I S S U E T H R E E 2 0 1 7 | www.LibertyHillLiving.com
LIBERTY HILL
P R O U D LY C E L E B R AT I N G T H E C O M M U N I T Y O F L I B E R T Y H I L L , T E X A S
Small Town Big Ideas
New meets old on the frontier of growth
MODERN HOMESTEADING p.13 MOVERS & SHAKERS p.23 THE BEST KEPT SECRET p.42
14365 TEXAS 29 #12 | LIBERTY HILL, TX 78642
SERVING LIBERTY HILL SINCE 2011
LIBERTY HILL www.LibertyHillLiving.com
WAYLON CUNNINGHAM PHOTO
Welcome to the neighborhood where big dreams are welcome Whether you’re an artist or a craftsman, a chef or a musician, it’s easy to find inspiration in this place named for liberty. In these changing times, creativity and a return to our roots is at the heart of a new vision for Liberty Hill. In this place where the old meets the new in a way that is especially evident in the revitalization of downtown, the quaint charm of small-town life is attracting hundreds of city folks each year who are looking for relief from the daily hustle and bustle. Here among the Shin Oaks, it’s a rural lifestyle that rewards and rejuvenates, sending commuters off to face the day with spectacular sunrises and welcoming them home with breathtaking sunsets. Exceptional schools, a friendly business climate and the Hill Country lifestyle form a dynamic growing Liberty Hill where there’s no shortage of hospitality, and big dreams are encouraged. Built by the hard work and determination of forward-thinking visionaries, today’s Liberty Hill is a family-centered community in the fastest-growing county in Texas. While rapid change is the order of the day, it’s a deep-rooted appreciation of the past that has helped our town emerge strong, vibrant and ready for families and businesses to call us home. Finding inspiration here is easy. It’s why the artists and musicians featured in Liberty Hill Living this month settled here. The drive to bring others into our town to experience its charm is behind a movement to introduce newcomers to our giant sculptures at the Liberty Hill International Sculpture Park, and experience community celebrations like the Liberty Hill Independence Day Spectacular, the Liberty Hill Christmas Festival, the Sculpture Festival and the Liberty Hill Rodeo. In this place where dinosaurs once roamed, where early settlers battled with Native Americans, where ranchers and cotton farmers thrived, a return to the outdoors is a present-day common theme. Creative developers and builders are working together in the newest subdivisions to make home a place for open spaces, walking trails, community gardening, outdoor entertaining, and state-of-the-art amenities. Become our neighbor, be inspired, and find out why Liberty Hill is the place to be in central Texas.
LIBERTY HILL LIVING A Publication of The Liberty Hill Independent Newspaper PUBLISHER/MANAGING EDITOR | Shelly Wilkison PUBLICATION DESIGN | Stacy Coale, Bluehaus Design Co. for The Liberty Hill Independent ADVERTISING/GRAPHIC DESIGN | Rachel Viator, Stacy Coale ADVERTISING SALES | Katie Amsler WRITERS | Waylon Cunningham, Keith Sparks, Dana Delgado, James Wear PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS | Alex Rubio, Waylon Cunningham, Dana Delgado, James Wear, The Liberty Hill Independent For advertising rates and information, or to obtain additional copies, call (512) 778-5577 or write The Liberty Hill Independent, PO Box 1235, Liberty Hill, TX 78642; or send email to news@LHIndependent.com. Find Liberty Hill Living online at www.LibertyHillLiving.com. The Publisher appreciates the active support of Liberty Hill area businesses and local governments for their generous contributions to Liberty Hill Living. This publication is truly a collaborative effort of a professional design team, experienced journalists, advertising specialists, community activists and historians, and many others passionate about sharing the story of Liberty Hill.
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At R Bank, our dedicated bankers are ready to provide you and your family everything you need to bring your family’s dreams to life. Deposit Accounts | CDs| IRAs Business Loans | Mortgage Loans
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HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE THE REST. It’s my mission to provide options for living and leaving a legacy for your family for many years to come. But I don’t just sell insurance. I am an active member of the Liberty Hill community and enjoy supporting our teachers, volunteering and mentoring. I also listen closely to the needs of my clients and can work with you to protect your family and help you discover your Purpose For Existence (PFE) and your Big Five For Life. I believe it’s never too late to discover and take action towards your dreams.
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Insurance Agent and Certified Big Five For Life Coach
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LIBERTY HILL www.LibertyHillLiving.com
CONTENTS
WELCOME
4 | Welcome to Liberty Hill
COMMUNITY
52 | NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY: Then & Now
LHHS senior guard Clayton Kuhlmann (#12) shoots a floater over two Hutto defenders this season.
60 | NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY:
SOCIAL
Development Survey
10 | #LibertyHillTX
63 | COMMUNITY PROFILE: Gary Spivey
FEATURES
1 3 | Modern Homesteading 23 | LIBERTY HILL HISTORY: Movers & Shakers
33 | Digging Deeper 42 | LIBERTY HILL ARTISTS: The Best Kept Secret
7 3 | Volunteer Guide 78 | LIBERTY HILL SPORTS: Small but Mighty
84 | Events
BUSINESS
89 | BUSINESS PROFILE: Retail Coach
93 | Chamber of Commerce 97 | Restaurant Guide 101 | Winery & Brewery Guide
78 Craig Pinkley and his wife Mindy stand next to vines at their Pilot Knob Vineyard.
RESOURCES Jodi Zachmann and Susan Jones Anderson at The Market at Indian Mound Ranch.
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86 107 111 1 17
| Liberty Hill Business Finder | Helpful Numbers | Chamber Business Directory | Advertiser Index
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LIBERTY HILL LIVING is a publication of The Liberty Hill Independent. (512) 778-5577 www.LHIndependent.com The information in this publication was compiled with great care to assure the accuracy of editorial content, Chamber of Commerce membership data and advertising copy. The Liberty Hill Independent assumes no liability for the accuracy of the information reported to us herein, and the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
I S S U E T H R E E 2 0 1 7 | www.LibertyHillLiving.com
LIBERTY HILL
TEXAS OMMUNIT Y OF LIBERT Y HILL, P R O U D LY C E L E B R AT I N G T H E C
Small Town Big Ideas
The photograph on the front cover was taken with a Mavic Pro drone one evening in early March. It imagines a Liberty Hill at a juncture between the arriving explosion in growth, and the community’s continued smalltown feel. The corridor shooting northwest out of Austin is one of the
New meets old on the frontier of growth
fastest growing regions in the country, yet Liberty Hill remains a mostly rural community. While population signs continue to report less than
Copyright ©2017 The Liberty Hill Independent All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher — The Liberty Hill Independent, PO Box 1235, Liberty Hill, TX 78642.
ABOUT OUR COVER
1,000, it’s estimated that the town’s potential retail area could include MODERN HOMESTEAD ING p.13 MOVERS & SHAKERS p.23 THE BEST KEPT SECRET p.42
34,000 people. It’s an area once known for the poor nutritional quality of its soil, and today some groups hope to make it into an arts hub. Somehow, the two faces of the town seem to collide downtown. Photo by Waylon Cunningham
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| SOCIAL: #LIBERTYHILLTX |
Liberty Hill is a great place to live and play – as confirmed by the photos we found on social media with a Liberty Hill, Texas tag. Tag your social media photos with #LibertyHillTX and look for them here next issue.
#LibertyHillTX Diane Romano McMillan Liberty Hill, Texas Lost a couple of trees. Goats are happy.
rebeccamoran01 Harvest Ranch “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” - Winston Churchill.
danilemasters Liberty Hill, Texas
lindseystarrphotograpy Liberty Hill, Texas
Johnny wished we brought our water bottles to fill up from the natural spring. I am wishing for a waterfall of coffee to tackle the day.
olivaphotography Liberty Hill, Texas
Morgan and Chilly, you are stunning! Not only on the outside, but you both have such kind and beautiful souls. Working with you was pure magic.
leahlew3 Dahlia Cafe
Inspired by the character @katnisseverdeen from the Hunger Games. Watch for @lilygunz222 as this sport is quickly gaining momentum and she is at the front of the competition.
Gabriella n her Dada and a Texas sunset.
IMAGES © PHOTOGRAPHERS AS NOTED. PERMISSION GRANTED FOR ONE-TIME USAGE.
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My hear( and family are within these Liber(4 Hill cit4 limits, but my love for people and selling Cent>al Texas real estate takes me far beyond them… —Shelley Clawson REALTOR®
From Our Families to Yours… Thank You for Your SerSice.
Honoring our militar4 and their families with specialized real estate prog>ams and discounts. Contact Shelley and Blair today to learM more. Copy>ight © 2017 FairYay Independent Mor(gage CorZoration. NMLS#2289. 4801 S. Bilt`ore Lane, Madison, WI 53718, 1-877-699-0353. All rights reserSed. This is not an offer to enter into an ag>eement. Not all customers will qualif4. Infor`ation, rates and prog>ams are subject to change without notice. All products are subject to credit and proper(4 approval. Other rest>ictions and limitations may apply. Equal Housing Lender.
We Live Here. We Give Here. We Love It Here.
Blair Hogoe, Sales Manager/Loan Officer Shelley Clawson, REALTOR® Cer(ified Militar4 Residential Specialist Cer(ified Militar4 Residential Specialist NMLS ID 408832 p • (512) 632-9393 p • (512) 516-2727 e • Shelley@MallachandCompany.com e • Blair.Hogoe@FairYayMC.com 304 W Willis St>eet | Leander, TX 78641 207 Lake Road | Belton, TX 76513
Organic bee farmer Jodi Zachmann removed this swarm from under the bleachers at a football stadium in Cedar Park.
MODERN
HOMESTEADING For as long as the Liberty Hill community has existed, agriculture has played a huge role in its economy. The agricultural community of Liberty Hill includes an incredible variety of products, personalities, and people, each with their own unique take on homesteading. STORY BY KEITH SPARKS / PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
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Jodi Zachmann with her son on their bee farm, a short drive from Liberty Hill.
JACKASS HONEY FARMS
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ne of the most unique homesteaders in the community is Jackass Honey Farms. The 16-acre honey farm on County Road 287, run by Jodi Zachmann and James McCumber, was established just over five years ago, when McCumber introduced Zachmann to the subject of honey farming. McCumber had worked on a 300-hive honey farm in Corpus Christi while he was a high school student, and was considering opening one of his own in Liberty Hill. “One night, he started talking to me about how passionate he was about bees, and I’m not going to lie, when he first started talking to me, I’m like ‘I don’t care about bees. If they all died, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings at all,’” Zachmann said of her initial reaction. To humor McCumber, Zachmann picked up a book on the subject of the biology of the honey bee and how the components of a hive work, and, to her surprise, immediately fell in love with them. The more research Zachmann did on the topic, the more “obsessed” she became. Now, she explained, “It’s become an addiction.” “I borrowed a book from him that I thought he had read—come to find out he’d never read it—I sat down and read the whole book cover to cover, and I was texting him while he was at work like, ‘Did you know this? Did you know that?’” she said. Zachmann said the realization of how many foods bees are responsible for is what sparked her passion, explaining that one of every three bites of food can be attributed to bees and their pollination. She listed strawberries, blueberries, squash, watermelon, peach-
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es, apples, and more as foods that would struggle to survive without the help of bees. The ripple effect of losing those foods would travel up the food chain, affecting deer, turkeys, chickens, and cattle, among others. “Thinking about that, and thinking what it’s going to be like for my son and his kids and his grandkids and the generations to come. It’s important that we do this,” Zachmann said. “It’s important that we save the bees, and I get a lot of joy out of it.” Shortly after discovering her passion for bees, Zachmann and McCumber came up with the company’s unique name and created business cards and a Facebook page, advertising their free removal of honey bee swarms. “Swarm removals were, like, crazy calls coming in,” she said. “We’re one of three beekeepers that I know that do it completely free of charge. We don’t charge for gas, even, to go out there. If people want to donate, they’re welcome to, but we never request a donation. We never request payment for swarm removal, because nobody budgets their money thinking ‘Oh, I might have bees come through this month, so I’ll need to budget some money for that.’ I know what it’s like to be a single mom and not have money to take care of that. If you charge even $60 for a swarm removal, people are going to be like, ‘Well, a can of Raid’s only going to cost me $5. It’s cheaper to do that and kill the bees.’ Well, we don’t want them to do that. We want to save the bees.” Many of the area school districts, police departments, fire departments, homeowners, builders, and other members of the community “have Jackass
Honey Farms on speed dial,” according to Zachmann, as they’ve come to rely on the business for their expertise in removing bee swarms on their properties. “Our main source of getting the bees is by going out and doing those swarm removals free of charge,” Zachmann said. “We have a lot of people that follow us, and people that post on buy, sell and trade sites like, ‘I have this bee swarm. What do I do to get rid of them?’ and people are like ‘Call Jackass Honey farms.’ I mean, we’re like the Ghostbusters. You call, we’re there.” Today, the Jackass Honey Farms property is undergoing some major changes as they begin to work on a large pond and plant a number of different fruit trees and wildflowers, in order to attract and retain more honey bees. McCumber, Zachmann, and her seven-year-old son are currently in the process of planting vitex trees, pear trees, Mexican plum trees, cherry trees, peach trees, apple trees, yaupon holly, Russian sage, Texas sage, privet, yellow jasmine, and more. According to Zachmann, the better they can accommodate the bees on their property, the less likely it is that their bees will have to travel long distances to find what they need to survive. The leading cause of honey bees’ death, according to Zachmann, is wear and tear on their wings as they fly around in search of pollen. Jackass Honey Farms currently has more than 200 full-size hives, with the expectation for that total to rise to 500-plus within the next two years. Zachmann and McCumber take pride in their hives being “treatment-free,” meaning no chemicals are used for pest control or other purposes. Because of that, part of Zachmann’s regular responsibilities include checking for pests and diseases in the hives every other day, which she never does without her bee suit. She also checks to see if any of her colonies are short on honey or pollen, so she can provide the resources they need in order to survive if they are unable to fend for themselves. Zachmann and McCumber sell honey, creamed honey, honey barbecue sauce, and all-natural honey soap. The majority of their business is done at The Market at Indian Mound Ranch, a Liberty Hill farmers market that features products from a number of local homesteaders, including farmers, gardeners and textile manufacturers.
THE MARKET AT INDIAN MOUND RANCH
E
very Saturday during growing season, Susan Jones Anderson and a number of local homesteaders gather at The Market at Indian Mound Ranch to sell honey, produce, eggs, beef, baked goods, jewelry, and more. Anderson was born and raised in Liberty Hill, though she spent five years in South Padre Island managing a restaurant before moving back to Liberty Hill in 2013 to care for her mother. When her father passed away in 2015, she inherited the historic 500-acre Indian Mound Ranch, and decided at that point that she wanted to do something different for a living after having worked in the restaurant industry for more than 20 years. “A couple of years ago, I had a huge garden, and I had 60 or 70 chickens, and I decided that I was going to go to Wolf Ranch or Sun City (in Georgetown), but then I thought, ‘Well, that’s silly. Why don’t I just go up to my front gate and sell it?’” Anderson said. Anderson garnered interest from some other local homesteaders, mostly by Find fresh eggs and homegrown produce every Saturday during growing season at The Market at Indian Mound Ranch on SH 29 in Liberty Hill.
taking advantage of social media, which led to the creation of what is now The Market at Indian Mound Ranch. “First of all, I never want to work for anybody else,” Anderson said of her reasoning for starting The Market. “Being able to support myself and support what I do here. I met so many really cool people, local moms that were trying to support their families and were trying to increase their income from where they live, instead of trying to sell what they know, and it’s all been just such a really, really cool thing.” Anderson raises more than 100 chickens and a handful of ducks, manages a garden, and sells seven or eight cases of her “almost world famous” dill pickles every week. For her, the most rewarding aspects of running The Market are the returns that she sees her vendors receive, and a renewed sense of community that she remembers feeling as a child growing up in Liberty Hill. “I’ve got moms that are paying for baseball uniforms and school supplies,” she said. “I’ve got people that are supplementing their retirement income. I’ve got disabled people that are supplementing their social security. In doing that, we have managed to bring together the community again. When I was a kid, we CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 used to all go to
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market days down at the VFW. Now, that’s been lost. Somehow, I think we’re kind of bringing it all back, which is really, really cool.” The goal for The Market at this point is to continue to grow, starting with more produce and farm goods and continuing to add on to the variety of local artists that sell their handcrafted goods at Indian Mound Ranch. Anderson hopes that the continued growth of The Market will spearhead an integration between Liberty Hill’s newer residents and its natives, so the newer residents can gain an understanding of Liberty Hill’s culture. “The main thing is to build the community to where everybody that’s old-school Liberty Hill and the new people coming in can join up,” Anderson said, “and they can sit and they can visit, they can interact with each other, because we’re becoming such a big community that the old local natives, like me, we’re getting lost with the new people coming in. These new people coming in don’t have a clue who we are, and I want those new people coming in to meet us. We’re all good people, and we all have the same vision.” Each of the vendors who sell goods at The Market is local, and by “local,” Anderson means from Williamson County, or, at the very furthest, from north Travis County or Burnet. Her less-than-stellar experience with other “local” farmers markets in the area whose vendors were from “all over the map” is what led her to commit to such a localized market. She explained that many of these markets require a fee as high as $65 a day for each vendor to set up a booth. Anderson’s fee is currently $10 a day, and she aims to keep it that way, in order to allow small-time homesteaders to continue to make a profit. “I want them to be able to make a living,” she said. “Do you have any idea how many eggs you have to sell to pay a $65 booth fee? That’s not feasible. So I went, ‘Okay, well, we’re going to do this for real reasonable, and I hope that everybody can come and pay the $10, then they can go home and they can buy school supplies, or they can buy school pictures for their kids.’ I’m very fortunate that I have the resources where I don’t have to make a living from what I do, because if I had to make a living from what I do, I’d be sunk.”
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Susan Jones Anderson offers local growers and artisans a prime location on SH 29 to sell their goods.
Dr. Dwayne Nash raises his own vegetables from a raised garden near Liberty Hill.
DR. DEWAYNE NASH
A
nother one of Liberty Hill’s modern-day homesteaders is Dr. Dewayne Nash, a former doctor who was forced to shut down his practice after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2010. Today, Nash and his wife manage a 700-square-foot raised-bed vegetable garden and about 15 chickens. For those that don’t know what a raised-bed vegetable garden is, it’s a strategy used to combat the rocky soil often found in central Texas that requires gardeners to literally raise their vegetable beds in order for the roots to have enough room in the soil to survive. “If you’re going to garden around here, pretty much if you garden west of the interstate, in the hill country of Liberty Hill, for example, you pretty much have to do raised gardens, because the soil is so rocky,” Nash said. “As you get east of I-35, you’ve got that black soil that’s really good for farming, but on this side, you pretty much have to bring in dirt and do raised beds. I use limestone rocks, so mine is raised up about a foot and a half, and I brought in good soil that’s about two feet deep. If I tried to garden without doing that, my soil depth is only about a foot, so it’s not enough to garden in.” Nash’s garden isn’t meant for profit. His primary goal is to provide he and his wife with fresh vegetables, and, when they overproduce, to provide gifts for family friends. His 15 chickens typically produce between five and eight eggs per day, which he and his wife use for gifts and their own consumption. While gardening was only a part-time hobby while Nash worked in the
medical field, his retirement has allowed him to dedicate more time and energy to it. “I grew up in the country, so I’ve always had at least a small little garden,” Nash said. “Then when I moved out there where I am now about 15, 16 years ago, I started small and I expanded it. I have seven brothers and sisters, and everybody gardens. I spend a lot of time talking to people, like I did with my patients. In between seeing them, I’d encourage them to plant an organic garden and stuff like that.” At the moment, Nash’s garden includes Swiss chard, English peas, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, and more. His day-to-day responsibilities include monitoring his chickens, collecting the eggs, and harvesting his garden when the time is right. He also spends his time assisting Habitat for Humanity, where he often helps the organization plant gardens for other Central Texas residents. The most rewarding aspect of organic gardening, according to Nash, is the unique flavor of the foods he’s able to eat right out of his garden. He explained that even the freshest organic produce at the grocery store doesn’t have the same unique flavor that his vegetables do, due to the fact that he’s able to eat them immediately after harvest. “Every morning, I eat my eggs the chickens laid the night before,” Nash said. “It’s just so fresh. Right now we have fresh peaches, and I’ll just reach over and grab a peach and eat it off the vine. I mean, you can’t buy one in the store that tastes that good. Of course, I’m all organic, so I know there’s no poisons in it. Or if I go down there, I have a real long 40-foot asparagus bed during asparagus season. I just walk by there, pick a couple of them and eat them raw. If you go buy asparagus at the store, even if they may be organic, the flavor is just so much better. I know I’m eating something that’s not contaminated; it’s fresh, and just…the flavor. One thing I’ve gotten to appreciate over the last 15 years is just the flavor of food.”
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Joe Schram of JOLI Farms has mastered aquaponic farming and is teaching others about sustainable farming practices.
JOLI FARMS
J
oe Schram, the owner of JOLI Farms in Liberty Hill, has dedicated his life to teaching others about natural and sustainable farming practices. On his own property, Schram raises sheep, donkeys, and chickens, but his deepest passion is for the unique practice of aquaponic farming. “Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics, which is the raising of vegetables using water and liquid nutrients, and aquaculture, which is the raising of fish,” Schram said. “We have a standalone tank with fish in there, which we feed non-GMO fish food, and the fish produce a lot of minerals in there that you can’t find in the ground.” The water out of the fish tank is pumped from through gravel beds, which helps filter it, and Schram’s vegetables are actually grown in the gravel beds themselves. The water then drains from the gravel beds into what is called a deep-water culture raft. The raft, which Schram has several of, is about 18 inches deep, eight feet wide, and 60 feet long. On top of the raft sits two-inch thick Styrofoam through which Schram’s lettuce grows. “They’re in a little net cup in a hole of that Styrofoam, and the roots reach down into the water and, what’s happening, the fish just naturally put ammonia in the water through their gills and through their feces,” Schram said. “That ammonia, if it builds up, will kill fish, but what happens is that our system turns the ammonia into nitrates, which is what we call the nitrification process. Plants take those nitrates up as fertilizer, and they’re happy to have them.” Essentially, Schram’s plants are cleaning the water for the fish, and the fish are providing fertilizer for the plants. The only things Schram and his team of volunteers have to add are small amounts of magnesium and iron. “I mean, how much cleaner can you get?” Schram asked. “We only use five percent of the water of any other form of farming or gardening, and we can grow twice as much. We find that things grow twice as fast in the aquaponic system, and if you give me an acre of ground and an acre of greenhouses, I’m going to grow 10 times as much produce.” Schram’s goal, through speaking engagements and teaching agricultural classes, is to spread the message of aquaponic farming to as many people as he can. He teaches an annual class for the Williamson County Master Gardeners organization, and has spoken on the topic at chambers of commerce, horticulture clubs, and gardening clubs. “We exist to teach people to grow food,” he said. Schram sells his products to local restaurants, including Blue Corn Harvest in Cedar Park, Monument Café in Georgetown, Sweet Lemon Inn and Kitchen in GeorgeCONTINUED ON PAGE 20 town, Jack Allen’s Kitchen and Reunion Ranch in Georgetown, L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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THE AGRICULTURAL ROOTS OF LIBERT Y HILL have run deep for decades,
and despite the growth the community is seeing, it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon. Zachmann, McCumber, Anderson, Nash, and Schram are only a handful of the dozens of Liberty Hill residents making a difference through homesteading. Modern homesteaders are popping up in the Liberty Hill community seemingly every day, and local events like The Market at Indian Mound Ranch are making sure that their lifestyles remain sustainable. To contact Jackass Honey Farms, visit www.facebook.com/jackasshoneyfarms or call (512) 484-1101. To learn more about The Market at Indian Mound Ranch, visit www.facebook.com/imrmarket, visit their website at www.indianmoundranchtx.com, or call (956) 312-9263. To learn more about JOLI Farms, visit www.jolifarms.com.
