march hill country sun
DESCRIPTION
News of interesting people, places and things in the Texas Hill Country.TRANSCRIPT
Find us on FacebookHillCountrySun
Bandera hostsMayheM
on the MedinaNational
Reenactment GuildcompetitionR
Get a taste ofSMoke ‘n hopS
Brewpub & barbeque in
Dripping SpringsR
BriScoe WeStern art
MuSeuMin San Antonio
RC.J. Wright’s
hill countryWildlifeR
Suzy MoehringMallard’s
hill countryparkSR
The Hill Country’smost completecalendarof eventS
Serving Austin, Bandera, Blanco, Buda, Bulverde, Burnet, Canyon Lake, Castroville, Comfort, Concan, Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Georgetown, Gruene, Henly, Hancock, Johnson City,Kerrville, Kyle, Lakeway, Llano, Leakey, Luckenbach, Marble Falls, Medina, New Braunfels, San Antonio, San Marcos, Sattler, Sisterdale, Stonewall, Wimberley, Utopia, Uvalde, Vanderpool & More
MARCH 2015
PAGE 2 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
Get ready for a little mayhem April 11-12
Like us on Facebook /HillCountrySun
By Genie Strickland
Grab your cowboy hat and sun-bonnet and head for City Park in Bandera April 11-12 for the sec-
ond annual Mayhem on the Medina. The National Reenactment Guild of America has chosen Bandera as the lo-cation for a National Competition Reen-actment event. Admission is free and there’ll be plenty of family friendly events... kids can even participate in games with toys from the late 1800s.
Mayhem on the Medina is an op-portunity to visit the past, with first class entertainment, arts and crafts, food and more. Gates open at 9:30 am Saturday and competition begins at 10 am. Sunday, gates open at 8 am — the Ridin’ the River Cowboy Church will provide a free cowboy breakfast with church services at 8:45 am. Sunday’s competition will begin at 10 am.
The Reenactment Guild of America is an organization of living historians, educators, entertainers and re-enactors dedicated to preservation of and edu-cation regarding the history of Ameri-ca’s 19th century, primarily but not re-stricted to the American Old West.
The group is committed to accurate and historical presentations, and strives to preserve this part of American histo-ry and to provide a safe venue where the public will be both educated and en-tertained. Because historical truths are sometimes found to be fluid and open to interpretation, every effort is made to ensure members portray their charac-ters or events in a historically correct manner, which “shall include but is not restricted to clothing, utensils, weap-ons, behavior and speech.” Members spend a great deal of time researching for accuracy of all portrayed.
Also performing at Mayhem on the Medina, the Celtaire String Band is a musical group whose specialty is “peri-od” Americana music. Band members include: Mel Peters on fiddle, penny whistle, guitar, jawharp and vocals; Bet-ty Peters on percussion, spoons and lim-berjacks; Mark Shafer on mandolin, gui-tar and vocals; and Mary Shafer on guitar and vocals. All are music present-ers on the Texas Commission on the Arts touring roster.
FYI • For more information about Bandera’s May-hem on the Medina April 11-12, visit the web site at www.MayhemOnTheMedina.com or call 830-796-4447.
Step back in time at Bandera’s Mayhem on the Medina, a Reenactment Guild of America national competition event. Photo courtesy Mayhem on the Medina.
All efforts are made to portray charac-ters in a historically correct manner—from clothing, utensils, to behavior and speech, even housing. Photos courtesy Mayhem on the Medina.
Reenactments make for great entertain-ment at Mayhem on the Medina. Photo courtesy Mayhem on the Medina.
HILL COUNTRY SUN R MARCH 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: Mayhem on the Medina. Bandera hosts the National Reenactment Guild of America’s national competition event April 11-12. Step back into the past with plenty of costumed reenactors, enjoy food, arts and crafts and more at this family friendly gathering. See story, page 2. Photo courtesy Mayhem on the Medina.
•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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March 2015Volume 25 • Number 10
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PAGE 4 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
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We can make a difference for monarchs, pollinators, wildlife
hill country WILDLIFE
C.J Wright
As I write, winter birds still visit feeders and birdbath. American Goldfinches dominate the sun-
flower and thistle, allowing Dark-eyed Juncos quick forays from ground to feed-ers. White-throated Sparrows dart from beneath seed-depleted, wild grasses and beautyberries to nab discards. All forage, silent in their work. On rare occasion, a Hermit Thrush alights to drink from the birdbath. Heard more often than seen, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Pileated Wood-peckers, American Crows and an occa-sional Barred Owl remain hidden among trees. Still wearing winter coats, their bod-ies lean—having depleted the acorns—white-tailed deer feed on sprigs of grass.
Wildlife graces us with their activity, a soothing respite from world problems and unrest.
Even as wintering birds fatten, pre-paring to journey to breeding territories, Purple Martins return from South Ameri-ca, their gurgling songs livening the win-ter silence. Sandhill Cranes and White-fronted Geese head north, all heralding the start of spring migration. As tempera-tures warm and green shoots appear, car-dinals, screech owls and frogs tune up while titmice, chickadees and Carolina Wrens work at nest building.
