SAN MARCAN Issue Two, Fall 2018
THE CATFISH
HUNTER 28
Furly 36
DINING in the treetops 10
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 1
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SAN MARCAN 2018 • 3
6
ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BRUNCHING DOWNTOWN
8
DINING IN THE TREETOPS
10
HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
12
WORLD’S TOUGHEST CANOE RACE
14
MERCILESS MERMAIDS
16
LIVING THAT YOGA LIFE
18
RENTING TUBES AND HELPING THE COMMUNTIY
20
TUBING DOWN THE 72-DEGREE RIVER
21
BOBCATS EXCITED FOR UPCOMING SEASON
22
EXPLORE NATURE: VISIT CITY PARKS
23
MAP
24
COMMUNITY RADIO
26
THE CATFISH HUNTER
28
CINEMA CLUB CELEBRATES CULTURE
30
SCENES FROM FLOAT FEST
31
THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE WATER
32
MUSIC, FAMILY AND KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE
34
MASCOT OF SAN MARCOS
36
MARKET DAZE
38
CELEBRATING CULTURE AT THE SPRINGS
39
SMTX LOCAL TRADITIONS
40
EVOLVING DOWNTOWN
42
EXPLAINING THE UNEXPLAINED
44
Table of contents
2018
BREAKFAST TACOS GALORE
10
SAN MARCAN FALL 2018 • ISSUE TWO The San Marcan is a publication by the San Marcos Daily Record.
San Marcos Daily Record SANMARCOSRECORD.COM
Publisher - Lance Winter Managing Editor - Anita Miller Advertising Director - Marcy Holt Lead Designer - Colton Ashabranner Art, Layout, Design - Colton Ashabranner Production Manager - Toy Mendez Photography: Denise Cathey, Anita Miller, Colton Ashabranner, Robin Blackburn, Toy Mendez and Gerald Castillo
32
Contributors: Anita Miller, Colton Ashabranner, Denise Cathey, Gene Randall, Jordan Buckley, Mary Rath, Rachel Willis, Robin Blackburn, Nick Castillo, Donavan Jackson, Toy Mendez, Tom Goynes, Gene Randall and Maria Rocha
ON THE COVER
22
Nick Menchaca: The Catfish Hunter page 28 photo by Denise Cathey
38 12
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 5
BREAKFAST TACOS GALORE
by Rachel Willis It’s something that Texans know well; it comes wrapped in shiny foil and customarily in a brown paper bag accompanied with a few small containers of handmade salsa for only a couple of bucks. It’s the shared breakfast of blue-collar and white-collar workers alike. But the breakfast taco, despite its ubiquitousness in Texas culture, only arrived on the scene approximately 30 years ago. Breakfast tacos are the product of a knitting together of Mexican and American cultures. They were originally the Mexican workingman’s breakfast, but the idea of marrying the American breakfast staples of scrambled eggs, bacon and potatoes with the Mexican staples of salsa, cheese, refried beans and tortillas struck a chord in the general population and the idea of the breakfast taco has flourished ever 6 • SAN MARCAN 2018
since. Needless to say, the breakfast taco is delicious and here to stay. Here are some of San Marcos’ tastiest spots to grab this beautiful melding of Mexican and American culture: Loli’s Cafe – formerly Lolita’s – at first glance looks like a little blue and red shack in the middle of a self-serve carwash parking lot. But Loli’s, located at 1501 Aquarena Springs Dr., serves up one of the best
breakfast tacos in town. Their most popular taco is the Papas Rancheros that comes with a healthy serving of potatoes, eggs, bacon and cheese, all topped with their ranchero sauce. The shop is owned and operated by Marta Carillo, who began working at the stand when it was still a chili dog stand. When she was 21 years old, she bought it and transformed it into the bastion of breakfast tacos it is today. Loli’s is open 5 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.
Wowwee’s, famous for the size and quality of their handmade tortillas and their XL breakfast taco – like holding a foil-swaddled baby – is located at 1505 Aquarena Springs Dr. Wowwee’s serves up a killer chorizo, potato and cheese taco that can satisfy the chorizo aficionado and novice alike. The original stand opened in Brownsville, Texas in 1989 and the San Marcos location opened approximately five years ago. Wowwee’s is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bobcat Quickie looks deceivingly like your run-of-the-mill gas station in the downtown area, but behind the facade are some of San Marcos’ tastiest breakfast tacos. Bobcat Quickie, located at 339 N. Guadalupe St., was opened 2011 by owner Feras Abuhweij. The gas station had a small kitchen that made sandwiches and the like, but in 2012 Abuhweij hired Chef Niko Pedraza. Pedraza brought in her own recipes, including her incredibly spicy and delicious homemade salsas, and the taco business has been booming ever since. Their most popular taco is a twist on the the traditional Mexican breakfast dish migas, with pieces of crispy corn tortilla, eggs, pico
and cheese all wrapped in a flour tortilla. Bobcat Quickie serves up tacos 24 hours a day, seven days a week. M & M Taco Corner, located at 1303 W. Hopkins St., has been serving the San Marcos community since 1981. Located in a small green and white trailer, M & M Taco Corner is known for their authentic and fluffy homemade tortillas as well as their delicious salsas. Their most popular taco is the bacon, egg, bean and cheese; though their daily specials – that cost only $1.35 everyday – are hard to beat. M & M Taco Corner is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to noon on Sundays. Taqueria La Fonda, located right off the interstate at 1204 I-35 South, has been a family-owned and operated business in San Marcos for 26 years. The restaurant consists of two buildings in the same parking lot and both serve up a mean breakfast taco. Their most popular taco is a simple, yet delicious chorizo and egg taco. They are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week and closed Wednesdays.
Loli’s Cafe 1501 Aquarena Springs Dr.
Wowwee’s 1505 Aquarena Springs Dr.
Bobcat Quickie 339 N. Guadalupe St.
M&M Taco Corner 1303 W. Hopkins St.
Taqueria La Fonda 1204 I-35 South
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Mid-morning meals & mimosas An ultimate guide to brunching downtown
by Robin Blackburn
Photos by Denise Cathey
There’s a certain elegance to the idea of going out for brunch. It gives you permission to sleep late. It gives you a reason to linger with friends, recapping the weekend’s adventures over food. It offers you the chance to start your day with coffee, or alcohol, or both. Once the purview of the well-heeled, brunch has become more popular and more accessible in recent years, and San Marcos has plenty of options for latemorning or early-afternoon dining on the weekends. Some downtown cafes like Blue Dahlia and Root Cellar have brunches on special occasions, and mid-morning specials can pop up at any time at other local eateries. 8 • SAN MARCAN 2018
But for many locals, the word “brunch” brings one place to mind first: Palmers Restaurant. Monte Sheffield said that when and his wife took over Palmers Restaurant in May 2010, they knew, “This place has to have brunch.” The shaded and verdant courtyard at Palmers is perfect for it, Sheffield said, so offering brunch became one of the conditions of the change in ownership. The brunch menu at Palmers is heavily influenced by Louisiana cuisine – a product of the passion for the foods of New Orleans that Sheffield gained while working at Cajun restaurants in the past. The menu has made some changes
over time, but Sheffield said there is a base of four different omelets, four variations on eggs benedict and the popular build-your-own Bloody Mary bar. “They just love that,” Sheffield said of his brunch customers. Some of the staples on the Palmers brunch menu have sentimental value for Sheffield. The St. Charles omelet is named after his father, Charles, and includes what he likes in an omelet: Swiss cheese, smoked ham, green onion and grilled mushrooms, topped with grilled tomatoes. Jo Beth’s BLT sandwich is named after Sheffield’s mother and features applewood-smoked bacon, romaine lettuce, fried roma tomatoes and remoulade sauce on grilled Texas toast. And then there’s the meatloaf benedict, which Sheffield said was a bit of a gamble. The dish consists of bacon-wrapped meatloaf, Texas toast, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and a drizzle of chipotle ketchup. After it debuted, Sheffield said, “People were saying, ‘If you don’t have that next time, I’m gonna be mad.’”
Sheffield said he and his staff enjoy rolling out new items for the brunch menu. Some of the more recent experimental items include BLT Pasta and the Montekristeaux sandwich – ham and Swiss with turkey and cheddar on French toast and dusted with powdered sugar. “It’s always testing the waters,” Sheffield said. Palmers, which just had its 40th anniversary, often has special menus for featured occasions, including special brunches for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras. “We have fun with those specials,” Sheffield said. He also said that he and his wife believe in “mindful eating” in the sense that people should savor their meals, and those meals should be memorable. Wine bar Patio Dolcetto is relatively new to the brunch scene, but its monthly Brunch on the Patio is a decadent experience. Held every third Sunday (except during the heat of summer), the brunch includes complimentary chair massages by Maxfield’s Melting Massages, exotic
coffee and espresso drinks by local roasters Indigo Coffee, several flavors of mimosas and bubbly cocktails like bellinis, and a special food menu. The light fare – including muffins and other pastries, yogurt with granola and kolaches – also comes at surprisingly light prices of $2 to $3 per item. Another monthly brunch option can be found at the Price Center. Chef Ray Abazi brings his decades of experience to the Price Center Tea Room on the first
Sunday of each month. Abazi, who came to America from Albania as a teenager in 1969, has cooked for celebrities and crowds and now does catering, along with the Price Center brunch, and always puts customer service first.. “ You deliver what you promise,” he said. For $15, diners can eat all they like from the buffet, which includes made-to-order omelets. Abazi, who previously owned the Euro Cafe, also cooks up an array of
breakfast classics like French toast and crepes alongside Mediterranean dishes like pasta, hummus and eggplant dishes. The seat-yourself, serve-yourself casual atmosphere suits the homey feel of the Price Center Tea Room and makes brunch there a casual, comfortable experience. Brunch is the intersection of two ideas – that meals should be an event and that everyone deserves a little luxury now and then. San Marcos restaurants offer diners the chance to indulge.
