South Texas Scene - 2023

SCENE south texas

2023

Why this region is ‘The Heart of the Dove Range’

Plus stories from Bee, Karnes, Goliad, Live Oak, Refugio, McMullen and San Patricio counties

Page 4

A Swinney Switch bar really is a place where everybody knows your name.

Page 10

The state parks in the area form one of nature’s most perfect triangles.

Page 16

CrossFit has overtaken Beeville and has patrons living to die.

Page 22

One of Beeville’s oldest businesses keeps its roots planted deep.

Page 27

Beeville’s history defined by the never-ending search for an independent spirit.

Welcome to South Texas, as celebrated in the pages of South Texas Scene—a magazine that illuminates the people, the locales, and the boundless opportunities of this remarkable region. This vibrant region teems with life, from its bustling streets to its rich wildlife. White tail deer and white wing doves grace this landscape, complemented by outstanding schools, thrilling sports, captivating theater, melodious music, spirited dancing, and cherished places of worship. In the backdrop, cattle roam beside oil patches and natural gas reserves, where businesses of all sizes thrive, from the colossal to the boutique. Diverse organizations unite, while extraordinary individuals from all walks of life call this place home.

Through South Texas Scene, we diverge slightly from conventional newspaper style, embracing a creative approach in presenting stories through engaging words and captivating images. Our goal is to share selected narratives that we believe will captivate and intrigue you, our valued reader.

We sincerely hope that you derive as much joy in reading and sharing this magazine as we did in crafting South Texas Scene!

Dennis Wade Publisher

Page 30

A former judge and his friend find a perfect fit for the ‘Best Little Gun Shop.’

Page 33

Goliad stands as a perfect monument to the greats of Texas history.

Page 39

Karnes County blends nature, history to make for a perfect day of exploring.

Page 42

COVER STORY: South Texas has earned the title of the heart of the dove range.

Page 45

Coastal Bend Distilling Co. racks up international awards for its spirits.

Dusty Saddle Saloon welcomes friends, newcomers

Matthew Tamez Contributor

As the “Cheers” theme song goes, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. You may walk into the doors of the Dusty Saddle Saloon a stranger, but if you allow it, you’ll leave with a few new friends by the end of the day.

Situated in a small, unincorporated community known as Swinney Switch, this saloon has taken the bar’s central location to become a mainstay of the local communities that surround it. Mathis, Beeville, Skidmore, San Antonio, Victoria and George West are all close to this small area. Many of its patrons drive in to visit

the saloon several times a week. However, it’s more than just the drinks and happy hours that keep them coming to the Dusty Saddle Saloon. While several patrons stop by to have a couple drinks before returning to their travels, many patrons arrive for the community nights that the saloon hosts weekly. From karaoke to dominoes tournaments to a weekly potluck, there is something for everyone at the Dusty Saddle Saloon.

Brianna and Daniel Brock are the proprietors of the Dusty Saddle Saloon. While the pair have only been operating the establishment since 2020, they had actually met at the building back when the place was called Horny’s.

A mural adorns the side of the Dusty Saddle Saloon. Inside (top picture), Jennifer Hamrick (left) offers a straw to Martin Reyna. Also pictured are Daniel and Brianna Brock.

“Daniel and I met here during karaoke one night, and we loved the place,” said Brianna. “We love the people and the community. The bar needed a little love. When COVID hit and they shut down and decided not to open back up, we actually got this during the COVID shutdowns. So we went through and remodeled and rearranged, and we’ve changed everything.”

According to Brianna, the bar used to be in a different portion of the building. However, they renovated that spot into their pool hall, moving the bar closer to the entrance.

“There was not a kitchen; there was this totally different place,” said Brianna. “But we wanted to make a nice spot for people who live in our community. So we went ahead and got it, even though it was kind of maybe not the best time to be trying to open a business. But it worked well. It worked for us to give is some time to get everything fixed up and a little better than what it was.”

And speaking of that kitchen, they serve more than just basic bar fare. Several of the patrons swore by the Firecracker Burger, a cheeseburger made using jalapenos and Carolina Reaper cheese, creating a spicy meal for those who love a little adventure.

Along with generally being a place to gather, the Dusty Saddle Saloon is also the epicenter for several different weekly events and tournaments. One such event, held every Thursday, is a dominoes tournament. Both Brianna and Daniel were ecstatic to see these sorts of events form naturally around the saloon.

“I don’t know that we actually made that decision (to hold events),” said Brianna. “I think the community sort of made that call kind of on their own. Like with the dominoes tournament for instance, we used to just have a group of people that would come here and play dominoes on a pretty regular basis. So, we were like, ‘Let’s make this a thing. Let’s make it a little bit more competitive; a little more

a lot to keep the location a sort of community center, the building in which the saloon resides has always been a place of gathering. It was originally the Swinney Switch store built in the early 20th century. Even back then, the communities that grew around Swinney Switch gathered at the store.

“It was actually not a whole lot different than what it was right now, although I don’t imagine they

than what it is right now.’”

The dominoes tournament includes a small buy in each night. Players are divided into teams of two and play until only one team remains. The winning team wins the pot.

While its patrons and owners do

probably sold beer at that point,” said Brianna. “Sid Swinney sort of founded this community … with the hopes that the railroad would come through here. That’s why it’s called Swinney Switch. He was hoping to entice the railroad to make this sort of their junction; a little

Val Stewart lines up a shot in the Dusty Saddle Saloon’s pool room.

stopping point.”

Of course, the railroad never came through. However, that did not stop the store from becoming a gathering point for local municipalities.

Dominoes has been a part of the building’s history since the beginning. Brianna related a story told to her by a patron who was around when the store originally opened.

According to Brianna, Swinney

In addition to the Thursday dominoes tournament, the Dusty Saddle Saloon hosts other events throughout the week. After the tournament, they open up their stage for an open mic night. Fridays are the karaoke nights; Saturdays are their live music nights; Mondays are their potluck nights; Tuesdays are their three-ball tournament and trivia night, while Wednesday is another karaoke night. However,

is plugged in or anything. They just sort of go in a circle and play or sing or whatever their particular talent is.”

The Monday potluck is another main draw for the community. Originally, the kitchen was closed on Mondays. While this remains true, bartender Jennifer Hamrick decided to serve food that she made and would then bring to the bar, free of charge. She allowed donations and the opportunity for others to bring their own food. This started the weekly potluck that is often talked about on social media when discussing the Dusty Saddle Saloon.

The Dusty Saddle Saloon, while proud of what they are in their communities, has decided to continue to expand and innovate at their location.

greatly enjoyed playing dominoes, often playing with patrons in the middle of the day. The store would operate under an honor system during that time where customers would write down what they bought and leave money for it on the counter.

the night that Brianna enjoys the most is their Sunday eight ball pool tournament. This is followed by their front porch jam session.

“We get a lot of local musicians,” said Brianna. “They’ll just come sit on our front porch and play music. I mean, it’s really relaxing. Nobody

“Eventually we would like to kind of expand this building,” said Brianna. “We’ve already added the front porch and added onto our back … We have some events that we are trying to put together like some backyard barbecues. I really want to keep that small town feel … Anybody who comes in here is always welcome, and that’s maybe one of the things about this community that I like. It’s really tight knit, but if you come in here, and you don’t know anybody, I would say that if you leave without a friend, it’s your fault. Everyone here is so friendly, and they’ll reach out and say, ‘Hey, how’s it going. We haven’t met you before.’”

And they are friendly. Walking through the front door, patrons at the bar are quick to spark a conversation. Having spent just four hours

Brianna Brock (left), one of the owners of Dusty Saddle, and Val Stewart wait patiently for their turn during the Thursday dominoes tournament.

in the saloon, it’s clear that the operators of the saloon and most of its patrons are extremely welcoming to newcomers.

The Dusty Saddle Saloon’s central location to several Coastal Bend cities has done well for attracting new clientele who want something to eat or drink.

“We will get people traveling from San Antonio who stop halfway when they are heading to the beach,” said Brianna. “We have a couple of guys that ride their motorcycles up here. They come from Corpus Christi pretty much every week to come up and have food and a couple of beers. We’ve even had people from way out of state that are just passing through and stop in to grab some food.”

Word of mouth and social media posting is one of the other ways they attract new customers. Brianna recalled when their bartender’s father ran into someone he had never met before at the local grocery store. They spoke for a half hour before he invited the newcomer to come visit the saloon. According to Brianna, this person has now become a regular.

“We hear a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, I heard about this from a friend of mine,” said Brianna. “… We do primarily rely on a lot of word of mouth and social media.

Along with its weekly events, the saloon also hosts benefits to help those in need within their communities. Brianna recalled when one member of the community needed help with medical expenses. Brianna and Daniel held an auction for donated items. One item was a quilt made using the original owner’s deceased mother’s clothing.

