Round Top Restaurants Serve Up Community Support
During the month of August, local Round Top restaurants are participating in a unique initiative encouraging our community to dine local and invest local. These restaurants are offering featured menus, specialty items, and unique dining experiences. A portion of proceeds from Restaurant Weeks purchases benefits the Greater Fayette Community Foundation’s Community Impact Funds, which support grassroots organizations working in mental health, workforce development, education, rural health, and community wellbeing. Every meal gives back.
To view the offers from each of these restaurants, go to www.greaterfayette.com and click on EVENTS on the tool bar. The participating restaurants are: Blue Mule Winery, Busted Oak Cellars, Country Sunshine, Duo Modern, The Garden Company, Gino’s at The Halles, Lulu’s, Mandito’s Tex-Mex, Mill Street Café, Rabbit Rabbit, Round Top Brewing, Round Top Coffee Shop, and Royer’s Pie Haven.
RT-C ISD
If you would like to participate in operation “Load the Lounges,” now is your chance. You can help fuel the RT-C teachers for another fabulous school year. This is a great way to show the teachers how much they are appreciated. If you would like to donate items towards the RT-C Teacher’s Lounges for the new school year, you can drop off donations at either school office. Items needed are water, drinks, chips, snacks, protein bars, trail mix, sweet treats, coffee, and tea. The RT-C staff returns to school on Aug. 10.
All student registration, enrollment, and “back-toschool” night information for the new 2026-27 school year is now available at rtcisd.net.
Round Top Rifle Hall
The Monday Night Burger Social at the Round Top Rifle Hall will be held Monday, Aug. 10, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. with good food, cold drinks, and great company. All are welcome.
Save the date of Sunday, Sept. 20, for an evening of traditional German fun at the Round Top Rifle Hall when the 2026 Schutzenfest will be held.
Shakespeare at Winedale The Shakespeare at Winedale performances for this final weekend will be Friday, Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m. for Romeo & Juliet; Saturday, Aug. 8, at 10:30 a.m. for Henry IV Part 1; Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7:30 p.m. will be their preview nights (scenes from next year’s plays); Sunday, Aug. 9, at 10:30 a.m. for Romeo & Juliet; and Sunday, Aug. 9, at 7:30 p.m. for Love’s Labour Lost. For tickets and more info, go to shakespearewinedale. org.
Round Top Family Library
The Round Top Family Library has exciting progress to share. The new Children’s Wing is now open, and the Children’s, Junior Fiction, and Young Adult collections are in place and ready for families to enjoy.
As they move into the next phase of their renovation, the main library building will be temporarily closed for approximately 45 days. All books are still accessible to the public from the Children’s Wing. They appreciate the patience, flexibility, and support as they make positive changes and look forward to welcoming everyone into the newly renovated library soon.
Join Round Top Family Library for a Puzzle Swap on Aug. 8 from 10–11 a.m. Bring a gently used, complete puzzle and trade it for a new-to-you challenge. It’s a fun and free way to refresh your puzzle collection while connecting with other puzzle lovers in the community. The Puzzle Swap is free and open to the public. Whether you’re a seasoned puzzler or just looking for a relaxing activity to enjoy, they hope you’ll stop by and join the fun.
Exercise classes will continue as scheduled and will be held in the Annex throughout the remodel.
Registration for the Fall 2026 Semester of Children’s Programs opens on Aug. 11. They will be partnering with Arts for Rural Texas to bring engaging and enriching opportunities to local students. Check the link for sign-ups if you are interested.
The library is always looking for individuals to join their energetic and enthusiastic volunteer team. From helping in children’s programs, gardening, event planning and more, there are opportunities for every interest level. For more information, visit http://www. ilovetoread.org and click on the “Help the Library” tab, or call (979) 249-2700 for more information.
RT Hermann Sons Life Hermann Sons Life regular monthly meeting was held on Tuesday, July 28, at the Round Top Rifle Hall with all officers, committee members, and almost all active members attending. Lila Garlin, President, called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Agent, Linda Mattocks, explained the new applications and presented other informative information. Community coordinator, Melanie Rauch, reported on the cards she sent.
