Although 9 blocks North of Main Street is not really walking distance, Idle Wild Cottage is a great “in town” property. Don’t let it fool you with the size of the house because the owners have done such an amazing job making the house feel large and welcoming. It has a great backyard that is fully fenced in for those pet owners who want to travel with their much-loved pets.

            This is an ideal location because it is far enough offMain, but close enough to where you don’t have to drive very far. The home is so inviting and makes you feel right at home. From an electric fireplace to a nice outdoor fire pit, it has mostly everything you can think of to enjoy a weekend away from home. The bathroom has been freshly remodeled and enlarged. It has a large shower and a really pretty new updated sink.

            In the kitchen they did away with the stove/oven, but it is still a fully accessible kitchen because it has a roasting oven and a microwave. The owners really have put in a lot of thought into this property as well as creativity. They are still making new improvements every chance they get. So keep your eyes out for new changes to this property soon!

New this year at Torre di Pietra Winery, 10915 Highway 290 East, will be an ongoing series of jazz performances, this month featuring the Trevor LaBonte Trio.

Music is free, but wine tasting fees apply.

Sugar & Smoke invites you to the first annual Krewe de Nimz Mardi Gras Ball at Barons Creek Conference Center, 201 South Washington . This is a free of charge, festive evening open to the first 100 respondents. There will be music by 7stories band out of Albany, Texas.

Beer and hors d’oeuvres prepared by Sugar & Smoke will be provided. Feel free to bring your own wine and/or spirits if you wish! Attire for the evening is up to you: costume, casual, formal. Masks and beads will be available at the door. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call 830-307-3051.

Fredericksburg Theater Company presents “Godspell”, the groundbreaking musical based on the Gospel According to St. Matthew that showcases the parables of Jesus through clowning, pantomime, charades and vaudeville.

Don’t miss this riveting and entertaining musical with its unique reflection on the life of Jesus and its message of kindness, tolerance and love.

Fredericksburg Theater Company Box Office is at 306 E. Austin Street. The Steve W. Shepherd Theater is at 1668 Highway 87 South. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM and Sunday at 2 PM.

Shop with over 300 vendors, where you can find acres of antiques, collectibles, tools, crafts, shabby chic, primitives, ranch furniture, unique clothing, jewelry, and food. Relax in the biergarten while listening to live music!

Fri. and Sat. 9AM – 6PM, Sun. 9AM – 4PM

$3.00 parking fee – good for all 3 days

Fredericksburg Trade Days at Sunday Farms is 7 miles east of Fredericksburg, Texas on Highway 290. Call (830) 990-4900 for more information.

A new restaurant has been stealing the hearts of everyone who graces its doors since opening in early January. The bakery and café, aptly named,“Sugar and Smoke” brings to the table cleverly created dishes sourcing fresh, locally grown products representing the best Texas flavors and styles! The extensive breakfast and lunch menu includes Nicole’s award winning smoked meats. Winner of the World Champion Wagyu Brisket and Steak Cook-off, Nicole has appeared on TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters.

Sugar and Smoke will be open for Sunday Brunches on special occasions and holidays and will feature a vast array of buffet choices, including house-cured smoked salmon, stuffed tenderloin, waffles, pastries, muffins and cakes. The two-story facility and courtyard will be available for catered, private events.

In addition to a great selection of grab and go lunches including wraps, chicken salad, chips and drinks, Sugar and Smokeoffers several local Texas beers and wines and othergreat wines and beers.

The February 18th Grand Opening will include a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 1:30 pm, and a Mardi Gras Ball featuring the rock band, 7Stories. The Ball will be held off site for close friends and fans of Sugar and Smoke Owners, John Bernard and Nicole Davenport.

Sugar and Smoke will be bringing top-notch entertainment to the “Courtyard” this spring and summer. Get ready to Sugar and Smoke it!

To be included on the Sugar and Smoke mailing listand stay informed of all the latest news and Sugar and Smoke private events, visit www.sugarandsmoke.com.

Must love wine is a prerequisite for the Wine Lovers Trail this year! Come spend a romantic weekend, or two, in the stunning Texas Hill Country, sipping and sampling wine and chocolate at the 27 Hill Country wineries. The Wine Lovers Trail is February 11-14 and 18-20, 2011…the perfect time to celebrate Valentines Day! Spend the weekend with a loved one, discovering the wine and nibbling on the signature chocolates created just for you.