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and a local bakery. Schram also hosts a farmers market once a week, and sees lots of visitors come through the gates of JOLI Farms to buy veggies, eggs, and other products straight from the source. Although Schram’s prices are higher than those at most supermarkets, he explained that his products will improve health, thus saving his customers money on medical bills in the long run. A green house “The price of veggies for the at JOLI Farms. typical Liberty Hill person, you know, they’re used to going to HEB and buying a head of lettuce for 99 cents, and ours is three and a quarter,” he said. “We try to explain to them that iceberg lettuce at the grocery store has zero nutritional value, and ours is full of nutrients. We don’t grow iceberg; it’s not sprayed with pesticides and things like that, so it’s a much purer product for you. You’re either going to pay the doctor, or you’re going to pay the farmer.” Each day, Schram’s responsibilities include harvesting, plant maintenance, product delivery, running the farmers market, reseeding beds, and monitoring and feeding his livestock, among other things. His staff of seven volunteers, which he explained is key to his operation, each assist him two to three hours a week, on average. Schram explained that he hears from lots of people that want to learn how to farm aquaponically. The easiest way to do so, according to Schram, is by jumping in headfirst to volunteer at JOLI Farms.
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Liberty Hill has had its share ... and more. If you’re among the many who has discovered Liberty Hill in recent years, chances are you’ve overheard various names dropped in conversations about folks who played pivotal roles in shaping the community. The list is
WE BEGIN with Wanda Lane, who passed away in 1995. Even today, Wanda and her small downtown cafe remain a cherished memory for many. A recent post on Facebook with an accompanying picture depicting her at work preparing a meal attracted a number of “likes” and many comments, including one post by a former patron who noted, “Wanda was the best, such a sweet woman. Love her and miss her. That was such great times going to Wanda’s cafe and eating a burger and fries. I remember she made my little sister a special burger called the ‘Holly Special.’” Perhaps it was her ability to make each customer feel just a bit “special” that was the key to Wanda’s success. Or perhaps it was her willingness to visit with customers and over a cup of coffee, give them the opportunity to share their problems. “My mother took a lot of secrets to the grave with her,” says her daughter, Paula. She opened her cafe on Hwy. 29 in the mid1970s, spending a year at that location before moving to downtown where for the next two CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
too long to address in a single article and one should approach the topic of community leaders with a bit of caution. No doubt, any one piece runs the risk of failing to mention individuals whose selfless contributions made the community a better place to live.
Wanda Lane (right) served up thousands of meals as owner of the Liberty Hill Café. Pictured with her is Linda Placker, who died in a tragic house fire the night before Wanda’s graveside service.
With that in mind, we plunge into these waters
and offer up a brief overview of people who made a difference, many of whom we have known personally since first discovering Liberty Hill more than 30 years ago. These are folks who through hard work and leadership steered the development of this community. We do not attempt to rank their accomplishments in importance and believe it best to simply recognize them, whether they are still among us or have passed on.
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Troy and Norma Joseph were among Liberty Hill’s most beloved couples.
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decades her reputation grew. After being diagnosed with cancer and facing overwhelming medical bills, Wanda discovered how much she was appreciated by the community when, in October 1994, support) when either Danny or Brenda were friends staged “Wanda Lane Appreciation on board. Day” in Veterans Park with an auction and Often viewed as brash due to his outvarious other events raising nearly $30,000 in spoken criticism of other community leada single day. ers, Danny had another side at the scene of She died Feb. 17, 1995, with her family at medical emergencies where he would calmly her side. Two days later, a graveside service address the situation, and display a deep was held at Liberty Hill Cemetery with more level of compassion for those in his care. In than 1,000 persons attending. debriefings following particularly jarring in During her life, Wanda influenced cidents, he could be moved to tears and was many, including a young man by the name a shoulder to lean on for other responders of Danny Goodson. She raised him as a son, who had assisted on those calls. Danny was and looked on with pride as Danny joined often joined at scenes by fire chief James the fire department and local EMS in the Pogue, who in the years to come would be mid-1980s. highly regarded as a fine medic himself. Danny was perhaps the most flamboy James was among the members of the ant personality to ever serve in the fire dedepartment when it first organized and partment and was seldom at a loss for words. served for several years as a volunteer before He didn’t mind stepping on toes and pushed becoming the community’s first paid fire fellow firefighters and medical personnel to chief in the late 1990s. He, along with then be the very best they could be...and expected assistant fire chief Roy Floyd, designed the more from himself, becoming a paramedic fire station built by volunteers on property after he and Brenda Cascio, another longdonated by the Liberty Hill Development time volunteer, attended classes in Temple Foundation. His devotion to the commufor a full year to earn the qualifications. This nity’s well-being and safety earned respect was long before a vote was held to create an from much of the community. emergency services district, and money to run a fire department was tight. GLORIA MYERS Danny and Brenda both dug into operated a flower shop in their pocketbooks to finance downtown Liberty Hill. their education, and Liberty Hill Gloria passed away in 2011 citizens were the ones rewarded after several years of declining with their dedication. At the time, Liberty Hill health. ran its own ambulance, one Gloria, who left a career at Southwestern Bell to purchase provided by the county with Gloria Myers is often Fantasia Flowers from Helga the understanding that the loremembered not only Smith, was perhaps the biggest cal fire department would profor her contributions to supporter of the school band vide the personnel to operate the Liberty Hill school program this community it. With their paramedic status, band program, but her ever had. For several years the local ambulance would be tireless energy for other civic activities. she donated proceeds from elevated to ALS (advanced life
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homecoming mum sales to scholarships for Liberty Hill band students and there’s no telling how many thousands of dollars she gave. One could find her in her shop in the middle of the night making the mums and no student ever had to go to Homecoming without one — if they couldn’t afford to purchase one, Gloria would absorb the cost herself. But Gloria’s support of the community wasn’t limited to the school. She was an early member of the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce, and threw her backing to Chamber events such as the annual festival, each year undertaking the task of promoting and organizing the arts and crafts portion of the event. She despised “organized” meetings, preferring instead to meet with others in her shop and laying out plans in an informal setting. Her strong advocacy of Liberty Hill eventually led to the local Masonic Lodge recognizing her with the Community Builder’s Award — the highest recognition Masons bestow upon a nonmember. The Chamber itself, in the mid1990s, named her as Citizen of the Year. Gloria had a particular love for older citizens, and one of those was the late Troy Joseph, who served alongside her on the Chamber’s board of directors and was also a staunch supporter of community activities. Troy died in July 2011 only a few weeks after his wife of more than 50 years, Norma, passed on. Troy was a big supporter of the volunteer fire department and for several years served as auctioneer for the annual barbecue/auction. He also belonged to the Liberty Hill VFW, and upon stepping down from the Chamber’s board of directors was granted a lifetime membership. In his later years he took on the unofficial position of heading up the Liberty Hill Information Center. After the Liberty Hill Cafe closed down, Gloria moved her flower shop into that building and her former location provided space for Troy, and other Liberty Hill oldtimers, to CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
School. How many districts can claim such an amazing heritage?”
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meet and share old stories with visitors passing through town. He soon began collecting electric fans to help those less fortunate have a means of keeping their homes cool during the summer months. Among those closest to Troy was the late Jimmy Waterston, who could often be found trading barbs with Troy inside the information center. Waterston, a veteran of the Korean War who also served during the Vietnam conflict, was also a big supporter of the Liberty Hill ISD athletic program. He was the unofficial caretaker of Veterans Park, keeping the grounds mowed and watered on a regular basis and enjoyed walking over to the Liberty Hill Cafe while taking a break from work, where he would drink coffee and chain smoke unfiltered cigarettes. Waterston was never one to hold office in any particular organization, but gained local fame as a member of the “Codger Construction Crew” that also included Sam Blair, Bob Harris and the late Bill Burden, retired superintendent of the Liberty Hill school district. After the Liberty Hill Development Foundation was formed in1992, the organization would soon acquire 18 acres from Featherlite Corp. Two of those acres were given to the Liberty Hill Volunteer Fire Department, and on the remaining acreage the “Codgers” soon went to work building two youth baseball fields and other amenities that would eventually become known as Lions Foundation Park. Burden was perhaps the unofficial leader of the group, and it wasn’t the first time he stepped up to provide guidance for the community. In 1979, he was hired as superintendent of the Liberty Hill ISD. During his four-year tenure as superintendent, he implemented the changes necessary so that Liberty Hill would retain the accreditation status it had reclaimed only a couple of years earlier. Before passing away in 2009,
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Former LHISD Superintendent Louine Noble looks on as LHISD Trustee Richard Wear (center) presents Ryan Cole with his diploma during 1989 graduation exercises. Wear passed away in 2010.
he would be on hand to see his accomplishments honored as a new elementary school was opened bearing his name. Bill became close friends with several of those who had served on the school board during his tenure, including the late Richard Wear, who died a few months after Bill. Richard, after having moved to Liberty Hill in the mid-1970s, served several terms on the school board. Upon his passing, former Liberty Hill elementary teacher Louine Noble, along with Joyce Burden and Emily Adney (Bill’s daughter) issued a statement that noted, “During his tenure, times were financially challenging for the community and district. As a fiscal conservative, he watched carefully over the taxpayers’ funds. The district needed additional facilities. Children needed classrooms, swings and slides, and tennis courts. Because of limited funds, a professional school building firm could not be hired; however, Richard would not allow the children to do without. He led the amazing volunteer effort to build additional classrooms to the current Liberty Hill Elementary
Charles Canady was the longest serving member of the Liberty Hill City Council, and was known for his deep commitment to the community where he spent his entire life. He owned and operated the Quick Service Garage, which remains the oldest business still in operation in Liberty Hill.
LOUINE NOBLE herself remains among one of the most beloved figures the school district produced. She spent her first year at Liberty Hill as a member of the elementary teaching staff before being hired as elementary principal in 1995. Over the next several years, in a firm but loving manner, she produced a lifetime of memories for her students — some of which involved a paddle when needed, other times her hair brush when an unwilling student needed a bit of encouragement to go to class. Miss Noble was one of many Liberty Hill teachers to leave an impression on her students. Another was the late Nathan Wetzel, who went on to serve on the Liberty Hill school board and later, become the first mayor of the City of Liberty Hill following the city’s vote to incorporate. Nathan received 80 percent of the vote in the May 1999 election. Before becoming mayor, Wetzel had already established himself as one of the most respected citizens of the community. In 1963, he served as the faculty advisor for three students — Tony Miranda, James Myers and Margie Frazier --who, as a class project, laid the groundwork for the Liberty Hill Water Supply Corporation. The students presented their plans to business owners CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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who in turn offered financial support for the project, and later federal money was obtained to complete it. Wetzel lived in Liberty Hill for more than 50 years, and during that time served as president for a number of organizations, including the PTA, the Liberty Hill Water Supply Corp. and the Lions Club. He also was a member of the Liberty Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s board of directors, helped organize the Liberty Hill Little League and served as a master for the Liberty Hill Masonic Lodge. Wetzel taught vocational agriculture in Liberty Hill from 1950-1966 and also spent time at Georgetown, finally retiring in 1980 although he came out of retirement briefly to help the Liberty Hill vocational work program get going. Earlier this year, the Liberty Hill City Council chose to honor Wetzel’s memory by naming a park after him. He passed away in 2001. Also serving with Nathan on that first council was Charles Canady. Charles continued to serve on the council for 13 years until 2013 — the longest serving member in the city’s history. He passed away in October 2014 after a battle with cancer and years of health problems following a major electrocution in 2005. Charles operated Quick Service Garage, a James and Dorothy Vaughan are pictured in downtown Liberty Hill in this photo from the mid-1960s. He is often remembered as one of Liberty Hill’s most progressive citizens.
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business that had been in grocery store that both young the family since 1927. Quick and old loved to visit. His Local rancher/farmer Service Garage, the commufriends enjoyed stopping by Pete Kauffman is remembered as the last nity’s oldest business still in some evenings for a few hands great maize producer in operation downtown, is now of dominoes, and youngsters Williamson County. owned and operated by his found themselves often treated wife, Kathy Canady. to candy. Driven by a deep commitment to com Roy is said to have supported all Liberty munity service, Charles and Kathy gave life Hill sports and was also considered a good in 2006 to the annual Liberty Hill Christmas friend of the fire department. He was a Festival and parade. Charles played Santa member of the Masonic Lodge. He was and heard the wishes of thousands of Liberamong the charter members of the board of ty Hill children through the years. directors for the Liberty Hill Water Supply In an October 2014 issue of The Corp. In addition to operating Allman’s Independent after Charles’ death, editorial Grocery, he was employed by the US Postal writer Charley Wilkison noted, “He (Charles Service for 27 years, retiring in 1991. He Canady) moved our community, sometimes actually sold his store in 1985, but continued by sheer force of will, toward steady reato work part-time for the new owners. sonableness. While others staked out their Roy passed away in 2004. political positions, Charles seemed to enjoy finding the center, the place where he could ANOTHER Liberty Hill man who make good things happen. gained the respect of many was Pete “Charles loved his hometown and was Kauffman, who passed away earlier this driven by a heartfelt connection to this place year. In a story following the funeral, The on the Shin Oak Ridge. He spent his entire Independent reported, “Kauffman, as many life here and wanted Liberty Hill to be a born in 1921, developed frugal spending place where his children could raise their habits early in life. He came of age during the families. As an elected official, he helped to Great Depression, poor and living off what shape his hometown, motivated by a desire little the shallow soil in Liberty Hill would to make this place better for everyone.” provide. The average life expectancy for men Charles was not the only member of born that year barely tops out near 60 years, the Canady family to serve the community. and so Kauffman’s passing leaves one fewer His father, Joe Ed, was elected chief of the than the already few who remember a much Liberty Hill Volunteer Fire Department different Liberty Hill.” when it first organized in the late 1960s. Another Liberty Hill man who grew up in Charles’ brother, Joey, also served with the the same era was James Randolph Vaughan, fire department. His mother, Nina Faye, who passed away in 1998. James also loved served as postmistress of the Liberty Hill sports (he played semi-professional baseball Post Office. Joe Ed also served on the Liberty in his younger years) and served in the US Hill Water Supply Corp. board of directors Army during World War II. He went on to for a number of years. work in the US Postal Service. Across the street and down just a ways James recorded much of Liberty Hill’s from Canady garage, beginning in 1958, was history with his movie camera, and is credanother Liberty Hill businessman who over ited with convincing the late Mel Fowler a course of more than a quarter of a century that Liberty Hill was the place to hold the developed a loyal following. Roy Allman, CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 who passed away in 2004, operated a small
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International Sculpture Symposium in 1976. The community rallied behind Vaughan and Fowler’s proposal, and less than a year later, from mid-October through the end of November, 23 artists from six countries worked away in Veterans Park at works of art still valued at more than $1 million. Local residents provided room and board for the sculptors, and local businesses chipped in financial support for the endeavor. When complete, the sculptures remained in Liberty Hill. More than 40 years later, the works are considered by community leaders as a unique resource to incorporate into the city’s overall design. James was among those to organize the
volunteer fire department in the late 1960s and served as a firefighter for several years. He also served on the board of directors of the Liberty Hill Cemetery Association. He loved to tell stories about Liberty Hill’s yesteryears and maintained a collection of photographs and collectibles. He was also heavily involved with the development of the Austin Steam Train Association. Another individual who played a key role in researching and preserving Liberty Hill history was Myreta Matthews, who passed away in 1993. Myreta’s family history in the area dated back to 1872, when the family established a private school just south of Liberty Hill. The one-room log house opened as a free school two years later.
In 1977, she was appointed chairman of the Williamson County Historical Association, an organization she first became involved with in 1972. She was a teacher, having followed in her father’s footsteps. Myreta also served as chairman of the Liberty Hill Cemetery Association during her lifetime. She is credited with researching the Liberty Hill Cemetery, the Stubblefield building, the Masonic Lodge, the First Baptist Church and the John G. Matthews farm. Her efforts paved the way for those historic locations to eventually be granted historical markers noting their significance in Texas history.
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DEEPER
DIGGING A LITTLE
IN THE SOUTH SAN GABRIEL DINOSAUR TRACKWAYS STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
Linda McCall from UT Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology takes measurements of an alleged theropod track in the South San Gabriel River. L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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THE
dinosaur tracks at this bend of the
South San Gabriel River look fresh. Every detail of the feet’s soft anatomy has been almost perfectly preserved, down to the pattern of its pads and the tendons for its claws. A slow process of sediment filling in over eons has hardened into limestone what once were simple pockets in the mud, not unlike the dog tracks one can often find just yards away his is a glimpse into life as it was in Central Texas roughly 100 million years ago. Or maybe not.
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Dr. Susan Hovorka and Dr. Linda McCall, scientists with the Jackson School of Geoscience at The University of Texas, said on a recent trip to the South San Gabriel tracks that there’s a good reason to doubt their authenticity. Namely, that they’re too perfect. When asked for general insight into how dinosaur tracks are formed, mentioning almost by accident the specific South San Gabriel tracks, the scientists noted that these trackways weren’t actually in the files at the Bureau of Economic Geology, their research unit in the department. They proposed a visit. The search for a dinosaur commenced one morning in early March. Though the tracks are only a short hike upstream from US Highway 183, and a well-known spot for locals, they’re actually quite hard to find. They lie in the shallow part of the riverbed, and therefore spend a good part of the year covered by running water. Spotted are some reputed sauropod dinosaur tracks nearby, but they’re not the theropod tracks that were the subject of the search. These sauropod trackways are also well-known in the area, at least to academics, as possible evidence of the controversial idea that these giant, long-necked herbivores (best known by “Brontosaurus”) might have ventured out to the kind of shallow seas that once covered this area.
The sauropod trackways here are faint. As vaguely round depressions, they blend easily into the surrounding pockmarks of the riverbed. The theropod trackways were supposed to be much more clearly defined. Pictures online show them as dramatic, three-clawed outlines that just scream “dinosaur.” It’s not hard to see why they, and not the sauropod trackways, have become such a favorite with local travel bloggers. It began drizzling after an hour or so of searching. Finally they are spotted with the help of a geotagged photo on Google Maps. The water had already risen enough to lightly cover them, but a couple of hands easily cleared out the basin of the prints. The tracks are just as awe-inspiring as photographs had led to expect. But the sense of wonder was short-lived. Squatting to examine one, Hovorka says something seems strange. “They should look like messy dog footprints,” she said. She runs a finger along the inside rim of the depression.“It’s rare for a track to be this beautifully preserved.” There’s no ridge in the limestone slightly raised around the tracks. The pressure of the foot setting down usually pushes up the mud around it. Many of the tracks are flat on the inside, where the curve of the claw would otherwise dig into. McCall takes measurements and photographs them next to rulers. She counts
LEFT: The trackways’ position in the riverbed means that running water covers it for a majority of the year. THIS PAGE: The scientists count 12 prints, spaced out between 55”-59”.
12 prints, spaced out between 55 to 59 inches, all evenly aligned with one another and each measuring about 18 inches from heel to claw. Hovorka says a missing print would be good, or maybe a missing claw. But nothing is missing. The tracks sputter out briefly from under the eastern bank, curving toward the center for a moment before drifting back under the bank. The movement they capture might have lasted only a few seconds. The limestone slab covers what came before and after. There are, however, a few points of credibility for Hovorka. One is what appears to be raised bubbles in the second print. Another is that they could be ornithopod (“bird footed”) tracks instead of theropod (“beast footed”), and putting aside the specifics of these tracks, the existence of orinthopods here do make sense. The mud flat that covered here, and all of Central Texas for hundreds of miles, would have been replete with worms, shrimp and fish. These are foods that modern day birds eat, and an ornithopod dinosaur probably would’ve had a similar diet. After all, the key to the past, Hovorka says, is the present. But ultimately the only evidence that could prove the matter to Hovorka and McCall, one way or the other, lies underneath that limestone slab. Short of using extreme measures, or just waiting until erosion takes its course, the evidence is a wash.
“There were dinosaurs here, that’s for certain,” she says. “I’m just not sure about these tracks. I’m not saying for certain that they’re fake, but these could have easily been manufactured.” The idea might not be as far-fetched as it sounds.
IN HER OWN LIFE, Hovorka says as a child she was shown the footprints of where the archangel Saint Gabriel once walked in Indiana. And even here, just 100 miles north of this bend on the South San Gabriel, an area to the southwest of Dallas holds the honor of being one of the world’s most prolific sites for dinosaur tracks— and some of the most infamous fakes. Poor farmers in the region during the Great Depression learned they could sell the chiseled-out tracks for significant profit to visiting tourists and paleontologists. And when the supply got low, accounts would later testify, they learned some ways to carve more in. Throwing in a few human footprints only raised the price. These were used later in the century by some as proof of a compressed timeline, in which dinosaurs and humans walked together. Later analysis culled these fakes from the ranks of the genuine records. Some of the “human” footprints that were really that old were found to have been mis-read from the elongated feet of some dinosaurs.
To date, half a dozen “human” footprints and two “saber-tooth tiger” trackways have been identified as manufactured and removed. But to be clear, those kind of tracks are in the minority. The area that is now Dinosaur State Park near Glen Rose truly is “extremely prolific” in the amount of genuine tracks it contains, says Austin Paleontology Society President Erich Rose. “There’s hundreds of yards and thousands of feet of these trackways there.” And even more have been exposed in recent years from flooding.
UNLIKE FOSSILS, trackways are actually fairly common, Rose explains. There are probably close to 100 scattered throughout the Glen Rose formation, a limestone formation spanning most of Texas, including Dinosaur Valley State Park and the South San Gabriel. Where exposed, the formation shows Texas as it was 100 million years ago— a shallow sea full of broad lagoons and tidal flats. And dinosaurs. One site with parallel trackways has been interpreted by some as recording an ancient chase scene. Another appears to show a stampede. But Rose also says that footprints can be a funny thing. “They can be really vague, or, they can CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
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be super pristine. Sometimes you’re looking at the actual mud they were formed in, and sometimes you’re looking at the layer that was below them,” he said. It’s why he isn’t convinced that the relatively rare “perfection” of the South San Gabriel tracks should cast doubt on them. “The tracks are real. They’ve been well known for close to 100 years now,” he said. In fact, Rose visited the tracks himself 10 years ago. The indented ring around one of the tracks remains from the technique his colleagues used to create a plaster mold of the print. He still has a copy of it, as do many members in his group. But because that was 10 years ago, he offers one qualification: “Could someone have carved a few new ones or even cleaned up some of the old ones? I don’t know,” Rose said. Other area paleontologists expressed a similar sentiment.
DR. RENA BONEM, a geoscientist at Baylor University specializing in Paleoecology, wrote in an email that having examined photos of the tracks, “they look authentic and no more perfect than other tridactyl tracks around the 38
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state.” She said she would have to look at them in person to be sure, but “it’s certainly likely that they are dinosaur tracks.” From the Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country, Everett Deschner also said he could not make a firm judgement on their authenticity from photos, but that they do show “all the attributes of a theropod track.” But perhaps the most experienced opinion comes from Dr. James Farlow, a Professor of Geosciences at Indiana University. After publishing dozens of articles and books on dinosaur footprints, he’s often considered one of the leading experts in the subject. In an email to Liberty Hill Living, he wrote that he had been to the area sometime in the late 1980s, and maybe even saw these tracks in particular. “The appearance of the footprint itself looks pretty reasonable to me, although that ring around it gives me pause,” he wrote. “I almost wonder if somebody ineptly tried to make a cast of a print, and ended up partly filling up the print with the casting medium.” Apart from the ring, though, he agreed that this is “probably a theropod dinosaur trackway.” But again, a firm pronouncement might require more than photos. A skim through the literature of firsthand accounts from paleontologists sheds little light.
