Boerne embraces its Bierfest

From steinholding and keg tossing to art auctions and exhibitors, Bierfest brought out the masses

With his arm outstretched, hand wrapped around the handle of a five-pound glass stein, Julius Zatopek reached his free hand to the heavens, let out a low-pitched growl, gained his second wind and held on for the win Saturday during the seventh annual Boerne Bierfest Steinholding competition.

Zatopek, from New Braunfels, said he signed up for the event upon arriving Saturday at the Agri-Cultural Museum and Arts Center grounds, where dozens of brewers and artists shared their crafts with the thousands who turned out for the six-hour Boerne Bierfest, the primary fundraiser for the Hill Country Council for the Arts organization.