The San Antonio New World Wine and Food Festival

The New World Wine and Food Festival held in San Antonio is a five day event. Its purpose is to not encourage dieting, but instead, encourage an over-indulgence in eating and fun. The goal is to help you discover new favorites and enjoy the old ones all in one weekend. The event is held at several locations throughout the course of the festival. You will be visiting an assortment of different locations.

Date: November 5^th – 9^th, 2008

About the Festival

The New World Wine and Food Festival has been established since 2000 and is a non-profit organization. It was designed showcase San Antonio as one of the premiere locations for great wine and food. The wines and food that are celebrated come from several different regions including Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and of course Texas. It is meant to be an educational event to introduce a variety of foods and wines to the residents and visitors of south Texas.

Purchasing Tickets for the event

Tickets are made available for purchase at the New World Wine and Food Festival website, http://www.nwwff.org. A phone number is also available at their website if you prefer ordering via phone.

Children at the festival

Since the event is spread through 5 days the only event that children under the age of 21 are allowed is at the Totally Tejas. At the other events you must be above the age of 21 and no children will be allowed, even if they are being accompanied by a parent.

Hotels and Other Activities

If you are traveling to the event, there are plenty of beautiful hotels in the San Antonio area. As well, there is plenty to do during this time of year. There are lots of attractions and you are encouraged to visit a visitors center website to find other activities even though the NWWFF provides more than enough events to occupy your time.

San Antonio's newest golf courses have signed a deal with one of America’s oldest and most respected companies. The courses located at the new JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa, will join only a handful of other courses who have sold the naming rights to a corporation, as the new names of the courses will be the AT&T Canyons Course, and the AT&T Oaks Course.

AT&T has left its imprint on the golf scene before, as they have lent their name to quite a few PGA tournaments in the past. In San Antonio, the telecom giant sponsors the AT&T Championship during the year. In the past, it has sponsored the National in D.C., the Masters in Augusta, and the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach. San Antonio being the headquarters for AT&T, it is only natural that the company is also the sponsor for the Spurs AT&T Center and for the San Francisco Giants AT&T Park.

AT&T is in discussions on what services they will bring to the table, and to the course, and just what their sponsorship will mean. Some ideas that are being discussed include wireless scorekeeping equipment, videotaping equipment for recording lessons, and phone and internet services.

San Antonio's relationship with AT&T goes back to 1993 when Southwestern Bell Corp. moved their headquarters to San Antonio, in what was a huge boost to the city. Two years later the company changed its name to SBC Communications, Inc. In 2005, SBC bought AT&T, and soon renamed itself after the more well-known acronym.

The JW Marriott resort in Bexar County is expected to open in 2010, after having been delayed for around eight years due to environmental concerns. It is perhaps just that AT&T attach its name to the courses, as one of the company’s former CEOs, Edward E. Whitacre Jr. was, in part, responsible for keeping the project from falling apart.

When it opens, the resort will feature 36 holes of golf situated against a backdrop of Cibolo Canyon and the gorgeous Texas Hill Country. The courses were designed by two of the best golf architects, Pete Dye and Greg Norman, and will be a semi-private course, open to guests and members.

The Spurs tough season continues, and the injury bug has continued to bite the team.  In fact, it is beginning to look like San Antonio may be the unluckiest team in the league.  Tony Parker is now out for the second time this season, this time with bone spurs.  Parker missed several games in December with a sprained ankle, and this time is expected to be out until after the All-Star game.  It’s not like the guard position is one in which the Spurs are particularly deep.  They did recently sign Damon Stoudamire, but in his 12th year in the league, he is certainly on the tail end of his career, and has not put up particularly stunning numbers in quite some time.  Manu Ginobili is an All-Star at the G/F position, but the Argentine has had his own health issues this year as well.  Top that off with Brent Barry being out with a torn calf muscle, and the Spurs look more like a M.A.S.H. unit than an NBA Finals contender.

Even so, the team has managed to persevere through the injuries, and remains in the thick of the hunt for first place in the Southwest Division.  Currently, Dallas and New Orleans are tied for first, while San Antonio remains just a game and a half out of the lead.  Much like the stock market recently, the Spurs have been a volatile team. Over the past five games the team has lost to some terrible teams, and beaten some of the best.  Whether or not anyone wished to go long with this team right now is their decision.

