Features

By Savanna Gregg

The Highlander

December brings many different thoughts to mind — cold weather, Christmas, snow (for some), hot chocolate, lounging by the fireplace on Christmas Eve anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus.

But for over 100,000 people every year, December also means National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By Savanna Gregg

The Highlander

Here in Central Texas, our roots run deep and we take pride in where we come from. Most of us share common values: we love our mama's cooking, country music, and keeping history alive. Lucky for us, a night of celebrating the preservation of history and country music will be taking place this Friday in Llano.

A downtown reception will be held in Marble Falls Friday, Dec. 24, to honor one of the Highland Lakes most revered artists, Father Jario Lopez.

When you visit the Highland Lakes, you are visiting an unofficial gallery of Father Lopez’ artistic work. On the city streets, local homes and Saint John The Evangelist Catholic Church in Marble Falls, his art is lovingly displayed.

Beginning at the turn of a new century, Father Lopez’s calling to mosaic art and to the Highland Lakes were in harmony. With reserve and reverence he explains, “Art lasts forever.”

In the year 2000, his art and his work meshed when he arrived in the rolling hills and lakes. "It's a part of my prayer life and my spirituality, for when you meditate, you see the beauty of God in the materials, colors and textures,” he smiles with having spoken his heart.

His seaming of church and community is similar to his mosaic art.

A common epitaph for the deceased is “Gone, but not forgotten.” For L.D. Ferguson, who passed away Oct. 26, most likely he’ll be remembered and talked about for a long time.

Ferguson, 94, was a veteran known for his vast community service in Burnet County.

“L.D. had a great personality, and I’ll remember his ability to play cards and dance, even in his 80s and 90s,” said Mary Meyer, a member of the Marble Falls Senior Activity Center, where Ferguson spent a lot of his time.

“It’s my opinion that everyone that knows Mr. Ferguson would tell you he is the nicest man ever,” longtime friend and neighbor Larry Jones said. “He has been extremely generous in his gifts to various organizations in Marble Falls, particularly with the Senior Center, where he not only donated money, but every year would donate the turkeys and hams for the Thanksgiving meals. What a great guy.”

By Jenn Robison

The Highlander

Good news for Burnet County couples and those who plan to get married.

Recent data shows that divorce rates decreased in Burnet County between 2009 and 2015. Overall, the numbers of divorced individuals in the United States have increased by 11.65 percent, but Burnet County experienced a decrease of both divorced males and females over the same six-year period.

The data comes from pansop.com, a community knowledge sharing website built to help people become more knowledgeable about specific topics. In regards to this study, the data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau.

From 2009 to 2015, the numbers for divorced females living in Burnet County decreased by 22.6 percent, while the number of divorced males decreased by 13.2 percent.

Highland Lakes natives and tourists with long memories remember the Burnham Brothers sporting goods store, once found on Avenue H across from the Blue Bonnet Cafe, if only for its window full of rattlesnakes. It was owned by Winston and Murry Burnham, who parlayed the hunting and game calling expertise handed down by their father, J. Morton Burnham, into a successful business of national repute.

In 1961 Roy Rogers invited them to Los Angeles to teach him to hunt and call predators. Their quick success with him led to hunts all over the world. Many thousands of hunters have relied on the game and predator calls they developed.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

A former Marble Falls mine safety engineer has warned members of a group fighting a proposed rock crushing plant of the dangers of “fugitive dusts” that will escape the facility if an air quality permit is approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, stating the plant should have been required to perform “air dispersion modeling” due to the proximity of Baylor Scott & White Marble Falls hospital.

By Lew K. Cohn

Managing Editor

The Highlander

Former NASA astronaut Capt. Dan Bursch knows how important science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is for the next generation and is glad to see events like the Hill Country Space Expo bringing exhibits and artifacts to kids.

“I think the most important thing for kids right now is getting them interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” Bursch said. “Events like these are dealing with real people, real hardware and real stories.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

At 6:30 a.m., when some are just sitting down to breakfast, the Marble Falls Library Thrift Store is buzzing with activity.

Volunteers from Friends of the Marble Falls Library are sorting donations, repairing items and stocking the store at 300 Avenue J. When the doors open at 9:30 a.m., shoppers know they will always find something new-to-them, from clothing and jewelry to furniture and home accessories. The children's area includes an amazing offering of dolls and toys and, of course because readers take a special interesting in supporting the store, there are books, videos and audio selections.

Sales are so brisk the Friends are able to direct about $10,000 a month to the Marble Falls Public Library, now celebrating a Platinum Anniversary at the 101 Main Street facility that Friends helped to build 20 years ago.

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

The very first day of events for the 20th Anniversary of the Marble Falls Library on Main Street, Monday, Oct. 2, will be Children's Day, but then, every day is children's day in a library.

In fact, when former librarians are honored on with an invitation-only luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 3, school librarians are included in the kudos and at least one among them learned to love books under their care.

“I didn't know I would grow up to be a librarian, I just loved to go to the library,” said Amanda Rose, current director of the Marble Falls Library. My best friend and I would get dropped off there and we loved spending hours reading.”