September 3, 2008

The Llano Fine Arts Gallery is delighted to welcome Cliff Harrington as guest artist on Sept. 8. Swift and sure strokes of the brush more easily capture the essence of the individual giving that special personal touch for which we all strive. Harrington will be demonstrating his techniques in oil portraiture beginning at 10 a.m. The public is welcome to attend the demonstration.

The Llano County Hospital Authority Board of Directors welcomed the information that Scott & White’s CEO had put the new Lake of the Hills Regional Medical Center high on the list of achievements in a recent annual report. Dr. Alfred Knight was reporting on the first year of what he called “our grand Vision.” “We have initiated partnerships and alliances creating the Lake of the Hills Hospital, while also expanding our relationship with Metroplex/Rollins Brook,” he said.

A 26-year-old Austin man remains in fair condition at Brackenridge Hospital in Austin after being struck by a truck and trailer as he worked on the roadside on SH 29 Thursday afternoon. Samuel Burson was working on a litter crew for the Texas Department of Transportation contractor Spicewood Enterprises, Inc. of Burnet.

A fabulous vista of Llano and Blanco counties will be the backdrop for the 7th Annual Buckaroo Ball on Oct. 16. The Boys & Girls Club of the Highland Lakes on Thursday sponsored a press preview of “Return to Reata: a GIANT of an Evening” at the hilltop ranch home of Gary and Rhonda Turner’s Buffalo Hollow Ranch. Located 15 miles southwest of Horseshoe Bay, the pastures and stands of ancient oak of the 600-acre ranch are home to exotic animals.

Llano County’s in-coming sheriff and its newest game warden were united in an emphasis to crack down on intoxicated drivers when they spoke at the August meeting of the Lake Buchanan Conservation Corporation. Sean Reneau recently joined Rick Snitkin and Kevin Webb as Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens serving Llano County.

“The Logos Olympics” is the theme of this year’s parent’s night for the Logos Program at the Methodist Church in Llano. Some special athletes straight from Beijing will be on hand to tell us about Logos as they present a fun skit and parents are informed about the program and given an opportunity to sign up.

The Project Graduation committee will host a fajita dinner, Friday, Sept. 15 in the Junior High Cafeteria. Dinner will be served before the game from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. with cost being by donation. All proceeds will go to the Project Graduation for the Class of 2009. Show support for the Jackets against Bangs and Project Graduation.

Rue Maxine Jones, 72, of Kingsland, passed aways Wednesday, Aug. 27. She was born Feb. 2, 1936 in Conroe to William Franklin Land and Beatrice Nesby Land. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wilber Jones. Maxine is survived by her son, Jerry Weaver and wife, Joyce, of Burnet; her daughters, Barbara Wills and husband, Alan, of Kingsland, and Linda Laffoo and husband, Steven, of Floresville; her grandchildren, Jeremy Weaver, Danny Cameron, Linda Gressett, Brenda Ewing, and Brandon Cameron; and her great grandchildren, Kaylin, Jacob, and Joshua Ewing. Maxine worked in retail sales and later retired to Kingsland. A memorial services will be held Sept.

Ruth Klepper, 99, passed away Aug. 21, in Austin. She was born Aug. 14, 1909, to Stanley and Mary (Blue) Haden in Wichita, Kan. Mrs. Klepper was preceded in death by her husband, John L. Klepper; grandson, Dan; parents, Stanley and Mary (Blue) Haden; two sisters; and three brothers. She is survived by daughters, Marilyn Graham and husband, Robert,of Kingsland, and Judith (Judy) Klepper of Kingsland; sons, Stanley Klepper and wife, Dorothy, of Westminster, S.C., and Jack Klepper and wife, Barbara, of Kingsland; also six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. Ruth was married to John L.

What’s going on with Llano High School volleyball these days? Glad you asked. One girl had more than 40 assists in two contests. The Ladies were on the floor for seven games between Thursday and Saturday, Aug. 28 to 30. And, Stop the Presses! They played two matches back-to-back, and they lasted a total of five hours. And none of the aforementioned is the lead.

Rockdale scripted more big plays than Shakespeare did, and needed them all, to overcome a game and gutty Llano Yellow Jacket bunch, 39-33, in high school football’s season opener, Aug. 29. “We must get better at open-field tackling,” Jackets’ head coach David Yeager lamented, “but I’m proud of our effort, and we can improve playing a team as good as this one was.” Cois Walker, who is probably tired of hearing, “You should be Cois Runner, ha, ha” was no laughing matter for Llano.

A freshman lived up to the hype orchestrated by a reporter, and a senior had her brightest day in the sun in Llano High School’s Cross Country Invitational, Aug. 30. The last time Marcos Vallejo was in an official school race was in the spring; he was in the eighth grade.

