September/October 2013 Issue

Ezine.com

ON THE TOWN

September/October 2013

Nan Nan Cuba Cuba The The Briscoe Briscoe Mike Mike Fresher Fresher Richard Richard Rosen Rosen CSI: CSI: The The Experience Experience 2013-14 2013-14 Season Season Begins Begins Texas Texas Wine Wine Month Month Trail Trail Plus Plus 12 12 Additional Additional Articles Articles

September/October 2013 | On The Town 1

2 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 3

Features

20

14

September and October Kick-Off

Exciting 2013-14 Season Opening Nights Offer Magical Moments For Performing Arts Patrons

8

Mike Fresher: President and CEO of Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

San Antonio Symphony Concerts Revisited: Broadcast series highlighting best of 2012-13 Season on KPAC, KTXI

14

Richard Rosen: Making Magik

20

Tuesday Musical Club’s Artist Series: 91st Season offers an exceptional lineup of acclaimed musicians

24

Mel Waiters & Allen Stone Headline Sage Music Festival

26

18

Michael Sohocki: Unplugged 46

24

Cover Credits Front Cover Photo: The Book of Mormon First National Tour © Joan Marcus 2013 Performing Arts Cover Photo Ottmar Liebert Courtesy Majestic Theatre Events Calendar Photo: Bella Hristova Photo by Ashley Macknica Culinary Arts Cover Photo: Photo by Greg Harrison

2013 Texas Wine Month Trail 50 Mike’s in the Village: Bulverde’s best kept secret, but not for long

La Fogata’s “Fountains for Youth” Make Wishes Come True: Coins in Restaurant’s fountains benefit Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives

58

Briscoe Brings West Back to Life

62

Get a Clue, Crack the Case at the Witte this Fall

66

Camp Discovery, Faryl Greller and the 35th Annual Cattle Barons Gala

70

Cool Crest is Cool Once Again!

Andry Brothers restore iconic miniature golf course

80

4 On The Town | September/October

54

Visual Arts Cover Photo: Photo by Greg Harrison Literary Arts Cover Photo: © Janaka Dharmasena / Dreamstime.com Eclectics Cover Photo: Photo by Greg Harrison

Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any adv appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the view mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to at

62

54

Departments

Contributors

Events Calendar 30 Book Talk: Nan Cuba, Novelist and Professor Artistic Destination: Georgia O’Keefe’s New Mexico

74

80

Out & About With Greg Harrison

88

Picture This: Cultural Exhibitions

96

Jeanne Albrecht

Michele Krier

Olivier J. Bourgoin (aka, Oliver the Wine Guy)

Christian Lair, operations manager / webmaster

Julie Catalano

Kay Lair

Thomas Duhon

Susan A. Merkner, copy editor

Mauri Elbel OnTheTownEzine.com is published by Lair Creative, LLC 14122 Red Maple San Antonio, Texas 78247 210-771-8486 210-490-7950 (fax)

Shannon HuntingtonStandley

Mikel Allen, creative director / graphic designer

Chris Dunn

Ashley Festa Dana Fossett Peabo Fowler Greg Harrison, staff photographer

vertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should ws or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perforttendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.

74

Marks Moore Dawn Robinette Mary Rohmer Sara Selango Renee Silber Jasmina Wellinghoff

September/October 2013 | On The Town 5

6 On The Town | September/October

Performing Arts

8-28

September/October 2013 | On The Town 7

SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER KICK OPENING NIGHTS OFFER MAGICAL MOM

By Sara Selango

8 On The Town | September/October

K-OFF EXCITING 2013-14 SEASON MENTS FOR PERFORMING ARTS PATRONS

September/October 2013 | On The Town 9

O

pening night has a nice ring to it, and carries a cer tain built-in excitement that makes you want to buy a ticket and be a face in the crowd. Take for example the Broadway in San Antonio at the Majestic Theatre series. I t just doesn’t get any better than having the national tour of The Book of Mormon jump star t your season with six teen per formances from Sept. 17-29. This irreverent musical, and the winner of 9 Tony Awards, will be followed

by Peter and the Starcatcher, a 5-time Tony Award-Winner itself, from Oc t. 22-27. Welcome to fall and great live enter tainment!

An o th e r o p e n in g n i ght o f n o te w i l l ac t ually be ce le b rate d o n t wo o cca si o n s, O c t. 4-5, wh en t h e S an Anto n i o Sy mph o ny per for ms its i n a u g u ral co n cer t o f 2013- 14 u n d er t he baton o f S e b as t ian L a n g- Lessi n g a n d fe at ur ing M ussorg s k y ’s Ni g h t on Bal d Moun ta in and Pic t u re s a t a n E x hi bi ti on. S peci a l gu est K aren G o myo co m p l e te s th e even i n g’s o f fer i ng wit h S a i nt- S ae n s Vio l i n Co n cer to N o. 3. Th i s mar ks the l a st o p e n in g n i ght fo r th e sy mph o ny at t he

10 On The Town | September/October

M ajest ic since t his iconic m usic al o rg a n i z at i o n will b e moving to t he new Tob in Ce nte r fo r t h e Per for ming Ar t s p r ior to t he b egi n n i n g o f n ex t season. Pianist Jonat han Biss is t h e fe at u re d ar t ist in t he nex t sym p hony c las s i c a l co n ce r t, b illed as a p rogram of Sy mph o nic D a nces, O c t. 11-12. Lang-Lessing cond u c t s a n d Bi s s p er for m s S c humann’s Piano Conce r to.

Continuing in the classical genre, San Antonio International Piano Competition (SAIPC ) Piano Series brings Mar tina Filjak to the city for an opening night concer t at St. Mark ’s Episcopal on Sept. 7 while Musical Bridges Around the World launches its 16th season by presenting Golden Fingers and Golden Voice, with pianist Mei Rui and baritone Oc tavio Moreno, at San Fernando Cathedral on the evening of Oc t. 27. Tuesday Music Club’s Ar tist Series begins its season with a per formance by violinist Bella H ristova on Oc t. 8 at Laurel Heights Methodist. A dozen days later, American Brass Quintet per forms for San Antonio Chamber Music patrons at Temple Beth-El.

I urge you to also check web sites for Camerata San Antonio, San Antonio Brass, Olmos Ensemble, Musical O fferings, SOLI Chamber Ensemble, San Antonio Choral Society, Voci di Sorelle and San Antonio Chamber Choir. Google and enjoy their classical offerings as well.

opening night of its own showcasing the artistry of Diavolo Dance Theater on Oct. 5 at Lila Cockrell Theatre. Equally as exciting (and I do mean exciting) is their next p r e s e n t a t i o n , Ya m a t o D r u m m e r s , o n O c t . 2 7 at the same venue.

Out- of-town classical oppor tunities include the opening concer ts of the year for M idTexas Symphony, under the direc tion of David Mairs with special guest violinist Charles Yang, on Sept. 15 at Jackson Auditorium in Seguin, plus pianist Fei Fei Dong in a per formance for Fredericksburg Music Club on the same day at Fredericksburg United Methodist. This presenter also has Tre Voci Trio in concer t on Oc t. 13 at the same church. I n early Oc tober, Symphony of the H ills takes the stage at the K athleen C. Cailloux Theater in Kerr ville for its French Connection opener. Although not classical, the Cailloux Theater presents a three -show season of its own, star ting with New Odyssey on Oc t. 8.

Car ver Community Cultural Center recently announced a ver y substantial 11-show season for 2013-14, star ting with American Idol winner Ruben Studdard on Oc t. 18 at Jo Long Theatre.

About a month prior, on Sept. 20, the Car ver ’s annual fund-raiser k nown as Cavalcade of Stars takes place at Lila Cock rell Theatre. This year ’s stars are Jeffer y Osborne, Howard Hewett and Peabo Br yson of Men of Soul.

Arts San Antonio joins in with a spectacular

In community theater, Cameo brings Jekyll & Hyde to the stage beginning Sept. 7 as well as fitting in The Rocky Horror Show late nights star ting Sept. 21. Evil D ead: The Musical is up nex t for this venue. Check local listings for time and dates. In other news, the Woodlawn offers laughs with Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein

September/October 2013 | On The Town 11

star ting Oc t. 4, complemented by their late shows of The Rocky Horror Show from Oc t. 10 through early November. Playhouse San Antonio presents the big musical Les Miserables at Russell H ill Rogers Theatre for a four-week stay star ting on Oc t. 3. At Sheldon Vexler Theatre, see Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers through Oc t.

8 followed by the drop - dead comedy D early D epar ted which opens Oc t. 19.

Lyle Lovett, Lisa Marie Presley, R amsey Lewis, Emmylou Harris, Dennis M iller, Pauly Shore, O ttmar Lieber t and The Beatles (1964 The Tribute). And, just up the road in Austin, five time Tony Award-Winner Audra McDonald plays the Long Center on Oc t. 20.

Before closing, it should be noted that Opera Piccola of San Antonio has announced a three show season at Charline McCombs Empire K lose/Seale Produc tions offers Tennessee Theatre by the Majestic. For star ters, enjoy The Williams’ A Streetcar Named D esire, with Sam Medium by Gian Carlo Menotti Oc t. 19-20.

Gilliam in the lead role, at the Little Car ver Theatre. Opening night is Sept. 20. Meanwhile, September and Oc tober offer so many great up Nor th in New Braunfels, Always Patsy Cline evenings of live enter tainment.

Get some has a two -week run at the Brauntex Per forming tickets and go!

Ar ts Theatre star ting Sept. 6. I n order to secure complete information on local live theater, please go to w w w.satco.com.

In addition to all of these seasons and series, a ton of great one -nighters are coming to town.

Name - dropping includes Bon Jovi, M icheal Buble, The Beach Boys, ZZ Top, Willie Nelson,

12 On The Town | September/October

Photo Credits: Pages 8-9 Yamato Drummers Cour tesy Ar ts San Antonio Pages 10-11 (L-R) Bella Hristova Photo by Andrew Chiciak Peter and the Starcatcher Photo by Jenny Anderson

Karen Gomyo Cour tesy k arengomyo.com Pages 12-13 (L-R) O ttmar Lieber t Cour tesy Majestic Theatre New Odyssey Cour tesy Cailloux Theater ZZ Top Cour tesy Majestic Theatre

The Book of Mormon First National Tour Š Joan Marcus 2013

Mar tina Filjak Photo by Romano Grozich

Jonathan Biss Cour tesy opus3ar tists.com

Diavolo Dance Theater Cour tesy Ar ts San Antonio

September/October 2013 | On The Town 13

14 On The Town | September/October

Mike Fresher: President/CEO of Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

By Ashley Festa Photography Greg Harrison

T

he new Tobin Center state-of-the-art performing arts complex is only a year away from its grand opening. It’s a good thing, too.

Every minute is needed to plan the week’s worth of events come September 2014, said Mike Fresher, who recently was named president and CEO of the new facility.

can accommodate almost anything entertainers can dream up.

“I challenge them to not do business as usual,” Fresher said. “We have state-of-the-art acoustics.

Please don’t tell me you’re going to ask people to sit in their seats for only the symphony.”

Fresher raves about the building’s acoustics and – most of all – the multipurpose floor design, which is the only one of its kind in the country. Called a “flat floor,” the design allows for an endless number of floor configurations, making the Tobin more versatile than other venues.

Not that he doesn’t love a good symphony. San Antonio’s symphony, ballet, orchestra and opera will always be mainstays at the Tobin. After all, it’s for the resident arts groups that the Bexar County Performing Arts Center Foundation, which owns and operates the Tobin, decided to build the complex. In addition to those groups, Fresher “At the push of a button, in 23 minutes, I have the expects Broadway shows, mariachi bands and rock largest night club, I have the largest banquet hall,” concerts to be in the lineup as well. In fact, it’s Fresher said. “There are people across the country the music – particularly contemporary Broadway that want to perform here because it’s that cool.” musicals – that he likes best in a live performance.

