April 13, 2016 Issue

The Mason Lions Club met Tuesday, April 5th, for it’s monthly business meeting. There were 32 members and 3 visitors in attendance. Will Frey, chairman of the 5K/10K awards committee presented checks to Lisa Heath representing the Mason I.S.D. Mentor Program and to Lisa Goehmann representing Bluebonnet Casa. Both ladies thanked the Lions Club.

Trying To Remember Everyone... The Spring Visitors' Guide made it out on the streets in last week's edition. As much editing and proofreading as we do, there are always going to be things that slip through the cracks. The very first thing that we actually found, after it was too late to correct it, was that the continuation prompt for the Anna Martin story on page 9 directs readers to page 10.

Eva LaVern Gamel Eva LaVern Gamel was born March 17, 1930, in Salt Gap, Texas. She went to be with Jesus on April 19, 2016. She married Irvin Carl “Buddy” Gamel on February 19, 1947, in Brady, Texas. LaVern enjoyed singing solos and in the choir at her church, Crystal Lake Baptist Church in Leander, Texas.

The Mason County Library will host Nonnie’s Kitchen on Friday, April 15, 2016, in the Stribling room beginning at 12 noon. This cooking session will be pizza. Not just one kind of pizza but five different types: The traditional Margarita, a vegetarian, a three meat pizza, a Hawaiian pizza and finally a Texas Salt Lick Pizza.

Did you see the banners? Have you noticed signs in the windows? Something very exciting is coming to Mason! On May 21st we will have our first annual Mason Soiree. What is the Mason Soiree? It is an evening to showcase our town, local businesses, and all of the culture, creativity, and resources we have here in Mason.

Mason County Livestock Show, Inc. will be having a membership meeting on April 14, 2016, at the Mason County Extension office at 6:00 PM. Membership is open to any person interested in the scientific and educational purposes of encouraging and fostering the improvement of livestock and having an interest in educating local youth through livestock projects.

A presentation of the Texas STAR program and STAR+PLUS programs will be held at the Stribling Room of the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library on Monday, April 11th, at 5:00 P.M. The representatives will help people choose a health plan, help them choose a primary care provider, help change a plan, and help people get a STAR or STAR+PLUS ID card.

Would you like to use Microsoft Word or Excel, but don’t want to have to purchase the software? Now, using OneDrive and Office Online, you can. Both of these tools are accessible from anywhere with an Internet connection, and both are free. Office Online is accessed through Microsoft’s OneDrive, a cloud-based storage service that allows you to create, upload, and share Office documents and other files. Please contact the Mason County Library at 325-347-5446 if you are interested in taking f ...

Thursday, April 7, 2016 was an exciting day at Mason Elementary! The cafeteria and school was completely full, with well over 100 people! It was the 4th Annual Leadership Day, where students had an opportunity to show how The Leader in Me has been put into action throughout the school.

Projects include repainting Mason City Hall MASON, Texas — Hundreds of Lower Colorado River Authority employees volunteered on dozens of community projects as part of LCRA’s second annual Steps Forward Day. In Mason, volunteers painted the exterior of the Mason City Hall on April 8 to keep its appearance in line with other historic buildings in the city. “We are proud to give back to the communities we serve,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA general manager.

Congratulations to Jay Ahlschwede who placed first with his lightweight shorthorn steer at the Austin Livestock Show and Rodeo. Rodeo Austin is the 8th largest Junior Livestock Show in North America and had more than 6,000 youth competing in the 2016 show. Jay is a member of the Mason County 4-H Club.

This year our Mason County Republican Women’s Home Tour showcases historical Mason and “what’s happening now” in our town. Buildings from the late 1800’s (The Fulton House, Grosse & Sons Hardware, and the Mebus House) are being painstakingly renovated along with additional very attractive new construction. We have a mini renovation revival of sorts underway in our beloved town.

Mark your calendar for Friday, May 6 and 7 for the Fine Arts Association of the Hill Country annual art show! It will be held at the Eckert Center on McKinley Street. Friday will be the opening reception from 5 to 8 PM, with Ken Brown once again playing his fabulous music, along with wine and hors d’oeuvres.

Mason High School won the District UIL Academics Championship for 2016 in a two-day contest held April 4th and 6th in Johnson City. The MHS team posted 542 points to the second place Harper’s 283 points. On top of winning handily, the Mason students pulled off a rare feat of placing in every one of the 24 contested events. In all, Mason students won first place in nine different events, and 25 students advanced to compete at the Regional Meet that will be held April 22-23 in Corpus Christi. M ...

Central Texas Electric Cooperative is aware of a recent attempt to scam local utility customers. On April 7, CTEC was contacted by a manager from a restaurant in our service territory, who reported a call from a person claiming to be with Central Texas Electric Cooperative. The caller demanded that a wire transfer needed to be made immediately for late utility payments, advising the business to make transfer payments at the strip center near Wal-Mart. Central Texas Electric Cooperative does NOT ...

Varsity Cowgirl Results--District 27AA Championships Harper--Thursday, March 31st 100m--Corinne Perlichek, 5th, 13.57; 200m--Raegan Palacio, 1st, 27.69; Mackenzie Carter, 6th, 28.54; 400m--Angelica Ramirez, 4th, 63.97; 800m--Angelica Ramirez, 2nd, 2:28.50; Shay Baker, 4th, 2:33.14; 100m Hurdles--Sandra Duarte, 3rd, 17.10; Victoria Baltierra, 4th, 17.75; Kayla Harwell, 5th, 17.99; 300m Hurdles--Sandra Duarte, 4th, 50.69; Victoria Baltierra, 5th, 50.72; 4x100m Relay--6th, 53.37, K’lee Anders, C ...