On Jan 28, the Spurs traveled to Utah to began a brutal road schedule that features nine straight road games.  They certainly didn’t get off of the right foot, losing to the Jazz 97-91.  The game was a physical, brutal game-the kind the Spurs usually win-but despite terrific performances by Ginobili and Duncan, the Jazz and their tough defense prevailed.  San Antonio turned the ball over 20 times and only shot 25% from behind the arc.

Next up on the western road trip was a visit to the lowly Supersonics.  Normally a trip to Seattle is the cure for any team’s losing ways, but the Sonics turned the tables on the Spurs and broke their own 14 game losing streak.  Kevin Durant, the 19 year old rookie from Texas, hit a jumper with 30 seconds left in the game to give the Sonics the win.  Ginobili missed a three pointer with less than 5 seconds left that would have sent the game into overtime.  Just before the game, Coach Popovitch benched Tony Parker indefinitely.

Ordinarily, a team on a two game losing streak does not want to go to Phoenix to try to break it.  The Spurs, however, seem to have a sense of poetic justice.  Having had their hearts broken by a game winning shot late in the game against Seattle, San Antonio had a bit of their own magic brewing against the first place Suns.  With 30 seconds left the Spurs’ Duncan banked in a basket, and Ginobili made four free throws in the final seconds to give San Antonio a much needed win, and break the streak.  They won the game in typical Spurs style, by clamping down on defense, holding the high-powered Suns to their lowest point total of the year, 81 points.

After the grind-it-out game against the Suns, San Antonio went on an offensive bender against the Pacers.  This game was a tale of two halves.  In the first period, Indiana shot a scorching 78% from the field and in the second 68%, but the game remained tied at the half.  After the break, the Spurs ratcheted up the pressure, and held Indiana to just 18% shooting and 9 points in the third period, on the way to the 116-89 blowout.

Against Washington the next night, the Spurs got a lift from an unlikely source.  Robert Horry, who has hit enough game winning shots in his career to have earned a spot in Spurs’ fans hearts forever, didn’t hit the game winning shot in this one.  He just scored 9 points in less than 4 minutes to ignite the run that sealed the game.  The crafty veteran only has 41 points on the year, but showed that he still can offer something to the team.  The Spurs’ inside presence was the difference, as Duncan scored 23 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, and Oberto scored 10 points and corralled 11 rebounds.

With all their injuries, the Spurs remain a mystery.  Other teams in the west are making bold moves.  The Lakers have traded for Pau Gasol, and the Suns have acquired Shaq.  San Antonio has plugged Stoudamire into its rotation, which brings some needed experience and depth to the point guard position, but the streak of injuries must cease for the team to have any chance of defending their title as NBA champions.

The Spurs choppy season continues, and as the team struggles to overcome the injury bug and regain its championship form of last season, San Antonio finds itself sinking in the standings.  A team who possessed one of the best records in the league during the early part of the season, now finds itself in third place in one of the most competitive divisions in the NBA.  The good news is that San Antonio finally has everyone healthy and can now focus on regaining the chemistry that has been lost.

San Antonio is 3-2 over their last 5, with the three wins coming over Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Charlotte, the NBA's version of the Sisters of the Poor.  The two losses were against stiff competition—Cleveland and Houston--and were close games, even though the Spurs came up just short.

Minnesota is the worst team in the league, having only notched 6 wins so far this season.  The Spurs were able to have their way in the 105-88 win.  San Antonio actually trailed by a point at halftime, but started the second half with an 11-2 run and the game was all but over.  Manu Ginobili led the team with 22 points, and Tony Parker added 21 more.  Duncan had a quiet game, only scoring 15 points and 9 rebounds, but added 3 blocks to make his presence felt on the defensive end.

Up next, Philadelphia traveled to San Antonio for what would seem to have been another fairly easy win, but the 76ers had other plans.  In the end, the Spurs managed to pull off the 89-82 victory, but Philly held the lead several times in the last quarter.  For the first three quarters of the game, Ginobili was simply awful, going 0-6 from the field.  In the final period, he was simply unstoppable, hitting four three pointers, and scoring 14 points in the fourth.  Duncan had 18 points and 16 rebounds in the effort.

