NIOSA: Let`s Party With a Purpose - San Antonio Conservation Society

The San Antonio Conservation Society
NIOSA Special edition
JOURNAL
VOLUME 41, NO. 4
G
SPRING 2006
NIOSA: Let’s Party With a Purpose
ranted, there probably aren’t too
many folks around town who
haven’t heard that A Night in Old
San Antonio (NIOSA) is a fantastic
four night giant block party held in one
of the oldest suburbs of San Antonio,
historic La Villita. But there probably
ARE some folks that aren’t aware that the
San Antonio Conservation Society has been
hosting this unique cultural event for some
58 years, in La Villita. NIOSA chairman
DeAnna Keesee and her able crew are going
all out to help tell the story of the role that
NIOSA plays in safeguarding not only our
multi-cultural legacies, but also in protecting
our built and natural environment. This year,
look for our own San Antonio Conservation
Society “booth” located at the Hitching Post in
Mission Trails. If you are looking for someone
or needing directions this is the place for help.
We’ll also have interesting displays and a lot
of information about our organization.
Unveiling the 2006 Commemorative NIOSA Poster
DeAnna Keesee
Golden Eggs, Part I…..Plaza de las
Islas/Main Plaza
Barbara Johnson
President
In the last 100 years, numerous
landmarks were lost due to street widening.
Lewis Fisher writes in Saving San Antonio
“the biggest single toll of landmarks was the
widening of Commerce Street, which lasted
three years. Mule drawn street cars had been
barred from traveling on the city’s main
commercial street so that the ringing of bells
and clanking of the chains would not disturb
the conduct of business”. As a result of the
widening, Commerce Street “never regained
its retail pre-eminence”. Additional historic
buildings were lost facing Main Plaza across
Soledad. The widening of Soledad “caused
the demise of the city’s finest Spanish-era residence, the so-called Veramendi Palace.” This
removal transformed Soledad Street from the
‘Street of Solitude into the Street of Business.
Street widening and subsequent closures have
caused the Society a lot of heartburn!
As a prelude to the current discussion regarding the potential street closures
surrounding the perimeter of Main Plaza, it
is relevant to refer to the 1993 Master Plan’s
comments. The “Historic Basis” states that “In
1731, Main Plaza (Plaza de las Islas) was laid
out for the settlers from the Canary Islands.
Throughout the rest of the 18th century, the
19th and most of the 20th, this was the center
of daily life in the city. The Spanish Colonial
layout of the plazas and streets have been
enriched over the years by architecture and
planning principles influenced by the French,
German, English and countless others. However, in recent years, recessions, tight public
budgets, and business failures have left the
area with many vacancies and deterioration.
If San Antonio is to continue to be the most
historic city in Texas, this living history must
be protected, restored and preserved”.
Although the Society’s Board of
Directors supports the concept of revitalizing
the plaza, ironically it maintains a position
Continued page 6
“30 Years on Main Street,” painted by Janet Campbell for this year’s NIOSA poster.
DeAnna Keesee, chairman of
the 2006 “A Night In Old San Antonio®”
(NIOSA®) and Barbara Johnson, president
of the San Antonio Conservation Society,
lifted the veil on the 2006 NIOSA® poster
and introduced its artist at a festive reception
March 1, 2006 in the garden of the Society
headquarters. The Warren High School Jazz
Choir provided “good time Americana”
music for guests.
Titled “30 Years on Main Street,”
the 2006 NIOSA® poster by renowned local artist Janet Campbell celebrates the 30th
anniversary of the Main Street USA area
of NIOSA. Established as a bicentennial
project in 1976, the Main Street USA area is
bedecked in red, white and blue bunting and
embodies all things Americana. Poster artist
Campbell will be in attendance every night
during NIOSA at The Palace booth in the
International Walkway Area to sign posters.
“Main Street has a special place in
my heart,” says Chairman Keesee. “I call it
‘my area’ because it is where I started with
NIOSA. My husband and three sons all grew
up in Main Street and it was established by
my mother-in-law, June Keesee Cliffe, and
her good friend Shirley Albert, so I think of
it as my family’s area, also.”
The full-color, 22” x 30” vertical watercolor posters are on sale at Sigoloff Frame &
Art at 8222 Broadway as well as on the NIOSA
website at www.niosa.org; NIOSA posters from
other years are also available online now. The
signed and numbered, limited-edition posters
are priced at $25. Unsigned posters cost $15.
Souvenirs with the NIOSA poster artwork
include postcards and note cards that can be
mailed from NIOSA’s Frontier Town at a working U.S. Postal substation that offers an official
NIOSA cancellation stamp.
About the artist
This is the third NIOSA poster
commissioned from Campbell; previous posters
include the 50th Anniversary poster of NIOSA
in 1997 and the 2000 poster depicting folkloric
dancers in the big plaza of La Villita. A native
of San Antonio, Campbell has been painting
professionally for 30 years; primary subjects are
scenes around her in Central Texas (particularly
Austin and San Antonio) and images from her
travels to Central America, England, France,
Italy, Japan and Mexico. Landscapes, lake
scenes, architectural and historical structures
and cityscapes have predominated.
I
Bruce MacDougal
Executive Director
NIOSA : the Envy of Other Non-Profits
n the world of preservation
non-profit organizations, the
San Antonio Conservation Society is in a class by itself. Other organizations are constantly
beating the bushes for funds to
operate: grant requests, government fund applications, dress-up
galas, and constant appeals to
members and friends. We’ve got
NIOSA! Other organizations try
to involve volunteers in activities and keep them engaged and
involved year after year. We’ve
got NIOSA! Other organizations
try to be the heartbeat of the
community— to do something
that makes people glad that they
live in a historically rich city
worthy of preservation. We’ve
got NIOSA! What an incredible
gift our forbearers passed on to
us; their joy of celebration fuels
our fire.
