Courtesy of Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History
Join the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History on Oct. 13 for the 13th annual Boonville Days — Texas Heritage Festival. This year also marks the 10th annual Buffalo Stampede Half Marathon and 5K Race and the 7th annual Chuck Wagon Cook-off on Friday and Saturday.
This year’s Boonville Days will be bigger and better than ever before! This free festival held from 9am to 4pm provides an opportunity to see Brazos County’s pioneer history come to life. Visit with characters in period costume including cowboys, civil war re-enactors, musicians, dancers, artists, and much more. Professor Paisley from the Texian Institute of Oxenology will parade back into town with oxen Justice and Liberty, showcasing Texas culture from 1830-1845. Demonstrations of frontier skills and trades including flint-making, spinning, quilting, weaving, and blacksmithing will also be on display. Family friendly fun includes making pinch pots and other period crafts, which is sure to keep your kids entertained.
Festival visitors can browse through the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History’s Discovery Room with live animals, a library, and an exhibition gallery. Guests can also explore the Texas history display and the museum’s current temporary exhibit, THE BRAZOS: Legacy of a Mighty River.
Runners will stampede their way through Bryan College Station starting at 7:30am at the Brazos Center as the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History hosts its 10th annual Buffalo Stampede! Runners of all ages are welcome. Overall male and female winners receive unique buffalo sculpture trophies. Save money by registering early online at www.brazosvalleymuseum.org, where maps and race details are also available. For more information about registration options, call the museum at (979) 776-2195.
During the 7th annual Chuck Wagon Cook-off, your taste buds can join the fun. The chuck wagons compete in a cook-off complete with meals for the public. Lunch tickets for the Chuck Wagon Saturday noon meal are pre-sold at the Museum for $10. Meals include bottled water, chicken fried steak, beans, potatoes, and cobbler. Pat Gavin and the Buckaroo Band will provide music to keep your feet taping in the Chuck Wagon area. Those wishing to pack extra chuck wagon fun into the weekend can visit Friday afternoon to see wagon judging and crews in period dress.
Part of the cook-off is watching friendly rivalries play out between several of the wagon crews who compete each year. The teams go head-to-head in an “Old-West” culinary battle to determine which chuck wagon reigns supreme. Cash prizes and spectacular hand-crafted silver and gold belt buckles by Tres Rios Silver awarded to the championship team serve as incentives for hard work and great cooking.
If chuck wagons are not your ideal form of transportation, you have nothing to worry about. Shuttle busses carry visitors to and from Boonville Heritage Park, a unique local heritage site. Boonville Heritage Park is home to a restored and furnished 19th century dogtrot cabin; replica buildings of the Boonville Court House, smoke house, and the Masonic lodge; and other re-enactors, booths, and more.
Event volunteers are always needed. If you are interested in volunteering or being a re-enactor at Boonville Days, email events@brazosvalleymuseum.org or call (979) 776-2195.
