Riffs: Luckenbach’s 49th Annual Hug-In
To commemorate February 14 in Hill Country style, I went in search of the 49th Annual Hug-In in Luckenbach. As I drove up to the famed destination shortly after 8 p.m., I noticed a scant 40 cars in the large parking lot and just four RVs and a single tent perched in its camping area. At the entry booth I chatted with the friendly ticket taker and asked where the “Hug-In” took place. “Well,” she said, “there isn’t an actual ‘Hug-In.’ It’s just the name of tonight’s dance” to which I countered with a deflated, “oh, really?” I was hoping to find something along the lines of a Texas-style encounter session of hugs so tight you’d have to holler “Calf rope” to keep from getting flattened. The gatekeeper told me that the “Hug-In” was likely started by hippies back in the day, but it didn’t do much to inflate my hopes of “getting back to the basics of love” promised by Waylon’s “Luckenbach, Texas” song.
Performing in the dancehall were Weldon Henson and Darrell Goldman, playing classic and original country tunes made for dancing. The early turnout was light but even so, the benches on three sides of the good looking dancehall were nearly filled with small groups of dancers and sweethearts. A few people, like me, came on their own to hear the band or to get out on a Friday night. While the warmup band acquiesced the stage to the headliners, I strode over to the bar in another building and passed an empty kissing booth on the way.
Back in the dancehall the band cranked up, and to my delight, so did the dancers. It turned out that everyone there came out to boot-scoot, two step and waltz with freshly turned abandon. Before the first stanza ended, partners clutched midsections, clasped hands and synchronized their feet in time to the music. While the band played, “I just love my truck,” the floor filled with twirling skirts, side-by-side promenades, and round and round routines ice skaters would surely envy. Some pairs seemed connected at the waist in a seamless glide along the boards, while others took on athletic reels that left them breathless. All of them hugged their partners close in a dazzling rendition of a “Hug-In” in pure dancehall style. It wasn’t what I expected to see but it was wonderful for its unhyped and honest expression of the stuff that really counts, “the basics of love.”
Roams: Fredericksburg - Vaudeville, Chocolates, and Bubbles
My roam this week took me to Fredericksburg, 57 miles from Wimberley through the comely environs of Blanco. If you’re still looking for a special outing to celebrate your honey or your gal pals for Valentine’s Day, consider Fredericksburg. My first stop was Quintessential Chocolates on Main Street to sample their liquor-filled handmade chocolates and other delectable treats. I pur-
