August 31, 2016 Issue

   William J. "Bill" Johnson    William Jackson “Bill” Johnson, Ph.D., beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, educator, rancher and community steward passed away peacefully on August 23, 2016, with his wife and daughters by his side. Born in Mason, Texas, he was always drawn to reading and education. After graduating from Mason High School and earning his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Augusta, Georgia, where he ...

   The Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring a Caregiver Conference on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Conference presentations start at 9 a.m.    Concho Valley Area Agency on Aging    2801 W. Loop 306, Suite A    San Angelo, TX 76904    Featured Speaker:    Thomas Wayne Starkey Jr., Ph.D., LCSW    Lunch sponsored by:    Superior Healthplans    Who ...

   Wow! August came and went really fast this year! This past month was very busy with the end of summer, the start of school for most as well as the start of Puncher Football.    This is my most favorite time of the year! Mason has so much to offer during this season: beautiful scenery, delicious dining, history galore and home to the best shopping.

   It seems that sometimes I spend most of my columns just repeating things that have been said before. For instance, even though the weather is not as hot and dry, our residents still need to use wise water conservation when tending to your yards so that we are not wasting the water that the City pumps from the wells and to your homes.

   Crunchy Potato Balls    Sometimes I get tired of the same old chippy-dip appetizers when I take snacks to a party. This is a different bend on your usual snack-fare. Another good thing about this dish is you can use left over mashed potatoes.    2 cups very stiff mashed potatoes (I think you also could use instant potatoes)    2 cups finely chopped ham    1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese    1/3 cup ligh ...

   Once a Man, Twice a Child...    Historians disagree on the source and date of the expression: once a man and twice a child. My vote goes for Plato’s version penned in 400 BC.    I--and many others--chuckle about the truth that lies therein--and the importance of its recognition by each generation.

   I enjoyed Gerry’s article last week. Talking about how the High Teck. has changed how we do the paper. I can remember way back in the dinosaur age, when I’d hand write my article and take it into the office in Kyle. Got some advanced when I started typing it and sliding it under the door of the news office on Monday before I went to work.    Now, I just sit at the computer and type.

   Bear Right    Running is bad for your health. I’ve been saying that for years but, for some reason, people don’t listen to me. You still hear about people going out and running, and bad things happen to these people. I mean besides getting real tired. Well, I’ll bet Karen Williams will pay more attention to my column in the future.    Karen was running in the Valles Caldera Marathon in New Mexico recently, and was less than three miles fro ...

   Oh, I hope you take time out to join us in creating a unique painting symbolizing the culture, heritage, and beauty of Mason! World-renowned artist Vickie McMillan will be here on Thursday, September 8th, to guide participants in their painting. She’ll also be giving a slide-presentation twice during the day and will be discussing her trips to Africa and her work, how art is vital to global wildlife conservation, color theory, and how to make photographs dramatic.

   The Mason Lions Club met Tuesday, August 23rd, for it’s weekly luncheon meeting. There were 32 members and 2 visitors in attendance. Among the visitors were Whitney Bounds, guest of Lion Michael Cope, and our guest speaker, new Mason I.S.D. Superintendent John Schumaker.    “Boss” Lion Jess Irwin read 3 thank you cards; The first from former Lion Mike Ritchie’s daughter thanking the Mason Lions for the donation of the memorial brick at the Texas Lions Camp in Mike ...

   From pencils and paper to school rooms and playgrounds, Texas agriculture is helping students head back to school.    “With the hustle and bustle of this time of year, it can be easy to forget the large role Texas farmers and ranchers play in our everyday lives,” Shannon Worrell, Mason County Farm Bureau president, said.

   The Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Workforce Solutions Alamo, will host a Job Fair on Wednesday, September 14 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Fredericksburg High School Gymnasium, located at 1107 South Highway 16. There will be free parking in the lot located between South Milam Street (also called Stadium Drive) and the FHS Auditorium.    Representatives from 25 different employers will be hiring for at least 75 positions in healthcare, manufacturing, h ...

