Culture
Bertram hosts an annual "Oatmeal Festival" during the Labor Day weekend. Named after the remains of the nearby community of Oatmeal, it includes a number of activities that draw attendees from all over central Texas.
Oatmeal Festival began in 1978 as a spoof of the many chili cook-offs in the state of Texas. Oatmeal was chosen as the theme for the festival because of the nearby town of Oatmeal. Ken Odiorne, who had lived in the Oatmeal community (in an area he knew as Ignert Ridge), dreamed it all up and with a little prodding from some good folks got it all going. He wrote to all the major producers of oatmeal and asked them for assistance. Only National Oats, the makers of 3 Minutes Oats, responded. In honor of this, all Oatmeal Festival events start at :03 or :33 past the hour.
Chili cooks eat hot peppers. Oatmeal cooks ate boiled okra. Chili cooks had beauty queens. Oatmeal cooks had Ms. Bag, who is over 55, Groaty Oat, who is beyond description, and Miss Cookie and Miss Muffin, who are 4 to 8 years old. Watermelon raisers spit seeds. Oatmeal cooks kicked cow chips.
The folks who put together the official map of the State of Texas had also decided to leave Oatmeal off the map because there was not an intersection of main highways there. Since the inception of the festival, however, Oatmeal is back on the map. A lot of folks come home to the country every Labor Day Weekend, even if it is hot and dry.
Over the years the money raised has built an open-air pavilion in Bertram and a community center at Oatmeal. Scholarships are given to local high school graduates every year. Financial assistance has been given to many local events including the Easter Egg Hunt, Santa's Workshop, and Burnet County Livestock Show.
Read more about this topic: Bertram, Texas
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