April 19, 2017 Issue

Well, I was out almost all of last week because my husband had back surgery. All went well, and now I’m trying to catch up. Don’t forget that today is Michael Stork’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia program. He is the owner of Morning Star Memory Care in Fredericksburg, and he is very knowledgeable.

On April the 12th, 2017, we lost our beloved Willeda Rea of Art, Texas. She was 79 years old and is survived by her husband of 58 years, Van Rea of Art and three daughters, Laura McDowell of Austin, Mindy Hasie of Austin and Tammy Smith of New Braunfels, Texas. She is also survived by three sisters, Marjorie Cardwell of Fredericksburg, Betha Cox of Kyle and Zala Koym and her husband Charles of Fredericksburg.

Patricia Ann Robar, 87, passed away peacefully March 21, 2017, surrounded by her children in her home at Marlow Manor, Anchorage. A Mass of Christian burial was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, 2017, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 825 Klevin St., with a reception immediately following the service. Pallbearers were Jim Robar, Alan Robar, Kurt Robar, Cye Robar, Kevin Robar, Jamie Haines and Aaron Haines. Pat was born November 24, 1929, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to the late Charles and Opal Ham ...

Fidensio “Fred” Zavala, of Fredericksburg, passed away on Saturday, April 15, at the age of 77. Mr. Zavala is survived by his wife Juanita “Jane” Zavala of Fredericksburg, a son Michael Zavala and wife Jennifer of Fredericksburg, two daughters Debbie Rodriguez and husband A. Javier of Fredericksburg and Naomi Urie and husband Doug of Kerrville.

Darlene S. Humphreys, 76, passed away on April 11, 2017. She was born on October 9, 1940, in Mason, Texas to Peano and Ruby (Haynes) Schuessler. Darlene married Arnim Humphreys on November 12, 1971, in Liberty Hill, Texas. Sadly he passed away on February 8, 2005. As a young girl, Darlene was captain of the basketball team all four years of High School and sang in a group called The Dar's at local clubs and on the Cactus Pryor show. Darlene graduated from Southwestern University with a Bachelor ...

The meeting of the Hill Country Master Naturalists will be held on April 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Guadalupe River Authority, 125 Lehmann Drive in Kerrville. The topic of the meeting is Chronic Wasting Disease and Overview and Surveillance Efforts. For more information contact Bridget Langdale at 325-805-1176 in Mason or you may contact Micah Walker, Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources at 325-347-6459.

Dear Gerry, I found Helen Liston’s remarks about “Russian Jews” in her recent “venting”(as she called it) letter to the editor offensive. I come from a family of Russian Jews who legally immigrated to the United States over 100 years ago to escape the Pogroms, where Russian Jews were slaughtered for religious reasons, pre-dating WWII by 50 years.

Mason County Habitat for Humanity dedicated Petra Saucedo’s new home in a gathering at the home on April 14th. Members of Petra’s family, friends, members of the Mason County Habitat board of directors, and members of the Care-A-Vanner crew that worked to finish the home were among those in attendance. Mason County Habitat president Jess Irwin presented Petra with an inscribed Bible and a gift certificate donated by the Mason Lions Club Charitable Foundation.

At the end of the first round of competition, the Mason Punchers first team was in first place with a 60 shot lead. The second team was 12 shots back of San Saba and 1 shot ahead of Junction. Things were looking pretty good for the Punchers. Then a sour turn of events.

Production Must Close April 30th Fredericksburg, TX (Apr. 17, 2017)- April 28th, 29th and 30th will be the final weekend of performances for the Fredericksburg Theater Company’s (FTC) production of Driving Miss Daisy. Driving Miss Daisy is the final show of FTC’s 20th anniversary season, performed onstage at the Steve W.

VARSITY POINT TOTALS: Mason - 208 Harper - 130.5 San Saba - 121.5 Junction - 108 Center Point - 44 110H - Hyatt 15.57 1st, Chapman 16.09 3rd, Kerr 17.20 4th 300H - Chapman 39.51 1st, Kirby 41.90 2nd, Wofford 45.88 6th 4x100 - Herrera, Alvarez, Kirby, Hudson 44.76 2nd 4x200 - Herrera, Alvarez, Kirby, Hudson 1:33.40 1st 4x400 - Hudson, McMillan, Chapman, Wofford 3:29.5 1st 100 - Coe 11.58 1st 200 - Herrera 23.75 3rd, Klaerner 24.41 5th, 400 - McMillan 53.52 2nd, Watson 54.03 4th, ...