   The Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, September 5, at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 East US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg.    Club president Ryan Behrends and club vice-president Mark Ward will present a program on “Lucky Imaging,” a technique for shooting the Moon and Planets with a high-speed video camera.

   Our meeting will be hosted by the executive committee members, and will be held in Fredericksburg, TX. All ladies that are interested in joining are welcome to attend!    WHEN: September 20, 2016    TIME: Social 10:00 am with meal to follow    WHERE: The Parish Hall of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 601 West Creek Street, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 830-997-5762    Located on the corner of We ...

   The annual meeting of the Mason County Historical Society will be on Thursday, September 15, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the River of Life Church. Featured speaker will be Jeff Salmon of Abilene, the executive director of Frontier Texas.    Jeff has served as the Executive Director of Frontier Texas since September of 2003.

   Come to the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, located at 410 Post Hill Street, and participate in the creation of a unique 60” x 40” painting created by our community and installed in the library! There is no need for artistic talent as Vickie will direct and guide participants during the workshop where and how to paint.

   The Details of Our Daily Lives!    Last weekend, I spent time resolving a lingering problem with a clogged washing machine drain. It seems that 40 years of slowly accumulating soap, grease, fiber and food residue had finally taken its toll and every wash of laundry ended with the flooding of the utility room.    On Sunday evening, I was watching television, and I realized that, among all the other things that are pure fantasy in such shows, the ...

   Canuta Soto    Maria Canuta Soto, age 99, of Mason, Texas passed away Thursday, August 25, 2016, in Brady, Texas.    She was born January 19, 1917 in Brackettville, Texas to Isobel Alarcon & Margarita (Lombrana) Alarcon. She married Tiofilo Soto on July 18, 1936 in Junction. She was a member of St.

   The Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library will be offering a free Microsoft Excel class in September. Carol Tucker will be teaching primarily Excel 2010, but she will also highlight the differences in Excel 2016 and explain Microsoft 365. The class meets on eight consecutive Tuesdays; the first four sessions cover the basics, and the next four, more advanced applications.

   Sept. 1 thru Oct 24, 2016, Opening Reception: Sept. 1, Thurs., 5-7    Arnold Art Gallery announces opening reception welcoming Syraya Horton back to Texas    Syraya Horton is native of San Marcos, Texas. She graduated from Texas State University in 2013 with a BFA in painting and in the same year received the Joan Mitchell Fellowship award for a residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

   Meet Handsome Jazz!!    A smile on his face and a spring in his step. Little Jazz is sweet, friendly and more than anything wants a family of his own to love and to love him. He is a 4 month old Pit Bull mix and has been neutered, is current on vaccinations and will be microchipped before going to his forever home.

   Price of EMS    Dear Gerry,    Last Tuesday the Mason County EMS transported me to the hospital. I would like to report on that experience.    They got here to the ranch fast!    They were professional and efficient!    They were kind and thoughtful    Mason County is very fortunate to have such good emergency service.    If Judge Bearden and the Commissioners’ court want to raise taxes for the ...

   The Punchers began the 2016 season with an outing against long-time rival, the Goldthwaite Eagles. Storms threatened from a distance all evening; but, never caused any delays for the two old rivals.    The Punchers took the opening kickoff; but, only two plays in, a fumble was recovered by the Eagles and fun in 30 yards for the first score of the night.

   The MISD Education Foundation 50 Yard Line Box Seat silent auction will close on Friday, September 2nd at noon. If you didn’t get a box, or you would like a better one, please stop by the MISD Administration Office and bid on our box.

   Micah Walker, CEA and Sheree Hardin, CEA have announced the date for this year's 4-H Enrollment meeting. 4-H enrollment will take place on Monday, September 19 from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Mason County Library. The library is located at 410 Post Hill St. The meeting is come and go.