Yes, the Conservation
Society is different: independent,
resourceful, authoritative. If it
were not for NIOSA, none of
these traits would be possible, at
least not to the degree we have
today. NIOSA not only fuels the
financial furnace of the Society, it
gives us that once a year kick that
is both exhausting and rejuvenating and always a heck of a lot of
fun. It is our party with a great
purpose.
NIOSA allows the Con-
servation Society to do what it
was established to do in its purpose: to preserve and encourage
the preservation of historic buildings, objects, places and customs
relating to the history of Texas.
What continues to distinguish the Conservation Society today from colleague organizations is that it is managed by
a volunteer board, a board with
over 40 committees, of which the
NIOSA is only one. However it is
due to the success of that NIOSA
committee, year after year, that
the volunteer board is able to
seek advice and guidance from
paid professionals—on an hourly,
consulting basis. The Conservation Society does not skimp
when it comes to professional
advice. In any given year, the
Society seeks and pays for legal,
financial, appraisal, architectural,
planning and other professional
expertise to make sure that we are
acting wisely and efficiently.
A recent example of
how valuable this advice is in
support of the Conservation
Society’s mission was the planning and legal advice sought to
assist the Society in the stand
against altering the Unified Development Code (UDC) to allow
VIA Metropolitan Transit to be
exempt from UDC provisions
in planning for its new facilities.
As part of the annual amendment
process for the UDC, the Society
routinely involves a planning
consultant from Austin to review
the proposed changes. He was
startled that the VIA proposal was
included because he recognized
that transportation facilities can
have major land use impacts.
We concurred, knowing that,
especially in the next few years,
VIA will greatly expand its construction program due to passage
of the Advanced Transportation
District—the ATD will pump up
the funds available to VIA by a
minimum of $17 million in the
first year alone.
The City’s Development Services staff supported the
VIA exemption because the San
Antonio Water System and CPS
Energy were already exempt from
UDC requirements and because
of the belief that public transit
is important and should not be
impeded. The Technical Advisory Committee and the Planning
Commission were also in support
of the amendment, only the Zoning Commission was not. When
informal discussions between
Conservation Society representatives and VIA staff did not yield
a compromise, Society President
Barbara Johnson determined that
before the VIA amendments went
to City Council for a vote, we
needed a lobbyist. It is not that
we felt uncomfortable making
our case to City Council members
directly as we had done countless
times before. It was all about
achieving a balance in negotiating
a compromise, as City Council
expected.
The result of the negotiations was better than either side
expected. VIA must comply with
traditional land use restrictions
and evaluate the impact of the
largest of transit facilities location
on surrounding neighborhoods
rather than having a wholesale exemption from zoning ordinances.
Restrictions for display of outdoor signage, maximum sizes for
bus shelters and transfer centers
as well as review of projects in
“overlay” and special districts,
such as historic districts, were
also refined or clarified. Without
the Conservation Society’s lobbyist and planning consultant, the
results of the compromise would
certainly not be as beneficial to
all concerned. It was money well
spent.
So, the next time you see
a new bus shelter or other new
transit facility, think of NIOSA.
And this year at NIOSA, have
another tortilla from Maria or
an extra beer. It is all for a very
worthy cause. Viva NIOSA!
Farms and Ranches: Focus of Historic Preservation Month
2
By Cindy Thomas
Sustain America – Vision,
Economics and Preservation is
this year’s theme for the National
Trust’s Preservation Month. In
May, the San Antonio Conservation Society will celebrate our
Historic Preservation Month
with a seminar titled “Preserving Our Legacy: Historic Farms
and Ranches in South Texas” on
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 at San
Fernando’s AT&T Community
Center, 231 W. Commerce Street,
from l p.m. to 4:45 p.m. followed
by a reception at the Spanish
Governor’s Palace. The program
and registration form can be
found on our website at www.
saconservation.org or by calling
210-224-6163. The seminar’s
purpose is to inform property
owners, developers and real
estate professionals, planners,
government officials and other
conservation non-profits on how
to preserve our historic farms and
ranches.
Our second Family Heritage
Day will be held on Saturday,
May 6, at the Presnall-Watson
Heritage Site from 10 a.m. until 2
p.m. There will be no admission
fee. Take IH-37 South to 410
West, Exit 46 and turn left onto
Moursund Road which turns into
Pleasanton Road. After passing
Mitchell Lake, take a right on
Neal Road until you see the balloons on the right.
This farm complex is
on 1,200 acres originally part
of an 1808 Spanish land grant.
In l852 Harrison Presnall and
Stephen Applewhite purchased
the property which remained in
family hands until the San Antonio Water System acquired it
25 years ago for the Applewhite
Reservoir Project. The City
of San Antonio plans to turn
this property over to the Land
Heritage Institute Foundation to
develop as a heritage education
and living history site. The day will be filled with
events and demonstrations pertaining to early farm and ranch
life in South Texas, hayrides to
a 10,000 year old archeological
site guided by Dr. Alston Thoms
from Texas A&M University,
birding tours conducted by James
Middleton from the San Antonio
Audubon Society, chuck wagon
cooking demonstrations by Glenn
Dorn of St. Hedwig, a native
plant demonstration, American
Indian tribal music, Americana
folk music by the Laven family
and conjunto music. Two story
dove cotes were moved onto the
property from the Walsh Ranch
(currently the Toyota Plant site)
and will be discussed.
Joining us this year will be
folks from the nearby town of
Thelma to celebrate their 100th
birthday. They will have various
displays depicting the history of
their community. A brief history
of Thelma follows. It was written
by Alma Ann Midgett, the granddaughter of James Watson and the
daughter of Thelma Watson for
whom the settlement is named.
Proclamations celebrating
Historic Preservation Month
will be read at Bexar County
Commissioner’s Court on Tuesday, April 18 at 11 a.m. and at
City Council on Thursday, April
CORRECTION
The photo of the Presnall/
Watson Farm in the Winter
2006 JOURNAL was contributed by Alma B. Midgett,
not Ann Midgett as reported.
27 at 5 pm.
