Columbus
Wimberley View
Wimberley Valley
Thursday, October 19 • 10:15 a.m. − DJ Barfly at KWVH Patio • 6 p.m. − Vin Mott Trio at Hays City Store • 6 p.m. − Guitarrista Kelly at Wimberley Inn & Bar • 7:30 p.m. − Jeff Black at Susanna’s Kitchen Friday, October 20 • All Day − Songwriters Festival on Mercer Street • 10:15 a.m. − Kane Alvarado at KWVH Patio • 2 p.m. − Michael James at Wimberley Valley Winery • 6 p.m. − Meagan Tubb at Ghost Note Saturday, October 21 • All Day − Songwriters Festival on Mercer Street • 2 p.m. − HoneyFest at PonderRosa • 6 p.m. − Guitarrista Kelly at Corazón de México • 6...
COUNTY UPDATES
Whit and Kim Hanks of Dripping Springs, on behalf of the Aubrey Smith Jr. Family Foundation, presented a final gift from the foundation of $350,000 to the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center. C. Aubrey Smith, Jr., a successful Austin investment advisor and real estate investor was the chair of the Aubrey Smith Family Foundation which has generously supported HCWC and other charitable and educational entities for many years, according to the press release Tuesday announcing the gift. The press release stated that earlier this year, Smith had decided to dissolve his foundation and distribute the remaining funds between his non-profit beneficiaries. The $350, 000 donation...
Lady Texans volleyball sweeps Bandera, Boerne
Following a tough loss to Davenport, The Lady Texans Volleyball team came out without missing a beat sweeping both Bandera and Boerne in straight sets. After beating the Bandera Bulldogs 3 sets to none the first time around in district, Wimberley came out ready for a tough matchup. “Playing in the second round (Of districts) you always have to work on not trying to be complacent with somebody that you beat the first time around so when we play them we always have to make sure we are finding a new way to play against them.” Head Coach Stephanie Barthals said. The Wimberley...
Hays County Food Bank prepares for the holidays
For the 17th year, the Hays County Food Bank will provide holiday meal boxes filled with foods needed to make a festive and nutritious homecooked Thanksgiving meal. The boxes will include a frozen turkey and ingredients for traditional Thanksgiving side dishes. Qualifying households may sign up at turkeys.haysfoodbank. org to reserve their meal box while supplies last. In order to qualify for this program, a household must meet one of the following requirements. For example, the household income should be at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. Another criteria is participation in a qualifying government assistance program such as SNAP,...
Riffs, Roams and Raves: A Weekly Column
Riff: Joe Taylor The epicenter on the west coast for rock ‘n’ roll music in the late ‘60s, ‘70s and early ‘80s was Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip and Tower Records, which stood at Sunset Boulevard and Horn Avenue. Scores of bands and musicians performed there, and people came from all over to absorb the cultural phenomenon that would eventually become the soundtrack for the baby boomer generation. In the middle of the creative and cultural maelstrom was a west Texas billboard artist by the name of Joe Taylor. From a tiny farming town outside of Lubbock, Taylor’s first apartment in...
Wimberley’s StoryFest toasts Texas culture
, , Greeted by perfect fall weather, Story-Fest 2023 kicked off with music, cowboy cuisine and campfire singing and storytelling this weekend at 7A Ranch’s Pioneer Town. A project of the Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance, the three-day event drew in musicians, songwriters, storytellers, filmmakers, chefs, plein air painters and history enthusiasts to celebrate the story in all of its many forms. Fresh from his Big Barn Dance Music Festival, legendary Taos, NM musician Bill Hearne headlined the Thursday night kickoff at the Opera House. Ticket holders partook of the music and savored delicious cowboy cuisine. Earlier that day, the...
Texans look to Navarro after lopsided win
, It didn’t take long for the Wimberley Texans to take control of the game versus the Manor New Tech Titans. Zach Patek took the opening kickoff back to the Titans 36 yard line. On the first snap of the game, Chase Carson ran right up the middle for a 36-yard touchdown, and the Texans never looked back. Wimberley (7-0, 2-0) would lead 41-0 at the end of the first quarter on the way to a final score of 720. The Texans only scored two touchdowns in the second half as the game clock ran without stoppage due to the lopsided score. “Going...