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Dining in the treetops by Robin Blackburn It is sometimes said that adaptability is the key to longevity, and Grins can certainly prove it. Not only did the venerable restaurant adapt to its physical environment – there is a tree growing through the restaurant because the owners refused to cut it down – but it has changed with the times and with changing appetites since its opening day, on Valentine’s Day in 1975. The atmosphere at Grins lets customers feel like they are dining in a treehouse. Besides the tree protected by glass in one of the dining rooms, there are plants galore throughout the restaurant and an outdoor balcony set among the trees. The quirky decor, including part of an old windmill, a church pew and an assortment of unusual hats that customers have donated for the dining room walls, adds to the sense of whimsy and wonder that keeps diners coming back. Paul Sutphen, co-owner of Grins, has been with the restaurant since the beginning. “I was the first cook hired,” he said. “It was $2 an hour. … The first day they opened, they made $30, and I thought, ‘Man, they’re going to be rich!’” 10 • SAN MARCAN 2018
The original owners of the restaurant, Tom Wassenich and Lyndon Herring, had some stiff competition: Schlotzsky’s was just across the way, on the other wide of the “Y” at North LBJ and Chestnut Street, and Sutphen said the parking lot over there was always packed. Nevertheless, Wassenich and Herring pushed along, with help from a menu that featured burgers, fries, a green salad, pitchers of beer and sangria, and longnecks. Wassenich said he remembers working 100-hour weeks in the restaurant’s early days. Not long after opening, Wassenich and Herring hired Johnny Ferrell – Sutphen’s current partner in Grins – as a cook. The two began the process of purchasing Grins in 1977, Sutphen said. Grins also offered live music for a time, Sutphen said – Wassenich and Herring would play there, and so would the likes of Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. Local acts would play for a couple of hours, Sutphen said, and make $20 to $30 plus a meal and free beer. “It was just a wonderful time,” Sutphen said. “Live music brings life to a town. It
Hanging framed, a historical shingle from Old Main 1938-2013 Photos by Denise Cathey
“We’re not an interstate business,” he said. “We’re a hometown fixture and we always have been.” Paul Sutphen, Grins co-owner brings so much excitement.” Eventually, the disco craze killed the live music nights at Grins, Sutphen said, but the rest of the business kept growing. The restaurant went through several expansions and the kitchen grew larger so the cooks would have more capacity and more capabilities. “As we’ve grown, and as different tastes have grown, our menu has changed,” Sutphen said. “... People ask me if it’s southern comfort food. I don’t have a name for it – I call it home cooking,” Sutphen said. In addition to the old favorites of burgers and nachos, Grins has grilled chicken dishes, fajitas, chicken fried steak, a veggie plate, baked potatoes, homemade desserts, and signature dishes like the broccoli cheese soup, fried catfish and their famous – and enormous – homemade onion rings. Sutphen said the onion rings came about at around the same time that Outback Steakhouse was growing and using the popularity of the Bloomin’ Onion appetizer to attract customers, so Grins decided not to do something similar. “I wish we were bloomin’ smarter, but we said we’d do homemade onion rings instead,” he said. The onion rings are very labor intensive, Sutphen explained, and even the prepping is a lot of work. “But when a plate goes out to a table,
you see a big smile, and people say, ‘Wow!’ It is worth all the effort,” he said. That kind of dedication inspires a certain loyalty – from both employees and customers. Office manager Dawn Manger has been with Grins for about 15 years, Sutphen said, and the kitchen manager and his assistant – Barry Hill and Juan Tello – have been there for decades. Wassenich said that his favorite part of having the restaurant was getting to know the wonderful employees he had over the years. And you need look no further than the dining rooms at Grins to see proof of customer loyalty. There are two tables set aside for former customers – Steve Harvell and a Dr. Bowles, who was a university professor. “After he died,” Sutphen said of Harvell, “his family requested it, because this was his favorite place.” Bowles was not only a regular customer, Sutphen explained; he had a regular order. “He wanted beef enchiladas and a Caesar salad,” Sutphen said. “On the buttons you push to place orders, we even had a preset for him.” Sutphen said that he felt like Grins might be more profitable if it were located out on the interstate, but that wouldn’t suit the character of the place. “We’re not an interstate business,” he said. “We’re a hometown fixture and we always have been.” Another key to Grins’ longevity, Sutphen said, is passion for the business of feeding people, which he said is the best, hardest and most gratifying business in the world. He and Ferrell are still on the premises every day. “We have a passion every day for every customer,” he said. “Every time we unlock the front door and turn on the open sign, it’s showtime.” SAN MARCAN 2018 • 11
Happy Hour Photos by Denise Cathey
Aquabrew Aquabrew 5-6 Sunday-Saturday & Fridays 4-6 p.m. 50% off beers, 50% off pub snacks
Black Rabbit Mon-Friday 5-9 p.m. $1 off wells, domestic bottles and all draft beers
Blue Dahlia Mon- Friday 3-6 p.m. Bottled beer: Montucky Cold Snack $2, Shiner Light Blonde $2, Hops & Grain River Beer $3 $1 off draft beer $5 Glass or $19 Bottle, Sauv Blanc Three Brooms, Brut Rose Tarantas, Pinot Grigio Italo Cescon, Cava Brut Clos La Soleya, Malbec Durigutti, Red Blend Paxis, Cotes-du-Rhone Pierre Dupond
12 • SAN MARCAN 2018
Photo by Colton Ashabranner
Freddy C’s Cats 2-8 p.m. Landsharks $3.50, $2.25 Lone Star and Zeigen
Chances R 3-7 p.m. & 9:30-11:30 p.m. every day. $1 off of pitchers and liquor, 75 cents off of pints, and 50 cents off of bottled beer
Cheatham Street Monday-Saturday, 3-7:30 p.m. $2 domestic beers and $2 well drinks.
Crafthouse 2-7 p.m. Well drinks and domestic bottles $2.50 Everyday All day Lonestar $1.50, Frozen Screwdriver $2.50, Screw The Moon $4.50, Craft Sangria $5, Draft Beer Flight $6, Texas Wine Flight $10
Freddy C’s Everyday til 8 p.m. $3 beers (tall boys included) Sunday all day $2 Mimosas, $4 Bloody Marys
Harpers 4-9 p.m. $2.50 Wells & domestic bottles
Louie’s 3-7 p.m. 2.50 Wells 2.50 Domestic Bottles
Mayloo’s Everyday $3 Wells and Domestics
Showdown The Porch Open - 8 p.m. daily Select domestics $2.75 (Miller lt, Bud lt, Coors, Coors lt, Ziegen, PBR, Highlife, Lone Star & Lone Star lt.) Well drinks $2.75 (whiskey, vodka, gin and tequila) $4 Crown, 911, Jager
Root Cellar Tuesday-Sunday 4-6 p.m. $2 Mimosas and sangria $2 off beer, wine and mixed drinks
Sean Patrick’s 3-7 p.m. $2.50 Wells $1 Off most beers and liquors
The Porch
Zelicks Showdown All Day Lone Star and Ziegen $2.50 pints, $10 bottle of champagne 2-7 p.m. $2.25 Wells, $4 Top shelf Happy Minutes 3-3:15 & 5-:5:15 Pilsner basic draft $1 Premium $1.75
Shade Rooftop Patio Bar 5-9 p.m. $3 Frosé, $3 Frozen Margaritas, $1 Off wells and domestic beers
Stonewall Warehouse 6-9 p.m. $2.50 Domestics, $3 Wells $4 Draft beers
Taproom 3-8 p.m. 50 cents off all draughts (16 & 23 oz) $2 Domestic Bottles $2.75 Well Drinks.
Zelicks Mon-Fri Open to 7 p.m. $2 PBR Pints, $2.50 Lone Star Tall Boys $3 Wells 3 Crafts for $3 - (Live Oak Hefeweizen, Karbach Love Street, Hops & Grain Zoe) $4 Zelicks margarita $6.50 Dos-a-rita with mini Dos XX Compiled by Colton Ashabranner (happy hour prices are subject to change)
Zelicks SAN MARCAN 2018 • 13
The world’s
toughest
canoe race by Tom Goynes It’s just after dark on Sunday night, June 10. I’m sitting on a bench, on the pier, at the flagpole, in Bayfront Park, Seadrift, Texas – it’s a great vantage point that gives me a clear view of the bay in the direction they will come. I’m waiting for the arrival of the first place canoe in the Texas Water Safari. The 260-mile muscle powered race had started at Spring Lake in San Marcos the day before at 9 am. It has been 36 hours. And none of the spectators, bank crews, or families of the racers have any idea which of the top two teams will arrive first. It has been one of the most exciting Safaris of all time. The two lead boats, both of them 45 foot long six man canoes, had been just three minutes apart at Victoria – approximately 9 hours ago, which was 27 hours into the race. But then the team known as Desolation Row made a run for it, and had entered San Antonio Bay with an hour lead. Desolation Row is an international team, consisting of Amado Cruz, a six foot four inch gentle giant from Belize; Nick Walton, a top ranked Michigan canoe racer just an inch shorter than Amado; Andrew Condie, a displaced Texan who currently resides in Colorado; and Texans Ian Rolls from Dripping Springs, William Russell from San 14 • SAN MARCAN 2018
Antonio, and my son-in-law Tommy Yonley from Houston. They have proven themselves to be the faster of the two teams on the river portion of the race, which includes the entire 90 miles of the San Marcos River and 160 miles of the Guadalupe River from Gonzales to the mouth of the river just downstream of Tivoli. By the way, a Safari racer, probably in an altered state due to lake of sleep (the race is non-stop – at least for those who want to win) realized that Tivoli backwards is I love it. I suppose racers have developed a love for that town because of its proximity to the finish line. The second place canoe at the mouth of the river is named the Martindale Athletic Club. It consists of brothers Michael and Ben Schlimmer, top paddlers from New York; Clay Wyatt from Martindale; brothers Logan and Kyle Mynar from New Braunfels; and their uncle Fred Mynar from San Marcos. They are a formidable team, consisting of several members with numerous Safari wins, and they have paddled hard from the start. There is excitement in the air; and a good bit of anxiety on the part of the Desolation Row bank crew and followers. The team captains, Jay Condie (Andrew’s dad) and Brooke Rolls (Ian’s wife) have been awake
the entire race, chasing their team down the river, giving them water, ice and food. They are exhausted, and more than a little apprehensive. Where is Desolation Row? Why did their spot tracker (the device that transmits their location to a satellite every 10 minutes so race officials and followers of the race can see their approximate location in real time) stop transmitting in the middle of San Antonio Bay? Anyway, the race was on, and both teams were moving much faster than anyone could believe – after all, these guys had been racing for over 30 hours. Brooke Rolls approaches. I had assured her earlier that I fully expected her husband’s team to come in first. But they were overdue. Their spot tracker wasn’t showing their position, and the spot page (which constantly calculates estimated times of arrival based on current speed) showed that the Martindale Athletic Club should finish first. Reassurance at this point was difficult. Everyone knew that either canoe could arrive first. Meanwhile, out in the bay, Desolation Row was experiencing some of the desolation they had previously dealt out. They had indeed sunk in the middle of the bay, in water that was about 6 feet deep.
They were attempting to swim their six man canoe toward shore, but the wind was against them. Tommy Yonley had spent his youth serving as a life guard at Houston public pools. He had developed an ability to hold his breath (while swimming) for as long as three minutes. He discovered that, if he took a deep breath and held himself underwater by pushing up on the gunnels of the swamped canoe, he could make contact with the muddy bottom of the bay and walk the canoe toward the east shore. Soon he convinced Amado (who happened to be a spear fisherman back in Belize in his spare time – and could also hold his breath for several minutes) to follow his lead. Soon the canoe was in shallow enough water that all of the team mates could help. All in all it took the better part of an hour. It was still daylight and they hadn’t seen the second place team. But how close were they? Desolation Row was back afloat. And they were soon crossing the barge canal (the deepest water that the teams have to cross on the way to Seadrift). But deep water often equates to large waves, and tonight this was the case. The team rolled over in the waves and began another swim. Fortunately, this time they were in shallow enough water that they were able to get back in the canoe fairly quickly. But by now it was dark. They had no way of knowing if they were still in the lead or running second place. They crossed the finish line and half the crowd cheered loudly. They asked: “Did we win?” The crowd continued cheering. “Did we win?” More cheering. “Did we (expletive) win?” That got the attention of the crowd, and finally someone told them that yes, they had won. The Martindale Athletic Club arrived just five minutes later. The last time they had received a time from their bank crew they had heard that they were an hour behind. But now the first place team was still in the bay, still wearing life jackets, and still celebrating. Logan Mynar asked the question: “How long have ya’ll been here?” “Five minutes.” The look on their faces told the story. How many places along the course could they have saved just one minute? Could they have run the bay just five minutes faster? I was reminded of a paraphrase of a commencement speech by Winston Churchill: “Never give up. Never ever give up. Never ever ever give up.” Good advice, whether for a group of
Photos by Denise Cathey
boys during the big war or a second place team in the Texas Water Safari. The loss had to be difficult to accept, but nonetheless, in an amazing show of sportsmanship, all 12 team members shook hands and embraced. The second place team congratulating the winners, the winners thankful for a clean, hard race. Eighty more teams finished the race. Phil Bowden and Jason Cade from San Marcos (the first place two man team) finished third overall in 45 hours and 46 minutes. A six man team of Jay Daniel (Martindale) Shawn Boyett (New Braunfels) Tim Curry (Spring) Nathan Tart (Austin) and Michael Vandeveer and Brandon Stafford (Cuero) finished fourth. Fifth place overall and first place in the solo division was Andrew McEwan (from Washington D.C.). Andrew is one of the top racers in the country in what is known as wildwater kayaking, and he was drawn to the concept of running a river from its source to sea in one weekend.
