San Antonio Parks – Page 24 – Postcards from Barton Springs

And on this farm, there was a barn….

April 23, 2011May 17, 2011 postcardsfromsanantonio3 Comments

dairy barn — photograph by Dudley Harris

Buttercup, Elsie, Black Beauty, Jaunita and the amply-uddered May West were among the cows Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker raised from birth and milked twice a day, 365 days a year on their farm, part of which is now Phil Hardberger Park. More than a century old, the milking barn could accommodate 20 cows at a time. The 1,500-square-foot barn is key to understanding what life was like for the farmers who lived on the many dairies dotting the area of San Antonio known as Buttermilk Hill.

For this reason, volunteers from the Associated General Contractors’ Construction Leadership Forum are adopting the historic structure for their restoration project over the next two years. Rotted wood will be repaired, and windows will be repaired with guidance from Fisher Heck Architects and the City of San Antonio’s Historic Preservation Office to ensure the restoration forwards the building’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places.

Zac Harris, chair of the Construction Leadership Forum, said:

We want kids to walk in and feel like they’ve stepped back in time. We envision a working farm with live cows – a place where we can all connect with our cultural heritage and better understand San Antonio’s original settlements.

The group is hosting its first fundraiser (in the spirit of an old-fashioned barn-raising, but you won’t have to work before the eating and music get underway) for the restoration of the milking barn on Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the farm in Hardberger Park. Music, an art sale and plenty of barbecue will be on hand, and the author of Last Farm Standing on Buttermilk Hill: Voelcker Roots Run Deep in Hardberger Park, will be present to sign books. For ticket information, contact Zac Harris at Joeris General Contractors, 210-494-1638, or Jeff Coyle at 210-826-8899.

As the project continues, I am sure they will need some vintage equipment from dairy operations as well. Any farmers out there with an antique Sears Economy Cream Separator?

The following weekend, the City of San Antonio will celebrate the grand opening of a whole new section of Phil Hardberger Park. The park opens at 8 a.m., with activities beginning at 10 a.m. and running through 7 p.m., on Saturday, May 21. Activities planned for the day include guided nature walks, kite-making and flying, children’s basketball competitions, parachute games and Frisbee tosses. A special feature is the addition of the “Makin’ Hay” exhibit created by sculptor Tom Otterness, previously on display at Espada Park. Parking will be available at the Alon Shopping Center across NW Military Highway from the new entrance to this western part of the park.

Update on May 10, 2011: Jeff Coyle’s post about “Makin’ Hay.”

Update on May 12, 2011: Saturday, May 14, event to include cow-patty bingo.

Update on May 17, 2011: During the event, Forrester Smith, a trustee of the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund, delivered a $10,000 check from the fund to be used for the restoration of the diary barn.

Sequel to Alamollywood Part I Cancelled

April 12, 2011October 19, 2013 postcardsfromsanantonio1 Comment

Nine-hundred-thousand dollars for a year-long promotional contract seemed an incredibly high figure, but I was under the assumption Tony Caridi had it covered. Although I did not think much of the banner proposal with the toy-like Mexican soldiers at the bottom, I was impressed he had convinced donors to underwrite such an expensive non-bricks-and-mortar proposition.

That is why I labeled my post about it “Alamollywood Part I,” surely to be followed by updates on the glitzy, slickly produced WME marketing strategies and productions propelling entertainment standards in the Alamo, in this city, in this state to apple-pie-in-the-sky-high California levels.

I surmised the mystery philanthropist was Phil Collins. After all, he has been haunting the Alamo since it fell, according to Mail Online.

I was so wrong.

But the mystery of the anonymous philanthropist is solved.

It is No One.

winking wentworth — Photographer Lisa Krantz of the San Antonio Express-News captured this wink during Daughters of the Republic of Texas testimony in Austin on April 6. The photo was published on April 7 on http://www.mysanantonio.com.

According to the attorney for the Daughters of the Republic of Texas as reported by Scott Huddleston in the San Antonio Express-News, beyond the first month of funding, there were no firm commitments for the remaining $825,000.

Now, I’m a big proponent of what I call “the nonprofit leap of faith” for inspiring board members and potential funders that a nonprofit can accomplish a seemingly insurmountable fundraising goal to achieve a dream, but to sign an unfunded contract?

I am sorry Senator Wentworth. This is no winking matter. This is a breach of trust and responsibility Texas should be examining seriously.

Later Update on April 12, 2011: Senator Van de Putte is not winking….

