Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1455237
'C ue-lovers, rejoice! A Round Top S m o k e h o u s e e x p a n s i o n i s underway. An additional 1,500 square feet are currently being added onto Lee Ellis' beloved central Texas barbeque joint in the back of Henkel Hall in Henkel Square. Indoor dining (AC!) will be an option, in addition to exterior seating adjacent to Ellis Motel … just in time for the Round Top Spring Antiques Show. Indoors, a large window overlooks the pit room, where you might see Lee basting and blasting. Round Top Smokehouse, open year-round Thursday – Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm; daily during show times; roundtopsmokehouse.com. Anne Lee Phillips MORE SMOKE HOUSE TO LOVE T wenty-five years ago, the landscape of Texas Highway 2 3 7 i n F a y e t t e County changed forever when in 1997 veteran antique dealers John Sauls and Ed Gage founded Marburger Farm Antique Show on a 43-acre defunct cotton farm on the west side of Round Top. Now, thousands of visitors — including world-class designers, celebrities, and innovators like Kelly Wearstler and Liz Lambert — pilgrimage to line up for opening day. Once the cowbell rings bright and early on opening morning, it's a mad designer dash through the 11 historic small-town buildings and oversized tents filled with more than 350 vetted national and international dealers who arrange magazine- worthy vignettes of antiques, art, and vintage booths. An exciting new era has arrived for Marburger. Last year, the show, which had been helmed by the Mebus and Ferguson families for years, was acquired by a group led by Brook Partners, a Dallas-based real estate development firm that owns, operates, and founded Dallas Art A QUARTER CENTURY OF MARBURGER FARM Fair and Fashion Industry Gallery. At the time of the acquisition, Brook Partners CEO John Sughrue told PaperCity, "We intend to preserve the DNA and heritage of the Marburger experience while building on the success of the show to add layers of new opportunities." We'll be waiting on Highway 237, first in line to see what the next 25 years holds. Gates open Tuesday, March 29, at 8 am, for Tailgate Tuesday for early admission ticketholders ($40, tents open at 9 am); general admission tickets ($15) allow entry at 2 pm Tuesday, March 29, through Saturday, April 2. Marburger Farm Antiques Show, 2248 S. Texas 237, Round Top, roundtop-marburger.com. Anne Lee Phillips Kelly Wearstler at Marburger HGTV's Grace Mitchell, Jasmine Roth at Marburger The new pit room in Round Top Smokehouse JACK THOMPSON Lee Ellis 110