Lots of teams finished with little concern regarding their finish position or their time. All they wanted to do is officially finish the “World’s Toughest Boat Race” as the Safari is known. Last team to finish was Norm Thomas, who walked in Wednesday afternoon at 98 hours and 20 mins. Norm is an Army ranger. A trial lawyer. A prison chaplain. A singer and songwriter. As he finishes the race he begins belting out a hymn. He is grateful for being there. In fact, his team name is “Grateful.” And the crowd is grateful too. Grateful that 83 teams were able to finish the race. Grateful for the many shows of good sportsmanship. Grateful that character building events like the Texas Water Safari are still being held. Grateful for 55 years (since 1963) of Safaris and they are still paddling. Who knows, maybe next June you will find yourself in the middle of this great race/adventure.
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 15
Merciless Mermaids: Skating, blocking, jamming their way to the top by Robin Blackburn At first sight, it looks a little like football. Players wear helmets and pads, there’s a clear offense and defense, coaches talk about strategy and emphasize teamwork, and sometimes a player will take a tumble when the game gets heated. But there is no ball, the players are women, and all the action takes place on wheels. Roller derby came to San Marcos in 2017, and the growing popularity of the San Marcos River Rollers and the first San Marcos team, the Merciless Mermaids, seems to indicate it will be here for some time to come. “Everybody here is a founding member,” said league founder Rebecca Hudson (aka Strawberry Stomp Cake) at the Mermaids’ final practice before their first bout. Hudson, who skated in Corpus Christi and in Colorado, said she started the San Marcos River Rollers league out of a longing to get back into the sport. “I had dreams about derby the whole time I was pregnant,” she said. “Seriously, I dreamed four nights a week.” Hudson said she reached out on social media to ask if any local women would be interested, and she got plenty of responses. The league formed on May 5, 2017. Hudson said that women are attracted to roller derby because it is empowering and athletic. She said when she first got involved, 16 • SAN MARCAN 2018
“I just saw these amazing women of different sizes and colors working together, and we need that now.” The Merciless Mermaids’ trainer, Rita Flores (aka Frieda Loca), is also a derby veteran. She skated with a league in Maui for five or six years. When she started skating in Hawaii, she said, “It was a new league that was emerging. I got involved, and I was
hooked after that.” Flores said that she broke her arm last April and was still recovering when she heard about the San Marcos River Rollers league. “I didn’t want to not be a part of derby,” she said. Because of her injury, Flores ended up coaching the skaters – something she hadn’t planned on and had never done before, but it is a role she has embraced.
What is Roller Derby? In a roller derby bout, each team has four blockers and one jammer, Flores said. Jammers score points by skating around the track past members of the opposing team. Blockers can switch from offense to defense depending on what the other team’s jammer is doing on the track, Flores explained. “It’s a full contact sport on wheels,” Flores said, adding that there are strategies at work on the track during a bout. Blockers have to figure out the best way to keep the opposing team’s jammer from moving around the track and how to help their own jammer get out of a tight spot. Of the two jammers on the track, the one in front is called the lead jammer and is the only player with the power to call off the jam, or end the play, before the other jammer scores more points. Just like any other sport, roller derby has rules and standards. The San Marcos derby team is working on achieving Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) membership and already plays by WFTDA rules, like many teams in the area. WFTDA, the international governing body for women’s flat-track derby, got its start in Austin during the roller derby revival of the late 1990s and early 2000s. A former skater from Austin’s Texas Rollergirls league explained that at first, the skaters were sort of a side attraction at live music shows. Then, after the man who organized those shows took off with the funds the women had raised, the skaters took matters into their own hands and formed a roller derby league. They began skating on a banked track – a track with an angle to it – but the scarcity of venues with banked tracks led the league to decide to skate on a flat track. That meant – in the spirit of the DIY movement – they could skate anywhere they wanted, as long is it was a flat surface with the right dimensions. According to the WFTDA website, the first official flat track roller derby bout was held in April 2003 under what would eventually become WFTDA rules.
Photos by Denise Cathey
The River Rollers’ Route
Why Derby?
The Merciless Mermaids got off to a strong start with their first ever bout, held June 23 in New Braunfels. The Mermaids beat the more experienced Wurst Girls in front of a capacity crowd at Kings and Queens Ballroom – and that could, Hudson hopes, be a sign of things to come. Hudson said she wants to see the River Rollers grow into a full league, with multiple teams, including a junior league for girls. However, she said, “San Marcos doesn’t have a facility” that can provide a roller derby league with a home track. The River Rollers are raising money and, “Hopefully, we’ll be able to create that.” Hudson said the league does hold 501(c)3 nonprofit status and takes donations in addition to selling merchandise at bouts, scrimmages and meet-and-greet events in town.
The women of the San Marcos River Rollers have different reasons for getting involved, but for most, it comes down to a sense of empowerment and belonging. Dawn Cousino is still working on her basic skills and thus has the nickname “Fresh Meat.” “I’m one of the new ones,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do it.” Cousino said it had been 17 years since she had been on roller skates, and then sometime around March she got involved with derby. “I love it,” she said. “There’s a lot of women who are self-conscious about weight or shape, but with derby – we have a family.” Cousino noted that derby attracts a wide variety of women – mothers, students, professionals and those from other walks of life – and the team atmosphere provides a sense of belonging. Flores said derby has changed her on a fundamental level. “I didn’t used to be competitive until I got heavily involved with derby,” she said. “It changed me. Derby has made me be more empowered and assertive.” That change has carried over into her non-derby life, Flores said. “They talk about having an alter ego out there,” she said. “It’s not an alter ego. It’s who I am now.” SAN MARCAN 2018 • 17
lIving that yoga lIfe STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOY MENDEZ
The San Marcos yoga community is thriving. Local studios are enjoying a steady growth in popularity and eager participants of all ages throughout the city. Here’s a quick introduction to San Marcos’ top three yoga studios, and the creators behind them. Get ready to grab your mat and go! Easy Tiger opened in February 2018, with a focus on providing a safe and open-minded environment for practitioners of yoga in San Marcos. “San Marcos has a growing yoga community—we have a lot of people who’ve been practicing a long time, beginners, and those focused on meditation. People feel comfortable here, we offer space to be creative and to explore many different kinds of yoga,” said Co-Manager Annalisa Turner. She said it’s important to remember, “as yoga becomes more mainstream, it’s cool, but can also be alienating for some.” Accessibility and demographics can hinder those who want to experience yoga; Easy Tiger seeks to provide greater accessibility to the community. “We offer a class, in American Sign Language; our instructor is fantastic!”said Turner. Local practitioner Tod Miller promotes the Fundamentals class for beginners, and he’s been practicing yoga for years.
Class Favorites: Fundamentals: Good introduction for anyone. Offered twice a month–Free Class! Tiger Flow: Most difficult class, taught by a senior instructor, poses require a great deal of strength and lots of practice. Healthy Aging (workshop) Geared toward ages 50+ Focuses on maintaining comfort in your body as you age. Sound Bath: (workshop) Sound baths are meditative listening exercises— described as healing performances. Alternative instruments like crystal singing bowls, bronze hammered bowls, chimes, gongs, harmonium, and didgeridoo, are used to create organic sounds. Workshop begins with breath work and moves toward a deep meditative state. Classes fit 20, spots fill quickly. Offered monthly.
Owner Keith Schmidt, managers Jenna Clark and Annalisa Turner, and Owner Nick Stiler
EASY TIGER YOGA
Jenna Clark in Dancer Pose, (Natarajasana) in back, Annalisa Turner Upward Bow (Wheel) Pose in middle, Tod Miller in front. 18 • SAN MARCANin2018
10 • 2018 San Marcos Chamber Welcome Guide
136 S LBJ Dr. SMTX 78666 512-210-3444 easytigeryoga.com easytigeryoga@gmail.com
SHINE ON YOGA 302-B University Dr. SMTX 78666 512-749-1567 soyoga.biz teo@soyoga.biz
Shine On Yoga is a blossoming yoga environment focused on bringing health, body awareness and wellbeing to the San Marcos community. It is the brainchild of owner and creator Theo Whitmore. Since opening its doors eight months ago, a steady increase of participants looking for gains in physical and mental aptitude have arrived. “We were fortunate to find this spot right here by the river, this close to Texas State University. We get students and faculty members that walk in, it’s a good mix of people,” Whitmore said. On any day class participants range anywhere from 7 to 80 years old; they enjoy classic flow classes, hot yoga, slow flow and specialty classes that encourage a wide range of participants from the community. Whitmore’s decision to open a yoga studio in San Marcos was based on the community. “I’ve been a part of this community for seven years, it’s a very magical place, I went to school here
(Whitmore has a degree in Anthropology) but the community is what keeps me here—it’s what I get excited about, to help the people I know and love,” Whitmore said. Taking down barriers to health and wellness, and providing accessibility for more members of the community is important “One of the goals of Shine On is to focus on community outreach and that includes public schools, care centers and Texas State University athletics,” he said. “We’re working with the TXSU football team, we have an instructor who works with different hospice care and seniors centers privately, we also have a fully trained instructor fluent in Spanish.” When under a lot of stress, even 10 seconds of mindful breathing, with a trained instructor can immediately help mind and body to relax and let go of stress. Classes are also held at various locations including the San Marcos River and Sewell Park.
Theo Whitmore, owner & creator of Shine on Yoga
Class Favorites: 30 Min Core: Great for back pain. Everyday we experience a lot of compression on our spine, sitting at work, driving and at home, building a strong core is important. Mommy & Me: For parents with infants crawling to 5 years—kids and parents play and do yoga together. The Yoga You Need: Great for anyone recovering from injury, issues with flexibility or aging. This class is based on functional strength building and therapeutics, participants leave with an overall feeling of body wellness. FB Live: M•Th 4:30
RED DAWG HOT YOGA 1917 Dutton Dr. Ste. 110 SMTX 78666 512-751-3936 reddawghotyoga.com reddawgyoga@gmail.com
Red Dawg Hot Yoga has been in San Marcos nearly 5 years, specializing in hot yoga classes. The studio is heated with 19 radiant heat panels on the ceiling, raising the temp in the room 85°–105° depending on classes. Radiant heat bounces off the body, it’s energy-efficient, more direct and concentrated as opposed to a convection central air and heat system. “I started practicing hot yoga 12 years ago, it made a huge difference in my life—it was transformational and healing from the inside out,” said Red Dawg owner Jamie Barnard. “The heat helps your body open up and respond to the yoga poses in a much deeper way—you sweat a lot, our bodies are intended to in order to detox. Hot yoga brings your body into alignment and can help with many issues, medical, psychological, emotional, physical. It keeps us healthy and our immune systems functioning the proper way,” Bernard said. Bernard was able to ditch allergy meds she took for years, and her chronic hip pain from
running and lifting disappeared. Bernard trained in California and was certified in the Bikram sequence. Hot yoga “forces you to stay present and pay close attention to how your body is responding to the heat and pose in combination. In the beginning there’s a learning curve, just like with anything else, and you have to learn what your individual body needs in order to perform at that level of heat,” she said. It’s about getting to know yourself in a new way. “It’s a system designed to reset your body in every way. People keep coming back because it’s made such an impact on them, one client tells me all the time ‘this place saved my life.’ They’re so grateful that this place is here—it’s a vital part of any community to have a stable yoga studio over the years so that people really get a sense of what this will do over the long term. “People need time to develop a regular practice, it’s important. I t saved my life too, many times, from all kinds of things,” Bernard said.
