Salado celebrates history, community with founders day celebration Posted On: Sunday, Oct. 25 2009 01:36 AM By Jackie Stone
Killeen Daily Herald

SALADO – The Village of Salado celebrated its 150-year history as a "frontier college town" Saturday during the first ever Salado Founders Day Festival.

Historical walking tours and a parade kicked off the day, after which locals and tourists could peruse the shops of heritage crafters on Main Street, check out a gunfight in the "old west town" on Salado Creek or take a tour of the Robertson Plantation, opened to the public for the festival.

The descendents of plantation owner and Salado College founder Col. E. Sterling C. Robertson were on hand at the plantation as members of the Salado Historical Society dressed in period costume aided visitors on self-guided walking tours.

Robertson-descendent Sterling Ambrose said opening the house up for the festival was, more than anything, about reconnecting with the community.

"Reconnecting with them and being a part of connecting the history with the town," he said. "We want to be a part of Texas history being successful."

Ambrose and his brother, John Ambrose, said they are beginning renovations and hope in the future to open the plantation house up on a regular schedule.

The Village of Salado was created in 1859 after Col. Robertson donated the land for a college and town on Salado Creek.

"This is our 150th anniversary. Our charter is actually dated Oct. 25, 1859, so it's very special," said Bill Shepperd, a member of the Salado tourism council and coordinator of the founder's day parade.

Plans for the founder's day festival began last year with Charlie Turnbo, who wrote a book about the town titled "Salado, Texas: Frontier College Town." After Turnbo died in January, the tourism council and tourism director Debbie Charbonneau continued plans for the community event.

In addition to historical tours and shopping, the festival's schedule included children's activities, a concert Saturday night featuring Gary P. Nunn, an outdoor Cowboy Church service at Salado Creek this morning and a lecture about historical fact and historical fiction by Texas author Stephen Harrigan at the Salado Civic Center this afternoon.

Charbonneau said with the weather staying sunny and clear she hoped to bring a couple thousand people through town, plus another thousand for the concert. She said the event showcases the history as well as the community as a whole, and it is planned to be an annual festival.

"I've seen a lot of traffic in town," she said. "And by having so many different Salado organizations working together as a community, they have all the other people coming in for the music, for the rodeo, for the history."

The festival began Friday and ends today. Tickets for the plantation tour are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Find out more about the schedule of events at http://www.saladofoundersday.org.