A Historic Farm and Ranch
Tour completes our Heritage
Month on Saturday, May 27,
from 9 am - 2 pm. Join us as
Society docents take us by bus
through Southern Bexar County.
The tour costs $34 / per person
and includes lunch. Your check
is your reservation. Call 210-2246163 for more information.
Visit these websites to learn
more: www.saconservation.org
or www.landheritageinstitute.
Volunteers needed for Publication Awards
The San Antonio Conservation Society Publication Awards
Committee has issued a call for
readers/evaluators for the 2007
Publication Awards. If you are
interested in reading and helping
us make decisions regarding the
award winners, please contact
Terry Carter at 210-375-1527.
Friday, May 12, 2006 is the deadPublication Committee
Anne Parrish, Editor
Committee Chairman
Hector Cardenas
Vice Chairman
Barbara Johnson
Bruce MacDougal
Virginia Nicholas
Melissa Kazen
Sally Buchanan
Alex De La Garza
Jean Heide
Beverly Hemphill
Frank Jennings
Linda Persyn
Maria Pfeiffer
Ann Parker
Carol Schliesinger
David Simon
Jill Souter
Docia Williams
Tammy Huelsberg,
Office Support
Edward Leal, Layout
line for nominations. Materials
will be available for review
starting Monday, May 22, 2006.
The competition is open to any
printed, scholarly work on Texas
history/culture that supports the
Society’s stated purpose and has
a copyright date less than three
years old at the time of nomination (between 2004 – 2006).
The San Antonio Conservation Society
JOURNAL
The Journal is published four
times annually by the San Antonio Conservation Society
107 KING WILLIAM ST.
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78204
PHONE (210) 224-6163
FAX (210) 224-6168
www.saconservation.org
The purpose for which the San
Antonio Conservation Society
was formed is to preserve and
encourage the preservation of
historic buildings, objects, places
and customs relating to the history
of Texas, its natural beauty and all
that is admirably distinctive to our
State; and by such physical and
cultural preservation to keep the
history of Texas legible and intact
to educate the public, especially
the youth of today and tomorrow
with knowledge of our inherited
regional values.
Re-Birth of the Gresser/Foutrel Property- an Art Deco Surprise
By Anne Parrish
The Society has recently
completed the façade restoration
at 102 Navarro, a property we
purchased in 1998 under Paula
Piper’s presidency. We held a
right to first refusal on this particular parcel for almost 30 years
before that as the Society has
long recognized its significance.
This property, on the corner of
Navarro and E. Nueva Streets,
has a fascinating history of occupancy and use dating from
1818 when it became part of the
original La Villita.
Maria Pfeiffer, historian
and Society Board member, researched the property for the architectural firm of Fisher*Heck
who completed a conceptual
architectural study when the
building was purchased. She
found that the period of historic
significance for 102 Navarro is
1861 – 1945. The family who
owned the property the longest
and built most of its seven original caliche block buildings was
named Gresser. The Society
actually purchased the building
from the Foutrels, descendants
of the Gressers. These buildings were built in the Vernacular
style prevalent in La Villita during the mid-nineteenth century
and easily seen on the Gresser
House, home to NIOSA offices,
located adjacent to this property
on Presa Street.
In the 1920s, at least three
of the older caliche stone buildings were incorporated into one
larger commercial building of
approximately 5,000 square feet.
This building then underwent
further changes through the
passing years with a list of tenants including: a chiropractor,
the National Book Bindery, the
Deason Radio Company that
gave the building its distinctive
art deco style, and two bars
called the Alaskan Palace and
By 1949, the buildings had been joined and had taken on a distinctive art deco look popular in that era. Photos Coutesy
Ron Bauml.
The Society’s restoration committee chose to restore the building to the 1949 look, replete with distinctive black trim
and working retractable black awnings.
El Jardin.
The Society’s Restoration
Committee chose to restore the
building’s “look” back to the
Deason Radio Company era
of 1949. This art deco design
makes the building come alive
in a distinctive way with its black
tiling, green doors and accents
and working retractable black
awnings.
At night, the building’s beauty truly “pops” when the restored
dark pink neon trough lights up
the perimeter of the exterior. The
north exterior wall which still
shows the original caliche block
construction was meticulously
restored by esteemed plaster restorer Baltazar Espinosa.
A new roof structure, new
electrical wiring sufficient for res-
taurant use, and interior removal
of “improvements” from earlier
eras has transformed the building
to a state where it could be used
in the future as a restaurant or
professional and business services
offices. Leasing the building is
an option that the Society will
consider when the right tenant
comes.
A Brief History of Thelma, Texas, A South Bexar County Settlement
By Alma B. Midgett
In 1904, my grandfather
James Watson left Mexico City
and a job with the Southern
Pacific Railroad to return to
Southern Bexar County with
his family. He bought one acre
of land near Pleasanton Road,
built an 18’X 24’structure, used
the back half for a residence and
opened a store in the front half.
Although offered credit, based
on his family’s reputation, he
chose to pay cash to stock the
store, and with $5.00 (yes, the
decimal is in the right place!),
bought a barrel of soda crackers, 100 lbs of pinto beans, a
case of canned tomatoes, and
a side of salt pork and opened
for business on January 2, 1905.
Within a year, he had added to
the house and store, gotten the
contract to have a stagecoach
relay depot for the San Antonio
to Pleasanton run, and opened
a post office. Thelma got its
name because of the Post Office. Every name he chose had
already been taken. At a loss,
he spied his toddler (who was
my mother) coming through the
room and put down her name,
Thelma. The name has remained
until today, now even listed on
some maps and the name for the
local telephone area. The post office eventually had 5 rural routes.
James Watson’s general store and
the post office closed around 1920
when motor transportation made
delivery from San Antonio more
practical.