WHERE THE SOUTH San Gabriel River is mentioned as a site, it is usually limited to a marking on a state map
LEFT: The Bureau maintains geologic maps of areas all over Texas. This one shows a “30 x 60 minute quadrangle” around Taylor, Texas. ABOVE: Fossilized, ancient algae blankets some limestone rocks near the dinosaur tracks.
alongside dozens of other trackway sites in the Glen Rose formation. Additionally, it is often not specified whether the reference is to the round, vaguely-defined sauropod trackways, or the more dramatic, deeper theropod tracks. But one interesting detail does reveal itself in the confusion. The earliest found reference to the site is in a 1974 article from UT Austin paleontologist Dr. Wann Langston, Jr. In this survey of Texas’ trackways from the Mesozoic era (256 to 66 million years ago), Langston mentions the South San Gabriel, and describes the sauropod trackways in detail, but makes no mention of the nearby theropod trackway. He writes, “Several short, roughly parallel trails at the top of the Glen Rose Limestone exposed in the bed of the South San Gabriel River [...] seem to show graduations between relatively featureless basin-like depressions and more conventional sauropod tracks such as those which I believe may be attributable to Pleurocoelus.” He goes on to speculate why the tracks appear so faintly. “The present condition of the San Gabriel tracks is the result not only of originally shallower and perhaps firmer mud, smaller (and hence lighter) individuals, but also of weathering, apparently both before CONTINUED ON PAGE 40
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burial and after exposure,” he wrote. A plate showing the tracks is marked, “Supposed Sauropod trackway.” Why would Langston take such lengths to describe a weakly imprinted specimen when there was a decidedly more pronounced trackway just yards away? Could it have been that the three-clawed track simply wasn’t there? Farlow says Langston’s omission might not be that surprising. “Theropod tracks are not at all uncommon in central Texas,” he writes. “I’ve published papers in the scientific literature about such prints since 1981, and am still working on these footprints.”
A CERTAIN AMOUNT of uncertainty and debate is baked into the scientific process. Put another way, even wrong questions generate valuable answers.
And the geological sciences have no shortage of questions. Even just within the South San Gabriel, the theropod tracks aren’t the only disputed formation. One can find what appear to be fossilized troughs intermittently throughout the river’s winding. Hovorka says a proper explanation for this phenomenon as it is found elsewhere has yet to find consensus. Some say they’re natural formations, others that they’re more recent marks left by wagon wheels of pioneers. “Sometimes we as scientists confess, we don’t know,” she says. Truths, she continues, are built up over time through a network of inferences, as fragmentary evidence accumulates to corroborate one another and anticipate new discoveries. There’s no eureka moment, smoking gun or “missing link.” Take for instance the shallow sea that covered Central Texas. The proof is vast
and overwhelming, but more importantly commonplace. Feet away from the theropod tracks (or chisel marks), seashells, oysters and clams are embedded in the limestone walls. Even the inconspicuous cracks in the limestone bed of the river have a name — joints. They’re the products of colossal pressure, and following them points at a perpendicular angle to a much larger tension. In this case, that’s the Balcones Fault. It’s what gave us Mount Bonnell, Barton Springs, and Interstate 35. Highways are often planned to follow the natural geography, and so it’s no coincidence they often inadvertently follow long tectonic seams, where the shallow soil makes for easy roadways. If the present is the key to the past, the reverse is true as well. “You don’t have to travel halfway around the world to do geology,” Hovorka. “It’s in your backyard, it’s right here.”
Liberty Hill Lions Club meets the 1st Friday at 7am & 3rd Friday at noon at the Fellowship Hall, 102 Myrtle Street Liberty Hill
Liberty Hill Lions Club We are a part of the largest service organization in the world, doing work to serve those in need in our community, our state and our world. We support Operation Liberty Hill, give scholarships to our graduating seniors, support Texas Lions Camp for disabled children, and many other worthwhile projects. We raise money for our projects with our Thrill of the Hill 5K, our quarterly fish fry, our Rip Roarin’ Ride, and our flag project. Check us out on our website: www.lhlions.org
Liberty Hill Development Foundation Is a 501(c)3 organization that was started before Liberty Hill incorporated, to provide the community facilities that make it a better place to live and raise a family. The opportunity came when land was given to the foundation. Some land was donated for the new fire department building, ball fields were built, and a hike and bike trail marked off. A library was built and Lions Foundation Park was created. Since then, the Foundation acquired the 1976 Symposium sculptures and is working on their preservation. Check out our webpage at: www.lhsculptures.com
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It was common for landscape painters in late
19th Century Paris to flee the city for the countryside. They would relocate their studios to remote villages, and set their easels out in the open fields. Popular wisdom held that this outdoor environment, closer to the land and traditional living, made for better art than a cramped studio overlooking a busy street.
And, that thinking might have been right. The movement to paint en
plein air (outdoors) produced a generation of artists whose works are still cherished, from Claude Monet to Vincent Van Gogh. And 200 years later, artists with a similar mind to escape the crowds of Austin and other cities are finding a quiet refuge in Liberty Hill. Some artists were lucky enough to have been born here.
THE Liberty Hill’s natural landscape has seeped into the music of Sarah Pierce and Merel Bregante in more ways than one. “Small Town,” off the couple’s latest album “Barbed Wire”, is about Liberty Hill.
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Armed with guitars and paint brushes, chisels and sewing needles, Liberty Hill artists are
continuing a tradition of creative expression that dates back far longer than the 1976 International Sculpture Symposium. The event, the first of its kind in the American South, is sometimes said to have first put Liberty Hill on the map for fine art. Though it brought together 25 sculptors from six countries to create original sculptures (valued at an estimated $1.6 million), it’s important to note that museums and appraisers don’t define the limits of good art.
Call it folk art, Americana, Texana or traditional crafts. What ties together today’s local artists
is not just a shared dedication to creative labor, it’s that Liberty Hill is for them much more than a place to simply hang their hats. The community and the land are an inspiration and a backdrop — whether its familiar sights are directly depicted in a piece, or simply that they play the acoustic guitar instead of the viola.
This is Liberty Hill through its artists.
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LIBERTY HILL AS A REFUGE FOR ARTISTS
STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
Y MEREL BREGANTE & SARAH PIERCE Z
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usband and wife duos aren’t uncommon in country music. Take Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, or Johnny Cash and June Carter. One plays an instrument while the other sings, or various combinations of that. Less common is for one to perform and the other to audio engineer. But that’s exactly what Merel Bregante and Sarah Pierce do. While Pierce sings and plays on one side of the studio glass, Bregante is on the other. (He also plays drums in the back-up band). Bregante says his wife’s the artist, “I’m just a musician.” Together, they play (and record) what’s called “red dirt,” a kind of alternative Americana country music heard in the likes of Texas’ Willie Nelson or Oklahoma’s Bob Childers. And while the couple might be more at home in Gruene Hall and Luckenbach jukes, they’ve also toured Scandinavia and Western Europe, where American Country music is quite popular. Both have found their own critical acclaim. Pierce’s single “Butterfly Tattoo,” from her latest album “Barbed Wire”, charted at #5 for alternative country. The whole album was described by the Austin Chronicle as “a tranquil listen comparable to early Nanci Griffith, the eighth album from Sarah Pierce strikes pay dirt.” Bregante himself was once a musician in the Grammy-nominated Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and as an engineer he records artists at his Liberty Hill studio from as close as Austin to as far away as Italy. Double-paned studio glass, special microphones and a floor resting on a solid layer of machine rubber offers a warm, old-school sound particularly suited for acoustic music. He says that together, “the quiet art we make is a beautiful thing.”
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arol Boyd minces no words about the inspiration for her jewelry. “This world can get tough, and I want you to be tougher.” Out of belt leather, aluminum plates, steel rivets, and the copper tubing found on the back of refrigerators, she makes bracelets, necklaces and pendants. Bold letters emblazoned on the plates remind customers to be brave, to go forward regardless of what’s come before, and to be grateful for what they have. “Everyone of us is blessed,” she says. “Sometimes you just have to be determined to find it.” Though brimming with details and ornaments, there’s no machinery or assembly line involved in their production. Just a hammer, scissors, a firm press and hardened hands. When she stamps the words on the aluminum plates, she says the lettering is never perfectly lined up. The soldering work can look raw, the leather straps torn at their edges. But that’s exactly the point. “It’s not real fancy. Just homemade,” she says. “That’s the way I like it.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 44
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Boyd sold her jewelry for the last nine years at rodeos and country festivals. Now, however, she’s an exclusive to the Indian Mound Ranch Farmers Market. The local crowd that shops there is just the type of people for her jewelry, she says. And besides, for a place to set up shop, “this pasture suits me better than any concrete,” she says. She moved to Liberty Hill with her husband after what she says was a decidedly “surburban” upbringing in Leander. The wide fields and friendly small town atmosphere evidently left an impression. Now she says she’d never dream of living anywhere but the countryside, where she and her family “eat a lot of fried food and raise a lot of chickens.”
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Carol Boyd uses simple tools to impress the letters in the metal to make her jewelry.
Dave Gould plays bass on weekends for the Chubby Knuckle Choir, his genre-defying festival band.
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he Chubby Knuckle Choir is not really “country music,” says Liberty Hill’s Dave Gould. The stand-up bass he plays for it sometimes accompanies a banjo, yes, but sometimes it’s the bongos. A few bars might sound bluesy and bluegrass, but then the next breakdown might sink into an R&B groove. Perhaps the outfit’s most apt description comes from a review in the Elgin Chronicle, which describes them as “folk music from a country that didn’t exist, but should have.” For Gould, it’s weekend “steam re-
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lief ” from his daytime job at the Liberty Hill nonprofit Hope House of Austin, which provides a remote rural residency for the developmentally disabled. In fact, most of the other five band members are involved in nonprofits of their own. These organizations have an easier time booking benefit concerts than most, Gould jokes. And it’s true, they try to do a joint fundraising show at least once a year. The concerts are almost the entire point of the band. They’ll tell stories, switch genres
midway through a song, or just forego the closing coda and start an impromptu jam. “We always say, we’re gonna have more fun than the audience is. If they have half as much fun as we do, then it’s a great night,” he said. Not even the band members themselves always know what to expect. Gould says that once at a show in New Braunfels, a tour bus pulled up and 70 German exchange students poured out and began line dancing. As is often the case for festival bands, however, it’s not easy to capture that excitement for a studio album. Gould says when they tried to record their album “God’s Puppy”, they booked a tour across Texas and set up microphones at every venue before the show. But after every performance, the band would go back and listen and it would be “just pure garbage,” Gould says. That changed at one of their last stops in La Grange. Defeated, the band hadn’t even bothered to set up the microphones. But afterwards, the booth engineer approached them to say that he had secretly recorded the whole bombastic performance. Gould says their producer only had to give a short listen, then, “yep, that’s the one.”
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here’s no trance involved when Vicci Conway quilts for hours on end. Just good company, good conversation, and what she calls “mathematics.” “You have to concentrate so the various patterns you’re making come out to meet each other,” she explains. “That’s mathematics.” Conway was raised on this Pioneer-era art as a young girl, but after she dived back in with both feet after retiring 10 years ago, she quickly gained a reputation as a queen bee of quilting. She now hosts “quilting bees” every month out of her home in Liberty Hill’s Sundance Estates. These are all day, communal quilting marathons for enthusiasts in the area and beyond. Except for a few, she says they’re all attended by different groups of women. The quilting studio she hosts them in is enormous, and probably takes up about a quarter of her home. Its drawers overflow with all manner of threads and machines, patches and fabrics, but anything less simply wouldn’t do, considering all she does. One of Conway’s
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Vicci Conway hosts group quilting sessions in her home. She says quilts are really only for those you love.
bees is a Civil War bee, and uses only fabrics available during the Civil War. For women in the Civil War — and stretching back to pioneer days in Liberty Hill— quilting was a necessity for life. You couldn’t just buy a blanket. But these days, the difference is you can’t just buy a quilt. Considering the parts and labor that go into one, Conway estimates it would cost up to $2,000 for some. “That’s why they’re special, and meant really for close loved ones,” she said. And besides that, Conway says her quilts go far beyond tradition or a practical need for bedsheets and blankets. Hers are works of art. Her piece “Let It Snow” will be appearing in the city’s art exhibition this summer. But Conway has a different name for it: “The quilt from Hell.” Many of the pieces she had to re-do three or four times, tearing it up after every time even a minor mistake would doom the entire square. When she completed it, however, it went on to win recognition at a challenge event hosted by the Chisholm Trail Quilting Guild. She’s served for years on the group’s Board of Directors, as well as for the Austin Area Quilting Guild. But perhaps her most precious quilt is the one dedicated to her mother. She had initially started it with the intention of giving it to her as a gift, but Conway’s mother passed away before it was finished. Months later, her father passed away, too. She continued the project, but with an adjustment reflecting its new role as a memorial. She took one of the hearts she had stitched on the back, tore it in half, and stitched it back on again.
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Terry Parks’ toy-made sculptures contain references to psychedelic rock and early metal.
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Y TERRY PARKS Z
he 1960’s lives on in Liberty Hill. When the unrepentantly long-haired Terry Parks bought two acres as a 22-year-old man in 1974, it was not only completely forested, but so was every lot around it. For hippies everywhere, it was the height of the backto-the-Earth movement, and Liberty Hill at the time must have seemed like a return to the land. And really, it was. Parks lived in a makeshift shelter for months while building a house. Now his house looms as a towering cathedral-like cabin, but it’s typically the second thing people notice as they drive by. The first is the 10-foot-tall banana in his yard made completely out of toys. Parks has built close to a dozen of these massive sculptures, which range in subject from simple Texana to 1960s pop culture. There’s a cowboy boot, an Easter Island head, a pyramid, a walk-in teepee and a gun with a removable barrel. What’s more amazing is that Parks can point to almost every grouping of toys on the surface of one sculpture, and tell you what classic punk or hard rock song it references. And they all, it seems, reference something. Three small piglets with guns glued on them harkens to Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” A wolfman pounding on a floor came out of a 13th Floor Elevator single about a monster in the attic. Parks is more than friendly enough to explain any of them to a stranger. He can often be found in his yard working on the sculptures. Pull up and gawk at them, and he might even offer you lemonade.
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NEIGHBORHOODS
Then&Now “IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS,” begins the land deed awarded to Henry Fields for one third of a league of land (approximately 1,756 acre) situated on the South San Gabriel River. In 1845, Liberty Hill would have been a pocket of harsh brush land, lonely but for the occasional Comanche raiders passing through, who had pushed out the native Tonkawa only years before. Land grants of this kind were typically paid to veterans in lieu of cash, as the young Republic had plenty of the former and little of the latter. STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
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How
quickly times change. Several mass migrations, a Civil War, a railroad and a highway later, Liberty Hill saw its first subdivision in 1976. It was a 40-acre residential and commercial complex located just south of the then relatively new State Highway 29, and west of Ranch Road 1869. Charles Steger of the engineering firm Steger Bizzell noted at the time that development north of Austin had already begun to pick up. In a 1975 article in The Libertarian (then a local paper), he said Liberty Hill is “particularly well suited to suburban residential development. First, it has access to two highways. And the topography lends itself well to the type of development planned.” When it opened later that year on former cattle land, the Jenks Branch neighborhood proved to be just the beginning trickle of what today has become a downpour of residential developments. And while wide pastures today still dominate the landscape, their role has changed from a source of livelihood into punctuation between a growing number of subdivisions. There will soon be 30, and already more than 10,000 lots have been planned for buildout in the greater Liberty Hill area. The former ranch lands that are now home to residential developments have a history that goes much further than a mere description of the livestock raised there, whether it’s cattle in Copper Ridge or hogs in Liberty Place. The memories of old-timers and archival research about the land tells the story of Liberty Hill itself. It’s a history that continues to shape the town today.
SMALL PHOTO: This aerial image from the early 1980s shows Liberty Hill’s first subdivision, Jenks Branch, in the upper left. LARGE PHOTO: Area within the city limits, such as this site south of downtown, has been slower to develop.
MorningStar & Rancho Sienna Around the intersection of Highway 29 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Kauffman Loop connects two subdivisions — MorningStar and Rancho Sienna. To the northeast of the intersection, MorningStar Ranch has a plan for a first phase that will include more than 314 lots for single family residences over 114 acres. Its later phases will add more than 1,000 homes. Rancho Sienna, to the southeast, currently has 425 homes with an expected buildout of 1,455. But these hundreds of acres used to be home to just one family— the Kauffmans. Pete Kauffman, who died earlier this year, was the region’s last great cotton farmer. For years he tilled the land his grandfather bought in 1924. He fetched his last bale in 1990. It had become less practical, to state the obvious, to drive a tractor loaded with cotton down Highway 29. To be clear, this part of Central Texas has historically been poor for farming. In the 19th Century, more prosperous pioneers opted for the nutrient-rich soil of the blacklands to Georgetown’s east. Those in the west, such as Liberty Hill’s folks, were effectively forced to ranch instead. The “sandy land,” as the nutrient-poor soil was called, was simply too harsh to grow any crops in good numbers. But that changed after World War II, when nitrogen fertilizers — originally developed for chemical warfare — became widely available. The Kauffmans were among those farmers who reaped its benefits. Local old-timers remember the Kauffmans’ maize fields turning a beautiful burnt orange when they ripened in the summer. But the fertilizer didn’t make the soil any less rocky. Pete’s son, Al Kauffman, recalls that when he tilled the fields as a young boy on a tractor, small rocks and pebbles would be thrown up by the blades. CONTINUED ON PAGE 54 When he was done for
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the day, his legs would be covered in small cuts. And when it came time to pick the cotton, the bolls would dry in the hot Texas sun and sharpen into bristles. “You’d pick that cotton and those burrs would really eat on your hands,” he said. “It was brutal, to say the least.”
Purser Estates The Pursers were one of the most influential families in Liberty Hill. Runt Purser, whose cattle ranch land would later become Purser Estates, ran a general store on main street that sold groceries and barbecue. It was the same, fresh barbecue that his brother, Couney Purser, sold out the open window of a small brick building. In the 1960s, his barbecue stand worked much like how a food truck does today. The customer ordered the food at the window, hung around a second, and picked it up to take home or just enjoy there. It was only open on weekends, though, and working men driving home Friday night were its most common customers. Runt died in 1954, and though his store stayed open until 1956, the Purser family sold both his and his brother’s ranch land a couple of decades later. The land also encompasses what is now the present day Liberty Hill Junior High and Liberty Hill Intermediate School.
his chickens and their eggs. He would breed them, raise them, collect the eggs and eventually sell them to slaughter. Every few months, Stanford would pay local children to clean out the chicken houses. The waste would then be shoveled onto a wagon outfitted to spread fertilizer. The kids would spread the natural fertilizer across the pastures and distribute the waste. One of those kids, Billy Ray Guerin, said it was how he learned to drive. As a natural fertilizer, chicken poop works wonders. His pastures were known as the greenest and tallest in the area.
Rio Ancho It’s a well-known secret that the present-day downtown of Liberty Hill is not the original. The title for first goes to a parcel of land now occupied by a small subdivision west of town called Rio Ancho. For its first few years as a community in the 1850’s, Liberty Hill was nothing more than a few homes sparsely clustered around a general store. That store was called “Liberty Hill,” as the owner hailed from Liberty Hill, North Carolina. He sent word to some friends back home, the Brysons, to come join him there. They did so, and in 1854, they invited 53 more settlers (which included CONTINUED ON PAGE 56
Liberty Parke One of Liberty Hill’s newest subdivisions was once home to the town’s greenest pastures and dirtiest chicken coops. The two were not unrelated. Wally Stanford raised only a few head of cattle. His main livelihood came from 54
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Much of the area we now call Liberty Hill was originally deeded from the Republic of Texas in 1845.
an area “on the banks of the South San Gabriel River” in 1845, Henry Fields sold it in 1850 on the steps of the Georgetown courthouse to a man named Taylor Smith, who bought it for $4.60. Running up both sides of what is now Bagdad Road, the acreage encompassed almost everything in present day Liberty Hill. Surrounding it were thousands of acres owned by a famous ranching family, the Snyders. Three Snyder brothers, one of which lived in Liberty Hill, would later ride the last great cattle drive out of Central Texas when they spurred up Chisholm Trail. Years later, when Liberty Hill’s settlers had well-established the potential of the land, Henry Field’s descendants filed a lawsuit against the Taylor Smith estate for the original deed. Both men by this point were dead, but the suit alleged that a courthouse transaction without proper authentication should not be taken as legitimate. But in his life, Smith had already parceled the land out to dozens of ranchers and homesteaders looking to eke out a living of their own. A 1910 court document shows over 75 petitioners called to witness. The court quickly ruled in their favor.
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several of the settlers’ slaves). This was the third, and most significant, mass influx of settlers into the area. The Brysons would later became an influential family in their own right. The definitive history of Liberty Hill, Culture of the Shin Oak Ridge Folk, was written by Dr. Gordon Bryson. The town center later moved to an area near the present day cemetery in order to be in a better location for a stage coach stop and post office. It was the second Liberty Hill. Then in 1881, after the Texas Capitol was destroyed by fire, a railroad was laid to bring granite and other supplies for the building’s reconstruction. Its path barely bypassed the town, and businesses rushed to relocate along the tracks. In the switch from a stagecoach town to a railroad town, Liberty Hill’s third incarnation was built in the present-day downtown.
THE TONKAWA TRIBE ONCE SPANNED throughout Central Texas
around Austin. Later raids by the Comanche and Apache pushed them out of the area now known as Liberty Hill, but artifacts of theirs continue to Tonkawa Chief be discovered in the area. John Williams Some ties to the area still persist, however. Len Kubiak, who owns the “Fort Tumbleweed” historical village on SH 29, said that the Tonkawa stayed on the property several times over the years. It started, he said, when a Tonkawa Chieftain visited and said that they had once lived in the area. It’s only fitting, since the Tonkawa were known as great hosts for many other tribes. Spanish travelers in the 17th Century found dozens or more tribes from all over Texas in the Tonkawa camps in San Marcos and New Braunfels. Other tribes would stay to camp, trade and hunt in the summer months. But little is known otherwise about their lifestyle in Texas. The Tonkawa themselves, at the time, lived in scattered villages of teepees constructed out of buffalo hides, or arbors made of brush and grass. They kept mostly to hunting and gathering, it’s believed. In October 1884, the federal government relocated more than 90 Tonkawa from their lands on the Brazos River Reservation in Texas to the Indian Territory. The tribe now lives in Oklahoma, where they have nearly 600 registered members.
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The Reserve at Ancient Oaks to Hwy 183
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The Meridell Achievement Center, a psychiatric center for troubled youth, sits next to Stonewall Ranch, Liberty Hill’s largest subdivision. Stonewall’s ultimate buildout will have more than 1,100 single family homes. At one time, however, this acreage belonged to Meridell, then called the Westwood Boys Ranch. A small group of behavior specialists originally opened the home in 1961 as a therapeutic country retreat for troubled youth. Local historian Gary Spivey said in addition to farm labor, the clients built most structures on the property, including a roping arena near the water tower behind the present-day Bill Burden Elementary School. Besides farm work and horseback riding, the boys participated in team sports, including boxing, which Spivey coached. The Westwood Boys Ranch became the Meridell Achievement Center in the late 1970s, after it merged with its sister center for young children and girls.
