Natalia’s Bluebonnet Festival is just around the corner now and final preparations are being made for the annual celebration on Saturday, March 25th on the grounds of the old Palm Courts.
Librarian Amy Edge and her festival committee has locked down the entertainment portion of the festival with something going on in the stage area from 12:30 p.m. until midnight.
The first ones on the bill are the FM Studios Youth Orchestra. They will be followed at 1:15 p.m. by Atascosa Arts. At 2 p.m., the Cowboy Church of Hondo will take the stage. Jenna Faith Oakley will entertain the crowd from 3:45 until 5 p.m. when DJ Teresa Villarreal will begin the dance in anticipation of the bands to follow staring at 8 p.m.
But Saturday will start with the parade beginning at 11 a.m. It will follow the route as in past years, down FM 471 from Love’s Travel Center into town and turning left onto State Hwy 132, going through town to finish where FM 471 turns over the railroad tracks and goes North out of town.
Vendors will be there all day long to the right of the main building. They will be allowed to set up on Friday so they can get started bright and early on Saturday.
The carnival is due in town on Thursday, March 23rd and will stay until the 26th depending on the weather and business. They have promised to bring more rides this year so there will be more fun for the kids. They will be located to the left of the main building.
Part of the festival is the competition for the Bluebonnet King and Queen. The titles of King, Queen, Prince and Princess will go to the candidates with the most votes. Votes are counted as one per 1¢ donation retrieved from jars the families put out around the city. Applications and all money for the votes were due on Friday, March 10th. The votes are being counted and the court will be named before the festival begins.
So mark the date and plan to spend a fun day in Natalia.
By Linda Sherrell
Staff Writer