diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index ace46c37e..3e889e0c5 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,8 +1,28 @@
-Changes in version 0.2.8.6 - 2016-07-2?
+Changes in version 0.2.8.6 - 2016-07-3?
+
+  Tor 0.2.8.6 is the first stable version of the Tor 0.2.8 series.
+
+  The Tor 0.2.8 series improves client bootstrapping performance,
+  completes the authority-side implementation of improved identity
+  keys for relays, and includes small bugfixes and performance
+  improvements throughout the program. This release continues to
+  improve the coverage of Tor's test suite.  For a full list of
+  changes since Tor 0.2.7, see the ReleaseNotes file.
+
+  Changes since 0.2.8.5-rc:
+
+  o Minor features (geoip):
+    - Update geoip and geoip6 to the July 6 2016 Maxmind GeoLite2
+      Country database.
+
   o Minor bugfixes (compilation):
     - Fix a compilation warning in the unit tests on systems where char
       is signed. Fixes bug 19682; bugfix on 0.2.8.1-alpha.
 
+  o Minor bugfixes (fallback directories):
+    - Remove a fallback that was on the hardcoded list, then opted-out.
+      Fixes bug 19782; update to fallback list from 0.2.8.2-alpha.
+
   o Minor bugfixes (Linux seccomp2 sandbox):
     - Allow more syscalls when running with "Sandbox 1" enabled:
       sysinfo, getsockopt(SO_SNDBUF), and setsockopt(SO_SNDBUFFORCE). On
diff --git a/ReleaseNotes b/ReleaseNotes
index c3384efd3..51b39810f 100644
--- a/ReleaseNotes
+++ b/ReleaseNotes
@@ -4,7 +4,19 @@ each development snapshot, see the ChangeLog file.
 
 
 
-Changes in version 0.2.8.6 - 2015-07-2?
+Changes in version 0.2.8.6 - 2015-07-3?
+
+  Tor 0.2.8.6 is the first stable version of the Tor 0.2.8 series.
+
+  The Tor 0.2.8 series improves client bootstrapping performance,
+  completes the authority-side implementation of improved identity
+  keys for relays, and includes small bugfixes and performance
+  improvements throughout the program. This release continues to
+  improve the coverage of Tor's test suite.  For a full list of
+  changes since Tor 0.2.7, see the ReleaseNotes file.
+
+  Below is a list of the changes since Tor 0.2.7.
+
   o New system requirements:
     - Tor no longer attempts to support platforms where the "time_t"
       type is unsigned. (To the best of our knowledge, only OpenVMS does
diff --git a/changes/bug19782 b/changes/bug19782
deleted file mode 100644
index 37660ead7..000000000
--- a/changes/bug19782
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-  o Minor bugfixes (fallback directories):
-    - Remove a fallback that was on the hardcoded list, then opted-out.
-      Fixes bug 19782; update to fallback list from 0.2.8.2-alpha.
diff --git a/changes/geoip-july2016 b/changes/geoip-july2016
deleted file mode 100644
index d9963bd6a..000000000
--- a/changes/geoip-july2016
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-  o Minor features:
-    - Update geoip and geoip6 to the July 6 2016 Maxmind GeoLite2
-      Country database.
-