The hunting heritage BOSQUE RIVER RUN
Passing On The Privilege Of The Pursuit
Colors
How Bosque County came to have its own flag
THE RIGH IGHT T STUFF Herman Walker: Putting His Brand On Art
FALL / WINTER 2018
FALL/WINTER 2018
BOSQUE RIVERRUN Country Culture, Heritage & Life Deep in the Heart of Texas
BARBER MOUNTAIN RIVER RANCH 1,423 +/- AC | Palo Pinto County, TX $10,650,000 (PICTURED)
ESTANCIA ON THE BRAZOS 400 +/- AC | Washington County, TX $12,000,000
MARCH RANCH 6,797 +/- AC | Coke County, TX $7,107,450
RIO RANCHITO 127 +/- AC | Kerr County, TX $3,885,000
BOSQUE RIVERRUN Volume 2, No. 3
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Cowboy Ballads & Folk Songs by BRETT VOSS
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HUNTING HERITAGE 20 THE Passing on the privilege
IN THE TUNES 36 TEXAS Michael Martin Murphey:
of the pursuit
The Masterly Music Man
by BRETT VOSS
by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
ON THE BOSQUE 41 BOOKS Writers offer readings,
FLYING COUNTY COLORS How Bosque County came to have its own flag
workshops at BAC
by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
by RUTH CRAWFORD
DOWN 24 DOUBLING Original cast returns for sequel at the Tin Building Theatre by BRETT VOSS & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
RIGHT STUFF 12 THE Herman Walker: Putting his
WEAVERS 30 DREAM Songwriters weave stories at BAC’s Texas Troubadour
brand on western painting
by LINDA PFEIFFER
by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
& SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
& ABOUT 47 OUT Area Event Happenings by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
EDITOR’S NOTE
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
A little over a century and a half ago this fall, a boy born in Mississippi became a Texan at heart. Still just a toddler, his family traveled by ox cart from Mississippi to Texas settling in Central Texas, just north of Meridian in rural Bosque County. His father raised horses and cattle and grew cotton and corn on the 183 acres of bottomland that he had purchased near the Bosque River. His early years on the family farm accustomed him to the hard work that, along with a boundless energy, became a hallmark of his life and career. Exposed to cowboy songs as a child, he befriended a former slave hired as a farmhand by his father at the age of nine. The friendship, he wrote later, “perhaps gave my life its bent.” Even though his own schooling became sporadic because of the heavy farm work he was forced to do to help the family survive, he taught the former slave to read and write. In return, the former slave taught the boy songs like “Big Yam Potatoes on a Sandy Land” and dance steps such as “Juba.” When the former slave turned 21 years old, he took his savings and left. The boy never saw him again and heard rumors that he had been murdered. But for years afterward, he always looked for his boyhood friend when he traveled around the South. As he grew into a young man of 21 years of age, his father permitted him to take the profits from the crops of one of their fields, and along with the money from selling his favorite pony, he decided to further his education. In the fall of 1887, he attended Gran-
bury College in Granbury, and in May 1888, he graduated and eventually became a teacher. He began his first job as a teacher at a country school in Clifton. After teaching in rural schools for a few years, Lomax entered the University of Texas in 1895, specializing in English literature. Upon arriving at the university with a roll of cowboy songs he had written down in childhood, he showed them to an English professor. To his dismay, the professor discounted his treasures as “cheap and unworthy,” prompting him to take the bundle behind the men’s dormitory and burn it. His interest in folk songs rebuffed, he focused his attentions on more acceptable academic pursuits. After graduation, he worked in various jobs at the University of Texas before accepting an offer to teach English at Texas A&M University in 1903, where he settled down with his new wife to what promised to be a quiet life in the country. And now, for the rest of the story. ☞ In 1906, he received a scholarship to Harvard University, where Barrett Wendell & George Lyman Kittredge encouraged him to take up seriously the collection of Western ballads he had begun as a youth. ☞ In the back room of the White Elephant Saloon in Fort Worth, he found cowhands who knew many stanzas of “The Old Chisholm Trail.” ☞ He collected “Git Along, Little Dogies,” as sung to him by a Gypsy woman living in an old truck near Fort Worth. ☞ In 1909, he learned “Home on the Range” in San Antonio from the singing of a black saloon-keeper who had been a chuckwagon cook on the Chisholm Trail. ☞ In 1910, he published his book “Cowboy Songs & Other Frontier Ballads.” ☞ In the 1930s, he traveled throughout the country making field recordings of Folk music for the Library of Congress. ☞ In 2010, he was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame. This Mississippi boy, a true Texas at heart, became known for being the legendary collector of cowboy ballads and other folk songs. And until the day he died in 1948, John Avery Lomax, Sr. called Bosque County his home.
BRETT VOSS Editor-In-Chief
BOSQUE RIVER RUN
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The hunting heritage Passing On The Privilege Of The Pursuit
Colors
How Bosque County came to have its own flag
THE RIGHT STUFF Herman Walker: Putting His Brand On Art
FALL/WINTER 2018
BOSQUE RIVERRUN Country Culture, Heritage & Life Deep in the Heart of Texas
Editor-In-Chief Brett Voss General Manager Joyce Riney Associate Editor Simone Wichers-Voss Advertising Designers Alyson Stanley Laura Yeakey Contributing Writers Ashley Abel Ruth Crawford Bryan Davis Debra Evans Andrea Hikel Paige Key Deb Phinney Brett Voss Simone Wichers-Voss Contributing Photographers Vickie T. Mitchell Simone Wichers-Voss BOSQUE RIVER RUN is published quarterly by Bosque County Publishing, LP., 310 West Fifth Street, Clifton Texas 76634-1611. (254) 675-3336 NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC: All editorial and advertising materials are copyrighted by Bosque County Publishing, LP. The entire content of each issue of the Bosque River Run is protected under the Federal Copyright Act. Reproduction of any portion of any edition will not be permitted without written permission from Bosque County Publishing. Bosque River Run, as well as any reasonable derivative of this name, are trademarks of Bosque County Publishing, LP and use of these trademarks without the express written consent of Bosque County Publishing, LP is strictly prohibited.
ON THE COVER: High-Tailing It by Vickie T. Mitchell
FALL/WINTER 2018
FLYING COUNTY C article by
RUTH CRAWFORD
The Bosque County flag flies in front of the Bosque County Courthouse in Meridian (far right); Former Bosque County Judge Earl W. “Pete” Page with the original Bosque County Flag in April 2003 (right); Seahawk helicopter pilot Captain Thomas Patton, USN, from Valley Mills with the Bosque County flag that flew on a combat mission in Iraq in 2010 (below).
How Bosque County came to have its own flag
COLORS
phot
ogr
ap hs
by S I M
ON E WI CHE RS - V OS S &
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THE B OS Q UE COL L E CTI ON
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HISTORY
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HISTORY
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FLYING COUNTY COLORS
Flying the country’s colors is a proud moment for an American. Flying the Lone Star flag fills Texans with extra patriotic pride. And being a Bosque County citizen, there is one more flag that awakens feelings of “home” and civic pride – the Bosque County red, white and blue. Webster dictionary gives the definition of a flag as “a piece of cloth of distinctive design used as a symbol, signal or decoration.” “Piece of cloth” seems a bit minimizing and understated, because a flag can evoke so many different emotions in as many different people. What a flag means to you or your neighbor can mean such varying emotions as the stars in the sky. A flag can illicit strong patriotism or total distain, as we have all witnessed lately. When I see the American flag, I don’t think of our government or our economic wealth; I think of all those average citizens who have gone through difficulties to bring us to the place we are today. When I see that glorious Lone Star flying in the breeze I am reminded of the fierce independence of
those that have fought and settled this great state. Any courthouse in Texas is graced by these two symbols. However, some counties have gone a step further and added a symbol of their own people. If you visit the County Flags of Texas website, you can see all 55 symbols of counties in Texas. Many are very creative in representing their history. Some are evocative, such as Goliad County. Municipalities are also represented by flags. In my humble opinion, most of these flags pale in comparison to Bosque County’s flag. For me personally, it conjures up visions of the Rangers who fought Indians and surveyed the rugged terrain and beautiful valleys; of pioneer settlers who found fertile plains and clear water along the Brazos and Bosque watershed; of people of different cultures and customs, uniting for the benefit of a better future for themselves and future generations. This flag is a perfect symbol for our county, and it was the brain child of a Bosque County judge. In 1983, Bosque County was blessed
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with a patriotic county judge with roots in Bosque County and a true love for its citizens, land and country. World War II veteran Earl W. “Pete” Page was born near Kopperl on April 3, 1920 to Earl and Mary Ruth Leslie Page. They moved to Walnut Springs where he graduated from high school. After school, he moved to Dallas and worked for Timco Aircraft. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1944 and served on the USS Lunga Point in the Pacific. He saw action in Luzon, Leyte and Iwo Jima. After the war, he moved back to Dallas and worked mostly on ranches in the area. On May 16, 1947, he married Maxie Ruth Dawson. Maxie said she first met Pete on a blind date. She remembers he was tall and lanky with a dusty cowboy hat, jeans and boots. She told that’s how he got the name Pete – his friends called him “Cowboy Pete”, which was shortened to Pete. Pete went to Mortuary School and became a certified mortician. Maxie’s family owned a flower shop, and Pete worked at
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the funeral home nearby. Maxie was perfectly happy to stay urbanized, but Pete began to yearn for Bosque County and ranching. Through some horse-trading, Pete acquired several acres on Steele Creek in 1958. Maxie wasn’t thrilled when she found she would be living in a hunting cabin with no running water or indoor plumbing after finally agreeing to move with their two small children. She endured until one day she gave an ultimatum, and Pete started building their home. Pete took great pains to make the home everything that his bride wanted. Neighbors encouraged him to run for county commissioner – he won and served 20 years. He retired to finally devote all his time to ranching. However in 1982, people began to strongly convince him to run for county judge. He was reluctant, but finally agreed and was elected to serve his county well for two years. He also served his community in many other ways, such as in his church and volunteer services. Former County Judge Cole Word said of this man: “He was a solid, faithful, good man, honest through and through.” Judge Page left a beautiful legacy for the county he loved and served. At the time of the state’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, he wanted to do something special to in honor of this event. He designed the county flag
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HISTORY
The certi cate presented with the flags flown during the combat mission in 2010.
