Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Gage Hotel in Marathon

by

MARATHON, Texas — This week we head out to the Texas mountain trail region to find a hotel in a very desolate place. As luck would have it we found one with one heck of a history.

There’s nothing like the beauty and majesty of west Texas.  Expansive landscapes, more stars than most see in a lifetime, and the stories of the old west make traveling to this part of our state a must stop on any bucket list.

One town in the Trans-Pecos has been sitting out in the heart of the Chihuahuan desert and in the shadows of the Glass Mountains since 1882, a little place locals call Marathon. J.P. Bryan prefers to call it Marathon but an outsider he is not.  Since 1978, Mr. Bryan has played a big role in the revival of this little town thanks to his love of Texas history.

“It shows something that I think became a local colloquialism and people repeated it,” Bryan said. “If you hear someone say Marathon you know they have lived here all their lives where as if they Marathon you sort of establish yourself as sort of an outsider.”

You see it was all those years ago driving between Houston and his ranch near big bend that J.P. noticed a for sale sign in the window of the town’s old hotel.  He decided to enquire and that started a life changing conversation.

“Guy answered the phone,” Bryan said. “We went through the normal introduction. I said, ‘I just want to ask you. Is that building, that hotel, still for sale.’ ‘It’s still for sale and you’re the first guy to call.’”

The Gage Hotel had seen better days.  Built in 1927, the hotel was in rough shape when Mr. Bryan acquired the old in and that didn’t sink in until after his big purchase.

“Horrified, it was terrible,” Bryan said. “I just started perspiring. I thought, ‘My gosh this is biggest mistake I ever made in my life.’”

Built by famed architect Henry Trost who also constructed Hotel Paisano down the road in Marfa, there’s wasn’t a doubt what needed to be done.  After years of research and restoration, the hotel reopened in 1981 to not much fan fair.

“They say you built it and they’ll come,” Bryan said. “In this case, you restore it and they’ll come. Well we did and nobody came.”

Just like living life in this desolate location, perseverance has paid off.  It may have taken about a decade but the Gage Hotel finally started to get the notoriety needed to attract out of towners.  That’s been good for old hotel but it’s been a God send to the small town of Marathon.

“It’s been enormously gratifying to see what’s happened here because if you look at it now, we just didn’t save this building we saved the community,” Bryans said.

Wanting to make Marathon more than just overnight stay, J.P. and his wife started to restore and renovate businesses and buildings all over town.

“I just like restoring things,” Bryan said. “I get a lot pleasure out of it. Seeing something that fundamentally could be wonderful if someone would just give it some time and attention.”

Adding a store, a dog friendly 26 acres gardens and several other businesses is part of the process of making Marathon marvelous again.

“There aren’t a lot of supporters of this little community,” Bryan said. “Maybe we can make a difference in this small town that we obviously have an affection for the area and our ranch. It’s kind of our way to give back.”

Here’s it more than a place to stay, it’s a place to explore.  A chance to soak in a Texas lifestyle in a southwest sort of way that includes fancy drinks, fine meals and far reaching views.

“It’s incredible displays at night beautiful vistas during the day, fabulous sunsets,” Bryan said. “It really should inspire any of those, unless they’re the most jaded people on the planet.”

The historic hotel continues to inspire its owner thanks to the effect it has on the people who come here.  While rest and relaxation are the main reasons weary travelers make their way here, sometimes something extra is gained, sort of like soul searching without realizing you were even looking in the first place.

“People come here with all these ideas frequently thinking they’re going to change the country and what they finding out here is that the country changed them,” Bryan said.

The Texas Bucket List – Ol’ Railroad Cafe in Rosenberg

by

ROSENBERG, Texas — In the town known for its rail lines to the really big city of Houston, you’ll find an eatery with a burger that barely fits in fort bend county.

The Ol’ Railroad Café, is a restaurant run by three chefs who are really into hamburgers. The building the Ol’ Railroad Café calls home has been a part of Rosenberg since 1910.  It’s home to a wine bar, an antique shop and what may be the oldest working elevator in Texas.

