Texas Flower Country Women’s 5K/10K Run at Wildseed Farms Saturday
Run through blossoming fields of flowers and head to the finish line for a champagne brunch at the Texas Flower Country Women’s 5K/10K Run on Saturday, May 11, at Wildseed Farms. The race will take place from 8:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Participants will enjoy a post-race champagne brunch, wine and beer tasting, free massages, great music and shopping in Wildseed Farm’s Blossoms Boutique and Lantana Nursery. Race registration is $50 per person for the 10K and $40 per person for the 5K and additional guest meals are available for $15 each. Proceeds benefit Any Baby Can of San Antonio. For registration and additional information, visit www.runintexas.com/flower.

Kid-friendly Celebrations:

Founders Day Celebration Saturday
Celebrate the May 1846 founding of Fredericksburg on Saturday, May 11, during the Fredericksburg Founders Day Celebration. The day will begin by honoring descendants with a wreath laying near the Vereins Kirche at Marktplatz, followed by a full day of events at the Pioneer Museum. From 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. enjoy re-enactors, historical demonstrations, hands-on activities, music and games. Admission to the Pioneer Museum events is $5 for adults; $3 for children ages 6 to 17 years; and free for children ages 5 and younger. For additional information, visit www.pioneermuseum.net.

Zoofari Exotic Animal Show Saturday
Bring the whole family to enjoy a free, educational program featuring a friendly and diverse group of animals of all sizes in a portable zoo.  Zoofari Animal Outreach will be at the Adelsverein Halle at downtown Marktplatz from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m on Saturday, May 11. Adults and children alike can see, interact with and touch both familiar and exotic animals from around the world in a safe environment of learning and play.  Past shows have featured warthogs, owls, kangaroos, porcupines, camels, zebras and more.

A Treat for Teachers and Former Teachers and Lovers of the English Language:

Gillespie County Historic Schools Open House Saturday
Visit the Meusebach and Grapetown Historic Schools during the Historic Schools open house on Saturday, May 11, from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Former students and community docents will be available to share stories of school days from the late 1800s to early 1900s. Admission is free, and donations are gratefully accepted. Driving maps are available at the Visitor Information Center located at 302 E. Austin, or online at www.historicschools.org.

Fredericksburg Chorale presents “Dialogues and Dances” Saturday Evening
Enjoy new compositions, improvisations and original poetry by Fredericksburg community members at “Dialogues & Dances” Saturday, May 11, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hill Country University Center. Admission is by donation. For additional information, visit www.FredericksburgChorale.com.

A Special Sunday Just for Mothers

Mothers Day Luncheon at Becker Vineyards Sunday
Enjoy a three-course catered lunch paired with award-winning Becker Vineyard wines during the annual Mothers Day Luncheon on Sunday, May 12, beginning at 12:30 p.m. in the Lavender Haus Reception Hall at Becker Vineyards. Tickets are $65 per person, and available online. For tickets and additional information, visit www.beckervineyards.com.

Pedernales Cellars Hosts Roses and Rosé for Mother’s Day Sunday
Pedernales Cellars will celebrate Mothers on Sunday, May 12, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. during their Roses and Rosé for Mother’s Day Celebration. The first 100 moms to arrive at Pedernales Cellars will receive a rose. Guests are also invited to taste the Pedernales Cellars Dry Rose and listen to live music by Phil Grota from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Admission is free. For additional information, visit www.pedernalescellars.com.

Founders Day is one of those days.

Fredericksburg was founded on May 8, 1846. Since the mid-1950s, the Founders Day celebration has taken place the second Saturday of May each year on the Pioneer Museum grounds.

This year, the Founders Day celebration will be held on Saturday, May 11.

The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vereins Kirche at downtown’s Marktplatz. The ceremony honors the founding families of Fredericksburg.

A second wreath-laying ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the entrance of Der Stadt Friedhof (or City Cemetery), located at the 300 block of North Lee Street. Local historian Glen Treibs will give a tour of the cemetery and share some history about our earliest settlers.

