May 9, 2018 Issue

It is hard to believe that just 8 weeks ago 625 friends, family members, co-workers, and classmates, who call Mason home, signed up to walk 832 miles across our great state of Texas! Walk Across Texas is an initiative sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension that encourages participants to choose physical activity as part of a daily routine.

The Board of Trustees of MISD met for their regular meeting on April 23, 2018 at the School Administration Office. Board President Jeff Durst called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm with members Tommy Bierschwale, Jim Bob Smith, Julio Ramon, Tina Cantu-Navarro, Treg Hudson and Kathryn Martin in attendance.

Mason’s Scarlet Punchers, those intrepid women “of a certain age,” who absolutely insist on enjoying life to the fullest, stuffed our chubby little bodies into Ann Smith’s Rav4 and “took to the hills,” visiting Kacey Butcher’s hilltop country home in Loyal Valley. In the interest of full disclosure, we didn’t really run amok, but we did watch some Guinea hens in the yard.

BROWNWOOD – May 4, 2018 – Members of Howard Payne University’s faculty and staff were recently honored at an annual personnel recognition luncheon held on the HPU campus. Corey Ash, associate professor of music and director of bands, was named the Outstanding Faculty Member for the 2017-2018 academic year, and Martha Fothergill, coordinator of records and reports, was presented the Outstanding Staff Member award. The outstanding faculty and staff member awards are made possible by Und ...

04-01-18@0443 Deputy Horn, Deputy Lancaster, and Trooper Eckert responded to a Disturbance call on N Spring St. 04-01-18@0744 Deputy Stafford took a telephone complaint regarding a Civil Matter. 04-01-18@1045 Mason EMS responded to RR 1723 for a possible Stroke. Patient refused transport to the hospital. 04-01-18@1603 Deputy Stafford responded to Loose Livestock on Hwy 377. 04-01-18@1937 Deputy Horn provided a Motorist Assist at Nu-Way. 04-01-18@2023 Deputy Horn responded to a Snake ...

“Boss” Lion Jim Heidelberg called to order the weekly meeting of the Mason Lions Club to a full house of thirty-six members and six guests from Mason High School. Separate meetings of the club’s Board of Directors and the directors of the Mason Lions Club Charitable Foundation preceded the weekly meeting. “Boss” Jim confirmed the Lions will again sell burgers and soft drinks at the Mason Rodeo.

The past six weeks have been a bit of a “vacation” for me with no expectation of writing a weekly column, but with the election over it is back to the regular routines. With the election concluded on Saturday, there are a number of things that can resume on a regular basis, and the City staff can pack up the voting booths and get back to the other jobs that keep us busy.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. I miss my mom. I have been told by my grandson to rest on Mother’s Day and he will cook. I am looking forward to an interesting day. The annual leaf party is in session at our house. Grandson John and I have been looking at them but have had equipment failures.

Yesterday, a volunteer and I were waterproofing benches at the Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve. As the sweat came rolling down my face, all I could think of was how wonderful it was that the fire did not take all of this away. Speaking of fire, I went to the benefit for the Mason Volunteer Fire Department Saturday night.

MAYOR Brent Hinckley 289 William E. Beaty 164 Nicholas Gierisch 23 Lyle K. (Waddie) Waddill 18 DISTRICT 1 Annette Thomas 63 Sabin Nelson 50 DISTRICT 3 Sue Jordan Pledger 132 J. D. Kidwell 85

This year's winner of the Hill Country CattleWomen contest is LaVerne Kothmann from Menard. She will receive a $500 gift card from the Dutchman’s in Fredericksburg. HCCW also elected to donate $1000.00 gift card to the VFW Post 1480 in Kerrville to help with their annual brisket fundraiser. LaVerne’s children’s letter will be read at our Llano Meeting this month.

Mason High School had a record-breaking 5 participants and 6 artworks advance to the state VASE competition this year. Participants included: Jill von Donop, Caroline Lemke, Anthony Martinez, K.O. Tedder, and Tiani Tovar. Out of an original 35,000 pieces, 2,321 were state qualifiers. Tiani Tovar had one out of 1,290 pieces that received a medal at the state competition.

The Mason High School UIL Academics team had several results at the 2018 State Academic Meet on Friday, May 4th. Sloan Townsend medalled three times on the day to lead the team. Sloan Townsend, a junior, had already performed the impressive feat of advancing to State in three writing events. She topped that achievement by managing to place at State in all three events.

Cowgirls Softball season came to an end on Saturday. The Cowgirls were out matched by a very strong Petrolia team. The Cowgirls had a great season. They won district for the first time in school history with a record of 10-0. They will return 7 of their 9 starters next year.

The patient and practical gardener waters his garden incessantly, quenching the undying thirst of prosperity. He plants various seeds after carefully noting the instructions for proper care. He prunes the abrupt and invasive weeds and shrubbery so as not to limit the full capacity of success within his prized flowers.

The Board of Trustees of MISD met for their regular meeting on April 23, 2018 at the School Administration Office. Board President Jeff Durst called the meeting to order at 5:30 pm with members Tommy Bierschwale, Jim Bob Smith, Julio Ramon, Tina Cantu-Navarro, Treg Hudson and Kathryn Martin in attendance.

The Punchers defeated Sabinal 10-2 last Thursday in the Bi-District round of the playoffs. The game was tied at two with the Punchers batting in the top of the fifth when Klay Klaerner’s sac fly scored one run for the Punchers. The Punchers tallied four runs in the sixth inning. The offensive onslaught came from singles by Jake Cockerham and Otto Wofford and a double by Emanuel Martinez. Martinez toed the rubber for Punchers.

