.gif)
This Saturday, March 30, 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.
“This event is inspired by the large egg hunts that took place around the Schuetzenverein Pavilion in the early 20th century,” says Assistant Sites Manager Gavin Miculka. The Sites’ oral history collection includes stories of Easter gatherings on the grounds of what is now Kreische Brewery & Monument Hill State Historic Sites.
Members of the Bluff community would boil and dye eggs in large sugar kettles before hiding them. While the grounds provided a vast area to search for eggs, some adults would keep a few eggs in their pocket and drop them where the youngest egg hunters could find them.
Site staff and volunteers will host living history demonstrations at the Kreische House from noon to 4 p.m., sharing the history of the Bluff Community and German-Texan Easter traditions. Visitors can help color eggs using natural dyes, 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.
Following the egg hunts, guests are welcome to enjoy bring-your-own picnic dinners. After the egg hunts and during picnic time, festive music will be played, and various yard games will be available.
At dusk, the event will conclude with an Osterfeurer, or Easter Fire, weather permitting.
“These bonfires are a common Easter tradition in Germany, signifying the end of winter and the coming of spring,” Miculka said.
While it is unknown if the Kreisches or Schuetzenverein hosted an Osterfeurer on the Bluff, the bonfire reflects one of many traditions that honor the community’s German heritage.
Admission is free for Friends members and children aged 5 and under, $2 for students, $3 seniors, and $5 for adults.
For more information, visit the Sites’ Facebook page or call the Sites’ visitors center at 979-968-5658.
