May 6, 2010

It is fish fry time again. The JCVFD will hold their 10th annual event this year on May the 8th at the Blanco County Fair Grounds. Come out and enjoy fired fish and all the fixings and to finish off your meal don’t forget to pick up a piece of homemade cake or pie from some of Blanco County’s best bakers.

On Thursday, May 13th , the LBJ High School Student Council will be sponsoring a Blood Drive in the High School Gym. Technicians from the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center will be available from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. Interested donors may sign up for a particular time spot by calling the high school office at 830/868-4025 and requesting to schedule a time for donating.

The Athletic Sports Banquet will be Monday, May 10. Dinner will be served at 6pm for athletes and their parents, with the awards starting at 7pm. It will be at the City Park Pavilion.

Johnson Settlement Events Center (two blocks west of the traffic light on U.S. Hwy 290 in Johnson City) Admission: $25 (includes lunch) Come early and pay at the door or register on line at www.johnsoncitylibrary.com . Tuesday, May 11th – 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m You’re invited to our 2nd annual Johnson City Writers’ Event!

Please come by the Johnson City Library and view the wonderful dioramas of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Boyhood Home and the first school he attended, the Junction School. Park volunteers JoAnn and Ed Childress of Lincoln, Nebraska created these detailed miniatures. JoAnn and Ed Childress have volunteered for the National Park Service for 20 seasons, 12 out of the past 14 years at the Lyndon B.

Many of you visited the Library during our recent Book Sale to benefit the Friends of the Library, we have some good news. We sold $1,117.00 in books, DVD’s, and games, our silent auction brought in $285.00, for a total of $1,402.00. That was wonderful, but not only did we make the money to pay toward the debt on the Library, we got to meet many of you, hear outstanding comments about our Library, and bring smiles to our customers! We had one gentlemen who came on th ...

Blanco County Master Gardeners took a little time off from gardens and community volunteer projects in April to learn the art of flower pounding. Before the age of photography, explained Master Gardener Pat Owens, flower pounding was used in taxonomy as an essential method of preserving plant identification. Today, flower pounding is primarily an art form, producing an amazing array of colors and patterns on material. During Johson City’s annual Wildflower Festival, the Blanco ...

Take a stroll through the park with interpretive guides May 8th and 15th 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. to learn about nature and the wildflowers admired by Ladybird Johnson. Visitors will learn about the great outdoors and all the Texas Hill Country offers in the spring. We hope that you join us in remembrance of the legacy Ladybird left by walking the trails in her memory. Above normal rainfall and warm temperatures have resulted in what promises to be the best wildflower season of the past ...

The PTO’s have been busy this week making sure that our JCISD teachers and staff feel special and pampered. Breakfast, lunch and goodies were brought in throughout the week. This is a form of bribery for having to deal with our children on a day-to-day basis. Lord knows that I couldn’t handle my own kids for that amount of time.

My Favorite Saturday Morning Activity This is the time I can get up early Saturday morning and head out to the Farmers Markets. They always have such really cool items that cannot be found in the grocery stores even at Whole Foods or Sprouts. Plus at your local market you really know whom you are buying from.

Well the porch is still going on. Many blessings are around here with great neighbors and good friends. We had a fantastic response to our Social Club Breakfast of sausage gravy over biscuits last week. The next breakfast that they are having will be on May 14th, 2010. Watch right here for details next week.

SCRAPS! SCRAPS! SCRAPS! I save lots of things, but scraps from my quilting was not one of the things I saved. Well, now I do. Even the little snips from trimming corners. No I don’t use them, but I know people who do now and I save them for the quilters who can use them. It is amazing how quickly you fill up your little bag with these little scraps.

If you go outside soon after dark and look up, you might notice the Milky Way seems to be missing. Fortunately, there’s no cause for alarm. The month of May is the one time of year when the most dense part of our galaxy, that breathtaking band of concentrated starlight stretching from horizon to horizon, isn’t visible in the early evenings. Of course, if you live in an urban area (like most of humanity) light pollution made the Milky Way disappear from your night sky long ...

I’m mad and I’m going to be mad all day because I think our government has gone too far. If the government takes away so many of the things we love, like: fat, sugar, coffee and now salt- what will we have left? How in the world will doctors and pharmaceutical companies make any money?