A full day of events is planned at the Pioneer Museum, located at 325 West Main Street. For the price of regular admission, you get so much more! From 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., families can enjoy re-enactments, historical demonstrations and hands-on activities to learn activities such as blacksmithing, spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing, wire-fence making, corn shelling and rope making. There also will be antique tractors and engines in operation, as well as music, storytelling and games. Admission is $5 for adults; $3 for children ages 6 to 17 years; and free for children ages 5 and younger.

A special social hour and dinner begins at 5:00 p.m. in the historic sanctuary at the Pioneer Museum, but this event already has sold out.

Don’t miss the fun! For additional information, visit http://www.pioneermuseum.net.

The bottom symbols portray the March 2, 1847 peace negotiations between Comanche tribes and the German pioneers. A group of settlers, led by John O. Meusebach, traveled north, deep into Comanche territory, and met with 15 to 20 Comanche chiefs. The agreement they reached allowed the Fredericksburg colonists to develop their settlement in peace.

The cowboy and dancers on the second level portray the settlers working and celebrating.

The third level represents the grapes and peaches, which have contributed so abundantly to the local economy.

The next level shows the importance of hunting deer, turkey and other wild game in the development of the colony as well as its importance in the area’s present-day economy.

Also playing a major role in Fredericksburg’s past and present are cattle, sheep and goats, which find plentiful grazing in the area.

The ship and oxcart on the next level portray the transportation of the pioneers arriving in this colony. Most came by ship from Germany to Indianola, a port on Matagorda Bay, and then by oxcart overland to Fredericksburg.

The settlers established a unique community in Fredericksburg as symbolized by the Sunday Houses, which dot the city, and the historic Nimitz Hotel, which serves today as the Admiral Nimitz Museum—a key element of the National Museum of the Pacific War.

Two of the community’s most recognized features today are the replica of the Vereins Kirche, the first church, and the cross atop Cross Mountain. These symbolize the devotion of the early settlers to the Christian faith.

The 12 tree branches at the top of the Maibaum are modeled after the burr oak, a species that is notable for its stately height and durable, useful wood. The trunk and branches are wrought iron and the leaves are copper with a natural patina.

The Fredericksburg Maibaum was contributed to the community by the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance, a local organization devoted to fostering the arts in this area. The Alliance annually produces the Oktoberfest, a family festival, on the first weekend in October.

One of the most noteworthy and lasting contributions of the early German immigrants who began to settle in the area in the 1840s was their mastery of the crafts of making sausages and smoking meats. Early German-owned meat markets used time-honored family recipes to create their products.

Opa’s Smoked Meats, established in Fredericksburg some 60 years ago, carries on this family tradition today.

Opa’s offers a broad selection of smoked meats, jerky (turkey and beef), bacon (peppered and maple-smoked), a wide variety of sausages, and hams (glazed and peppered, spiral-sliced), both online and at their retail deli. All of the meats are seasoned and slow-smoked on-site in Opa’s state-of-the-art kitchens. The sausages are hand-made using traditional methods and smoked just right to give them a subtle note of wood smoke.

While many of Opa’s sausages are distributed statewide and nationwide to large retail supermarkets and big box retailers, there are some treasured products available only at the retail deli location and through the Opa’s website, including such tempting items as the thoroughly trendy Sun-Dried Tomato and Chipotle Sausage, and Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Sausage, as well as traditional favorites like bratwurst and knackwurst, a great liver sausage, and hand-crafted head cheese.

At the deli, which has the feel of an authentic old-time meat market, you can also purchase delicious sandwiches made from Opa’s smoked meats. Open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closed on Sunday. 410 South Washington, Fredericksburg, Texas. 1-800-543-6750. www.opassmokedmeats.com

By Terry Thompson-Anderson
Chef, Cookbook Author, Culinary/Wine Consultant

The Hill Country Film Festival is the vision of its director Chad Mathews, an actor, screenwriter, producer, and native Texan. Created in 2010 to celebrate and showcase filmmakers from Texas and around the world, the festival quickly evolved into a non-profit organization with a broader vision. The Hill Country Film Society not only hosts the annual festival, but provides year-round independent film programming in the Texas Hill Country as well as education in the art of independent film.

All access festival badges and day passes are available online at www.hillcountryff.com. Additional festival news can be found on the HCFF Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HillCountryFilmFestival and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HC_Film_Fest.