The 1,750-seat H-E-B Performance Hall floor can be converted to accommodate a Broadway show, a gala, a cabaret, a conference, a corporate luncheon or a wedding reception. Or nearly anything else you can imagine, Fresher said. (And because it can be changed so quickly, it might even be possible to accommodate two events in one day – for example, a breakfast in the morning and an event in the evening. That’s the goal, but the feasibility is still being determined.)

Fresher was bitten by the live entertainment bug more than 15 years ago when he first left his telecommunications position to become vice president-finance and controller of Madison Square Garden CT, a subsidiary of MSG Inc., in Hartford, Conn. In 2007, he was recruited as the chief financial officer at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, one of the largest in the country at nearly 3,000 seats. Eventually he also took on the roles of chief operating officer and general manager of Bushnell Management Services, which manages a stadium and an amphitheater.

The Tobin’s versatility is now a challenge that Fresher has set before potential performers. He’s determined to attract unusual and spectacular When the Tobin’s search committee began performances to the Tobin. The center’s adaptability looking for its first CEO, Fresher’s broad-spectrum

September/October 2013 | On The Town 15

experience attracted them. Not only was he familiar with running huge event facilities, he also brings practical business sense with him.

The Tobin appealed to Fresher, too.

“San Antonio is the largest city in the country without a performing arts center,” he said. “That was a very attractive challenge.”

Not only that, Fresher, who grew up in Connecticut, also already has family in the area: his brother, who lives in Fair Oaks. Fresher also has a wife and two daughters.

After accepting the position in May, Fresher now meets daily with performers and other venues to find ways to work together. He hopes the Tobin will help create an arts community in the River Walk Museum extension area, where the complex is located.

“Our neighborhood is kind of quiet, and we’re interested in shaking it up a little bit,” Fresher said.

“Performing arts is a driver toward revitalizing communities,” he said. “If we’re putting 1,700 people here on a regular basis, people are going to want to capitalize on that.”

And that’s just the main performance hall. The Tobin Center also boasts a 250-seat studio theater and a 600-seat outdoor river plaza.

Fresher hopes the Tobin will be a complement to the cultural arts venues already in San Antonio, like the Majestic Theatre and the Alamodome, and wants to find ways to augment arts opportunities by offering smaller performance spaces.

As for his own performing arts ability, Fresher says he enjoys playing music, but when asked whether he has any special talent, his answer was brief: “zero.”

“I took piano a couple years ago for a brief time to try to learn a little bit,” he said. “I really enjoyed it, but I didn’t get very far past ‘Chopsticks.’ ”

16 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 17

18 On The Town | September/October

SAN ANTONIO SYMPHONY CONCERTS REVISITED: Broadcast series highlighting best of 2012-13 season on KPAC, KTXI

By Peabo Fowler Photography Marks Moore

A

s the San Antonio Symphony gears up for its 74th season, fans of great music can revel in some of their recent per formances by tuning in to San Antonio’s Classical O asis on Texas Public R adio, KPAC 88.3 FM and the H ill Countr y ’s K T XI 90.1 FM. Their broadcast series highlighting the best of the symphony ’s 2012-13 season is under way and can be heard at 7 pm .

of Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concer tos. San Antonio Symphony music director Sebastian Lang-Lessing conducts the majority of the concer t broadcasts, though, including the entire Brahms Festival, showcasing four symphonies and concer tos by the German master.

South Texas’ own Ricardo Chavira ser ves as host of the broadcasts. With his name recognition outside of the world of classical music — he’s most well-known for his long-running role as Carlos Solis on Desperate Housewives and will be seen this fall on NBC’s Welcome to the Family — he brings new audiences to the world of classical music, of which he is a fan himself, citing La Mer

by Claude Debussy among his favorite works.

“ I t ’s a l w a y s a t h r i l l t o h e a r t h e S a n A n t o n i o S y m p h o n y o n t h e r a d i o,” s a i d N a t h a n C o n e , T P R ’s d i r e c t o r o f m a r k e t i n g a n d d i g i t a l content. “ These 70-plus musicians are an essential part of the artistic community in S a n A n t o n i o, a n d i t ’s i m p o r t a n t t o s u p p o r t them by providing a showcase on the air for these fantastic per formances. I hope that when the broadcast season is over in O c t o b e r, f o l k s w i l l t a k e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o hear them in person, because the concerts are quite thrilling!”

The broadcasts feature a complete concer t each week, including guest ar tists such as Cho-Liang Lin, taking listeners through an entire year in 45 minutes by per forming and conducting all four

Fo r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e r a d i o s e r i e s , visit tprclassical.org, and to learn more a b o u t t h e S a n A n t o n i o S y m p h o n y ’s u p c o m i n g s e a s o n , g o t o s a s y m p h o n y. o r g .

September/October 2013 | On The Town 19

20 On The Town | September/October

RICHARD ROSEN: Making Magik

By Julie Catalano Photography Dana Fossett

I

f it seems as though the Magik Theatre has been in San Antonio forever, it ’s probably because its executive director Richard Rosen has been a staple on the local theater scene for, well, almost forever.

“Well, there’s never going to be a theater audience unless you educate young people. That’s how the Magik was born.” The original space on Commerce Street accommodated 150 people (“the kids would sit on little carpet squares on the floor”), later moving to its present home at HemisFair Park’s Beethoven Hall with a “daunting” 600 seats to fill.

Rosen eventually filled them by doing “a lot of work with the school systems, speaking to teachers, superintendents, and found that they were really in need of something we were providing.” Their extensive outreach programs include working with at-risk youth, performing at schools with no budget to bus them in, tours to underserved regions in South Texas, and high schools using Magik’s actors to serve as teachers-in-residence.

A native of New York City, Rosen was a child when his family moved to San Antonio. Bitten by the theater bug as early as junior high, he attended Trinity University on a full theater scholarship from legendary professor Paul Baker, earning his bachelor’s degree in theater in 1969. Rosen went on to co-found and create some of San Antonio’s most beloved theatrical venues, including the wildly popular Melodrama Theatre and the San Antonio Theatre Club, working at various times as actor, director, producer, playwright (including cowriting the rock opera hit “Alice” with Wink Kelso), Rosen put some ground rules in place early on. and teacher.

“One, no one would be turned away for lack of money,” and two, “We were going to have a staff With the hugely successful Magik Theatre now that made regular full-time wages so that we would celebrating its 20th season of offering top-flight be a professional theater,” he said. The original children’s shows, creator and founder Rosen reflects staff of less than a half-dozen has blossomed into on its humble beginnings and what he thinks has 25 full-time cast and crew. Despite being an arts kept the theater thriving all these years. organization, “we have always treated this very much as a business,” Rosen said. “That’s how we’ve In 1992, after a turn as acting teacher, Rosen once developed a resident company—piece by piece.” again got the urge to open his own theater. The inspiration came from an unlikely but perfectly Children’s theater is not all fun and games. OK, logical source: Rosen’s then 9-year-old daughter sometimes it is, but Rosen skillfully and consistently and infant son. “People complained all the time weaves lessons into the shows. The staff takes their that there was no theater audience,” Rosen said. theater’s tagline, “Where Imagination Is Education,” September/October 2013 | On The Town 21

very seriously. “About half of our shows are original, and they are all based on books,” Rosen said. It’s their way of helping to fight illiteracy, the goal being that “once they see the show, they’ll want to read the book, and then another and another.”

Rosen is hard-pressed to name a favorite, but cites “Roxaboxon,” “Benito’s Dream Bottle” (by local poet Naomi Shihab Nye), Rosen’s own “La Cinderella,” and “the Skippyjon Jones books about a cat who thinks he’s a chihuahua.”

Magik’s 20th season, he said, will include asyet-unnamed 20 events throughout the city, in addition to its regular 11-month season that begins in October, and will consist of a mix of the old and new. (Check their website, magiktheatre.org, for current schedule and tickets.)

It’s a good thing Rosen has access to an extensive costume department, considering all the hats he wears — the most recent being artistic director of Luminaria, the annual one-night-only downtown public art extravaganza modeled after similar night festivals in Paris and Madrid; and taking on Shakespeare in the Park, a free offering at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens for which open auditions are held in addition to the resident cast.

And there’s still more: Rosen is especially excited about Magik’s renovation plans, including lobby expansion, state-of-the-art technology, new dressing rooms, a shop, classrooms, even the addition of a second theater designed to reach a pre-teen and teen audiences. As for retirement, Rosen laughs. “I can’t imagine it. At some point we will need fresh blood to invigorate the theater, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Good, because these days children of all ages need all the Magik they can get.

For more information, visit magiktheatre.org.

“Well, there’s never going to be a theater audience unless you educate young people. That’s how the Magik was born.”

Richard Rosen 22 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 23

Tuesday Musical Club’s Artist Series:

91st season offers an exceptional lineup of acclaimed musicians

By Jeanne Albrecht

O

nce again, Tuesday Musical Club is offering San Antonians exquisite classical music with four renowned ar tists during its 20132014 season: violinist Bella Hristova on October 8; baritone Andrew Garland on November 12; pianist Benjamin Grosvenor on Februar y 18; and cellist Sophie Shao on April 1.

by Wayne R. Beyer and the Mattie Jennie Fund.

Thanks also go to Dr. and Mrs. Dale Bennett for under writing, in par t, the pianos used at all concer ts throughout the season.

Following her concer t will be baritone Andrew Garland on November 12. He has been saluted

by Opera News as having “coloratura [which] The season kicks off on October 8 with violinist bordered on the phenomenal as he dashed Bella Hristova whose accolades include “equal through the music’s intricacies with his warm master y of impressive power and control” ( The baritone, offering plenty of elegance and Washington Post) and “expressive nuance” ( The glamour in his smooth acting.” His concer t is New York Times). With impressive concer ts that sponsored by the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for include two as soloist with the New York String the Ar ts.

Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, an appearance in Ravinia’s Rising Stars Series, a tour with Musicians The youngest ar tist to win two Gramophone from Marlboro, and per formances throughout Awards in 2012 ( Young Ar tist of the Year and the season with CMS Two at Lincoln Center, her Instrumental Award), pianist Benjamin Grosvenor concer t here is highly anticipated by classical will per form on Tuesday, Februar y 18. He is music aficionados and is being under written internationally recognized for his electrifying 24 On The Town | September/October

per formances and penetrating interpretations.

Described by some as a “Golden Age” pianist (American Record Guide) and as one “almost from another age” ( The Times), Grosvenor is renowned for his distinctive sound, described as “poetic and gently ironic, brilliant yet clear minded, intelligent but not without humour.”

Photo Credits:

Cellist Sophie Shao will per form on Tuesday, April 1, accompanied on piano by Milana Strezeva.

Winner of top prizes at the Rostropovich and Tchaikovsky competitions, the New York Times has applauded her “eloquent, power ful” interpretations of reper toire ranging from Bach and Beethoven to Crumb. Shao can be heard on EMI Classics, Bridge Records and Albany Records.

Andrew Garland Baritone Photo by Ann Stucki

Page 24 (L-R) Bella Hristova Violin Photo by Andrew Chiciak

Page 25 (L-R) Benjamin Grosvenor Piano Cour tesy Decca-Sussie

Season and single tickets can be purchased on the Tuesday Music Club website or at the door. Sophie Shao All concer ts occur on Tuesdays at 2pm in the Cello superb acoustics of the beautiful Laurel Heights Cour tesy sophieshao.com Methodist Church at 227 W. Woodlawn Avenue.

For more information about the Tuesday Musical Club Ar tist Series, visit www.satmc.org or call 210-382-2147. Four extraordinar y concer ts await your attendance.

September/October 2013 | On The Town 25

MEL WAITERS & ALLEN STONE Headline SAGE Music Festival

By Mary Rohmer

26 On The Town | September/October

W

hen the second annual SAGE Music Festival comes to the AT&T Center’s Bud Light Courtyard on Oct. 26, it will offer an unexpected mix of genres: soul and salsa, blues and Tejano, with a sprinkling of R&B and gospel. That diversity is by design, say organizers of the event, which is a fundraiser for SAGE, the nonprofit San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, an area that has become as diverse as the festival lineup.

Bland, has appeared in San Antonio. Instead, he’s been playing to civic center-sized crowds in Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta and Houston with fellow “Southern soul” musicians Sir Charles Jones and Willie Clayton.

