NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – For many Texans, the Fourth of July is about fireworks and family cookouts. At Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, it’s also about standing where Texas’ own independence story began, and marking a milestone in how the Lone Star State became part of the nation it celebrates.

The Texas historic site, set on 293 acres of parkland along the Brazos River, is known as “Where Texas Became Texas.” It is the place where 59 delegates met and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, launching what would become the Republic of Texas.

From 1836 to 1846, Texas existed as a separate nation, before the question of annexation came to the forefront. Site staff say Washington-on-the-Brazos offers a “bookended” look at the Republic’s decade-long history because discussions about joining the United States also took place there and were ultimately voted on in the property.

This year’s July 4 programming is designed to connect those chapters of Texas history with the national holiday, including a commemoration tied directly to the Lone Star being added to the American flag.

“This is also the 180th anniversary of when Texas was added to the American flag,” said Chandler Wahrmund, assistant site manager for the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, which is part of the broader Republic of Texas Complex.

A historic site with multiple stops

Washington-on-the-Brazos includes several major attractions:

• Visitor Center: The recommended starting point for guests. It features interactive exhibits presenting a timeline of the Texas Revolution and includes the Museum Store, with snacks and Texas-themed items. The Visitor Center is free and is where visitors can gather information and purchase entry tickets for the site’s paid attractions.
• Independence Hall: A replica building that sits on the spot where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed, allowing visitors to visualize where that pivotal moment unfolded.
• Star of the Republic Museum: A central museum on the grounds focused on the Republic era.
• Barrington Living History Farm: A living-history area that interprets life in the Republic of Texas period through demonstrations and activities.

The historic site is also the core of the Republic of Texas Complex, which includes Fanthorp Inn, a preserved 19th-century stagecoach inn in nearby Anderson.

July 4 events across the grounds

Staff say this year’s July 4 celebration will include activities happening throughout the site, with scheduled programs at key times.

According to site staff, the day includes:

• Flag raising ceremony at 11 a.m.
• Readings of the American Declaration of Independence at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Star of the Republic Museum cockade-making, creating patriotic lapel decorations
• Barrington Living History Farm games, including trap ball, a precursor to baseball
• Townsite activities at Hatfield’s Exchange, a recreated high-class bar from the period, with lemonade and other period-inspired nonalcoholic drinks for visitors

Wahrmund said the day is a chance to revisit the country’s founding words, and understand why they still matter.

“I love to read the words of Thomas Jefferson on the day, July 4th, to really understand why we exist as a nation,” he said.

Hours and admission

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 4, and admission is free all day.

Media outlets gasped last week at the socialist movement’s success in the New York congressional Democratic primary elections.

That success headed west Tuesday, to Wyoming’s southern neighbor of Colorado.

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, 29, defeated 15-term incumbent U.S. House Rep. Diana DeGette in Tuesday evening’s primary election.

Colorado Public Radio called the ouster “a stunning blow to the Democratic establishment in Denver and continuing a run of leftist victories in major cities.”

Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, a Dvemocrat, told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday that he wasn’t surprised at the move by Denver voters, but he doubted the proximity of a House socialist – if Kiros wins the general election – will affect Wyoming much.

“We have our own issues, and we’re certainly more sensitive to certain issues than others,” Sullivan said. “And it doesn’t necessarily divide us or make us closer to anybody else.”

Could Deepen ‘Don’t Colorado My Wyoming’ Sentiment

Liz Brimmer, longtime Wyoming politico, agreed in general, but said having a socialist congressional neighbor could galvanize Wyoming even harder into a tendency it already has: spurning anything that looks like Colorado governance.  

“I think Wyoming uniformly and strongly feels, you know, ‘Don’t Colorado my Wyoming’,” Brimmer said. “And I think if anything, it deepens that sentiment.”

Brimmer said the ouster speaks of “these times, where there’s no doubt an anti-incumbent strain.” But no one will know all the reasons, nor should presume too much, until the voter data return, she said.

