Fayetteville
Fayetteville Hosts ArtWalk Every May ArtWalk is a juried fine art show sponsored by Arts for Rural Texas (ARTS) which is based on the Fayetteville town square. The show is held the first weekend in May on the lawn of the courthouse square in the historical community of Fayetteville. ArtWalk promotes local, regional and national artists. There are over 60 participating artists, a schedule of performing musicians and children’s art instruction and activities. Over $6,000 in award money is given to the artists selected by judges. In addition to the art, there are wine tastings, food booths and other attractions that make for a wonderful “fresh air” event.
ArtWalk 2015
May 2, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. May 3, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. On the Square in Fayetteville
If you would like to exhibit at ArtWalk call (979) 378-2113 or email info@artsforruraltexas. org.
The Fayetteville town square is filled with art and art lovers every May.
Fayetteville
Lake Fayette’s Always Full (of Fish and Water)
F
or fishing, boating or just relaxing, one of Texas’ finest small lakes is found in Fayette County. Lake Fayette is located 10 miles east of La Grange off SH 159. Bass lovers have flocked to it for the past 30 years. You’ll need a state fishing license available at Walmart in La Grange. There is a 14-24 inch slot limit on black bass. Anglers may keep five bass 14 inches or less and one bass 24 inches or over. Lake Fayette was constructed by the LCRA and the City of Austin as a 2,400-acre cooling pond for the Fayette Power Project. Warm water discharged into the lake means that it can be fished year round. Park Prairie and Oak Thicket Parks Two parks provide access to Lake Fayette for boating, fishing, camping or family reunions.
Park Prairie and Oak Thicket parks are located on the north end of the lake. Daily access fees are $4 for adults; $2 for seniors (65+); children 13 and under are free. Oak Thicket Park At 85 acres, Oak Thicket is the largest and most developed park on the lake. Twenty RV sites with water, 30-50 amp hookups and a dump station are available. There are also cedar cabins of various sizes, screened shelters and tent sites. Amenities also include a pavilion for large gatherings, a children’s playground and a bird watching and nature loop. A multi-use trail runs from Oak Thicket Park around the perimeter of the lake to Park Prairie Park. Park Prairie Park Park Prairie is the smaller of the two parks at 14 acres. It fea-
Guide John Sparks holds up a big Lake Fayette bass.
tures a boat ramp, dock and pier, tent camping and restrooms. Potable water is available. Reservations for facilities at both parks can be made by
calling the Texas Parks and Wildlife reservation line: (512) 389-8900 (choose option 2) or on short notice (979) 249-3344. Have fun!
Fayetteville
Fayetteville
This Area Has Lots of Art Galleries to Choose From For an area the size of Fayette County, visitors will find a surprising number of art galleries, many of which host regular exhibits by internationallyknown artists as well as our local artisans. Here’s a look at some of the options for art lovers: Fayetteville:
ARTS for Rural Texas
Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (free) 114 N. Live Oak, Fayetteville 979.378.2113 www.artsforruraltexas.org
Red & White Gallery
Friday 4-8 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. 102 W. Main, Fayetteville www.redandwhitegallery.com
The Artist’s Vault
Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
123 N. Washington St. (Mailing: P.O. Box 72), Fayetteville 979.378.2221 Round Top:
The Gallery at Round Top
Wednesday-Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. (free) 203 East Austin, Round Top 979.249.4119 www.thegalleryatroundtop.com
Copper Shade Tree
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (free) 101 N. Live Oak, Round Top Henkel Square 979.249.4127 www.coppershadetree.com
Thunderbird Fine Art
Art of the American West Thursday-Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday Appointment Only 206 E. Mill Street, Round Top 979.525.1930 www.thunderbirdranchfineart.com
Art Stokes and Jerry Brown, noted local photographers, study Jeannette Bergen’s photography work which was on display through April 4, 2015. Photos by David Stall
D. Little Gallery
Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday Noon - 4 p.m. Or by Appointment 108 N. Washington St., Round Top 979.249.3770 www.dorothylittlefineart.com
Beth Anderson Gallery
Thursday-Sunday Noon - 4 p.m. 110 Schumann Lane, Henkel Square Market, Round Top 979.249.5962 www.bethandersonarts.com
The Orchid Tree Gallery
453 N. Washington St., Round Top www.orchidtreeparkandgallery.com
La Grange:
Texas Quilt Museum
Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday Noon - 4 p.m. 140 W. Colorado St., La Grange 979.968.3104 www.texasquiltmuseum.org
The Green Door Gallery
Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. 213 W. Travis, La Grange greendoorart.wix.com/index
The Noble Swede
107 Colorado St., La Grange (979) 308-6005
Fayetteville
BEST KOLACHES & BEST PIGS IN THE BLANKET
Fayetteville
School children perform a traditional dance as part of the Lickskillet Days Festival in Fayetteville.
