June 21, 2017 Issue

Last Wednesday, in a marathon six-hour series of meetings, the City of Mason gave its nod for a planned 45-unit senior housing development on the east side of town. The meetings began at 3:30 with a public meeting presented by the developers, Stoneleaf Companies, out of Mabank, Texas. Ben Dempsey, Vice President, carried most of the presentation, supported by the other two principals, Mike Sugrue and Victoria Sugrue (Ben's mother). Mr.

Skillet Texas Hash You know I love one-dish and Crockpot meals. You will love this recipe because you do everything in a skillet. Serve with a side of cornbread and a green mixed salad and you will have a complete mouthwatering meal. (1-lb) pkg. ground beef or turkey 1 onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeño (chopped) 1 cup long grain rice 2 cups water 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tsp.

The Mason Volunteer Fire Department received a check for $150.00 recently from Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies as an expression of thanks for the department’s work on the property of Cody and Tana Autrey. The money will be used for their loss prevention program. The Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Companies pay fire departments this amount when the department works at a fire in rural areas, involving property insured by them. The Insurance Company believes fire departments have contributed ...

On Thursday, June 22nd, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 will hold its June meeting, at The American Legion Post Hall, 237 Post Hill [behind the Jail]. The focus of this meeting will be to elect officers and make plans for the 2017 – 2018 membership year based on the four pillars of The American Legion: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth.

Mark Hierholzer, local pianist, composer, teacher and choral director will present a concert of piano improvisations on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 at Hill Country Church, 107 East Lower Crabapple. An improvisation is a spontaneously created work. The piece is composed at the instant of performance. These improvisations will be based on scenes, stories and emotions. Hierholzer has his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Mason’s 9-10 year old baseball team won the Mason Tournament this past weekend. They began play on Friday night with an 18-1 win over Brady. Saturday morning they beat San Saba 14-2. Mason took an early lead on Burnet in their third game of the tournament, yet errors gave Burnet the win 7-13. In the consolation game, Mason had a convincing win over Harper 9-2 setting up the rematch with Burnet for the championship.

The regular meeting of the Mason Garden Club will be held onTuesday, June 20, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the Stribling Room of the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. Marlene Gillman of Killeen, master gardener and member of the Killeen Garden Club, will give a program on “Recycling” Marlene will show many different examples to take everyday items that you might throw away and make interesting and creative yard art to dress up your garden. Visitors are always welcome.

Listening to the Smallest Voices A couple of years ago, Bill Hight dropped by the office with his grandson, Aiden Sharabba. They visited for a while and Aiden took an interest in my Blackberry phone, as it was quite different from the iPhones and Android phones that he was most familiar with in his experience.

AUSTIN, Texas—The Texas Historical Commission (THC) recognized the Mason County Historical Commission (CHC) with a Distinguished Service Award (DSA) for the 2016 year of service. The THC issues DSAs each year to CHCs that document ongoing, well-rounded programs of history and preservation-related projects. The award was presented during a meeting of the county commissioners court on June 12, 2017 to acknowledge the CHC’s dedicated service and stewardship of its architectural, archeological, ...

Nationally known accordion player and children’s polka musician Mike Schneider (a.k.a. Uncle Mike) from Milwaukee, WI will be performing his Pint Size Polkas program in the Stribling Room on Monday, June 19, at 1:00 P.M. at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, located at 410 Post Hill Street.

Some members of Mason's PTO had been talking to parents from other communities, and sharing Facebook pages, when a local parent saw something interesting. Kids in some of the neighboring communities were finding a way to combat summer boredom by engaging in a community wide rock hunt. Not just normal rocks, mind you!

Importance of Reading Students who scored 90% better than their peers on reading tests, read for more than 20 minutes a day--exposing them to 1.8 million words a year. Students who scored at the 50%, read on average only 4.6 minutes a day--exposing them to 282,000 words per year. Students in the 10% read less than 1 minute per day--exposing them to 8,000 words per year.

VFW Post 8554 and the VFW Auxiliary Post 8554 are hosting a new member meeting on Tuesday June 20th at 6:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the Greater Works Community Development Center located at 601 Brazos St. Hot dogs cooked by the VFW and desserts made by the Auxiliary will be served. The VFW Auxiliary is one of the nation’s oldest veteran service organizations and our members are the relatives of those who have served in overseas combat.