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All promotional, marketing, and advertising estimates and claims related to energy savings or performance are created exclusively by third party suppliers, rating services, utility companies, and/or certified auditors, based on U.S. Department of Energy methodology and average energy use and scores. Actual energy savings and performance of any home or any of its features may vary widely, and may be more or less than indicated savings and performance, depending on the personal energy consumption choices of the occupants and changes in energy provider rates and programs. Pictures and other promotional materials are representative and may depict or contain floor plans, square footages (All base square footages are shown as “A” elevation with masonry and may be greater or less than the base square footage based on the elevation.), elevations, options, upgrades, extra design features, decorations, floor coverings, specialty light fixtures, custom paint and wall coverings, window treatments (such as shutters, drapes, etc.), landscaping, pool, spa, sound and alarm systems, furnishings, appliances, and other designer/ decorator features and amenities that are not included as part of the home and/or may not be available in all communities. Promotion may be cancelled for any reason. Promotion subject to change or revocation without prior notice or obligation, and cannot be combined Promotion not valid on contract re-writes, transfers, or for buyers who have had a previous contract with Meritage Homes with any other promotion or incentive. Promotion subject to any applicable governmental and lender restrictions, and will be reduced or withdrawn to the extent required by any such restrictions. Promotion void where prohibited by law. Home and community information is subject to change, and homes to prior sale, at any time without notice or obligation. Not an offer or solicitation to sell real property. Offers to sell real property may only be made and accepted at the sales center for individual Meritage Homes communities. See sales associate for details. Meritage Homes®, Setting the standard for energy-efficient homes® and Life. Built. Better.® are registered trademark of Meritage Homes Corporation. ©2017 Meritage Homes Corporation. All rights reserved.
| COMMUNITY: NEIGHBORHOOD SURVEY |
Neighborhood Developments: At a glance SUBDIVISION / COMMUNITY
BUILDERS
PRICE
LOT SIZES
PLANNED SITES
MIN. HOME SIZE
ClearWater Ranch Drees Homes, Sitterle Homes, $370’s-$600’s 1 acre + 450 2400 sq ft / 1 story Giddens Homes 2800 sq ft / 2 story Larkspur MileStone Community Builders, $199,990- 50, 60 & 70 ft 1493 1300 sq ft Gehan Homes $499,999 Liberty Parke LGI $200’s 45 & 50 ft 550 / Master Planned 1200 sq ft / 45 ft lot 110 / Phase 1 1200 sq ft / 50 ft lot MorningStar
KB Home, Meritage Homes, $230’s-$500’s 50, 55, 600 1400 sq ft Steve Klein Custom Builder, 60 & 70 ft Westin Homes, Vintage Estate Homes
Rancho Sienna by Newland Communities
CalAtlantic Homes, Castlerock low $200’s- 45, 50, 60, 1455 1400 sq ft Communities, Chesmar Homes, low $700’s 70 & 80 ft D.R. Horton, Emerald Homes, Perry Homes, Pulte Homes
Rosemont Copper Ridge Investments $290’s - $350’s 65 x 120 ft 50 1600 sq ft Santa Rita Ranch
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Wilshire Homes, Pulte Homes, $200’s - $700’s 45, 50, 6000 1600 sq ft Westin Homes, Castlerock 60 & 70 ft Communities, Highland Homes, Scott Felder Homes, David Weekley Homes, Brookfield Residential
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COMMUNITY FITNESS WALKING PLAYGROUND POOL CENTER TRAIL
OTHER AMENITIES
ADDITONAL INFORMATION
no no no yes 12 acre creekside park
planned planned planned planned yes no yes yes
yes no yes yes
yes yes yes yes
no no no yes
yes no yes yes
100% first floor masonry, creek frontage sites on Bear and Lackey Creeks, no wooden fences
On-site elementary school is upcoming. Over 100 acres of open space
First homes are under construction. Phase 1 is almost sold out
Dog park for small and large dogs. Picnic area in dog park. Two fire pit areas with BBQ grills and seating area
Master planned community is close in proximity to Liberty Hill ISD schools
Event pavilion, dog park, fire pit and entertainment Natural gas, convenient yet secluded area, splash pad, outdoor grilling area, acres of location off Kauffman Loop open space and community parks Interactive Information Center, open-air pavilion, splash pads, basketball court, dog park, outdoor dining room, catch and release fishing ponds, more than 100 acres of parks, trails and open spaces
Named 2016 Master-Planned Community of the Year
Walking distance to Liberty Hill Elementary School and downtown Liberty Hill
A custom home community with craftsman style architecture and front porch living
Ranch House Welcome Center with great room for gatherings, dual two-story waterslides, kids’ splash pool, shaded look-out deck, stargazer patio and recently opened exercise park
Future amenity, ‘The Green’, opening fall 2017. Includes splash park, basketball and volleyball courts, food truck lot and green event lawn, kids’ playground, fitness zone and nature trail head
TEAM REINHARDT WE CAN ASSIST YOU WITH ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS. Check our reviews, start your home search, request a free market analysis at www.reinhardtsellshomes.com "Honesty, Trust and Integrity The key to a successful real estate transaction"
UNITED, REALTORS ®
Pete and Karin Reinhardt 254-289-4595 kreinhardt@cbunited.com
Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker United, REALTORS® are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2016 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered service mark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Operated by a subsidiary of NRT LLC.
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RENTAL - HOME - AUTO - LIFE
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Law Office of Jamie Etzkorn, PLLC 925 Loop 332 Liberty Hill 512-800-6353
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Friends say one of Gary Spivey’s lasting legacies will be his personal archive of Liberty Hill’s history, which includes stacks of newspapers dating back decades and even into last century.
| COMMUNITY: PROFILE |
Gary Spivey is a fighter. Just ask former city council or school board members, or the kids he used to coach in boxing. Ask the former state water commissioners, the folks at Lions Foundation Park, or his lifelong friend Billy Ray Guerin, who said, “Gary’s brutally honest with you. He wouldn’t agree with you just to make you happy.” Talk to the man himself, and even pushing age 70 this July, he’ll still offer an impassioned and fiercely candid opinion on the latest developments in city politics. Better yet, just take a look at the community itself. Many things came out of a board meeting, a city council or a civic organization that Spivey was involved in. And you can bet he let his voice be heard. That the park has sculptures, or that there’s even a park at all, bears witness to his dogged persistence. Years earlier, it was that same fighting spirit that ensured the high school library remained uncensored, or that the school district got its own wastewater system. And then there’s the Willie Nelson 4th of July Picnic. Even the very limits of the city bear the mark of his influence. In 1999,
“WHAT YOU’VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND IS...” STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
Spivey and four others on the steering committee for Liberty Hill’s incorporation sat down with a lawyer to outline exactly which two square miles would form the basis of the new municipal government. In a phrase, they literally drew the line in the sand. Not everyone sought incorporation then. And today, not everyone wants to see Liberty Hill grow. And so while Spivey says he feels confident in having stood up for what he thought was best for the community, he’s the first to admit that it sometimes required a good fight. “I’ve fought like hell for it,” he said.
Any decision will put some people at odds, and Spivey says some of that can just be chalked up to the nature of politics. But some of it, he adds, goes to something deeper. It’s a battle that pits those who put their money where their mouth is, and those who’d rather put the money in their hand. A metal building at the back of Lions Foundation Park holds two centuries worth of archives, artifacts and memorabilia from Liberty Hill’s history, stacked up behind the park’s tractor. “What you’ve got to understand is, 20 years from now when I’m dead and gone, CONTINUED ON PAGE 64 and they’re dead L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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| COMMUNITY: PROFILE |
Newspapers stacked in drawers date back decades, with names like “The Libertarian,” and, “The Sentinel.” One is simply called “The Paper.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63
and gone, people are gonna look through here. And they’re going to find the truth,” he says.
‘Bookoos of the Straight Skinny’ Spivey said no one knows more about him than Linda Lattanzio. “Hell, she probably knows more about me than I do,” he said. A former writer for a newspaper that shuttered in January, Lattanzio had once plotted an exhaustive timeline of Spivey’s life. Spivey was a crucial source on a number of disparate stories. “He’s been so involved with everything, it’s hard to separate him from the town,” Lattanzio said. But his legacy, she says, might just be those boxes at the back of Foundation Park. They’re what Spivey means when he says “the truth.” “A lot of people don’t realize he’s been Spivey, a life-long homebuilder, addresses a crowd at the dedication of the International Sculpture Park at what was then the Liberty Hill High School (now the Intermediate School).
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saving all this stuff for years, picking it up here and there,” she says. “He’s got photographs of everything you can possibly imagine — certificates, trophies, paintings of downtown. He’s got interviews with old timers long passed away, and Army clothing from the war.” Spivey hopes to one day put it in a museum. Hopefully, at Lions Foundation Park. But hearing about the truth is one thing. Seeing it for yourself is another. He invited Liberty Hill Living to the metal building one afternoon this spring. He was there with his daughter Kandice Wright, and her daughter. In the two hours spent in the metal building, Spivey never took a seat. “It’s better if I don’t sit,” he explains. Bits of cancer left in his lower body mean it can hurt. But he also never stops to take a drink, even through the long explanations he gives on every item in the storage constituting the Truth. Reel-to-reel tapes recorded the living voices from Liberty Hill school board meetings dating back decades. Recordings from 1957 chronicle leaders who gathered to talk about upgrading the phone system, he says. Newspapers stacked in drawers date back decades, with names like “The Libertarian,” and, “The Sentinel.” One is simply called “The Paper.” He says he keeps the older ones, from the turn of the century and before, in an air-conditioned environment at his house. Flipping through the headlines feels like watching the town in fast-forward. A 1982 article from the Sentinel reads, “Street signs arrive to Liberty Hill,” but it doesn’t specify the roads. “That’s because it means all of them,” Spivey says. There’s the tuxedo that the late Felton West — a national journalist and investigative reporter who spent his final years in Liberty Hill — wore to dinner parties with kings, queens and presidents.
There’s an invitation to James Vaughan for the 1965 Presidential Inauguration. He and Lyndon Johnson were friends, Spivey says. “People like myself, Bill Burden and James Vaughn, people like that — nobody’s gonna know us. And rightfully so, you don’t dwell on the past. I feel like I’ll be remembered at some point. Maybe not fondly. But I want people to have the truth,” he said. “That’s why I’m collecting all this.”
‘We feel as if Norman Rockwell is waiting to paint our celebration’ Saturday morning in Liberty Hill, May 1998. A parade marches down Main Street, announced by the blaring of the high school brass band. Children struggle for a view of the decorated cars and trailers, horses and a fire truck. The Homecoming King and Queen stand in a car and wave. Behind them on a trailer, the football team is perched on hay bales waving, too. A few real estate brokers cruise through with signs advertising upcoming subdivisions. Liberty Hill is not yet a city — that would happen a year later with incorporation — but it is a community. The procession comes to a standstill in front of Parker’s Corner Market. The crowd quiets and the traffic on Highway 29 sounds only as a distant rumble. An official with a megaphone announces, “It is with a great deal of pleasure that I tell you, Gary Spivey is the citizen of the year!” Bill Burden, Joyce Burden and Emily Adney wrote the letter nominating him. It describes Spivey as a “true, unsung hero of Liberty Hill.” Spivey, then a 50-year-old home builder, was an obvious choice. “Year in and year CONTINUED ON PAGE 68
THE NEWEST LUXURY APARTMENTS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF HISTORIC LIBERTY HILL
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John T. and Betty Baker are the FIRST account opened from within the Union State Bank Liberty Hill branch when it first opened back in 1997. We are proud to have such an entrepreneur and leader within the community as part of the Union State Bank Family. Community support and involvement is what sets Union State Bank apart from other banking facilities in the area. Community support is a common denominator between Union State Bank and the Bakers. Betty Baker built a career in educating the students of the Liberty Hill school district while John T. used his expertise in various business ventures. Throughout his life, he has held a number of leadership roles: Eagle Scout, Navy Pilot, President of the Texas Longhorn Breeders of America, and President of the Star of Texas Rodeo to name a few. The Bakers give back to the community by offering a unique summer camp where they teach children ages 9-17 the qualities of leadership and how they can take the experiences they are learning into the real world. Some of these are building self-esteem, self-confidence, extemporaneous public speaking, teamwork, respect, work ethic and manners. My favorite part of the interview, by far, was the answer I got back from my first question as we sat down to talk. “What is your most valued life accomplishment thus far?” John spoke without hesitation and said, “Marrying Betty!”
John T. and Betty Baker
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| COMMUNITY: PROFILE |
“To me, the sculptures and the history of Liberty Hill are the same thing,” Spivey says. “Now, I don’t understand any of them, but I know they’re extremely important. They need to be preserved, and maybe my grandkids will one day better understand them.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 64
out,” the letter reads, Spivey had “selflessly served in our school system, his church, the Lions Club, Booster Clubs, the Little League Association and the Liberty Hill Foundation.” A majority of what follows is a description of the Lions Foundation Park, which had opened only four years earlier. It commends him for working “diligently through the long process of dealing with governmental entities, contractors and grant funds.” It was true. In 1993, Spivey gathered a group of people and formed the Liberty Hill Development Foundation. About 15 members began to meet monthly to raise funds for the project. But those who helped actually build the park — breaking stones, clearing rubble and planting the grass— give a testimony that goes even further. Gary was out there with them. He lent his backhoe, his dump truck, his sweat and long days. This volunteer army of men, women and children turned what had been 18 acres of a stone quarry’s dump site for train tracks and rock scraps, into bonafide city green space. Among its amenities include soccer, baseball and softball fields and bleachers, a pavilion and a picnic area, a playground and a walking trail. Local blogger Hollis Baker wrote that “looking at the park today, it is difficult to believe how much old stones, abandoned machinery and concrete beams littered the acres.” “When the 4th of July festivities are held in our park, we feel as if Norman 68
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Rockwell is waiting to paint our celebration,” reads a letter nominating Spivey for a grant from Walmart supporting small town leaders. “Gary Spivey was born and reared in Liberty Hill. He has served on the Liberty Hill School Board several times and is a charter member of almost every organization in town, but the project that has consumed most of his time and efforts over the last few years, and probably had the greatest effort on the most people, is the Foundation Park. He went to practically every organization in Liberty Hill and Williamson County to generate the funds and support.” At the time, Walmart would award more than $4 million annually in development grants to support small towns of less than 25,000. “The winners of the American Hometown Leadership Award demonstrate not only outstanding leadership qualities, but also the creativity and initiative needed to bring a measure of excellence to their work,” the fund’s description read. Spivey won $1,000 for the community. In a Sept. 7, 2000, article in The Independent detailing the event, Spivey said he’d like to see the money go toward a museum. Hopefully, he adds, at Foundation Park.
The Right Person to Call
The land that would become the park at one point belonged to the Featherlite Corporation. They were involved in the stone quarrying business, and they used the land as a dumping ground.
And even though it was full of stone scraps, broken railway ties and trains, the Development Foundation saw potential, and sought to acquire the property. And even though it was full of stone scraps, it wasn’t easy to acquire. The way Spivey tells the story, the company wouldn’t respond to them. He and the other members of the Foundation’s steering committee had penned a letter to the land owner, asking for a selling price. Weeks passed and they heard no response. But, as his friend Guerin says, “When Gary’s expected to do something, he puts his all behind it.” It was that way too, Guerin adds, when they played baseball and other sports in high school. Spivey was never the best player, Guerin joked, but he always “gave it his 100 percent”. Spivey called up an old friend of his, Charles Bomar. Bomar had nothing to do with Liberty Hill, he recalls. He says he didn’t even have much to do with Featherlite in those days. But in 1993, records show Bomar deeded 18.9 acres to the Foundation. Two of which went immediately to the Liberty Hill Volunteer Fire Department for a station. The park opened the following year. Columnist James Wear, says, “it’s not what Gary does, it’s who he knows.” His brother, Richard Wear, used to tell him that when he served on the school board alongside Spivey. “When the high school was going to get built, they needed a way to get rid of the — well, we didn’t have a sewage system back then. But Gary knew CONTINUED ON PAGE 70
LIBERTY HILL CAMPUS
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| COMMUNITY: PROFILE |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 68
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who to call,” James Wear said. That “who” in this case was, again, Bomar. At that time, the school district was trying to construct a new high school (now the Intermediate School). But before construction could begin, the district had to secure a way to treat the wastewater. A septic system didn’t make sense to Spivey. Instead, a wastewater treatment system could service the school and save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars. Again, he let his voice be heard. The problem however, was that they would need permission from the Texas Water Commission. The way Spivey tells the story, the commission’s local bureaucrats told the school board it would take two years before they could even hold a hearing for the project. The school district couldn’t wait that long. The high school was needed now. And so perhaps the septic tank would have made sense. But Spivey was persistent. He called Bomar, and Bomar called the head of the Water Commission. They were old hunting buddies, Spivey says, and the two would often hunt on Bomar’s land in South Texas. Again, the way Spivey tells the story — Bomar was able to get him a meeting with the man. They traveled to downtown Austin to the Commission’s headquarters, and rode the elevator up to the top. “And the top floor is a big deal,” Spivey adds, it’s where the man had his office. The man asked what the problem was. “And Bomar turned to me and said, tell him,” Spivey said. The man then called up two low-level bureaucrats who happened to be responsible for this specific permit application. In explaining why a public hearing couldn’t be held for two years, the two men hesitated, unsure who should take the heat. But the man interrupted, “Who has the final decision?” They looked at each other. You do, they said. The wastewater treatment plant was built shortly after. It was Liberty Hill’s first.
‘Sometimes you do what you have to do’ What happened in the summer of 2000 is recorded in two headlines. From The Independent, “Tension at Last Council Meeting Reaches Boiling Point.” And from the Austin-American Statesman, “Liberty Hill council might oust new member for alleged assault”. The Independent published an account of the incident in an article dated June 29, 2000, describing an altercation outside a council meeting between then-Council Member Spivey and another resident. The newspaper reported Spivey stormed out of City Hall and knocked down the individual, who hit his head on the wall when he fell, also hurting a wrist and elbow. Shortly thereafter, Spivey was the subject of a civil lawsuit, and later a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission for a number of charges, including inappropriate management of
political funds. Spivey said he eventually paid a fine, and that the Ethics Commission discounted some charges for lack of evidence. Two years later, Spivey was running for re-election to the city council. In a candidate forum before a crowd of 50, Spivey said, “The last two years have been the most unusual in my life. Five years ago if someone asked what I thought I would be remembered for, I would probably have said, Lions Club, Foundation Park, or maybe the International Sculpture Garden at the now middle school.” But his opponents, he said, “seem to think I should be remembered for one incident which lasted less than one minute.” What followed was a candid account of what he saw as the battle lines defining the future of the city. During his closing, a man began yelling in protest. The final tally saw 312 votes cast in the race. Spivey was re-elected by a margin of 18 votes, but would go on to resign later that year. Nearly 17 years later, sitting in a building at the back of Foundation Park and surrounded by the Truth, Spivey looks back with his typical candor. “I regret being an idiot, yes,” he says. “And what I did was inappropriate. But sometimes you do what you have to do.”
The Hardest Thing in Life
Spivey’s grandfather used to tell him, dying is part of living. Now he says it, too. “I’m of the opinion we’re all gonna die someday.” For proof, travel to a small, rustic cemetery just north of Liberty Hill and you’ll find two graves for Johnathan and Jinsy Bittick, born 1796 and 1805. They are the cemetery’s oldest, and some of the first settlers in Liberty Hill. In fact, coming from Georgia, they’re among the first Anglo settlers in Texas. Their family tree extended to Spivey’s grandfather. Spivey said his grandfather died from pancreatic cancer, but they didn’t know that at the time. His grandmother called him at 2 a.m. that night, and had a special task for him and his brother, which she felt that she could not take care of herself. Spivey and his brother washed their grandfather’s body. They put fresh sheets on the bed and changed him into fresh pajamas. “That was the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” Spivey recalls, but “God does things for a reason. After we went through that experience, we knew what to expect. It prepared us.” Doctors first diagnosed Spivey with pancreatic cancer almost two years ago. It was advanced. He declined radiation therapy. Speaking about the future, he looks forward with his typically frank manner. ‘What you’ve got to understand is, ‘I could live another year. Or I could live 20.’” “I could live another year. Or I could live 20.” He repeats this several times over the course of hours, and each time the range of years change.
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Cross Tracks Church Where Everyone Is Special! Our name has changed, but our mission hasn’t! Join us on an amazing, spirit-filled journey. Discover God’s love, plus engaging, timely messages, opportunities to get connected and a warm welcome at Cross Tracks Church!
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MINISTRIES
- Inspiring mission trips - Community service - Run/Walk club - Sonshine Friends Preschool - Grandies for the young-at-heart
| COMMUNITY: VOLUNTEER GUIDE |
Make a Difference!
1.
THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT has an ongoing need for volunteers and mentors at each campus. Positions vary from office help to curriculum enrichment and tutoring, monitoring, campus beautification, and materials’ assistance. Individuals can also volunteer by supporting specific campus organizations, serve as parent representatives on district and campus committees. The Junior High, like most of the district’s campuses, sends requests for volunteers through a school messenger system that uses parent emails as needs arise for events like dances, book fairs, and UIL academic meets. Coaches also send out requests for help when they host track meets and other athletic events. Individuals interested in volunteering with the school district should visit the LHISD website www.libertyhill.txed.net/ community/volunteering__mentoring to register and to have a background check completed in accordance with state law.
2.
OPERATION LIBERTY HILL (OLH) is an IRS qualified 501c3 non-profit organization that seeks volunteers to support their mission of serving one’s neighbor in need. Some specific needs include a Lead Food Pantry Worker (Tuesdays 1-5 p.m.), a Food Pantry Coordinator (4-6 hours a week), a Food Drive Coordinator, Donation Sorters (4 hours a week), Thrift CONTINUED ON PAGE 74 Store Volunteers
Liberty Hill student volunteer student Lauren Brooks (far right) keeps two Special Olympics student-athletes company at the 2016 Area Special Olympics Track and Field Meet. Adult and high school volunteers are critically needed to support the athletes and to be able to expand the number of Special Olympics sports offered at Liberty Hill. 73
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Looking to become involved and more engaged in building a better community? Volunteering with one of the area’s organizations could be what you are looking for. Organizations rely heavily on volunteers and welcome your experience, energy, and motivation to support various needs in the community. Make the call and make a difference. Take a look at these opportunities. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DANA DELGADO
| COMMUNITY: VOLUNTEER GUIDE |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 73
(4 hours a week), and Handyman/Yard Maintenance. OLH houses a food pantry for eligible residents of the Liberty Hill Independent School District and provides clients with clothing, toiletries, blankets, heaters, fans, and other necessary household items from their thrift store at no charge. Generous donations make it possible to support the organization and provide financial assistance to clients. In addition, non-professional counselors are available for spiritual guidance. The non-profit organization is located at 1401 Hwy 183 in Leander. Additional information is available on their website, www.operationlh.org or you can send email to operationlh@att.net
3.
Whether it’s reading to children, mentoring a promising student, or preparing taxes for hard-working families, UNITED WAY OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY needs you and wants you to help strengthen communities and improve lives. There are many ways to volunteer including participating in the Day of Caring or Day of Service, helping out at one of their special events, serving as a board or committee member or assisting in the office with administrative tasks. Individuals can also donate their professional services such as graphic design, photography, or social media. United Way of Williamson County invests in education, financial stability, health and basic needs. Their community impact agenda is to advance the common good by helping one person at a time, and creating long-term change that benefits every member of the community. Visit MentorInWilco.org to learn about various mentoring opportunities, which require a weekly commitment of 30-45 minutes. Background checks are a requirement. Individuals, groups, and families are encouraged to register for the fall Williamson Day of Caring. Volunteers across the county help in the local schools, participate in cleaning parks and trails, and tackle projects that reflect their spirit of caring. 74
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Doris Ahr, a volunteer at Operation Liberty Hill since it opened five years ago, pauses for a photo while helping in the organization’s Thrift Store. Besides operating the store, OLH serves the community with its Food Pantry and essential seasonal items like fans, heaters, and blankets and other household items. Volunteer positions are available in both the pantry and thrift store.