This culinary Café first went down the line in 2012 when Daniel Ornelas opened up a small sandwich shop. But it wasn’t until he partnered up with fellow chefs Clint Stump and Dillion Kao (Cow) that things really started chugging along at the café.

“We’re all three different cultures of food,” Clint said. “All have a little different thing to bring to it so we all kind of complement each other.”

Together, they’ve created some crazy concoctions.

“When you get three chefs together you sit down and start beating your heads up together going ‘Okay what are we going to do? What’s something different that we haven’t seen? What’s something that might taste good?” Clint said. “And we just did a bunch of different things.”

The Hobo Burger will jump in your belly for a ride to taste town. Daniel get things started with a half-pound hand formed patty that’s topped with house made seasoning.

“This is our KC seasoning with a little mix of pepper and a little bit of salt,” Daniel said. “We also make a mix ourselves.”

As the beef gets brushed with the blaze. Daniel starts toasting a sourdough bun and frying an egg. By this point the burger is flipped. Cheese and bacon top the burger while homemade garlic jalapeno aioli top the bun. Add some onion strings, top it and that’s a Hobo Burger.

So here we are. Something any hobo would be hungry for, the Hobo Burger.  A huge beef patty topped with bacon, cheese, onion strings and that yolk ready to pierce down into those onion rings and give it full of flavor. Will it be messy? I have a feeling it will be very messy, but you know what? That’s how we do it. Here’s to the Hobo Burger here in Rosenberg.

After the first bite you definitely get a bunch of flavor. It definitely makes you wanna all the way through this thing because it is amazing.

Well the textures of that Hobo Burger are amazing. You get through that soft bun and into the egg which squeezes out into those crunchy onion rings and coming up you got the meat and the crispy bacon. But it’s not too entirely crispy. It all breaks off into one big beautiful bite.

That jalapeño aioli mixes in really well with the onion strings and the egg, and you’d be surprised how fast your lips start burning. But it all mixes in very well, a good addition to the Hobo Burger.

You can see how three chefs came up with this crazy concoction and it is worth craving and well worth a stop on the Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Nokona Baseball Glove Factory in Nocona

by

NOCONA, Texas — Baseball.  A sport as American as it gets. There’s nothing like the smell of the grass on a mild spring evening.  The constant rumble of thousands of conversations going on during each and every pitch.  But all eyes turn to the field when the batter makes contact with the ball and for a few fleeting seconds, we all wonder if that little ball ends up on the grass on in a glove.

Those gloves are essential to a game featuring a small hard ball and some of the best in the world are built right here in Texas. Rob Storey runs the baseball business in Nocona, Texas that his great grandfather started as a leather goods manufacturer in 1926.

“During the heights of the Great Depression in the ‘30s we were selling wallets and purses and as my granddad used to say at the time, to sell a wallet in the Great Depression for a dollar, you had to put a dollar bill inside of it,” Rob said.

Rob’s grandfather decided to change up the game and get involved in the popular sport of baseball.

“Took them three or four years but in ’34 we made our first glove,” Rob said.

Spelled with a K instead of C, the gloves became synonymous with the small Texas towns despite the small difference in spelling.  Apparently, the town’s name couldn’t be trademarked.

“80 years down the line we found out that is one of the five accepted spellings for Nokona in the Comanche Indian language,” Rob said.

Named after a Comanche chief who happened to be the father of Quanah Parker, Nokana gloves are handmade and happen to be the only gloves, in the entire world, made in America.

“We’re the only glove company left in the United States,” Rob said. “Most everything else is made in China, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines. It’s crazy but that’s the way it’s been for 40 something years.”

Rob and his 35 employees meticulously meld together 26 pieces of leather to make one incredible, fine smelling, all American product.

