A Weekly Column
Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Riffs: Wimberley Music Fest 2024 Oops, I goofed. In my RRR column last week I incorrectly wrote that the October 12 Wimberley Music Fest 2024 at the VFW Rodeo Fairgrounds was hosted by KWVH, our local community radio station. The festival is being hosted by the hardworking volunteers of Barnabas Connection as a fundraiser to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Roams: Uhland Fall Fest My roam this week took me to the Uhland Fall Fest to see if the miracle workers behind the Dripping Springs Pumpkin Festival could pull off another Fall event that kids would enjoy. They’ve put together a farmstyle “playground” with some cool attractions, plenty of photo ops, music, tons of food trucks, and places for families to relax in the shade. Laid out in a big circle, it’s not hard to navigate.
The pumpkin patch with its green wheelbarrows is the place to begin. After that, it’s the hay bale maze, the outdoor games, and the huge round bales stacked up into a mountain that every kid wants to climb. And then there’s a trip through the vendor area, the petting zoo, and finally to the food trucks for a meal, a treat or a cold one. The problem is choosing which food truck to try.
There’s everything from tacos, pizza, and burgers to pastas, lobster rolls, fancy coffees, beer and wine. Most trucks take cash or cards and you can expect that prices are “up there.” If you run out of cash, there’s an ATM at the front entrance that’s more than happy to charge you $3.50 per withdrawal.
The hands-down best attraction is the Crazy Corn Pit, like a sandbox, but large, covered and filled with dried corn kernels. Kids I saw in it went crazy, burying themselves and their siblings, making corn angels, burying toys, chasing each other and generally having a great time. Moms were right in the box with them, pulling them around by their feet and enjoying playtime in a novel, and clean, medium.
In front of the music stage in an area of trees, there are shady rest sites furnished with hay bales and strung with hammocks that make cooling off really nice in a downhome way.
Tickets per person are a hefty $20 and are purchased ahead of time at uhlandfallfest. com. The festival opens at 10 a.m. and I suggest that early birds get there at 10 before the weather heats up, the dust blows, and the vendors wilt. No one is allowed to carry in matches, lighters or cigarettes and once you sweep your eyes over the hundreds of hay bales, you’ll know why.
For people with sensitivities and allergies, take note. The ground is covered with cypress mulch which can mimic the symptoms of cedar fever for some people. Take a mask, shower afterwards, or don’t go if you’re likely to react.
Raves: VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos This new three-part series on PBS, created by actor and producer John Leguizamo, explores overlooked Latino history and is a genuine revelation, even if you are familiar with the history of our neighbors to the south. His exploration of well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history and contributions spans thousands of years from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s.
His excellent journey shows how Latino history is American history, free from omissions and misanthropy. The series premiered on September 27 and continues October 4 and 11. Two second chances to watch the first program in the series, “Echoes of Empires,” are Thursday, October 3, at 6 and 11 p.m. and Friday October 4, at 7 p.m. on Austin’s PBS WORLD program.
Filmed on location in Mexico and throughout the U.S., Leguizamo engages a dozen leading historians, anthropologists, authors and experts to tell the story. Actors Benjamin Bratt, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson, Laurence Fishburne, Ethan Hawke, Edward James Olmos, Rosie Perez, Liev Schreiber, read source materials that will surprise you.
Leguizamo asks us, “If our contributions were written back into history textbooks, can you imagine how America would see us? More importantly, can you imagine how we would see ourselves?” We can only wonder. Take a look at the series descriptions: In “Echoes of Emp ires,”Leguizamo shows us the accomplishments and rise of the Great Empires and civilizations in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, from the Taino to the Olmec, Inca, Maya, Aztec, and others. Despite being decimated by the conquistadors, these societies had an enduring influence on culture, agriculture, and the sciences.
In “Threads in the American Tapestry,” hear how Latino DNA is part of the identity of the U.S. Latino participation has influenced the course of history during Pre-Colonial North America, the American Revolutionary War, the Mexican American War, the Civil War, and Westward Expansion.
In “Solidarity in a New Era,” Leguizamo reflects on the rise of the new empire, the U.S, and the challenges Latinos faced in preserving their cultural identity. Throughout the 20th century, Latinos were relegated to the fringes of mainstream society. Even so, they made profound contributions. Young Latino activists were among the first to fight for civil liberties and equal education, and while on the battlefield, Latino patriots overcame discrimination to become heroes. More at austinpbs.org.
