July 2026 Newsletter: Where Tradition Still Feels Like Home

July 2026 | A Letter from the Owners

Happy July, Friends!

There is something truly special about July in our part of Texas.

As the flags line the streets, the porches fill with neighbors, and the sound of children laughing mixes with the rumble of antique tractors and parade floats, we're reminded why we love calling this place home. The Round Top Fourth of July Parade is one of Texas' most treasured traditions, a celebration that has brought generations together for well over 170 years. It's a day that reminds us that small towns still have a way of making life feel wonderfully big.

And truthfully...we're just so dang happy to be right in the center of it all.

Whether you're celebrating in Round Top, Fayetteville, La Grange, Brenham, Columbus, Giddings, Bellville, or somewhere in between, we hope you'll take time to enjoy the people and places that make this region unlike anywhere else.

Every day, we're honored to serve the communities across the five county area we proudly call home. Because of your trust, Round Top Real Estate has become the top producing brokerage in both Fayette County and across the five counties we serve. We don't share that as a boast, but rather as a reflection of the confidence you've placed in us. We know those numbers represent families, friendships, handshakes, referrals, and relationships built one conversation at a time, and for that, we are sincerely grateful.

The real estate industry continues to evolve at an incredible pace. New technology, artificial intelligence, digital marketing, and changing markets are reshaping the way we do business every day. While we embrace the tools that help us better serve our clients, one thing will never change at Round Top Real Estate. Our belief that exceptional service is still deeply personal.

We still believe in answering the phone. In showing up when it matters. In knowing the back roads, the neighbors, the schools, and the stories behind each property. We believe in treating every client the way we'd want our own family to be treated, with honesty, kindness, and genuine care.

That's the legacy of old fashioned customer service we work to honor every single day in the communities we live in and love.

As we celebrate our nation's independence this month, we're also celebrating the privilege of serving this remarkable corner of Texas. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives, your milestones, and your dreams.

From our families to yours, we wish you a safe, joyful, and memorable Fourth of July.

With gratitude,
Frank Hillbolt,
Lilla Blackburn Sivek,
Lisa Mayer

We're getting the office ready!

And the Swag Bags!

Can't Make It To The Parade?
Watch It On Our Town Square Cam!

Click here to see what's happening on our Town Square Cam!

Ashley Mitchell

With over a decade of experience in real estate, Ashley has established herself as a leading expert in luxury homes, rural living, ranches, horse properties, and assisting first-time buyers. Serving the communities of Austin, Colorado, Fayette, Lee, and Washington counties, Ashley is dedicated to helping buyers find their perfect home or ranch and ensuring sellers achieve the best price with the smoothest transaction possible.

As a top producer at Round Top Real Estate, Ashley's commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is unparalleled. Her extensive knowledge of the local market and her passion for real estate make her an invaluable asset to buyers and sellers.

A lifelong equestrian and country life enthusiast, Ashley loves showing horses and spending time with her family. Her deep connection to rural living and her experiences with country properties enable her to provide unique insights and a personalized approach to her clients.

Whether you're a first-time buyer looking for your dream home, a seasoned investor searching for a lucrative property, or a seller aiming to get the best value, Ashley is here to guide you every step of the way.

Contact Ashley Mitchell today to start your real estate journey with a trusted expert who truly understands your needs.

Sit with us for a minute. Pour yourself something cold and pull up a chair, because we want to tell you something about this corner of Texas that a lot of people may not know.

Fayette and Washington Counties are, quietly and without much fuss, one of the most remarkable fine arts communities in the entire state.

It started, as so many good things around here do, with a little bit of vision and a whole lot of stubbornness. Back in 1971, a concert pianist named James "Jimmy" Dick looked out at the rolling hills of Round Top and decided this was the place. Not Houston. Not Austin. Round Top. He built the Festival Institute on 210 acres, and the concert hall that grew from that dream is now considered one of the finest in the world. This summer, the Texas Festival Orchestra has been filling that hall with the music of American composers, a fitting tribute as the country celebrates its 250th birthday. The season closes on July 11th, and if you have not yet made the drive out to Festival Hill on a summer evening, we genuinely feel sorry for you. Go. Check the full concert schedule and make your plans right here. It will change something in you.

