Third Time’s a Charm – Festival Hill Gala to Happen April 9

After three years of planning and rescheduling Round Top Festival Institute is in high gear for its first-ever spring fundraiser, billed as the Festival Hill Gala - Prelude to the Next Fifty. Katrina and Mark Elvig are serving as co-chairs for this event, with auction chairs Joan Herring and Leslie Penello, Festival Hill’s Gala Coordinator Pat Johnson and a host of enthusiastic planning committee members. The magical evening is orchestrated for Saturday, April 9, 6 p.m., under a big tent on the grounds of the Institute. A limited number of individual tickets at $250 and underwriting opportunities are still available. Please contact Pat Johnson, 979 249-3129, gala@festivalhill.org and the website festivalhill.org

These grand fund-raising plans benefit scholarships, historic preservation, landscape architecture including Festival Hill’s fabled gardens, and perhaps its most urgent and greatest immediate need — the completion of the Educational Ensemble Center ensuring practice rooms for young musicians.

Promisingly, the Houston based Ed and Ethel Herzstein Foundation has already stepped up with a commitment towards the Educational Ensemble Center. When completed, the new center will be multi-functional, including use as a conference center, generating rental revenue for decades to come. Festival Hill is now inviting individuals to donate so its brilliant young musicians have the facilities they need to prepare for concert performances.

Music fans in Texas, nationally, and internationally know of the Round Top Festival Institute, founded in the summer of 1971 by James Dick. While James Dick’s vision for Festival Hill has flourished to blossom into its present incantation — a 210-acre campus which draws 40,000 visitors annually, and a prime role as the biggest employer in the Round Top area — there are multiple generation of classical music lovers in Fayette County who have experienced the breathtaking beauty of Festival Hill and its rich musical programming.

“Our upcoming gala is a focus on something that is remarkable - that a project like this has celebrated its 50 years. There aren’t that many 501(c)3s that last 50 years. the gala is a symbol of grit” stated James Dick.

He continued “One of the other main goals of the evening fundraising is to support our young musicians who audition for a position in the orchestra. Some 100 in number annually, each receive $6,000 donated scholarships to Festival Hill’s intensive six-week summer performance sessions. The gifted players are in turn taught by 30 illustrious, visiting faculty and conductors gleaned from universities, conservatories, and orchestras worldwide.”

Keeping it local, Royers Cafe will be serving up a scrumptious meal along with a large selection of wines and Shiner Beer. Dessert is their classic sweet and salty chocolate pie with a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream generously donated by the creamery. Guest will arrive by valet parking and welcomed into the tent with jazz by Jazz Rico from Laredo.

A live and silent auction will happen with top items being a week at Katrina and Mark Elvig’s vacation home, “BirchHaven,” in Maine and five nights stay in the beautiful Mountain Shadows hacienda outside Marfa, Texas. Fayette County’s own Sally Maxwell has donated one of her limited editions giclees and a custom piece from jewelry designer Richard Schmidt will be auctioned. The Gala committee was overwhelmed by the many items donated by area Round Top businesses including fashion design team Haus Alkire, Humble Donkey, Duo at Market Hill, Round Top Smokehouse, Armando’s and Black Cat Choir to name a few.

Fayetteville has also been generous with artist Mary Quiros donating a painting and studio experience. Also, a wonderful date night package for a one-night stay for two at the Grand Fayette Hotel with a gift certificate to the Wine Bar Restaurant. You will be welcomed in your room by a gift basket from famed international food store Phoenicia.

With a focus on the future of culture and art education, this special event intends to raise social awareness and continuous committed support for the next 50 years of programming at the Round Top Festival Institute.

Winchester 4-H Members participated in the 2022 Fayette County Junior Livestock Show, held March 25. Congratulations are sent to the following members: Brazos Vick-Reserved Campion Cake; Raynee Hart-3rd place Rabbits; Grayson Hart-7th place Rabbits; Saydee Hart-10th place Rabbits; Blair Gooch-13th place Rabbits; Addison Fryer-31st place Rabbits.

Winchester Book Club The April read for the Winchester book club is the book authored by Sue Monk Kidd titled, “The Book of Longings”. The group will meet on April 19 at 7 p.m. at Zilss Hall.

MS 150 The MS 150 will return to Winchester as a break point on Saturday, April 30, this year. Bike MS is a ride for a “community of cyclist dedicated to powering breakthrough for more than one million people living with multiple sclerosis in the US.” This year the ride will start from Austin and Houston Saturday morning April 30 and ride to La Grange for Saturday night. On Sunday, May 1, the cyclists will travel to the Finish Line at Kyle Field at the university of Texas A&M, in College Station. Winchester will once again support a team with Amanda Hart and Tom Atkins riding as TEAM Winchester. For more information you can contact Amanda at (979) 549-0600 or Tom at (979) 242-3085. The team is raising money for MS and can accept your donations.

Recycling Trailer

The Winchester Recycling trailer is located on the side of Zilss Hall on Memorial Hall St. Please place your recycling in the appropriate bins. We would appreciate that you make sure that you close the bins so that any trash will remain in the bins and not blow. Reminder: these bins are not for household garbage. Please recycled items only.

Quilt Block Paint Class

A Quilt Block paint class is scheduled for April 23 with spots available. If you want an Easter or Mother’s Day gift you have time to paint a block. Each class will begin at 10 a.m. and will be completed by 4 p.m. The cost of the class is $75, and you can register and pay on the website, www.quiltblocktrail.com.