Fredericksburg's New Family Evenings Are Heading South to Lady Bird Johnson Park This Fall
The City of Fredericksburg has two family evenings on its calendar between now and the holidays. One is brand new and the other is outgrowing its old room. Both are at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, south of downtown, not on Main Street. Neon Nights launches on Friday, Nov. 6. The Gingerbread House Decorating Contest moves into the park's Pioneer Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 8, with space for up to 74 gingerbread houses after two years of around 30 participants.
For a Frieden household, the location changes the season. Friedën describes itself as three miles south of Fredericksburg's Main Street. The city describes Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park as three miles south of downtown, off Highway 16 South. The neighborhood and the park both sit on the south side of town, about as far from downtown as each other. This year the city's two new or newly expanded family evenings are staged out there.
The gingerbread contest shows the shift most clearly. In its first two years, the city's Parks and Recreation Department and Clear River Ice Cream and Bakery held it in the John Wm. Klein Room with around 30 participants. For its third year, the city announced in an Oct. 8 release that it is moving to the Pioneer Pavilion at 432 Lady Bird Dr., with space for up to 74 gingerbread houses. The city's stated reason is "popular demand."
Going from around 30 participants to room for 74 houses needed a bigger space, and the bigger room the city picked is in the park. The rules are the same ones a family would plan around at any venue:
Registration opens Tuesday, Oct. 27, five days after this post goes up, through the city's Gingerbread House Decorating Competition page. The city expects the limited spots to fill quickly. Even in the larger pavilion, 74 houses is still a cap. The family category is new this year, so a single registration can now cover a whole household.
Neon Nights is the city's first event of its kind. The Sept. 9 announcement calls it the inaugural event, set for Friday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pavilion #5. Admission is free, and the lineup includes a glow foam party, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, interactive games and other neon activities.
A foam party and a mini golf course take room, and Pavilion #5 has it. The city suggests neon clothes, and a towel for anyone heading into the foam. Food will be for sale from Branded Burgers Food Truck, along with cotton candy that benefits the Fredericksburg Police Department Foundation Fund.
Parks and Recreation Director Andrea Schmidt described the idea in the city's release:
"Neon Nights is all about creating a fun, welcoming atmosphere where residents of all ages can connect, play and enjoy one of our beautiful City parks."
The release calls it a free, family-friendly evening for all ages, set in one of the city's own parks.
The two city evenings bookend a busy stretch at the park. The city's Parks calendar shows the pavilions and tennis courts booked for one community event after another from late October through the week before Thanksgiving. Many of these are run by local organizations, not the city. Here is the run as scheduled on the city calendar:
The calendar listings don't give fees for the community events, so check with each organizer before you go. Calendar entries can also change, so look at the city calendar again the week of any event.
Oct. 31 is the one Saturday with two things going on: the Walk to End Alzheimer's at Pavilion #3 in the morning, during the second day of the Labrador show at Pavilion #5. Nov. 6 and Nov. 14 both put a glow-themed evening at Pavilion #5 eight days apart, one free and run by the city, the other a 3k that raises money for a high school drill team. From the Artifact Show on Oct. 24 through the tennis tournament on Nov. 21, something is booked at the park on every Saturday but one, Nov. 7, the morning after Neon Nights.
The pavilion numbers can blur together on a first visit, so here they are as they appear in this fall's schedule:
| Venue in the park | Scheduled use this fall |
|---|---|
| Pioneer Pavilion, 432 Lady Bird Dr. | Indian Artifact Show, Oct. 24; Gingerbread contest, Dec. 8 |
| Pavilion #5 | Labrador show, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1; Neon Nights, Nov. 6; Ready Set Glow Hotts 3k, Nov. 14 |
| Outdoor Pavilion #3 | Walk to End Alzheimer's, Oct. 31 |
| Tennis Courts | Generation Gap Tournament, Nov. 21 |
Pavilion #5 gets the most use, with three events in three weeks. Pioneer Pavilion is the address the city gives for the gingerbread contest, so it's the one to know before Dec. 8. Families who go to the artifact show in October will see the room before the contest.
The park's season is built at a community scale. Two of its evenings come from the city's own Parks and Recreation Department, and the weekends in between belong to a dog club, a fundraising walk, a high school drill team and a tennis tournament.
Dec. 8 is the last date on this list. Gingerbread registration opens Oct. 27, and spots are limited to 74 houses.
If you'd like to talk about life on the south side of Fredericksburg, from these park evenings to the properties around them, Mimi Bartel and Adam Carroll would be glad to hear from you.
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