January 20, 2010

By a unanimous vote, members of Blanco’s governing body honored former mayor pro tem Ron Houston with a street named in his honor at the January 12 city council meeting. Blanco Avenue will be renamed Ron Houston Avenue in honor of his years of service to the community. Mayor pro tem Bobby McClung said, “Ron loved Blanco and worked with TxDOT to slow down traffic.” Council member Jim Rodrigue recalled meetings with TxDOT which he and Ron attended to work for a signal light a ...

When news of the earthquake in Haiti broke, some Blanco County residents began figuring out how we could help. They couldn’t go do urban search-and-rescue or emergency medicine, and shipping food or water from the Hill Country would be too expensive. So they looked ahead to the next need: diseases that follow disasters in places like Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

It took countless volunteers to make the Youth Show a fun and meaningful experience for the young people in Blanco County. Students, parents and other volunteers showed up for two workdays prior to the show to begin barn preparations. Rule Books for exhibitors were prepared by Martha Danz. The Awards Chairman, Keitha Johnson, ordered duffel bags, jacket certificates, and buckles for the champion exhibitors, and buyer appreciation gifts for the buyers.

Visitors to Blanco State Park will soon be able to take advantage of a new structure for wildlife viewing and enjoyment. Construction will begin in February and should be completed by the end of March. The facility is designed for viewing and photographing birds and other wildlife and will also be used as on outdoor classroom by park personnel. Mary Alice Partain, Blanco State Park Interpretive Ranger, stated the following: “This new structure will be a significant asset to the ...

Dr. Dobson said, “A young girl will seek her father’s love first at home. If she doesn’t find it, she will seek it elsewhere.” The importance of fathers and daughters having strong, healthy relationships is so needed in today’s society. The Third Annual Blanco County Father-Daughter Dance gives you an opportunity to show your “little girl” how special she is to you.

Last Wednesday, January 13, 2010, was the monthly Blanco Woman’s Club meeting, and what a meeting it was! It was held at the Blanco Library, and the themed decorations were all about travel. The roll was called, each of us answering with our favorite travel destination, real or imaginary. Program chairs gave their reports, including our community project report by Dean Myane, a report by Viki Simmons on encaustic painting (which is done with beeswax and is beautiful), and a repo ...

The American Legion Memorial Highway Post 352 Commander Michael Simon, who is also the Director of Internal Affairs for the American Legion, Department of Texas, recently attended American Legion National College in Indianapolis, Indiana. Commander Simon (second from left) is here accepting his diploma from American Legion Nation Commander Clarence Hill.

Blanco resident SGT Douglas Behrends is currently deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A 1982 graduate of Fredericksburg High School, SGT Behrends has been a member of the Texas Army National Guard for over 27 years. He has also been employed by the Texas Army National Guard for over 20 years and is based out of the Fredericksburg Armory.

The Master Gardener Association of Blanco County kicked off the new year with their January meeting at the Blanco Library. The guest speaker for this meeting was Beth Patterson, co-owner of Lavender and Old Lace at Sunrise Antique Mall in Kerrville, Texas. Beth's presentation "Gifts from the Herb Garden" provided members and guests a plethora of ideas of items that can be made at home from your herb garden as well as mail order or internet sources. The Master Gardener Association of B ...

Blanco Pioneer Museum’s steering committee met Monday, January 4 to plan the grand opening celebration of the Museum located on Pecan Street, behind the Bowling Alley. The festive occasion will take place on Saturday afternoon, February 27 with story telling, music, cowboy food and a street dance. Chuck wagons, buggies and campfires will add to the old time western ambience.

The Kendalia Neighbors Education Extension Club met Thursday, January 14. Jane James, vice president, called the meeting to order and the members recited the TEEA Creed which is the foundation for the organization. It specifies the need for a stable home through love and trust in our individual religious faiths. In the business session, Jane was elected president to fill the position held by Ellen Nicholls, who resigned the position due to family illness.

Wendy’s Red Door is a Decorative Painting teaching studio located just outside Blanco off Cox Road. Decorative Painting as defined by The Society of Decorative Painters (SDP) “...is a diverse art form that uses a variety of techniques and media to decorate functional and non-functional surfaces. Decorative painting is often done on common items we use every day, but many ...also paint on traditional art surfaces such as canvas and watercolor paper.” Dec ...

The Blanco Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to working together to improve the economic well-being of local businesses and the business community as a whole, and to improve the quality of life for all citizens of Blanco and the surrounding areas. There is a new energy surrounding the Chamber and its activities, and you don’t want to miss out! The Annual Member Banquet is scheduled for late February …more details will be released soon. Our featured speaker i ...

