hill country sun, july 2015

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July 2015

JULY 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN

13915 Ranch Road 12 • Wimberley, Texas 78676512-847-1100 • Open Daily 10 am-5:30 pm

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By ErniE AltgElt

For centuries, artists have decorated the surfaces of canvas, paper, stone, wood and other materials.

One of the most unique (and, possibly oldest) venues for adornment is the ubiquitous and wonderfully utilitarian gourd.

The hard outer shell of this fascinating fruit proves a perfect medium for showcasing incredible creativity pro-duced with color, carving and combustion.

Over three exciting days in welcoming New Braunfels July 31-August 2, the Texas Gourd Society will stage its 20th annual 2015 Lone Star Gourd Festival.

Here, visitors can experience (and acquire) myriad examples of this

traditional art form produced by some of the nation’s premier gourd artists.

Cultivated around the world for thousands of years, gourds played

an important part in early societies where they were prized for their many uses. After hollowing and drying, gourds were employed as water and

storage containers, cooking utensils, musical instruments

and many other practical items.

While beautiful in their natural state, it wasn’t long however

before tribal artisans began adding decoration to these domestic devices.

Over time, with the development and mastery of various techniques, the levels of sophistication of adornment

soared resulting in ex-quisite works appreciat-ed more for their esthetic appeal than function. Many modern examples of the same will be on display (and for sale) at this year’s Lone Star Gourd Festival.

The festival, and its heated five-division competition will feature the works of 100 of the most recognized gourd artists (most from Tex-as), and will abound with an incredible as-sortment of painted, sanded, burned, carved, polished and acces-sorized gourd exteriors.

More than 150 individual pieces will be vying for top honors in the multiple categories. The majority of entries will be available for purchase but will need to remain with the festival until its conclusion.

Some of these cre-ations offer representa-tions of fantastic figu-rines, eerie ceremonial-like masks, amazing animal shapes and a host of ad-ditional surprising (and, often surreal) subjects.

Others reflect the gourd’s historic

decorative heritage with intricate designs, patterns and illustrations that are reminiscent of the work produced by ancient native practitioners. See LONE STAR GOURD FEST, page 10

See gourds transformed into beautiful art

Gourd artist Rosa Semien with her unique artwork. Photo courtesy Texas Gourd Society.

Award winning gourd art by Shelia Guidry. Photo courtesy

Texas Gourd Society.

HILL COUNTRY SUN R JULY 2015 PAGE 3

The Hill Country Sun is published monthly. For advertising rates or information, call Julie Harrington at 512-484-9716 (email [email protected]). Credit cards accepted.

•Circulation: 22,000. Distributed monthly to more than 450 popular Hill Country locations (see list of towns on front cover) and home delivered to all 5,276 Wimberley homes and 8,663 Dripping Springs homes by the US Postal Service.

•Cover: Summer fun in the Texas Hill Country.Wimberley’s beloved Blue Hole. Photo by Doug Carter. Inset Photos Top righT Small town 4th of July fun in Utopia. Photo by Hattie Barham. Middle Boys swimming at Garner State Park. Photo courtesy TPWD. BoTToM lefT Fishing girl. Photo by Earl Nottingham, TPWD.

•Deadline for calendar events is the 15th of each month.Email events/releases to [email protected].

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Hill Country SUN

HENLY

Texas Hill CountryLocator Map

© 2015 by TD Austin Lane, Inc.

INDEXAustin J5

Bandera B10Bergheim D9

Bertram I2Blanco F6

Boerne D9Buchanan Dam F2

Buda J7Bulverde G10

Burnet G2Camp Verde B8

Canyon Lake G9Castroville C12

Center Point B8Clear Springs H11

Comfort C8Concan A11

Driftwood H7Dripping Springs H6

Fischer G8Fredericksburg C5

Georgetown K2Granite Shoals G2

Gruene H10Hancock G8Helotes G6

Henly G6Highland Lakes F2/3

Hondo B13Hunt A7Hye E6

Ingram B7Johnson City F5

Kendalia F8Kerrville B7

Kingsland F2Kyle I8

Lampasas G1Leakey A9Llano D2

Liberty Hill I12Luckenbach D6

Luling K10Marble Falls G3

Martindale J9Mason B2

Medina A9New Braunfels H10

Oak Hill I6Oatmeal H2

Pipe Creek C10Round Rock K3

San Antonio F12San Marcos I9

Sattler H9Seguin I11

Sisterdale D8Spring Branch F9

Startzville G9Stonewall D6

Utopia A10Vanderpool A9Wimberley H8

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FROM THE

’50s, ’60s & ’70s

On this day, azure skies glimmer and Summer Tanagers chatter high in the trees, bringing a

sense of contentment to the day. Reser-voirs are full and rivers and streams again flow within their banks, with a tropical storm in the offing.

But long-awaited rains come at a price. Human lives are lost, homes and property destroyed. Wildlife also suffers. Rising waters sweep away young birds huddled in nests among brush and trees along riverbanks, sweep away young Cliff Swallows nestled in mud homes be-neath bridges.

After the last torrential rains, one ob-server described a female monarch but-terfly as mostly gray, with some faded spots, with scales gone leaving wings that more closely resembled wax paper. Despite frailty, she survived to lay eggs.

Inclement weather aside wild crea-tures often have a tenuous existence. In early spring, a pair of Eastern Phoebes built a nest atop a gutter downspout be-neath our porch roof. Soon both parents were actively carrying insects to their four young.

Then one morning, the nest lay sham-bles, the nestlings gone. The adults per-sisted, flying up to the nest, never land-ing, seeking their young. Within a matter of days, however, they constructed a new nest atop a gutter downspout on the back of our house.

Chicks hatched and again the nest was scavenged, the babies gone. I noticed an adult removing material from the sec-

ond nest and suspect the pair is building yet a third, hopefully hidden from the sus-pected marauder, a Barred Owl often seen in the area.

Natural predators threaten the young and weak, for all living things must earn a living. Ultimately it comes down to sur-vival of the fittest. Unfortunately we hu-mans, at the top of the food chain, are not always fulfilling our role as stewards of the land. We weaken some species’ chanc-es to survive.

Honeybees and Colony Collapse Dis-order (CCD) have been discussed and studied over the past years. Fingers point to disease, parasites, varroa mites, pesti-cides, extreme weather and poor nutrition as causes for the collapse. Key to the disor-der may well center on how commercial colonies of bees live their lives.

First bees are stressed when trucked from one monocultural farm to the next. They arrive at, say, a blueberry farm where all they feed on and collect is blueberry nectar—exhausting work for, in the pro-cess, their feet collect pollen, weighing them down, requiring them to make fre-quent trips to their hives. In short order, hives are moved to another farm.

