"Remember The Alamo! ! ! "

Yep, dear reader, this is THE DAY of all dates in the history of San Antonio and of Texas. On this date in A.D. 1836 The Alamo fell, at the third assault before dawn by the besieging forces of Santa Anna, and all the men defending it were slaughtered.

But not in vain! Less than two months later their sacrifice bore fruit, as their Texian and tejano neighbors rallied under the cry "Remember The Alamo!" and defeated that same Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Attending commemorations of either of these two crucial battles for Texas' independence is something I greatly enjoy. But this Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Seven, I determined that I wanted to go to the famous old mission-turned-fortress for commemoration of the battle on the actual date. There were several activities during the weekend, as there always are on the weekend nearest 6 March. Because of my very busy, full schedule, attending then was out of the question.

So I made up for this by attending "Dawn at the Alamo". I'd known of this commemoration for several years, but this was my first time. A couple of Fiesta events in April are solemn remembrances at The Alamo, but I felt that the solemnity of THIS event on THE date topped any others. There were, of course, folk in period costume (but no re-enactment, per se), including Mexican soldiers, Texians and over a dozen women who looked like Western pioneer women or else like tejanas of that time. These last briefly held thirteen lit candles, symbolizing the thirteen days of the siege (23 Feb. - 6 Mar. in a leap year). The Sons of the Republic of Texas were also there, dressed in their distinctive blue blazers, white dress shirts (well, a couple men wore colored shirts), bright neckties (many with Texas motifs) and light grey Stetsons. And there was a laying of wreaths at the edge of the cobblestone drive that curves in front of the old chapel and past the Long Barracks.

One unexpected but much appreciated element of "Dawn at the Alamo" was the recitation of the "Peace Prayer" of Saint Francis, in both English and Spanish! It was a beautiful sign of reconciliation, I'd say, for those whose ancestors had fought on either side of the battle.

As the commemoration ended just before dawn (as did the battle), the old chapel and Long Barracks were silhouetted against a brightening sunrise sky, with a skyscraper on each side to frame the view.

What a fitting way to, on THE date, "remember The Alamo!"