Mission Tejas Folk Festival Slated Saturday, April 26
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
HOUSTON COUNTY – Mission Tejas State Park is ready for its annual folk festival this Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m-2 p.m. Come see presentations of pioneer life in Texas around the early to mid-1800’s, with activities such as butter churning, sewing, presentations from the Buffalo Soldiers and other aspects of pioneer life Refreshments will be available for purchase, along with drawings for prizes. Mission Tejas is located at 19343 State Highway 21 in Grapeland.
Tracey James, Mission Tejas Office Manager said to bring some comfortable shoes for walking, and be ready for fun and education, as the park will have many hands-on displays and re-enactors looking to show pioneers of all ages how our ancestors lived and worked. She said she will be offering the “skins and skulls” program for kids, too.
The skins and skulls program?
“We’ve got animal skins and skulls that are separate and we lay them out on a table and we have the kids kind of match them up,” James explained. “There will be lots of hands-on – kids get to touch things and see how things were done: tools, processes like weaving, needlepoint soap making and things like that.”
The event is free to the public, rain or shine, and you must be present to participate in the drawings, which will be held about 1:20 p.m. The event is free, but there will be a silent auction to help raise funds for the park’s activities.
The folk festival has been part of the park’s public face for about 26 years, and James said it’s a great way to get up close and personal with Texas’ history.
“We want people to value the park, we want them to value their Texas history and understand how their ancestors – how Houston County and Crockett – played an active part in Texas history,” James said. “Our goal is to have people realize how rich Texas history is while at this park. We have people come from all over the state to visit us because of the El Camino Real and the mission and I don’t think local people appreciate sometimes what they have in their own backyard.”
There will be a barbecue food truck on hand and drinks and other goodies for sale while you enjoy the afternoon. The park has special activities for kids each Saturday, and this event is a showcase of some of the living history the park offers.
“We’ve got the Alamo, but David Crockett traveled right through here on the way to the Alamo and people forget that,” James said. “We have lots of programs for kids and parents, so we love to see people enjoying learning about our history. “If there’s a home school group or anybody that wants something special, they are more than welcome to contact the park and we do special things all the time.”
Please keep in mind, the majority of the park will be closed to visitors due to road construction. Steep Ravine Trail will remain the only hiking trail open for the public.
For more information, call the park office at (936) 687-2394.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