Update on April 13, 2011: Perhaps Senator Wentworth only was winking to thank her for the Texas-shaped cake?

Update on April 17, 2011: Senator Van de Putte explains her position on the Daughters of the Republic of Texas’ management of the Alamo and how the DRT and Texas Historical Commission will interact if pending legislation passes.

Update on April 18, 2011: If the Daughters were upset by Scott Huddleston’s reporting, editorials in the San Antonio Express-News and Jan Jarboe Russell’s article in Texas Monthly, we do not think they appreciate Ken Herman’s commentary in Sunday’s Austin American Statesman: “Daughters trip over critics, script.” Herman has nominated the Daughters for “Worst Performance at a Committee Hearing.”

Herman wrote of Marketing Director Tony Caridi’s testimony:

He opposes getting the THC involved, telling the committee “Certain things wouldn’t be able to be done like they are now.” Isn’t that the goal of this exercise?

The sharpest plunges of his verbal Bowie knife were concerning the testimony of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Historian General, Karen Thompson, whose earlier email had called SB 1518 the “WORST SENATE BILL EVER!!!!!”

The senator asked Thompson if she indeed thought this was the “worst bill ever.”

“Oh, heavens no,” Thompson said, assuring Van de Putte “there’s been millions of them that have been worse.”

Look out, Mr. Herman. You and the Statesman are about to have your face slapped by the ladies of the Alamo. You will soon be in the same doghouse the Express-News has been in since July:

The Daughters also issued a release Friday, accusing the San Antonio Express-News of directing “unrelenting attacks” on the DRT through its articles and editorials.

Beware. You yourself quoted the Historian General as saying she was a “very dramatic person.”

Later Update on April 18, 2011: Senator Van de Putte continues to press the DRT’s President General for answers relating to finances at the Alamo.

Update on April 27, 2011: Editorial in the San Antonio Express-News:

A group that is truly acting as a trustee for the Alamo wouldn’t fight reasonable requests for transparency, wouldn’t be acting like the owner of the Alamo rather than its caretaker and wouldn’t neglect its primary duty to preserve the historic structure.

Update on May 2, 2011: Scott Huddleston reports on money woes and rats infesting the DRT’s headquarters in Austin….

Update on May 19, 2011: Senators had no worries about being seen crossing or not crossing the line in passing new legislation regarding the management of the Alamo. Ken Herman reports on statesman.com about how the ghosts of Senators current passed the bill placing the Daughters’ role under the supervision of the General Land Office. He also noted a change in leadership:

As I reported last month, DRT Historian General Karen Thompson perhaps was a bit more combative than she should have been at a Senate committee hearing….

But, it seems, the daughters read the legislative tea leaves about what was going to happen. This past weekend, at their state convention, they approved a resolution “in anticipation of compliance with new state laws regarding the Alamo complex….”

The resolution calls for a “transition team” to work toward the new era at the Alamo. The transition team would be appointed by the new president general elected at the weekend convention. That would be Thompson….

Thompson. A self-described “very dramatic person.”

Update on June 2, 2011: Yes, she is a very dramatic person among 8,000 others, points out Herman.

Update on June 11, 2011: Express-News editorials

Every beer you drink helps make this historic district look better….

March 17, 2011March 20, 2011 postcardsfromsanantonio2 Comments

…And not because you are turning into a pifflicated person. Poles are down.

In addition to providing scholarships and supplemental assistance for area schools, the year-round volunteer labor provided by a multitude of volunteers working to stage the King William Fair, which takes place on Saturday, April 16, benefits projects improving the public spaces in the neighborhood, such as the park at Constance and Painted Lady (Crofton) Streets.

Since this past year’s fair, the King William Association has worked to re-landscape King William Park. While those improvements are obvious, you might not notice the major sidebar project.

What is missing from the picture? The awkward, cumbersome overhead utilities previously framing any view of the historic park.

While the original installation of utility poles in the neighborhood represented a welcome technological advancement – a status symbol testifying to the affluence of the neighborhood – a century-or-so of jerryrigged add-ons marred the view.

The project to convert the overhead utilities to underground has been complex, traversing the terms of three or four presidents and committee chairs and finally involving a funding partnership, forged with the support of Councilwoman Mary Alice Cisneros’ office, of the Community Infrastructure and Economic Development Fund of CPS, the City’s Economic and Tourism Department and the King William Association.

To appreciate what is missing, compare today’s views to the “befores.” Don’t think these photos need labeling for you to judge which looks better – 2010 or 2011?