Richland Springs Trade Days 2024

As the day got closer and closer, many people were almost holding their breath. Will it happen or not? The Richland Springs Trade Days event only happens once a year. Will the weather cause the event to be canceled?

This year, there were 118 vendors who signed up for this grand event. They traveled from as far as away as Amarillo, Texas, just to take part. 

For several years, the annual Richland Springs Trade Days has been held at The Feedlot in Richland Springs. However, because of a scheduling conflict this year, a new location had to be found. Jason Lewis, the organizer and planner for this entire event, said, “A big thank you to Cade & Tammy Martin for allowing us to use their property for the 2024 RS Trade Days.”

Once the day got here, there were 108 vendors who came to set up to sell at the RS Trade Days. Some had to cancel due to the weather, and some were not able to make it for other reasons.

The gates opened up at 6 a.m. for vendors to set up their booths. They had until 9 a.m. to get it all ready for the shoppers. For those who had to travel to get to Richland Springs, they had to get up very early in the morning to set up. Besides Amarillo, Texas, (397 mi), here are some other towns (with their distance from Richland Springs) Jason listed for the vendors’ hometowns: Ft. Worth (171), Granbury (124), Cedar Park (101), Belton (98), Killeen (81), Florence (83), Jarrel (97), Marble Falls (80), Burnet (74), Taylor (120), Abilene (112), San Angelo (102), Copperas Cove (71), Ballinger (92), Coleman (70), Junction (87), Johnson City (92), Round Mountain (81), Brownwood (35), Richland Springs, San Saba, Cherokee, Lometa (35), Elm Grove, Indian Creek (19), May (55), Lake Buchanan (58), Brady (27), Voca (41), Kingsland (67), Kempner (63), Goldthwaite (37), Star (52), Hall Valley (7), Llano (47), Tow (59), Early (14), London (67), Owens (45), Lampasas (51), Rochelle (15), and Regency (17).

Foot traffic was steady early, but the windy conditions played a part in the total shopper numbers being down. Jason Lewis said, “Most all vendors that were asked about their sales were very happy and said it was definitely worth the trip.” 

Have you ever attended the Richland Springs Trade Days? If not, here is a list provided by Jason Lewis of what you missed this year: “Lots of Artisan goods, Baked Goods, Honey, Jams & Jellies, Jerky,  Eggs, Tamales, Salsa, BBQ Glaze, Pet Food, Pet Products, Quilts, Hand sewn crafts, Pyrex dishes, Metal Art, Leather Goods: Saddles, tack, wallets, purses, holster, Candles, Pampered Chef, Freshies, Jewelry, Plants, Woodwork & furniture, guns, ammo, custom made knives, Porch Signs, Books, Tumblers, Clothes, Books, Cow hides, Power Tools, Boutique items like Women & Baby fashion clothes, fashion handbags, Martha & Mary products, Wrought Iron Patio Furniture, Landscape photography, tires, chickens, pigeons, geese, ducks, rabbits, and then stuff around the farm.”

To make sure no one got hungry while shopping, there were also food vendors from Brownwood, Brady, and Burnet.

According to comments on Facebook, those who attended had a wonderful time. Here are some comments by vendors on who well organized this event is:

• Jason is the best coordinator I have ever had to deal with. Will definitely be back at the next event! - Amy Adams
• Jason and his crew are the very best! - Patricia Wyman Wilmore
• Jason Lewis certainly did What would have been impossible to most, A wonderful success story for the folks in our area. Many thanks young man! - Ruth Ann Rodgers
• It was a great day! Jason always puts his heart and soul into everything he does! -  Marilyn Cummings Suber
• Thank you for all of your hard work. This event gets better and better. - Paige Pearce Moats
• This event was awesome! I love how organized it was. This was the easiest event to pull in and set up. Very kool and simple for the vendors. Not to mention the crowd that showed up despite the expected weather conditions. Great event! Thank you everyone that was involved in putting this event together. - Cody Whisenhunt

Clean up was done late Saturday evening and early Sunday morning. Jason Lewis said, “Our shoppers and vendors did a magnificent job keeping all trash off the property. Absolutely no trash had to be picked up.”

The Richland Springs Preservation Society benefits from the vendor fees after all expenses are paid. Jason Lewis has volunteers help with setup, parking vendors on the event day, and a lot of "behind the scenes" work. (Paige Moats, Maurice Lusty, Kim Lewis, Franky Soto, Mondo Garcia, Chris Perry, Michelle McKinnerney, and the City of Richland Springs.)

This event is held only once a year and in April. The 2025 Richland Springs Trade Days will be held in April 2025, no specific date has been set. Like & follow the Richland Springs Trade Days Facebook page for more information on the April 2025 date.