“She was having a really hard time parting with it, but she went ahead and donated it anyway because she wanted to see it make some money at this benefit,” said Brianna. “It did. It went for approximately $3,000. The people who won it went ahead and paid the money for it and then donated it right back to the woman who made it. I was in tears when that happened.”

The love that Brianna and Daniel

have for the Dusty Saddle Saloon is mirrored by its patrons. Martin Reyna has been a regular at the bar since 2016 back when it was Horny’s. Reyna noted that while the location is convenient, as it is only two miles away from his home, it wouldn’t matter if the food and service wasn’t good. Even after the change of ownership took place, he still saw it as a place where he could come unwind and have a drink and conversation with friends. One event that Reyna remembered vividly was the bar’s 2023 celebration of Memorial Day.

“This is a very veteran-friendly bar,” said Reyna. “I’m a vet … It was beautiful. I get a little emotional thinking about it. Bree went all out and draped up the outside. Beautiful red, white and blue bunting out back. She had American flags out there. They had two speakers set up on the stage. She called all the vets outside and said, ‘Guys, thank you very much’ … It’s a good place but it’s not a very cliquish place. Everybody mixes well. You go to some places, and there’s a little clique here or there, and nobody wants to talk to each other. That doesn’t happen here. Everybody says, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’”

Lori Bradshaw was the previous dominoes tournament winner

from June 13. She greatly enjoys the tournaments and the community that has formed around the saloon. While she greatly enjoys dominoes, her favorite event is the potluck.

“It started out slow, but now it’s like everybody brings a dish,” said Bradshaw. “Once a month we do a big fish fry, and that’s our really big potluck day. People from Kampgrounds of America and from everywhere come. We have fried fresh caught catfish, fries and hushpuppies. Everyone brings a side dish.”

Leslie Parris comes to the bar and sits in a corner of the game room, interacting with anyone who comes by and laughing as jokes and memories are shared. For her, saloons serve a specific purpose, and it is her belief that the Dusty Saddle Saloon serves its purpose well.

“It doesn’t matter what you do, when you come here,” said Parris. “You’re accepted. The point of a beer joint is to leave everything outside … It ends when you get through that door, and for a little while, it’s fine. It’s just wonderful feeling you can go somewhere.”

The Dusty Saddle Saloon operates from 3 p.m. to midnight and is located at 927 FM 3024 in Swinney Switch. Whether it’s karaoke, open mic night, pool, dominoes or just a good time with great people, the Dusty Saddle Saloon is well worth the visit. The friendly faces that greet new patrons make sure that each new customer feels like they have just walked into a community, a community that is always welcoming of new faces.

Continuing the “Cheers” correlation, the Dusty Saddle Saloon is certainly a place where everybody is glad you came. They are certainly waiting excitedly to meet new people and show them what a great community the saloon has become.

“People compare coming here to just going to a friend’s house and hanging out,” said Brianna. “That’s what we want it to feel like. Like you’re just hanging out with friends.”

“People compare coming here to just going to a friend’s house and hanging out. That’s what we want it to feel like. Like you’re just hanging out with friends.”

• Brianna Brock •

Cheniere Energy, the leading producer of U.S. liquefied natural gas, is proud to support the communities in which we work and live. Here are a few ways we are helping to make a difference in the Coastal Bend community:

Investing in the YES Little Lockers program for eight elementary schools in San Patricio; each school is receiving free books for its Little Locker for three years.

Donating supplies and reviewing safety protocols with students in support of the first safety patrol at Stephen F. Austin Elementary School in Gregory.

Supporting the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program in its shoreline planning and engineering efforts to improve waterway access at Violet Andrews Park in Portland and an oyster reef restoration project in St. Charles Bay.

Volunteering to clean up Indian Point Park, Pavilion and Pier in Portland, and investing in a splash pad at a park in Gregory.

Funding apprenticeship programs and scholarships at Del Mar College so students can gain specialized skills in high-demand fields.

Sponsoring and participating in the 2023 Coastal Bend Women in Industry Conference, which hosted over 100 local high school students. cheniere.com

Story & Photos by Mike Mainhart

Vacationers nationwide seek South Texas

Look no farther than the Coastal Bend for some of the greatest vacation destinations in the country. The area boasts three State Parks and two national properties that are rich in historical, cultural, recreational and natural wonder.

There is good reason why tourists from across the nation and from other parts of the world travel to the South Texas year around. If a line were drawn from Lake Corpus Christi State Park through Goose Island State Park to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, then south

along the coast through Mustang Island State Park to Padre Island National Seashore and back, a triangle of outdoor adventures appears with the city of Corpus Christi as the heart of it all.

From site to site along this triangle, there are drastic changes in landscape, as the rugged South Texas brush country filled with live oak, mesquite and scrub desert plants gives way to a tropical environment with coastal wetlands, gulf shores and eventually the wild untouched coastal prairies of the barrier islands.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park

Located in Mathis at the far western edge of the triangle sits Lake Corpus Christi State Park, which offers 356 acres of beautiful South Texas scenery bordering 3.2 miles of the southern shores on one of the largest reservoirs in the state.

Open year around, outdoor activities at the park are nearly endless. Swimming, paddling, skiing and boating are popular during the warm summer months, and fishing is a favorite past time all year long.

There are two lighted fishing piers within the park, one of which is 400 feet long and wheelchair accessible. Anglers can catch largemouth and white bass, crappie, blue, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill and redear sunfish.

The 21,000-acre lake is also home to world-class alligator gar fishing, which draws anglers from around the country in hopes of catching trophy gar that can reach lengths of eight feet and weigh more than 200 pounds.

Activity along the shores within the park’s boundary waters peaks during warm summer weekends as local residents use the many day-use areas for family picnics and gatherings. Stunning sunsets or just tranquil days relaxing in the shade of a majestic live oak are best enjoyed during the quieter times on weekdays.

The lake is not the only reason for visiting the

park. On land you can camp at any of their 108 campsites or stay in one of the many permanent

23194 Park Rd 25 Mathis, TX 78368

and the red-eyed Bronzed Cowbird can be sighted during the summer, and some are here all year. The

town of Rockport holds its annual Hummingbird Celebration in mid-September.

“Stunning sunsets or just tranquil days relaxing in the shade of a majestic live oak are best enjoyed during the quieter times on weekdays.”

shelters. Although hiking and biking are popular outdoor activities, the park is known as a premier birding spot in the area.

People travel to the park from all parts of North America during the peak migration season for birding. Several magnificent Texas specialty birds such as Green Jays, Blackbellied Whistling Ducks, Painted Buntings, Blackchinned Hummingbird

peak birding season at the park, without a doubt, happens during the fall migration.

Many colorful warblers, shore birds, hummingbirds and waterfowl are attracted to Lake Corpus Christi for a welcome rest stop on which many will continue their way south for the winter. In fact, the region is crucial to the migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and for that reason, the nearby

It’s not just Rockport where the fascinating little birds congregate; Lake Corpus Christi and surrounding areas see a huge influx of hummingbirds throughout the month of September. Although the main attraction is the Rubythroated Hummingbird, you might get a glimpse of rare visitors to the area such as Rufous, Blackchinned or Buff-bellied Hummingbirds.

Many other rare birds can be found during the winter months and again throughout the spring migration. The park has a topnotch bird viewing area that is maintained during the peak birding seasons. There you will find feeders, a water feature, viewing areas and a blind for self-guided viewing and photography, or you can join the park interpreter for guided birding tours and hikes.

Perhaps the most popular attraction in the park is the historic refectory building sited above a rocky peninsula which offers a grand view of Lake Corpus Christi. The castle-like structure with its

graceful arches and lookout tower was constructed by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps Company 886 in 1934.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park hosts many winter Texans or snowbirds every winter. Most of the camper/travelers are escaping the

cold Northeast and Midwest winters just to enjoy the mild winter climate of the region.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park is located at the junction of San Patricio, Jim Wells and Live Oak Counties, 4 miles southwest of Mathis at 23194 Park Rd. 25 Mathis, TX 78368.

Goose

Island State

Park

Heading northeast, less than an hour and a half travel from Lake Corpus Christi is another gem of a state park. Goose Island State Park in Rockport is as close to a tropical getaway as you can find in South Texas.

The park is divided into two distinct areas – the mainland section and the island. The lapping waves

202 S. Palmetto St. Rockport, TX 78382

and gulf breeze of Aransas Bay, depending on the island campsite, can literally be at your doorstep. The park has 44 campsites along the bay with another 57 sites surrounded by stately oak trees just inland from the water’s edge. Camping isn’t the only thing to do at the park. Boating, paddling, fishing and birding are the top

outdoor activities. Swimming is not recommended as the shoreline has a concrete bulkhead, oysters, mud flats and marsh grasses.

