East Texas

GRAND SALINE — This Van Zandt County community will celebrate its salty heritage with the 34th Annual Salt Festival Wednesday through Saturday.

The festival will feature nightly concerts, a longstanding rodeo and a day full of events on Saturday, said information from the Salt Festival Heritage Foundation.

For decades, production of salt from the one of the largest salt deposits in the nation has been the lifeblood of this town that even bears the product’s name.

The mining operations by Morton Salt Co. reach a depth of 700 feet and extend over a 60-acre area. According to a Van Zandt County historical marker, the salt found here could supply the world’s salt needs for the next 20,000 years.

In downtown sits the Salt Palace Museum, made of pure rock salt. According to the foundation it was first built in 1936 and then rebuilt in 1975 when the Salt Festival was initiated and replaced again in 1993.

The museum displays information on the history of Grand Saline and salt mining memorabilia and shows a film on mining operations.