Terri Hendrix is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in Texas. To date, Hendrix has released 15 albums on her own Wilory Records label, co-wrote the Grammy-winning song “Lil’ Jack Slade” by the Dixie Chicks, has established a nonprofit community arts center in San Marcos, OYOU (“Own Your Own Universe”), offering educational and therapeutic arts programs, including for those who face neurological challenges or physical disabilities and despite epilepsy, at 45, she’s at th ...

Do you have handcrafted arts/crafts to sell? Are you an author who would like to promote your latest book? Are you looking for a place to sell your delicious homemade goodies? If your answer is YES to any of these questions, we have the PERFECT place for you. Saturday, September 30th, Old Yeller Day will be held on the Mason County Courthouse Square from 9:30 am-1:00 pm.

Riata's end-of-year social event was held in the home of Dennis and Kay Evans on May 23rd. Fifty two members and guests were in attendance. A lovely meal was catered by Mary Scholibo. The new officers were introduced and installed. They are: Laura Tallent - President; Doris Courtright - Vice President; Rene' Ince - Service Treasurer; Sherry Patrick - Reporter; Bobbye Frazier - Club Treasurer; Mona Lois Schmidt - Secretary; and, K.

Screams coming from the yard were my first indication that things were notright on a hot Friday afternoon three weeks ago. My wife Johnny was in the yard playing catch with our dogs when everything hit the fan. As I was soon to discover a rattlesnake had migrated through the fence into a spot under an elm tree when our golden retriever, Rio, spotted the intruder and planted his nose way too close.

The Mason County 4H Clover Kids committed themselves to a community service project last week. The first project was to weed and prepare a flower bed at the east entrance to the Historical Building. The children, kindergarten to 2nd grade, used their muscle to dig and remove grass and weeds from the bed.

Something’s fishy in Israel As an American who loves history, I’ve always been stoked to get a chance to visit a World War II museum, or a battlefield from the Civil War era (1861-present, for some), or a place where some famous historical figure slept, or ate lunch, or got a haircut.

Summer Reading has begun! These programs are for students who were in grades K-5 the 2016-2017 school year. An adult (someone 16 or older) should come to register the child the first time he or she comes. Remember, a student must be twelve years old to be at the library alone and must be at least sixteen years old to have younger children under their supervision.

The Mason Lions Club met Tuesday, May 31st, for it’s weekly luncheon meeting. There were 28 members and 5 visitors in attendance. Among the visitors were Shelby Lehmberg, wife of our Secretary Will Lehmberg, Lion Mark Kirby’s Son, and Lion Michael Cope brought 2 young men as his guests. “Boss” Lion Jess Irwin said that on this date in 1431, 19 year old Joan of Arc was burned at the stake.

Tender Biscuits for Two Courtesy, Anne Burke While I am presenting the original recipe, just as I found it, I want to hasten to assure everyone that when I actually got around to making it, I corrupted it terribly! Every place Ms. Burke called for “reduced fat,” or “fat-free” ingredients, I substituted “regular,” high octane, full fat products.

If you have Medicare questions we have the Answers The Mason Senior Center will be hosting a Question and Answer forum for any of your Medicare needs on Thursday, June 8. If you are about to retire and need to know what the process is for applying for Medicare come by for information.

Grunts Frozen Yogurt is sponsoring a HUGE Raffle for Mason Young Life! Enter for your chance to win 4 Cowboys vs. Packers tickets for October 8, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium. Also included with the tickets is a 2 night stay at the Sheraton Hotel near the stadium and a $250 Visa Gift Card.

Llamando a todos los estudiantes de ESL que van a entrar a kindergarten o primer grado en Mason Primaria para el año escolar 2017-2018. Por favor, únase a nosotros para una K - 1 Programa Especial de Escuela de Verano que se prepara para el éxito en el nuevo ano escolar.

Fifth & sixth graders from Mason ISD attended the Farm & Ranch Safety Day sponsored by the Mason County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service on May 18th. Students learned a variety of safety topics including tractor & lawn mower safety, seatbelt safety, firearm safety, snake safety, electrical safety, ATV safety, animal safety, equipment & procedure from Mason Fire Department & EMS.

