Riffs: St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
On Friday, March 17, everyone gets a passport to Eire to celebrate the very best of Irish music and traditions. But, with SXSW pulling area musicians into its vortex, there are few nearby events tailored to celebrate the day.
Happily, in Dripping Springs, the 12 Fox Beer Company has a St. Patrick’s shindig the day of with live music, Irish food and, of course, green matcha ale and Irish red beer. Don’t get “legless,” though, this is a family-friendly event. Above the Law Band is playing classic rock from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition to their regular menu, corned beef and cabbage, lamb sliders, corned beef and hash and shepherd’s pie are available for purchase. The event goes from noon to 9 p.m. The brewery is located at 4700 W Fitzhugh Road. For more information, visit 12foxbeer.com or call (512) 626-4458.
In Wimberley, the St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser on Saturday, March 18 at the VFW post was canceled late last week.
Roams: Hill Country Nudes and Dudes
Star Ranch for Nudes If you favor life in your birthday suit, check out the Star Ranch in McDade, near Elgin and Bastrop. Billed as a “rustic” resort, it nonetheless boasts a scenic location and spacious outdoor pool. For frequent guests, there is a membership option, and all confirmed visitors are subject to a criminal background check. Cabin rates start at $94 per night, and there are RV parking options starting at $20 a day. Tent camping is also available. The number for reservations is (512) 273-2257. For additional information, visit starranch.net.
Dixie Dude Ranch for Dudes
On the south side of Bandera, the Dixie Dude Ranch is set on 725 acres of land off RR 1077 that immediately engages guests with a well-maintained, picturesque approach. As comely as its first impression is, the Dixie is not a resort ranch. It is a working stock ranch heavy on Western tradition. It welcomes kids, families, groups and horse lovers as equally as it does the traveling adult. The ranch offers cabins, lodge rooms and a bunkhouse. Meals are served family-style in the dining room of the lodge where there is a gift shop, as well as other guest services. Prices are all-inclusive and start at $180 for adults and $70 for kids per person per day. Pick up the phone for reservations as that service is not available on its website.
Because of its location, the ranch can serve as a basecamp for nearby outdoor pursuits such as hiking and birding at Lost Maples State Natural Area; fishing on Medina Lake; and tubing, canoeing and kayaking in the Medina, Guadalupe and Frio rivers. And for those sidewinders tired of just polishing their six-shooters, there is the Bandera Gun Club just down the road.
There is plenty to do at the ranch, though. Horseback riding, swimming in the pool, catch-and-release fishing, hayrides, campfire sing-alongs, dancing and iconic outdoor games like horseshoes and washers are on the activity board. History buffs will like the Range War Cemetery on their property. Massages are offered by appointment, and porch sitting is available all day.
Owned by Clay and Diane Conoly, the ranch is designated as a Texas Historic Ranch by the Texas Department of Agriculture. This prestigious certification is awarded to Texas ranches that have been owned and maintained by the same family for at least 100 years.
In 2017, the Dixie Dude Ranch was recognized with a Texas Treasure Business Award from the Texas Historical Commission. It pays tribute to businesses that have provided employment and support to the state’s economy for 50 years or more. The ranch has been subject of an article in Southern Living magazine, featured in the book “1000 Places to See Before You Die” by Patricia Schultz and selected for Cowboys and Indians magazine 2011 Best of the West list.
For more information, visit dixieduderanch. com. Correspondence is by snail mail at P.O. Box 548, Bandera, Texas 78003. Reach them by phone at (830) 796-7771 or (800) 375-9255.
Raves: Cosas in Boerne
Fifty-six miles into the 79-mile trek to Bandera is the town of Boerne. Originally home to Native Americans, the area was surveyed by John James and Gustav Theissen in 1852, and they named the town “Bo- erne.” A German-based organization known as the Adelsverein initiated immigration to the area in 1844, and German and Prussian immigrants found their way to Texas. Hundreds of them made their homes in Hill Country towns: Boerne, New Braunfels and Fredericksburg. Many distinctive stone fachwerk homes still exist in the area, joined by current handsome limestone structures. Boerne’s picturesque main street with bronze sculptures, flowers and other attractions has upscale shops and a restaurant or two for the well-booted. The historic Kendall hotel on Main Street, set on five acres overlooking Cibolo Creek, is a favorite, but their restaurant, Peggy’s on the Green, is well worth a try.
Five minutes from the Kendall Hotel and absolutely worth a stop is Cosas. Spanish for “things,” Cosas offers the widest collection of museum-quality Mexican Folk Art in the area — and possibly in Texas. There is an enormous difference between the trinkets found in markets, gift shops and roadside stands and the high artistry of museum-quality “Arte Popular,” which means “art of the people,” not “popular art,” a critical distinction in both languages.
A good introduction to this extremely valuable and collectible art of the Americas is the landmark book, “Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art.” Many of these artists still work in these traditional forms or have passed their secrets down to their heirs. Visionaries like Nelson A. Rockefeller collected this work and gave his collection to the San Antonio Museum of Art where it has been studied and documented for decades.
Cosas has deep relationships with these artists and brings their work to this side of the border. They also offer art from Guatemala and have a large collection of David Marsh furniture in stock. A Houston artist who has been producing highly-colored, ponderosa pine furniture since the ‘70s, he continues to create prized, one-of-akind, useful and very collected pieces.
Cosas is located at 39360 IH-10 West Frontage Road in Boerne. Before visiting, contact them by phone at (830) 249-1500 or go to cosasonline. com. For more about Mexican Folk Art, go to feriamaestros.com or austinfriendsoffolkart. org. “Great Masters of Mexican Folk Art” is available on Amazon.