District 27AA Meet @ San Saba - Wednesday 4/12/17 Varsity Track Results: 3200m--5th, Ella Canfield, 13:26.51; 4x100m Relay--2nd, Madison Owen, K’lee Anders, Sydney Anderson, Shay Baker, 53.84; 800m--2nd, Angelica Ramirez, 2:26.75; 100m--6th, Sandra Duarte, 13.67; 100m Hurdles--1st, Victoria Baltierra, 16.73; 6th, Kayla Harwell, 18.84; 4x200m Relay--1st, Madison Owen, K’lee Anders, Sandra Duarte, Sydney Anderson, 1:53.05; 400m--2nd, Angelica Ramirez, 1:01.67 ...

Micah Walker, Mason County AgriLife Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources has announced the dates for the Hill Country Commercial Heifer Show and Sale as October 24, 2017. The event will be held in conjunction with the TSWCR Ranch Gathering. Entry Forms are due and consignment fees are $10.00 per head entered with no limit.

The Mason Lions club met Tuesday, April 11th, for its regular weekly meeting. There were three visitors in attendance: Mason High School seniors Steeley Smith, Jackson Chapman and Cheyenne Ivey. Lion Rob Hofmann, our District Judge for the 452nd Judicial District,was responsible for the program and spoke about the Texas CASA system Although there are about 3200 judges in Texas, the courts only make up about .38% of the state's budget He provided a lot of information about the staffing and demog ...

Head West.... or North!!! For centuries, the mantra of explorers has been, "head west." Whether it was Isabella talking to Columbus, Sigfrid talking to Eric the Red, or Elizabeth talking to Sir Walter Raleigh. West was the preferred direction for adventure and opportunity. Of course, the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia were either connected by land, or were dotted with island archipelagos that made getting from one place to another, while not easy, at least pos ...

Stellar Science You may recall, as I do because I was there, that Coach Jimmy Lange told his seventh grade science class in 1974 that there are nine planets in our solar system. You may even remember all their names. I know Earth was one, and Jupiter, and Sneezy, and Louie.

I’ve been waiting two months for this. Are we going to have a frost or freeze on the 19th? The bee brush is blooming, so that’s a sign of rain. Joints aching? Mine seeming hurt all the time. Guess we’ll find out about the Thunder in February and the frost/freeze on the same day in April. Hope all had a blessed Easter.

Free Gas Not in the Cards.... Craig Murphy is a “pay it forward” kind of guy. If such courtesy were a corporation, his “giving back” nature might qualify him for the board of directors. It’s simply the way he’s wound. So, his friends weren’t surprised recently when it appeared he might be the recipient of a free tank of gas.... ***** Murphy, whose 500 gigs in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex last year could make him the most durable vocalist around, was mystified when the gas pump ...

Spring is certainly here with the wildflowers, spring showers, warm weather and plenty of outdoor activities. I hope everyone had a blessed and wonderful Easter and had the opportunity to visit with friends and family. There continue to be many activities and fund raising benefits in the next few weeks, so keep a watch on your calendar and the various notices, and try not to miss anything important as I did last week when I forgot to check my calendar.

As I write this Sunday evening, I am reflecting on the wonderful Easter weekend. John and I and the grands spent Saturday in Harper at Trade Days and Car Show. The boys enjoyed the car show. The girls wandered through the booths. It was a great Saturday. On Friday, three kids from Young Life came to work on my leaf mess.

Seventy-four million. 74,000,000. That’s a lot. That’s an estimate. Not for how many stars are in the sky. Or how much your tax refund will be. 74,000,000 is an estimate of pet dogs in this country. Who estimated this...and how...remains a secret. But even if they overestimated by half... That’s 37 million dogs. And y’all know what dogs do. Each pet poops three-quarters of a pound a day. (Kinda gives “QuarterPounder” a whole new meaning.) That’s 12 ounces a day That’s an approxi ...

What specific events tip the scale, making a major problem become an emergency? At what point do we cry out to our community that what once was a concern has become a crisis? When the crisis involves children, that time is now. In the past year, the number of children in foster care in our judicial district has increased from 40 to 66.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 has rescheduled its regular monthly meeting for Thursday, April 20th, 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 Joaquin Velez, 218-2049, or Tommy Koepke, 347-6021.

For the fifth consecutive year, Mason One-Act Play will be competing at the UIL State One-Act Play contest held at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts 1401 Cedar Street in Bastrop on April 19, 2017. The road to State was a whirlwind with Area and Region contests being held all in one week!

HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR PAWTAIL PARTY II TICKETS YET? No? Hurry and do so! We have boatloads of delicious food for you and if you miss this--well, do you remember that iconic scene where Lucille Ball is frantically eating chocolates to keep up on the assembly line? There’s way too much for us to stuff ourselves with, so you must help us.

In 1999, the Mason First United Methodist Church decided to embark on a challenging project which resulted in the creation of the Steady Steps early childhood and pre-K schools to provide both child care services, and learning opportunities in a Christian environment. Wisely, the decision was made to employ Margaret Persky, a Methodist minister, to be the first director.

If you have not paid your Mason County Livestock and Wildlife Protection Association dues, you have until May 1, 2017. Membership dues are used to pay bounties on coyotes and bobcats harvested from member’s property when they pose a problem. The Association’s bounty program resulted in the elimination of 388 coyotes and 54 bobcats in 2016.

The Mason County Historical Commission will hold its annual historical symposium this coming Sunday, April 23, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. in the Richard P. Eckert Center. Because this is the 100th anniversary commemorating “The Great War”. America entered the war against Germany and the other Central Powers on April 6, 1918, the topic of this year’s article is “Mason Remembers WWI” and how the war affected Germans living in Texas at the time. Our guest speaker will be Dr.

For the fifth consecutive year, Mason One-Act Play will be competing at the UIL State One-Act Play contest held at the Jerry Fay Wilhelm Center for the Performing Arts 1401 Cedar Street in Bastrop on April 19, 2017. The road to State was a whirlwind with Area and Region contests being held all in one week!

District 27AA Meet @ San Saba - Wednesday 4/12/17 Varsity Track Results: 3200m--5th, Ella Canfield, 13:26.51; 4x100m Relay--2nd, Madison Owen, K’lee Anders, Sydney Anderson, Shay Baker, 53.84; 800m--2nd, Angelica Ramirez, 2:26.75; 100m--6th, Sandra Duarte, 13.67; 100m Hurdles--1st, Victoria Baltierra, 16.73; 6th, Kayla Harwell, 18.84; 4x200m Relay--1st, Madison Owen, K’lee Anders, Sandra Duarte, Sydney Anderson, 1:53.05; 400m--2nd, Angelica Ramirez, 1:01.67 ...

VARSITY POINT TOTALS: Mason - 208 Harper - 130.5 San Saba - 121.5 Junction - 108 Center Point - 44 110H - Hyatt 15.57 1st, Chapman 16.09 3rd, Kerr 17.20 4th 300H - Chapman 39.51 1st, Kirby 41.90 2nd, Wofford 45.88 6th 4x100 - Herrera, Alvarez, Kirby, Hudson 44.76 2nd 4x200 - Herrera, Alvarez, Kirby, Hudson 1:33.40 1st 4x400 - Hudson, McMillan, Chapman, Wofford 3:29.5 1st 100 - Coe 11.58 1st 200 - Herrera 23.75 3rd, Klaerner 24.41 5th, 400 - McMillan 53.52 2nd, Watson 54.03 4th, ...

At the end of the first round of competition, the Mason Punchers first team was in first place with a 60 shot lead. The second team was 12 shots back of San Saba and 1 shot ahead of Junction. Things were looking pretty good for the Punchers. Then a sour turn of events.

The Mason County Historical Commission will hold its annual historical symposium this coming Sunday, April 23, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. in the Richard P. Eckert Center. Because this is the 100th anniversary commemorating “The Great War”. America entered the war against Germany and the other Central Powers on April 6, 1918, the topic of this year’s article is “Mason Remembers WWI” and how the war affected Germans living in Texas at the time. Our guest speaker will be Dr.

If you have not paid your Mason County Livestock and Wildlife Protection Association dues, you have until May 1, 2017. Membership dues are used to pay bounties on coyotes and bobcats harvested from member’s property when they pose a problem. The Association’s bounty program resulted in the elimination of 388 coyotes and 54 bobcats in 2016.

In 1999, the Mason First United Methodist Church decided to embark on a challenging project which resulted in the creation of the Steady Steps early childhood and pre-K schools to provide both child care services, and learning opportunities in a Christian environment. Wisely, the decision was made to employ Margaret Persky, a Methodist minister, to be the first director.

HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR PAWTAIL PARTY II TICKETS YET? No? Hurry and do so! We have boatloads of delicious food for you and if you miss this--well, do you remember that iconic scene where Lucille Ball is frantically eating chocolates to keep up on the assembly line? There’s way too much for us to stuff ourselves with, so you must help us.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 has rescheduled its regular monthly meeting for Thursday, April 20th, 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 Joaquin Velez, 218-2049, or Tommy Koepke, 347-6021.

As I write this Sunday evening, I am reflecting on the wonderful Easter weekend. John and I and the grands spent Saturday in Harper at Trade Days and Car Show. The boys enjoyed the car show. The girls wandered through the booths. It was a great Saturday. On Friday, three kids from Young Life came to work on my leaf mess.

Micah Walker, Mason County AgriLife Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources has announced the dates for the Hill Country Commercial Heifer Show and Sale as October 24, 2017. The event will be held in conjunction with the TSWCR Ranch Gathering. Entry Forms are due and consignment fees are $10.00 per head entered with no limit.

