January 2, 2019 Issue

Mason’s Scarlet Punchers, those intrepid women “of a certain age,” who absolutely insist on enjoying life to the fullest, celebrated Christmas with a December party at the home and Bed & Breakfast of “Mrs. Claus,” Mary Hemphill. 15 of Mason’s finest swept through a delicious pot luck luncheon like a herd of locusts, but with better table manners.

Otto Wofford: Overall MVP Klay Klaerner: Co-Offensive MVP Slone Stultz: Co-Defensive MVP Jake Cockerham: Co-Defensive MVP Chandler Buntyn: Utility Player of the Year Lucas Martin: 1st Team Offense Zach Norman: 1st Team Offense Elijah Pinter: 1st Team Offense Oscar Ortiz: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Andrew Padilla: 1st Team Offense Ethan Powell: 1st Team Offense Roman Coe: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Tyson Keller: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Blake ...

Eminent domain tops the list of concerns Texas farmers and ranchers have as the next legislative session approaches. “Our state population is growing rapidly, and eminent domain is being used more frequently,” Mason County Farm Bureau President Shannon Worrell said. “Private property owners in Texas need to receive a fair offer, transparency in the process and a level playing field when an entity decides to take their land for the good of the public.” Eminent domain reform is one ...

A Very Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I know I am blessed to live in and serve this lovely community, and am looking forward to and believing 2019 will bring many good things that will benefit our town and citizens. We as a community celebrate the achievement of our state champion Puncher football team! Three major city engineering projects are scheduled for 2019.

In most households, the Christmas tree and decorations are put away for another year, we have recovered from celebrating the New Year, and many of us are wondering how we are going to lose the extra pounds we gained in the past month.  I hope each of you had a very blessed Christmas season and had opportunities to spend time with family and friends.  As we look forward to the fresh calendar of 2019 there are certainly going to be many ways in which we can work together to continue the imp ...

Otto Wofford: Overall MVP Klay Klaerner: Co-Offensive MVP Slone Stultz: Co-Defensive MVP Jake Cockerham: Co-Defensive MVP Chandler Buntyn: Utility Player of the Year Lucas Martin: 1st Team Offense Zach Norman: 1st Team Offense Elijah Pinter: 1st Team Offense Oscar Ortiz: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Andrew Padilla: 1st Team Offense Ethan Powell: 1st Team Offense Roman Coe: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Tyson Keller: 1st Team Offense; 1st Team Defense Blake ...

Mason Cowgirls at San Angelo Lake View Tuesday, 12/18 Mason 23—12—9—20 = 64 Lake View 5—5—8—11 = 29 Scoring—Pr. Anastas 3, A. Guice 5, Hanscheck 2, Pe. Anastas 2, T. Guice 9, Magnus 22, Armstrong 16, Cano 5. Mason Cowgirls vs. Fredericksburg Heritage Friday, 12/21 Mason 21—14—21—11= 67 Heritage 2—6—0—5 = 13 Scoring—Pr. Anastas 8, Keller 7, Hanscheck 14, Magnus 21, Armstrong 5, Fisher 4, Cano 6. Mason Cowgirls vs.

Mason County Star Gazers invite the public to our first star party of 2019. We will gather at the basketball slab adjacent to the Eckert Civic Center, 1024 McKinley St., on Friday, January 11th, beginning at 6 p.m. This is a family friendly event, and is free to all. We’ll have several telescopes set up, including a very large one!

We want to thank everyone for participating in our gun raffle to raise funds for the Loyal Valley Volunteer Fire Department. Following are the list of winners: 1) CA Russell: Savage Axis Camo w/ 4x12 Scope 6.5 Creedmore 2) Steve Haverlah: Savage Axis 223 Rem 3) Steve Haverlah: Ruger 10/22 22 LR 4) Paul Sanders: Henry Lever Action 22 LR 5) Steve Haverlah: Savage 320 Muddy Girl 20 ga 6) Andrea Smith: Mossberg 500 Pump Shotgun 410 ga 7) Kacey Butcher: Ozark Trail Exteme Cooler 8) ...

The Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library is proudly bringing world-class musical artists to Mason on January 13 at 2:00 P.M. at the First United Methodist Church, 210 Broad Street. Cellist Evan Drachman and pianist Efi Hackmey will be performing. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. For over 28 years, The Piatigorsky Foundation’s commitment to artistic excellence and public outreach has fascinated many avid concert goers as well as curious first-timers.

The United Blood Service’s Bloodmobile bus will be in the parking lot of the Mason Co. M. Beven Eckert Memorial Library on Tuesday, January 8, 2019, from 4:00-7:00 P.M. Blood reserves are usually in short supply after the holidays, so, please, be a hero and donate!

Applications for next round of grants due Jan. 31 AUSTIN, Texas – The Lower Colorado River Authority will accept grant applications for community projects in LCRA's wholesale electric or water service areas in January. Grants of up to $50,000 are available. Applications for the Community Development Partnership Program grants will be available at lcra.org/cdpp beginning Jan.

Welcome to 2019. We have all had our joys and sorrows in 2018. I am ready for a healthy new year. I will not make resolutions. At my age, I know I will not really keep the majority of them. It is less stressful to just skip this. There are not as many activities in the first month of 2019.

I Resolve That.... Hopes for 2019! New Year's resolutions are fickle creatures. They pop up in the waning hours of the old year, enticing us to make all sorts of promises and plans for the new year. And then, often within hours of having made those same resolutions, we begin to pick them apart, to find reasons to delay implementation, to discover methods to avoid these promises to ourselves. And, yet, we continue to make resolutions each year, quite certain in the final hours of the outgo ...

This is the best time of year for sitting by the fireplace, waking to frosty clear mornings, enjoying holiday meals with family and friends, and a sharing a wonderful bottle of wine. We usually think of red wines this time of year, but often forgotten are Port wines and Madeira wines.

Rolo Thumbprint Cookies courtesy: the recipe clinic There are a whole lot of “thumbprint” cookie recipes out there for you to try. Basically, with all of them, you just make up the cookie dough, place spoons full of it on cookies sheets, and use your thumb to make a depression in the top of each one.

Ready or not, the New Year has begun, and I wish every one of you a blessed 2019! I’m very excited that we’re starting off the New Year right—the Piatagorsky Concert will be on Jan. 13th at the First United Methodist Church at 2:00 P.M. These world-class musicians are fabulous—see the full article in this issue!

Waste not, why not? A new year is a great time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished during the past twelve months, to set goals for the coming twelve, and to wonder how long it will be before we stop writing ’18 on our checks. The national average, according to a study I conducted among people I observed at a convenience store last January, is about six weeks.

My Uncle Mort’s Sad Scene… He stood there, gazing at the Salvation Army kettle on the town square. It was Christmas Eve, and my Uncle Mort--106 and counting--solemnly offered a “mental salute” to the woman as she joyfully rang her bell. Frail of body and warmed only by a tattered coat given to the Army last year, she seemed resolved to help the less fortunate. Perhaps minding the kettle for last-minute shoppers as they joined the fray for final purchases was the noblest thing she ...

Welcome to 2019. We have all had our joys and sorrows in 2018. I am ready for a healthy new year. I will not make resolutions. At my age, I know I will not really keep the majority of them. It is less stressful to just skip this. There are not as many activities in the first month of 2019.

1…2. Buckle my shoe. The New Year is here. As of yesterday. One day. Come and gone. And we’re off. Into 2019. Whether you say “Two Thousand Nineteen.” Or “Twenty Nineteen.” It’s a fact. It’s here. New beginnings. A fresh start. Drop-kick 2018. And drop-kick is what the Punchers did all season. Kicked every opponent to the curb. Goodbye. And won State Championship. What a way to end the year. Now…out with the old. In with the new. N ...