LBJ Museum reschedules Gala for January amid virus concerns
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Lyndon Baines Johnson Museum of San Marcos to reschedule its 15th year celebration to Jan. 22, 2022.
The January event will feature Dr. W.F. Strong, Texas story-teller, at the Holiday Inn Express, 105 Bintu Drive. The evening will include a reception, dinner, silent auction — and some Tall Texas Tales.
“Given increases in COVID cases among the unvaccinated and breakthrough cases in the vaccinated population, we decided to postpone the Gala out of an abundance of caution.” Museum President Wayne Kraemer said in a statement.
The event — originally set for Sept. 25 at the LBJ Museum, located at 131 N. Guadalupe St. — displays special exhibits honoring President Johnson’s formative years at Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now Texas State University) in San Marcos.
Strong, the gala’s featured speaker, is a Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Communication and Culture at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Strong grew up in Texas and his storytelling influences range from Mark Twain, on whom he wrote his doctoral dissertation, to former public-radio host Garrison Keillor.
Strong grew up working on farms and ranches in South Texas and so has had a long connection with the Texas soil, as did his ancestors, who farmed and ranched in North Texas for more than a century. Two of his distant relatives signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico.
This familial history has nurtured his love for the vibrancy of Texas culture, both historical and Modern. All these influences came together in the development of a series of brief, often humorous, sometimes dramatic radio vignettes called “Stories from Texas.” They are intended to teach, amuse and inspire. In them he seeks to celebrate the Texas character in all its toughness; to showcase poignant passages from the vast literature this land has produced; and to provide a narrative for Texas pride, entrepreneurial success and Texas mythology.
Celebrating Texas’ charismatic culture and revealing the diverse forces that forged it, Stories From Texas airs biweekly on Texas Standard Radio, a daily news program produced in Austin that is carried on 30 NPR stations across Texas. Strong has published two books on Texas — Stories from Texas: Some of them are True and its sequel — Stories from Texas, Volume II.
Sponsors for the museum’s Gala include Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Johnson, H-E-B, Mayor Jane Hughson, Eleanor Crook, Mike and Nora Linares Moeller, Brent and Ginger Salon, Attorney Brenda K. Smith and Berry James, Judge Linda Rodriguez, Melissa and Aart Millecam, College of Fine Arts and Communications at Texas State University, Wayne Kraemer, Ed Mihalkanin, Texas State University, and anonymous donors.
Business donors to the silent auction include: Think Horse Studios, Ann Burnette and Rey Garcia,
Plum Creek Golf Course, Kyle Family and Injury Chiropractic, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Cardinal Framing, Kissing Tree, North Carolina Furniture, Skydive Spaceland, San Marcos Art League, and Barefoot Campus Outfitters.
Restaurant donors for the “Best of Dining” drawings include: San Marcos: Palmer’s Restaurant Bar & Courtyard, Blue Dahlia Bistro, the Root Cellar Cafe, Tiff’s Treats, Cafe on the Square, Sean Patrick’s Brew Pub, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, San Marcos BBQ, Casa Maria Restaurant Bar & Bakery, Pho Tran88, Ivar’s River Pub and El Jefe’s Mexican Restaurant Patio & Bar.
New Braunfels: Alpine House, Rudy’s BBQ, Gruene River Grill, and Montana Mike’s. Lockhart: Loop ‘n Lils. Kyle: Texican Cafe. Seguin: A-Tan Sushi & Asian Grill.
To become a sponsor or to purchase tickets, please visit https://lbjmuseum.com/15th-anniversary-benefit-gala/ or call 512-353-3300 for more information.
Information provided by the LBJ Museum
