Jerry Jeff Walker Birthday Bash

As usual, Jerry Jeff Walker returned to Gruene Hall to celebrate his birthday.  Just like last year, we had a table near the front of the hall for the great show.  For all those who wonder how we get such "preferential" treatment for these sold-out shows, the secret is to log onto the JJW website the minute that the virtual ticket window opens.  It's worked two years in a row.

The "man"  ambled into the hall just as I was checking out the tee shirt table, and I was able to get a close-up shot:

As I wrote last year, Gruene Hall is the perfect venue for Jerry Jeff's music: it is old, funky, and loaded with posters and pictures of performances over the years--not to mention neon beer signs of all the favorite Texas brews. Here are some of the satisfied patrons:

All eyes, of course, were on center stage, where there was great music--and two stepping in the aisles.

Yes, we will be back next year--and as long as Jerry Jeff chooses to celebrate his birthday at Gruene Hall.

Gruene Hall

As the brochure for Gruene Hall says, “Come dance with history.”

Gruene Hall’s legacy is more than being the oldest, continually operating dance hall in the State of Texas. It has had fun making history. Known throughout the world as a music venue, Gruene Hall has been instrumental in starting the careers of Lyle Lovett, George Strait, Hal Ketchum and many others. The stage has seen the likes of Bo Diddley, The Dixie Chicks, Jerry Lee Lewis, Garth Brooks, and Willie Nelson.

The Hall hosted baseball great Nolan Ryan’s 50th birthday party and it has been featured in numerous music videos and movies. Of special note is “Michael,” starring John Travolta, whose dance scene was filmed in Gruene Hall.

It’s also the place Jerry Jeff Walker celebrates his birthday.

Gruene, Texas

To appreciate Gruene, first of all, you need to remember that what is “old” in Texas is not so old in New England terms. Our first New England posting was to Plymouth County, Massachusetts (home of Plymouth Rock). Bridgewater, Massachusetts (where we lived) was established in the mid 17th century. That town made our second sojourn in New England—in Canton , Connecticut—seem like we were in a “new” town; after all, Canton was not settled by Anglos until the early 19th century.

So when the “old” town of Gruene (whose motto is “Gently Resisting Change since 1872”) is compared with new England locales, it doesn’t seem very old at all. But then, of course, when we compare any locations in the United States with settlements in Europe, everything in the US seems fairly recent indeed. Which is all a way of reminding us that “old” is certainly a relative term.

Gruene (pronounced “green”) is a little town wholly within New Braunfels, settled in the mid 1840s by a German immigrant, Ernest Gruene. Gruene and others built a number of buildings—homes in the Victorian style, shops, and other buildings, but the center of life in the little community was a dance hall and saloon, Gruene Hall. The town struggled but never prospered, and was completely done in by two very different disasters, the boll weevil and the Depression. Everything went under except Gruene Hall, which never closed. By the 1970s the “town” was just some empty buildings and was to be razed, but new owners of the buildings saw potential for Gruene to rise again. New businesses were established, and all of Gruene was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today Gruene is thriving. Tourists come from all around to walk the streets of the 19th-century town, but especially to visit Gruene Hall, which has attracted every famous country and western artist, who want to perform in such an authentic venue. It has even been featured in films such as “Michael” (1996) in which John Travolta plays an angel who, coincidentally, performs in Gruene Hall.

Gruene is eight minutes from our house—definitely on the tour for visitors who drop by.