Kelly and DeDe Eiland, and grandparents Bob and Joe Eiland would like to announce the Graduation of Amanda Eiland with Bachelor's of Nursing Degree from Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas. Amanda is a 2004 graduate of Blanco High School The family would like to thank everyone who supported her through her education, and thank the Blanco Rodeo Association for their support. Amanda will be employed at the University Hospital in Lubbock, Texas.

Brought to you by the International Arid Lands Consortium and Jewish National Fund June 2008 — Did you know that a faucet that leaks just one drop per second can waste over 2,000 gallons of water per year? That a leaking toilet can waste 100 gallons a day? Or that an average shower uses 11 gallons of water? Americans use an average of over 350 million gallons of water each day; much of that water is wasted due to carelessness. The International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) offers these sim ...

AUSTIN - Children the state of Texas removed from a polygamist sect's ranch near Eldorado in early April must be returned to their parents, the state's highest court ruled May 29. Beginning June 2 children were returned to their parents if the parents first presented identification and agreed to take parenting classes and remain in Texas. The conditional release arrangements were made after the Texas Supreme Court upheld a ruling by the Third Court of Appeals in Austin.

Shortly after the end of the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky woman who was enraged over the damage Federal artillery fire had done to a once beautiful tree in her front yard. She insisted the tree was a casualty of the war and wanted Lee to condemn Northern forces for what she called their senseless attack on her property or at least sympathize with her over what she considered a great loss.

Abundant Grace Fellowship Church, Blanco, TX Last week, we began to discuss the subject of knowing the Holy Spirit. We looked at the fact that many people have a hard time relating to the Holy Spirit; at least more so than relating to The Father and The Son. We saw how The Holy Spirit was clearly God- the third Person of The Blessed Trinity.

A plane flew to California recently with me hanging on for the ride. Hanging on to an aisle seat is more my thing, but cheapskate.com sold me the ticket and a window seat had to do. Effectively barred from leg-stretching, lavatory luxury for three hours plus, I focused on drinking in the view from 36,000 feet.

Indiana Jones Trilogy I can't think of a better way to start the summer than to catch the new Indiana Jones movie, so we caught up with the series some twenty odd years ago and watched the trilogy that leads up to the biggest blockbuster this year. There's no point in rehashing the plot here, given that these are three of the most popular movies ever made.

On Friday evening prior to graduation Wes and Charlotte Thomas along with their children Michael, Ley and Crystal met with Jack Thomas, Dolly Iselt, Dale Baker, Brittany Hesskew and Candise Treiber at Rockin R Steakhouse. On Friday, May 30, 2008 Jack Thomas and Dolly Iselt both from Conroe Texas, Dale Baker from Rockport, Texas and Leonard Denton from Johnson City came to Blanco for their granddaughter, Crystal Thomas’, graduation.

Other than the Moon and fleeting objects like bright meteors and artificial satellites, the planet Venus is the brightest body in our night sky. It far outshines all the stars and other planets. And Mercury, although most have never seen it, also gets brighter than any star. But as bright as they are, these two innermost planets orbit nearer the Sun than does Earth and thus are seen only in the morning or evening, never in the middle of night.

As many of you already know, or have heard, I’ve moved to Fort Collins, Colorado. This city of about 160,000 in Northern Colorado lies between the foothills of the Rockies and the Great Plains, about an hour north of Denver. Among other things, it’s home to Colorado State University. My sister, Caroline, moved to Fort Collins a little over two years ago.

June 5 • “My Story, Your Story, Our Story” Presentation. Films from the Library’s Oral History Collection featuring locals talking about their lives in Blanco. Also, a dramatic retelling of the infamous Callahan-Blassingame Incident will salute the city’s 150th year. Beginning at 7 p.m. at The Learning Center. This program is the culmination of the Blanco Library’s One Book, One Community effort. June 6-July 18 • Blanco Library Summer Reading Program: Texas Summer Reading Club ...

The Wimberley Valley Art League (WVAL), with additional support provided by The Rotary Club of Wimberley and Arts From the Heart, presents the First Annual Student Art Exhibit at their Gallery in the Wimberley Community Center. The exhibit, featuring the work of 97 local 3rd-12th graders, will be on display from June 13th, 2008 until July 28, 2008.

Friday, June 13th will be a very lucky day for Blanco and a select group of artists featured in the Lavender Festival Fine Art Show, presented by Uptown Blanco Art Center. The show will exhibit Hill Country artists as well as the art work of our creative community from children to elders.

Burglary of Residence – Horseshoe Bay, Texas Horseshoe Bay Police Department and Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers are asking for the public's assistance for any information on a burglary that occurred sometime between Saturday, May 10, at 11 PM to Sunday, May 11, at 3:15 AM. An unknown suspect or suspects entered a residence in Horseshoe Bay South and took seven various types of guitars, an electronic workstation, pedals and cables.

Hill Country Memorial Hospital’s new Health, Hope, and Healing Cancer Resource Center (CRC) is rolling out a session for female cancer patients called “Look Good….Feel Better.” Led by volunteers Ema Hernandez, a licensed cosmetologist, and Karen Kuhlman, a licensed cosmetology instructor, the two-hour session will be Tuesday, June 10, from 2-4 p.m.

