Stuff the Bus will be on Saturday, August 7, from 9am - 3pm on the square across from the bank. We would like the community to check out the schools supplies list on the BISD website at www.blancoisd.org. There are kids in the BISD area who will need help with school supplies to start their school year off right!

Big brother, Elijah Brent Thompson, holds little brother, Kolton Wyatt Thompson, born on July 24, 2010. He weighed 7 lbs. 7.5 oz. and was 22 inches long. Proud parents are Dustin and Marcia Thompson of Friona, Texas. Grandparents are Ray and Diana Rios of Blanco and Daryl and Betty Thompson of Friona.

Tina and Lloyd Bipere are proud to announce the birth of their son, Lloyd Chance Bipere, born Saturday, July 24, 2010, at 8:21 p.m. at St. Davids in Austin. He weighed 1 lb. 13.8 oz. and was 13.5 inches long. Lloyd was born 15 weeks early and the doctors are amazed at how well he is doing.

RK and Priscilla Seals of Fischer, Texas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Christy to Jon Anderson, son of Vicki Stewart of Plano, Texas, and Trygve Anderson, also of Plano. Christy is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Texas at Austin. She is the principal architect of Loop Design in Austin.

I started the eighth grade in Monterrey, Mexico. My brother Jay was in the third grade and Dale was in the second grade. Our school was located downtown near La Purisima Catholic Church which was a local landmark. Our home was located in the suburb of Colonia Vista Hermosa, some distance away.

AUSTIN — Texas is challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision on July 15 to disapprove the state’s flexible permits program. Attorney General Greg Abbott on July 26 filed the state’s petition for reconsideration with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans. Texas’ flexible permits program was created in 1994 “to incentivize grandfathered operations to voluntarily enter into the State’s air permitting ...

It will be a busy weekend at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg on Saturday and Sunday, August 14-15, when two days of live pari-mutuel horse racing are combined with a wine tasting event and livestock judging. The gates open at 11 a.m. and post time is 1 p.m. for the live pari-mutuel racing on Saturday and Sunday.

Blanco County received public praise in a news story on KXAN-TV, Channel 36 in Austin, last week when reporter Jackie Ingles shot and broadcast her story about the county’s great response to the needs of evacuees from the flooding on the Rio Grande. Pastor Sid Spiller of First United Methodist Church in Johnson City, one of those interviewed for the story, told Ingles what he learned from his trip to Eagle Pass with a truckload of relief supplies. “Poverty that I di ...

“Where words fail, music speaks.” Hans Christian Andersen With its vision to present stellar performances, enhancing the enjoyment of the cultural arts for the enrichment of the residents of Blanco and its environs, Blanco Performing Arts will unveil its inaugural season on Sunday, August 8, at the Uptown Blanco Ballroom, 317 Main Street in downtown Blanco from 2:00-4:00pm. Everyone will be warmly welcomed to learn about the three planned chamber music concerts and ...

Pam Capps, realtor with RE/MAX Genesis, ranked in the Top 20 of over 500 realtors for total commission earned for the 1st quarter of 2010 in the San Antonio Council of RE/MAX of Texas. This award was presented at the RE/MAX luncheon in San Antonio at the Grand Hyatt. Congratualtions Pam from the team at RE/MAX!

The August 12 meeting of the Kendall County Area Democratic Women (KCADW) will feature Alyssa Burgin, founder and director of the Texas Drought Project. The meeting starts at 10am and will be held at Kronkosky Place, 17 Old San Antonio Road, in Boerne. Ms. Burgin will discuss both the growing risk of severe water shortages in Texas as well as the choices Texans face as this risk intensifies over the coming years and decades. Alyssa Burgin is a 5th generation Texan who has been active ...

The Willow City School Building / Community Center will be open, Saturday, August 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., in association with the Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools Open House monthly tour schedule. All are invited to stop by; bring along a neighbor, friend, or relative. Historical information on this School, part of the Gillespie County Country Schools Trail, a designated National Historic Register site, can be found at:

Uptown Blanco Art Center is proud to announce its new art gallery. Located inside the art center, the gallery will present local artists and their work at reasonable prices. Opening the gallery is “Common Beauty”, the multi-media and layering artwork of Suzette Connell. Ms. Connell has exhibited throughout Central Texas and her photographs are currently displayed locally at the Redbud Café.

Johnson City, Texas - The National Park Service is in the final stage of a process in the development of an amendment to the General Management Plan approved in 1999 for Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. The public is invited to comment on the amendment. Interested members of the community may pick up a copy of the report at the headquarters of the Lyndon B.