“When the leather comes in to us, it’s probably Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas beef but it’s tanned in either Milwaukee or Chicago,” Rob said. “When it comes to us it comes in what’s called a side so it’s either the right side or the left side of that steer. Out of a side we are going to be able to cut out about five ball gloves.”

It all starts with a initial piece of leather. Then a long process of stamping, stitching, and sewing each glove by hand goes down the line. Quality control during construction consists of one main man, Martin.

“Martin is more or less quality control and realistically this is a part where he has to make sure all the seams are just right and the stitching,” Rob said. “He is not always the most popular guy in the factory because sometimes he has to take stuff back and say, ‘You know you can do better.’”

After everything is laced up, the glove gets it’s final goodbye from Nokona.  A good beating.

“You can do that up to 60 times to get the gloves worked in so it’s almost ready to go the day you pull it off the shelf,” Rob said.

And then it’s ready for the big time. Kokona gloves have played in big role in American history.  Not just in the sport of baseball but also during World War II, when soldiers on different sides of the world got to have a piece of home with them.

“Uncle Sam came to use and from ’42 to ’45 we were contracted by the U.S. Army to make ball gloves for the infantry,” Rob said. “We’ve had people through the years telling us exactly how that got their mind off things, reminded them of home, and from Okinawa to Germany, finding gloves or having gloves given to them.”

Despite it’s all American linage and reputation, Nokona gloves aren’t the most used gloves in the game for one reason, they can’t afford to be.

“That is not something we can do. It’s just literally because we’re a smaller company it’s always been out of our reach,” Rob said. “Nowadays we probably have 12 to 15 people at the major league level but we consider them authentic players because they want to wear Nokona instead of just worrying about how much we’re going to pay them.”

Tyler Saladino is one of those exceptions but he’s continuing a tradition of playing an all American game with something made right here in Lone Star State.

“We produce close to 30,000 a year,” Rob said. “Out of six and a half million gloves that are sold annually in the United State we represent only that one percent or less so we’re very small compared to the bigger guys but we like to think we’re the best.”

These 35 Texans continue to work hard, keeping baseball America’s game while continuing a Texas tradition that’s always been a homerun.

“It makes me so proud that we’ve been able to hang on through the years, keep people employed in Nocona and carry on the legacy hear in Nocona,” Rob said. “It’s kind of what I live for.”

The Texas Bucket List – Muddbones in Bonham

by

­­BONHAM, Texas — Ten miles from the Oklahoma border you’ll find Bonham Texas. Home to Sam Rayburn and named in honor James Bonham who died at the Alamo, this Texas town just can trace its roots all the way back to 1837.  But we’re not here for a history lesson, we’re here for burgers.

Kyle Sanderson and Jarrett Munger teamed up to birth this Bonham Burger business and to say these guys are polar opposites might be an understatement.

“I’m not one to brag or boast or anything but I think this place put Bonham on the map,” Kyle said.

Their ying and yang way of doing businesses has worked.

“It’s an adventure everyday, I’ll say that,” Jarrett said.

Kyle, a former prison guard and Jarrett, a former electronic rentals expert, somehow struck things off with a conversation about what else, but food.

“Bonham needs a good, greasy burger,” Kyle said. “I said, ‘Well shoot, I could be your partner. I’m pretty good with people. You could be the cook.’ We had this plan from that day going.”

But they have a secret weapon that Jarrett generated to glorify the great burn Texans love in their food. Smokey Jalapeno Sauce.

“It’s a homemade jalapeno sauce,” Jarrett said. “This is not something you’re going to get anywhere else, this is something you’re going to get here.”

Jarrett got things started with a quarter pound pattie personally pressed by Kyle. Onions and jalapenos hit the grill, the bun get’s toasted, while house made seasoning hits the hamburger.  Then comes the sauce. The bun is prepared like your typical burger and pepper jack is put on the patty.

We unwrap the smoky deluxe, pull it out of this wrapper and get a look at this burger that smells incredible. It smells like an outdoor grill on top of barbeque on top of spice. It’s very hard to explain but we are going to go ahead and do what we do best: Take a big ole bite and see what the smoky deluxe is all about.

