Gruene Grapes

Hill Country hot spot uncorks plans for fall wine and music festival

Gruene Hall and The Grapevine are splitting hosting duties for the 38th Annual Gruene Music & Wine Festival.

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For many Texans, a pilgrimage to the New Braunfels area isn't complete without seeing live music at Gruene Hall, the oldest dance hall in Texas. That option is still on the table, but much more is slated for the 38th Annual Gruene Music & Wine Festival, which will send visitors traipsing around the town for four days, from October 10-13.

The popular festival features more than 25 different Texas wines, and although it's not in the name, more than a dozen beers. They'll be set up at booths, so it's just a matter of browsing them all in one place. The tasting events are free to attend, with tasting tickets available for purchase.

Music is similarly streamlined, with two stages: Gruene Hall and The Grapevine, which is where the tastings will occur. That's it for festival venues, but the schedule leaves plenty of time to explore the town in between events. Plus, a seated dinner catered by a popular local restaurant and other local brand appearances make for strong recommendations for other visits around Gruene.

Proceeds will benefit the United Way of Comal County, a local chapter of a global organization that addresses poverty through health, education, and other opportunity gaps. The event raised more than $283,000 in 2023, which nearly doubled 2021's contribution.

A kickoff party at the Grapevine Gardens on Thursday, October 10, features a wine and beer tasting from 5-8 pm, with live music by the Reed Brothers. When that ends, attendees can head over to see country singer-songwriter Nikki Lane at 8 pm.

On Saturday, the Stars & Guitars event from 5-8:30 pm at Gruene Hall brings together food, wine, and musical memorabilia. The Gristmill River Restaurant will cater a seated dinner with pairings from three Texas wineries and an acoustic set by the Randy Rogers Trio. A silent auction will include guitars signed by George Strait, Sara Evans, Blues Traveler, Jakob Dylan, Lukas Nelson, and many more. Randy Rogers will even sign his onstage. At 9 pm, he plays some more with his band.

Sunday's events are happening all over. The Tastings & Tunes event from noon to 6 pm kicks things off on the Grapevine Grounds with six wineries and six breweries, plus music by Andrew Kreitz and Austin Gilliam & the Well Fed Texans. Gruene businesses will host kid-friendly pop-up events at their stores. Gruene Hall offers alternative viewings from 1-5 pm by playing the Red River Showdown college football game between Texas and Oklahoma on a big screen, with live music to be determined. Robert Earl Keen closes things out at 9 pm.

Finally, a Sunday Showdown on October 13 combines more college football in the beer garden, a pop-up vendor market, and festival food by the Gristmill. The music takes a turn toward Americana and country, with William Clark Green, Kaitllin Butts, Tyler Halverson, Vincent Neil Emerson, Kat Hasty, Carson Jeffrey, The Great Divide, Kody West, Micky & The Motorcars, Catie Offerman, and Cameron Sacky Band. That's all happening from 1-9 pm.

For more information about the festival, including a full music lineup, is available at gruenemusicandwinefest.org. Tickets go on sale August 2 at 10 am.

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DART News

DART receives $7 million federal grant for new low-emission buses

Gillig

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Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has received a grant to update its fleet of buses. According to a release, the agency was awarded a $7.094 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support the purchase of new buses as the agency phases out its fleet of older model vehicles.

The grant awarded to DART is one of 165 transit projects across the U.S. funded with more than $2 billion in federal grants.

In February, DART purchased 476 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses from Gillig, a California-based manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses, to fulfill their goal to modernize their transit system over the next decade — particularly via new buses and light-rail vehicles to replace the oldest units in their aging fleet.

The phase-in of those new vehicles is expected to be executed through 2027.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses are a near-zero emission option, which was a key component in DART qualifying for the federal grant. Gillig has already delivered the first buses ahead of a Spring 2026 timeline — meaning that DART riders will get to start riding the upgraded buses on routes by the end of December 2025.

In a statement, DART President & CEO Nadine Lee says the timing is perfect.

“The timing of this grant couldn’t be better as we begin to receive early delivery of new, state-of-the-art vehicles from Gillig and as we move ahead with preparations to provide service to the massive crowds we expect next year with the FIFA World Cup," Lee says. "We are grateful to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, FTA Administrator Marcus Molinaro, and our entire congressional delegation for valuing their strong federal partnership with DART, recognizing the need to find additional funding to support transit programs in one of the fastest growing metro areas in the nation."

This new grant is in addition to $103 million initial federal grants, bringing the total federal support for DART’s purchase of new buses to more than $110 million – reducing the overall cost to DART and member cities.

U.S. Congressional delegates, representing communities across Texas, were instrumental in securing the funding for the grant. The purchase of 476 buses is one part of DART’s Transform, a $2.5 billion 10-year plan to modernize and upgrade the DART system.

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