Enjoy the self-guided tour for one or both weekends of the Texas Wine Lovers Trail. You can start by collecting your box of local handmade chocolates at the designated winery of your choice. With custom chocolates in hand, visit each winery and pair with their complimentary tastes.

One of the finest chocolatiers has been hand-picked by the wineries right from our beautiful Texas Hill Country backyard. Sweets by Cathy has created a box of 12 assorted chocolates to pair with both red and white wines crafted at the 27 wineries.

Ticket costs for the trail are $35/person and $60/couple. Individual tickets include one set of complimentary tastes at each winery and one box of chocolates. Couple tickets include two sets of complimentary tastes at each winery and one box of chocolates. What a great way to remember your Wine Lovers trip than to purchase your favorites wines to take home. Wineries will offer a 15% discount on three bottle purchases with your ticket.

Come experience the Wine Lovers Trail this year with your loved one, family or friends. Trail tickets make a great Christmas, New Year’s or Valentines gift for the wine enthusiast in your life.

Your ticket includes:
• A minimum of 1 and up to 3 complimentary tastes of wine per person at each winery
• One box of chocolates per ticket (single and couple)
• 15% discount on three bottle wine purchases at each winery (winery choice)

Inspired by Germany’s “go a little crazy” pre-Lenten Karneval season, in the late 1800′s the Casino Club of Fredericksburg sponsored masquerade balls in the Nimitz Ballroom to give its members one last fling before Lent began. Fasching Week in Fredericksburg seeks to revive that tradition.

The Fasching Ball promises music, Karneval -style entertainment, ice sculptures, vodka and bourbon bars, a cigar suite and fabulous cuisine by Don Strange of Texas. Set for Saturday, February 18, and running from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., the conference center at The Hangar Hotel, located at 155 Airport Road in Fredericksburg, will be transformed into a “Winter Karneval.”

Sponsored by the Fredericksburg Area Lodging and Hospitality Association (FALAHA), part of the proceeds from the Fasching Ball 2012 will benefit the Hill Country Needs Council, while additional proceeds will fund expansion of the event weekend in 2013.

Costumes are encouraged for this event or cocktail attire with mask.

Tickets for the Fasching Ball 2012 are $150 per person or $2,800 for a sponsor table that seats eight. Tickets are on sale now at August E’s, located at 203 East San Antonio Street during normal restaurant hours. For more information, visit www.karnevalfasching.com or call Joe Cloud at (830)998-1981 to reserve a table or purchase individual tickets.

On Saturday, February 11, Fest Nacht, formerly known as Fred’s Party, unfolds beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds, located on Highway 16 South. The theme for this year’s costumed event is “Vegas, Baby!” Music will be provided by The Grooves, an Austin based dance band, which plays all styles of music. The event ends at midnight.

Tickets for Fest Nacht are $50 per person or $450 for a table of ten. Each guest is requested to bring adult beverages to share at the community bar and a monetary donation of your choice for the charities. Proceeds this year will benefit the Hill Country Needs Council, the Fredericksburg Food Pantry and PAWS (Pedernales Animal Welfare Society).

Tickets are on sale at Biedermann’s Ace Hardware at 1102 East Main Street, House.Wine. at 327 East Main Street or Lincoln Street Wine Bar at 111 South Lincoln, all in Fredericksburg. For more information, visit the website at www.festnacht.com, email party@festnacht.com or call Kyle Biedermann at (830)998-7111.

Sometimes all we need is a small little home to allow us to unwind and M’s Little House, located about 5 miles from town, is just that. The home sits on the same property as the homeowner, however the house sits directly in front of the owner’s home and that way it feels as if you are the only one out there when sitting on the front porch.

When we first took the house into the service I never thought the house was very big just judging by the pictures. After viewing the property I have been proven wrong because this house is actually a pretty nice sized guesthouse. There is a large bedroom when you first walk in where the owner has very tastefully decorated the room. I loved the wood bar that goes across one far wall. It has carvings that are perched on it that look just like birds. There is an amazing table for two that has a woven basket as the tabletop. As you walk in you realize there is another room off of the bedroom that is a nice and spacious kitchen area. It is not a full kitchen, but it is large enough to plan out your day at the kitchen table and enjoy a nice light breakfast and drinking your coffee. The bathroom was a lot larger than I had imagined too. It has a tub and a separate shower. There is a beautiful full length mirror in there as well that the owner has made look like a window.

This guest house is so precious and a real treat. I think that it is definitely worth seeing. The owner has put a lot of time and thought into M’s Little House. To sum it up, privacy, great country views, and very clean is what you get at this great little guesthouse.