That is amazing. It’s almost like a spicy rub you find on some ribs with jalapenos, put on a burger that just explodes.

“I’ve never had anything like it,” customer Chance said. “I really wouldn’t know how to explain it, it’s just a jalapeno sauce.”

The more you get into it, the more that flavor sits in your mouth, the more it sizzles.

“Goes down smooth,” customer Corey said. “Has a nice little tingle to it so it’s not too hot.”

The smoky deluxe at Mud Bones in Bonham Texas. Worth setting your lips on fire for right here on The Texas Bucket List.

“If you like cheese burgers, don’t make a mistake, you have to come here and try it,” customer Cody said.

The Texas Bucket List – Caddo Mounds State Historic Site in Alto

by

ALTO, Texas — This week we checked out some particular hills in East Texas, but these hills are more like mounds and they celebrate a culture that lived in our state long ago.

Before Texas became the Lone Star State, it was the homeland to a people that spent much more time in the territory than we have. Back when surviving off the land was the way of life, the native people thrived in Texas. In East Texas, the Caddo cultivated a culture that can still be seen today.

Phil Cross is a descendant of the people who once populated this part of the state.  He makes an annual pilgrimage to the Caddo Indian Mounds State Historic Site to pass along his knowledge of his family tribe.

“It reaffirms deep in me that it’s a special culture and set of traditions that relates as far back as we know. It strengthens me and my group and then vice versa,” Phil said.

Situated near Alto and a mile from the Neches River, the mounds rise up from a field between the pines along highway 21.

“The Caddo were here from about 750 AD to the late 1200s early 1300s when they abandoned this site,” said Anthony Souther with the Texas Historical Commission.

Anthony says at one time, this village was home to nearly one thousand Caddo Indians.  The three mounds are easily visible.  One served as a temple, another a ceremonial slope, and finally a burial ground.

“We no longer let people go to the top of the mound because it is a cemetery,” Anthony said. “The temple mound had no burials, only buildings on it and the ceremonial mound between the two larger mounds had neither buildings or burials in it.”

Known for pottery, bow making, and agriculture the Caddo traded with tribes as far away as New Mexico and Illinois. They even created El Camino Real, the trade route that’s been crucial to Texas history.

Artifacts from those exchanges all those generations ago have been found here over the years but coming back and connecting with the piece of earth his predecessors lived on is what means most to Phil.

“People say, ‘Where do we come from? Did I come from Ireland or Germany or Yugoslavia?’ And that sets something up in people’s mind that ‘I’m a part of something in the past that happened somewhere and if I know about that it makes my life more complete,” Phil said. “And it gives me strength to know that I didn’t just come out of thin air but that I have people who proceeded. Struggle, struggle, struggle. Success. Whatever their experiences were and the activities. That’s important to each us.”

To celebrate that Caddo Culture, the historical site holds an annual gathering that goes back to basics. Surrounded by the mounds, the native people reflect and remember.

“That just makes a really special bond for me to this site and the people, our ancestors, who were here,” Phil said. “I go away from them stronger in who I am and knowing that I have touched someone with their similar feelings and that we’re stronger together. Makes us stronger people and better people.”

To celebrate Texas is to proclaim all her people.  From the heroes of the Texas revelation to the tribes who made the Lone Star State terrain their home long.

“We will always be a steward of this Caddo history and we’ll safeguard the mounds to the best of our ability so that future generations of Texans can come and see this part of our history,” Anthony said.

The Texas Bucket List – The Desk at Sul Ross State University in Alpine

by

ALPINE, Texas – The wide-open skies of west Texas seem to come alive in Alpine.  Sitting at the foothills of the Davis Mountains, this town in the middle of Trans-Pecos has broad views, a brewery, and books.

Home to Sul Ross State University since 1917, students in this part of the state have a unique setting for school. Mary Bones earned her undergraduate and masters degree from Sul Ross and serves as the interim director of museum of the big bend.