Second Chance – Mason Animal Rescue is having a PARTY – a PawTail Fiesta! Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 23rd, 6:30 PM, Sue & Keith Kaan’s home, 3610 Road Runner Ridge (2 miles south of Mason on Hwy 87). Appetizers: Taste of Santa Fe*Taste of New Orleans*Taste of Asia Barrel Aged Cocktails*Wine*Beer Fabulous and Unusual Auction Items $50.00 per person Get your tickets at Topaz Confections or Chica Chula or The Chamber or Market Square or Mason Bank or buy them via our website ...

This week is National Library Week, and I’m extending a personal invitation to you to pay a visit to the library. If you haven’t been in a while, I think you’ll be surprised! Don’t forget to mark your calendars for April 19th. Jerry Barlow will be performing Celtic fingerstyle guitar in the Stribling Room.

One time, up in South Dakota, I got mauled by a grizzly bear. No, wait, that was Hugh Glass. I keep getting that mixed up, since I saw a grizzly bear once, which is pretty close to what happened to Hugh. It’s easy to see how I get the two stories confused. For some reason no one ever made a movie about me, but there have been at least two movies made about Hugh.

Having children doesn’t come with a manual. Nor, does it come with any guaranties! Mostly, you just have to wing it, and hope it comes out okay. Raising children is a cycle learned from one parent to the next parent. I thought at times my parents were “Old fogies!” That they didn’t know what was happening in the world.

Peace Beyond Understanding... Only God could create a character like the late Hal Rowe. During his 72-year earthly pilgrimage, his specialty was constantly helping others, always making them smile. Consider his bungled marriage proposal to Joyce. She accepted--IF he’d place the ring on her OTHER hand. He blamed inexperience, asking, “Do you want to marry a 210-pound football player or a 130-pound poet?” The two would share life’s “thick and thin” journey for a half-century. Much of ...

Mini Meat Loaves Regretfully, I have been a bit under the weather the last month and have unable to do my editorial but hopefully that’s behind me. This week’s recipe comes from my “other mother,” Betty Stockbridge that raised me and put up with me for the last 34 years. She has a lot of scrumptious recipes she has shared with me, through the years.

Our church family was saddened to hear of the passing of our friend, Lynn Sikora, on Friday. The Sikoras live in Connecticut and spent the last few winters in Art. They were in Texas when Lynn became very ill. Services are pending in Connecticut. Pastor John was resting this week. He is having voice problems and had a busy Easter season.

You know the old saying: Don’t Squat With Your Spurs On. Good advice. Here’s another version: Watch Where You Squat. Because they’re everywhere. Fire ants. And are they ever. On fire, that is. Anyone who’s personally encountered them knows what I mean. They move fast as fleas. And are about the same size. And the pain they inflict can surpass other bites and stings. Maybe that’s because they bite you first and then sting. If you just arrived on Planet Earth, North America, Texas, Maso ...

Rev. Charles Partin and the congregation of Calvary Lighthouse Assembly of God Church at 716 Wren will have a special speaker this Sunday, April 17 at 11:00 A.M. Greg Parker of Dubuque, Iowa will be preaching. Greg is the son of the late “Cotton” and Betty Parker of Mason. We invite you to come and join us for this special service.

JV Boys: Johnson City - 180 Mason - 149 San Saba - 138 Center Point- 80 Junction - 60 Harper - 4 100-Baylee Owen 12.1 4th, 200-Baylee Owen 25.22 3rd, Chandler Buntyn 26.3 5th 400-Carlos Watson 56.75 1st 800-Josh Fluhmann 2:36.4 5th 1600-Scott Harwell 5:40.1 3rd 3200-Scott Harwell 12:18.14 3rd 110H-John Benefield 20.1 4th, Zach Norman 21.59 6th 300H-Fluhmann 47.95 2nd, Tyson Keller 50.31 3rd 4x100-Owen, Burke, Coe, Silerio 47.2 3rd 4x200-Owen, Burke, Coe, Hernandez 1:39.8 3rd 4x400-Burke, Keller ...

The bluebonnets are in full bloom and it’s time for the Bluebonnet Choral Festival! This musical event is the result of many months of planning and will culminate in two performances in Mason, free and open to the public, on Friday, April 15 at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church and Saturday, April 16 at 2 p.m.

On Thursday, April 14th, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 will have its regular meeting at 6:30pm, at The American Legion Post Hall, 237 Post Hill [behind the Jail]. All members plus friends, family, and other interested parties are encouraged to attend. For more information on The American Legion, call Holly Gilmore, 429-6368, or Lawrence Spell, 429-6224.

The 3MC Texas Aggie Muster to be held in Mason on Thursday, April 21, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. Each year Aggies throughout the world join together to celebrate Muster and this year, Mason will host the Muster event for Menard, Mason, McCulloch, and Concho Counties. Muster is a day celebrating the camaraderie and the friendships, the triumphs and the defeats, the legacies and the impact that Texas A&M University has made, and continues to make, in all of our lives.

This month there will be a display of African artifacts at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. The exhibit illustrates the creative and artistic talents of the makers of these utilitarian and religious artifacts. The material exhibits a variety of articles and materials that Michael Murphy has collected from different parts of central and southern Africa over the last 30 years. The items displayed include several styles of masks made by the Senufo, who live in West Central Africa (M ...