Vernon and Hilda Schmidt were honored with a luncheon at the Blanco Bowling Alley café in celebration of their 74th wedding anniversary on July 20, 2011. The luncheon was organized by their daughter Doris Phipps and was attended by many friends and relatives.

You are cordially invited to participate in the Blanco County Fair Parade, August 20, 2011, in Johnson City, Texas, beginning at 10:00 a.m. There will be a float provided by the Blanco County Historical Commission and the American Legion Color Guard Post #352 for all war veterans who wish to ride in the parade. Following the parade there will be a reception for veterans of all wars and their families at 106 East Main in Johnson City.

The Texas State Grange is coming to Blanco for its annual convention on July 29, 30, and 31 at the Gem of the Hills Senior Citizen Center. The committees will be considering resolutions originated in Community Granges throughout Texas. The delegates will be adopting the legislative policies for the ensuing year.

Wow, was I wrong. I just assumed that people who were Texas Master Naturalists just liked animals and plants. After a wonderful interview with one of our local Highland Lakes members, Sue Kersey, I found out that you need to roll up your sleeves once you decide to become a Texas Master Naturalist. We have a super chapter here in our Highland Lakes area and they cover three counties – Blanco, Burnet and Llano.

This Wednesday at 2 p.m. we are finishing up our Summer Reading Program activities. Join us for ice cream, games, and awards. Children can continue to collect their prizes through the month of August. Thanks again to Glenn Miller for his historical tools programs. Kids got to see and touch real arrows, spears, and more. Volunteers are still needed.

Section 2B: Chas T. Rawson and Mary Elizabeth Rawson share a tombstone. One grave seems to face northeast and the other southwest. It is a beautiful tombstone. Mary’s is engraved with her age—44 years, 4 months, 8 days. Unknown; Chas T. Rawson (3/20/1871-1/20/1891); Mary Elizabeth Rawson (8/26/1848-1/3/1892); Lula M. McDonald (5/24/1914-6/2/1984); S.

Fact or Fiction? We don’t need an Outdoor Lighting Ordinance in Blanco. Truth: We already have one and have had since February 14, 2006, when the City Council adopted the current Unified Development Code, including Section 5.12, Outdoor Lighting. The code is very straightforward and requires that all outdoor lighting installed after the date of adoption must be “hooded, shielded, and/or aimed downward” and that “Light trespass beyond property boundaries or above the horizontal plane sh ...

A man bought a donkey for a $100.00. As the donkey was being delivered, the donkey died, but the man said, "I'll take the donkey anyway." The seller said, "Why in the world would you want a dead donkey?" He said, "Come see me in a couple of months!" When he did the man told him he had made $898.00 profit off the dead donkey.

2Co 2:4 say, “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. 2Co 12:15 says, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.” This week I would like to discuss the labor of love.

Proverbs 23-King James Version (KJV) " 1When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat." Verse 2 is telling us to restrain ourselves if we love to eat, and if we can't then we're in danger because the meat is "deceitful"

Juanita S. Lynch, 56, passed away July 24, 2011. She was born in Dayton, Ohio to Green Saylor and Nancy Elizabeth Saylor. Juanita was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Ann Haben. She is survived by her loving husband of 30 years, Danny Lynch; son, Brian Saylor and his fiancé Donna; brother Gene Saylor and wife Minnie; sister, Mary Alcorn and husband Tony; two grandsons, Kristian James Saylor and Kole Jacob Saylor.

Dear Editor, Wow... I go on vacation for a week and come back to find our city council has declared a second visitor center in Blanco. My main concern, doesn’t anyone remember what Johnson City went through just a few years ago when they had two visitor centers? One location was on Hwy 281 and the other was in the JC Chamber.

Dear Editor, Our totem pole is gone! It is beyond me why anyone would just drive onto private property and pick up something that does not belong to them. I know I hear that it happens everyday, but when it happens to you, you feel so violated. Overall, you don’t hear about most of these thefts in our sweet town of Blanco.

AUSTIN – A new system that standardizes and simplifies registration fees for nearly every vehicle owner in Texas begins September 1, 2011. Car and truck owners whose vehicles weigh 6,000 pounds or less will pay a base vehicle registration fee of $50.75. This is a slight reduction – about $8 - from the previous registration fee for new vehicle owners, and a small increase – around $10 - for those with older vehicles.

AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, a Republican from Houston, last week announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat long held by retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas, whose term expires at the end of 2012. Dewhurst, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2003, joins a field of Republicans who have filed as candidates who wish to succeed Hutchison, including former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, Railroad Commission Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones, former Dallas Mayor To ...

Martin Keller and Gary Jones from Baker Surveying showed the Webelos from pack 497 what is involved with surveying land. They showed the boys some of the first surveying equipment used up to the modern technology equipment of today using satellite signals. It was very interesting to learn and see how all the measuring is done and property lines are found by using computers and satellite.

Blanco and Gillespie Counties will offer training on Quality Counts for 4-H members that plan to exhibit in 2012 Major livestock shows. Passing a test online will be a requirement to enter the major shows and must be done PRIOR to completing the entry forms. The trainings will be held on August 16 at 6:30pm.

The Blanco High School Varsity Cheerleaders, along with the Varisty Mascot, attended the Universal Cheerleader Association (UCA) Cheer Camp at the University of Texas in Austin from July 5th through the 8th. The Varsity squad, which consists of Presley Savarino (captain), Callie Coulton, Paxston Koehl, Katy Petri, Kelsey Schwind, Sarah Brotzman, Annabeth Griffin, Callie Nance, Danielle Oliver, and Ashlyn Stephens, received two gold superior evaluation and four superior evaluation ribbons for th ...

On June 26, the Champion Baseball 14u Baseball Team traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to play in the Cal Ripkin Experience Baseball Tournament. After opening day ceremonies, the team participated in a turn two competition where the players are timed turning four double plays. With 13u and 14u teams from all around the United States participating, Champion Baseball won first place. On the following day pool play began and Champion Baseball won their first two games against teams from Atl ...

Ultra Quest is a six week long athletic camp that focuses on improving strength, conditioning, speed, and agility. This year’s camp ran June 6 through July 21 and was coordinated by Steve Mackey and assisted by Derek Tesch. This year over 60 students entering 6-12th grades, including those not in athletics, participated.

It seems that many of the questions I receive are regarding lawns and tomatoes. I hope to help with some of the questions. For best results, mow weekly and remove no more than one-third of the grass height. This will keep the roots covered and get rid of weeds. If you have water for your lawn, it is better to water deeply and less frequently.

On October 6, 1536, a pitiful figure was led from a dungeon in Vilvorde Castle near Brussels, Belgium. For nearly a year and a half, the man had suffered isolation in a dark, damp cell. Now outside the castle wall, the prisoner was fastened to a post. He had time to utter aloud his final prayer, “Lord!

At last, an Ada and Ronnie Cooley sighting! Everybody seems to be in fine fettle. They were gathering at the bowling alley for lunch with relatives, and then the two of them will be traveling to Arkansas to visit and for a wedding. I am sure a good time will be had by all! If you see my missing goats, send them home!

Closed convictions for City of Blanco Municipal Court, March-June, 2011. These cases were closed during this time period and the convictions were not necessarily filed during that time. Brandon Richard Beseda, speeding • Christopher Ryan Bradner, speeding • Adalid Montejano Pardo, speeding • Debora Barboza Castaneda, speeding •James Michael Allen, speeding • Chase Kyle Lewis, speeding • Jesus Bernardo Tamez, speeding • Albert Joe Roecker, speeding • Jessica Anne Chapman, speedi ...

For many people, the garage is the area in their home that collects the garbage and becomes a storage area for many items. Taking the time to organize your garage often gets put on the back burner with all the other home remodeling tasks you are doing. If your garage is too small, consider adding on to it to increase the square footage of your home.

August 1, 1969 Lt. and Mrs. David P Leese proudly announced the birth of their bouncing baby boy, David Patrick Leese Jr., who was born July 19, 1969 at St. David’s Community Hospital in Austin. David weighted 9 lbs., 4 oz. and was 21 inches long. Maternal grandparents were Mr. and Mrs.

Despite the fact that you know your home better than anyone, you may not be able to easily gauge its value. Setting a price that will lead to a quick sale for the highest possible amount is no easy task. Don't count on it Realistic pricing of any product requires two things: the ability to look at it with unbiased eyes and solid knowledge of the market for that product.