Be in Johnson City for the celebration of the Blanco County Sesquicentennial on the square, Saturday, June 7, at 10:00a.m. We will begin this very special event with the arrival of our horseback circuit-riding preacher from the Cowboy Church of Johnson City, who will share the good word with us in his invocation.

On June 13 and June 14, Johnson City will kick off the lavender season (June through September) along with local area lavender farms. The Johnson City Chamber of Commerce is a proud sponsor of the Blanco Lavender Festival. Johnson City’s *Lavender Evenings* will correspond with the *Blanco Lavender Festival* daytime events held the same weekend.

The Blanco Library is pleased to announce that local storyteller, Maggie Goodman will be kicking off our Summer Reading Program on Friday, June 6. There will be two programs that day. At 10am the younger kids will be entertained by her Texas Critter Stories. “We’re blessed in this area with a wealth of animals and all of them have such interesting stories.

Adult Grief Support Group - No one needs to suffer grief alone; everyone can benefit from care and support. CTMC Hospice Care provides a safe and comfortable environment through its grief support groups to express the feelings you may experience due to the death of a loved one. These services are available free of charge.

Excerpts from filmed interviews with local people relating their history and the history of Blanco will be featured at a presentation Thursday, June 5 at 7 p.m. at the Learning Center auditorium, across from the elementary school. In addition to these films from the collection of the library’s Oral History Committee, a “dramatic re-telling” of the infamous Callahan-Blassingame Incident will be presented in a salute to Blanco’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.

As I slipped a CD of praise music into my laptop this evening, I was suddenly overwhelmed by just how blessed I am. I’ve been miserable lately, complaining of the heat outside because it’s hard to work out there in my flower beds. Hand watering is a chore and I don’t like the heat.

In this “text-‘til-you-drop” world where youngsters’ and others’ fingers sweep across computer keyboards at warp speed, there’s ongoing competition to see who can use the fewest letters to represent the most number of words. We should have seen the trend sprouting when personalized license plates came along. Those, though, are mostly “cutesy.” Even the dullest among us, no matter length of tooth, can finally figure the messages out, even if it’s three traffic lights later. T ...

Thomas Cecil McKenzie of Austin passed away the morning of May 29, 2008. Thomas was born Feb. 20, 1923 to Kenneth Alexander McKenzie and Mollie Augusta Haster McKenzie. The McKenzie family came from the Driftwood Community. He started school at Mt. Gainor and was driven by bus driver Charlie McKenzie, his brother.

Meriden, CT – May 28, 2008 – The widespread use of children’s car seats has reduced the number of injuries and fatalities on American roads, but experts agree that more needs to be done. “Every state requires that children under the age of 4 are secured while riding in a car,” noted Ray Palermo, director of public information for Teachers’ Insurance Plan™.

A/B Honor Roll First Grade AJ Briscoe,Bailey Bryan, Karley Burnett, Reyna Calzoncit, Dillon Delafuente, Cade Felps, Cody Frei, Hanna Garrett, Hallie Gloor, Ernesto Gonzalez, Ryan Grohe, Carly Haack, Tanner Hilterbrant, Lyndoll Hope Cox, Chance Horton, Brady Hunter, Helen Hunter, Jackson Hunter, Brynn Kirkland, Taylor Kotfas, Carlie Kuebel, Lane Lowak, Jayme Mowery, Cooper Riley, Jennifer Rodarte, Kaylah Elliott Sanchez, Hanna Srackangast, Daniel Thomas, Hunter Toler, Christa Townsley, Johanna V ...

An ACC and TTU College Application Fair will be held on Saturday, June 14, from 9 am to 1 pm on the lawn of the Gillespie County Courthouse, Adams and Main Street, Fredericksburg. Students can complete an entire college degree in Fredericksburg by attending Austin Community College for the core curriculum and then transferring to Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg to complete their undergraduate degree.

This past week, the Blanco FFA Chapter hosted an awards luncheon for its members to recognize achievements from the 2007-2008 school year in addition to handing out awards to outstanding individuals. In the area of animal production and proficiency, awards were given to Keaton Dodd for swine production, Katie Baker for cattle production, Victoria Jones for goat production, Claire Klepac for poultry production, Kaleigh Anderson for diversified production, and Austin Thompson for lamb productio ...

May was very dry. Steve Brown, meteorologist, said it was the 6th driest May on record. It’s not easy to keep plants watered and looking healthy. Place soaker hoses in the flower beds and gardens. The 50 foot length seems to do best; 75-100 feet lose pressure and the water doesn’t come through evenly.

Public records information is compiled by Charles Willgren from reports filed at the Blanco Police Department, Blanco County Sheriff’s Office, Blanco Volunteer Fire Department, Blanco County Clerk, District Clerk, and Justices of the Peace offices. The police reports will not appear this week. Look for them in next week's issue. Convictions Blanco County Barbara Ellen Thornberry, of Marble Falls, was fined $186 for speeding on September 23, 2007 (CVE). Richard Anthony Ketay, of Blanco, ...

Dance wit Goolaks June 1, 1988 Come dance under the stars Friday night at the Blanco Valley Jamboree. Gordon Land and the Goolaks will be performing June 10th, 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. The Goolaks play a wide variety of music but their specialty is country and western. The Goolaks perform monthly at the Bluebonnet Palace.