Against the Cavs, the Spurs were looking to keep dominating the team that they swept in the finals last year, but LeBron James had other ideas.  James was good for 27 points in the contest, and his squad played tough defense all night.  One Spur that the Cavs couldn’t stop, was Manu Ginobili, who scored 31.  Tony Parker scored 23, but uncharacteristically missed two free throws with less than an minute left, which would have tied the game.  For all of Ginobili’s heroics, though, he too couldn’t come through in clutch time, as he missed a three to win the game as time expired.

Two nights later brought a chance for redemption against the resurgent Houston Rockets.  Again the Spurs were involved in a game that came down to the final seconds, and again they came up short, losing 83-81.  San Antonio didn’t have an answer for Yao Ming, who scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds.  San Antonio had owned the series recently, having won 8 of the last 13.  Tim Duncan had an All-Star caliber game, pouring in 24 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, and San Antonio actually outrebounded the Rockets 37-32, but were terrible from the free throw line, shooting 57%.

In the NBA, nothing cures a two game losing streak like a trip to Charlotte to visit the struggling Bobcats, and the latest trip resulted in a 95-86 Spurs victory.  The Spurs offense has been off lately, but the team seemed to find its footing against Charlotte.  The team shot nearly 50% from the field, and although no one broke the 20 point barrier, Parker, Finley, Duncan, Ginobili, and Udoka all scored in double figures.  In fact, Francisco Elson was the only Spur not to score in the game.

Although San Antonio has slipped to third place in the division behind Houston and New Orleans, they still are only 1.5 games out of first, and still have the sixth best record in the West.  If the Charlotte game is any indication of what is to come, the Spurs may regain their spot atop the division soon.  Of course, all San Antonio fans know that the team is built for the post-season, and a few injuries and losses won’t matter to this team once the playoffs start.

San Antonio is a city that enjoys two things, and does them both well: keeping itself clean, and throwing a party whenever possible.  If the two can be combined, then all the better.  Knowing this, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the city, that the Mud Festival does just that.

One of the city's most interesting and bizarre events, the Mud Festival takes place each January for one week, and commemorates the draining and cleaning of the river.  Early in San Antonio's history, the river was thought to be dangerous, dirty, and was even declared off-limits to military personnel for a time.  Today, these ideas have softened quite a bit, as the River Walk is now a world-class tourist attraction, in and of itself, which, of course, requires maintenance.  Each year the City Parks and Recreation Department drains the river and cleans up the debris that litters it.  It's hard to know what will be found, with so many restaurants and commercial enterprises nearby, that pulling tables, chairs, and other things from the river is almost a certainty.

The Mud Festival occurs each year after the river has been filled up again, and is put on by a group called the Paseo del Rio Association.  The festival features balls, parades, and arts and crafts exhibitions, which normally draw around 15,000 people.  Each year a Mud King and Queen are selected from participants, normally made up of local celebrities and business people.  The king and queen are chosen by who is able to raise the most money for the organization.

The river is drained from the 2nd of January to the 9th, and the festival will take place from the 10th through the 13th.  The arts and crafts show is slated to run from the 11th until the 13th.  All events will be held in various locations and businesses along the River Walk, and for more information call 210.227.4262.

For struggling NBA teams, there's nothing like visits from the New York Knicks and the Memphis Grizzlies to set things right.  The San Antonio Spurs are struggling with injuries, and Manu Ginobili continues to remain on the bench with a sprained finger.  Since Christmas, San Antonio is 3-2, and struggling to maintain its lead in the division.  Just one game back are Dallas and surprising New Orleans, who seem to be waiting for a Spurs’ slip.  Houston, who was expected by many to challenge the other Texas teams, remains seven games back, and are struggling to stay at .500.

The day after Christmas, the Spurs hosted the Chicago Bulls, and were the first lucky team to face them after axing their coach on Christmas Eve.  The game was not much of a contest, as San Antonio easily dealt with the team from the Windy City, 94-79.  Tony Parker led the team with 28 points, and Michael Finley added 15.  Tim Duncan was a bit off, only scoring 8 points, but did add 11 rebounds and 6 assists.  The game was not totally full of holiday cheer for the Spurs, as the injury bug bit again.  This time, Brent Barry was the victim, tearing a calf muscle.