They travel the country, following the blooms: apples, cherries, almonds… , nec-taring on the flowers of glyphosate herbi-cide- and neonicotinoid-treated plants.

Each growing season, over a million bee colonies travel the country, encounter-ing bees from other hives, pollinating one crop at a time, their mono diets leaving

C.J. Wrighthill country WILDLIFE

We are but a small part of “one great unit of creation”


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them malnourished and more prone to disease. Consequently, they are treated with antibiotics to fend off bacterial infec-tions. Insecticide strips are often placed inside their hives to ward off varroa mites.

And what happens to wild honeybees living in areas surrounded by monocul-tural farms? What do they feed on when the blooms have died?

Advocates say that for honeybees to survive—be they wild or commercial—a broad diversity of flowers is needed. Wild-flowers and milkweed (for monarch but-terflies) planted on crop margins, and on land set aside for wildlife habitat is a step toward sustaining healthy bee popula-tions and reducing the need to truck hives.

Honeybees aren’t the only species gar-nering headlines because they are threat-ened. In the past 25 years, the eastern pop-ulation of monarch butterflies has suffered a 90 percent decline, its migration in dan-ger. The illegal logging at their wintering grounds has caused many monarchs to die when fewer trees expose them to winter storms. The Mexican government, howev-er, is taking action to end this logging.

Another factor in their decline con-cerns monocultural crops—corn, soybean and canola—“Roundup Ready” crops that farmers spray with glyphosate herbicides to kill weeds, including milkweed, a flow-

ering plant attractive to many butterflies and the only plant monarch larva eat. Land barren of milkweed leads to dire consequences for second-generation mon-archs when they migrate through the Mid-west in spring seeking to lay eggs, finding no milkweed to feed their next generation.

As with honeybees, monarchs also en-counter neonicotinoids, a new class of pes-ticides used not only to treat crops, but soil and seeds, and the third monarch prob-lem. Although neonicotinoid pesticides are restricted in Europe, the U.S. govern-ment has not acted.

Bats are another species suffering ma-jor losses in populations. More than 5.7 million in Eastern North America have succumbed to White-nose Syndrome (WNS) since the winter of 2006. Named for the white fungal growth found on the nos-es of infected bats (also found on wings and tail membrane), the disease kills from 90 to 100 percent of all bats living within a cave. Said to have originated in Europe and Asia where bats have, it is believed, developed immunity to the fungus, dis-ease spores probably entered a little brown bat cave near Albany, NY on the clothes or shoes of a traveler. Since first detected, WNS has spread to nearly half of the U.S. and to five Canadian provinces, and now infects six other bat species.

Because bats consume moths, beetles and mosquitoes, they are vital to a healthy ecosystem. One bat can eat a thousand mosquito-sized insects every hour making them crucial to the health of humans and forests while saving agriculture billions of dollars per year.

Even as insects are needed to pollinate plants that grow crops, birds and bats keep insect populations under control—all de-signed to keep nature in balance, all key to growing much of the food we eat.

“The world, we are told, was made espe-cially for man—a presumption not supported by all the facts... Why should man value him-self as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation?” -- John Muir, naturalist and explorer.

C.J. Wright

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Hill Country Poetry

By ErniE AltgElt

After blindness unexpectedly en-tered Bruce Hooper’s life in 1998 and turned his world “upside

down,” what the future would hold for the “high-achieving” salesman was ad-mittedly, an uncomfortable unknown.

At the time, Bruce was a respected, traveling representative for the presti-gious Spalding Sports Worldwide pro-moting golf equipment and successfully servicing retail outlets as well as private and public courses. Aside from his natu-ral gift for salesmanship, his product line perfectly reflected his past familiarity with the game of golf.

His father played and encouraged his son who, as a child and young adult, eventually excelled at the sport, especial-ly during his high school years spent at Alamo Heights. In 1962, the teenager took first place in the highly-competitive San Antonio City Junior Championship. And,

in 1963 and 1964, he comprised part of the four-man team that won “State” for his beloved campus.

By age 18, Bruce boasted a plus-2 handicap (that’s two better than a “zero” handicap) and was even offered a scholar-ship to Texas A & M. Then, for personal reasons, the young man decided to pur-sue other interests and, basically, quit playing serious golf.

However, with so much natural abili-ty and acquired knowledge of the game, it wasn’t surprising that, by the early 1970s, Bruce was once again involved with golf – this time as a teacher, club repairman and golf course manager.

As he admits, “I wasn’t driven by a passion. Golf was just something I under-stood.” It was during this time that Spald-ing discovered their future “star” sales-man signing the 32-year-old on in 1978 and heralding a career that would span 25 productive years ending only (and with

reluctance) when his sight deteriorated.It was on a sales call in Corpus Chris-

ti when Bruce noticed something was wrong with his vision. As he recalls of that pivotal day, “I remember heading to my meeting and looking up at a street sign, and all of a sudden I couldn’t read the sign.”

After a friend drove him back to San

Antonio he went to an ophthalmologist and received the news that his right eye’s central vision was gone and the left eye’s was soon to be gone. Bruce was diag-nosed with a form of macular degenera-tion, an incurable eye disease where the center of the retina degenerates.

As the illness ran its course, he was left with a small amount of peripheral vi-sion, but over the subsequent years, that has worsened as well. Eventually unable to work as an outside salesman, Bruce was fortunate to have had disability in-surance which continued to provide fi-nancial security but, the otherwise healthy 52-year-old, forced to abandon his career, was left wondering what he could do to make his life meaningful again.

After “puttering” around for an un-fulfilled year, a surprised (but skeptical) Bruce was invited by a close friend to go “play a round of golf.” While reluctant, he accepted. He knew the fundamentals wouldn’t be a problem but he would have to totally rely on his buddy for direction, yardages, wind factors and other key in-formation. Although not a great initial 18 holes, it proved to be fun and soon led to other outings.

Enter the world of blind golf. As Bruce grew more comfortable with the sightless version of the game, he became intrigued when he discovered that there were others playing with the same limita-tions he possessed – in fact, playing com-petitively in sanctioned tournaments.

Eager to pit his skills against others equally challenged, he entered his first of-ficial “blind” tournament in 2002 in Dal-las where (with his capable wife now act-ing as indispensible coach, caddy and counselor) he finished in second!

Since then, Bruce and wife Judy have gone on to win seven U.S. National Championships, three Canadian Open championships, a World Blind Golf Championship held in Tokyo, Japan and, most recently (in June of this year) the McCulloch Memorial Cup Blind Match Play Championship in Rittman, Ohio.

