Join us this Saturday at Aldino's!

Luke cordially invites you to attend Animal Friends Red Carpet Holiday Event Saturday Dec 5th where he will be the guest of honor. Having been a rescued canine himself, he urges families to come out and adopt these wonderful pets this holiday season. Luke could not imagine a more wonderful gift to your family than to save a little pup without a home.

Happiness is a warm puppy. – Charles M. Schulz

Half of the items will be donated to the Santa Rosa’s Children’s Hospital to be sorted and handed out to all the children spending Christmas Day in the hospital. On average, there are 200 children in Santa Rosa hospital on Christmas day. Some of these children will never leave the hospital.

The next stop will be to hand deliver the remainder of the toys to the Children’s Shelter on Christmas Eve! Santa and the Miss San Antonio American Beauty Representatives will be delivering the toys personally and doing activities with the kids. The Children’s Shelter holds up to 56 children at a time and ages range from infant to 14 years. Children come and go, so they are always in need of new things (clothes,bedding,etc.) to give them.

Please make sure the items are new and unwrapped!

Thank you for supporting the Miss San Antonio American Beauty Scholarship Pageant along with Mission Park Chapels and The Fairmount Hotel in our efforts to provide these children with something special for Christmas! Everyone deserves a wonderful holiday season. Spread the cheer!

Drop off locations:
The Fairmount Hotel: 401 S. Alamo Street, San Antonio, 78205

Mission Park Funeral Chapels South: 1700 S.E. Military Dr, San Antonio, TX 78214

Mission Park Funeral Chapels North: 3401 Cherry Ridge, San Antonio, TX 78230

Alamo Funeral Chapel: 624 N. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX 78215

Brookehill Funeral Home: 711 SE Military Drive, San Antonio, TX 78214

Oak Hills Mortuary & Cemetery: 8332 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX 78229

Palm Heights Mortuary: 3711 South Zarzamora, San Antonio, TX 78225

Dellcrest Funeral Home: 2023 S White Road, San Antonio, TX 78222

THE BEST GIFT IS GIVING!

The holiday season is especially beautiful in downtown. They have been putting up lights on the Riverwalk for over a month now getting ready for all of the festivities. Here are some upcoming events to make your holiday season memorable:

2009 Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony
The Riverwalk
Every year on the Friday following Thanksgiving, city officials gather on the Riverwalk for the Lighting Ceremony – switching on 122,000 lights that keep downtown in the Christmas glow. Local comedian Cleto Rodriguez will serve as Grand Marshall for the event. The River Parade brings out over 150,000 people! You can get tickets here.

A Christmas Carol: The Musical
San Pedro Playhouse
Tiny Tim, Scrooge, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future return in this musical version of the Charles Dickens book.
November 28th through December 27
San Pedro Playhouse: 800 West Ashby Place
210.733.7258

The Nutcracker
The Metropolitan Classical Ballet
As far as I’m concerned, it’s not really Christmas until I’ve seen the Sugarplum Fairy dance to this Tchaikovsky masterpiece. This production features students from San Antonio’s Metropolitan Ballet in the children’s roles. The San Antonio Orchestra will provide accompaniment.
November 27th-29th
December 4th-6th
Municipal Auditorium: 100 Auditorium Circle
210.226.2891

The Polar Express 4-D Experience
Seaworld San Antonio
Seaworld transforms into a winter wonderland every holiday season! Come take in the delights November 21st through January 3rd for Seaworld’s Christmas Celebration and take a ride on their Polar Express 4-D Experience.

http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?pageid=825

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Magik Theatre
This comedy about the holiday pageant that’s held at the school each year will truly make you laugh until you cry. When pageant director Grace is forced to cast the Herdmans in leading roles, chaos ensues and makes for one of the most hilarious and touching experiences you’ll ever have in the theatre.
November 17 – December 23

The origin of this holiday traces back to Aztec mythology and it’s Queen of the Underworld: Mictecacihuatl. Queen Mictecacihuatl guards the bones of the departed while her husband, Mictlantecuhtli, rules over the afterlife. According to Aztec tradition after she was born she was sacrificed as an infant and thus is called the Lady of the Dead or Santa Muerte.

Some believe that on this day, it is easier for departed souls to visit the living. People visit cemeteries, make altars, give offerings of favorite items and food of their deceased to encourage their visits. In Mexico it is tradition to decorate with orange marigolds which are believed to attract souls to their offerings or ofrendas.

