Hill Country Bed and Breakfast

Friday, July 23, 2010 – opening night for Playhouse Smithville

Saturday, July 24, 2010 – Casino Night

It’s almost here….Casino Night 2010! Thanks to all our generous donors who have not only supported us with sponsorships but also by contributing some wonderful silent auction items! We can’t wait for the event this Saturday at the Smithville Recreation Center! We are again using Casino Connection for our equipment and dealers so that we can bring our attendees the closest experience to Vegas within the borders of Texas.

It’s not too late to buy a ticket! They are still on sale at the pre-sale price of $25 each by calling the Chamber office at 512-237-2313. Come enjoy the Italian buffet, adult beverages, and gaming excitement.

The Katy House still has rooms available. Give us a call (512) 237-4262

While most of our Katy House guests this weekend were antique shopping at Warrenton and Round Top, we had a couple from Denmark visiting. They were here to run in the 50-mile Hell’s Hills race held at Rocky Hill Ranch on Saturday, April 3. This was a trail run consisting of a 50-mile, 50k, and 25k race and one of the Tejas Trails series. There will be three more events at Rocky Hill this year. Rasmus and Tracy Høeg, natives of Denmark and living temporarily in Wisconsin stayed three days at our bed and breakfast. They didn’t come to relax, they came to win. And win they did! Tracy was third in the 50-mile run women’s division, and Rasmus was first overall. Breakfast on Sunday was a celebration of treasures found at the antique shows, stories of a great family reunion nearby and certainly the victory at Rocky Hill Ranch. A great time was had by all.

“Go Wild in Smithville!”  The Smithville Business Association is sponsoring its Second Annual Wildflower Event.  The merchants in Historic Downtown Smithville will be giving away FREE packets of wildflower seeds (while supplies last). Each of the 18 locations will have a different variety. Start out on Main Street for your first free packet and a map of the participating locations.  The “GO Wild in Smithville” celebration is being held on Saturday, May 1st from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The Katy House Bed and Breakfast is one of the participating merchants.  We are not on Smithville, Texas’  Historic Main Street,  where all the antique shops are located, but one block away on Ramona and Second Street.

This is from a cute couple that just stayed with us. This is Dave’s blog:

An Occasion To Remember

Many men fall victim to their own memory when it comes to anniversaries. Fortunately, my anniversary falls in the same ten-day period as Valentine’s Day and my wife’s birthday. While making this easy to remember, it does have its issues, but nothing I can’t handle.

On our wedding day, we drove to Smithville Texas, the site of the movie “Hope Floats” featuring Sandra Bullock (yes, it is a chick-flick, but it is a good one) and stayed at a bed and breakfast called The Katy House. Now, for those who read this blog (yes, I am talking to you) you may remember that Michelle and I love to tour small towns off the beaten path. Well, Smithville—with a whopping population of 3,900—certainly qualifies as small and it does sit just off of state highway 71, which is a beaten path.

This town has a quaint old style main street with buildings built around the turn of the century (not the recent one, mind you) and a train depot (which is not really a functioning depot anymore, but it serves as the chamber of commerce and a railway museum). Most of the buildings that are occupied house antique stores or craft boutiques, while many sit empty. The other streets are filled with old houses dating back to the late 1800’s when this town was built by the MKT railroad. The Katy House is one such home.

Built in 1909, it was originally named the Chancellor Residence after its first occupant. Many others have lived in it since, but it is now a very comfortable B&B run by Sallie and Bruce Blalock. They made our wedding night stay quite pleasant, setting us up with a bottle of bubbly and getting us reservations at the town’s pre-eminent restaurant, The Back Door Café (make the trip if for no other reason than to eat here, it is that good). Because the stay was so memorable, we come back every year to celebrate our anniversary with them….

The First Annual Sherwood Forest Faire will start February 27 – April 4th, 2010. Saturday and Sundays- 10:00AM – 7:00 PM, Rain or Shine. The location is in Paige, Texas.  Paige is only 35 miles East of Austin, and 20 miles North of Smithville, Texas.  There will be music, theatre and Pageantry, Lords and Ladies, Knights in Shining Armour, and Robin Hood and his Merry Men. This is a family Faire.  Come stay in Smithville and stay at the Katy House Bed and Breakfast.  Have a great breakfast and head to the Faire.  For more information go to www.SherwoodForestFaire.com   For more information on the Katy House, call (512) 237-4262 or www.katyhouse.com

See the information on the Winter Show.

 This is only 35 minutes from our Bed and Breakfast. The Katy House is one block from all the antiques shops on Main Street, here in Smithville.

Last Saturday was a Quilter’s Delight, here is Smithville.  Downtown antique shops were displaying quilts in the store windows and out in front. There were over 140 quilts shown just on Main Street.  Many old homes had quilts on balconies and porches.

 The Merchants are already planning for next year’s  “Airing”.

Watch the Smithville Chamber web site, for the new date. 

 Call the Katy House  for more information.