What is Luckenbach Penna? Where did it come from? It's a town; or is it a town? There are people that live there, well across the road from there, and nobody's nobody there for sure. So what's the deal? It's a town in name, it's a real place you can find. Some people have come and said that coming there was just what they needed. Others have come and gone never really being affected. Luckenbach Penna is a place where you can find peace, if that's what you are looking for, and sometimes you find it here even if you're not looking. From the first warm days of spring to the first snowflake, the Pavilion at Luckenbach is alive with people who come to the events, reunions, gatherings and wedding receptions that are held here each year. A few folks have even been married in Luckenbach, Penna. Luckenbach Penna was established as such in 1997 as a northern outpost and cool place to be for one of it's founders - Doug Varner. He went to Luckenbach, Texas for the first time in 1994. He and his cousin used to sing the song "Luckenbach, Texas" before they ever knew about the town. One day in 1993 Cousin Dave was traveling west to visit his uncle in Arizona. He noticed how close he was to Luckenbach, Texas and decided to stop. He ended up staying around there for a little while and then it happened...it was HUG-IN TIME at Luckenbach, Texas and Dave was there to experience it. Alright. I hear you. What the heck is a HUG-IN?? Well it's an annual event down there in Luckenbach, Texas. And when Cousin Dave got there, people were greeting each other with a hug instead of a handshake or hello, people were mannerly (mostly) and kind and were just enjoying meeting each other, eating, drinking, playing music, laughing, crying, sitting around campfires and experiencing the joy of being. Naturally, Dave talked with Doug and wanted him to go along the following year. Doug agreed. Doug had spent his life doing and being whatever he could in order to please others. In other words, he was just like a lot of us. When Doug went to the Hug-In for the first time in 1994, he experienced an acceptance based on only one thing - just plain being Doug. It was a revelation for him and something he had never experienced before. That was not only what Doug needed but something that he began to understand that other people needed as well. He and his cousin went back each year until 1996, when the camp master role was passed to Doug. In 1997 after returning from the Hug-In, Doug decided to establish Luckenbach, Penna. He had been working on a 22 acre park for fourteen years and chose to call this place Luckenbach. Still...Why? The reason why is that Doug's soon-to-be brother-in-law, Ted Frumkin, was marrying Doug's sister Jen. Now for people who know Luckenbach, Texas, Ted is dern near a fixture. So it was that, since they were now living in Pennsylvania, getting married, and having the reception at Doug's, well, it would only be appropriate that they have their reception "in Luckenbach." So that's what made it happen at that time, but the reason that we continue to call it Luckenbach is because of the spirit of Luckenbach, Texas. You would be right to say that Luckenbach, Penna is named in honor of Luckenbach, Texas. In Luckenbach, Texas, the saying goes, "Everybody is Somebody," in Luckenbach, Penna the saying goes, "Nobody's Nobody." So it is, that although they are distinct and separate places on the earth, there exists a symbiotic spirit recognizing that everyone has value, nobody should be treated like nobody and everybody should be treated as being somebody. Like I said earlier, some come and "see" nothing, some come and "see" it all. You'll know. Luckenbach is a work in progress; we'll never be done and that's OK. We are all works in progress. So what's the point? The point is to have a place where people can find other people who enjoy music, campfires, good food, and friends... where people can come and just "be." The point is for those who wish to venture, that if they wish to know real peace, they can find it here.