Seguin Magazine - March 2023

AROUND TOWN

on the cover

Photo by Felicia Frazar Tom and Brianna Teboe

Desiree Gerland

Graphic Designer

Rebecca Harrison

Writers

Rebecca Harrison

Sarah Maskal

Dalondo Moultrie

Bianca Rawlings

Photographers

Felicia Frazar

Victoria Gaytan

ADVERTISING

Megan Granzin

Gay Lynn Olsovsky

Adequate self-care and taking deliberate actions to promote healthy management of stress can be difficult in our day-to-day lives, especially for those with demanding jobs and family lives. Practicing self-care by creating mindful choices in diet, lifestyle and sleep schedule can do a tremendous amount to support proper mental and physical wellbeing.

One yearly ritual gives many of us the chance to hit that sweet pause button: spring break. Unfortunately for most adults with full-time jobs and constant responsibility, it’s not always possible to take all the advantages of a weeklong vacation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find other ways during spring to focus on our overall wellbeing and practice a little self-care.

In this month’s issue, we offer several stories sure to inspire ways to explore opportunities to get involved with the community, connect with friends and family, and get your heart pumping. And remember, you don’t have to plan a trip across the country to enjoy the benefits of a break in routine. You just need to allow yourself the time to enjoy one.

Desiree Gerland Desiree Gerland

Director / Magazine Editor

HORSE Camp

LOCAL CAMP INTRODUCES KIDS TO THE WORLD OF HORSES

Story by Bianca Rawlings

Photos Submitted

by

Victoria Gaytan

Lora Ragland is a lifelong horsewoman.

She shares her love of horses with her family, and now others through various camps at the TateR Ranch in Seguin.

She started her camps as a passion project and has inspired many horse-loving kids over the years. Ragland makes it her mission to match the perfect horse with each camper.

“My motto is: The kids are the future of the horse,” she said. “Camps are based on horse ownership. I wanted to give kids and adults involved with horses that might not ever get the chance to be around horses”

One camper, 6 year-old Rebekah Fox, is especially enthused about getting her own horse and using all the skills she has learned at camp.

“I am very excited to have my own horse one day soon,” she said. “I plan to name her Sapphire.”

Ragland’s camp is about more than riding and petting a horse. It is about learning the great responsibility it takes to take care of such an amazing animal, she said.

Whether a child has never been around horses or has their own horse, they are sure to learn some valuable lessons at TateR Ranch.

“We still have camp even if it rains because there are still chores to be done,” Ragland said. “It’s not only riding but feeding and other duties…pens need to be cleaned, feed buckets washed…the list goes on and on.”

Lainey Varner, 9, brims with excitement about going to camp over spring break. Lainey even has her own horse, Chief, to ride. Varner’s parents bought Chief from Ragland as a gift for her 8th birthday.

“The thing that I like most about horse camp is that the people there are so nice…plus you can ride horses, have fun, and play games,” Lainey said. “At camp, you get to be a helper and have fun.”

Among the lessons are games to keep things fun and interesting.

One of the games they play during snack time includes horse bingo followed by a prize from a horse-themed treasure chest for the winners. The fun break time is well deserved as the kids help out with caring for the horses in many different ways.

“My favorite game that we played at horse camp was horse monopoly,” Rebekah said. “But the best part was when I rode a horse named Freckles and tried new things. I felt brave.”

One 6 year-old camper, Azalea Cook, is an equine enthusiast who dreams of one day having her own horse farm. She is excited to go back to TateR Ranch to get more experience riding and caring for horses while also making some friends who love horses as much as she does.

“The best part of horse camp was making new friends,” she said. “I can’t wait to go back to see the horses and my friends. I am excited to make new friends, too.”

It is easy to see the impact of the connection campers make at camp. It’s not just about horsing around. Campers connect with each other, the owner, and, most importantly, the horses.

