Good Evening TXK
In the south, football isn’t just a game. It’s a ritual, a tradition, a heartbeat that keeps the blood pumping, warming up the atmosphere of every fall season. The loud roar of the crowd, the blinding stadium lights, that certain electricity in the air that signals the start of something sacred. For many, this is the highlight of the year—a season that unites friends, families, and even strangers. But for me, it’s always been a little more complicated.
I’ll never forget my first month of high school at Texas High, where I found myself caught in the frenzy of football season without a clue how to play the part. I remember being stopped in the hallway by TigerVision (the school’s media production department) and being asked how I felt about the legendary Texas High versus Arkansas High rivalry. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that rivalry was a big deal—like a “clear your calendar and cancel all plans” kind of big deal. When I nonchalantly said, “I don’t care one way or the other,” the look on their faces told me everything I needed to know. I had just committed social suicide. You would have thought I had waltzed into Texas High’s halls wearing the Scarlet Letter, permanently branding myself an outsider.
I wasn’t rebelling against anything. Football was just never my thing. While my classmates were analyzing plays, I was sitting in the stands wondering why the game had so many stops and starts. “Why are we pausing again? Didn’t we literally just start running the ball? What is even going on?” I’ve never had an affiliation with any college team, my favorite part of the Super Bowl was always the halftime show, and the closest I got to the whole “Friday night lights” experience was the TV show my mom binge-watched on Netflix one summer. If I went to a game, you could find me socializing in the stands, catching up with friends, eating concession stand food, and taking Snapchat videos with whomever was nearby. The game, for me, was merely a backdrop to a more exciting social scene.
And yet, as I’ve grown older, I’ve found myself appreciating the traditions that come with football season. There’s something undeniably charming about living in a small town where the entire community comes together on Friday nights or college football fanatics who tailgate every weekend with others who share the same alma mater. Parents cheer on their kids, students chant from the bleachers, and for a little while, nothing else matters but the game. I may never fully understand the obsession, but I’ve seen how these moments bring people together. I’ve watched parents beam with pride as their children take the field, knowing these nights will be some of their most cherished.
There’s always been this strange divide—this feeling that I’m on the outside looking in. Most people I know are passionate about at least one football team, but I’m in my own world, more focused on pop culture, Justin Bieber, YouTube debate videos, and late-night fast food runs. I don’t usually mind being different, but sometimes I wish I knew more about football to have something to bond over with my brothers, Parker and John David. They talk football like it’s their first language, and while I want to join in, I also want to love it on my own terms
I remember being dragged to the Dallas Cowboy stadium when I was twelve, all because Parker wanted to see it. I was bored out of my mind and kept begging to leave. Now, as an adult, I’d be thrilled to take it all in. But at the time, it was just another reminder of how out of place I felt in this football-crazed world.
I want to understand the world around me, to break out of the comfortable bubble I’ve built for myself. There’s a whole world out there, and the older I get, the more I want to explore it. I don’t want to force myself to love something just because it’s what everyone else is doing. If I’m going to commit myself to something, I want it to be because I genuinely love it. But there’s also this part of me that longs to connect with my peers, especially my brothers. I do genuinely love them, so I want to understand what makes their eyes light up when they talk about the latest game or their favorite player. If learning about football can bring me even a little closer to them, isn’t it worth it?
We all have our own little worlds—our comfort zones—and it’s easy to stay put. There is so much more to life than what is inside those small spaces. Whether it’s football, art, music, or a million other options, it’s okay to be curious, to explore, and to find your own reasons to love something. That’s especially true if it means creating deeper connections with people. I may never be the biggest football fan, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the spirit of the game and the community it creates.
LIVE MUSIC
October 4
A Thousand
Horses
Whiskey River
Country
10 pm
October 5
Payton Howie
Whiskey River
Country
6 pm
October 8
Pam Tillis
Whatley
Center for the Performing Arts
Mt. Pleasant,
Texas
7:30 pm
October 11
Jarrod Niemann
The Duke
Bar & Grill
9 pm
October 13
Mike Tramp
Fat Jacks Oyster & Sports Bar
7 pm
October 17
Joe Stamm Band
The Duke Bar & Grill
8 pm
October 20 & 27
Lane Bricker
Redbone
Magic Brewing Company
1 pm
October 26
Nervana
Fat Jacks Oyster & Sports Bar
8 pm
October 27
Anthem Edition
Northern Hills Baptist Church
5 pm
LOCAL EVENTS
October 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29
Texarkana Farmers
Market Fall Market
Spring Lake Park
4-7 pm
October 1
The Salvation Army
Fall Social
Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities
5:30-7 pm
October 2, 9, 16, 23, & 30
Free Wednesday Yoga
Southwest Center
5:30-6:30 pm
October 5
Hospice of Texarkana’s Jeans & Bling
Texarkana Convention Center
7-10:30 pm
October 5
Pink Out Sneaker Ball
Silvermoon on Broad
6-10 pm
October 5
UAHT Casino Night
Crossties Event Venue
7-10 pm
October 6, 13, 20, & 27
Football Sunday at ELKS 2771
Elks Texas Lodge— New Boston Rd,
Texarkana, Texas
11 am-11 pm
October 10
Fall Movies in the Park—Inside Out 2
Spring Lake Park
6:45 pm
October 11
We are Washington Golf and Pickleball Tournament
Northridge Country Club
Tee Time 12 pm
Pickleball 6 pm
October 11
Texarkana Pink Out Day
October 12
Happy Centennial Perot!
Texarkana Symphony Orchestra with Grace Park Perot Theatre
7 pm
October 14
Medicare 2025
Texarkana Convention Center
11 am -1 pm
October 17, 18, & 19
The Return of BigFoot!
Live Performance
1923 Banana Club
6-9 pm
October 17
Fall Movies in the Park—ET
Spring Lake Park
6:45 pm
October 18
The Rocky Horror
Picture Show
Perot Theatre
8 pm
October 19
Tough Kookie Breast
Cancer Race
Texas A&M-Texarkana
8-11 am
October 19
Texarkana’s Largest Indoor Yard Sale
Four States Fair
Entertainment Center
7 am-1 pm
October 22
Taste of Texarkana
Four States Fair
Entertainment Center
5-8 pm
October 24
Fall Movies in the Park—The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Spring Lake Park
6:45 pm
October 25 & 26
Gayble Moss Memorial
Golf & Tennis Tournament
Northridge Country Club
October 24, 25, & 26
An Evening with the Phantom
Dinner Theatre
1923 Banana Club
6-9 pm
October 26
Jay Leno
Perot Theatre
7:30