Photo by Jeff Wick
Lickskillet Days Honors Fayetteville’s Heritage Over the years, German and Czech immigrants called the small community of Fayetteville home, naming and renaming it many times. At one time, Fayetteville was named Lick Skillet (Lickskillet). Supposedly, latecomers to the numerous commu-
nity festivals, who complained that all the food was gone, were told to “lick the skillet.” Lickskillet Days Festival takes place third weekend in October. Fayetteville celebrates its German and Czech heritage. This family friendly event offers something for young
Prelude to ! May Festival
As part of the Frank & Jean Raymond Foundation Concert Series
SEASON 9 MAY 8-16, 2015
World-class performances, downtown Fayetteville Opening concert of Czech compositions, in the Grand Lobby of Fayetteville Bank Other Festival performances at Country Place Hotel Tickets & Program Information:
www.fayettevillemusic.org Visiting performing artists: Altius Quartet Bion Tsang, cello • Phillip Bush, piano Charles Wetherbee, violin Bruce Williams, viola • Clive Smith, cello David Korevaar, piano • Peter Nagy, piano and, Festival Artistic Director Håkan Rosengren, clarinet The Festival is a Texas 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
March 22 Henkel Hall on Round Top’s Square with Håkan Rosengren, clarinet, James Ryon, oboe Bruce Henniss, horn Benjamin Kamins, bassoon, and David Korevaar, piano and May 2 Festival Hill Concert Hall Håkan Rosengren peforms with the Austin Symphony Peter Bay, conducting
and old. Located around the Historic Fayetteville Town Square and SPJST Hall, activities including kids’ activities, pumpkin patch, kiddy train ride, ice-cold refreshments, hamburgers, pastries, pies & kolaches, arts & crafts/folk art, silly contests, live
music, BBQ and Bean Cook-Off, horseshoe tournament, parade, and raffles. There are tours of historic sites. For more information contact the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, 112 N. Washington St.; (979) 378-4021 or (979) 877-5290.
Fayetteville
Enjoy Chamber Music Fest Every May in Fayetteville Throughout Fayetteville’s history, music has always been an important part of everyday life. Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival is proud to continue the musical tradition. Every year, extraordinary musicians from Europe and around the United States come to the Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival to rehearse and perform. The Festival presents house concerts throughout the year. The Annual May Music Festival, a magnificent musical feast, is performed in the 100 year-old Moravian Room at Country Place Hotel. The first concert honors Fayetteville’s Czech heritage by performing exclusively Czech music. Open
Rehearsals, Pre-concert Lectures, and School Concerts are included. 2015 FESTIVAL CONCERTS Friday, May 8, 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 8 p.m. Friday, May 15, 8 p.m. Saturday May 16, 3 p.m. Saturday May 16, 8 p.m. The Chamber Music Festival is performed in the Country Place Hotel, on the Square in historic Fayetteville. 123 Washington Street Fayetteville, Texas 78940 For more information visit www.fayettevillemusic.org.
The Chamber Music Festival takes place in the Moravian Room at the Country Place Hotel in downtown historic Fayetteville where the natural acoustics bring a perfect warm, intimate sound to the musicians’ violin, clarinet and piano. Photo by H. H. Howze
Find Bargains at City-Wide Garage Sale Find bargains and treasures at Fayetteville’s famous City Wide Garage Sale on the second Saturday of July. Antiques dealers, collectors, and junk enthusiasts will revel in the variety of garage sale items spread out around Fayetteville and in the square. During the day, enjoy the specials held by the local merchants and then set up your lawn chairs for Texas Pickin’ Park activities. Maps showing the locations of the garage sales will be available for treasure hunters on the Courthouse’s front steps starting at 7 a.m. Saturday, the day of the City-Wide Garage Sale.