If you are interested and ready to serve, contact the United Way at (512) 255-6799 or info@unitedway-wc.org for information about volunteer opportunities.
4.
THE LIBERTY HILL ALL SPORTS BOOSTER CLUB is always in need of volunteers to help with a lot of things but most importantly, help with concession stands for the various sporting events. An application is available online at www.lhallsports.org/volunteers.html.
5.
LIBERTY HILL SPECIAL OLYMPICS has a critical need for more adult volunteers and high school volunteers. Experience with students with disabilities is helpful but not necessary as guidance and some training will be provided. An eight-week commitment is required to build relationships and for the success of the student-athlete. Generally, there are eight practices per sport and a couple of weekend competitions for each sport. During the spring, volunteers are needed to assist with basketball and track once a week from 3:45-5:15 p.m. In the fall,
assistance is needed with the bowling team once a week from 11 a.m. - 12 Noon at Mel’s Bowling Alley in Georgetown. To become a “Class A Volunteer” in the roles of coach, assistant coach or chaperone, visit the Special Olympics website at sotx.org. To become certified as an adult coach, a “Class A Volunteer” application must be completed on the www.sotx.org website as well as undergo specific sport training. The addition of more coaches will allow the program to provide a wider variety of sports. Christopher Klepper at cklepper@libertyhill.txed.net is the school district coordinator and Liberty Hill Head of Delegation. The local Special Olympics Office (512-835-9873) is at 1804 Rutherford Lane in Austin.
6.
THE LIBERTY HILL BAND BOOSTERS invites you to join their team of dedicated parents and professionals to help make music education a fun and rewarding experience. Volunteers are needed for a variety of roles including help with the football game concession stand to running other fundraising activities or assisting with the annual banquet. If you have an interest, you could consider serving on the Band Booster Board. For more information visit www.libertyhillband.org/volunteering/.
7.
The nationally recognized GAULT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE near Florence and other projects by the research group can always use volunteers. Volunteers help in the lab, in the field, with site maintenance, survey work and many other opportunities. Volunteers working in the field must be members of the GSAR. Memberships allow individuals the opportunity to volunteer in the field throughout the year. To find out more about current volunteer opportunities, contact Lab Director Nancy Williams at nvelchoff@gaultschool.org or field director, Dr. Steve Howard at sph1@ email.com. CONTINUED ON PAGE 76
Where Your New Life Begins
More than church ... A Family!
NOW ENROLLING For the 2017-2018 school year Kindergarten Preparatory through 12th Grade.
Learn more by attending a Family Information Meeting. Check our website for times.
Fortis Academy wants our graduates to be college-ready, character witnesses of Christ for the next generation. If you desire an education for your child that emphasizes goodness, truth and beauty as well as academics and faith, we invite you to discover the classical Christian education offered at Fortis Academy. Our mission as a college preparatory school is to restore the role of parents
as their children’s primary
influence while still attaining superior academic results.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” –Deuteronomy 6:6-7
FORTIS ACADEMY (512) 432-5152 www.fortisacademy.net Fortis Academy is a multi-denominational school that rents space at Life Springs Church.
Celebrating New Life!
LifeSprings Christian Church in Liberty Hill is a family oriented church that focuses on the development of the whole man in every area of life. If you want to be positively challenged and transformed in every area of your life, then here is where you belong. Come, see for yourself that LifeSprings Christian Church truly is the place where your new life begins!
Dr. Ron and Donna Rhea, Senior Pastor (Bishop)
Proudly serving Liberty Hill for 30 years!
Sunday School 9 a.m. Worship Service 10 a.m.
15611 W. State Highway 29, Liberty Hill, TX
(512) 913-8618
www.lifespringschristianchurch.org
| COMMUNITY: VOLUNTEER GUIDE |
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 74
8.
COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY are needed to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities in the county. After completing a 30-hour training course, volunteer advocates provide judges essential information to ensure each child’s rights and needs are being attended to while in foster care. Potential volunteers must demonstrate the interest and ability to help a child, be at least 21 years of age, and pass a background check among other requirements. Additional information and an application are available at www.williamsoncountycasa.org/ volunteer.
9.
MEALS ON WHEELS of Williamson & Burnet counties provide consistent and healthy meals to seniors in need each day. To carry out their mission, caring volunteers are needed to offer a human connection for seniors who are often living alone and isolated. For many, volunteers are the only people some seniors see on a consistent basis. Volunteers are also able to conduct a daily wellness check
and alert appropriate individuals about their concerns. For more information or to complete an application, visit www. mealsonwheels-williamsonburnet.org. To reach them call (512) 589-8872 or visit www.wbco.net. Offices are located at 604 High Tech Drive in Georgetown.
10.
THE AUSTIN STEAM TRAIN ASSOCIATION welcomes you to a dream opportunity to meeting people from around the world while working for a professional railroad organization. There are many opportunities to choose from on-board services like car attendants and concessions sales attendance to train crew volunteers like brakeman, conductor and engineer. Training is provided. Volunteer as often as you want but at least once a month. If interested, contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@austinsteamtrain.org.
11.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Volunteers in a
variety of roles are needed to support the organization in collecting and delivering gift-filled shoeboxes to children around the world. Since 1993, more than 146 million gift-filled shoeboxes have been delivered to children in over 150 countries and territories. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received. The locally active charity is based at Fellowship Church in Liberty Hill. Additional information is available online at www.samaritanspurse.org/operationchristmas-child/volunteer-year-round/
12.
THE LIBERTY HILL PUBLIC LIBRARY is looking for dedicated volunteers to join their elite corps. Volunteers work side-byside with the library’s professional staff in a variety of activities. Groups and families are encouraged to apply for a volunteer position at Library events such as Summer Reading Programs and special events or work in the garden. Volunteers are assigned based on their qualifications and their ability to commit to a consistent schedule, typically two hours per week. Specific volunteer opportunities include Early Literacy Volunteers to help with the traveling story time program, Gardening, a General Volunteers to help maintain the library clean and orderly, Homework Helper, and Instructor to teach a specific craft or activity. Other volunteer opportunities include Maintenance, Preliminary Processing, Shelf Reader, Summer Reading Assistant, and Junior Volunteers. For more information and an application, interested volunteers should visit www.lhpl.org/volunteer-program/. The Library is located at 355 Loop 332 in Liberty Hill.
A volunteer mentor works with a student in one of United Way of Williamson County projects. United Way of Williamson County, through its corps of volunteers, invests in education, financial stability, health and basic needs. 76
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We provide comprehensive oral healthcare from routine cleanings and periodontal care to tooth-colored fillings and cosmetic smile makeovers. No matter what stage of life you’re in, we’re here to help you achieve a healthy, attractive and functional smile. • Preventative Care (Including Laser Cavity Detection) • Restorative Care (Tooth-Colored Fillings & Crowns) • Prosthodontics (Dentures & Denture Stabilization) • Cosmetic Dentistry (Whitening, Veneers & More) • Kid-Friendly Dentistry (Easy, Stress-Free Dental Visits) We offer affordable fees and flexible payment options to help our patients fit quality dentistry into their budgets. We accept all PPO insurance policies and can help you make the most of your benefits. No insurance? No problem! CareCreditSM patient financing lets you break up the cost of treatment into low monthly payments, and you can use it for the entire family. Call us today to schedule a consultation!
MICHELLE WEST, DDS ANGELA DAVIDSON, DDS 101 Jonathan Drive, Suite 1 Liberty Hill, Texas 78642
512-686-4555
www.WestFamilyDentistry.com
| COMMUNITY: SPORTS |
A
SMALL BUT MIGHTY STORY BY KEITH SPARKS / PHOTOS BY ALEX RUBIO
T FIRST GLANCE, Liberty Hill may not seem like a place that radiates athletic excellence; a small agricultural in the hill country of Texas with a population smaller than many high school enrollments. Liberty Hill doesn’t breed the fastest or most skilled athletes, and it isn’t known as a place that Division I scouts visit to recruit. Despite all of that, they continue to win. Across the board, from girls’ basketball to varsity football, and everything in between, the Panthers continue to win. Prior to 2001, the Liberty Hill football program had only two noteworthy seasons, which were district championships in 1987 and 1992. In 2000, the football team had a 2-8 record. In 2001, former Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Jerry Vance came aboard. In his first year, the football team went 5-5. In his second, they went 10-2. By 2007, they were celebrating a second consecutive state championship. Since 2001, the football program has won eight district titles, 12 bi-district championships, nine area championships, six regional semifinals championships, five regional championships, two semifinals championships, and two state championships. “When I came in, I was told we couldn’t have an excellent overall program, that we could just concentrate on one or two sports and be good,” Vance said, “but I just
“The gist of it is you have to do everything in your life right ... you can’t be halfway in the classroom or halfway at home. You need to step up and be a winner all the time.” – Jerry Vance
The 2016-2017 Panther varsity football team hits the field prior to their rivalry matchup with Burnet. Liberty Hill made it to the third round of the playoffs, beating Canyon Lake and Beeville Jones in the first two rounds.
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didn’t believe that. It was a mindset of some coaches that was an easy way out. We spent some time visiting with some coaches and trying to raise their expectations and expect our kids to do better, and that meant they had to do better and expect more. I believe kids will rise to your expectations.” That certainly seems to be the case in Liberty Hill. The boys’ basketball team, coached by Barry Boren since 2002, has a similar track record. Since Boren’s arrival, the Panthers have won 10 district titles, seven of which came consecutively between 2009 and 2015. His first season as Head Coach, however, the team went 4-19 and finished dead last in the district. “I knew that we were going to have to kind of change the culture,” Boren said. “Coach Vance flipped the script in football, from 5-5 to 10-2, in one year. I knew we were going to have to depend on some kids from football. I knew that those kids coming over from football, having had success, if they came into basketball and we were on a down trend, they wouldn’t be very excited about coming to basketball.” What Boren said next is, in some ways, an apt description of Liberty Hill athletics as a whole, and a major contributor to their success over the years. “I’ll never forget this, the last night of my first season, the last game, we were going to be 0-10, and I met our parents at half-court and I told them, ‘Listen, what
Liberty Hill’s Sedona Prince (23) hauls in a rebound during their victory over Giddings. Prince, a University of Texas commit, and the Panthers made it to the State Championship after a historically great season.
I can say to you about your boys is they have played as hard the last day of practice as they did the first,’” he said. “And I said because of that, I believe we have a future here. That first year we were 4-19 at the varsity level, but the second year, we went 28-8.” The Panthers are rarely the most athletic team on the field or court, and they rarely have players that are being recruited to Division 1 schools, but all in attendance at Panther sporting events notice how hard each player works. That hard work, according to Vance, starts with the coaches, on the field, in the classroom, and at home. “There are a lot of coaches that say, ‘Yeah, well I want to win this, I want to win that,’ but do they work at it?” he said. With regard to what he looked for in the coaches he hired during his time at Liberty Hill, Vance quoted legendary football coach Vince Lombardi, who said, “Winning is not a sometimes thing. It is an all-the-time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time.” “The gist of it is you have to do everything in your life right,” Vance said. “You can’t be halfway in the classroom or halfway at home. You need to step up and be a winner all the time, and that’s what we’ve tried to portray to our kids.” One of the many coaches at Liberty Hill that shares those beliefs is Women’s Athletic Coordinator and Head Softball Coach Charice Hankins, who has coached at Liberty Hill for 25 years. “We have some great, hard working coaches here,” Hankins said. “Coaches that want to win, and do the right thing for kids. The coaches that have been here for a while know that our program is an investment; one that we want to see grow, and we have a purpose-filled vision.” Though she had already coached at Liberty Hill for nearly a decade before Vance’s arrival, the district championships began to roll in around 2003. Since then, the Lady Panthers have taken home a district title
“It’s not just one thing; it’s the kids, coaches, teachers, parents and community all working together ... Every program shares a similar type of success, making the playoffs, at least.” – Chris Lange
13 of the last 15 seasons, and finished the 2017 regular season ranked number one in the state with an undefeated district record. Hankins attributed the success on the girls’ side of the program to continuity with her coaching staff. “On the women’s side of our Athletic Program, we have had great continuity with our staff, and work hard to keep all of our programs moving in the same direction,” she said. “When you make an investment in a program that you started, or you become a part of, it is a hard thing to leave. You want it to become the best possible program. Our girls’ programs have had that taste of success, and none of us want to let go of it. We respect the work, respect the process, and work together to keep it going in the right direction. I have stayed here for 25 years, because I love this community, parents, students, players, and school. I want the kids that I’ve coached to know where I am if they ever need anything. Once a Panther, always a Panther.” Some of the newer coaches, like Head Soccer Coach for both the boys and girls, Darren Bauer, have been able to capitalize on the Panthers’ already-established winning culture. His first year at Liberty Hill four years ago happened to be the soccer program’s first year, as well. In their very first season as a team, the Panther boys made a run to the state championship game. In 2017, the girls’ program won its first district championship. While the coaches deserve a ton of credit for Liberty Hill’s athletic success, none of it would be possible without the equally hard-working Panther student-athletes. “Their desire and willingness to work on themselves, makes their selves better, and help the others around them to improve,” Bauer said of his players’ contributions to Liberty Hill’s winning culture. “The teams create an atmosphere for improvement. They know it takes a lot of hard work and it is not always fun, but the end result is well worth it.” Just a few years after the soccer team’s run to state, Liberty Hill’s girls’ basketball team made a state title run of their own before falling to Argyle in the state championship game. Since Vance’s arrival in 2001, the girls’ basketball program has won 10 district championships, nine bi-district championships, 10 area championships, five regional quarterfinals championships, four regional semifinals championships, four regional championships, and one state semifinals championship. Head Girls’ Basketball Coach Chris Lange, who arrived in Liberty Hill nine years ago, attributed his teams’ success to the hard work of both the coaches and athletes, as well. “It’s not just one thing; it’s the kids, coaches, teachers, parents and community all working together,” he said. “Every program shares a similar type of success, making the playoffs, at least. That can be attributed to hard work and discipline from the coaches and the players, sticking with what works and changing things when change is needed.” Lange has been blessed CONTINUED ON PAGE 80 L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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with a uniquely talented roster as of late, but explained that Liberty Hill’s success over the years “transcends decades,” as they’ve continued to win despite the fluctuation of each team’s talent level. “Sometimes, there might just be a good group of kids, athletically, that come through for four years, but liberty Hill has proven success that transcends decades,” he said. “We still have the wave of kids that come through, but we also have the kids that just go to work so they can be a part of something great.” Not to be outdone, the Lady Panther volleyball team made a run to the state tournament, as well, after winning their fifth consecutive district championship with ninth-year Head Coach Gretchen Peterson at the helm. Since 2001, the volleyball team has taken home six district championships, seven bi-district championships, five area championships, four regional quarterfinals championships, two regional semifinals championships, and two regional championships. Liberty Hill’s baseball team finished their 2017 season with a district championship and an undefeated district season, as well. Since 2001, the baseball team has won seven district championships, six bi-district championships, five area championships, and a regional quarterfinals championship. Liberty Hill’s Head Baseball Coach of 18 years, Michael Kristan, explained that his teams’ success starts with the parents. “It has to start with the parents expecting what they expect out of their kids on the field and in the classroom,” he said. “Obviously, too, being on this part of the growth-end of the population, being good, you get more talented kids that want to come here in all sports, from girls’ volleyball and basketball going to state tournaments, success on the track, and all that kind of stuff. Of course, our softball team is having an awesome year. It’s really kind of magical. We’re pretty blessed. I guarantee you there are a lot of coaches out there that are jealous.” The success of the aforementioned sports has trickled down into the other sports, as well. For two years in a row, the Panther golf team has been represented at the state tournament. In the fall of 2016, a Panther cross-country runner placed third at the state meet. In May of 2017, two sophomores represented the Panthers at the state tennis tournament. With Vance’s departure from Liberty Hill, the expectations for a new Athletic Director have never been higher. Jeff Walker, hired in February, shortly after Vance’s retirement, will have some big shoes to fill as Liberty Hill’s new Head Football Coach and Athletic Director. He does come in with an advantage, though, having previously been an assistant football coach at 80
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The 2016-2017 volleyball team and Head Coach Gretchen Peterson celebrate a victory over Fredericksburg. The Lady Panthers went 36-15 on the season, making it all the way to the State Seminals.
“Being good, you get more talented kids that want to come here in all sports ... It’s really kind of magical. We’re pretty blessed. I guarantee you there are a lot of coaches out there that are jealous.” – Michael Kristan
Liberty Hill under Vance’s leadership. “There’s two things, and I say this all the time, you get great coaches, you get great kids, you get great results,” Walker said. “You get good coaches, you get good kids, you get good results. It really boils down to we have great kids here. They’re not the most athletic. We don’t have a whole lot of D1 kids here, but what I think it boils down to is we have great kids and we had some success, and success breeds success.” Walker, whose first arrival at Liberty Hill paralleled Vance’s in 2001, explained that when they arrived, there were “some really beat-down kids,” echoing Vance’s sentiments that kids will live up to (or down to) a coach’s expectations. “If you think they’re good, they’re good,” Walker said. “If you think they’re bad, they’re bad. So we kind of changed the mentality of the coaches and the kids pretty quick. Luckily, we’ve been able to put on state championship rings. When you get success, everybody wants to be a part of success, and you grow and it all blows up.” While Walker is entering his position at Liberty Hill in the midst of an incredibly successful season for the Panthers in just about every sport, there are some changes that will need to be made, including some changes to the coaching staff. “First and foremost, I look for a good person,” Walker said of his hiring habits. “I can teach Xs and Os. You also want to look at how they’re going to fit into your system. That’s huge. We do what we do, and that’s why we’re good. We have something to hang our hat on. A lot of places don’t. I know there’s been talk of ‘Let’s go to the Spread, let’s do this stuff,’ and all that stuff is great, but we would be just like Georgetown, just like Leander. What makes this place different is that we are different, and we do it a little different.” While Panther fans can expect to see some changes in the coming months, much will remain the same, from the offensive system the football team runs to the majority of the coaching staff. With Walker at the helm, Panther fans can expect Liberty Hill’s winning culture to remain the same, too.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is…there is freedom!” II Cor. 3:17
Our ministry began in 2002 with a beautiful harvest of souls of the youth in Liberty Hill and has grown to a well-rounded fellowship for all ages; from nursery to senior citizens and all those in between. Our motto is “loving people where they are; helping them become all they can be for the glory of God.” If you haven’t found a home church to attend; Grace Alive! is a loving and supportive family of believers who would like to get to know you and minister Jesus’ healing and Grace to you.
Sunday Service 10 am
16030 W. Hwy 29, Liberty Hill (512) 778-6000 www.gracealivelibertyhill.org
Call P & R Propane for ALL of your propane service and repair needs. Home Delivery Service Tanks for Sale & Lease Bottle Fill Station Service & Repair
Safety Inspections Gas Piping Installation Gas Space Heaters Gas Grills
Gas Logs Water Heaters Dryers Furnaces
Appliance Conversion Tanks & Cylinders Leaks Cooking Equipment
Give us a call today for a FREE estimate on your upcoming project. Locally Owned & Operated Since 1961 • 14251 Hwy. 29 West, Liberty Hill
(512) 259-4710 WWW.PRPROPANE.COM
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There’s never been a better time to be in Liberty Hill! The Old and the New are coming together in Liberty Hill, where a small town’s collective vision for greatness is taking shape. With a new business climate, it’s a time of unparalleled growth in a community known for exceptional schools, small-town values and a rural lifestyle. At the heart of the change has been a progressive city government. In 2017, elected officials, entrepreneurs, residents and city staff worked together to bring new life to downtown as part of the collective goal of turning the area into a destination for retail, art, dining and entertainment. While growth and change are common buzzwords in present-day Liberty Hill, its a deep-rooted connection to the past that makes us different from other towns in Central Texas. In late 2016, the Council opened a new City Administration building downtown that serves as a modern centerpiece amidst the old buildings that stand testament to the town’s history. From left in front, Council members Liz Rundzieher and Jon Branigan. In back, Council member Troy Whitehead, City Administrator Greg Boatright, Mayor Connie Fuller and Council member Wendell McLeod. Photo credit: Waylon Cunningham
The Liberty Hill City Council is playing an active role in the managed growth and development of the community. Learn more about the City of Liberty Hill at www.LibertyHillTX.gov
| COMMUNITY: EVENTS | LEFT: The Homemade Apple Pie Contest, sponsored by Dahlia Café features the best recipes of Liberty Hill bakers.
Liberty Hill
EVENTS
SCULPTURE FESTIVAL THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECTACULAR Saturday, July 1 / 6-11pm City Park, CR 200
Organized and hosted by The Liberty Hill Independent newspaper, the event features free activities and water attractions for all ages, food trucks, a hot dog eating contest, contests for best apple pie and homemade ice cream, watermelon spitting and live music by 1980s cover band LC ROCKS. All set the stage for the most memorable 30-minute fireworks show in central Texas. Operation Liberty Hill, the local food pantry, benefits from a food drive at the event and a raffle for prizes contributed by sponsors. If you plan to go, park at Liberty Hill High School and take a free bus ride to the park. Bring a blanket, lawn chairs and some shade, but leave the alcohol and coolers at home. Unlimited water refills are available with the purchase of a $3 souvenir drink bottle from the Chamber of Commerce. Along with The Independent, major sponsors this year include the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Parke, Peace Lutheran Church, and the City of Liberty Hill. Watch for event updates in The Independent and on Facebook.com/libertyhillfireworks.
For the first time in the history of the Liberty Hill Christmas Festival, 2017 will feature a lighted Christmas Parade.
Saturday, Oct. 7 / 9am-2pm Lions Foundation Park
Celebrating the arts in Liberty Hill, the Sculpture Festival features an art auction, stone carvers, artisan and food vendors, live music and a car show. On Friday, Oct. 6, invited sculptors will demonstrate their work to Liberty Hill art students. Later that evening a ticketed wine tasting reception is scheduled. The event is scheduled in conjunction with the annual Rip Roarin’ Ride bicycle race Oct. 7, which is sponsored by the Lions Club as a fundraiser for Lions Club charities. For more information as the event nears, visit www.lhsculptures.com.
Contestants travel to Liberty Hill from across the country to compete in the Liberty Hill Rodeo in April.
LIBERTY HILL RODEO April 2018 Harvest Ranch Arena
Master carver Bob Regan of Texas Carved Stone works on a sculpture during the 40th Celebration of the International Sculpture Symposium in 2016.
In April 2018, don’t miss the Liberty Hill Rodeo. The annual PRCA-sanctioned rodeo attracts participants from across the country to the Harvest Ranch Arena at Williamson County Cowboy Church. This year, organizers worked with the school district to host educational programs for elementary-age children at the arena, which is located just outside Liberty Hill. For more information, visit Facebook. com/LibertyHillFairandRodeo.
LIBERTY HILL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL AND PARADE Saturday, Dec. 9 / 9am-8pm Lions Foundation Park
Organized by volunteers with support from the Liberty Hill Ministerial Alliance and the City of Liberty Hill, the Jingle Bell 5k Fun Run/Walk starts the day from downtown to Lions Foundation Park where holiday vendors, live music, food trucks and Santa Claus awaits. The day ends with a lighted Christmas parade through downtown, followed by a community worship service. Watch for event updates on Facebook.com/LibertyHillChristmas and sign up for vendor space, fun run and parade entry at www.LibertyHillChristmas.com.