With March, Golden-cheeked War-blers return to the Hill Country, their buzzy songs announcing spring’s ap-
proach. Another signal of the vernal sea-son, monarch butterflies flutter into Texas from central Mexico, their colors faded, their wings often tattered.
These are the survivors, the once brightly painted, fragile orange and black gliders, some of which traveled up to 3,000 miles to cluster in Central Mexico’s oyamel fir forests for the winter. Now re-turning, the females lay eggs on milk-weed plants—the only food their larvae will eat—giving birth to the next genera-tion, their final act.
Back on January 26, the official count of wintering monarchs for 2014-15 was announced, an increase to 1.13 hectares (equating to 56.7 million monarchs) from the previous year’s 0.67 hectares (34 mil-lion) marked a modest increase, falling short of the numbers some had anticipat-ed based upon good climate conditions during breeding season.
While the increase is good news, this year’s count is still the second lowest number since the first tally in 1993. This year’s num-ber is most sobering when one considers that it would’ve been annihilated if faced with a winter storm like that of 2002 that killed an estimated 500 million wintering mon-archs.
Not only extreme weather events but also disease, predation, pesti-cides and climate change could drive the migrating monarch’s diminished num-bers to extinction. These concerns led conservation groups and a monarch sci-entist to petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to protect the butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In December, declaring that protec-tion may be warranted, FWS began a one-year review of the monarch’s status.
While some support the protection a listing would afford, others, also passion-ate about the monarch plight, believe reg-ulations attached to the listing could work against the iconic migrants, reasoning, in part, that forthcoming government rules would lead to milkweed eradication on private lands and that — perceiving gov-ernment intervention as a remedy to mon-arch decline—the public would lose inter-est in their cause.
The FWS will not act on the petition until next December. Monarchs can’t af-ford the wait.
Since 1990, as farmers and landown-ers sprayed herbicides, they contributed to the collapse of pollinators, including hon-
eybees, eradicating most milkweed, caus-ing the monarch population to decline by 970 million—this according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
February 9, the FWS launched a part-nership with the National Wildlife Federa-tion and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The alliance’s objective is a concentrated effort to restore milkweed on over 200,000 acres of habitat along the In-terstate 35 corridor from Texas to Minne-sota, the migratory corridor for 50 percent of monarchs.
In addition, the agency is providing $2 million for conservation projects and an-other $1.2 million as seed money to gener-ate a larger fundraising match from private organizations.
Minnesota Democrat, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins sent a letter urging the Obama administration to pursue pub-lic/private partnerships to save the mon-arch. Their letter to Departments of Interi-or, Agriculture and Transportation urged the launch of new partnerships, proposing the planting of milkweed in electric utility
right-of-ways. These part-nerships would benefit monarchs as well as re-duce costs for utility
company vegetative man-agement.Texas is in a unique position.
Wintering monarchs arrive in Texas in late February/early March, search-
ing for milkweed, the only plant that their larvae will feed on, the only plant that will ensure the new generation’s survival. By maintaining milkweed on their land, Texas landowners fulfill a vital mission.
Whether it be backyards, school, church, or office grounds, roadsides, public lands, expansive greens watered and mowed on company grounds…, we can make a difference for monarchs, pollinators and other wildlife. Begin at the local level and encourage all to plant native milk-weed, native nectar plants and grasses to help restore and sustain diverse and healthy ecosystems for all life.
In so doing, be aware many nurseries spray plants with insecticides. Always ask before purchasing milkweed and nectar plants as, if sprayed, they can be lethal to monarch larvae, honeybees and others.When looking at the big picture, however, the monarch butterfly’s decline should be a warning to all. The monarch’s plight is just one proof of how we are endangering our ecosystems and ultimately ourselves. Overuse of insecticides has tainted our food supply, our water and soil. We plant exotic species, different and attractive but See HILL COUNTRY WILDLIFE, page 5
HILL COUNTRY SUN R MARCH 2015 5 PAGE 5
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barren of life. Studies show that insects almost never feed on such plants. Since many insects are pollinators, an ecosys-tem void of insects means no insects, no cucumbers, melons, squash…
In addition, most birds need insects to feed their young. Each species, including ourselves, is a link in many chains . . . --Aldo Leopold, from A Sand Country Al-manac
FYI • Learn how to make a difference. Visit the web site at monarchwatch.org for information on butterfly gar-dening, creating a monarch waystation, how to grow milk-weed and more. Find more at www.nwf.org/Pollinators/Monarch/Milkweed-Resources.aspx and www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Gardening-Tips/Organic-Gar-dening.aspx.
For more information on the dangers insecticides pres-ent to monarch butterflies, you can Google “early research links insecticide, monarch butterfly deaths.”
