Do Your Duty Organization Showcases Heritage With Courthouse Float at RT Parade

The 2025 Round Top Christmas Parade on Dec. 6 proudly featured a float from the Do Your Duty Organization (DYD), a women-led community group established in 1935. DYD’s long-standing mission is to serve Round Top through heritage preservation, beautification of the historic courthouse square, and charitable giving.

This float showcased a handcrafted replica of the Round Top Courthouse, built by master craftsman Larry Birkelbach. Larry, well known for his work on Festival Hill’s Concert Hall, has deep family ties to DYD. Many of his relatives — including women from the Birkelbach and Sacks families — were lifetime members, early leaders, and founding contributors to the organization.

DYD’s legacy continues through the next generation. Larry’s daughter, Holly Johnson, will serve as DYD President in 2026. Holly grew up attending DYD Courthouse Clean-Up Days with her grandmother, Lucille Birkelbach, who proudly passed along the tradition of service and stewardship.

For more than 90 years, DYD has upheld its mission: to honor Round Top’s heritage, support charitable causes, and keep the historic courthouse grounds a point of pride for the community.