Events

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Paint the Town, this year billed to rise to the top five of plein air exhibits in Texas, is set to open March 27-29.

The event is an invitational for 40 juried, open-air artists to invade Marble Falls and create scenes of the city on site.

“We will see them painting in historic Marble Falls, along the waterfront and on private countryside properties,” said Carolyn Bates, one of the organizers. “A map will be provided of all locations so visitors can watch the artists at work.”

“Eric Rhoads, who is the major U.S. advocate for the plein air movement and also the owner of Streamline Publishing's “Plein Air” and “Fine Art Connoisseur” magazines, is the Paint the Town judge for this year,” said Bates.

Bates will be mentoring the sponsoring organization, Highland Lakes Creative Arts (which members refer to simply as the arts) and Paint the Town in their goal of being one of the top five plein air events

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Tickets are still available for the annual banquet of the Highland Lakes Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)to be held Friday, March 18, at the Marble Falls Lakeside Pavilion at 307 Buena Vista Drive.

The NWTF is dedicated to the conservation of wild turkey and protecting hunting heritage and members of the local chapter are drawn from Burnet, Llano, Lampasas, Williamson and Travis counties in those efforts.

One important part of that is the support of youth and proceeds from the chicken fried steak dinner add to the scholarship fund. The banquet is an opportunity for the presentation of the annual scholarship.

Robert Linder, an active member and a turkey caller acting as a judge this weekend in the World Turkey Calling Championships in Arkansas, notes that the banquet coincides with the opening of the spring season for Rio Grande turkey in this South Zone.

Freelance writer and author Jessica Dupuy will share her latest book, “United Tastes of Texas,” at the Lunch at the Library program Friday, March 10 at 11:30 a.m. at the Marble Falls Public Library, 101 Main Street.

The new book explores the Texas cuisine through its history and unique regions.

Dupuy has written for publications including “National Geographic Traveler,” “Texas Monthly,” and “Texas Highways.” She has also written three other cook books, “Uchi: The Cookbook,” “The Saltlick Cookbook: A Story of Land, Family, and Love,” and the “Jack Allen’s Cookbook.”

She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and her favorite writing topics include food, wine, and travel. Learn more about Jessica and her books at www.jessicadupuy.com.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10376 Auxiliary in Marble Falls is holding its annual Young American Patriotic Art Contest.

Entries are being accepted through March 31.

The contest is open to students in grades 9-12 at Marble Falls and Burnet area schools, including private and home schools. Daniel Adams, owner of Daniel Adams Fine Art Gallery in Buchanan Dam, will judge entries.

Local prizes will be given for first, second and third places.

The first place winner will advance to district competition. State and national prizes also will be awarded.

For contest rules and entry forms, contact Ruthie Flanders at 617-968-2118 or Nancy Keck at 512-525-7077 or email newhrzn1@aol.com.

Another new class of Chamber U, a continuing education program styled just for business owners will be held Tuesday, March 7, and this class aims at understanding Google analytics.

Sponsored by the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of commerce, the class is open to the whole community but non-members will pay $25.

Zach Cochran of the Austin ad agency Door Number 3 will explain seamlessly activating data to improve online marketing campaigns.

Data collection and management with Google Analytics provides a single, comprehensive view of the customer that can be customized to individual needs and shared across an organization. Reports can be segmented and filtered to reflect the needs of a business and an array of reporting and analysis tools can help understand your customers from acquisition to purchase.

The 2nd Annual Women 2 Women health conference will take place Saturday, March 4.

Sponsored by the Highland Lakes Health Partnership, the focus of the conference is health care issues and concerns facing women.

It will be going on from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Hill Country Fellowship, 200 Houston Clinton Drive, in Burnet.

“We will have presentations from seven guest speakers throughout the day,” said chairwoman Janet Anderson RN, NP. “The topics will be depression, bladder infections, balance, emplowerment, breast cancer resources, fibromyalgia and easy, healthy meals and snacks”

Burnet County programs available for womenand their families also will be featured as well as vendors from area businesses and organizations offering health education and recources.

Lunch is included in the $10 registration fee.

For more information, contact Anderson at 830-798-4908 or hlhp.w2w@gmail.com.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

Whether you love to walk your dog or run the bases, you can plan to enjoy it in the name of helping dogs on March 4 while enjoying a long list of fun events in Marble Falls.

The Highland Lakes Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is sponsoring the 5th Annual Walk-a-Dog-a-Thon, a Pet Fest with live music performances and the co-ed Dingers for Dogs softball tournament, all going on from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Johnson Park, 230 Avenue J, in Marble Falls.

Walkers and canine friends on a leash can begin any time and use the city's trails to cover just about any amount of the 5K route.

“There are numerous shortcuts for those who are not up to the full 2.5 miles,” explained organizer Shannon Heep. “The day is about family fun benefitting our local no-kill sanctuary dedicated to providing a home for dogs in need.”

The new spring program, A Taste of Nature, will continue with a program digging into archaeology Saturday, Feb. 25, at Numinous Coffee Roasters in Marble Falls.

The Upper Highland Lakes Nature Center will bring young and old a dose of “Vitamin N (nature)” with their Saturday morning latte or hot chocolate in a series of free programs.

“We began an eight-program series Feb. 11 highlighting the beauty and wonder of the Texas Hill Country,” said Paula Richards, a Highland Lakes Master Naturalist and a member of the board of directors of the non-profit UHLNC. “They take place at Numinous on alternating Saturday mornings from 10-11 a.m. Folks can swing by, grab a coffee and a scone, and hang out with Master Naturalists, who will gladly add a dash of Hill Country nature.”

“We especially want to excite young people about science and the wonders of nature,” said Susan Yewell, one coordinator of the event.

The annual Ham Slam of the Highland Lakes Amateur Radio Club (HLARC) is coming up March 3,4 and 5.

Ham Slam is a licensing course and a way to learn about the local community of operators and the services they provide. Amateur radio, or ham radio, is a popular hobby that brings people, electronics and communication together. But in times of emergency, the ability to talk across town, around the world or even into space without the Internet or cell phones can become essential.

The spring benefit at the Blue Bonnet Cafe for the Marble Falls Area Emergency Medical Service (MFAEMS) is set for Wednesday, March 1, from 4-8 p.m..

Owners of the historic dining spot at 211 US 281 in Marble Falls dedicate the proceeds to the first responder organization.

“It amounts to about $14,000 a year that supports most of our training,” said Johnny Campbell, MFAEMS executive director. “Our staff and city officials pitch in to help witih the serving, but it's folks who have pitched in to dine for the last 25 years who share our thanks.

Plates of fried fish and sides are $10 and $4 for children age 5 and younger. For take out orders, call 830-693-2444.