By ernie altGelt
Situated on a shady stretch of San An-tonio’s inviting River Walk is one of the city’s newest cultural attractions,
the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Since opening a short 16 months ago,
this attractive and very visitor-friendly collection (comfortably and attractively housed in the fully modernized and beau-tifully restored original San Antonio Pub-lic Library building) has been drawing rave reviews from all those with a love of, and interest in the unfolding of Texas’ and the American West’s exciting and in-spirational pioneering past. With more than 700 exceptional, singular and ex-tremely pertinent works of art and arti-facts permanently on display, the region’s rough and tumble history is thrillingly recalled in multiple, must-see galleries each dedicated to celebrating this storied land’s very unique, compelling and ro-bust frontier heritage. Yee haw!
Initially envisioned in 2003 by a like-minded group of dedicated art patrons, collectors, businessmen and women, his-torians, ranchers and others, all sharing a deep passion for the actual occurrences (and legends) of the renowned yesteryear that was the “Old West,” the substantial project was finally, and magnificently, brought to fruition 10 years later, thanks to the additional hard work of countless volunteers and professionals, as well as lots of generous private, city and state fi-nancial assistance.
And, to the thousands who have ex-perienced the glorious result since its re-cent opening, all agree it was definitely time, effort and money well spent.
Today, visitors to the Briscoe Museum (named after early supporter and former Texas governor Dolph Briscoe) rapidly become immersed in another era where life was lived on horseback and defended with bow and arrow, six-shooters and Winchester rifles.
The story is vividly told through myriad works of fine art, precise recre-ations and actual memorabilia, all relat-ing to this adventurous age. Everything is artfully displayed throughout nine galler-ies occupying three spacious floors. Beau-tifully rendered paintings and sculptures wonderfully recount these earlier times while massive displays of period firearms pay testament to the dangers inherent.
Other intriguing Spanish, Mexican, Anglo and American-Indian artifacts (many, centuries old) beckon the visitor
as well. All in all, it’s an amazing compel-lation that features such rarities as an ac-tual cannon used at the Battle of the Alamo, revolutionary leader Pancho Vil-la’s saddle, General Santa Anna’s sword, a full-sized Wells Fargo stage coach, his-torical documents and many, many other invaluable, one-of-a-kind relics.
Add in the well-stocked visitor shop and, with so much to see (and hear via re-lated recordings), many guests plan on spending several enlightening, educa-tional and, especially, enjoyable hours on the premises. So saddle on up and come on down, cowpokes, because no one leaves disappointed – young or old!
March 28, the Briscoe Museum will host the 14th annual Night of Artists Art Sale and Exhibition. On that Saturday from 5 pm to 11 pm, patrons are invited to attend an exclusive dinner and art sale where the stunning works of more than 60 of the nation’s most respected West-ern artists will be up for auction. Seating is limited, tickets must be purchased in advance.
HILL COUNTRY WILDLIFE, from page 4
Stunning variety of Western art at the Briscoe Museum
See BRISCOE MUSEUM, page 7
“Contemplacion” by Terri Kelly Moyers (2013). The Briscoe Western Art Muse-um houses a fascinating array of new and modern Western art, as well as re-markable artifacts and relics.Photo courtesy Briscoe Western Art Museum.
PAGE 6 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
DRIPPING SPRINGS
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By laurel robertSon
Smoke ‘N Hops has taken that time-honored Texas formula: barbeque, burgers and beer — and brought it
into the new century with the addition of an on site craft brewery, 20 new specialty burgers featuring grass fed Angus beef, and even gluten-free and vegan menu options. (But they’ve kept the shuffleboard and pool tables!)
Miles Frost, new general man-ager for Smoke ‘N Hops and veteran restauranteur with more than 30 years in the business, ex-plains that the new developments are to keep in step with the changing neighborhood around them on Highway 290 just east of Dripping Springs.
“We believe that a restaurant should change and adjust to the neighborhood, not the other way ‘round,” says Miles, and he’s making every effort to turn those words into reality. “We’ve changed our menu four or five times over the past few
months, fine-tuning it to reflect the tastes of the patrons.” What hasn’t changed, he says, is the pitmaster, owner Rick Day, who rocks the wall-sized Old Hickory wood-fired smoker (that can hold 50 bris-
kets!), and the cookstaff — who came along with the business when Rick bought it in 2013.
A new brewmaster heads the onsite brewery, which six months ago moved from a one-room shed on the property to a new two-story brewing facility with a grain mill upstairs and an eight-tank bre-whouse downstairs.
At any given time, Smoke ‘N Hops has six house brews on tap - four regular offerings and two seasonal ones. They also keep beers from Real Ale and Live Oak breweries on tap and have dozens of bottled selections from regional and na-tional craft brewers.
Their full-service bar is stocked with a variety of Texas liquors: Dolce Vida Te-quila, Deep Eddy Vodka, Dripping Springs Vodka, Waterloo Gin, Starlite Vodka, Paula’s Texas Lemon and Orange, Red River Bourbon and Rye, and Treaty Oak Rum, along with East Side Cider and several selections of wines from Becker Vineyards.
