Bring the family to the LBJ State Park & Historic Site from 1 pm to 3 pm and spend Saturday making and flying kites. Learn the basics of kite construction and flying a homemade kite. The park will supply recycled materials and help kids make their own kites; you are also encouraged to bring your own kites to enjoy flying in the park.

LBJ State Park & Historic Site is located 2 miles east of Stonewall, 14 miles west of Johnson City on US Highway 290 toward Fredericksburg. Adjacent to both Ranch Road 1 and US Highway 290; enter on Park Road 52. Call (830) 644-2252 for details.

Turner Hall is having its annual Pork B-B-Q Dinner on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 103 W Travis Street. Serving starts at 11:00 am. $10.00 donation per plate. To go plates only.

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.

Stock show for Gillesipe County youth to exhibit and sell their 4H and FFA animal projects.

Friday 8am to 10 pm; Saturday 11 am to 7 pm at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds, on Highway 16 South.

Reserve and Grand Champions named Friday evening.

Call 830-997-2359 for more information.

Pumpkin patch, corn maze, pumpkin painting and pumpkin tic-tac-toe at 502 Jenschke Lane off Hwy 290 East. On October 11, there will be a team of Welch ponies pulling the hay wagon! Additional activities include corn shelling and face painting. The fall market will offer decorative pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, local fruits and vegetables, homemade jellies and jams, cracked and shelled pecans, homemade treats and cold drinks.

Admission is $7 for age 2 and up. Hours during October and November are Thursday through Saturday 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday noon to 6 pm. Call 830-644-8009 for more information.