and worked to have it made to fly over the courthouse. He donated one the original flags to the Bosque County Collection, where it still has a place of pride. This was a generous gift to the Collection and the
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public from Judge Page. The Collection and the Bosque County Historical Commission, under the direction of Elizabeth Torrence, had flags made and sold to the public.
HISTORY
In 2006, Judge Word became curious about the flag and was educated by Miss Torrence. Word was so impressed by the flag’s history, he asked the commissioners to officially adopt it as the flag of Bosque County. Our county flag has an honorable distinction that not many others can claim. In 2008, a visitor to the Collection bought a county flag, presumably to fly over his ranch headquarters. After visiting with the gentleman, he explained that this flag was going with him on his deployment in Iraq, to be flown over the base with great pride. He stated that many of the men fly state flags, but he proudly wanted to fly his county flag. I quickly gave him another and asked him to fly it also and return it to the Collection, which he agreed to do happily. Many months later, the veteran returned safely with the flag, along with an American flag and a certificate that the flag had not only flown over the base, but had flown in combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan. The veteran was Captain Thomas Patton, USN, from Valley Mills. He was a pilot of a Seahawk helicopter, which flew reconnaissance missions along the border of Iraq and Afghanistan. He flew with a crew of Iraqi pilot trainees. His family are early settlers of the area east of Valley Mills. Captain Patton is a prominent surgeon in private life, as well as a helicopter pilot. He served as Squadron Flight Surgeon – Combined Joint Special Operations Aviation Component, Air Base Balad, Iraq. Captain Patton trained after medical school at Goodall-Witcher Hospital under Dr. Goodall. These items may be viewed at the Collection. So now when you see that county flag flying, hopefully you will see it as the honorable, patriotic symbol it is meant to be for our county and not just a piece of cloth with decorations.
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THE
HERMAN W
Herman Walker with his wife Deanne at the 2018 Bosque Art Classic (inset); “Off The Top” 12x16 Oil.
article & photographs by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
RIGH IGHTT STUFF
N WALKER:
Putting his brand on Western painting
“There is no limit to the way God speaks to us. In His Word, in the heavens, in circumstances, in friends, in smiles, in memories, in a touch, a whisper... Whisper His Name.�
Herman Walker
Western artist Herman Walker at the 2018 Bosque Art Classic (far right); “Spring Lingers” 12x16 Oil (right); “No Way To Start The Day” 16x12 Oil.
THERMAN HE RIGH IGHTT STUFF WALKER: Putting his brand on Western painting
“A force and strength within the people, the animals and the land itself is so vibrant. I try to paint this and hope that those who know will be able to say, ‘That’s the way it is’.”
Herman Walker
Big skies, big country, livestock and the humble, rough-andready cowboys. That, in essence, is what Western artist Herman Walker brings to the table – painting that lifestyle in a realistic, traditional style that is his very recognizable “brand” of Western art. When viewing his paintings, you can nearly smell the wild sage and rosemary as the horses and their riders on the range kick up the dust. You can smell the leather as the cowboys saddle-up, feel the heat of the sun as it warms up the day, or experience the chill of the early evening as they settle in for the night around a fire with coffee, beans, rice and beef jerky. Amid spectacular landscapes, the horses and their riders herd the cattle on Texas’ large ranches. They are – in Walker’s mind – the right stuff, the real deal; the way it’s supposed to be with character, with determination, with gumption, existing as one with God’s creation. The increasing emergence of ATV’s and helicopters on the range just does not fit his classic brand of painting, of life. His world is about the saddled-up horse behind the yearlings on the trailer; of the cowboy living it up on a Saturday night, only
to be up at the crack of dawn to hit the trails again. It might make them miss the Sunday service, but the cowboys experience church and God’s presence in nature, every single day on the range. Like the painting “Starting Place.” A lone vaquero sits on his mount. Everyone is scattered to their place along the line for gathering, and the sun is not waiting – another day is under way on the range. Or in “Spring Lingers,” in which a cowboy and his steed rest amidst late spring yellow blossoms, thanks to a plentiful rain – you can nearly hear the bees buzzing. Walker is not concerned about hiding a cowboy’s face behind his hat or painting the back side of a horse. He paints them as they are at work, concentrated on the task at hand, whether it cinching a saddle, tightening the latigo or roping the remuda horses. It’s life on the range, and there is no time to look at the camera, as it were – that’s just the way it is. And Walker shows the story in the details, how the agitated horse’s ears are laid back, of the weariness just before quitting time, the specific color in a distant thunder cloud. But the true image is not always what the people expect it to be
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ART
Catch The Roan 18x36 Oil by Western artist Herman Walker.
– like that chubby cowboy. “Hollywood and ranch reality are two entirely different things,” Walker said before going into a story of a boisterous young man that imagined he and his trusty equine crossing a stock pond, which Walker, by the way, calls a “tank.” Instead of taking the film-indoctrinated youth safely across to the point of keeping his shirt dry, the horse sank – much to his dismay and the merriment of the more experienced guys watching the reality check. Integrity is the word Walker would use to describe himself. You have to be true to yourself and your morals “because how do you otherwise know what’s right and what’s wrong?” “I portray the authenticity of the working cowboy,” Walker said. “And I want it to be correct and recognizable. People want to see the tack in the right place.” His paintings usually have a wide horizon. But every so often, Walker creates a detail – of a saddle on the rail, chaps hanging off them, ready for another day; or of Blanca, a portrait of a white calf, caught with the sunlight behind her, highlighting every eyelash and fluff on her ears; or spurs getting dangerously close to a cowboys derriere as he wrestles a calf down for branding. “The essence of my work centered around the ranch life of Texas,” said Walker, who grew up in Sonora. “Having grown up on a large ranch, my art reflects the values and traditions of the cowboy. They live, work and play, putting their brand on the land we call Texas.” Walker spent his formative years in the ranching country of West Texas, feeling the closeness of the land, the forces of nature, the camaraderie of a cowboy crew. Many of his paintings are of the crew – the guys in their element – during different parts of their ranching day, like saddling up after a rest in the live oak’s shade, the veteran hand leaning forward on his saddle
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horn, waiting for the herd to settle, trailing along with the herd, leading the horses to a water tank for a water break, and the young gun wrestling with his bucking horse in the early morning – what a way to start the day. At the tender age of 10, Walker has vivid memories of living on the ranch, being around the cowboys. One of the memories is the crew coming home at the end of the afternoon, coming through the rye, leaning forward on their saddles, wearied by the long day under the sun. For Walker, that was a Remington painting in real life. And then, the colorful Hispanic vaqueros – men with special character, foot loose and fancy free – that lived by the motto “work hard, play hard.” Lots of stories to tell there, of his adventures with the “tough as a boot” cowboys with a heritage dating back to the Mexican indigenous Indian people intermingling with Buffalo Soldiers. As a young teenager, just 14, his dad would make him round up the vaqueros who hadn’t made it home yet, like the straggling cows they themselves would have to round up at the end of a day. Walker remembers having to talk down an inebriated, knife-wielding gentleman off a bar table, before convincing him to get in the truck back to the ranch. In general, the Mexican vaqueros on the ranches had specific ways of handling cattle, bringing with them words like chaps from chaparreras, Spanish for leather leggings; rodeo from rodear, Spanish for to surround; or remuda from remudar, Spanish for exchange. Even branding migrated north from Mexico. Walker received his degree in Animal Science from Texas Tech University. While at Tech, he was bit by “the sculpting bug,” specifically metal sculpting with sand and lost wax techniques. In high school, he had been bitten by the love bug – his life’s love, his wife Deanne. After graduation, he worked for a
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ART
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ART manufacturing firm and in his spare time concentrated on learning casting techniques. In 1973, Herman and his family moved to Kerrville and opened a gallery and foundry. One of the most rewarding compliments Walker received was from a young Native American who was moved to tears by Walker’s sculpture on exhibit of a Native American Indian, with a buffalo, eagle talons around his neck and the United States flag. According to the young man, the sculpture expressed the feelings he had about being torn between the old and the new; something no one else had been able to express. Walker had captured it in his work. It was in Kerrville that Walker’s art career began to blossom, and he began painting, because he wanted some color in his work. And let’s face it, apart from some patina, sculpting is colorless. And on the practical side, paintings were easier to transport across the country to different art shows and museum exhibits. In 1978, the family moved back to the ranch country near Eldorado to be close to Herman’s subject matter. After a decade in the art field, Herman’s work was well known and in many collections throughout the country. Just when it seemed that his career was about to reach a new plateau, the art market took a serious downturn with the economy of the mid to late 1980s. With two children in college and the art market growing increasingly fickle, Walker started doing construction work to offset some of his expenses. The demand for his skills increased and soon he was doing mot only remodels, but new construction as well. He even remodeled the ranch he grew up on. The third generation ranchers wanted to bring the old ranch into the present, while preserving the essence of its origins. He continued with this business for the next 20 years. In 2008, the couple moved back to Kerrville to be near the grandkids. That was when Walker picked up the paint brushes once again and rekindled his never forgotten love of painting. “I’ve been at this a long time,” Walker said, about honing his skills, learning the tricks of the trade. He’s paid his dues
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Western artist Herman Walker at work at his easel.
