Reenactors from across the state become figures in Texas history, for the day. Visitors can wander freely among the Mexican and Texian camps to learn what the soldiers and their families were doing prior to the battle in 1836. At 3 p.m., the official (and historically accurate!) reenactment of the Battle of San Jacinto begins. With hundreds of history reenactors, this reenactment—complete with cannons, horses and pyrotechnics—is the largest in the southwest United States.
PRESENT-DAY HISTORY
Sponsored by the San Jacinto Museum of History Association, the festival is a full day of entertainment, vendors, food, family activities, cultural exhibits, games and fun set amidst living history: music and dancing on three stages featuring country-western bands, flamenco dancers, Native American presentations, square dancers and much more; 15+ food vendors; make-and-take activities and crafts for children; children’s train; petting zoo; medicine wagon show; birds of prey; weavers, spinners, blacksmiths and other demonstrators; and dozens of unique hand-crafted items for sale.
The Official State of Texas Ceremony Commemorating the 182nd Anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto will take place at 10a.m. on Saturday, April 21. This annual event will take place inside the monument at the Jesse H. Jones Theatre.
“We are so proud to continue to present this festival with free admission, free shuttles and free parking, which would not be possible without our presenting sponsor H-E-B, as well as The Dow Chemical Company, Pasadena Strawberry Festival, City of Deer Park, City of La Porte and LyondellBasell,” says Larry Spasic, San Jacinto Museum of History President. “Just as important are our partners who help us coordinate this event, including the City of La Porte, TPWD, the volunteers from San Jacinto College and Deer Park ISD, Clean Harbors, La Porte EMS and Hampton Inn Deer Park.”
YEAR-ROUND ATTRACTION
The San Jacinto Monument is open all day year round except for Thanksgiving Day, and December 24th and 25th. Visitors can ride the elevator to the top for a panoramic view of the festivities, explore the special exhibit, watch a Texas history movie and tour the hundreds of museum pieces on display.
There are modest admission fees for the elevator ride, movie and the special exhibit entitled “A Destined Conflict: The U.S. – Mexican War,” located inside the Monument. For more information, the public may visit www.sanjacinto-museum.org and Facebook, or call 281-479-2421.
The event is coordinated by the San Jacinto Museum of History Association with the assistance of Texas Parks & Wildlife and the San Jacinto Volunteers reenactors.
ENTERTAINMENT & EDUCATION
• Jake Worthington will headline the main stage. The La Porte native was named “Runner-Up” on Season 6 of the hit NBC TV Show “The Voice” in 2014.
• Fred Rusk & the Zydeco Hi-Steppers will perform on the main stage. This band has been serving the Houston/Louisiana and surrounding areas for 12 years and consist of 5 faithful Zydeco musicians that collaborate to bring the unique sound of a Funky Cajun-French gumbo.
• Danza Azteca Taxcayolotlwill perform a version of a Danza Azteca ceremony with a dozen dancers from around Texas dressed in colorful regalia, wearing headdress with beautiful long feathers, and utilizing natural instruments to compose traditional rhythms for ceremonial dancing. Through dance steps and drum beats, the dancers will be honor generations of indigenous traditions.
• Last Chance Forever, The Birds of Prey Conservancy will present interactive demonstrations of magnificent birds including hawks, owls, eagles, falcons and vultures.
• The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Mariachiconsists of the following instruments: violin, trumpet, vihuela, guitar, guitarra de golpe, guitarron and arpajalisciense. The program was established in 1998 and has done performances throughout the state.
• Texas Snakes is a fun and hands-on educational show of many different species of non-venomous indigenous snakes of Texas for the children to view and touch. Emphasis is on teaching about the environment and how reptiles provide their part for the balance of nature.
• Houston School of Irish Music prides itself on giving students a fun and enriching environment to play traditional Irish music. The school is comprised of the North Texas School of Irish Music, with branches in Allen, Texas, and Murphy, Texas, and the Houston School of Irish Music.
UPDATED INFORMATION
All festival activities are updated regularly on the San Jacinto Museum of History website at www.sanjacinto-museum.org and facebook.com/sjbattlereenactment.
presents world class 3 ball juggling and amazing balance tricks while engaging the crowd in a relaxed and unobtrusive manner.
Camel Rides will be available for a small fee from 11am to 2pm. Camels played an important role in Texas history when the state hosted the U.S. Army’s camel experiment, a short-lived project that used camels to ferry supplies across west Texas and the Great American Desert from 1856 to 1866.
Gilbert Hernandez is a reenactor portraying his great grandfather, Santiago Tafolla. Tafolla was a Hispanic pioneer in Texas and part of the Texas Camel Experiment as well as the only known Hispanic in Texas to leavememoirs during the Civil War. Hernandez’s presentations consist of the story of the Texas Camel Connection, working with the camels as a Calvary soldier and a Government employee all during the 1850s and 60s.
Mixteco Ballet Folkloricoprovides Houston area youth with cultural activities that preserve Mexican customs, traditions and culture through the art of music and dance.
J.R. “Jack” Edmondson is a celebrated historian, author, and reenactor. An alumni of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Christian University, he is best known for his educational portrayal of the illustrious General Sam Houston.
Charles Lara aka Black Beaver will reenact a Delaware Blanket Trader to teach festival goers about the Texas of the 1800s.
Dan Barth will use his Medicine Show Wagon to tell the tales of special 19th century cure-all elixirs, and entertain with a little magic.
Exhibit of TPWD’s popular Operation Game Thief, its wildlife crime-stoppers program offering rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction for a wildlife crime. Begun in 1981 as a result of laws passed by the 67th Legislature to help curtail poaching, the program is highly successful.
North Harris County Dulcimer Societywill provide musical entertainment throughout the day.
Blacksmiths, weavers, spinners and other demonstrators will give visitors a full sense of how life was in the early 1800s. Sutlers (civilians who sold provisions to military posts) will be on hand to sell or show their wares.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will offer archery classes for young people.
Visitors can also view the restored marshlands and look for otters, great blue herons, osprey, mottled ducks and American avocets. The marsh is historically important because it barred the escape of many of General Santa Anna’s troops during the 1836 battle.
Representatives of the San Jacinto Descendants, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, the Sons of the Republic of Texas, the Texas General Land Officeand theTexas Independence Trail Region will be on hand to share their history.
Texas Independence Square Dancers—square dancers from various groups throughout Texas—will demonstrate square dancing and give lessons.
Visitors can browse through the vendor area to admire unique hand-crafted items, Texas products and history-related items.
The Children’s Area—sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company and Deer Park ISD—includes:
A 55’ train complete with train whistle and Texan and American flags.
Make-and-take history activities and crafts created and overseen by Gifted/Talented specialists from Deer Park ISD.
Marsha’s Petting Zoo with sheep, goats and other friendly small animals.
