Category: Texas
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Beyond Bratwurst: A Journey into the Heart of German Texas
By Tracy L. Barnett Photos by Sarah Lim For Texas Journey magazine Lively polka tunes mingled with the scent of grilled bratwurst. A bevy of girls in Bavarian dirndls bounced by aboard a hayride. A young family tried ninepin bowling on a wooden plank. Then a fellow in a plumed hat, ruffled shirt, and tall…
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¡Viva! Brownsville’s Charro Days Fiesta takes friendship and unity across the border and back
By Tracy L. Barnett Photos by Larry Ditto For Texas Journey magazine On a sunny February afternoon in Brownsville, Beatrice “Chickie” Samano stood on a covered stage and surveyed the crowd as she had done countless times over the decades. Serious in her serape-striped director’s vest, she held a microphone and awaited her cue. Then,…
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San Antonio’s Missions declared a World Heritage site
Alamo with Moon (Al Rendon photo, courtesy San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau) Tracy L. Barnett, Special for USA TODAY Five cherished portals to America’s Spanish colonial past have just been elevated to the stature of Machu Picchu, Stonehenge and the Taj Mahal with Sunday’s decision by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations…
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True-Blue Texas Bluegrass: A slice of life
A couple of months back – it seems like an eternity now – I had the pleasure of enjoying one of the finer backwaters of Texas culture: the Salmon Lake Bluegrass Festival. It was truly a step back in time, and good company with some of the friendliest, down-to-earth folk I’ve run across – not…
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Party with a purpose at the Farm
Saturday dawned misty and chilly, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowds who flocked to the Last Organic Outpost Saturday to celebrate the two-year anniversary of the group’s Emile Street Farm, learn about food security, forage for wild edibles, eat organic tamales and meet interesting folks. (photos by Mona Metzger of Houston Green…
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First-time climber conquers fears at Enchanted Rock
My first piece in the Dallas Morning News, and it’s a travel cover! Out today, my friend and climbing teacher Jamie McNally just wrote to let me know… Here it is: First-time climber conquers fears at Enchanted Rock
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Merriment Galore on the Strand
Just a year ago the annual Dickens on the Strand was carried out amid a ruined and gutted downtown Galveston, a defiant statement of the city’s commitment to a comeback. Yesterday that comeback was clear, and with all the fine lords and ladies shoulder to shoulder with rakish pirates and coal dust-smeared ragamuffins, the floodwaters…
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Galveston calling
Tomorrow’s the 36th annual Dickens on the Strand, and Galveston is going into its finest Victorian mode – with candy apples, bagpipes, games and crafts, and a whole cast of Dickens characters roaming the streets. The festival began in the dark days of the Strand, when the Galveston Historical Foundation was casting about for ways…
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Last Organic Outpost’s Greenfest on video
In case you missed it, the best of Houston turned out on the farm for the Community Greenfest at the Last Organic Outpost’s Emile Street Community Farm. Channel 39’s Going Green With Yolanda Green caught a great slice of celebratory life in a two-part video tour, now available on their website – and here. Enjoy!…
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Roads Less Traveled hits the Houston Green Scene
I’m excited to announce some new collaborations that will be taking Roads Less Traveled to a greater audience and in a greener direction. Channel 39’s Going Green With Yolanda Green, Houston’s only TV program dedicated to sustainability, is now featuring my blog on its website, www.39online.com. Going Green is an exciting initiative in itself, with…