Runners and walkers of all ages will converge on the Fredericksburg Marktplatz on W. Main to participate in the Annual Fredericksburg Wildflower Run/Walk this Saturday, April 28 – with 5K and 10K races. Runs start at 8:30 a.m.; walk at 8:35 a.m., and there’s a Children’s Fun Run for children age 12 and younger that starts at 10:00 a.m. Sponsored by the Hill Country Memorial Wellness Center and benefiting the Fredericksburg Academic Boosters, this annual event is a fun way to promote healthy lifestyles and the encouragement of school academics. Cost in advance to participate is $15 for walkers, $20 for runners ($25 day of race), and $1 per child. For information, call 830-997-1355 or log on to www.hcmhs.org.

Join the Fredericksburg Dance Club at the Turner Hall (Fredericksburg Social Turn Verein), at 103 E. Travis Street, Saturday from 8 pm to Midnight.  $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.

Congratulations to Laughlin Homes and Restoration, Inc. for being featured in the March newsletter of “Propane, Exceptional Energy” from the Propane Education & Research Council.

Richard Laughlin is the owner of Diamond Belle at Palo Alto Crossing. Hebuilt, Das Jager Haus, Anastasia, Francesca’s, Inspiration Hill and Red Barn at Pepper Ranch.

Gästehaus Schmidt is closed today so we can celebrate Easter with our families.  We will reopen Monday morning at 9 am.

If you are checking out today, please drop your keys in the key drop in or office door.

If you are arriving today, please consult the map we sent you. Keys will be delivered where applicable by 2 pm.

If you have any problems or mechanical issues, please contact your property manager. Their phone number is on the map we sent you, and should also be in the welcome letter in your property.

Happy Easter!

Gästehaus Schmidt will be closed on Easter Sunday. If you are departing on Easter Sunday, simply drop your keys through the slot in our front door.  If you have a reservation beginning on Easter Sunday, follow the key arrangements on the map we sent you. The keys will be delivered, where applicable, by 2 pm.

If you experience a problem at your property, call the manager on the map we sent you.

Thank you. Have a wonderful Easter.

Fine pre-1900 Native American artifacts from Texas & other parts of the U.S. will be on display during this event at the lady bird Johnson Park’s Pioneer Pavillion – including arrowheads, pottery, trade-era beads, and Indian jewelry.

Food and beverages will be for sale. Admission is $6 per person, and kids under 14 are free. Hours are from 8 am until 4 pm. The Pioneer Pavillion is a 432 Lady Bird Drive in Fredericksburg’s Lady Bird Johnson Park.

Annual trail ride from Fredericksburg to Austin with nightly stops in Luckenbach, Stonewall, Johnson City, Blanco, Fisher, Wimberley and Driftwood.  All welcome to join!  Ride out at 9 am each morning. $65 per week night; $150 for the week.

The National Museum of the Pacific War and Admiral Nimitz Foundation are happy to celebrate the 128th anniversary of the birth of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz on February 24th.

In celebration of Nimitz’s birthday, the St. Mary’s choir will perform at 1:30 p.m. in the historic Nimitz Hotel Ballroom. Following the performance there will be cake and coffee for all of those in attendance at 1:45 p.m.  Anyone who shares Nimitz’s birthday (February 24) will receive free admission to the museum for the day.

The birthday celebration is free and open to the public.

The Admiral Nimitz Foundation and National Museum of the Pacific War are honored this year to host members of the Nimitz family who will share stories about Admiral Nimitz after the cake cutting starting at 2 p.m. Come and listen as some of the Nimitz family share stories about their ancestor who answered the call and lead the United States to victory in the Pacific during World War II. The Admiral Nimitz Foundation would like to encourage local Nimitz family members to come and share their stories about Admiral Nimitz. If you are a Nimitz family member and plan on attending please contact Stephanie Manee at 830-997-8600 x223 or manee@nimitzfoundation.org.

Nimitz served as Commander In Chief, United States Pacific Fleet and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas during World War II. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, Texas in what is now Fitz & Hollerin toy store near the corner of Main Street and Lincoln Street. He was raised in what is now the Admiral Nimitz Museum, the corner stone of the National Museum of the Pacific War.

The Admiral Nimitz Foundation supports, operates, and manages the National Museum of the Pacific War which is a Texas Historical Commission property

Just a reminder: Our new office hours are in effect:

Monday-Friday 9 am to 6 pm

Saturday 10 am to 5 pm

Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

We will have the following office hours over New Years:

Monday, Dec 31 – 9 am to 5 pm
Tuesday, Jan 1 – CLOSED
Wednesday, Jan 2 – 9 am to 6 pm

 If you have any concerns or problems while we are closed, please call the manager or owner of the property you are staying in.  Their phone number will be in the house, and on the map we sent you.

If you are checking in on New Years Eve and New Years Day, we will deliver the keys, where applicable, by 2 pm.

If you are checking out on New Years Day, and you are returning keys, drop them in drop slot in our front door after 11 am.

Happy New Year!