   Besides being a beautiful person inside and out, Terri Hendrix is an award-winning singer-songwriter, classically trained vocalist, and deft multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, and harmonica) who routinely holds her own both onstage and in the studio alongside some of the best musicians in Texas — including Austin City Limits Hall of Fame guitarist/pedal steel player Lloyd Maines.

   The Board of Directors of Operation Orphans, Inc. has selected four dates for doe hunts during the forthcoming whitetail season. They are the following Saturdays: October 29, November 19, December 3 and January 7. The October date will be an all girls’ hunt, while the remaining dates will be all boys’ hunts.    This is the 57th year of the “Take a Child Hunting” program.

   On Sunday, August 7, the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Mason joyfully welcomed Pastor Alfred Krebs as their newly called minister. Pastor “Fred” (as he likes to be called) comes to St. Paul from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Austin, where he served for almost 20 years.

   COLLECTORS OF MASON HISTORY MEMORABILIA: The Community Thrift Store is currently holding a SILENT AUCTION for two (2) pieces of interesting Mason history!    One item is an advertising thermometer for ARCH BURNETT’S GULF STATION. Long-time locals will remember this business being located on the south side of the Brady Highway, where Short Stop is now.    The second piece of memorabilia is a POST OFFICE DRAWER, constructed of oak with brass trim, labeled for Po ...

   September the 2nd is the day we celebrate the victory over Japan in World War II. The VFW veterans will honor those that fell during this conflict by passing out poppies at Lowes market in Mason on Saturday the 3rd of September.    All questions about the Mason VFW may be directed to Lawrence Spell, post commander, at 325 429 6224.

   Each year the Veterans of Foreign wars offer scholarships to local students. These are national competitions. With one essay, a student has a chance at thousands of dollars in scholarship money.    The first contest is for 6th -8th grade students. And it is a multilevel contest. On the local level here at the Mason Post, we pick the 3 best and then forward them to district.

   Micah Walker, CEA and Sheree Hardin, CEA have announced the date for this year's 4-H Enrollment meeting. 4-H enrollment will take place on Monday, September 19 from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Mason County Library. The library is located at 410 Post Hill St. The meeting is come and go.

   The MISD Education Foundation 50 Yard Line Box Seat silent auction will close on Friday, September 2nd at noon. If you didn’t get a box, or you would like a better one, please stop by the MISD Administration Office and bid on our box.

   The Punchers began the 2016 season with an outing against long-time rival, the Goldthwaite Eagles. Storms threatened from a distance all evening; but, never caused any delays for the two old rivals.    The Punchers took the opening kickoff; but, only two plays in, a fumble was recovered by the Eagles and fun in 30 yards for the first score of the night.

   The Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library will be offering a free Microsoft Excel class in September. Carol Tucker will be teaching primarily Excel 2010, but she will also highlight the differences in Excel 2016 and explain Microsoft 365. The class meets on eight consecutive Tuesdays; the first four sessions cover the basics, and the next four, more advanced applications.

   The Area Agency on Aging is sponsoring a Caregiver Conference on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Conference presentations start at 9 a.m.    Concho Valley Area Agency on Aging    2801 W. Loop 306, Suite A    San Angelo, TX 76904    Featured Speaker:    Thomas Wayne Starkey Jr., Ph.D., LCSW    Lunch sponsored by:    Superior Healthplans    Who ...

   October 15, 2016, has been reserved for our class reunion to be held at Nacho's, in the party room, around noon.    For more information, contact Diane Esquell at 830-329-7062.

   From pencils and paper to school rooms and playgrounds, Texas agriculture is helping students head back to school.    “With the hustle and bustle of this time of year, it can be easy to forget the large role Texas farmers and ranchers play in our everyday lives,” Shannon Worrell, Mason County Farm Bureau president, said.

