December 3, 2009

Christmas is a little bit special this year for Mary Dougherty. One of her hand-painted ornaments will decorate a Christmas tree this season in the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. Mary, a member of the international Society of Decorative Painters (SDP), was one of 800 members asked to submit an entry earlier this fall for the competition.

The Christmas season gets underway tonight with the 2nd Annual Holiday Happening in the commercial district along 2147 from the Tall Texan building to the Bottle Shop building in the heart of Horseshoe Bay. A Holiday Open House will run from 5 until 7 p.m. Guests can visit with local business owners, sip complementary beverages, and maybe even squeeze in a little shopping.

During October, 21 cases were reported to the Horseshoe Bay Police Department including ten misdemeanors, three felonies, eight non-criminal matters and three traffic accidents. HSB officers issued 32 citations and 54 warnings, and made nine arrests. The police department statistics are about the same as last October except for a spike in home security watches, up to 49 from 33 a year ago.

The Llano County Sheriff’s Department and Hill Country Area Crime Stoppers are asking for the public’s help in the investigation of the 2006 disappearance and murder of Holly Simmons in Buchanan Dam. Investigators are looking for information on the person who purchased a metal 4 foot by 4 foot dog house and an aluminum boat from a garage sale in the Golden Beach area of Buchanan Dam in October of 2006.

The Horseshoe Bay Property Owners Association Nominating Committee welcomes property owners to apply for a position on the Horseshoe Bay Property Owners Association board. Please consider this opportunity to get involved in your community! The board is made up of HSB property owners who participate in the stewardship and future growth of our community.

Whether it is joy and happiness or, for some, sadness, feelings are intensified during the holidays. How lonely the feeling is when a loved one is no longer here to share happy experiences. Even though a loved one may have departed years ago, Christmas without that someone special can be very difficult.

Progress is evident on the expansion of The Church at Horseshoe Bay’s facilities. The expansion is intended to provide Horseshoe Bay area residents with an increased level of Christian service. The addition of a new administrative building allows remodeling of the current administration area into additional classrooms and meeting rooms. They will be used for Bible study, Sunday school classes and meeting facilities for local organizations as well as the very active Church commit ...

The City of Cottonwood Shores invites everyone to a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday December 5th at 11:00 am. The event will be held at the Cottonwood Shores Boat Ramp which is located at the corner of Lakeview Drive and just north of Westwood Drive.

The stars at night will be big and bright as friends and supporters of the Hill Country Children’s Advocacy Center celebrate the 3rd Annual Cowboy Up For Kids “Boots ‘N Bling” event on Dec. 5 from 6-11pm at the beautiful Lakeside Pavilion on Lake LBJ in Marble Falls. Don your best and brightest western attire — and don’t forget to add lots of bling — for this year’s version of HCCAC’s annual Cowboy Up for Kids fundraising event. Bo ...

The holiday season is upon us and once again the Family Crisis Center is reaching out to the community for assistance and support of their annual holiday program. The holidays can be especially difficult for a family still suffering from the devastating effects of domestic or sexual violence. According the Executive Director, Alma Lahmon, “Every year families living in shelters and those who have recently moved out, face an emotional holiday season.

Local gardening continues right through the winter for the Horseshoe Bay Gardening Club. The scorching summer laid waste to many crops this year. The tomatoes blistered on the vine, the beans succumbed to a fungus, the peppers fought the sun, but eventually gave up. The highlights however of the summer crops were the abundant onions and potato yields.

The wheels of justice continue to turn as two criminal cases spawned from investigations at the Pedernales Electric Cooperative work their way through the legal system. In June, a special Blanco County grand jury returned three felony indictments against former PEC general manager Bennie Fuelberg and former PEC outside attorney Walter Demond alleging theft of co-op funds, misapplication of fiduciary duty, and money laundering.

