The Agricultural Heritage Center Inc. in Boerne was established in 1986 by a group of local farmers and has been rebranded as The AgriCultural and offers a home to Hill Country Council for the Arts. The five acres is a beautiful rustic venue for art classes and exhibits as well as heritage classes such as wood working, Dutch oven cooking and blacksmithing. The property is covered in heritage oaks and buildings like the Pioneer House and the Red Barn with collections of antique tractors, combines, house and farm items, a blacksmith shop, a wood working shop with belt driven tools, and a wagon shed with horse drawn wagons or buggies. The City of Boerne graciously offered a ten-year lease for the property.
Boerne Lifestyle Magazine spoke with President Kristy Watson and Treasurer Rob Ziegler who shared exciting plans for renovations. “We feel we have a unique space in the heart of Boerne that still has that vintage look we want to maintain.” On March 28, The AgriCultural will host a fundraiser in the Red Barn featuring the Lone Star Swing Orchestra playing 1940s style music. The Boerne Village Band will open the event with 1940s style music instead of their usual German favorites. 1940s style attire is encouraged but not required.
In order to host big events, renovations are planned to install more sinks in the buildings so that caterers have the space and equipment they need to support a successful event. The woodshop is repurposed into a bar for events. New restrooms will be installed in the Red Barn as well as much needed heating and air conditioning. The City will assist with funding for electricity so that events like art shows will have the necessary lighting that is needed to showcase the artwork. The Green Building will be refurbished to create a utility-type art house, complete with concrete floors and a sink to make cleanup easier after workshops.
The AgriCultural offers space for rent and hosted the organizers of the Shrimp and Music Fest in September. The Boerne BierFest will hold its annual event for the second year at The AgriCultural on April 4. On May 2 The AgriCultural will be the scene of Boerne’s annual Quilt Fest and add a Vintage Truck Show to create an exciting festival. The Hill Country Invitational Art Show was held in October and will be featured on the property again in 2020. The Red Barn will hold from 100 to 250 guests for weddings and the Pioneer House can be rented for meetings, classes and parties.
Bluegrass picking circles are held on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. It has proven to be a popular event for musicians as well as music lovers. In 2020 blacksmithing classes will be held monthly as well a Dutch oven cooking contest. The woodshop will be set up to host woodworkers with an opportunity to create items for sale. Eventually the plan is to sell paintings, pottery and blacksmith creations made on the property.
Boerne Lifestyle Magazine recommends checking out the website for events and register for The AgriCultural Gala on March 28. It will be a fun night to swing dance the night away under the bedazzled sparkling tractor disco ball in the Red Barn. Tickets are $50 per person. Or you can visit the site any Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Admission is by donation and is staffed by volunteers. The address is 102 City Park Road just off Hwy. 46 in Boerne.