Wimberley’s Bel Canto Farms hosts equestrian competition
, , Members of the University of Texas at Austin Equestrian team competed in a United States Hunter Jumper Association Outreach competition at Bel Canto Farms in Wimberley last Saturday. The show benefitted the UT team through a raffle, ticketed pony rides and a percentage of entry fees. Riders who competed for UT included Livie Gallagher, Captain of the UT Equestrian Team, Georgia Fuchs, and Michael Chan. Team Bel Canto, who are members of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, along with other riders as young as seven years old through to adults, competed at all levels from Walk - Trot to 2 foot – 6 inch Open Hunters over fences. Students who competed included Avery Killian and Riley Cureton of Wimberley, Leah Oullette and Mea Comacho from Dripping Springs, Gwen Selgert from Bee Cave and Delanie Dellafiori and Emma Dragon from Kyle. Hosting the competition was Bel Canto Farms owner, Suzanne Warmack. She was assisted by Mia Rogers of Driftwood and Eric Venditti.
VFW announces annual youth scholarship programs
The Veterans of Foreign Wars is once again holding its annual scholarship programs, offering up to $35,000 at the national level, paid directly to the U.S. college, university or vocational/technical school of the winner’s choice. The Voice of Democracy audio-essay program for high schoolers in grades 9–12 is soliciting submissions under the theme “What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?” VFW Post 6441 awards first, second and third prizes of $2000, $1500 and $1000 respectively, with state-level awards up to $10,000. The grand prize at the national level is $35,000. Last year’s local winners were 11th grader Grace Banks, 10th...
GEAA develops plan for areawide water use
Experts say the current drought in Texas is the most extreme the state has seen since the 1950s. As a result, the supply of water is the lowest these experts say they have witnessed in that same time period. For many residents of Texas, the prospect of a shrinking supply of water is terrifying — for the basic fact that water is necessary for human existence but also, beyond that, for financial concerns. Groundwater supplies many of the rivers and other karst features in the Hill Country, which has supported an ever larger portion of the area’s ecotourism revenue in recent...
Lawmakers return to Austin to consider education bill
The Texas Senate unveiled Monday its main bill to establish an education savings account program, a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott this special session. Senate Bill 1, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would allow families access $8,000 of taxpayer money to pay for private schools and other educational expenses such as uniforms, textbooks, tutoring or transportation among other things. “Educating the next generation of Texans is a fundamental responsibility, and it is my belief that empowering parents with school choice will encourage competition, innovation and ensure that every student in Texas has the opportunity to find an educational path for their...
COUNTY UPDATES
The Hays County Annex Center hosted an event last week aimed at helping those that provide assistance to service members. At the event on Tuesday, Oct. 3, the Texas Veterans Commission gifted over $6.4 million in grants to 24 Central Texas veteran service organizations. The event was hosted by one of the county’s own, TVC Commissioner and U.S. Army veteran Mary Dale, who presented the veterans service organizations with oversized checks. Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra opened the ceremony with a speech. “This program and the … commission as a whole is just absolutely critical to this program’s success,” Becerra said. “Thank you all...
Riffs, Roams and Raves:
Riff: Starlight Symphony Orchestra The SSO, under the direction of David Oertel, performed at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center in Kyle last week. If you’ve never been to the PAC, it is a beautiful performance space with state-of-the-art acoustics and seating for 1,000. In the moments before the concertmaster tunes the orchestra and Dr. Oertel takes the podium, there is always a moment to appreciate the full marvel of the performers on stage. Dressed in black with the deep black of the backdrop behind them, the only things visible are the gleaming instruments each musician holds. And, once the house...
