August 5, 2020 Issue

The Puncher Club met for the first time this past week. We are the organization that supports both the Cowgirls and Punchers in the Mason community. Our membership drive is underway. We would like to collect the dues and forms as soon as possible because we want to recognize the individuals and businesses in our football program.

On Monday morning, the 4K Ranch saw the sun rise on the ashes of a large fire that spread across the county line of San Saba and McCulloch County. Local and neighboring fire departments worked to contain the fire as much as possible, but they had only contained 10% of the fire by noon Monday according to a Facebook update posted by James Stewart of the Brady Standard.

The 3rd Annual Forging Futures Classic Golf Tournament scheduled for September 27-28 at Fredericksburg’s Boot Ranch has been postponed until April 25-26, 2021. Proceeds are used for student scholarships and operational support provided by Texas Tech University-Fredericksburg and the Hill Country University Center Foundation. The Celebration Dinner will be held at Vista Oaks on Sunday, April 25.

In recent decades, many Texas landowners have become interested in restoring the natural beauty and biodiversity of their land. They may do this for their own enjoyment and gratification, or because income from land is now often greater from recreational use than from agricultural use. Even if they use their land for agriculture, many ranchers realize that a diverse landscape of native species is often far more cost-effective and easier to maintain (e.g., no need for expensive fertilizers or ...

The new landfill is certainly beginning to take shape, and with the digging complete for the first cell this past week the liner will be laid starting this week and the other parts of the overall project will begin to take shape. It is anticipated that the entire landfill project will be completed by sometime in October and after inspection by TCEQ we will be ready to start accepting trash there in November.

Attention to all parents of junior high football players, junior high football equipment pick-up will be Wednesday, August 12th from 6-7 p.m. at the junior high gym. At that time your child will pick-up the necessary equipment for the beginning of the football season. There will be coaches available to help properly size your child with equipment. Also, your child needs to have our athletic policy signed and returned before they are able to participate in any sports for our program.

Lucy is a very affectionate girl and will be a super companion for the lucky family who finds her! She LOVES kids! She loves to snuggle and quickly attaches to people. Definitely an attention sponge! Lucy is housebroken and learning to walk nicely on a leash. We believe Lucy to be between 1-2 years old and possibly a mix of Catahoula, Boxer and American Staffordshire Terrier.

There’s only two weeks left for our “Read for a Treat” program for kids in grades K-5, so stop by the library for a book log and start earning free ice cream! New to the Library: DVDs: Resistance Mr. Jones Grantchester Season 5 Castle Rock Season 2 The Cold Blue Scoob! Sailing into Love Fiction: (all quotes from publishers’ summaries) Half Moon Bay by Nathan and Jesse Kellerman (F KEL Edi.3) Near Dark by Brad Thor (F THO Har.19) The Lost and Found Bookshop by ...

Richard ( Rick) Douglas Bilbrey, precious son and friend, went to live in his Heavenly home, to be in the arms of our Holy Savior,  Jesus Christ, and rejoice with the Heavenly hosts.  Rick was born in Austin, TX, on June 6th, 1985, to Lisa Koock Bilbrey, and Morris Newton Bilbrey, and passed to Heaven on July 18th, 2020.  Rick grew up and graduated with honors from Round Rock High School, excelling in academics, soccer, golf, writing, art, fishing, guns, and friendship.

Esther Sarah Lilly Baer, née Graber, 94, passed from this life in the home of Gloria and Rolly Lumpkins, her daughter and son-in-law, surrounded by her loving Texas family. Esther was born on August 26, 1925, in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, to the late Russell and Helen Graber, née Graver. After graduatinRichard Douglas Bilbrey from Liberty High School in 1944, Esther worked in Bethlehem at Laros Silk Mill and then at a bank. She married the love of her life Charles Raymond Baer on Februar ...

Bobby Ray, “Fire,” Burnett of Cherokee, passed away on July 25, 2020, at the age of 66. He was born on August 01, 1953 in Mason, Tx, to Arch and Pauline Nicholas Burnett. He was the youngest of seven children. He graduated from Mason High School in 1971 and attended Angelo State University where he received a Bachelor of Business degree and later earned a teaching certification in secondary social studies education. While attending ASU, he met and married the love of his life, Marty ( ...

Greetings, Eight months have gone in 2020 and it seems we are still waiting to launch. I know we have been doing our best to get things done but with all the things from Covid-19, Murder Hornets, civil disobedience and so on this year has had a couple failures to launch.

Longest School Break.... EVER! There’s just one full week left of the summer break for Mason schools. This break is a bit more unusual than normal, as it began in the middle of March and has gone for almost five months now. As we prepare to resume in-class instruction and fall sports, there still remain many unanswered questions for administrators, teachers, coaches, parents and students. The officially posted case count for Mason County regarding Covid-19 show two positive cases.

Law & Order Gerald, In response to Mariana Davis’s letter one very important fact was left out. What was going on in Portland was NOT a peaceful protest. There are tons of videos showing the destruction, looting and violence that has been going on, most of it by Antifa anarchists. Our esteemed President sent in law enforcement officers (not troops) to help guard the court house which the mob was trying to set on fire and vandalize.

Many of us grew up as kids spending time with cousins along the Llano River, usually without adult supervision. Parents and grandparents just hoped that one of us youngsters had a ‘lick of sense’ and a neighbor kept a watchful eye. Sadly, those days have likely passed. More folks are discovering the Llano and sharing the river with just eagles and beaver is a rare occurrence anymore. Where is everyone coming from?

On a warm August day in 1955 two naive young people stood before the altar of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason, Texas. Moist hands joined, shining eyes locked intently, the two confidently vowed to "have and to hold" each other "from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part." Sixty five years later death has not parted the two nor has anything else.

People I meet in the grocery store, post office, and other places in town always make it a point to tell me how much they enjoy reading my baking columns. Yet when I asked which recipes they really like, many of them tell me that “I haven’t really tried most of them because I’m afraid of making yeast bread and doing that knead thing.” So I’m going to try to dig up more recipes that don’t require doing the yeast and knead thing, and this is the first of those! Ingredients: 3 cu ...

They tried ever so hard to make major league baseball’s opening day seem as normal as possible, for the radio listener or TV viewer anyway. Globe Life Field in Arlington--the $1.2 billion enclosed structure barely completed for the scheduled home opener in March--languished for almost four months. When it finally opened, fans were denied admission.

The new landfill is certainly beginning to take shape, and with the digging complete for the first cell this past week the liner will be laid starting this week and the other parts of the overall project will begin to take shape. It is anticipated that the entire landfill project will be completed by sometime in October and after inspection by TCEQ we will be ready to start accepting trash there in November.

August came in with a heat wave. On Friday, John and I were coming home from San Antonio. In Fredericksburg we were in a wonderful shower. But, the closer we came to Mason, the less it looked like rain. It will rain again, when it is our turn. Activities at the Art United Methodist Church are limited.

In recent decades, many Texas landowners have become interested in restoring the natural beauty and biodiversity of their land. They may do this for their own enjoyment and gratification, or because income from land is now often greater from recreational use than from agricultural use. Even if they use their land for agriculture, many ranchers realize that a diverse landscape of native species is often far more cost-effective and easier to maintain (e.g., no need for expensive fertilizers or ...