This tradition combines pre-hispanic rituals with Catholic rituals. It is common to see images of skulls incorporated with images of crosses or the crucifix. The indigenous cultures of Mexico often kept skulls as trophies as a symbol of life, death, and rebirth. This element has carried on to the modern day celebration of Dia de Los Muertos by way of sugar or chocolate skulls, skeleton figurines, pan de muerte and parades of people dressed as skeletons or calaveras.

There are many Dia de Los Muertos events in San Antonio. Here are some celebrations to check out:

The second reason is from an anecdote told by Colonel Sanchez of the Mexican Army. Sanchez was ordered to destroy the Alamo chapel by General Andrdade. When he arrived at the site six “diablos” burst out of the front doors of the Alamo with flaming sabers screaming “Do not touch the Alamo, do not touch these walls.”

Needless to say, General Andrade was less than impressed with Colonel Sanchez’ ability. He decided he’d have to take some men to the Alamo and destroy it himself. However, upon arrival he encountered the same six diablos. There is a belief that when the energy was released from the flames from the burned bodies of the Alamo defenders, a spirit used that energy to manifest itself, make itself visible, and scare away intruders from the Alamo grounds. The Texians that died during the Battle of the Alamo were never given a proper burial. The Mexican Army burned all the bodies in several locations in the vicinity of the Alamo.

Lastly, in the 1700′s two women were walking across the area now known as Alamo Plaza. Lightning stuck both women. One survived, one did not. Local accounts say that there is a female ghost that walks across the plaza.
More here.

The Cadillac Bar
Famous for it’s margaritas – and it’s ghosts! The Cadillac Bar at 212 South Flores Street has been in the spot for 60 years, but the building was erected in the 1870′s. It was originally Stumberg’s General Store and was a meeting place for farmers and ranchers in the area. Two ghosts haunt the restaurant. One is a former owner and the other a former waitress named “Beatrice” who turns on faucets and hurls kitchen utensils.

Victoria’s Black Swan Inn
Built in 1867, Victoria’s Black Swan Inn sits on 35 acres and is the site of the 1842 Battle of Salado between volunteers of the Republic of Texas and the Mexican Army. The owner of the property has reported full body apparitions, unexplainable noises, flickering of lights, doors opening and closing and cold spots throughout the property. In addition to the building built on top of a battleground, the location was also home to Native Americans. Archaelogical evidence has been found on the sight dating back 5,000 years.

A popular venue for weddings, a gazebo sits on the property below a 100 year old oak tree. Sightings of Confederate soldiers and a “lady in white” have been reported at this spot. Witnesses also report seeing a German immigrant by the name of Heinrich who still roams the dairy barn to a 1950’s prominent attorney who was found dead with his hands bind to his back and ruled a suicide.

The Bullis House
This house was built between 1906-1909 at 621 Pierce Street just east of downtown near Fort Sam Houston. It was built for General John Lapham Bullis and his family. Bullis was a General in the Union Army and came to Texas in 1865. He is said to be known to his friends as “The Whirlwind” and his enemies as “The Thunderbolt”. Originally from New York, he gained notoriety from fighting hostile Native Americans in Texas from 1867-1882.

General Bullis was instrumental in the capture of Apache Chief Geronimo. An apparition of an Indian Brave wearing a red bandana is rumored to roam around the house and awaken people sleeping. The house is now a Bed and Breakfast. General Bullis died of cardiac arrest in the house in 1911.

10/24/09
Ray Price
Floore’s Country Store
Country legend Ray Price will be back at Floore’s Saturday the 24th. So get your Crazy Arms down to Helotes and dance a couple of slow ones on the dance floor! Doors at 6PM, Texas Sapphires at 8, Ray Price at 9:30, $25 Advance/$30 Door, Outdoors

10/26/09
Lil’ Bit’s Halloswingin’ BDay Bash w/Two Tons Of Steel
Sam’s Burger Joint
Costume Contest! Two Tons‘ rambunctious brand of country-rooted rock has been inspiring listeners in the great republic — and far beyond — for more than two decades. If you haven’t seen them yet, you are missing out! Doors at 7 pm, free dance lessons provided by SASDS from 7-8. Band kicks off around 8:30. DJ Java Jive spins throughout the breaks. All Ages, $6 cover. Oh, and wish Lil’ Bit a very Happy Birthday!

11/05/09
The Red Elvises
Sam’s Burger Joint
Never heard of these guys? The Red Elvises are a Russian-American band that performs rock & roll, surf, rockabilly, reggae, lounge and traditional Russian styles of music – and they put on a hilarious show! They are playing with Special Guest Hans Frank and Glambilly, Tickets:
Pre-Sale $12, Door $15, VIP Table Reservation $30 (Admission Not Included)

11/07/09
Reverend Horton Heat
Gruene Hall
Roll your smokes up in your sleeve and hold on to your cowboy hats ladies and gentlemen. Texas Punkabilly takes the stage November 7th at Gruene Hall outside of New Braunfels, about 30 minutes from San Antonio. Tickets are $22, get them here.