F I R S T Strokes

Community art shows do more than boost confidence

Story by Rebecca Harrison

Creatives and creative endeavors are integral to our everyday lives. Ordinary items that we may take for granted like furniture or the music we hear on the radio only exist because human hands and minds rise to the task of conceptualizing and creating them. From architecture to advertising, engineering to fashion design, creative hobbyists and professionals alike perpetuate the world we live in with vibrant and inspired ideas. All these people have one thing in common: they all started out as kids.

A good question might be, “how does a child become a future Gerhard Richter?” The answer to this is the same that we might say of anything. They are taught to believe they can.

Photos contributed by the Seguin Art League

For the last 15 years the Seguin Art League has choreographed and encouraged the young people of its community to participate in the annual Elementary and Middle School Art Show with the hopes to expose children to the world of gallery art. Spearheading the event is Art League board member Roger Betscher, a former art educator who spent 22 years cultivating the creative minds of young artists at A.J. Briesemeister Middle School.

“I became an educator to teach something I loved. To inspire them.” Betscheler said. “Kids make the best artists, they’re just so excited.”

Children are the reason the Art League wanted to put on the show. Like first brush strokes on a canvas this is the best way to start kids in gallery arts.

“And not just for the public school!” Betschler said, “The show is open to private, public, homeschoolers, you name it. We never know exactly what we’re going to get, but it’s always fun.”

But it’s obvious, that for 15 strong years, the passion for the arts hasn’t dwindled.

“We even had a show in 2020. It was virtual, but we made sure it happened.” Betschler said.

The Elementary and Middle school art show is one of the most attended and involved shows the league sees each year. More than one hundred students participated last year, and they’re hoping for more in the 2023 show.

“Shows like these are really important for kids.” Betschler said, “It gives them exposure to the art world that’s not just a classroom. It inspires them. If nothing else, hanging their work in a gallery and experiencing the effort that goes into making the art gives them an appreciation for art in the future.”

But it’s more than just a gallery experience or an appreciation for art that Betschler wants for the children. The dedicated art community in Seguin sees the skills that the art-making process brings as vital.

“This isn’t just about the show.” Betschler said, “Sure, the kids are just the most excited to haul their parents in to show them what they’ve done, but, while I taught these kids, I got to know them in ways most never could. I watched them follow assignments, get into their own space, and suddenly start reflecting on themselves. They’d start examining how they felt, and what they were doing with fresh eyes. That’s an important life long skill whether they go into the arts or not.”

Beyond all that, children who are validated in their interests and desires often grow up to lead healthier and happier lives as adults.

Betschler spoke highly of Seguin and it’s surrounding neighbors.

“The community really shows it’s love to the kids.” He said, “We couldn’t do it without everyone. We especially couldn’t do it without Al Burns.”

Burns, a local children’s dentist has sponsored the show for the last 10 years without fail. “It’s folks like him that really make this happen and we’re so thankful.”

Each spring the show is hosted by local establishments granting the public access to the reception and a chance to meet the artists. The winners work will also be displayed for the first two weeks of March in the Seguin Art League’s Henry Moore Gallery.

Exposing kids to the arts and allowing them the freedom to share their expressions with the public is paramount to helping them develop as people.

It encourages them to blossom as creative minds, artistic or not, and gives them a chance to trust their own ideas and passions. After all, it will be the future of Guadalupe county they shape with what they learn, and their ideas will help determine what comes next for our fair Seguin and its surrounding sisters. Let’s provide them plenty of paint, paper, pencils, and glitter- We want the future to be bright!

Farm Family gives baby Goat a second chance at life

Story by Sarah Maskal

Photos Submitted by Wendy weber

Life on a farm can present many challenges. For Wendy Weber, there is one challenge in particular that has required a large amount of her time and attention recently.

On the evening of Jan. 8, one of Weber’s goats, a beautiful gray doe named Olivia, gave birth. The first baby to come out was breech and already dead, and when she noticed the second one was coming out breech as well, Weber called her daughter for help. Luckily, the second baby came out fine. They got it cleaned up and called it a night.