The Mason High School production of scenes from “Rabbit Hole” took the stage at 10 p.m. in the Round Rock Performing Arts Center on May 4, 2018. After starting the day at 5 a.m. to allow for required meetings, navigating through Austin traffic on a school bus from location to location, plus holding extreme focus in tech rehearsal, the company proved its mettle, telling a solid, believable, truthful, family story that touched hearts. The adjudicator chosen to give oral critique remarked ...

Every morning, from Monday through Friday, I make my morning commute to work. One of my highlights is listening to a short but entertaining radio program by Tumbleweed Smith called, “The Sound of Texas”. It’s both entertaining and educational and always very endearing. Tumbleweed Smith began the radio series in Big Spring, TX, and it has become the most widely syndicated feature radio show in Texas.

The Mason County Republican Women will hold their bimonthly luncheon on Wednesday, May 16, 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. The program this month will focus on the Club’s awards of its annual scholarships to Mason High School seniors.

Fredericksburg, TX - May. 5, 2018 - Auditions for FTC’s Summer Finale, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 9th and 10th, 2:00 p.m. at the Steve W. Shepherd Theater, located at 1668 South U.S Hwy 87 in Fredericksburg. All roles are available. Attendance to technical rehearsals, August 6th through the 9th is mandatory, as well as attendance at all performances.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. I miss my mom. I have been told by my grandson to rest on Mother’s Day and he will cook. I am looking forward to an interesting day. The annual leaf party is in session at our house. Grandson John and I have been looking at them but have had equipment failures.

The Mason High School Class of 1968 will be holding their 50th class reunion this September. If you are a class member and have not received any contact about the reunion, please contact Rex Smith at (325) 347-6812 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

The members of American Legion Fort Mason Post #285 & Ladies Auxiliary invite other veterans, friends and family, and anyone interested in the American Legion to attend our regular monthly meeting to be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday May 10, 2018 at the American Legion Post Hall on Post Hill Road (behind the Jail). For more information on this meeting or the American Legion please contact Joaquin Velez, 218-2049 or Tom Koepke 347-6021.

It is with a great sense of loss that we announce the passing of our beautiful mother, Wynona Beth Reynolds Johnson on Thursday, April 12, 2018. Beth was born March 6, 1942, to Luther and Francis Reynolds. She was the middle child and only daughter. She deeply loved her two brothers, Max Reynolds and Mike Reynolds. This precious lady leaves behind two daughters who loved her immensely, Resa and her husband, Gerald Cunningham, of Seguin and Lorri and husband, David Morales, of Ransom Canyo ...

The Senior Class Keeps Rackin' Up Awards! One of our callers last week had noticed that we seemed to have had lots of photos of the high school kids in the paper recently. She asked why it seemed there were more photos of the kids this year than in prior years. Though many of the students featured in the paper in recent weeks aren't in the senior class, the seniors of 2018 are riding a wave of incredible successes at Mason High School this year.

Thursday morning, May 3, my husband and I were driving to Fredericksburg. We drove right over a small black & white clump in the middle of our lane. He says to me, “That’s a kitten and it looked right up at me…it’s alive! I’ve got to go back.” So we turned the car around, he jumped out, scooped it up, and it promptly took off toward the car.

One Bowl Brownies Mrs. Lang shared this recipe with me. She got it from her daughter-in-law, who in turn got it from her mother. While it is called a “one bowl” recipe, I found that premixing the flour, salt and baking powder in a separate, small bowl worked better for me.

Since May is National Photograph Month, it’s the perfect time to come in and see Don Day’s wonderful black-and-white photograph display “Mason through the Vintage Lens.” The photos were taken with cameras and lenses well over 100 years old, and they’re remarkable! The MHS Pioneers did an outstanding job presenting their two projects Darks Skies and the Rainwater Harvesting Project last week.

Missing Persons Since the Parkland school shooting on Valentine’s Day, retailers have been scrambling to figure out which side of the gun debate to support. Yeti has pretty much cooked its own goose with its retraction of support for the NRA, since a large portion of the company’s customers are also gun owners.

My Mother’s Potato Salad… Soon after the inception of this column more than 15 years ago, I committed to sharing noteworthy recipes with readers from time to time. A dozen weeks into my writing regimen, I shared a cinnamon toast recipe. It elicited no response--favorable or otherwise--so I have been reluctant to make culinary suggestions--until now.

Easy Ranch Chicken Mac Most “Mac & Cheese” recipes use beef; this recipe uses chicken and is so easy I had to share it, besides, who doesn’t like Mac and Cheese? It’s an American favorite; I don’t care how old you are!! 1 (7.25 oz) Mac and Cheese dinner (you can use Kraft brand but I usually use the store brand) 1 (10 oz) can chicken drained 2 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing ½ cup chopped tomato 3 tablespoons chopped green onions Prepare Mac and Cheese dinner according to ...

Kiddos. Baby ones. Little ones. Pre-teen. Lots and lots of kiddos. Maybe it’s “kiddoes.” Similar to “does” for doe. Do-si-do. Swing your partner round and round. Oops. Veering off the subject. Going down a pig’s trail. Kids. Children. Infants. Lots of ‘em here. And apparently they all need day care. A few years ago, 30 percent of the employed in this country worked in the child day care industry. Thanks to budget cuts and loss of jobs, many da ...