Red Dawg Hot Yoga owner Jamie Barnard
Class Favorites: Core 26: Good for all levels of practice. Class modeled after the Bikram Yoga sequence at 100°+ combination of standing poses and floor postures. Vinyasa Flow: Great for beginners and advanced students. combines postures and breathing, heated 90–95° lower heat and faster pace. Donation Based Classes: Donation Vinyasa: M•T•W = min $5 SAN MARCAN 2018 • 19 $20 for 10 days: Intro special 2018 San Marcos Chamber Welcome Guide • 11
Renting tubes and helping the community by Robin Blackburn It’s a warm-weather tradition for natives and visitors alike: renting tubes from the Lions Club facility in City Park, floating down the river and taking the Lions Club shuttle back to the start. What some might not know is that renting tubes from the Lions Club helps fund myriad local charities and causes. The San Marcos Lions Club has been around for 77 years and in fact was instrumental in preserving the green space along the river that is now home to City Park, the San Marcos Public Library, the San Marcos Activity Center and the Lions Club tube rental facility itself. For the Lions, tube rental dates back to the 1970s, when club members would rent recycled inner tubes out of the back of a cattle truck, according to the Lions Club website. Initially, tube rentals numbered 20-40 a day. Last year, according to tube rental general manager Mark Jalufka, the Lions Club rented out 49,000 tubes over about four months. The tube rental and shuttle service is now the single largest fundraising activity for the San Marcos Lions Club. Jalufka said 98 to 99 percent of the funds raised are spent in the greater San Marcos area, with some funds going to the needy in Caldwell and Guadalupe counties. Earlier 20 • SAN MARCAN 2018
“It’s really cool to be part of a group where you raise money and give it all away.” General Manager Mark Jalufka this year, the Lions Club awarded $36,000 in scholarships to San Marcos High School students. The organization also paid for all AP exams for San Marcos CISD students, spent $5,000 on gift bags for teachers at the start of the year and donated another $5,000 to the Clothes Closet for needy students. All of this, Jalufka said, was after the Lions Club donated $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief through the city of San Marcos. “This is why I’m in the Lions Club,” he said. “It’s really cool to be part of a group where you raise money and give it all away.” The club serves more than 100 charities and individuals in the greater San Marcos area, including the San Marcos River Foundation, Hays Caldwell Women’s Center, Crime Stoppers, the Hays County Area Food Bank, Southside Community Center, CASA of Central Texas, Gary Job Corps, Hays County Livestock Exposition, School Fuel, San Marcos Youth Soccer, Sights & Sounds of Christmas, American
Heart Association, Scheib Community Center, South Hays County Emergency Services District 3, Habitat for Humanity and Brown Santa. The Lions Club is also known for providing eye exams, free of charge, for any child, and eyeglasses for children in need. The Lions also provide Christmas baskets and recognize students of the week and teachers of the month for the San Marcos CISD. And the good news is, the popularity of the club’s largest fund-raising activity is growing. Jalufka said the tube rental usually closes in early September, but because of increased demand the rental facility is open on weekends through the month of September. All-day tube rentals, including unlimited river shuttle rides from Rio Vista Park, cost $12 for single tubes (a $20 deposit per tube is required, or tubers can leave their credit or debit card at the rental facility). On weekdays (excluding holidays), locals can present their driver’s licenses and rent a second tube for half price with the rental of one tube at full price. For more information on air and shuttle rates, and on group rates, visit tubesanmarcos.com.
by Nick Castillo
Tubing down the 72-degree river
The sun glares down. It’s only 11 a.m. but it’s reaching the mid 90s on a Friday in late July. But one step into the San Marcos River relieves the heat. So begins the tubing trek down the river. Using San Marcos’ Lions Club Tube rental is simple. A simple $20 deposit and $12 per
tube rental and you’re off. The trip begins just south of Sewell Park. The water is refreshing. The river’s pace is slow, but picks up at times. The water isn’t deep, but it’s clear. The fish swimming through the river are visible, so are the patches of Texas Wild Rice spread throughout the hour trip to Rio Vista Falls. It’s midday but the river is populated with tubers and kayakers. Young kids yell to each other in excitement, clinging to the days of summer. Teenagers bicker with each other. Parents shout at their kids to be careful. The float’s tranquil ride is interrupted by the sound of a freight train rolling down the tracks, but only for a moment.
A low-water crossing bridge stands between the rapids at Rio Vista marking the end of the hour-long trip nearing its end. As you approach Rio Vista, you can exit at the pool or you can take a trip down the rapids. You can turn in your tube and take the shuttle back to the start,
where you can end your day or keep floating the river. Lions Club Tube rental isn’t the only way to float in San Marcos. Texas State Tubes and Don’s Fish Camp are also options. Either choice provides a way to beat the heat and relax.
Photos by Denise Cathey
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Photos by Gerald Castillo
Bobcats feel optimistic, excited for upcoming season by Nick Castillo Everett Withers was clear at Sun Belt Media day on July 23: Texas State is headed in the right direction. Are the Bobcats where they want to be yet? The third-year head coach will tell you no. But as he stood at the podium in the Bienville Lounge inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, he was confident that Texas State is closer than it’s ever been during his tenure. “I think one thing you find out when you’re building a culture is you have to eventually have the players own the culture and run the culture,” Withers said. “And we feel like our team now is starting to run it within itself. Guys like Bryan (London II), guys like Aaron (Brewer), guys like (safety) AJ Krawczyk, (defensive end) Dean Taylor, those guys are really kind of running the football team, which to me, is what you have to have. “You have to have a group of guys that take and say the things that the coaches say, you know, within the team. That’s happening a lot more at our place more so than it happened in year one and year two. We have more guys bought in. We’ve had over 100 guys since June 4th around 22 • SAN MARCAN 2018
our program. That hasn’t happened before. We’ve had a great eight-week training session. But our guys are out there on their own running captain’s practices, which you have to have to be considered a team that can compete in a league like the Sun Belt.” The same confidence Withers had Monday was also apparent in junior linebacker Bryan London II and junior offensive lineman Aaron Brewer, who represented Texas State at the annual media day. “I feel like we’re right there,” London said. “Once we get over the hump, we just won’t look back. But it’s a matter of getting over the hump.” Added Brewer: “It’s going to be amazing, a big improvement. Like, a huge improvement. I can’t put enough emphasis on how much of an improvement we’re going to have. Just know it’s going to be a big difference from last year.” For Withers, the bond the team has this year excites him the most as the Bobcats prepare for the 2018 season. “I’m more excited about some of the young guys, who maybe didn’t play last
year or played limited roles last year, how much they’ve grown to add depth to our program,” Withers said. Because if we can add depth, you don’t win in a league like the Sun Belt unless you have depth.” London says there’s a buzz around the fieldhouse. London believes the Bobcats can accomplish any goal they set before themselves in 2018. “I feel like often too much people just want improvement,” London said. “I feel like three wins would be an improvement from last year. I feel like that’s not enough for us. I feel like we’re capable of more this year.”
Photo by Rachel Willis
Photos by Denise Cathey
by Donavan Jackson
Sewell Park 601 University Dr. You can’t introduce San Marcos to a newcomer without commenting on the spring-fed, crystal clear San Marcos river that runs through the heart of town and Texas State. The year-round 72-degree temperature goes perfectly with Bikini Hill, the sand volleyball courts, basketball courts and picnic tables for outdoor cooking. Sewell has also embedded itself in Bobcat tradition with graduates jumping into the river to celebrate their time at the University
Rio Vista 555 Cheatham St. If you’re looking to battle some rapids with your kayak or enjoy some tubing then Rio Vista Park is for you. The park serves as the point of pick up for the Lions Tube Shuttle if you’re looking to relax on the river for the day. Rio Vista is free to visit and includes restrooms, tennis courts, 1/2 basketball court, picnic tables, benches, a pavilion, city swimming pool, hike/bike trails and trash cans.
Explore Nature:
Visit some of our favorite city parks San Marcos Plaza Park 206 North CM Allen Parkway San Marcos’ plaza is home to the pavilion and stage where a number of annual festivals are held every year. One of the most popular festivals put on year round at the plaza is Sights & Sounds where many artists perform Christmas music for the crowd.
San Marcos City Park
Dog Park & Skate Park 250 Charles Austin Dr. The dog and skate parks are located directly across from Bobcat Baseball Park and are free to enjoy for everyone. There’s a big area for all sizes of dogs to enjoy running around in an enclosed area. The one-acre skate park includes a skate bowl, skate ramps, picnic tables, restrooms and a water fountain.
Jowers Access Rd. This 18-acre park includes picnic tables, playscape equipment, a blacktop basketball court and connects to the city's three-mile jogging trails. This park is also where the Lions Club Tube Rental and the San Marcos Rec Center are located. There is no cost to use the San Marcos River. SAN MARCAN 2018 • 23
TEXAS STATE
LBJ DRIVE
PARK #2
GUADALUPE
ST
PARK #1
CITY PARKS
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1- Dunbar Park
4- Veramendi Plaza
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2- Eddie Durham Park
5- Bicentennial Park
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3- San Marcos Plaza
6- Children’s Park
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PARK #8
PARK #12
PARK #9
PARK #11
HOPKINS ST. PARK #3
PARK #10 PARK #4
PARK #5
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RIVER
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PARK #7
Map and Graphics by Colton Ashabranner
7- Rio Vista Park
10- Veterans Park
8- Sewell Park
11- Skate Park
9- City Park
12- Dog Park SAN MARCAN 2018 • 25
Community radio: Just a little bit south of weird! by Gene Randall
Several years ago, a group of progressive San Marcos residents began discussing the possibility of establishing a radio station. The idea was to create a venue that would cater to the specific needs of our unique community. The naysayers would retort with arguments that radio is outdated and that one could already listen to broadcasts from neighboring communities like Austin and San Antonio. However, this persistent group pressed on undauntedly. The result is what we know today as KZSM Community Radio, which currently livestreams through the internet and whose programming has a worldwide reach. Since beginning our broadcast signal over a year and a half ago, we have had over 130,000 listens, some from places that one would not even imagine! We attribute our world-wide listening audience, not only to friends and relatives in far-away places, but also to interest in our diverse program schedule. This is amazing when one considers that every one of our radio hosts are volunteers, most of which do not have previous radio experience and are all residents of San Marcos and its surrounding communities. Our goal is to address the specific needs of the community we serve as no other radio broadcast station 26 • SAN MARCAN 2018
can. We invite residents to join us and to share the things they are most passionate about. Whether it be books, politics, music, humor, sports, or topical issues, we provide the platform to disseminate the information our community needs. We strive to entertain, engage and to enlighten! Being a community radio station, we delight in promoting local musical talent. This is evidenced through our Kissing Alley concert series, live performances in our studio, and by various fundraising musical events that we sponsor. However, we also host well-known performers who appear as guests during various programs as well. Unlike commercial radio stations who tend to limit their musical selections to a particular genre, our genre is dictated by the radio hosts who have personal preferences from heavy metal to flower power music to various ethnic cultural music! One of the questions that we like to open conversations with is, “What kind of music do you like?” Usually, we can respond by saying, “As a matter of fact, we have a program for you!” This is not to say that we have all genres covered, but we continue to recruit and train almost anyone who has an interest in becoming a radio
host who can fill in with the sort of programming that we don’t have on our schedule yet. Volunteering to host a radio program requires a commitment of time and dedication to putting together a weekly one-to-two hour program. Our broadcasts are continuous even through holidays, inclement weather, jobs, and family commitments. Much like newspapers and television, radio never sleeps! Of course, not all programs are broadcast live and in real time. All our programs are recorded as they are broadcast live so that they may be replayed at a later time and date as well as to fill in during times of necessary absences of our radio hosts. In working toward becoming integral members of our community, we may be seen in places like the Farmer’s Market, where we maintain a presence by having a booth there every Saturday morning. We also support our community by providing services like producing public service announcements for non-profit organizations, the city, and for other organizations which serve the public interest.