Saltwater fishing in the park is outstanding especially from the 1,620-foot pier, one of the longest in the state that juts out between Aransas Bay and St. Charles Bay. The pier straddles Bartell Pass as it

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Photo

Happy To Call South Texas HOME.

connects with a few small islands in the shallow emerald waters of the bay.

Any number of Gulf species of fish can be caught from the pier and surrounding access points, but the most sought after by anglers are the big four Texas species which are Red Drum, Black Drum, Spotted Sea Trout and Flounder.

Fishing is not limited to just the pier; great bank fishing can be found along the inside pass between St. Charles Bay and Aransas Bay, especially near the boat launch area, as well as along the bulkhead and near the entrance on either side of the pier.

If you’re looking for more fishing adventures, several bay charter fishing guides launch from within the park’s boat ramp. A few local entrepreneurs have found a niche by merging an age-old tradition with modern technology and creating an outdoor experience that is truly an adventure worth trying at least once.

For a unique experience that blends hunting and angling on the water, and in the dark, book a trip on a flounder gigging trip with a local guide. It sounds easy enough. Spot a legal-size flounder and stick a gig in it. It’s not quite that easy. This style of fishing requires patience, skill, good eyesight and somewhat of a quick reaction time.

Birding at Goose Island State Park is just as popular as fishing and,

depending on the season, birding takes center stage. Many birds that are found inland can also be spotted near the coast, and the fact that Goose Island is situated in such a unique environment makes it one of the best birding destinations in the region.

Local birds, migrating warblers, gulls, terns, ducks, hawks, shorebirds, wading birds and, with its close proximity to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, whooping cranes are common sightings in the park during winter months.

The layout of the park lends itself to several great bird-viewing opportunities. Along the southern tip of the island is a bird viewing platform overlooking a vast salt-

water marsh that attracts numerous shore birds, wading birds and waterfowl.

Hidden away within the oak groves of the inner campground on the mainland is a wellmaintained viewing area for birds and other local wildlife which include white-tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos, foxes, squirrels and cottontail rabbits. An occasional alligator is even spotted within the park.

Just a few minutes drive from the park entrance is another section of the park called The Big Tree. The Big Tree was named the state Champion Coastal Live Oak in 1966. The stately tree has been standing for centuries. The Big Tree is one of the largest live oak trees in

Editor’s Note:

Texas and the nation. The trunk circumference is more than 35 feet, with a crown spread that spans 89 feet. The Big Tree is 44 feet in height, and its exact age is unknown. It’s estimated to be centuries old.

Goose Island State Park, just like many other Texas state parks, has its own historical significance. Here, too, the Civilian Conservation Corps has left its mark. The men of the corps constructed the current recreation hall out of shellcrete using oyster shells from the area. They also built roads, bridges and drainage in the park.

Goose Island State Park is located at 202 S. Palmetto St., Rockport, Texas 78382.

“The stately tree has been standing for centuries. The Big Tree is one of the largest live oak trees in Texas and the nation. The trunk circumference is more than 35 feet, with a crown spread that spans 89 feet.”

CrossFit, its wild world, takes Beeville by storm

Iain Woessner STexasNews.com

CrossFit has spread across the nation like a religion, its adherents often zealously devoted to their fitnessbased faith, often going six days a week to sweat and struggle, putting it all on the line – living to die at the gym.

“There’s two different types of people in CrossFit,” Joel Trevino, owner of Buck and Boo CrossFit gym, said. “There’s people who want to compete, and there’s people who just want to better their lives … there’s modifications for all that. You’re

Top: Kelly Jones owns and operates Crossfit Merak alongside her husband, Zach. She aims to promote longevity, and believes that crossfit is for anyone. Above, Crossfit Merak hosts a class of college athletes. Crossfit has an extreme reputation, but its holistic approach to fitness blends cardio, weightlifting and everything in between, making it highly appealing to regular athletes as well as newcomers.

not going to come in on the first day and do a

pull-up; you’re going to do a ring row. You’re not going to come in and do a handstand push-up.”

It’s the challenge that makes it appealing, though. The CrossFit athlete craves that sense of pushing themselves to the absolute limit, to finish their hour knowing they’ve put it all on the line, often setting new limits for themselves.

“It never gets easier, because as it gets easier, you just lift more weight, or the movement gets harder,” Trevino said. “So you never really plateau, I don’t think. Everything

just gets harder … you get muscles; I think it’s just awesome. You’re doing new (stuff) every day.”

Joel is a living example of the power of CrossFit. He took up the hobby in 2012, two weeks after donating a kidney to his father. With one big life-changing decision under his belt, Trevino made health and wellness a full-time focus, and CrossFit was integral to that. He began weighing in at 223 pounds; now, at 40-years-old, he’s 165 and a seasoned CrossFit competitor.

“I’m 40 right now, and I’m in the best shape now than I was when I was younger,” Trevino said. “CrossFit doesn’t usually put you in a division when you compete. You compete against young people, big people, skinny people … (but) they do have a master’s division … I can keep up with a lot of the young guys, which is pretty cool.”

Competition is a very small part of CrossFit, a sport in which one’s largest opponent is an internal one. Striving towards betterment and balance, health and longevity, is at the core of CrossFit Merak, another gym in Beeville, run by Kelly and Zach Jones. Their hands-on approach offers a guided introduction to the world of exercise, and they try to temper the spirit of obsession that so often manifests in a CrossFit athlete’s heart.

“It’s such a microcosm of life. It’s hard and it’s a grind, but if you can start in the gym, it’s going to affect every aspect of

Top: Crossfit Merak is one of three Crossfit gyms in Beeville. Above, Joel Trevino is owner of Buck & Boo Crossfit in Beeville. Trevino is a competitive Crossfit athlete, whose dedication to athleticism has made him a name across Texas.

your life,” Kelly Jones said. “We want to be 100-year-old people still kicking ass and taking names. Still working out, still keeping up with our kids and our grandkids. Not having to go into the nursing home – that’s where the longevity is. Competition is a phase in somebody’s fitness journey. It is not the overall goal. Our focus, at CrossFit Merak, is that we can continue to be fit and healthy and active, in every aspect, as we get older.”

Kelly and Zach have been doing CrossFit together since 2014, and over the years they’ve grown more and more serious about it. When it came time to come back home to Beeville, where Kelly has family (she graduated from nearby Pettus High School), it seemed like the right

time to open a gym.

“This thought of having our own CrossFit gym sounded really good, and this is where we wanted to live, and we opened the gym in Beeville,” Zach said. “We wanted a secondary income; we wanted to try and share the CrossFit methodology with as many people. We know the benefits

of it; it’s not just a fitness thing. It’s the mental, physical, spiritual … trying to make yourself better every single day.”

Zach spends much of the year on the high seas, serving as a Merchant Marine, where CrossFit continues to serve him well, as a source of structure, stress release and general

Buck & Boo Crossfit in Beeville is one of three Crossfit gyms in the city. It was founded by two good friends who fell in love with the competitive side of Crossfit.

health. CrossFit can be done anywhere, but the intensity and structure of it lends itself to not only specialized gyms but also the community for which it is famous.

“It brings everyone closer together because you’re having this shared experience,” Zach said. “You share the pain,” Kelly added. “There is something about laying down after a hard, brutal workout and getting a fistbump from somebody else in the class, and you can talk about it later on.”

For a hobby – or some would say sport – that emphasizes the pain, the work and the grind of fitness, it is telling that every steady disciple boasts visible benefits from the effort.

“(It’s changed my life) in a good way,” Trevino said. “Physically, mentally –working out is just a stress reliever. It just does a lot for you, y’know? I think, because I have a salon, I have a boutique, I think it’s just my journey in life to help people look and feel better.”

CrossFit has only grown in popularity, and there are three gyms in Beeville at present. For a town of 15,000, though, there’s plenty of room for more.

it is, we have our own philosophy, they have their philosophy and that’s always going to be different,” Kelly said.

“Even though the core of CrossFit stays the same, each community is a direct representation of the head coaches or owners or whoever is in charge. One experience at one gym and another experience at another gym are going to be totally different.”

CrossFit Merak is located at 204 Pvt Red Rock Road, Suite 1 in Beeville. Buck and Boo CrossFit

across from the Grand Dance Hall.

BTX Fitness, the third

in town, is located at 413 S. Washington St. •••••

Kelly Jones runs Crossfit Merak alongside her husband, Zach. Crossfit Merak offers guided Crossfit classes, focusing on the fundamentals of fitness, promoting balance and longevity. Below, Crossfit is an exercise philosophy and practice that is growing in popularity. With three gyms in Beeville alone, Crossfit is a sport, a way of life and a community unto itself, which pushes its athletes of any level to transcend their limits in the pursuit of health and fitness.