As further proof of his golfing prow-

World Blind Golf champion Bruce Hooper

Husband and wife team Judy and Bruce Hooper on the golf course. All photos courtesy Judy and Bruce Hooper.

See BRUCE HOOPER, page 10


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Ernie LeeHill Country Poetry

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MODERN ORTHODONTICS FROM FRIENDLY PEOPLE.

Spring has lingered in the Hill Country this year. Lots of rain

brought both blessings and tragedy. Our hearts go out to those who have been affected. We still have those cool evenings and balmy breezes. By the time you read this, we may well be into those dog days of summer. Fire-flies have been abundant this year, as have the wild flowers.

John Pickett of Wood-creek, contributed the poem I want to share with you. He is a retired regis-tered nurse with nursing and human resources de-grees. John has written for the last 50 years. His other interests are gardening and fishing. His poem is entitled “Late Spring.”

If you are like me, you love to sit out in the eve-ning and listen to the sounds of the night. What a pleasure it is to sit with loved ones and just breathe the night air as the sun goes down. All of the blessings of those times are reflected in this feel-good poem.

I find it interesting how John interspersed the rhymes into the poem. This poem is a form of free verse that uses some rhyme sometimes. Free verse is normally defined as a poem that does not rhyme or have meter, and blank verse usually has not rhyme but does have meter or rhythm.

In this example, John is writing with-out rhythm, but in a nod to rhyming tra-ditionalists (such as myself) he loops us in with just enough rhyme to be satisfying. Well done, John.

Thank you all for continuing to read the Bard of the Blanco column. Please keep it up, and continue to contribute your poems.

The Bard recently returned from a tour of the Northwestern states of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana. What an inspiring place to visit.

The Bard also appeared at the Drip-ping Springs Library in May with Tony Blisard and Doyle Fellers. We had a great time. Come out to a reading and share your poetry with us.

Our subject next time will be Summer (in the Hill Country, of course). You can write about almost anything—the heat, a

cold swim, or just being alive in our great outdoors. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Send your poems to Ernie Lee at [email protected].

I’ll read each one, and print the one we liked best. We’ll talk about why and how the poem worked. We’ll discuss the devices the poet used, such as simile or metaphor.

Don’t be shy. You will be surprised how many people are already writing things down and keeping them hidden. What a tragedy – you never know when something you write may touch someone else.

Thank you for participating in this column. If you are a published or prac-ticed poet, you can reach out and share your work with us. Give us some insight into your poem. How, why, and what method you chose to express your work.

I’m pleased and honored to be your host and facilitator.

So, until next time, happy writing. I’ll be waiting to read YOU!

Late Spring

Cold still lingers as the days grow longBlushing buds begin to swell

Song birds begin to sing as wellStains of green begin to show and early

spring flowers begin to growCrickets are calling for warm spring rain

building nests and seeking mateshoping spring will not be late

Then spring time comes with morning brightBlushing roses...what a sight

Sweet songs and merriment with feathered flight

Flashes of color in warm sunlightOn aster wings each seeks a mate

Using old grass and twigs they build a nestA moment is taken to sit and restThen cracking eggs reveal new life

Hunger mouths must be fedA long hard day then time for bed

Feathers grow and colors turn. The fledgingmove about...It is time to learn

On wings of wind each must tryOn a summer day each will fly

— John Pickett


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By CollEEn Brooks

Just 85 miles west of San An-tonio lies a unique, small town with beautifully pre-

served, old-time charm. With a population of approximately 18,000, Uvalde is a popular spot among tourists, shoppers, and even hunters. Its down-town square is located where two of the longest highways in the United States intersect. Highway 90 and Highway 83 create the four squares of this charming and historically pre-served downtown.

Olivia Rish, Uvalde Cham-ber of Commerce Executive Director explains, “In our small town, the Uvalde history is very much preserved and represented everywhere you go, beginning downtown, with the Janey Slaughter Bris-coe Grand Opera House. Our stores surround the Opera House and line downtown in their classically preserved 1920’s elegance.”

Four years ago, Uvalde’s downtown merchants began hosting a unique, monthly event they named Four Square Friday. Merchants stay open late on Four Square Friday from 6 pM to 9 pM so visitors can enjoy shopping, com-plimentary cocktails, light refreshments, music and art. In the fall, holiday music accompanies shoppers as they stroll through this historic district. Occasion-ally, a runway show is part of the fun.

Uvalde’s shops are diverse, offering a little something for everyone at the free community event. Olivia explains, “Out of town guests can enjoy shops which vary from some of the best in ur-ban to upscale modern clothing bou-

tiques to rustic and refurbished antiques, modern and western furniture stores, jewelry stores, handbags, gifts and much more.”

This diversity is reflected even in the refreshments. “Merchants offer a variety of complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages ranging from the classic sweets, champagne and wine, to cold draft beers and nachos,” Olivia adds.

Uvalde is also a popular hunting destination, due to abundant exotic and

Four Square fun in historic Uvalde

Musicians play as visitors stop to talk and sip at Four Square Friday. Photo courtesy Four Square Friday.

Sweet offerings at Four Square Friday. Photo courtesy Olivia Rish.

Downtown Uvalde in the 1920s. Photo courtesy Olivia Rish.

See FOUR SQUARE FRIDAY, page 9



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native wildlife. Hunting is a year-round activity and a large selection of hunting gear is available in local shops.

“Being that Uvalde is home to some of the best hunting Texas can offer, visi-tors come to Uvalde seasonally... hunting apparel and jewelry has grown in popu-larity among both men and women,” says Olivia. “Uvalde has just what every outdoors-woman needs.”

If that hunting “must-have” is a bling-y adornment (such as a shot-gun shell bracelet) Uvalde’s got you covered. Merchants also offer seasonal hunting bling, which is very popular. Olivia laughs, “Oh, the ladies love it, they love

to shoot their shotguns with their bling on their wrist.”

At a time when there are fewer tradi-tional downtowns in America, Uvalde is proud of theirs. Olivia smiles, “Uvalde offers a historic downtown whose mer-chants have a big place in the hearts of Uvaldeans. Each shop has something unique for every visitor to take back home with them.”

FYI • Four Square Friday is the second Friday of each month from 6 pm to 9 pm, year-round in downtown Uvalde at the intersection of Highways 90 and 83. Upcom-ing Four Square Fridays are July 10 and August 14, 2015. For more information, call 800-588-2533 or visit the web sites at www.visituvalde.com or www.uvalde.org.