Production Must Close April 30th Fredericksburg, TX (Apr. 17, 2017)- April 28th, 29th and 30th will be the final weekend of performances for the Fredericksburg Theater Company’s (FTC) production of Driving Miss Daisy. Driving Miss Daisy is the final show of FTC’s 20th anniversary season, performed onstage at the Steve W.

The meeting of the Hill Country Master Naturalists will be held on April 24 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Guadalupe River Authority, 125 Lehmann Drive in Kerrville. The topic of the meeting is Chronic Wasting Disease and Overview and Surveillance Efforts. For more information contact Bridget Langdale at 325-805-1176 in Mason or you may contact Micah Walker, Extension Agent for Ag and Natural Resources at 325-347-6459.

Darlene S. Humphreys, 76, passed away on April 11, 2017. She was born on October 9, 1940, in Mason, Texas to Peano and Ruby (Haynes) Schuessler. Darlene married Arnim Humphreys on November 12, 1971, in Liberty Hill, Texas. Sadly he passed away on February 8, 2005. As a young girl, Darlene was captain of the basketball team all four years of High School and sang in a group called The Dar's at local clubs and on the Cactus Pryor show. Darlene graduated from Southwestern University with a Bachelor ...

Fidensio “Fred” Zavala, of Fredericksburg, passed away on Saturday, April 15, at the age of 77. Mr. Zavala is survived by his wife Juanita “Jane” Zavala of Fredericksburg, a son Michael Zavala and wife Jennifer of Fredericksburg, two daughters Debbie Rodriguez and husband A. Javier of Fredericksburg and Naomi Urie and husband Doug of Kerrville.

Patricia Ann Robar, 87, passed away peacefully March 21, 2017, surrounded by her children in her home at Marlow Manor, Anchorage. A Mass of Christian burial was held at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, 2017, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 825 Klevin St., with a reception immediately following the service. Pallbearers were Jim Robar, Alan Robar, Kurt Robar, Cye Robar, Kevin Robar, Jamie Haines and Aaron Haines. Pat was born November 24, 1929, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to the late Charles and Opal Ham ...

On April the 12th, 2017, we lost our beloved Willeda Rea of Art, Texas. She was 79 years old and is survived by her husband of 58 years, Van Rea of Art and three daughters, Laura McDowell of Austin, Mindy Hasie of Austin and Tammy Smith of New Braunfels, Texas. She is also survived by three sisters, Marjorie Cardwell of Fredericksburg, Betha Cox of Kyle and Zala Koym and her husband Charles of Fredericksburg.

Head West.... or North!!! For centuries, the mantra of explorers has been, "head west." Whether it was Isabella talking to Columbus, Sigfrid talking to Eric the Red, or Elizabeth talking to Sir Walter Raleigh. West was the preferred direction for adventure and opportunity. Of course, the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia were either connected by land, or were dotted with island archipelagos that made getting from one place to another, while not easy, at least pos ...

Seventy-four million. 74,000,000. That’s a lot. That’s an estimate. Not for how many stars are in the sky. Or how much your tax refund will be. 74,000,000 is an estimate of pet dogs in this country. Who estimated this...and how...remains a secret. But even if they overestimated by half... That’s 37 million dogs. And y’all know what dogs do. Each pet poops three-quarters of a pound a day. (Kinda gives “QuarterPounder” a whole new meaning.) That’s 12 ounces a day That’s an approxi ...

Free Gas Not in the Cards.... Craig Murphy is a “pay it forward” kind of guy. If such courtesy were a corporation, his “giving back” nature might qualify him for the board of directors. It’s simply the way he’s wound. So, his friends weren’t surprised recently when it appeared he might be the recipient of a free tank of gas.... ***** Murphy, whose 500 gigs in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex last year could make him the most durable vocalist around, was mystified when the gas pump ...

I’ve been waiting two months for this. Are we going to have a frost or freeze on the 19th? The bee brush is blooming, so that’s a sign of rain. Joints aching? Mine seeming hurt all the time. Guess we’ll find out about the Thunder in February and the frost/freeze on the same day in April. Hope all had a blessed Easter.

Stellar Science You may recall, as I do because I was there, that Coach Jimmy Lange told his seventh grade science class in 1974 that there are nine planets in our solar system. You may even remember all their names. I know Earth was one, and Jupiter, and Sneezy, and Louie.

Well, I was out almost all of last week because my husband had back surgery. All went well, and now I’m trying to catch up. Don’t forget that today is Michael Stork’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia program. He is the owner of Morning Star Memory Care in Fredericksburg, and he is very knowledgeable.

Dear Gerry, I found Helen Liston’s remarks about “Russian Jews” in her recent “venting”(as she called it) letter to the editor offensive. I come from a family of Russian Jews who legally immigrated to the United States over 100 years ago to escape the Pogroms, where Russian Jews were slaughtered for religious reasons, pre-dating WWII by 50 years.