   The Fredericksburg Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Workforce Solutions Alamo, will host a Job Fair on Wednesday, September 14 from 4 – 7 p.m. at the Fredericksburg High School Gymnasium, located at 1107 South Highway 16. There will be free parking in the lot located between South Milam Street (also called Stadium Drive) and the FHS Auditorium.    Representatives from 25 different employers will be hiring for at least 75 positions in healthcare, manufacturing, h ...

   The Hill Country Astronomers (HCA) will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, September 5, at the Hill Country University Center, 2818 East US Hwy 290 in Fredericksburg.    Club president Ryan Behrends and club vice-president Mark Ward will present a program on “Lucky Imaging,” a technique for shooting the Moon and Planets with a high-speed video camera.

   Our meeting will be hosted by the executive committee members, and will be held in Fredericksburg, TX. All ladies that are interested in joining are welcome to attend!    WHEN: September 20, 2016    TIME: Social 10:00 am with meal to follow    WHERE: The Parish Hall of St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 601 West Creek Street, Fredericksburg, Texas 78624 830-997-5762    Located on the corner of We ...

   The annual meeting of the Mason County Historical Society will be on Thursday, September 15, 2016, at 7 p.m. at the River of Life Church. Featured speaker will be Jeff Salmon of Abilene, the executive director of Frontier Texas.    Jeff has served as the Executive Director of Frontier Texas since September of 2003.

   Come to the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, located at 410 Post Hill Street, and participate in the creation of a unique 60” x 40” painting created by our community and installed in the library! There is no need for artistic talent as Vickie will direct and guide participants during the workshop where and how to paint.

   Each year the Veterans of Foreign wars offer scholarships to local students. These are national competitions. With one essay, a student has a chance at thousands of dollars in scholarship money.    The first contest is for 6th -8th grade students. And it is a multilevel contest. On the local level here at the Mason Post, we pick the 3 best and then forward them to district.

   Sept. 1 thru Oct 24, 2016, Opening Reception: Sept. 1, Thurs., 5-7    Arnold Art Gallery announces opening reception welcoming Syraya Horton back to Texas    Syraya Horton is native of San Marcos, Texas. She graduated from Texas State University in 2013 with a BFA in painting and in the same year received the Joan Mitchell Fellowship award for a residency at the Vermont Studio Center.

   The MISD Education Foundation 50 Yard Line Box Seat silent auction will close on Friday, September 2nd at noon. If you didn’t get a box, or you would like a better one, please stop by the MISD Administration Office and bid on our box.

   Micah Walker, CEA and Sheree Hardin, CEA have announced the date for this year's 4-H Enrollment meeting. 4-H enrollment will take place on Monday, September 19 from 5:30 to 7 pm at the Mason County Library. The library is located at 410 Post Hill St. The meeting is come and go.

   Besides being a beautiful person inside and out, Terri Hendrix is an award-winning singer-songwriter, classically trained vocalist, and deft multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, and harmonica) who routinely holds her own both onstage and in the studio alongside some of the best musicians in Texas — including Austin City Limits Hall of Fame guitarist/pedal steel player Lloyd Maines.

   The Board of Directors of Operation Orphans, Inc. has selected four dates for doe hunts during the forthcoming whitetail season. They are the following Saturdays: October 29, November 19, December 3 and January 7. The October date will be an all girls’ hunt, while the remaining dates will be all boys’ hunts.    This is the 57th year of the “Take a Child Hunting” program.

   On Sunday, August 7, the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church of Mason joyfully welcomed Pastor Alfred Krebs as their newly called minister. Pastor “Fred” (as he likes to be called) comes to St. Paul from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Austin, where he served for almost 20 years.

   COLLECTORS OF MASON HISTORY MEMORABILIA: The Community Thrift Store is currently holding a SILENT AUCTION for two (2) pieces of interesting Mason history!    One item is an advertising thermometer for ARCH BURNETT’S GULF STATION. Long-time locals will remember this business being located on the south side of the Brady Highway, where Short Stop is now.    The second piece of memorabilia is a POST OFFICE DRAWER, constructed of oak with brass trim, labeled for Po ...