Next up was Toronto, who had dropped three straight games, but also was coming off a week off.  The rest certainly showed, as they owned the fourth quarter.  Coach Popovich was ejected in the final period and Matt Bonner and Tim Duncan each got technicals called on them which helped to seal the game.  Things weren’t much better before then either, as San Antonio shot as poorly as they have all season, only managing 32% from the field.  The 73 points they scored was also a season low.

Two nights later, though, San Antonio was able to take their frustrations out against cellar-dweller, Memphis, winning handily, 111-87.  In that contest four Spurs caused major damage, as Parker scored 24, Finley poured in 22, hitting 5 threes, and Matt Bonner scored 24.  Tim Duncan scored 24 and also cleaned up 17 rebounds, had 7 assists, and 3 blocks.  The team shot 45% from behind the arc, and outrebounded the Grizzlies 46-32.

It seems for every step forward, this season, the Spurs take one back and four days later against the Denver Nuggets, the team stepped back.  The Spurs are the team that prides itself on defense, but the Nuggets gave them a taste of their own medicine.  Tim Duncan managed 20 points, but was hassled all night by the Nuggets trio of Kenyon Martin, Marcus Camby, and Eduardo Najera.  Duncan only made 7-20 shots from the field, and had four turnovers, one with 45 seconds left, which was converted to give the Nuggets the lead.  Kenyon Martin was terrible on the offensive end for Denver, but had seven blocks, one against Tony Parker late in the game to preserve the victory.

Friday night, San Antonio was back home to host the NBA's best soap opera team, the New York Knicks.  Things normally go well for San Antonio when they can get points from players who don’t normally score a lot, so when Bruce Bowen leads the team in scoring, things usually turn out well for the silver and black.  The defensive specialist had 15, and they were much needed, as Tim Duncan and Tony Parker only scored 12 each.  San Antonio forced 16 Knick turnovers in the contest, although Eddy Curry had his way on the inside, scoring 25 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Considering that the Knicks are 8-23 and firmly entrenched in last place in the Atlantic, the 97-93 victory was probably closer than it should have been.

The Spurs are not playing terrific basketball at the moment.  The loss of Ginobili is hurting the team, depriving it of a needed spark, and the chemistry has suffered from all of the other injuries.  Matt Bonner is playing well and logging quality minutes, but the team must get healthy and start playing consistently in order to hold onto the spot atop the division.

San Antonio is many things: a vibrant cultural city; a growing technological center, and a sporting capital.  It’s also home to a wide variety of shows and contests that are based in the city’s Wild West roots.  The annual San Antonio Rodeo, started in 1950, has long been a favorite of residents of South Texas, and has grown in popularity such, that today over 1 million people attend each year.  In the 40s, the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum was built to house the rodeo and show, and served this capacity well until the AT&T Center (formerly known as the SBC Center) was opened in 2003.  Since then, the rodeo has been located in San Antonio’s most modern and comfortable sporting arena.

This year’s event will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 17, and tickets are available through Ticketmaster.

Although it’s called the San Antonio Rodeo, the event is certainly much more than that.  For over two weeks, visitors will enjoy horse shows, livestock shows, auctions, art contests, lots of amazing food and beverages, and, of course, all the favorite rodeo events.

For those who aren’t up to speed on all the events that a real rodeo features here’s a brief refresher.

• Barrel Racing:  Times horse riding around a series of barrels.
• Saddle Bronc Riding:  Cowboy versus unbroken horse.  The cowboy must hold on to the horse, as he thrashes around.
• Bareback Bronc: Cowboy must hang onto a rigging strap of bucking horse.
• Bull Riding:  The most dangerous of events. A cowboy must must hang on with only one hand to an angry bull for 8 seconds.
• Tie-Down Roping:  A cowboy on a horse must throw a rope around a running calf, then dismount and tie three of the calf’s legs together.
• Steer Wrestling:  The easiest event to understand, but much more difficult to execute.  The cowboy must jump off his horse, grab and wrestle a running steer to the ground in a timed event.
• Team roping is an event that cowboys riding horses rope steers for time. The first roper is referred to as the header, the person who ropes the steer's head; the second is the heeler.

The livestock show featured judging of poultry, dairy cattle, beef cattle, Boer goats, Angora goats, breeding swine, heifers, and assorted other of Texas’ and the Unites States’ finest animals.