“Students who are interested in really being in the outdoors, this is the perfect outdoor classroom for all areas of interest,” Mary said.

Back in 1981, one student took that idea to heart.

“1981 Jim Kitchens and two of his friends decided they needed a place out of mountainside dormitory for a quiet place to go where they could study so they grabbed a desk and hauled it up a hill,” Mary said. “They started hanging out at the desk.”

That’s right, the desk as it’s known has been a Sul Ross State staple for several decades.

“This became a tradition here at Sul Ross to go up to Hancock Hill, which is right behind me, go up to the desk, open up one of the desk drawers and leave behind your thoughts, meditations, poems, whatever you wanted to in the notebook,” Mary said.

So we did what every Sul Ross student and several thousand Texans have done and huffed it up Hancock Hill. Being from a less elevated part of the state, it felt like the Rockies to me. Once you pass the bike tree you’ll find the desk with it’s glorious view of the valley.

“You can truly be in solitude and be able to look out across and past the city of Alpine and Sul Ross State University,” Mary said.

The notes written on the desk make you laugh, make you think, and make you contemplate this little ride called life.

“Going to school it’s very structured,” Mary said. “You have your classes, you have all of this from expectations and pressures put on you as a student and I think for our students to get out of their dorm room, leave the tablet and the cell phone behind, get out in nature and take that hike, that’s what makes the desk so unique. Totally student driven.”

The desk has been replaced four times over the years, when it’s time to bring it down the students do all the heavy lifting because the lifting of hearts this old piece of furniture offers Texans of all ages makes it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“It sets us aside from every other university, I think,” Sierra said. “I mean every university has its own traditions but I think it’s funny and it will always be a memory for everyone.”

The Texas Bucket List – Longhorn Cavern State Park in Burnet

by

­BURNET, Texas – Along the rolling terrain of the Texas hill country sits a sought after sinkhole in Burnett County.  Known today at Longhorn Cavern State Park, this subterranean site in the Lone Star State has been must see for many, many years.

Evan Archilla gets to call this place his office and he started our stop with a visit to these unique buildings on the site that were built during the great depression.

“One of the things we’re most proud of at the park is the legacy that the Civilian Conservation Corps left behind for us, Evan said. “We have some of the best examples of CCC architecture here. They left a great legacy and it’s really one of the best places in the state that you can go to see that.”

The CCC was a public work relief program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that put thousands of Americans to work and is credited with creating many of the national and state parks.

“These great buildings you see were designed by national park architects in that NPS rustic style that you would see at Yellow Stone or any other national park that grew up in that kind of heyday of the 30s,” Evan said.

These hardworking labors also helped clear out the cave making Longhorn Cavern what it is today.

“These guys pulled 30,000 cubic yards of debris out of this cavern by hand and helped to develop it for people to enjoy,” Evan said.

Cosmo Omsoc doesn’t just have a palindrome for a name, he also sort of has that kind of personality.  Whether he’s above ground or below, he is passionate about this place. So we went spelunking with this underground tour guide.

“The look on people’s faces when they come through the cave and get to explore it for the first time makes this job worthwhile,” Cosmo said.

In the 1920s and 1930s people threw parties in the cavern complete with dinner, dancing and a full band and orchestra, according to Evan. However, it turns out two stepping under the Texas ground isn’t the only great tale to come out of here.

“Everything from Comanche Indians and Texas Rangers and rescues happening down in the cave,” Evan said. “We had an underground ballroom and restaurant back in the 30s. We had the Confederates mining bat guano for making gun powder. Not that long before I was born we actually had the Department of Civil Defense down there with supplies for around 2,000 people that could, in theory, weather a nuclear blast during the cold war down in the cavern as a fallout shelter.”

During the winter months you will find a few Tri-Colored Bats, also known as Eastern Pipistrelle.  These mouse like mammals won’t mess with you but they will melt your heart.  As long as they sit really still. The real treat is getting a half mile into the ground and seeing some great geological gems including the Hall of Marble and Hall of Diamonds.

