Bastrop Art Fest will bring local art, live music and hands-on demonstrations to downtown Bastrop Nov. 7.

What to expect: The family-friendly festival will highlight local galleries and museums downtown.

Eventgoers can also browse local vendors while listening to live music and take a self-guided tour of the Bastrop Bird Junction.

What else? Demonstrations will also be offered throughout the day by local experts, featuring blacksmithing, pyrography and glass blowing.

• Nov. 7, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Free (admission)

• Lost Pines Art Center, 1204 Chestnut St., Bastrop

Lupita's Kitchen has expanded its Bastrop County footprint with a second location in the former Leo's Italian Grill, which closed in July.

In a nutshell: Lupita and Maria Reyes have served scratch-made, authentic Mexican dishes in Bastrop County since 2023 at 1525 SH 71, Cedar Creek.

Since opening a second location in late September, the Reyes family told Community Impact they are enjoying getting to know their new diners and are excited to share their food with more of the community.

Mark your calendar: Lupita's Kitchen will host a Danza Azteca Guadalupana performance on Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. The ceremonial dance tradition is rooted in Mexico’s Indigenous history and preserves ancestral Mexica traditions, according to the Austin chapter of Danza Azteca Guadalupana.

• Opened Sept. 20

• 887 SH 21 W., Cedar Creek

A new gym in Kyle, a Rooms To Go in Leander and a Brakes Plus in Georgetown are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Project Longhorn ($366 million): This project includes the construction of a one story, new building and a Data Center.

2. Texas Military Department Camp Mabry Building 8 ($36 million): This project involves constructing a 145,000-square-foot, two-story building.

3. EōS Fitness ($6.4 million): This project involves constructing a 42,556-square-foot structure, including a 2,558-square-foot outdoor exercise area, to be used as a health and fitness club.

4. Rooms To Go ($5.8 million): A Rooms To Go is coming to Leander, with construction set to wrap up next December.

5. Brakes Plus ($1.5 million): This project involves the construction of an auto service facility with associated site work.

6. Juanes Mexican Restaurant ($300,000): A new Mexican restaurant is coming to Round Rock, with construction set to wrap up in December.

Texans interested in casting their midterm election ballots before Election Day can do so from Oct. 19-30, the state's early voting period.

The overview: Registered voters can visit any polling place in their county during early voting. They will receive a ballot with federal, state and local races—from the U.S. Senate and Texas governor to city and school district officials.

Dates to know

• Oct. 19: Early in-person voting begins

• Oct. 23: Deadline to apply to vote by mail

• Oct. 30: Early in-person voting ends

• Nov. 3: Election Day

Something to note: Local election officials are also working through a backlog of voter registrations after the Texas Department of Public Safety failed to send some registration records to counties, according to previous reporting.

Texans who registered before the Oct. 5 deadline but do not appear on the rolls can still cast a provisional ballot, per the secretary of state.

More details: To check out candidate Q&As and review all races on local ballots, visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide.