March 14, 2018 Issue

Over 100 participants gathered on the corner of Rainey and Ave F, known as the band practice field, to initiate the 2018 Walk Across Texas campaign for Mason County citizens! It was truly a colorful afternoon as 100 pounds of colored powder was tossed at participants as they jogged or walked through the color stations along the .5 mile path.

The Mason tennis team traveled to Austin last weekend to compete in the 3A & Under State Team Tennis Tournament. Sixteen teams earned a spot in the state tournament by either winning or placing second in one of the eight regional tournaments held the weekend before. Mason earned the top seed while Wall, Brock and Ingram earned seeds 2-4.

KERRVILLE, Texas (March 7, 2018) - Schreiner University has named qualified students to its President’s and Dean’s List. To be eligible for the President’s List, full-time students must earn at least a 4.0 grade point average for the term, passing all classes, and have at least 12 hours credit for the term.

With the Putman Observatory as a background, the sun was setting fast, the wind was blowing when Ken Kettner, President of the International Dark Sky Association made a loan of his unihedron dark sky meter to Bridget Langdale of Mason, Texas. Bridget will be working with the Pioneers on monitoring the sky in the City of Mason and also certain areas of Mason County.

The day of St. Patrick is coming, that blessed day when those not of Irish descent get to enjoy for a day the bounteous blessings of those of us who are. ‘Tis the day of the wearing of the Green, green beer, and plenty of blarney. Regarding blarney, Jan and I have dressed up Miss Piggy and her two piglets, Roly and Poly, in full Irish regalia.

Comments Re: "Commissioner's Comments" by Sue Pledger (March 7). I find Commissioner Pledger's article to be deceptive and disappointing. Ms. Pledger used her position on the city council to misinform the electorate concerning her activities. For instance, she wants us to believe Mason shouldn't apply to FEMA for grant money because the mayor of West was still doing paperwork related to the FEMA relief that town received.

The Mason 7th & 8th grade girls track teams competed well in the Brady Relays on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Both teams took first place overall in their divisions. The event results are as follows: 7th Grade Girls 100m: Madalyn Del Toro, 5th, 15.30 200m: Chainey Weitz, 2nd, 31.17 400m: Chainey Weitz, 3rd, 1:12.16; Delani Bauer, 5th, 1:12.67; Ellie Whittle, 6th, 1:13.22 800m: Kinsley Jordan, 2nd, 2:48.68; Kate Taylor, 3rd, 2:57.68 100m hurdles: Karli Bauer, 1st, 18.15; Linden Chapman ...

Hill Country Memorial recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® Disease-Specific Care Certification for joint replacement. To achieve the certification, the hospital’s joint replacement program, called “Restore,” underwent a rigorous on-site review in December. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national care standards and with requirements specific to joint replacement surgery.

The Mason Lions Club met March 6th for a regular meeting. There were 33 members and 4 visitors in attendance. Among the visitors were 2 Mason High School seniors: Jill Donop, and Kade Willimack. Lion Chad Schmidt was responsible for the program and introduced Tim White, a local resident and contractor associated with Mason Greenstar who spoke about their Blox building systems and the benefits of Blox contruction vs.

The weather is much as every March, with breezy days and temperatures that swing from cool to hot with each change in the wind. With Spring Break for the schools this week there are a different variety of activities that many in our community are involved with, but the City continues on track with several important tasks.

Mark your calendars! Opening Day for Mason Youth Baseball and Softball will be on Saturday, March 24th. Opening ceremonies will start at 9:30 a.m. and first pitch at 10:00 a.m. Come early, hungry and stay all-day! We will serve a BBQ brisket meal for this year’s opening day fundraiser event. We have 179 baseball and softball players this year!

In Mason, the students of the Pioneers Youth Leadership program have taken on Dark Sky Preservation as a focus for sharpening their leadership skills in their community. Working with their teacher Megan Bierschwale, Hill Country Alliance (HCA) Night Sky Program Manager Cliff Kaplan, and HCA Night Sky volunteer and Texas Master Naturalist Bridget Langdale, these students will write newspaper articles, give public presentations, host public star parties, improve the outdoor lighting at their sc ...

