Following Gov. Greg Abbott's second round of statewide bar closures effective June 26, Big Texas Spring—a dance hall and saloon located at 19959 Holzwarth Road, Spring—announced its permanent closure after 15 years via its website and Facebook page July 2.

The statement reads: "Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been trying to figure out a way for our business to survive while keeping our staff and our guests safe. We did not re-open when we were allowed to because we did not feel confident that it would be sustainable if we did. With the Governor recently announcing that bars are again closed, we now know that it will not be possible to operate again. We want to thank all the people that have been a part of our journey over the past 15 years. To our staff, you were what made Big Texas what it was. We’re sorry we couldn’t keep it going for you. To the bands that we worked with, we were honored to be part of your journey. To our vendors, officers and many partners, your involvement was essential to who we were as a company. To our customers, your support up until the end was nothing short of legendary. We will miss you all."

As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, during the first closure Big Texas Spring had started a GoFundMe page to support staff and had also auctioned off some of the venue's memorabilia from which proceeds supported staff in need.

Big Texas Spring is not the only bar negatively affected by the shutdown as more than 30 bar owners filed a lawsuit June 29 challenging Abbott’s emergency order. Locally, other Spring and Klein bar owners described the second shutdown as a "gut punch."

Since 2005, the venue had served as a local dance hall featuring live country music, having hosted musicians including Josh Abbott Band, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Kyle Park, Turnpike Troubadours and Easton Corbin, among others. 281-353-8898. www.bigtexassaloon.com