An iconic Hill Country dance hall will reopen for the first time since last summer’s floods with a benefit concert to help fund the region’s recovery.
The floodwaters in early July ripped through Crider’s Rodeo & Dancehall in Hunt, forcing the century-old establishment to close indefinitely for repairs. Now, fresh concrete has been poured to rebuild its dance floor — and two-steppers will be back at it on May 17.
The concert, called “Plant the Guadalupe,” supports the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s effort to replant 50,000 trees along the Guadalupe River over the next five years. The headliner? Gary P. Nunn, the Texas country singer known for hits like “London Homesick Blues” and “What I Like About Texas.”
It’s taking place at Crider’s on May 17 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Standing room tickets cost $25. There’s also a $400 option for a table for eight people, and an $800 option for a VIP table for eight that includes a chance to meet Nunn.
The botanical garden is also offering a charter bus to and from San Antonio for $50.
Crider’s started in 1925 when Walter and Audrey Crider hosted a rodeo to raise money for the Hunt school’s parent-teacher association. It became an annual tradition that included dancing, and later, it became a weekly affair. Now, Crider’s is open every Saturday night between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The tree-planting project, called Texas Recovery for Ecological and Environmental Stability, or “TREES,” is focused on planting native species grown solely from seeds collected from the flood-affected areas. The concert is part of the nonprofit’s effort to raise $5 million for the project.
The July 4 flood that killed more than 130 people in Texas also damaged thousands of trees along the Guadalupe River. An initial assessment estimated at least half of the vegetation along the river’s banks was lost.
The nonprofit’s staff collected hundreds of thousands of seeds from areas near the river, and they’re now working to grow the seedlings along the banks of the river.
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