The outside patio has undergone a makeover, with a fleet of new picnic ta-bles filling the spacious wooden deck - now accented with beer garden lighting. The children’s fenced playground is still shaded with trees and easily visible from the patio.
A new musical lineup begins on Thursday nights with Open Mic hosted by Frank Iarrosi and continues into Fri-day and Saturday nights with a new sing-er/songwriter series, featuring talent from Dripping Springs and Austin. On Sunday afternoons, local musician Tom-my Mojica hosts his popular Children’s Music Time.
The menu still sports the smoked brisket, turkey, chicken, pork ribs and pulled pork that Smoke ‘N Hops has be-
Burgers, bbq plus an onsite brewpub
Bluesburger and Texas fries served up with a Canyon Road Pale Ale at Smoke ‘N Hops. Photo by Catharine Krueger.
HILL COUNTRY SUN R MARCH 2015 PAGE 7
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come known for - with the ever-popular Brisket Stuffed Jalapenos (with two kinds of cheeses) and Texas Egg Rolls (also
stuffed with brisket). To complicate din-ers’ choices, Miles has added more tempt-ing appetizers, including Chicken Bandi-tos (marinated chicken breast strips wrapped in bacon with jalapenos), fried artichoke hearts and more.
Manager Susan Moore reports every fry starts life out in the kitchen that morn-ing as a whole potato. “Nothing comes frozen or pre-cooked,” she says. “It’s all made fresh in the kitchen.” Smoke ‘N Hops also caters events and offers a spe-cial events room available for private gatherings.
FYI • Smoke ‘N Hops Barbeque Brewpub is located at 3799 East Highway 290. Hours are 11 am to 9 pm Sunday through Thursday, 11 am to 10 pm Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit the web site at www.smokenhops.com or call 512-655-3069.
Smoke ‘N Hops Barbeque Brewpub. Photo courtesy Smoke ‘N Hops.
TEXAS H The Hill Country is the heart of Texas – a region of stunning vistas, eclectic music and arts, epicurean delights and friendly folks, or so it appears to the naked eye. But that’s just part of the picture – and what you can’t see can hurt you. Tex-as has more than 425,000 miles of buried pipelines and cables, and the Hill Country has its share of that number. Protecting the buried infrastructure from damage is where Texas811 comes in. It is the non-profit “call before you dig” entity in Texas and a part of the nationally mandated 811 system head-quartered at call811.com.
You don’t have to be a professional excavator to call 811. Even the simple act of planting a tree or putting in a fence using hand shovels or post hole diggers could end with a severed telecommunica-tions line or punctured gas line So—before you break the ground — dial 811. An operator will take your dig site information and contact relevant utili-ties. In turn, the utilities will paint and/or flag the approximate location of their buried lines, alerting you to what’s below.
When you return to put up that fence or plant that tree, you’ll see markings or colored flags like this, telling you where not to dig. The colors painted on the ground are not random. Each indicates exactly what’s beneath the surface. Red signifies elec-tric; orange means telecommunications/alarms; green is sewer or drains; yellow marks natural gas or petroleum products; blue means potable water; white signals proposed excavation; and pink means temporary survey markings.
FYI • There is no worse feeling than accidentally cutting through a buried pipeline or telecommunications cable. It’s embarrassing, it’s expensive, and in the case of buried petroleum, gas or electric mains, it can be fatal. Remember, the 811 call is free, and the locate service is free. If that’s not enough, it’s also Texas law. Visit www.texas811.org and know what’s below. Call before you dig.
The Saturday reception also includes live entertainment and the opportunity to mix and mingle with many of the partici-pating artists as well as various art collec-tors from across the Southwest and be-yond. Proceeds from the auction represent the museum’s largest fundraiser. After, and continuing through Sunday, April 26, the public is invited to the grounds during regular business hours to view the exhibi-tion’s incredible artwork.
FYI • The Briscoe Western Art Museum is located at 210 West Market Street in downtown San Antonio. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 10 am to 4 pm and Friday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum is closed Monday. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and military and free for children 12 or younger. For more information, in-cluding directions, to make a donation and to visually sample some of the collection, visit briscoemuseum.org, where you
BRISCOE MUSEUM, from page 5
can also find information about attending the upcoming Night of Artists Art Sale and Exhibition.
Dial 811 before you dig
Yard properly marked before digging. Photo courtesy Texas811.
Find stunning modern and contemporary Western art, plus plenty of exquisite artifacts at San Antonio’s Briscoe Western Art Museum. Photo by Ernie Altgelt.
SMOKE ‘N HOPS, from page 6
PAGE 8 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
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Texas Children in Nature gets boost from new National Parks initiative
hill country Parks
Suzy Moehring Mallard
A new National Parks Foundation initiative announced last month by the White House emphasizes
goals shared by Texas Children in Na-ture, a growing Texas coalition of part-ners with chapters in major cities.
The National Parks Foundation “Every Kid in a Park” initia-tive gives fourth grad-ers free admission to all National Parks and other national lands during the 2015-2016 school year.
