Big Cedar Lodge’s Cedar Fest is a family friendly celebration that celebrates flannel and pumpkin spice season. Photo: Big Cedar Lodge, used with permission.
The award-winning wilderness resort Big Cedar Lodge is kicking off its annual Cedar Fest celebration featuring pumpkin patches, hayrides, spooky corn mazes, and so much more. As the leaves turn and you reach for that extra sweater for a cozy fall season, there is no better place to celebrate the season in the Midwest than at Big Cedar Lodge. (Big Cedar Lodge, 2022)
Below are some of the festive activities available for both guests and locals between September 18 through October 31.
Fall Festivals: Enjoy some good old fashioned fun with a guided tram ride to Big Cedar’s pumpkin patch, where participants can decorate pumpkins, paint pottery, enjoy tie dye and face painting, ride a mechanical bull by day; and roast marshmallows for s’mores and enjoy a movie on the lawn by night.
Ozark’s Lost Soul Maze: Get lost in Big Cedar’s iconic, 3,700-square-foot maze that has haunted ghosts and spooky spirits of the Ozarks’ past. Keep an eye out for spiders, skeletons, spooks, and more.
Fall Chuckwagon Tour:Back in the beauty of the Ozarks with a relaxing evening tram ride and history tour, a piping hot bowl of soup or chili, and a glass of wine or beer for the adults.
Show your Fall Flair: Celebrate your artistic side with instructor-led Fall Wreath Making ($65 per wreath, families and groups welcome) and Fall Centerpiece Building ($65 per centerpiece). Guests can take home their masterpiece to display for the season.
Fall Golf Getaway: Big Cedar Lodge boasts one of the leading resort golf portfolios in the country, and there is no better time to tee off than Fall. Enjoy the watercolor foliage on Payne’s Valley, the first Tiger Woods-designed public course, or the award-winning Ozarks National.
For even more Fall Fun, the nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is inviting locals and visitors alike to explore the park’s 10,000 acres covered in magnificent fall foliage; and America’s #1 aquarium, Wonders of Wildlife, is hosting spooky and festive activities including the Out to Sea Shark Feeding, Yarn Pumpkin Crafting, a Halloween Bash Teen Night including a scavenger hunt and mini Fall Festival, and a Bat Bonanza event.
American Mariachi will have a limited four weekend run at The Public Theater of San Antonio. Photo: The Public Theater of San Antonio
Opening this week at The Public Theater’s Russell Hill Rogers Theater is American Mariachi. American Mariachi is set in the 1970s, where Lucha spends her days caring for her ailing mother but longs to shake up her life. When a forgotten record sparks her mother’s memory, Lucha and her cousin strike upon a radical idea: to create an all-female mariachi band. Infused with live music played by a live mariachi band, this “big-hearted, musical tugs at the heartstrings” and reminds us how music and love can make just about anything possible. This play with music is filled with well-known mariachi classics and depicts beautiful portraits of Latina women that any San Antonian can relate to. Written by José Cruz González, this premiere production marks the first time a Latino writers’ work will be produced at the Russell Hill Rogers Theater in the organization’s 100 years. (The Public Theater of San Antonio, 2022)
American Mariachi opens on Friday September 9 and tickets are now on sale: Adults $45, Military/Senior/Student $30, and Youth $15. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7:30p.m. and Sunday at 2p.m. There will be an entire weekend (September 16 – 18) of Pay What You Will Nights when tickets are as low as $5 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Directed by Claudia de Vasco, the cast includes Andrea Daniela, Giselle Galindo, Isabel de la Cerda, Abraham Zapata, Amy Mireles de la Rosa, Jai A. Gonzales Quintero, Bianka Nicole Torres, Crystal M. Bratton, and Jose de Hoyos.
Pearl celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Viva Dieciséis, a month long celebration with special programming, retail specials, and more. Photo: Matt Buikema, used with permission.
