Blanco County News editor Charles Willgren and wife Rachelle are thrilled to announce the arrival of Khalen Gunnar Willgren, born at home on Thursday, September 27, at 11:58am. Khalen was born a big boy, weighing 9 pounds, 5 ounces and measuring 21.5 inches long. He has bright blue eyes and enormous feet. Proud Grandparents are Keith and Nancy Domke of Union, MO, Cordelia Willgren of Cedar Park, and Steve and Judy Willgren of Austin.

The rain was a welcome relief, wasn’t it! This week we will look at Section 5D. Section 5D: John N. Barker (Jan. 13, 1885-Feb. 5, 1912); Eliza L. Barker (Nov. 16, 1835-Apr. 19, 1873); Daniel W. Reeves (Mar. 6, 1878-Nov. 12, 1961); Mary E. Reeves (Sept. 15, 1881-Sept. 30, 1966); Milton J.

Baker Guns, located at 2250 N. US Highway 281, is offering concealed handgun license (CHL) training and testing on Saturday, October 6. This class will be for first time applicants and renewals. Since starting the class in 2010, nearly 200 people, both local and from surrounding communities, have received their CHL through instructions from Baker Guns. The 4 hour portion for people renewing will be conducted along with the regular class with 3 hours of instructions, in the morning, then out ...

Mark your calendars and lend us a hand. April 5th and 6th, 2013, will be the first annual Wild Woman Weekend in Blanco. Yes, that’s right. Wild women from across Texas will be coming to Blanco for a fun “gal-pal” weekend of chick activities and it’s all to raise money for our local organizations. Supporters of the Courthouse, Library, Gem of the Hills, and Blanco State Park are joining forces to put on this fundraising extravaganza and we need your help.

Friends of the Blanco State Park is sponsoring a Photo Safari and Workshop in the Blanco State Park on Saturday morning, October 20, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., led by well-known professional nature photographer Joe Walsh, a Blanco resident. Cost of the Photo Safari and Workshop will be $35 per person (check or cash, please), which is tax deductible because Friends of the Blanco State Park is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Joe Walsh is a retired Associate Professor of Photography from A ...

Uptown Blanco’s 2nd annual quilt show, “Wildflowers,” is dedicated to Lady Bird Johnson, who loved wildflowers and was also an avid collector of contemporary and historic quilts. This year marks her 100th birthday and we will be celebrating the occasion and honoring Lady Bird with this beautiful wildflower-themed exhibit and show at Uptown Blanco Arts and Entertainment in Blanco, Texas.

Robert “Bob” Queen, 67, died on Saturday morning, the 22st of September at Vista Hospice Center in San Antonio, Texas after a brief battle with brain cancer. Bob was born to Emily and James Queen in Monterey Park, California in 1945. He lived most of his life in Riverside, California where he retired from the Riverside City Fire Department after 35 years of dedicated service, receiving both the California State Firemen’s Valor Award for Heroic Acts as well as a proclamation from the Cit ...

The Dow slid for the week, closing at 13437.13 on Friday, due to European problems and the price of gasoline. Americans boosted spending in August, with most of the increase being spent on gasoline. The Commerce reported a 5 percent increase in spending among consumers in August from July. It was the biggest increase since February.

AUSTIN — A case brought by a group of 15 city officials naming the State of Texas and Attorney General Greg Abbott as defendants failed before the New Orleans-based U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 25. In Asgeirsson et al. v. Abbott, plaintiffs sought to have the court declare the Texas open meetings law “unconstitutionally vague” and “overbroad” primarily because of criminal provisions local governmental officials face if accused of knowingly circumventing the law.

The Blanco Panther Band performed in the Fredericksburg Hill Country Marching Festival on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Blanco completed in the 2-A Division against Johnson City, Comfort, Lago Vista, and Austin Ann Richards. The band received awards for Best Music, Best Marching, Best Drumline, and 1st Place in Division 2-A.

Blanco ISD officials and architect Randy Fromberg met with local community members on Wednesday to consult with them on ideas for a front gallery in the renovated historical building. “We’re wanting to have a front gallery to showcase the history of Blanco ISD,” said Superintendent Dr. Buck Ford. “We want the gallery to be beautiful, and we want it to incorporate elements of the history of Blanco ISD to link it to the present.” “We’ve asked our architect Randy Fromberg to be inv ...

Eleven Agricultural Science students from the Blanco FFA Chapter recently attended the Hill District Leadership Day Camp held at Fredericksburg High School. Blanco is one of the fourteen schools that comprise the Hill District Association. The purpose of the camp was to develop leadership and social skills while providing students the opportunity to meet other FFA members with similar interests. The camp was put on by a group of officers that were elected in the spring to represent the Hill D ...

The Blanco FFA Chapter recently elected students to serve as officers for the 2012-13 school year. Those chosen are as follows: Front row: Secretary – Ed Alvarado, Treasurer – Callie Culton, President – Sam Isenberg, Sentinel – Mackenzie Johnson. Back row: Hill District Officer – Mason LeBlanc, Vice-President – Colton Childress, Reporter – Tyler Hardin, Student Representatives – Logan Dodd and Phil Alvarado.

The Panthers started district games with a solid win over Ingram and a close loss to Comfort. On Tuesday, September 25, Blanco defeated the Ingram Warriors 3-1, with set scores 25-15, 23-25, 25-11, and 30-28. Reagan Rogers hit 14 kills. Lexee Jenkins made 27 sets and 4 service aces. Leslie McClinton made 16 digs, while Kelsey Schwind hit 3 blocks.

I have missed six weeks of summer, but a heart attack can do that. I’m doing much better now and I need to thank Ruby, Armando, and George for keeping the plants watered downtown. The five-inch rain helped; iit was an answer to our prayers. The temperature has cooled off enough to have a good effect on all blooming plants.

I think my mother pulled some strings at school to get me into Mrs. Webb’s second grade class. My older brother, Boyd, was taught by Mrs. Webb in the second grade and Mom thought she was an excellent teacher—and she probably was. Mrs. Webb was a buxom, grey-haired woman who, as I recall, never smiled.

Folks, my husband and I were given an opportunity that is probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing - we were invited to an outdoor Texas wedding in the midst of thunderstorms this past Saturday and we took that opportunity, not solely based on the fact that the bride’s father opined a couple days into said storms that Saturday about 6:00 PM, the wedding having been scheduled for 7:00, the rain would pass, and there would be sunshine and, by golly, he was right!

Are you getting ready to do a construction job? And have you tentatively booked a contractor for a given date? There are a few things to keep in mind when you have selected your contractor and established what and when you want to do your project. Let’s presume you have already defined your construction needs, have interviewed contractors, selected the contractor, established the pricing, and time line to start and complete the job.

1988-89 Kindergarten: Kimberly Romero (bottom left), Anthony Romero, Angela Uballe, Triston Weber, Travis Walker, Jacob Garcia, Jason Cox, Brandon Wolf, Kasie Romero, Stephanie Smith, Raquel Barrera, Valentin Martinez, Tashia Combs, Steven Keller, Mrs. Elzina McFarland. 2nd row: Diane Covin, Aimee Hopkins, Candice Bethke, Michelle Mobley, Elisa Pierce, Patrick Garrett, Zachery Freeman, Megan Szymonowski, Curtis Rust, Stephanie Jones, Cara Kuresta, Jennifer Zuercher, Amanda Moore, Crystal Sawey, ...

At some point during your homebuying process, the topic of title insurance is likely to come up. Like most types of insurance, title insurance is better to have and not use than need it and not have it available. But what is it, why do you need it, and how does it work? What is title insurance?