One of city’s oldest businesses perseveres

Iain Woessner STexasNews.com

Zimmer Floral and Nursery is a sprawling complex, set upon land that has been owned by the Zimmer family since 1929. Its present owners, the brothers Zimmer – Paul and John Jr. – have seen Beeville through many of the most tumultuous times of the 20th century, providing throughout quality customer service and sage wisdom when it comes to the delicate art of gardening and growing.

“The Navy was here, the Navy really kind of built the town,” John Jr. said. “As long as the Navy was here, things were going good.”

“We had a really good clientele when the base was here,” Paul added. “After the Navy left we had prisons, but the prisons weren’t as good of clients.”

After the Navy left, a drought hit the region, putting into sharp relief the true challenges of selling living, growing plants. Running a flower shop is a tougher prospect than many other lines of work. For one, the overhead is greater – to sell your product, you have to keep it alive, through routine watering,

Top: John Zimmerman Jr. and Paul Zimmerman, with a photo of their parents, the original founders of Zimmer Floral and Nursery John Sr. and Marjorie. Zimmer is a family-owned floral business that has endured in Beeville for close to 100 years. Above, The Zimmer Floral and Nursery has a wide assortment of plants and garden decor for gardening novices to those known for their green thumbs.

soil, nutrients and more. Beyond that, the demand for flowers can ebb and flow.

“Everybody needs groceries, everybody needs gas, but not everybody needs flowers,” Paul said.

Bee County – along with the rest of South Texas – has endured a recordsetting summer, without much rain and with incredibly high temperatures. Livestock has faltered and flowers have withered, and the cost of maintaining their products has only increased, a challenge nobody could have predicted.

“We didn’t expect it to be a hot, dry, long summer,” Paul said. “On the back of two major winters … we usually sell about 800-900 rose bushes a year, we buy ’em in California, pot ’em ourselves, get them ready for sale, by February they are ready for sale… the year before (last year) when it stayed freezing for so long, we had to move them inside.”

Despite this, Zimmer’s remains one of Beeville’s oldest and most storied family-owned businesses. To this day they employ 12 people, many of whom have been there for decades. Faded photographs on a bulletin board in the office shows how longtime employees have literally spent their lives working for the Zimmers. That longevity and loyalty shows in their customer service – there’s that homegrown, small-town charm to the operation, something you can’t find at a big box store.

John Jr. literally grew up in the store. He has memories where he’d crawl

Above, This tree was planted when John Jr. (pictured) and Paul Zimmer were young. It has grown alongside them and their family-owned business. Top right: Homecoming is a busy season for Zimmer Floral and Nursery, and they offer gifts and decor for it and many other similar seasonal celebrations.

these and other community organizations.

Quality of Life: Health & Safety:

inside the large boxes that flowers used to be shipped in. His parents would find him there, fast asleep.

And it’s not all bad, either – in fact, when fortune is as fickle as the farmer’s lot, downturns can lead to upturns. Case in point for Zimmer, the tribulations felt by the world during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in newfound opportunities for them.

“Recently the best thing that ever happened to us was COVID, because everybody was stuck at home, and we were deemed an ‘essential’ business,” Paul said. “So we were open all throughout COVID, and that was one of our best years in many, many years.”

COVID saw people inspired to take up new gardens, grow vegetables at home and other such projects, some of whom have become new and continued customers.

Paul’s happy to take in growers of any experience level – in fact, he prides himself on his honest rapport with customers, often discouraging them from purchasing challenging-to-grow plants (particularly trees) if the climate conditions aren’t right. He takes the time to go over the details of how to plant, how to nurture and ultimately how to grow the thousands of different varieties of plants they sell.

“I actually tell people you really got to come back in October,” Paul said. “I don’t want to sell you something you’re going to kill. And that’s how we get people to come back. I’m honest – I don’t want you to go somewhere else and buy the tree, because if you buy it from them, they’re going to kill it. I’ll tell you exactly how to plant it … and get this thing to live.”

Paul Zimmer prides himself on his knowledge of plants and gardening and his honesty as a businessman. He’d rather his products and his customers enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship, and he’ll gladly share his expertise with his customers.

A brief history of Beeville

Iain Woessner STexasNews.com

The history of Texas is a wild one, defined by tumult, revolution, war and a strong spirit of independence.

Bee County, and its county seat Beeville, have straddled the edge of that wild line, yet have endured nigh-unchanging for decades, serving as a place of stability from

generation to generation.

Shirley Wyatt, president of the Bee County Historical Society, explains a portion of the county’s history, beginning with its beginnings – as a carefully crafted buffer zone between Mexico and the everencroaching American presence.

“It was a wild and woolly area,” Wyatt said. “The Mexicans had brought in the Irish to settle the land and kind of keep the U.S. from

encroaching. They put them in areas that could be accessible, areas that had water access or areas like San Antonio that had encroachment from the north … most of ’em were closer to the water areas.”

Irish farmers formed the bedrock of the populations of Bee, Live Oak, San Patricio and Refugio counties, spreading across South Texas at the behest of the Mexican government. The initial settlers came via two ships, Wyatt said, who landed at Coconut Bay. Several prominent families grew prosperous here, including the Burkes and the Heffermans, whose names still adorn street signs in Beeville to this day.

Beyond having an Anglo deterrent to American expansion, the Mexicans were keen on growing the influence of Catholicism on the region, another reason for their interest in Irish settlers. Over time that Catholic influence manifest in Marysville, or St. Marysville.

Then came the Texian war, a battle for independence that saw Texas shake off Mexican rule. The Irish settlers, by and large, sided with the cause for independence, though some did hold fast to their loyalty and gratitude to the Mexicans who brought them here. Battles raged all around what is now Bee County, famously in Goliad and even in Victoria, but the

At top, a painting of Colonel Barnard Bee, for whom the county and city were named, even though the Colonel had no direct association with the area. Above, a photo from the Bee County Historical Society of Main Street in 1902.

armies avoided Bee, out of respect for the river-adjacent churches and perhaps because the farmers there did all they could to avoid conflict that would have ruined their livelihoods.

“We didn’t have a lot of uprising in this area,” Wyatt said. “They … didn’t really want to make the Mexicans too mad at them.”

With so much farmland dominating the area, there was a very real risk of their farms and lands being razed to the ground.

Once the war was over, it came time to officially decree the region a county of Texas. The trouble was, the name “St. Mary’s” had already been taken by another county. The name Bee was chosen not for the industrious insect, whose likeness lines the streets around town. Though Beeville does play host to bees, the name comes from Colonel Barnard Bee, a man who never once set foot in the region. A Confederate officer, he was killed in battle and a relative of his, serving on the Texas Legislature, posited his name for consideration.

Beeville became a hub of commerce, while the county at large remained predominantly agrarian, even after Texas joined the United States and the 20th century rolled around. It was in 1943 that a significant development marked a new era of prosperity for the county, that being the establishment of Chase Field, a Naval base that trained fighter pilots to contribute to the war effort. According to Wyatt, it was a highly-

regarded and top-tier training facility, though this sadly didn’t stop it from eventually being shut down decades later, taking with it many years of economic and cultural support for Beeville.

Yet in true fashion, Beeville’s population endured, the area resistant to change. The void left behind by Chase Field has been occupied instead by prisons, which employ large swathes of the population. The oil boom came, but also failed to have the same dramatic effect on Bee, as most of the oil production lay outside of the county line.

Chase Field has in recent years become home to several manufacturing and industrial facilities, which hope to provide even more economic opportunities for the county. That said, Wyatt thinks that Bee will be relatively the same, no matter how the winds of fortune blow.

“My own opinion, we’re pretty settled. I don’t real-

ly see us going up, I don’t really see us going down,” she said. “To me, it’s just

a status quo – (but) you don’t know what the future holds.”

The McClannahan House in Beeville is home to the Beeville Historic Society and serves as a museum and historical repository for items and antiquities from across the county’s history.

Goliad friends find joy in ‘Best Little Gun Shop’

Andrea Anderson STexasNews.com

Nestled into the quaint little town of Goliad sits a little historic plaza, lined with rows of old buildings, each with its own story to tell.

The buildings are filled with various stores, among them a shop in a stone building, railings over the windows and the engravement “Bank” overhanging the storefront. But this store is in fact, not a bank at all, but instead, a gun shop – the Best Little Gun Shop in Texas.

Stepping into the armory, you’re met by the nostalgic decor of flowery wallpaper and old wooden furniture. The co-owners sit and chat with visitors ’round a table as a TV plays old war movies and documentaries, perched upon a little stand across

the way. In one corner, a recognizable leg lamp sits on a table in the window, where the store creates its reenactment scene of “A Christmas Story,” every winter. In the opposing window, an artfully detailed train table with old battle scenes

has been recreated.

`All the while, you are surrounded by guns.