Waiters is dedicated to keeping Southern soul’s rhythmic blend of soul, blues and even country, with a strong gospel influence, in front of audiences. He got some help earlier this year when Gayle King, Oprah’s best friend and editor-at-large for O magazine, wrote The main attractions, however, will be two performers an article on Southern soul. Bruce Springsteen turned touring nationally who each claim their own distinctly her on to the music, she wrote, and she shared her soulful sound, along with the ability to grab and hold favorite CDs with readers – with Waiter’s Throw Back an audience: rising soul singer Allen Stone, who Days atop her playlist. thrilled crowds at Austin’s SXSW and at the Coachella Valley Music Festival, and “Southern soul” and R&B Waiters, who began performing at church and then legend Mel Waiters. at teen clubs in the 1970s, began touring nationally when his early albums gained him widespread When audiences unfamiliar with Stone first see the attention among R&B audiences. Today he records 27-year-old’s long blond curls and offbeat look, with Brittney Records, releasing Got No Curfew in they’re unprepared for what they hear when he 2012 and Poor Side of Town this year. begins to sing – a sound that’s been described as “raw, soulful power,” and by USA Today to as “a pitch- Even though touring keeps the flame of Southern perfect powerhouse.” soul music alive, Waiters said he is looking forward to performing for his faithful hometown fans.

The New York Times has compared Stone’s socially conscious music to that of Steve Wonder and “It seems like I’m always going from one end of the Marvin Gaye, with themes that include the current map to another, but I’m looking forward to coming economic crisis and the toll technology has taken on home,” he said. “The East Side is a real treasure, and relationships. But even as he’s inspired by the soul there’s nothing like getting back to my musical roots.” music that helped lead to change in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Stone is equally known for songs that “simply Also in the mix for the festival are Grammy-nominated make people feel good,” and have made dance-offs a Tejano balladeer Ram Herrera, local R&B artist Big Al regular part of his shows. and “Nutn Nice,” salsa sensation Orquestra Tropicante and neo-soul/inspirational group Soul Fruit.

Stone started touring in 2010 and reached a wider audience through appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel More information on the festival is available at www.

Live” and “Conan” – and a YouTube video that caught sagesanantonio.org/musicfest. fire and has logged 2.5 million views and counting.

His 2011 self-released album Allen Stone peaked at No. 2 on the on iTunes’ R&B/soul chart and at No. 9 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and has been picked up Photo Credits:

by ATO Records. For local fans who have tracked his sold-out shows on the festival circuit, the SAGE Music Page 26: (L-R) Festival will be a long-awaited opportunity to see the performer in person.

Mel Waiters

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Photo by Paul Overstreet Although Waiters was born on the East Side and still counts it as home, it’s been more than five years since the music legend, who became known for his smooth, Allen Stone mesmerizing voice when he toured with Bobbie Blue Courtesy allenstone.com

September/October 2013 | On The Town 27

28 On The Town | September/October

Events Calendar

30-44

September/October 2013 | On The Town 29

September-October 2013 Events Calendar Music Notes Festival People en Espanol 9/1, Sun @ 6:30pm Demi Lovato, Wisin y Yandel, Chris Perez and more Illusions Theater at the Alamodome Randy Rogers Band 9/1, Sun @ 7:30pm Whitewater Amphitheater New Braunfels Charlie Robison 9/1, Sun @ 8pm Gruene Hall The Way We Were: Sinatra / Streisand Tribute by Gary Anthony & Rebecca Clark 9/3-4, Tue-Wed @ 7pm Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg

The Rockbox Jukebox Show 9/6-10/12, Fri @ 8pm Sat @ 4:30pm & 8pm Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg Almost Patsy Cline Band 9/6, Fri @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall Crooks 9/6, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store SAIPC Piano Series Martina Filjak 9/7, Sat @ 7:30pm St. Mark’s Episcopal 1964… The Tribute The #1 Beatles Band 9/7, Sat @ 8pm Majestic Theatre Rance Norton & Cadillac Cowboys 9/7, Sat @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall

Chris Isaak 9/6, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall

Rob Baird & Cody Jinks 9/7, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Randy Brown Band 9/6, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Robert Earl Keene 9/7, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store

30 On The Town | September/October

Joe Ely Band 9/7, Fri @ 9pm Gruene Hall

Clayton Gardner 9/13, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Buck Shot Band 9/7, Sat @ 9pm Twin Sisters Dancehall

Lisa Marie Presley 9/13, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall

Cailloux Presents New Odyssey 9/8, Sun @ 3pm Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater Kerrville

Wade Bowen 9/13, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store

Sunday Jazz at the Witte Patty Harrison Parisian Jazz Band 9/8, Sun @ 3pm Will Smith Amphitheater Witte Museum

Thomas Lee & Company 9/7, Sat @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall Nick Lawrence 9/14, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store

An Evening of Folk Music with Danny O’Flaherty 9/8, Sun @ 7pm Josephine Theatre

Larry Joe Taylor & Clay McClinton 9/14, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group 9/11, Wed @ 8pm Majestic Theatre

Hayes Carll 9/14, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall

The Mysto Mysto Show 9/13, Fri @ 7pm Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater Kerrville

Lysinger & McDonald Two Pianos 9/15, Sun @ 3pm Recital Hall UTSA Main Campus

September/October 2013 | On The Town 31

Fredericksburg Music Club Fei-Fei Dong, piano 9/15, Sun @ 3pm Fredericksburg United Methodist Mid-Texas Symphony Music of the Spheres 9/15, Sun @ 4pm Charles Yang, violin David Mairs, conductor Jackson Auditorium @ TLU Seguin Ottmar Liebert 9/15, Sun @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre Michael Jackson Tribute: The Ultimate Thriller 9/20, Fri @ 8pm Freeman Coliseum Wagon Aces 9/20, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall Reckless Kelly 9/20-21, Fri @ 8pm Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall

Jody Nix 9/21, Sat @ 8pm Anhalt Dancehall Mario Flores & The Soda Creek Band 9/21, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Chris Story Band 9/21, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall Sangam San Antonio Presents Pankaj Udhas 9/25, Wed @ 7pm Jo Long Theatre at the Carver Roy Orbison Tribute

by Mark Barnett 9/25-26, Wed-Thu @ 7pm Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg Hal Michael Ketchum 9/27, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall

Camerata San Antonio 10th and 100th 9/27, Fri @ 7:30PM Boerne First United Methodist 9/28, Sat @ 3pm Kerrville First Presbyterian 9/29, Sun @ 3pm San Antonio Christ Episcopal A Night with the Riverboat Piano Player and Friends 9/28, Sat @ 2pm Josephine Theatre

San Antonio Symphony Pictures at an Exhibition 10/4-5, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor Karen Gomyo, violin Majestic Theatre James McMurtry 10/5, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall

Whiskey Myers Jay Eric and Blieders Creek 10/5, Sat @ 9pm 9/28, Sat @ 8:15pm John T. Floore Country Store Leon Springs Dancehall Wanda Jackson 9/28, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Thomas Michael Riley Band 9/28, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Carver Cavalcade of Stars Men of Soul: Jeffery Osborne, Howard Hewett and Peabo Bryson 9/20, Fri @ 8:30pm Lila Cockrell Theater

Almost Patsy Cline Band 9/27, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall Lone Star Pickerz 9/27, Fri @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall

Symphony of the Hills French Connection: The Best of the French Composers Dr. Jay Dunnahoo, conductor 10/3, Thu @ 7pm Kathleen C. Cailloux Theatre

Josh Abbott Band 9/20, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store

Junior Brown 9/27, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store

Weldon Henson 10/4, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall

32 On The Town | September/October

Conrad and the Country Legends 10/4, Fri @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall

Bimbo & Borderline Band 10/5, Sat @ 9pm Twin Sisters Dancehall Heart of Texas Band Autumn in New York 10/6, Sun @ 3pm McAllister Auditorium San Antonio College The Beach Boys 10/7, Mon @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre Tuesday Musical Club Bella Hristova, violin 10/8, Tue @ 2pm Laurel Heights United Methodist ZZ Top 10/8, Tue @ 8pm Majestic Theatre

The Mavericks 10/10, Thu @ 8pm Gruene Hall Brandon Rhyder 10/11, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall Kip Moore 10/11, Fri @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell 10/11, Fri @ 9:30pm Gruene Hall

San Antonio Symphony Symphonic Dances 10/11-12, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sebastian Lang-Lessing, conductor Jonathan Biss, piano Symphony Mastersingers Majestic Theatre Gary P. Nunn 10/12, Sat @ 8:30pm Kendalia Halle Los Lonely Boys 10/12, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall

Sunday Jazz at the Witte Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz 10/13, Sun @ 3pm Will Smith Amphitheater Witte Museum Fredericksburg Music Club Tre Voci Trio 10/13, Sun @ 3pm Fredericksburg United Methodist BON JOVI Because We Can - TheTour 10/15, Tue @ 7:30pm AT&T Center

San Antonio Choral Society The Hills Are Alive: Music of Bavaria and Austria 10/15, Tue @ 7:30pm San Antonio-Laurel Heights Methodist 10/19, Sat @ 7:30pm San Antonio-St. Joseph Catholic 10/20, Sun @ 4pm Boerne-First United Methodist The Carver Presents Ruben Studdard 10/18, Fri @ 8pm Jo Long Theatre at the Carver

September/October 2013 | On The Town 33

Weird Al Yankovic 10/18, Fri @ 8pm Majestic Theatre

Chris Knight 10/19, Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall

Whitey Morgan 10/18, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall

San Antonio Chamber Music Society Presents American Brass Quintet 10/20, Sun @ 3:15pm Temple Beth-El

Micky and the Motorcars 10/18, Fri @ 8pm Gruene Hall Lone Star Pickerz 10/18, Fri @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall

Landon Dodd Octoberfest 10/20, Sun @ 6pm Anhalt Dancehall

Rockbox Texas Legends Show 10/18-11/23, Fri @ 8pm Sat @ 4:30pm & 8pm Rockbox Theater Fredericksburg

Audra McDonald 10/20, Sun @ 7pm Michael and Susan Dell Hall The Long Center Austin

Brauntex Presents The Bellamy Brothers 10/19, Sat @ 7:30pm Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre New Braunfels

Avenged Sevenfold 10/20, Sun @ 7pm AT&T Center

Michael Buble 10/19, Sat @ 8pm AT&T Center Jon Wolfe 10/19, Sat @ 9pm John T. Floore Country Store 2013 Harvest Classic featuring Dale Watson 10/19, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Almost Patsy Cline Band 10/25, Fri @ 8pm Luckenbach Dancehall Bobby Marguez 10/18, Fri @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall Todd Snider (Acoustic) 10/25-26, Fri @ 8pm Sat @ 9pm Gruene Hall Sage Music Festival 10/26, Sat @ 3pm AT&T Center

34 On The Town | September/October

Rance Norton & Cadillac Cowboys 10/26, Sat @ 8:15pm Leon Springs Dancehall

Straight No Chaser Under the Influence 2013 Tour 10/30, Wed @ 7:30pm Majestic Theatre

Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros 10/26, Sat @ 9pm Luckenbach Dancehall

Selena Gomez 11/1, Fri @ 7pm AT&T Center

Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral Golden Fingers & Golden Voice Presented by Musical Bridges Around The World and Jefferson Crabb Law Firm 10/27, Sun @ 6:30pm Mei Rui, piano Octavio Moreno, baritone Switchfoot 10/27, Sun @ 7pm Laurie Auditorium Trinity University Yamato Drummers of Japan 10/27, Sun @ 7:30pm Lila Cockrell Theater Nunemaker Speaks Brahms 10/29, Tue @ 7:30pm Recital Hall UTSA – Main Campus Willie Nelson & Family 10/30, Wed @ 7pm John T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio Symphony Disney in Concert: Magical Music from the Movies 11/1-2, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Akiko Fujimoto, conductor Majestic Theatre