“We are so excited about the new ‘Every Kid in a Park’ initia-tive,’” said Jennifer Bristol, who coordi-nates Texas Children in Nature. “In Texas this really expands the ef-forts that many of our partners are work-ing on to create more access to nature for families in our rapidly growing state.”
Jennifer says kids 12 years and younger already can play for free at all Texas State Parks and many city and county parks around the state.
She says studies show children and their families who spend more time in the outdoors tend to be healthier, happier, and smarter. Texas Children in Nature addresses growing problems of inactiv-ity and obesity in children and promotes health and learning.
Texas Children in Nature is part of a national grassroots movement that ig-nited after the release in 2008 of author Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods.
Louv participated in a summit held last month in Chicago to publicize the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative.
He says the National Parks new ini-tiative may well be a turning point. “It will help support the people who have worked so hard, many of them for de-cades, to connect children to nature,” Louv says.
“It will encourage new actions by local government, education, religious organizations, the health care profes-sions, and, crucially, by our business communities. The greatest change must happen beyond government, in the dai-ly decisions that all of us, as individuals and members of families, take in our daily lives. Ultimately, only we can make sure that every child receives the gifts of the natural world.”
Louv and others will speak at the
Children and Nature Conference in Bas-trop in April. Co-hosting the conference and a gala are the Children and Nature Network, Texas Children in Nature, and Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center.
Leaders in conservation, health, educa-tion, and technology will come together at the conference to explore ways to en-courage families, schools, churches, non-profits, and businesses to support getting kids off the couch and into nature.
“We really want to make outdoor time family time in Texas,” says Jennifer. “The announcement of the “Every Kid in a Park” initiative and the conference coming up in April are both great steps towards raising awareness that all chil-dren and families need to have access to nature to be healthier and happier.”
Texas Outdoor Family ProgramTPWD makes it easy to get children
and families out into nature with its Tex-as Outdoor Family Program, an over-night camping program where families learn how to camp and use equipment provided by TPWD.
What could be easier or more get-out-in-nature-ish? Most of the March and April campouts in our area are filled up, but several are available later this spring.
Pedernales Falls State Park has its program on May 2, and Garner State Park offers a program May 8. Guadalupe River State Park offers programs May 16 and May 30, and Inks Lake State Park has programs June 5 and June 12. Blanco State Park also has a program June 19.
The one-night campouts start at $65 for a family of six, and, no lie, TPWD pro-vides all the camping equipment and the know-how.
FYI • For more information call 512.389.8903 or email [email protected] – and get yourselves outdoors. It’s good for you.
Nature makes for great family time at Inks Lake State Park. Photo © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
HILL COUNTRY SUN R MARCH 2015 PAGE 9
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. Also during regular store hours, Thundering Paws has several cats and kittens up for adoption in Bee Cave PetSmart. For more informa-tion, email [email protected] or call 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. 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 Art Room, 100 Melody Way, Suite H. Email [email protected] for more information.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 meets at 6:30 pm in the VFW Hall. [email protected] 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. www.cypresscreekcafe.comEVERY THURSDAYDRIPPING SPRINGS: Coffee House with Light Dinners, Desserts and Open Mic. 6 pm to 9 pm. Thyme and Dough. 512-894-0001.DRIPPING SPRINGS: Thursdays with Doug Moreland and the Flying Armadil-los. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com.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 Cof-feehouse presents some of the best in Central Texas’ musical talent. Wimberley United Methodist Church, Corner Ranch Road 12 and County Road 1492. Doors open by 7 pm, concert at 7:30 pm. Free child care; tamales, pizza, pie, coffee, soft drinks available. Tickets at door. For list-ing 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: Preschool Story Time. 10:30 am at Wimberley Village Library. 512-847-2188, www.wimberleylibrary.org.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.WIMBERLEY: Wimberley Area Parkin-sons Association Meeting. Chapel of The Hills Church, 11 am. 512-847-7953.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 FRIDAY AND SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Live Music. Linda’s Fine Foods. www.lindaallencatering.com.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, more. 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. 9 am to 5 pm. 6341 Farm Market 32. 830-935-2781.
Hill country calendar
18th Annual BUDA Country Fair & Wiener Dog raCesApril 25-26 • Buda City Park • Buda, TX
512-565-0505512-295-3158
SAturdAy 9 am-6 pmSanctioned IBCA
BBQ Cook-offBeSt dreSSed WIener
dog ConteSt 8AmWiener dog races10:30 am & 2 pm
100 Arts & Crafts Booths • FoodLive Music • Kids’ Activities
“The Buda BEE” 3 pm$5 gen. Admission
Kids 12 & under get In FreeParking at Cabela’s
Free Parking w/ Free Shuttles to the Park
For info & Booth Space Availability
Sponsored by the Buda Lions ClubProceeds return to the community.
