"Yes! The courthouse will be lit in 2026!"
That line sits near the top of the Lights Spectacular FAQ. The volunteer organizers wrote it for anyone who spent the last two years walking past scaffolding and perimeter fencing on the square. The FAQ also calls it a "newly renovated courthouse" that will serve as "a spectacular centerpiece" for the 2026 season, which runs November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027.
Meanwhile, the Blanco County homepage still reads "The Courthouse is closed for renovation," and it lists temporary addresses for nearly every county office. Taken together, the two pages say something odd and very Johnson City. The restored building at 101 E. Pecan Drive will put on its first public show of the year as a light display, before county business has returned to it. For most people, the restoration will make its debut after dark.
The work came in two phases. In March 2025, Hill Country Focus reported that phase one had wrapped up the previous November. That phase was welding and scaffolding to stabilize a decorative cupola more than a century old, and the county set aside $155,000 for it. The cupola had been left out of the courthouse's 1997 renovation. That gap explains why a building that had already been restored once needed another long round of work.
Phase two was the restoration itself. County Judge Brett Bray told the paper the contract was about $2.5 million and covered "a complete renovation of the actual cupola, the minidome, as well as replacement of the entire metal roof." A hailstorm in spring 2024 added the roof to the job. Insurance adjusters inspected the damage and found a replacement was needed, so the county folded it into the project. About $300,000 in insurance proceeds went toward the contract, and the rest came from general budgeting with no added public financing.
The general contractor is JC Stoddard Construction of San Antonio. According to the article, the company has worked on at least 15 courthouse restoration and revitalization projects around Texas. The county chose the firm with help from architect Stan Klein and engineer Jeff Smith.
The timeline shows why the lighting news matters. In that March 2025 article, Bray said the contract allowed 14 months from the start of work, "which could be April or May of 2026." He also said the contractor thought it might finish by the end of 2025. As of early October 2026, neither the county nor local outlets have announced a rededication date. The closure notice is still posted. A lit cupola on November 27 is the most public sign yet that the exterior work is behind it.
This is the practical side for anyone with a county errand this fall. According to the county homepage, the offices that used to share the courthouse are spread across four nearby addresses:
All four are a short walk from the square. That puts them inside the same few blocks the light display will fill from late November on. Errands that run past dusk will share those streets with visitors. The organizers say weekend nights get crowded, so a weekday daytime trip to Cypress Street is the simpler plan once the lights are up.
The restored courthouse is the season's focal point, and the weeks before it are already booked. Every Saturday from mid-October through mid-November has something on the calendar, and most of it is within walking distance of the square.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 9–11 | 34th Annual Hill Country Toy Run Pig Roast | Blanco County Fairgrounds |
| Sat., Oct. 17, noon–6 p.m. | Texas Wine Jam, 6th annual | 102 N. Avenue G |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Gears & Beers Car and Motorcycle Show, 5th annual | Pecan Street Brewing, 106 E. Pecan Drive |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 5–10 p.m. | Johnson City Jazz & Art Festival | Memorial Park |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trick-or-Treat at the Square | Downtown square |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 6–9 p.m. | Brew & Bingo: Harvest Table | Pecan Street Brewing, 106 E. Pecan Drive |
A few details the listings add:
October 24 is the busiest day on the list. Gears & Beers takes over the brewery on Pecan Drive, and the Jazz & Art Festival runs into the evening at Memorial Park. Memorial Park is also one of the three main areas of the Lights Spectacular footprint a month later, so the jazz evening doubles as an early look at the holiday setup.
There is also a newer stop on the edge of town. TX Wine Lover reported that Republic Wine Castle held its grand-opening weekend May 1–3, 2026. The Castle's own page lists it at 101 Durango and describes wine tastings, boots and fittings, custom hats, live music and private gatherings. The same May report said the hotel next door had been renamed The Presidio Hotel, and a Republic Honky Tonk with a bar and live-music venue was still being developed. That status may have changed since spring.
The display covers the historic square, Memorial Park and the Pedernales Electric Cooperative headquarters. This year PEC headquarters will have more than one million lights in its oak trees. The organizers' events calendar currently lists these, in order of start date:
Garden Club crafters at the courthouse means the restored building will be in use during the season in a small way, weeks before any formal reopening has been announced.
The Jingle Jaunt 5K and Kids' K starts at 8 a.m. near the city park at Avenue G and Main Street, 105 E. Main Street. The organizers' FAQ also says the season includes opening ceremonies with fireworks, chili cook-offs, outdoor movies and a parade, but it doesn't give 2026 dates for any of them yet. The homepage says the site is in the middle of its "holiday refresh" and visitors may still see information from last season. Treat anything marked TBD as provisional until the organizers update it. That goes double for any 2025 guide still circulating online, since its dates won't match this year's.
According to the FAQ, the lights come on at dusk, 5:45 p.m., and stay on until midnight. Weeknights draw smaller crowds, and weekend evenings are livelier but busier. Street parking is available along non-residential downtown streets. The organizers suggest arriving early and heading toward the courthouse address, 101 E. Pecan Drive.
The display has been free for all 37 years. It is run entirely by volunteers and paid for by local businesses and sponsors, and the board is accepting sponsorships and volunteers for 2026 at [email protected].
The courthouse wasn't missing from the display while it was under repair. Axios reported in December 2024 that the building was draped in lights that season, right after phase one ended. This year's difference is underneath the lights. There is a restored cupola and minidome, a new metal roof to replace the one the 2024 hail damaged, and about $2.65 million in combined county and insurance spending across both phases. The lights go on at 5:45 p.m. on November 27, while the County Clerk is still working out of 101 E. Cypress.
The restored courthouse is a good reminder that what's going on around a downtown address affects how it holds its value. If you're weighing what a home near the Johnson City square could mean for your long-term plans, Courtney Unangst and her team can walk you through the local details before the holiday rush. Schedule a Strategy Session.
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