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The Llano News

The Llano News

April 15, 2015 Issue

Rain Water Collection
Dear Editor, Having never written a Letter to the editor I find this a very important task as one citizen attempts in a few lines to share a personal point of view or idea. So here goes. I would like to bring the important issue of Rain Water Collection back to our thinking.
The NFL hasn't eliminated the kick for an extra point yet, but the toe is definitely fighting Athlete's foot. ESPN.com reports ending the kick is a possibility for the upcoming season. And there are these other suggestions: *Longer kick than the current 19-20 yards. *The ball would be placed at the one-and-a-half-yard line to make the choice for two more appealing. *A defense can score on a fumble return or pass interception off a two-point attempt—like the colleges. I want the one-pointer ki ...
Maybe winning a championship or some big rivalry game causes euphoria we've become familiar with on TV, but the joy is no less felt by a team recording a victory that breaks a losing streak and thus produces a thaw in the frigid stretch of a lack of success. The Llano High baseball Jackets, April 10, won a 3-2 thriller over Liberty Hill to claim their first 25-4A win after four highly-irritating losses.
BLANCO—The final race, April 8, before the district 25-4A Track & Field Meet was one of the most exciting of the 2015 campaign. A stride-for-stride duel down deep stretch of the end of the 4x400-meter relay is as captivating as a game-winning, bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the ninth. "An epic mile-relay battle,"
Blue Ridge Ranch (BRR), located south of Llano, held a Longhorn Auction on Friday and Saturday, complete with a chuck wagon dinner that brought smiles to everyone that attended. John Marshall, owner of the ranch said "everyone was in love with the homemade biscuits that were cooked on the ground in a dutch oven."
Big congrats to Coach McIntosh and our boys' golf team. They won the district title for the second year in a row. Back to back years as district champs is a great accomplishment! Alex Riley also qualified for regional golf on the girls' side as a medalist. Now that we are back in Region 4, these young people will be competing April 13 and 14 in the Corpus Christi area.
The Llano Junior High Orange Band, Black Band and the Llano High School Band competed on April 7 at the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading contest. The High School Band received a 2nd Division Excellent rating in the Concert competition and a 1st Division Superior rating in the Sightreading portion of the contest.
All first graders at Llano Elementary recently received free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. Members of Llano Masonic Lodge, led by Lee Ellis, assembled and delivered kits to the school. The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club project focuses on preventing suffering from toothaches, reducing missed school days due to dental problems, and cutting costs for dental treatment. Prevent tooth decay kits contain: a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-mi ...
Here's how to be perfectly miserable: focus on everything negative in your marriage, your church, your job or business and conclude there's no way of anything changing. This kind of negative thinking feeds despair; so reject it. Things and people can be changed by prayer. Jack Odell was controlled by alcohol and it was ruining his life. Not anymore. In his book, "Here's How!"
April 15 is the time of the year when Americans can communicate with their government. I cannot testify for anyone else, but I look forward to this marvelous opportunity and I am careful not to waste it. This year, for example, so much has happened to me since last year it took 15 single-spaced typed pages to include everything. However, to be perfectly honest (and who's perfect), I am a little disappointed.
Continuing to examine the unique aspects of Llano County from PAST years and in PRESENT times brings the project alphabetically to the letters "P" through "R." "P" is for PECANS. Our neighboring county, San Saba, which was created by the State the same day as Llano County on February 1, 1856, is known as the "Pecan Capital of Texas."
Llano Main Street and Friends of the Lantex Theater will host a wine and hors 'd oeuvres reception, Sunday, April 19, 7 pm at the historic 1927 art deco Lantex Theater, prior to the screening of This Is Where We Live, filmed in Llano. All proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the installation of new seating for the vintage theater. Tickets are only $10 at the door, and entitle moviegoers to two beverages, light fare, and the opportunity to meet and mingle with the stars of the movie and the ...
1919-2015
Joyce Irene Clark, 95, passed away peacefully and joined our Lord on March 30, 2015. She was born on September 13, 1919 to Richard and Mamie Butts in Coryell County, Texas. She was the seventh of 10 children. She grew up on a farm-ranch and graduated from high school in Copperas Cove, Texas.
Charles Earl Koontz, 85, a resident of Horseshoe Bay for 21 years, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2015 in Amarillo, Texas. Charles was a longtime leader and early pioneer in the cattle feeding industry. The family resided in several states including Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii, California and Arizona. Charles was born in Prescott, Arizona on February 18, 1930, the son of a cowboy father and a school teacher mother.
One hundred, eighty-six official registrants rode in the Castell Gravel Grind. The Saturday morning race began in nice, cool 60 degree temps over the 62-mile course along the Llano-Mason county line. Not all who started finished. The three races were all grueling. I travel these roads in a pickup truck and find it hard to drive much over 30 or 40 mph without shaking the old truck apart.