Suzanna’s Kitchen concert to feature Jeff Black
Jeff Black will be in concert at Suzanna’s Kitchen next week as part of the monthly coffeehouse concert series. Black was born in Kansas City, MO and lives in Nashville, TN. Sam Bush has championed him with recording many of his songs including “Same Ol’ River” and “King Of The World.” Jeff co-wrote the title track to Bush’s Grammy-nominated album “Circles Around Me.” His songs also appear on recordings by Alison Krauss, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Douglas, Dierks Bently, John Oates, Blackhawk, Joel Sonnier and the soundtracks of “The Thing Called Love” — among others. A master songwriter and troubadour, his soul driven live performances of songs from his vast catalog are not to be missed. Jeff Black’s latest collection “A Walk In The Sun” features Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Dave Roe (Johnny Cash, Jake Bugg), Jerry Roe (Alison Krauss) and Kenny Vaughan (Lucinda Williams, Marty Stuart). It was produced by Jeff Black, mixed by Dave Sinko (Chris Thile, Punch Brothers) and was released January 2020. Proceeds from the concert benefit Barnabas Connection, Bright Beginnings Preschool and other nonprofits. For information, go to wimberleyumc. org or call (512) 9141703.
Wimberley Valley
Thursday, October 12 • 6 p.m. − Guitarrista Kelly at Wimberley Inn & Bar • 7 p.m. − Open Mic with Michael James at Savages Friday, October 13 • 6 p.m. − Sam Downing at Ghost Note • 7 p.m. − Donovan Hatcher Trio at Savages Saturday, October 14 • 10 a.m. − Guitarrista Kelly at Wimberley Inn & Bar • 12 p.m. − Ashton Naylor at Henson Square • 4 p.m. − K Phillips at Ghost Note • 6 p.m. − Guitarrista Kelly at Corazón de México • 7 p.m. − Jesse Lee at Hays City Store • 8 p.m. − Chaparral at Mercer Street • 8:30 p.m. − Vin Mott Blues...
Celebrating Hill Country heritage
As a part of the upcoming Hill Country Heritage Gathering weekend, the leaders of Wimberley Story-Fest and Wimberley Institute of Cultures have teamed up to offer a special outing for the public. The event will take place on Friday morning, Oct.13. Centered around a slice of history in Wimberley, the group invites interested participants to come out for a tour of the museum, with both the Winters-Wimberley House and the Zach Wimberley House included. The museum tour will be followed by a guided walking tour through some of the historical structures of Wimberley. There will be seven stops along the way. At...
Hays CISD student death investigated as fentanyl-related
The Hays County Sheriff’s Office is investigating as a possible fentanyl overdose the death on Monday, Oct. 2, of a 15-year-old female student enrolled in the Hays Consolidated Independent School District. The investigation is ongoing as county investigators await the results of a toxicology report conducted in connection to the student’s death. Officials did not release the name of the student as she is a juvenile and the investigation is in its preliminary stages. No charges have been filed in connection to the student’s death. In a written statement to parents and staff released on Thursday, Oct. 5, Hays CISD Superintendent Eric Wright...
Café waters plants from AC condensate
A waterwise practice by the Wimberley Café was observed on the Square last week as air conditioning condensate was captured to water plants at the nearby Marco’s Italian restaurant. Jim Venable of Percheron Construction, with help from Roger Elsey, ran lines from four air conditioning units on top of the Café to a portable 250 gallon tank. From there, a hose from the tank ran across the construction of the Café’s kitchen expansion to plants at Marco’s Italian restaurant. Jay and Jen Bachman, owners of the Café, bought Marco’s Italian business in April. “I thank Nathan Sloan, the owner of Percheron...
County burn ban temporarily lifted
The Hays County Fire Marshal’s office notified the community that the county-wide burn ban in the unincorporated areas of the county was lifted, effective at 11 a.m. on Oct. 5. Outdoor burning in the areas designated requires residents to follow rules, specifically with respect to what kinds of materials may be burned. The county states on its website that the lifting of the burn ban “does not authorize burning of any material that is prohibited from being burned by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.” Listed prohibited materials for burning include: construction waste, household garbage, tires, rubber or plastic products, heavy oils,...
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.