SPOUSE/GUEST POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM
Spouses and guests should be sure to consider attending the 15th Annual STS Spouse Postgraduate Program to be held Sunday, January 24, in San Antonio, TX. This program features Drs. Miles F. Shore and Paul N. Uhlig addressing ¨Leadership and Empowerment for the New Millenium: Making a Significant Personal Difference in your Community¨.
INTERNET/COMPUTER BOOT CAMP
The Internet/Computer Boot Camp will be a hands-on class on surfing the Internet. The class will be taught at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center, and is open to spouses/guests.
TOURS
Buses for spouse/guest tours depart from the front entrance of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center (across from the Hilton). Please plan on arriving 15 minutes before the scheduled departure of your tour.
Spanish Mission Trail
DATE: Monday, January 25, 1999
TIME: 8:30am - 3:30pm
COST: $50.00 per personYour first stop of the day is the "Queen of the Missions", Mission San Jose. This site was established in 1720 and is the largest and best restored of San Antonio's five missions. San Jose is the show piece of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. You will tour the Indians' quarters that were located within the walls as well as the Spanish soldiers' quarters. San Jose's church is one of the most beautiful in the country with its elaborate carvings on the chapel façade. You will also see a 20 minute film of the life and history of those who lived and died at the missions and yet live on through their descendants.
Your next stop, you will tour Mission Concepcion, the oldest unrestored mission church in Texas, established in 1731. Twin towers and a beautiful cupola helped make it a construction project of twenty-plus years. Rare original frescoes decorate the church's side rooms.
Then continue on to the IMAX Theatre in Rivercenter Mall. "Alamo...The Price of Freedom," our feature film, is a 45-minute docudrama which tells the story of the 189 defenders, Texan and Tejano, who chose to die for freedom in the Alamo.
After this feature film, you will visit one of the most famous sites in our area, The Alamo, also known as Mission San Antonio de Valero, established in 1718. Guests will see remains of original structures, including the chapel, which is now a shrine to the Alamo heroes. Within the beautifully landscaped grounds of The Alamo is the Long Barracks Museum, once the mission's "convento" which chronicles the colorful history of the Cradle of Texas Liberty and San Antonio. Your last stop is where years ago, Market Square served as the hub of commerce in San Antonio. It was a melting pot for the different ethnic groups in the development of our special city and still served that purpose today. Fortunately, Market Square has retained much of its past. El Mercado is the border style market place. Authentic Mexican and local crafts, art, clothing, food and more are displayed in small stalls. Here, guests will enjoy lunch at La Margarita Restaurant where they will be served a spicy Tex-Mex specialty. After lunch, you will enjoy an afternoon of shopping. After shopping, you will reboard the motorcoach and return to your hotel.
Fredericksburg: Jewel of the Texas Hill Country
DATE: Monday, January 25, 1999
TIME: 8:30am - 3:30pm
COST: $50.00 per personUpon departing San Antonio you will travel north to Fredericksburg, a German community which reflects the strong influence that German immigrants had in settling the area.
Your first stop will be the Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park Visitor Center located just across the Pedernales River from the "Texas White House". You will have a tour on the park's own trolley that will allow you to view the One Room Junction School that the president first attended when he was four years old. There's a stop at the reconstructed birthplace of LBJ and the nearby Johnson family cemetery. Back on the trolley, you will view the exterior of the LBJ home where Mrs. Johnson still resides, the show barns, the ranch lands and the registered Hereford cattle. All are located adjacent to the Visitor Center. The farm is operated as if it were the year 1918. Park interpreters in period clothing do the farm and household chores as they were done during that period.