The shop name was inspired by the movie “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” with nods to the movie apparent within the fonts and coloring detailing their insignia. The gun shop is going into its fifth year of business, having been established on July 4th of 2019, by friends Pat Calhoun and Robert Fly. Calhoun, a born Texan, was a Marine and two-time county judge prior to opening the gun shop. While Fly has Texas roots, he moved from San Juan, California, to Texas and worked air conditioning, prior to opening the shop.

“I mean we’ve been friends for many years, and his family is from this part of the world, and you know, we hunt together and fish

At top: Shown are proud gun shop co-owners and friends Robert Fly and Pat Calhoun. Above, the Best Little Gun Shop store front is made from an old converted bank.

together, and when I was leaving the county judge job, he and I sat down and talked about opening a gun shop,” Calhoun said. “We decided what we wanted to do was a hometown gun shop and not just a box store. Something from the old days. So we’ve got a pretty eclectic collection of firearms, and you know we fit a niche market, and it works well.”

The pair’s friendship is almost ironic, given their respective family histories. Texas history buffs may well know the tale of the Sutton-Taylor feud, the longest and bloodiest family feud in Texas history. The Taylors were renowned lawmen, Texas Rangers, while the Suttons consisted of former Confederate soldiers who settled in DeWitt County following the Civil War. In 1868, a Taylor, serving as deputy sheriff, shot and killed a comrade of the Suttons while attempting to arrest him for horse theft. In retaliation, on Christmas Eve of that same year, Sutton killed two members of the Taylor clan following a disagreement about a horse sale. From then on, theft and murder became commonplace between the two families for nearly a decade.

“It turns out that I’m related to the Sutton clan, and he’s related to the Taylor clan, and I’m sure our ancestors were rolling over in their graves that the two of us have opened shop together,” said Calhoun. “And we haven’t shot at one another yet.”

The building itself carries more meaning for Calhoun than just being where he opened his business. In fact, his family

once owned the building, and he remembers playing in the store as a young boy.

“When I was a little kid, my great aunt owned this building, and my cousins and an aunt lived upstairs. And here where we’re sitting right now, my granddad had a barbershop in here.” Calhoun said, “My granddad had a barber shop on that side, and his wife had a little two-chair beauty shop on this side. But I would go back there in the back and go play in the vault as a kid. And they’d holler at me and say there’s ghosts back in there, and I’d come running out the door.”

The family no longer owns the building, and it is rented by the friends presently. Between its beginnings as a bank to the now-occupying gun shop, the store has been the venue for many different business endeavors.

An array of rifles for sale are among the many versatile firearms the store sells.

“We knew the building was a kind of an event center…You rented it for events and stuff before that.” Fly said, “And then it was the Blueberry Patch Antiques. It was a retail store before that. So, it’s been a pretty active building for quite a while.”

Fly explained that the store specialized in antique weapons, and also carries old military uniforms. The area has a large reenactment community that their business is fairly popular among.

“A lot of our customers—quite a few of our customers—are reenactors. They might do World War II, Vietnam, Civil War, and you know, our Western reenactors, and so we’ve got kind of a variety of that kind of thing.” Fly said.

Their inventory has seen battles all across the globe before finding their way to the store’s shelves.

“The corner back there is kind of the World War II corner,” Calhoun said, describing the store’s layout. “There’s British, there’s German, there’s English, Russian ... Once in a while we’ll get a Japanese Arisaka, we got a couple of Chinese SKSs back there. We’ve got one French gun; we swore we’d never have one, but we got one.”

“And then we’ve got this kind of sort of specialty hunting guns, rifles for you know, everything from whitetail deer to mule deer,” Calhoun added. “And we’ve got a lot of ARs in here … And then, of course, the pistols up there in the cabinet. So, we’ve got a little everything –shotguns back over there.”

Not only are the guns historical, but the décor is too.

“In the gun shop itself, nearly everything has got a story behind it. Like that flag, for instance. It’s up there, all greasy and everything.” Calhoun said, indicating towards a large American flag hanging on the

back wall of the store. “That flew in the last CH-53 Echo squadron, out of Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. It was onboard the USS America on its last deployment, when Marines embarked with the CH-53 Echo helicopters. And that flag hung in that helicopter for the entire deployment. That’s why it’s got grease and crap all over it – because it was hanging in that helicopter. And the guy that brought it to us as a former Marine aircraft mechanic, he was a crew chief. And he brought it to us to hang up there. And that was my last active-duty station.”

Besides just guns, the store carries a variety of other products.

“Some of the other stuff we’ve got in here, we’ve got this coffee. And that’s from my son —my son is in the Marine Corps right now. And when he was in Iraq, he had another Marine officer who was a reservist, and two Air Force officers would complain about how bad the coffee was. And so, when the reservist got back to Dallas to go back to being a firefighter, which is what he did, normally, he got two of his firefighting buddies, and the six of them pooled their money together and started this coffee company,” said Calhoun.

“And I laugh,” Calhoun said.

“Because one of them –they’ve got a deal that for every five pounds that is sold, one pound gets donated to a first responder – and so, I called my son and I said, ‘Look, one of these coffees, the ‘Back the Blue’ is flavored. It smells like blueberries. What’s the deal with that?’ And he started laughing. He said, ‘That’s for the cops.’ Okay, I’m old. I don’t get it. So what? And he said, ‘Well, it’s so they think they’re eating jelly doughnuts when they’re drinking their coffee.’ And I said, ‘A firefighter thought of that.’”

“Then when my daughter figured out that I was selling some of her brother’s stuff here, she was like, ‘Dad, can I put some stuff in the shop? I promise it’s manly stuff.’ And so that’s where the meat seasonings came from. And the Duke cannon soaps and stuff that are over there. That’s all her contribution to the gun shop,” Calhoun explained.

In addition to soaps, coffee and seasonings, the store has many gun-themed children’s toys, such as salt guns for shooting flies, potato shooters and other toy guns. They sell CO2 pistols and BB guns, as well as a fun, unique ‘Texas camouflage’ print shirt.

It’s clear walking into this store, that these two friends take pride in their work, and in their community. Their love of history and guns is apparent, and even more apparent is their love for their customers and store visitors. Fly’s favorite historical war was World War II, and he’s full of interesting facts concerning it, while Calhoun’s favorite wartime was the Southern Independence period[1].

It’s a bold claim, but we’d challenge any visitors to scenic Goliad to say this is not truly The Best Little Gun Shop in Texas.

Fly builds model re-enacted war scenes displayed in the store front windows.

Andrea Anderson STexasNews.com

If you’re looking for an enchanting community full of historical charm in South Texas, look no farther than the quaint little town of Goliad. The residents and community of Goliad are welcoming, happy to share tidbits of history, history which can be found all over the town.

Driving into the heart of Goliad, you find yourself

thrown back in time, as lines of old buildings create a plaza wrapping around the courthouse. The old charm is maintained by the new shop owners occupying the buildings with enchanting historical sites all around.

Small restaurants and retail stores fill the old buildings. You might be interested in grabbing some ice cream at Two Scoops and More or visiting Hello Darlin’ Boutique and Gifts for some lovely clothing options. You could visit Deborah’s Kitchen Table for some home cooking in a rustic comforts-of-home setting or grab a drink at Commercial Street Bar and Grill. The Square Gallery gives visitors the chance to enjoy local artwork, or you could enjoy something to eat at La Terraza Mexican Grill. The library is incredibly welcoming to visitors, and the highly recommended Market House Museum will happily swing open its doors for visitors who are interested in learning more about Goliad’s history.

Standing in front of the courthouse is a looming tree with thick, overhanging branches. At its base is a plaque describing the historical significance of such a massive ancient oak. This particular historic site is known as ‘The Hanging Tree’ and is where death sentences were carried out between the years 18451870.

Up the road from that sits the oldest Masonic Lodge that is still operating within Texas. Not too far from there, is Fannin Plaza Park, serving as the memorial for a Texas Revolution cannon. Deemed ‘Fort Fun,’ the park offers a playground area for children, with plenty of shade and benches for park visitors.

Making your way towards Presidio La Bahia, you’ll pass the Fannin Battleground State Historic site, the Angel of Goliad monument, and the Fannin Memorial monument.

The Angel of Goliad, Francita Alavez, traveled with Captain Telesforo

Alavez to Texas in 1836, and the Fannin Memorial is the burial grounds for Colonel Fannin and his army.

When visiting Presidio La Bahia, visitors get the unique experience of visiting the battlegrounds and learning the history of the fortress, as well as a little gift shop on site. Across from the fort, you can see the birthplace of Ignazio Zaragoza.