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The Liberty Hill Independent 14251 W Hwy 29, Ste B
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Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce
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155 Hillcrest, Ste A Liberty Hill Police 926 Loop 332 Liberty Hill City Hall 1120 Loop 332 Municipal Court 2801 RR 1869 WCESD #4 – LH Fire Station 301 Loop 332 Liberty Hill Library 355 Loop 332 City Park 251 CR 200 Panther Stadium 16000 W Hwy 29 Lions Foundation Park 355 Loop 332
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Liberty Hill Intl. Sculpture Park
101 Loop 332
CHURCHES
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134 Jonathan Drive Grace Alive 16030 W Hwy 29 Cross Tracks Church 101 Church Street Fellowship Church 3600 RR 1869 Life Springs Church 15611 W Hwy 29
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EDUCATION 15 Fortis Academy
15611 W Hwy 29 16 Happy Trails Learning Center 14865 W Hwy 29 17 Hilltop Children's Center 9415 W Hwy 29
FOOD & BEVERAGE
18 Liberty Hill High School
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16500 W Hwy 29 Liberty Hill Junior High 13125 W Hwy 29 Liberty Hill Intermediate 101 Loop 332 Bill Burden Elementary 315 Stonewall Pkwy Liberty Hill Elementary 1400 Loop 332 Rancho Sienna Elementary 751 Bonnet Blvd, Georgetown LHISD Administration 301 Forrest Street Fellowship Academy 3600 RR 1869 Footsteps Preschool 3600 RR 1869
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COMMUNITY
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26 Parker's Corner Market 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
1017 Loop 332 Subway 13750 W Hwy 29, Ste 101 Happy Wok 13750 W Hwy 29, Ste 4 Hobo Junction 3000 RR 1869 JJ's Liquor 13985 W Hwy 29 Dahlia Cafe 2450 RR 1869 Liberty Hill Beer Market 13851 W Hwy 29 Smokey Mo's 717 S Hwy 183
HEALTH & WELLNESS 34 Texas Physical Therapy Specialists 13740 W Hwy 29, Ste 3
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35 Liberty Hill Orthodontics 36 37 38 39 40
14365 W Hwy 29, Ste 12 West Family Dentistry 101 Jonathan Dr, Ste 1 Liberty Hill Physician Associates 14365 W Hwy 29, Ste 10 Liberty Hill Dental 14933 W Hwy 29 Liberty Hill Pharmacy 13740 W Hwy 29, Ste 4 Liberty Hill Pediatrics 101 Jonathan Drive, Ste 4
HOME & GARDEN 41 Paradise Pools 3200 RR 1869 42 Moore Liberty Buildings 10280 W Hwy 29 43 Wise Top Soil & Gravel 15730 W Hwy 29
LODGING 44 Liberty House B & B
102 Independence Dr.
PERSONAL SERVICES & CARE
45 LH Learning & Event Center
14875 W Hwy 29 46 Salon 29 14745 W Hwy 29, Ste A
PET CARE 47 Comanche Trail Veterinary 14370 W Hwy 29, Ste 9
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 48 Union State Bank
13601 W Hwy 29 49 Sunup Insurance | John Clark 14875 W Hwy 29 50 Law Office of Jamie Etzkorn 925 Loop 332
51 Classic Bank
12251 W Hwy 29 52 GT Insurance 402 Forrest Street 53 Monroe Insurance 100 Carl Shipp Drive
REAL ESTATE & HOMES
54 Re/MAX Town & Country 55 56 57 58 59
13561 W Hwy 29 Guild Mortgage 13563 W Hwy 29 K Bar T Custom Homes 101 Jonathan Drive, Ste 7 Independence Title 101 Jonathan Dr, Ste 2 Stubblefield Park 304 Stubblefield Ln The Branigan Team 1905 Loop 332
AUTOMOTIVE 60 Davis Tire & Automotive 14855 W Hwy 29
61 Quick Service Garage 1100 Loop 332
62 Reid's Triple T 3150 Hwy 183
SERVICES 63 P&R Propane
14251 W Hwy 29
SHOPPING & RETAIL 64 A Texas Girl's Guns 13987 W Hwy 29
65 Simply Home Decor & More
15280 W Hwy 29 66 Winkley's 15128 W Hwy 29
SPORTS & FITNESS
67 Flying H Fitness 209 Bell Street
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LIBERTY HILL is Open for Business The Liberty Hill Economic Development Corp. is a 4B Sales Tax
Corporation, which has a mission to create an environment for job creation and capital investment in Liberty Hill. A Board of Directors works with public and private development partners to retain, expand and relocate businesses along with fostering entrepreneurial development, downtown revitalization and destination tourism. The City of Liberty Hill is actively engaged in revitalization efforts to renew and restore its historic downtown. With the addition of sidewalks that were partially funded with support from the EDC, what is commonly referred to as “old town Liberty Hill” has become more pedestrian-friendly, one of the first steps in making the area a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment. The EDC expanded its vision for downtown revitalization by funding a Facade & Sign Matching Grant Program in 2015, which was expanded in 2016 to include commercial property on RR 1869 from SH 29 to all of Loop 332, and from SH 29 to Barton Street. Grants range from $500-$5,000. Liberty Hill offers a number of performance-based financial incentive programs for businesses. Projects are considered for incentives on a case by case basis. Applications are evaluated based on job creation, capital investment, per capita wage comparisons, community impact, and other qualifying criteria.
“The EDC has impacted the cultural arts growth and future vision of Liberty Hill by providing financial support to the 40th Celebration of our International Sculpture Garden. This Celebration included educational lessons and demonstrations for our school students, public support and awareness of a historical event (1976 International Sculpture Symposium in which Liberty Hill gained State and National Recognition for Support of the Arts in a small community), conservation and restoration efforts, interactive activities, artisan displays and food vendors. We look forward to more partnerships with the LHEDC!” – Susan Barnes / Liberty Hill Intermediate Art Teacher & Organizer for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of thezculpture Garden
“The Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation Facade Grant was a huge incentive for us to begin the process of rehabilitation on our building. It put enough of a stimulus in place that it gave us the will and opportunity to purchase a second property next door. A Facade Grant was issued on that building, which helped us replace windows, doors, paint, lighting, and stone work. We leased the second building to a cafe that has increased the foot traffic downtown. Sidewalk improvements, park improvements, and strategic planning are all playing a role in the resuscitation of our charming downtown. I would encourage property owners in downtown to investigate working with the Liberty Hill EDC. With unity comes community!” – Michelle Van Natter / MRVNEVN Investments, LLC
Some of the incentives available include: • Chapter 380 Agreements • Property Tax Abatements • Sales Tax Rebates • Triple Freeport Exemption • Business & Industry Guaranteed Loans (B&I) 88
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• Foreign Trade Zone • Skills Development Fund • Texas Capital Fund • Texas Leverage Fund • Texas Enterprise Fund
Learn more about growing your business in Liberty Hill Liberty Hill Economic Development Corp.
512.778-5449 www.libertyhilltx.gov
| BUSINESS: PROFILE |
Teaming up to identify retail potential Research conducted by The Retail Coach on behalf of the City’s EDC shows a demographic breakdown of area residents. The information is used to promote Liberty Hill to potenial new businesses.
Retail Market Profile 2017
Contact Information Lance Dean, Executive Director Liberty Hill EDC 926 Loop 332 P.O. Box 1920 Liberty Hill, Texas 78642 Phone Fax
512.778.5449 512.778.5418(F)
ldean@libertyhilltx.gov www.libertyhilltx.gov April 2017. All information furnished is from sources deemed reliable and is submitted subject to errors, omissions, change of terms and/or conditions. Prepared by The Retail Coach, LLC, a national retail consulting and market research firm. 800.851.0962.
Primary Retail Trade Area
Population
Race Distribution 2000
Primary Retail Trade Area
15,784
Income
2010
2017 ESTIMATE
26,276
34,070
38,143
Educational Attainment 2017 ESTIMATE
2017 ESTIMATE
Average Household
$105,757
Median Household
$79,229
Graduate or Professional Bachelor's Degree
20.79%
Per Capita
$37,819
Associate Degree
9.68%
A
9.58%
Some College, No Degree
25.48%
High School Graduate
25.83%
Some High School, No Degree
4.99%
Less than 9th Grade
3.66%
Age 2017 ESTIMATE
2022 PROJECTION White
87.91%
Black or African American
1.54%
American Indian/ Alaskan
0.68%
Asian
1.11%
Native Hawaiian/ Islander
0.11%
Other Race
6.46%
Two or More Races
2.20%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)
16.84%
GROUPS
2017 ESTIMATE
9 Years and Under
11.87%
10-17 Years
12.81%
18-24 Years
9.43%
25-34 Years
9.36%
35-44 Years
12.67%
45-54 Years
14.92%
55-64 Years
14.02%
65 Years and Over DISTRIBUTION
14.92% 2017 ESTIMATE
Median Age
40.2
Average Age
39.2
s more people move to the community, the City of Liberty Hill is trying to grow its
economy. To understand what needs to transpire for that to take place, the Liberty Hill Economic Development Corp. Board
of Directors (EDC) has set out to learn what the people of Liberty Hill and the surrounding areas want, where exactly those people are coming from, why they’re coming, and who can provide the products they’re looking for. STORY BY KEITH SPARKS “The LHEDC Board of Directors is comprised of seven Directors whose mission is to create an environment for job creation and capital investment,” their website states. “The LHEDC Board works with public and private development partners to retain, expand and relocate businesses along with fostering entrepreneurial development, downtown revitalization and destination tourism.” In order to understand how to market the city to businesses that could potentially call Liberty Hill home, the EDC must create a variety of marketing materials that explain in detail why those businesses should consider Liberty Hill. “Right now, the city as a whole doesn’t have any kind of marketing materials, per se, nothing that we can advertise with,” said Lance Dean, Executive Director of the EDC. “If I were to call a company, let’s say, for example, Home Depot, and say ‘Hey, you should come to Liberty Hill,’ the
first question is going to be ‘Why?’ Well, there’s nothing there to help tell the story about who we are and why a business should come here.” Enter The Retail Coach. The Retail Coach, based in Austin, is “a national retail consulting, market research and development firm that delivers retail recruitment and development strategies to local governments, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations…offering a fully-customized system of products and services that better enable communities to maximize their retail development potential.” The Retail Coach has worked with a number of other Central Texas cities and organizations to identify similar information, including Buda, Dripping Springs, Lockhart, and Georgetown, among others. In their 17 years of work, The Retail Coach has worked with more than 400 communities, approximately half of which have been in Texas. Aaron Farmer, Vice President of the firm, is optimistic about the development potential of Liberty Hill based on the information he’s gathered so far. “Liberty Hill, over the next few years, is going to have a huge influx of new development,” Farmer said, “just like you see in other communities, like Dripping Springs has seen with new retail and new restaurants coming in.” Farmer is using not only the company’s market research, but also his own experiences in Liberty Hill, to help determine what the city’s retail development potential is. “We’re big believers in a kind of onthe-ground approach,” Farmer said. “I was in the community several times, looking at what’s going on there in Liberty Hill. I have CONTINUED ON PAGE 90
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some history in Liberty Hill, as well. My uncle coached there for a long time. I’m familiar with Liberty Hill. I’ve been there many times over the last 30 years.” The first step in establishing Liberty Hill’s retail development potential was identifying the city’s retail trade area — the geographic region that encapsulates the places that people will drive from in order to spend their money in Liberty Hill. The Retail Coach’s information also includes an estimated population of the primary retail trade area, as well as its demographics, including race distribution, average household income, education attainment, age groups, and traffic counts, all of which is necessary information to provide to companies that could potentially make Liberty Hill their home. Based on their research, The Retail Coach has established that the estimated population of Liberty Hill’s retail trade area, which extends to Florence toward the northeast, Briggs due north, west past Bertram, and ending just before Leander to the south, is about 34,070 in 2017, and is projected to reach approximately 38,143 by 2022. (See the graphic on Page 89.)
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The Retail Coach created a map of the Liberty Hill area showing daily traffic counts.
While Phase One of the project consisted of gathering the aforementioned information about Liberty Hill’s retail trade area, Phase Two will be the actual process of putting marketing materials together for the purpose of introducing Liberty Hill to businesses and establishing a consistent message across the board that the city of Liberty Hill and the EDC can use to tell the city’s story. Phase Two will include an update of the city’s web pages, including the EDC’s, that will include much of the information gathered during Phase One, in order to make it easy for companies’ site selectors to find out what the customer profile of a Liberty Hill resident looks like. It will also include the creation of physical marketing materials, featuring the same information found online, that the city’s employees can hand out in person. Phase Two will include a “leakage report,” as well, which identifies the types of products and services that Liberty Hill lacks. The report will identify the products and services Liberty Hill residents are leaving the city to attain, and how much money is “leaking” out of the city as a result, in order to gain a better understanding of which CONTINUED ON PAGE 92 businesses and industries the EDC
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should target in its marketing efforts. “Based on that information, we look at a database of retailers and restaurants,” Farmer said. “We know what they look for. They look for a certain customer profile or a certain trade area size, and based off of that, we’re able to determine who fits Liberty Hill, who should be there that’s not already there. People aren’t coming out there right now to shop in Liberty Hill, just because there’s not a whole lot of retail, so we have to look at what that retail potential looks like.” Dean explained that Liberty Hill’s current rate of residential growth is what sparked a need for such research and marketing, in order to “balance the tax base” between residential and commercial properties. He also explained that, until recently, Liberty Hill simply hasn’t had the resources necessary for somebody to take an active, full-time role in the economic development of the city.
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“As far as having someone in a position actually doing this on a day-to-day basis, it’s very new,” he said. “A lot of what larger cities already have in place – the basic building blocks of an EDC and how to run day-to-day operations – is already built. It’s not built here. So we’re really kind of starting from the ground up. The city doesn’t have any marketing, but it’s not the city’s fault. The city’s young. We’ve just now reached the stage where it’s necessary.” Dean explained that one of Liberty Hill’s biggest advantages in attracting businesses is its open space. In an area that’s growing as fast as Austin and its surrounding communities, open space is an attractive asset for those companies that have “a large footprint.” At a more basic level, Dean and the EDC simply want to put Liberty Hill on the map, figuratively speaking. Citing specific conversations he’s had with a number of people in the Austin area, Dean explained
that many, even those just a few minutes away, have no idea that Liberty Hill exists. “I’ve started to run into that more as I’m talking to people,” Dean said of Liberty Hill’s lack of recognition. “We’re right here next to Austin, but we’re not Austin, and I guess people don’t drive north of Leander. We need to get our name out there, and we don’t have any way of doing that right now. We need something that says City of Liberty Hill on it, something we can start handing out that people are going to wear. Just something that’s going to get us out there in the market to where people are going to start to recognize who we are and where we are.” It’s clear that Liberty Hill is growing residentially, and, according to Dean, now is the time to take advantage economically. “As the growth is coming, we can either step in and try to make it positive, have a positive effect on what is going to transpire, or it’s just going to pass us by and we’re going to miss that opportunity,” he said.
| BUSINESS: CHAMBER OF COMMERCE |
Building Business Building Community With more than 200 active members, from individuals to small businesses and high profile companies, the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce is a unified voice for the business community and plays an important role in the decision-making process
T
at the local level. he efforts of volunteers and paid staff keep the Chamber responsive to the needs of its members. The Liberty Hill Chamber hosts Lunch & Learns on the fourth Thursday of each month, and its Women in Business group meets the third Tuesday of each month. Members are encouraged to participate in these events to network with fellow business leaders and make new connections in the community. Establishing Liberty Hill as a visitor destination is a goal we share with our partners at the City of Liberty Hill. That’s why we host and sponsor special events each year that allow our members to benefit from increased exposure to the community. Among those is the Liberty Hill Independence Day Spectacular, scheduled July 1st at City Park. Also, the Liberty Hill Christmas Festival scheduled Dec. 9 at Lions Foundation Park.
In May, the Chamber played a leading role in organizing the community’s first Town Hall Meeting on underage drinking and substance abuse. Working closely with the Liberty Hill ISD and The Liberty Hill Independent newspaper, the event featured a panel of experts who addressed those issues and offered ideas for curbing the problem in the community. In March, the Chamber hosted the entertaining antics of the Harlem Ambassadors for an evening of basketball against the Liberty Hillians. Held at Liberty Hill High School, the Hillians featured Chamber members, high school coaches and local first responders. The Chamber hosted the first ever Liberty Hill Chamboree in February. As a way to celebrate our members, the event featured great food, live music, a silent auction and a fun evening with friends at the beautiful Twisted Ranch in nearby Bertram. As an organization “on the grow”, the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce is the focal point for business growth and development in the community. Working to improve the economic well-being and quality of life in our hometown is our mission and the Chamber is proud to be the leading advocate for area businesses. The Liberty Hill Chamber invites you to learn more about how this growing organization can help grow your business. Find us online at www.libertyhillchamber.org or call (512) 548-6343.
ALEX RUBIO PHOTOS
201 7 CHAMBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Rick Hall, USHealth Advisors Vice President Shelly Wilkison, The Liberty Hill Independent Secretary Kim Sanders, Keller Williams Realty Treasurer Debi Johnston, Dahlia Cafe Director Janet Widmer, Widmer Construction Director Sabrina Jordan, Mary Kay Cosmetics Director Dax Oglesby, San Gabriel Realty Director Daniel Duckworth, Duckworth Insurance Director Angela Kuhlmann, Fairway Independent Mortgage
TOP: The Chamber’s membership celebration, The Chamboree, was held in February at Twisted Ranch. MIDDLE: The Chamber hosted the annual Light the Night. From left are Rick Hall, Sabrina Jordan, Shelly Wilkison, Dax Oglesby, Debi Johnston, Erin Landrum and Janet Widmer. BELOW: The Liberty Hillians and Harlem Ambassadors.
COMMITTIEES AMBASSADORS: Chair Stephen Apt, Peace Lutheran Church Pastor EVENTS: Chair Shelly Wilkison, The Liberty Hill Independent MEMBERSHIP: Chair Mary Clare Spear, Cedar Park Regional Medical Center PROGRAMS: Chair David Bednarek, Classic Bank WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Chair Sabrina Jordan, Mary Kay Cosmetics MEDIA: Chair Elliott Scott, Scott Solutions
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512-548-6533
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Thank you for letting our family serve your family!
www.dahliacafe.com
Dahlia (512) 515-7772 / 2450 RR 1869, Liberty Hill 96
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Cafe
| BUSINESS: RESTAURANT GUIDE |
GOOD EATS Liberty Hill restaurants offer something delicious for every taste, and is quickly becoming a preferred stop for area travelers.
Major’s Burger Company is known for its fresh, made-to-order burgers on homemade buns and battered fries.
DAHLIA CAFÉ
2450 RR 1869, Liberty Hill Tucked away off State Highway 29, this Liberty Hill landmark serves up Southern comfort dressed in its Sunday best. Enjoy homestyle classics like chicken fried steak, meatloaf or mac and cheese. For the record, “Homestyle” should be taken literally, as the menu really is largely drawn from local family recipes. When it comes to desserts, Dahlia Café is a favorite for pie connoisseurs, and the Buttermilk Pie tops the list. The recipe comes from owner John Johnston’s Aunt Bea. Dine at Dahlia on Friday or Saturday for what owners John and Debi Johnston call “the twist.” Steak sauce gets swapped for chimichurri or red wine. Southern classics get an Asian flair. They give their seasoned chef free reign to pursue what he wants, and even the Johnstons don’t always know what to expect. Dahlia’s reputation among locals
STORY & PHOTOS BY WAYLON CUNNINGHAM
and Austinites isn’t just defined by the hefty servings -- it’s the family atmosphere. A large patio seats families comfortably in the shade overlooking a large yard. There, the kids can enjoy a playground while the grownups play a game or two of washers to the tunes of live musicians March through October. Follow Dahlia Café on Facebook to see weekend specials and the live music lineup on Saturday evenings.
Dahlia Café is open for break-
fast from 7-10:45 a.m., and for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
he and his family have come a long way to Liberty Hill. The extensive menu here offers a full tour and more of the American Vietnamese and Chinese restaurant fare. Some special items are the creations of Tuong, who in his own time loves experimenting in the kitchen for family gatherings. Others were taught to Tuong’s son-in-law by a woman who worked at their first restaurant, Saigon Kitchen. Some of the family’s personal favorites are the Shaken Steak, Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the Clay Pot. Other popular choices among customers are the Calamari, Spicy Lettuce Wraps, Sesame Chicken and the Bangkok Basil. But if you’re still having a hard time deciding, the Happy Family dish serves three meats and a host of vegetables in a big stir-fry bowl.
homemade buns to locally-raised beef, and the freshest of produce, the local family-owned restaurant goes a step further and serves homemade pies and delicious ice cream shakes. Try the battered fries, homemade onion rings, baked potatoes, and fried chicken salad. Add a cappuccino milkshake or a wild berry smoothie. Major’s also does breakfast featuring homemade pastries, breakfast sandwiches and tacos, and fresh brewed coffee drinks. Drive through, call ahead for takeout, or enjoy patio dining.
Major’s is open from 7 a.m. to
8:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Happy Wok is open from 11 a.m.
to 9 p.m. daily.
HAPPY WOK
13750 W. SH 29, Liberty Hill
MAJOR’S BURGER COMPANY
When Tuong Quach left his native Vietnam for Austin in 1979, his ambition was to someday open a business of his own. Now, from Saigon to salsa country, and three restaurants later,
There’s a reason Major’s Burger Company draws a crowd. Go just once, and you’ll know why. The first visit is never the last here. From
14011 SH 29, Liberty Hill
LIBERTY HILL BEER MARKET
13851 SH 29, Liberty Hill You don’t have to go to Austin for craft beer. The craze has come CONTINUED ON PAGE 98
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Chicken fried steak and fresh vegetables are favorites at Hobo Junction.
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to Liberty Hill. Since opening in 2016, Liberty Hill Beer Market has offered its thirsty patrons a selection from hundreds of beers in a laid-back venue. What used to be a bank vault has been transformed into a walk-in beer cooler, and when a stock is depleted, the Krasniqi family replaces it with a new one. From Brazil to Japan, from the Philippines to Texas, the beer selection in any given week is truly global and always surprising. The family-owned establishment also offers Italian bar fare including homemade pizza, calzone, stromboli, calamari and more.
Liberty Hill Beer Market is
open from 4-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 4 p.m. to Midnight on weekends.
SMOKEY MO’S BBQ
717 US Hwy. 183, Liberty Hill The Melchor family’s local chain of Smokey Mo’s BBQ houses aren’t just deep in the heart of Texas in a geographic sense. The smokey goodness offered at their 13 locations — most within an hour’s radius — is a taste of the state’s signature cooking tradition at its finest. Liberty Hill’s family-operated restaurant was the third the Melchors opened after their initial
success in Cedar Park. Part of that success can be attributed to Morris “Mo” Melchor and his wife Lisa’s hard-work ethic and decades of experience. Mo was just 12 years old when he got his first job as a dishwasher at a barbecue restaurant where his mother worked. Another factor is the tight family cohesion behind the restaurant’s’ operations. Each one of Mo and Lisa’s five sons play a part, from maintaining the air conditioners to graphic design and management. The biggest ingredient to the family’s recipe for success, however, is just the undeniable quality of their craft. At the Liberty Hill location alone, the family smokes and serves 250 pounds of brisket, 12-15 whole chickens, and 40 pounds of ribs. Popular dishes at this no-frills joint include their sauce-slathered pork ribs with a side of buttered potatoes and creamed corn. Make sure you have plenty of napkins.
are both regulars and locals, says owner Nacona McDowell. A mural of a train and a portrait of a man above it is dedicated to one such regular — the late James Vaughan, a regular who ate here almost every day. Though the train no longer stops at Hobo Junction, McDowell said it isn’t unusual for kids to press their faces to the window to get a better look as the trains pass by. Don’t miss the Friday special at Hobo — fried catfish with tartar sauce, hand cut French fries, hush puppies, cole slaw, pinto beans, and iced tea, all for $9.99. You won’t find a better deal than this.
Hobo Junction is open 8 a.m.
to 2 p.m. daily, except Fridays when catfish and home-cooked meals are served until 8 p.m.