One of the rodeo’s most beloved events (especially by younger visitors) is Mutton Bustin’.  During this event, youngsters between the ages of 5 and 7 have the chance to see who can stay atop a running sheep for the longest time.  All participants receive gifts, and one winner will get a belt buckle to commemorate his victory.

Another favorite is the Xtreme Bulls bull riding competition.  This year’s event will be the 5th in a row, and will be aired on ESPN.  Not only will audience members get to see some of the best riders in the business show their mettle, but the night also features performances by some of the best musical acts in the country.  The event takes place on two nights—the opening Tuesday, and the last Saturday, so don’t miss out!{mosimage}

One aspect of the rodeo, and the Wild West, that is often overlooked, but helps perpetuate the mythology and lore of the life, images, and culture of Texas and the great outdoors, is the art these things inspire. The frontier life and Western Art still holds a powerful place in the annals of Americana, and the San Antonio Rodeo helps keep this spirit alive through its art exhibition, and Western Art Contest.  High school students from the area are invited to submit their work for judging by professional artists, and the top 25 have their works auctioned off, and the earnings are given to the students in the form of scholarships.  Other student-artists are invited to a three-week art workshop in Kerrville, TX, where they are able to hone their skills with professional artists as their mentors.

The rodeo also features a series of events that are not necessarily associated with rodeos and the West, such as golf tournaments, fashion shows, BBQ cookoffs, and a casino night, so there should certainly be something available for all tastes!  The rodeo is a family event, and children are encouraged to come, and even to take part in many of the events, so everyone is welcome!

 Sports fans know that Texas is home to some great football on all levels. In addition to the several colleges that have top ranked programs, and the professional teams that the state has, the Texas' high school football programs produce some of the best talent in the country. So it should come as no surprise to football fans around the country that San Antonio is the annual site for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which features some of the best high school talent in the country.

With National Signing Day just around the corner, the All-American Bowl provides one last chance for coaches and fans to see and scout the best blue-chip prospects as the go against each other before signing with their schools. Throughout the game's history, many players who now are playing on Sundays in the NFL, or at major colleges have used the game to give fans a preview of their talents, and a glimpse of what was to come.

A few notable alumni include:

• Cedric Benson
• Chris Leak
• Kevin Jones
• Lorenzo Booker
• Vince Young
• Reggie Bush
• Maurice Clarett
• Haloti Ngata
• Tyler Palko
• Dan Conner
• Chad Henne
• Ted Ginn, Jr.
• Rhett Bomar
• Early Doucet
• Adrian Peterson
• Derek Anderson
• Michael Clayton
• Marcus Spears
• Vernon Davis
• Brady Quinn
• Tim Tebow

These games provide the players with a chance to make their announcements on their college choices on national television, and each year thousands of college fans tune in to be either thrilled that they have gotten a top recruit, or disappointed to lose one.

This year, the bowl will take place on Jan. 5, with kickoff scheduled for noon, and will be broadcast on NBC. Most players spend the whole week in town visiting hospitals and shelters, attending awards ceremonies, and various other functions.

Each year, the Rotary Club hosts a dinner and awards ceremony the night before the game. This year's keynote speaker is NFL legend, Gale Sayers, and tickets to the event are $150. Tickets to the game are available at $26 for lower level and $13 for general admission, and can be purchased from Ticketmaster, or from the Alamodome Box Office.

Don’t miss this great chance to see some of the best football talent in the country before they become stars!

The Great State of Texas plays host to 5 College Football Bowl games for the 2007-08 season.

In Ft. Worth, on the 31st of December, Pac 10 and Mountain West Conference features California and the Air Force Academy compete in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

San Antonio action this year showcases the Valero Alamo Bowl. The game is set for December 30, 2007. Texas A&M and Penn State Nittany Lions battle it out.

The Brut Sun Bowl, El Paso classic, sees this years teams, the South Florida Bulls and the Oregon Ducks. The Sun Bowl first started in 1936 continues with this years kick-off on Dec 31, 2007.

December 28th marks the start of the Football Bowl Games in Texas. The Texas Bowl being played in Houston starts off the bowl season with TCU and Houston.

The New Year's Day game kicks off in 2008 in Dallas with Cotton Bowl. 72nd annual Cotton Bowl will be the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Missoui Tigers.