Alpine Texas Cultural District

Nestled among the mountains of west Texas, locals and visitors alike have long enjoyed the scenic landscape and mild climate that Alpine and the surrounding area has to offer. But the natural setting is only part of the story. Those who live in Alpine or travel through the area are further rewarded with an abundance of available cultural activities. Many artists, including visual artists, musicians, writers, architects, and others, call Alpine home. The level of community support for these artists and the cultural venues offered in Alpine is perhaps best reflected in the long-lived success of many of these venues. For example, the Cowboy Poetry Gathering will be celebrating its 25th year in 2011; the Big Bend Balloon Bash has been held every year since 1987; the 21st Annual Big Bend Gem & Mineral Show was held in April of this year; the Texas Mountain Trail Writers held their 19th annual Spring Round-Up in April; and, the 17th Annual Alpine Art Walk will take place in the fall of 2010, as will the Center for Big Bend Studies Conference on the archeology and history of the Big Bend. Other events in Alpine may not have such long established histories, but they have enjoyed equally generous support from the citizens of Alpine.

 

The present cultural district application process was initiated in January 2010 after a meeting was called between representatives of the Alpine Chamber of Commerce and members of the Alpine arts community via the Big Bend Arts Council (BBAC) website, emails and telephone calls.

Follow-up meetings were called in March and again in May and July of 2010. All attendees,

including Chamber of Commerce representatives, visual artists, musicians, writers, gallery

owners and other business owners, were in favor of applying for the cultural district designation for Alpine. Letters of support were subsequently sought from attendees of these meetings, and other directors and owners of arts venues, supporting businesses, and community leaders in Alpine. These letters are included in the Appendix B of this document. In addition, supporting Resolutions by the Alpine City Council, Brewster County Commission and the Big Bend Arts Council Boards of Directors are included in Appendix K of this application.

 

Although cultural events in Alpine enjoy the support of the community, the success of these

event is still dependent on advertising. Advertising not only makes local constituents aware of

these activities, but also potential participants from around the region and beyond. Designation

of an Alpine Cultural District will benefit the advertising of cultural events in Alpine, both in

terms of the designation itself and the potential grant funding that Alpine would then be eligible to apply for. Thus, the designation of the Alpine Cultural District is important to the ongoing success of cultural venues in the city of Alpine.

​

Management Structure of Cultural District Steering Community

Although the Alpine Chamber of Commerce and the Big Bend Arts Council will play important

roles in the establishment and subsequent management of the proposed Alpine Cultural District, residents of the broader Alpine community and surrounding area will also be invited to volunteer in the operation of the Cultural District and the individual venues and activities that will be key components of such a district. It is envisioned that calls will go out to potential volunteers via the BBAC website, announcements at monthly BBAC meetings, local radio station

announcements, and announcements placed in the local and regional newspapers. Such

advertising can be accomplished at little or no cost to the Cultural District or supporting entities.

 

The present Cultural District Steering Committee includes representatives from the Alpine

Chamber of Commerce, members of the Big Bend Arts Council, and business representatives.

Upon designation of the Alpine Cultural District, a Board Member of the BBAC and a

representative from the Alpine Chamber of Commerce will serve as Co-Managers of the Cultural District. It is recommended that Co-Managers of the Cultural District serve two-year terms. Ideally, the Co-Manager from the Chamber of Commerce would oversee the business-related committees, while the Co-Manager from the BBAC would oversee the cultural resources related committees. More specifically, the Chamber representative will oversee the ‘Business

Development’ and ‘Marketing’ Committees, while the BBAC representative will oversee the

‘Design’, ‘Cultural Development’, ‘Volunteer’ and ‘Events’ Committees. 

 

The cultural resources of Alpine, including a number of historic sites, span much of the city.

This is reflected in the existing Alpine Historic Walking and Windshield Tour (Appendix I). The

proposed Alpine Cultural District is separated into two separate areas but incorporates much the same part of Alpine as the Historic Walking and Windshield Tour. 

 

The first area includes much of downtown Alpine and the campus of Sul Ross State University, with a narrow corridor connecting the two. Specifically, the boundary of this portion of the proposed Alpine Cultural District extends westerly along Hwy 90E/Holland Ave. from the southeast corner of the Sul Ross State University campus to the corner of 5th St. and Holland Ave. On 5th St. the boundary extends southward to Ave. F, westward on Ave. F to 13th St., northward to Lockhart Ave., and eastward to 5th St. before turning southward to Ave. E. On Ave. E, the boundary runs eastward to Harrison St., northward to Ave. B, eastward on Ave. B, then southward through the Sul Ross campus to the beginning point of this area of the proposed District.

 

The second area of the proposed Alpine Cultural District encompasses Kokernot Park, Kokernot

Field and the Alpine Golf Course in the northeast part of town. Beginning at the corner of 2nd St. and Brown St., the boundary of this area extends northward to Hendryx Ave., turns eastward on Henryx Ave., and curves around Kokernot Park on Loop Rd. After looping around the park, Loop Rd. becomes Harrison St. The District boundary follows Harrison St. southward to Brown St. before turning westerly back to its starting point at the corner of 2nd St. and Brown St.