Texas Christkindl Market

A couple weeks ago on a Saturday night the weather was cool and clear so we took a short ride to Arlington, TX to visit the Texas Christkindl Market. This was the fourth year the market has been set up and we went with high expectations from the write-ups we found online about it. However, and I really don't like going down this road, it was a complete disappointment and nothing short of overblown hype.

The market is supposed to be based around a German American theme. German wooden toys, ornaments, wood works, beer, bratwursts, sauerkraut, you get the idea. We were surprised to find so many non-German shops rounding out the market. If you were looking for wool woven scarfs and head gear from Tibet, this was the place to go. If you wanted miscellaneous trinkets from the street markets of Nepal and China, you found it. There were geodes from the Texas hill country and jewelers that made your typical cosmetic bling, and of course Christmas tree ornaments aplenty. The primary "German" shops we found were a goblet maker, a wooden toy carousel shop, and a wooden cutting board craftsman. Other than those the majority of "German" related theme items to be found were the shop signs.

There was a marionette show that we wanted to see but we had just missed the start and they wouldn't let you in after it began. The marionette show was a unique attraction and one you almost never see. Though marionettes did not originate in Germany or America they have roots in German culture even today.

Aside from the 200 yards or so of world culture and general junk shopping, there were a few food vendors as well. Coca Cola was selling at the ridiculous price of $4 a bottle. Hot chocolate was a healthy $4 for a small coffee cup serving. Coffee was $2 a cup, finding itself being the only reasonable value of the night. There was the ever favorite Kettle Korn, not sure if that has German roots or not, but it is an American favorite so it had its place in the market. They did have bratwurst though, if you were willing to  pay $8 each for a small store packaged sized wiener on a Mrs Bairds bun. Definitely not the wursts I was accustomed to seeing when I lived in Europe. And I thought everything was bigger in Texas... There were side orders available too but at $4 and higher each it was unreasonable. They did have an excellent serving size of beer though that would cost you $12 and you got to keep the glass mug it came in. I don't mean to harp on the prices because it's expected that you usually pay more at a fair type event. The prices at this "German" market were simply unreasonable considering the commonality of the items being sold. In our search for Apfelstrudels, Bienenstich, Frikadellen, Currywurst, Bavarian Pretzels, and foot long Wursts which overflow generously from the ends of a bun, we never found satisfaction, leaving us dumbfounded as to how people were bamboozled into paying outrageous prices for non-traditional food you can find packaged, ready to microwave from Walmart. I have no problem paying a premium price for extraordinary food, but just because average food that is being tagged as German-American and is being served at a seasonal event doesn't justify price gouging.

The following video is more along the lines of what we were expecting. Take note of the giant wursts and buns at the far end of the serving counter and at the giant wurst the guy is walking with at the end of the video.

I am usually not this harsh about the events we ride too. Margaret and I have gone to craft fairs, street corner festivals, bike events and gatherings, country markets, peach festivals, strawberry festivals, and other types of craftsy things for years. We ride weekly to eating places all over North Texas and know what good food is and where to find it. We have never been more put off by one of these types of events. We did have a nice ride Saturday evening to and from the Market and made a nice dinner once we arrived home. I made a short video of the market and because it was supposed to be a "German" themed event I used a traditional German style music to get you in the mood for what the Texas Christkindl Market was failing to be.

Wise County Toy Run 2014

Yup! It was that time again for the Wise County Toy Run! What a great event to attend for the year and for a wonderful cause. Riders from all over showed up to give toys for children. It's exciting to see so many riders come together to support a great cause. 

The toy run starts in Decatur, TX which is the staging area. Admission and the ride is free if you bring a toy or $10 if you just want to pay. Margaret and I pay instead of bringing a toy. The organizers need funding to run the event so we contribute in that way instead. When the ride portion begins it is police escorted for the safety of the riders and heads to Bridgeport, TX. The Santa on the Harley leading it usually arrives at Bridgeport about the time the last of the attendees leaves the staging area in Decatur. The ride is 10.8 miles long so when you consider the amount of bikes it takes to cover that distance from end to end its quite impressive.

It's such a big event that people park along the road in preparation to see the bikes. You'll see people along the entire route taking video, waving, and enjoying the bikes as they pass. I like that its not just isolated to riders. When communities get involved the entire run becomes more of a landmark event than a bike event alone. Riders will carry bags of candy and throw it to the kids as they ride by which brings excitement for the kids. This really helps to make the ride a community event with everyone participating and showing their supporting. It's basically a 10.8 mile parade that stretches between the two towns.

Once you arrive in Bridgeport, TX and park you head to the pavilion where all the action is taking place. This is where you drop off your toys as well. It is incredible to see the amount of toys everyone is giving. The workers are almost frantic trying to keep up with how many toys riders are being dropped off. There is always hot chili to help take the edge off the chill from the ride. Various booths are scattered around that sell leather goods, patches, t-shirts, and other miscellaneous stuff. The usual 50/50 and raffles for items are present as well. One MC had a tent setup with support gear as well. I am also very grateful that the event organizers are still American patriots and pause the event for the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem.

That's only an overview of the toy run. When your involved it becomes much larger. The attendance was huge this year. I can only speculate as to the number of bikes involved. I'm sure the organizers have a better grasp of this than I would possibly be able to. Suffice to say though, it seemed to be larger than the previous years I have attended. This year one of the Christian MC's brought a huge trailer and provided live music along with prayer at the staging area.

There was tremendous support from area MC's along with independents and riding groups. We tried to get pictures of as many of the clubs that rode in the event as possible so we could highlight their involvement. While roaming the staging area we took as many pictures as we could in an attempt to capture the essence of the event. The more media we can make available means possibly more attendance next year as people can better visualize whats going on.

Because Margaret and I were both taking pictures we decided to combine our photo media and link to the same album from both of our sites. Video however will be independent of each other so you'll have to visit each site for that, and our write-ups too! Visit This Lady Rides for Margaret's write-up and video. We uploaded the pictures at a very high resolution so you can download them if you see something you like and want to make a print from it. The pictures are free but we do ask if you use them that you give us credit by including the link to our sites as a courtesy.

Wise County Toy Run 2014 Slideshow

Wise County Toy Run 2014 Video