Victoria might not be the prettiest town in South Texas but its culture is one of the most fascinating, perched as it is where Bohemian Texas meets Mexican Texas: it's equal parts pivo and barbacoa.

This Sunday the region's Czech community takes center stage Sunday, September 22, with their 28th annual Czech Heritage Festival at the Victoria Community Center, 2905 E. North St.  (The fest runs from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., unless you want to get there early enough to attend Czech/English Mass at Our Lady of Victoria Cathedral at 9 a.m. Admission is $7, free for those under 15.)

There will be beer and wine—for the eighth year, home brewers and vintners will be showcasing their wares.

There will be polka, courtesy of Fritz Hodde and Fabulous Six, the Red Ravens, and the Shiner Hobo Band, which has existed off-and-on for almost 100 years. (There have been some line-up changes in that span, obviously.)

There will be kolaches and chicken noodle soup on offer all day, and sausage wraps in the afternoon. Beginning at 11 a.m.,  $8 will get you a plate of almond-crusted pork loin and all the fixings.

There will be Tarok. What's Tarok, you ask. It's a Middle European bid-and-trump card game played on a deck adapted from tarot cards. Texas's state Tarok champ will be crowned at this fest and walk away with the lion's share of the $400 in prizes along with bragging rights.

All that plus a raffle, a pastry wheel, arts and crafts, and 2013 Miss Texas Czech-Slovak Queen Jennifer Koll and her Little Sister Faith Wenck.

For more info click here or call Marjorie Matula at 361-575-0820.