Fayetteville
Fayetteville Couple Captures the Magic of Fayette County in New Photo Book When Joan and Jerry Herring moved from Houston to Fayette County in 2009, they were the new kids in town, and everything around them seemed very new and special. Or very old and special. The couple sold their home and gallery near downtown Houston, and traded their very active and busy life of urban living for a new pace in the country. Their new home, which they call Blackbird Farm, is just a mile out of Ellinger in a rolling valley very different from the densely populated neighborhood of townhouses and warehouses from which they moved. Although Joan had a picture framing business and Jerry had a graphic design firm, both are
photographers who have exhibited and sold their work for some years. So when they drove around their new environment, their cameras where always nearby. The new landscape, the colorful sunsets, the rolling hills of flowers or grasses all caught their eye. But that was just the beginning. The Herrings began taking their camera to local events and gatherings. And what they found was that the hustle and bustle of the big city was quickly replaced by a new hustle and bustle. This was a community that constantly gath-
ered to celebrate, make music, worship, have fundraisers, serve food or engage in any number of outdoor activities. There were world-class cultural events and local rodeos, large gatherings for fairs and smaller groups at local churches, and thousands of people shopping for antiques while others gathered for cattle auctions. And visual wonders to take in, such as the county’s Painted Churches or La Grange’s nowfamous Texas Quilt Museum. So after taking pictures for
five years and generating thousands of images, the couple edited their collection into a 168-page, hard cover book that they call Images of Fayette County. “While we are very proud of the book, and the wonderful comments and stories we have heard since its publication,” Jerry said. “It was very hard to pause and make this book happen. Every day there is a new image or scene that reminds us how special this place is. There is really no end to the amount of photographs of this unique area that we would love to share with people.” This book was published by Jerry’s company, Herring Press, where he has published some 40 books since it’s inception in 1983. Visit www.herringpress.com.
Elegant Fayetteville Lodging
A luxurious 5-bedroom Inn, two classic Texas country houses and a 4-room Inn on an historic square — art and antique filled lodging in and around Fayetteville near Round Top. Contact Joan at 713-818-9766 or Joan@BlackbirdFarmTexas.com www.BlackbirdFarmTexas.com
Fayetteville
Downtown Fayetteville – Alive With History
The Town Square
Fayetteville’s square is complete on four sides with no gaps which is something of a rarity in Texas. Several buildings, although now serving different purposes, still retain the original storefronts, in some cases even the previous signage. Courthouse on the Square Built in 1880, the first court was held on Feb. 17, 1881. A calaboose (jail) was added in 1887 - the jail still exists on the second floor complete with leg irons! The bandstand gazebo built in 1932. The town clock was erected in 1934 by the Fayetteville women’s “Do Your Duty” club, for the Texas Centennial and still strikes the hour and the half-hour, making Fayetteville the smallest town with a four-face town clock.
Picnic Oak
comE Bank With us • ExcEptional customEr sErvicE • GrEat ratEs • BusinEss accounts • consumEr, commErcial & rEal EstatE loans • FrEE Bill pay • FrEE onlinE BankinG • FrEE E-statEmEnts • FrEE chEckinG • monEy markEt, savinGs & cD’s • moBilE BankinG & much morE • Full-sErvicE BrokEraGE sErvicEs - not FDic insurED
Fayetteville
107 W. Fayette St. P.O. Box 9 Fayetteville, Tx 78940 (979) 378-4261 Fax: (979) 378-2934
Schulenburg
200 N. Kessler Ave. P.O. Box 52 Schulenburg, Tx 78956 (979) 743-4576 Fax: (979) 743-5082
La Grange
366 W. Travis St. P.O. Box 537 La Grange, Tx 78945 (979) 968-3200 Fax: (979) 968-4962
www.FayettevilleBank.com
The Tree-in-the-Street Sorority and “Old Ironsides” - Fayetteville is a member in good standing of the Tree-in-theStreet Sorority - a group of small towns from Columbus south to Goliad and west to Bigfoot and Uvalde. As a matter of fact, this lone tree is Fayetteville’s membership card. Without it, membership would be withdrawn. In the aforementioned towns and others, settlers recognized the majesty of the Live Oak. They also noticed its stubborn resistance to ax blades and wedges and moved on to cut trees that weren’t so tough.