Mark Hierholzer, local pianist, composer, teacher and choral director will present a concert of piano improvisations on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 at Hill Country Church, 107 East Lower Crabapple. An improvisation is a spontaneously created work. The piece is composed at the instant of performance. These improvisations will be based on scenes, stories and emotions. Hierholzer has his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Anthony, son of Patrick and Consuelo Garner, graduated from the eighth grade at Holy Family Catholic School in Austin, Texas on May 25, 2017. Rev. Edward C. Koharchik was the celebrant at the Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Diplomas were awarded to fifty two students during Mass by Dr.

The annual reunion will be June 10th in Doss, as described in the blyers, hopefully received by all the family members. Our world famous chef (Bear Crenwelge) will be preparing delicious barbecue. Vegetables, desserts, etc... will be pot luck. Kids, bring bathing suits, as I am pursuing a water activity. Fun for all!!!

It has been a roller coaster year with many joyous and disappointing moments. But as a family we forget, forgive and look forward to a more promising future. This year, I would like to recognize the JV golfers; Tyler Tatsch, Anthony Martinez, Pablo Lopez, Jax Tedder, Sutton Graves, Oscar Ortiz, Brianna Morris and Annissa Fluhmann.

It has been a roller coaster year with many joyous and disappointing moments. But as a family we forget, forgive and look forward to a more promising future. This year, I would like to recognize the JV golfers; Tyler Tatsch, Anthony Martinez, Pablo Lopez, Jax Tedder, Sutton Graves, Oscar Ortiz, Brianna Morris and Annissa Fluhmann.

Anthony, son of Patrick and Consuelo Garner, graduated from the eighth grade at Holy Family Catholic School in Austin, Texas on May 25, 2017. Rev. Edward C. Koharchik was the celebrant at the Mass at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Diplomas were awarded to fifty two students during Mass by Dr.

Mark Hierholzer, local pianist, composer, teacher and choral director will present a concert of piano improvisations on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 at Hill Country Church, 107 East Lower Crabapple. An improvisation is a spontaneously created work. The piece is composed at the instant of performance. These improvisations will be based on scenes, stories and emotions. Hierholzer has his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Llamando a todos los estudiantes de ESL que van a entrar a kindergarten o primer grado en Mason Primaria para el año escolar 2017-2018. Por favor, únase a nosotros para una K - 1 Programa Especial de Escuela de Verano que se prepara para el éxito en el nuevo ano escolar.

The Mason County 4H Clover Kids committed themselves to a community service project last week. The first project was to weed and prepare a flower bed at the east entrance to the Historical Building. The children, kindergarten to 2nd grade, used their muscle to dig and remove grass and weeds from the bed.

Importance of Reading Students who scored 90% better than their peers on reading tests, read for more than 20 minutes a day--exposing them to 1.8 million words a year. Students who scored at the 50%, read on average only 4.6 minutes a day--exposing them to 282,000 words per year. Students in the 10% read less than 1 minute per day--exposing them to 8,000 words per year.

Mason’s 9-10 year old baseball team won the Mason Tournament this past weekend. They began play on Friday night with an 18-1 win over Brady. Saturday morning they beat San Saba 14-2. Mason took an early lead on Burnet in their third game of the tournament, yet errors gave Burnet the win 7-13. In the consolation game, Mason had a convincing win over Harper 9-2 setting up the rematch with Burnet for the championship.

MASON, Texas – To further strengthen its commitment to youth in agriculture, Capital Farm Credit is continuing its tradition of awarding 100 scholarships to Texas students. Mason High School Senior Steeley Smith was awarded one of ten $1,000 scholarships from Capital Farm Credit’s Hill Country offices. In addition to various scholarships given through colleges and universities, as well as other methods, each of Capital Farm Credit’s branch offices across the state is awarding at least one ...

We gathered on May 17th to present our annual wards and mark the end of our school year. The school initially thanked our faithful volunteers for their collective 1000+ hours of time spent helping here at the school! Our volunteers include Jim Cox, Judy Uherek, Sheri Jordan, Karen Jennings, Tai Weber, DeeAnn Loeffler, Arett Wireman, Earl & Judy Koch, Melinda Baker, Cole & Dawn Farmer, Don Durflinger and Fritz Landers. We then moved on to Character Trait certificates in which we identify ...