2 days of family fun& EntErtainmEnt
SundAy9 am-5 pm
Wiener dog races 10:30amFInals 3 pm
100 Arts & Crafts BoothsBake-off Turn in by 10:30 am
Judging at 11amFood Auction 1 pm
Live music • Kids Activities
NEW BRAUNFELS: Canyon Trail Chuck-wagon Supper and Cowboy Music Show. 830-626-8200, 888-408-7245.WIMBERLEY: Tour Jacob’s Well. Hear stories about floods, divers, experience beauty of spring that started the town. 10 am. www.jacobswellspring.org.EVERY SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Arnosky Family Farms Market. Flowers, veggies, cheeses, more. Ranch Road 2325, Highway 165. 830-833-5428.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 spir-it. 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. Houston Square. 830-539-2316.WIMBERLEY: Second Saturday Gallery Trail. 15 galleries around Square stay open late offering art, wine and appetiz-ers. Facebook.com/SecondSaturdayGal-leryTrailSECOND AND FOURTH SATURDAYWIMBERLEY: Toastmasters Club, learn public speaking and leadership skills. 10:30 am at the Wimberley Village Li-brary. 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.MARCH 1KERRVILLE: Kerrville Art Club Show and Sale. Dozens of local artists show their work. Kerr Arts & Cultural Center. www.kacckerrville.com.MARCH 1-22WIMBERLEY: “Sleeping Beauty.” Emily-Ann Theatre and Gardens. www.emily-ann.org.WIMBERLEY: “Wait Until Dark.” Classic thriller presented by Wimberley Players. www.wimberleyplayers.org.MARCH 2GRUENE: Texas Independence Celebra-tion Historic District. www.GrueneTexas.com.MARCH 4KERRVILLE: Texas Music Heritage “Cof-fee House Series” featuring Susan Gib-son and Lisa Beck. Special reception and book signing at 6 pm featuring editors of Her Texas. Musicians and open mic at 7 pm. Schreiner University, 830-792-1945. www.texasheritagemusic.org.MARCH 5BOERNE: Neil Berg’s “102 Years of Broad-way.” www.BoernePerformingArts.com.MARCH 5-29KERRVILLE: Exhibits at KACC. Work by Kerrville native Vanessa Garcia, photogra-
PAGE 10 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
HILL COUNTRY CALENDAR
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33 Years Experience • Local
phy by Lucy Jennings. Reception for both March 5, 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Kerr Arts and Cultural Center. www.kacckerrville.com.MARCH 6FREDERICKSBURG: First Friday Art Walk. Tour fine art galleries offering spe-cial exhibits, demonstrations, refresh-ments and extended viewing hours. www.ffawf.com.WIMBERLEY: Wimberley Community Civic Club’s Rockin’ A Ranch Event at John Knox Ranch. Enjoy barbecue and live music from 6 pm to 9 pm. Reservations required. www.wimberleyccc.org.MARCH 6-8DRIPPING SPRINGS: Hill Country Cut-ting Horse Show. Dripping Springs Ranch Park, 1042 DS Ranch Road. 903-520-1218.MARCH 7KERRVILLE: Hill Country Swap Meet. A community garage sale and flea market
with all types of merchandise. Pets on leash welcome. Kerr County Hill Coun-try Youth Event Center. 830-459-6198. www.kerrmarketdays.org.MARBLE FALLS: Main Street Market Day. Dozens of craft vendors line Man Street to sell.their wares. www.marble-falls.org.WIMBERLEY: Balloon Theater/Dr. Seuess’s Birthday Party. 3:30 pm to 5 pm. Wimberley Village Library. 512-847-2188.WIMBERLEY: Market Days. Stroll a shaded path to more than 475 booths filled with variety of arts, crafts, an-tiques, gift items, clothing and more. Plus, enjoy barbecue and treats with live music under the pavilion. Lions Field. www.shopmarketdays.com.MARCH 7, 9-14 FREDERICKSBURG: Spring Break at The Pioneer Museu. Features living-history demonstrations. www.pioneer-museum.net.MARCH 7, 14, 21 BOERNE: Wings Over Boerne. Outdoor bird-of-prey demonstrations by Last Chance Forever at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. Boerne Visitors Center. www.visitbo-erne.org.MARCH 7, 14, 21, 28 BANDERA: Cowboys on Main. Live per-formances, strolling singers, chuck wag-ons, trick ropers, horses, wagon rides. Downtown. 830-796-4447.MARCH 6DRIPPING SPRINGS: 13th Annual Suits and Boots Community Awards. 512-858-4740. www.drippingspringstx.org.MARCH 8BANDERA: Frontier Times Museum Cowboy Camp. Enjoy traditional cow-boy music, or bring your own guitar and join in the song circle. www.frontier-timesmuseum.org.KERRVILLE: Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Recognized in Big Band history as the very best of great dance bands. 3 pm. Cailloux Theater. www.caillouxtheater.com.MARCH 10KERRVILLE: “Fish Out of Time.” Nate Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife, speaks on alligator gar. Riverside Nature Center. www.riversidenaturecenter.org.MARCH 11WIMBERLEY: Rocky River Ranch hosts Hound Dog Happy Hour benefitting Wimberley Adoption Group and Rescue. www.wimberleywagrescue, 512-917-5630.MARCH 12-22AUSTIN: South by Southwest. Filmmak-ers, musicians, multimedia artists from around the world showcase music, film, media. Various venues. www.sxsw.com.MARCH 13-15KERRVILLE: South Central Regional Championship Agility Show. Watch dogs run and jump through obstacle course at Kerr County Hill Country Youth Event Center. 8 am to 5 pm. www.heartoftexasdogsports.com.MARCH 14BANDERA: Wild Hog Explosion. Teams of two enter the ring, catch a hog and race to the finish line. Vendors, arts, crafts, music and more. Mansfield Park. www.wildhogexplosion.com.FREDERICKSBURG: Pacific Combat Living History Program. Includes uni-formed actors, guns, tanks and flame-thrower. National Museum of the Pa-cific War Pacific Combat Zone. www.pacificwarmuseum.org.
