50th festival of WURSTFEST!

October 29th through November 7th come and celebrate the 50th festival of Wurstfest!

Know anyone that was there  at the beginning or that celebrates and Anniversary of Wurstfest?  Submit your stories and photos at http://www.newbraunfelsstories.com/ to have a chance to win season passes for 4 to Schlitterbahn for the 2011 season!  Post Photos all festival!

For our family this is a generational outing.  My mom, Gene "Mom"  Watson and her sister Wanda "Aunt BB" Silkwood,  sell beer tickets inside the Wursthalle.  My daughter will be dancing at the festival and I will be working.  My husband will be in charge of drink tickets and hats!  For my mom I believe this will be her 39th or 40th year to do so.... they dress everyday in the "appropriate" attire (at their own expense) and usually match each other.  She keeps track of the number of chicken dances played inside the hall on the posts of her booth.  There are years of them up there. Stop by, say Hi!  If you are lucky enough to work the bar behind her booth, you usually enjoy some homemade "Mom Watson" treats several times during the festival. If she is not in "her booth" she can usually be found waiting in line for Smokehouse bread pudding or Republican Women fried pickles.  They work open to close everyday and have legions of fans!  Come the last Saturday, they are a little pooped, but will still be smiling and doing their version of the "chair chicken dance". 

This year with Halloween falling during the festival - our family trick or treating costumes will give a nod to the heritage of the festival with German dirndls and lederhosen.   Maybe your family might get on board as well.  we will be at the festival as well.  Don't miss the Kinderchor and the KinderTanzer groups.  Many of us growing up had Mrs. Frueh teach us all the Mexican and German folk dances and songs in elementary school - do they still do that?  If not - why not!          

Our neighborhood will be at the festival in force!  We walk over and back and occasionally manage to park our golf cart close.  Don't forget the Schlitterbahn Wurstfest Shuttle and the Rockin R Wurstfest shuttle. 

For me, I will be in the potato pancake booth working for my Rotary Club - we are getting better at the process and NO there is NO way to make them faster.  So get a pitcher, get in line, and relax!



On to the festivities:   http://www.wurstfest.com/2010schedule.htm

Above is the entertainment calendar for performances at the festival and here is a small list of the other events that will be going on during the fest -

  Other Events - first weekend. 


7:00 am - 7:00 pm The Wurst Craft Show & Sale in Texas/New Braunfels Utilities Parking Lot

8:00 am Wurst 5 Mile Run/Landa Park Dance Slab

8:00 am Wurstfest Walkfest/Schlitterbahn Employee Café

8:00 am Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic-Recreational Tour/Gruene Hall

9:30 am Wurstfest Skat Tournament – International Rules/Landa Haus

11:00 am - 10:00 pm Kunsthalle (Arts & Crafts)/Knights of Columbus Hall across from Wurstfest Gate #1

11:30 am - 4:00 pm Annual Wurstfest Regatta I – Board boats & Centerboards/Canyon Lake

2:00 pm Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic-Individual Time Trial/Gruene Hall

4:00 pm & 7:30 pm Old Time Melodrama – “Harry Potwurst and the Order of Opas”/Circle Arts Theatre

Crisp, Cool, Wonderful Fall

The Texas Hill Country got a great cool snap this week; which puts me in the mood for all of the coming  "fests" ! 

October brings us live music, wine tasting, pottery, and all things "on a stick" kind of festivals!  Beginning this weekend with Artoberfest.  I love this title - this month of great art will be the 45th Annual.  This show is juried, regional, fine art show and can be found at the New Braunfels Art League in Downtown New Braunfels.     The complete October calendar is available online and in brochure format at the New Braunfels Chamber office, the Highway Visitor Center, and many other locations throughout town.  

An interesting new twist for fall is set at the Brauntex Theatre -  The 2nd Annual Texandance International Film Festival sponsored by the New Braunfel's Film Commission at the historic Brauntex Theatre will take place October 1-3, 2010. The festival will begin for ticket holders at the Huisache Grill on October 1st at 5 pm. Film Happens...   By the way did you know that the New Braunfels Chamber CVB is also the New Braunfels Film Commission.  Typical of the German work ethic... we do more with less people and try to do it really well.  Check out this film festival.... in New Braunfels.

