Saints ALIVE History awakes at Riverside Cemetery
Story by Cindy Aguirre-Herrera
Photos by Lizz Daniels
On a quiet stretch of Klein Street in Seguin, the past doesn’t rest quietly, it speaks. This October, the gates of Riverside Cemetery will open for an afternoon of history – history that will take center stage as the voices of Seguin’s earliest pioneers return to tell their stories.
The Saints Alive Riverside Cemetery Tour is more than a walk among headstones. It’s a chance to meet the women who helped build Seguin. Presented by the Affiliation for the Preservation of Shakespeare and Federated Club Rooms, in partnership with the City of Seguin, the livinghistory fundraiser has become an annual tradition that blends a haunting atmosphere with deep reverence for the city’s founders.
A Stage Among the Stones
The historic Riverside Cemetery, established in the 1800s and home to more than 2,000 souls, becomes a stage for actors who embody ancestors where they rest. Visitors wind through pathways shaded by oaks and monuments, pausing at gravesites where Seguin’s history comes alive.
This year’s spotlight belongs to the great ladies of Seguin. Portrayals include Eugenia Burgess and Harry Burgess (by Denise Crettenden and Papa Douglas), Anna Brodt (by her descendant Dottsy Brodt), Ella Dancy Dibrell (by Pat Hoppe), Evelyn Duggan (by Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen), Catarina Knodel (by Robin Shellard), Willie Mae Weinert (by Johanna Bain), and Adelaida L. Montanez (by Marrisa Villareal).
In a unique twist this year, members of the Shakespeare Club of 1901 and played by Ellenor Crettenden, Linda Duncan, Peggy Schott, and Mary Jane Windle will gather at a single gravesite to re-create the club’s very first meeting.
Club member Bobbie Maddox says this year’s program highlights not one ancestor but a broader theme.
“Instead of highlighting one specific portrayal this year, I would say that we’d like to recognize the strength and contributions of the women who helped establish and build Seguin. The gathering of several Shakespeare members of the past at one gravesite is something we’ve never tried before, so that will be interesting,” said Maddox said.
Roots in the Past, Eyes on the Future
The cemetery tour first began in 2012 as a fundraiser for the historic clubhouse built in 1902 for Seguin’s women’s clubs—an architectural first in Texas designed specifically for women to gather. Members Sudi Bruns and Pat Hoppe dreamed up the idea as a creative way to support the building’s upkeep. Today, the tour is one of the city’s most anticipated Pecan Fest events.
Over the years, audiences have met a colorful cast of Seguin’s ancestors.
Maddox says each portrayal reminds guests that Riverside Cemetery is not merely a place of mourning but a resting place for heroes, scoundrels, visionaries, and the women who carried communities forward.
“Past favorites of mine among the ancestors called back to their gravesites include Jacob Ray, a Buffalo Soldier (African American soldiers). He was a former slave who was among the Black troops who patrolled the Western Frontier, protecting settlers, following the Civil War. Another, Timothy Pickering Jones, was somewhat of a ‘scamp’ who despite being the roommate of Edgar Allan Poe at West Point, prevailed as a proud son of Seguin and graduated from that venerated military academy. Poe was dismissed from West Point and did not graduate.
And I must credit Samuel Millett (1801-1863) who arrived in Texas in 1831, a member of Austin’s Colony. He fought in the battle of San Jacinto which is commemorated by a gravesite marker placed at his grave by the State of Texas. Later, settling in this area, Millett brought his family to Seguin where they lived on the grounds now home to Emanuel’s Lutheran Church. He owned a hotel in New Braunfels and farmed land in Geronimo. Most notable to me, he has twice been portrayed by my husband Marvel Maddox,” Maddox said.
Riverside: A Sacred Landmark
Originally part of an 1837 land grant to Ezekiel Smith, Riverside Cemetery grew to 15 acres through family and city contributions. Here, farming settlers rest alongside elected officials, business leaders, clergy, veterans, and former slaves. Club organizers say its aging mausoleum, monuments, and tree-lined avenues give the cemetery a hushed beauty -- an atmosphere that makes it the perfect setting for Saints Alive.
More Than a Ghost Story
For Maddox, the event is less about spookiness and more about keeping stories alive. She says the women’s clubs have long recognized that preserving history is just as important as preserving buildings.