“This is not marble,” Evan said. “It is actually dolomite or dolomite rock. We call it marble because when the conservation corps first got here they thought they found marble. It’s not, it is actually calcium magnesium carbonate, but what’s fascinating about it is how smooth it is.”

From its amazing natural beauty, texas sized tales, and national park service rustic style architecture, Longhorn Cavern State Park takes the bull by the horns when it comes to hotspot on The Texas Bucket List.

“If you want to look at a unique cavern environment, if you want to explore the hill country, if you want to hear some truly Texan stories – every Texan should come to Longhorn Cavern state park,” Evan said.

The Texas Bucket List – The Tiny Homes of Spur, Texas

by

We’ve seen people live in all sorts of sized houses just to call the Lone Star State home, and that’s definitely the case up in Spur where we found some of the smallest homes we’ve ever seen.

Since 1909, Spur Texas has been a small spot on the Lone Star State map. About an hour east of Lubbock this part of the panhandle has been a particularly quiet. The population has steadily decreased over the years but now this town of 1,000 is becoming a little hotspot.

John Schmidt grew up here and now works part time employee as the Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Spur. He’s the man with a plan when it comes to a popular new place to live and we’re not talking palaces, we mean pint sized homes. Despite being small in stature, these structures and not being spurned in spur.

“I see it resurgence in the town,” John said. “We’ve got people paying taxes buying lots. They want to get away from the big cities, the high taxes, the hustle bustle, the traffic, stuff like that. And Spur is just a nice, quiet little town to do it in.”

Denise Rosner came from New York, through LA to settle down in a simpler style of life.

“This is a breath of fresh air, literally fresh air,” Denise said. “Coming from LA this was a big deal.”

Denise is right at home, living in the one town that would allow her to have this small scale lifestyle.

“I was too young to get social security and too old to start working and start a new career,” Denise said. “I just looked at what I could do with my finances and what I wanted to do and what I wanted to do was not have to work anymore and to retire early, so not in LA and not in California.”

Carol Haefner also came from Cali and her house is half the size of Denise’s, standing at 12 feet by 18 feet. Carol bought her pint sized parcel site unseen and got to work building her own home as soon as she arrived.

“I love it here, I love it,” Carol said. “I came here to build a tiny house. I had no idea I’d actually fall in love with Texas and Spur.”

Danny Schallenberg is a small home builder and says these homes usually run between 35 and 45 thousand dollars.  The smallest sits at 83 square feet!

“Spur is still the first to do it and has done it and it’s paid off big time for them,” Danny said. “People are downsizing their life, they’re downsizing their possessions, they’re downsizing their car, they’re downsizing their house, they’re downsizing their taxes, and it’s working.”

These homes have everything you’d expect.  Bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, lofts, storage and all sorts of scenery.  But they’re also sort of a tourist stop for a curious crowd.

“We get a lot of people who come through because they’re curious to see, ‘How is that possible? How are you living in that amount of size,’” Denise said. “And I will say that this house does surprise everybody.”

While many see these small homes as an oddity, their oddly quite homey.  Bringing people from across the country closer together in this small Lone State State town, committed to making tiny homes a tangible choice in Texas.

“Spur is the only place so far,” Denise said. “We’re hoping that if we can do it, other small towns can do it as well and make more room for the hundreds of thousands of people who economically need to do something like this.”

The Texas Bucket List – Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin

by

DUBLIN, Texas — Every town in Texas is near and dear to me but there’s something about Dublin that gets my Irish eyes a smiling.  For years this small Texas town has been associated with a drink we’ve all doctored up a time a time or two but now their entering a new age in elixirs, all while sticking to the sweet roots.

Katt Stowers from Dublin Bottling Works popped our top on the terrific history of this storied soda stop. Opened in 1891 by Sam Houston Prim, Dublin Bottling Works was the first place that a fine Texas treat was bottled, Dr. Pepper.  Ben Hogan, the man who changed the game of golf, his Dad Chester even worked here.