The Hill Country’s own Hot Texas Swing Band has just released their newest CD, “Ain’t Dead Yet.” The group will celebrate

with CD release parties at Gruene Hall on Sat-urday, July 18 from 1 pM to 5 pM and at Austin Beer Garden Brewing (ABGB) on Sunday, July 19 from 4 pM to 7 pM. They will be featured guests on Fox 7 TV’s Good Day Austin show Thursday, July 16.

“Ain’t Dead Yet” includes 13 tracks of Texas dance hall, western swing, Latin and rockabilly music. Band leader Alex Dormont (Academy of Western Artist’s 2012 Male Vocalist of the Year and author of AWA’s 2012 Western Swing Song of the Year) wrote seven songs on the CD; two were written by the late Johnny Gimble, a friend and mentor to Alex and the person to whom the the CD is dedicated.

“I am very proud of this CD and believe it captures the hard-driving energy that the Hot Texas Swing Band delivers at live performances,” Alex says. Musicians featured on “Ain’t Dead Yet” include Alex, upright bass and vocals; Selena Rosanbalm, vocals; Karen Biller, drums; Cat Clemons, guitar; Erik Hokkanen, fiddle; Scott Benner, tenor sax; Jimmy Shortell, trumpet and Denny Mathis, steel guitar.

The Hot Texas Swing Band’s first CD (self-titled), released in 2012, was a Top Five Finalist for Album of the Year and Song of the Year and the band was named a Top Five finalist for Group of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists Their second CD, ‘Bout Time, released in 2013, included “Way Too Soon” which was named AWA’s Western Swing Song of the Year. The band was also recognized as a Top 10 Jazz Band for three years in a row by the Austin Chronicle Reader’s Poll.

“Ain’t Dead Yet” was recorded at The Zone recording studio in Dripping Springs and will be sold at Waterloo Records in Austin, Lone Star Record’s Superfly Store in San Marcos, and online at www.HotTexasSwingBand and on iTunes and Amazon.com.

FYI • For more information, visit the Hot Texas Swing Band web site at www.HotTexasSwingBand.com.

FOUR SQUARE FRIDAY, from page 8

Hot Texas Swing Bandcelebrates CD release

Photo courtesy Hot Texas Swing Band.



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Where uniqueness and individuality abound how-ever, two commonalities do exist in all the works on dis-play – the incredible techni-cal skill required coupled with a high degree of imagi-nation.

As C. C. Rice, secretary for the Texas Gourd Society, states, “Last year was a great show. Many who attended had never seen this type of art before. Everyone was just blown away by the over-whelming talent, creativity and expertise encountered. It truly needs to be seen to be believed.” And, with a smile she adds, “Since gourds are so prolific in the Texas Hill Country, maybe this year’s festival will inspire a new generation of artists.”

Most importantly for the veteran gourd enthusiast and first-timer alike, attend-ees will have a chance to mix and mingle with all of the participating artists, each eager to show-case (and sell) their amazing works while happily discussing in detail, the intrica-cies that comprise their unique art form.

Many of these accomplished “gourdists” will even be conducting fas-cinating (and free) “live” demonstrations and hosting classes where invaluable techniques and tips will be gladly shared.

Supporting vendors will also be of-fering large selections of raw gourds, es-sential tools and gourd embellishments necessary for the successful practice of this special expression of creativity.

There will even be a “Kids’ Corner” where youngsters can try their hand a gourd art.

Attendees also have the chance to ac-quire valuable prizes through multiple free drawings and an exciting raffle.

Throughout this fun and educational event (there will even be live music), as C.C. stresses, “Interaction on all levels will be paramount.”

FYI • The 2015 Lone Star Gourd Festival will be held in the very accommodating, spacious and comfortable New Braunfels Convention Center.

The very family-friendly event runs from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2. Hours are Friday and Satur-day from 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday, from 9 am to 3 pm. Admis-sion is $5 for adults and free for children 17-years-old or younger accompanied by an adult. Parking is plentiful and free. Snacks and beverages will be available. The Conven-tion Center is located at 375 South Castell Avenue in New Braunfels.

For more information about the 2015 Lone Star Gourd Festival including entry requirements for the various compe-titions, call 409-945-2892 or visit the Texas Gourd Society’s web site at www.texasgourdsociety.org. The Texas Gourd Society is a 501c3 charitable organization.

LONE STAR GOURD FEST, from page 2

ess beyond the blind-only competitions, in 2010, 11-handicapped Bruce (and Coach Judy) even bested some very se-rious “sighted” players by winning the consolation round of the San Antonio City Senior Match Play Championship – wow!

When not honing his skills on the links, Bruce and Judy proudly serve as board members for San Antonio’s very worthwhile Lighthouse for the Blind.

He is also a co-founder of American Blind Golf, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the sport, and serves on the PGA of America’s Disabled Golf Committee.

With continued unflagging energy, he also enjoys (and is available for) mo-tivational speaking, handles the house-hold cooking and even dabbles in art.

While obviously wishing he was still sighted, the now 66-year-old Bruce freely admits that blindness coupled with golf have surprisingly allowed him to experi-

ence, achieve and contribute in ways he never would have before, and, “that’s been a joyful eye-opener.” Fore!

Gourd artist Vickie Echols and her amazing gourd art. Photo courtesy Texas Gourd Society.

BRUCE HOPPER, from page 6

Judy and Bruce Hooper.Photo courtesy Judy and Bruce Hooper.

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Hill country calendar

H Lone Star HGourd Festival

July 31 - August 2Opens daily at 9 am • $5 Admission

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Historically used as functional vessels for food & water, artists get creative with this organic canvas at the largest gourd gathering in the state!