traveling across the nation showing his work, meeting show deadlines, pulling all-nighters. He now can work at a less frantic pace, enjoying some hunting and fishing, going to museums, galleries and art shows. There is finally time to follow the grand kids games and activities, be active in their church. And when he wants a change of creative activity, he turns to woodworking nowadays. For Walker, a painting is often a conglomeration of moments, images – a face here, a tree there, a certain horse, a different rider. Walker loves the rough, arid, prickly-pear country of West Texas, as much as he enjoys the hill country hills and live oak – his work switches between the two landscapes. Over the years, the faces may have changed and many of the old large ranches are no longer in existence, but the people, the animals, the land remain. “I paint here because of the people, this land and my feeling for it,” Walker said.”Ranch life is lived on the cutting edge. In this region, nature doesn’t always deal kindly with man. The men and women who live on this land must be strong in character and able to face adversity. There is joy, beauty and satisfaction of the good times as well as the agony, loneliness and desolation of the bad times. A force and strength within the people, the animals and the land itself is so vibrant. I try to paint this and hope that those who know will be able to say, ‘That’s the way it is’.”
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For the past 10 years, Walker has dedicated his time to telling their story through his paintings, documenting that lifestyle, which is fading and disappearing. “I try to capture the relationship between man, animals and nature,” Walker said. “The symbiosis, but also the conflict. It is so alive; the source of life. You win, you lose or you die. The adrenaline is always pumping. And the day never goes the way you want.” And as long as cattle are raised in big Texas ranches, so will the life and legacy of the cowboy and the Hispanic vaquero endure. And as long as he can, Herman Walker will be painting them and their lifestyle, striving for that perfect day as much as he can – a day where he accomplishes his initial vision in a painting he’s working on at the easel. “The memories run deep,” Walker said. “The beauty still remains and entices us to ride over that next hill and see what we came here for.” As winner of the 2017 Bosque Arts Classic prestigious John Steven Jones Purchase Award with his painting “Quitting time,” Walker received an invitation to hold a one-man show at the Bosque Arts Center during the first week of December 2018. The show and sale – in which Walker will have 16 pieces on show – opens on the evening of Nov. 30 after the Christmas Lighted Parade in downtown Clifton and will be at the BAC until Dec. 8.
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The hunting
Nothing was moving, not a thing, except the rustling of fluttering leaves across the cold, hard ground, driven by the gusting and biting wind. The sun had just set along a cloudy, yet crimson horizon, and darkness slowly began to descend upon us as the hope of the hunt began to dissolve. But then, in the blink of an eye, it was there – a whitetail deer. His youthful heart quickened as he felt the call of the wild pulse through his veins for the first time, taking his breath away for a moment. His adolescent hands shook ever so slightly, more from the excitement of the moment than from the cold wind cutting through his camouflaged jacket. White puffs of air came out of his mouth in short bursts as he took aim, lining up the crosshairs of his scope on the prey he had hunted for with such diligence, waited for with such patience. Ah, there is nothing quite like handing down the heritage of the hunt to our youth. No one questions the great abundant resources of natural wildlife and beauty in Texas. But even in the Lone Star state where hunting and fishing ranks as one of our greatest heritages, many still ask the question that leaves most of us looking at our inquisitor with great befuddlement. Even in Texas, many still question why we hunt. And interestingly, often the things we know best in the deepest reaches of our souls can be the hardest things to explain in words.
Consequently, although we are sometimes insolated from the threat in rural Bosque County, the privilege of passing on the tradition to our sons remains in jeopardy, because hunting and the right to bear arms remains under siege and the subject of debate the world over. Why? Because we, as hunting advocates, are unable or unwilling to effectively explain the complicated, deeply-rooted concept to the “modernized and civilized” malcontents. Many hunters would rather be left alone to hunt than to bother trying to explain to a sneering society that no longer implicitly understands. But while we turn our backs on them, they won’t turn their backs on us. They will not rest until they have our guns and take away the legacy we love. The hunters have become the hunted, and they intend to pursue us until we become extinct. There was a time when hunting simply was a way of life for human beings around the globe. Dealing with life and death first hand was a
heritage Passing On The Privilege Of The Pursuit article by
B RET T VOSS
photographs by VICK IE T . MIT CHEL L
22 matter of life and death. But even from its most primitive roots, man has always been conflicted to some extent by his love of wild creatures and their boundless beauty, while coming to terms with the reality of biological law and the desire to survive. For generation after generation, the circle of life remained the same. Man hunted and gathered his nutritional needs while absorbing the secrets of the natural world. Men who hunted became the world’s first ecologists, philosophers and spiritual intellectuals, witnessing and understanding the universal laws first hand. They experienced the indivisibility of life in amazement as they watched flowers grow in abundance where they field dressed the game they killed. The beauty of nature’s symmetry. No break in this cycle could appear without a cascading effect. Consequently, man has maintained and managed the circle of life throughout the history of the world. But somewhere along the way, modern man created the middle man. And civilized society now takes the food it eats for granted. Ironically, most of those who so ardently turn their noses up at hunters thoughtlessly walk into the local grocery store and stack their carts with beef, pork, chicken and seafood without considering the fact that they have essentially hired the butcher, the farmer and the fisherman to be their “hunters.” But to use that fact as ammunition against those who want to take our heritage away would be missing the point. Just like the way pointing out the fact that very few of our challengers are aware of the direct impact hunters and numerous wildlife conservation organizations interested in preserving America’s hunting heritage have had on saving and protecting countless species in this country and abroad would be pointless. At the end of the day, they’re just facts, and this is a very emotional issue. It’s time we all focus on the heart of the matter. The most meaningful aspect of this great debate remains the hardest part to explain, especially to someone who does not have the heritage of the hunter flowing through his or her veins. “The pursuit of deer has become much more than its original purpose, which was nothing more than a struggle for food, clothing and survival,” renown Texas wildlife photographer Mike Briggs said in his book, The Whitetail Chronicles. “In many cases, the fulfillment of these needs
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OUTDOORS
“ T h e reas o n is s im p le f o r th o s e w h o h av e ex p erien ced it, and difficult for those who h av e n o t, f o r em bed d ed within this pursuit lies a to tally d if f eren t lev el o f consciousness, separate an d ap art f ro m ev eryth in g els e w e k n o w . ” MIKE BRIGGS
author of “The Whitetail Chronicles”
has now become secondary to the pursuit itself. “The reason is simple for those who have experienced it, and difficult for those who have not, for embedded within this pursuit lies a totally different level of consciousness, separate and apart from everything else we know. “And this consciousness holds wonderful secrets and surprises just waiting to be discovered.” Those of us who hunt experience the reality of the eternal circle of life and death. As we mature as hunters, as well as human beings, we develop the understanding and reverence for the mystery that lies beneath the surface of the hunting experience and life itself. Through this understanding and enlightenment, we realize how important it is that this heritage is never lost. The passion we possess for the experience must be passed on to our children. Certainly, my late father, L.E. “Sonny” Voss, Jr., succeeded in passing on the passion for the tradition and heritage to me. My fondest childhood memories revolve around the experiences my father and I shared fishing and hunting.
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Beginning with fishing off the jetties along Padre Island, to being my father’s “bird dog” hunting for whitewing dove in the Rio Grande Valley, to trolling at the mouth of West Africa’s Cuanza River for trophy saltwater fish, to hunting in Mexico for “muy grande,” my father and I both understood all that went into making the experience special and meaningful. In turn, I saw it as my responsibility to preserve our family heritage by passing it on to my three sons, Jacob (24), Zachary (22) and Derek (20). While they began fishing at a very young age, it became a right of passage for each of them as they prepared to hunt for their first whitetail deer. At some point along the way, it became apparent to me that not only had they learned lessons about whitetail deer hunting, the experience delivered lessons on life as well. Even if they didn’t realize it at the moment, they learned about the value of such things as self-discipline and endurance, determination and dedication, perseverance and patience. While each of us strive to instill the hunting heritage in our children, we must preserve the privilege properly. The future of hunting lies in the sound understanding and the continued presence of the four Rs of hunter education – rights, respect, responsibility and reverence. We must instill those four Rs in all who hunt as well as all those who have long since lost touch with the hunter that dwells within them. Our fathers who treasured our way of life did not fail us. Now, we must not fail to pass on the hunting traditions and opportunities to those who come after us. And we must not back away from explaining to those who don’t know why we do. From the day each of them were born, Jake, Zach and Derek have always shown a thrill and respect for the outdoors experience. And as young boys, they each developed a passion beyond their years for hunting and fishing without much encouragement from their father as if it were an hereditary trait. Then again, maybe it is. The youth lifted his cheek off the stock of the gun and looked at all that surrounded him in that instant, as if to savor the perfect moment in time. In that instant, he bathed in the beauty of the world’s wondrous creations while the significance of the circle of life seemed to wash over him and soak into his soul. He then took a deep breath, steadied his aim, and slowly pulled the trigger.
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The hunting experience can present some dangerous encounters (above); Dove season represents the traditional opening to the fall hunting seasons (right); Whitetail buck and doe alike alert to an unexpected sound (far right); Jacob Voss takes aim at his rst buck (opposite page).
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After performing in “Doublewide Texas” in 2017, cast members Kris Chandler, Sissy Zander, Carla Sigler, Bill Hightower and Linda Lowrance returned for the sequel, A Doublewide, Texas Christmas,” the Tin Building Theatre holiday comedy.
photographs by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
Doubling Down Original cast returns for sequel “A Doublewide, Texas Christmas” at the Tin Building Theatre
B RET T VOSS & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS article by
If once you succeed, please, please, do it again – double down for an encore. And with that,“A Doublewide, Texas Christmas” became the latest Tin Building Theatre holiday comedy, delivering a parade of ugly Christmas sweaters and lots of laughs to sold out performances at the Bosque Arts Center before calling it a wrap with two final performances Nov. 23-24. The two-act Christmas play was a sequel to the equally popular “Doublewide, Texas,” presented by TBT in early 2017 and written by the same playwriting team of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jaime Wooten. As it turned out, this spangling-new comedy script was still being edited as the TBT troupe was rehearsing. Director Bryan Davis, along actors Lorana Rush, Sissy Zander, Linda Lowrance, Bob Fuller and crew member Steve Schmidt have worked together at the TBT for 30-plus years. “We’ve done several productions twice or
more,” Davis said. “But this is the only show we’ve done that is a sequel with the same characters.” Davis described the show as a “laugh-a -minute comedy,” set in Texas’ newest and smallest trailer park. Doublewide residents face a blue Christmas when they realize their community is not being heard by county commissioners. They want to become an incorporated city, to be able to apply for grants and increase their quality of life. The residents deploy one hare-brained scheme after another in attempts to gain their independence – from opening an outlet mall with “slightly past sell-by-date” army surplus dinners, healthy sweet potato-tofu bars from California import Lark Barken and Caprice’s Celebrity Corner boutique, promoting a Lady Bird Johnson look-alike yam and participating in a “battle of the mangers’ nativity scene competition with surrounding towns – named Tinsel and
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Bill Hightower as Haywood Sloggett seems to be the only voice of reason in this female dominated comedy, as Doublewide Mayor Joveeta Crumpler, played by Sissy Zander has a nervous breakdown over governmental road blocks (top left); Sissy and Clifton High School student Mallory Knox pose for a photo before opening night. Mallory plays California implant and young mother Lark Barken in the play (above).
Sweetgum. This all climaxes in pandemonium during a live Christmas Eve television presentation when the redneck citizens try to convince people to come to live in their slice of trailer park heaven. But it wouldn’t be a Christmas story without a Christmas miracle ending – and there are several Christmas wishes that come true for the zany trailer park characters. “The first play was a great experience for me personally and audiences loved it,” Davis said. “We had great crowds, and it just made people feel good. We enjoy presenting all our shows, but when we have good attendance and good feedback from our audience, that’s the icing on the cake. “This current script came our way while still a work in progress. Tin Building Theatre has had great success over the years with the works of the playwrights. They have a feel for the pulse of Southern audiences and what they enjoy. They have written 18 plays, and this will be our ninth play we’ve presented by these writers. “The opportunity to present this sequel, especially to kick off the holidays, was just too tempting to pass up. It’s a hoot. We couldn’t stop laughing in rehearsals, which is always a good sign.” Davis became involved with the TBT during the first show, when he was working as editor/reporter with the Valley Mills and Meridian newspapers. He has since directed 20 shows, beginning in 1984 with “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Other shows directed include “The Miracle Worker,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Trip To Bountiful,” “Daddy’s Dyin’ (Who’s Got the Will?),” and “Crimes of the Heart,” as well as three Jones/Hope/Wooten comedies. As an actor, Davis has appeared on stage in more than 60 productions,
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Sissy Zander as Joveeta Crumpler wields the mayor’s gavel when things get rough and decisions need to be made (top left); The whole Doublewide Texas Christmas crew consists of (back) Bill Hightower, Bob Fuller, Carla Sigler, Debbie Rollins, (front) Kris Chandler, Linda Lowrance, Lorana Rush, Mallory Knox and draped across their lap, Sissy Zander (top right); Kris Chandler plays the “not the smartest pencil in the box,” tamer of a raccoon infestation Norwayne “Baby” Crumpler in the play (above right); The redneck, straight-talking personages of Doublewide Texas are a hoot and a half in the seasonal, hilarious comedy by the Tin Building Theatre cast and crew (left).
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including three of “The Odd Couple.” “I met my wife, Julie, during a summer melodrama in 1986, and we starred as lovers Hal and Madge in “Picnic” 30 years ago in 1988,” said Davis, who has directed his wife and daughter on the stage, as well as three generations of family members. “Julie and I have co-directed several shows together and raised both our children at TBT. Bosque Arts Center has been a family affair for us and a place which has enriched out lives.” Prior to the opening performance, Linda Lowrance received the Frances Watson Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the TBT. Besides being one of the actors, Lowrance has been director, assistant director, stage manager. Lowrance took to the stage for the third time as spoiled resident troublemaker Patsy Price in “Doublewide Christmas.”Lowrance made her TBT stage debut in 1990 playing the lead in Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” and has been a mainstay at TBT for three decades. Her credits include “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Cemetery Club,” “The Hallelujah Girls,” “God’s Favorite,” “Christmas Belles,” and earlier this year as Florence Unger in Neil Simon’s female version of “The Odd Couple.” Linda is involved in every aspect of TBT, including director and currently serves as TBT president. “She is a constant, steady member of our group,” Davis said. “Anything, any time, she’s always there. She is kind spirited, positive and never fails you. The award couldn’t go to a nicer person. And the ‘old bitch’ roles she usually plays are the furthest from who she really is.” In Doublewide TX Christmas, Lowrance once again plays a less amiable middle-aged woman - the stuck-up Patsy Prince who throws out lines like “I’m not insulting his intelligence, but simply applauding his stupidity,” and “You can do your part in keeping Texas beautiful, by moving to Oklahoma.” In the play Snotty “Hell cat” Patsy is only out for revenge, regardless of the consequences for everyone. Played by Carla Sigler, spotlight-seeking Caprice Crumpler’s reason for living is being the local celebrity, finding her daughter a husband and enjoying her Shiner at the local bar. As mayor of the tiny town, her daughter Joveeta Crumple, played by Sissy Zander, not only carries the future of the trailer park on her back, she also tries to keep her floozy mom in check. Joveeta’s son “Baby,” played by Kris Chandler, not the sharpest tool in the shed, is in charge of appeasing the raccoons and manages to screw up every task he is assigned. Haywood Sloggett, played by Bill Hightower, seems the only voice of reason in this female dominated backwate. But unfortunately for him, he’s Patsy Price’s brother. Fifteen year-old Clifton senior Mallory Knox plays Lark Barken, who comes home from California with a baby, hoping to find her long-lost dad and tries to impart healthy California eating on the trailer park residents. Georgia Dean Rudd, played by Lorana Rush, runs the local buffeteria hoping feverishly the owner will finally deed the eatery over to her and find a husband through the Desperate Time, Desperate Measures dating service. Big Ethel Satterwhite, played by Debbi Rollins, is the LVN at the local old folks home and cross-dresses as LBJ in an attempt to draw visitors to Doublewide. Assisting Davis in directing the play was Terry McDonald, who also assisted on “Doublewide, Texas” in 2017. She and Davis have worked together on more than two dozen productions and have directed together numerous times. McDonald also designs most of the TBT sets, and serves on both the TBT Board of Directors as well as that of the Bosque Arts Center. “I love working with Terry,” Davis said. “She has a creative eye and