On Stage The Overtime Theater The Screen Dreams of Buster Keaton 9/1-7, Thu-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 7pm Greg Barrios Theater Sheldon Vexler Theatre Lost In Yonkers 9/1-8, Thu @ 7:30pm Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pm (no show on Fridays) Barshop JCC Little Overtime Theatre Bethlehem 9/5-7, Thu-Sat @ 8pm Always…Patsy Cline 9/6-15, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2pm Presented by Circle Arts Theatre @ Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre New Braunfels

Cameo Theatre and JP Studio Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical 9/7-10/6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 4pm Cameo Theatre Wanted Dead or Alive: Outlaws of Country Music 9/7-10/27, Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2pm Pat Berlet Memorial Theatre @ Carmack Performing Arts Complex The Rose Theatre Company Driving Miss Daisy 9/13-28, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Boerne Community Theatre The Amorous Ambassador 9/13-28, Thu @ 7:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Circle Arts Theatre Rumors 9/13-10/6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2pm New Braunfels Woodlawn Black Box ‘Night Mother 9/13-10/6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Woodlawn Theatre Broadway in San Antonio The Book of Mormon (touring) 9/17-29, Tue-Thu @ 7:30pm Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm & 8pm Sun @ 2pm & 7:30pm Majestic Theatre

Harlequin Dinner Theatre Bad Seed 9/19-11/2, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (Dinner @ 6:15pm) Klose/Seale Productions Presents A Streetcar Named Desire 9/20-10/6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 3pm Little Carver Theatre Fifty Shades of SA Annual Gridiron Show 9/21, Sat @ 7:30pm McAllister Auditorium San Antonio College The Overtime Theater The Haunted House 9/20-21, 27-28, 10/4-5, 11-12 & 18-19, Fri-Sat @ 8pm 9/29, Sun @ 2:30pm 10/13, Sun @ 7pm 10/3 & 17, Thu @ 8pm Cameo Theatre with JP Studio The Rocky Horror Show 9/21-10/26, Sat @ 10pm 10/31, Wed @ 8pm Cameo Theatre Hill Country Arts Foundation Sons of the Prophet 9/27-29, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm Sun @ 2pm 10/3-12, Thu-Sat @ 8:30pm Elizabeth Huth Coates Theatre

September/October 2013 | On The Town 35

Playhouse 2000 Over the River and Through the Woods 9/27-10/12, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm 10/6 & 13, Sun @ 2:30pm VK Garage Theatre Kerrville The Playhouse San Antonio Les Miserables 10/3-11/3, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Russell Hill Rogers Theatre Trinity University Drama Body Awareness 10/4-6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm 10/9-12, Wed-Thu @ 7pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm Stieren Theatre Woodlawn Theatre Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein 10/4-11/3, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 3pm Woodlawn Theatre The Rocky Horror Show 10/10-11/2, Thu @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 11pm The Rose Theatre Company Dark Side of the Rainbow 10/11-26, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Fredericksburg Theater Company The Miracle Worker 10/11-27, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm Steve W. Shepherd Theater

S.T.A.G.E Drinking Habits 10/11-27, Thu-Sat @ 8pm (Dinner optional @ 6:30pm) 7/20 & 27, Sun @ 4pm (Dessert only) Kraus Haus – Bulverde Cameo Theatre with JP Studio Evil Dead: The Musical 10/12-11/3, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 4pm Cameo Theatre Sheldon Vexler Theatre Dearly Departed 10/19-27, Thu @ 7:30pm Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pm 11/2, Sat @ 8pm 11/7, Thu @ 7:30pm 11/10, Sun @ 2:30pm 11/14-17, Thu @ 7:30pm Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pm (No Shows on Fridays) Jewish Community Center Broadway in San Antonio Peter and the Starcatcher 10/22-27, Tue-Thu @ 7:30pm Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 2pm & 8pm Sun @ 1pm & 6:30pm Majestic Theatre

Opera Opera Piccola San Antonio The Medium 10/19-20, Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pm Charline McCombs Empire Theatre

36 On The Town | September/October

The Metropolitan Opera Series: Eugene Onegin (Live On-Screen Performance in HD) 10/5, Sat @ 11:55am Santikos Rialto, Cielo Vista 18 Huebner Oaks 14 & McCreeles Market The Metropolitan Opera Series: Eugene Onegin (Encore On-Screen Performance in HD) 10/9, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18, Huebner Oaks 14 & McCreeles Market The Metropolitan Opera Series: Shostakovich’s The Nose (Live On-Screen Performance in HD) 10/26, Sat @ 11:55am Santikos Rialto, Cielo Vista 18, Huebner Oaks 14 & McCreeles Market The Metropolitan Opera Series: Shostakovich’s The Nose (Encore On-Screen Performance in HD) 10/30, Wed @ 6:30pm Cielo Vista 18. Huebner Oaks 14 & McCreeles Market

Dance Bihl Haus Arts Presents Urvashi Won by Valor 9/1, Sun @ 2pm Jo Long Theatre at the Carver Art San Antonio Presents Diavolo Dance Theater 10/5, Sat @ 7:30pm Lila Cockrell Theater Ballet San Antonio Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella 10/10-13, Thu-Fri @ 7:30pm Sat @ 2pm & 7:30pm Sun @ 2pm Lila Cockrell Theater

Children’s Magik Children’s Theatre Seussical The Musical 9/4, Wed @ 10:30am 9/6-21, Tue-Thu @ 9:45am & 11:30am, Fri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pm Sat @ 2pm Magik Children’s Theatre Willy Wonka 10/11-11/9, Tue-Thu @ 9:45am & 11:30am, Fri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pm Sat @ 2pm The Rose Theatre Company Little Red Riding Hood 10/16-31, Wed-Thu @ 10am

Dennis Miller 9/27, Fri @ 8pm Lila Cockrell Theater Pauly Shore 9/27-28, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Scott White 10/2-3, Wed-Thu @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Barry Friedman 10/2-6, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat 7@ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Godfrey 10/4-6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Marvin Bell 10/9-13, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Ahmed Ahmed 10/10-13, Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Sam Demaris 10/16-20, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat 7@ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club

Bobby Lee 10/18-20, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Tom Simmons 10/23-27, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Michael Mack 10/23-27, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club Todd Paul 10/30-11/3, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club Hippie Man 10/30-11/3, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pm Fri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm Rivercenter Comedy Club

On Exhibit ARTPACE International Artist-InResident New Works: 13.2 Trevor Paglen Pak Sheung-Chuen Clarissa Tossin Hou Hanru, curator Ongoing until further notice

38 On The Town | September/October

Hudson Showroom Localized Histories Organized by Fairfax Dorn 9/12-12/29 Window Works Julia Barbosa-Landois 9/12-12/29 BIHL HAUS ARTS Golden Horizons: Recent Works from the Go! Arts Program Thru 9/22 at Bihl Haus Thru November at the Lopez & Cisneros Center BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER TX*13 - Texas Biennial 9/5-11/9 BRISCOE WESTERN ART MUSEUM Grand Opening Celebration 10/26-27 GUADALUPE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER ARTBoard #1: Rodolfo Choperena 1010 South Flores Condominiums ARTBoard #2: Angel Rodriquez-Diaz Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

ARTBoard #3: Arturo Infante Almeida Museo Guadalupe INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES Texas Contemporary Artists Series: Pepe Serna Thru 9/1 Texas Vietnam Heroes Thru 9/8 Girl Power: 100 Years of Girl Scouts Thru 9/29 Made in Texas Thru 9/29 Mas Rudas Thru 12/1 The 201st Fighter Squadron Thru 1/12 Why We Came: The Immigration Experience Thru 3/23 Traveling on Fredericksburg Road 9/19-12/15 McNAY ART MUSEUM Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera Thru 9/1

September/October 2013 | On The Town 39

The Human Face and Form Savage Gardens: The Real Thru 9/1 and Imaginary World of Carnivores Plants Majority Rules: A Decade Thru 12/1 of Contemporary Art Acquisitions SAN ANTONIO Thru 9/15 MUSEUM OF ART The America of Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton Thru 9/8

Rostros de Maria: The Virgin as Archetype and Inspiration Thru 9/29

Beth van Hoesen at The McNay Thru 9/29

Danny Lyon: The Bikerider 9/7-12/1

Cut! Costume and the Cinema 10/2-1/19

Lethal Beauty: Samurai Weapons and Armor 9/28-1/5

On Stage! Costume Design and the Theatre 9/4-1/5

Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus: Patron Saint of Texas 10/12-3/23

The Nightmare Before Christmas 9/4-1/5

SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART

C. Thomas Wright: Patron and Collector 9/25-1/12

Rebecca Dietz Wonder Worlds 9/5-11/8

ArtMatters 15: Rosalyn Schwartz 10/2-1/19

Alice Leora Briggs La Linea 9/5-11/10

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN Art in the Garden 2013 (In conjunction with Blue Star Contemporary Art Center) Thru 3/2014

Rigoberto A. Gonzalez Baroque on the Border 9/5-11/10 Adriana Cristina Corral La Ofrenda 10/29-11/3

40 On The Town | September/October

WITTE MUSEUM Dinosaurs Unearthed: Bigger. Better.

Feathered.

Thru 9/2 Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color 1885-1935 Thru 9/8 Patriotism and Pageantry: Fiesta Honors the Military Thru 1/6 The World Through Magic Lanterns Thru 1/2014 CSI: The Experience 10/5-1/26

Miscellaneous FOTOSEPTIEMBRE SA 9/1-30 Museums and Galleries Citywide Tejas Rodeo 9/7-10/26, Sat @ 7:30pm Bud Light Taste of the River Walk 10/10-12, Tue-Thu @ 5pm Participating Restaurants on the River Walk and Houston Street

2013 Alzafar Shrine Circus 9/12-15, Thu @ 7:15pm Fri @ 10am & 8pm Sat @ 10:30am, 3pm & 8pm Sun @ 10:30am, 3pm & 7:15pm Freeman Coliseum 16 de Septiembre: Parade & Festival 9/14, Sat / 8am-12am Avenida Guadalupe International Accordion Festival 9/14-15, Sat-Sun / 1pm10pm La Villita Historic Arts Village NHL Hockey Florida Panthers vs.

Dallas Stars 9/20, Fri @ 7:30pm AT&T Center 30th Annual JazzSAlive 9/21-22, Sat / begins @ 10am (performances by Beverly Houston, Westside Horns, Hiroshima and more) Sun / begins @ 11:30am (performances by Ken Slavin, Spyro Gyra, Ramsey Lewis and more) Travis Park Downtown Siclovia 9/29, Sun / 10am-3pm Downtown Streets

27th Annual Gruene Music & Wine Fest 10/10-13, Thu-Sun Gruene, Texas 54th Annual Greek Funstival 10/18-20, Fri / 6pm-11pm Sat / 12pm-11pm Sun / 12pm-7pm St. Sophia’s Greek Orthodox Church 33rd Annual Tejano Music Awards 10/19, Sat @ 7pm Illusions Theater at the Alamodome

29th Annual AT&T Championship PGA Seniors Tour TPC San Antonio – Canyons Course 10/21-27

Wurstfest 2013 11/1-19 Landa Park-New Braunfels

All-Stars of Magic 10/26, Sat @ 3pm & 7:30pm Josephine Theater

Page 30 (L-R)

The Amazing Kreskin 10/29, Tue @ 7:30pm Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre New Braunfels

Chris Isaak Courtesy chrisisaak.com Almost Patsy Cline Band Courtesy almostpatsyclineband.com

Photo Credits

Page 32 (L-R) Demi Lovato Courtesy Festival People en Espanol

Martina Filjak Photo by Romano Grozich

Charlie Robison Courtesy liveatfloores.com

Lyle Lovett Courtesy Majestic Theatre

September/October 2013 | On The Town 41

Lisa Marie Pressley Courtesy lisamariepressley.com Fei Fei Dong Courtesy Fredericksburg Music Club

Page 36 (L-R) Dr. Mark Rogers Courtesy Heart of Texas Band

Page 33 (L-R)

