Texas Night Sky Festival
Celebrate the Hill Country’s night skies at this annual festival March 18 at Dripping Springs Ranch Park. Bring your whole family and your friends to a free celebration of the Texas Night Sky. Two-thirds of the U.S. population can’t see the Milky Way at night, and the fault lies not in our stars, but in our lighting. Join in fun citizen science activities, see the exhibits of good lighting you can have at your home or business, learn from the pros how to take pictures of the stars and explore the night sky. The event is free and open to the public. See www.texasnightskyfestival.org for more information.
Kyle Field Day
Kyle Field Day takes it back to the schoolyard for a high-energy weekend of throwback fun and friendly competition at Gregg-Clarke Park March 31-April 1. Spend a weekend playing tug-of-war, dodgeball, capture the flag, human foosball and more. In between activities, teams can take a break in the beer garden, grab a bite to eat and browse vendor booths. Participants must be 21+ and teams must be co-ed.
Hill Country Writing Symposium
This gathering of Texas authors and writers held March 16-18 at the Wimberley Village Library offers insight into writing for fiction, nonfiction and poetry as well as sessions on publishing. The seminar is presented by the Texas Authors Institute of History, a one-of-a-kind museum dedicated to Texas Authors. Topics include comedic writing, writing for a young audience, record keeping and more. See Writing.TexasAuthors.Institute for a list of sessions and schedule.
Spring Fest 5K
Ring in the spring season with the Manchaca United Methodist Church’s second annual Spring Fest 5K and Kids Dash. This fun race starts bright and early at 7:30 a.m. on April 1 at Menchaca Elementary School at Manchaca Road and FM 1626. Rain or shine, bring out the whole family for this celebration and help raise money to create opportunities for students in area schools. Register at tinyurl.com/MUMCSpringFeAt.
Hooked On Fishing Spring Fishing Tournament
On Saturday, March 25, the city of Kyle will hold its annual spring fishing tournament at Lake Kyle for all adults with a valid Texas Freshwater Fishing License. This unique tournament will test your strategic ability to catch qualifying species of fish in Lake Kyle: Large-mouth bass, sunfish/perch and channel catfish. See www.cityofkyle.com/recreation/fishing-tournaments to register and for a schedule.
Lobo Theater
On March 9 and 10, come support your Lobos by watching two performances by the Lobo Theater group at Lehman High School starting at 7 p.m. The first show will feature scenes from “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, adapted by Pamela Sterling. The second performance will be “dont u luv me” by Linda Daugherty, a play that is meant for mature audiences about dating violence. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door.
Considering Matthew Shepard
Texas State University’s leading Choral ensemble under the direction of Dr. Joey Martin and Dr. Craig Hella Johnson will be performing Dr. Craig Hella Johnson’s “Considering Matthew Shepard” on March 30 in Texas State’s Evans Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. “Considering Matthew Shepard” is a musical response to the tragic death of a young American boy, Matthew Shepard. Shepard was a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming who was mercilessly attacked and tied to a fence in 1998. After being found the next morning by a biker who mistook him for a scarecrow, Matthew was taken to the hospital in Laramie, Wyoming, where he succumbed to his wounds a few days later. Investigations into the murder strongly suggest that Matthew was murdered for his homosexuality, prompting communities all around the world to mourn. To this day, Matthew Shepard’s death is remembered through a variety of dedications and activism, such as the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and now Dr. Craig Hella Johnson’s original work “Considering Matthew Shepard.”