DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about West End Park and Dance Hall in Comal County. Now settle in, because this is a story about a man with a plan, a woman with a griddle, and a community that knew how to celebrate. Felipe Delgado came home from World War II, and he and his wife, Elisa Saenz Delgado, did not waste a single minute of peacetime.
In 1947, they purchased a lot in the West End Subdivision Number Two in New Braunfels, and they set about building something the Hispanic community could call their own. Felipe was workin' various jobs — civil service among them — but every spare hour he had went into that park. Now, it did not start fancy.
They poured a concrete slab. They strung up lanterns for light. And on that slab, people danced.
Later, a hall was built, and that is when things really got going. Weddings. Anniversaries.
Birthdays. Quinceañeras. Concerts that drew crowds large enough to fill a man's heart right up.
And one of those performers — one of the best-known Spanish-language singers of the Texas-Mexico border region — Lydia Mendoza herself stepped onto that stage at the West End Dance Hall and sang to large crowds. Let that land for a moment. Now, Felipe and Elisa were not the kind of people who let a concrete platform sit idle between dances.
That slab became a skating rink. It hosted boxing matches. The park accommodated carnivals, picnics, celebrations of every stripe.
And out in that large outdoor area, there was a baseball field with a big grandstand, where the love of baseball took root in the New Braunfels Hispanic community. The West End team went by the Cardinals first, then the Lions, and they played against other New Braunfels teams, surrounding city teams, and teams that came all the way from Mexico. While all this was happenin', Elisa Delgado was at the dances and the baseball games making hamburgers and selling them to whoever showed up hungry — which, by all accounts, was everybody.
And once a year, the park swelled to its grandest occasion: Diez y Seis de Septiembre, the celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810, observed throughout Texas. Hundreds of citizens and guests would gather for music, food, and festivity, and the West End Park held them all. The Delgados leased the property in the 1970s.
The hall was torn down in the 1980s. The hall, the cantina, the baseball fields — they are no longer visible. But the marker standing in Comal County will tell you plain: the legacy of the West End Park remains in the community.
A concrete slab, some lanterns, a man's spare time, and a woman's hamburgers — turns out that is more than enough to build something that lasts.
What the marker says
Following his service in World War II, Felipe Delgado and his wife, Elisa Saenz Delgado, purchased a lot in 1947 in the West End Subdivision #2, determined to create an entertainment center for the Hispanic community. Felipe worked various jobs including civil service but devoted his spare time to working on the park. A concrete slab was poured for dances and events lit by lanterns and later a hall was built. The hall became a popular destination for concerts, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and quincea��eras. Lydia Mendoza, one of the best-known Spanish-language singers of the Texas-Mexico border region, performed at the West End Dance Hall to large crowds. At times, the concrete platform and the dance hall were converted for use as a skating rink or for boxing matches. Elisa made and sold hamburgers for attendees at dances and baseball games. A large outdoor area accommodated carnivals, picnics and celebrations, and a baseball field with a large grandstand encouraged the love of baseball in the New Braunfels Hispanic community. The West End team was called the Cardinals and later the Lions and played against other New Braunfels and surrounding city teams at the park, as well as teams from Mexico. One of the largest annual events in the park was Diez y Seis de Septiembre, a celebration of Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810 that is observed throughout Texas. Hundreds of citizens and guests would gather in the park for music, food and festivities. The Delgados leased the property in the 1970s and the hall was torn down in the 1980s. Although the hall, cantina and baseball fields are no longer visible, the legacy of the West End Park remains in the community. (2016)