Bella Hristova Photo by Steve Riskind

David Mairs Courtesy Mid-Texas Symphony

The Mavericks Courtesy themavericksband.com

Charles Yang Courtesy Mid-Texas Symphony

Brandon Rhyder Courtesy County Line BBQ Music Series

Ottmar Liebert Courtesy Majestic Theatre.com

Page 37 (L-R)

Josh Abbott Band Courtesy liveatfloores.com

Jonathan Biss Courtesy opus3artists.com

Page 34 (L-R)

Gary P. Nunn Courtesy live@floores.com

Mario Flores Courtesy liveatfloores.com

Page 38 (L-R)

Mark Barnett Courtesy markasroy.com

Los Lonely Boys Courtesy loslonelyboys.com

Wanda Jackson Courtesy wandajackson.com

Bellamy Brothers Courtesy Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre

Sebastian Lang-Lessing Photo by Marks Moore

Jon Wolfe Courtesy liveatfloores.com

Page 35 (L-R)

Chris Knight Courtesy liveatfloores.com

Karen Gomyo Courtesy karengomyo.com James McMurtry Courtesy liveatfloores.com

42 On The Town | September/October

Page 40 (L-R) Switchfoot Courtesy switchfoot.com

Yamato Drummers Courtesy Arts San Antonio Willie Nelson Courtesy Majestic Theatre Akiko Fujimoto Photo by Eric Greene Photography Page 41 (L-R) Bart Crow Photo courtesy liveatfloores.com The Spazmatics Courtesy thespazmatics.net Roger Creager Courtesy rogercreager.com The Book of Mormon First National Tour © Joan Marcus 2013 Page 42 (L-R) The Book of Mormon First National Tour © Joan Marcus 2013 Peter and the Starcatcher Photo by Jenny Anderson Peter and the Starcatcher Photo by Jenny Anderson Diavolo Dance Theater Courtesy Arts San Antonio

September/October 2013 | On The Town 43

44 On The Town | September/October

November-December 2012 | On The Town 44

Culinary Arts

46-60

September/October 2013 | On The Town 45

46 On The Town | September/October

Michael Sohocki – Unplugged ”

By Chris Dunn Photography Dana Fossett

M

usic fans love to hear their favorite recording artist perform “unplugged,” unamped and up close, without all the modern gadgets that come between an artist and his or her audience.

In a world with a volume knob that goes to 11, it is intriguing to think people could connect better by turning the volume down instead of turning it up.

Sustainability, utilizing resources in a way that does not deplete them or damage our planet, is at the heart of Sohocki’s culinary philosophy. He says Restaurant Gwedolyn is founded on the idea of “you make do with what you’ve got,” a concept taught to him by his grandmother and the restaurant’s namesake, Gwendolyn, who was an Oklahoma pig farmer.

Michael Sohocki, executive chef and owner of Restaurant Gwendolyn, has figured this out. He’s created quite a buzz by not making any. Every culinary performance he gives at Gwendolyn is unplugged — literally. You won’t hear the whir of a blender, the drone of a mixer, or the pulse of a processor, because Sohocki will only use kitchen tools that were available before the industrial revolution, or as he puts it, “1850 and before.”

All of the perishables used at the restaurant — meat, seafood, vegetables and fruit — are locally sourced, “most of them from within a 150-mile radius,” says Sohocki, adding, “Sourcing our food close to home is the top priority.” This means if peaches are out of season in Texas, you won’t see peaches on the menu.

“What is outside is inside,” Sohocki says.

“It is a reflection of how things used to be,” he says, when food “had value because of the labor expended in honor of the person eating.” Sohocki admits this makes the dishes he and his staff create more labor intensive, but he says, “When you remove the effort, you take the love out of it, making the human intention unnecessary.”

The Robstown, Texas, native admits he wasn’t always such a passionate locavore nor so exacting in his methods, but several key experiences in life changed his way of thinking.

While working toward his 2002 bachelor’s degree at the Hyde Park campus of the Culinary Institute of America, Sohocki took the capstone class taught by chef instructor Jonathan Zearfoss. He says the instructor taught him that “once you have learned the His efforts have not gone unrewarded. Sohocki was mechanical part [of cooking], leave it in a drawer, and a James Beard semi-finalist for Best Chef Southwest cook for a reason.” In other words, a chef should have 2013. Restaurant Gwendolyn was named the San passion and purpose behind the work.

Antonio Express-News Critics Choice Best New Restaurant 2011, San Antonio Express-News Critics Subsequently, from 2005 to 2007, Sohocki went to Choice Best Downtown Restaurant 2012 and listed Japan and taught English for Apple communications, as “New and Noteworthy” by Texas Monthly. Sohocki and started a cooking school. He says the Japanese also won the Rising Star Sustainability Chef Award are very “conscious of region, season and tradition,” all from StarChefs.com in 2012 for his dedication to using of which he emphasizes at Gwendolyn. Furthermore, local, sustainable products. (Along with the award, “The Japanese people are very sincere, they are honor he received a professional Vita-Mix blender, which bound,” he says. “That changed the way I look at the elicited a smile from everyone who knows him). food I feed my people.”

September/October 2013 | On The Town 47

Sohocki’s culinary journey continued when he returned to the United States. He was hired as chef at The Cove restaurant in San Antonio, where he says the owner, Lisa Asvestas, taught him the importance of sustainable, organic and local food, which is summed up in her motto, “Eat Well. Live Well.”

After two years at The Cove, Sohocki joined Andrew Weissman at his iconic La Rêve restaurant. When it closed, Sohocki moved on to Weissman’s Il Sogno Osteria and The Sandbar Fishhouse and Market where he further refined his culinary skills.

In 2010, with his training complete and goals defined, Sohocki took over the space La Rêve had occupied and opened Restaurant Gwendolyn, where he says he has never once violated his promise to make “everything old school.”

But that doesn’t mean Sohocki won’t do something new -- he recently teamed up with Jenn Wade to open Kimura Ramen on an adjoining corner of the same building that houses Restaurant Gwendolyn.

Wade was born in Japan, and Kimura is her mother’s family name, which means “tree village” in Japanese. Wade, who has had experience in service and management, as well as the kitchen, says the restaurant will feature ramen noodles made in house, handmade tofu, traditional Japanese sashimi and sushi, pork and beef dishes, a full bar and extended hours.

One of the highlights on the menu is pork belly, ramen noodles and a soft boiled egg served in a rich pork bone broth, called, “tonkotsu.” Miso- and chickenbased broths also will be available.

The restaurant is reminiscent of the casual and highly popular food and drink establishments in Japan called “Izakaya,” which roughly translates as, “You can buy your sake here, and stay and drink it, too.” A recent visit to Kimura made it clear that people liked the concept.

The intimate atmosphere, along with the dedication Sohocki and Wade have to locally sourced, handcrafted food, is proving to be a winning formula, guaranteed to strike a chord with an audience that likes their food unamped and up close.

48 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 49

50 On The Town | September/October

2013 Texas Wine Month Trail: Oct. 1-31 W

By Olivier J. Bourgoin; (aka. Olivier the Wine Guy).

hen most people hear the words Texas Wine Month Trail, it is fair to assume most are probably referring to the main wine trail; a yearly event which begun in 2000 and which takes place each year during the entire month of October.

This year, 36 wineries will be participating, and they will be hosting events throughout the month from Oct. 1-31. Of course, in addition to this main Texas Wine Trail, there also are the Holiday Wine Trail in December, the Wine Lovers Trail in February, and the Wine and Wildflowers Trail during the first two weeks of April.

at each of the wineries and visitors have an entire month to take advantage of the benefits.

“First of all, $5 from your $ 25 fee is taken right off the top, and it goes straight to the Susan G. Komen Foundation,” Wiese said. “We chose to partner with them because October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

“At the beginning of each season, we also offer season passes, which are valid for all four of the wine trails, but we only sell a total of 100 per year on a first-come, first-served basis,” she said. “The But the biggest event is the original one: the Texas couples passes cost $334 and $179 for singles.

Wine Month Trail. Some of the wineries involved in As the year moves along, we pro-rate the cost of this year’s event were already crushing grapes when the passes based on how many events remain. In the Texas wine industry was still in its infancy, such addition, with a season pass you also receive one as Fall Creek, Grape Creek and Sister Creek, as well stemless glass to be picked up at the winery of your as Flat Creek and Dry Comal Creek. That’s a lot of choice, plus tickets to the wine trails and to the creeks? For a complete list of participating wineries, wine trails kickoff events.” visit texaswinetrail.com/wineries.

This year’s Texas Wine Month opening event will be January Wiese (pronounced wee-see), executive Oct. 4 at Fiesta Winery in Lometa. The Holiday Wine director of the Texas Hill Country Winery Association, Trail kickoff will be Dec. 6 at Flat Creek Estate Winery said tickets for the October event were available in Marble Falls. beginning in August. A California native from another wine region, Paso Robles, Wiese started as Although not associated with the October Wine the Texas group’s wine trail event coordinator in Trail, the 23rd annual Fredericksburg Food and Wine 2009 and became executive director in 2012.

Festival, which coincides with Texas Wine Month, will be held Oct. 26 in historic downtown Fredericksburg.

A “wine trail” is a self-guided tour, in which visitors Sponsored by the city as a benefit for the Market go to multiple participating wineries. Typically, Square Improvement Project, it is billed as a fullwineries offer tastings of new vintages recently course celebration of Texas food, wine, beer, music, released, as well as the occasional “library tasting.” specialty booths, food courts and fun.

Some businesses offer food and wine pairing events.

Note that some wineries allow pets and others do There’s an old joke in the wine business which goes not. Additionally, some require reservations for like this: “Do you know what it takes to make a small groups of eight or more. fortune with a vineyard or as winemaker? Answer: A large fortune.” That is something to think about Started in 2000, this year’s event is the 14th edition the next time you’re not sure if you should fork out of the Texas Wine Month Trail. For a $25 purchase, the money for that nicer bottle of wine. Making visitors are allowed up to three wine tastings at each wine is a costly proposition with delayed return on of the 36 participating Hill Country wineries. There is investments. Although it is primarily a business, a 15 percent discount on any three bottles of wine wine-making is many other things, as well. I like to September/October 2013 | On The Town 51

say that “wine is poetry in a glass.”

People associated with the wine industry in general and winemakers in particular are often enthusiastic and passionate about their craft. They have to be. It often has been said that drinking wine is an education and that the more educated you are, the more you will enjoy the experience. While touring the wine trails, you may be able to meet some of the winery owners and winemakers and perhaps participate in a guided visit.

Touring the Hill Country offers an opportunity to enjoy beautiful scenery and meet all sorts of interesting people, including local artists, chefs and other foodies and musicians.

“Doing a wine trail is a great way for anyone, including newcomers to Texas, to get out and see what the Hill Country has to offer and to taste the many wines being produced here,” Wiese said. “With the Texas Wine Month Trail priced at only $25, you can spread it out over a whole month and really get your money’s worth.”

Texas Wine Month Trail’s 14th edition: Oct. 1-31.

For more information: 872-216-WINE (9463). texaswinetrail.com/trails

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits: Page 50 Fall Creek Vineyards Photo by Bill Peary Peary Photography Page 52 (Above) Pedernales Cellars Photo by Heather Kuhlken (Below) Bell Springs Gamay Courtesy Bell Springs Winery 52 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 53

54 On The Town | September/October

Mike’s in the Village: Bulverde’s best-kept secret, but not for long

By Olivier J. Bourgoin; (aka. Olivier the Wine Guy).

Photography Greg Harrison

I

f you’re looking for a well-kept culinary secret, Mike’s in the Village might just be it. Tucked away on FM 1836, a few miles west from U.S. Highway 281, you will find this quaint yet serious restaurant smack in the middle of downtown Bulverde, in a rustic setting once occupied by the Bulverde Grill.

you’re working in this incredible environment in the middle of all these beautiful animals -- especially at the aquarium, with all the gorgeous fish and the wonderful props that are already built in.”