The Mason tennis team traveled to Austin last weekend to compete in the 3A & Under State Team Tennis Tournament. Sixteen teams earned a spot in the state tournament by either winning or placing second in one of the eight regional tournaments held the weekend before. Mason earned the top seed while Wall, Brock and Ingram earned seeds 2-4.

Mason Cowgirls Varsity defeated Brady 12-2 on Tuesday thanks in part to Bridgit Herrington, who drove in four runners. Herrington drove in runs on a grand slam in the first and a walk in the fourth. Mason Cowgirls Varsity got things moving in the first inning. Mason Cowgirls Varsity scored four runs when Herrington homered. Jesse Armstrong was credited with the victory for Mason Cowgirls Varsity.

With the Putman Observatory as a background, the sun was setting fast, the wind was blowing when Ken Kettner, President of the International Dark Sky Association made a loan of his unihedron dark sky meter to Bridget Langdale of Mason, Texas. Bridget will be working with the Pioneers on monitoring the sky in the City of Mason and also certain areas of Mason County.

The Mason 7th & 8th grade girls track teams competed well in the Brady Relays on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Both teams took first place overall in their divisions. The event results are as follows: 7th Grade Girls 100m: Madalyn Del Toro, 5th, 15.30 200m: Chainey Weitz, 2nd, 31.17 400m: Chainey Weitz, 3rd, 1:12.16; Delani Bauer, 5th, 1:12.67; Ellie Whittle, 6th, 1:13.22 800m: Kinsley Jordan, 2nd, 2:48.68; Kate Taylor, 3rd, 2:57.68 100m hurdles: Karli Bauer, 1st, 18.15; Linden Chapman ...

7th grade 4x200m Relay - 1st - 1:54.08 - Alfredo Valdez, Cason Jacoby, Ivan Wofford, Isaiah Bishop 200m Dash - 3rd - 28.76 - Alfredo Valdez 4x400m Relay - 1st - 4:26.87 - Cason Jacoby, Faustino Montellano, Ivan Wofford, Isaiah Bishop Discus - 6th - 67’ 5” - Faustino Montellano High Jump - 6th - 4’6” - Cason Jacoby Team Results Wall - 131 Brady - 112 Grape Creek - 106 Early - 92 Ballinger - 62 MASON - 58 Bangs - 42 Junction - 17 8th grade 800m Run - 2nd ...

Mark your calendars! Opening Day for Mason Youth Baseball and Softball will be on Saturday, March 24th. Opening ceremonies will start at 9:30 a.m. and first pitch at 10:00 a.m. Come early, hungry and stay all-day! We will serve a BBQ brisket meal for this year’s opening day fundraiser event. We have 179 baseball and softball players this year!

In Mason, the students of the Pioneers Youth Leadership program have taken on Dark Sky Preservation as a focus for sharpening their leadership skills in their community. Working with their teacher Megan Bierschwale, Hill Country Alliance (HCA) Night Sky Program Manager Cliff Kaplan, and HCA Night Sky volunteer and Texas Master Naturalist Bridget Langdale, these students will write newspaper articles, give public presentations, host public star parties, improve the outdoor lighting at their sc ...

Save the Date! Sunday, April 8th please join us for an outdoor dinner with live music at the beautiful Alamo Resort and Dancehall! Appetizers will begin at 5:30pm, followed by a delicious meal of wood grilled pork tenderloin topped with fresh chimichurri sauce, Argentine rice, roasted asparagus with mushrooms, and herb and caramelized onion bread.

Over 100 participants gathered on the corner of Rainey and Ave F, known as the band practice field, to initiate the 2018 Walk Across Texas campaign for Mason County citizens! It was truly a colorful afternoon as 100 pounds of colored powder was tossed at participants as they jogged or walked through the color stations along the .5 mile path.

