1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment performing at the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet, Texas on April 10, 2021. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)
Bluebonnet Festival
Burnet is deep in the Texas Hill Country, in the Highland Lakes region. The city is easily accessible from all directions, located at the intersection of Highways 281 and 29. Surrounded by sparkling lakes and rugged hills, it’s a scenic drive from all directions. But there is a special magic to the Hill Country when bluebonnets carpet the roadside, hills and pastures in blue at the height of the wildflower season.
Burnet is considered one of the best places in Texas for viewing wildflowers. The town officially gained recognition to the well-known fact in 1981, when the Texas State Legislature officially designated Burnet the “Bluebonnet Capital of Texas”. Community leaders decided to make the most of both the beautiful wildflowers and the recent state designation and created the Bluebonnet Festival. Through the hard work of festival founders Pat Riddell and Cary Johnson, along with the Chamber Board and dozens of volunteers from the community, the first Bluebonnet Festival held in 1983 was a huge success.
The annual Bluebonnet Festival has grown into one of the most exciting and successful small-town festivals in Texas. Always taking place the second weekend in April, the event draws crowds topping 30,000 each year. Each year, activities are added to keep the annual event exciting for first time visitors as well as repeat festival fans.
From its humble beginning to now, the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival is an annual tradition both residents and visitors alike enjoy each spring. Once you’ve attended your first festival, you’ll be hooked. Go ahead and mark your calendar for the second weekend in April. You’ll want to come back year after year.
Live Music
If you’re a music fan, then the Bluebonnet Festival is just what you are looking for! They have a stellar line-up of local artists and performers coupled with well-known Texas performers. The live music begins Friday evening and jams through Sunday afternoon. Friday and Saturday afternoon concerts are free. There is a admission fee for Saturday night’s concert.
Demolition Derby
Make plans to join fans for a fun-filled night of car crashing, metal crunching excitement. The 28th Annual Demolition Derby will take place on Saturday, April 10th at the Burnet County Rodeo Arena beginning at 6:00pm, doors open at 5:00. This is a cash only event and tickets will be on sale at the gate. Kids age 5 and under are free, age 6-9 are $5.00, age 10 and older are $15.00. This event is BYOB, with a $10 cooler fee. Entertainment during the derby will include a Kids Power Wheel Race and Mrs. Demo Derby contest.
Pet Parade
Opening ceremonies for the Bluebonnet Festival are full of traditional activities including singing of the National Anthem and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, Confederate Air Force Fly-Over, introducing Chamber Board members and thanking the many volunteers and supporters.
The most exciting event is the Pet Parade, sponsored by RE/MAX Burnet. Any type of well-behaved pet is welcome to enter the parade. The parade has always included a variety of critters: dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, birds, goats and even a pig. Some pets are wearing the latest fashions, some pets and their owners share a theme, but most come as they are, ready for lots of tail-wagging excitement. There is no age limit on pets or their owners and many entrants make it a family affair. There is no entry fee for the parade and prizes will be given away for a variety of categories.
1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment
The present day Horse Cavalry Detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas, was formed under the direction of MG James C. Smith (Commander May 1971 to September 1973) of the 1st Cavalry Division – a general noted both for his ability to build morale among his troops and a keen sense of public relations. The Horse Cavalry Detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division, one of seven mounted cavalry units on active duty in the United States Army, brings to life the spirit of the cavalry by its transformation into a unit from the proud heritage of the United States Cavalry.
The horse as a partner in war is no more. It has been over 70 years, February 1943, since the last mounted Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division traded their horses for jeeps, trucks and tanks in preparation of their entrance into the Pacific Theater to fight the Japanese. The days of mounted troops and squadrons may be behind us, but the spirit and traditions of the old cavalry lives on in today’s modern 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment
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Burnet Bluebonnet Festival
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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