By Brandon Dietert
2017 Chair of the Board
Celebrating Our Local Heritage
Hopefully you have been enjoying this beautiful weather the last few weeks to experience some of the activities we have in the Spring in New Braunfels. An example of one of these activities that is fun for the whole family is Folkfest that happens every year at the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture. It is a hands-on history experience where you can take part in 19th Century Texas life and have fun while doing it! It is happening this weekend and helps benefit the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture for the preservation of our local history.
Another tradition that dates back to the early years of New Braunfels is happening in a few weeks on May 6th and that is the Kindermasken Parade. This fun family oriented parade is happening in conjunction with the downtown celebration of Wein and Saengerfest and has always been a fun activity where kids of all ages come together to celebrate their German heritage. Please join in the tradition and join in the fun!!
Speaking of celebrating our local heritage, we are very blessed to have many organizations and museums in our area that have done an unbelievable job of preserving and promoting the many cultures that helped give our area such a storied and successful past. Having these resources in our city allows us to celebrate the many firsts that happened in New Braunfels and also allows us to learn from our past to help lead New Braunfels to successes in our future.
If you want to visit a world class collection of all things New Braunfels, The Sophienburg Museum and Archives is a great place to start. Located on the hilltop location where Prince Carl wanted to build his Texas castle, the Sophienburg is a New Braunfels treasure that has exhibits that are always changing. It is a great place to learn interesting facts and do any research about New Braunfels you might need.
Conservation Plaza and the Conservation Society of New Braunfels is comprised of a collection of buildings and artifacts that help tell the story of New Braunfels and Comal County. Tours are available of the many different historical structures and you will learn about life in early New Braunfels thru these buildings.
The Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture is a facility near Conservation Plaza that the creation of a wonderful couple that wanted to preserve and protect historic New Braunfels and Texas. Bill and Nan Dillon over many years collected beautiful handmade Texas pieces and artifacts and eventually gifted their collection to the Braunfels Foundation Trust. It is amazing how many of the organizations in New Braunfels attribute their collections or origins to this couple.
New Braunfels has been blessed with many great people and organizations to preserve and protect the many historical assets that make New Braunfels the city that it is. Without the efforts of these people over the years I believe New Braunfels would have lost much of its character and charm that people enjoy today.