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mind and we work together very well.” Others working behind the scenes included Don Boysen, Steve Schmidt, Jo Rinewalt, Jo Pool, Ginger McLean, Charles McLean, Vern Sigler, Richard Haas, Lorraine Fuller, Trish Hightower and Deb Phinney. Closing out its 37th season, the TBT’s acting troupe was formed in early 1982 and presented their first production in the Clifton Elementary School auditorium in August the same year. Since then, the group has presented more than 150 staged productions, including dramas, comedies, musicals, farces, children’s productions, radio plays and melodramas. The TBT is an all-volunteer group and always welcomes new members who want to be a part of the theatre experience on or off the stage. The returning cast members came into the sequel loaded with talent and experience on the stage. Zander has been an active member at TBT, and an audience favorite, for three decades. Her two dozen stage credits include “Bosque County, Texas,” “Daddy’s Dyin’ (Who’s Got the Will?)”, “Crimes of the Heart,” “Greater Tuna,” “The Homecoming” and all three versions of “Steel Magnolias,” to name a few. Sissy is equally at home with comedy and drama, and in addition to first playing Joveeta in “Doublewide, Texas,” she also starred in the Jones/Hope/Wooten comedies “Dearly Beloved,” “Christmas Belles,” and “The Hallelujah Girls.” Sigler, who returns in her scene-stealing role as casket model and eccentric mother, Caprice Crumpler, has been an active member of TBT for the past three years. She made her local stage debut in as a nun in the comedy, “Drinking Habits,” before first playing Caprice in last season’s “Doublewide, Texas.” Carla served as assistant director of TBT’s last production, Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple (Female Version)” and is set to direct TBT’s spring comedy, “Under the Cowboy Moon.” “What I love about my character is she is truly my alter ego,” Sigler said. “When I got the part, and we all started practice, Bryan told us that we’d have to “dig down deep for our inner Red-Neck.” After I started doing Caprice, he told me, “Carla, you didn’t have to dig down too far, did you?” One of my most proud moments in the play. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in the first show; the wigs, boots, costumes, silliness. The camaraderie was priceless. “Caprice is a hoot... a no holds barred gal. She is bold, brash, blunt, speaks the truth, even when it scorches and refuses to ever grow old. She is a star in her own mind.” Chandler returns to “Doublewide Christmas” in the role of good ol’ boy “Baby” Crumpler. Audiences will remember him in the first “Doublewide” show for taking his participation in a womanless beauty pageant way too seriously. In the sequel, we find him serving as Doublewide police chief and fighting off a herd of vicious raccoons. In real life, Chandler is a Clifton High School math teacher and director of the award-winning one-act play program. At TBT, he has also appeared in “Drinking Habits,” among others. Hightower returns to his role as the widower and doting grandfather, Haywood Sloggett, who has sights on romance in the sequel to “Doublewide, Texas.” The sequel is only Bill’s second stage performance after working more than 30 years as a gymnastics coach and history and PE teacher at the University of Texas, Weatherford, Bedford and Georgetown. “This is the most wonderful group of people I’ve worked with since, well, Doublewide, TX two years ago,” Davis said. “I’ve certainly enjoyed every minute of the time spent in Doublewide, where you don’t have to think too hard. And best of all, these folks will make your own family look normal. What more could you ask for to kickstart the holidays?”
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Tin Building Theatre’s “Doublewide, TX Christmas” Director Bryan Davis presents Linda Lowrance with the Frances Watson Lifetime Achievement Award (left); Lowrance with Sissy Zander on stage during a performance (left).
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2018 Texas Troubadour singer/songwriter of the year award winner Amy Taylor performing on stage (above left); One of the nine nalists, Phillip Wildman received the People s Choice award (above right); Judge for the 6th Annual Texas Troubadour Songwriter Classic Michael Martin Murphey and his wife Cindy (left).
photographs by SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
Weavers
L IND A P F EIF F ER & SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS article by
Songwriters are the poets and storytellers of the music world. Traditionally, their lyrics transport us to locations and emotions such as joy, sorrow, love, laughter, and healing. They allow us to share experiences and see that we are all the same and yet different in our own right. Songwriters weave stories between the notes and the rhythms of their songs; stories of heartache and loss, of love and beauty. And this is especially true in country music - that story is all the more important and in the foreground. At the Bosque Arts Center’s Sixth Annual Texas Troubadour Songwriters Classic contest, country music singer/songwriters – Champions of the West and Western lifestyle – were provided an opportunity for recognition of their talent as they were put in the spotlight and celebrated. In keeping with the BAC mission statement of “promoting interest and participation in all art forms,” the contest was created to encourage and foster songwriting of country music. The contest draws musicians from across the United States as entrants from Maine, Virginia, Colorado, Missouri and Texas vied for spots. This year, one of the truest Texas Troubadours, the legendary Michael Martin Murphey, judged the show and proclaimed Amy Taylor as the best singer/songwriter of the year. Displaying her songwriting skills in “three chords and her truth,” while staying rooted in country, bluegrass and southern gospel, Taylor had already won the Song of the Year in the Texas Troubadour competition in 2016. In her pure, clear voice, Taylor sang songs – chapters of her life’s story – with subjects recognizable to many. A break up song in which the singer asks “what I’m left with is all the things I don’t miss,” so I guess this is a sad song that ends
A m y T aylor retur ns to be na m ed 2018’ s best singe r/ songw riter at the B osque A rts C ent er’ s 6t h A nual T ex as T roubadour C lassic
32 up being a happy song. A deeply personal song about losing a much anticipated baby – wondering whether she would have been playing with baby dolls or Tonka trucks – with “no one to call when there is no heartbeat at all.” The song about her miscarriage had been a therapeutic song to write, and she rose to the challenge of actually singing it. In her last song “Coming Home,” Taylor wrote “the porch light is always on and I’ll be here with my arms open wide.” At that point, you think it’s about a mother thinking about her soldier son. And then she sang “You’ve made your sacrifice when God called you home,” and you realize the young man is never coming home, and it tugs at your heart strings. “Songs are to make you feel, as well as think. I think I produced some feeling tonight.” Taylor said in an understatement. “Bringing feeling is definitely something I try to do with all my songs and all my songs have a part of me in them. It is an honor to win and I am very happy with the accomplishment. “ Taylor’s voice landed her on stages all over the nation, opening for Mark Wills and John Berry. Growing up in the same house with her biggest vocal influence – her mom, Valerie Gabehart – Taylor learned the value of harmony. Blessed with her mother’s smooth, clear tone, Taylor was destined from Nashville, where she continues to created the most beautiful stories in song. No stranger to the BAC, ranch-owner/ operator Philip Wildman won the crowd over with his humorous “dog song” about a dog that was “not a healer, but heal she did;” Repo was her name and she brought everything back. Wildman is a Taxas-born ranch owner and operator, who is self-taught on his guitar, with country music being his primary love. His love of music began as a young boy whose family exposed him to country music, Broadway shows and classical tunes. It is his wit and charm that wins over the audience, time and time again; that and the fact that he is a master storyteller, singer and songwriter. And even though finalist Wildman – he was winner in 2016 - was the crowd favorite winning People’s Choice, there were many votes for other troubadours. The third finalist to come back on stage for a third song was Austin’s Barbara Bergin – an orthopedic surgeon by occupation, singer/songwriter by avocation. Bergin is an author and experienced equestrienne, and actively competes in the western sport
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Winner of the 2018 Texas Troubadour Amy Taylor with judge Michael Martin Murphey.
of reining. She is passionate about her songwriting and playing her guitar. Her songs evoked images of a “blood red moon,”
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– a song about the fires around Bastrop and a “man that can give me all he can.” Another about a young lass dancing with
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Singer/Songwriter Amy Taylor from Mount Juliet, Tennessee receives the 2018 Texas Troubadour Songwriters Classic award from Bosque Arts Center Program Director Deb Phinney and Don Boysen.
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the Prince of Wales and the low water crossing, but as the singer explained, had depth and were metaphors for incidents like the Bastrop fires or life in general. Born and raised in North Central Texas, Cleburne’s Bill Sibley’s gravelly voice and swampy riffs drew many People’s Choice votes. Playing with many country music stars has enhanced his music over the years. He enjoys reaching out to people through his songs. The ones he chose for the 2018 Texas Troubadour touched the darker side of life with lines like “Looked into the whiskey bottle deep again, feel it down in your soul,” and “too many bones left unburied,” or “more weight to carry; bear a stone up a hill too steep to climb.” Hailing from Glenrose’s Danny Sheffield’s back country blues and Mclean-like storytelling talent with a song about the camaraderie sitting around a camp fire with “the moon getting tired” definitely struck a chord. Sheffield grew up mostly in Bosque County, getting his first guitar his freshman year of high school. He learned to play it by using a Mel Bay chord book and listening to cassettes of the guitar legends Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. He does his best to capture “the moment.” Natural entertainer Markus Miller’s bluesy Buffet-like showmanship and country blues was immediately met with applause. Miller’s music is described as thought-inspiring, mood-altering, romantic and soothing, always with a heartbeat and a fun vibe. Lines like “she’s got those legs, she’s got those moves; she’s every cowboy’s dream,” spoke to the imagination of many a gentleman. Hailing from North Eastern Massechusetts, Michelle Canning’s light-hearted “cleaning out her closet” conjured up someone cleaning out that dusty attic, and in the process cleaning out some “baggage” that is holding you back. A first rate banjo player and vocalist, and with a vibrant stage presence, Canning plays a variety of instruments, including guitar and bass. Canning is a recent university graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Traditional Music from Morehead State University’s Kentucky Center for Traditional Music. John Highbaugh’s love for music began very young. His father brought home a Gibson guitar in grade school and taught him a couple of chords. Highbaugh was hooked for life – through college, military service, marriage, kids and their schooling and weddings and grandkids. Highbaugh performs frequently in an around the Fredricksburg area, charming his audiences with his catchy tunes with lines like “I want to hold you while you dance. I want to watch you in my arms. I want to let you dance into my heart,” spoke to many at the BAC. Patrick Shade has been influenced by all genres of music but loves to write honky-tonk, two-stepping country music. The handsome two-stepping cowboy ways, and the songs “you can dance to,” received many popular votes at the 2018 Texas Troubadour. Shade works in education as a high school guidance counselor in Waco. He describes himself as a creative soul, a musically-driven person, writing songs about life on his guitar. “I have been blessed with some opportunities to play my songs and hopefully move people with my words,” Shade said. Murphy chose Julie Reese’s “Come Back Home” as the 2018 Song of the Year. The nine singer/songwriter finalists showed their skills and talents to the over 300 guests filling the Tin Building Theatre. And in the course of the evening, the audience heard a diversity of songs, styles and voices in the competition, all touching them in some way or another; leaving them with food for thought or the memory of a catchy tune.