The Habitat House Selection Committee will hold the second meeting to apply for the 2018 Habitat House on June 6, 2017 at the Eckert Community Center. If you are interested in applying for a home, plan to attend this meeting and the meeting on June 13, 2017. Both meetings begin at 6:00 and you must attend a minimum of 2 meetings to be considered.

The annual reunion will be June 10th in Doss, as described in the blyers, hopefully received by all the family members. Our world famous chef (Bear Crenwelge) will be preparing delicious barbecue. Vegetables, desserts, etc... will be pot luck. Kids, bring bathing suits, as I am pursuing a water activity. Fun for all!!!

Mark Hierholzer, local pianist, composer, teacher and choral director will present a concert of piano improvisations on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 at Hill Country Church, 107 East Lower Crabapple. An improvisation is a spontaneously created work. The piece is composed at the instant of performance. These improvisations will be based on scenes, stories and emotions. Hierholzer has his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

Llamando a todos los estudiantes de ESL que van a entrar a kindergarten o primer grado en Mason Primaria para el año escolar 2017-2018. Por favor, únase a nosotros para una K - 1 Programa Especial de Escuela de Verano que se prepara para el éxito en el nuevo ano escolar.

Grunts Frozen Yogurt is sponsoring a HUGE Raffle for Mason Young Life! Enter for your chance to win 4 Cowboys vs. Packers tickets for October 8, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium. Also included with the tickets is a 2 night stay at the Sheraton Hotel near the stadium and a $250 Visa Gift Card.

If you have Medicare questions we have the Answers The Mason Senior Center will be hosting a Question and Answer forum for any of your Medicare needs on Thursday, June 8. If you are about to retire and need to know what the process is for applying for Medicare come by for information.

Do you have handcrafted arts/crafts to sell? Are you an author who would like to promote your latest book? Are you looking for a place to sell your delicious homemade goodies? If your answer is YES to any of these questions, we have the PERFECT place for you. Saturday, September 30th, Old Yeller Day will be held on the Mason County Courthouse Square from 9:30 am-1:00 pm.

Terri Hendrix is one of the most accomplished singer-songwriters in Texas. To date, Hendrix has released 15 albums on her own Wilory Records label, co-wrote the Grammy-winning song “Lil’ Jack Slade” by the Dixie Chicks, has established a nonprofit community arts center in San Marcos, OYOU (“Own Your Own Universe”), offering educational and therapeutic arts programs, including for those who face neurological challenges or physical disabilities and despite epilepsy, at 45, she’s at th ...

VFW Post 8554 and the VFW Auxiliary Post 8554 are hosting a new member meeting on Tuesday June 20th at 6:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the Greater Works Community Development Center located at 601 Brazos St. Hot dogs cooked by the VFW and desserts made by the Auxiliary will be served. The VFW Auxiliary is one of the nation’s oldest veteran service organizations and our members are the relatives of those who have served in overseas combat.

Nationally known accordion player and children’s polka musician Mike Schneider (a.k.a. Uncle Mike) from Milwaukee, WI will be performing his Pint Size Polkas program in the Stribling Room on Monday, June 19, at 1:00 P.M. at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, located at 410 Post Hill Street.

The regular meeting of the Mason Garden Club will be held onTuesday, June 20, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the Stribling Room of the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. Marlene Gillman of Killeen, master gardener and member of the Killeen Garden Club, will give a program on “Recycling” Marlene will show many different examples to take everyday items that you might throw away and make interesting and creative yard art to dress up your garden. Visitors are always welcome.

Mark Hierholzer, local pianist, composer, teacher and choral director will present a concert of piano improvisations on Friday, June 16 at 7:30 at Hill Country Church, 107 East Lower Crabapple. An improvisation is a spontaneously created work. The piece is composed at the instant of performance. These improvisations will be based on scenes, stories and emotions. Hierholzer has his Masters Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music.

On Thursday, June 22nd, The American Legion Fort Mason Post 285 will hold its June meeting, at The American Legion Post Hall, 237 Post Hill [behind the Jail]. The focus of this meeting will be to elect officers and make plans for the 2017 – 2018 membership year based on the four pillars of The American Legion: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth.

Summer begins today. However, this is Texas and we have had summer for months. This past week has been brutal. Maybe summer will bring spring weather. Class Meetings at the Art United Methodist Church have been changed from Tuesday to Wednesday evenings. Soup is served at 6 and the meeting is from 6:30 to 7:30. Choir practice scheduled for June 28th has been cancelled. Thank you to John Villegas-Grubbs, brother of Claudia Fahrenthold, who preached Sunday morning.