Presidio La Bahia and the mission of Espiritu Santo de Zuniga were moved from the Guadalupe River to the vicinity of present-day Goliad in 1749, to guard the main roads from Mexico to San Antonio de Bexar, according to Linda Breeding, the director of the Goliad Historical Commission. “The padres were the first ranch foremen, and their Aranama and Tamique converts were the first cowboys,” Breeding said.

“The Mission Rosario grounds are partially open for visitors to view the ruins. They are located on Highway 59, south of town,” Breeding stated. “This mission was established to serve the Karankawa Indians. The restored Presidio La Bahia is considered one of the world’s finest examples of a Spanish frontier fort. Some residents of Goliad

today are tenth and eleventh generation descendants of the Spanish and Mestizo soldiers who established their homes—as well as privately owned ranches—near the fort for protection.”

“General Zaragoza, a great Mexican hero born at Presidio La Bahia in 1829, was the son of Miguel G. and Marie de Jesus Seguin Zaragoza,” said Breeding. “His mother was a cousin to Juan Seguin. The family moved to Mexico. General Zaragoza was a Mexican general and politician, and he led the Mexican army of 600 men, defeating 6,500 French invading soldiers, including the elite French Legionnaires at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862- now celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.”

Breeding said that during the Texas Revolution, Goliad played an integral part, including being the location of the signing of the Second Declaration of Independence in 1835.

“At San Jacinto, Texans rallied to the cry of ‘Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!’ in reference to the Battle of Coleto and the events that followed at Presidio La Bahia. Fannin Battleground State Park, the site of the battle, is located at nearby Fannin,” Breeding said. “The annual Goliad Massacre/Fort Defiance Living History Program is held at Presidio La Bahia on the weekend closest to March 27th, each year.”

During the 1840s and 1850s, Germantown Schroeder, Ander, Weser and Middletown Weesatche were settled by German immigrants; Schroeder Hall is one of the state’s oldest community dance halls still running today, although instead of the polka of the past, today the music is more modern western country.

“The African-American people came prior to the end of slavery in Texas, many with their white masters, and have stayed,” Breeding said. “They settled in the east and south parts of the county, where they mainly worked on ranches and

At top: Goliad Presidio welcomes visitors to come explore. Above, the Fannin Memorial Monument rests at the execution site of Colonel James Fannin by Mexican forces.

farms. The Cologne community was settled on land that two black men purchased and sold to their friends and family. The name of the community was a play on words, as this was a tanning center that had a distinct odor. John Mason Brewer, a black folklorist, was born in Goliad County.”

“Goliad County has always attracted land seekers,” Breeding stated. “Family heirlooms and artifacts from all these settlements can be viewed at the Market House Museum in Goliad. From its earliest times, Goliad has had a strong ranching and agricultural heritage, and you can view the early brands and farm implements also at the Market House Museum.”

Some prominent names have been known to visit Goliad throughout history. In 1821, Stephen F. Austin visited Goliad looking for possible sites for colonizing efforts, stating it was the most beautiful and desirable of sites he’d seen to live in. He returned in 1838 to meet with Goliad priests and leaders to discuss attacks on his colony members by the Karankawa tribe. In 1854, a New York Central Park designer, Frederick Olmstead, visited while writing articles for the New York Times. In 1940, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Goliad State Park to address the Civilian Conservation Corps workers, after the restoration of Mission Espiritu Santo, praising the work done within Goliad to bring it back to its glory. Another first lady, Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson, visited in 1968, to designate the restored Presidio La

istered National Historic Landmark.

Goliad is known for hosting regular events for the community and its visitors, such as their annual Dinner and a Show, held in September on Main Street, where residents can picnic on the lawn and watch the bands perform.

Professional Bull Riders (PBR) have a strong presence in the community, as the fairgrounds becomes a venue available for various PBR events. The Goliad Go Texan PBR Challenger events take place in August.

The Goliad Paddling Trail is a six-mile trail on the San Antonio River, for kayaking, canoeing and paddle boating.

Guided tours and local history education are ongoing opportunities for visitors to get to know the community better.

Market Days takes place every second Saturday of the month, year-round. Downtown is filled with vendors selling just about anything one can imagine, as well as a variety of food trucks.

Christmas in Goliad is

held the first weekend in December each year, and the downtown is transformed into a wonderland of handmade and homemade gifts galore. All vendors must have items they’ve made themselves, and nothing is missed. Quilts, candles, stained glass, wooden carvings, baskets, knives, jellies and a food court for visitors in an incredible winter experience. Friday night there is a lighted parade that kicks off at 7 p.m., and Saturday at high noon, Santa rides in on his “reinsteer”! That’s right, a bull-riding Santa Claus visits Goliad annually to spread Christmas cheer with all the visitors and residents alike. Photo opportunities are provided for children to get

their picture taken with Santa and his trusty steer.

If you’re interested in visiting a community with a strong historical background, that emulates Texas pride and fortitude, look no further than this South Texan gem of a community. Visit the Market House Museum and ring the 100-year-old bell atop the building; experience the incredible history they preserve there and all throughout Goliad. Talk to the community, the shop keeps, the store owners, and you’ll find Texan hospitality like you’ve never experienced before. Stand in awe before battlegrounds and historic markers and grand monuments to great Texan heroes.

236 S. COMMERCIAL ST., STE. B GOLIAD

BABY & CHILDREN’S CLOTHING STORE

GIFT SHOP & CANDY STORE

The Goliad Market House Museum displays recovered artifacts and historical attire throughout the building and has a wealth of history to share with curious visitors.

Editor’s Note: This feature is continued from Page 15

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Ashort drive north of Goose Island State Park is Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Forget the campers and tents. Bring your camera and binoculars or spotting scope and make sure to have plenty of gas in your vehicle to enjoy the 1.5-hour, 16-mile, self-guided auto tour.

Established in 1937 for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife, the refuge encompasses more than 115,000 acres of stunning scenery, diverse plants and wildlife habitat. It is also home to several rare and endangered animals. The preserve also has approximately 120 miles of coastal shoreline.

The one iconic species that draws tourists from all over the world to South Texas and makes the preserve famous, arriving in late fall, is the rare Whooping Crane. The birds are North America’s tallest at 52 inches. By 1937, their population had fallen to just 15 wild birds. Efforts to protect these birds have since increased the population to around 550 wild birds. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge is the wintering home to the last wild flock of endangered Whooping Cranes in the world.

Whooping Cranes will lay only two eggs a season. In almost every

1 Wildlife Circle

Austwell, TX 77950

and are protected through the United States Endangered Species Act.

Of the world’s seven species of sea turtles, the Green Sea Turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle and Hawksbill Sea Turtle live in, reproduce or migrate to the waters and shores of the Texas Gulf Coast.

instance, only one of the young will survive. Therefore it has taken many years for the population to get to the point where they are now. The cranes spend the summer breeding season in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada and return to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Aransas County every winter.

The uninhabited coastal shores within the preserve are also prime breeding grounds for many sea turtles. South Texas is home to five species of sea turtles, all of which are threatened or endangered

Along the preserve’s auto tour, you will find diverse habitat, several miles of walking trails, an observation tower, fishing pier, plenty of animals including white-tailed deer, alligators, butterflies, diverse plant species and many bird species, as well as Whooping Cranes, which can be found from MidNovember through late April.

While at the refuge, be sure to stop at the state-of-the-art visitor center. There you’ll find a well-stocked gift shop, plenty of educational material and a staff of helpful people to make your visit a great one. Pack lunch and plan on spending the day since there is so much to see and do at the preserve.

Tip: If you don’t spot a whooping crane within the preserve, try glassing the area around The Big Tree. Respect private property in the area.

“Whooping Cranes will lay only two eggs a season. In almost every instance, only one of the young will survive.”

Mustang Island State Park

Thenext destination, Mustang Island State Park is nearly straight south as the crow flies from Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. Unfortunately, you can’t traverse the trip in a straight line from the mainland, but a surprise awaits along the trip.

Since there are only two points of entry to access the barrier island where Mustang Island State Park is located, the journey from the north will take you across State Rt 361. The route leapfrogs across several islands from Aransas Pass to Harbor Island through a series of bridges and causeways. The breathtaking coastal views along the route are topped off with a ferry ride over to Port Aransas on Mustang Island.

Just outside of the town of Port Aransas, the unspoiled raw beauty of one of the many South Texas barrier islands takes shape. The tropical scenery of the mainland gives way to wind sculpted sand dunes, coastal prairies, white sand beaches and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Mustang Island is a popular destination for winter Texans and spring break visitors.

The island earned its name from wild horses that once roamed there. It is believed that the mustangs were either brought there by Spaniards or they swam from a shipwreck. By the late 1800s, all of the wild herds disappeared from the island.