“The cemetery tour goes back to 2012 when the affiliation of the three clubs… realized they needed to raise funds for the upkeep of their historic club rooms which were built in 1902. The building is recognized as the first clubhouse in Texas established precisely for the gathering of women,” Maddox said.
As shadows lengthen on the grounds of Riverside, guests will gather not just to be entertained, but to honor the legacies of Seguin’s ancestors. Saints Alive proves that in Seguin, history doesn’t die—it speaks. •
Pecan Fest Returns this October
Story by Lizz Daniels
Photos courtesty City of Seguin
Fall is here, and that can mean only one thing in Seguin –– it’s time for Pecan Fest!
For one weekend, the city rolls out the red carpet to celebrate everything pecan themed. From the industry itself to the world’s biggest pecan, Blaire Friar the city’s Director of Main Street & Destination Seguin says the event is sure to be a fun time for residents to check out.
“Pecan Fest has been a staple event in Seguin for the last 20 years,” Friar said. “It began as a celebration of Seguin’s unique culture and heritage, and of course… pecans. The date for the festival has also always been on or near Juan Seguin’s birthday on the 4th Saturday of October. Pecan Fest is not just the downtown festival, but an assortment of events spread across the community throughout the weekend. The Big Red Barn features unique vendors, tours through their Texas Pecan Museum, a tractor pull, and more. Attendees can also experience the Wilson Pottery Show at the Sebastopol House, free tours of the Magnolia Hotel, and tours of the sites at Heritage Village. Many other businesses put on their own Pecan Fest activities, and they can all be found on our website.”
Celebrating twenty years, festival goers can expect exciting new additions to this year’s festivities including new entertainment and more.
“This is the 20th Annual Pecan Fest, so festival goers can expect exciting new additions,” Friar said. “We have scheduled new and exciting entertainment for the Gazebo stage to include an educational presentation by Leslie Lane Llama Farm, as well as the musical stylings
of Karess and Broken Arrow. The annual Get Crackin’ Contest will be back where you can watch participants compete to see who can crack the most pecans in 2 minutes. Attendees can explore Exhibitor’s Row, featuring antique tractors and vendor displays, enjoy the newly expanded LULAC-sponsored beer & wine garden, and experience activities and exhibits from sponsors including Guadalupe Trading Co., Pecan Country Chiropractic, Beck & Beck Buick GMC, GVEC, and Renewal by Andersen. New this year, we will be holding the first annual Food Truck Throw Down inviting our food vendors to compete for the best pecan food item. We’ll also be raffling a Seguin-themed basket filled with donations from local businesses, and all proceeds will support future downtown events.”
Of course, Pecan Fest wouldn’t be possible without the team over at the Big Red Barn. The agricultural center plays an integral role in the festival with many events taking place on premises just outside of the city.
“The Big Red Barn has always been an incredible partner in Pecan Fest,” she said. “Home to the World’s Largest Pecan and the Texas Pecan Museum, the Big Red Barn complements the downtown festivities by offering visitors a more educational, rural side of the festival. Shuttles will be making stops throughout the day at The Big Red Barn, Sebastopol House for the Wilson Pottery Museum, and downtown. The Big Red Barn preserves and shares the area’s deep pecan and agricultural legacy while enhancing the overall visitor experience.”
Over at the Big Red Barn, Jenny Siltmann and the rest of the board of directors are gearing up for Pecan Fest while also hosting school field trips to share the agriculture industry with area students.
“The Pecan Fest Heritage Days event was first held in October 2005 at the Big Red Barn to celebrate the pecan industry of Guadalupe County,” Siltmann said. “After all, the pecan industry is the agriculture and heritage of Guadalupe county and still an important source of income for many. Events included a pecan baking contest, a pecan queen contest, kids activities, hay rides and visits in the heritage village. When that event was spread into downtown it became known as ‘Pecan Fest.”
Inside the Big Red Barn, the agricultural history of Guadalupe County comes to life. As much a museum as an ag center, the Big Red Barn is a fount of knowledge about the areas landscapes and natural habitats as well as the industry associated therein. During Pecan Fest, festival goers can explore the Pecan Museum on premises where the history of Guadalupe County’s pecan industry is highlighted and remembered by the community for their role in bringing the center to life back in 2015.
