Gruene & Bill Kirchen

Click Image for more photos...

Saturday February 1 was a lovely sunny day for a drive out of the city. We headed out to historic Gruene Texas (it's German, say "green") which is about an hour south of Austin and just north of San Antonio. It's actually part of New Braunfels (at least administratively). Bill Kirchen, who plays regularly at Mystery Mondays, had an afternoon gig at Gruene Hall that we wanted to catch. There's always music at Gruene Hall, it's one of those go-to spots we often visit.

Gruene was a sleepy little village with one of the oldest dance halls in Texas. Gruene Hall has become a big drawing card with a history of many important musicians having played here. This once sleepy little village is now a major tourist destination with a lot of shops, lots of restaurants and lots of music. We've been coming for many years now starting back in the 1990's when there were just a few shops, the Gristmill restaurant and the dance hall. We recall being here many years ago in February when everything was closed -- even the restaurant and the dance hall. These days it's busy every weekend with a huge field commandeered as a parking lot. Even with that parking can be a problem.

We had lunch at the Gristmill which overlooks the Guadalupe River. The restaurant was built on the remains of an old mill and has that rustic, barnboard and exposed brick ambience. The place has expanded over the years and is now quite large. But you can still get a nice spot outside along the river bank to enjoy the day. Servings are Texas sized so you need to be careful not to order too much. A couple of appetizers is enough for a meal!

We then dropped into Gruene Hall to see Bill Kirchen and his band. We recognize David Carrol on standup base (from the regular Mystery Monday band) but not the others. The crowd was mostly our age with some two-stepping to the music.

There is a smallish raised stage at the one end of the dance hall, a dance area about half of the hall, then some rough hewn tables with benches, a smaller area on the floor in front of the bar where the band was playing, and then the bar at the very front of the hall. This is the usual set up for afternoon shows. In the evening the stage is used and the crowds are larger. E.g. we have tickets to see Joe Ely here later this month.

We had our bikes with us and did a ride about town. There's a lot of new homes, bungalows, and development in town. We were quite surprised. I suppose it's an easy commute into San Antonio, quite a long commute to Austin, and I guess some have moved here to retire and be involved with the local scene. Not for us, Gruene has become a bit of Disneyland.

After our bike ride we stopped at "The Grapevine" (a shop with wine tasting) for a glass and bit of music at their outdoor stage. It's nice to soak up the sun when it's there. It's not always so warm this time of year in Texas.

A good start to a full day. That night we hope to see "Two Tons of Steel" at the Broken Spoke..