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Texas
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SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
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M I C HAE L M AR T I N M U R PHE Y : T h e M asterly M usic M an
Conjuring up images through his songs and stories stand apart as his talent, his skill, his strength. After judging the Sixth Annual Texas Troubadour Songwriter Classic, Nov. 3, the legendary singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey treated the full house to his catalogue of hits. And in a special, intimate way at the Bosque Arts Center, he shared many very personal stories on the inspiration and the creation of the songs. His songs are about making you “feel, as well as making you think.” Murphey talked of his travels to the country with his father, including to the Rocky Mountains – inspiring “Carolina in the Pines.” The song ties into how he divides his time between Fort Worth, Red River and the log cabin he built near the Colorado-Wyoming border – “sometimes we need a place to love too; in the whispering pines where all we see is yours and mine. This log cabin is all we need; that’s why they call us a vanishing breed,” adding to the ambiance of the whispering winds over the hills and pines by whistling the last bars. “We’re not really vanishing, just hard to see from the highway,” Martin said with a smile. He talked about his love for trains and how it led to “Cherokee Fiddle;” and the Native American who played for whiskey. He talked about his mother and how she felt the generations after World War II were “a bunch of whiners,” – which led to him singing “Cosmic Cowboy.” Murphy does not do a lot of love songs “’cos I grew up a Baptist, and we don’t talk about that in public. “I would always do songs from the heart, not whether a producer thought it would be a hit,” Murphey said. “Singing from the heart, not the chart.” Watching his parents, he saw there was not a whole lot of fighting or giggling; but
Michael Martin Murphey delivers intimate concert at the Bosque Arts Center after judging the 2018 Texas Troubadour Classic Nov. 3 (far left); Murphey signs T-shirts and CDs after his concert (above).
there was love when they danced. After talking about his parents and grandparents, Murphey took off his hat “out of respect to the people that raised me,” and sang a song he had sung at his parents 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries. And on his dad’s request, started singing it every year. His parents went on to celebrate their 62nd anniversary together. The song about his grandparents was about “living close to the land,” a song which tied in seamlessly with Steven Fromholz’ Texas Trilogy – Daybreak, Train Ride and Bosque County Romance. Fromholz’ lyrics capture the essence of life in the tiny unincorporated town of Kopperl in the 1950s. “‘Cause there’s bacon to fry and there’s biscuits to bake, on the stove that the Salvation Army won’t take. And you open the windows and you turn on the fan, ‘Cause
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it’s hotter than hell when the sun hits the land.” “Look through loneliness, look through despair, look to a better place and you will find Jesus” Murphey said about a dark period in his life. “And that is all you need.” Murphey’s wife Cindy announced that MMM’s newest CD release – just out – Austinology: Alleys of Austin would be available in the BAC foyer after the show. The CD includes the Texas Trilogy. And many from the audience took the opportunity to have a Wildfire T-shirt or a CD signed by the Texas icon. Fifty years after Murphey helped pioneer the Austin Music Scene along with Jerry Jeff Walker, Gary P. Nunn and more, his latest offering is a look at the seminal period of Austin’s music history that set the stage for the “Outlaw” movement with Nelson and Waylon Jennings, among others,
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and the live music scene that is still thriving there. “This album is not just about my songs,” Murphey said. “It’s about style and substance that makes a song that stands the test of time, a song that has a chance of living on in the Great American Songbook.” But not only with his songs does Murphey leave a legacy. All of Murphey’s concerts raise funds for the Murphey Western Institute projects. On Saturday, Murphey additionally had a guitar in silent auction with the lyrics of his hit “Wildfire” written in gold letters on the case. Major goals of the Murphey Western Institute are to be a center of education, preservation and perpetuation of the arts, culture, history and legacy of the American West. Murphey Western Institute started when Murphey began to raise money for the support and maintenance of the nearly 500-mile Colorado Trail. The MWI has long been involved in helping with disaster relief for Western ranchers and farmers devastated by fire, blizzards, flooding and wind damage like the horrendous fires in the Panhandle of Oklahoma and Texas, the worst blizzard in modern history in Colorado and New Mexico and the worst flooding and wind damage in Texas history by Hurricane Harvey. Because the true cowboy troubadour only comes down from the Rocky Mountains in the winter, Clifton was lucky to have MMM there. And for those who missed him at the BAC, he will be presenting his Cowboy Christmas show throughout Texas in November and December.
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Michael Martin Murphey takes photos with fans after his concert at BAC.
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(254) 435-2792 803 N. MAIN, MERIDIAN, TX
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BOOKS
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Books on the Bosque
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Writers offer readings, workshops at Bosque Arts Center Ann West gets into character for a reading of the Jan Peck book Way Far Away on a Wild Safari with Jennifer during the Books on the Bosque preview for children Nov. 3.
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What a treat for any book lover or aspiring author to be able to hear renowned writers speak about their craft, explain their inspirations; and then have the opportunity to participate in a workshop or two. After an 11-year absence, co-organizer Susan Frazier thought it was time to bring back the popular and inspiring Books on the Bosque to the Bosque Arts Center. A dozen authors – mostly Texan – across the spectrum, including New York Times bestselling authors Lisa Wingate, Stephen Harrigan, and Ann Weisgarber, first got to meet their fans at a reception and dinner Friday evening. The weekend of literary information kicked off with an after dinner presentation by Reavis Wortham, author of the Red River historical mystery series and the Sonny Hawke contemporary thriller series. The Saturday morning focused on the youngest to young adult readers with Karen Blumenthal, Jan Peck, Tom McDermott, Christine Ford, Scott Sutton, and Michelle Staubach Grimes offering interactive readings with their audiences. Several of the Saturday speakers touched on the main question they are asked by their readers “Where do you get your inspiration?” Being master of words, each presentation was as entertaining as informative. In her review Weisgarber extensively explained the inspiration, long period of research and final execution of her book “The
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Personal History of Rachel DuPree.” The book has been earmarked to being made into a major motion picture with Viola Davis starring as the main character. “I was always a reader, and never thought of myself as being a writer,” Weisgarber said. She was inspired to write her historical novel in her early forties after a visit to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota and seeing the sod dug outs the pioneers lived in. She was fascinated by the worn out path around the stove, seeing the women preparing three meals a day, with all the intensive preparation that went into making bread from scratch, hauling water from the well. Weisgarber felt the women were chained to their stoves in this wide open space. A photograph of an African American woman in a dug out made Weisgarber realize that not only Caucasian pioneers made the trek west. “She expected me to write her story,” Weisbarber said of the photograph haunted her to the point of picking up a pen and starting to write. And since she had never written an essay beyond high school creative writing, the process of writing the book was a steep learning curve. And as she wrote, details were added from old diaries, people’s stories and something as simple as watching a television program on the Montana Mandolin Society – it all added to the scenes, to the detailed descriptions.
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“You have a commitment to your characters, to do them justice,” Weisgarber said, explaining why it took her so long- seven years during holidays and vacations, besides being a Sociology teacher - to finish the book. “The characters become part of you, part of your world. You dream of them, hear their voices. I just happened to be the one to put it all down on paper. Depending on the reader, they will take different things from the story, and it becomes theirs.” Weisgarber’s second book is also a historic novel, about Galveston. She is currently working on her third book, Glovemaker - also set in the inhospitable canyon lands of Utah Territory in 1888. Former Texas Monthly writer, Harrigan’s inspiration sometimes go as far back as seeing dolphins for the first time as a seven year old boy, or seeing the iconic 60s movie Davy Crockett. His presentation was accompanied by an illustrative slide show including photos of Harrigan and his brother as young boys. Another inspiration for Harrigan is demystifying prototypical characters. In his book “A Friend to Mr. Lincoln” he portrays the formidable statesman in his younger years as an upcoming lawyer –“just a guy,” catching him before he was famous. Or imagining how a female astronaut juggles being a mother with her exceptional job, as in “Challenger Park.”