A few miles over in Washington County, on a 225-acre campus that the legendary philanthropist Miss Ima Hogg donated to the University of Texas back in 1967, something equally extraordinary has been happening every summer since 1970. Students from UT Austin spend the summer living and working in a pastoral setting, and then they perform Shakespeare in a century-old hay barn that has been converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre. Shakespeare at Winedale is the kind of thing that sounds almost too good to be true until you are sitting there in the warm evening air watching Romeo and Juliet unfold in front of you. This July, they are performing three plays across two weekends, and Sunday evening shows are pay-what-you-can. Tickets and dates are available here. There is no excuse not to go.

Then there is Fayetteville, which has been quietly building something special around its historic courthouse square. ARTS for Rural Texas has been running after-school art programs in every school district in Fayette County for years, bringing in the Houston Grand Opera for in-school performances and hosting 60-plus artists at their annual ArtWalk each May. Now they are working to earn an official Texas Cultural District designation for the square, which already has three galleries, an artist's studio, a heritage museum, and a handful of great places to eat. The folks over there have a saying we like: they want to establish Fayetteville as a beacon of small-town artistic excellence. We think they are well on their way.

Over in La Grange, the Texas Quilt Museum makes the case that quilting is every bit as much a fine art as anything hanging in a gallery in New York. Their current summer exhibits run through late August and include blue-ribbon prizewinners from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo alongside works from the Manhattan Quilters Guild. And if you want to take the art outside, the Barn Quilt Trail of Fayette County is a self-guided drive through the countryside where 137 painted quilt blocks decorate barns and homesteads, each one carrying a family story.

In Chappell Hill, the historical museum holds the largest collection of paintings by Reverend Johnnie Swearingen, a self-taught cotton farmer turned artist who depicted the rural Texas world around him with such honesty and warmth that his work now hangs in the Smithsonian. That is the kind of thing that stops you in your tracks.

And that is really the point. From the Fayette County Community Theatre in La Grange to the Unity Theatre in Brenham, from the impressionist galleries lining Washington Street in Round Top to the plein air painters who set up their easels in the fields each spring, this region does not just appreciate the arts. It lives them. Every single day.

Photos courtesy of D. Little Gallery.

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7541 Halamicek Loop, Fayetteville, TX 78940
MLS® #28927411
Click Here for Property Information
Listed by Emily Shaw

Contact Round Top Real Estate For More Information

114 Park Place, La Grange, TX 78945
MLS® #90454757
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Listed by Frank Hillbolt

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108 N Washington Street, Round Top, TX 78954
MLS® #5953590
Click Here for Property Information
Listed by Lisa Mayer

Ideally situated on one of the most desirable blocks in the historic core of Round Top, this distinctive property has traditionally served as the beloved D. Little Gallery for the past 19 years. Home to the working studio of impressionist artist Dorothy Little, the space has been a cornerstone of the local arts scene.

This corner lot property offers a prime downtown location just steps from the town square, benefiting from year-round foot traffic. It is the perfect canvas for your next venture, lending itself naturally to boutique retail, a curated gallery experience, a professional office, or an upscale live/work space.

As an added bonus, the location offers front-row seats to the annual Fourth of July parade and the lighted Christmas parade. If you have been dreaming of owning a piece of Round Top's vibrant commercial and cultural landscape, this property is a rare opportunity to make your mark.

Contact Round Top Real Estate For More Information

Knowledgeable agents who work hard to represent their clients in all facets of real estate transactions!

–Caitlin | 5-Star Facebook Review

If you or someone you know are interested in buying or selling a home in Round Top, Fayette County, Washington County, Lee County, Austin County, Colorado County, or nearby areas, reach out to us anytime. We would be honored to earn your referrals, and we'll take excellent care of anyone you send our way.

Contact Round Top Real Estate

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101 Main St • Round Top, TX
103 N Main St • La Grange, TX

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Round Top Real Estate · 101 Main St · Round Top, TX 78954-5183 · USA

Posted by Darcy Newton on July 1st, 2026

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