Two buses pulled up in fron of the Llano Fire Station Saturday night and disgorged 70 hungry tourists looking to partake of a fish and barbecue dinner. About two hundred diners in the fire station at the time were startled to see them. It was the "mystery tour" of the Garland Senior Center.
Leverett Water Well
Dear Editor, The proposal pushed by Mayor Virdell and Aldermen Bryan Miiller and Todd Keller to construct the Leverett Water Well on Riley Mountain is a highly risky scheme. No firm cost estimate has been determined for the entire project. The Mayor and two aldermen chose not to run for re-election and now, at the very end of their terms, are trying to jam this scheme through City Council. Any decision regarding major cost for the taxpayers should be discussed and studied by the new Mayor and C ...
There will be a forum for candidates running for City of Llano mayor, council and Llano ISD school board. Llano County resident Bill Hussey has volunteered to be the moderator for the Llano Candidate Forum, which will be held on April 25 at 10am at the American Legion Hall. Each Candidate will have several minutes to share their outlook, ideas, plans and platform with the public at the beginning of the forum, after which, Hussey will open the floor for a question and answer session.
In my last article I mentioned several great things happening in Llano, and I am continuing on that topic. A major project the City is contemplating, is to apply for a grant to construct a trail to connect the John L Kuykendall Event Center to West Main Street at the Flag Creek Bridge.
The Castell Community Club will have their meeting and a game day on April 15, 2015 at 1:00 PM. There will be a short meeting with the collection of dues. The club is welcoming old and new members and dues are $10.00 a person. Guest are welcome to come and enjoy visiting with friends and enjoying the games.
CTWC and LBCC will be hosting a water meeting to give a water update for Lake Buchanan and hear your concerns. Bring your questions and we'll share what's going on in the capitol as well as at LCRA, TCEQ and Region K. Water meeting will begin at 6:45 pm and end at 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.
The Friends of Lakeshore Library will hold their annual Book and Bake Sale April 23-25. Discover a room filled with books -- sorted into categories to make your treasure hunt a little bit easier – as well as DVDs, audio books, and more, all at very low prices. Thursday, April 23 is a "Friends Only"
Weather did not dampen the Texas STOL Roundup at the Llano Airport last weekend. It was the second annual meet to be held here. STOL stands for Short Take Off and Landing aircraft. These small planes are the principle transportation in "bush country" – hard to get to places with hills, mountains, forests and other natural obstacles.
When this paper goes out on Wednesday, April 15, all of the Llano Library staff and one staff member from the Lakeshore Library will be right in the thick of things at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference in Austin. Even though it meant closing the Llano Library for three days, all of the patrons have been so supportive of the decision for the staff to attend conference and have an opportunity to go to all of the professional development sessions. Thanks go to the Friends of the Llan ...
Rabies is a problem in Central Texas but there are ways to prevent and control the disease. Llano County is not immune from the problem by a long shot, in fact, Llano is ranked one of the highest in the state for rabies. There have been three recent cases in the months of Feb-April that have resulted in multiple human exposure and post-exposure rabies treatment. A shocking statistic, even though rabies deaths in America are rare, worldwide someone dies of rabies every ten minutes.
Just another performance at the Llano Country Opry on Saturday, not this time, this was one for the ages as Llano welcomed legendary country music artist, Bill Anderson to the stage. Doing two near capacity concerts, Anderson thrilled attendees with his wit, wisdom and song for over an hour during each performance.
As everyone has heard, everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes celebrations. While there are many to choose from, and all offer a great time, there are none quite like the Crawfish Festival held annually in the little 'double L' town of Llano. Located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Llano has been hosting one of the biggest, funnest (yeah, I said it) events for the last 26 years. Every year, thousands of pounds of fresh crawfish are brought in to be cooked up and served on the ban ...
MIKE REAGOR
I'm a 1974 graduate of Texas A&M University and is a retired Rangeland Management Specialist with USDA with work experience on the Llano River from Junction to Llano. I have previously served as a Llano City Alderman and Mayor. I represented the City on the Texas Water Development Board's Lower Colorado River Basin Water Planning Group, the LCRA Upper Basin River Advisory Council, the Capital Area Rural Transportation Planning Organization, and the Capital Area Council of Governments. In th ...
Sherry Simpson
I am the Music Director at Grace Gathering Church and have been involved with many organizations and church-related works in Llano throughout the years. I am a graduate from Llano High School, I married Don Simpson in 1978, we have three children and two grandchildren. I have worked a lifetime in Llano with part and full-time jobs while raising a family.
All first graders at Llano Elementary recently received free prevent tooth decay kits through the Fantastic Teeth Fan Club. Members of Llano Masonic Lodge, led by Lee Ellis, assembled and delivered kits to the school. The Fantastic Teeth Fan Club project focuses on preventing suffering from toothaches, reducing missed school days due to dental problems, and cutting costs for dental treatment. Prevent tooth decay kits contain: a toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, healthy teeth sticker, two-mi ...
