A Look Back..

We're looking forward to 2014, but before we leave the past in the past, we thought we would take one last look back at what 2013 brought to the little town of Gruene. 

Here are some great events that stood out in our book:

1. Gruene Music & Wine Fest Donates over $135,000 to the United Way of Comal County.

2. Ray Price plays his last show at Gruene Hall.

3. Gruene Hall's Facebook page reaches 180,000 fans - THANK YOU! 

4. Good Morning America names Gruene one of America's Favorite Summer Hotspots! 

5. Gruene Hall is featured in advertising spreads in Rolling Stone not once, but twice! 

6. Stars Lisa Marie Presley & Kevin Bacon play their inaugural shows at the Hall.

7. Gruene Hall launches new website...finally!

8. The Grapevine adds craft beer on tap to their array of options.

9. Gruene Hall donates $10,000 to Two Tons of Steel after their equipment is stolen.

10. The Gristmill adds a new stage to the beer garden for live music. 

We want to know...what were your favorite moments in Gruene in 2013?

Give Thanks in Gruene!

First and foremost, we want to say a big THANK YOU to our loyal fans, guests and customers who help us to make Gruene such a special place. We couldn't, and wouldn't, do it without you! 

Although most businesses in Gruene Historic District give their hardworking employees time to be with families on Thanksgiving, there are plenty of ways to come celebrate and give thanks during the week of Thanksgiving! 

Wednesday, November 27th - - Come out to the Hall with the family to do a little dancin' the night before Thanksgiving. Aaron Watson will be strummin' some killer tunes, and quite a few shops are open late. Don't forget to pick up your Jack Daniels Pecan Pie at the Gristmill...don't worry, we won't tell 'em it's not homemade! 

Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 28th - - While most businesses are closed, there is still fun to be had in Gruene with the Comal Cops for Kids Gruene Turkey Trot. Sign up and registration begins at 6:30am, 5K Run/Walk begins at 8:30am and the 1/4 Mile Kids Turkey Chase begins at 10am. Fun for the whole family!!! 

Friday, November 29th - - Gruene is back in action so skip the crowds and come spend Black Friday with us!! Shop local, and while you're at it, snap a shot with Cowboy Kringle who will be in town from 10am - 5pm for pictures with the kids, pets or the whole family. Enjoy live music during the day at The Grapevine and Gruene Hall, then stick around for Bob Schneider at Gruene Hall in the evening!

Saturday, November 30th - - Small Business Saturday!!! We may be biased, but everyone loves a locally-made Texan gift! Come shop at over 30 unique shops ranging from home decor and antiques to pottery and Texas-made wine! And don't forget your Kringle Cash! We promise, it's better than the mall! Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights will be at the Hall that evening. 

Sunday, December 1st - - Close out your weekend on a high note...not only will we have live music at the Hall all day, but we've got a special treat in store at The Grapevine at 2pm. Don't miss the Bah Humbug performance - it's Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with an amazing twist — one actor plays all the roles in this powerful tale of hope & compassion! Award-winning stage actor Damian Gillen transforms before your eyes into all those beloved characters...from Scrooge to Tiny Tim, in this magical and imaginative re-telling of the holiday classic!

Cowboy Kringle is coming to Town!!

We're makin' our lists, checkin' them twice...gonna find out who's naughty or nice...Cowboy Kringle's comin' to town!!

Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true, the holidays are more or less here. And with the Holidays in Gruene come one of our favorite Texas characters...our own brand of Santa, Cowboy Kringle.

Donning specially made chaps and a cowboy hat, Cowboy Kringle represents a true Texan Santa Claus, and fits in perfectly in good ol' Gruene. Cowboy Kringle's the friendly sort, and he will be available for holiday photos with the kiddos, pup or the whole family on weekends beginning Saturday, November 16th in the breezeway between The Grapevine & Gruene General Store. For a full list of dates and hours, click here.

And before you see him, make sure to stock up on your Kringle Cash to have a little extra spendin' money when you make your way to Gruene. Everyone deserves a little treat during the holidays, even if they've been naughty!

To kick off the holiday season, we thought we'd share some of our favorite photos of the Man in Red with you! HO HO HO!!!

The Best Wurst

It's that time of year again in New Braunfels - - that's right, the count down to Wurstfest is on. Only 3 more days until the annual 10 day celebration rich in German culture and full of Texas fun invades Landa Park on the Comal River!! And Gruene although Gruene is a few miles from the official grounds, we're not missing out on the fun of Wurstfest!! Here's how: 

Tour de Gruene Bicycle Classic
As an official Wurstfest event, the 30th Annual Tour de Gruene promises to be bigger and better than ever this year! The history, charm and ambiance of Gruene, a beautiful bicycle ride along the banks of the Guadalupe and live music at Gruene Hall...Yep, we're brewin' up quite a ride this year! Participants look forward to a leisurely bike ride through the Texas Hill Country on Sunday, and a competitive time trial in the afternoon. Sunday will bring competitive time trails. 
        Saturday, November 2, 2013
        15, 30 or 40 mile Recreational Tour
         6:30 am - Walk up registration begins at Gruene Hall
         8:00 am - Tours begin
         1-5:00 pm - Live music from Garrett LeBeau at Gruene Hall
         3:00 pm - Individual time trial begins


        Sunday, November 3, 2013
        Team Time Trials
         8:01 am - Time Trials begin
         12-3:00 pm - Live music from TBA at Gruene Hall
         4-8:00 pm - Live music from Bill Kirchin & Too Much Fun at Gruene Hall

Wurst Wagen
If you'd rather spend your time on the Wurstfest grounds actually in Wurstfest (instead of waiting to park, and waiting to buy tickets), our buddies down the hill at Rockin' R have the perfect solution - the Wurst Wagen. They'll pick you up at one of their many stops around New Braunfels, deliver you to Wurstfest, and then take you back to your stop after your evening of eating, drinking and doing the chicken dance! Plus, if you're not near one of our stop, call and we'll come find you!