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NOTE: Dates or locations for the events listed in the Calendar may change. Some require admission fees or reservations. Please call ahead to confirm information.EVERY DAYGRUENE: Live music at Gruene Hall. Free music shows Monday through Thursday nights, Saturday and Sunday afternoons. www.gruenehall.com.EVERY SUNDAYBEE CAVE: Thundering Paws Pet Adop-tion Event. Noon to 4 pM at PetSmart, 12812 Shops Parkway #400. [email protected], 512-402-9725.SECOND SUNDAYBANDERA: Cowboy Camp. Live cowboy music at Frontier Times Museum. Free. 1 pM to 5 pM. 830-328-0321.JOHNSON CITY: Taste Wine + Art. Rock-in’ gospel to Latin music at the Kirchman Gallery. 830-868-9290.EVERY MONDAYCANYON LAKE: Seniors Bingo. 12:30 pM at Habitat for Safe Seniors, 2174 Old Road, Startzville. 830-899-2256.CYPRESS MILL: The Bunkhouse Gang at Wenmohs Ranch. Paint and enjoy fellow-ship of other artists. 830-825-3465.WIMBERLEY: Hill Country Community Band Meets. First Baptist Church. 512-858-7960.EVERY TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAYWIMBERLEY: A premier hand blown glass lighting and art glass studio since 1992, Wimberley Glassworks hosts glass blowing demonstrations for travelers and art glass enthusiasts from around the world. wgw.com, 512-213-2110.FIRST TUESDAYSBANDERA: Cowboy Capital Opry. Silver Sage Senior Center. 830-796-4969.SECOND TUESDAYSWIMBERLEY: Art Society of Wimberley (ASW) Meeting. 6:30 pM at the Art Room, 100 Melody Way, Suite H. Please email [email protected] for more informa-tion.THIRD TUESDAYSNEW BRAUNFELS: Country Music. Knights of Columbus. 830-629-4547.LEANDER: Low Cost Pet Spay, Neuter and Vaccination. 512-260-3602, ext. 101.EVERY WEDNESDAYDRIPPING SPRINGS: Farmers Market. 3 pM to 7 pM at Highway 290 and Ranch Road 12. March to December, rain or shine. www.cityofdrippingsprings.com.WIMBERLEY: Farmers’ Market. Senior Citizen’s Activity Center on Ranch Road 12. 512-264-1637.THIRD WEDNESDAYSDRIPPING SPRINGS: Cook Off Club. 6:30 pM. VFW Hall. Email [email protected] for more information.FOURTH WEDNESDAYSWIMBERLEY: Hill Country Neighbors. 10:30 am at the Wimberley Community Center. 512-847-2849.EVERY WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAYWIMBERLEY: Live music at Cypress Creek Cafe. Check listings at www.cy-presscreekcafe.comEVERY THURSDAYDRIPPING SPRINGS: Coffee House with Light Dinners, Desserts and Open Mic. Hours are 6 pM to 9 pM. Thyme and Dough. 512-894-0001.

DRIPPING SPRINGS: Thursdays with Doug Moreland and Flying Armadillos. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com.DRIPPING SPRINGS: Live Music at Smoke ‘N Hops. smokenhops.com.FIRST THURSDAYDRIPPING SPRINGS: First Thursday. Participating businesses offer special events, food and music plus sale items. 5 pM to 9 pM. www.drippingspringstx.org.FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAYCANYON LAKE: Noon Lions meet at Canyon Lake Golf Club. 830-899-4406.SECOND THURSDAYWIMBERLEY: Hill Country Bead Society. Meeting. Wimberley Community Center. 1 pM. Marilyn Pierce at [email protected] THURSDAYWIMBERLEY: Susanna’s Kitchen Coffee-house presents some of the best in the Hill Country’s musical talent. For listing of performers, visit the web site at www.wimberleyumc.org.EVERY THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Live Music at Linda’s Fine Foods. Delicious food, beautiful music at 500 Farm Market 2325. 512-847-5464. www.facebook.com/LindasFineFoods.EVERY FRIDAYBLANCO: Tasting Room Open and Brew-ery Tours at Real Ale Brewing Company. www.realalebrewing.com.GRUENE: Friday Afternoon Club at Gru-ene Hall. Broadcast live KNBT-92.1 FM Radio. 4 pM to 7 pM. 830-629-5077.WIMBERLEY: Bingo. VFW Hall on Jacobs Well Road. 512-847-6441.WIMBERLEY: Celebrate Recovery. First Baptist Church Youth Building. 7 pM to 9 pM, with pizza at 6:30 pM. 512-847-9035.SECOND FRIDAYCASTROVILLE: Friday Night Fever. Cars, trucks, bikes, food, shopping. 6 pM to 10 pM. Lundquist Automotive. www.castroville.com, 830-931-2479.UVALDE: Four Square Friday Enjoy late night shopping, food, live music and art at the event named for town’s original de-sign with four town squares. 6 pM to 9 pM. Downtown. www.visituvalde.com.WIMBERLEY: Wimberley Community Civic Club Meeting. (September through November, January through May) 11 aM at Chapel in the Hills, 14601 Ranch Road 12. Milly Maxey at [email protected] or Aurora LeBrun at 512-847-3595.THIRD FRIDAYWIMBERLEY: Wimberley Parkinson As-sociation Meets at Chapel in the Hills Community Church. Speakers on subjects pertaining to Parkinson, members share happenings. 11 aM at 14601 Ranch Road 12. Call Gae Koen at 512-847-7953.FOURTH FRIDAYBANDERA: Fourth Friday Jam. At the Silver Sage Corral starting at 6:30 pM. Call 830-796-4969 for information.EVERY FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAYFREDERICKSBURG: Rockbox Theater. Variety, music, and rock ‘n roll show, great family fun. 866-349-6688.EVERY SATURDAYAUSTIN: Austin Farmers Market. Repub-lic Square. 512-236-0074.AUSTIN: Sunset Valley Farmers Market. Barton Creek Mall. 512-280-1976.

BANDERA: Flying L Ranch Chuck Wag-on Dinner. Barbecue, wagon rides, rop-ing lessons, branding, and more. Details at www.flyingl.com.COMFORT: Area Farmer’s Market. 8 aM to 1 pM. Comfort Park, Highway 27.DRIPPING SPRINGS: Texas Music and Wine. www.solaroestate.com.FISCHER: Jackson Open Air Market. Hours are 9 aM to 5 pM. 6341 Farm Market 32. 830-935-2781. NEW BRAUNFELS: Canyon Trail Chuckwagon Supper and Cowboy Mu-sic Show. 830-626-8200, 888-408-7245.EVERY SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Tour Jacob’s Well. Hear stories about floods, divers, experience beauty of spring that started the town. 10 aM. www.jacobswellspring.org.WIMBERLEY: Arnosky Family Farms Market. Flowers, fresh veggies, cheeses, more. Ranch Road 2325, Highway 165. 830-833-5428.WIMBERLEY: Saturday Evening Din-ners at the Blair House Inn. www.blair-houseinn.com.UTOPIA: Lunch and Dinner Served at the Laurel Tree. A special dining experi-ence. www.utopiagourmet.com.FIRST SATURDAYBANDERA: Market Days. Courthouse Square. 830-796-4447.BANDERA: First Saturday Book Sale.

