Wood Turning Demonstrations at Artisans - 6/1

Wood Turning demonstrations by some of Texas' finest wood turners at Artisans at Rocky Hill, 234 W. Main Street .  Demonstrations will take place Friday, June 1st from noon until 8:00 pm in the courtyard at Artisans at Rocky Hill, in conjunction with First Friday Art Walk Fredericksburg.

11th Birthday Celebration at Chisholm Trail Winery - 6/2

Chisholm Trail Winery's biggest celebration of the year with bagpipes from noon to 2, birthday cake and pinata at 1pm, cowboy shootouts, saloon girls and live music in the tasting room featuring Thomas Michael Riley from 2 to 5 PM.  Great wines and wood-fired pizza served all day. Chisholm Trail Winery is at 2367 Usener Road, 9 miles west of Fredericksburg on US Highway 290. Call 830-990-2675 for details.

Movies Under the Starts at the LBJ Ranch: The Grapes of Wrath - 6/2

Johnson City, TX:  Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park invites to the public to a free showing of the classic movie, The Grapes of Wrath, on Saturday, June 2, at 8:30 p.m.  It stars Henry Fonda and tells the story of an Oklahoma family who become migrant workers in California after losing their farm in Oklahoma during the Depression of the 1930s.

The film received several Academy Award nominations and wins.  In 1989, this film was one of the first 25 films to be selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The movie will be projected onto an 18 by 25 foot outdoor screen that includes a professional sound system.  Everyone should bring their own choice of seating, and picnicking before and during the movie is permitted.

The public can drive on to the LBJ Ranch beginning at 7:00 p.m.  Free parking is available on the taxiway adjacent to the movie site.

President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson often invited friends and neighbors to attend movie showings in their airplane hangar, which also served as a location for press conferences and family gatherings.  The movie will be shown in the area adjacent to the historic hangar.

The next film in the Movies Under the Stars series is Marooned on Saturday, July 14.

For further information and driving directions, please call 830-868-7128, ext. 244.

Nature and Wildlife Guided Tours and Walks at LBJ State Park - 5/12

Enjoy and learn more about the great Texas Hill Country outdoors on the LBJ State Park East of Fredericksburg on Highway 290 in Stonewall's nature and wildlife tours and walks. Tours last about an hour. Tours are at 10:30AM and 2:00PM, with water and cameras recommended. Tours are free and open to the public and donations are welcome. Please call 830/644-2252 or 830/644-2455 for more information.

Mother's Day Luncheon at Becker Vineyards - 5/13

Treat the special Mothers in your life to lunch and their favorite Becker Vineyards wines at the Lavender House at Becker Vineyards. Cost for the lunch is $65 per person, plus tax. Please call 830/644-2681 for reservations.

Barbecue on the LBJ Ranch

In keeping with the historic Head-of-State barbecues held on the LBJ Ranch during the Lyndon B. Johnson presidency of the 1960’s; the National Park Service is hosting a Barbecue on the LBJ Ranch on May 5, 2012 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

The 1960’s barbecues always included good entertainment and tasty food.  To ensure good times, the Friends of LBJ National Historical Park have arranged for The Salt Lick Barbeque to provide the food with all the trimmings.  Pecan Street Brewing will supply cold refreshments.  Following the “feast” America’s favorite cowboys, the “comedy and western” group, Riders In The Sky will provide a 90-minute show of true Western music with their own brand of wacky humor and way-out Western wit.

The classic cowboy quartet has chalked up over 6100 concert appearances in all 50 states and 10 countries.  Their cowboy charisma and comedic flair have earned them two Grammy awards and a membership in the Grand Ol’ Opry. Riders are happy to make a stop along the trail ride to pay a visit to the LBJ Ranch and the good folks of the Hill Country region.

For more information and to make a reservation for this special event and fund raiser for the national park go to www.friendsoflbjnationalpark.org.  For further information or to arrange to purchase reservations by mail call (830) 868-7128 x222.

Rockets 2012 - 5/3-6

The Willow City area north of Fredericksburg will transform into “Cape Canaveral North” as hundreds of high schoolers from across Texas gather to launch more than 70 rockets at Rockets 2012, May 5-8.

The public will have a front row view of all the action, as the event has expanded in its fourth year to include more rockets, more exhibitors, and more activities.

The record number of rockets to launch includes more than 50 8-foot vehicles attempting to send a one-pound payload over one mile high. A dozen second-generation projects will launch rockets designed to break the sound barrier and reach heights up to 12,000 feet.

Launches are scheduled to go up every 30 minutes using six launch pads between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. each day.

Vendors and clubs will provide activities for middle school age students and younger, including crafts, science projects, and building and launching rockets from kits. Teams from Computer Explorers will conduct workshops for kids that include Green Engineering with soar and wind power, Super Sleuths, and Fungineering using lego bricks and levers to create projects.

Activities are free, with small fee charged for those building rockets from kits.


Rockets2012 is the culminating activity of the acclaimed SystemsGo Aeroscience program developed over 10 years by Brett Williams, technology teacher at Fredericksburg High School.

Hillview Ranch is 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.systemgo.org.

Organizers remind the public that 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.

Relay For Life - 5/4

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.