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The bestselling author of “Remember Ben Clayton,” also discussed his latest book, “They Came from the Sky,” which is basically an preview of a giant history of Texas starting 15,000 years ago and up to Rick Perry Dancing with the Stars. Wingate’s first book “Tending Roses,” – the one that put her on the map – came from wanting to preserve her grandmother’s advice on life, on savoring it, for herself and others. Bosque County likes to claim Wingate as “one of their own,” since she lived in Clifton for 16 years during her budding career as a writer in 1999. Over the years, Wingate has authored at least 30 books. “I always wanted to be a writer,” Wingate said. “From the time my first grade teacher told me I could be, and first grade teachers don’t lie.” Wingate’s newest, and very successful novel “Before We Were Yours,” – now translated into over 40 languages and being on New York Times bestseller list well over six months – came from watching a documentary on Discovery Channel deep at night while working. She started wondering how a crazy, random twist of fate can alter lives completely, and she started to “hear” the voices of the five siblings in the story. “We seek to understand the world through stories, and it makes us better for it,” Win-
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gate said. “My characters always teach me something.” Thousands of people in the Memphis area knew there had to be a sinister side to the sheer amount of children being offered for adoption, but chose to stick to the story of a rich lady, a kind patron of orphaned kids. During her presentation, Wingate recounted how difficult it sometimes can be to research historic facts, like what a 1939 outboard motor would look like. Kari J. Rich and Anna Mitchael are proponents of a healthy dose of humor to help you through life’s strenuous moments with the motto “If I don’t laugh about it, I’ll cry,” and that life’s conflicts are most relatable. “If you don’t have anything go wrong in your life,” something is wrong,” is Rich’s motto. Rich encouraged her audience to write down their experiences, for themselves, for their children, because the gift of a story and a memory is a priceless, lasting gift. Many of the over 60 guests – many who are members of book clubs - took the opportunity to buy books from their favorite authors, and get a chance to have them personally autographed. Books by the visiting authors will be on sale in the gift shop at the Bosque Arts Center through the holiday season.
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Featuring: Brazos Tragedy and B&B Band
CareFlite’s Whitney Based Bell 407GX Helicopter Closest Air Medical to Clifton, Meridian, Walnut Springs, Lakeside Village, Valley Mills, Morgan & Cranfills Gap
$49/YR or Less Protects Your Family & Finances* Join at www.CareFlite.org or (877) 339-2273 Note: Residents of Meridian, Walnut Springs, Morgan, Lakeside Village, Valley Mills & Cranfills Gap are covered by a $1 monthly payment on their water bill. Residents of Clifton will have the same program effective 1/1/19.
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OUT & ABOUT: HAPPENING EVENTS NOVEMBER
Sunday, Nov. 11 Veterans Day Field of Flags Iredell – all day No Veteran’s Day is complete without the planting of the remembrance flags for the county’s fallen soldiers in Iredell. The flags are put out at 8 a.m. at the field next to the Guinn sports park and are out all day until sunset. Tuesday, Nov. 13 Bosque County Republican Club fundraiser – Texas Safari – 6-9 p.m. The Bosque County Republican Party is having their annual fundraiser Nov. 13 in support the conservative candidates and to honor the Military. The special Veterans Salute with LTC Allen West event at the Texas Safari Ranch Saloon - 192 Private Road 4293, Clifton, TX 76634 starts at 6 p.m. Mark and Jacquelyn Brown are treating the guests to Louisanna gumbo, red beans and rice, as Brian Barrett supplies the musical entertainment. Tickets are on sale at the BCRP Website: http://www.bosquegop.com/. You may also mail or drop a check by BCRP headquarters in Clifton. Saturday, Nov. 17 Bosque Museum fundraising luncheon – Questad Homestead – 11 a.m.-3 p.m. As a fundraising event, the Bosque Museum invites patrons to an exclusive lunch on the lawn and tour of the historic Questad Place, a quintessential 1850s homestead in the Norse Community, courtesy of Leslie and Steve McConnico. Initially planned for Oct. 20, the event was postponed because of inclement weather. The lunch and tour are by reservation only. Reservations can be made on bosquemuseum/questadplace Tin Building Theatre presents “Doublewide Christmas” – dinner show 6:30 p.m., performance 7:30 p.m. Tickets $45
article & photographs by
SIMONE WICHERS-VOSS
Artists demonstrate their skills at the Western Artist Roundup at Market at the Mill.
per person. Reservations available online at www.bosqueartscenter.org. Sunday, Nov. 18 Santa’s Angel Tree Toy Run – motorcycle run from McGregor to Meridian Yearly the Bosque County Child Protective Services organizes a toy run to collect toys and donations for their Santa’s Angel Tree program. This year the motorcycle Santa’s will roar into Meridian bringing gifts and monetary donations on Nov. 18. The Toy Run is from McGregor – the Brookshire Brothers parking lot - to the Meridian Civic Center. Usually around 150 motorcyclists end up at the Meridian Civic Center around 11:30 for a chili supper prepared by the Chili Gang, a group of Good Samaritans, who offer their cooking services to local charities. Area residents also show up bearing gifts and monetary donations for the county’s less fortunate children and to partake in the great lunch. Tin Building Theatre presents “Double-
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wide Christmas” – matinee 2 p.m. Tickets $15 per person. Reservations available online at www.bosqueartscenter. org. Thursday, Nov. 22 For those people having to work on Thanksgiving, or who are not visiting family, the First United Methodist Church Meridian offers a Thanksgiving meal. Join their church family for Thanksgiving dinner at the Memorial Library Building on 201 N. Main Street in Meridian from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23 Turkey Trot and Walk – Meridian State Park – 2-4 p.m. Thanksgiving is over and it’s time to walk it off. Come join the still stuffed Meridian State Park staff for a Turkey trot and walk around the lake. The hike on the 2.5 mile Bosque hiking trail is a sure way to do it, and, with beautiful scenery. Please contact the park headquarters
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Fall brings pumpkins, fall colors along with countless activities and events around Bosque County.
with any questions and to sign up - 254435-2536. Tin Building Theatre presents “Doublewide Christmas” - 7 p.m. Tickets $15 per person. Reservations available online at www.bosqueartscenter. org. Saturday, Nov. 24 Opening Gala for the permanent art exhibit of the Bosque Seven Collection at the Bosque Museum – 11 a.m.-2 p.m. The Bosque Museum is presenting the newest addition to the museum – a permanent art exhibit of the Bosque Seven with original paintings by James Boren, CA; George Boutwell; Tony Eubanks, Bruce Greene, CA; Martin Grelle, CA; George Hallmark; Melvin Warren, CA. The collection is made available through the generosity of the Chambers Family Foundation, Charron Denker, Bob and Kay Lane, Lhoist and Jeff and Janice Conner. Celebrate a Norman Rockwell Christmas, Cranfills Gap - from 4 p.m. Christmas begins in Bosque County, with the Cranfills Gap Chamber of Commerce inviting families and friends to “A Norman Rockwall Christmas” in Wade Lee Park, Hwy 22, in “The Gap,” on Nov.
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24. Take a “snowfall stroll” through Texas Oak trees listening to local musicians and musical performances. Shopping begins at 4 p.m. for hand-crafted Christmas items, hot chocolate, apple cider, treats and goodies await in the park illuminated at dark. German heritage sausage and sauerkraut supper - Zion United Church Womack – 5-7 p.m. Highlighting the county’s German heritage is this long-standing county tradition – a sausage and sauerkraut fundraising dinner on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The delectable homemade desserts alone are worth the drive out into the Womack countryside. This year the event is on Nov. 24 from 5- 7 p.m. For more information call 254-675-3599 or visit zionunitedchurchwomack.com Tin Building Theatre presents “Doublewide Christmas” – dinner show 6:30 p.m., performance 7:30 p.m. Tickets $45 per person. Reservations available online at www.bosqueartscenter.org. Friday, Nov. 30 Western Artists Roundup – Market at the Mill, Clifton – all day Friday and Saturday.
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The Western Artists Roundup is an organization of eight western diverse talented artist strive to create Western Art that tells the story of the West in a true, authentic, affordable description. Their goal and passion is to perpetuate the memory and culture of the Old West and ensure authentic representations of the life of the West, as it was and is. The Western Artists Roundup will have demonstrations and will have their art on sale. Lighted Christmas parade in Clifton – downtown - 6:30 p.m. The annual lighted Christmas parade in Clifton is the start of Christmas season in Bosque County. For information call the Clifton Chamber of Commerce at 254675-3720. Museum by Candlelight – Bosque Museum - 6:30-8:30 p.m. After the parade is the Museum by Candlelight reception from. where they enjoy unique Christmas decorations throughout the Museum and stop at the gift shop for unique Christmas gifts. For more information please call 254-675-3845. Arts of Christmas at the Bosque Arts Center – 6-9 p.m. After the parade many visit the to be en-
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chanted by the uniquely decorated Christmas trees and other Christmas decor, live music performed by local musicians, along with artisan crafted pottery, a quilt display, small original paintings, and various gifts for sale at the Arts of Christmas exhibit and bazaar at the Bosque Arts Center (254-675-3724) – there will also be chance to visit with Santa and have a refreshment. Santa arrives at 6 p.m. for visitors of all ages. Free to the public The quilt display brings the second floor gallery hallway to life with the colors and designs of quilts. This year’s display features a selection of winners from the last four years of the Bosque Arts Center Quilt Show. Winners include Best of Show, Peoples Choice, Special Artistic Recognition, Judges Choice and the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges awards. The winning quilts are from communities all over central Texas. Quilts will be on display only Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Herman Walker One-Man Show – Bosque Arts Center – second floor gallery – 6-9 p.m. Western artist and winner of the Bosque Art Classic John Steven Jones award stars in a special one man show at the Bosque Arts Center from Friday, Nov. 30 to Saturday, Dec. 8. The BAC is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and during the Arts of Christmas Expo, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The show is open and free to the public. Walker’s works will be on display in the second floor galleries.