Public Library. 830-796-4213.DRIFTWOOD: Driftwood Community Club meets to enhance community spirit. Dinner at 7 pM. www.driftwoodtx.org 512-829-5101WIMBERLEY: Market Days. (March through December). 475-plus booths, free admission. 7 aM to 4 pM. www.shop-marketdays.com.SECOND SATURDAYCASTROVILLE: Market Trail Days. Hous-ton Square. 830-539-2316.WIMBERLEY: Second Saturday Gallery


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Trail. 15 galleries around Square open late offering art, wine, appetizers. Facebook.com/SecondSaturdayGalleryTrailSECOND AND FOURTH SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Toastmasters Club, learn public speaking and leadership skills. 10:30 aM at the Wimberley Village Library. 512-913-4804 for information.THIRD SATURDAYMARBLE FALLS: Bluegrass, Country and Western, and Gospel. 6 pM to 10 pM. Boys and Girls Club. 830-898-1784.EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAYROUND MOUNTAIN: Tours at Westcave Preserve. www.westcave.org.SECOND SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AUSTIN: Tours of Bright Leaf Natural Area. www.brightleaf.org.FOURTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAYJohnson City: Market Days. Food, arti-sans, vendors and more. 830-868-7684, JohnsonCityTexasChamber.com.JULY 1 - JANUARY 16, 2015 AUSTIN: “Ladies and Gentlemen ...The Beatles.” Traveling exhibit explores Bea-tles’ impact on American pop culture, including fashion, art, advertising, media and music from 1964-66, when the British boy band was at its peak. LBJ Presidential Library. www.lbjlibrary.org.JULY 1-3SAN MARCOS: “Homegrown: Austin Music Posters, 1967 to 1982.” Poster art-ists in the late 1960s, ’70s and ’80s visually evoked the sound and defined the culture of Austin just as the city was establish-ing itself as one of the most vital music

scenes in the country. More than 125 vin-tage pieces from the Wittliff Collections’ poster archives document history and testify to artists’ mastery of the poster form using hand drawings and creative print techniques. www.thewittliffcollec-tions.txstate.edu. JULY 1-4WIMBERLEY: “The Wizard of Oz.” EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens. www.emilyann.org, 512-847-6969.WIMBERLEY: 70th Annual VFW Rodeo. Offers live entertainment and nightly rodeo action including bull riding, tie-down calf roping, bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, women’s breakaway roping, women’s barrel rac-ing, calf scrambles and mutton bustin’. Fireworks light up the sky on July 4. Wimberley Valley Veterans Park. www.texasvfw.net, 512-847-6441.JULY 1-6 AUSTIN: “Alice’s Adventures in Won-derland.” Featuring more than 200 items, exhibition also highlights holdings relat-ed to Lewis Carroll and his Alice stories, including letters, hand drawn illustra-tions and photographs. Harry Ransom Center. www.hrc.utexas.edu.victims. JULY 1 - SEPTEMBER 6 AUSTIN: “Impressionism and the Car-ibbean: Francisco Oller and His Transat-lantic World.” Blanton Museum of Art. www.blantonmuseum.org.JULY 2-4WIMBERLEY: 70th Annual VFW Rodeo. Offers live entertainment and nightly rodeo action including bull riding, tie-down calf roping, bareback bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, women’s breakaway roping, women’s barrel rac-ing, calf scrambles and mutton bustin’. Fireworks light up the sky on July 4. Wimberley Valley Veterans Park.www.texasvfw.net, 512-847-6441.JULY 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 HUTTO: Co-op Market Nights. Market in the downtown historic district fea-tures locally grown produce, handmade arts and crafts, homemade baked goods, soaps, canned goods and entertainment. Hutto Co-op Gin. www.visithutto.com. JULY 2-19AUSTIN: Austin Chamber Music Festi-val. Various venues. www.austincham-bermusic.org.JULY 2-26 KERRVILLE: American Plains Artists’ Award Show. Kerr Arts and Cultural Center. www.kacckerrville.com.JULY 3-4 BRADY: July Jubilee. Parade, mud vol-leyball tournament, barbecue luncheon, fireworks and an old-fashioned street dance on the historic downtown court-house square. www.bradytx.com.JULY 3, 4, 5JOHNSON CITY: The Sculpture Ranch and Galleries. Galleries filled with art-work and a hundred large-scale outdoor sculptures. Free admission. 10 aM to 6 pM the first weekend of each month and by appointment. www.SculptureRanch.com, 830-868-5244.KINGSLAND: Aquaboom Fourth of July

Celebration The largest Fourth of July Celebration in the Highland Lakes in-cludes parades on land and in the water, a remote-control aircraft show, cook-offs, a classic car show, art and crafts, food, a golf tournament, horseshoes and washers tournaments, a poker run, street dance, water activities and fireworks. Kingsland Chamber Grounds. www.kingsland-chamber.org.JULY 3-19AUSTIN: Austin Chamber Music Cen-ter’s 19th Annual Music Festival. austin-chambermusic.secure.force.com/ticket.JULY 3DRIPPING SPRINGS: Tejas Brothers and Silo Road. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com. FREDERICKSBURG: First Friday Art Walk. Fine art galleries offer special ex-hibits, demonstrations, refreshments and extended viewing hours the first Friday of every month. www.ffawf.com.WIMBERLEY: Independence Day Parade. Hometown community celebration along Ranch Road 12 begins at 10 aM. www.wimberley.org. 512-847-2201.JULY 4AUSTIN: Symphony and Fireworks. Free fireworks show and performance by the Austin Symphony at Auditorium Shores, 950 West Riverside Drive. www.road-wayevents.com. BANDERA: Market Day. Features local arts and crafts. Courthouse Lawn. www.banderatexasbusiness.com/market-days.BANDERA: Pet Parade. Enter anything that you can lead, ride or carry—even if you don’t have a pet, you are welcome to dress up as one! Event includes costume judging at 10 aM before the parade begins at 10:30 aM. Bandera City Park, 1102 Ma-ple Street. 830-796-3045.BRADY: July Jubilee. Parade, mud vol-leyball tournament, barbecue, fireworks and an old-fashioned street dance on the historic downtown courthouse square. www.bradytx.com.DRIPPING SPRINGS: Fourth of July Fire in the Sky at Dripping Springs Ranch Park. www.drippingspringstx.org, 512-858-4740.JOHNSON CITY: July 4 Spangle Dangle Parade and Celebration. Begins at 10 aM with a parade around the courthouse. washer pitching and other activities. The day ends with fireworks at dusk. Blanco County Fairgrounds. www.spangledan-gle.com.KERRVILLE: Hill Country Auto Clubs Open Car Show. Cars, food and live mu-sic at Kerr County Courthouse, 700 Main St. 10 aM to 4 pM. www.hillcountryauto-mobileclub.comKYLE: July 4 Independence Day Celebra-tion. Includes golf tournament, live mu-sic, family activities and a large fireworks show. www.kylepard.com, 512-262-3939.LAGO VISTA: Fourth of July Firecracker Race, Parade and Fireworks. Race and fun run, parade and full day of family fun on the shores of Lake Travis. Enjoy food, live music, arts and crafts, family games, tal-ent-show finals and fireworks at the end of the day. Bar K Recreational Park. www.lagovistajuly4.org.