The store had prospered,
however, in its time, due in part
to Mr. Watson’s willingness to
place his trust in the local people
and extend seasonal credit with
liens against their land and bills
due at spring and fall harvest
times. With bad years and/or bad
management, some lands were
sacrificed to him, with the former
owners staying on and working
the land as tenant farmers. This
may sound harsh today, but he
evidently was more than fair. It is
said that his funeral procession at
his death was over two miles long
and some, who were children and
worked on the land, still refer to
him with affection and pride in
the fact that they knew Mr. Jim.
No one, so far as is known, was
thrown off of the land and they
moved only when they had acquired other homes and lands of
their own.
The old Woodlands School,
located at the junction of Pleasanton Rd and Trumbo Rd, burned
down sometime around 19151920. The new school, located
where the alternative school is
now, just about 1½ mile north of
the old post office, was named
Thelma. This school district
encompassed an area from the
Applewhite Rd on the West to
the Medina River at what is now
Loop 1604 on the East, and from
the Neal Rd at Pleasanton Rd on
the North to the Atascosa County
line on the South. This is now the
southern part of the Southside
ISD.
Thelma has grown from a
sleepy little dry-land farming
community to a sprawling bedroom community, with very few
local businesses. However, in the
last few years, we have acquired
a McDonalds, a Bill Millers, and
a school district of 4 crowded
elementary schools, an interme-
diate, middle, and high school,
which is offering junior college
classes to qualifying students. We
have been informed that HEB has
bought land for a Pantry Store.
Even though we are about 11 miles
south of Loop 410 there is VIA
bus service in the morning and in
the evening for the convenience
of city wide employees. Although
not in the original Thelma school
district area, the Toyota plant is
only about 5 miles northwest of
us, and we expect growth with it.
There is much history in and
around this area, and we look forward to sharing that history with
those who attend the Family Day
at what the Watsons called The
Medina Farm, and what we know
as the Presnall/Watson House.
Library Volunteers
needed
The Library is looking for
volunteers who can work
Tuesdays or Thursdays between 9:30 AM and 3:30 PM.
A position is also open on
Wednesday for someone interested in helping with news
clippings and filing.
3
NIOSA Chair is Carrying on a Family Tradition
DeAnna Keesee
NIOSA Chairman
If anyone had asked me back in 1985,
“Who is the Chairman of NIOSA?”, I would
have been stumped. All I knew at the time was
that my mother-in-law, June Keesee Cliffe (See
her story on page 7), had asked me if I wanted
to find some friends and help run a balloon
booth for two nights. I really knew nothing
about NIOSA and I certainly did not know how
important it was going to be in my future! With
a lot of guidance from June and fellow board
member, Cindy Thomas, both past-Main Street,
USA Chairmen, and past-NIOSA Chairmen, I
now have a thorough knowledge of our largest
fund-raiser and the traditions that are dear to
the San Antonio Conservation Society.
NIOSA has taken on only a few
changes this year. I tend to follow the saying
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” We have continued to use the bid process for everything from
bottled water and food to garbage dumpsters.
This helps us to keep costs down, which allows
us to send even more money to the Conservation Society to help our purpose. We do have
a few new food items: Cheesy Bread Sticks
in International Walkway, Lettuce Wraps in
China Town and Theater Popcorn in Arneson
Alley. We also will be serving flavored coffees
in the International Walkway Area. Also, the
Sauerkraut Bend Area will be offering three new
German beers: Warsteiner Dunkel, Warsteiner
Verum & Paulaner Hefe-Weissen. Be sure to
try all of the new items!
For your enjoyment, I recommend
taking the time to listen to “The Robert Demel
Band,” a new band in Frontier Town. They
will be performing on Tuesday and Wednesday
evenings. For fans of “Bobby Baker and the
Longnecks,” they will still be there on Thursday and Friday. And back by popular demand
are The Mo-Dels, the Cone Sisters and Small
World. We have a full music schedule printed
below so that you can plan your evening accordingly.
We’ve searched for and found some
fun new souvenirs this year for you! Please
shop one of the NIOSA souvenir booths, or
visit our website, www.niosa.org to check
them out. The beautiful 2006 NIOSA poster
by Janet Campbell can also be found on the
website or you can pick up one at the Palace in
International Walkway during NIOSA where
the artist will be signing copies. Also new this
year is a San Antonio Conservation Society
membership booth, where people who enjoy
DeAnna Keesee and her husband, George, enjoy NIOSA in the 1980s.
NIOSA can sign up to join our preservation
efforts. It will be located in our Mission Trails
Area at the Hitching Post. After all, without
our founding members and subsequent generations of volunteers, San Antonio’s River Walk
Being NIOSA Chairman this
year has meant the world to
me. I love the people I am
getting to work with and I love
the preservation purpose for
which we are working so hard.
NIOSA is truly The Party With
a Purpose.
and historic places would not be here for us to
enjoy today!
Becoming the Chairman of “A Night
In Old San Antonio” has had deep meaning
for me and my family. Four very important
persons that made my chairmanship possible
are my husband, George, and our three sons,
Geoffrey, Nicholas and Joshua. They have
allowed me to sacrifice my time with them to
organize and plan “The Party With a Purpose”.
I am carrying on a family tradition too, as my
mother-in-law headed up NIOSA in 1979. To
learn more about this inspiring woman, please
read the article focusing on June Cliffe on
pg 7. Maybe some day, one of my sons or
their wives will even follow in our footsteps
and become NIOSA chairman. Time will tell
and, in the meantime, I look forward to many
more years volunteering my time to continue
the tradition.
Without the support of my four wonderful vice chairmen and a great staff, NIOSA
would pretty much be impossible to run.
My vice chairmen are Cindy Smith (NIOSA
Treasurer), Anna Armstrong, Julie Terrill and
Loraine Zaiontz. If you see any of them around
during NIOSA, be sure to mention that they
are doing a great job. I try to tell them every
time I see them, but it never hurts to hear it
from others! And if you volunteer your time
at the event, remember how thankful I am for
your participation. I have learned to love and
respect, even more than before, all of our wonderful volunteers. Without you, NIOSA would
not happen.