“The Pecan Museum was built and dedicated in 2015 at the Texas Agricultural Education & Heritage Center,” Siltmann said. “It was the ambition of the Guadalupe County Pecan Growers Association to build a museum to honor the Pecan Industry of Guadalupe County. The soil and moisture along the Guadalupe River provided the perfect location of the pecan orchards, with native and improved varieties. Many land owners depended on the income of the sale of the pecans. The funds to build
the Pecan Museum were earned by selling pecan pies and products at the Folklife Festival in San Antonio for many years. The pie and pecan products were handmade by volunteers with countless hours of dedication spending many hours in the summer heat at the Folklife Festival. Also, funds were acquired by seeking donations from local individuals and businesses. The Texas Agricultural Education & Heritage Center became the perfect location for the Pecan Museum and the World’s Largest Pecan.”
With history at the forefront of Pecan Fest, a bright future lies ahead with the city planning for larger turnouts as the area continues to see an influx of new residents.
“In the years to come you can expect to see Pecan Fest continue to grow,” Friar said. “We’d love to expand the footprint and bring in even more vendors, activities, and larger entertainment, while continuing to showcase Seguin’s culture and community pride. Pecan Fest will always highlight what makes Seguin unique, including its deep roots in pecan agriculture, historic landmarks, and strong sense of community pride. As the festival grows, the focus will remain on showcasing local talent, businesses, and traditions, while also attracting regional and statewide visitors to experience Seguin’s charm.”
As festival goers get out and experience all the pecans Seguin has to offer, the event continues to hold a special place in the hearts of the community. So whether you’re nuts for pecan pie, or just for outdoor fun, Pecan Fest 2025 is guaranteed to help make memories that’ll last as long as the world’s biggest pecan. •
Pumpkin Patch First Methodist Church 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and Noon to 7 p.m. Sundays – Saturday, Now through Friday, Oct. 31.
Marion ISD Family Fall Festival 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 in Marion HS parking lot.
Seguin Fall Festival 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18 in downtown Seguin. Music, car show, pumpkin patch, pet costume contest.
Geronimo VFW Children’s Halloween Party 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23. Free hot dogs, games, prizes.
American Legion Post #245 will host a Trunk or Treat 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24 at 618 E. Kingsbury St.
Trunk or Treat plus bake sale and raffle at AVIR (formerly Nesbit Living and Recovery) Friday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at 1215 Ashby St.
Emanuel’s Lutheran Day School Community Trunk or Treat 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 at 310 N. Travis St.
Seguin Little League Trunk or Treat 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1121 S. Austin St.
Windmill Farm Winer’s 4th Annual Halloween Festival 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 9111 Huber Rd.
Halloween Party at Olmos Icehouse 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 9071 FM 467. Free costume contest, candy and pumpkin carving contest.
Gruene Harley Davidson Trunk or Treat 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 1288 Loop 337 New Braunfels.
Faith Lutheran Church Trunk or Treat, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26. (New) Attendees asked to bring canned goods for pumpkin judging contest.
Pecan Fest at Big Red Barn 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at 390 Cordova Rd.
Pecan Fest in Central Park 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25.
Spooktacular Fall Fest & Health Fair 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at Beyond Coffee, Rapid Urgent Car, and Seguin Wellness & MedSpa at 920 W. Court St. Pumpkin patch photo, candy, cookie and pumpkin decorating plus health screenings.
BS Brewing Trunk or Treat 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26 at 1408 Old Lehmann Rd.
Trunk or Treat 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27 at 1210 Eastwood Drive hosted by GVNC and Windsor Nursing.
Texas Lutheran University Boo Bash 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28. in parking lot near Tschoepe Hall.
Trunk or Treat at River City (Schertz) 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 16765 Lookout Rd in Schertz.
La Vernia Halloween Movie Night (Hocus Pocus) 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. Trick or treat, costume contest, games.
Trunk or Treat Community Event at Guadalupe Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Thursday, Oct. 30 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 1210 Eastwood Drive.
Seguin Main Street 15th annual Downtown Trick or Treat 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30. Fifty participating businesses will have candy.
Seguin PD’s Halloween on College Street, 4:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. Officers will be stationed at various posts along the street.
Seguin Fire Department Open House and Trick or Treat Night 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at 110 Elm St.