Smokey Mo’s is open from 7
a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
HOBO JUNCTION
SUBWAY
Stop in here for the kind of homestyle meal your grandpa would have called “larrupin.” Comfort food with a Texas flair is the name of the game at this eatery located near the site of the old train stop. The Hobo has become a favorite for a very regular crowd of locals. In fact, almost all of its patrons
The local staff at Liberty Hill Subway make it as much a part of the community as John Wayne is at home on the range. That means good service, friendly smiles, and a familiar cast of regulars on both sides of the sandwich bar. Just ask Liberty Hill students, who flood the place every day after
3000 RR 1869, Liberty Hill
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13750 SH 29, Liberty Hill
school. Or the families stopping on their way out of town, who just want a reliably quick bite for the road. But while you get Liberty Hill service, you also get the backing of guaranteed quality. The chicken here is 100 percent white meat, mixed with spices, seasoning and marinade. The produce is all shipped fresh daily. Some of the most popular menu items here are the Steak and Cheese, or the BMT (a Subway original made of Genoa salami, spicy pepperoni, and Black Forest Ham). The franchise’s mission is to prove that good eating doesn’t have to mean a thin wallet. The daily $6 special for a 6-inch sandwich, chips and a drink is a great deal.
brought customers from far outside Liberty Hill. “We have the best burgers in town,” Dave adds.
3317 E. SH 29, Bertram
Subway is open from 7 a.m. to
11 p.m. daily.
PARKER’S CORNER MARKET DELI
1017 Loop 332, Liberty Hill Dave and Majda Parker have served deli sandwiches, burgers, and groceries to Liberty Hill for 17 years. In the heart of downtown at RR 1869 and Loop 332, Parker’s Corner Market is the place to be at lunchtime where the line quickly forms for the best burgers in town. Everything in the deli, hot and cold, is served as fresh as can be. Deli workers do every step of preparation — from grilling burgers to boiling potatoes for Majda’s potato salad. Everything happens in house and fresh sandwiches are made to order. Some of the most popular items include Broccoli Salad and Pea Salad, but the homemade Parker’s Salsa has
Parker’s Corner Market Deli is
open daily from 7a.m. to 9 p.m.
Pa r k e r ’ s Corner Market Liberty Hill’s Full-service Grocery Store
The coolest place in town! Check out our new Beer Cave.
JUANES MEXICAN RESTAURANT This not-so-little Mexican restaurant between Liberty Hill and Bertram might just be the area’s best kept secret. Six days a week, Juanes Mexican Restaurant offers a selection of Mexican food’s best plates in a family-friendly, familyowned environment. A particularly recommended dish is the chicken fajitas — fresh, sizzling-hot and spiced to new heights. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more rare, the fried jalapeños (jalitos) can prove addicting. Its large interior, decorated with colorful strings of pennant flags, recalls the atmosphere of a country dance hall. A high ceiling also means that even when the restaurant is packed, the background noise of conversations never become too deafening. (That’s an oftenoverlooked detail). And outside, the patio is perfect for cool Texas evenings. If you live in Liberty Hill, this is a 10-minute drive you won’t regret making.
Open Monday through Thurs-
day, 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m. through 9 p.m.
Fresh Meats
Produce
Grocery
Grill & Deli
Stop by for the Best Burger, Salad & Deli Sandwich in town! Made to Order Using the Finest Meats & Freshest Produce
Welcome Newcomers!
We’re in the Heart of Liberty Hill! 512-515-0770 | 1017 Loop 332, Downtown L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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FAMILY FRIENDLY
CRAFT BEER • WINE • ITALIAN BAR FOOD • SPORTS • ARCADE GAMES • POOL TABLE
LIBERTY HILL BEER MARKET
Liberty Hill Beer Market
TWO LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU!
13851 Hwy 29, Liberty Hill (512) 260-8787 Sunday – Thursday, 4pm – 10pm Friday – Saturday, 4pm – midnight
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Leander Beer Market
106 W Willis St, Leander (512) 271-7096 Monday – Wednesday, 4pm – 10pm | Thurs, 4pm – midnight Friday – Saturday, noon – midnight | Sunday, noon – 10pm
& BREWERY
WINERY
G U I D E
When it comes to breweries and wineries in the area, get ready to explore and enjoy the diverse varieties as a tasting is only minutes away. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DANA DELGADO
Owner and General Manager Craig Pinkley and his wife Mindy stand next to vines at their Pilot Knob Vineyard which first opened in 2011. “We’re off the beaten path so there’s more to do and it’s an experience,” Pinkley said. On April 7, they welcomed a new neighbor, Kfire Winery and Vineyard. L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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| BUSINESS: WINERY & BREWERY GUIDE |
Pilot Knob Vineyard, a vibrant, family friendly winery with a 6,400 sq. foot facility just north of Liberty Hill, provides its visitors spectacular views of the surrounding rolling hills.
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s Liberty Hill transitions from being a rural community, the countryside has become dotted with an eclectic blend of brews and wines along with music, culture, and outdoor activities in the cherished Texas Hill Country. One needs to keep in mind that tasting, as visitors quickly discover, is only the beginning. Opened in 2011, Pilot Knob Vineyard was among the first in the immediate area. A vibrant, family-friendly winery just north of Liberty Hill, Pilot Knob provides its visitors spectacular views of the surrounding rolling hills. Its 6,400-square-foot facility with a wraparound porch captures all the beauty of the Texas Hill Country and provides a most serene countryside feel. The secluded location offers children a place to play and the adults the opportunity to relax and enjoy the array of wines produced. “We’re off the beaten path so there’s more to do and it’s an experience,” said Owner and General Manager Craig Pinkley. “People are finding us naturally after six years and like one of our customers said, ‘When you’re here, you’re family.’” “We just love what we’re doing and have an awesome staff,” said Mindy Pinkley, Craig’s wife. “We’ve been blessed.” According to the owners, opening the business came as a revelation to Craig while attending a corporate seminar in Napa, California. Pinkley said he was “smitten” after touring some wineries. 102
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While Pilot Knob Vineyard offers a variety of family activities like a Chili Cook-Off, Wine and Music Festival and a Kite Festival, they also host a range of gatherings including
to take root. Proprietors Kenny and Gail Fowler formerly owned Lakeview Winery near the Oasis by Lake Travis, which they had operated since 2012.
AN ECLECTIC BLEND OF WINERIES & BREWERIES DOT THE COUNTRYSIDE corporate retreats, birthday celebrations, and wedding and baby showers. With over three acres planted on site, their selective wines have attracted a loyal following. “We started by selling 700 cases of wine that first year and we are on a trajectory of hitting 2,000 cases this year,” said Pinkley. “Our wine club has 400 members and this past February, we opened another wine-tasting room in Taylor under the same name.” Their Cabernet Sauvignon was listed as the best in Texas in 2015 by the Texas Wine Journal, and posted in The Somm Journal (a trade publication for Sommeliers). With the steady growth, the winery plans to build their own production facility and expand their vineyard with over six acres under vine. Pilot Knob Vineyard is located at 3125 CR 212, Bertram. Literally right next to Pilot Knob Vineyard is Kfire Winery and Vineyard, located at 3059 County Road 212. Kfire opened for business on April 7 and began planting April 27. Views of endless rolling fields abound and add to the experience, which is just beginning
Just 10 minutes west of Liberty Hill on State Highway 29, sits Flanigan’s. Located at 330 N. Lampasas Street in Bertram, the unique distillery and winery is housed in a cluster of historic buildings. Attorney Dana Flanigan and her husband, Dr. Kevin Flanigan, a surgeon, turned their hobby of experimentation and passion for “wine and shine” and added a little dining to create their “magnificent obsession” that is Flanigan’s. It is believed the winery and distillery concept may be the only one of its kind in the state. Among the favorites of visitors is “The Patriot”, a corn whiskey crafted to bring out the subtle corn flavors yet enriched with a smooth finish and aged in a charred American Oak Barrel. Another favorite is Flanigan’s “Texas Grappa”, which is distilled from grape pomace and aged in a toasted American Oak Barrel. The 2015 Slainte (Red) is among the favorite wines with its smooth, slightly tangy taste. Flanigan’s Tasting room is open Wednesday-Thursday from noon – 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 12 – 7 p.m. and Sunday CONTINUED ON PAGE 104
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13985 W HWY 29 | LIBERTY HILL | 512-778-5599
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Gabriel Brewery is the exclusive brewery of the Leander Olde Thyme Festival held in May and participates in major craft beer events like the nationally renowned Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Beer Camp on Tour at Austin’s Carson Creek Ranch. Available on tap for pints, tastings, 1/6 barrel kegs and for bottles to go are a variety of special brews including San Gabriel Honey Porter, made from local Texas honey; San Gabriel Texas Red, an Irish style red; San Gabriel Scottish Ale, great flavor with a hint of smoke and perfect with BBQ; San Gabriel IPA, which has lots of aroma and almost no bitter aftertaste; and San Gabriel Amber, a citrus flavor with a slight twist of bitterness at the end. “We try to make real good products that appeal to many people,” Peck said. “There’s something for everyone.” Their beer is sold at Parker’s Corner Market in Liberty Hill and at Hamricks Market and Craft Beer in Cedar Park. Six month memberships to its bottle club are available. Only minutes from downtown Liberty Hill, San Gabriel River Brewery Inc. is open 4-8 p.m. on Friday and noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, but will open by appointment for groups of four or more with a couple of days’ notice. If using GPS, use 300 Chaparral Drive, Liberty Hill, for best results. Nestled in a private wooded area with three acres of vineyard, Thirsty Mule Winery is designed to accommodate 200 visitors under the canopy of mature oak trees and 50 indoors. The tasting bar, embedded on a hillside next to the picnic table area and life-size statue of a mule Just 10 minutes west hitched to a wagon, offers tastings, of Liberty Hill on glasses, and bottles to go. Over State Hwy 29, sits 40 different wines are made on Flanigan’s, a unique location including Chardonnay, distillery and winery, housed in a cluster Pinot Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, of historic buildings Tempranillo, Malbec, and Merlot. in Bertram. Thirsty Mule Winery is located at 101 County Road 257 in Liberty Hill and is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Bull Creek Brewery at 7100 Farm to Market Road 3405 in Liberty Hill describes itself as a
from noon – 6 p.m., and has a varying monthly menu with home cooked meals every Sunday that feature different cuisines from various countries. Club memberships are available. Besides all of Flanigan’s uniqueness and special offerings, it is worthy of a visit for its historic intrigue. The tasting room is housed in a former hardware store built in 1904 and retains some of the original features like a grand staircase. In 1997, long after the hardware store closed, the inside of the building was modified for a movie, “The Newton Boys” starring Matthew McConaughey as one of notorious 1920s bank robbers. Some of the movie modifications including the realistic-looking but façade elevator and hotel rooms upstairs remain. Billed as “A New American Classic” and not just another craft beer brewer, San Gabriel River Brewery Inc. is excited to be sharing their unique brews. The brewery, opened by New York natives John Peck and his brother Patrick Peck, celebrated their first year anniversary in April with live music, food, and great fun in its secluded setting. After brewing for family and friends out of their garage, the Peck brothers were encouraged to do it commercially because of their brew’s distinct flavor. “Things are going good,” said John Peck, Head Brewer and President whose plan is to start small and intimate and then expand their facility and activities on the seven wooded acres. “We are building to become a destination spot.” Special events are held during a host of holidays such as the Memorial Day weekend and the Fourth of July. In addition, San
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John Peck, Head Brewer and President of San Gabriel River Brewery plans to start small and intimate and then expand the facility and activities on the seven wooded acres.
non-smoking, laid-back production microbrewery for adults only. Their products may be purchased at various retail outlets and the brewery for onsite consumption. One of their signature brews is the Longhorn Blonde – Hill Country Golden Ale. Brewery tours are available depending on production schedules and the weather. Private gatherings for groups of 15-30 can be reserved during the spring, summer, and fall. The patio area and tap room are open on Saturday afternoons from noon to 5 p.m. with food trucks and trailers available sometimes, but guests are always welcome to bring their own snacks to enjoy with their brews. Surprise “sippings” are announced on their Facebook page and depend on the production schedule. The Vineyard at Florence prides itself as a desired venue for various events including weddings and bridal parties. With exquisite indoor and outdoor spaces including lush vineyards, guests can celebrate to their heart’s desire. Honeymoon suites and private villas in the natural surroundings of a spring-fed creek and rolling hills translate the visit into an experience. Every Sunday, the Vineyard at Florence hosts a European-style brunch buffet. A daily lunch and dinner menu is also available at their Café di Elysia. The idea of opening The Vineyard at Florence was conceived by best friends Kris Davis and Kambrah Garland while drinking wine in Tuscany. Within a few years, it was a reality. Consultation with Texas wine production pioneer Dan Gatlin of Inwood Estates has led The Vineyard at Florence, located at 8711 W Farm to Market Road 487 in Florence, to produce some highly praised wines. With more wineries and breweries likely to join the Liberty Hill family, keep in mind that tasting is only the beginning. It’s all about the experience.
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Jonathan H. Magid DVM, MS, DACVIM
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3811 CR 211 Bertram, TX
512-569-1152 150 N. West St. | Bertram,TX
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ELECTRICITY Pedernales Electric Cooperative 888-554-4732
LIBERTY HILL ISD
GAS P&R Propane (512) 259-4710 TRASH SERVICE Al Clawson Disposal (512) 746-2000 WATER City of Liberty Hill (512) 778-5449 City of Georgetown (Chisholm Trail SUD) (512) 930-3640
CITY OF LIBERTY HILL City Hall (512) 778-5449 Police Department (512) 515-5409 Municipal Court (512) 515-5410 Water & Public Works (512) 778-5449
Administration Building (512) 260-5580 Liberty Hill Elementary (512) 515-6514 Bill Burden Elementary (512) 260-4400 Rancho Sienna Elementary www.LibertyHill.txed.net Liberty Hill Intermediate (512) 379-3200 Liberty Hill Junior High (512) 379-3300 Liberty Hill High School (512) 260-5500
WILLIAMSON COUNTY Animal Control (512) 864-8282 Animal Shelter (512) 943-3322 Appraisal District (512) 930-3787 Constable Rick Coffman, Pct. 2 (512) 260-4270 County Commissioner Cynthia Long, Pct. 2 (512) 260-4280
Health District (512) 943-3600 Information Line (512) 943-1100 Justice of the Peace Edna Staudt, Pct. 2 (512) 260-4210 Tax Office - Cedar Park (512) 943-1603 Sheriff’s Office (512) 943-1300 Vehicle Registration (512) 943-1602 Voter Registration (512) 943-1630
OTHER Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce (512) 548-6343 Liberty Hill Public Library (512) 778-6400 Over the Hill Gang (512) 778-5344 Social Security Administration (877) 531-4699 Texas Dept. of Public Safety www.dps.texas.gov The Liberty Hill Independent Newspaper (512) 778-5577 US Post Office (512) 515-6293
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At Fellowship Church, you will meet a great mix of friendly, loving and caring people from all walks of life. We provide a safe, inviting place for your kids and family, relevant messages, great music and much more. Come as you are and be who you arewe'll have a seat saved for you.
Sundays Worship & Message 9:00 & 10:45A Sunday School 9:00 & 10:45A Spanish Service 10:45A
Wednesdays AWANAS (K-4th) 6-7:30P SMASH (5&6th) 6-7:30P The Loft (7-12th) 6-7:30P
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Home-based small groups For more information, go to www.fellowshiplh.org or call (512) 515-5579 3600 Ranch Road 1869, Liberty Hill
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Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce
BUSINESS DIRECTORY ACCOUNTANTS
ARTIST
BANKS & CREDIT UNIONS
CHEER/GYMNASTICS
Gary Brown - CPA (512) 930-3003 5353 Williams Drive, Suite 200 Georgetown, TX 78633 www.gbrowncpa.com ■ See our ad on Page 29
Studio Francoise (512) 913-7481 Liberty Hill, TX 78642
Classic Bank (512) 778-6305 12251 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.classicbank.com ■ See our ad on Page 105
Courage Cheer and Dance United (512) 289-4616 134 Jonathan Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.CourageCheer.com
Liberty Hill Bookkeeping & Tax Services (512) 548-6535 925 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lhbts.com
ADVERTISING/PROMOTIONS ReillyCo Advertising LLC (512) 739-1468 13359 N US Hwy 183, #409-226 Austin, TX 78750 www.reillycorporation.com
AIRPORT Liberty Hill Air Ranch, LLC (949) 338-9958 2519 CR 323 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillairranch.com
APARTMENTS Liberty Manor Apartments (512) 548-6751 122 Bailey Lane Liberty Hill, TX 78642
ASSISTED LIVING Riva Ridge Assisted Living & Memory Care (512) 259-1330 807 Riva Ridge Drive Leander, TX 78641 www.RivaRidgeMemoryCare.com
ATTORNEYS Arnold & Placek, P.C. (512) 341-7044 203 E. Main Street, Ste 201 Round Rock, TX 78664 www.arnoldplacek.com
AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR Davis Tires & Automotive (512) 778-6810 14855 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 58 Quick Service Garage (512) 548-6316 1100 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 30
AUTOMOTIVE SALES
San Gabriel Crossing Apartments (512) 548-6280 155 Hillcrest Lane Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.txhf.org
Benny Boyd Liberty Hill (512) 778-6111 10620 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 bennyboydlibertyhill.com
Stubblefield Park Apartments (512) 839-7407 304 Stubblefield Lane, #100 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.stubblefieldpark.com ■ See our ad on Page 65
Cecil Motors (512) 756-2128 2601 S. Water Street Burnet, TX 78611 www.cecilatkissionmotors.net
APPLIANCE REPAIR ACA Appliance & A/C (512) 219-0900 325 W State Hwy 29 Bertam, TX 78605 www.acaappliance.com
Reid’s Triple T (512) 379-4100 3150 Hwy. 183 Leander, TX 78641 www.reidtx.com ■ See our ad on Page 12
First Texas Bank (512) 778-5757 721 Hwy 183 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.firsttexas-gtwn.com Prosperity Bank (512) 778-5355 101 Bronco Blvd. Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.prosperitybanktx.com R Bank (512) 355-2121 360 Hwy 29 E Bertram, TX 78605 www.rbanktexas.com ■ See our ad on Page 5 Union State Bank (512) 515-6300 13601 West State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.USB-TX.com ■ See our ad on Pages 66
BREWERY/ DISTILLERY/WINERY Fire Oak Distillery (512) 515-6611 4600 CR 207 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.FireOakDistillery.com San Gabriel River Brewery, Inc (512) 627-9384 500 Chaparral Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.sangabrielriverbrewery.com Thirsty Mule Winery (512) 778-5990 101 CR 257 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.thirstymule.com CJ’s Catering (512) 930-2200 1010 N. Austin Ave. Georgetown, TX 78628 www.cjseventcatering.com
Zero Gravity Gymnastics (512) 986-5815 2041 S Hwy 183 Leander, TX 78641 zerogravitygymnasticsandcheer.com
CHILD CARE Happy Trails Learning Center (512) 515-0555 14865 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.happytrailslearningcenter.com ■ See our ads on Pages 71, 118 Hilltop Children’s Center (512) 966-1106 9415 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.hilltopchildrenscenter.com ■ See our ad on Page 92 Liberty Hill Montessori Pre-School (512) 778-5555 14370 W. State Hwy 29, #12 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 lhmontessori.com
CHURCHES FBG Church (512) 869-2586 134 Jonathan Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.fbg.church ■ See our ad on Page 69 Fellowship Church (512) 515-5579 3600 RR 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.fellowshiplh.org ■ See our ad on Page 108 Grace Alive (512) 778-6000 16030 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 gracealivelibertyhill.org ■ See our ad on Page 81
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Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce
BUSINESS DIRECTORY Life Springs Christian Church (512) 913-8618 15611 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lifespringschristianchurch.org ■ See our ad on Page 75 Peace Lutheran Church (512) 213-5283 719 US Hwy 183, Ste 102 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 peacelutheranchurch.org RockPointe Church (512) 259-8872 177 CR 214 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 rockpointechurch.com Williamson County Cowboy Church (512) 778-5295 8355 RR 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 wccowboychurch.org
COLLISION REPAIR Liberty Hill Collision Center (512) 771-2392 999 N. Hwy 183 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.Lhcollisioncenter.com
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Community Resource Center (512) 548-5091 155 Hillcrest Lane Liberty Hill, TX 78642 LH Project Graduation 2017 PO Box 175 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lhprojectgrad.org Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce (512) 548-6343 PO Box 586 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillchamber.org ■ See our ad on Page 93 Liberty Hill Public Library (512) 778-6400 355 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lhpl.org ■ See our ad on Page 106 Lions Club Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lhlions.org ■ See our ad on Page 71
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Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (512) 244-2207 575 Round Rock West Drive Bldg H, Ste 240 Round Rock, TX www.workforcesolutionsrca.com
COMPUTER SERVICE/SALES HK Computers, Inc. (512) 257-8008 1201 Loop 332, Ste. 400 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.hkcomputers.com Scott Solutions (508) 451-8227 PO Box 203 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.scottsolutions.us ■ See our ad on Page 106
CONSTRUCTION SERVICES RS Paving (512) 769-9991 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 rsasphaltpavingcompany.com ■ See our ad on Page 106
CONSTRUCTION SUPPLIER Oldcastle Materials (512) 861-7100 11729 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.oldcastlematerialstx.com
CONSULTANTS Adams Engineering & Development Consultants (512) 218-4263 100 Buffalo Trail Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.adams-engineering.com
COUNSELING Live Your Dream Counseling (512) 569-1152 150 N. West Street Bertram, TX 78605 liveyourdreamcounseling.com ■ See our ad on Page 106
CRISIS CENTER Hope Alliance Crisis Center (512) 255-1212 1011 Gattis School Rd. Ste 106 Round Rock, TX 78664 www.hopealliancetx.org
DENTAL Cedar Park Pediatric Dentistry (512) 258-8888 2051 Cypress Creek Rd Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.birthtobraces.com ■ See our ad on Page 100 Liberty Hill Dental, P.A. (512) 515-0171 14933 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhilldental.com ■ See our ad on Page 95 West Family Dentistry (512) 778-9977 101 Jonathan Dr, Ste 1 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.westfamilydentistry.com ■ See our ad on Page 77 Randolph Todd Company (512) 750-0896 13640 Briarwick Drive, Ste. 120 Austin, TX 78729 randolphtoddcompany.com
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT
Timothy Landrum (512) 966-8633 Liberty Hill, TX 78642
Document Logistix LLC (512) 345-4600 12701 W. State Hwy 29, Ste. 3 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.document-logistix.com
CONTRACTORS
DRY CLEANING
American Constructors Inc. (512) 328-2026 11900 W. Parmer Lane, Ste 200 Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.acitexas.com
Liberty Hill Cleaners (512) 496-3840 13740 W. Hwy 29, Ste. 2 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 lhcleaners.com
Liberty Hill Stonewall Partners, LP (512) 818-2244 806 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642
EDUCATION Dental Genius Assisting School (512) 484-4081 14875 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.DentalGeniusTx.com
Fortis Academy (512) 432-5152 15611 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 fortisacademyums.com ■ See our ad on Page 75 Liberty Hill ISD (512) 260-5580 301 Forrest Street Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.LibertyHill.txed.net
ELECTED OFFICIALS Judge Edna Staudt (512) 260-4210 350 Discovery Blvd. Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.ednastaudt.com Terry Wilson, State Representative (830) 637-9216 PO Box 489 Marble Falls, TX 78654 www.terrywilsonfortexas.com Williamson County Republican Party (512) 863-8481 716 Rock Street Georgetown, TX 78626 www.williamsoncountygop.org
ENGINEERING Simplified Engineering (512) 947-4141 1775 CR 279, D101 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.sectexas.com
ENTERTAINMENT Harvest Ranch Chuckwagon (512) 937-4553 8355 Ranch Road 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.harvestranchchuckwagon.com
EQUIPMENT RENTALS Cat Trax Rentals (512) 515-5959 12630 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.cattraxrentals.com
EVENT VENUES Liberty Hill Learning & Events Center (512) 548-6533 14875 W State Hwy 29 Liberty HIll, TX 78642 www.LHeventcenter.com ■ See our ad on Page 94
EVENT FLORIST Gilded Petals / Robin Leddy (512) 905-8312 PO Box 1821 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.gildedaffair.com
EVENT PLANNING Twisted Ranch Weddings (512) 553-5365 7345 West FM 243 Oatmeal, TX 78605 Twistedranchweddings.com