Saddle up for Mason’s Round Up Rodeo and Parade Weekend coming up July 6th-8th! Come on down to Mason to celebrate this annual tradition with fun for the whole family. Round Up has new, exciting events this year that you will not want to miss! The Round Up Parade starts at 10 a.m.

H. C. (Henry Carl) Reichenau 99, went through the gates of heaven Tuesday June 13, 2017, just four months short of his 100th birthday. He said, “I hate to leave you all, but I can’t live forever.“ Now he is living his promised Eternal Life. He said he was ready to go see Gen, his wife of 70 years and Jesus.

Grunts Frozen Yogurt is sponsoring a HUGE Raffle for Mason Young Life! Enter for your chance to win 4 Cowboys vs. Packers tickets for October 8, 2017, at 3:00 p.m. at Cowboys Stadium. Also included with the tickets is a 2 night stay at the Sheraton Hotel near the stadium and a $250 Visa Gift Card.

Screams coming from the yard were my first indication that things were notright on a hot Friday afternoon three weeks ago. My wife Johnny was in the yard playing catch with our dogs when everything hit the fan. As I was soon to discover a rattlesnake had migrated through the fence into a spot under an elm tree when our golden retriever, Rio, spotted the intruder and planted his nose way too close.

Tender Biscuits for Two Courtesy, Anne Burke While I am presenting the original recipe, just as I found it, I want to hasten to assure everyone that when I actually got around to making it, I corrupted it terribly! Every place Ms. Burke called for “reduced fat,” or “fat-free” ingredients, I substituted “regular,” high octane, full fat products.

Summer Reading has begun! These programs are for students who were in grades K-5 the 2016-2017 school year. An adult (someone 16 or older) should come to register the child the first time he or she comes. Remember, a student must be twelve years old to be at the library alone and must be at least sixteen years old to have younger children under their supervision.

Something’s fishy in Israel As an American who loves history, I’ve always been stoked to get a chance to visit a World War II museum, or a battlefield from the Civil War era (1861-present, for some), or a place where some famous historical figure slept, or ate lunch, or got a haircut.

Listening to the Smallest Voices A couple of years ago, Bill Hight dropped by the office with his grandson, Aiden Sharabba. They visited for a while and Aiden took an interest in my Blackberry phone, as it was quite different from the iPhones and Android phones that he was most familiar with in his experience.

Beef. It’s what’s for supper. Or dinner. Which is another name for lunch. Whatever. Eat beef. Manger le boeuf. After all, this is a ranching community. Raising cattle for more than 100 years. Angus. Brangus. Longhorn. And if you don’t raise your own, you can buy from those who do. There’s locally-grown, grass-fed, all natural beef from ML Farm. Roasts, ground beef, steaks. They sell it at the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from 5-7p.m. Held behind Santos Taqueria. It’s also available ...

Summer begins today. However, this is Texas and we have had summer for months. This past week has been brutal. Maybe summer will bring spring weather. Class Meetings at the Art United Methodist Church have been changed from Tuesday to Wednesday evenings. Soup is served at 6 and the meeting is from 6:30 to 7:30. Choir practice scheduled for June 28th has been cancelled. Thank you to John Villegas-Grubbs, brother of Claudia Fahrenthold, who preached Sunday morning.

Dead Sea Strolls You can’t sling a cat in Israel without hitting a historic site, where something happened during Bible times. There are over 6,000 sites identified as historic, so far. The Jews could save some time and money by putting up signs where nothing happened, instead of the other way around.

The clientele for ‘Camp MeMaw’ has dwindled down to only one. Oh, the alumni come by for a visit, but are no longer involved with the camp. So, it was just my Jitter Bug, Casen! But, we had fun. The rabbit population is down in Grossville. Now, I have the grand dogs as clientele.

Skillet Texas Hash You know I love one-dish and Crockpot meals. You will love this recipe because you do everything in a skillet. Serve with a side of cornbread and a green mixed salad and you will have a complete mouthwatering meal. (1-lb) pkg. ground beef or turkey 1 onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 jalapeño (chopped) 1 cup long grain rice 2 cups water 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 tsp.