The Former Texas Rangers Foundation brings “history to life” with Celebrate Texas! 2018 on Saturday, March 17th. From re-enactments to cannon firing demonstrations to Comanche & Lipan Apaches, this event is sure to be fun for the whole family! Open to the public and held at the Texas Rangers Heritage Center located at 1618 East Main Street in Fredericksburg for just a $10 parking fee/vehicle.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Youth Group would like extend an invitation to everyone to come to their re- enactment of the living stations of the cross starting at noon on Palm Sunday March 25th. The first two stations will begin in the Church and will continue outside around the perimeter of Church grounds.

The Mason County Republican Women will hold their bimonthly luncheon on Wednesday March 21, 2018, at 11:30 am in the Stribling Room at the Mason Library. Members and guests will gather at 11:30 am for meet and greet with the luncheon starting promptly at noon. Our distinguished speaker will be Tonya Speath Ahlschwede.

The Texas Writes program at the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, 410 Post Hill St., is scheduled for Saturday, March 17, at 10:00 a.m. in the Stribling Room. Amy Gentry, author of the award-winning thriller Good as Gone, will present “What’s My Motivation?: Plotting Thrillers & Mysteries from the Inside Out.” Donna Johnson, author of Holy Ghost Girl, a critically acclaimed memoir named to Oprah’s Memoirs We Love list, will present “But Seriously: The Use of Humor in Pe ...

Carol Tucker will be teaching a beginning Excel 2010 class beginning on Tuesday, April 17, at 6:00 p.m. The class will meet for the following three consecutive Tuesday evenings. The class is free, and participants will be given manuals. It’s not too late to sign up! Call the library at 325-347-5446, or call Carol at 281-788-5145 to register.

Today is 42 Game Day at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library, 410 Post Hill St., at 1:30 p.m. in the Stribling Room. Bring your dominoes if you have them and a partner if you can find one. Come join the fun! Everyone is welcome.

On Thursday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m., comedienne Ruby Nelda Perez will perform her acclaimed solo play Doña Rosita’s Jalapeño Kitchen at the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. The library has been awarded a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts in order to bring this event to Mason.

The annual Book and Bake Sale is the primary fundraiser for the Friends of the Library. We need your book donations as soon as possible. Book donations can be dropped off at the Library during working hours. If you have books to donate, please pack them in cardboard boxes. Use separate boxes for fiction and nonfiction, if possible.

This year will mark the 68th year for the Annual Easter Pageant, held at the Amphitheater under Lover’s Leap Hill in Junction. The three-hour long performance is always held Easter Eve, this year to be March 31, at dark-thirty. The Pageant is performed on the hillside with volunteer actors silently portraying the last days in the life of Jesus Christ while readers and sound effects are broadcast through the public address system at the Amphitheater.

Hill Country Memorial recently earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® Disease-Specific Care Certification for joint replacement. To achieve the certification, the hospital’s joint replacement program, called “Restore,” underwent a rigorous on-site review in December. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with national care standards and with requirements specific to joint replacement surgery.

The Mason Garden Club will be holding its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 2 p.m. in the Stribling Room of the Mason County M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library. Guest speaker will be Sande Shaw, garden club member and excellent gardener, who will give a program on “Vegetable Gardening.” Come and see what garden club has to offer.

As I write this Sunday evening, I have almost survived my first day of DST. It has not been pretty. I am grouchy and tired. It might be best to steer clear of me for at least a week. John and I were delighted to attend the wedding of our niece, Traci Jordan and Dylan Choate, on Saturday evening.

The HCCW are preparing for the 5th annual Spring Roundup which is designed to support beef education projects and scholarships throughout the hill country. This year’s event will be held at the YO Hotel & Conference Center on April 28, 2018. Thematically, “A Night on the Range” will focus on local ranchers who for generations have developed the beef & ranching industry in Texas.

The Mason County Cancer Benefit will be having their third team meeting, March 20, 2018, 5:30 p.m. at the St. Joseph Catholic Church hall. The meeting will be to discuss the Chili Cook-Off Benefit, being held April 28, 2018, at the City Park. All proceeds go to Mason County residents diagnosed with cancer that may need assistance. It is not to late to sign up.