Buildings Around The Town Square
The Fayetteville Area Heritage Museum - on the west side of the Square - comprises two buildings, one which once housed the first Fayetteville post office, and then the Cufr Store. The Western Auto Store operated first by the Dybala’s and then the Heinsohns, occupied the other building. Both buildings were combined to house the Museum in 1995. The Museum includes many artifacts of the good ol’ days including the historic altar from the original St. John’s Catholic Church (removed for rebuilding in 1969), the pipe organ from St. Mary’s Catholic Church, pre-historic bones & arrowheads, a cotton gin, the Dawn Theater’s movie projector, a fire engine pump, farm equipment and even a restored 1965 Chevy Bellaire. Memorabilia from the Baca Band is also displayed. For more information, to book a tour, etc., call (979) 877-5290 The Gulf Service Station - southeast corner of W. Main St. (Hwy. 159) and S. Washington St. was built in 1927 and owned by J. R. Kubena (the great grandfather of current Fayetteville Mayor Ronnie Pflughaupt). It operated as a gas station until 1996. (Side note: the curved tricycle tire tracks on the west end of the pump island were made in the wet concrete in 1927 by a little five-year-old girl who lived next door. That little girl, now in her 90s, still lives next door.) The Old Kurtz House - next door on the left, continuing east on W. Main St. (Hwy. 159) - is white with red trim and was built about 1890. It is now the private residence of the 5 year old little girl who drove her bicycle through the wet cement and left tire tracks in the Gulf Station 85 years ago. The S. S. Munger Home - next door, continuing east on W. Main St. (Hwy. 159) - is now Cottages on the Square. Built about 1850, it is one of Fayetteville’s oldest homes and had a detached kitchen. The Munger family was one of earliest settlers and had a Mercantile Store in Fayetteville as early as the 1830s.
Continued on Page 91
Fayetteville
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For Reservations:
Cel: 979-208-9834 Office: 979-421-9248
email: ShelbyHistoricInns@gmail.com or: lynnen.yakes@gmail.com
Single, Double and Group occupancy in Four Historic Homes
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Various Indoor & Outdoor Spaces within our 4 acres of scenic property for: Weddings, Receptions Art Exhibits, Dance, Theater, Opera, Chamber Music, Corporate Conferences & Workshops
Fayetteville
A Downtown Fayetteville Tour Continued from Page 89 The Red & White Store - corner of W. Main Street and S. Live Oak Street is a twostory building believed to be the oldest commercial building in the area, built about 1835 by S. S. Munger. It was used as a grocery store, then an opera house, a Masonic Hall, a hat shop and eventually a grocery store again. Today it is The Red & White Gallery, operated by Joan and Jerry Herring. The upstairs was a residence for many years and a cafe and it is now The Red & White Inn, a four-bedroom, four-bath inn. The Dawn Theater - the addition on the right side of the Red & White Store was the Dawn Theatre from the early 1900s to the 1960s, providing entertainment for the community until television became common. Later it housed the Blaha cleaners and tailors. The building is now a part of the Red & White Gallery. The Zapalac Drug Store - north of the Shaver House and Store - was constructed in 1926 by Emil Zapalac who previously shared a store with Rudolf Baca and Dr. Schramm further up the block. It is now Dybala’s Photography and Framing. The Otto Vetter Saddle Shop - north of the Zapalac Drug Store, and now Yesterday’s Past - was partly destroyed by fire in 1893 and later rebuilt. Mr. Vetter lived on the second floor. The bottom floor also included the post office as well as the Knippel Meat Market, later the Bertsch Meat Market. The ARTS-Arts for Rural Texas - next to the Otto Vetter Saddle Shop - occupies two buildings that once contained the Fojtik Tin Shop and the Kubala Saloon. The ARTS-Arts for Rural Texas, a non-profit organization exhibits artwork of local artists and student artists. Classes for children, young adults and adults in visual arts and music are also held, as well as weekend concerts. Exhibition hall hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Baca Saloon & Confectionary - the two buildings next up the