FOUNDERS DAY 2023

Annual Hill Country festival returning for its 34th year in the heart of Dripping Springs

The Mighty Thomas Carnival brings plenty of thrilling attractions that are suitable for both children and adults.

www.cityofdrippingsprings.com

Update: Due to forecasts of severe weather, Friday's parade is canceled, according to a Facebook post by the festival. As of 2:37 pm on Friday, the only announced cancelation is the parade. The rest of the weekend's events are still on. Visit the Facebook page to confirm before you go.

Have you figured out your weekend plans yet? If you haven’t, consider taking a drive to the Hill Country to check out a three-day affair of family-friendly fun, music, and community. And don’t forget your sunscreen.

The annual Founders Day Festival began in 1987 to commemorate the founding of Dripping Springs by the Moss, Wallace, and Pound families in 1850. The City of Dripping Springs and the Founders Day Commission partner for the celebration to encourage the local community to come together to share in the camaraderie of some classic Texan staples: barbecue, beer, local music, and local art.

This year, more than 200 booths for local businesses will be set up at the festival, offering unique hand-crafted items like jewelry, clothing, pottery, and more. The Mighty Thomas Carnival brings plenty of thrilling attractions that are suitable for both children and adults, and the Dripping Springs Knights of Columbus will operate the Beer Booth, serving the coldest beer for patrons.

A few tips before you go: Parking on Ranch Road 12 is not allowed at any time, but there will be free parking and a shuttle service from Dripping Springs High School all day on Saturday. Limited general parking is available at the Veterans Memorial Park for $20.

Also, as much as we all love seeing your furry friends at festivals, it's best to leave them at home. The crowds throughout the weekend can get hectic, and the asphalt retains more heat than the surrounding air temperature which can be dangerous for your pet's paws.

Here’s a look at the different activities that will take place during the festival’s three-day downtown takeover.

Friday, April 28
The festival kicks off with the carnival opening its rides to the public at 4 pm, and the annual Grand Parade will travel down Mercer Street at 6:30 pm. The parade theme for the year is “Founders 34, Celebrations Galore!” with prizes awarded to the best-decorated floats. Local music can be heard throughout the evening until the festivities conclude at midnight.

Saturday, April 29
Day two of the festival is the most fun-filled, packed day thanks to the many local musicians, the barbecue cook off competition, and the local food, arts, and crafts vendors. If you’ve never witnessed the barbecue cook-off, you’ve been missing out on some of the best local barbecue from noteworthy Hill Country culinary talent.

The all-day music performances begin at 10:30 am with 15-year-old Dripping Springs native Logan Papp on the Main Stage and Ben Mollica performing at the Buddy Stage at 11 am. Like on Friday, Saturday’s festivities will end at midnight.

The full schedule for Main Stage musical acts are:

10:30-11:30 am – Logan Papp
12:00-2:00 pm – Ty Myers
2:30-3:30 pm – Lisa Littman Band
4:00-6:00 pm – Soul Fire
6:30-8:30 pm – Cody Widner
9:00-11:00 pm – Bobby Pounds

The full schedule for Buddy Stage performance acts are:

11:00 am to 12:00 pm – Ben Mollica
12:00-2:00 pm – Cunningham Sisters
2:15-2:45 pm – Head to Toe Dance
2:45-3:45 pm – Dripping Strings
4:00-5:30 pm – Southside Transmission

Sunday, April 30
A special church service will begin the final day of the Founders Festival from 10 am to 12 pm at the Main Stage, with official festival hours beginning at 11 am. Scheduled music performances for the day include Tone Junkies on the Main Stage and Deadbolt ATX at the Second Stage from 12-2 pm. The barbecue cook-off awards will be presented at 2:30 pm. The carnival and arts and crafts booths will be set up all day, but the carnival officially ends at 7 pm.

More information about the Founders Day Festival can be found at cityofdrippingsprings.com.

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Movie Review

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are both funny and deep in A Real Pain

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Comedy film duos have a long history, from Laurel and Hardy in the 1920s and ‘30s to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in movies like Baby Mama. But the majority of duos have either been friends or work partners; relationships that can be close, but not as close as family. The new film A Real Pain aims for the comedy that a great duo can bring, but hits deeper because the two lead characters are related to each other.

Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) are first cousins who decide to take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, who has recently passed. Their personalities could not be more different, with David buttoned-down and reserved and Benji extremely social, if a little wild. This contrast is on display from the moment they leave on their trip, affecting almost every aspect of their journey.

The two meet up with a diverse tour group in Poland, including guide James (Will Sharpe), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), married couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), an African man who has converted to Judaism. As the group visits various historical sites, David confronts contrasting feelings about Benji, who goes from charming to abrasive seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film is about both the family we have and the history of those who came before us. With Benji and David being Jewish and their grandmother having escaped from the Nazis in World War II, the themes hit harder than they might in other situations. Eisenberg takes care to honor his Jewish ancestors both in the way he has Benji and David talk about their grandmother and the places they visit.

But even though emotions are heightened due to the significance of the trip, the film is far from a dour affair. Benji keeps things interesting at almost all times with a series of impulsive decisions, many that are entertaining for both the tour group and the audience watching the film. He is one of those film characters that is great to watch on screen, but would likely be too much to handle if you were confronted with him in real life.

The relationship between Benji and David is a complicated one; the two obviously have love for each other, but they rarely see eye-to-eye on the best way to approach certain situations. This tension keeps the film grounded, and Eisenberg does a great job at showing the push-and-pull the two cousins have with each other. The little moments, especially when Benji and David go their separate ways, say a lot as the characters try to reconcile where each is at in their respective lives.

Eisenberg has always been an understated performer, so this role is almost perfect for him. Culkin, fresh off his Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Succession, is an ideal foil for Eisenberg, as he has a manic energy that he can control or not control at will. It’s also nice to see Grey in action again, as she brings just the right touch to her supporting role.

The drama in A Real Pain comes from the life experiences of its two main characters, which are on full display despite the story only doling out details in small doses. The film is subtle yet powerful, a testament to Eisenberg’s filmmaking ability and the actors never trying to make too much of their scenes.

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A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

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