Island Oktoberfest

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This morning, I drove over to the First Lutheran Church of Galveston to attend the 37th Annual Galveston Island Oktoberfest. Though this event is considered the premier fall festival on the island, I had never been to it and, to be honest I didn’t know much about it.

Fortunately, a few days ago, a good friend enlightened me. She told me all about the big event and added, “You must go; you’ll love it!”

This friend, a BOI (Born On Island), knows exactly what’s what in Galveston as well as anyone I know.

So, I took her advice; put on the closest thing I had to German garb, and headed out.- expecting to have a fun and festive afternoon. And, I did!

Approaching the entrance to Oktoberfest, I heard the brassy sounds of German folk music and was greeted by a cadre of festival faithfuls, all were dressed as if they had just flown in from Bavaria. The men wore brown lirederhosen, with shoulder straps, buttons embellishing the front and tan trimmings. Underneath, they all had on off-white shirts with lace up collars, matching brown and tan hats and, of course, white knee socks.

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The women strolling about wore Alpine Dirndl (blue, green or black ones mostly) with edelweiss, enzian and almrausch floral embroidery. On top, all wore neat and tidy embroidered white aprons. Many - no matter their age - wore their hair in pretty braids.

Needless to say, the authentic German music and the costumes set the stage perfectly, and I eagerly moved forward, eager to participate in these annual festivities.

Inside the gates, on the grounds of the church, a couple of hundred others had already assembled - all were either manning or patronizing dozens of booths featuring German food and beverages, as well as several play stations for kids. Like everyone else, I strolled around to see everything, stopped often to say “hi” to friends I bumped into and enjoy, like them, a sampling of the tasty bites, including Bratwurst, a personal favorite.

After an hour or so, I started looking for the arts and crafts booth. I soon discovered the artisans had set up their pop-up shops inside the Lyceum Chapel, an elegant, mid-19th century Victorian structure situated right next the church. Walking into The Lyceum, I was taken aback by the beauty of the building and by the fact that I wasn’t even aware of its existence!

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Soon, I learned from another BOI that The Lyceum underwent extensive renovation and restoration about a decade ago, with work completed in the summer of 2009, Now, The Lyceum is one of the Island’s premier venue for weddings, receptions, meetings and other special events.





The Strand Clock

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Recently, I was shopping downtown and, for the first time, took note of a very tall, Victorian-era clock standing at the southeast corner of Strand and 22nd streets, in front of the First National Bank Building.

“Wow,” I thought. “How long has that clock been there? Where did it come from? Who put it up?”

So, naturally, when I returned to The Bungalow, I got online and did some research.

I learned the clock is 17-feet tall, and the timepiece measures four feet in diameter and sits atop the fluted metal stand. As I noticed, the base, stand and frame are all painted green.

I learned too that the clock dates to roughly 1900, a significant date in the history of Galveston.

As the story goes, John and Gerald Sullivan located the clock in a San Antonio warehouse in 1989 and hired Bill Young of Dallas to restore it. Later, the Sullivans donated the operational clock to the Galveston Historical Foundation for permanent display at its present location.

There is a plaque at the base of the clock that reads: Dedicated to the Galveston Historical Foundation and the Citizens of Galveston by the families of John L. and Cynthia L. Sullivan and Gerald A. and Susanne H. Sullivan. December 19, 1989

I liked seeing the clock, and I liked too learning about its history. No doubt, I will now notice it every time I walk down The Strand. And, I will look up at its face - with pride and much appreciation for those who brought it here.

St. Mary Cathedral

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St. Mary Cathedral Basilica is the primary cathedral of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and the mother church of the Catholic Club in Texas. Along with the Co-Cathedral of the sacred Heart in Houston, St. Mary serves more than 1.5 million Catholics living in the Archdiocese.

The Cathedral Basilica is notable as being one of the few buildings in Galveston that survived the devastating Great Storm of 1900 with only minimal damage. However, it did sustain significant water damage during Hurricane Ike in 2008 and was closed for repairs until Easter 2014.

