Jacqué Rudman Collections to host Spring Fashion Show - 3/3 and 3/31

Jacqué Rudman Collections will hold a Spring Fashion Show will be held Wedneday, March 1 and Wednesday, March 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, at 311 S. Washington St. in Fredericksburg. There’s no charge to attend and event includes free giveaways, gifts and a fabulous sale. To attend, R.S.V.P. for either show (limited to 16 guests each) by calling 830-456-1174.

Spring Fling at Chisholm Trail Winery - March 27

Welcome spring with Chisholm Trail Winery's Spring Fling. Enjoy wine, appetizers, live music, spring and more. Please call 830/990-2675 for more information.

Eco-Mixer - 3/27

Looking for other environmentally-conscious folks, or just curious what all the fuss is about? Come join Green Living Hill Country at their monthly Eco-Mixer this Saturday from 9-10:30 am at Kelly's Cafe, 505 West Main. They promise not to talk over your head, or preach to you about the environment. An Eco-Mixer is simply an opportunity to learn and discuss different ecological issues that are pertinent to the Texas Hill Country. Discussions will range from basic recycling tips, to alternative energy sources for your home or business. Their goal is to bring in an expert each month to fuel the discussion, and then showcase local organizations, businesses, and innovators who seek to bring positive solutions to the community. Of course, the whole time will not be spent learning - there will be ample time for socializing, eating and drinking. Kelly's Cafe not only provides the group with tasty goodies, but is a leader in the community's environmental movement, serving locally grown foods, limiting energy consumption and using biodegradable to-go containers.

The 3rd Annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour on March 27, 2010 will signal the beginning of the spring cycling season in the gorgeous Hill Country of Texas. Beginning (9:00 AM) and ending on the air strip of the historic LBJ Ranch, with routes of 10, 30, 44, and 65 miles, the venue is one of scenic, quiet country lanes and hilly, traffic-free, smooth-surface ranch roads. There's a cycling route for all abilities!

As an added feature, Luci Baines Johnson will lead a 'Historical Tour of the LBJ Ranch' (2:00 PM depart). This narrated tour of the ranch landmarks is a not-to-be-missed event included in the registration price. Listen to Presidential history from someone who lived it!

An exciting new addition to the 2010 LBJ 100 is the addition of historic Gillespie County rural schools as rest stops. What better way to honor Lyndon B. Johnson, the thirty-sixth President of the United States, widely acknowledged as the 'Education President'! His progressive education bills and many of his 'Great Society' legislation programs were designed in the tranquility of his ranch. This truly will be a 'Ride to Preserve History'!

For more information, contact Nolan Kuehn (210-355-2645) or Ethel Pedraza (210-414-8559).

Conducted by the Friends of LBJ National Historical Park and the Hill Country Bicycle Touring Club, the tour provides net proceeds for the betterment of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

Van der Stucken Music Festival - March 26

In commemoration of the 152nd birthday of Fredericksburg's own native son, Frank Valentin Van der Stucken, composer and symphony conductor, a special concert will be held at the historic St. Joseph Halle at 212 W. San Antonio St. in Fredericksburg on Friday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. Van der Stucken, who was born in Fredericksburg in 1858, is best known for serving as founder and first director of the Cincinnati Symphony. There is no admission charge. For more information, call 830-997-7273.

Wine Road 290 "Vino and Pasta" - 3/20

Participating wineries have taken advantage of their close proximity along Highway 290 to create the Wine Road 290 Trail. Is there a better pairing in the world than wine and pasta? Nine local wineries partner with the finest restaurants in the area during normal winery hours. Tasting fees may apply.

605 West Creek – Peter Walter Home

Peter Walter was in the first wagon team arriving in Fredericksburg. He started work on this little fachwerk cottage soon after his arrival in 1846, using materials from the immediate neighborhood. A freight hauler, Walter farmed the surrounding land between supply runs to Fort McKavett. St. Barnabas Parish bought the little house in 1952, restoring and consecrating it as a mission in 1954. When President Lyndon Johnson came to Texas to stay at his ranch, he would often worship at this church.

Continue West on Creek Street.

What is your antique worth? Pioneer Museum Apraisal Event - 3/19-20

Anyone who hopes to find treasure in their trash is invited to the Gillespie County Historical Society’s “What’s It Worth?” event on Friday and Saturday, March 19 and 20, 2010, in Fredericksburg.