Mustang Island State Park is centrally located on the island between the popular tourists destinations of Port Aransas to the north and Padre Island National Seashore to the south. The nearly 4,000 acre state park has five miles of coastal shoreline which includes three points of access to the white sand beaches along the gulf and four

9394

State Hwy. 361

Corpus Christi, TX 78418

Paddling Trail consists of three segments of clear, shallow water that follows the western shoreline of Mustang Island along Corpus Christi Bay, the North Trail (8.5 miles), the Shamrock Loop Trail (5.24 miles) and the Ashum Trail (6.8 miles).

access roads to the inner bay side of the island. High clearance, fourwheel drive vehicles are recommended for traveling on the bay access roads.

The campgrounds at Mustang Island State Park offer a unique camping experience. The campground has 48 water and electric sites and 50 drive-up primitive sites. The electric and water sites are only 1/3 of a mile from the beach. Although the beach is a major attraction for visitors, the park is filled with many other outdoor adventures such as surf fishing, bay fishing, birding, kayaking or just exploring the unique and wild, unspoiled habitat of the barrier island.

Surf fishing on the gulf side of the park, especially from the Fish Pass jetties, can be very productive. The towering sand dunes along the coastal side of the island help to block some of the steady gulf breeze that blows nearly year around and provides crystal clear waters along the near shore bay side of the island. These clear-water passes, smaller islands and cuts offer some of the best fishing and kayaking trails anywhere along the coast.

The Mustang Island State Park

The paddling trails also pass through some of the best shallow-water bay fishing in the state for species such as Red Drum, Black Drum, Spotted Sea Trout and Flounder. As well as providing great kayaking and fishing, the coastal habitat along the paddling trail attracts many different bird species, which makes it another premier birding spot in South Texas, especially during spring and fall migrations. Birders often visit the island hoping for a glimpse of one of the Aplomado falcons that live on the park property.

Aplomado falcons disappeared in the wild in Texas more than a half-century ago. A recovery effort for this endangered species began in 1984, led by The Peregrine Fund. In the summers of 2012 and 2013, biologists released 65 captive-bred falcons at Mustang Island State Park.

Sea turtles are another attraction at the park. Out of the state’s five species of sea turtles, two of them can be found along the park’s Gulf Coast shoreline. Juvenile Atlantic green sea turtles can often be seen along the Fish Pass jetties actively swimming and searching for food. These green sea turtles can live to be over 100 years old.

One of the most endangered sea turtles is the Kemp’s Ridley, which only nests on the beaches of Mexico and the Texas coast, including Mustang Island. The Kemp’s ridley is the smallest sea turtle in the world, weighing about 90 pounds.

“The island earned its name from wild horses that once roamed there.”

Padre Island National Seashore

Thelast stop on the journey around the South Texas Triangle of outdoor adventure is just a short drive south on Mustang Island across Packery Channel and onto Padre Island. The tourist attractions and beach condos slowly fade away as you approach the wild and vast expanse of Padre Island National Seashore. The 66 miles of wild coastline on the barrier island is home to the last intact coastal prairie habitats in the United States. The attractions that await are swimming, fishing, camping and turtle watching.

Padre Island National Seashore is one of the few remaining places in the U.S. that allows vehicles to travel along the beach, and as long as the speed limit is obeyed, you can drive the entire 66 miles of beach shoreline. Make sure to have plenty of gas in the tank because the island ends at Port Mansfield Channel and the only way back is a round trip.

The plants and animals of the coastal prairies are an attraction in their own right, but one of the main attractions along the many miles of beaches are sea turtles. The dark nights of the uninhabited barrier island offer perfect conditions for sea turtles to come ashore and

20420 Park Rd 22

Corpus Christi, TX 78418

useless.

Surf fishing is another great way to enjoy time on the island or just wading through the shallow surf searching for seashells along the beach. Don’t expect to find a lot of good shells in the first several miles of the beach, but if you travel further down, there are two great spots for collecting shells called Little Shell and Big Shell beaches.

lay their eggs. Groups of staff and volunteers spend the day looking for tell-tale signs that turtles have nested. The eggs are excavated and hatched in a facility before being released. There are several opportunities throughout the nesting season for the public to witness a hatchling release.

Overnight camping is another activity allowed on the beaches. Warm nights, sea breeze, the sound of the surf, beautiful emeraldto-blue water and solitude can make camping on Padre Island the experience of a lifetime. One of the best features at the park is “no cell service,” so unless you are taking pictures, the electronic devices are

The Padre Island National Seashore is located at the end of S. Padre Island Drive on Padre Island.

According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, fishing without a license is permitted within state park boundaries. Free fishing applies to fishing in rivers and creeks, from banks or piers. You can also wade fish in the surf along the shore of our coastal state parks. You may be able to fish for free from a boat on lakes or ponds that are fully enclosed in a state park.

For information and fees in state parks contact Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For information and fees in national parks contact U.S. National Park Service.

Padre Island National Seashore Photo

Padre Island National Seashore photo

“The dark nights of the uninhabited barrier island offer perfect conditions for sea turtles to come ashore and lay their eggs.”

Day in Karnes County brings history to life

Dylan Dozier STexasNews.com

Justa short drive from the metropolis of San Antonio, Karnes County is steeped in history and lush with outdoor activities. It is home to the oldest Polish community in the United States, a protected Texas Horned Lizard habitat and a number of parks worth making the trip to Karnes County.

Escondido Creek Parkway

Escondido Creek Parkway is the perfect place for all of Karnes County to recreate. Escondido Creek, the parkway’s namesake, is a 12-mile waterway that begins in the western part of Karnes County, just west of the New Bremon Cemetery and runs a dozen miles before emptying itself into the San Antonio River.

The Escondido Creek Parkway is home to one of the few horned toad habitats in Texas. At top, the Cestohowa decided to build their own church, which was completed in 1878 and draws thousands of visitors each year.

San Antonio River Authority Photo

Archdiocese of San Antonio Photo

The parkway hosts a unique list of recreation options, including a skate park, splash pad, pavilion, amphitheater, pump jack, windmill, horny toad habitat, picnic table and grills. It also has a large park for children and miles of walking trails that will be extended in the near future. Admission is free, and visitors to the park also have reservation opportunities at the amphitheater and pavilion.

Panna Maria

Panna Maria is the oldest permanent Polish settlement in America and home to one of the nation’s oldest Polish churches and schools. Led by a young Franciscan missionary, Father Leopold Moczygemba, hundreds of Polish immigrants came to Texas via ship and walked from Galveston to present-day Karnes County. The settlers built a church and consecrated it on September 29, 1856. Snakes, drought and disease plagued the settlers. The community’s isolation led to a dwindling population throughout the next century.

As the mother colony for the Poles in America, Panna Maria attracts visitors numbering in the thousands to its celebrations at Panna Maria Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church. The Community Center still serves the hundreds of former Panna Marians and descendants for various festivals, holidays, dances and community events.

Cestohowa

Cestahowa was a successful byproduct of the first Polish settlement at Panna Maria. About 40 families made the decision to begin an off-shoot colony. The Poles understood the wisdom of keeping some distance between families. It was close enough for residents to attend services at the Immaculate Conception Church each Sunday if they were so inclined, and the priest from Panna Maria would come to Cestohowa once a month. When lightning struck the Panna Maria Church, the residents of Cestohowa felt the time had come to build their own church. The architecturally ornate church was completed in 1878 and draws thousands of visitors every year.

Cestohowa is also home to Cestohowa Hall. Established in 1938, the hall hosts community dances, casino nights and is available as  rental space. The events hosted in the last year alone

have raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Cestohowa community.

Joe Gulley Park

Joe Gulley Park is a focal point for families of Karnes County. Youth softball and baseball are played at the park and its existence is responsible for the diamond dreams of many young Karnes County athletes.

The park features volleyball courts, a playground and a disc golf course. It is also home to a World War II veterans’ Memorial. Joe Gulley Park is the perfect place to get a taste of the outdoors. Grab those picnic baskets and enjoy the nature walking trails.

Joe Gulley Park in Kenedy has something for everyone. The gazebo pictured above is available for rent, along with sports fields and a pavilion.

THE WADE HEDTKE FAMILY IS VERY PROUD TO CALL

KARNES COUNTY OUR HOME!

South Texas top spot for state bird hunters

Dylan Dozier STexasNews.com

There is a music to dove hunting: the singing of Winchesters ringing in the break of dawn and the flutter of feathered wings flapping into flight over browned and bowing sunflowers. It is an unmistakable melody that appeals to fanatics and weekend wingshooters alike. Every year nearly 1,500 hunters from across the United States pilgrimage to the senderos of Live Oak County to nestle amongst nopal and mesquite, participating in the September dove symphony conducted by Mark Katzfey of Katzfey Ranches.

“It started with my love of dove hunting,” Katzfey said. “I love it so much. It started with 15 or 20 hunters on an opening weekend. I built a small cabin to put about 15 or 20 hunters in. It seemed like every year we started doing a little bit of it, and it just grew a little bit every year. I never knew how big this thing was gonna get.”

