June 30, 2021 Issue

It’s long been established that death and taxes are life’s only certainties, but a few words could be added to that proverb: taxes, once levied, rarely decrease. After being raised over the past several years, Mason County’s agricultural property tax valuations are unlikely to return to previous levels but also are unlikely to spike the way they did in 2020, according to county officials who spoke with the News on the topic. “I don’t like property taxes, and they never seem to go ...

School is out – now what? Youngsters so look forward to summer vacation after a long school year, but how many of their parents have heard the words “Mom, I’m bored. I don’t have anything to do.” Scrambling for ideas to keep kids busy, Moms and Dads may look no further than Bridget Langdale’s Art School.

Rachel Walker recently joined Mason County News as the Advertising Director. She lives in Mason County with her husband Patrick Walker and her black lab, Kona, who loves living on the river. Originally from Bryan, Texas, Rachel has been living in the Mason area for over six years. Her family on her mother’s side has deep roots in Texas; they have been in Texas for longer than it has been the state and the family is a certified Texas First Families member.

The Public Water System of the City of Mason has reached a Critical Level condition. We are about to tie-in our new HMO Water System at Well 1 and all of our storage tanks. This tie-in will take down two of our storage tanks for at least 1 to 2 weeks.

The Mason Rodeo Association cordially invites you to join us for our 56th Annual Round-Up & Rodeo! To kick off this weekend long celebration, Dennis & Karen Townsend will be producing the Mason County Team Roping on Thursday, July 8th. Books close at 6:30 p.m., roping begins at 7:00. Draw 6 partners and entry fee is $150 per man.

By Elizabeth White For the past 30 summers, Mason kids have been able to take advantage of the Read to Swim program at the library, sponsored by the Mason Bank. Each child that reads for one hour in the library earns a free pass to the Mason swimming pool right next door.

By Andrew Salmi, Sports Editor The Mason High School varsity softball team had three individual players honored for their superb 2021 seasons earlier this month. For the 2021 All-West Texas Softball Team compiled by the San Angelo Standard-Times, the Cowgirls were represented very well by junior Tara Bolley, junior Tristin Keller, and freshman Kamryn Loeffler. Bolley had the high honor of being selected as the Pitcher of The Year for 2021 as the Cowgirls’ ace pitcher throughout the se ...

Rachel Walker recently joined Mason County News as the Advertising Director. She lives in Mason County with her husband Patrick Walker and her black lab, Kona, who loves living on the river. Originally from Bryan, Texas, Rachel has been living in the Mason area for over six years. Her family on her mother’s side has deep roots in Texas; they have been in Texas for longer than it has been the state and the family is a certified Texas First Families member.

The Public Water System of the City of Mason has reached a Critical Level condition. We are about to tie-in our new HMO Water System at Well 1 and all of our storage tanks. This tie-in will take down two of our storage tanks for at least 1 to 2 weeks.

The 2021 Mason County Team Roping will kick off Round-Up Weekend on Thursday, July 8th at the Mason City Park. Books for the roping will close at 6:30p.m. and Roping will start at 7:00 p.m., entry fee $150/man. Ropers will draw six partners, and can enter twice, but must be heading once and heeling once.

The Mason Rodeo Association cordially invites you to join us for our 56th Annual Round-Up & Rodeo! To kick off this weekend long celebration, Dennis & Karen Townsend will be producing the Mason County Team Roping on Thursday, July 8th. Books close at 6:30 p.m., roping begins at 7:00. Draw 6 partners and entry fee is $150 per man.

Janet Hayes Keller, age 84, passed away peacefully in her home June 23, 2021. She was born February 19, 1937 in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, to Mabel and William Hayes. Jan grew up in Canada where she learned to play the piano, ice skate on the frozen lakes and tap dance across stages.

Ronald “Ronny” Dale Frenzel passed peacefully on June 7, 2021 in San Antonio TX, after a battle with renal failure. Ronnie was born to Carl Theodore Frenzel, Jr and Willie Pauline Henrich Frenzel on September 20, 1944 in Brady, Texas. Ronny attended Mason High School and was very proud to call Mason his home.

It is not news to most people that the global climate is rapidly shifting, and long-time Mason County residents have likely observed related local changes such as the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, cold spells, and heat waves. Build-up of so-called “greenhouse gasses” in the Earth’s atmosphere (particularly carbon dioxide and methane) has been accelerating since the start of the industrial revolution.

In the 25 years between 1982 and 2007, the U.S. lost 23.1 million acres of agricultural land to “development” (houses, roads, parking lots, shopping centers, etc.). That’s about the size of Indiana! Texas lost the most of any other state, by a large margin—2.9 million acres! That is about the size of Bandera, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr and Kimble counties combined (American Farmland, Fall/Winter 2010 pp 13-16)! “Agricultural land” as used above means cropland, timberland, or range ...

I grill pretty much year-round, not just because it is healthy, but I enjoy it and I like trying different things. These Campbell’s Soup Cheddary Pouch Potatoes are a great side to anything you choose to grill, or I have made them when I just want to mix things up at mealtime.

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. Also, I tried adding a teaspoon of instant coffee to the original recipe and sort of liked the taste that the coffee imparted to the final product.

We don’t always know how church traditions begin. But sometimes, we do know exactly when and why they end. For example, we know the end to the practice of the casket remaining open during funeral services at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, a small-town Texas congregation. When Forrest Kreinautlaudt came to be their pastor, he was surprised that somehow this tradition had become the norm at St.

After years of waffling, wavering, and whining, Texas finally passed a law for constitutional carry of firearms. H.B. 1927, which will go into effect 1 September, makes it legal for any Texas citizen age 21 or over, who is not prohibited from legally possessing a firearm, to carry a handgun, concealed or not, in public.

We are moving into that summer season of gulf storm and then intense heat—a real roller coaster ride for those who garden. One day, you have a cloudy sky with tolerable humidity and garden tending is moving along. The next it’s so hot you’re out early with the soaker hoses, hand watering the fruit trees so they can survive their fruit cycle. I am not a climatologist, just a very dedicated weather observer.

Our next kids program is on July 6th at 11:00. Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue will come to the library to speak to the kids about their organization and their donkeys! New to the Library: DVDS Balthazar, Series 3 Godzilla vs. Kong The Lovebirds Play the Flute Your Honor The Walking Dead World Beyond, Season 1 Fiction: (all quotes from publishers’ summaries) Bullet by Iris Johansen “Diane Connors is a dedicated doctor with the world’s biggest secret, a discovery that ...

On June 22 the Mason Lions Club met at Nachos for their weekly meeting. Any ladies or gentlemen who are interested in joining the Mason Lions Club and serving the Mason community need only ask any Mason Lion! We were delighted to have as guests Joanne Davee, wife of Lion Bob Davee, and Bretta Kirby and Tad Kirby, wife and son of Lion Mark Kirby.

By Elizabeth White For the past 30 summers, Mason kids have been able to take advantage of the Read to Swim program at the library, sponsored by the Mason Bank. Each child that reads for one hour in the library earns a free pass to the Mason swimming pool right next door.