Pearl is excited to announce its programming for Hispanic Heritage Month, this September 15 – October 15, starting with a big Viva Dieciséis at Pearl celebration and continuing throughout the month with events, specials, a mural designed by artist Martha Martinez, and more throughout the property. (Pearl, 2022)
“With our rich history and connection to Mexico, Dieciséis is an important celebration and part of the Texas experience. As a central gathering place for San Antonio and people from all over the world, we are happy that the Pearl community can celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and honor the Latinx experience across many nationalities.” – Pearl CEO Mesha Millsap
Viva Dieciséis at Pearl – Friday, September 16
To celebrate Mexican Independence Day, Pearl will host a free event featuring a variety of mariachi groups that will play throughout the property including Trio Canteres de Mi Tierra, Las Coronelas and Mariachi Azteca with a guest appearance from Mateo Lopez, the world’s youngest Mariachi. The Viva Dieciséis festivities will also include a traditional grito by Consul General of Mexico in San Antonio Ruben Minutti Zanatta as well as loteria games and a grito contest in partnership with the Mexican Consulate and H-E-B.
The full event schedule is as follows:
5p.m. – Mariachi Festival kicks off at the shade structure (in front of Southerleigh)
5p.m. – Burbank High School mariachi group to perform at Parkito (next to Local Coffee)
5:30p.m. – Loteria games and guitar painting by the Mexican Consulate
6p.m. – Harris Middle School mariachi group to perform at Parkito
6p.m. – Stilt walkers from Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center perform
6:45p.m. – Grito by Consul General of Mexico and Grito contest takes place under the shade structure
6:45p.m. – Las Coronelas to perform at the shade structure
7p.m. – Trio Canteres de Mi Tierra to perform throughout the grounds
7p.m. – Mariachi Azteca to perform under the shade structure with guest Mateo Lopez
The mural, created by Martha Martinez of MM Creative, in collaboration with Servin and Don Mos, celebrates the San Antonio community’s rich cultural history. “Cultura, Orgullo and Corazón – are words that describe San Antonio, its people and its spirit. As a majority Latino community, we celebrate our community all year round,” says Martinez.
Retail Specials
Throughout Pearl during Hispanic Heritage Month, visitors and shoppers can find special deals, displays, pop-ups and more that honor our Hispanic community. Dos Carolinas, known for its beautiful guayabera shirts, will host a 15-20% off sale from September 15 through September 24. Curio and Larder at Hotel Emma will feature Latinx makers at their store with Larder hosting a 17HERNÁN mole event on September 17. Hotel Emma will also host a series of tastings featuring Latinx goods for guests of the hotel.
Feliz Modern Pop is planning to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with displays featuring Latinx makers and brands. The featured artists at Feliz Modern Pop will include designer Mario Diaz, jewelry maker Natazia Renee, artist Natalie Trinidad, artist Rafael Gonzales Jr, and artist Eva Sanchez. Brands like Very That, Miradela and Mi Dulce Vida will also be featured at the store throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.
Rancho Diaz will also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with displays throughout the store that introduce shoppers to the people behind the brands they carry. Throughout the month they will feature artist Hailey Marmolejo and brands like Del Alma Imports, and Tex Mex Dance Party.
Culinary Celebrations
Restaurants across Pearl will be celebrating with specialty cocktails, unique new dishes, music, and more. Jazz, TX will host a Salsa night with Jose Amador and NATIAO Latin Jazz on September 17 at 7:30p.m. Boiler House will debut a new mezcal margarita with jalapeño and cilantro called “The San Antonian” in celebration of the city’s vibrant blend of cultures. Chilaquil in the Bottling Department is bringing mole chilaquiles to the menu for Dieciséis and will offer free aguas frescas with purchase throughout the month.
La Gloria will be offering several new specials as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations:
Chiles en Nogada – traditional poblano chile stuffed with picadillo meat with fruit, topped with walnut-based cream sauce, pomegranate seeds, and parsley
Bandera Elote – shaved in a cup or cob, topped with chili powder, cotija cheese, and cilantro to resemble the Mexican flag
Bandera Margarita – frozen margarita with pickle chamoy at the bottom and strawberry at the top, garnished with salt or chili, a lime and a Mexican flag toothpick
As part of their Dieciséis celebration on September 16, La Gloria will feature the aforementioned menu items in addition to live entertainment all evening, a cantarito satellite bar and a Herradura tequila flight special.
Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection is having several events this long Labor Day weekend. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection is celebrating the beginning of the end of hot summer days with a weekend full of music, Longhorn football and lots of delicious sips and bites. (Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, 2022)
Holiday weekend highlights:
KUTX Presents Walker Lukens (Friday, September 2): Guests can kick off the holiday weekend with a performance at the Estate’s historic Chapel with Walker Lukens, in partnership with Austin public radio station 98.9 FM KUTX, home to the Austin Music Experience. This is the first in a five-part series, each performance will help raise funds in support of HAAM Day.
Gameday Brunch at the Estate (Saturday, September 3): Wake up and gather with friends and family on game day for the resort’s delicious Saturday brunch at the Mansion, complete with lawn games and pre-game drink specials, such as mimosa bars, shaken carajillos, local beer buckets, and more.
Prometheus Pizza Pop-Up (Sunday, September 4): Fredericksburg pizza phenoms, Prometheus Pizza, is coming to the Estate for an all-day pizza party this Labor Day Weekend. Relax and indulge in a variety of their delicious pies – with classic pizza parlor creations from Chef Bradley and Chef Susana, such as garlic knots, the perfect Caesar salad and tasty cannoli. Members also have the option to do takeaway (pizza and wine only).
Taco Cabana celebrates Hatch Chile season with a new limited-time Hatch Chile Margarita and a full platform of new menu items. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.
Launching August 17, 2022, for the first time in the company’s history and in celebration of Hatch Chile season, Taco Cabana is offering all-new Hatch Chile Smoked Pulled Pork menu options at all Taco Cabana locations in Texas. Guests can enjoy Tacos for $3.19, a three-pack of Street Tacos served with Hatch Chile Ranch for $4.99, a Breakfast Bowl for $5.49, and a Crunchy Burrito served with Hatch Chile Ranch and tortilla chips for $8.59. Items are available for a limited-time only and while supplies last. (Taco Cabana, 2022)
Following the launch of Taco Cabana’s Margarita Headquarters, guests 21 years of age or older can enjoy the perfect complement to the new Hatch Chile food items – a refreshing frozen margarita with a kick, the all-new $4 Hatch Chile Margarita. The spicy tequila beverage will be this season’s rotating flavor offered alongside Taco Cabana’s 12 permanent margarita options available for $3 each all-day, every day.
“Hatch Chile season in Texas is a tradition, one that Texans look forward to every year. For the first time in Taco Cabana’s 40+ year history, we wanted to celebrate Hatch season with an exciting new Hatch Chile platform showcasing both food and beverage items. We’re introducing a Hatch Chile Breakfast Bowl, a Crunchy Burrito made with tortilla strips and adding to our recent Margarita Headquarters launch, a one-of-a-kind Hatch Chile Margarita. Guests can also enjoy Hatch Chile flavors with Taco Cabana favorites like street tacos and tacos served on our warm flour tortillas made daily in-restaurant.” – Ulyses Camacho, Taco Cabana’s Chief Operating Officer
Taco Cabana’s limited-time Hatch Chile menu options can be ordered in-restaurant, via online ordering for front counter and curbside pick-up, in the drive-thru, or by mobile order when using the MY TC!® App or ordering online.
Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of YTC Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, tacos, flour tortillas, and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of bottled beer and signature tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up, delivery, and catering. As of August 8, 2022, Taco Cabana operates 143 company-owned restaurants in Texas.
Fiesta’s VIP culinary kickoff party is moving to the Alamo for 2023. Photo: Taste of the Republic
Texas is home to one of the most diverse food cultures in America. Since 2017, Taste of the Republic has celebrated that culture as the VIP culinary kickoff party of Fiesta Fiesta, the official opening event of FiestaSan Antonio. Raising the standard even higher for Fiesta 2023, they are proud to announce that Taste of the Republic has a new home: The Alamo. (Taste of the Republic, 2022)
Join them at the Gardens of the Alamo from 6p.m. to 10p.m. Thursday, April 20, 2023. Guests will sample gourmet bites from 12 local chefs, with food representing each culinary region of Texas, accompanied by a wide selection of wine, beer, spirits and cocktail pairings as they mingle with Fiesta Royalty. A portion of each ticket will help support the Fiesta Commission and the Remember the Alamo Foundation.