“I also worked for the Audubon Institute’s catering department. We would host big fundraisers at the State Aquarium for 1,500 to 2,000 people, or ‘allout barbecues,’ with red beans and rice for three to four thousand guests at the zoo,” he said. “Hosting events at these venues was great fun because

The 3,000-square-foot facility can comfortably accommodate up to 70 patrons in its dining rooms, with ample additional space for private events and functions such as rehearsal dinners. “On some very busy days, like Mother’s Day, for example, we’ve served as many as 250 people in one day, each

Romano also spent time in the kitchen of the renowned Windsor Court Hotel as a line cook and at the iconic restaurant Mike’s on the Avenue. “That’s Chef Mike Romano, a native of Louisiana who grew kind of where I got the idea for the name of this up in the city of Lafayette, was raised in a large, place, as a take-off on it,” he said. “Can you tell?” extended family. “We owned a grocery store, and we would often have ‘a few’ people over -- like 150 Contrarily to some rumors, Romano and his family ‘few’ -- on a typical Sunday afternoon for crawfish did not move to Texas because of Hurricane Katrina. boil,” Romano said with a smile.

“I moved here with my wife (and four children) in March 2008, at the invitation of my father-in-law, Where he acquired much of his valuable restaurant to work with him in his construction business,” experience, however, was in New Orleans, Romano said. working with the likes of chef Emeril Lagasse, as well as other chefs who could “run circles around After about a year, unforeseen challenges started me in the kitchen,” said Romano, who attended creeping up with that business and Romano the New Orleans Delgado Community College decided to go back to his first love: food. Leaving culinary arts program. the construction experiment behind and chalking it up as a learning experience, he started a catering “They had a great curriculum where you went to business, which immediately took off with regular school part time and concurrently, you also had to orders for 60 to 100 box lunches on any given day. put in a full 40-hour work week in an accredited restaurant in order to earn your grades and “Up to that point, I had never anticipated opening credits. I ended up working in kitchens where I my own restaurant but several people, including was a ‘nobody,’ working with five other guys, each the mayor of Bulverde, asked me if I would be of whom was fully capable of running his own interested in leasing this spot,” Romano said. “I’ve successful restaurant, and I learned a whole lot,” always liked a challenge, and when I first saw this Romano said. building, I felt like I could make it happen here.”

September/October 2013 | On The Town 55

of whom, I think, would be very surprised to see what’s going on back there (in the kitchen) and at how well and efficiently fast we work,” Romano said.

“I just wish I had a little more time to come out into the dining room and mingle with my customers.”

“My wife, Christi, helps out a lot with the catering end of the business,” he said. “She takes care of all the bookings and set-ups, and of course raising four kids, who are all active in sports.”

Romano said the restaurant has received recognition and awards in several categories, including Best Chef, People’s Choice and as one of the top restaurants outside Loop 1604.

“It is very gratifying when people compliment you on your food. One lady liked our gumbo so much that she asked me to air ship her two gallons of it.

It had to be refrigerated, and it was quite expensive to send it, but she didn’t mind,” he said.

Speaking of the gumbo, he said, “It all starts with the roux. You’ve got to take the time to do it right. You can’t leave the pot and stop stirring, or it will burn. Then you work your way to the other ingredients, including, of course, the ‘holy trinity’ of Cajun cooking: onions, bell peppers and celery.

Everything has to be ‘nice and tight,’ the way it should be, or you’re going to get called on it, and that’s something I don’t want to do.”

Romano’s craftsmanship was evident in the gumbo, as well as the King Ranch Chicken, which was stuffed in a puff pastry and served with a mushroom cream sauce. The chile relleno also had a twist from the more typical Tex-Mex version. “I take a peeled poblano pepper and stuff it with ground tenderloin trimmings, sautéed veggies and jack cheese,” he said. “I add cumin, cinnamon and raisins, then wrap it all up in phyllo dough, and finally I bake it and serve it with a creamy Southwestern sauce and roasted red pepper ‘coulis’ over black beans and pico. Delicious!”

Mike’s in the Village: 2355-3 Bulverde Road, Bulverde, 830-438-2747. www.mikesinthevillage.com

56 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 57

58 On The Town | September/October

May/June 2013 | On The Town 58

LA FOGATA’S ‘FOUNTAINS FOR YOUTH’ MAKE WISHES COME TRUE Coins in restaurant’s fountains benefit Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives

By Dawn Robinette

A

dmit it: it’s hard to walk by a fountain and not toss in a coin, just in case your wish might come true. At La Fogata, your coins can indeed make wishes come true, thanks to the restaurant’s “Fountains for Youth” campaign. A partnership between La Fogata and Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives Inc., Fountains for Youth collects all of the change tossed in La Fogata’s fountains and donates it to Youth Alternatives, a nonprofit committed to caring for children in crisis and ending the cycle of abuse.

blessings and help children have a brighter future. La Fogata’s mission is to create happiness and that’s what we can do by supporting the important work of Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives.”

Youth Alternatives provides a home to children ages 6 to 17 at its Bridge Elementary Shelter, which provides 24-hour care for an average of 20 children who need a safe place to stay for a short period of time, and its Meadow Land facility, which provides long-term residential care. Counselors provide the structure and support lacking in their home environment and help prepare them for job interviews, find financial aid and healthcare services. Youth Alternatives’ Turning Point Independent Living Program prepares homeless young people to live on their own as independent and productive citizens, and to prevent or reduce their future involvement with social service and judicial systems as adults. To date, Roy Maas has provided services to well over 50,000 youth.

La Fogata is considered the place to take out-of-town visitors, the spot to celebrate special occasions and the place to go when you want a great meal — and a terrific margarita — while being transported to Mexico, thanks to the restaurant’s patios, foliage, fountains and mariachis. Offering authentic Mexican cuisine made with fresh ingredients from traditional recipes, La Fogata has made its mark on San Antonio with fabulous food, welcoming staff and a lively, upbeat atmosphere that never fails to deliver a smile, and with the help of diners’ loose change, its fountains can extend those With seven fountains flowing through the restaurant, smiles to the children at Roy Maas. guests have numerous opportunities to support the efforts of Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives one penny, Loving, caring and helping children in crisis since 1976, nickel, dime or quarter at a time. Didn’t bring your Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives provides counseling and change with you or want to toss in currency that might shelter for children who have experienced physical float? La Fogata is happy to ensure your donation make or sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment. Youth its way to the children that Youth Alternatives serves — Alternatives offers resources aimed at helping youth just talk to your server about making a donation. And at risk to take charge of their lives and learn as much to make your donation go even further, La Fogata is as they can about the challenges they face, an effort matching all fountain donations, so your wish to help certainly deserving of a wish or two.

San Antonio’s youth in need will be granted before you know it.

As part of San Antonio for 35 years, La Fogata is woven into the fabric of the community, and that includes La Fogata is tucked under the trees at 2427 Vance giving back to the city that has made the restaurant Jackson Road. The restaurant offers a free shuttle, so if what it is. “Supporting those in need is something you need help hauling in your penny-filled piggy bank, we need to do together to make our terrific city even just let them know! For more information about La better. It’s not, ‘Why are we supporting Roy Maas, Fogata, visit www.lafogata.com. For more information it’s why wouldn’t we?’ ” says Dwight Lieb, owner of on RMYA, visit www.rmya.org.

La Fogata. “We have the opportunity to share our September/October 2013 | On The Town 59

60 On The Town | September/October

Visual Arts 62-72

September/October 2013 | On The Town 61

62 On The Town | September/October

BRISCOE BRINGS

WEST BACK TO LIFE

By Mauri Elbel Photo of Dr. Steven M. Karr by Greg Harrison

S

an Antonio soon will boast a museum befitting its storied Western past.

than a dozen years. The museum’s opening will introduce a lasting institution to San Antonio’s residents and visitors –– a place where the art and The city’s highly anticipated Briscoe Western Art culture definitive of the West comes to life in never Museum will open its doors Oct. 26 and 27 during before seen ways. a free-to-the-public event brimming with Westernthemed entertainment, music and food.

“Our primary interpretive scope is to look at artifacts in an artistic manner,” Karr said. “It’s not a heavy “San Antonio is arguably the West’s most iconic interpretive scope you’ll find at other museums. city,” said Dr. Steven M. Karr, executive director. While history is surely included in our scope, it is “People from all over come to San Antonio in part not our primary driver. It is to look at the art of the because they are searching for that Western flavor. West in ways people haven’t previously.”

And having a dedicated Western art museum is important because it allows people the opportunity For starters, there is no defined chronology at the to better understand the iconic images that have Briscoe. “The Briscoe is thematic,” Karr said. “We defined the West.” are using themes and ideas that are evocative of the American West: work, movement, opportunity, The Briscoe Museum, named in honor of the late conflict and landscape.”

Texas governor Dolph Briscoe Jr., and his wife, Janey, preserves and interprets the art, history and Nine galleries spread across the museum’s three culture of the American West through engaging floors feature historic and contemporary paintings exhibitions, educational programs and public and sculptures by Frederic Remington, members events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and of the Taos Society of Artists, Maynard Dixon, shared heritage. Already a River Walk landmark, the Howard Terpning, Z.S. Liang, and the museum’s institution is housed in the renovated historic San first permanent installation, John Coleman’s Antonio Central Library, built in 1930, and newly monumental bronze, Visions of Change. constructed pavilion designed by the nationally recognized architecture firm Lake|Flato. Occupying Also included are integrated video interviews with over one and one-quarter acres of land comprising artists, art collectors and other Western personalities. two buildings and an expansive courtyard and Artifact collection highlights include large and sculpture garden, the main museum building is dramatic displays of fine saddles and spurs, Pancho nearly 38,000 square feet. The Briscoe’s renovation Villa’s last known saddle, an interactive diorama of to the art deco/neo-classical-style building included the Alamo, Santa Anna’s sword, a 16th-century silk restoration of many original architectural elements embroidered Spanish saddle and Manila Galleon and extensive rehabilitation of the main lobby. trade chest, a Comanchero jacket, and listening Conceptually, the idea for the museum began more stations with songs and stories of the West. than a decade ago, said Karr, who has worked in university, public and private museums for more Inside the museum, tours of the thematic galleries September/October 2013 | On The Town 63

will take place throughout the grand opening weekend, featuring festivities spanning the Briscoe campus, including charros, trick ropers, a working chuck wagon, artist demonstrations, a handson children’s area, Western themed-food, live entertainment and music.

“San Antonio is steeped in history and culture and art, and we see ourselves as one of those things that makes this city so unique,” Karr said. “This is an opportunity to come down and experience a new old part of the downtown area. It’s an opportunity to see some wonderful Western art and for people to re-experience the downtown area that is really coming into its own as a vibrant part of this city.”

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • What: Briscoe Western Art Museum grand opening weekend When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 26-27 Where: 210 W. Market St., San Antonio, Texas 78205 Details: Free to the public, the Briscoe’s grand opening is a chance to view wonderful works of art, historic artifacts, tour three floors of thematic galleries and enjoy artist demonstrations, live performances, Western-themed food, trick ropers and more.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits: Page 62 (L-R) Dr. Steven M. Karr Photo by Greg Harrison Page 64 (Above) Two Packers Maynard Dixon (Below)

64 On The Town | September/October

Eagle Dancer Z.S. Liang

September/October 2013 | On The Town 65

GET A CLUE, CRACK THE CASE AT THE WITTE THIS FALL

By Shannon Huntington-Standley

66 On The Town | September/October

D

o yo u f i n d yo u rsel f watch i n g all t he c r im e d ram a s, tru e cr i me sh ows or t he i nve s t ig at i o n ch a n n el s? Here is your cha n ce to b e co m e th e detec ti ve a n d solve t he cr i m e, f ro m b e gi n n i n g to en d.