We recently attained a 501(c)(3) non-profit status which makes us eligible to apply for grants. This is especially helpful as we have been funded through the generosity of our gracious donors, the underwriting of various programs and by the occasional sale of promotional merchandise. Like most folks, we also pay rent and utilities to keep the station on the air. For anyone who would like to join the KZSM radio family, there are a couple of ways in which to get involved. Becoming a radio host is not the only type of volunteer we look for. There are jobs that are behind the scenes. Individuals with clerical, administrative, I.T., and communication skills are always welcome. We may also arrange for internship and community service hours. How can we serve you better? We welcome suggestions, ideas and recommendations from you, our listening audience. Our volunteer staff meetings are held every third Wednesday and are open to the public. Contact us on our website or our Facebook page. KZSM (just a little bit south of weird!), your true community radio station, now streaming world-wide on the internet!
Photos by Denise Cathey
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The Catfish Hunter by Anita Miller With spear in hand, Nick Menchaca emerges from the San Marcos River at Rio Vista Falls on a quiet weekday morning. He's been there just 30 minutes, but already has a dozen suckermouth catfish in a mesh bag. As a contractor licensed by the Habitat Conservation Plan, his business is finding the prehistoric-looking critters — also known as plecostomus — wherever they may choose to hide. More times than not, it's in a hole along the riverbank, or in manmade crevices in areas like Rio Vista. Menchaca has gotten to know most of their preferred spots since he undertook the mission in 2013. Menchaca and participants in the annual Polespear Tournament will target the catfish along with other fish, like tilapia, 28 • SAN MARCAN 2018
that don't belong in the pristine 72-degree San Marcos River. On his own, Menchaca does daily battles with other invasive species like nutria and certain snails. Since he began the systematic removals five years ago, almost 6,000 suckermouth catfish weighting almost 4,000 pounds have been have been harvested, along with more than 1,200 tilapia weighing more than 4,000 pounds and more than three dozen nutria topping the scales at almost 450 pounds. None of it goes to waste. What Menchaca doesn't fry up for friends becomes fish emulsion to be used in composting. In his words, though the fish are unwanted in the river, they are still a resource to be utilized to the fullest extent possible. He hunts from the now closed swimming hole by Saltgrass Steakhouse to the interstate, with some areas easier pickings than others. “It's tough to get plecos (suckermouths) in some areas,” he said. “They like to hide in the wild rice” in places where it is plentiful like Sewell Park. Other times, they are sharing their hiding spot — many times with shy freshwater prawns — and Menchaca says that's tipped him off to another phenomenon in the San Marcos River. “There's a comeback of prawns,” he said. “In some spots, I'll shine a light in to look for a pleco, and there's a big ol' prawn in there.” One he has seen repeatedly is “the size of a lobster,” he said, though completely off-limits. Except for the annual tournament, spear fishing is not allowed anywhere in the river. It's not just the invasive animals he's on the prowl for — trash of any kind goes right into a designated bag but even then, it's not headed for the landfill. He recycles what he can, and has used a good amount of the various accoutrements of modern life that make their way — by accident, most of the time — into the beloved river. Working with his girlfriend Janaye Williamson, he created an oversized plecostomus out of river trash. Fins are made of lenses from sunglasses and the beast is stuffed with aluminum cans. Its teeth are fashioned out of keys and small pieces of plastic. It even has a movable tail that delighted the crowds when it made its debut in last year's Mermaid Promenade. The creature is on display in Menchaca's Riverside Drive yard. It's worth a look to stop by.
Photo by Anita Miller
Photo by Denise Cathey
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 29
Cinema club celebrates culture by Jordan Buckley Following a triumphant inaugural year — with over 1,000 attendees taking part in our town’s zesty four-day Lost River Film Festival — San Marcos Cinema Club is gearing up for an even more excellent cinematic series Nov. 1-4, 2018. Organizers initiate each year’s fest with an Opening Night screening that celebrates a locally shot movie. This year, the town film society elected Idiocracy: “It’s a disturbingly prescient, dystopian comedy filmed at Gary Job Corps and Starplex, some 13 unlucky years ago,“ explains fest codirector Chris Perez. Last year’s opening film, Piranha, serves as namesake for the fest; Lost River is the fictitious moniker for San Marcos. A free Garden Party precedes a screening at Price Center, chief host to the fest’s Check-In and a bulk of the weekend’s film viewings. Cinema Club teams up with local advocacy group Mano Amiga to program numerous new, independent films rooted in immigration narratives and documentaries. Wheelz & Reelz — a free spectacle of BMX, roller derby and unicycle football displays, fused with wheels-themed cinema — proved among 2017’s most popular aspects of 30 • SAN MARCAN 2018
Lost River Film Fest. This year, Wheelz & Reelz embraces the theme of the naturalness and conflict of immigration — with a highflying demo featuring among the world’s best BMX riders, including X Games champs — titled “Ramps Not Walls.” Cuauhtemoc Hall — the 75-year-old dance hall where Selena and countless other great artists have performed — houses Lost River Film Fest’s tribute to Dia de los Muertos on Friday, Nov. 2, with a free community viewing of Coco. The Center for the Study of the Southwest on the Texas State University campus is helping to organize the event, which will feature an flower-bedecked altar for guests to place photos of lost loved ones. Local educator Diana Garcia is coordinating a schooldistrict-wide essay competition linked to themes in Coco. In 2016, Cinema Club yielded 144 writing submissions for a Selena screening at Cuauhtemoc Hall. San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Michael Cardona graciously awarded victorious students Half Price Books gift certificates for winning essays, which some read to 250 onlookers: a reflection on Selena’s urging to embrace one’s cultural roots.
Photos by Denise Cathey
LBJ Museum will also host screenings, as will the University on Saturday evening in their maple-hardwood Patti Strickel Harrison Theater on Edward Gary Street. Tickets for the Nov. 1-4 film fest — half-price for anyone who shows ID to prove residence within 25 miles of San Marcos — otherwise cost $10 per screening; $30 a day; or $100 for a Weekend Badge. Tickets can be purchased at LostRiverFilmFest.org or by appointment at the new Cinema Club office. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 17 at a ribbon-cutting for the filmsociety HQ, situated at 205 Cheatham St. VIP badges, enabling invitation to daily cocktail gatherings with filmmakers, plus a unique swag bag, cost $125, regardless of where you live, until Aug. 30 when early-
bird prices expire; thereafter, VIP runs $150. That night, local craft-house AquaBrew will hold another benefit for Lost River: chicken fajitas to coincide with the end of “early-bird prices” for both film-submission fees as well as VIP Badges. (Plenty of veggies too, of course, for friends with plant-based diets.) Tasty $12 plates of food directly benefit the film fest: an evening with drink specials, live music and the closing of AquaBrew’s surrealism-devoted exhibition indoors. In tribute, Cinema Club will screen an array of surreal cinema on the rooftop, following experimental musical performances on the downstairs stage. Major sponsors for Lost River Film Festival include Main Street, the San Marcos Arts Commission, and the Fine Arts school at Texas State University.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY TOY MENDEZ
BLACKILLAC
BASSNECTAR
Float Fest is the only festival experience of its kind, and it happens right here in San Marcos. For the past 5 years this has included floating the beautiful San Marcos River, and top tier musical acts coming through. Float Fest is a destination—plan on camping, swimming, music, dancing and straight up good times. 2018 highlights include Bassnectar’s insane infiniy lasers, a rowdy set from Snoop, Weezy shook it up with a sunset set for the books, RTJ killed it, all of it. Tame Impala had us dreaming while The Suffers made our soul clap! Cashmere Cat had us all dancing, and Austin’s own Blackillac tore it up in 107°at 4:00 in the afternoon.
