Entertainment planned for Fayette County Courthouse rededication LA GRANGE - Saturday's rededication of the Fayette County Courthouse will include several notable politicians and feature a wide variety of entertainment throughout the day. The actual rededication ceremony will start at 10 a.m. on the courthouse grounds. Fayette County Judge Edward Janecka will serve as the master of ceremonies. The list of guest speakers invited to participate are U.S. Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, State Comptroller and Republican gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn, State Board of Education member Cynthia Thornton, State Representative Robby Cook and District Judge Dan Beck. Representatives of LaFayette Masonic Lodge, the Texas Historical Commission, Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program and the project's architect and contractor. The day's activities will start at 8:45 a.m. with a performance of the Monument Hill Dulcimer Players. Opera singer Sonya Caballero will perform at 9:35 a.m. followed by Gospel singer Kathryn Gonzalez. A five-minute program of patriotic music will precede the ceremony. Following the ceremony, there will be tours of the courthouse, driving tours in antique cars and tours of the old Fayette County Jail. Entertainment will be offered on both the east and west side lawns of the courthouse at 30-minute intervals. Performing on east side will be Chris Rybak, Round Top Blue Grass, Equippers Gospel, Jim Holmes and Ballan Keen Jam session and Donnie Blanz. West side performers include the Fayette Czech Singers, Roadrunners Square Dancers, Winedale German Singers and PoLKA, the Polka, Lovers Klub of America. In addition, gunfight re-enactors will perform in period costume. Terry Ross will play the harp inside the courthouse. The Fayette County courthouse restoration project cost an estimated $5.6 million with $4 million of that financed through a Texas Historic Commission Courthouse Restoration Grant. Completed earlier this year, the project took about two and half years to complete. The Fayette County Courthouse originally opened in 1891. J. Riely Gordon, one of the foremost Texas architects of the era, designed it. One of the key aspects of the restoration project was restoring the central atrium that was part of the original design. The atrium area was enclosed in 1948 to provide additional office and storage space in the courthouse. Other work included updating the courthouse's heating and air conditioning system and the construction of a new handicap ramp necessary to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for sitting. For more information on the ceremony, contact Jennifer Hudson at 361-865-3920 or by e-mail at chamber@flatoniachamber.com or Cathy Chaloupka at 979-968-5756, ext. 3 or by e-mail at cathy@lagrangetx.org. The Victoria Advocate June 24, 2005