In 1976, Travis and Tommie Lewis opened their first Sonic Drive-In, and they opened it in Fort Stockton. Nearly half a century later, in March 2025, the drive-in at 1701 W. Dickinson Blvd reopened in a rebuilt building. The Lewises' grandson, Caleb Jantz, was managing it. This past Tuesday, October 20, the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce calendar had a "50 year ribbon cutting" at Sonic from 10 to 11 a.m.
That anniversary sets the pattern for the next six weeks in Fort Stockton. Nearly every event between now and the first Friday in December has been around for years. This fall, several of them are running in a new building, on a new date, or with this year's details still to come.
Fifty Years on Dickinson Boulevard
According to the Chamber's write-up of the March 24, 2025 ribbon cutting, the rebuilt Sonic opened to the public the next day, Tuesday, March 25. The Chamber presented a new membership plaque to Travis and Tommie Lewis, Caleb Jantz and Tom Clifton. Representatives from the City of Fort Stockton, Pecos County State Bank and Fort Stockton ISD came out for it. Big Bend Reporter's coverage of the reopening put the family's history in one line: the Lewises first opened a Sonic in Fort Stockton in 1976, and "nearly 50 years later, the tradition continues."
So the drive-in reached its fiftieth year in a building that is about a year and a half old. The address and the family are the same as before. The phone number is still (432) 336-5632. Sonic's own store locator lists 1701 W. Dickinson as the Fort Stockton location.
Halloween Week Comes in Three Pieces
Halloween in Fort Stockton is spread across a Wednesday night, a Saturday morning at a hardware store, and Main Street on Halloween itself.
The City's Trunk or Treat ran Wednesday night, October 21, at 6:30 p.m., according to the City of Fort Stockton calendar. Next comes a daytime event this Saturday, October 24. McCoy's Building Supply at 1300 US Hwy 285 is inviting kids in from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to decorate glow-in-the-dark buckets for Halloween. It's free while supplies last. McCoy's ran a similar free kids' table on August 15, when the craft was back-to-school pencil holders, so this is the store's second free kids' craft day since summer.
The big one is Trunks Down Main, presented by Leadership Fort Stockton and the Chamber. It lands on Halloween itself this year, Saturday, October 31. Last year's event was a week earlier. The Chamber billed the 2025 edition as the 4th Annual Trunks Down Main and held it on Saturday, October 25. In 2024, the third annual event was on Saturday, October 26. Because Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, the Main Street trunk-or-treat and trick-or-treating night are the same night for the first time in recent years.
The Chamber's 2026 listing still says "Details TBA." Here is how 2025 worked, for reference:
- Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
- Footprint: trunks and tables from 1st & Main to 5th & Main
- Who could set up: business and personal trunks, trucks or tables, with limited space
- Reservations: by calling the Chamber at (432) 336-2264
Those are last year's details, not a promise for this year. If you want to host a trunk, the Chamber's calendar is where the 2026 time and setup instructions will show up.
November Moves Out to Airport Drive
After Halloween, the calendar moves from Main Street to the Pecos County Civic Center on Airport Drive. The Civic Center has been picking up new kinds of events all year. On August 8 it hosted the first Rust & Roots Market, an indoor market for local vendors that its organizers called "a new project to support all Local vendors" in their listing on the Chamber calendar. Three weeks later, it hosted the 4-H Boots, Books & Back to School Bash, with apple pie eating, watermelon eating, scarecrow decorating and hay bale decorating contests.
This November, two long-running Chamber events go there.
The first is The Glitz, on Thursday, November 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Chamber's calendar entry calls it an annual tradition:
"it's a fun night on the runway with a fashion show showcasing apparel, hair, and makeup from local shops and salons, plus plenty of holiday shopping ideas – not to mention samples of local foods and drink!"
Details for 2026 are still TBA. Last year's Glitz was on Thursday, November 13, 2025, with doors at 6 p.m. and the program starting at 7. The models, stylists and featured shops will be local, which makes it the closest thing on the fall calendar to a preview of what Fort Stockton's own stores are stocking for the holidays.
Fifty-Two Shows In
The oldest event on the calendar comes nine days later. The Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce presents its 52nd Annual Arts & Crafts Holiday Show on Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pecos County Civic Center. Admission is free and there are door prizes. Other details are TBA, and the listed contact is Miriam at (432) 360-8677.
The show is two years older than the Lewis family's Sonic. The count lines up year by year. In 2021, the Fort Stockton Pioneer covered the 47th annual show, held Saturday, November 20, and reported that its proceeds funded yearly scholarships for local students heading to college. The 2025 show, the 51st, was on November 22, 2025, and the Chamber's page for it linked to a vendor application. The Saturday before Thanksgiving has been the show's slot in each of those years, and it holds again in 2026. Thanksgiving falls on November 26.
That 2021 Pioneer story is the most recent public account of where the money goes. Vendors and shoppers who want to know how this year's proceeds will be used should ask the Chamber directly.
What Fall Fest Already Showed
The one big event of the season that is already behind us was a different kind of production. On October 10, the Fort Stockton Convention & Visitor's Bureau held a free Fall Fest at the Fort Stockton Convention Center, 2181 W. Interstate 10. Country artists Easton Corbin and Mackenzie Carpenter headlined, there were vendors, and the bureau allowed guests to bring their own beverages. Big Bend Reporter covered the lineup in late September.
Fall Fest brought touring headliners to the Convention Center on Interstate 10. The events left on the calendar run on local shops and salons, Leadership Fort Stockton, Chamber volunteers and a family-owned drive-in. The drive-in has been open since 1976, and the craft show is in its 52nd year.
The Rest of 2026, by Date
| Date | Event | Where | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Glow-in-the-dark bucket decorating for kids, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. | McCoy's Building Supply, 1300 US Hwy 285 | Confirmed, free while supplies last |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trunks Down Main | Main Street | Details TBA; 2025 ran 6–8 p.m., 1st to 5th & Main |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | The Glitz, 6–8 p.m. | Pecos County Civic Center | Details TBA |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 52nd Annual Arts & Crafts Holiday Show, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Pecos County Civic Center | Free admission, door prizes |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Annual Fort Stockton Christmas Parade & Chamber Open House | To be announced | Details TBA |
The Christmas Parade and Chamber Open House on Friday, December 4, wraps up the stretch. As of this week, the Chamber lists only the date.
A family business that rebuilds on its own corner after 50 years is making a long-term bet on Fort Stockton. Marisa Florez follows that kind of local news, and she can explain how it shows up in what homes here are worth. If you're curious what your place on Dickinson, Main or anywhere else in town would bring this season, start with an instant valuation from Marisa Florez. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