The Llano Junior High Orange Band, Black Band and the Llano High School Band competed on April 7 at the UIL Region 7 Concert and Sightreading contest. The High School Band received a 2nd Division Excellent rating in the Concert competition and a 1st Division Superior rating in the Sightreading portion of the contest.
Big congrats to Coach McIntosh and our boys' golf team. They won the district title for the second year in a row. Back to back years as district champs is a great accomplishment! Alex Riley also qualified for regional golf on the girls' side as a medalist. Now that we are back in Region 4, these young people will be competing April 13 and 14 in the Corpus Christi area.
BLANCO—The final race, April 8, before the district 25-4A Track & Field Meet was one of the most exciting of the 2015 campaign. A stride-for-stride duel down deep stretch of the end of the 4x400-meter relay is as captivating as a game-winning, bases-loaded triple in the bottom of the ninth. "An epic mile-relay battle,"
Maybe winning a championship or some big rivalry game causes euphoria we've become familiar with on TV, but the joy is no less felt by a team recording a victory that breaks a losing streak and thus produces a thaw in the frigid stretch of a lack of success. The Llano High baseball Jackets, April 10, won a 3-2 thriller over Liberty Hill to claim their first 25-4A win after four highly-irritating losses.
The NFL hasn't eliminated the kick for an extra point yet, but the toe is definitely fighting Athlete's foot. ESPN.com reports ending the kick is a possibility for the upcoming season. And there are these other suggestions: *Longer kick than the current 19-20 yards. *The ball would be placed at the one-and-a-half-yard line to make the choice for two more appealing. *A defense can score on a fumble return or pass interception off a two-point attempt—like the colleges. I want the one-pointer ki ...
The Friends of Lakeshore Library will hold their annual Book and Bake Sale April 23-25. Discover a room filled with books -- sorted into categories to make your treasure hunt a little bit easier – as well as DVDs, audio books, and more, all at very low prices. Thursday, April 23 is a "Friends Only"
The Castell Community Club will have their meeting and a game day on April 15, 2015 at 1:00 PM. There will be a short meeting with the collection of dues. The club is welcoming old and new members and dues are $10.00 a person. Guest are welcome to come and enjoy visiting with friends and enjoying the games.
Geneva Mosier Merriman-What a precious lady. Beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother and great grandmother passed away peacefully at home on April 9, 2015 at age 85. Although she lost her long and courageous battle with cancer she entered into eternal rest with dignity and grace. Geneva was born to Alice and Luther Mosier on December 3, 1929 in Brazos, Texas, and spent most of her childhood farming with her family in Texas, picking cotton.
Charles Earl Koontz, 85, a resident of Horseshoe Bay for 21 years, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2015 in Amarillo, Texas. Charles was a longtime leader and early pioneer in the cattle feeding industry. The family resided in several states including Texas, New Mexico, Hawaii, California and Arizona. Charles was born in Prescott, Arizona on February 18, 1930, the son of a cowboy father and a school teacher mother.
1919-2015
Joyce Irene Clark, 95, passed away peacefully and joined our Lord on March 30, 2015. She was born on September 13, 1919 to Richard and Mamie Butts in Coryell County, Texas. She was the seventh of 10 children. She grew up on a farm-ranch and graduated from high school in Copperas Cove, Texas.
April 15 is the time of the year when Americans can communicate with their government. I cannot testify for anyone else, but I look forward to this marvelous opportunity and I am careful not to waste it. This year, for example, so much has happened to me since last year it took 15 single-spaced typed pages to include everything. However, to be perfectly honest (and who's perfect), I am a little disappointed.
Here's how to be perfectly miserable: focus on everything negative in your marriage, your church, your job or business and conclude there's no way of anything changing. This kind of negative thinking feeds despair; so reject it. Things and people can be changed by prayer. Jack Odell was controlled by alcohol and it was ruining his life. Not anymore. In his book, "Here's How!"
Leverett Water Well
Dear Editor, The proposal pushed by Mayor Virdell and Aldermen Bryan Miiller and Todd Keller to construct the Leverett Water Well on Riley Mountain is a highly risky scheme. No firm cost estimate has been determined for the entire project. The Mayor and two aldermen chose not to run for re-election and now, at the very end of their terms, are trying to jam this scheme through City Council. Any decision regarding major cost for the taxpayers should be discussed and studied by the new Mayor and C ...
Rain Water Collection
Dear Editor, Having never written a Letter to the editor I find this a very important task as one citizen attempts in a few lines to share a personal point of view or idea. So here goes. I would like to bring the important issue of Rain Water Collection back to our thinking.
CTWC and LBCC will be hosting a water meeting to give a water update for Lake Buchanan and hear your concerns. Bring your questions and we'll share what's going on in the capitol as well as at LCRA, TCEQ and Region K. Water meeting will begin at 6:45 pm and end at 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 21, 2015.

Social Club