Falling for Homegrown Festivals

South Padre Island's Sand Castle Days by J. Griffs SmithBy Nola McKey

 

Texas Highways readers love small towns, and we think one of the best ways to enjoy them is by dropping in on their annual festivals. Most towns have at least one, and these events are a great opportunity to get to know the place, the people, and the culture, while having some uncomplicated, unabashed fun.

 

Festivals are usually family-friendly and provide plenty of bang for your travel bucks. Small-town festivals offer special rewards. They’re homegrown and often involve generations of dedicated volunteers, resulting in events that truly reflect the citizenry. There’s a feeling of community pride—almost devotion—that runs throughout the activities.

 

These grassroots gatherings run the gamut from the history-oriented Come and Take It Festival in Gonzales to the zany FireAnt Festival in Marshall. Some revolve around food, music, art, or nature; others, like New Braunfels’ Wurstfest and the Salado Scottish Gathering of the Clans & Highland Games, celebrate heritage. All of them are about having fun. Whether you’re a tourist in search of novel entertainment, a traveler anticipating a homecoming, or a small-town resident who works hard and plays hard at one of these annual celebrations, make it a festive fall.

 

Harvest time has always been associated with celebration, and fall festivals abound in small Texas towns. We present a sampling below. For more information, check out our events page!

    

A Harvest of Fall Festivals

 

Sts. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church Fall Picnic
Shiner, Aug. 31 (always the Sun. before Labor Day; the Spring Picnic is the Sun. before Memorial Day). This event draws many non-Catholics who don’t want to miss out on the fun, which includes polka, dancing, bingo, carnival-style games, a country store, and a live auction (quilts to cattle). The “picnic” meal includes fried chicken, sausage, stew, and more. 

 

Diez y Seis de Septiembre Festival
Pecos, Sep. 12-14, 2008. Area residents celebrate Mexican Independence Day (Sep. 16) with a parade and queen’s coronation; Tejano, Norteño, and Western music; folklórico and matachines dancers; carnival games; bingo; a cake walk; and a dance. Festival food ranges from taquitos to camarones de cóctel (shrimp cocktail).

 

Kolache Festival

Caldwell, Sep. 13, 2008 (always the 2nd weekend of Sep.). This salute to Czech culture includes a parade, a kolache bake show, a kolache-eating contest, craft demonstrations, Czech musicians, a car show, a softball tournament, a 5-K run/walk, a street dance, and special exhibits at the Burleson County Czech Heritage Museum.

 

West Fest & Cabrito Cook-off

Marathon, Sep. 19-20, 2008. An outdoor cookoff has categories for cabrito, brisket, beans, and dessert; spectators can sample entries after they’re judged. Cooks compete in showmanship and dress in costume, with camp themes ranging from a Gunsmoke scene to a ’50s drug store. Other activities include canoe races and a dance.

 

Eden Fall Fest

Eden, Sep. 27 (always the 4th weekend of Sep.). This West Texas celebration includes the usual lineup—a parade, arts and crafts, food vendors, carnival-style games, live entertainment, a dinner, and a dance—but there’s a world-class bull ride for added excitement.  

 

Come and Take It Festival

Gonzales, Oct. 3-5, 2008 (always the 1st full week---end of Oct.). This event celebrates the first shot of the Texas Revolution with a cannon-firing ceremony and battle re-enact-ment, as well as a parade, a bike ride, a 5-K run/walk, bingo, a canoe race, softball, volleyball, square dancers, a carnival, and an art show. Chili, T-bone, and beans cookoffs also take place.

 

Texas Renaissance Festival

Plantersville, each Sat. and Sun. (and Thanksgiving Fri.) from Oct. 11-Nov. 30, 2008. Stages throughout the 53-acre theme park boast period music and performers who enact Renaissance themes, and many visitors also sport 16th-Century costumes (which can be rented on site). Other activities include human-powered rides, Renaissance games of skill, and artisan demonstrations including glassblowing and broom-making, Some 350 vendors offer a wealth of shopping and feasting options.

 

FireAnt Festival

Marshall, Oct. 11, 2008 (always the 2nd weekend of Oct.). Held on Marshall’s downtown square, this event features cute fire ant charac--ters (think photo-ops), a parade, a 5-K run, arts and crafts, food vendors, a fire ant-calling contest, rubber-chicken chunking, a domino tournament, and live entertainment. 

 

Sand Castle Days

South Padre Island, Oct. 16-19, 2008 (always the 3rd weekend of Oct.). The action revolves around the works-in-progress of 12 international sand-sculpture masters, who create elaborate depictions of people, animals, fantasy creatures, and more, but amateurs can also compete for cash prizes. Other activities include sand-sculpting lessons, kite-flying demonstrations, arts-and-crafts booths, kids’ games, and a tent where visitors can learn about endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. 

 

Fall Foliage Festival

Canadian, Oct. 18-19, 2008 (always the 3rd weekend of Oct.). Foliage-viewing at Lake Marvin, 12 miles east of town, takes center stage. Other activities include hiking, biking, nature ac-tivi-ties, horse-drawn wagon rides, a cookout, cowboy songs and storytelling around a campfire, and a nighttime creature-spotting tour.

 

Czhilispiel

Flatonia, Oct. 24-26, 2008 (always the 4th full weekend of Oct.). The lineup features both chili and barbecue cookoffs. Other activities include a pie auction, golf and domino tournaments, jalapeño-eating and pie-baking contests, a 5-K run, a rock-climbing wall, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, a parade, tricycle and potato-sack races, and a Halloween-costume contest. Live entertainment features musicians, magicians, and comedians. 

 

Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest

Fredericksburg, Oct. 25, 2008 (always the 4th weekend of Oct.). Held on the Marketplatz downtown, this event includes live music, cooking classes, a food court, booths offering samples of Texas wine and specialty foods, and an auction (art, wine, winery tours, jewelry, and gift baskets). 

 

Wurstfest

New Braunfels, Oct. 31-Nov. 9, 2008 (always starts the Fri. before the 1st Mon. in Nov.). This event features traditional German foods (especially bratwurst and beer) and music. The massive Wursthalle and two large entertainment tents offer bands and other entertainers. Other activities include craft exhibits, a bicycle race, a 5-mile run, a Volkssport walk, a regatta on Canyon Lake, a theater production, and van tours of historic New Braunfels and Gruene. 

 

Salado Scottish Gathering of the Clans & Highland Games

Salado, Nov. 7-9, 2008 (always the 2nd weekend of Nov.). Activities include competitions in bagpipe-playing and Highland dancing, performances by Scottish musicians,
a genealogy workshop, and Highland games (traditional Scottish athletic events). Clan tents provide a great place to explore your Scottish ancestry; Scottish food and curio vendors are also on hand.                    

See the full article in the September 2008 issue.

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