DECEMBER Several activities in the first weekend of December herald in the Christmas season in Bosque County, including the Norwegian Country Christmas Tour and Christmas on the Bosque in Meridian.
Saturday, Dec. 1 Arts of Christmas – Bosque Arts Center – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. As part of the Norwegian Country Christmas Tour, there will be a Quilt Display in the second Floor Gallery, Pottery, Art, Quilts will be on display and for sale. There will be music with cookies and refreshments. Santa arrives at 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. for visitors of all ages. Free to the public The Norwegian Country Christmas Tour and activities – 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Each year the Norwegian Country Christmas Tour features historic – often family - homes that are open to the public. There is live entertainment in downtown area throughout the day. There are usually free carriage rides –downtown from 3-6 p.m., compliments of First National Bank. The traditional Norwegian Luncheon served from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Clifton Civic Center prepared and served by Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors is very popular. The newly BAC Quilt Guild will have a festive collection of holiday quilts supplied by area members. Holiday quilts of all sizes, shapes, colors and Christmas themes will be displayed on the second floor at the Bosque Arts Center, throughout the weekend. At the Heritage Village in the Clifton Armory visitors can shop the many arts and crafts booths set up. Demonstrators and artisans will not only show their skills at historic arts, but will sell their wares. There will also be seasonal and baked goods, German specialties, Norwegian goodies, wood work, candles, handmade jewelry, art for sale. The Clifton Classic Chassis Auto Museum is open during the tour, offering little bit of automotive history with beautifully restored cars from the 1940s through the 1970s including Corvettes, Buicks, Ponti-
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acs, and Chryslers. At the historic St. Olaf Lutheran Kirke, better known to residents as The Old Rock Church four miles east of Cranfills Gap in the heart of the Norse area will host local choirs and musicians throughout the day. Cleng Peerson, the Father of Norwegian Immigration to America is buried in the Our Savior’s Lutheran Church cemetery. The beautiful “Mother Church” of the Norse Community is open for tours during the Norwegian Christmas tour. Also open to the public that day is the Ringness Home, built in 1859. It was the first site of Lutheran church services in 1867. A monument was erected in 1932 on the roadside to honor the site. The house has been under renovation for several years. The Norwegian Society has raised funds from donations and other projects to fund the renovation. Have refreshments and tour this early Norwegian historic home. Cranfills Gap Lutefisk dinner – Cranfills Gap School cafeteria – four sittings starting at 4:30 p.m. Coinciding with the Norwegian Christmas Tour is the Annual lutefisk dinner at the Cranfills Gap School. The yearly tradition began over 50 years ago to raise funds for Saint Olaf ’s Lutheran Church. The dinner eventually outgrew the church’s basement fellowship facilities and the Cranfills Gap Booster Club took the reins. Lutefisk is made from air-dried whitefish, usually cod, which has been prepared with lye. The distinctly Norwegian draws people from far and wide. Students help to prepare and serve, perform traditional Norwegian dances for patrons waiting to be seated. Serving times at the school gymnasium are 4:30, 5:15, 6 and 6:45 p.m. For those not inclined to eat lutefisk, there is turkey and dressing too.
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Tickets - $18 for adults, $9 for children 12 and under- are on sale now and will be available at First State Security Bank in Cranfills Gap, and Clifton, Gap Tractor and from Ruth Taylor. For more information, contact Ruth at Cranfills Gap School at 254-597-2505, 254-97-2406 or at ruth. taylor@cranfillsgapisd.net. Christmas on the Bosque – lighted parade and Santa at the Park – 6-8 p.m. Dec. 1 is also the evening for the Meridian lighted parade and Christmas on the Bosque activities. The park at River Street lights will go on, and there are ample photo opportunities with Santa in his Santa House and with the beautiful lighted displays. Churches show up to offer cocoa and cookies for the festive evening. Thursday, Dec. 6 The Bosque Chorale’s “Amid the Winter’s Snow” Christmas concert – Frazier Performance Hall - 7:30 p.m. The Bosque Chorale will perform their Christmas performance in the Frazier Performance Hall on the third floor of the Bosque Arts Center. The group celebrates its tenth anniversary singing distinctive arrangements of festive favorites in their “Amid the Winter’s Snow’ concert in which director David Anavitarte leads the choir through the raucous “Choral Fantasy” based on “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” or Dan Forrest’s haunting rendition of “The First Noel.” The music is bound to kindle your Christmas spirit. Dr. Cameron Hoffman and the Brazos String Quartet will accompany the chorale. Tickets for the performance are $15 for adults and $7.50 for students. Please call for tickets at 254675-3724 or on line at www.bosqueartscenter.org. Sunday, Dec. 9 Gingerbread House workshop – Bosque Arts Center - 2 p.m.-4 p.m. For the past years, the Bosque Arts Center has offered a popular Gingerbread workshop
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in December - a fun and creative experience for families in the festive season. And it is a fun way to make some memories by creating your very own Gingerbread House for the holidays with family and friends. Reserve your spot for this enjoyable afternoon of candy decorations, icing and gingerbread by calling the Bosque Arts Center at 254-675-3724 or going online at www. bosqueartscenter.org. The cost is $35 per person includes everything needed to create your house. Tuesday, Dec. 11 BINGO at the Bosque Arts Center – Christmas Sweater night - ugly or not – 7 p.m. It’s time to pull out those ugly Christmas sweaters – or not – and come for Bingo at the Bosque Arts center. Come by yourself or come with friends. Check the menu offered by the Culinary Club and reserve for dinner at 6 p.m. and stay for games at 7 p.m. Bring your favorite beverage. Adam Willmann will be the caller for the evening offering light-hearted fun and chatter during this laid back event. Saturday, Dec. 15 Santa in the Park – Meridian State Park - 2-3 p.m. Visit the Meridian State Park for some one-on-one time with the big guy from the North Pole, and tell him your Christmas wishes. Enjoy cocoa and cookies with Santa while overlooking the beautiful lake view under the Civilian Conservation Corps stone refectory. Please contact the park headquarters with any questions and to sign up - 254435-2536.
JANUARY Tuesday, Jan. 1 First Day Hike - Meridian State Park – 9 a.m.
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Happy New Year. Join the Meridian State Park rangers for a guided 2.5-mile Bosque Trail hike along the Lake. Meet at the Refectory at 9 a.m. on Jan. 1. On the hike, the rangers will talk about some of the features and history of the park. There will be some fantastic lake views, so bring your camera and binoculars. Bring water, sturdy shoes and don’t forget to dress for that cool January morning weather. Please contact the park headquarters with any questions and to sign up - 254435-2536. Saturday, Jan. 19 Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers-Unplugged (Sorta) – Frazier Performance Hall – 7 p.m. Seating is limited Sponsor spots at $200 per person includes a private reception; reserved seating $100, $75, $50. Tickets on sale to the public starting Nov. 19, 2018 at www.bosqueartscenter.org. Tuesday, Jan. 29 BINGO at the Bosque Arts Center – 7 p.m. This fun, informal BYOB Bingo is a fundraising activity of the Bosque Arts Center. Godall-Witcher Hospital Authority CEO and President Adam Willmann is the popular caller for the game night. Five games with three cards each is only $20 for an evening of entertaining fun.
FEBRUARY Saturday, Feb. 9 Scholarship Variety Show “To Bosque with Love” – Bosque Arts Center - 6 p.m. Enjoy a fun-filled evening with dinner and a lively, often hilarious stage show while supporting BAC Scholarships. Tickets available online in 2019 at www. bosqueartscenter.org.
BARBER MOUNTAIN RIVER RANCH 1,423 +/- AC | Palo Pinto County, TX $10,650,000 (PICTURED)
ESTANCIA ON THE BRAZOS 400 +/- AC | Washington County, TX $12,000,000
MARCH RANCH 6,797 +/- AC | Coke County, TX $7,107,450
RIO RANCHITO 127 +/- AC | Kerr County, TX $3,885,000
The hunting heritage BOSQUE RIVER RUN
Passing On The Privilege Of The Pursuit
Colors
How Bosque County came to have its own flag
THE RIGH IGHT T STUFF Herman Walker: Putting His Brand On Art
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BOSQUE RIVERRUN Country Culture, Heritage & Life Deep in the Heart of Texas