The Pioneer Museum will have six independent appraisers on hand to appraise furniture, paintings, sculpture, art, prints, photographs, books, silver, glass, toys, guns, knives and western memorabilia. The event will work similar to the popular TV appraisal show.

There are two opportunities to submit items. On Friday, Mar 19, from 6:30 - 9 p.m., guests can attend a music, wine and cheese preview at the church sanctuary of the Pioneer Museum, 312 West San Antonio Street, Fredericksburg. Fee for members is $30; non-members $35. Entry includes one appraisal, with additional items appraised for $10 each.

The public is invited on Saturday, Mar 20 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Each item to be appraised is $10, with no limit on the number of items.

Event appraisers are independent of the museum and society. Appraisals are for fair-market value, and not intended for insurance and tax purposes. No appraisals offered on jewelry or Oriental items.

More information is available at 830-997-2835

Corner of South Acorn and West Main – John Klingelhoefer Home

Johann “John” Klingelhoefer was born in 1802 in Germany and trained as a surveyor. He emigrated to Fredericksburg in 1847. He pitched a tent on this lot while he built the front two rooms of the house, seperated by a durchgang, or breezeway, between them, which was later enclosed as a third room. The half story attic above these rooms was their boys' bedroom. John was elected Judge in 1851. The house passed through several generations and they added a little more to the home.

Turn right on Main Street and walk to the end of the block.

Auslander Spring Music Festival - 3/12-20

The Auslander Biergarten & Restaurant, located at 323 East Main St. in Fredericksburg, brings great tunes with the return of its Spring Music Festival beginning Friday, March 12 and running through March 20. Nightly concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. For more information including schedule of performers and ticket pricing, call 830-997-7714.

108 North Acorn – William Kunz Home

Turn left on Schubert. Go to Acorn Street and Turn left. Head South, towards Main Street.

Another cabinet maker, William Kunz, built the original four room home in the late 1870s.

Continue to main Street and stop.

Vintage Wedding Gown Exhibit - 2/13-3/18

The Gillespie County Historical Society will host “The Bride Wore White,” a vintage wedding gown exhibit displaying dresses from the 1880s to the 1980s. The exhibit will be held in the Pioneer Museum Sanctuary at 325 W. Main St. in Fredericksburg beginning Saturday, February 13 and running through March 18. Exhibit hours: Monday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 12:30 – 4:30 p.m. Admission is free with regular museum admission. For information, call 830-997-2835.

Wildseed Farms opens Butterfly Haus 3/13

Stop by Wildseed Farms on Hwy 290 East this Saturday, March 13 when the Butterfly Haus opens at 9:30 a.m. for the 2010 season.

Texas Hill Country Hell Week Bicycle Tour - 3/13-20

Hell Week is an eight-day bicycle challenge offering daily rides for all skill levels around Fredericksburg. Last year, over 300 riders from 30 states participated. There are more than 30 possible bike treks ranging in length from the 200-mile "Utopia Double Century" to the 25-mile "Ranch Rider" and "The Apple Store." A post-ride seminar series is also offered by experienced cyclists and trainers. Hell Week headquarters is Sunset Inn, 900 South Adams Street.

Mountain men, Texas Rangers, and Buffalo Soldiers at Pioneer Museum - 3/13-20

The excitement of frontier times returns to the Pioneer Museum in Fredericksburg as the Gillespie County Historical Society celebrates Spring Break March 13 through 20, 2010.

Families can take part in typical frontier activities for a full week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Scheduled exhibits include blacksmithing, spinning, quilting, fence building, and rope making. Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers, Mountain Men and Lakota Sioux Indians will share their culture and history. Kids can sit in a one-room schoolhouse, taste biscuits from an authentic chuckwagon, and make old-fashioned cornhusk dolls.

During Spring Break week, the museum's regular exhibits and buildings also will be open for viewing. Visitors can walk through one a smokehouse, blacksmith shop, and an original Sunday House.

Admission to Spring Break activities is the regular Pioneer Museum fee of $5 for adults; $3 for ages 6 through 17, and 5 and under free.

Fredericksburg is a popular destination any time of year, and especially in the springtime. This hill country town is famous for its German heritage, shopping, dining, and architecture. The new entrance to the Pioneer Museum is located right on Main Street, at 325 West Main. Parking is free.