JOYWAVE A GIANT DOG RUN THE JEWELS
LIL’ WAYNE
More photos at: sanmarcosrecord.com/ float-fest-2018
SNOOP DOGG
CASHMERE CAT
THE SUFFERS
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 31
Photos by Colton Ashabranner
There’s something in the water
by Mary Rath
Certain truths hold to be self-evident: if you want to see leprechauns, you visit Ireland. If you want vampires, you go to Transylvania. And if you want mermaids, look no further than San Marcos. From the recently-erected statues around town, to the mural on the side of the Root Cellar Bakery, it’s impossible to visit San Marcos without encountering the city’s popular icon in one form or another—largely thanks to the advocacy of the local Mermaid Society. As a non-profit established back in 2016, the Mermaid Society of San Marcos is equal parts a venture in community advocacy, a conservation educational organization, and a project of profound passion for founder and director July Moreno, a selfdescribed “home-grown”San Marcan. “We are a community that has incredible, passionate individuals who are protecting our waterways,” Moreno explains. “We have a bursting arts community in San Marcos. The important piece to that, stepping back from it, was that these two communities could ultimately begin to work together in a way to create synergy. I think that was a big part of it, too: that we 32 • SAN MARCAN 2018
didn’t just have the arts community here, and we didn’t have just the environmental community here, but we have both communities working together, creatively.” After returning to her hometown of San Marcos following years working in the non-profit sector in the San Antonio area, Moreno founded the Society on the desire to unite the community under the umbrella of a common identity. An identity, Moreno says, which was essential to the unification of the community, and something that she felt her hometown to be lacking. “You know, when you go to beach towns…you see seashells, and starfish, and dolphins, and images of that. “We don’t have that here in San Marcos. There should be more of that in our schools, more of those images on menus, so that kids can identify with that—‘Oh, those are the turtles that are in the river!’ or ‘oh, that’s wild rice, and wild rice is in the river!’—it’s a very easy thing to do, but until we as a community come together to bring that to the forefront, and really find ways in which we can be creative to put it out there, it’s a missed opportunity.” For the Mermaid herself — Texas
native Angela Zumwalt, who portrays the Society’s mascot (dubbed “Maya the Mermaid”), and whose experience as a professional mermaid includes credits performing in Los Angeles—the society is a “perfect Venn diagram of all of (her) interests and passions.” “We have this fantastic city, where we are blessed to have this beautiful resource, and thing of great beauty in the center of it, the river, and the springs,” Zumwalt says, “and bringing that to the forefront of the community’s attention, teaching the younger generations to respect and revere it…so that it stays as beautiful and pristine as it is.” A respect that is especially important, Zumwalt says, as more recreational events and opportunities brings more visitors—and more traffic and potential pollution—into the area. As a symbol, the San Marcos mermaid evolved from multiple facets of the area’s rich cultural identity tied with the natural springs. The most obvious inspiration for the community’s rising icon is the affiliation with the Aquamaids, or group of underwater performers who used to call the Underwater
Theatre of Aquarena Springs theme park “home” back in the 1960s. But for society members, the symbol of the mermaid carries even deeper ties to the region’s history—a history that’s downright ancient. With recent archeological finds indicating a human population as far back as 20,000 years, San Marcos is one of the oldest inhabited regions in North America, due largely to the abundance of wildlife and resources that the river provides. Currently, a significant portion of the Society’s educational and outreach programming incorporates the preservation of the region’s historical heritage, often in collaboration with the Indigenous Cultures Institute, as well as the Calaboose African American History Museum, and the Heritage Association of San Marcos. The Mermaid Society routinely partners with leading experts from the Institute and other local historic associations to further public education on the heritage of the area for events like the Mermaid Chat, where children are encouraged to visit and speak with Mermaid Maya about the area’s history and the conservation of the river, as well as the Stories of San Marcos speaker series, held at the Root Cellar Bakery, to provide older audiences a chance to listen to local experts and authorities give informal lectures about the region over a cup of coffee. “It’s part of Mermaid Society’s mission and vision to connect all the different cultures and heritage of San Marcos, and improve lives through arts and cultures—so that’s just one connectivity,” says Marieta Hutchinson, the youth programs director for the Society. “Starting from the oldest heritage on down—that’s just part of our
mission at the Mermaid Society.” In addition to their educational outreach programs, the Mermaid Society’s manifesto of “co-creating sustainable, shared well-being” includes a major component of fostering the local art community. Though events like the multi-day, citywide SPLASH Festival, the Mermaid Society seeks to promote connections, creativity and inspiration within the thriving San Marcos art scene. At its core, the Mermaid Society is an organization dedicated to the preservation and sustainability of the San Marcos community and its unique resources—including its most valuable resource of all: future generations. “There’s nothing more sustainable than teaching our kids, and reaching out to our youth,” Hutchinson said. Hutchinson also co-developed the Mermaid Chat series, as well as the SPLASH Patch Program, which invites children to complete a curriculum that combines learning about the area’s
history, river conservation, and local arts and business scene in exchange for a wearable patch. The patch is then awarded to participants during the annual Mermaid Parade in September. For Moreno, as well as other Society members, part of the magical appeal of the mermaid is how she makes the environmental conservation movement so accessible to the public. For “people like her,” Moreno says—or the general public who might not have formal training or education in conservation efforts—the conversation can be “intimidating on many fronts.” “I was raised in that river,” Moreno says, “I was raised to respect it. But I didn’t understand the ecosystem of the river. I didn’t know we had endangered species in there—and the fact that as an adult, I’ve learned that along the way, I think (indicates) we need to create more opportunity for people like me—which is a large part of the community, who has a river in their back yard—that there’s a place at the table for people like me.” Entering its third year as a non-profit, the Society hopes to eventually expand their ranks beyond the city limits of San Marcos. “July envisions Mermaid Society expanding in chapters to everywhere that loves their water—which, hopefully, is everywhere,” Zumwalt jokes, “all our water is interconnected, so definitely chapters for the Blanco river, the Frio river—anywhere that would like to get involved.” While the Society might eventually traverse tides in other cities, Mermaid Maya and her Society have made an undeniable splash here in San Marcos—one that’s sure to have a ripple effect on the community for generations to come. SAN MARCAN 2018 • 33
Music, family and keeping tradition alive by Rachel Willis
Finlay is a name that rings with a little history in San Marcos. It’s the name of the late singer and songwriter Kent Finlay, who founded one of the staples of the Central Texas’ music scene, Cheatham Street Warehouse. And it’s the name that HalleyAnna Finlay uses to carry on her father’s legacy while building her own. For the last couple of decades, HalleyAnna Finlay has honed her songwriting skills at Cheatham Street Warehouse, the legendary San Marcos 34 • SAN MARCAN 2018
listening room. And now she’s leading her own way in Americana and country. Cheatham Street Warehouse, since it opened its doors in 1974, has been the soil that many artists have grown their careers from – from acts like the Ace in the Hole Band that was later joined by George Strait to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hal Ketchum, Bruce Robison, Terri Hendrix and Hayes Carll. Finlay comes from a long line of performers, first her father Kent Finlay, later her
sister Jenni Finlay – “the fiddle girl” she’s often been confused with – and her brother Sterling Finlay. But unlike her siblings, her earliest childhood memories weren’t spent inside the walls of Cheatham Street Warehouse. HalleyAnna was born in 1986, and her parents sold the music venue soon after, in 1988. By the time the Finlays picked up the Cheatham business back up in 1999, she was already in her teens and avidly pursuing music. HalleyAnna Finlay first started flexing her musical muscles at San Marcos’ long gone The Blue Pearl – now The Porch – as a young kid. It wasn’t until she was 13, when her family bought back Cheatham Street Warehouse and she worked the door, that the little piece of Texas history made its mark on her and she on it. By the time she was a teenager, she started participating at
Cheatham’s Songwriters Circle nights and opening shows there for artists like Monte Montgomery, Sisters Morales and Terri Hendrix. “I was exposed to a lot of music all around, not just from my dad,” Finlay said. “I kind of feel like I’m a melting pot for everything I’ve been exposed to this far.” And she is. She sings like Emmylou Harris and Iris DeMent – sweet, soulful and raw. And she writes songs that are simple but with a poetic turn of words like Townes Van Zandt – songs that have to be written if only for the sake of the song. Finlay has put her stamp on two albums so far and is working on the third. In 2011, she released “The Country,” which showed her songwriting skills to be mature and poetic – something of that old country spirit. Then Finlay’s 2014 self-titled release, produced
“I don’t know if there is anything else out there for me but music,” HalleyAnna Finlay said, “but I have to carry on my dad’s legacy if nothing else.” by Bill Chambers, captured her unique youthful edge and energy with a deep and seasoned songwriter’s touch. “I’m more of a poet than a composer,” Finlay said, “I just write what I know. It can be therapeutic because there are just some things that you can’t say to a person, that you can say in a song – dealing with death, a breakup, pain, happiness, love.” The new album she is working on touches on a bit of San Marcos mystery, the disappearance of Ben Phillippy. Phillippy was a regular at one of San Marcos’ favorite music dives, Triple Crown, before it was torn down. He coined several of locals’ favorite rules at Triple Crown like, “You can’t drink all day, if you don’t start early,” and “Whoever arrives first gets to drink for free until someone else shows up.” But on May 6, 2006, Phillippy vanished. He was last seen at the Triple Crown and the case still has never been solved. “He went missing and people looked for him, but he was never found. People started putting out stickers that were green and white, with the words ‘Where’s Ben,?’” Finlay said. “So that’s how it started, with a song that we wrote about Ben, that went missing from the Triple Crown before I was even old enough to know what was going on. I guess there’s just something inside of me that
Photos by Denise Cathey
wants to solve the crime.” The album will feature one of the last songs that Finlay wrote with her father before he passed away in 2015. The song is entitled “Haight-Ashbury” and is about the birthplace of the 1960s counterculture movement and the Summer of Love. Finlay said she was always reluctant to write songs with her father – even though he was the impetus behind so many artists – and the two only ever wrote two songs together.
“I was always reluctant to let him edit, because I didn’t want him to put too much of his stamp on it. For the rest of my life I know I’m Kent’s daughter, I’m Jenni’s sister and I’m Sterling’s sister. We are family.” Finlay now lives in Martindale in the home she grew up in along the San Marcos River with her fiance, fellow musician Dustin Welch and her dog Townes. Finlay hasn’t played on the Cheatham Street stage in quite a while, though she
can still be seen hanging around Cheatham Street for Soldier Songs and Voices every Monday from 5-7 p.m. and Songwriter’s Circle every Wednesday starting at 8 p.m. But her performances can be found about 10 miles down the road in Martindale at the River Cafe and Mercantile or Kent Black’s BBQ in San Marcos. “I don’t know if there is anything else out there for me but music,” Finlay said, “but I have to carry on my dad’s legacy if nothing else.” SAN MARCAN 2018 • 35
Photo by Denise Cathey
36 • SAN MARCAN 2018
‘MASCOT OF SAN MARCOS’
Surrealistic artist continues to inspire
by Colton Ashabranner
Once dubbed the “mascot of San Marcos,” local artist Furly Travis is well-known around town for his artwork, filmwork and his creativity. Furly has lived in San Marcos for over 30 years. Most San Marcans know Furly as one of the two commissioned to paint a cactus planter created from a junked car at Planet K. The other artist, Scott Wade, is known for his “dirty car art.” After a lengthy battle with the city and almost the Supreme Court, the car was ordered to be removed due to the city’s junk car ordinance. It is now located at the Planet K on Stassney in Austin. Furly’s work on the planter – featuring birds, narwhals and Jesus – is facing the street. Joe Plak of Planet K was the one that gave Furly the nickname “mascot of San Marcos” when he ran for mayor against former mayor Daniel Guerrero. His art focuses mainly on portraits and uses acrylic paints – and mostly brightly colored acrylics at that. “I like the control and imagination that I got with the acrylics. Starting with a circle and going from there.” Furly says that even though the subject matter isn’t always happy – the colors are. “I’m drawn to the brightness of everything,” Furly said, mentioning that he uses darker colors to make a statement. Furly says that overcoming creative blocks can only be done through time. “I don’t really know how inspiration works, but when I’m in the mood. I’m just in the mood.” Black and white photos and an overhead projector are used as a “trick of the trade” in the beginning stages of Furly’s work. Black and white photos allow him to see the highlights and contrast, while visualizing his own colors to add to the pieces. The source of inspiration for Furly’s work has changed throughout his career, starting off with images directly from his mind, Furly has recently been focused on portraits. Local artists Rene Perez, Tony Belmonte and more, in addition to celebrities like Andy Warhol and Anthony Bourdain have been depicted in his pieces. “The reaction of other people is what inspires me to paint,” he said.
“I like to capture the essence of people and what they’ve done – how they work – even with pet portraits. I’ve never met any of the pets that I’ve ever painted but every commission has said ‘You got his soul. You got his mannerisms.’” In addition to his artwork, Furly is also an actor and musician. He has created and starred in short films, most recently Terrance by Jeffrey Garcia. The film focuses on a middle-aged ventriloquist, portrayed by Furly, who begins a relationship with a teenage girl, Christine. Furly has been a member of several bands, most notably his oneman-band, The Unsurpassed Prophet, whose last show was at Triple Crown just before the downtown venue closed its doors. He has recorded 11 albums – over 9 hours of music. “I’m not trying to be famous. I just want to stay happy and content with what I do. I don’t want it to become a job – I just want to be happy.” Furly lives in San Marcos with his wife, local singer-songwriter Molly Hayes, and their four cats. For commissions, please visit Facebook.com/FurlyArt and leave a message.
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 37
MARKET DAZE – arts, plants, and other goods
by Mary Rath There’s something in the water—and it’s not just mermaids.
