For 30 years, First Monday weekend in Canton included a second destination along East Dallas Street. It had frontier-style boardwalks, bed-and-breakfasts, live music venues and hundreds of independent artisan stalls, all on privately held ground next to the city's trade days field, KSST reported. The gates open today, Thursday, October 29, for the run that ends Sunday, November 1. It's the first fall show since Old Mill Marketplace and The Mountain closed, so this weekend happens entirely on the city-owned grounds. A couple of the public guides people use to plan a visit haven't caught up yet.
What closed on East Dallas Street, and how fast
It all happened in one summer. Here's the order of events from the local reporting:
- July 8, 2026. The city shut off water to Old Mill Marketplace as the land changed hands, KETK reported. Business owners told the station the new owner had tried to get service reconnected, but several violations had to be fixed first.
- Mid-July. Tenants received 30 days' notice to leave, with a deadline of August 17. EastTexasRadio's summary, which ran beneath an image of the City of Canton's public statement, described the disconnection as permanent and said the needed infrastructure repairs were extensive.
- Summer liquidation. Businesses on the property held a mass liquidation sale, according to KETK. Two of them were lodging: Buffalo Girls Hotel, which had operated there for 30 years, and Mountain Hideout Hotel.
- September 2, 2026. KETK reported that the Old Mill Marketplace Complex was "officially retiring from First Monday Trade Days."
The farewell message, as KETK quoted it from a First Monday Canton post, read:
"Thank you all for a great thirty year run, as we bid goodbye to many, many loyal customers. We wish you all the best in whatever life has to offer, and thank you again for being great customers."
The site's future is still an open question. The new owner told KETK he bought the land as an investment and plans to sell. KSST reported in September that the buyers' identity and long-term plans had not been made public. When you drive past this weekend, expect a quiet property with nothing announced about what comes next.
The guides still send people to East Dallas Street
This part matters most if you have family or friends coming in for the show. Some of the public planning pages haven't been updated since the closure.
The Canton Cruiser page from GoBus Transit still lists Old Mill Marketplace as a stop, alongside the West Gate, the Civic Center, Trade Center 1 and downtown. It also shows a stop at The Mountain, 542 E Dallas St. The City of Canton's First Monday visitor page also still lists Old Mill Marketplace and The Mountain among its venues.
None of that changes the plan for anyone who already knows the area. It does change things for out-of-town guests who might ride the shuttle to a stop expecting boardwalk shops and find nothing open. The Cruiser itself still runs on the published schedule: free on Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If your guests are staying at a local motel, they can call for a pickup at the motel. Have them check with GoBus on the current stops before they lean on the old list. The page also mentions a Sunday pilot without saying what year it ran, so don't count on Sunday rides unless GoBus confirms them.
The gathering spot moved onto the city grounds
Old Mill gave the weekend live music venues and bed-and-breakfasts, a place to slow down and stay a while. The closest thing to that now sits inside the city-owned park.
Austin Melton, marketing coordinator for Visit Canton, told the Tyler Morning Telegraph in September that The JUNKtion at Dry Creek is "the market's newest gathering spot" and that "it's caught on fast." It has live entertainment, a beer garden and food trucks in one place. In his words, "It's where you go to grab a cold drink, catch some music, and take a breather from shopping without missing any of the fun."
The JUNKtion was the third of the three stops Melton recommended to that newspaper. The other two show where the shopping is focused:
- The Famous Fields. "This is the treasure-hunting heart of First Monday," Melton told the Telegraph. "Rows and rows of open-air vendors with furniture, home decor, tools, and handmade goods."
- The covered buildings. "Between the pavilions, trade centers, and arbors, you've got shade, comfort, and a whole world of shopping under cover," he said, adding that the covered areas house many of the market's regular vendors.
The same article had a useful number for anyone wondering how much the market itself has changed. Melton estimated that about 80% of vendors are returning regulars each month, with new vendors arriving every month. That means the booths you count on in the trade centers are likely still there. What changed is the private village next door.
Some history explains why the city grounds can carry the whole weekend. In 1965, after the market outgrew the town square, the City of Canton bought 6 acres a couple of blocks from the courthouse and moved the market there. The market now covers about 450 acres. KSST put monthly attendance at upwards of 100,000 visitors. Even without Old Mill, there's plenty of ground to cover.
Planning the weekend around the city park
The basics haven't changed, according to the First Monday FAQ. The Original First Monday Park is open dawn to dusk, Thursday through Sunday, and admission is free. November 2 is the first Monday in name only. Trading ended on Mondays years ago, and Melton told the Telegraph that the Thursday-through-Sunday schedule still confuses some first-timers.
Parking options, per the FAQ:
| Lot | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| West Gate | FM 859, Exit 526 off I-20; the entrance for buses | $10 per vehicle |
| Civic Center | Flea Market Road off SH 64 | $10 per vehicle |
| South Gate | Off Highway 64, listed by the city as its "new" entrance | $10 per vehicle |
| Main Gate VIP | 110 Groves Street | $20 per vehicle |
Handicapped parking is available at the Main Gate and the Log Cabin, and in the 64 lot for $10. Scooters can be rented inside every main entrance. If you're bringing a church group or a carload of out-of-towners as a tour group, the FAQ asks that you call the Log Cabin Office ahead of time at 903-567-6556.
Bring cash. ATMs are at Trade Center III, the Trade Center IV Food Court, the West Gate, Dry Creek Landing and the Canton Civic Center, and the FAQ warns they can run out on busy days. With Dry Creek Landing on that list, the JUNKtion end of the grounds has an ATM nearby, which helps if you stop for a drink and a food truck plate.
Last tip, from Melton by way of the Telegraph: wear good shoes, and "give yourself more time than you think you need."
The roads into town this week
Getting to the grounds is the other half of the weekend. The latest TxDOT project roundup, published by the Kilgore News Herald for the week of October 19, covers a few routes Canton drivers use.
- SH 19, US 80 to I-20. Work on the Super 2 project continued with reduced speed limits. Its projected completion is Summer 2027, so plan around it through this show and beyond.
- FM 1255, I-20 to SH 110. Rehabilitation work included paving and lane closures, and TxDOT warned of delays.
- I-20 eastbound near Canton. The mill-and-inlay project was in closeout, with fog sealing, striping and nighttime lane closures expected. TxDOT projected completion in October 2026.
- I-20 frontage roads and ramps. TxDOT's recurring maintenance schedule lists Friday debris and pothole work in Van Zandt, Smith and Gregg counties.
That update ran before the show weekend, so check TxDOT's latest before you head out Friday morning. If the West Gate exit is backed up, the Civic Center lot off SH 64 and the South Gate are the other $10 options.
For three decades, those East Dallas Street boardwalks made a privately owned property feel like part of the market. With that land sold, this show's map is the Famous Fields, the trade centers and a cold drink at The JUNKtion at Dry Creek.
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