Gruene Music and Wine Fest follow the weekend of October 7-10.  Yes there is an extra day of festivities this year.  Get your tickets online and plan to soak up a great time for a great cause!  United Way of Comal County.   Live music, wine tasting, shopping, dining, and a beer tasting on Sunday with a great big screen and football!  This same weekend also beings 1000's of cyclists to New Braunfels as we host for the second year the MS Ride to the River.  This event raises funds to fight Multiple Sclerosis.  Now, if you are like me and can't find my courage to wear those little cycling shorts you can still support the event by volunteering.  Catch  all the action at  http://www.facebook.com/bikemsalamoridetotheriver.

Okay, this is a new one, even for me.... Dungeness Crab Pick!  Oct. 16 - Come enjoy Fresh Dungeness Crab flown in overnight from the icy waters of the Pacific Northwest, along with Sour Dough Bread, European Butter, and homemade Chocolate Truffles paired of course, with the Texas Style wines from Dry Comal Creek Vineyards. This meal is not for the faint hearted. You will be required to work at crushing and cracking the crustaceans. Your utensils will be mallets, crackers, picks and bibs, but your reward will be the delicately sweet meat of the Dungeness Crab. This is a casual feast full of whimsical fun. Go to: http://www.drycomalcreek.com/event-crab-pick.html for more details and to sign up.

Then one of my kiddo's favorites- Texas Clay Fest in Gruene!  I have been taking my family to this event for many years and have great photos and clay creations that my child has made over the years. Not many events have the opportunity for kids to dive in with both hands and experience the art of creativity while the folks enjoy artists with extreme talent displaying their beauties and demonstrating for those that are eager to understand the method.  Jump In!

I am worn out and we have just begun.  The grand fest is to follow....   

" Perseverance with Purpose"

The title of today's post is from Everett Fey and I found it in his books New Braunfels: The First Founders.

As we get ready to present the CVB Cultural Heritage project to City Council today, I am reminded of that description and how we apply this statement everyday.  Sometimes projects feel like walking in quicksand, sometimes that quicksand weighs us down for years.  But through "perseverance with purpose" we are finally there, 4 years later on the edge of a fantastic project.  A brochure, micro site, and text back/video activated walking tour for smart phones of all the great things that make New Braunfels special.

If you are from here and not a recent residence you are so use to living in our founder's footsteps that we rarely acknowledge their sensational contributions to our community.  Those hardy folks really rocked it in those first 20 years.  They had a plan - they worked really, really hard and they played hard.  They took care of each other and provided for those less fortunate.  Did you know that by 1910 there were over 176 non profits in our county?  Today there are over 470?  So it appears, we get it!  It is not about what you do, but how you do it, and what imprint you leave.

We found some great images in our lengthy research process.  One of my favorites is of a guy that built the first paddle boat in New Braunfels.  It is genius!  Now here is where I bet you would like to see these images.... well we are not giving anything away.  If you have some images or great stories load them at http://www.newbraunfelsstories.com/ and be a part of the project.  You will see it all come to life in the next few months.

As we weave the traditions of our founders into our daily life -- remember, live music of today is spawned from the musical and singing societies of the 1850's, live theater of today was spawned from those theatrical societies of our ancestors.  The farming and ranching societies of the 1850's launched great youth programs and the oldest County Fair in Texas. The athletic societies of then support outstanding school athletics today. 
You name it, they did it - festivals, celebrations, fundraising, farmer's markets, entertainment halls, live music, theatres, public school, craftsmanship competition, and the oldest running shooting society in Texas.

It goes on and on......

Our founders footsteps haven't faded, you just might not be able to see them, because we are still walking in them.
      

Holiday Weekend

Sitting on the front porch this beautiful morning, life is pretty darn good.  The golfers at Landa seem to be on their game this morning and the sound of solid contact off the tee box punctuates the air.  Landa Golf Course is situated in the heart of New Braunfels with the Comal River meandering around it.  It is one of the most popular "muni" courses in Texas.

Other sounds that permeate the air are joggers, walkers, cyclist as they go about their morning routines.  Our neighborhood is the primary area for these folks to extend their routes beyond the jog path in Landa Park.  The Schlitterbahn kids are all making their way to work to get ready for a great day at the "bahn".  Coming back from church there was a line out the door at Naegelin's Bakery downtown.

All is right with the world.  Settling into this post with my coffee, I watch out of the corner of my eye as a little boy and mom try to master the art of riding a bike without training wheels.

That's a Sunday morning from my little spot in New Braunfels, Texas.

Just had to add this - after I posted this .... the mosquito sound of a little scooter grabbed my attention.  Around the corner came a rather salty character in his shorts, flip flops, and fishing shirt tootling along with his prissy, shaggy, cute little dog  in the basket on the front of his scooter -  really - I can't make this stuff up.

Cheers.