Being NIOSA Chairman this year has
meant the world to me. I love the people I am
getting to work with and I love the preservation purpose for which we are working so hard.
NIOSA is truly The Party With a Purpose.
VIVA NIOSA!
NIOSA ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE
4
Area
Tuesday
04/25/06
Group
Wednesday 04/26/06
Group
Thursday 04/27/06 Group
Friday 04/28/06Group
Arneson Theatre
5:45-7:45
8:00-10:30
The Mo-Dels, Classic Rock
The Cone Sisters
5:45-7:45
8:00-10:30
The Mo-dels
The Cone Sisters
5:45-7:45
8:00-10:30
The Mo-dels
The Cone Sisters
5:45-7:45 The Mo-dels 8:00-10:30 The Cone Sisters
French Quarter
5:30-10:30
5:30 - 10:30
3 Stepz, Jazz & Pop
Small World
5:30-10:30
5:30 - 10:30
3 Stepz
Small World
5:30-10:30
5:30 - 10:30
3 Stepz
Small World
5:30-10:30 3 Stepz
5:30 - 10:30 Small World Frontier Town
5:30-10:30
The Robert Demel Band, Variety 5:30-10:30
Bobby Baker & The Long Necks, Country/Western
The Robert Demel Band
5:30-10:30
Bobby Baker 5:30-10:30 Bobby Baker Froggy Bottom
5:30-10:30
Grateful Geezers, R&B
5:30-10:30
Grateful Geezers
5:30-10:30
Grateful Geezers
5:30-10:30 Grateful Geezers
Haymarket
5:30-10:30
Conjunto Bene Medina
5:30-10:30
Conjunto Bene Medina
5:30-10:30
Conjunto Bene Medina
5:30-10:30 Conjunto Bene Medina
Irish Flat
5:30-10:30
Campbell & Wilson
5:30-10:30
Campbell & Wilson
5:30-10:30
Campbell & Wilson
5:30-10:30 Campbell & Wilson
Int’l Walkway
5:30 - 10:30
Lonesome Louie, Variety
5:30 - 10:30
Lonesome Louie
5:30 - 10:30
E Muzeki, Greek Folk
5:30 - 10:30 E Muzeki
Mexican Market
5:30 - 6:00
6:00 - 7:00
7:00 - 10:30
Ballet Folklorico
Las Erendiras de San Antonio
Clazz Act, Old School 5:30 - 6:00
6:00 - 7:00
7:00 - 10:30
Ballet Folklorico
5:30 - 6:00
Las Erendiras de San Antonio 6:00 - 7:00
Clazz Act
7:00 - 10:30
Ballet Folklorico
Las Erendiras
Clazz Act
5:30 - 6:00 Ballet Folklorico
6:00 - 7:00 Las Erendiras 7:00 - 10:30 Clazz Act Main Street
5:30 - 10:30
5:45-7:45
—
5:30-10:30
The Chain Gang (Stage),
Roland Ruiz, Americana
Whoosits (Gazebo), 5:30 - 10:30
5:45-7:45
—
5:30-10:30
The Chain Gang (Stage)
Roland Ruiz, Americana
Whoosits (Gazebo)
5:30 - 10:30
—
5:45-7:45
5:30-10:30
The Chain Gang (Stage)
The Barn Danglers Whoosits (Gazebo)
5:30 - 10:30
—
5:45-7:45
5:30-10:30
Mission Trail
5:30 - 10:30
Cactus Rose Band
5:30 - 10:30
The Cactus Rose Band
5:30 - 10:30
The Cactus Rose Band
5:30 - 10:30 The Cactus Rose Band
Sauerkraut Bend
5:30 - 10:30
6:30 & 8:00
Jubilee Polka Band
Cadence Cloggers
5:30 - 10:30
6:30 & 8:00
Jubilee Polka
Cadence Cloggers
5:30 - 10:30
6:30 & 8:00
Jubilee Polka
Cadence Cloggers
5:30 - 10:30 Jubilee Polka
6:30 & 8:00 Cadence Cloggers
South of the Border
6:00 - 7:00
Las Erendiras de San Antonio
6:00 - 7:00
Las Erendiras de San Antonio Villa Espana
5:30 - 10:30
5:30-10:30
The Sabas Trio
The Revival Brothers
5:30 - 10:30
5:30-10:30
The Sabas Trio
The Revival Brothers
5:30 - 10:30
5:30-10:30
The Sabas Trio
The Revival Brothers
5:30 - 10:30 The Sabas Trio
5:30-10:30 The Revival Brothers
The Chain Gang (Stage)
The Barn Dangler
Whoosits (Gazebo)
Chili Queens Honor an Early San Antonio Tradition
Ever mindful of the importance of history
and tradition, the NIOSA Committee
is turning the spotlight on a historic food booth
which has been a NIOSA fixture for the last 26
years: the beloved Chili Queens booth.
Located now in the Haymarket Area of
NIOSA, volunteers serve chili much in the same
manner as the original Chili Queens served it
on the plazas of San Antonio for centuries until
the mid-1930s.
In the 1880s, “for more than 100 years,
women would arrive at twilight at the plazas
of San Antonio, Texas, with makeshift tables
and pots of chili to cook over open fires. The
plazas teemed with people: soldiers, tourists,
cattlemen and troubadours roamed the tables,
filling the night with music.” (NPR website).
According to Frank H. Bushick, San Antonio
Commissioner in the 1920s, “The chili stand
and chili queens are peculiarities, or unique institutions, of the Alamo City. They started away
back there when the Spanish army camped on
the plaza. They started to feed the soldiers.
Every class of people in every station of life
patronized them in the old days. Some were
attracted by the novelty of it, some by the
cheapness. A big plate of chili and beans, with
a tortilla on the side, cost a dime. A Mexican
bootblack and a silk-hatted tourist would line
up and eat side by side, [each] unconscious or
oblivious of the other.”