“1891 is when we started bottling Dr. Pepper and we served it up until 2012 with the lawsuit,” Katt said.

Dublin was no longer allowed the produce Dr. Pepper in 2012, ending a a 122 year partnership. Today Dublin Bottling works concentrates on their own 16 flavorful flavors, but they still embrace their Dr. Pepper past because it’s a part of who they are.

Sticking to their core confectionary values was the main goal which is why all of Dublin’s drinks are made with pure cane sugar.

“We were the only ones that used the Imperial Pure Cane Sugar when everyone was switching over to the high fructose corn syrup and so that’s really what really made us stand out, compared to everybody else,” Katt said.

The bottling line that brimmed with pride while producing Dr. Pepper can still be seen today.

“So this is going to be our bottling line,” Katt said. “Dates ranging from 1920s to 1965 and that’s the newest piece we have on our line right now. It is very old school, that’s why we are hoping to get a new bottling line that way we can keep up with competitors because this stuff is a little outdated.”

An off the wall collection of Dr. Pepper promotional products are still in the old museum here but the main attraction is to simply belly up the bar.

“Alright, and this is our 1930s soda fountain,” Katt said. “Which we make everything by hand. So we mix the syrup and the carbonation together to make it your own personal drink. We have 16 flavors you can choose from.”

The Texas Bucket List – Fischer Bowling Hall in Fischer

by

FISCHER, Texas — Over in Comal County in the small central Texas town of Fischer you won’t find a lot of hustle and bustle, but as the sun sets on the local dance hall with a simple sign starts to draw a crowd.  If you decided to step inside this puzzling place, you’ll have some of the most fun you can have in Fischer.

Food, faith, friendship, folklore are just a few ways that cultures have shaped the Lone Star State, but over in central Texas you’ll find a fun game that made its way across the pond many years ago. Now this isn’t your typical 10 pin. Known as 9 pin bowling, it’s been around these parts since the 1800’s, and if you’re going to play, you better know the rules.

“The object is to get them all down or to get them all down and leave the red one,” said Rachel Luehlfing.

Rachelle’s family settled in Fischer in 1933. She’s in charge of the Fisher bowling league, a group of tightly nit Texans that meet here 4 nights a week, 49 weeks a year.

“Some people have more of the attitude of, ‘I’m here for the beer drinking, just to have fun,’ others are like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win tonight,’” Rachel said.

This bowling hall got its start in 1897 when German immigrants brought the game of bowling to Texas.  Back then bowling was a bit different but the tradition continues here and in several other 9 pin bowling clubs in central Texas.  The only places in the united states that you’ll find it.

Mic Greyer is one of the newbies here.  He’s only been bowling for 6 years.

“This is just one of those places that I wish there were more of in, not just Texas but the rest of the country,” Mic said.

J.R. Sachtlelben – (sock-lay-ben) is one of the regulars and by regular, I mean his family has been bowling here for generations.

“My grandpop bowled here, we had aunts and uncles bowl here,” Dad bowled here. It’s a family deal.” J.R. said.

You won’t find scoring computers here, just a chalkboard that everyone keeps up with and pin setters, well that’s old school as well.

“It’s special and its sort of like church of bowling,” Lisa Kiefer said.

Lisa Kiefer understands the sanctity of this sport.

“To the town of Fischer, I think it’s really important and prominent but also sort of elusive and secretive,” Lisa said. “Like, some people in Wimberley don’t even know it’s out here. They don’t know there’s bowling alley.”

Now we all know what goes great with any good German tradition.

“All you gotta do is look at our team’s name,” Mic said. “Beer drinking and bad bowling. And that’s really that tells you what our priorities are.”

But the most valuable commodity in here is same currency Texans are known for, friendliness.

“This is Texarkana at its best, really,” Mic said. “Everyone needs to come to Fischer Hall and have a great time. It really speaks to the history of central Texas.”