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Redd Volkaert, shown here with his Collings guitar, is a 2013 inductee into the Western Swing Hall of Fame along with fiddler Howard Kalish, steel guitarists Herb Steiner and Ralph “Dusty” Stewart”, fan Bub Mauldin, band leaders Billy Gray and Tom Mallory, sound engineer Bob Sullivan and bassist Junior Pruneda.

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STAFF REPORT

Get out your Western Swing dancing duds for the 21st annual Texas Natural and Western Swing Festival taking place on Sat. May 18th in downtown San Marcos on Courthouse Square, 111 East San Antonio Street. The festival celebrates Texas, Texas music and Texas History with a variety of activities and new inductees will be added to the Western Swing Hall of Fame.

On Courthouse Square from 8:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. there will be food, arts and crafts vendors and a variety of music including Tony Harrison, The River Road Boys, Billy Mata and The Texas Tradition, Al Dressen’s Super Swing Review. A “Picker’s Paradise” will feature the celebrated talents of Erik Hokkanen, Wes Starr, Herb Remington, Howard Kalish, Redd Volkaert, Danny Levin, Dayna Wills, Louise Rowe, Billy Dee and more. The concerts are free, attendees may want to bring lawn chairs.

A catfish dinner will be served at San Marcos Plaza Park. The dinner is $12, reserved table seating with dinner is $26.

Free parking and shuttle will be available at Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Texas State on Aquarena Springs Drive.

The 2013 Western Swing Hall of Fame inductees include Howard Kalish (fiddle), Herb Steiner (steel), Redd Volkaert (guitar), Bub Mauldin (fan), Billy Gray (band leader), Bob Sullivan (sound engineer), Junior Pruneda (bass), Ralph “Dusty” Stewart (steel) and Tom Mallory (band leader.)

The Saturday Night Hall of Fame show on Courthouse Square will feature the River Road Boys and Al Dressen’s Super Swing Revue with special guests Dayna Wills, Tony Harrison and Billy Mata. The concert is free. Attendees need to bring a lawn chair for seating. The concert will be from 7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

An added plus this year is the performance of another Western Swing band that will play at the Texas Music Theater, 120 East San Antonio Street,  from 10:30-p.m.-12:45 a.m. Patron members who have tickets to the Hall of Fame show will be admitted to the concert free. Fans who do not have table seating tickets may buy at ticket for $10. The band will include Redd Volkaert, Erik Hokkanen, Danny Levin Wes Starr, Herb Remington and Junior Pruneda. They will be joined by some members of the Hall of Fame band later in the evening.

In 2011 the Texas Legislature adopted a resolution designating western swing as the official “State Music of Texas”.

For more information or to make reservations or purchase tickets call call Lisa Franks at (512) 393-8430. A full schedule of events is listed on the Mercury Events Calendar.