Hill country calendar

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LEAKEY: SA Lights, a Journey Tribute Band. Live music at Buckhorn Bar and Grill. www.thebuckhornbargrill.com.LEAKEY: July Jubilee and Rodeo. In-cludes a patriotic parade at 10 aM., arts and crafts, food vendors, rodeo events Fri-day and Saturday, and a street dance Sat-urday night. Courthouse Square. www.friocanyonchamber.com, 830-232-5222.MARBLE FALLS: Community Fireworks Display at Lakeside Park. www.ci.marble-falls.tx.us, 830-693-2815.NEW BRAUNFELS: Fourth of July Cel-ebration. Includes a parade at 9:15 aM and fireworks at Landa Park at 9:45 pM. www.innewbraunfels.com.STONEWALL: All-American Chili Cook-Off. Groups of 70 world-class cooks com-pete in this CASI-sanctioned event to win qualifying points toward the Terlingua International Chili Championship. Becker Vineyards. www.beckervineyards.com.STONEWALL: July 4 at the Sauer-Beck-mann Living History Farm. Experience how German pioneers celebrated Inde-pendence Day in 1915. Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/lyndon-b-john-son.UTOPIA: Independence Day Parade and Fireworks. Parade starts at 3 pM and fire-works begin at dark. Utopia City Park. WIMBERLEY: Wimberley Lions Market Day. Stroll along a shaded path to more than 475 booths filled with a wide vari-ety of arts, crafts, antiques, clothing and more. Wimberley Lions. www.ShopMar-ketDays.com, 512-847-2201.JULY 4-5 FREDERICKSBURG: Pacific Combat Liv-ing History Program. See demonstration of WWII weaponry, clothing, training and tactics of U.S. and Japanese military com-plete with tank and flame thrower. Na-tional Museum of the Pacific War Combat Zone. www.pacificwarmuseum.org.JULY 4-5, 18-19 FREDERICKSBURG: Live Pari-Mutuel Horse Racing. Watch live quarter horse and thoroughbred races. Gillespie Coun-ty Fairgrounds on Texas 16 South. www.gillespiefair.com.JULY 4, 11, 18, 25 BANDERA: Flying L Ranch Chuck Wagon Dinner Includes barbecue, wagon rides, roping lessons, hat and pistol branding, archery, old-fashioned photos, a cowboy stage show, gunslingers, line dancing and more. www.flyingl.com.JULY 6-12 LAMPASAS: Spring Ho Festival. Includes a carnival, contests, kiddie fishing derby, a pet parade, arts-and-crafts vendors, dia-per derby, barbecue cook-off, dance on the square, 10K and 1-mile runs, the Spring Ho Grand Parade, washer and horseshoe pitching, live music and more. Various lo-cations. www.springho.com.JULY 7BANDERA: Cowboy Capital Opry. Grand Old Opry-style entertainment hosted by Gerry and Harriet Payne. Silver Sage Community Center, 803 Buck Creek. www.silversagecorral.org.JULY 7 , 21BOERNE: Abendkonzerte. Listen to tradi-

tional German music and tales from Bo-erne’s historic past from the Boerne Vil-lage Band. Main Plaza. www.boerne-tx.gov/parks.JULY 9-11 MASON: 51st Annual Mason County Rodeo and Roundup Weekend. 325-347-5758. JULY 9, 16, 23 AUSTIN: Nature Nights. Free, fun explo-rations of plants, animals and the ecology of Central Texas. Enjoy hikes, talks and hands-on learning at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. wildflower.org. JULY 10 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Tracie Lynn. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com. UVALDE: Four Square Friday. Enjoy late night shopping, food, live music and art at this monthly event named for the town’s original design with four town squares. Downtown. www.visituvalde.com.JULY 10-AUGUST 2 WIMBERLEY: “Catch Me If You Can.” Presented by The Wimberley Players. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pM and Sundays at 2:30 pM. Wimberley Playhouse, 450 Old Kyle Road. www.wimberleyplayers.org.JULY 11 BOERNE: Second Saturday Art and Wine. Enjoy complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres with fantastic art in local gal-leries. Various locations. www.boerne-tx.gov/parks.DRIPPING SPRINGS: Stephen Chad-wick. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com.KYLE: Kyle Market Days Features local

vendors, arts and crafts, farm-to-market items, and live music. City Square Park. www.kylepard.com.WIMBERLEY: Second Saturday Gallery Trail. More than a dozen galleries offer wine, snacks and art displays from 4 pM to 7 pM. Wimberley Square. www.wim-berleyarts.org.JULY 11-12 BOERNE: Market Days. Hundreds of festive booths display everything from collectibles and nostalgia to modern in-novations, food and live entertainment. Main Plaza. www.boernemarketdays.com.JULY 12BANDERA: Frontier Times Museum Cowboy Camp. Enjoy traditional cow-boy music, or bring your own guitar and join in the song circle. Frontier Times Museum, 510 13th Street. www.frontier-timesmuseum.org.BOERNE: Moondance Concert. Music under the oak trees and stars at the Cibo-lo Nature Center. www.cibolo.org.JOHNSON CITY: Art, Wine and Live Music. Tour local galleries on the last Sat-urday of each month from 4 pm to 8 pm. Taste Wine + Art Gallery. www.tastewi-neart.com.KERRVILLE: Second Sunday Summer Serenade. Free concert on banks of the Guadalupe, features Dimensions in Blue, the U.S. Air Force Band of the West. Bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets. Free lemonade, water available. 7:30 pM. Louise Hays Park, 202 Thompson Drive. www.comerica.com.

JULY 12-14 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Hill Country Cut-ting Horse Show. www.drippingspring-sranchpark.com.JULY 16AUSTIN: Third Thursday at the Blanton Museum of Art. Free day of art and activi-ties features yoga in the galleries, tours, a film screening, happy hour specials and more. www.blantonmuseum.org.WIMBERLEY: Susanna’s Kitchen Cof-feehouse presents Shake Russell and Mi-chael Hearne. Doors open 7 pM; music at 7:30 pM. Free child care by prior arrange-ment. Tamales, pie, pizza, coffee, soft drinks. Wimberley United Methodist Church, corner Ranch Road 12 and Coun-ty Road 1492. www.wimberleyumc.org, 512-722-3316. JULY 17 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Omar and the Howl-

WIMBERLEY PLAYERSPRESENT

WWW.WIMBERLEYPLAYERS.ORG BOX OFFICE 512-847-0575The Wimberley Playhouse

450 Old Kyle Rd.

Licenses and Scripts for all shows in the Wimberley Players 2015 Season generously underwritten by an anonymous donor.