square - now houses Joe’s Place. Both buildings are over 100 years old and that closest to the Art Guild was once a grocery store and an antique store. The second, larger building on the left was once the old Rudolph Baca Ice Cream Parlor, shared by Rudolph Baca, Emil Zapalac and Dr. Schramm. It has an ornamental bar with stained glass. For many decades, the Baca family had a band and performed regularly there. Baca made delicious ice cream and custard, and it is said that some of his recipes may now be used by a popular ice cream company. The Schumacher’s Bank of Fayetteville - next up the Square and now Pat Johnson’s art studio - was built in 1907 as Fayetteville’s first bank, and later the Fayetteville State Bank where SPJST business was conducted. For many years, this building was a liquor store and watch repair shop. The J. R. Kubena Store - next up the Square on the corner of E. Fayette St. and N. Live Oak St. and now Jerry’s General Store - originally had a dance hall on top. Later the corner was made into a Ford car dealership operated by Kubena’s son and John Cufr, Sr. Still later it was the SPJST business office until such moved to Temple in about 1950, following which it housed the Kubena Cafe. Henry Steves’ Furniture & Hardware Store - northeast corner of N. Live Oak St. and E. Fayette St. and now Jane’s Joy and Serendipity - is a two-story building. Steves was the postmaster and the store held the post office from 1889 to 1893, before most of the northeast side of the Square was destroyed by fire. Steves was the first captain of the Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department. The Fayetteville Masonic Lodge no. 240 occupies the second floor. Kaderka’s Office - now Country Glam - served as Dr. Kaderka’s office and his music studio where he made violins. Orsak’s Cafe - next building west on W. Fayette St. - comprises two buildings. The right building was the first Fayetteville movie house and was operated by the Michalsky family; it was also a saloon. The left building was the old Pagel Tire building, formerly a steam cleaning/pressing tailor shop, and a ladies’ ready-to-wear operated by R. B. Spacek - still contains the old clothing racks. The Zapp Building - northwest corner of the Square on N. Washington St. and W. Fayette St. and now the Country Place Hotel - displays the name of the first owner, Zapp, a prominent local family who started their business in 1865. Constructed in 1900, the building served first as a mercantile store.
Schulenburg
The Schulenburg Historical Museum has a huge collection of memorabilia from Schulenburg High School, home of the Shorthorns.
Adventure Awaits Just Off The Interstate in Schulenburg By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
S
chulenburg sits about halfway between Houston and San Antonio on Interstate 10. The town has long been a stopping point for travelers on the long trip between those two cities – first by railroad and later by automobile. Just about anyone who has ever made the trip knows about the two iconic restaurants along the Interstate, Frank’s Restaurant and Oakridge Smokeshouse. Both are definitely worth making a stop. But Schulenburg has so
much more to offer the adventurous traveler who treks a little further off the highway. The Hitching Post is a great place to start any visit to Schulenburg. Owner Donnie Dittrich can set you up with a new cowboy hat and a pair of sharp-looking boots – essential gear when walking the streets of Schulenburg. While waiting for Donnie to crease your new hat, grab a cup of coffee and a cone of hand-dipped Blue Bell Ice Cream. For such a small town (pop. 2,750), Schulenburg has an inordinate number of museums. The Schulenburg Historical Museum,
located at 631 North Main Street, is a great place to start any visit. The museum chronicles Schulenburg’s history. Some of the museum’s treasures include the town’s original horse-drawn fire engine and a ceremonial sash worn by “The Flying Bull,” a Holstein bull calf that the Carnation Milk Company flew to Schulenburg from Wisconsin in an airplane in 1929 as part of a publicity stunt. The museum also holds the second-largest barbed wire collection in Texas. The Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum, Continued on next page
Schulenburg