Parents, grandparents and guardians, here is your opportunity to do some holiday shopping - without the kiddos! On Saturday, December 12, the Colt Elementary PTO is hosting a Breakfast with Santa for all elementary school-aged children. PTO and high school volunteers have a fantastically fun morning planned for participants. This event is not just for Colt kids; our friends from all area elementary schools are welcome to join in the fun! From 9 a.m.

Recently during several classes, Billy Lapham of Horseshoe Bay used his experience working on Air Force and NASA space programs to encourage Grisham Middle School students to study math, science and engineering. He told the students the United States is falling behind in these subjects relative to the rest of the world and the U.S.

HORSESHOE BAY, Nov. 30, 2009 — Two leading professional businesses in the Horseshoe Bay area are combining their expertises to market high-end residential real estate developments and commercial properties, including the Trails of Horseshoe Bay, a 550-acre high-end real estate development on Hwy. 2831, in Horseshoe Bay. The joint venture of Lavaca Financial Corp., owned by Michael R.

The impact of wind power and eminent domain laws on our Texas communities will be the subject of the address that Kirby Brown, Vice President for Public Policy for the Texas Wildlife Association, will deliver to the Llano County Republican Club on December 8 at Quail Point in Horseshoe Bay. Brown has participated in numerous meetings and hearing at the local, regional, state and national levels, advocating Texas Wildlife Association’s wildlife management, water, land stewardship ...

Call it the Final Four—if Texas wins, that is. If the Longhorns defeat Nebraska for the Big 12 championship, December 5, they will play the winner of the Florida-Alabama, SEC title game, for the National Championship, at the Rose Bowl in January. If the Cornhuskers pull off an upset, they get a BCS bowl, while UT will get one as well, and won’t some bubble team be furious? The 12-0 ‘Horns will arrive in Arlington at Cowboys Stadium about as ready and confident as the ...

How far can you go back? Can you see the dashboard (remember that word?) of the car when you were a toddler? Do you remember feeling your mother’s arm across your chest when she used the brakes? I even remember lying under the back window and seeing Christmas lights above the street for the first time. Those kind of memories wrap around you like a warm blanket, but music lifts your heart.

We’ve pretty much seen it all this past year— a bear market, a long rally and even a period of neither-up-nor-down. But even though we’ve only got a few weeks left of 2009, you still have time to make some moves that can pay off for you in 2010 — and beyond.Here are a few suggestions to consider: • “Max out” on your IRA — and make regular contributions next year.

In 2010, anyone may convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. No income limits will stand in the way of the conversion.1 Should you do it? Here’s why it may (or may not) make sense for you to go Roth next year. Why you might want to consider it. A Roth IRA permits tax-free growth and tax-free income distributions in retirement (assuming you are age 59½ or older and have held your Roth account for 5 years or longer).

Congratulations, first of all, to Rhonda Boram! It was five years ago this week that she opened A TASTE OF THYME. On Friday she will be celebrating the anniversary with the many friends she has made through her restaurant and her involvement in the Horseshoe Bay community. As she describes her experience as the chef-owner of her popular tea room and catering business, “challenging” is the word that she relies on most.

Wednesday, December 2 The Hill Country Luncheon Club-Kingsland Community Center,11:30 a.m. The program is “Christmas Fashions on a Budget” by Linda Lett. Sweet Things will cater lunch. Everyone is welcome. For a $12 reservation call Virginia Walker at 325-379-2015 or Linda Lett at 598-5594 by November 25th. Thursday, December 3 The Horseshoe Bay Business Alliance invites everyone to come to our 2nd annual Christmas O ...

Ralph Lewis Young, 94, of Horseshoe Bay, passed away November 29, 2009. He was born to Lewis and Mable (McGuinn) Young on September 10, 1915 in Salt Fork, Oklahoma. Mr. Young began his working life at the age of 10 as a butcher apprentice. Meat cutting was a valuable skill that he used throughout his life, helping relatives and friends selecting and cutting meat.