*****When Eunice Byars returned home after a day of lunch and shopping in Fredericksburg with Joy Feuge she heard a familiar and unwelcome noise. A rattlesnake had gotten under the stairs next to the front porch and was not happy with their arrival. Joy got out her spotlight "the better to see it"

State Law requires county appraisal districts to notify property owners about changes in their property’s value. On April 30, 2010, Blanco County Central Appraisal District mailed 4,075 property owners letters showing their 2010 proposed appraised values. Hollis Boatright, Chief Appraiser for Blanco County, reminds property owners that the letter of appraised value is not a tax bill, so please do not pay at this time. Boatright emphasized the importance of this letter a ...

Walkers from Blanco County and surrounding cities joined together on April 24 – 25, 2010 to help fight cancer, honored those who have passed on, and recognized all survivors during the Luminaries Ceremony. These walkers also took the challenge of raising funds to help those with cancer in celebrating "More Birthdays." This year’s fundraising efforts grossed approximately $30,000.

The results are in for the first round of voting...Ronnie’s BBQ in Johnson City has come in 2nd place behind County Line on the Hill, located in Austin. Third place for round one was Inman’s Kitchen in Llano. Congratulations to Ronnie’s BBQ for placing 2nd out of 77 of Central Texas’ Best BBQ Joints! But folks, it’s not over.

The Johnson City Townscape Task Force organized an area parks discussion on April 30 held at the Event Center at the Johnson Settlement, hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Twenty-six people attended, including Townscape members and representatives from the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC), Johnson City government officials, and the offices of Te ...

WHO WILL WIN THE BRAGGING RIGHTS? This Saturday night, the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." The problem is, "The Boys are Back in Town." The Youth Community Assistance Program (YCAP) has once again organized a night of zany craziness for the Blanco County youth. This time, the event is going to be done "Gender War"

Did you know landowners can preserve all or part of their ranch and farm land from development even after they pass away? Or that they can arrange for part of their land to be preserved indefinitely while allowing other parts to be used for various purposes? Conservation easements provide a way to customize these types of agreements to suit the needs and desires of each individual landowner. LCRA is sponsoring a free conservation easement workshop on Friday, May 14, from 1 p.m.

Clemens Raymond Lorenz, 85, of Johnson City, TX passed away on Thursday, April 29, 2010 in San Antonio, TX. Clemens was born July 16, 1924 in Eckert, TX to Edwin and Sophie Lorenz. He served in the U.S. Navy during W.W.II from June 3, 1943 to January 24, 1946. Clemens was a lifetime member of the VFW and the National Rifle Association.

Melvin D. Eubanks, 88, passed away Tuesday, April 27, 2010 in Bryan, TX. He was born in San Antonio, TX to Sam Houston Eubanks and Fannie Kerby Eubanks. Melvin graduated from High School in Gonzales, TX and later joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He proudly served his country during WWII in the CBI and South Pacific campaigns. Melvin was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Claude K.

The LBJ Middle School is joining thousands of communities across the country in celebrating National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-8, 2010. This special week honors the dedicated men and women who lend their passion and skills to educating children. To show their appreciation, LBJ Middle School students and the PTO have made banners to hang at the school thanking the teachers for all their hard work.

Lillian Blades (left) receiving her shot put medal at the Area Games.

The Johnson City baseball team made the state playoffs by finishing third in the district. The Eagles finished district play with a 5-3 record (18-4 overall). In the last two district games of the season, the Eagles defeated the Randolph Rohawks by and score of 11-1 and were defeated by the Comfort Bobcats 6-1.

Lillian Blades is part of LBJ High School Special Olympics Athletics Team. Last year she was trained by Aylin Snodgrass in the middle school. This year she continued her training with Laura Jenkins at the high school level. She competed in the Special Olympics meet in Fredericksburg on April 9th.

27AA Bi-District game- Lady Eagles vs. Karnes City Friday night the Lady Eagles competed in a Bi-District game against Karnes City. The Lady Eagles fought hard but fell short with a final score of 4-5. Alex Houston pitched a great game with eleven strike-outs. Leading the defense for the Lady Eagles were Lacy Butler, Kacie Cantwell, and Tamara Nacel all with spectacular catches.