Seguin Elks Lodge 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. at 1331 C.H. Matthies Dr.
First Methodist Church Trunk or Treat 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. At 710 N. Austin St.
Trunk or Treat hosted by Unity Lifestyle Car Club 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 in Seguin’s Central Park. Food trucks and live music.
Trunk or Treat Beck & Beck Buick GMC 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at 603 E. Kingsbury St.
Trunk or Treat First Presbyterian Church 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at 1121 E. Walnut St.
Trick or Treating at Seguin Argent Court Assisted Living on Friday, Oct. 31 at 953 SH 123 Bypass.
Kingsbury Trunk or Treat Kids Candy Festival 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. in downtown Kingsbury.
Not-so-Spooky Story Time (Ages 5 & under) 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Marion Community Library.
Old Town Cibolo Trick or Treat Block Park 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at 302 N. Main St. Cibolo.
Schertz Halloween Festival 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 at Schertz United Methodist Church at 3460 Roy Richard Dr. in Schertz.
Marion ISD breathes new life into historic property with Green S.P.A.C.E. project
District to initiate hub for education, enterprise
Story by Cindy Aguirre-Herrera
Marion ISD is planting more than just seeds at its newest property. The site includes the former Schulz Nursery along with the Subway restaurant in the 100 block of W. Huebinger.
Thanks to innovative foresight, district officials say it is planting opportunities at this new site while also reviving a piece of the community’s history, and creating a one-of-a-kind learning lab known as Green S.P.A.C.E.
According to CTE Coordinator and teacher Dwayne Reiley, the name of the program carries a double meaning. He says “Green” is a nod to the former nursery that once operated for 60 years while “S.P.A.C.E.” stands for Students Participating in Authentic Career Experiences.
Reiley says the district’s vision for the property was to reimagine it so that it would benefit both students and the town.
“The plan here is to take this property which has been idle for several years. The school district bought it. Luckily, we had a school board and a superintendent that were forward-thinking and saw the opportunity to get this property and what we are doing is we’ve renovated and remodeled the greenhouse which is huge. It’s one of the biggest green houses that I’ve ever been in. We also are going to put in some community gardens. We are going to have a retail space -- eventually where students can have and run
their own store and then, we also have a Subway that is on that property, and we are going to reopen the Subway restaurant. It’s a pretty unique situation that we have with Subway going on. Some of our students are going to be working there as well,” said Reiley.
Reiley says the project is designed to bring together students from multiple programs across the district.
“We are going to be incorporating students from the agriculture program obviously with the green house. We are going to have students from our business and marketing education (program) with the marketing and running of the store. We are going to utilize our Culinary Arts program to help with Subway and help also with some products to put into the store. We are going to utilize our commercial photography program to help with marketing as well as our audio-visual program. All of those will come in and have different parts in marketing and promotion of that property. We are going to host different events hopefully down the line. I know we’ve talked about a lot of things and while some remain to be seen, know that we are thinking farmer’s markets or community events and all of them will be planned and put together by students,” said Reiley.
While the idea might not be new, Reiley says the venture will be unique to this area.
“I’m not going to say it’s the first of its kind because I know there are some really big districts in parts of Texas that do some things that are somewhat similar, but I know it’s the first anywhere around here and it’s very unique opportunity to give our students a hands on opportunity to learn,” said Reiley.
The district recently celebrated the new Green S.P.A.C.E. with a ribbon cutting. Reiley says the show of support at the event was evidence that the district is headed in the right direction with this project.
“We had kind of what I called our old guard of Marion that came in – folks who have lived for decades that were very curious as to what was going on with the property and remembered the nursery in its hay day. In fact,
one of the owners of Schulz Nursery, Jim Schulz, was there himself to kind of see what we did with the property and I hope that we made him proud with what has transpired so far and with him, he brought some of his relatives who had worked in that nursery back in the 70s and 80s and I think we got their stamp of approval. Some of the other business owners in Marion came to see what was going on and it seemed that there was a lot of positive feedback, and I think that the people here in what I call Marion proper are glad that that is going to be up and running again,” said Reiley.
The Marion ISD says it’s awaiting word on grant approvals to help establish a clearer timeline for the greenhouse and retail space. Meanwhile, the hope is to have the Subway restaurant open by November.