Ms. Rebecca Howerton got a big surprise recently when she was awarded the highest honor given to a non-Mason. The “Texas Masonic Grand Lodge Community Builder Award” for 2010 by Blanco Masonic Lodge 216. The presentation read: “This lodge takes pleasure in nominating and selecting Rebecca Louise Howerton, this year’s winner of the Texas Masonic Grand Lodge Community Builder Award.

It happened right here in Blanco last Saturday. Frederick Frog appeared with his author at Threshold-My Favorite Things on N. Main. Owner, Tammy Schroeder, hosted a book signing for Horseshoe Bay author, Dolores Guinn. Ms. Guinn’s most recently published “childrens” books, ‘Stubborn & Disobedient and Frederick Frog and His Family were available, signed for all.

Christian Powell longed to become an attorney. He had set this ambitious goal early in life but was then afflicted by two dreaded diseases: tuberculosis and polio; both of which caused him to be hospitalized for long periods of time and the latter of these paralyzed most of the major muscles in the lower part of his body. When he was discharged from the hospital at the age of nineteen, there seemed little hope Christian could achieve his goal but he refused to concede defeat.

Hebrews 12:1-4 says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

[A Psalm of David.] A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem. 1Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who has forgiveness of his transgression continually exercised upon him, whose sin is covered. 2Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3When I kept silence [before I confessed], my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long. 4For day and night You ...

During the great depression the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps- 1933-1942) was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to put young unemployed men to work. This program was a great blessing to many who literally didn't know where their next meal would come from. Many of the structures in our state and national parks were built during this time, as well as many other projects, which are still in use today.

On Sunday, August 1, following morning worship services and lunch, the third buckle series Youth Play Day was held at the Blanco Cowboy Church Arena. When the dust settled and the winners were announced, the following five young cowboys and cowgirls were awarded their Award Buckles for their outstanding achievements in the arena during the June, July, and August Play Day Events: PeeWee Lead-Line Buckle Winner, Kylene Kramer; PeeWee Independent Buckle Winner, Court Krause; Sub-Junior B ...

Ruby Lee Jones, 90, passed away Friday, August 6, 2010. Ruby was born February 18, 1920 to Joe and Rosa Preiss in New Braunfels, Texas. She married Casey Jones on May 27, 1941; they enjoyed 45 years together until his passing in 1986. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; son Bennie Carroll Jones; brother Hilmer Preiss, Sr.; and sister Rose Marie Dean.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that a general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will begin on August 2, 2010 and continue through August 27, 2010. During the sign-up period, farmers and ranchers may offer eligible land for CRP’s competitive general sign-up at their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.

AUSTIN – According to the latest Texas Quarterly Housing Report, released today, the volume of real estate sales in Texas increased for the third quarter in a row, possibly spurred by renewed job growth in the state and the expiration of federal homebuyer tax credits. The Texas Quarterly Housing Report is issued four times a year by the Texas Association of Realtors with multiple listing service (MLS) data compiled and analyzed by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M Universi ...

Parents and Students, We hope you have had a good summer. The teachers and staff of Blanco Middle School have been working very hard to prepare for the 2010 – 2011 school year. We are looking forward to it! Some general information regarding back to school: • Monday, August 9—Registration begins for students new to the district; • Monday, August 23—First day of school for all students; • School day runs from 8:00 AM – ...

When building a home, there are all too often problems of theft and vandalism. Dishonest people enter these areas where homes are being built and they steal building materials and then leave the unfinished house in disarray. So how do you protect your home and materials from such people? There are some key things that you can do to ensure that construction goes quickly and safely without the problems of criminal activity.

Family Reunion August 7, 1970 The families of the late W.E. and Emily Byares had their annual reunion on Sunday, August 2, at the Parish Hall in Blanco. Mr. Mamie Galbreath, aunt, great aunt, and great great aunt of thos present, was the honored guest. A most delicious noon meal was served to guests from Las Cruces, New Mexico; Houston, Johnson City, Austin, San Antonio, Lake Travis Spicewood, and Blanco. Attends St.

After months of searching on the Internet, attending open houses, and motoring around town with your Texas Realtor, you finally found a house that suits your needs. Now you’re ready to make the purchase – so the next logical step is preparing an offer. Let’s look at a few things to help get you started. Start with a number Obviously, the price you initially write into the contract has much to do with whether the seller looks favorably upon you ...