   September the 2nd is the day we celebrate the victory over Japan in World War II. The VFW veterans will honor those that fell during this conflict by passing out poppies at Lowes market in Mason on Saturday the 3rd of September.    All questions about the Mason VFW may be directed to Lawrence Spell, post commander, at 325 429 6224.

   Canuta Soto    Maria Canuta Soto, age 99, of Mason, Texas passed away Thursday, August 25, 2016, in Brady, Texas.    She was born January 19, 1917 in Brackettville, Texas to Isobel Alarcon & Margarita (Lombrana) Alarcon. She married Tiofilo Soto on July 18, 1936 in Junction. She was a member of St.

   William J. "Bill" Johnson    William Jackson “Bill” Johnson, Ph.D., beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, educator, rancher and community steward passed away peacefully on August 23, 2016, with his wife and daughters by his side. Born in Mason, Texas, he was always drawn to reading and education. After graduating from Mason High School and earning his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, he moved to Augusta, Georgia, where he ...

   The Details of Our Daily Lives!    Last weekend, I spent time resolving a lingering problem with a clogged washing machine drain. It seems that 40 years of slowly accumulating soap, grease, fiber and food residue had finally taken its toll and every wash of laundry ended with the flooding of the utility room.    On Sunday evening, I was watching television, and I realized that, among all the other things that are pure fantasy in such shows, the ...

   Price of EMS    Dear Gerry,    Last Tuesday the Mason County EMS transported me to the hospital. I would like to report on that experience.    They got here to the ranch fast!    They were professional and efficient!    They were kind and thoughtful    Mason County is very fortunate to have such good emergency service.    If Judge Bearden and the Commissioners’ court want to raise taxes for the ...

   Oh, I hope you take time out to join us in creating a unique painting symbolizing the culture, heritage, and beauty of Mason! World-renowned artist Vickie McMillan will be here on Thursday, September 8th, to guide participants in their painting. She’ll also be giving a slide-presentation twice during the day and will be discussing her trips to Africa and her work, how art is vital to global wildlife conservation, color theory, and how to make photographs dramatic.

   Bear Right    Running is bad for your health. I’ve been saying that for years but, for some reason, people don’t listen to me. You still hear about people going out and running, and bad things happen to these people. I mean besides getting real tired. Well, I’ll bet Karen Williams will pay more attention to my column in the future.    Karen was running in the Valles Caldera Marathon in New Mexico recently, and was less than three miles fro ...

   I enjoyed Gerry’s article last week. Talking about how the High Teck. has changed how we do the paper. I can remember way back in the dinosaur age, when I’d hand write my article and take it into the office in Kyle. Got some advanced when I started typing it and sliding it under the door of the news office on Monday before I went to work.    Now, I just sit at the computer and type.

   Once a Man, Twice a Child...    Historians disagree on the source and date of the expression: once a man and twice a child. My vote goes for Plato’s version penned in 400 BC.    I--and many others--chuckle about the truth that lies therein--and the importance of its recognition by each generation.

   Wow! August came and went really fast this year! This past month was very busy with the end of summer, the start of school for most as well as the start of Puncher Football.    This is my most favorite time of the year! Mason has so much to offer during this season: beautiful scenery, delicious dining, history galore and home to the best shopping.

   According to reports, the first week of school went great. Parents and teachers are settling in to the new routine. Students are either thrilled or unhappy. The gripes around here include “I’m sleepy.”    For your calendar: The Art –Trinity United Methodist Women will meet Tuesday, September 13th, at Art at 2:30.

   I think that I shall never see    A poem as lovely as bee...brush blooming.    And is it ever.    Heading south from town on Highway 87.    Lots of it.    And all along 783 between 87 and Hilda.    A white riot of bee brush.    Texas sage has joined in the melee.    You can see it all over town.    All purple and glowing.    All because of rain.    And the promise of more. ...