July 27, 2016 Issue

   Six members and both extension agents of the Mason County 4-H Club attended Multi-County Camp in Brady, TX, July 6 to 8. The camp was held at Heart of Texas Bible Camp. Counties attending included Brown, Llano, Menard, Runnels and Mason Counties. Once campers arrived on Wednesday they were treated to a scavenger hunt, swim party and get acquainted party.

   The drawing for the 2016 Puncher Dome football home games will be held Tuesday, August 23 @ 10:00 am. The drawing will be held at the MISD Admin office on the north side of the square (200 Fort MAcKavitt St).    In order to be entered into the drawing, a check for $240.00 needs to be delivered to the Admin.

   All incoming 7th-12th boys and girls are invited to attend the summer strength and conditioning camp. This is a good chance to get a “jump start” on the upcoming season. This free camp will be from 6 - 7 p.m. Monday thru Thursday. Dates are as follows: July 11th - 14th July 18th - 21st July 25th - 28th    Also, don’t forget to get your physicals taken care of if you didn’t get that done in May.

   Happy August. In a few days August will arrive. School will start. Fall is just around the corner.    There is progress on the handicapped ramp at the Art United Methodists Church. Dirt is moved. Forms are up. It won’t be long until it is finished.    This is the week of non-announcements.

Avoiding Misinformation.... Sign Off for a While!    When I get up in the mornings, I like to check my email, then the weather report. I follow that up with a scan of news headlines to find out what has gone on while I was sleeping. If something catches my interest, I do additional reading.    When that's done, I go over to Facebook.

   The Mason High School cheerleaders are gearing up for another season.    The youth cheer camp will be held Monday, August 8th through Friday, August 12th in the high school gym from 9:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m. The camp is for anyone from the age of 4 all the way through 8th grade and costs $60.    Registration forms can be picked up and dropped off at the MISD administration office located on the square.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mayor Brent Hinckley has indicated that he has reaffirmed the positions they've received from legal counsel concerning possible conflict of interest issues. He has also offered that the issue will be addressed at an upcoming City Commission meeting rather than through an exchange in the newspaper. He also told the News that Commissioner Pledger has been included in these most recent meetings. Gerry, I am requesting that you print the following corrections/explanations to ...

   Vendor applications for Old Yeller Day are now available at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library located at 410 Post Hill Street. Local vendors only may apply. Old Yeller Day takes place on Saturday, September 24th, on the Courthouse lawn. Electricity is available. The Library is open Monday-Friday 10:00 A.M.

   In last week's editorial, I had stated that Mason County bought road material from one of the Commissioners' nephews, when it is actually his brother-in-law that sells the material to the county. I also stat-ed that the former road supervisor used a company to do hauling of material for the county that em-ployed his son.

   The Dr Pepper / Babolat Open Tennis Tournament was held here in Mason over the July 14-17 weekend. Once again the tournament attracted many excellent players from across the state. The Jr tournament was held on Thursday/Friday with many of our Mason players performing well and taking home trophies that were donated by Dr Pepper.    Tennis Outlet of Lubbock was able to acquire the sponsorship of Babolat who provided tennis balls for the tournament.

   It’s that time again! The first day of school is Monday, August 22nd! Parents of Mason High School students should receive a packet in the mail during the first week of August, which includes high school registration information and necessary forms to be completed and returned to school on the day of registration.

   The Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 1, at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 East US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg.    We will view Dr. Alex Filippenko’s video lecture entitled “Magnificent Saturn.” With Saturn’s rings on magnificent display all summer, it seems like an opportune time to learn more about their origin and structure.    Alex Filippenko, PhD, is an astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at the Univ ...

  On the 27th of July we remember the Korean Armistice was signed. This was the end of fighting in the Korean War. This war has never been settled.   The veterans will hold a remembrance of this event on August the 2nd at 1:30 p.m. at the Post on Post Hill Street. Questions about the VFW may be directed to Lawrence Spell, Post commander, at 325 429 6224.

