For the First Time in Forever, Or at Least 150 Years
Come one, come all to the first-ever Sabine Stomp, held in good ol’ Mineola, Texas! This inaugural celebration is a big-time first: it celebrates the 150 years that the community of Mineola has been in existence. So, understandably, organizers are not going halfway on the celebration--they’re going all out.
The Sabine Stomp event, which will be held on Saturday, September 2, will have pretty much anything attendees could want from a community celebration.
“Live concert, food, vendors, and fun for the whole family” will comprise the event, according to the brochure--and, it’s all to benefit the community itself! Proceeds from the festival go towards the Mineola Nature Preserve, a roughly 3,000-acre free community space created in 2005. Of course, it will be held at the Nature Preserve, too, since it is both a community staple and the one of the largest parks per capita in the nation.
As the big, sky-blue flyer for the Sabine Stomp event states, the Old 97’s, Cory Morrow, Josh Ward, Blue Mudbone, and more will be playing live music. What the flyer doesn’t have room to mention is how big of a deal that is.
“Our headliner, about whom we’re so incredibly excited, is the Old 97′s. I mean, they tour nationally, they’ve been in movies, Saturday Night Live, all that kind of stuff. These guys are great,” Owen Tiner, the Marketing & Tourism Director for the City of Mineola and the spokesperson for the festival, said in an interview with KLTV.
The Sabine Stomp is just one of the many events that Mineola has put on in 2023 to celebrate its sesquicentennial. Other past events have included the Mineola Sesquicentennial Spring Fling Celebration, the Sesquicentennial Hot Air Balloon Glow, and a Mr. And Mrs. Sesquicentennial contest. However, Tiner says that the Sabine Stomp, along with the Sesquicentennial End-of-Year Gala to be held in December, are the two events that the rest of the celebrations have been “leading up to.” The blow-out event is expected to be a success and perhaps even be repeated in future years. Right now, however, it’s a one-time deal, so tickets will go quickly.
In addition to normal tickets, VIP tickets to the Sabine Stomp are also available. These passes include two drinks, a VIP parking pass, and access to a covered area with food near the stage—no small deal in all the September heat! Tiner recommends that attendees who do not purchase the VIP pass bring folding chairs and picnic blankets, so as to have a place to relax at the outdoor park. Food, drinks, and other merchandise will be available for purchase inside the festival gates.
Gates for the Sabine Stomp will open at 3:30 in the afternoon, and the event will run until 11:30 at night. Tickets are still on sale online, but there’s no telling how long they will last! Tiner says to check the city’s website, download their app (available on both the App Store and Google Play), or call the city for more information.