A couple of days later, when Weber got home from work, she decided to check on the animals and found Olivia had given birth to another baby. This one was still in the amniotic sac and about a third the size of her sister.

Weber quickly cleaned up the goat and tried to get the mother to feed her, but the mother would have nothing to do with her.

“She just basically would run her over,” Weber said. So the Guadalupe County woman consulted her friends.

“They are real goat people, we’re more cow people,” she said. “They came late at night and we tried to move them all into a stall together and they said, ‘If you don’t take her, she’ll be dead. She’ll be dead in the morning.’”

So the Webers brought the baby goat, aptly named Cloud for her soft fluffy white fur, inside.

Weber placed the tiny kid in a plastic bin in the laundry room on some puppy pads. Their large dog sat at the laundry room door protectively guarding the tiny newborn from their smaller, curious dog.

In the beginning, Cloud was so small they were worried she might not survive.

“She didn’t really have a tail, her legs were all weird, she couldn’t really walk,” Weber’s daughter, Alexandra, said.

The family had to go slow with feeding the newborn, Wendy said.

“She started out where I had to feed her with an eyedropper. She was waking up every two hours and I was feeding her like a thimble full,” she said. “It took

about four days, only, for her to go to a regular little kid nipple, which was amazing, cause she was so little. So, she had the suckling reflex, thankfully.”

Cloud eventually started to eat more and grow bigger.

Now, at almost three months, Cloud follows Wendy around anywhere she goes and currently spends most of her time in the house or in the yard.

The young doe does not want to be left in the pen with the other goats. For now, that works out since Wendy is still feeding her, but the goal is to get Cloud acclimated to living outdoors as a regular goat again.

In the meantime, Wendy takes Cloud with her everywhere.

“A lot of people, they’ve never seen one, they’ve never touched one, they’ve never held a baby,” Wendy said. “That’s, for me, what having this here is all about.”

Wendy loves bringing the joy of small-town farm life to people who have never experienced life outside of the city. She enjoys it so much, that she has considered starting up a small day camp to allow children to come out and experience it all.

Her small 5 acre farm is the perfect rural setting for a hands-on teaching opportunity.

Wendy posts all about her farm adventures at BigTreeLittleFarm on Instagram. Whatever the future holds for Cloud and Wendy, you can bet there will be some fun photos of the entire journey.

Let ’ s play

new court sport craze gets a fresh review

Story by Dalondo Moultrie

Photos by Felicia Frazar

I

Things changed as I aged and then changed a bit in the other direction when my son, now 10 years old, was born. Then COVID happened and I basically ceased all activity.

was once a fairly active individual.Don’t get me wrong. I have never fancied myself an athlete or to be in any semblance of great shape, but I had been known to move around and increase my heart rate from time to time.So, when the powers that be at Seguin Magazine suggested I write a first-hand account of my attempts at learning my way around a pickleball court, I was skeptical to say the least.

However, I decided to give it the old college try and must say, I didn’t hate it. More importantly, I didn’t hurt myself in my crash course into the sport provided by avid pickleballers Brianna and Tom Teboe of Seguin. They assured me I could handle the sport and took it easy on me in their demonstrations.

“There’s kids that play all the way up to 90-year-olds,” Brianna said, assuaging my hesitation to take a crack at it. “Then there are people from all athletic abilities.”

Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net. Players use paddles and plastic balls with holes in them and compete in singles or doubles matches.

The game has been around since 1965, when a pair of men in Washington State made it up to give the bored, teenage son of one of the game’s creators something to do on a lazy summer day, according to USA Pickleball, the national governing body for the sport in this country.

Though it’s been around longer than half a century, pickleball has begun to pick up steam in recent years. It has become increasingly popular, the USA Pickleball website read.

