Wilkommen, Bienvenue, and welcome to San Antonio to all of our guests from around the United States and around the world. A warm "Hello" to the IVV Presidium: Dr. Giuseppe Colantonio, IVV President, and his wife Soraya Farina; Graham Fawcett, IVV Vice President, and his wife Jane Fawcett; Walter Motz, IVV Treasurer; Emil Dannemark, IVV Secretary; Tanja Müeller, IVV Executive Assistant; Nancy Wittenberg, AVA Board Chair; David Bonewitz, Olympiad 2023 International Ambassador, and his wife Mindy Bonewitz. Many thanks to Susan Medlin for her perseverance and hard work in bringing the 18th Olympiad to San Antonio, Texas.
Also deserving of much gratitude are the hardworking staff in the AVA: America's Walking Club Headquarters office: Henry Rosales, Erin Grosso, Marian DeVaul, Karen Winkle, and Hector Hernandez. They have been working non-stop along with multiple volunteers to make this event one filled with fun, fitness, and friendship.
All of our planning for the 18th Olympiad and Texas Trail Roundup is coming to fruition starting today. At 10:00 am, we hold our Community Walk in King William Historic District in San Antonio, Texas. The registration is from 9 am to 10 am at King William Park. Choose from either a 5 km or 10 km distance. All are welcome. The walk is $3 per person and includes a free T-shirt.
In preparation, Susan Medlin and I marked the 10 km route on Saturday morning.
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| Susan Medlin puts up a streamer to mark the 10 km King William Community Walk. |
The route goes through King William Historic District, a part of SouthTown, past the Blue Star Arts Complex, along a portion of the Museum Reach of the RiverWalk, past Brackenridge High School, and Beethoven Mannerchor.
The mountain laurels are in bloom and we saw some Great Egrets along the river. The three photos below are from today's 10 km walk.
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| A mural in SouthTown. |
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| A mural of a dentist's logo. |
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| The mountain laurels are in bloom! |
You will be on the route at lunchtime. Restaurants on the 10 km walk can be found in King William at the Guenther House (at the base of the Pioneer flour tower - my personal favorite, but very busy on weekends); at the Blue Star Arts Complex, and along the RiverWalk. There are more restaurants on St. Mary's Street as you get close to the walk finish point.
In the remainder of this blog, I will show you photos from our club's 5 km First Friday Volksmarch on February 3 in the King William Historic District. You may see some of the same historic homes on your walk today.
The Neoclassical Revival home below was built in 1878. This fine example of Edwardian symmetry has two-story Corinthian columns that frame the central doorway and support a pediment on top. The design is based on the 1759 Longfellow house, a National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
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| 404 King William Street - This Neoclassical Revival house was built in 1878 by James Pancoast. |
The next two photos are of the Ellis/West House. This Second Empire-style house with a three-story central tower, a Mansard roof and cresting was commissioned about 1888 by Smith Ellis. In 1892, a stockman named Sol West paid him $8,000 for the home.
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| 422 King William - The Ellis/West House. |
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| 422 King William - The Ellis/West House (photo taken of the side). |
The Albert Steves Homestead (two photos below) was built circa 1883 by Edward Steves, founder of Steves Lumber, for his son. This Neo-Classical Revival home is currently undergoing extensive renovation.
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| 504 King William Street - Albert Steves Homestead, c. 1883. |
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| 504 King William Street - Albert Steves Homestead, c. 1883. |
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| See the photo below. |
The Biesenbach House was owned by members of the Guenther family from 1910-1955. Carl H. Guenther started the C. H. Guenther Mill which later became Pioneer Flour Mills. Carl Hilmer Guenther was a millwright who immigrated to the United States from Germany in the late 1840s. He built his first mill in 1851 in Fredericksburg. In 1859, he relocated it one mile south of San Antonio along the San Antonio River. Carl Guenther lived across Guenther Street in the house that is now the Guenther House Restaurant and Gift Shop.
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| Biesenbach house. |
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| Pioneer Flour Mills. |
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| A bridge over the San Antonio River. |
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| The San Antonio River. |
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| Bridge reflection at sunset. |
You will see a plethora of different home styles on your walk. Please enjoy the diversity in architecture you will see today.
Stick around after the walk and join us in the Olympiad Parade of Flags walk to the Arneson Theater. Walk behind your country's flag.
Here is the Olympiad Opening Ceremony schedule on Sunday for the Arneson Theater:
**The Parade of Flags arrives.**
1:20 pm: A Mariachi Welcome
2:05 pm: Opening blessing by a member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation
3:00-3:30 pm: Mariachi Estrellas de Oro Burbank High School
3:30-4:00 pm: New Tricks
4:00-6:00 pm: Live Elvis Tribute by Travis Hudson
If you would like to sign up for any of the upcoming walks over the next seven days, onsite registration is available at the Fiesta Ballroom in the La Quinta Hotel on Blum Street in San Antonio.
Enjoy fun, fitness, and friendship with the IVV Olympiad, the IML Texas Trail Roundup, and AVA: America's Walking Club. See you on the trails!
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