“Especially being so close to Austin, there’s a lot of people that, maybe, don’t want to live the city life, but want to live in a smaller, quieter, beautiful little town where they can still engage within a really strong art community.” Kelsey Huckaby, local artist San Marcos is a small town with a vibrant, thriving art scene—so it comes as no surprise that such an artistically driven community would yield more than half a dozen different art markets within the city area. From the Art Squared Arts Market that takes place every second Saturday on the grassy lawns of the town square, to Zelick’s Martian Culture celebration of the city’s 38 • SAN MARCAN 2018
night life (which includes a live DJ), the abundance of locally cultivated art markets means that there’s something unique for everyone. For local arts coordinator and community advocate Kelsey Huckaby — who currently manages the Arts Squared market, as well as curates for the Gallery of Common Experience at Texas State University — the vibrant arts scene of the city just comes with the territory. “We’re just in a really great spot,” Huckaby says, “and especially being so close to Austin, there’s a lot of people that, maybe, don’t want to live the city life, but want to live in a smaller, quieter, beautiful little town where they can still engage within a really strong art community.” The rewarding part of having such a large number of art markets in such a tightknit community, Huckaby says, is that there’s a different market for every different demographic that San Marcos is proud to boast. Huckaby relates a number of other different factors to the
Photos by Denise Cathey
recent explosion of the arts scene in San Marcos, including the presence of the river itself. “A lot of people, I think, are inspired by the beauty and the nature here,” Huckaby says, “that’s why you see a lot of mermaid art around San Marcos, for instance.” Perhaps the most unique— and shared — aspect of the various San Marcos art markets events is the inclusion of the city’s vivacious live music scene. For Huckaby, music is as much a part of the San Marcos art scene as the wares of a local potter, painter or jeweler. “It all goes hand in hand,” Huckaby says, “especially
whenever it’s another local artist that’s putting their soul and their passion into what they’re doing. It’s always important to me to always have live music components whenever I’m organizing an event…there’s a place for it. It can all fit together, and it all works off of each other.” So regardless of whether or not you’re looking to score a locally-crafted mermaid painting, or you’re in town during a full moon to catch the Witches’ Market at Buzzmill (a market with roots stemming from the Austin Witches Circle), the San Marcos art markets — much like the town — will never disappoint.
Celebrating culture at the springs by Maria Rocha The Sacred Springs Powwow is the largest two-day outdoor powwow in Texas and it happens in San Marcos on Nov. 17 and 18 on the shores of the headwaters of the San Marcos River. The event is produced by local nonprofit Indigenous Cultures Institute and funded by the San Marcos Arts Commission, the Tomblin Family Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts and Friends of the Powwow. For the past seven years, crowds have gathered at what locals call the “sacred springs” to witness the morning opening of powwow festivities featuring a blessing ceremony performed by elders from several indigenous communities. The springs are considered sacred by some Coahuiltecan Native Americans because they believe that during creation, they traveled the underworld as spirits and finally emerged from the springs onto Mother Earth as “the People.” The rest of the day after the blessing and the following Sunday is filled with over one hundred Native dancers, 50 vendors in a Native American Market selling arts, crafts and indigenous foods, guest performances by visiting Native tribes’ musicians and dancers, and presentations on Native American history and other topics. This year will be the eighth year of this Native American celebration that actually started 23 years ago. In 1995, local music celebrity and attorney Lucky Tomblin hosted a welcome back to Native American tribes that had once roamed the Texas area.
With the help of a Kiowa elder, Tomblin founded the first-ever Sacred Springs Powwow in San Marcos. According to a past newspaper article, this first event featured powwow contest dancing with thousands of dollars in prize money, performances by legends of Western Swing, the Western Swing Awards, and Hall of Fame inductions. “We visited Lucky and Becky Tomblin and asked their permission to re-establish the Sacred Springs Powwow,” says Dr. Mario Garza, the institute’s board of elders chair. “He not only gave his permission, but the Tomblin Family Foundation has been a steadfast supporter all these years. Lucky has since passed and we continue to honor his memory at every powwow.” The current powwow started as a oneday event and has expanded to two days to accommodate the growing number of Native dance contests, educational presentations, visiting performers, art vendors, and general public who come to celebrate indigenous culture. On Saturday, we’re having a Native American clothing show featuring traditional and modern-day apparel by internationally acclaimed designer Nan Blassingame (Southern Cheyenne). Her work was featured this year at the Austin Intercultural Fashion Show, as the first Native American accepted into this prestigious event. After the Austin show, Blassingame
attracted the attention of “Art Today” magazine in London, which resulted in an interview article published in April. Her popularity has grown and now she’s receiving invitations for new showings of her work. Blassingame will also be featured as the Head Lady Dancer at the Sacred Springs Powwow. Another first-ever performance at this year’s powwow will be the Taino dancers presenting drumming and dancing indigenous to the Puerto Rico area. The Taino people were among the first Native Americans encountered by Christopher Columbus when he came to the Americas. They are part of the Arawakan Native Americans in northeastern South America. The dance group practices ancient Taino dances from their heritage and is based at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Austin. Taino dancing is very different from powwow and Aztec dancing. They have an impressive array of drums that set the pace for the dancers; and the communalstyle steps move and flow with energy and beauty. Powwow and Aztec dancers will be the center stage of the powwow as they compete for championships as best dancers in several categories. Powwow men will compete in the categories of “Traditional,” “Straight,” “Grass,” and “Fancy.” Powwow women will compete in “Cloth,” “Buckskin,” “Jingle,” and “Fancy Shawl.” Aztec dancers will compete for “Most Honored Man” and “Most Honored Woman.” Preliminary dancing will take place on Saturday, with the best dancers elevated to final competitions on Sunday. This year’s Native American Market will draw many more vendors from New Mexico, Arizona and Oklahoma who have heard about the expanding powwow and want to bring their wares to this new marketplace. Zuni potter Maria Plum called to say she’s coming back and has artist friends she’s recommending to our powwow committee. We’ve had several more calls and even Benny Tahmahkera (Comanche) our Head Gourd Dancer from Cache, Oklahoma is setting up a booth. Each year the Sacred Springs Powwow brings new and compelling attractions that vibrate with excitement and inspire with the heartfelt spirit of Native culture. This event is an experience that will be remembered forever – a unique and extraordinary powwow on the shores of the sacred springs. SAN MARCAN 2018 • 39
SMTX LOCAL TRADITIONS New Year's Day Plunge Because it is a constant 72 degrees, people swim in the healing waters of the San Marcos River year-round, depending on the weather. One group swim, however, is dependent instead on the calendar. A tough cadre of local residents gather every New Year's Day for a plunge into the river at Sewell Park at noon sharp — whether the skies or sunny, or rain or sleet is falling, or the temperature is so low that the water in the river steams. Before the plunge is a riverside fashion show — some in outlandish costumes, others in their favorite furry robes. When climbing out of the water, these same folks are all about big towels and a cup of hot cocoa. Glass Bottom Boats
Just for Fun Parade You won't find any billboards announcing it and it won't appear in any slick “Welcome to San Marcos” promotions, but like many other hidden gems in our town, it doesn't need to be. The locals just know that the fourth Saturday of April will bring out all manners of costumed characters of all ages and all means of transportation for the “Just for Fun” parade. It got its start in 1977 and has never looked back — amazingly, some of the folks in the inaugural procession still turn up each year — though fewer are walking and more riding as their age dictates. Bicycles, roller skates, golf carts, ATVs, unicycles, low-riders and flatbed trucks — one carrying the parade's signature music act the Callous Taoboys. Cuevas Produce Tucked away just a block from busy Interstate 35 is a shop that's a step back in time … a time before “big box” groceries that tempt shoppers with household goods, tools and gadgets, pots and pans and even clothing. A time when shoppers picked their produce from cardboard boxes and store attendants weighed it on an old-fashioned hanging scale. Cuevas produce has been the salvation of untold numbers of college students, young professionals, struggling young families and seniors on fixed incomes. You can find just about any fruit or vegetable in season, and for far less than the prices charged in “modern” groceries. Shoppers can enjoy the company of like-minded bargain hunters in the process. By your third of fourth visit, the staff treats you like family. 40 • SAN MARCAN 2018
Celebrating the life of Eddie Durham He is credited with inventing the electric guitar, and wrote, arranged and performed with many of the “big band” jazz era greats like Count Basie and Glenn Miller. Eddie Durham was born in San Marcos in 1906 and is memorialized each February in a Jazz Festival bearing his name at Texas State University. The city also commemorates Durham with a park named after him on MLK Drive that has sidewalks that make the shape of a guitar. (He also played trombone.)
There is no single image more associated with San Marcos than the iconic glass bottom boat. The fleet housed at Spring Lake dates back to 1945 — the heyday of the Aquarena Springs Amusement Park. The boats afford visitors a view of Spring Lake, along with the many species plant and animal life that call it home — including seven that are federally-endangered. The amusement park was transformed in the 1990s, after its acquisition by Texas State University, to The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, the headquarter of ongoing research into water resources. The boats operate year-round and are driven by knowledgeable guides.
Manske Roll
Crossroads Memorial
There are cinnamon pastries you eat and forget, and then there are those that stick with you, maybe even in a recurring dream. Manske Rolls from Gil's Broiler in downtown San Marcos certainly fall into the latter category — melt-in-your mouth goodness that has been recognized for their “gold metal” quality since 1950. Not only are the popular to people who can go anytime, the specialty has been shipped far and wide including to the Oval Office when Lyndon Baines Johnson was president. Johnson attended college in San Marcos and, while the restaurant that is now Gil's Broiler didn't open until the 40s, LBJ would have had plenty of occasion to stop by his old college town for political speeches.
Speaking of LBJ, given the time he spent here and the fact that what is now Texas State University is the only institution of higher learning in the state to have graduated a president, it's not surprising one of the main downtown thoroughfares bears his name. Likewise, given the influence of Civil Rights legend Martin Luther King Jr., many towns have named streets after him, San Marcos included. What's unique is that in our town, the two roadways intersect — something that is not believed to occur anywhere else in the country. Established several years ago, the Crossroads Memorial at the intersection of LBJ Drive and MLK Drive not only commemorates the two leaders but serves as a gateway to the downtown area and an important stop on the city's annual Juneteenth Parade.
Wonder World Want to look directly into the past? Visit Wonder Cave, created by an earthquake along the Balcones Fault line thousands of years ago, it was the first Texas cave to be opened to the public back in 1903. Fossils and strata formations and boulders suspended in mid air await visitors who, after the tour, ride an elevator to the top of a lookout tower for the unfolding southern vista. Wonder World has other attractions as well, including a wildlife petting tour, a gift shop and an anti-gravity house that you just have to see to believe. Shop at the Outlet Malls Among Texas' top tourist attractions are San Marcos' two outlet malls located along Interstate 35. Shoppers have hundreds of choices to save money on just about any kind of merchandise you can imagine. Food courts and sit-down restaurants provide sustenance before shoppers drop, and the
presence of nearby motels mean they can do it all again the next day. The outlet malls draw from all across the state and beyond including many Mexicans who fly into San Antonio before making the short trek north. Alvin Ord's
You want graffiti? Head over to Alvin Ord's Sandwich Shop and hunker down in a booth. Decades of scribblings cover every square inch in the wooden booths — some that will make you laugh, some that will make you cry and some that are simply food for thought. While you're there, grab a sandwich the likes of which you won't encounter anywhere else.
Mermaid Promenade Each fall, mythical water creatures manifest themselves on San Marcos streets for the annual Mermaid Promenade, a part of Mermaid Week. The whole thing pays allegiance to the Aquamaids that frolicked with Ralph the Pig and Glurpo the Clown at the old Aquarena Springs Amusement Park, now The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. This year there's a new facet to the mermaid mania — 10 artfully designed mermaid statues placed around San Marcos, the product of local talent along themes that pay homage the city's unique nature.
Sights & Sounds Each year the twinkle lights go up, the carnival rides are visible in the San Marcos sky line and the city transforms into a Christmas wonderland. Last year marked the first to run two weekends in order to give the community more time to enjoy the festivities. Sights & Sounds has attractions for all age groups, a free kids crafts area, photos with Santa, and a free petting zoo for families to take part in and one of the best date nights of the year for couples. Dates for this year’s festival are Nov. 28 - Dec. 1 and Dec. 5-8, with the Jingle Bell run on Dec. 8.
