reunion webpage. But what exactly is “it” that folks had asked for? Why, the carnival, of course!
That’s right: The Old Settlers Reunion is coming around again—and in 2026, the carnival is coming back with it! Old Settlers will also feature many, many other fall festival goodies for the whole family.
The Old Settlers Reunion: The Itinerary
Today, the Old Settlers Reunion continues the tradition of bringing together residents from Wood County, Texas and beyond.
Events have changed over the years, of course, as likes and dislikes have come and gone; however, some of the most popular events since the foundation of Old Settlers have been the gospel night, the vendors, and—of course—the carnival.
In 2026, all of these, and more, will be back.
Old Settlers, as many Wood County residents might know, was unfortunately unable to host carnival rides and games for several of its most recent years, which is why it’s such a big deal to folks that it’s coming back. Rather than an intentional departure from the norm, not hosting a carnival was an unfortunate necessity, as Old Settlers Reunion Board President Carley Tucker explained.
“The company we used previously went out of business, and it has taken us a while to find a replacement,” she said. “In the past, the carnival didn’t charge us any money to be there, but since we moved the event to October from August, we don’t (yet know how many people) are going to be there. And no carnival would just show up, betting on the unknown. So we had to pay for a carnival this year to get someone to come. (But) we are very excited to be bringing (it back) this year.”
Tucker said that the board had to pay $20,000 to bring back the carnival. However, with huge help from the generous Wood County community, it is indeed coming; now, the board asks that community members come attend the carnival so that it can keep coming in the future.
“We’re hoping it’ll be very successful and everyone will support it, so that in the future we won’t have to pay for a carnival,” said Tucker. “We took a pretty big leap bringing the carnival back this year. Now we need Wood County to come out and show us you want it to stay.”
Of course, the Old Settlers Reunion is much, much more than just the carnival (as if that weren’t enough!). In fact, Tucker said that it was her intention as board president to bring back many of the most nostalgic things that past reunions have had to offer, as well as to add new things into the mix.
The list of events featured at 2026’s Old Settlers Reunion includes the following:
- A 5K Dash to kick off the weekend
- Hungry Hippos (for kids)
- A haunted maze (for kids)
- Kiddy Midway
- Trunk-or-treat
- Costume contest
- Bingo
- Live music
- Food trucks/vendors
- Shopping
- Kids’ crafts
- Hay ride
- Pie-eating contest
- Quilt show
- Historical Commission presentation
- Cornhole tournament
Many of these events are free.
“We hope people will come out and just visit with their friends and neighbors and enjoy,” said Tucker. “Whether they’re into the carnival, or whether they want to do trunk-or-treat or a hayride, or they want to sit under the pavilion and listen to good, old-fashioned gospel music while they visit with their friends and neighbors, we hope everyone will come out and hang out with us.”
The festival will be held on October 31 and November 1, a Saturday and a Sunday, in Governor Jim Hogg City Park in Quitman. The carnival, which does require a paid wristband, will be active from 12:00 noon to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. More information, including a timeline for all of the many other events, can be found on the Old Settlers Reunion website.
“Come for the carnival. Stay for a whole day of family fun!” encourages the Old Settlers Facebook page. “Bring the family and make some Old Settlers memories! Make an afternoon of it!”
The Old Settlers Reunion: Trunk-or-Treat with Gospel Music
Since the first day of Quitman’s Old Settlers Reunion will be held on Halloween night, the event will feature, as listed, a trunk-or-treat; however, those in Wood County, Texas who don’t celebrate Halloween may be glad to hear that it will also feature “praise and worship music by local church bands.” This, said Tucker, was a deliberate choice.
“It’s very intentional,” she affirmed. “We have a lot of businesses that are participating in the trunk-or-treat, but a lot of those trunks are churches; we wanted kids to have a different perspective than just the traditional Halloween experience. We wanted something that the kids and the whole family could (also) go over to the pavilion and listen to worship music.”
The worship music, said Tucker, is a favorite with Wood County residents.
“Last year, it was almost magic to hear all the different groups going over and singing the gospel music,” Tucker said. “Everyone started singing along. It was too good; it was like it used to be, like how it originally started.”
The Old Settlers Reunion: A Community Effort
The generous, gracious Wood County, Texas community came together to make the Old Settlers Reunion happen in 2026.
A huge help to bringing back the $20,000 carnival rides was the Wood County Electric Cooperative, Inc., which annually gives a donation to the board to go toward the reunion.
“Their generous sponsorship helps us bring two days of carnival rides, games, music, and family fun to Hogg Park,” said the Old Settlers Facebook page. “We appreciate their investment in our community and (in) this hometown tradition.”
Another huge boost to the event was the inaugural Tour de Pines, which was organized through the Old Settlers Reunion and which raised money to go towards the carnival. Although this bike tour was in its first year, it was attended by more than 200 people and garnered around $8,000—all for the carnival.
“That was a really big chunk of what we needed,” said Tucker. “And with Wood County (Electric’s) $10,000 donation, we were close. We were within $2,000 of our goal.”
From there, Tucker said that she wrote a “heartfelt letter to the community and sent it out on my social media.” Typical of the big hearts of Quitman and Wood County, Texas folks, the community responded quickly.
“It got shared a lot,” said Tucker. “We got a few hundred from individuals who contributed, which was wonderful; and then we also had Stitchin’ Heaven ask how much we needed, so they stepped in and donated the remainder that was left at the time, which was about $1,400.”
Tucker said that they also had “a few other community sponsors come through,” which she said they are “very grateful for.”
“When you have an event, people want to sponsor the really fun, exciting things like the carnival,” she said. “But there are other things such as port-a-potties, parking signs, and paying people to help us park—and other things like that. There are lots of things that aren’t as glamorous that need to be paid for, so we’re very appreciative of all of our sponsors who’ve come out and helped us.”
Among the other generous sponsors are Peoples Telephone Cooperative, Wood County Economic Development Commission, Quitman ISD, and many more. Those donations do not go unnoticed.
“In this economy, we appreciate every single little bit that people have been willing to donate,” said Tucker. “It just shows the commitment of the community to donate to us, even though it may not be an easy thing for them to (do). The fact that they care enough to invest in this event, which is one of the longest-running festivals in the state of Texas, (means something to us).”
The bottom line?
“It’s really amazing to see the community come together and to make this happen, because we wouldn’t be able to do it without the people, and without the donations, and without the dedication of our board and all the volunteers that helped us,” said Tucker. “We really hope the community will come out and support us this year.” “Bring the kids, bring your friends, ride some rides, eat some carnival food, and spend some time at Old Settlers,” agrees the Old Settlers Reunion Facebook page. “That’s really what this is all about.”