Celebrating the Music of The Frogs, LG’s Historic Singing Society

This Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16, Kreische Brewery and Monument Hill State Historic Sites will host presentations exploring the music of “Die Fröesche” or “The Frogs,” a 19th-century German-Texan singing group from La Grange. The programs will explore how these music societies, much like the Bluff Schuetzenverein, shaped the history and culture of the local community and will include music samples from the group’s songbooks.

From the 1880s through the 1910s, The Frogs performed musical concerts throughout the county, including on the Bluff. In one 1899 newspaper article in the La Grange Deutsche Zeitung, descriptions of a Bluff Schuetzenverein event included a shooting competition, a supper and music that was “carried through the mild air into the park and mingled with the merry singing of the frogs.” Presentations will be held at noon and 2 p.m. in the Kreische House and will be presented by Alex Thompson, the Sites’ 2023 summer intern. Music of the Frogs is free for Friends members and kids 5 and under, $3 for students and seniors, and $4 for adults. For more info, see the Sites’ Facebook page or call the visitors center at (979) 968-5658.