Schulenburg’s History Alive and Well Continued from previous page located at 311 Baumgarten Street, showcases the history of the Victor Stanzel Company, which built model airplanes in a Schulenburg factory from 1929 to the early 2000s. Some of their early models, which are on display in the museum, were powered by gasoline and could reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Next door to the city museum, travelers can get a taste of the area’s culture by visiting the Texas Polka Museum. Located at 625 North Main Street, the museum houses numerous artifacts from early polka bands from the area like Julius Pavlas and the Gold Chain Bohemians and Adolph Hofner and the Pearl Wranglers. Those bands are largely forgotten today, but in the 1930s and 40s their music could be heard on the radio from coast to coast. The Gold Chain Bohemians performed on a weekly radio show broadcast nationwide from the Cozy Theater at the Von Minden Hotel, located just around the corner from downtown at 507 Lyons Avenue. The hotel was built in the 1927 and is the last hotel-theater still operating in Texas. From there, head over to Wolters Park to see the oldest building in town – the Wolters Family Log Cabin. The Wolters were one of Schulenburg’s most influential families. They donated land to the City for the park, which now bears their name. Joseph Wolters built the cabin in the Austin County near Industry in 1835. The Wolters Family moved it to Schulenburg for preservation in 1941. Wolters Park is also home to a historic Bedstedt Iron Truss Bridge. The bridge was built around 1888 at Mulberry Creek,
The Von Minden is the last combination hotel-theater still operating in Texas. Photos by Andy Behlen
a few miles south of Schulenburg. The bridge was replaced in 2007 and moved to Wolters Park, where it now carries foot traffic across the creek that runs through the park. Another famous bridge, Piano Bridge, sits across the Navidad River just a few miles east of Schulenburg. The bridge was built in 1885 and connects the two farming communities of Dubina and High Hill on Piano Bridge Road. The bridge got its name from the old wood planks that would bounce up and down like piano keys as cars crossed. The county partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation to restore the bridge in 2012. The new boards no longer bounce, but the bridge’s name stayed the same. Those looking for a place to eat might try Schulenburg’s newest restaurant, Garden Company Café and Marketplace, located
at 217 Kessler Avenue (US-77). Schulenburg residents have been shopping for plants and flowers at the Garden Company Nursery for years. Owners Jeff and Stevie Thompson converted the old farmhouse that served as the business storefront into a restaurant in 2014. Inside, Chef Kenny Kopecky dishes out brick oven pizza
and some of the finest gourmet fare to be found anywhere in the county. Of course, these are just a few suggestions. Visit the Greater Schulenburg Chamber of Commerce to find out more. The Chamber is located at 618 North Main Street. Call them at (979) 743-4514.
The oldest building in Schulenburg, the Wolters family log cabin, located in the aptly named Wolters Park.
Schulenburg
A small sampling of the 30 displays at the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum.
Photo by Andy Behlen
The Sky’s The Limit at Schulenburg’s Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum By LINDA STALL
In Schulenburg, art can be found in an unlikely but extraordinary place: the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum. As a young man, Schulenburg native Victor Stanzel was fascinated by flight. Like many of his generation, his first exposure to flight was the sight of military airplanes flying overhead his home. To pursue his love of aircraft, Victor studied drafting and welding. He may never have thought of himself as an artist, but visitors to the museum will see that
among his many talents he was indeed an accomplished sculptor, graphic artist, and commercial design artist. In the early 1920s Victor refined what had been a hobby, carving solid, true scale ornamental models of military aircraft. He began with meticulously carved and decorated Curtis Falcon AC3s, selling them to the cadets in flight training at Kelly Air Force Base. To stay current on aviation trends he studied industry publications of the time, such as Popular Aviation and Aviation Digest.