“Pickleball has evolved from original handmade equipment and simple rules into a popular sport throughout the U.S. and Canada,” the site reads. “The game is growing internationally as well, with many European and Asian countries adding courts.”

The game’s expansion even led city leaders in Seguin to construct a complex dedicated to pickleball. Unveiled late last year, the Seguin-Saegert Pickleball Complex at 418 W. Mountain St. provides hours upon

hours of entertainment for locals and visitors to Seguin, said Eddy Wilson, a Seguinite who’s played pickleball about three years and helped convince city leaders to build the new courts.

“We have people come from San Antonio, we have people come from New Braunfels, San Marcos,” he said. “I played with some people from Ohio. They were just in the area. It’s a great draw the city has been able to produce and build. It’s a great facility, one of the nicest in the area.”

The courts open at 8 a.m. and have lighting to allow play until 10 p.m. There are wind guards and plans for restrooms, a pavilion and more at the courts.

It all comes together to provide what seems to be a very enjoyable experience. As for my attempts at learning the game, they were, shall we say, uneventful. Practicing some volleys and ground strokes with Tom, I never quite identified the perfect amount of force or top spin needed to successfully return the ball.

He very kindly reassured me that I was doing fine, but I know better.

The impromptu and brief pickleball lesson the Teboes provided me was fun enough and I see where one could derive some excitement for the game, but it just didn’t seem like the sport for me, though they assured me I am wrong.

“Once you get started, you’re hooked,” Tom asserted.

Maybe I didn’t actually start and can’t form a proper opinion. But until, and if, I ever start in earnest and get hooked, I think I’ll stick to my COVID-learned ways of sitting on the sofa staring at a TV screen, sometimes with my son playing his video games.

That is, unless the lad decides pickleball is for him and then it will be for me, as well. Maybe then I’ll be hooked.

Choose local and independent for all your shopping needs! Thank you for continuing to support our community.

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Needle Felting Set

You’re so Crafty - $26.99

Felted animals sewing kit with seven projects and easy-to-follow instructions.

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Custom 4 Wick Candles

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Infertility

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EVENT CALENDAR

-March-

Seguin Gun Show: Eleventh & twelfth – 9 - 5 PM

The Seguin Gun Show will be held next on March 11-12 in Seguin. The Seguin gun show is held at Seguin Coliseum and hosted by Big Tex Gun Show Productions. All federal and local firearm laws and ordinances must be obeyed. Tickets $10.

Location: Seguin Events Complex, 950 S. Austin St.

Third Thursday: Sixteenth – 4 - 8 PM

Come out to see what Downtown Seguin has to offer! Late-night shopping, food trucks and live music. Location: Central Park, 201 S. Austin St.

Goat Cuddles and Wine: Eighteenth – 2 - 3:30 PM

Come cuddle some baby goats and enjoy wine and mead at Blue Lotus winery.

Location: Blue Lotus Winery, 5151 FM 20

2023 NAVARRO ATHLETIC BOOSTER CASINO NIGHT: Twenty-fifth – 5:30 PM

Navarro Athletic Booster Club’s 2023 Casino Night Event raises money for the Navarro High School athletic program for scholarships for graduating athletes.

Location: The Big Red Barn, 390 Cordova Rd.

Yellow Rose Artisan Market: Twenty-Fifth – 9 AM - 4 PM

Yellow Rose Artisan Market is a market day for artisans, artists, and makers from all over South Texas.

LOCATION: Central Park, 201 S. Austin St.

SEGUIN TEXAS MONSTER TRUCK WARS: Twenty-Fifth – 11 AM - 9 PM

“THE MONSTERS ARE COMING” America’s wildest monster truck show is coming to Seguin! Affordable, family-fun event has low advance ticket prices! Pricing available at monstertrucks.fun.

LOCATION: Seguin Events Complex, 950 S. Austin St.

Pre-show meet & greet pit party: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Matinee: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Pre-show meet & greet pit party: 5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | Evening: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.