Celebrate Texas: Event Review

Celebrate Texas: Event Review

Fredericksburg is pretty much always one of the best places to find things to do in the hill country, but last weekend was a particularly eventful weekend, even by Fredericksburg standards. Bluebonnets were at their peak, drawing many visitors from around the state. Area wineries and vineyards were celebrating wildflower season with special winery events, and a couple of festivals took place that drew thousands of visitors.

 

We attended two of these events- the “Best of Texas Food & Wine Festival”, and “Celebrate Texas”. We had a great time at both events, and recommend them both highly for next year if you didn’t get the chance to attend this time around. We talked about “The Best of Texas Food and Wine Festival” in a separate article (check it out in our Articles, News, and Reviews” section), but wanted to highlight Celebrate Texas here.

 

 
Celebrate Texas was held at the Texas Rangers Heritage Center in Fredericksburg. This was the second time they’ve held the annual event, but the first time we’ve had the opportunity to attend, and we’re glad we did. The Texas Rangers Heritage Center is located on Hwy 290 just next door to the historic Fort Martin Scott- another great historic attraction in Fredericksburg. The center has been open for about a year, and is an ongoing project of the Former Texas Rangers Association. We had a chance to discuss the center with a few of the FTRA members at the event, and their plans for the facility are quite impressive. We encourage you to check out the center if you are in Fredericksburg.

 

 
Celebrate Texas is a great event for families. It features the right balance of history and entertainment, including western re-enactments, cannon firing, cowboy poets, trick roping, a Chisholm Trail Western Variety Show (music and more), and the Circle of Life Fredericksburg Gathering (a Native American intertribal gathering and dance, along with the history of the region’s Native American tribes). Saturday evening featured a performance by Gary P Nunn, and a chuck wagon steak dinner. A Cowboy Church service was held Sunday. There were several vendors on site with a variety of western and Native American products and food.

 
The Texas Rangers Heritage Center will be undergoing some big changes in the next couple of years. A 26,000 square foot museum and history center is planned for phase 2 of the project. We expect the museum will be incredibly popular, and a great complement to other Fredericksburg attractions. Events like Celebrate Texas will continue to be a big part of the mission of the center, and are definitely worth the visit. We hope you’ll have the opportunity to attend in the future.