Tr y your hand at t he sc ience o f D N A id ent ific at ion; toxicology ; fo re n s i c ant hrop ology, entomology and p at h o l o g y ; firear m and tool mar k id ent ific at i o n ; l ate nt p r int s; and b lood sp lat ter analys i s. Us e t h e tools t he exp er t s use, inc ludi n g a ma s s B e gi nni n g O c t. 5, v i si to rs to th e Wi tte M useum sp ec t rometer, mic roscop es, ma gn i fi e r s, wil l sta r i n t h e n e west edi ti o n o f “CSI: Cr im e comp uter d at ab ases, UV light sou rce s, a ce l l S ce n e I nve s t ig at i on” by pl ay i n g th e role of p hone seizure k it, b allist ic s ide nt i fi c at i o n fore n si c s c i e nt is t s i n CS I : Th e E xper i ence. On systems and b ullet t rap and more. v ie w th ro u g h J an . 26 i n th e mu seu m’s K at hleen a nd Cu r t i s G u n n G a l l er y, th e exh i bit ion is From DNA and firear ms analysi s to fo re n s i c ins pi red by t h e h i t CB S tel ev i si o n ser ies and ant hrop ology and tox icology — s c i e n ce s vi t a l high li g ht s t h e p ro cess o f sci enti f i c i n quir y and to unraveling t he myster ies of c r i me s ce n e rea l i nve s t i g at io n tech n i qu es u sed to solve invest igat ion — visitor s are i mme r s e d i n cr i m e s. hand s- on sc ience in an exc it ing mu l t i - me di a September/October 2013 | On The Town 67

environment wit h d azzling spe c i a l e ffe c t s d irec t from t he C SI T V ser ies. Ca s t me mb e r s from t he ser ies, along wit h t h e i r re a l - l i fe counter p ar t s, welcom e visitor s to CSI: Th e Exp er ience from a large vid eo m o n i to r, t h e n lead t hem t hroughout t he ex p er i e n ce.

Visitors, the new recruits, star t the investigation in one of t hree c r ime scenes: a sub u r b a n l i vi n g room , a hotel alley and a rem ote de s e r t. E a c h scene c reates a ver y d ifferent c r i me mys te r y, b ut t he t ask at hand is t he same: i de nt i fy a n d gat her evid ence; analyze m ater i a l s w i t h t h e help of t he latest sc ient ific and te c h n o l o gi c a l ad vances; for mulate hyp ot hese s a b o u t t h e c r ime; and confir m and com mu n i c ate t h e find ings.

C SI: The Exp er ience feat ures t wo s e p a rate c r ime lab s to ex p lore t he st ate - o f- t h e - a r t tec hnology used in evid ence anal ys i s. To t ra ce vehic le t rac ks, c lot hing fib er s and p a i nt c h i p s in t he fir st lab, visitor s collec t d at a fro m ma s s sp ec t rom et r y and m ic roscop e a n a l ys i s to d eter m ine where matc hes occ ur a n d h ow t h e y cont r ib ute to t he larger hyp ot he s i s. Eva l u ate d igit al evid ence p rovid ed by cell p h o n e s a n d ot her elec t ronic s, in ad d it ion to ha rd e vi de n ce suc h as finger p r int s, b lood pat te r n s a n d ammunit ion c asings. I n a secon d l a b o rato r y sp ace, visitor s exam ine forensic a r t a s t h e y st ud y age p rogression and at tem p t to matc h an im age wit h a vic t im.

Finally, head to “Gr issom’s O ffi ce� a n d u s e t he sc ient ific infor mat ion gat he re d to b u i l d a c ase by answer ing a ser ies o f mu l t i p l e c hoice quest ions on touc h sc ree n s. On ce t h e c ase summar y is generated, co mp a re yo u r sc ient ific find ings to t hose of exp e r t c r i me scene invest igator s.

There is a surc harge of $8 for ad ul t s a n d $ 6 fo r m emb er s and c hild ren in ad d it ion to mu s e u m general ad mission for C SI: The Ex p e r i e n ce.

For more infor m at ion, visit w w w. Wi t te M u s e u m. org or w w w. C SITheEx p er ience. org o r c a l l 2 1 0 357-1910.

68 On The Town | September/October January-February 2013

September/October 2013 | On The Town 69

CAMP DISCOVERY, FARYL GRELLER AND THE 35TH ANNUAL CATTLE BARON’S GALA

By Renee Silber Photos courtesy American Cancer Society

T

he American Cancer Society will hold its 35th As the official sponsor of birthdays, the cancer Annual Cattle Baron’s Gala Oct. 26 at the JW society knows how important each birthday Marriott in the San Antonio Hill Country. can be. The organization’s 100th birthday is an opportunity to celebrate the lifesaving progress It is a significant year for the gala, marking a against cancer that has been made and to continue milestone anniversary as well as the 100th birthday the relentless pursuit of even more birthdays as of the American Cancer Society. The organization patients finish the fight. was formed by a small group of physicians and business leaders in New York to raise awareness Howie Nestel chairs this year’s Cattle Baron’s Gala, about cancer symptoms and investigate its causes. which will feature the music of Blues Traveler, Thanks to a century of progress, nearly 14 million Texas gourmet food, silent and live auctions, pig cancer survivors in the United States will celebrate races, cowboy games, raffles and more. another birthday this year.

70 On The Town | September/October

For the past seven years, one of the gala’s topselling items has been an art project created by campers at Camp Discovery. The camp is for 150 children ages 7 to 16, who have had cancer, providing a camp experience designed just for them. This year’s art project is titled “Hearts of Hope,” a collaborative effort by artist Faryl Greller and the campers.

“Working with children with cancer allows me to see their hearts,” Greller said. “My constant concern is to convey the sensitivity, the hope, the pain behind the cancer. Each brushstroke the children make is a statement. Storytelling is essential to this piece.”

campers transformed a blank canvas heart into an individual creation.

Greller designed the project based on colors that corresponded to each age group’s cabin color, giving each camper further individualism and ownership of their part of the project. Vicki Goebel, ACS Camp Discovery project chair, led a team of volunteers who assisted each camper with their design.

Once the canvases were complete, the task of creating a single and truly singular 5-foot-by-5foot group mural rested on Greller’s shoulders.

The “Hearts of Hope” mural will be framed and mounted by Art Inc., and sold at the gala.

Greller encouraged the campers to creatively express their feelings through their individual For more information, visit www.cattlebaronsgala. pieces of “heart art.” Using the directions, org or call 210-595-0249. “ Think about what hope and love mean to you,” September/October 2013 | On The Town 71

72 On The Town | September/October

Literary Arts

74-78

September/October 2013 | On The Town 73

Nan Cuba, novelist and professor Story and Photo by Jasmina Wellinghoff 74 On The Town | September/October

T

hough she started her writing career as a journalist, Nan Cuba soon discovered that her real interest laid elsewhere. After earning an MFA in fiction from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers, she started publishing short stories, poetry and essays , a number of which have been included in prominent anthologies. She served as assistant editor of the Palo Alto Review, co-edited the anthology Writers at the Lake (Our Lady of the Lake University) and more recently served as editor of Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists, published by Trinity University Press in 2008. Since 2005, she has taught creative writing at OLLU, where she’s currently an associate professor of English.

But Cuba’s greatest legacy to San Antonio is the creation of Gemini Ink, the city’s sole independent and nationally known literary center that she founded and led from its inception in 1992 until 2003. Still going strong after two decades of work, Gemini Ink has brought to town many literary luminaries, offered a huge array of classes for writers and the reading public, and sponsored writing workshops in community settings throughout the area.

This year, Cuba has reached another cherished goal – the publication of her first novel, Body and Bread (Engine Books), which examines the ramifications of a family member’s suicide. The story is mostly told through the experiences of Sarah, the suicide victim’s favorite sibling who is unable to fully engage with life even years after her brother Sam’s tragic death. An anthropologist specializing in Mezoamerican cultures, Sarah studies Aztec and other Mexicha rituals and religion while dealing with her own family’s past and present.

Cuba, who like Sarah lost a brother to suicide many years ago, followed Mark Twain’s advice to “write what you know.” And her narrative shows it. San Antonio Express-News reviewer Pam Johnston described Body and Bread as “a beautiful examination of family dynamics in the wake of suffering and the way grief continues to shape our lives far beyond the death of a loved one.” The novel was included in Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine’s “15 Riveting Reads to Pick up in May 2013.”

JW: I read someplace that this novel had been in

the making for 20 years. Could you explain?

NC: The book was not planned. It actually started with a story. I wrote a five-page story – it’s the fishgutting scene in the first chapter of the novel – and it was published in the Columbia University journal.

Afterwards a friend of mine pointed out that my story was very similar to Katherine Anne Porter’s story The Grave. My reaction was one of alarm. No writer wants to think that she doesn’t have original material. I explained that I wasn’t thinking of The Grave at all, but it touched a nerve because Porter’s fiction has been influential in my work. I knew that I had read that story, and I reread it after that conversation with my friend. The parallels were troubling. It was also a brother-sister story with similar narrative elements. But the most troubling aspect was that the brother in Porter’s story is named Paul and my brother who committed suicide was also named Paul. So that told me that that story was probably in my subconscious when I wrote my own short story, and it became apparent to me that without consciously planning it I had wanted to write about my brother. (Later, advised by a professor in her MFA program to write autobiographical fiction, Cuba developed multiple stories about an East Texas family which eventually morphed into the present novel over a number of years.)

JW: So, how did the collection of stories finally become Body and Bread?

NC: The year after I left Gemini Ink, I took the whole year (2004) off to find an agent and to develop the manuscript. I worked hard and found my agent, Esmond Harmsworth from the Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency. He’s stayed with me all these years. He asked me to revise the manuscript a couple of times, and his agency partner also critiqued it. He also paid three outside readers to read it and based on their feedback, I revised it at least one more time. Then we thought it was ready. However, the six big publishers that he sent the novel to all declined but the letters we got back were lovely, complimentary letters. Esmond said that the industry was shifting, and big houses were reluctant to take a chance on literary fiction from a first-time novelist. We then looked at smaller houses, and I eventually stumbled on Engine Books, and I am very grateful to this publisher. They only publish literary fiction, and they only take four September/October 2013 | On The Town 75

books a year. (Several more revisions followed before the book was released.)

JW: Could you address how the material shaped itself in your mind?

NC: I remember writing that first line of the first chapter, “Please help me say the unsayable: My first life ended when my brother Sam committed suicide.” I wrote that about half-way through the process. What I said to myself was, this book is going to be a eulogy. And while I was writing it, I was thinking that if I were able to wrestle with Sam and Sarah’s family and the motivations behind their behavior, it would in some way help me reconcile with the fact that my brother had made the same choice as Sam. Just like Sarah was trying to figure it out, I was trying to figure it out. But the odd thing is, now that I finished it, I no longer think that that’s what the book is about. In its final form it’s actually a testimony to the damage done to the family when a loved one commits suicide. Sarah is very damaged and trying so hard to heal herself.

This book is her story.

JW: How old were you and how old was your brother when he killed himself?

NC: My brother was 26 and I was 23. It was more than 40 years ago. It’s not that I am conscious of grieving all the time but in my subconscious I must have needed to do what I did. And I’ll tell you this: while writing the book and fully understanding that my brother Paul was the inspiration for it, I worried about what people would think about that.

(Will they be saying), are you using your brother’s tragedy in some way to your advantage? And what would your parents and other siblings think? How ethical is this? I really wrestled with these questions.

But this is what I finally realized. Forty years after Paul died I get to talk about him. I get to say his name and talk about who he was and celebrate his life. He would have loved that! I can’t tell you how many people told me with tears in their eyes that they had experienced a similar tragedy and thanked me for writing this book.

JW: You brought a lot of complexity and layers to the writing and incorporated a great deal of ancient Mesoamerican cultural practices throughout the narrative. It’s obvious that you did a lot of research 76 On The Town | September/October

in this area. I guess it’s not an accident that Sarah is an anthropologist specializing in Mexicha history and mythology. There are lots of references to ritualistic sacrifice with an implication of renewal and rebirth. Do you see a parallel to Sarah’s story?

NC: I absolutely do. All of that is in Sarah’s mind.

She has hallucinations when she is frightened or under stress, and she retreats into the Mezoamerican culture because that’s where she’s the most comfortable. That’s her profession. She can escape from her feelings of guilt and thinking about Sam and what’s going on with her family.

But she also undergoes a change reminiscent of Mexicha’s ritualistic ceremonies. In one scene, she visits a tunnel at a bottom of a pyramid in Mexico that was said to be the center of the earth. She starts feeling disoriented, and while there she gets the sense that Sam’s spirit has become part of her. She even pledges to him that she would live for both of them. That ritual is important in understanding her psychology, her need to carry Sam’s spirit with her. There’s a rebirth of him into her.