The Ranch

Katzfey’s operation is a 5,000 acre affair that spreads across nearly every area of Live Oak County and into neighboring Bee County. The operation looks much like every

other farm in the region, hay bales, barbed wire and cows. But the sunflowers and sesame planted by Katzfey every summer turn run-ofthe-mill hayfields into a dove hunting paradise.

“I’d always buy the cheapest land,” Katzfey said. “Believe it or not, the cheapest land was land with no brush on it. Old worn out farms. The piece of land I bought northeast of Three Rivers was an old, worn out cotton farm. It wouldn’t grow anything except a native sunflower … And there were doves on it.”

An early morning or mid-evening ramble through one of Katzfey’s dove fields is like a scene from Exodus, except mourning and white-

winged doves blot out the sun instead of locusts. The volume of birds and the grace with which they swing and cut and light upon the flower’s head are enough to make any hunter or spectator disregard the amount of toil it took to create the spectacle before them.

“People think that planting food plots is just ‘disc your ground, throw some seed out and see what happens’,” Katzfey said. “You have to treat your food plots as a real farmer would treat a crop. It can’t be just a last minute decision to throw seeds out.”

The process is long, costly and for a business owner like Katzfey, it begins with a soil sample, which is sent to a laboratory. There, scientists and technicians make recommendations (ideal crop, lime quantity, etc.) to the land owner based on their findings. Then comes the preparation and planting part of the process. Land owners then find the perfect fertilizer, herbicides and seeds to use when June rolls around.

“You gotta keep your ground plowed and clean, and then just ride ’til it’s time to plant and take care of the crop,” Katzfey said.

Sunflowers mature around the 90-day mark, so a June plant ensures seeds on the ground when

Pictured above is the courtyard of The Barn at Katzfey Ranches. The fountain rising into the horizon overlooks the ranch and serves as the backdrop for many South Texas nuptials.

September dove season rolls around. Of course, outfitters have to be in a place where doves are present if their crop is to be found, but according to the Texas Dove Hunters Association (TDHA) Founder Bob Thornton, South Texas is the heart of the dove range.

Different Animal

“South Texas is a different kind of animal,” Thornton said. “It holds nesting grounds for mourning doves. That’s a migrating bird that comes out of the north and then works its way back north. The whitewinged come out from the south or Mexico. So the South Zone is kind of right in the middle of it all. It’s got a lot of native grasses and small grains that hold birds really, really well.”

To further prove the Lone Star State’s infatuation with dove hunting, a study published by TDHA shows that dove hunting has an overall economic impact of about $300 million across the state. That healthy impact is produced by 300,000-400,000 hunters every year.

“When I say economic impact, I’m talking about stores, hotels, restaurants, everything that stays open late,” Thornton said. “You walk in on opening day, and everybody in here is wearing camo. That kind of thing includes shotgun shells, gear purchases.”

The sport’s steady popularity is not lost on Katzfey, who continues to scale his business to meet the demands of an ever-growing client list.

“I have been growing every year, but it’s getting difficult,” Katzfey said. “You know, there’s a threshold where you have this kind of growing pain, and it’s difficult to manage those numbers.”

Katzfey’s operation includes lodging and dining. Mark doubles as a camp chef, whipping up potatoes, greens, tenderloins – hearty, region-

al fare. Dee, his wife, decorates and manages the lodges and cabins dotting the property including their original dove camp bunkhouse, “The Lonesome Dove”, their “Silo Houses” that are carved out of old grain silos and three other lodging options that can sleep nearly 50 visitors.

The size and scale of the operation is tough to manage for husband and wife, but this year they’ll have a steady, dependable hand along for the ride.

“I’m getting my son involved,” Katzfey said. “He helped me a lot last year, more so than he did the prior year. This year he’s committed. He’s gonna help me do a lot of cooking, and he helps me guide. He helps me put the puzzle together. Because it’s kind of like a chess game trying to manage it.”

There’s a gentler side to the ranch. The Barn at Katzfey Ranch is a scene out of any bride’s dream. The old western storefront overlooks a bricked pond and fountain, serving as backdrop for countless

nuptials.

“The weddings are a weekend package,” Dee said. “So they get to experience it for the weekend, too. They come Friday, and they can have the rehearsal dinner here. We offer skeet shooting Saturday morning while the girls get ready. We do everything Saturday night, and then they can leave Sunday.”

The rustic interior of the barn reminds you of home, welcoming and comfortable. It’s a place to celebrate the happiest day of any couple’s lives, a sanctuary serenaded by the song of hunters and brides alike.

“I do all the decor and everything, so everything here is mine,” Dee said. “Nothing is taken as opposed to getting married at a church and having a rehearsal dinner at the hall and a dance at the hall. They just show up here Friday, and everything’s taken care of.”

For more information on hunting or venue rentals, visit https://thebarn.katzfeyranches.com/.

Mark (left) and Dee Katzfey (right) are the owner/operators of Katzfey Ranches and The Barn at Katzfey Ranches. Mark handles the hunting and ranching operations, and Dee manages the barn rentals for weddings, reunions and other civic events.

Coastal Bend Distilling Co. shines with gold medal

Coastal Bend Distilling Co., a hidden gem nestled in the heart of Texas, is making waves in the world of craft spirits with their exceptional range of products. Recently, the distillery garnered well-deserved recognition and accolades for their gin and vodka, solidifying its position as a rising star in the industry.

Coastal Bend Distilling Co., founded by Kenneth and Eveline Bethune, has been quietly perfecting their craft over the years, and their hard work has not gone unnoticed. Despite being a relatively small operation, they have managed to stand out from the crowd and impress seasoned judges and connoisseurs alike.

At a recent prestigious international spirits competition, The Fifty Best, Coastal Bend Distilling Co. seized the spotlight by placing in the category of Best Gin, and bring-

ing home a gold medal. Their commitment to using only the finest ingredients and traditional vapor infused distillation methods set them apart from the competition. Coastal Bend Distilling Co.’s Lucky Star Gin has previously brought home other awards, including a silver taste award at the 2020 John Barleycorn contest, a bronze medal in 2021 from the American Craft Spirits Association, and a tasting score of 90 from the 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. The distillery’s

owner & managing proprietor, Kenneth Bethune, credits the gin’s success to its unique flavor profile that emphasizes citrus peel botanicals and scales back on the often polarizing juniper berry.

The distillery’s foremost spirit, Live Oak Vodka, has also brought home numerous awards. Most recently, Live Oak Vodka received a score of 91, or “Highly Recommended” from the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Judges described the vodka as “remarkably clean, with soft expressions of wet stone and rainwater. Light whispers of Douglas Fir and American Oak are distinct, enjoyable and very subtle.” The vodka’s previous awards also include a 2020 silver medal for taste at the John Barleycorn Awards and a double gold that same year for unique label design.

Bethune and Coastal Bend Distilling Co.’s head distiller, Craig Olson,

The front of Coastal Bend Distilling Co. faces the downtown Beeville area on Bowie St. and North Madison Ave.

expressed gratitude for the awards. “We are humbled and thrilled to receive such recognition for our craft.” Said Olson, “It’s a testament to the hard work of our team and our passion for producing exceptional spirits that embody the true essence of Texas.”

The awards have also sparked increased interest in Coastal Bend Distilling Co.’s tasting room, where visitors can experience their award-winning spirits first-hand. With the charming ambiance of Beeville and the warmth of Texan hospitality, it’s no wonder enthusiasts and tourists are flocking to sample the distillery’s offerings. Open on a limited basis, the tasting room serves craft cocktails featuring the distillery’s array of spirits: Live Oak Vodka, Lucky Star Gin, Colonel Fannin’s Whiskey, and La Lechuza Agave Spirit.

Coastal Bend Distilling Co. continues to create a buzz in the spirits community, and their future appears to be as bright as the Texas sun. As word spreads about their exceptional products and commitment to quality, it’s likely that this once-hidden gem will become a shining star in the world of craft distilling. The distillery’s spirits can now be found across Texas with a significant presence in the Coastal Bend, as well as in the San Antonio and Austin metroplex areas. New distribution growth has been established in Houston and Dallas markets, and the distillery’s General Manager, Robert J. Nollen, II, says that distribution has more than doubled in 2023.

For those eager to savor the flavors that have captured the hearts of judges and locals alike, a visit to Coastal Bend Distilling Co. in Beeville, promises an unforgettable experience. For those unable to visit the tasting room, the distillery’s website offers an interactive map where you can search products available at bars, restaurants, liquor stores and more nearby.

At left, the distillery’s logo is prominently featured on the store front. Below, the distilling room in the back of the store creates products swiftly becoming shining stars in the world distilling spirits.

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TEXAS TEXAS

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