German Eats
Craving some good ol' German food, but don't want to spend your time at Wurstfest in lines?? Stop by Mozie's or the Gristmill before heading over the the fair. Grab a Big Dog with our homemade Sauerkraut and a Warsteiner Dunkel at Mozie's while you watch football, or snack on some Gruene Bros. 'Best' Wurst Sausage at the Gristmill. 

It's Time to CHOW DOWN!

The oncoming of fall means many things: back to school, cooler weather, and best of all football! Many businesses in Gruene have fall traditions of their own, too. Mozie's has their Weekly Stu, and Cantina del Rio has the Chow Down Showdown!

What is the Chow Down Showdown, you may ask - is it an eating contest? Well, you could look at it that way. But we like to describe it as our ultimate school spirit event - a battle of the local high schools that allows us to support school spirit and football, and here's how it works.

In New Braunfels, there are two high schools that have been rivals as long as we can remember - New Braunfels High School and Canyon High School. To add to the rivalry (and do our part to give back to local schools), we created the Chow Down Showdown. During the weeks prior to the game between the two schools, we invite their fans to come chow down at Cantina del Rio.

When placing an order, customers have the choice to place their receipt in either the Canyon Cougars helmet or the New Braunfels Unicorns helmet. 10% of each receipt is donated to the designated team, and in the end, the team who raises the most gets an additional $500 and the prized Cantina Cup.

So grab your friends and come show your school spirit! The Chow Down Showdown starts this Friday, September 20 at 4pm and goes through Friday, October 11. May the best team win!!

Gruene's Best Bets for Back to School

Although you would never know if by looking at a thermostat, summer has come to an end. Labor Day has come and gone, and its time to buckle down and get back to the basics, and school. We've picked some of our favorite goodies to make going back to school this year a little more fun for the kiddos!

1. Big Tex Pencil

This jumbo size pencil will be the envy of the whole class! Not to mention, it will likely last the whole school year! Grab yours at Gruene General Store.

 

2. Hair Bows for Any Occasion

These super cute hair bows from Lone Star Texas Eclectic come in many colors and sizes to fit everyone's school spirit! Plus, the cute middle button is also a bottle cap!

 

3. Homework Table

A chalkboard-top table makes any homework more fun!! Grab this antique table (perfect size for the kiddos) at Gruene Antique Company.

 

4. Killer Lunchbox

A lunchbox as cool as these is sure to make any kid more excited about heading off on the bus in the morning! Gruene General Store has tons of old-fashioned boxes to choose from.

 

5. Antique Globe

Geography is much more fun when you can say you're using a globe from decades ago! Pick yours up at Gruene Antique Company while supplies last!

 

6. Cute Canteen

These cute animal canteens from Lone Star come with a tiny stuffed animal keychain to keep on your canteen or put on your backpack! Perfect for hydration on these hot days!

 

7. Some Great Advice

No one ever said it better. Grab this book to teach your kiddos the ropes at Cotton Eyed Joe's!







Every Man's Fantasy...Football and more!

Summer is coming to an end. And although that means the end of tubing season, Friday Afternoon Club, Two Ton Tuesdays and all other summer fun, it does bring about a few good things - - cooler weather for one, and FOOTBALL!

And with football season (which starts September 8th) comes the Second Annual Mozie's Weekly Stu - a barely-legal gambling initiative we like to sponsor to celebrate the best time of the year.

Not only is Mozie's already the best place to catch the game (premium wells, 8 flat screen TVs, greasy sliders and Shiner Bock onion rings), but with the addition of the Weekly Stu, you can also add light-hearted gambling and potential prizes to that list of every man's dream.

Here's the scoop: Each Thursday at 8:40am, KNBT 92.1 FM's star sports pickers Stu and Brandt select their winners for the week's schedule and announce their picks on air. Then, sometime before Saturday at 1:00am, you come in to Mozie's, pick up a ballot and circle your picks for the following week while you enjoy an ice cold beer at the bar. On Tuesday morning, we will tally up Brandt and Stu's winning percentage, and place all of the winning (same or higher winning percentage than Brandt and Stu) customer ballots in a box. Then, we pick a winner of a $50 Mozie's gift card. It's as easy as that - pick the winners and you'll be entered to win $50 to Mozie's!

And not only can you fill out your ballot, but we'll have all the games on so you can come root in your team with us - - just make sure to check the weekly sports schedule on our website! So grab your lucky rabbit's foot and come join us for a drink when NFL season rolls around on September 8th - - you won't regret it!