Most people know Leakey for its crystal-clear Frio River and those wickedly twisty motorcycle roads. But Governor Greg Abbott just recognized what locals have known for generations: music flows through this Hill Country town as naturally as the cold spring water that feeds the river.
Leakey officially became a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community this week—the 90th in the state to earn the designation. For a town of just 341 people, that’s no small feat.
What This Means for Leakey
The Music Friendly Texas program isn’t just a fancy certificate to hang on the courthouse wall. It’s a multi-step certification process run by the Texas Music Office that helps communities turn their love of music into economic opportunity.
The numbers tell the story: Texas’s music industry creates more than 196,000 jobs and generates over $31 billion in annual economic activity statewide. Now Leakey gets a piece of that pie—and the support from state resources to grow it.
For visitors planning a Hill Country getaway, this designation means you’re more likely to stumble onto live music when you’re grabbing dinner after a day on the river. For musicians, it means a town actively working to support venues, performances, and the business side of making music.
Music Has Always Been Here
Real County Judge Bella A. Rubio grew up with music in Leakey, and her words capture what this certification really celebrates:
“Growing up in Leakey and having the pleasure of listening to local musicians play instruments such as the harmonica, guitar, and banjo on their front porches was the very thing that always brought such joy and peace to my soul. This designation of Leakey as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community just confirms the musical heritage of our community that will empower unification, enrichment, and economic growth.”
Front porch picking sessions. Guitars and banjos echoing across the canyon. Harmonicas catching the breeze. This isn’t music culture that needs to be imported—Leakey already had it. The certification just makes it official and opens doors for growth.
Songs on the Frio: The Heart of the Music Scene
If you want to understand why Leakey earned this designation, start with Songs on the Frio—the Veterans Day weekend country music festival that brings award-winning singer-songwriters to the riverbanks.
Jan Larsen, president of Songs on the Frio, sees the bigger picture: “Being designated as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community is a tremendous honor for Leakey. This recognition not only celebrates our deep love for music but also strengthens the economic vitality of our town. We may be small, but we have a big soul. Music is an important part of who we are.”
That phrase—”we may be small, but we have a big soul”—sums up exactly why tiny towns like Leakey matter in Texas music culture. You don’t need 100,000 people to create something authentic. Sometimes 341 people and a river are all it takes.
Two Rivers, Countless Tunes
Representative Wes Virdell connects the dots between Leakey’s natural beauty and its musical heritage: “Many things come to mind when I think of Leakey, but two in particular are the Frio River and music that flows along with it.”
That’s not just pretty rhetoric. The Frio River draws thousands of visitors every summer—families floating on tubes, couples camping under ancient cypress trees, motorcyclists stopping to cool off after riding “The Twisted Sisters” highways. Music creates another reason to visit, another reason to stay an extra night, another reason to recommend Leakey to friends back home.
The town sits in an area called “The Swiss Alps of Texas”—elevations ranging from 1,500 to 2,400 feet, with deep canyons carved by the Frio and Nueces Rivers. That dramatic landscape creates natural acoustics and outdoor venues that you can’t build in flat country.
What Happens Next
The official certification ceremony takes place Saturday, October 11 at 6:00 PM at the Bent Rim Grill (657 West Ranch Road 337). City officials, community leaders, and musical entertainment will celebrate together as the Texas Music Office formally presents the designation.
This is one of those rare government ceremonies you might actually want to attend. Free, open to the public, and guaranteed to include live music—because what else would you expect from a newly certified Music Friendly community?
Where Leakey Fits in Texas Music
Carole Petrovics, who owns Rio Bella Resort & Rustic 83, understands what this means for local businesses: “In Leakey, music unites us. Earning the designation as a Music Friendly Texas Certified Community opens new opportunities for our town and every guest who visits. We can’t wait to share the magic of music with all.”
That’s the economic development part that sometimes gets lost in the celebration. Music-focused tourism works. People plan trips around festivals, concerts, and music scenes. Towns with strong music identities fill hotel rooms, pack restaurants, and create jobs that stick around.
The Texas Music Office—the nation’s first and longest-running state music office since 1990—has been perfecting this model since launching the Music Friendly Community Program in 2016. Leakey becomes the 90th community to complete the certification, joining a network that ranges from tiny towns to major cities.
Why Small Town Music Matters
Texas has plenty of big city music scenes. Austin built its entire identity around live music. Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio have thriving venues and festivals. Those cities matter.
But so does Leakey.
Small town music scenes preserve traditions that slip away in urban environments. Front porch picking sessions happen when neighbors actually know each other. Local musicians develop without the pressure of making it big. Authentic sounds emerge when you’re not trying to fit into someone else’s genre expectations.
Judge Rubio’s memory of growing up with harmonica, guitar, and banjo echoing from porches? That’s a kind of musical education you can’t get from streaming services or concert halls. It’s music as community glue, not entertainment product.
Planning Your Visit
If you’re wondering whether to add Leakey to your Hill Country road trip, here’s what you need to know:
Location: About 90 miles northwest of San Antonio, nestled in the Frio Canyon
Population: 341 (yes, really)
Why people visit:
- The Frio River (swimming, tubing, fishing, camping)
- The Twisted Sisters motorcycle roads (Ranch Roads 335, 336, and 337)
- Garner State Park (6 miles away)
- Lost Maples State Natural Area (fall colors)
- Live music (now officially recognized!)
Where to hear music:
- Songs on the Frio festival (Veterans Day weekend)
- Local venues and restaurants (check community calendars)
- Sometimes just front porches on quiet evenings
Best time to visit:
- Summer for river activities
- Fall for Lost Maples colors
- Veterans Day weekend for the music festival
- Any time you need to escape city noise
The Bottom Line
Leakey didn’t need a state designation to have music. The harmonicas, guitars, and banjos were already playing. Front porches already hosted impromptu concerts. The Frio River already attracted visitors who stayed for sundown songs.
But the Music Friendly Texas Certified Community designation does something important: it tells musicians, venue owners, and music businesses that Leakey takes this seriously. It connects the town to state resources and a network of other music communities. It turns “we’ve always had music here” into “we’re actively building a music economy.”
For a town of 341 people competing with cities hundreds of times larger, that matters.
Governor Abbott summed it up in his announcement: “Together, we will continue to work alongside communities in every region of our state to create good-paying jobs and boost economic growth.”
Music jobs. Music growth. In a town where the population would barely fill a large high school gymnasium.
Sometimes the best music stories aren’t about making it big in Austin or Nashville. Sometimes they’re about a tiny Hill Country town where the river runs cold, the roads twist through the canyons, and somebody’s always picking a guitar on a front porch as the sun goes down.
Welcome to the club, Leakey. We may be small, but we have a big soul.
Certification Ceremony Details:
- Date: Saturday, October 11, 2025
- Time: 6:00 PM
- Location: Bent Rim Grill, 657 West Ranch Road 337, Leakey, TX 78873
- Cost: Free and open to the public
- Contact: Real County Judge Bella A. Rubio, 830-232-5304, [email protected]
Learn More:
- Music Friendly Texas program: gov.texas.gov/music/page/music-friendly-communities
- Songs on the Frio: songsonthefrio.com
- Visit Leakey: Plan your trip around Veterans Day weekend to experience both the certification celebration and the town’s signature music festival