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 41
The downtown evolution by Rachel Willis The face and skyline of downtown have changed significantly in recent years, high rise apartments cropping up, new businesses opening doors as others close thiers. Downtown is in constant fluctuation, just like the growing city of San Marcos. And that growth has been the impetus for addressing growth responsibly with the city’s new code that was four years in the making, CodeSMTX, as well as the partnerships between the public, the private and the nonprofit sectors all have stakes in the downtown. Downtown, for all intents, has become a little cross section of the problems facing a rapidly growing city, but also for the solutions that can exist between sectors in developing a vibrant downtown. CodeSMTX passed in early 2018. Though it doesn’t have a lot to say about downtown specifically, it’s already starting to reshape the area’s housing, parking and transit issues. Parking has been a hot-button issue downtown for years and there really is no silver bullet, but according to City Planning Manager Abby Gillfillan a multi-modal approach might do the trick. “Parking standards are closely tied to the type of place we are trying to create – what that place looks like, how it functions and feels – and so if we want a place that feels walkable, alive and vibrant – which we do, according to our downtown plan and comprehensive plan – having just a lot of parking does not provide that,” Gillfillan said. “It’s a balance, but one of the messages that came out of 42 • SAN MARCAN 2018
CodeSMTX is that we have to make sure that our parking requirements match the type of place that we are creating.” Some requirements allow for developers to pay a fee-in-lieu of providing parking spaces required by zoning ordinances. This revenue then can be used to finance shared parking or initiatives. “What that means is that somebody can pay into a parking fund in lieu of building those spaces on their lot and what that money goes to is the city and the city can add parking supply or create other accessibilities that make it possible for people to not drive their car – things like better sidewalks, bike lanes, transit improvements in order to offset the need of off-street parking,” Gillfillan said. According to Gillfillan, the idea is to not only to add more parking, but to find ways to remove some of the need. So now higher-density developments downtown have to have 0.75 parking spaces per bedroom, according to the code. And the city now offers exempt parking downtown for buildings that have 10 residential units or less, meaning businesses or those that own downtown buildings can utilize their second stories as residential, without having to add more parking. But parking affects much more than just the way we get downtown, it affects the way we shop, relax and even live. When the city developed CodeSMTX, they wanted to not only implement more residential living in downtown, but also more variety in residential living downtown. “We want downtown to be a vibrant space where local businesses can open
up shop and thrive and grow and to do that they need customers and they can’t be dependent like a big box store on people driving from miles away,” City Economic Development Administrator Kevin Burke said. “So what we need is a built-in customer base and the best way to do that is a diverse range of housing and not just for students.” Most of the housing downtown currently is student housing, but the city’s goal is to provide more diverse housing that could accommodate a more diverse population – things like townhouses and traditional multi-family apartments. Since 2016, downtown has seen the ground break for multiple large studentpurpose developments. The Local, which started construction in 2016, was the first seven-story building downtown. Then down the road – Cheatham Street Flats – a 143-unit, 234-bed student housing mixed-use development – broke ground earlier this year. And finally Concho Commons – a 585 bedrooms, 310 units and 13-story building that looks to be complete by 2020 – broke ground. Even though most of the new residential developments going currently are built for students, CodeSMTX has created a definition for student housing that acts like a line in the sand – it now requires a conditional use permit, to make sure that those buildings can transition over time so they can also meet the needs of future San Marcos residents. Partnerships between the city and other stakeholders have also started to shape downtown. The Downtown Association and the city have developed a relationship, that didn’t exist several years prior. City staff can be found attending the Downtown Association’s Parking Committee meetings and the planning and design engineering consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates, that the city uses for parking management and design, have met with the Downtown Association. “The city has been extremely responsive on things,” Downtown Association Secretary Stephanie Symmes said. “When we say something, they seem to listen.” The Downtown Association just celebrated 40 years, and the association has reinvigorated itself to be a more powerful platform for downtown business and property owners and even individuals that have a personal stake downtown.
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EXPLAINING THE UNEXPLAINED
San Marcos Area Paranormal Society
by Anita Miller The spirit didn't deny her crime. Anna, who inhabits the old Hays County Jail, was put there for killing her children. When asked why, as she was by members of the San Marcos Area Paranormal Society, the spirit the investigators say was initially confused achieved clarity. “I just couldn't take it. It was too difficult,” the investigators recorded. The question was actually asked by Norma Gonzales, whose particular skill lies in being an empath. “She can physically feel what's happening,” explained her husband, Frank Gonzales. The couple co-founded SMAPS, which also has members who are “sensitives” able to see and hear “shadow people,” and “mediums,” whose talent includes being able to sense a spirit's past experiences and connect on a deeper level than others. As usual, Frank Gonzales hadn't told other members of his team any details about the spirit in the old jail in order to “see if they pick up anything.” Armed with their heightened senses and recording equipment, the group first detected Anna in the upstairs portion of the building. “She seemed very confused but curious about what we were doing,” Frank Gonzales recalls. Later, the group's “sensitive” realized Anna was following them from room to room. On a subsequent visit to the old jail they told Anna of plans to refurbish the building and asked if she would stick around. They didn't get a clear reply. Since the group's founding 44 • SAN MARCAN 2018
Photo by Denise Cathey
four years ago, SMAPS has responded to requests from owners of homes and businesses throughout San Marcos and beyond, each member bringing his or her unique skills. Businesses, they note, frequently back out after initial contact — perhaps fearful the presence of the paranormal would frighten customers off. An exception is Crystal River Inn, a bed and breakfast in a stately downtown mansion, where owner Cathy Dillon told SMAPS she basically wanted confirmation of her own experiences. “She knows there's something there. She just wanted us to validate her claims and other people's claims.” The vast majority of their work, however, is in private homes, and they've found that more times than not, the spirit is that of a loved one. For example, in the home of a man experiencing “activity,” SMAPS was able to get a recording. The voice they captured turned out to be that of his grandfather, who had passed in 1962. “We
SMAPS Photo
Photo by Robin Blackburn
asked if he had anything of (his grandfather's),” Frank Gonzales recalls. The answer was yes, a baseball. “We told him to sit by himself in the living room and tell his grandfather, 'I'm glad you came to visit but you're freaking me out. If you're sticking around don't do anything to scare me,” like sliding a coffee cup across a table, which he had witnessed. Another involved a woman in Yorktown whose mother had passed away in her home. She contacted SMAPS prior to moving to another house. “Could you contact mother
and tell her she's more than welcome to come with me?” The team walked through the house. In a bedroom, Norma Gonzales didn't last long. She experienced a sharp pain in the left side of her neck but quickly recovered after leaving the room. “We contacted the homeowner and asked her what her mother had been sick of. She had a stroke and passed away in that bedroom.” The stroke, he added, had affected the woman's left side, just as Norma had experienced. In another case, the spirit was that of an unborn. It happened in Kyle, where
SMAPS were summoned by a man whose daughter-in-law had a stillborn baby. “They were experiencing a little child in their house that seemed to be four or five years old, the same age the baby would have been.” Team members were able to describe a small boy. “He may feel like you're missing him so much he doesn't want to leave,” Frank Gonzales told the family. “But if you tell him, he will move on.” The couple decided to explore the paranormal after the birth of their grandson in 2008. “From the time he was two he would look down the hall toward the kitchen. We'd ask who he was talking to and he would say 'that man.' Or we'd be in the yard and his eyes were tracking something … when we asked, he'd say 'that man right there, he's right there by the tree looking at us.'” Years before that, however, Frank Gonzales had his own experiences. A former press operator for the San Marcos Daily Record, Gonzales was one of several staff members who have had brushes with the spirit of another pressman who passed away suddenly in 1996.” The couple's daughter Gina saw him sitting in the company pickup late one night when Frank Gonzales stopped by the office to plug the forklift into a charger. Gina described the man's physical appearance and dress, both accurately. Also late at night, another employee saw the pressman along the side of the building picking roses from bushes he had planted years before. “He was a master gardener tending to his roses,” Frank Gonzales recalls. Other times, the pressman would be heard but not seen — a chair moving on the floor of an empty break room, the creaking sound of a roll of newsprint
Clarence, former SMDR preman, photo by George Brooks
being moved, his distinctive squeaky shoes coming down the hallway. Frank Gonzales and others would always look, but there would be nothing there. Word of the team's successes spread, and late last year, they were contacted about doing a show for the Discovery Channel. “We sat down and went over the details,” Frank Gonzales says. “They wanted us to produce about 10 episodes and gave us a timeline and went over equipment and pay rate for every member of the group. But the more we got into the details, it didn't seem like it was something we wanted to do. We'd have to stop contact with all our clients and approve everything with them (the producers). They wanted to take over our social media and contacts. ...As much fun as it sounded, we decided it's not for us. We would rather
stick with the one-on-one customers.” Before leaving the newspaper office, Frank and Norma Gonzales went back to the pressroom to see if she could sense anything of the pressman. She did, a heaviness that directed her to an area where Frank Gonzales recalled the pressman often made critical adjustments to the press' operation. When asked why, after almost 30 years, the pressman would still frequent the area, he explained that can be typical behavior for someone who passes suddenly or in their sleep. “They just feel like they woke up from a nap and go about their duties.” Potential clients are carefully screened and for that fact, SMAPS no longer lists a phone number. However, anyone experiencing spirits in San Marcos can reach them through Facebook.
SAN MARCAN 2018 • 45
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“TAKE IT TO ERNIE’S!”
1983 marked the beginning of a journey that has led Ernie’s to where we are now. Ernest Valdez Jr. (Ernie) worked out of a once two-car garage he rented where Shipley Donuts now stands. For years he managed to repair and paint cars in a space of no more than 1,000 square feet. In 1985 he made the decision to move his business out on I-35, behind the store that used to be known as The Breadbasket. There he worked out of a warehouse structure, hired a couple of men, and managed the business for several years. After losing much of his materials and equipment from an overnight theft, he decided it was time to move on. In 1987 Ernie relocated to Texas Avenue. For Ernie’s Paint & Body, this was a step up and the community supported his move. For years he managed both the front office and the bodyshop area. By this time he had a crew of four and business was growing. In 1996 after graduating from college, his eldest son came in to handle the administrative side of the business allowing Ernie to do what he loved best, work on cars. With the team effort of his family and dedication of his workers, Ernie’s was able to experience the growth and confidence to build his own business, now located at 1608 IH 35 South. Ernie has always had a strong belief in the community of San Marcos. He knows how important word of mouth is and the power of customer loyalty. Because of this, Ernie’s continues to give back to the community. Ernie’s has placed strong emphasis in helping the youth reach their goals. Through motivational speeches, guided tours of the facility, and scholarships, Ernie’s has reached out to all kids showing them many avenues available. As past president of the Optimist Club, Ernie continues to work at helping the youth strive toward accomplishing their goals and becoming successful in life.
Philosophy Ernie’s Paint & Body Shop, Inc. has prided itself with providing the highest quality work in auto body repairs. Ernie’s has maintained this standard by keeping up with the latest in equipment and technology. From digital imaging to high profile paint, our system along with the incomparable experience and ability of our crew have made Ernie’s what it is today. Our customers have peace of mind knowing not only do we guarantee our work but manufacturers and insurance companies stand behind it too. Whether fixing a fender bender or a small scratch, we’d love to make you a happy customer.
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