Moonlit night: Annual event shines at picturesque downtown park in Seguin
8 Apr 2025
Downtown, Quality of Life
Dalondo Moultrie | The Seguin Gazette
A chance visit to a city of Seguin office during the day Friday led to a magical evening for a city man and his wife.
Marcus Roberts of Seguin said he happened into the Seguin Convention and Visitors Bureau to ask a question and chatted with an employee. She told him about an event happening that evening that was right up his alley, Roberts said.
It was the annual Moonlight and Roses event featuring the Dirty River Jazz Band at the city’s Memorial Rose Garden.
“I like jazz, I like wine, so why not,” Roberts said explaining his interest. “I was actually expecting almost jazz fusion so to hear the early ’20s bebop type of jazz is nailing it.”
Moonlight and Roses is a yearly spectacle put on by Seguin Main Street, Main Street and Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kyle Kramm said. The event allows the city to recognize downtown businesses and organizations that make a significant impact on downtown Seguin, he said.
His office, the city’s Main Street Advisory Board and the Seguin Commission on the Arts present awards to individuals and businesses for accomplishments made the prior year, Kramm said. It also provides a chance to highlight one of Seguin’s outdoor jewels, he said.
“It’s an opportunity to use our Walnut Springs Park and the Memorial Rose Garden, which doesn’t get used a lot,” Kramm said. “It’s just to bring the community’s attention to that area of downtown.”
About 200 or so guests and award winners turned out for the night under the stars. The city offered complimentary wine and desserts and sold picnic baskets filled with light bites to eat as well as commemorative wine glasses.
Clay Collier, a Seguin police officer, said he received an email informing city employees about Moonlight and Roses and he thought it would make a good date-night surprise for his wife, Nilo. Turns out, he was right.
Nilo said she found the date as a very pleasant surprise. Clay wasn’t surprised at all.
“I knew she would enjoy it,” he said, adding that the music served as the highlight of the evening. “Especially the music they chose. You can’t do this with just any music. It has to be the classics.”
As members of the Dirty River Jazz Band took a break from playing the hits, Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen hopped on the microphone to announce winners of the various awards and present them with plaques commemorating their accomplishments.
Awards ranged from Downtowner of the Year, to Beautification Project of the Year and beyond.
The Youth Artist of the Year award recognized students from Seguin High School who spent their spring break painting a mural on the local American Legion post exterior wall.
After the awards, the band got back to the music, which delighted Roberts’ wife Dennika Roberts.
“I love it,” she said of the couple’s date night at Moonlight and Roses. “It’s nice weather. It’s a relaxing way to start the weekend.”
Moonlight and Roses has a pretty steady following and turns out about the same number of participants each year, Kramm said. It happens annually during a pretty busy time around the city with other events competing for guests’ interest, he said.
However, to expand Moonlight’s reach, he and his staff could take some extra steps, Kramm said.
He is happy with the way things have been going, he said.
“I definitely think we’ll continue to do what we’re doing but also doing a better job of sharing the word of why people should come out and enjoy themselves. That’ll help get a bigger crowd,” Kramm said. “It’s just a great evening to enjoy free music and have some free desserts. It’s sitting with neighbors and celebrating everything downtown has accomplished the last year.”
More Topics