St. Mary Cathedral was named a Texas state historic landmark in 1968 and a national historic landmark in 1973. In 1979, in recognition of the Cathedral's importance to the community and the State of Texas, as well as the historical impact it had on Catholicism in the state of Texas, Pope John Paul II elevated St. Mary Cathedral to the status of a minor basilica.

Construction of the Cathedral
Father John Odin embarked from New Orleans on a schooner bound for the Texas coast, arriving in Galveston early in 1841. There, he found a community of Catholics eager to build a church for their small congregation.

In the months that followed, Father Odin procured enough money to begin construction of a wooden-frame church. He was assisted in this venture by Colonel Michael B. Menard and Dr. Nicholas Labadie, two prominent Galvestonians. (Colonel Menard is to be remembered as one of the founders of the City of Galveston.)

On February 6, 1842, Father Odin dedicated the completed structure to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The small, rectangular building measured 22 feet. Father Odin, now the Apostolic Vicar of Texas, purchased a five-room cottage as the episcopal residence. He made an addition to the church structure of a small sacristy and bought 30 benches for the convenience of his parishioners.

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In 1845, Father Odin purchased 500,000 bricks from Belgium,  which were shipped to Galveston. He would use the bricks in the construction of his dream: a larger, permanent church. The little frame church was moved out into the street, and work on the new St. Mary began in 1847. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone took place on Sunday, March 14, 1947. On November 26, 1848, the Cathedral was ready for dedication.

No More Shed

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Day One of deconstruction of the shed

When I purchased The Bungalow, I loved everything about it - except the storage shed that was - at some point in its history - added to the back of the house.

The shed was in bad shape. It leaked when it rained; it had rotted wood on the floor and walls, and it only had enough space in it to hold a water heater, a mop and a broom and a few beach toys.

To get into the backyard, one had to walk through the shed and take several concrete steps down to the lawn. The steps, by the way, had no safety railing. I worried all the time about a less-than-careful guest falling down the steps and suffering serious injury.

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So, from the get-go, my plan was to have the shed taken down and a good-size wood deck put in. Happy to report, my dream project became a reality this week.

De-construction of the shed and construction of the deck took two hard-working people about five very long days.

Once the work was (almost) completed, it took me only five minutes to move a couple of Adirondeck chairs and a side table off the lawn and position them up there. And, only another five minutes to start planning a gathering of friends to show off the deck!

Here, the deck is almost finished. Just needs the latticework added to its bottom to hide those ugly, unmovable concrete steps!

Here, the deck is almost finished. Just needs the latticework added to its bottom to hide those ugly, unmovable concrete steps!

Rosenberg Library

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The Rosenberg Library, established in 1900 and built a few years later, is the oldest continuously operating library in Texas. That fact, plus the high level of service and resources the library provides, is a source of great pride for the citizens of Galveston, so much so that most locals are library-card carrying fans and frequent visitors. Me included!

Admittedly, I didn’t make it over to the library as soon as I had hoped, but when I did go, I was duly impressed and eager to look around (on all floors) and get a library card of my own. At the same time, I asked about book clubs, special events, etc. Again, I was impressed. The offerings here are amazing!

This statue of Henry Rosenberg is positioned at the entrance of the Rosenberg Library. It is a fitting tribute to the generosity and legacy of this Galveston businessman and philanthropist.

This statue of Henry Rosenberg is positioned at the entrance of the Rosenberg Library. It is a fitting tribute to the generosity and legacy of this Galveston businessman and philanthropist.

The folks working at the front desk were great. All were friendly and very knowledgeable. They seemed to enjoy answering my many questions. So, I couldn’t help myself. I asked a lot of them - especially about the history of the library and its namesake.

I learned a lot!

For example, the funding for the Rosenberg Library Association was provided via a bequest from Galveston businessman and philanthropist Henry Rosenberg. The association was organized on July 10, 1900, as a private corporation to give free library service to all the residents of Galveston. The building itself was dedicated on June 22, 1904, the birthday of its patron.

When the Moody Memorial Wing opened in 1971, it more than doubled the floor space and allowed for a children's library, a history center, several galleries to showcase museum collections and, later, a computer lab.

The Rosenberg Library is located at 2310 Sealy Avenue. For current information about its hours of operation and upcoming special events, please visit www.rosenberg-library.org/.