Houston Events category interest

In a time when large gatherings are scarce and festivals are being cancelled left and right, the City of Humble, situated on the far northeast side of Houston near Bush Airport and Deerbrook Mall has decided to go through with their 40th annual Good Oil Days event in downtown Humble on April 10th. Good Oil Days, is, as it sounds, a celebration of the oil boom that the City of Humble was founded upon when David Harris, a member of Stephen F. Austin's colony, received the first land grant in the northeastern part of Harris County. By 1869, a Civil War veteral named Pleasant Smith Humble (pronounced "Umble") migrated to the area and purchased land along the south side of the San Jacinto River, taking over the operation of a ferry and opening a grocery store. 

In February 1886, Mr. Humble took responsibility for the local mail, most likely from his store or home. Local legend states that mail carriers from other towns were instructed to "deliver to Humble," meaning to Mr. Pleasant Humble. Through continued use of this phrase, Humble eventually became the name of the town. Whether true or not, when the application was made to have a U.S. Post Office established in his town, in August of 1886, the official name of the town on the application was listed as "Humble, Texas."  Pleasant Humble became the town's first postmaster that year and was elected as the local Harris County Justice of the Peace in 1887. 

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The fortunes of the town improved dramatically on November 7th, 1904, when the Moonshine Company struckt oil in Humble causing it to become a boomtown overnigt. The population increased from a few hundred to several thousand residents as Texans descended upon Humble in hopes of making a fortune. At that time, the Humble Oil field was the largest producing oil field in Texas.

It is this history that the Good Oil Days festival was established to preserve and the City of Humble does a relatively decent job producing an event meant to draw crowds from their homes into the historic downtown area. While, in the past, the City of Humble has never allowed alcohol sales to take place at Good Oil Days, a policy which is known to have contributed to waning crowds over the years,  they have announced that this year they will include a "whole new shindig" at the west end of the festival featuring a beer and wine tent, crawfish and live music.

You can expect the typical county fair style fare including the standard vendor/advertising tents lining the road promoting local businesses and selling the latest tchotchkes, crafts, plants and services as well as some food booths, live music and a kids area. If you would like to participate in the vendor market, you can find the application here. Electricity is NOT included. 

Good Oil Days Festival takes place April 10th from 10:00 am to 9:00 PM and is free to attend. Everyone is welcome. For more information go to the Good Oil Days Website  or check out the facebook page. At press time, there was no mention of whether or not masks would be required or social distancing enforced.