Dead wood. It’s a good thing. Makes for good barbecue. Like Texas Deadwood. Now there’s an appropriate name. Or Coopers BBQ. Friends of mine cut down a dead tree. Why not. They’re in the way. Unsightly. No longer wanted. Useless. On the other hand... Dead wood means life. When it piles up, birds find solace within. As do lizards and rabbits. Too bad the dead tree’s being dismantled. One glance tells you it made woodpeckers happy. And some owl or critter used it as a permanent address. T ...

   All incoming 7th-12th boys and girls are invited to attend the summer strength and conditioning camp. This is a good chance to get a “jump start” on the upcoming season. This free camp will be from 6 - 7 p.m. Monday thru Thursday. Dates are as follows: July 11th - 14th July 18th - 21st July 25th - 28th    Also, don’t forget to get your physicals taken care of if you didn’t get that done in May.

   The Dr Pepper / Babolat Open Tennis Tournament was held here in Mason over the July 14-17 weekend. Once again the tournament attracted many excellent players from across the state. The Jr tournament was held on Thursday/Friday with many of our Mason players performing well and taking home trophies that were donated by Dr Pepper.    Tennis Outlet of Lubbock was able to acquire the sponsorship of Babolat who provided tennis balls for the tournament.

   It’s that time again! The first day of school is Monday, August 22nd! Parents of Mason High School students should receive a packet in the mail during the first week of August, which includes high school registration information and necessary forms to be completed and returned to school on the day of registration.

   The Mason High School cheerleaders are gearing up for another season.    The youth cheer camp will be held Monday, August 8th through Friday, August 12th in the high school gym from 9:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m. The camp is for anyone from the age of 4 all the way through 8th grade and costs $60.    Registration forms can be picked up and dropped off at the MISD administration office located on the square.

   Vendor applications for Old Yeller Day are now available at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library located at 410 Post Hill Street. Local vendors only may apply. Old Yeller Day takes place on Saturday, September 24th, on the Courthouse lawn. Electricity is available. The Library is open Monday-Friday 10:00 A.M.

   It’s that time again! The first day of school is Monday, August 22nd! Parents of Mason High School students should receive a packet in the mail during the first week of August, which includes high school registration information and necessary forms to be completed and returned to school on the day of registration.

   The Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 1, at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 East US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg.    We will view Dr. Alex Filippenko’s video lecture entitled “Magnificent Saturn.” With Saturn’s rings on magnificent display all summer, it seems like an opportune time to learn more about their origin and structure.    Alex Filippenko, PhD, is an astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at the Univ ...

  On the 27th of July we remember the Korean Armistice was signed. This was the end of fighting in the Korean War. This war has never been settled.   The veterans will hold a remembrance of this event on August the 2nd at 1:30 p.m. at the Post on Post Hill Street. Questions about the VFW may be directed to Lawrence Spell, Post commander, at 325 429 6224.

   Happy August. In a few days August will arrive. School will start. Fall is just around the corner.    There is progress on the handicapped ramp at the Art United Methodists Church. Dirt is moved. Forms are up. It won’t be long until it is finished.    This is the week of non-announcements.

Avoiding Misinformation.... Sign Off for a While!    When I get up in the mornings, I like to check my email, then the weather report. I follow that up with a scan of news headlines to find out what has gone on while I was sleeping. If something catches my interest, I do additional reading.    When that's done, I go over to Facebook.

Dead wood. It’s a good thing. Makes for good barbecue. Like Texas Deadwood. Now there’s an appropriate name. Or Coopers BBQ. Friends of mine cut down a dead tree. Why not. They’re in the way. Unsightly. No longer wanted. Useless. On the other hand... Dead wood means life. When it piles up, birds find solace within. As do lizards and rabbits. Too bad the dead tree’s being dismantled. One glance tells you it made woodpeckers happy. And some owl or critter used it as a permanent address. T ...