On Sept. 9 the Llano Country Republicans will host a dinner with Roger Williams, chairman of Texas Victory 2008, as their featured speaker. Mr. Williams was sworn in as the Texas’ 105th Secretary of Sate on Feb. 8, 2005, and as the Chief Election Officer for the State, he worked diligently to ensure the uniform application and interpretation of election laws throughout the State.

New floodplain maps for Travis, Williamson and parts of Burnet counties are set to take effect Sept. 26, and floodplain administrators advise property owners in affected areas to buy flood insurance before the effective date. Property owners who purchase flood insurance prior to the effective date of the maps may lock in more favorable flood insurance rates and keep their premiums as low as possible.

Girl Scout registration rallies will soon begin. In order for girls to sign up, we need willing adult volunteers to lead troops. Girl Scouts is dedicated to building character and skills for girls’ success in the real world. Adult volunteers help girls develop qualities such as leadership and strong values.

Family history researchers will examine the “new media” at the next meeting of the Kingsland Genealogical Society (KGS) on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 2 p.m. at the Kingsland Branch Library, 125 West Polk. Elizabeth Johnston, former genealogy and local history librarian at the Round Rock Public Library, will discuss “Current Genealogy: Web sites and Blogs and Podcasts, Oh My!” Johnston was employed at the Round Rock library from 1995 to the end of 2004, and earned a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001.

The public is invited to help us kick off the new season for the Kingsland Garden Club on Friday, Sept. 5. The special guest speaker is well known author and columnist Bill Luedecke direct from beautiful downtown Oatmeal. Bill is a Master Gardener, Master Naturalist and is well known for his local newspaper and magazine articles and his delightful presentations.

The Llano Alliance for Drug Intervention (L.A.D.I.) is hosting the “Eyes Wide Shut” program on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Llano High School Auditorium. This program was started six years ago by Officer Allen Brown in San Saba as a way to inform the general public about illegal narcotics.

02-Chicken nuggets, chicken fried steak, cheesy potatoes, green beans, wheat roll, blushing pears 03-Steak fingers, chicken drumstick, baked potato, peas & carrots, wheat roll, fresh fruit 04-Taco nacho salad, cheese nachos, refried beans, lettuce & tomatoes, fruit 05-Hamburger, swiss chicken burger, potato smiles, burger salad, reduced fat chocolate chip cookie 08-Cheese pizza, egg roll, seasoned corn, green beans, chilled fruit 09-Fish strips, turkey corndog, carrot, macaroni & cheese, white wheat bread, peaches 10-Chicken patty, Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, broccoli/cheese, white wheat bread, fresh fruit 11-Tamales, chicken quesadilla, Mexican rice, garden salad, strawberries & bananas 12-Hamburger, sub.

The Llano County Historical Museum has completed a new exhibit on the prehistoric Native Americans of this area. Thanks to generous donations of artifacts by Jerry Bridwell, of Horseshoe Bay and Marvin Sanderson, of Tow, the display shows stone and bone tools, grinding implements and personal ornaments. The artifacts range in age from 12,000 years ago to 500 years ago, and respresent almost the entire time of ancient peoples in Llano County. New informational signs are augmented with artwork by Danielle Carmicheal of Thou Art in Llano, depicting scenes from the past based on archeological data. Although the exhibit is modest in size and content, it is hoped that it will encourage additional donations of Native American specimens to the museum.

The weekend of Oct. 17 and 18, the Llano County Heritage Festival and Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-off will take place on both sides of the Llano River. Enjoy sitting under the shade of the many pecan trees around the square and enjoy the music of the Riff Riders, John Arthur Martinez, The Tumbleweeds, Manny Duarte and Teru, and Johnny Nicholas. Unique to most communities, the Llano River divides the commercial district with a wonderful Parker Truss Bridge, that has a walkway on both sides.

The Llano Junior High Library will hold its Fall Scholastic Book Fair from Monday, Sept. 8 until Friday, Sept. 12. The library will open daily at 7:30 a.m. and remain open until 4:30 p.m. The book fair will feature a wide variety of books for teenagers and adults, including mystery and adventure novels, fantasy trilogies, sports guides, Anime, cookbooks, and the latest bestsellers.

Llano County 4-H members, leaders, and supporters were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2007-2008 4-H year at the County 4-H Achievement Banquet, held at the American Legion Hall in Llano on Aug. 8. Wayne Homesley was named Outstanding Adult Leader for his many years of service as a goat project leader and a very active member of the 4-H Adult Leaders Association.

Come join the Religious Education classes for youth at Holy Trinity Catholic Church which are scheduled to begin Sept. 21. Parents are encouraged to register their children from pre-k through high school for the classes held on Sunday mornings. Parents may register on Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings after Mass in the parish hall.