Fredericksburg Farmers Market runs through August at Marktplatz. Bountiful fresh produce, including strawberries, will be available for sale! The market also features Artisan breads, award-winning goat cheese, grass-fed meats, free-range chicken and farm fresh eggs. Wines from local wineries are available by the glass or bottle.
Mark Hierholzer, the Arion Maennerchor and the Hermann Sons Mixed Choir will perform in a Maifest German Choral Concert this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Halle at 212 W. San Antonio Street in Fredericksburg. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Admission is by donation. For details, call 830-997-3936.
Dance to the music of The Troubadors at the Turner Hall (Fredericksburg Social Turn Verein), at 103 E. Travis Street, Saturday from 8 pm to Midnight. Advance tickets available by calling 830-889-8640 or 830-998-9019. $8 in advance; $10 at the door. Beer & Set-Ups available. Great dance floor and great music!
A Turn Verein (that’s the Texas spelling of Turnverein) was orginally a gymnastic and social club begun in 1811 in Germany by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. Turn Veriens were established all over the country promoting gymnastics and calisthenics, and Turners contributed to the standardization and popularization of bowling nationwide.
Since 1854 there have been twenty-eight turnvereins in twenty-one Texas communities, some with over 600 members. As soon as possible after formation, all acquired halls spacious enough to accommodate gymnastics. Whether simple frame structures or elaborate masonry complexes housing bowling alleys, ballrooms, theatres, and saloons, nineteenth-century Texas Turner halls were often centers of community life. Financing came primarily from dues and rental and sale of property, although tax incentives and rent-free buildings for community service projects were sometimes provided. In 1984 six Texas turnvereins remained active: Boerne, Comfort, Fredericksburg, Houston, La Bahía, and San Antonio. Turners, however, have contributed much more than buildings. Though begun as gymnastic societies, most vereins also had social, intellectual, and benevolent goals. Houston’s Turners cared for the sick and needy, established schools, and provided dramatic and musical entertainment for the public. Turners organized elaborate Fourth of July celebrations for their towns or counties and made turnverein parks, gymnasiums, and bowling alleys available for general use. Most significant, Turners founded several of the first volunteer fire departments and provided fire protection for years. The Houston and Fredericksburg clubs received citations for this work. The 1870s were the heyday of turnvereins in Texas, with fifteen new clubs organized, both by second-generation German Texans and by Turners from other states. -
Mary Lou LeCompte, “TURNVEREIN MOVEMENT,” Handbook of Texas Online(http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/vnt02), accessed February 15, 2011.
Relay for Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated. It offers everyone in our community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. The teams camp out on the high school football field and take turns walking or running around the track. Everyone is invited to attend, but to fully participate you can form a team, join a team, join the Relay Committee or dedicate a luminary. This is a free event, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Attention all book lovers! The annual book sale benefiting the Pioneer Memorial Library will be at Marktplatz from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday.
The Willow City Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department members invite everyone to join them for the annual benefit on Saturday, May 5 at the Willow City Fire Station, located at 2553 Ranch Road 1323.
Activities will begin at 3:00 p.m.
The Auxiliary’s Country Store opens and a silent auction of 20 items will be open from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m.
A live auction (Dudley Althaus, Auctioneer) will be held from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
A pork barbecue meal with all the trimmings plus slices of homemade cakes and pies will be served after the live auction ends at approximately 5:30 p.m. Cost per meal plate is by donation. Tea, lemonade and water will be available throughout the afternoon.
Local musicians in the PEC Circuit Breakers Band will begin playing live country music at 5:30 p.m.
The prize giveaway drawing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Chances are available for 6 for $5.00 from Willow City Volunteer Fire and Rescue members and at Hohmann’s General Store in Willow City.
Auction Items and Giveaway Prizes include: Auto and Tool Products, Electronics, Flyfishing Package, Furniture, Gift Baskets, Gift Certificates, Guitar, Home Décor, Jewelry, Knives, Pecan Pies, Quilts, Rifles, Shotguns, Skeet/Trap Package, and much more.
Proceeds from this year’s fundraiser will help the department continue to maintain and improve the station, trucks and equipment, and for training, insurances and routine operating expenses.
Any business or individual wishing to donate goods for the country store, items for the auctions or prize giveaway, or desserts for the meal is asked to contact Margie Hohmann at 830-456-3785 or Janet Rabke at 830-685-3266.
Learn more about the needle arts of days gone by including knitting, crochet, quilting and embroidery at the Pioneer Museum, 325 West Main Street. Enjoy demonstrations and even participate — all skill levels are welcome! Call 830-990-8441 for more information.
Students from 50 high schools across Texas will gather to launch 70 rockets up to two miles high and across the speed barrier as SystemsGo hosts Rockets 2012, Thursday, May 3 – Sunday, May 6, near Willow City north of Fredericksburg. For the first time, a second launch site will be set up near Houston on Saturday, May 12 – Sunday, May 13, 2012
SystemsGo is a Fredericksburg-based nonprofit organization that created the educational rocket program now used in high schools in Texas. First-year students design rockets to carry a one-pound payload over one mile high. Second-generation projects will launch rockets designed to break the sound barrier and reach heights up to 12,000 feet.
The Hill Country launch takes place at Hillview Ranch, located north of Fredericksburg off the Willow City loop. Signs will be posted, and maps to the site, launch schedule, and complete listings of activities are posted online at www.systemsgo.org.
The launches are free and open to the public. The area should be considered an experimental testing range. Schedule may vary, mobility will be limited, access will be controlled, and visitors need to be aware that this is the first flight of all rockets.
For information on lodging, area restaurants, and other events in the Fredericksburg area, visitors are encouraged to contact the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, at 830-997-6523 or www.fredericksburg-texas.com. Organizers also are asking the public to consider supporting the Willow City Fire Department Fundraising Dinner that same weekend, as the fire department volunteers lend support to the launches.
SystemsGo is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed to help spread the program to other high schools in Texas. The goal of SystemsGo is to promote engineering studies and research, develop work force skills, and encourage students to enter academic and career paths in STEM fields that lead to careers in the engineering industries, using project-based activities. SystemsGo is endorsed by NASA and certified by The Space Foundation.
Anyone wanting to start a program, to provide support, bring a group, or to learn more about SystemsGo can visit www.systemsgo.org or call 830-997-3567.
Celebrate all things lavender at Becker Vineyards’ Lavender Festival this Saturday, April 30 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 1 from noon until 5:00 p.m. In its 15th year, this festival is held on the grounds of the winery location just off Hwy 290 E, just 11 miles from Fredericksburg. Activities include presentations, cooking demonstrations infusing lavender in the recipes, and vendor booths. Admission to the Lavender Festival is complimentary; however, there is a $5 parking fee. Lavender Luncheons will also be available at 12:30 p..m. each day and at a cost of $65 plus tax per person – reservations required. Purchase luncheon tickets online or by calling 830-644-2681, ext. 230. Interested in art? Register with Susan Kirchman at 830-225-0543 to participate in a Sunday Art + Wine Outdoor Art Class at 1:30 p.m.. – cost: $45. Overall, this weekend will be filled with lots of fun, wine tastings, live music and row after row of vibrant lavender! Call 830-644-2681 for details.
On the first Friday of every month, 9 art galleries keep their doors open late to show off the finest in regional, national & international art being displayed in a beautiful Texas Hill Country setting. Along with the art, each gallery serves local wines from Becker Vineyards, Torre di Pietra and others, and some offer live entertainment. For schedule of events, visit the First Friday Art Walk website.