Anthony William Martin passed away on February 20, at the age of 64. He passed very peacefully at his home in Llano Texas, with his family in attendance. Anthony “Tony”, was born on December 28, 1953, in Brady Texas. He was the son of Arnold and Patsy Martin. Tony was raised on the family ranch and graduated from Mason High School in 1972. Tony lived in Colorado a number of years before moving back to Texas.

Elizabeth “Lee” Schulze, 93 of Rochester, formerly Spring Valley area died on Saturday, February 24 at Whitewater Health Systems in St. Charles, after a long battle with Lewy body dementia. Elizabeth was born October 29, 1924, in Center Township, PA to John and Ann Osipchak. After high school she enrolled in a government sponsored nurse training program requiring two years of military service.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Youth Group would like extend an invitation to everyone to come to their re- enactment of the living stations of the cross starting at noon on Palm Sunday March 25th. The first two stations will begin in the Church and will continue outside around the perimeter of Church grounds.

Jane Had the Right Idea... On page 4 of this week's issue, we've included the final column written by Jane Zesch for our paper. She actually wrote the column a while back; but, set it aside with instructions to her family that it was to be submitted when she finally met her final deadline. Unlike most of her weekly columns that were usually three to five paragraphs long, Jane's final column is a bit lengthy.

Comments Re: "Commissioner's Comments" by Sue Pledger (March 7). I find Commissioner Pledger's article to be deceptive and disappointing. Ms. Pledger used her position on the city council to misinform the electorate concerning her activities. For instance, she wants us to believe Mason shouldn't apply to FEMA for grant money because the mayor of West was still doing paperwork related to the FEMA relief that town received.

30 Minute Rolls There are few things more satisfying than the smell of a fresh batch of dinner rolls about to come out of the oven! It seems like the whole kitchen and dining room are totally covered with the smell, and it is enough to make my mouth water every time I sniff it!

Don’t forget—the Texas Writers’ League Writing Workshop will be Saturday from 10:00 – 1:00. We had them a couple of years ago, and the programs were excellent. This year’s programs are “What’s My Motivation?: Plotting Thrillers & Mysteries from the Inside Out” and “But Seriously: The Use of Humor in Personal Narrative.” It’s not too late to pre-register.

Bigsuit After God delivered the Israelites from Egyptian slavery, and they spent 40 years in the Sinai Wilderness (because Moses refused to stop and ask for directions), they finally crossed the Jordan River and entered Canaan, the Promised Land. And God told them to kill or drive out every person in there, or else there would be problems, because those people were all immigrants from California.

There are three times in our lives that too much money is spent. First, is when we are born. The second is a wedding. And the third is when we die on the funeral. We don’t have a say when we’re born. But, if a manager was good enough for our Lord Jesus, then I don’t see why we need a Jenny Lynn crib and matching changing table.

As the World Darkens…. When the word “culture” is heard these days, one does well to think of buttermilk, whether or not it “does a body good.” Even though our understanding of buttermilk is exceedingly vague, it seems degree-worthy when compared to our comprehension of current world culture that is cratering all around us. Throw life like a bloated paintball against the canvas--be it global or otherwise--and the resulting image seems void of discernment.

St. Patrick’s Irish Beef Stew I am sorry you haven’t heard from me for a little bit. Life got in the way for a little bit. Well, with this being the month that we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would share my St. Patrick’s Irish beef stew. Of course, you know I always have to share a little history.

As I write this Sunday evening, I have almost survived my first day of DST. It has not been pretty. I am grouchy and tired. It might be best to steer clear of me for at least a week. John and I were delighted to attend the wedding of our niece, Traci Jordan and Dylan Choate, on Saturday evening.

Hyacinth. Snowbell. Daffodil. Celestial. Quince. Narcissus. (Aka paperwhite.) These are a few of our favorite things. And they’re blooming. Thanks to warmer days. And more is on the way. Flowers, that is. Bluebonnets leafing up and out. Promises of blooms to come. Ornamental cherry sitting pretty. Preparing the pathway to Spring. Busy birds all about. Cedar waxwings flying in. And out. And in. And out. A most remarkable bird. They stop for water. ...