January 21, 2010 •The Blanco County Association of Retired Educators will meet on Thursday, January 21 at the Blanco United Methodist Church. Those retirees who have not yet joined are invited to come. See article on this page for more info. January 22, 2010 •Free Foot Clinic at Gem of the Hills; Friday, January 22 from 10:00am to 2:00pm. January 22, 2010 •Llano Uplift Chapter of Daughters o ...

In the May 5, 1906 issue of Colliers Weekly, Jack London wrote the following: “San Francisco is gone! Nothing remains of it but memories. On Wednesday morning at a quarter past five came the earthquake. A minute later the flames were leaping upward. There was no organization, no communication. The streets were humped into ridges and depressions and piled with debris of fallen walls.

As we've been reading in the news and watching on television, Haiti has been devastated by an earthquake and the world is scrambling to help them recover in the aftermath of so much devastation. I want to talk about how Jews are taught through the practice of our religion and sacred texts to be God's hands on this earth to heal humanity and Earth, but first here are a few vital details about Haiti: 1492 Christopher Columbus lands and claims the island of Hispan ...

First of the 2010 monthly series of Gospel Sings begin January 23 at Spring Branch Baptist Church, 11750 US Hwy 281 N with a group from Kerrville called the Jesus Train. Headed by Dale Friedrich, the group has sung at the convention for the South Texas Gospel Music Association and is known for it’s unique songs written by Dale. Spring Branch Baptist Church sponsored an all day Gospel Music Festival in October 2008 to celebrate the dedication of their new building on Highway 281.

I want to know Jesus. I want to see His face. I want to hear His voice. I want to thank Him, in person, for what He has done for all of us. All who want to come to Him may do so. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost. “9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.

Little Edith came home from Bible School all excited because she found out that her name was in the Bible. Her parents told her that this was not the case. She persisted saying, "the teacher read the passage that says, Jesus receives sinners and edith with them". When Jesus ate with sinners, the Pharisees and scribes grumbled.

Pro 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” This week I would like to look into the subject of vision and responsibility.

Hayward Glenn Page passed away at home Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Glenn was born in Andulisa, AL, September 17, 1933 to his parents James and Gertrude Page. Mr. Page served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a Corporal. Glenn’s favorite past time was spending time and doing things with his grandchildren, gardening, working in the yard, fishing, watching football, playing dominoes, especially train, with his friends and family.

Dear Editor, I hope fellow Blanconians can refrain from calling Charley Pemberton a “teabagger”. That is a word used to describe a [sexual act], and in this case to diminish Mr. Pemberton. I am thankful for such a man as Mr. Pemberton; for organizing “Tea Parties” for those of us who feel shut out of current politics. Polls indicate that the American people do not want government run healthcare, government takeover of banks, cars ...

The Junior Varsity girls recorded an exciting win over Harper 29-27. Mishelle Calzoncit dropped in 11 points to lead the Panthers. Raini Romero sank 8 and Susannah Campbell fired 29 points through the hoops for Blanco. Mishelle added 5 and Raini made 4. The Lady Panthers continue district play this week against Cole and next week against Randolph and Comfort. The Junior Varsity boys got the win over Harper 39-36.

Last week proved to be a tough stretch for the Lady Panthers as they lost two district match-ups. On Tuesday, January 12, the Panthers battle the Harper Lady Horns falling 48 to 53. Rallying from a 13-28 halftime deficit, the team pumped in 21 points narrowing the gap to 34-38 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

One day when I was nine or ten years old, my buddy and I came upon the opening to a long, dark “cave.” It was built of concrete and was four or five feet in diameter. It went back under a hill and curved so that we couldn’t see the other end.

M.O.D. Bake Sale Slated for Saturday January 20, 1961 A bake sale will be held Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. for the benefit of the March of Dines. The sale will be held in front of the Red and White and the IGA. Little Blanco Inn to Hold Formal Opening Friday, Saturday January 16, 1970 The Little Blanco Inn at Twin Sisters will hold it formal opening on Friday and Saturday, January 23 and 24 und ...

AUSTIN --- A proposal to add a two-story addition to the Governor’s Mansion has been abandoned by the State Preservation Board after a chorus of complaints. Board Executive Director John Sneed said the proposed addition to the 153-year-old mansion has been withdrawn from consideration. The Preservation Board was moving ahead with the expansion before the idea was greeted with a wave of protests. House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, recently objected to the 3,000-squar ...