For new business the lodge agreed to send a monetary contribution to Round Top-Carmine Parent-Teachers club. Happy Birthday was sung to ValGene Ebner for his birthday on July 29 and to LaVerne Albers for her birthday on July 31. Thanks to the Porters for the door prizes which were won by Roy Piper, Mary Rauch, and Lila Garlin. Attendance prizes were won by Bob Porter, Melanie Rauch, Jeanette Schoenst, Norwood Hackemack and Jeanette Hancock.
The meeting adjourned for a German-style supper with sausage and sauce, sauerkraut, brown beans, green bean casserole, potato salad and lots of desserts. Appreciation was expressed to the outgoing serving committee of Barton and Lila Garlin, La Verne Albers, Sedalia Ullrich, Pearlie and Wayne Wagner, and Margie Stardig.
The next meeting will be Aug. 25.
Round Top Lion’s Club
The Round Top Lion’s Club hopes you will join them on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 26, for their 10th Annual Round Top Lions Club Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. You can register to participate on AthleteGuild.com. For any questions, please contact Pam Langford at (979) 530-5086.
What’s Happening in RT?
Passing through Round Top on Friday evenings, we often see community members gathered outside the old Knutzen Blacksmith Shop in downtown Round Top, right off Hwy. 237, and wonder “What is going on there?” Douglas Knutzen is the owner of the Knutzen Blacksmith shop, which has been in his family for generations. He rents the old blacksmith shop to Cam Lepee of Midnight Forge who uses the blacksmith shop to build custom metalwork and enjoy gatherings with friends.
Douglas Knutzen’s “grandfather”, John Knutzen, born in 1871, was a blacksmith. Douglas’s “father,” Joe Knutzen, born in 1910, was also a blacksmith. The original blacksmith shop has been there since the 1800s. Joe was only two when his family moved from Waldeck to Round Top in 1912. They lived in downtown Round Top, on the west side of the Round Top square in a one-acre block that contained four lots. Their wooden home was on one lot, the wooden blacksmith shop on another, and two of the lots were left vacant.
As a boy, Joe was fascinated with blacksmithing and spent much of his time around the blacksmith shop. After Joe’s father passed away, Joe’s mother had to sell her husband’s anvil to help pay the bills. Joe later was able to earn the money to buy it back and to this day, the Knutzen family still owns the anvil. Joe went to college to become a teacher and learn more about blacksmithing. He then moved back to Round Top, got married, and continued to work in his father and grandfather’s blacksmith shop. He was a dedicated teacher in the Round Top area for over 30 years but spent almost all his spare time blacksmithing and shoeing horses and mules. Joe was the last teacher to teach in the one-room schoolhouse in the Nassau Plantation School on Nassau Road in Round Top. Joe died at the age of 82 in 1992.
Joe’s only son, Douglas Joe Knutzen, was born in 1942 in Round Top. Douglas grew up in Round Top, attended school at RT-C, went to college, and returned home to Texas where he got married, bought and sold properties, and owned two very successful office supply companies. Douglas and his wife had one son, Douglas Joseph (D.J.) Knutzen, born in 1982. D.J. is a lawyer in Houston and now serves as the chairman of the Architectural Review Board for the town of Round Top.
The Knutzens takes great pride in their ancestry and heritage. The Knutzen name is well-known and highly respected throughout Round Top. The family continues to spend time in the Round Top area, care for their family properties, and support the community they proudly call home. As far as the more than a century old blacksmith shop, the community has a heartwarming and nostalgic feeling to see it still being used for its intended purpose and enjoyed as a happy gathering place.
Sunday Morning Services Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Round Top, at 9:30 a.m.; Chapelwood United Methodist Church, Round Top, at 10:30 a.m.; Round Top Church Christian Fellowship, Round Top, at 10 a.m.; St. Cecilia’s Episcopal Church, Round Top, at 8:45 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.; St. John’s Lutheran Church, Warrenton, at 8:30 a.m.; St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Shelby, at 8 a.m.
Celebrations
Happy birthdays to Katherine Brown and Kay Von Minden-Aug. 6, Jerry Dove-Aug. 7; Amy Dooley-Aug. 8; Scotty Lynch-Aug. 9; Briana Kramer, Ruth Menking, Mick McMann, Cheri Mayhew, and Arlin Keilers-Aug. 10; Carlyn Hall and Alex Pieper-Aug. 12.
Happy anniversary to Blake and Christie Goehring on Aug. 12.
Have News?
Send any news you wish to share to SherryPen@icloud. com by Monday morning.
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