“I am beyond thrilled that we’re bringing the premier celebration of Texas food to the ultimate symbol of Texas: The Alamo” said Chef Brian West, whose Texas Culinary Manifesto laid the foundation for Taste of the Republic and its Six Food Republics of Texas.
“San Antonio is recognized by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy, and it represents the confluence of cultures that makes Texas so unique,” Chef West said. “By being at the Alamo, we feel we’ve raised this event to the level it’s always deserved.”
Taste of the Republic is supported by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Patron Tequila, Dos XX Beer, Republic National Distributing Company, Sysco, Telemundo 60 and the Texas Culinary Alliance.
Briscoe’s Day of the Cowboy celebration will feature free admission, live music, cowboy games, food trucks, art, and more. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
Celebrating the legacy of the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero, the Briscoe Western Art Museum presents its National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 23, 10a.m. – 5p.m. at the museum’s campus on the banks of the River Walk. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities for cowpokes of all ages, with live music in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden, a chuck wagon with tasty cowboy treats, artist demonstrations and hands-on arts, crafts and games for all ages to enjoy. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)
Cowboy Fun Under the Sun – And Throughout the Museum
One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy works to highlight, share and preserve America’s cowboy culture and pioneer heritage. It was founded in 2005 as a day to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the American cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in the United States. The state of Texas declared it a day of honor in 2015 and the Briscoe annually hosts a celebration event, throwing open the doors of the museum to honor the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in us all.
The celebration pairs perfectly with its fantastic summer exhibition The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America. Premiering at the Briscoe and including works from 17 public and private collections, The Sons of Charlie Russell features 70 works of art showcasing the forefathers of Western art and how their great works provide foundations, traditions and ideals for today’s contemporary artists. On display through September 5, the exhibition is the first and only time these works will be viewed together. While visitors may not be able to rope and ride alongside the cowboys and ranch hands often depicted in Western art, thanks to immersive technology in the exhibition, visitors are able to see themselves as shadow outlines in the paintings, striking poses as they add themselves to the scene.
Free admission and activities for the whole family, including scavenger hunts through the Briscoe. Museum volunteers will be on hand to share details about the museum’s art and artifacts, highlighting works that relate to lives and work of cowboys, cowgirls and vaqueros.
Cowpoke games and crafts, where you can outfit yer’self in a bolo tie and spurs, try your hand at silversmith etching, make a stick pony and try out some barrel racing, learn how to rope and ride, herd some balloon animals, do a little bull riding, toss horseshoes, craft a cowhand puppet, and more.
Demonstrations of how to craft the essential tools of the cowboy trade by members of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association of saddle making, braiding, and forging.
See the leather work and tooling that goes into making a saddle with saddle maker Troy West.
Learn the art of rawhide braiding from braider Leland Hensley.
Watch forger Wilson Capron shape metal into bits, spurs and more with a live forging demonstration in the Briscoe’s McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Western art brought to life through a live sculpting demonstration by Jason Scull, one of the Cowboy Artists featured in The Sons of Charlie Russell.
Lil Partners Reading Zone, offering up cowboy tales. Sit a spell and enjoy a book reading with Emily Wilson, the Briscoe’s Curator of Art. Wilson’s children’s book, “Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge,” crafts a modern fairy tale based on the life of Charles M. Russell (1864–1926), the namesake of The Sons of Charlie Russell Stop by to learn the art of gnome-making so you can craft your own cowboy gnomes.
Storytime at the Stagecoach, featuring the story of Mary Fields, the first African American woman stagecoach driver. For many years, Fields traveled the West with her pet eagle, never losing a single horse or package. Hear her story as Antoinette Lakey reads from “Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver.” A community leader, researcher, and dramatist, Antoinette Lakey currently serves as Artistic Director for Teatro Anansi, an organization with a mission to connect, celebrate and commemorate African American theatre, performing arts and history within the greater San Antonio community.
Chuck wagon cooking with samples of peach cobbler and beans, along with food truck grub available to satisfy any hungry cowpokes.
Surrounded by the beauty of the garden’s fantastic bronze sculptures and lush greenery, kick back and soak in the sounds of West with live music throughout the day, including singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clint Tomerlin.
Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
The Bastille Day French Festival, sponsored by Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, will take place on Saturday July 16 with live French Gypsy Jazz music by Nashville artist Irenka. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Join us on Main Street at The Shops at La Cantera for a Bastille Day French Festival, sponsored by Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, 10a.m. to 8p.m., Saturday, July 16, 2022. More than 16 teams from San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston will compete in the Petanque “Bocci” Tournament. Enjoy $5 beer and wine and $5 small bites presented by San Antonio vendors including Sweet Paris; Sur La Table; Mon Chou Chou; Luciano Ristorante & Pizzeria, Tardif’s, and more. (Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, 2022)
French classic cars will be displayed with live French Gypsy Jazz music by Nashville artist, Irenka, from noon to 5p.m.
TEAM SIGN-UP – Petanque Tournament
Team of two is $40; each member will receive FREE French Festival T-Shirt, two bottles of water, two beverage tickets, and two crepes from Sweet Paris.
The top three teams will be awarded prizes. Payments can be made in advance and on site with cash or credit card. Register in advance by calling (832) 967.8396 or via email.
Register on site at 9:30a.m., booth on Main Street at The Shops at La Cantera. Tournament starts at 10a.m.
The Shops at La Cantera – Main Street 15900 La Cantera Parkway San Antonio, TX 78256
Bakery Lorraine’s Buttermilk pie. Photo: Bakery Lorraine, used with permission.
To celebrate the Fourth of July next week, Bakery Lorraine has pies for pre-order for any Independence Day get-togethers. The bakery is offering an Apple pie, made with five different kinds of apples, and a Buttermilk pie topped with berries. The 9” pies are $28 each and serve eight. (Bakery Lorraine, 2022)
Orders can be made online for pickup at the following San Antonio locations: The Rim, Pearl and Medical Center. The pies are also available for pre-order at Bakery Lorraine’s Austin location at Domain NORTHSIDE. The last day for pre-orders is this Wednesday, June 29 at noon. Pick up for pre-ordered pies is Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3. Additionally, a limited number of pies will be available in-store at the Pearl location only on Monday, July 4 on a first come, first served basis.
The new limited time $4 Fireball Margarita will be available July 1-4, 2022. Photo: Taco Cabana, used with permission.
On Friday, July 1, 2022, Taco Cabana invites guests 21 years of age or older to try the all-new refreshing Watermelon Margarita, available at all Texas locations for just $4. At select participating locations throughout Texas, guests can spice up their Independence Day Weekend with a limited-time Fireball Margarita from Friday, July 1, 2022 through Monday, July 4, 2022 for just $4 as well. Guests can also enjoy a wide variety of Taco Cabana’s $3 classic frozen margarita flavors statewide including Lime, Strawberry, Mango, Mangonada and Strawberry/Mango. (Taco Cabana, 2022)
Pair these tantalizing summer margaritas with Taco Cabana favorites like the Dozen Taco or Flauta Boxes or TC’s Kickin’ Grande Nachos – all are a perfect addition to any 4th of July gathering. Beer lovers can also cool off with a bottled beer including Miller Lite ($3.25), Bud Lite ($3.25), Shiner Bock ($3.75) or Dos Equis XX ($3.75) and a three-pack of the newly-launched Carne Asada Street Tacos for $5.29 or one of the 16 new combinations of Smothered Burritos.
Watermelon margaritas available beginning Friday, July 1, 2022. *Fireball Margarita and dozen flauta boxes available Friday, July 1, 2022 – Monday, July 4, 2022. All other TC food offerings are available now.
*Fireball Margarita available only at select Texas locations.
TC food offerings and To-Go Margaritas are available through curbside pick-up, drive-thru, in-restaurant, and via mobile order through the MyTC! App.
Taco Cabana, a subsidiary of YTC Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 1978. The brand specializes in Tex-Mex-inspired food including enchiladas, fajitas, quesadillas, flautas, burritos, tacos, flour tortillas and a selection of made-from-scratch salsas and sauces. Restaurants feature open-display cooking, a selection of beer and tequila margaritas, patio dining, drive-thru windows, curbside pick-up and delivery. As of June 21, 2022, Taco Cabana operates 143 company-owned restaurants in Texas.
SA Examiner 