MARCH 14-15BOERNE: Market Days Hundreds of festive booths display everything from collectibles and nostalgia to modern in-novations. Main Plaza. www.boernemar-ketdays.com. FREDERICKSBURG: Texas Hill Country Home and Garden Expo. Gillespie Coun-ty Fairgrounds. www.hillcountryhomean-dgardenexpo.com.GRUENE: Old Gruene Market Days 10 am to 5 pm. www.gruenemarketdays.com.MARCH 19GRUENE: Come and Taste It. Eleven win-eries and their winemakers showcased. www.grapevineingruene.com.KERRVILLE: Native Healing Garden. Join the herbalists to learn about native medicinal plants, then tend garden. Bring healthy dish for potluck. Riverside Nature Center. 11:30 am to 1 pm. www.riversidena-turecenter.org.LEAKEY: Gary Kyle. Live music at Buck-horn Bar & Grill. www.thebuckhornbar-grill.com.WIMBERLEY: Susanna’s Kitchen presents Hal Ketchum in Concert. Doors at 7 pm, music at 7:30 pm. Pie, tamales, pizza, cof-fee, soft drinks [email protected], 512-722-3316, www.wim-berleyumc.org.MARCH 20LEAKEY: Aaron Einhouse. Buckhorn Bar and Grill. www.thebuckhornbargrill.com.MARCH 20-22FREDERICKSBURG: Trade Days, Shop more than 350 vendors, relax in the bier-garten with live music. East of town off U.S. 290, 355 Sunday Farms Lane. www.fbgtradedays.com.MARCH 21DRIPPING SPRINGS: Fancy Feath-ers Poultry Show. Features hundreds of breeds, contests, a silent auction, raffles, concessions and a clucking contest. www.fancyfeatherstx.org.FREDERICKSBURG: Annual LBJ Kite Day. Make old-fashioned 1900s kite. Mate-rials provided, or bring your own. www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/lyndon-b-johnson.FREDERICKSBURG: Hill Country Indian Artifact Show. Native American artifacts, arrowheads, beads and pottery. Pioneer Pavilion at Lady Bird Johnson Munici-pal Park. www.hillcountryindianarti-facts.com.LEAKEY: SA Lights. Buckhorn Bar and Grill. www.thebuckhornbargrill.com.LUCKENBACH: Mud Dauber Festival and Chili Fest. Open cook-off and mu-sic festival in the town where everyone’s someone. www.luckenbachtexas.com.MARCH 21-22AUSTIN: Artists and Artisans Festival.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. wildflower.org.MARCH 27WIMBERLEY: St. Stephen’s Episcopal School presents Playing It Forward - The Next 25 Years. Cocktails, dinner, dancing, live and silent auctions, casino at Pecan Grove pavilion at Salt Lick at 6 pm. www.ststeveschool.org.MARCH 28JOHNSON CITY: Texas Men’s State Chili Cook-Off. Vendors, auction, dominos, more. Blanco County Fairgrounds. www.texasmenschili.org.KERRVILLE: Kerr County Market Days. Old fashioned market on the square fea-turing handmade crafts, artwork and home grown plants and produce. Pets on
HILL COUNTRY SUN R MARCH 2015 PAGE 11
Hill country calendar
Balcones Songbird Festival • April 24-27, 2015Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge • Lago Vista, Texas
Restore Habitat, Restore BirdsLearn the importance of habitat to birds at this years event!
Friday - Monday Birding & Nature Tours with expert guides. Register on the website See the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo and many other migrating species.
