On Saturday, Oct. 10, the City of Fulshear holds Fulshear's Folly Fall Concert from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Municipal Complex, 6611 W. Cross Creek Bend Lane. Original Remnants and Diamond West are playing, and the city's event page lists food, drinks, shopping and family activities. The Fulshear Area Chamber's listing shows free admission. This is the second Folly since the city brought the tradition back, and the date is the obvious change. For most of its history the Folly was a Fourth of July event.
The calendar moved. The idea behind it did not. The city's own history describes the Folly less as a party for the town and more as a way for the town to host whoever showed up. That purpose fits the fall version, which lands on one of the busiest Saturdays of the year west of Houston.
The hosting started before the picnic did
Fulshear's account of itself starts its hospitality story with the railroad, not with the Folly. According to the city's history page, in the town's early days the local passenger train made a daily noon stop, and several local women prepared basket lunches and carried them to the train crew. The railroad came because Churchill Fulshear Jr. granted the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway a right-of-way through his land in 1888. The town was laid out and given a post office in 1890.
By the 1940s, the same history says, the whole town gathered with family, friends and visitors for a Fourth of July barbecue and picnic. The town was very small then. The city records that its population fell to 100 in 1933, around the time the Fulshear plantation house was torn down. During World War II, residents staffed an airplane lookout station every day on the roof of one of the downtown brick buildings. A picnic for the whole town in those years was a short guest list.
The city puts the next step this way:
"That tradition of welcoming others continued with Fulshear's Folly, which began in 1978 and gave residents the opportunity to host everyone who came into town to enjoy the celebration, fellowship, and small-town spirit that define the City of Fulshear."
The key words are "host everyone who came into town." The Folly was built for guests. The same page says the legacy has since grown to include city events for several other holidays during the year.
What the record still doesn't explain
For a tradition about 80 years old, the paper trail is thin. No source located for this post explains where the word "Folly" came from. One local account published Oct. 7, the week of this year's event, says the same thing outright and offers two common meanings that would fit a small town throwing itself a party. A folly can be a foolish undertaking, or a decorative building put up for pleasure rather than use.
Three other things are also missing from the record:
- Who organized it. The city's history names no organizers for the 1940s picnic or the 1978 Folly.
- When it stopped. The same local account found no record of when the original event ended, and none of the city materials gives a date.
- Why it stopped. The city's economic development page describes the revival as a family-friendly fall concert with food, drinks and shopping. It doesn't address the gap.
The Fulshear Historical Association is asking for help with these gaps. The author of that local account serves as the association's Director of Development. He asks anyone who went to a Fourth of July picnic in Fulshear before 1978, or to a Folly afterward, to share photographs, flyers, programs or memories by writing to [email protected]. If a relative's photo box holds an old Folly flyer, Saturday afternoon is a good time to mention it.
How the October date came about
The revival took more than a year to plan. A City Manager's report dated July 2025 said staff were finalizing preparations for a return event on Oct. 11 at the Municipal Complex, with music, food trucks, local vendors and kids' activities. The Fulshear Historical Association's event listing confirms the Oct. 11, 2025 date, 4 to 8 p.m., and shows that the association hosted a booth. Community Impact put that first revived Folly in its roundup of Katy-Fulshear events that fall. Original Remnants played in 2025 and returns this year.
The city hasn't publicly explained why it chose October. The local account suggests the obvious reason, which is how a sunny Texas parking lot feels in July. Weather is only part of the picture, though. An October Saturday puts the Folly in the middle of the west side's fall event season. That gives the town more potential guests than a holiday when many families are at their own cookouts. For an event whose stated purpose is hosting, that is a sensible place to be.
Who is on stage
Both bands have deep roots in the region's live-music scene.
Original Remnants grew out of a long-running Gulf Coast band. On the band's About page, Steve Wendtland says he played trombone and sang with the Original Triumphs for more than 30 years. When that band retired, he wanted the musicians to get a proper send-off. Another member, Steve Haygood, played with The Original Triumphs near the beginning, in the late 1970s. The band has now played the revived Folly two years in a row.
Diamond West calls itself a country band that also covers 70s rock, 80s pop and Motown. Its site describes the act as "your all-in-one party soundtrack." The band also says it has opened for George Strait and performed with Pat Green.
The city also lists a kid-friendly area and says the event is designed for all ages. The city is accepting nonprofit, food and craft or novelty vendors but hasn't published a confirmed vendor list.
Saturday, Oct. 10, across the west side
The October date means the Folly shares its Saturday with two well-known neighbors. According to the local account, these events overlap on the same day:
| Event | Where | Saturday hours | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulshear's Folly Fall Concert | Fulshear Municipal Complex, 6611 W. Cross Creek Bend Lane | 4 to 8 p.m. | Free |
| Katy Rice Harvest Festival | Downtown Katy | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | $15 adults, free for kids under 12 |
| Central Green Park 13th birthday party | Cinco Ranch | 6 to 9 p.m. | Not listed in sources reviewed |
The Rice Harvest Festival continues Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. For anyone trying to fit in more than one, the Folly's 4 p.m. start makes it the natural first stop. The Rice Harvest Festival's long hours leave room for a morning in Katy beforehand, and Central Green's party starts two hours after the Folly opens.
A few practical notes:
- Parking and weather. As of Oct. 7, the city had not posted parking details or a weather plan. The city's event page still gives no parking instructions. Check fulsheartexas.gov or the city's Facebook page on Friday.
- Spending money. Entry is free, but food, drinks and shopping come from vendors.
- Questions. The city's event team takes questions at [email protected]. The local account lists City Hall at 281-346-1796.
If Saturday ends up being a full afternoon in Fulshear, two of this year's local additions are close by. Hacienda Don José opened March 26 at 4020 FM 1463 and serves Tex-Mex and weekend breakfast. Primrose Park Phase 2 opened June 13 at 7622 Dixon Road, adding four lighted baseball and softball fields.
The Folly started with women carrying basket lunches to a train crew, then became a picnic for the whole town, and now it's a free concert at City Hall. This Saturday the job is the same as it was in 1978: hosting whoever comes to town from 4 to 8 p.m.
Local traditions like the Folly are part of how Kelly Henderson gets to know Fulshear beyond its streets and floor plans. If you have a memory of an early Folly, or questions about how Fulshear has grown around City Hall, Kelly would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