The exact schedule of the pioneer demonstrators will vary by day. The public is invited to call ahead at 830-990-8441 to get details of each day’s events.

Visitors can also shop at the Museum Store at the corner of Milam and Main Streets. The store features an expanded and freshly-stocked collection of history books, T-shirts, gifts, classic games and toys. The new online store is always open at www.pioneermuseum.net.

Spring Break in Luckenbach - 3/12-13

This party kicks off the beginning of Spring Break. Enjoy live music and much more in the world famous town of Luckenbach, Texas. Please call 888/311-8990 or 830/997-3224 for more information.

Whistle Pik Galleries Art Show - 3/1-31

A month long celebration of Whistle Pik artists and their works. This event is free and the public is welcome. Please call 830/990-8151 for information. Whistle Pik Galleries is at425 E. Main Street.

Corner of North Bowie & West Schubert Street – John Peter Tatsch House

Turn right on Bowie, and stop at West Schubert Street.

The Tatsch Haus, made from local stone by John Peter Tatsch in 1856, is one of the most widely known historic homes in Fredericksburg. Tatsch was a "Tischler" or cabinetmaker and turner. The front two rooms are the original section of the house with the kitchen, fireplace and oven being added later. In 1965 the house was dedicated with a Texas Historic Landmark located on the front of the house. This home is a favorite subject for many history books and detailed floor plans can be found in the Library of Congress. The authenticity of this pioneer home gives you a true feeling of what life was like in Fredericksburg.

The large double wooden doors lead into the bedroom where a double size bed owned by Richard Tatsch was the family's pride and joy because of the fact it was "factory made". The living room is adjacent to the bedroom. An inside stairway was a real novelty in its day as most homes only had outside stairways. An authentic kitchen has the original fireplace and cooking pots demonstrating how cooking was done....including a baker's oven--now sealed. The shutters and the back door are solid with no openings or outside handles designed as a safety measure against the Indians.

Corner of North Bowie & West Austin Street – William Bierschwale Home

Continue West to Bowie Street – Look on the southwest corner of the intersection.

Alfred Giles was born at in Middlesex, England, on May 23, 1853 . At 17, he apprenticed at an architecture firm in London for two years. In 1873 he emigrated to the United States, settling in Texas in 1875. When he started his own architectural practice in San Antonio in 1876, Reconstruction was coming to an end in Texas, and soon, Giles' business was booming. Giles designed buildings all across the Hill Country featuring local materials, mainly stone.

The William Bierschwale House was started in 1889. William was County Clerk and a was elected as a Representative to the state Legislature.

Fort Martin Scott Has New Interpretive Signage

Take a self-guided tour of one of the state’s oldest Army posts – located right here in Fredericksburg – Fort Martin Scott. New interpretive signage is now available on site to help navigate your way to a better understanding about this fort that served as an actual outpost from 1848-1853. The fort’s function was to house, train, and supply soldiers working to extend westward the area open for settlement by eliminating the threat of Indian attacks. Located at 1606 E. Main St. at the east entrance of town, Fort Martin Scott is open daily. Stop by and take a look at a piece of this nation’s preserved history!

Turner Club Pork BBQ Benefit - 3/7

This to-go meal benefits the Turner Club, 103 West Travis. Cost is $7 per plate and serving starts at 11 am. Please call 830/997-3936 for more information.

Der Chili Cookoff - 3/5

The Hill Country Home Builders Association proudly presents "DER CHILI COOKOFF" March 5 on Marktplatz from 4-10 pm. There will be food, fun, friendship, dancing, silent auction items, raffles, and festivities to be experienced by all. The Cooks' meeting begins at 10:00am and the Celebrity Judging will begin at 3:45pm. The People's Choice contest will begin when the doors open to the public at 4:00. The Award Ceremony is scheduled for 7:00, and a live band, "The Flying GT's", will play from 7:00 - 10:00! Tickets can be purchased at the entrance to Marktplatz (CASH ONLY) for $10 Adults or $5 for ages 5-12 yrs. (Free for children 4 yrs. and under).

FTC's Man of La Mancha - 2/12-28

Join the Fredericksburg Theater Company as they celebrate another season. FTC's production will be this five time Tony Award winning musical "The Man of La Mancha". All performances are on Fridays and Saturdays from 2/12 to 2/28 at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are available online.