Fredericksburg is your next stop where you will eat lunch at the lovely and quaint Peachtree Inn. After lunch, enjoy Fredericksburg, a delightful town in which to shop and browse. Settled in 1847 by German immigrants the town has retained much of its historic fabric, where you will experience the town's reputation for "gemuethlichkeit", a warmth and friendliness intertwined in the 150 years of the town's history. A walking map of Fredericksburg (provided by Circa Texas) will be your guide to the many restored 19th century building now housing interesting shops that delight visitors. For the non-shoppers there are two important museums located on main Street, which you may choose to visit on your own. The Pioneer Museum Complex, built in 1849 tells of the history of the settlement of original eras and furnished with local antiques. And the Steamboat Hotel Structure, originally built in Admiral Nimitz, the last of the U.S. five star admirals was a native son of Fredericksburg. The Ballroom and the original guest rooms have been refurbished to the period of their use. The lush Japanese Garden of Peace behind the hotel is a gift from the people of Japan, while the History Walk of the Pacific War displays rare relics - guns, planes, boats, tanks, etc.
Picosa Ranch
DATE: Tuesday, January 26, 1999
TIME: 9:30am - 1:30pm
COST: $70.00You will board an exclusive motorcoach for the scenic drive to the legendary Picosa Ranch located in Floresville, Texas, approximately thirty minutes from downtown San Antonio. This area is known for its famous horse farms and cattle ranches as well as its rolling hills and oak trees. As the guide shares historical commentary, you will be awed by the longhorn cattle, horses, and native wildlife which roam the open pastures.
Disembark the bus and step into a piece of history on this 316-acre ranch, once owned by the late Governor John Connally. This sprawling ranch was once the meeting place of presidents, diplomats, and dignitaries when Connally served as Secretary of the Navy, Governor of Texas, and Secretary of the Treasury.
The main house, decorated with intricate woodwork, wrought iron, brass and antique accent pieces from England and elsewhere, is notable for its commanding upstairs view of the ranch's rolling, oak-studded hills. Highlighted by cathedral ceilings mounted wildlife trophies and formal living and dining rooms, the two-story main house also boasts a spacious sun porch. To preserve the Connally legacy, an exhibit of John Connally's personal momentos will be displayed in the home.
Before lunch on this grand property, you will have a rare opportunity to a private tour which features an 8,100 square foot main house, a guest house, a party house which holds up to 150 guests, 4,600 foot air strip, swimming pool, tennis court, skeet shooting range, 32 stall stable, sale arena, and stock tank. Also available will be skeet shooting and horseback riding (pending the weather). On hand will be a trick roper to entertain you. During lunch, you will be entertained by the soft sounds of a local classical guitarist.
After lunch, you will have one last look at why this ranch was a monument of everything that "Big John" loved, from the sweeping Texas landscape to the comfortable surroundings and tranquil environment
Flowers and Flavors of San Antonio...Central Martket Style
DATE: Tuesday, January 26, 1999
TIME: 9:30am - 1:00pm
COST: $85.00A market with a passion for food...H-E-B Central Market is a place for people who are passionate about food, love to cook or simply enjoy eating. Central Market encompasses 90,000 square feet of which 63,000 square feet is the retail/selling area. Rather than the standard parallel aisles, Central Market is composed of 14 separate markets under one roof.
You will take a guided tour through the Produce Market, which boasts between 500 and 600 varieties of fresh produce from around the world as well as from local growers, the Meat Market from buffalo to capon, the Bakery from custards to cannolis, the Deli with the "old country" flair from Scshwarzwalder schinken, Black Forest Ham to Moroccan-herb salmon and almond pastrami, the Cheese Bar with over 800 varieties including handmade artisan cheese such as Manchego from Spain and Pecorino Sardo from Italy, the Flower Market, the Humidor, and lastly, the Beer and Wine Shop with over 450 labels of beer and wine, domestic and imported, to provide the perfect wine for any occasion. On any given day sampling of specialty foods include 68 varieties of extra virgin olive oil, 35 balsamic vinegars aged from 2 to 25 years, 235 salsas, 59 waters from around the world, 71 marinades and dressings, 479 teas, 250 jams and preserves and more.
Your tour will include
- A full tour of the newest supermarket concept
- A demonstration from the Floral Market to share new ideas, local flowers and design the Central Market Cooking School... a state-of-the art facility where the emphasis is on new cooking and eating ideas.... Be prepared to learn some innovative new techniques and of course, be ready to sample your handiwork
- Shopping time