The Republicans saw the anti-incumbent strain surface differently, with newcomers ousting President Donald Trump’s foes in GOP primary elections.

State Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, who is finishing off his final legislative term, voiced fascination with the election outcome.

Brown, a self-described political junkie, lives about 14 miles from the Colorado border.

He said the ouster shows Denver is increasingly dictating the rest of Colorado’s fate, and that the state is growing more polarized.

On the Republican gubernatorial primary side, The Associated Press was showing a half-point lead for Victor Marx as of Wednesday.

“He’s just as crazy as a democratic socialist on the left,” said Brown.

As for DeGette’s defeat, it’s not as symptomatic as one would think, he added.

“She was running a ‘Hey, I’m the incumbent and I’ve been here 30 years’ (campaign),” he said.

That hurt her. As did a growing divide on the left over Israel’s approach to its many foes — and Congress’ funding of Israeli war and defense efforts, said Brown.

Israel was also a fulcrum in the May primary loss of libertarian-leaning incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky. But the Republican voters took the inverse approach on that one, nominating the candidate who supports funding Israeli war efforts.

Jack Speight, the GOP strategist who helped Wyoming Gov. Stan Hathaway to victory in 1966, told Cowboy State Daily Kiros’ win is alarming.

Speight was a Democrat when he graduated from the University of Wyoming law school. But the allure of capitalism and the prevailing logic of his good friends pulled him to the Republican side, he said in another interview last month.

The socialist victories of 2026 are “sad for this country. It may well affect the results of this fall, and nationwide,” he said. He called it a shift of California transplants into the Rockies, and a symptom of a growing entitlement.

Look North

Colorado isn’t the only Wyoming neighbor with socialist momentum.

Sam Forstag, a smoke jumper endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-New York, won his primary bid for Montana’s U.S. House District 1 on June 2.

Forstag may be less favored than Kiros going into the general election: No Democrat has won that Montana House district this century.

The New York Times called Forstag’s candidacy a “test for left-leaning politicians” who have been arguing for a populist surge in the blue party.

Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law designating May 17 as Bruce Lee Day, honoring the legacy of the San Francisco-born actor and martial arts icon.

According to Asm. Matt Haney, who authored the proposal, the annual day of recognition honors Lee’s impact on film, culture, and Chinese American history, and makes him the first Chinese American commemorated with a day in California.

“To be the first Chinese American recognized this way is a testament to my father’s enduring legacy and the countless lives he continues to touch,” said Shannon Lee, founder and CEO of the Bruce Lee Foundation and Lee’s daughter.

Lee was born in San Francisco in 1940, while his parents were travelling for an international opera tour, but returned to Hong Kong soon after. May 17 was chosen to mark the day Lee left Hong Kong and returned to San Francisco at age 18, a pivotal moment that helped launch his acting and martial arts teaching career.

An international star who transformed martial arts cinema and introduced global audiences to Asian-led storytelling, Lee’s philosophy of adaptability, discipline and self-expression has made him a cultural icon who continues to influence athletes, artists and educators around the world. His films challenged Asian stereotypes that were prevalent in American media at the time, and launched a “kung fu craze” in the 1970’s.

“Bruce Lee represents the very best of California: innovation, diversity, determination, and the courage to challenge convention. Born in San Francisco, he transformed martial arts, redefined Hollywood, and inspired millions around the world to pursue their potential,” Haney said in a statement. “At a time when Asian Americans were too often absent from or stereotyped on screen, Bruce Lee helped generations see themselves represented with strength and dignity.”

According to Haney’s office, the state will encourage voluntary commemorative events across California, including school lessons, cultural exhibits and public events highlighting Lee’s contributions and history.

“Beyond the silver screen, Bruce Lee was a beacon for inclusiveness and tolerance and we feel strongly that his legacy needs to be remembered not only as the world famous martial artist and movie star but as an advocate of bridging diverse communities in the pursuit of equal representation and excellence,” said Justin Hoover, the creative director of Chinese Historical Society of America.

The first Bruce Lee Day will take place on May 17, 2027.