Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Johnson City Texas, Wildflower Days: Spirit of the Hill Country

Wildflowers! Farmer's market – all sorts of interesting booths and lavender too! Workshops with photographers, master gardeners, rainwater experts! Home and garden tour! Arts and crafts! Food! Live music! Family fun! That’s part of the array of activities for WILD FLOWER DAYS in downtown Johnson City, Texas, April 19 & 20, 2008 from 9 AM – 5 PM.

Enjoy the Hill Country wildflowers and fresh air and make the most of a tremendous opportunity to increase your gardening savvy by visiting with the local Master Gardeners and rainwater collection experts. A local lavender grower will also discuss the popular hill country plant.

A tour of historic and interesting homes and gardens ranks high on the to-do list:

The Barnwell House, located on the courthouse square, is a two-story Texas Victorian built in 1913 using East Texas longleaf-pine. It has been basically restored and updated. The historic structure was built by Dr. James Barnwell and served as his family’s home and Blanco County’s first hospital. There’s more to learn on the tour.

Across the courthouse square, enjoy tea cakes and tea on the patio and in the garden of The Pearl Hotel, a delightful structure completed in 1883, having 10 rooms serving those early travelers coming to the county seat. Learn of its other stories on the tour.

Within strolling distance is the Johnson Settlement Log Cabin built in the late 1850s by Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr. (President Johnson’s grandfather) and his brother Tom. The fields near the cabin have an abundant variety of grasses, enjoyed by occasional flocks of turkeys and chickens. This history-packed structure is located in the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

Chantilly Lace and Country Inn and Lavender Farm is welcoming the tour. It’s a charming bed and breakfast resting on 6 acres with beautiful oak trees, butterfly gardens and large field of lavender. A must see.

The Stribling House, a 1914 era structure, was built by Emory Stribling, an early Blanco County settler and rancher. The home was built during the short period of time between the Victorian and Craftsman styles and therefore incorporates both styles as seen in the gingerbread cut-outs in each gable and the interior woodwork. Inside, enjoy the unique aspects of this home. Step back in time!

A wildflower photography workshop will be available with a local professional photographer. Not to be missed.

A Farmer’s Market and food booths with all sorts of homegrown/homemade goodies will be easily accessed. More on that next week! Arts and Crafts booths and live music too!

Enjoy Johnson City’s excellent art galleries and great shops and restaurants around town. Sponsored by the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce: 830-868-7684



Monday, March 24, 2008

Frio Country/House Pasture Restaurant

The House Pasture Cattle Company is a part of Frio Country Resort offering cabins and lodges on the Frio River and at The Club at ConCan with 18 hole championship golf course, pro-shop, full-service salon, and grille.

House Pasture Cattle Company will open weekends in April & May with a limited menu.

Celebrate the 1st Anniversary of The Club at Concan May 2nd through May 4th. There will be three days of special events, special guests and honors.

House Pasture Restaurant revs up its summer season starting May 10th with Mark W. Kirk. Other entertainment this summer includes:

May 24th Gary P Nunn
May 25th Emory Quinn's CD Release Party
May 31st Luke Olson
June 7th Johnny Bush
June 14th Brandon Rhyder/Captain Legendary
June 21st Honeybrowne
June 28th Emory Quinn/Reckless Kelly
Celebrate July 4th with Casey Donahue on Friday night and Cory Morrow on Saturday night, the 5th.
July 12th Highspeed Hayride/Bellamy Brothers
July 19th John Conlee
July 26th Key West
August 2nd Zona Jones
August 9th Owen Temple
August 30th Gary P Nunn
Sept. 20th Rotel & the Hot Tomatoes

For more information, visit www.housepasture.com or call 888-926-6226.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Bluebonnet Blues & Fine Arts Festival

For three days at the end of March, Marble Falls will be jumping with a variety of blues artists you’re unlikely to find at most — if any — other blues festivals.

The third annual event will feature music at six venues over a three-day span, from headliners such as W.C. Clark, Anson Funderburgh, Whitey Johnson, Ruben Ramos and Zac Harmon on the festival’s main stage to Joe Ely and Joel Guzman in the more intimate setting of a 250-seat nightclub. Throughout the weekend, there will be blues being played up and down a two-block stretch of historic downtown Marble Falls.

The lineup includes traditional Texas and Mississippi blues, Tejano blues and Cajun blues. A Pianorama featuring four master keyboardists will light up the beautifully restored Uptown Marble Theater Friday night. On Saturday, the theater will host a continuous all-day showing of a 30-minute cut of the film, “Antone’s: Home of the Blues” that tells the story in words and music of the legendary Austin blues club and its late founder and patron of the blues, Clifford Antone.

In fact, Antone was part of the first Bluebonnet Blues & Fine Arts Festival, helping Hugh “Blowgum” Vaughn, his wife Cindy, and Russell Buster, book acts and even give a talk on the History of the Blues. As part of the Friday night event in the Uptown Marble Theater, folklorist Dr. Barry Lee Pearson will host a Musicians Workshop on the History of the Blues. “He’ll be up there with a bunch of blues musicians, and what they’ll do is have a conversation in words and music,” said Vaughn. Pearson is the author of Jook Right On: Blues Stories and Blues Storytellers.

“This is different than most festivals,” said Vaughn. “I can’t think of any that has the variety that we offer.” And the number of venues on stages and in small clubs is reminiscent of SXSW, albeit on a much more intimate scale. “I’m drawing together the variety of blues from every walk of life,” he said. “There are different nationalities and different types of music, but there is blues in every kind of life.”

Marble Falls is located in the heart of the Highland Lakes area about 45 miles northwest of Austin and 85 north of San Antonio. The Marble Falls Historic Main Street Association sponsors the Bluebonnet Blues & Fine Arts Festival and a portion of the proceeds go to the Highland Lakes Service League, which supports local non-profits, charities and social services. In addition to the three days of music, the festival hosts a “Paint the Town” event, which invites juried artists to a plein air painting contest. There will be activities for children and plenty of food choices, including crawfish, fajitas, red beans, and more.

Tickets for the festival, and a complete music lineup, are available online at http://www.bluebonnetblues.com. For more information call 800-864-5175.