July 3, 2009 - The Austin Chronicle

traveldirectoryadvertise 512.454.5767A ROMANTIC GETAWAYin Wimberley and only a short drive from Austin!56 T H E A U S T I N C H R O N I C L E JULY 3, 2009 a u s t i n c h r o n i c l e . c o mCREEKHAVEN INN – A luxury bed and breakfast onthe Cypress Creek, walking distance to the WimberleySquare, and just 300 yards downstream from “BlueHole,” (voted Texas’ second best swim hole). 20%DISCOUNT offered weekdays with mention of this adand complimentary Blue Hole swimming passes.WWW.CREEKHAVENINN.COM | 800-827-1913STAY 3 NIGHTS,GET 4TH NIGHT FREE!The Dunes offers eighty-five fully furnished one, two andthree-bedroom suites with daily maid service. Each condominiumhas a huge balcony presenting a magnificent view ofthe Gulf of Mexico and breathtaking sunrise over the water.Enjoy an extended stay with us on our 4 day Special.Stay 3 Nights, Get your 4th Night Free.Live webcam @ http://www.thedunescondos.com/cam.cfmWWW.THEDUNESCONDOS.COM | 888-615-9309SCHLITTERBAHN, WORLDCLASS FAMILY FUN!Schlitterbahn in nearby New Braunfels combines the naturalbeauty of the Texas Hill Country with a huge variety ofunique water adventures for the entire family. Miles ofexciting tube chutes carved into cliffs along the spring-fedComal River splash through whitewater rapids and overwater falls. Visit schlitterbahn.com for all the information,to buy tickets online and make resort reservations.WWW.SCHLITTERBAHN.COM | 830-625-2351YOU COULD BE FISHINGRIGHT NOW.Underwater Expeditions is a charter service specializingin game fishing on the Gulf Coast.Larger boats and the latest electronic equipment get youto the fish faster and keep you there in comfort.The captain and crew have decades of experience to helpyou reel in the perfect trophy.12-hour day trips up through 60-hour offshore trips.Cleaning facilities available.WWW.UNDERWATEREXPEDITIONS.NET | 979-233-1811BE AN EXPLORERDay Trips Volume II helps you set your sights onout-of-the ordinary sites.Day Trips, Volume II, a book of Day Trips 101-200,for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, andtax. Mail to:DAY TRIPS | PO BOX 33284 | AUSTIN | TX | 78704CALENDAR ( COMMUNITY SPORTS ARTS FILM MUSIC) LIS TINGSBY GERALD E. MCLEOD daytripsPendery’s World of Chiles and Spices in Fort Worthdoesn’t just sell spices, even though the “taste merchant” isfamous for the wide variety of herbs, spices, and seasoningblends on itsshelves. If you cookor know someonewho cooks, you needto discover the flavorfuland aromaticworld of Pendery’s.“We offer gourmetspices for the discerningchef,” saysClint Haggerty, thefamily business’ fifthgenerationproprietor.“Even chili cooks useour spices.”In a roundaboutway, the company wasbuilt on chili recipes.GERALD E. MCLEODDeWitt ClintonPendery arrived inFort Worth from Cincinnati soon after the Civil War. His brothers had established a successfuldry-goods business a few blocks from the county courthouse. The earliest record of the businesswas a newspaper advertisement from 1870.“Cincinnati is known for their chili, so maybe my great-grandpa learned to appreciate spicesbefore he came to Texas,” Haggerty says. Wherever he caught the passion, Pendery developed adeep interest in seasonings. As a sideline to the dry-goods business, he began selling a blend ofchiles, cumin, oregano, and other spices that he called Chiltomaline, which was good on steaksand in stews and chili.Pendery extolled the medicinal virtues of the seasoning, but the local cafes and homemakersliked the flavoring. Pendery kept experimenting with different blends of spices as well as stockinghis store with the freshest ingredients to make any recipe better.By the time Haggerty’s parents took over in 1987 – his mother is Mary Pendery Haggerty – thebusiness was well-known as a regional supplier of hard-to-find seasonings. Mary expanded thecompany’s mail-order catalog to include more kitchen aids, and it now has a website.Today, you can buy nine kinds of chili powders that were invented by winners at the TerlinguaInternational Championship Chili Cookoff or all the ingredients to make your own, from garlicpowder to margarita salt. Chef Grady Spears concocted a blend for Pendery’s called ChisholmTrail. The list of spices covers any recipe you might try.Haggerty estimates that the store carries approximately 300 spices, but several come in differentqualities. For instance, black pepper comes in three different grades as well as severaldifferent quantities.Reported to be the oldest family-owned retail business in Tarrant County, Pendery’s is at 1407Eighth Ave. on Fort Worth’s south side. “Grandpa married a Dallas girl, so he moved the mailorderbusiness to Dallas,” Haggerty says. “But Fort Worth is ingrained in our history. We have avery loyal customer base there.”Every inch of the retail store is filled with colorful and fragrant seasonings. The store is openMonday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm and on Saturday from 9am to 3pm. You can reachPendery’s at 817/924-3434. To order a catalog or have something shipped, call 800/533-1870or point your browser to www.penderys.com.939nd in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of “Day Trips” 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping,handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.outoftownPUSH, PEDAL, PULL PEOPLE’S PARADE Peopleand pets march to enjoy the food vendors andmusic at Veterans’ Memorial Park. Sat., July 4.Elgin, 512/281-5724. www.elgintx.com.FOURTH OF JULY IN THE 1900s includes horseshoeand washer tournaments, stick horse racesand other games, and tours of the historic farmand buildings. Sat., July 4, 10am-3pm. LBJ StatePark, Stonewall, 830/644-2252.www.tpwd.state.tx.us/parks.SUMMERFEST includes a river parade, patrioticprograms, music, and food vendors. Sat., July 4.Plaza Park, San Marcos, 888/200-5620.www.toursanmarcos.com.PARI-MUTUAL HORSE RACING hosts a fullslate of quarter horse and thoroughbred races,special races, and trials for the 2009 GillespieCounty Fair Futurity in August. Sat.-Sun.,July 4-5, 18-19. Gillespie County Fairgrounds,Fredericksburg, 830/997-2359. $5.www.gillespiefair.com.CHILI COOKOFF features CASI chefs competing fortop honors benefiting Habitat for Humanity, plus arousing cannon shoot. Sat., July 4. Becker Vineyards,Stonewall, 830/644-2681. $5 for a tasting cup.www.beckervineyards.com.PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK’S 75THANNIVERSARY The “Grand Canyon of Texas” will beoffering free admission to the park, plus extra fireworksat the end of the musical drama “Texas” and aconcert by Boz Scaggs on Sunday night. Sat.-Sun., July4-5. Canyon, 806/488-2227. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/parks.