This year, the honorary “Chili Queen” title
will be bestowed on former NIOSA Chairmen
Mickey Hillsman, Deborah Sibley, Cindy
Thomas, Inell Schooler, June Keesee Cliffe,
Beverly Blount-Hemphill, Christi Forestier and
Inell Schooler, June Keesee Cliffe, Cindy Thomas and Naomi Russell Wolfman enjoy a laugh over being
named honorary Chili Queens. Photo by Hector Cardenas.
Naomi Russell Wolfman.
These newly selected “Queens” will be inaugurated with Chili Queen sashes and terrasita
tiaras at the NIOSA Chairmen’s Dinner, March
29 – the annual event where NIOSA chairman DeAnna Keesee distributes a packet of
information and workers passes to every booth
chairman (and treats them to a well-deserved
BBQ meal). The Queens will then serve as
goodwill ambassadors for the chili booth after
walking in NIOSA’s opening night parade,
resplendent in their royal attire.
This Year’s Souvenirs
“A Night In Old San
Antonio” revelers take home
happy memories as souvenirs
of their experiences from our
cultural event, but for many it
is also an opportunity to collect decorative or useful items
to remind them of the fun they
have at NIOSA!
In addition to the
Tienda and Bolsa booths in
Mexican Market, souvenir
booths throughout the seven
acres offer plenty of NIOSA
ware and NIOSA wear. One
sure winner this year is the
awareness bracelets with confetti accents and the embossed
wording of “Love A Landmark”
and “NIOSA.” Organizers also
guess that the mini hand-sanitizer gel that clips onto your belt
loop or a NIOSA lanyard will
be a big hit.
Other new souvenirs
this year include palm-sized,
battery-operated fans that twinkle with light; Chinese folding
fans; strings of “Hair D’Lights;”
lighted Pilsner glasses; “Floo-
zie Koozies” decorated with
feather boas—hand applied
by NIOSA volunteers; t-shirt
shaped Koozies for bottles,
or cans and lightweight drawstring backpacks. NIOSA
mouse pads, blinkie pins,
rhinestone pins and participant buttons will also be great
extras to add to a NIOSA collection.
Returning popular souvenirs include the always
popular NIOSA caps, shirts,
posters, medals, t-shirts, denim shirts, baseball caps (styles
for both men and women) and
aprons. For the first time, the
items can be purchased on the
NIOSA website at www.niosa.
org by VISA or MasterCard.
Booths at NIOSA only accept
cash or coupons. However,
there are ATMs located (open
between the hours of 4:30 pm
to 10:30 pm) near the Presa
Street Bridge entrance gate
and the Alamo and Nueva
Street entrance gate for the
visitors’ convenience.
Reminiscent of the foods and booths found
in the Plaza, Haymarket is also the home of the
famous Maria’s Tortillas, Gorditas and Puffy
Tacos. This year, Chairman Keesee and her
vice chairmen decided to “take it up a notch”
with a new chili recipe for the Chili Queens
booths this year. A new chili recipe contest for
this booth was conducted with the help of San
Antonio Express-News columnist Susan Yerkes.
The winner will be announced soon through her
column, and the winning recipe will be served
in the booth, perhaps by a honorary chili queen
of our own!
Hats Off to the Winners !
This year’s entries for the annual Society
Board of Directors’ NIOSA Hat Contest showed off
talent usually hidden during Board meetings. 2nd
place winner “Main Street USA Gazebo Hat” created
by Missy Washington is held by June Keesee Cliffe;
3rd place “Frida-Khan Hat” designed by Barbara
Johnson is held by DeAnna Keesee and 1st place
winner “River Barge Hat” created by Gayle Spencer
is held by Cindy Thomas. A big Society Thank You
goes out to Ed Tijerina, columnist for the ExpressNews, who judged the contest. These hats and others
will be sold at the Sombrero Booth in the Mission
Trails Area. Remember, it’s first come, first served to
purchase these treasures!
5
Message,
from page
1
NewPresident’s
designs add to
NIOSA’s cultural
richness
of opposition to street closures in
the original 36 square miles of the
city of San Antonio. This apparent
contradiction has caused me some
sleepless nights as I have remained
awake trying to resolve how this
vision will be in the best interest
of the citizens of San Antonio-past,
present and future. Our statement
of record outlined on February 16,
2006 at City Council provides a caveat that its revitalization lies in the
details, which will come with the
results of traffic studies and a refined design. Some other food for
thought: the famed urban planner,
Edward T. McMahon, says street
closures are a bad idea and the
concept of a pedestrian mall results
in fewer pedestrians. It is crucial
to have a transit component. We
can learn from the expensive lessons of other cities without having
to discover potential failures for
ourselves. Perhaps a good model
could be Denver, where an electric rail travels along a pedestrian
boulevard with such frequency that
there is rarely a time that people are
idly standing by waiting for public
transportation. Best of all, the
result is a lively and vibrant street
scene while the transportation is
free. We could consider going
back to the original concept for our
Trolley Car. When it was first established, it was free for inner city
passengers. The reason for making
it free was obviously a good one as
other cities had discovered.
Golden Eggs, Part II….the
River Walk
Someone should consider
making a documentary that shows
a progression of old photos of the
San Antonio River bend from the
19th century to the present. It could
be a fascinating commentary on the
evolution of this little stream - past,
present and its potential future.
Regardless of whether the San
Antonio Conservation Society ever
“saved the river”; we’ve always
been a proponent of its natural
beauty and the preservation of the
river’s natural banks and trees. In
fact, Hugman’s Riverwalk design
was not initially “endorsed one
hundred percent” by the Board.
It wasn’t until later assurances
by Hugman that the work being
done would “preserve more of the
simple and natural beauty of the
river and surroundings” that the
Board got behind the plan.
In less than 70 years,
the River Walk as we now know
it has evolved from an untamed
river into an international marvel.
