Posted on Sun, Apr. 27, 2008

Celebrate May days

It's festival time in the Lone Star State, so kick up your heels and party calendar

By JUNE NAYLOR

Special to the Star-Telegram

May 1-4 Anniversary concerts, Gruene

Gruene Hall, the state's oldest dance hall, celebrates its 33rd anniversary with a lineup including Dale Watson, Band of Heathens, the Marshall Tucker Band and Charlie Robison. Also in May, there's a Mother's Day Gospel Brunch on May 11, and it's Gruene Market Days May 17-18. For Gruene Hall tickets, call 830-629-5077 or visit www.gruenehall.com. For lodging and dining information, visit www.gruenetexas.com.

May 2-4 Pilgrimage, Jefferson

If you love pretty old homes and trips to the past, point your car east toward the old riverboat town on the Big Cypress Bayou. It's time for the 61st annual Jefferson Historical Pilgrimage and Spring Festival, where you can tour four historic homes not usually open to the public. The weekend also offers a murder-trial melodrama, arts and crafts fair, bayou boat rides and steam-engine train rides, horse-drawn wagon tours and Civil War re-enactments, among lots of activities. For tour ticket info, call 903-665-2513 or 800-490-7270 or visit www.theexcelsiorhouse.com. For Jefferson visitor information, call 903-665-2672 or 888-GO-RELAX or visit www.jefferson-texas.com.

May 3 Movie night, Galveston Island

It's never dull on the island city just down the road from Houston. And now Galveston Island is offering a free outdoor movie on the first Saturday of each month. On May 3, Movies on the Strand at Saengerfest Park, 23rd Street at the Strand, presents Breakfast at Tiffany's, the classic starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard. June 7, it's National Lampoon's Vacation; Aug. 2, Grease; Sept. 6, Casablanca; and Oct. 4, Psycho. Bring a blanket and lawn chairs. Visit www.galveston.com or call 888-GAL-ISLE for details.

May 3-4 Art events, Fayetteville

An art community is blossoming in the tiny farm town near Brenham. On May 3 and 4, Fayetteville will host its ninth annual Art Walk, a juried art show of work in ceramics and clay, glass, sculpture, mixed media, painting and drawing, and photography, all hosted by the Art Guild of Rural Texas on the town square. There's live music, kids art classes and food, too. And through May 28, there's an exhibit of local artist Mike Clann's paintings at the Ross Gallery at 114 N. Live Oak St., Fayetteville. For details on all events, call 979-378-2113 or visit www.artguildtexas.org or www.texasartwalk.org.

May 3-4, May 10-11, May 17 Music events, Sea World

The home of Shamu celebrates its 20th anniversary in San Antonio with music shows, starting with Viva La Musica, a Latin-themed street festival. Performers May 3-4 will be Los Palominos, DJ Kane, Emilio Navaira and Ram Herrera, followed by Jay Perez, Joe Posada, La Mafia and Los Desperados on May 10-11. On May 17, Christian music acts SuperChick, Disciple, Britt Nicole, KJ-52 and A Starlit Platoon will do shows at Nautilus Amphitheater. The park is open weekends until May 22, when it will open daily for the summer. For all ticket information, call 800-700-7786 or visit www.seaworld.com.

Throughout May Mother's Day and more, Texas Wine Trail

Throughout the Hill Country, the Texas Wine Trail celebrates spring. May 2-4, the Way Out Wineries hosts Wildflower Road Trip, in which eight small wineries, including Alamosa Wine Cellars, Pillar Bluff, Texas Legato, Bluff Dale and Barking Rocks, will offer wine tastings and wine-pasta lunch pairings, along with a pair of Riedel wineglasses; $50 per couple. On May 4, Flat Creek Estate has a fashion show-brunch ($55), as well as a free music jam May 11. There are Mother's Day luncheons May 11 at Becker Vineyards ($60) and Driftwood Vineyards ($35). Becker Vineyards will also celebrate its 10th annual Lavender Fest on May 16-18 with a vintner dinner ($85), two luncheons ($55 each) and a breakfast ($35). Details are available at www.texaswinetrail.com or call 866-621-9463.

May 13 CityPass, Houston

Houston CityPass debuts, offering savings to the top eight attractions in the city. Tickets to Space Center Houston, Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston Zoo, the Museum of Fine Arts, George Ranch Historical Park and Children's Museum of Houston are in the super-thin booklet. Houston CityPass costs $34 for adults (a $63.40 value) and $24 for children 4-11 (a $44.70 value). Buy CityPass at any of the attractions or online at www.visithoustontexas.com or www.citypass.com.

May 17 Steak Cook-Off, Hico

It's the fifth annual Texas Steak Cook-Off, Beef Symposium and Tourist Trap, a heckuva party that has grown quickly to attract some 6,000 folks. They show up to eat steak, listen and dance to live country music and hang out. You can watch competitors try for the best preparation and presentation of a 12-ounce choice rib-eye steak. Tickets are $20 until May 1, $25 thereafter. For details, call 254-485-2020 or visit www.texassteakcookoff.com.

May 17 Fandangle sampler, Johnson City

Albany takes its show on the road, traveling to the Hill Country this month. The famous Fandangle, a musical extravaganza telling a West Texas story of the pioneer spirit, will present a production sampler at the LBJ Ranch as a fundraising effort. The Fandangle sampler and a barbecue, marking President Lyndon B. Johnson's 100th birthday, will be a re-creation of LBJ parties at the ranch in 1967 and 1970. There will be ranch tours and other festivities, all at the LBJ Ranch National Park's Picnic Grove, starting at 3 p.m. Tickets are $85-$100. Find details and make reservations at www.friendsoflbjnationalpark.org, or call 830-868-7128, ext. 222. The Fandangle itself takes place this year in Albany on June 19-21 and June 26-28; www.fortgriffinfandangle.org.

May 24-Sept. 1 Samuel Colt exhibit, Canyon

A 19th-century inventor, Samuel Colt came up with the advertising tag, "new and improved." He also introduced production lines and created interchangeable parts for firearms. His contributions are detailed in "Samuel Colt: Arms, Art and Invention," an exhibit opening May 24 and continuing through Sept. 1 at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon. Among pieces in the exhibit are gifts and awards from global admirers, including Russian Czar Alexander II and Japanese shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Exhibit tickets are $6-$12. Call 806-651-2244 or visit www.panhandleplains.org.