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Road Trips for End-of-Summer Days
Published August 30, 2009
If the thought of one more road trip before summer ends is irresistible, there are a number of Labor Day weekend events all over Texas to choose from. Read on to find out where to go to attend a concert in a cave, eat kolaches and homemade sausage while watching polka dancers or see hot air balloons floating above the desert.
Simple Sounds Cave Concert
Longhorn Cavern State Park
Burnet, Texas
Sept. 5
Down in a limestone cave, in what served as a speakeasy during Prohibition, there’s quite a performance space.
“We seat up to 300 people,” said Henry Hekker, who works at Longhorn Cavern State Park. “We’ve had rock groups and country music, large groups, duets. Bill Murray did his cast party down there after filming his movie, ‘City of Ember.’”
The cave has excellent natural acoustics, Hekker said.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, contemporary folk band Jamison Priest will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. Dinner is served at 5 p.m. before the concert, and visitors can choose to do both, or just come for the concert. Reservations are highly recommended. Call (512) 756-4680.
Guided tours of the cave are offered daily, and there also are hiking trails and a museum at this 645-acre park in the Hill Country, 50 miles northwest of Austin. The cave is 68 degrees year round.
Tours are scheduled throughout the day.
Call (877) 441-2283 for current tour times.
For more information, visit www.longhorncaverns.com.
While you’re there: Check out Vanishing Texas River Cruises, also located in Burnet. Because of the ongoing drought, the business is offering cruises on Lake Buchanan instead of the Colorado River.
The drought has caused part of the settlement of Bluffton to be exposed. Bluffton was submerged when Buchanan Dam was built in the 1930s. If conditions are right, a 25-minute hike around old Bluffton might be included on the cruise.
Lake Buchanan is the largest lake in Texas and is a good place for bird watchers. Ospreys and American bald eagles are two of the species that frequent the area.
Reservations are highly recommended. Call (512) 756-6986 or (800) 4RIVER4 for more information, or visit www.vtrc.com.
Westfest
West, Texas
Sept. 4-6
Described as the “Czech Heritage Capitol of Texas” and the “home of the official kolache of the Texas Legislature,” West also is the home of one of the largest Czech festivals in the state if not the largest, said Brian Muska, promotions director for the event.
In addition to a carnival and arts and crafts tents, polka music and dancing are major players at Westfest.
“Both Saturday and Sunday, we have polka bands from around the state and around the country play from noon till midnight,” Muska said. “There are a lot of people in Czech costume. There’s one lady here who still makes the costumes by hand.”
The food and drink is what sets Westfest apart, Muska said. There are kolache contests and a variety of ethnic foods as well as hamburgers and hot dogs.
“If you come, you’ve got to try the sausage sandwich. It’s a beer bread sandwich, with local-made sausage and sauerkraut. It’s excellent,” Muska said.
West is 15 miles north of Waco on Interstate 35. Take exit 351 to the West Fair and Rodeo groups. Exit 353 takes travelers through downtown West. Follow the signs.
Friday night, gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the preview party. Admission is $12 for adults, free for children 12 and younger. On Saturday and Sunday, gates are open 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Admission for adults is $8. Members of the military, seniors 65 and older and children ages 6 to 12 get in for $4. Children 6 and younger get in free when accompanied by an adult. Parking at the festival grounds is $3 per car. Parking adjacent to the grounds is $2 per car.
For more information about Westfest, visit www.westfest.com
While you’re there: The city of Waco is just a few miles down Interstate 35 from West. Attractions include Cameron Park Zoo, the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum, the Dr. Pepper Museum, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, the TCV Winery and others.
For a complete list, visit www.wacovb.com.
15th Big Bend Balloon Bash
Alpine, Texas
Sept. 5-7
Get up early to watch 15 hot air balloons rise into the air over Alpine, a town located in the Big Bend region, between the Davis Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert.
Balloon pilots come to Alpine from all over the country, said Pam Clouse, who, along with her husband Kenneth, is involved with Big Bend Hot Air Balloon Association.
“We’ve had some (pilots) come from California, some from New Mexico, Florida,” Pam Clouse said. “It’s usually the same ones. They come and kind of do a little reunion.”
As many as 2,000 to 2,500 people usually come to each event, Kenneth Clouse said.
“We do the balloon launches Saturday, Sunday and Monday morning,” he said.
Flying a hot air balloon is sort of an act of faith, because they can’t be steered.
“A hot air balloon has no control over speed or direction. It’s strictly up to the wind,” Kenneth Clouse said.
Then there’s the Fire Concert, held at 8 p.m. Sunday, at Buck Stadium in Alpine.
“On Sunday evening every year, we have what we call the Fire Concert and Balloon Glow, where we put the balloons out on the middle school football field and light them up at night,” Kenneth Clouse said. “The burns are choreographed to music by the high school band director.”
The Big Bend Balloon Bash is held at Sierra La Rana, a gated community two miles south of Alpine on Highway 118. Gates open at 7 a.m., and balloons start flying at 7:30 a.m., weather permitting.
For more information, visit www.bigbend balloonbash.com, or call (432) 837-7486.
While you’re there: The town of Marfa, about 26 miles west of Alpine, will hold its yearly Marfa Lights Festival Sept. 4-6.
Celebrate the mysterious balls of light that appear over the desert around Marfa, with daytime and nighttime parades, food, arts and crafts, evening concerts and street dances. Or, just visit the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, nine miles east of Marfa on Highway 90, and see the lights for yourself.
Visit www.marfacc.com for more information, or call (432) 729-4942 or (800) 650-9696.
Of course, Big Bend National Park also is nearby, with numerous opportunities to explore the outdoors. Visit www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm for information.
Mary Openshaw is a features writer for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0155.
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