FARMERS MARKET Indian Mound Ranch (956) 312-9263 12805 State Hwy 29 W Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.indianmoundranchtx.com
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Hearthstone Wealth Management (512) 231-0725 11675 Jollyville Road, Ste. 200 Austin, TX 78759 ameripriseadvisors.com/laura.parker Upstream Investment Partners (512) 705-8375 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.upstreamip.com
FITNESS
FUNERAL & CREMATION SERVICES Beck Funeral Homes (512) 259-1610 1700 E. Whitestone Blvd. Cedar Park, TX www.beckchapels.com ■ See our ad on Page 90 Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home (512) 260-8800 1200 South Bagdad Road Leander, TX 78641 www.wcfish.com
FURNITURE Elegant Elements, LLC (512) 567-5101 PO Box 1112 Liberty Hill, TX 78642
GOVERNMENT City of Liberty Hill (512) 778-5449 926 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhilltx.gov ■ See our ad on Page 82 Liberty Hill Economic Development Corporation (512) 778-5449 926 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhilltx.gov ■ See our ad on Page 88
Flock Fitness (512) 964-5482 12780 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.flockfitness.net
Williamson County ESD No. 4 (512) 515-5165 301 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillfire.org
Flying H Fitness (512) 515-5557 209 Bell Street Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.flyinghfitness.com ■ See our ad on Page 106
GROCERY STORES
FLOORING Floor Depot (512) 515-5599 14370 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.floordepottx.com
Parker’s Corner Market (512) 515-0770 1017 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 76642 ■ See our ad on Page 99
GUNITE TEXAN GUNITE: Texan Concrete Construction Solutions, LLC (512) 383-5341 7290 US Hwy 183 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.texanccs.com
GUNS A Texas Girl’s Guns (512) 778-6677 13987 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.atexasgirlsguns.com ■ See our ad on Page 27
HARDWARE/GENERAL STORE Tractor Supply 512) 778-9041 1919 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 Winkley’s Inc. (512) 515-7733 15128 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.winkleyslh.com ■ See our ad on Page 21
HEALTH & WELLNESS Mobile Cryo (214) 783-8018 PO Box 416 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 facebook.com/Mobile-Cryo
HEAT & AIR CONDITIONING SERVICES Liberty Air (512) 277-4231 PO Box 481 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyairllc.com
HOME BUILDERS Clear Rock Homes (512) 778-5696 200 Creek Crossing Drive Georgetown, TX 78628 www.clearrockhomes.com Corker Custom Homes (512) 709-1852 113 Palo Duro Lane Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.corkercustomhomes.com ■ See our ad on Page 56 Drees Homes (512) 548-6845 212 Bold Sundown Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.dreeshomes.com/customhomes/austin ■ See our ad on Page 41 Gaskill Homes (512) 914-0083 1009 Overlook Bend Leander, TX 78641 www.skillhomes.com
K Bar T Custom Homes (512) 948-1739 101 Jonathan Drive, Suite 7 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.kbarthomes.com ■ See our ad on Page 60 Pacesetter Homes, LLC (512) 323-5252 7940 Shoal Creek Blvd #200 Austin, TX 78751 www.pacesetterhomes.com Prince Development LLC. (512) 228-1931 1206 Hart Street Georgetown, TX 78626 RSI Communities (512) 688-9504 810 Hesters Crossing Road, Ste 235 Round Rock, TX 78681 RSIcommunities.com Scott Felder Homes (512) 418-5400 125 Las Casas Way Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.scottfelderhomes.com Widmer Construction & Development (512) 971-8219 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.widmerconstruction.com ■ See our ad on Page 55
HOME DECOR Twisted R Design (512) 879-7362 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.twistedrdesign.com
HOSPITALS & CLINICS Baylor Scott and White Emergency Medical Center at Cedar Park (512) 684-4000 900 E Whitestone Blvd Cedar Park, TX 78613 Cedar Park Regional Medical Center (512) 528-7000 1401 Medical Parkway Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.CedarParkRegional.com ■ See our ad on Page 36
INSURANCE Aflac Independent AgentSady Bartlett (512) 923-5790 PO Box 1443 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 aflac.com/business
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY Bluebonnet Pride Insurance Agency (512) 515-0333 101 Jonathan Drive, Ste. 3 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.bluebonnetpride.com Duckworth Insurance Agency (512) 792-4220 13002 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.duckworthinsure.com Family Heritage (512) 740-2446 224 Oxbow Cv Georgetown, TX 78628 www.familyheritagelife.com
IRRIGATION
NON-PROFIT
PET GROOMING
On Demand Sprinklers (Kevin and Misty Donaldson) (512) 800-3581 Liberty Hill, TX
Hope House of Austin (512) 515-6889 1705 CR 285 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.hopehouseaustin.org
Loving Touch Pet Spa (512) 554-1434 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 facebook.com/Loving-Touch-Pet-Spa
LAND SURVEYING JPH Land Surveying, Inc. (512) 778-5688 13563 W SH 29, Suite 4 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.jphlandsurveying.com
LIQUOR
GT Insurance Services LLC (512) 713-9462 402 Forrest Street Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 40
JJ’s Liquor (512) 778-5599 13985 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 103
John Clark-SUNUP Insurance (512) 900-4422 14875 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 john.clark@sunupinsurance.com ■ See our ad on Page 6
LODGING
Monroe Insurance (512) 515-5533 100 Carl Shipp Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 62 State Farm InsuranceStephanie Featherstone (512) 868-8000 950 W. University, Ste 209 Georgetown, TX 78626 stephaniefeatherstone.com US Health Advisors (512) 876-5072 715 Discovery Blvd, Ste 304 Cedar Park, TX 78613 ushagent.com/rickhall ■ See our ad on Page 48 Vannoy Farmers Insurance/ Real Estate (512) 784-6187 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.farmersagent.com/vham
INTERNET MARKETING Don’t Have Time to Write (254) 793-2485 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 donthavetimetowrite.com
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Liberty House B & B (512) 635-9901 102 Independence Dr. Liberty Hill, TX 78642 libertyhousebandb.com ■ See our ad on Page 106 Rio Bonito Cabin & RV Park (512) 922-1383 1095 County Road 256 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.rbcabinresort.com
MORTGAGE BANKING Angel Kuhlmann /Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation (512) 844-5748 209 Fieldstone Liberty Hill, TX 78642 Guild Mortgage (512) 548-6185 13563 Hwy 29 West, Ste 1 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 branches.guildmortgage.com/tx/liberty-hill ■ See our ad on Page 29 Janet Widmer at Supreme Lending (512) 619-9050 Liberty Hill, TX 78750 www.janetwidmer.com ■ See our ad on Page 49
NEWSPAPER The Liberty Hill Independent (512) 778-5577 PO Box 1235 / 14251 W SH 29 Ste B Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.LHIndependent.com ■ See our ad on Page 110
Operation Liberty Hill (512) 778-4175 1401 Hwy 183 Leander, TX 78641 www.operationlh.org Williamson/Burnet County Opportunities (512) 763-1400 604 High Tech Drive Georgetown, TX 78626 www.wbco.net Spirit Reins (512) 515-0845 2055 CR 284 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 spiritreins.org United Way of Williamson County (512) 255-6799 1111 IH 35 Frontage Rd Round Rock, TX 78664 www.unitedway-wc.org
NURSING HOMES Bertram Nursing & Rehab Center (512) 355-2116 540 E Hwy 29 Bertram, TX 78605 www.shadyshorescommunities.com
ORTHODONTISTS Goldenberg Orthodontics (512) 863-8580 3622 Williams Drive, Building 4 Georgetown, TX 78628 georgetownbraces.com ■ See our ad on Page 31 Liberty Hill Orthodontics (512) 548-5040 14365 State Hwy 29, Ste. 12 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.lhortho.com ■ See our ad on Pages 3, 70
PEST CONTROL Research Pest Control (512) 258-5228 801 N. Park Circle Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.researchpest.com
Pet Sitting Whiskers n’ Woofs (512) 387-1076 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.whiskersnwoofstx.com
PET TREATS & SUPPLIES Bender and Company (512) 207-0461 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.benderandcompany.com ■ See our ad on Page 21
PHOTOGRAPHY ATXfotos (512) 751-0600 12401 Sceptre Cv Austin, TX 78727 ATXfotos.com
PHYSICAL THERAPY Texas Physical Therapy Specialists (512) 778-6700 13740 W. State Hwy 29, Suite 3 Liberty Hill, TX 78723 www.texpts.com ■ See our ad on Page 37
PHYSICIANS Georgetown OB-GYN (512) 863-8600 602 High Tech Georgetown, TX 78626 georgetowntexasobgyn.com ■ See our ad on Page 69 Liberty Hill Pediatrics (512) 778-5111 101 Jonathan Drive, Suite 4 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillpediatrics.com ■ See our ad on Page 105 Liberty Hill Physician Associates (512) 778-5160 14365 Hwy 29 West, Ste 10 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 cedarparkphysicians.com
PLUMBING Brandenburg Plumbing (512) 260-0010 4023 E Hwy 29 Burnet, TX 78611 brandenburgplumbing.com
Lantz’s Lakeline Plumbing (512) 260-7889 1306 Leander Drive Leander, TX 78641 www.laketravisplumber.com ■ See our ad on Page 103
Coldwell Banker UnitedTeam Reinhardt (254) 289-4595 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.reinhardtsellshomes.com ■ See our ad on Page 61
Liberty Hill Plumbing (512) 699-0963 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillplumbing.com
Coldwell Banker, United REALTORS, Monica Schraeder (512) 626-5092 1701 Williams Drive Georgetown, TX 78628 MonicaSchraeder.com
Ski’s Plumbing (512) 778-9119 PO Box 390 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.skisplumbing.com ■ See our ad on Page 62
PORTABLE BUILDINGS Moore Liberty Buildings (512) 548-6474 10280 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 moorelibertybuildings.com ■ See our ad on Page 25
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION Capital Metro (512) 474-1200 2910 E 5th Street Austin, TX 78701 www.capmetro.org ■ See our ad on Page 32
REAL ESTATE SERVICES 98th Meridian Real Estate & Marketing Group (512) 680-7834 106 West Willis Street, Ste B Leander, TX 78641 www.98thmeridian.com ■ See our ad on Page 22 Amy Gandy/Realty Austin (512) 589-9005 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.realtyaustin.com/agents/ Amy-Gandy.php ■ See our ad on Page 55 Branigan Team, Straight Realty (512) 517-0956 PO Box 622 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.braniganteam.com ■ See our ad on Page 105 Coldwell Banker-Cheryl Arnold (512) 635-3574 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.TheATeamRealtyGroupTexas.com
Crystal Parker, Straight Realty (512) 584-6000 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.straightrealty.net Debby Norman (512) 983-7143 13561 Hwy 29 W Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.debbynorman.com Dephanie Cates, Realtor (512) 970-2627 9606 N. MoPac, Ste 150 Austin, TX 78759 www.austintxhomesale.com Dream Home Kelly (512) 630-7069 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.dreamhomekelly.com Hughes & Company Real Estate (512) 810-0185 PO Box 243 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.hughes-and-company.com ■ See our ad on Page 57 Keller Williams-Debbie Boatright Stewart (512) 864-4734 Georgetown, TX 78628 debbieboatrightstewart.kwrealty.com Keller Williams-Jennifer Haines (512) 627-8046 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.jenniferhaines.properties ■ See our ad on Page 56 Keller Williams-Kim Sanders (512) 869-9699 LIberty Hill, TX 78642 kimsanders.kw.com ■ See our ad on Page 58 Keller Williams-Kristen Childers (512) 947-0373 900 Quest Parkway Cedar Park, TX 78613 austinandhillcountryrealestate.com
Lisa Messana, REALTOR (512) 636-6882 Round Rock, TX 78664 www.BestOfTexasRealEstate.com Mallach & Co Realty-Shelley Clawson (512) 632-9393 304 W Willis St Leander, TX 78641 www.mallachandcompany.com ■ See our ad on Page 11 RE/MAX Town & Country, Connie Fuller (512) 381-6863 13561 TX 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.remax.com RE/MAX Town & Country, Shane T. White (512) 515-5263 13561 TX 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.shanetwhiteteam.com ■ See our ads on Pages 8, 120 San Gabriel Realty, a Team Realty of Texas Group (512) 635-7529 3103 RR 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.san-gabriel-realty.com Shin Oak Realty (512) 515-6565 2015 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.shinoakrealty.com Star of Texas Realty Group (512) 525-0269 1002 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.StarOfTexasRealtyGroup.com Keller Williams-Tammy Wise (254) 631-6861 PO Box 805 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.wiseaustinagent.com
RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITY Meridell Achievement Center (512) 528-2100 12550 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.meridell.com
RESTAURANTS Chicken Express (512) 548-6390 13282 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 chickene.com
Dahlia Café (512) 515-7772 2450 RR 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.dahliacafe.com ■ See our ad on Page 96 Dominos (512) 778-9010 10990 W Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.dominos.com Happy Wok (512) 548-0095 13750 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 happywoklibertyhill.com ■ See our ad on Page 96 Hobo Junction (512) 778-9020 3000 Ranch Road 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 105 Jardin Corona (512) 778-6770 15395 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.jardincoronarestaurant.com Juanes Mexican Restaurant (512) 639-7610 3317 East State Hwy 29 Bertram, TX 78605 ■ See our ad on Page 105 Liberty Hill Bakery & Café (512) 548-6086 1004 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillcafe.com Liberty Hill Beer Market (512) 260-8787 13851 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 facebook.com/Liberty-Hill- Beer-Market ■ See our ad on Page 100 Majors Burger Company (512) 548-6781 14011 W. State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.majorsburgercompany.com ■ See our ad on Page 96 Margarita’s Restaurant / Time Out Bar 10280 W State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.margaritaslibertyhill.net Smokey Mo’s BBQ (512) 515-0668 717 S. US Hwy 183 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.smokeymosbbq.com ■ See our ad on Page 98 L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY RETAIL
SEPTIC
Clutch Across Texas (512) 785-8589 325 W State Hwy 29 Bertram, TX 78605 www.clutchacrosstx.com
Windhawk Environmental Inc (512) 748-2101 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 windhawkenvironmentalinc.com
LuLaRoe Alyssa Burkham PO Box 386 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 facebook.com/groups/lularoealyssa burkham Pearl Snaps & Barbwire (512) 876-5071 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 facebook.com/Pearl-Snaps-Barbwire Simply Home Decor & More (512) 778-5001 15280 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.simplyhomedecor.net ■ See our ad on Page 46 Two Brand It (512) 548-5056 921 Loop 332 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.twobrandit.com
ROOFING Riata Roofing & Services (512) 778-4075 101 Jonathan Dr., Ste 7 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.facebook.com/riataroofing
SALON Salon 29 (512) 778-5155 14745 W SH 29, Suite B Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.salon-29.com ■ See our ad on Page 105
SCANNER SALES iCaught (512) 453-2653 12701 W. State Hwy. 29, Ste 3 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.icaught.com
SECURITY Tx2 Security Group (512) 417-3405 PO Box 902 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 Tx2security.com
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SEWING CLASSES Hug A Bug (512) 293-5367 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 ■ See our ad on Page 70
SHIPPING & PRINTING Post Net (512) 637-6080 651 N US Hwy 183, Ste 335 Leander, TX 78641 tx202.postnet.com
SIGNS & BANNERS 183 Signs (512) 548-5123 925 N Hwy 183, Building C Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.183signs.com
SKIN CARE & COSMETICS Rodan and Fields, Michelle Van Natter (512) 818-5975 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 michellevn.myrandf.com Sabrina Jordan, Mary Kay Consultant (512) 515-5114 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.marykay.com/sjordan ■ See our ad on Page 107
STORAGE Liberty Hill Storage (512) 548-6425 14774 West State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhillstorage.com Move It (512) 515-5430 15725 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.moveitstorage.com
SUBDIVISION Liberty Parke (512) 914-7800 12331 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 libertyparketx.com
Meritage Homes @ MorningStar (512) 909-3411 117 Landry Drive Georgetown, TX 78628 www.meritagehomes.com ■ See our ads on Page 50, 59 Milestone Community Builders-Larkspur (512) 215-5220 1633 US Hwy 183 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.mymilestone.com ■ See our ads on Page 45, 119 Orchard Ridge (512) 580-6308 100 Orchard Park Drive Liberty Hill, TX 78642 liveorchardridge.com Santa Rita Ranch (512) 655-9549 175 Elizabeth Park Blvd Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.santaritaranchaustin.com ■ See our ads on Pages 2, 47
SWIMMING POOLS GK Pools (512) 845-7449 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.premiergk.com ■ See our ad on Page 40 Paradise Pools & Spas (512) 515-7665 3200 Ranch Road 1869 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.paradisepools.com ■ See our ad on Page 65
TITLE SERVICES Independence Title (512) 515-0110 101 Jonathan Drive, Ste 2 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 independencetitle.com ■ See our ad on Page 106
TOWING Liberty Hill Towing (512) 515-6780 7260 FM 3405 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.libertyhilltowing.com
UTILITIES Pedernales Electric Cooperative (512) 778-5470 10625 State Hwy 29 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.pec.coop
VETERINARIANS Comanche Trail Veterinary Center (512) 548-5065 14370 W HWY 29, Ste 9 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.comanchetrailvet.com ■ See our ad on Page 21 Dr. Jonathan Magid (512) 567-9845 3811 CR 211 Bertam, TX 78605 ■ See our ad on Page 106
WASTE/TRASH Al Clawson Disposal (512) 746-2000 8600 N IH 35 Frontage Rd Georgetown, TX 78626 www.clawsondisposal.com
WEB-DESIGN Sunrise SEO (254) 793-2485 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.sunrisesigns.com/seo
WHOLESALE WAREHOUSE Costco Wholesale #1152 (512) 690-9507 4601 183A Toll Rd Cedar Park, TX 78613 www.costco.com
WINDOW TREATMENTS Classic Window Coverings (512) 567-2388 Liberty Hill, TX 78642 www.cwcblinds.com ■ See our ad on Page 91
TREE SERVICE Certified Arbor Care (512) 671-8733 2405 Gardenia Drive Austin, TX 78727 certifiedarborcare.net ■ See our ad on Page 20
FIND LIBERTY HILL CHAMBER MEMBERS ONLINE LibertyHillChamber.org/Members
LIBERTY HILL
ADVERTISER INDEX 98th Meridian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 A Texas Girl’s Guns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Austin Realty - Amy Gandy . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Beck Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Bender & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 C&C Monuments/Rockdale Memorial . . . 30 Capitol Metro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Cedar Park Pediatric Dentistry . . . . . . . . 100 Cedar Park Regional Medical Center . . . . 36 Certified Arbor Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 City of Liberty Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Classic Window Coverings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Coldwell Banker - Kerin Reinhardt . . . . . . . 61 Comanche Trail Veterinary Center . . . . . . . 21 Corker Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Cross Tracks Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Dahlia Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Davis Tire & Automotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Drees Custom Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 FBG Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Fellowship Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Footsteps Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Fortis Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Gary Brown CPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Georgetown OB-GYN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 GK Pools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Goldenberg Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Grace Alive Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 GT Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Guild Mortgage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Happy Trails Learning Center . . . . . . . . 71, 118 Happy Wok . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Hilltop Children’s Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Hug A Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Hughes & Company Real Estate. . . . . . . . 57 Independence Day Spectacular . . . . . . . . . 85 JJ’s Liquor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 K Bar T Custom Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Keller Williams - Jennifer Haines . . . . . . . . 56 Keller Williams - Kim Sanders . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Lantz’s Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Larkspur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45, 119 Law Office of Jamie Etzkorn . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Liberty Hill Beer Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Liberty Hill Dental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Liberty Hill Economic Development Corp.88 Liberty Hill Event Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Liberty Hill Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 70 Liberty Hill Pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Life Springs Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Lions Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Majors Burger Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Mallach & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Meritage Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Monroe Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Moore Liberty Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 MorningStar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 P&R Propane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Paradise Pools & Spas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Parker’s Corner Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Quick Service Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 R Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Rancho Sienna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Reid’s Triple T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Santa Rita Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 47 Shane T. White Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 120 Shweiki Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Simply Home Decor & More . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Ski’s Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Smokey Mo’s BBQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Stubblefield Park Apartments . . . . . . . . . . 65 Sunup Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Supreme Lending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Texas Physical Therapy Specialists . . . . . . . 37 The Liberty Hill Independent . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Union State Bank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 US Health Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 West Family Dentistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Widmer Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Winkley’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Wise Top Soil & Gravel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
ADVERTISE WITH US
Liberty Hill Living magazine is direct mailed to more than 9,000 postal customers once annually in and around the Liberty Hill area and can be picked up from select Liberty Hill businesses. If you’d like to partner with us, please contact us at 512.778.5577 or katie@LHIndependent.com for 2018 advertising rates and deadlines. www.LibertyHillLiving.com
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WALYON CUNNINGHAM PHOTO
Homemade salsas, pickles, and more can be found on Saturdays during growing season at Indian Mound Ranch.
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ENROLLING!
WHERE CHILDREN BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY ON A LIFETIME OF LEARNING
Happy Trails Learning Center offers high quality childcare in a nurturing environment. Our program is academically rich and designed to promote your child’s growth and development. Ages 6 Weeks to 13 Years ■ Full-Time & Part-Time Programs Available ■ Kindergarten Readiness Program ■ Hot Meals, Snacks Provided (USDA Approved) ■ CCMS Accepted ■ Age Appropriate Activities, Curriculum ■ Before-School and After-School Care ■ Summer Camps “WHERE CHILDREN BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY ON A LIFETIME OF LEARNING.” ■ Field Trips ■
Happy Trails Learning Center • 14865 W. Hwy 29, Liberty Hill www.happytrailslearningcenter.com
(512) 515-0555 Like us on Facebook
$0 Down USDA Loans - 4 Product Lines To Choose From - Call (512) 215-5220 Today! New Homes from the low $200’s - Incredible Standard Feature Packages
Larkspur is a 600+ Acre planned community of quality homes, beautiful nature reserves and first rate residential amenities. Resting on the banks of the San Gabriel River, Larkspur is the perfect balance of Texas Hill Country serenity and the connected convenience of the charming cities nearby. Discover more about this incredible neighborhood and find the perfect home for you to start enjoying the Larkspur Life. 183
Liberty Hill Lake Georgetown
San Gabriel River
279 183A
Leander 2243 183
1431
Larkspur is located just north of Leander on Highway 183. For more information, please visit MyMileStone.com. Offer, prices, plans, speciďŹ cations and availability are subject to change and/or cancellation at any time without prior notice. Please contact community sales counselor for additional details and restrictions.
$0 Down USDA Loans
Natural Parks & Walking Trails
Incredible Amenity Center
Cedar Park
Natural Gas L I B E RT Y H I L L L I V I N G 2 017 Connections
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LOVE
WHERE YOU LIVE
From left, Ginger Floyd, Nicole Nieft, Mendy Wright, Shane White, Maria Kyle, Debby Norman, Clyde Davis, Connie Fuller
The Shane T. White Team at RE/MAX Town & Country has been helping families call Liberty Hill ‘home’ for more than 35 years.
512.515.5263 13561 Hwy 29 W | Liberty Hill | shanetwhite@remax.net www.ShaneTWhiteTeam.com