Saturday Advanced Young Birders (12-18yrs) - 8:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. Register on the website
Sunday FLEDGLING FEST ! Free Family Events Noon-5:00 p.m. Geocaching 101 & Orienting: Find the Birdy Earthquest Raptor Show1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m. Get your Nature Ranger Passport Fun with nature games & activities See live animals, build a birdhouse Capture & identify creekside critters
Join us for lunch with DeeDee’s Tacos and visit our MarketPlace!To see a full listing of all events and to register for the Nature Tours
check out our website or call 512-965-2473www.balconessongbirdfestival.org
SOCIAL EVENTS
Thursday eveningMovie Nite
Marble Falls
Friday afternoonWings & Wine
Flat Creek Estate
LOCATED ON 83 BETWEEN CONCAN & LEAKEY
830-232-4755 • www.thebuckhornbargrill.com
BEVERAGE BARN Open 7 DAYS A WEEK Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun noon-10pm
Every Fri Night All-You-Can-Eat Catfish
Every Fri & Sat Steak Night
Spring Break Ride at the Buckhorn can be your 8-Second Ride!Mechanical Bull Spring Break & all Summer Long!
MARCH 19
Gary Kyle
MARCH 20
Aaron Einhouse
Journey Tribute Band
SA Lights MARCH 21Bring your own catch or kill & we will be happy to cook it!
Bar Open Mon-Fri 11 am-12 am, Sat 11 am-1 am, Sun noon-8 pmGrill Open Mon-Sat 11 am-10 pm, Sun 11 am-8 pm
15th Annual Nature QuestApril 29 thruMay 3, 2015
Texas Hill Country’sBest All Around
Birding-Nature Event!Discover birds,
bats, butterflies, nature photography,wildflowers & more!
a leash are welcome. 9 am to 4 pm. Kerr County Courthouse. www.kerrmarket-days.org.SAN MARCOS: Dick’s Classic Garage Car Show. Bring your classic car or just come for the fun! Live music and food. 120 Stagecoach Trail. www.dicksclassic-garage.com.WIMBERLEY: 4th Annual Smokin’ Red Hot Chili Cook-off. Lions Market Day Pavilion.11 am to 3:30 pm. www.wimber-leyccc.org.UVALDE: Four Square Friday. Late night shopping, food, art. www.visitu-valde.com.MARCH 28-29JOHNSON CITY: Market Days. Memorial Park. www.johnsoncity-texas.com.STONEWALL: Bluegrass, Bluebonnets and Barbecue. Music, food and Texas wine. Becker Vineyards. www.beck-ervineyards.com.APRIL 4-5SAN ANTONIO: 53rd Annual Starving Artist Art Show. 250 artists and crafts-men showing their own original works and unique crafts in Historic La Villita in downtown San Antonio. 10 am to 6 pm. 210-226-3593.APRIL 10-12WIMBERLEY: Wimberley Community Chorus. Wimberley United Methodist Church. www.wimberleycommunitycho-rus.org.APRIL 11JOHNSON CITY: Stone Valley Music Fes-tival. Featuring Doug Stone and special guests. www.StoneValleyTexas.com.APRIL 11-12BANDERA: Mayhem on the Medina. (See story, page 2.) National Reenactment Guild
of America reenactment event. Free ad-mission, kids’ activities, period entertain-ment. www.MayhemOnTheMedina.com.NEW BRAUNFELS: Train Show. Special Lego layout, more than 300 tables with train items for sale. $7 ages 18 and up and over, $2 kids 5-17. Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm. Civic Center. [email protected] 18WIMBERLEY: 17th Annual Butterfly Fes-tival. www.emilyann.orgAPRIL 18-19DRIPPING SPRINGS: Saxet Gun Show. DS Ranch Park. 512-858-4725, saxet-shows.com.WIMBERLEY: 7th Annual Wimberley Arts Fest. www.wimberleyartsfest.com.APRIL 24-25LAGO VISTA: Balcones Songbird Festi-val. Birding and nature tours, geocaching, raptor show, much more. Balcones Can-yonlands National Wildlife Refuge. Schedule and details at www.balcones-songbirdfestival.org.APRIL 24-26DRIPPING SPRINGS: 27th Annual Founders Day Festival. Parade Friday 6 pm. Vendors, carnival, music, dance Fri-day and Saturday. www.foundersdayfes-tival.com APRIL 25SUNSET VALLEY: 2015 Sunset Valley ArtFest. Live music and kids. stage, food, more. www.sunsetvalley.org/artfest.APRIL 25-26BUDA: 18th Annual Buda Country Fair and Wiener Dog Races. Arts, crafts, food, live music and more. Parking at Cabela’s with free shuttle. Buda City Park. www.BudaLions.com.
APRIL 29 - MAY 3HILL COUNTRY RIVER REGION: 15th Annual Nature Quest. Texas Hill Country birding-nature event features workshops, guided tours and adventure. www.texas-naturequest.com, 830-966-2320.MAY 9WIMBERLEY: 20th Annual Wimberley Garden Club Tour — The Waterways of
Wimberley. Showcasing seven spectacu-lar gardens. 10 am to 4 pm. wimberleygar-denclub.org. JULY 24-26FREDERICKSBURG: 38th Annual Hill Country Swap Meet. Car Corral, conces-sions, flea market. Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. www.fredericksburgcar-club.com.
PAGE 12 MARCH 2015 R HILL COUNTRY SUN
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