Easter on the Bluff Event to Rekindle German Traditions

On Saturday, April 3rd, Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites will host Easter on the Bluff, reminiscent of a once a popular social occasion at the Bluff Schuetzen Verein Pavilion. The event will feature interpretive programs, a children’s egg hunt, and bonfire. Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnics, beverages, chairs or blankets, and a flashlight. Capacity is limited and reservations are required. Anybody interested is encouraged to register via the Friends website as soon as possible.

“This event is inspired by the large egg hunts that took place around the Schuetzen Verein Pavilion in the early 20th century,” say Assistant Sites Manager Gavin Miculka. The Sites’ oral history collection includes stories of Easter gatherings on the grounds of what is now Kresiche Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites. Members of the Bluff community would boil and dye eggs in large sugar kettles before hiding them. While the grounds provided a vast area to search for eggs, some adults would keep a few eggs in their pocket and drop them where the youngest egg hunters could find them.

The event will conclude with an Osterfeurer, or Easter Fire, weather permitting. “These bonfires are a common Easter tradition in Germany, signifying the end of winter and the coming of spring,” says Miculka. While it is unknown if the Kreisches or Schuetzen Verein hosted an Osterfeurer on the Bluff, the bonfire is one of several traditions that site staff are reviving to honor the community’s German heritage.

The children’s Egg hunt will begin at 5:45, and the eggs will be found very quickly, so registered guests shouldn’t be late. The bonfire will be lit at 7:15. Between 5:00 and 7:00, volunteer interpreters will share the history of the Bluff Community and German-Texan Easter traditions at the Kreische House. Reservations are required and event registration can be completed at www.friendsofkreischebrewery.org/easter. Admission is free for Friends members and children aged 5 and under, $3 for students and seniors, and $4 for adults.

For more information, visit www.friendsofkreischebrewery.org or call the Sites’ visitors center at (979) 968-5658.