Brownwood and Brown County residents have a full calendar of business, educational, cultural and community events in October 2026, according to the latest Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce newsletter published by KOXE. The schedule includes networking opportunities, ribbon cuttings, workshops, a book signing, a lantern festival and the return of Corks & Caps.
Business events and local celebrations
The month begins with the Small Business Collaborative Breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Chamber. The event is designed to bring small businesses and people considering starting a business together for collaboration, networking and idea-sharing. Balancing Act Small Business Services is sponsoring the breakfast, and registration is requested so organizers can plan for food.
The Chamber will celebrate Glamour Shop’s 75th anniversary with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at 405 Center Ave. in Downtown Brownwood. Residents are invited to join the business and its team for the milestone celebration.
Other October ribbon cuttings listed by the Chamber include KCS Managed IT & Cybersecurity on Oct. 13, Wild Horse Ranch & Event Venue on Oct. 15, Junk Genie on Oct. 16 and Rotary on Oct. 28. The Chamber encouraged residents to monitor its social media channels for updated times and locations.
Wild Horse Ranch & Event Venue, at 3328 County Road 339 in Early, will hold its ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. The venue is preparing for an official grand opening on Oct. 24.
The Chamber’s monthly Business After Hours event is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Texas Bank. The gathering will offer local professionals an afternoon of networking, giveaways and refreshments.
Corks & Caps returns Oct. 24
The 12th Annual Corks & Caps is set for Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Brownwood Event Center. Zak Webb Music will headline, with Mason & The Mercenaries opening the show after being selected through the Battle of the Bands at Pioneer Tap House.
The event will feature live music, beer and wine tastings, food vendors and other activities. Beverage vendors include Stone Eagle Beer Garden, Pioneer Tap House, Baby Cow Brewing, The Hideout Golf Club & Resort and Hall’s Daiquiris. Food vendors listed by the Chamber are Heartland BBQ, Mel’s Treats, Sawasdee Thai Food Truck, Delicious Delights and Regios Tacos & Antojitos.
General Admission, VIP admission and VIP table options are available. The Chamber urged attendees to buy tickets in advance to receive presale pricing and avoid the higher price at the door. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Questions about tickets or VIP tables can be directed to the Chamber at 325-646-9535 or [email protected].
Visit Brownwood is the presenting sponsor. Norman Lifestyle Properties and Atmos Energy are Gold Sponsors, while KTAB/KRBC TV is a Silver Sponsor.
HPU workshops, books and November fundraiser
Howard Payne University’s Student Speaker Bureau speech and debate team will host UIL workshops for area high school teams on Oct. 8 and Oct. 28. The Oct. 8 session will focus on UIL Congress, including event format, bill writing and presentation, debate procedures, flowing, briefs, PO rules and cross-examination. Senior team captain Rylie Burden will lead that workshop.
The Oct. 28 workshop will cover prose, poetry, informative and persuasive extemporaneous speaking, Lincoln-Douglas debate, cross-examination debate and journalism. Journalism instruction will include editorial, news, feature and headline writing. Each school may bring up to three coaches at no charge. Student fees are $50 for the Congress workshop and $35 for the speech, debate and journalism workshop. Lunch is not included, but will be available on campus or at local restaurants. Registration is available at www.hputx.edu/SSBUILworkshops.
Intermission Bookshop will host Texas author Thomas Goodman from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. Goodman will discuss and sign Through Many Dangers, the latest novel in his Texas Tales series. The book follows a 1905 East Texas Methodist preacher who confronts bootlegging, corruption and violence. Goodman’s first novel, The Last Man, won the 2024 Spur Award and a 2024 Will Rogers Medallion.
Looking ahead to November, Brown County Christian School will hold a fundraising day at Buffalo Wild Wings, 511 W. Commerce St. in Brownwood, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. Buffalo Wild Wings will donate 10% of participating guests’ bills, calculated before tax, gratuity and promotional discounts, to the school.
Other events listed for the month include the Light Up Lake Brownwood Lantern Festival on Oct. 10, the World’s Largest Polio Walk on Oct. 24 and The Culture Edit on Oct. 30. Christmas Under the Stars Lighted Christmas Parade registration is also open, with details available through the Chamber.