Tall hotels and restaurant chains
are proliferating in response to its
world-wide acclaim and many say
that the ambience of a bygone era
is quickly vanishing. In response,
a petition is now circulating suggesting that a separate River Walk
Commission be revived to help
preserve this ambiance. Just to
let you know, I did not sign it, but
that does not mean that I’m antiambiance. A motion was brought
to the board to support the creation
of such a commission and the motion failed. We understand that this
is a complex issue and we have
suggested to Mayor Hardberger
that a task force could be created
to gather opinions of stakeholders
and the public. First, we need to
define the issue clearly and decide
which of the current tools in place
Three Cheers for German Beer!
President Barbara Johnson sports her “Dangerous Liaison” outfit for
the 2005 Texas Cavalier River Parade. The Society took 1st place for
Costume on its barge depicting Venetian Carnivale.
for governing the River Walk are
working and which are not. More
food for thought from Edward T.
McMahon: “National franchises
and chain stores can and do change
their standard building design to
fit in with the local character of
the surrounding community….
only if the community insists on
something better than off-the-
About Tickets and Parking
Members can buy a special discounted ticket either
through purchasing those
mailed to members current
on their dues or by stopping
by the Stuemke Barn behind
the Wulff House at 107 King
William Street beginning
April 3 until April 21 between the hours of noon and
6 pm. The cost of members’
tickets are $6 for adults and
$1.50 for children.
6
Beer connoisseurs, along
with Sauerkraut Bend chairman
Terry Schoenert, Express-News’
“Brew Notes” columnists Travis
Poling and Dining Editor John
Griffin, gathered recently at the
NIOSA headquarters for a beer
tasting session of new German imports that will be sold at this year’s
NIOSA, for the first time. The
beers selected for the tasting were
true German brews, developed in
Germany from the best breweries,
including the stout Konig Ludwig
Weiss and the tart Bitburger Premium. But it was the Warsteiner
Dunkel, Warsteiner Verum, and the
Paulaner-Hefe Weissen that took
home blue ribbons and will be sold
exclusively in Sauerkraut Bend.
Guests can enjoy the three winning
beers along with Shiner Bock (also
only sold in the Sauerkraut Bend
area.) Budweiser, Bud Light and
Michelob Ultra will be sold in all
areas at the four-night festival.
While enjoying these
German imports, visitors to Sauerkraut Bend in the Villita Assembly
Building can also enjoy Sausage
on a Stick, Black Forest Cake,
Pretzels, Bavarian Kreme, Apple
Strudel, Bratwurst Brotchen, Sausage Sampler and Pigs in a Blanket
while listening to the Jubilee Polka
Band and watching the Cadence
Cloggers.
shelf, cookie-cutter architecture.”
Bottom-line, every potential establishment on the River Walk should
respect community character and
endeavor to contribute to its unique
charm rather than conform to a
national standard.
Meanwhile, VIVA NIOSA, and “Meet You at the Hitching
Post!”
General public advanced
discounted tickets are available at www.niosa.org from
March 1 through Monday,
April 10 (to allow time for
processing and mailing);
The price is $8 for adults
and $2 for children. And,
for the first time, tickets can
be purchased on-line using
VISA or MasterCard.
Advance discount tickets
also go on sale March 1
through April 28 at the following locations: H-E-B
grocery stores in San Antonio, Boerne, Bulverde,
Seguin, Floresville, Leon
Springs and New Braunfels, the Fiesta Store at 2611
Broadway, Lackland AFB,
Ft. Sam Houston, Randolph
AFB, and the company stores
at USAA and Southwest Research. NOTE: the public
should call location to verify if
they charge a handling fee.
General admission tickets can
be purchased nightly at each
of the entrance gates to “A
Night in Old San Antonio®”
for $10 for adults and $2 for
children 6 to 12 years, with
free admission for children 5
years and under. Gates open
at 5:30 pm and close at 10
pm; the celebration continues
inside until 10:30 each night.
All tickets are non-refundable
because NIOSA is open, rain
or shine.
The following items are prohibited: pets, baby strollers,
ice chests, backpacks, recreational wheels (i.e., scooters,
skateboards, rollerblades,
etc.) and video cameras.
VIA PARK AND RIDE
VIA Metropolitan Transit provides Park & Ride service to
NIOSA from several Park &
Ride sites. More information,
prices and locations can be
obtained by calling 210-3622020 or visiting the website at
www.viainfo.net.
June Keesee Cliffe: Wonderful Memories on Main Street USA
Wanted: Someone to direct and coordinate
the activities of 16,000 volunteers who will
host a four-night party for 100,000 guests.
Must have the patience of Job, the tact of Miss
Manners, the stamina of Lance Armstrong, the
negotiating powers of Donald Trump and the
organizational skills of the head of the Winter
Olympics. Long hours, no pay. Just a chance
to work with some of the greatest volunteers in
the universe and the satisfaction of preserving
the things that made San Antonio one of the
country’s truly unique cities.
That’s how the ad might read if the
San Antonio Conservation Society resorted to
the classifieds to find a chairman for “A Night
In Old San Antonio®”— the nation’s biggest
block party benefiting preservation. Luckily,
many very qualified people have answered the
call to run this celebration of the city’s cultural
diversity; this story highlights one such person:
June Keesee Cliffe, who served as NIOSA
chairman in 1979 and was the Main Street area
chairman from 1976 to 1978. June’s legacy in
the Conservation Society and NIOSA started
like many others: her mother Mrs. Newton
(Virgie) Koenig was a Society member and
volunteer at NIOSA in the early ’60s, and
when June returned to San Antonio in the early
’70s, her mother sent her to a NIOSA meeting
to represent her. Mary Ann Castleberry, then
NIOSA chairman announced to the crowd that
she needed help at the NIOSA office, and June
offered to help. That started her history of
saying “yes” when the Conservation Society
called: yes to volunteering full-time in the
NIOSA office; yes to serving on the Society’s
Board of Directors; yes when NIOSA chairman
Joanna Parrish asked if she would be chairman
of the new area Main Street USA in 1976; yes
to serving as chairman of NIOSA in 1979; yes
to chairing the Lemonade cart in South of the
Border since 1987.