In the 1930s he began advertising his ornamental models for sale in the same magazines. These beautifully detailed military aircraft models demonstrate Victor’s artistic skill. Victor worked first from his mother’s home. His brother Joe joined the business after graduating from high school. As their business grew they hired staff, built a manufacturing building, and traveled extensively to promote their models. The business grew from ornamental models, to tethered flying models, kits and ready-to-fly
models, even amusement park rides. In 1933, they built their first full-sized amusement ride, the “Fly-A-Plane.” In 1936, their “20th Century Stratos-Ship” was placed on exhibit at the Texas Centennial Exposition in Dallas. True renaissance men, the Stanzels designed the company’s manufacturing equipment, packaging, marketing displays and advertising. They personally developed the company advertising artwork and logo designs. Victor studied drafting so that he could do his own blue prints for the Continued on next page
Schulenburg
History Takes Flight in Schulenburg Continued from previous page balsa wood model kits, and later the plastic flying models. The blue prints themselves stand alone as art, “suitable for framing.” Visitors to the Stanzel Model Airplane Museum will be impressed with the scope of the Stanzels’ creativity. And they will be transported visually to the early days of model airplane toys. The packaging artwork is distinctly evocative of its time, capturing images of happy children enjoying flying model airplanes. But beyond the “toy” or the “model” one sees images that stand alone on their artistic merit. Crisp images and bold colors catch the viewer’s eye. Utilizing strong primary colors, their signature look, the packaging and advertising illustrations attract the attention of the consumer. The images are designed
to illustrate the movement of the flying model airplanes. The airplanes are shown climbing and swooping, simple brush strokes create the motion of flight. The museum displays give the visitor an opportunity to see examples of the artwork separately before they were incorporated into the store displays and product packaging. These preliminary designs allow the viewer to appreciate the true artistic quality of the images. Images designed to entice buyers as intrigued by flight as Victor Stanzel was as a young boy in the fields near Schulenburg watching military aircraft overhead. Victor Stanzel and Company began in 1930, finally closing its doors in 2001. The Stanzel Family Foundation operates the Stanzel Model Aircraft Museum. For more information visit www.stanzelmuseum.org.
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The Stanzel Brothers Factory Museum is one of three parts of the museum complex, also including the Main Museum and the historic Stanzel home. Photo by Andy Behlen
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the garden co. at round top gifts & plants 979.249.5889 round top, texas 78954
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Schulenburg
Sausagefest a Hit in Schulenburg Schulenburg Home to Blinn College Campus Schulenburg is home to a branch of Blinn Junior College. Located in the renovated Bishop Forest High School campus location, Blinn-Schulenburg offers a variety of academic transfer, workforce training and continuing education classes. It is located at 100 Ranger Dr., Schulenburg, Texas 78956. Call (979) 743-5200. Blinn-Schulenburg offers a variety of traditional courses for students planning to transfer to four-year schools, but many people in Fayette County participate in a variety of continuing education classes offers by Blinn-Schulenburg, ranging from Czech language classes to computer literacy courses. More information can be found at www.blinn. edu/schulenburg.
Schulenburg seems to have hit a home run with its newest festival. The Schulenburg Sausagefest drew an estimated crowd of 600 folks (double what organizers expected) for the first-time event in downtown April 5, 2014. The 2015 event was scheduled for March 28. For more information on the 2016 event visit www.schulenburgsausagefest.com Pork, polka and pivo – it’s a Bohemian paradise. The free event celebrates this area’s rich cultural heritage by bringing together homemade sausagemakers from across the area who will compete for prizes in a one-of-a-kind competition. Bragging rights and cash prizes will be awarded in five categories: • Smoked Sausage, • Fresh Sausage (made on-site), • Sausage-based Concoctions (gumbo, jambalya, etc.), • Everything But The OINK (boudain, head sausage, etc.) • and Klobasnicky (pigs-in-the-blanket). The Sausagefest includes a homemade sausage cook-off, a variety of arts, crafts and food booths, and a number of bands.
Polka Royalty at last year’s Sausagefest.
Schulenburg Hosts the “National Party of Texas” Every August The first weekend in August every year, thousands of folks folk to Schulenburg for the annual Schulenburg Festival, which has been dubbed the “National
Party of Texas.” This year’s festival is July 31-Aug. 2, 2015 and will include three nights of rodeo performances, the grand Festival Parade, numerous bands,
A panoramic view of the main stage area at the Schulenburg Festival.
cookoffs, game food booths and a carnival. Most of the events are centered in and around Wolters Park. The Festival weekend is also when Schulenburg natives
flock home as most class reunions are scheduled to coincide with Festival time. For a full schedule of festival events visit www.schulenburgfestival.org.