Oom-pah

We visited the city of Boerne (pronounced "Bernie"), TX, on Market Day.

We parked near the Hauptstrasse (Main Street) in the town named for Ludwig Borne, who inspired many young men to leave Germany in the 1840’s and travel to the new world.

We heard some music coming from the town square and knew that there could only be one source--an Oom-pah band. Following the music led us to a small, but strong, group of musicians.

And at the center of the sounds of this type of band is the tuba player. This gentleman fit the mold of the typical tubist.

Never mind that "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" was playing while we walked through the aisles of booths on a very non-wintery, sunny day with mild temperatures. The winter themes and the Christmas carols put us in the Christmas mood.

We later learned about Boerne's history regarding religion. Because Boerne had been established by “free thinkers” – Germans who had no religion – churches were not permitted in Boerne. Legend tells of signs posted outside the city limits warning that preachers found inside the town after sunset would be shot. George Wilkins Kendall decided to build a Catholic church to honor his wife in 1860, and he was forced to build south of town, outside the city limits. St. Peter’s Church stands on what is now Main Street.

When we left the area of the Market Day booths, we passed the town hotel, which was a very impressive-looking building.

As we continued downtown, we learned that many people suffering from lung ailments traveled to Boerne to recuperate. It has been said that at one time, Boerne contained more invalids and sick people than healthy citizens. Apparently, the people of Boerne grew tired of having so much illness around. When the owners of the Veterans Administration Hospital offered to build their facility in Boerne, they were turned down and the hospital was instead erected in the nearby town of Kerrville in 1947.

Then it was back to the truck. We had parked near the jail (left) and the courthouse (below). So our last views of Boerne were of buildings that we wanted to see only from the outside.