At a Glance
- The Red River Cultural District debuted its quarterly Red River Zine on January 14, 2026
- First issue spotlights the One Knite club, Blue Flamingo LGBTQIA venue, and Emma Hartsfield
- Copies are free at Waterloo Records, End of an Ear, and Breakaway
- Why it matters: The zine preserves Austin music history through first-hand stories and rare photos
The Red River Cultural District has released the inaugural issue of Red River Zine, a free, staple-bound quarterly that documents the people and places that forged the district’s identity.
Inside Issue One
The debut edition anchors the district’s Cultural Currents storytelling and preservation program. Stories include:
- The elusive origin of the One Knite, the historic club that later became Stubb’s
- A deep dive into the Blue Flamingo, one of the area’s first LGBTQIA nightclubs
- The life of Emma Hartsfield, who once lived on the land now occupied by Elysium
Historic articles and photographs accompany each feature.
Where to Grab a Copy
Copies are available now at:
- Waterloo Records
- End of an Ear
- Breakaway
Additional record stores and shops across the city will stock the zine while supplies last.
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NEA and NEH Secure Full Funding for FY26
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Monday, January 12, 2026, to grant the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities each their full $207 million budget request for fiscal year 2026.
The move comes one year after President Trump’s Executive Order 14168 rescinded already-approved grants to multiple Austin organizations, including:
- American Short Fiction magazine
- Austin Film Festival
- ZACH Theater
- Creative Action
- The Museum of Human Achievement
AFF, AFS, and ZACH appealed the funding cuts at the time.
New Grant Rules
According to legal requirements posted on the NEA website, 2026 applicants must:
- Comply with anti-discrimination laws
- Abide by all executive orders
- Not operate programs promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion”
The first submission deadline is February 12, 2026. It remains unclear how the fully funded NEA will distribute money or respond to Austin applications.
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Dale Watson Plays Trump Kennedy Center Despite Fan Backlash
Austin honky-tonk mainstay Dale Watson & His Lone Stars performed at the recently renamed Trump Kennedy Center on January 8, 2026. The show was quietly omitted from Watson’s East Coast Tour social media posts.
Fans voiced disappointment on Instagram, criticizing the performance as an endorsement of the president’s polarizing cultural agenda. The backlash did not prevent Watson from signing a multi-album deal with Forty Below Records-producer Eric Corne’s independent label-announced January 14, 2026.
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This article appears in the January 16, 2026 edition of News Of Austin.