“Celebrating the 30-year old Main
Street USA area this year, and seeing the beautiful poster has brought back a flood of wonderful memories,” says Cliffe. “When we started
Main Street, Joanna and I traveled to other
festivals in Texas to capture ideas for this new
area that would commemorate the country’s
sesquicentennial in 1976. We took these ideas
to my back yard, where my dad, husband and
friend, Jerry Albert, designed everything for
the area, including the gazebo where the bands
play during NIOSA. These men drew on their
carpentry and engineering skills to build the
gazebo in the back yard, which they then took
down to La Villita to be sure it fit over the
fountain.
Main Street USA volunteers toasting another successful NIOSA in late 1970s.
“My dad, who was recently retired
from civil service, also made the gazebo in
Sauerkraut Bend with the wonderful cut-out
wood work that makes it look like at porch on a
gingerbread home.) My co-chair Shirley Albert
and I then decided on the food booths: fried
chicken, lemonade, ice cream sodas, and the
popcorn wagon. We even had a medicine man
the first two years who “hawked” medicinal
concoctions from a big old wagon as well as an
“Old Time Photo” booth. We took our idea for
the bunting to Dixie Flag who happily made it
up for us.
“And, of course, like many longtime
NIOSA volunteers, my stepson George and
his sister Sandi practically lived down at La
Villita during the spring months for many of
their childhood years and have NIOSA in their
blood. When George and his wife DeAnna
returned to San Antonio in 1984 after living in
Houston, they were immediately recruited to
help in the Balloon booth, and by the next year,
they were chairman of the Popcorn and Peanuts
booth in the Main Street area.” (If that name
looks familiar, June is the mother-in-law of
this year’s NIOSA Chairman DeAnna Keesee,
making them the first mother-daughter NIOSA
chairmanship duo.)
“Just as DeAnna has made her way
up the leadership ladder in NIOSA, George
has also increased his responsibilities by
chairing the beer booth in Main Street, along
with Bill Thomas, since 1995. I look forward
to every NIOSA....you just can’t get it out of
your blood…..but this year will be especially
rewarding and exciting as we honor the area that
I started, and I see my wonderful daughter-inlaw take the reins of this fabulous event.”
A NIOSA band plays on Main Street
Erecting the gazebo in Main Street
The Painting Party: Making Fun Out of Hard Work
It’s a family affair each year as volunteers gather for the annual NIOSA Painting Party. Each year, volunteers clean and paint the trash barrels
used throughout La Villita during NIOSA. The morning ended with a wonderful anticucho barbecue. (Photo by Hector Cardenas.)
7
Update on the 149 Guadalupe restoration project
Jim Mitchell, the Society’s General
Contractor, working with stone mason
Baltazar Espinosa, has completed the
stabilization and wall repair of the
little house on Guadulupe Street that
was covered in the Fall 2005 JOURNAL. The Society is currently leasing
this structure from the City for the sole
purpose of using our expertise to contract these repairs. (Pictures courtesy
Ron Bauml, Society architect.)
THE SAN ANTONIO CONSERVATION SOCIETY
107 KING WILLIAM STREET
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78204-1399
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
SAN ANTONIO, TX
PERMIT NO. 158
The San Antonio Conservation Society
JOURNAL
Volume 41, No. 4
Spring 2006
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, April 18
Historic Preservation Month
Proclamation
11 am Bexar County Commissioner’s Court
Bexar County Courthouse
Tuesday, April 25 – Friday,
April 28
A Night In Old San Antonio®
5:30 pm. – 10:30 pm
Thursday, April 27
Historic Preservation Month
Proclamation
5 pm City Council, Municipal
Plaza Building
Wednesday, May 3
Historic Preservation Month
Seminar
Preserving Our Legacy: Historic Farms and Ranches
in South Texas
• 1 pm – 4:45 pm, 231 West
Commerce Street, 78205
AT&T Community Center at
the San Fernando Cathedral
• 5 pm Reception at the Spanish Governor’s Palace
Saturday, May 6
Family Heritage Day
Presnall-Watson Historic Site
10 am – 2 pm
Take IH-37 south to 410
West, Exit 46. Turn left onto
Moursund Road (which soon
turns into Pleasanton Road).
After passing Mitchell Lake
on your left, take a right on
Neal Road.Travel down Neal
Road to the gate on your
right (watch for balloons).
Wednesday, May 24
General Membership Meeting
5 pm, River House:
509 King William Street (behind the Steves Homestead)
Program: Old Spanish Trail
Speaker: Charlotte Kahl
Election of 10 Directors
Saturday, May 27
Farm & Ranch Bus Tour
9 am - 2 pm $34 per person.
Send a check to the Society
to make a reservation.
We’re on the web at
www.saconservation.org
Nominations for 2006-2007
Officers & Directors
The Nominating Committee is currently accepting names
for Officers and Directors. Submission deadline is Monday,
April 24, 2006. Any Society member may submit nominees
for Officers or Directors. A nominee for the Board of Directors must have been an Active member for one year and live in
Bexar County or a contiguous county. A nominee for Officer
must have one year (or the better part of one year) of Board
service within the last five years. To request a nomination form
to be faxed or mailed, call the Office at 210-224-6163. A link
to the printable form is available online at
www.saconservation.org. Click on About-Governing Board.
Last Issue’s “Where Is It?”
Several folks identified the Our
Lady of Sorrows 1889 Convent and Chapel at 210 South
Grimes. The winning entry was
Mr. JR (Corky) Rubio. The
facility is now administered
by the San Antonio Housing
Authority.
Spring 2006 “Where Is It?”
Identify what this is and its
location and mail the answer to
Tammy Huelsberg, San Antonio Conservation Society, 107
King William, San Antonio, TX
78204 by April 15. One name
will be drawn to receive four
free NIOSA passes. (Photos by
Hector Cardenas)