Schulenburg Festival to be held Aug. 1-4
When the calendar turns to July, the whole town of Schulenburg starts gearing up for the annual Schulenburg Festival, also known as the “National Party of Texas.” This year’s event will be held from Thursday, Aug. 1, through Sunday, Aug. 4.
Most events will take place in downtown Wolters Park. Events include live music, rodeo, cook-offs, parade, kids’ inflatables, arts & crafts vendors, kiddie parade, tricycle races, softball, golf, basketball, fun run, cornhole, and more!
Headlining this year’s musical entertainment is Dos Borrachos, featuring Kevin Fowler and Roger Creager. These two energetic country artists teamed up a few years ago to record and perform together, and their show took the Festival stage in 2022.
Fowler and Creager will take the stage on Saturday night from 9 to 11 p.m. Texas Unlimited Band (TUB) will play before and after Dos Borrachos to get the party started, and then round out the night as they have for many years. TUB plays all over the state of Texas, and traveled recently to play at the NFR Cinch Party in Las Vegas, and the Extreme Bulls event in Cody, Wyoming.
Friday night’s lineup features Texas country artists Josh Ward and Slade Coulter. Josh Ward made his Festival debut in 2018, and has been burning up the Texas music charts since then, adding millions of streams for his songs.
Slade Coulter is newer to the music scene, getting his career started in the Lubbock area. But he has been touring across Texas, and will head to several other states later this year with Jacob Stelly, who played at last year’s Festival.
Friday night’s music starts with local country artist Keith Hickle, who has been named “The Best Artist in Fayette Country” multiple times.
Saturday afternoon’s music lineup starts at noon with The Barditch Hippies, a trio from the Luling area. The two founding members are both veteran “Emotions Band” performers who spent many Wednesday summer nights entertaining the large crowds at Swiss Alp Dancehall. Broken Alibi from Hallettsville will play from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Music on Sunday is for dancing, and the Festival usually kicks off Sunday with some polka music. This year, The Czechaholics will bring their own unique, more contemporary style of polka music to the Pavilion. TUB will close out the Festival with their Sunday-afternoon mix of 80s rock and country, plus contemporary hits and feel-good music.
Thursday evening provides another option for live entertainment and family time. Kendra Krupala & ThatDamnBand will perform on stage, while there will be refreshments available, kids’ activities, plus the rodeo slack, all for no admission charge.
The Schulenburg Festival is much more than just live music. The rodeo, cook-offs, and parade are also big draws. Rodeo fans can look forward to two nights of full CPRA/UPRA rodeo action, with eight events (bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, breakaway, steer wrestling, barrel racing, team roping, and tie down), at the arena in Wolters Park. The rodeo starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evening. Mutton bustin’ will take place both nights, so kids can join the cowboy action too.
The Festival cook-off continues to grow. Cooks can showcase their talents in the chili, BBQ, beans, and bloody Mary contests, plus this year there is a salsa competition. The Festival includes both CASI and IBCA-sanctioned chili and BBQ competitions, for cooks wishing to earn points in those areas, and also local contests open to everyone.
The Sunday morning parade, from downtown Schulenburg to Wolters Park, features beautiful floats from area towns, comical entries, class reunion floats, patriotic and musical entries, fire trucks, and the ever-popular Shriners parade unit.
Other attractions include the annual Young Farmers Cow Chip & Egg Toss contests, the cheerleader dunking board, the second annual cornhole tournament, and the arts and crafts show, featuring dozens of vendors with various items for sale.
Young Festival attendees can enter the kiddie parade and the tricycle races, and the Festival will set up a “Kid Zone”, located on the ball field in the southwest corner of Wolters Park. The area will have several inflatables, including some with water slides, operated by B&B Big Bounce of Hallettsville.
Rounding out the Festival are four different sports contests (golf, softball, basketball, and a fun run), along with class reunions for graduates from Schulenburg and Bishop Forest high schools.
Gate admission for all activities is $20 for Friday night, and $30 on Saturday evening after 5 p.m. Admission on Thursday and Sunday is free, and there is no charge to enter the park before 5 p.m. on Saturday. Also, there is no admission charge for children 12 and under at any time.
Detailed information, including entry forms, can be found on the Festival website: www.schulenburgfestival.org.
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