Natural Bridge Caverns To Host Tour Guide Reunion On June 7 As Part Of Its 50th Anniversary Celebration

San Antonio, Texas (May 5, 2014) For the first time ever, Natural Bridge Caverns is hosting a reunion of everyone who has served as a tour guide for the last 50 years.

The reunion, open to former and current tour guides as well as their families or a guest, will be Saturday, June 7th. Participants are invited to visit the attraction from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and to attend a special reception beginning at 7:30 p.m.

“Our tour guides have been an essential part of our operation since we opened July 3, 1964,” said Brad Wuest, president and CEO of Natural Bridge Caverns. “Since then our tour guides have taken more than ten million visitors through the caverns. We are inviting everyone back to re-discover Natural Bridge Caverns and explore all the new additions we’ve added since they have worked here. We will have vintage uniforms and photos on display, and we hope our returning tour guides will have memories and photos to share as well.”

Many of the tour guides worked while in high school and college to earn money for college expenses, clothes or cars. Area high schools like Clemens, Steele, Smithson Valley, New Braunfels and Canyon have been good sources.

News of tour guide openings travels by word-of-mouth and personal referral so in many instances, working as a tour guide has been a family affair with mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers working there. Romance often blooms among tour guides, too, and several have met their future spouses while on the job.

Tina Lindeman, 69, of New Braunfels was a tour guide during the early years. “We used a tent for ticket sales, instead of a building,” she said. “There was only one way into the Caverns and one way out, so you had to be in good condition because the way back was uphill. It wasn’t unusual for the entire group to have to make a short stop to allow a visitor to catch his breath.” Mrs. Lindeman was a tour guide the summer that she graduated from New Braunfels High School, and many years later, her son, Wade, followed in her footsteps as a tour guide between high school and college.

Tricia Anz was a tour guide from 1989 to1994, starting when she was at Canyon High School and continuing through college at Southwest Texas State University. “One of the things that I remember the most is the bond of friendship among the tour guides and how many Sunday nights we spent together after work.”

Mrs. Anz’s husband, Bill, and his family, are long-time friends of the Wuest family. Bill’s sister, Monica, and his brother David, worked as tour guides and his sister Madeline, worked in the gift store.

“Natural Bridge Caverns was my first job and was a great foundation for the rest of my life,” said Mrs. Anz. “Working for a family business added a special feeling of caring and friendship that you don’t always get with every job.”

Gerald Goodridge was a tour guide from 2003 to 2006. He started while a student at Samuel Clemens High School. “I loved seeing the look of awe and discovery in the faces of the children and their parents when they entered the Castle of the White Giants,” he said. “As tour guides, we were well trained and I could answer any question related to the geology of the Caverns. However, one of my biggest challenges was learning to walk backwards and talk at the same time.”

He said that working as a tour guide taught him how to relate to people quickly during a first-time meeting. This talent serves him well today in his role as pastor at Peoples Church in Oklahoma City.

To register for the reunion visit NaturalBridgeCaverns.com/Reunion. Registration deadline is May 30. Also, visit our reunion event page on Facebook. For additional information, phone Natural Bridge Caverns at 210-651-6101.

Media Contact: Shirley Wills

shirley@thewoodagency.com

Contact: Travis Wuest

Phone: (210) 651-6101