The Magik Theatre
Where Imagination is Education
A family outing that’s fun, affordable, and exposes them to culture and books? No way! The Magik Theatre has a great lineup of children’s plays based on popular children’s books. Why stand in line at an overcrowded amusement park when you can come see a play downtown? The 2009-2010 lineup starts October 6th with “Miss Nelson is Missing”.

Rio San Antonio Cruises
205 N. Presa St., (210) 225-8002 Cruises are 35-minute, historically narrated tours of the Paseo del Rio. Ticket locations are at Rivercenter mall, Historia (under the Market Street bridge and Alamo Street) and the Riverwalk Holiday Inn. Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Tour fares: $7.75 adults, $5 Bexar County residents, seniors and active-duty military, $2 children ages 1-5. Rio Taxi fares are $4 one-way, $10 24-hour day pass and $25 three-day pass. Visit riosanantonio.com.

Scobee Planetarium
San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro Ave., (210) 733-2910. Planetarium, opened in 1961, is named after former SAC student and NASA astronaut Francis R. Scobee, the commander of the space shuttle Challenger’s final flight. Public programs shown on Fridays: “The Rocket Trip” is a children’s program that explores the solar system. Children younger than 4 not permitted. 6:30 p.m. “Wonders of the Night Sky” examines the current night sky and shows which planets are visible above San Antonio. Children younger than 6 not permitted. 8 p.m. $1-$3 per show; free with ACCD ID. Weather permitting, the Observatory telescope is open for use beginning at 9 p.m. at no charge. More information here.

Children’s Museum San Antonio
The San Antonio Children’s Museum provides engaging hands-on experiences where children and the adults in their lives actively learn through creative play. NEW FALL HOURS: Sept. 8, 2009 – Feb. 28, 2010, closed Mondays, Tues – Thurs: 10am – 4pm, Friday: 10am – 5pm, Sat: 10am – 6pm, Sun: NOON – 5pm. Admission is $7 per person. Check out their calendar for special events!

San Antonio Zoo
This one’s a given. Opened in 1914, the San Antonio Zoo is home to over 3,500 animals representing 600 species of animals on 56 acres. The zoo is open all 365 day of the year from 9am – 5pm. Adults are $10, kids 3-11 are $8.00 and children 2 years and younger are free. Don’t forget to take a train ride too!

We are proud to announce our affiliation with Pet Pals of Texas by serving as a drop-off point for their annual Santa Paws program. Pet Pals is a non-profit group which provides pet support services to people with disabilities and terminal illnesses by providing the pets they love with support services that will allow them to stay together in a loving, healthy home. During the holidays, Santa Paws likes to give a special toy and some extra treats. Pet Pals serves about 200 families, so they could use your help. Drop off pet toys and treats at The Fairmount Hotel, 401 South Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX 78205.

Love,

Luke Tips

Director of Pet Relations

The Fairmount Hotel

San Antonio Happenings

October 2-3 & 9-10
Oktoberfest San Antonio
Beethoven Maennerchor’s German heritage celebration complete with Deutchland brews and Oompah music. Children are free, $5 at the gate and $3 in advance. 5pm-midnight at 422 Pereida Street.
210-222-1521

October 6
San Antonio Spurs v. Houston Rockets
The Spurs pre-season opener against the Rockets at the AT&T Center.
For tickets call 210-444-5000

October 6 – November 7
Miss Nelson is Missing
This children’s classic is brought to life at The Magik Theatre at 420 South Alamo Street. Reservations are required. 210-227-2751

October 31
Corona Coffins on Parade
See coffins float down the San Antonio River – how spooky – this Halloween! Free event 7pm-9pm with after party at Rita’s on the River from 9pm-11pm.

Sam’s Burger Joint has some great shows this month:
Fri 10/2: Radney Foster & The Confessions
Sat 10/3: Carolyn Wonderland
Wed 10/14: Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
Fri 10/16: Colin Hay (from Men At Work)
Thur 10/22: Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
Fri 10/23: Guy Forsyth
Mon 10/26: Lil’ Bit‘s Halloswingin’ BDay Bash w/Two Tons Of Steel (costume contest)
Wed 10/28: John Arthur Martinez CD release show
Fri 10/30: Los #3 Dinners 30th Anniversary Party
Sat 10/31: Calavera Fest II w/Bombasta and more