INTRO

🦞 Conroe is serving up a strong midweek mix, with crawfish, culture, local names, and a few wins worth cheering. Take a minute, catch up, and head into the evening with something good to talk about.

In today’s Conroe Echo: 

  • Crawfish Critic Festival Hits Conroe This Weekend

  • Conroe Rolls Back Downtown Event Fees

  • Houston Museum Opens Picasso, Klee and Matisse Exhibit

  • And more…

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THE WEATHER AND THE WATER

Today: 78F / 66F |☁️| 15% Precipitation | ENE 8 MPH
Thursday: 81F / 68F |⛈️| 57% Precipitation | SE 6 MPH
Friday: 84F / 68F |⛈️| 30% Precipitation | SSW 6 MPH
Saturday: 79F / 67F |☁️| 24% Precipitation | SE 7 MPH
Sunday: 84F / 68F |⛈️| 48% Precipitation | ENE 5 MPH

Lake Level: 200.57 ft (Conservation pool level is 201 ft).
Air Temp: 76F
Water Temp: 77F
Wind: E 4 MPH

CONROE AND MOCO UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, 5/20/2026

Live Music and Open Mic Jam Session at The Blue Lion Pub
Ultimate Karaoke at Two Tones Dueling Piano Bar
Jeff Canada Acoustic at The Goose’s Acre Bistro
Margaritaville Resort In-Person Public Job Fair
Movie & Popcorn at Conroe Senior Center
Karaoke Night at GuadalaHARRY’S
Dan Smith Open Mic at The Corner Pub in Conroe
Mahjong Night Out at Nachos Padres (The Woodlands Mahjong Society)

Thursday, 5/21/2026

Trivia Night at B52 Brewing Company
Kylie Morgan (Live Music) at Dosey Doe – The Big Barn
Josh Brown Hosts Open Mic at The Corner Pub
Chess Club at R.F. Meador Library in Willis
Jack Gafford (Live Music) at The Red Brick Tavern
Live Open-Mic Karaoke at Lucy Blues
Girls Night Out – Live Karaoke and DJ Mix at The Blue Lion Pub

Friday, 5/22/2026

Pitbull – I’m Back with Lil Jon at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Jenn Harris (Live Music) at Breakwater Grille
Friday Night Trivia at Copperhead Brewery
Murder Mystery Cruise at Southern Empress Cruises
The Riot Comedy Club at GuadalaHARRY’S
Henry Williams (Live Music) at The Table at Madeley
Josh Galvan (Live Music) at The Red Brick Tavern

CONROE AREA NEWS

Crawfish Critic Festival Hits Conroe This Weekend

😋 The “SuperBoil” of crawfish is headed to Conroe this Memorial Day weekend, and it sounds like a big one. The 7th Annual Crawfish Critic Cookoff and Festival will take over the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Friday and Saturday, bringing more than 100 cook teams, live music, vendors, a kids zone, and plenty of Cajun food.

The event grew from Christian Waldo’s Crawfish Critic Facebook group, which now has more than 50,000 followers. Guests can expect all-you-can-eat cookoffs for crawfish, gumbo, and jambalaya, plus a crawfish-eating contest and appearances from Stalekracker and Wade Fishez. The festival runs 5-11 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday.

You can buy tickets at the website for the Southern Cajun Cookoff Association.

Conroe Rolls Back Downtown Event Fees

💵 Conroe is giving downtown events a little breathing room. City Council voted May 14 to temporarily roll back the street closure application fee from $500 to $35 while city leaders work on a new pricing model.

The fee had raised concerns from residents, small-business owners, and downtown event supporters who said the higher cost made smaller markets and community gatherings harder to keep going. Council members said the rollback is temporary, but it gives the city time to find a better long-term fix.

AROUND THE METRO

Houston Museum Opens Picasso, Klee and Matisse Exhibit

🎨 Houston art lovers have a special summer stop to add to the list. “Picasso-Klee-Matisse: Masterpieces from the Museum Berggruen” opens May 20 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and runs through Sept. 13.

The exhibit features dozens of works by Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Henri Matisse from the collection of Heinz Berggruen. Visitors can see paintings, drawings, cut-out collages, sculptures, videos and more, all arranged by themes like portraits, landscapes, still life and the human figure. The MFAH Main Campus is open Wednesdays through Mondays.

Summer Reading List: 5 Houston Writers to Know

📗 Houston’s book scene has plenty of life, and this summer is a good time to find a new local voice. Houstonia Magazine highlighted five Houston authors whose work brings together family, identity, love, fantasy, food, climate and the city’s own character.

  • Anna Meriano writes middle grade and young adult stories set in the Houston area, including books about students finding their people and a magical family bakery.

  • John Merullo writes the Brimmerverse, a fantasy series about a family with supernatural gifts and political ambition.

  • Helena Greer writes romance novels with queer characters, found families, faith and classic rom-com energy.

  • Bryan Washington writes quiet, emotional stories about food, grief, chosen family and life in Houston.

  • Sim Kern writes climate fiction and character-driven stories shaped by life on Houston’s Gulf Coast.

MOCO BUSINESS

Montgomery Banking Leader Joins Texas First Bank

🏦 Texas First Bank has welcomed Ashley Harrison-Pena as Senior Vice President, Relationship Manager at its Montgomery financial center. She brings more than 20 years of banking experience, including work in underwriting, portfolio management and commercial lending.

Harrison-Pena’s background includes healthcare, commercial real estate, construction, nonprofit and C&I banking. She is also active in the local community through the Rotary Club of Lake Conroe, Leadership Montgomery County and the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce. She earned her master’s degree from Sam Houston State University.

THE SPORTS REPORT

Texas A&M Coach Mark Weaver Builds a Tennis Power

🎾 Texas A&M women’s tennis coach Mark Weaver has done it again. Two years after leading the Aggies to the top of the sport, he guided them to a second NCAA title in three seasons with a 4-1 win over No. 2 seed Auburn.

Weaver called this year’s team the most resilient group he has ever been around. The Aggies were picked fifth in the SEC, battled through tight matches and still finished 28-5. Now, thanks to Weaver’s steady work, Texas A&M joins the short list of schools with multiple women’s tennis championships.

Texas A&M Men’s Golf Advances to NCAA Championship

Texas A&M men’s golf is moving on. The Aggies finished second at the NCAA Bryan Regional at Traditions Club, shooting 40-under through three rounds and earning a spot in the NCAA Championship.

It is the Aggies’ fifth straight NCAA Championship appearance and their seventh trip in the last eight years. Wheaton Ennis led Texas A&M with a second-place individual finish at 16-under, while Kris Kuvaas and Shiv Parmar both tied for eighth. The next stop is the NCAA Championship on Friday, May 29.

THANKS!

📖 That’s the wrap for today, Conroe. Keep your shoulders back, handle the conversation you’ve been avoiding, and don’t let small stuff steal the whole evening. We’ll see you back here soon.

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