Events

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is updating Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for this area and that can mean a lot to to bottom line of your insurance bill.

To help residents better understand where the changes are occurring on the new flood maps and their impact, Burnet County and the City of Marble Falls have partnered with FEMA to hold an Insurance Workshop from 2-7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at Marble Falls Lakeside Pavilion, 307 Buena Vista Drive. It will focus on Region 6 (Burnet and Williamson counties).

A pirate ship will drop anchor in Granite Shoals on Wednesday, April 18, and the entire Highland Lakes community is invited aboard.

Captain Rex, his crew and a full-mast pirate ship will make land at Abundant Heart Church, 7222 Ranch to Market Road 1431 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, for an outdoor family event. He will not be demanding the family gold. Admission is free and so are the prizes.

Captain Rex, a world wide ministry to fight child slavery through economic development, “denounced his ways of piracy to give and not take as a Christian Sailor.”

Brandon Sanders of Copperas Cove and his wife Ladonna brought the characters Captain Rex and Captain Parrot to life in “Captain Rex's Treasure Adventure.” It started out as a live action Saturday morning TV show for kids and currently is being developed into an animated show. They invite children to “keep he wind in their sails and Jesus in their hearts.”

This Friday, April 13, Llano will join Mason, Fredericksburg and Enchanted Rock State Park in a regional partnership to “Turn On The Night.”

All four of the communities are in some of the last remaining dark night sky areas in Texas, yet closest to the major metropolitan areas of the state. They want to see if a concentrated effort to darken the landscape will be measurable.

Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) employees are rolling up their sleeves to work side by side with 30 communities to make life better for their citizens in the 4th Annual Steps Forward Day on Friday, April 6.

In Marble Falls, Steps Forward serves as the kick-off day for the city wide 2-18 Keep Marble Falls Beautiful Spring Clean Up event.

LCRA employees will help with clean up of the Marble Falls Historic Cemetery at 400 Avenue S, the back nine of the Westside Park Disc Golf Course and the nearby neighborhoods between Avenue N and Industrial Boulevard. Specifically, that means picking up litter from Avenue N, from Ranch to Market Road 1431 to Second Street, Second Street from Avenue N to Industrial, Industrial from Second Street to RM 1431, and RM 1431 from Industrial to Avenue N.

The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) is inviting the public to attend an open house for the 2019-2022 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and the Regional Arterials Study, from 4-7 p.m. this evening, Monday, April 2, in Marble Falls.

Citizens concerned with the outcome of planning for streets, roads and highways have these opportunities to get in on the ground floor to participate in recommendations for the Texas Department of Transportation.

CAMPO is working with local governments and regional agencies to develop a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the area. The 2019-2022 TIP is the four-year program that lists all federal funded transportation projects in the six-county CAMPO region, in addition to state funded and regionally significant projects.

“Children's Day comes straight out of the heart of Texas,” said Ely Banuet Rodriguez, founder and president of the full day of free entertainment, fun and food for children from pre-kindergartenage-middle school held each spring in Marble Falls.

The 18th annual Children's Day on April 21, again will fill Johnson Park, the city's Lone Star Legacy Park at 230 Ave J, with the joyful sound of children having safe and free family fun from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

That doesn't happen without support and sponsors to assist more than 400 volunteers with the event are welcome. Likewise, community organizations, schools, churches, businesses and individuals are welcomed into the fold to provide the fun-filled day.

By Robert & Sheryl Yantis

Highland Lakes Master Gardeners

Earth-Kind specialists

This Saturday, March 24, is the Hill Country Lawn and Garden Show is not all about plants and garden vendors. It is a time for learning, too and butterflies are on the agenda.

Butterflies are beautiful and mysterious creatures that appear in our gardens in spring and disappear during our cold winter weather. They come in a variety of sizes, colors and shapes that help us identify them.

The Llano Uplift Archeological Society (LUAS) will host their annual Archeology Fair on Saturday. March 24, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the LCRA Nightengale Archaeological Center in Kingsland. The event is free.
Visitors will be able to see how the original Hill Country inhabitants lived. LUAS members will conduct guided tours along our interpretive trail. The onsite museum will be open for visitors to see artifacts which are thousands of years old.
They'll be able to practice their skills using ancient hunting devices such as the 'atlatl' and rabbit sticks. They may even bring their own artifacts for experts to identify.
This year LUAS will have several other regional and state archeology groups joining them. The Texas Archeological Society, Travis County Archeological Society, Hill County Archeology Association (Kerrville), and LCRA Archeology Division will set up exhibit tables.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Crowds estimated at more than 6,000 people flowed to the banks of the Llano River over the weekend for the fourth year of the World Rock Stacking Championship, the Llano Earth Art Fest—LEAF.

Last weekend, March 9-11, LEAF 2018 delivered arts, crafs and food booths as well as the competition and displays of rock balancing throughout the river bed and the river itself.

On Saturday, Belly dancing and the wild and wacky Fashion Circus took the music stage that saw 28 other performances over the three-day event. Downtown in Llano, attendees could re-visit their Volkswagen favorites at "Free Flow on the Llano," a juried vintage VW show.

The 32 seminars, designed to appeal to every age and interest, continued into the week, as late-comers made their way to the river to see the creations that remained on display.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Get ready. Get set. Go to Marble Falls Spring Break 2018.

The Marble Falls Parks and Recreation Department again will provide the free weekday fun while Marble Falls Independent School District students are on vacation.

It takes place every day from Monday, March 12, through Friday, March 16. all with the help of local sponsors.

Last year, H-E-B became the corporate sponsor through its Community Investment Program. Free lunches are provided for kids every day from restaurants including Chick-fil-A, Subway, Pizza Hut and, of course, H-E-B.

Monique Breaux, this year's coordinator, amassed some statistics from last year's foodies: 300 hot dogs and 200 hamburgers, 520 bags of fruit snacks, 584 bags of chips, 310 bottles of sports drinks and 300 bottles of water.

The event has only grown in popularity over the years.