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LA GRANGE — This Saturday, April 19, Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites will host Easter on the Bluff, celebrating one of the most beloved Bluff Schuetzenverein traditions.
This year’s event will feature living history programs, children’s egg hunts, games, and an Easter fire. Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnics, beverages, chairs or blankets, and flashlights.
“In the early 19th century, the Bluff Schuetzenverein, a prominent German Texan marksmanship and social club, hosted enormous egg hunts on the grounds of Monument Hill,” says Assistant Sites Manager Gavin Miculka.
According to historic newspapers and oral histories, the club’s Easter celebrations featured music, dancing, barbecues, picnics, games, and more. Members of the Bluff community boiled and dyed eggs in large sugar kettles before hiding them.
Beginning at 3 p.m., site staff and volunteers will host living history demonstrations at the Kreische House. These activities share the history of the Bluff Community and German Texan Easter traditions.
Visitors can paint wooden eggs using traditional German techniques, see an Easter meal prepared in the kitchen, and learn how meats were smoked in the late 19th century. The sites will host two egg hunts. The first, at 5:30 p.m., will take place inside the Kreische House yard and is intended for children aged 4 and under.
The second hunt, at 6:00 p.m., will take place throughout the grounds and is intended for children aged 5-12. Eggs will be found very quickly, so guests shouldn’t be late. After the egg hunts, the event will conclude with an Osterfeuer, or Easter Fire, weather permitting.
“These bonfires are a common Easter tradition in Germany, signifying the end of winter and the coming of spring,” says Miculka.
While it is unknown if the Kreisches or Schuetzenverein hosted an Osterfeuer on the Bluff, the bonfire reflects one of many traditions that honor the community’s German heritage. While the fire burns, guests are welcome to enjoy bring-your-own picnic dinners, various yard games, and festive music.
April 19 is the last day to purchase early bird tickets for the Texas History on Tap beer garden at Bluff SchuetzenFest on May 17. Guests attending Saturday’s Easter on the Bluff may purchase these significantly discounted tickets on site without paying additional online fees.
Admission to the sites for Easter on the Bluff is free for Friends members and children aged 5 and under, $2 for students, $3 for seniors, and $5 for adults. For more information, visit the Sites’ Facebook page or call the Sites’ visitors center at (979) 968-5658.
Easter on the Bluff features two egg hunts. The first is at 5:30 in the yard of the Kreische House for children ages 4 and under. The second is at 6:00 for children ages 5-12 and will take place across the grounds.
Conditions permitting, a traditional Osterfeuer (Easter bonfire), will close out Easter on the Bluff.