July 10 - August 2 PLUS Preview Performance

Benefitting Flood Relief July 9FRI. & SAT. 7:30 PM SUNDAY 2:30 PM

Directed by Tyler KingProduced by Lynn & Allen Adelson

Executive Producer Adam Witko

Book by TERRENCE MCNALLYMusic by SCOTT WITTMAN &

MARC SHAIMAN

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance

materials are also supplied by MIT.

Based on the DreamWorks Motion Picture

Huge Musical based on an incredible true story!

Actors Kathryn Land and Michael Wheeler


HILL COUNTRY CALENDAR

ers. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com.JULY 17-18 MARBLE FALLS: Marble Falls Rodeo In-cludes rodeo events, a downtown parade and dance. Charles Taylor Arena. www.marblefalls.org.TAYLOR: TRA Rodeo Includes adult and children’s rodeo events and a dance af-terward. East Williamson County Event Center. www.taylorrodeo.com.JULY 17-19 FREDERICKSBURG: Fredericksburg Trade Days. Shop more than 350 vendors in six barns, acres of antiques, a biergar-ten, live music and more. Seven miles east of town off U.S. Highway 290. www.fbgtradedays.com.JULY 18 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Michael Myers. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com. FREDERICKSBURG: Night in Old Fred-ericksburg. Original celebration of Ger-man Heritage includes live music, food and other vendors. Gillespie County Fairgrounds. www.gillespiefair.com.JULY 18-19 AUSTIN: Citywide Garage Sale. Palmer Events Center. www.cwgs.com.GRUENE: Old Gruene Market Days Nearly 100 vendors offer uniquely craft-ed items and packaged Texas foods. 10 aM to 5 pM, Gruene Historic District. www.gruenemarketdays.com.JULY 24 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Bobby Mack. www.mercers t reetdancehal l . com. PFLUGERVILLE: Pflugerville’s 50th An-niversary Birthday Party. City celebrates

50 years since its incorporation with live music, historical display, car show and a giant birthday cake. Pfluger Park. www.pflugervilletx.gov/pfifty.JULY 24-26 FREDERICKSBURG: Hill Country Auto Swap Meet. Swap, car corral and flea mar-ket hosted by the Fredericksburg Vintage Car Club. Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. www.fredericksburgcarclub.com.JUNCTION: Disc Golf Sizzler Tourna-ment. 100 teams participate in this PDGA disc golf tournament on course along Llano River. Junction County Park. www.junctiontexas.com.JULY 25BANDERA: National Day of the Ameri-can Cowboy. Watch real cowboys from South Texas ranches compete in events that showcases teamwork and skills used every day on the ranch in the even-ing. Also includes a horse race in the af-ternoon and other events at the Frontier Times Museum. Mansfield Park. www.frontiertimesmuseum.org. BURNET: Burnet Summer Concert Music Series. Enjoy of a great evening of mu-sic by Whiskey Myers in the Texas Hill Country. www.cityofburnet.com.FREDERICKSBURG: Roots Music Con-cert. Bring a chair. Pioneer Museum. www.pioneermuseum.net.LEAKEY: Aaron Einhouse. Live music. www.thebuckhornbargrill.com.JULY 25 DRIPPING SPRINGS: Cornell Hurd Band. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com.JOHNSON CITY: Art Walk in Johnson

City. Tour local galleries on the last Sat-urday of each month from 4 pm to 8 pm. Various locations on Main and Nugent streets. www.lbjcountry.com.KERRVILLE: UGRS River Clean Up. Community event to remove trash from the Guadalupe River and raise awareness about the problem of litter in the commu-nity. Flat Rock Lake Park, 3840 Riverside Drive, 830-896-5445. www.ugra.org/an-nualrivercleanup.html.JULY 25-26 JOHNSON CITY: Market Days. En-joy food, artisans and other vendors in the heart of Texas Wine Country on the fourth weekend of each month. 10 aM to 5 pM Saturday and 10 aM to 4 pM Sunday. Memorial Park. www.lbjcountry.com.JULY 26 AUSTIN: Lady Bird Tribute Day. En-joy the gardens, art exhibits and special displays commemorates the date when President Johnson gave Lady Bird John-son the pens from environmentally relat-ed legislation. Lady Bird Johnson Wild-flower Center. www.wildflower.org.FREDERICKSBURG: PCAA Concert in the Park. Free concert features the Nash Hernandez Orchestra. Marktplatz, 100 W. Main. www.tex-fest.com.JULY 30-AUGUST 2 FREDERICKSBURG: “Annie, Jr.” Steve W. Shepherd Theater. www.fredericks-burgtheater.org.JULY 30-AUGUST 23 KERRVILLE: Kerr Arts and Cultural Center Exhibits. Includes the annual ju-ried “Images” show, works by Joleen

Franklin and Stephanie Stone Perry, and 2 Gypsyz Art. Kerr Arts and Cultural Center. www.kacckerrville.com.JULY 31DRIPPING SPRINGS: Tessy Lou and the Shotgun Stars. www.mercerstreet-dancehall.com. LEAKEY: Dunnville. Live music. www.thebuckhornbargrill.com.JULY 31-AUGUST 2 NEW BRAUNFELS: Lone Star Gourd Festival. (See story, page 2.) See gourds transformed into remarkable works of art at the New Braunfels Civic Convention Center. Classes, demonstrations, vendors and more. www.texasgourdsociety.org. UVALDE: Hotter Than Hell 100-Mile Yard Sale. Shopping from Castroville to Brack-ettville, with stops in Uvalde, Knippa, Sa-binal, D’Hanis. www.visituvalde.com.AUGUST 7, 8, 9JOHNSON CITY: The Sculpture Ranch and Galleries. Galleries filled with art-work, 100 large-scale outdoor sculptures. Free admission. 10 aM to 6 pM. www.SculptureRanch.com, 830-868-5244.AUGUST 15LEAKEY: Cody Jo Hodges. www.the-buckhornbargrill.com.SEPTEMBER 12DRIPPING SPRINGS: Dripping With Taste Wine and Food Festival. Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center. www.drippingwithtaste.org.SEPTEMBER 26LAKEHILLS: 35th Annual Medina Lake Cajun Festival. www.cajunfestival-medi-nalake.com.


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