But at the end of the story, the goddess Tlahzolteotl, who is the one who “eats the guilt” and forgives you when you confess to her, steps in. Sarah imagines herself talking to the goddess, and she finally frees herself of the guilt. In my mind she will be free of the hallucinations, she will be free of the responsibility of carrying Sam with her, and there’s a rebirth for her.

JW: Are you currently busy with readings and doing publicity for Body and Bread?

JW: On another topic: You are the founder of Gemini Ink, which is still going strong after 20 years. Has the organization fulfilled your hopes for it?

NC: It wasn’t an official nonprofit until 1996, but Marilyn (Croman) and I started it in ’92 with the readers’ theater shows. Then we started classes in ’94. I am delighted that we still have it, and I am grateful to everyone who has worked to sustain it. It’s a large organization now and a huge commitment. I am extremely grateful to Rose (Catacalos, Cuba’s successor at the helm of Gemini Ink). Her legacy is the development of the Writers in Communities program, and I appreciate that. I knew it needed to be developed when I left, and she did it. And the program is thriving. And Sheila (Black, the new director) is fabulous. She is primarily an artist but she also knows exactly what to do to run a nonprofit. Her commitment right now is to focus on the University Without Walls (classes for writers), and she has already made a huge headway. She wants to bring back the mentor program, too. I am just thrilled. I want to help her in any way possible if she would let me.

JW: Now that the story that has been part of you for so long has been told, what are your future literary plans?

NC: I have already started my second novel; it will be something funny and fun, not easy comedy, more like a tragicomedy. My title is He Didn’t Kill Anybody but Mom. As a journalist I interviewed a serial killer so the book is inspired by that experience although the killer himself is a minor character. All the other people around him are kind of extreme individuals, to the point of absurdity. I expect it to be a comment on our criminal justice system. I plan to take the fall semester off and then return to teaching for the spring semester and then retire from full-time teaching altogether to devote myself to writing.

NC: I believe in the book, and I feel obligated and responsible to do whatever I can to share it with others and to see to it that it gets the life that it deserves. I enjoy the interaction with readers. This is what I tell book groups who invite me to speak to them. I compare talking about my book to the experience I had when my daughter Julia was getting ready to go into preschool. The teacher invited me in and asked me to tell her -------------------------------------------------------------about Julia. I said, “You mean, I get to talk about my child! And you really want to listen?” That’s Cuba’s comments have been edited slightly for how I feel when people ask me to talk about space and clarity. my book. For 20 years I was in a room by myself (laughs). This is new to me.

September/October 2013 | On The Town 77

78 On The Town | September/October

EClectics Eclectics 80-86

September/October 2013 | On The Town 79

80 On The Town | September/October

Artistic Destination GEORGIA O’KEEFFE’S NEW MEXICO

By Julie Catalano

F

ew artists are as identified with a place as Georgia O’Keeffe is with New Mexico. Her landscapes and iconic still-life depictions embody the free and frontier spirit of the land like no other. As she herself explained: “When I got to New Mexico, that was mine. As soon as I saw it, that was my country. I’d never seen anything like it before, but it fitted to me exactly. It’s something that’s in the air, it’s different. The sky is different, the wind is different. I shouldn’t say too much about it because other people may be interested, and I don’t want them interested.” (Georgia O’Keeffe, film, Perry Miller Adato, producer and director.)

of the most significant artists of the 20th century lived, worked and created from the mid-1930s until her death in Santa Fe in 1986 at age 98. For every O’Keeffe devotee, history buff, art collector — or even the simply curious — here are three places in O’Keeffe’s beloved New Mexico not to be missed.

Ghost Ranch Education and Retreat Center, Abiquiu. 877804-4678. ghostranch.org

Approximately 60 miles northwest of Santa Fe, the Ghost Ranch embodies the sweeping landscapes that inspired much of O’Keeffe’s art for more than four decades. Owned It was an ironic statement for the notoriously private and by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, her Ghost often prickly artist, because now thousands of art lovers Ranch home — which she bought in 1940 -- is not open in general and O’Keeffe aficionados in particular flock to to the public, and she alternated residences between that “her” land every year, to see for themselves where one and her home in Abiquiu, about 15 minutes away. Tours September/October 2013 | On The Town 81

abound at the ranch — archeological, paleontological, movie set and history tours — but the highlight is unquestionably the O’Keeffe landscape bus tour started in 2005. “It was in response to an exhibit at the O’Keeffe Museum called ‘A Sense of Place,’” said Ghost Ranch tours and activities coordinator Karen Butts. Location photography at the ranch was placed next to O’Keeffe’s paintings, and soon “a lot of people wanted to see those sites.” A horseback tour for intermediate riders followed in 2010 and then a walking tour in 2011. Guides hold up prints next to the stops on the tour, which fascinates guests. “People get to match the image to the landscape, which of course people love.” Butts also leads the Georgia O’Keeffe Artist Immersion Workshop, where no more than eight participants spend a weekend walking, exploring and painting the same locations in a restricted area of the ranch where O’Keeffe completed many of her paintings.

Not for beginning artists, the package price ranges from $395 to $595 for the program, lodging and meals.

Home and Studio, Abiquiu. 505-685-4539. http://www. okeeffemuseum.org/abiquiu-home--studio-tour.html Also owned by the O’Keeffe Museum, the artist’s home in Abiquiu has been described by some as a “transformative experience.” Maybe it’s the spartan nature of the 5,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial-era abode (O’Keeffe would not tolerate clutter), the sight of her spacious studio, the rocks meticulously lined up on window sills, her monastic-like bedroom consisting of a twin bed and small table and not much else, the awe-inspiring views of her beloved mountains and the Chama River Valley, or the fact that much of the house is exactly how O’Keeffe left it when she moved to Santa Fe in 1984, two years before her death. Agapita Lopez, author, tour guide and former assistant to O’Keeffe in her later years, said, “We left the house as if she would come back to it at any time.

She could walk in here and would have found it just as she left it.” Tours are approximately one hour, carefully controlled (cameras, recording equipment, note-taking and sketching are prohibited) and limited to 12 guests.

Visitors can walk through some rooms, such as the kitchen and studio; others are viewed only from the outside, such as the dining room, sitting room and bedroom.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe. 505-946-1000. okeeffemuseum.org Visitors often are surprised at the size of the O’Keeffe Museum, perhaps expecting a grand, huge space to 82 On The Town | September/October

accommodate the larger-than-life artist. But its collection more than makes up for it. With 1,149 O’Keeffe paintings, drawings and sculptures that rotate throughout the year, it is the largest single repository of O’Keeffe’s work in the world. It is the only American museum in the world dedicated to an internationally known female artist, including her art materials, clothing and household objects. Two significant exhibits are upcoming: “Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George,” from October through Jan. 26, and “Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawaii Pictures,” from Feb. 7 to Sept. 14, 2014. Check out the extensive online collection at the museum website.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Burnett Foundation (1997.18.002)© Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Page 81 Georgia O’Keeffe, Back of Marie’s No. 4, 1931.

Oil on canvas, 16 x 30 in.

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Gift of The Burnett Foundation (1997.06.038)© Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Page 82 (Above) Clouds over Chimney Rock For further reading: “Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Houses,” Barbara Buhler Lyons Courtesy of Ghost Ranch and Agapita Judy Lopez, Abrams, 2012.

(Below) Rainbow Over Golden Meadow Courtesy of Ghost Ranch Photo Credits:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Page 80 Georgia O’Keeffe, Calla Lily Turned Away, 1923.

Pastel on paper-faced cardboard, 14 x 10 7/8 in.

Page 83 O’Keeffe Walking Tour Courtesy of Ghost Ranch September/October 2013 | On The Town 83

84 On The Town | September/October

COOL CREST IS COOL ONCE AGAIN! Andry brothers restore iconic miniature golf course

By Michele Krier | Photography Greg Harrison

F

our brothers have scored a hole in one by restoring the historic Cool Crest Miniature Golf course. A popular favorite in San Antonio since it first opened in 1929, Cool Crest is once again the place of first dates, budding romances and nostalgic visits from long-time customers.

the late Mexican artist Dionisio Rodriguez.

“We had a couple who just got engaged here this weekend,” said Mitchell Andry, as he sat watching teams of golfers from the shaded patio area cooled by a mister and a giant fan.

“We’ve had great feedback from the community,” James said, “and a lot of support.” The Cool Crest sign in its signature green still can be seen at 1414 Fredericksburg Road, just west of IH-10, in the Art Deco District.

A true labor of love, the entire Andry family pitched in to bring Cool Crest back into commission, complete with new bragging rights -- it recently was designated part of the U.S. Pro Mini Golf Association.

“San Antonio pro golfer Joe Conrad came by with his old Cool Crest score card, showing he shot a 31 on One woman visiting with her family shared her the original 18-hole course,” said Mitchell, who has memories of Fredericksburg Road in the ‘50s, explaining worked for USAA for more than 30 years. that it was actually close to the country in those days.

People came out to play at Cool Crest, went to the “We had a 90-year-old man last week who brought his drive-in movie down the street and to places like the son with him because they came here when he was historic Tip-Top Café, which is still in business. young. And they brought the 30-year-old grandson.

It was great seeing three generations,” he said.

“These are the original aluminum patio chairs,” Mitchell said, noting the owners found them in Mitchell and his brothers, Albert, Phillip and Dr. James storage and re-painted them in the signature green.

Andry, who talked his brothers into restoring Cool “We went to Color Tone just up the street and were Crest with him, used to play on the golf course as kids surprised that they still had the old color palette and when they were growing up in the neighborhood. In original formula for Cool Crest green. It was a special fact, both Albert and James took their first dates to color the Metzgers (the original owners) had made.” the golf course.

Harold and Maria Metzger operated Cool Crest They never thought that they’d someday buy Cool together, adding a second 18-hole course in 1960.

Crest from Maria Metzger, who lovingly planted Harold, a veteran of World War II, designed the course and nurtured the banana trees, orchids, Pride of and creatively used the slopes to make the course Barbados and other colorful flowering plants and more interesting. Maria kept the business open after lush vegetation. The course is worth a visit just to Harold died, finally closing the facility in 2007. The enjoy the beautiful, peaceful gardens and the brook Andry family bought the official historic landmark which runs through the property like an acacia. after Maria died in 2010.

“Erasmo has been the gardener here for 30 years.

He takes beautiful care of everything,” Mitchell said.

“Frank DeCock of Aggie Horticultural Service has done the landscaping.” Cool Crest is virtually a little oasis just off the highway.

A special treat is seeing two cement sculptures -- a fountain and a bridge with railings designed to look like wood -- a signature technique made famous by

The Cool Crest mini golf venue once again is a destination for fun birthday parties, family events, reunions and dates. Just as many familiar fans are paying homage to the past as there are new curious customers coming to play the beautifully restored 18-hole courses and enjoy a cherished San Antonio tradition, thanks to the efforts of four brothers from the neighborhood.

September/October 2013 | On The Town 85

86 On The Town | September/October

Out & About with Greg harrison 88-96

September/October 2013 | On The Town 87

88 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 89

90 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 91

92 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 93

94 On The Town | September/October

September/October 2013 | On The Town 95

fjhas;dfhj

Picture This: Cu

Lethal Beauty: Samurai Weapons and Armor 9/28-1/5 San Antonio Museum of Art 96 On The Town | September/October

Cut! Costume and the Cinema 10/2-1/19 McNay Art Museum

ultural Exhibitions

m

TX*13 Texas Biennial 9/5-11/9 Blue Star Contemporary Art Center

CSI: The Experience 10/5-11/26 Witte Museum

September/October 2013 | On The Town 97

At Museums/ Art Centers Near You

Texas Contemporary Artist Series Ongoing Institute of Texan Cultures 98 On The Town | September/October

La Linea 9/5-11/20 Wonder Worlds 9/5-11/8 Southwest School of Art

September/October 2013 | On The Town 99

100 On The Town | September/October