The Blanco County Sesquicentennial celebration was held on Saturday, June 7, on the Johnson City courthouse lawn, under a nice southwest breeze. The attendance was not as we had hoped, but there were several other events going on in Johnson City on the same day.

As with any event, there are several individuals that assisted in making this great milestone in Blanco County history a memorable day for those who attended. Thank you to Judge Bill Guthrie and the County for allowing us use of the courthouse square for the day. The proclamation reading by the Judge and his attire looked as though he had stepped right out of the county history book. Circuit-riding preacher, Cody Haynes, of the Cowboy Church of Johnson City offered an invocation and the good word. He demonstrated how people of early Blanco County and other small communities received God’s word in the same manner.

Thank you to Johnson City’s Mayor, Kermit Roeder, for the city proclamation and for allowing us to close the street on the north side of the square to host the event. We all felt safe and secure as we visited the square knowing the Terry Texas Rangers were protecting us, as they patrolled and guarded the citizens from any hostile invasions. A special thank you to R.C. Crow for bringing in the Terry Texas Rangers; they did a great job with their performances and letting us know how the early settlers of the hill country were protected. The L.B.J. National Historical Park provided an authentic chuck wagon on location; in the event that the Texas Rangers worked up a real hunger, a mess of chuck could have been cooked up by the camp cookie.

In the Texas Hill Country, no event goes without some good local music. A huge thank you to Penny Conn and Shannon Stevenson for putting together the best all day entertainment we could have hoped for. Entertaining the guests with Penny were Al Turner, Alan Cooper, Rudy Cathey, Roger Sparkman, Lee Keller, Dean Dudley, Homer Whisenet and Penny Ney. Shannon Stevenson performed with Tony, Cameron, Andrew, Adam and Clint Stevenson, and Boots Mauldin along with her sons Donnie and Bryan, also entertained the crowd with some good music. Thank you to Croft’s Funeral Home for the use of their tent; it provided a shaded area for all the entertainers.

We took a step back in time to 1959, as a local son asked for our support in the upcoming election. We listened to an impersonator of Lyndon B. Johnson, as state senator, campaigning from the steps of Johnson City Bank. This brought back to many, the simpler time in campaigning for your vote. Election and banking memorabilia, and of course the air conditioning, made a trip into the bank most memorable. A great appreciation to Cubby Hudler, of the Johnson City Bank and the hard work of Kyle Moreland for orchestrating this special presentation.

The good food and cold drinks, offered by the Blanco American Legion and the Good Sheperd Youth Group, kept our guests from going hungry. Along with some great homemade baked goods made by the local Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts. Hope you enjoyed seeing and reading the historical information made available by the Johnson City Women’s Civic Club, North Blanco County E.M.S., Johnson City Masonic Lodge 561 and Pedernales Electric Coop. Many had the opportunity to join the 100 Club or to purchase a courtyard paver for the new Johnson City Public Library from the Johnson City Women’s Civic Club. Thanks to all these organizations for their time and effort.

In addition, I would also like to thank several individuals for making this event possible here in Johnson City: Ray and Rosie Kunkel, Wes Galloway, Justin Marks and a very special thank you for all the work done by Rhonda Stell. We look forward to Blanco County’s Bicentennial in 2058. See you then!