Seguin Magazine — October 2019

G u a d a l u p e C o u n t y l i v i n g

October 2019

PUMPKIN SOUP

A fall treat that will satisfy your pumpkin cravings

Homemade & Homegrown

Connie Aguilar shares the story behind her successful treats

Stained Glass Gifts

Brenda Moore creates pieces of art, memories and decor

What’s important to you?

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G u a d a l u p e C o u n t y l i v i n g

Vol. 6, No. 5 Seguin magazine is published twelve times a year by the Seguin Gazette.

PUBLISHER Elizabeth Engelhardt

Tattoos by Jeremiah

EDITOR Hannah Ruiz-Gruver

Award winning artist

Private Studio • Seguin, TX

• Custom Work • Color Art • Black & Grey Art • Cover-Ups

WRITERS Felicia Frazar Valerie Bustamante Dalondo Moultrie Lizz Daniels

ADVERTISING Gay Lynn Olsovsky Laurie Cheatham TO ADVERTISE IN SEGUIN MAGAZINE CALL 830-379-5402

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bethy Male Tera Swango

STORY IDEAS seguinmagazine@seguingazette.com

SEARCH SEGUIN GAZETTE All material herein c. 2019 Southern Newspapers Inc., dba The Seguin Gazette, 1012 Schriewer Road, Seguin, TX, 78155.

All rights reserved

Awards for Best portrait • Most realistic Color Portrait • Lettering

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SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

Pumpkin Soup is one of the best fall soups you’ll ever taste. A creamy base is loaded with roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin, spices, and pureed until smooth. This easy creamy soup is the perfect fall recipe!

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An inside look from our WRITERS...

“The excitement from the students of Suzi Hughson’s School of Dance radiated as they stepped foot on the wooden dance floor. It was even more visible on the school’s owner, Amanda Harrison-Gold, who walked around helping the students stand in the proper position. When Harrison-Gold took over the school in 2005 from Mrs. Suzi Hughson, there were some big shoes she had to fill. While I was at the school taking photographs for my story, I could see how much passion and much more Harrison-Gold has put to keep the doors open at the Seguin staple.”

– Valerie Bustamante “Getting to visit with Brenda Moore was definitely a treat. To hear her story about how she began working on stain glass and what keeps her going is inspiring. She has an incredible talent and creative mind.

Her work is incredible and the treasured memory pieces that she creates will carry on from one generation to the next.”

– Felicia Frazar “So, when learning that I had the assignment of writing about a semi-truck for this month’s Under The Hood, I was not impressed. That was until I saw the trailer Seguin Band Boosters have outfitted for the high school band. The thing is a marvel, which only makes sense because the booster president and the volunteer who drives the truck loaded with instruments were marvelous to work with. We hope you are as impressed with this month’s feature as we were.”

– Dolando Moultrie

8

Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

T

he colors of fall always remind me of warmth When you put together different shades of oranges, browns and yellows something magical seems to happen and people tend to know that pumpkin season is upon us!

In this issue, Tera and I cooked up a warm bowl of pumpkin soup. While I do not care for anything pumpkin spice this recipe was a good one.

This time of the year is also when students start back to extracurricular activities, so as a parting gift Valerie visited with Amanda Harrison-Gold of Suzi Hughson Dance Studio and learned the reasons that Harrison-Gold choose to take the reigns and continue with Mrs. Hughson’s dream.

Elizabeth recounts a trip to the Magnolia Silos in Waco and shares with us all that the “Fixer Upper” stars have built.

Bobbie Maddox shares with us the rich history of the Women’s Federated Club and the clubs that still meet in the building on River Street. Also be sure to check out their biggest fund-raiser of the year, the Riverside cemetery tour.

October also brings with it pecan season and in this area the little brown nut is famous, but if you haven’t tried Grammies pecans it truly is time you did! These homegrown pecans are from one of the Aguilar’s 154 pecan trees that Grammie (Connie Aguilar) then takes into the kitchen and bakes a tasty treat.

We hope that you enjoy the articles in this issue, so turn the page and come on in!

Hannah RuizGruver

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G u a d a l u p e C o u n t y l i v i n g

THE HOTTEST SPOT

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Features

Around Town

In Each Issue

14 Grammies Pecans

30 on the Music

12 Sizzlin’ Five

18 Suzi Hughson School of Dance

34 Under the Hood

40 Faces of Seguin

22 Women’s Federated Clubs

36 Day Trip

42 Favorite Finds

38 Culinary Creations

26 Stained Glass By Brenda Moore

10 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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SIZZLINFIVE Sept. 28th - Oct. 31st

PumPKin PatCh

The First United Methodist Church’s front lawn will turn to a sea of orange, as the fall gourds come in, creating the annual Pumpkin Patch. The month-long event includes photo stations, education stations, story time and, of course, the chance to purchase a pumpkin.

October 10th - 13th

guaDaLuPe COunty Fair

The Guadalupe County Fair is a can’t miss event that starts the first full week of October. From carnival games and rides to livestock shows and rodeos, the event is sure to have something for everybody. Pre-fair events include a barbecue cook off and mutton bustin’. For more information on the fair, visit gcfair.org

October 23rd - 24th

BuCK FeVer

Buck Fever is the county’s very own hunter’s extravaganza set in the Seguin Events Complex. The event includes a horns contest, fishing pond for kids, pellet fun shoot and this year’s program is presented by Happy Tails Entertainment. For more information, check out www.buckfever.org.

October 25th - 27th

PeCan Fest anD heritage Days

Pecan Fest and Heritage Days is a three-day salute to the town’s nutty industry. The celebration will also include honoring the city’s namesake with the Hats Off to Juan Seguin celebration street dance and parade. Events will be spread out through the area to include the Central Park, Big Red Barn, Sebastopol, Pape’s Pecan House Nutcracker Museum, Riverside Cemetery and the Magnolia Hotel. For more information, go to gonutsseguin.com.

October 27th

riVersiDe Cemetery tOur

The Affiliation for the Preservation of the Shakespeare and Federated Club Rooms and the city of Seguin host the Riverside Cemetery Tour. The event features a biographical history of the city’s more prominent residents who are interned in the cemetery.

For more information call 830-305-4379 12 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

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Homegrown & Homemade Connie Aguilar shares the story behind her successful treats.

S

By Lizz Daniels

weet treats, smiling faces and selling out are just a few of Connie Aguilar’s favorite things.

Five years ago, she and her husband started a home-based baking venture called Grammies Pecans and Gifts. Since then they have become a local sensation and their business has taken off.

“I was a stay at home mom for about 37 years,” Aguilar said. “After that I realized I really wanted something to do. So we got into the pecan business because we had a really good harvest.”

Two months after their first harvest, Connie began making mini-loaves of bread for family members who fell in love with her from-scratch recipes. With her loved ones behind her, she began expanding her repertoire by including glazed pecans, pecan brittle and even toffee – though the Texas heat ultimately led her to making the well-known treat without the customary – chocolate. With a collection of goodies ready to go, she headed out to her first market day.

“I started out at the Guadalupe county fair with five items,” she said. “It was awesome, we sold everything out. The second year, we did a few more fairs, and got a lot of people interested. We’ve mainly stuck with selling in Seguin because Seguin has been real good to us.”

Aguilar has kept her business model simple with a focus on people and making connections as part of her model. Grammies does not sell online or in stores. The only way to get a taste of what she has to offer is to find her at a fair.

Though this is not a full-time job Connie – and her husband Ramiro – keep themselves busy tending to their 154, which they harvest by hand.

“At first we had maybe 75 trees, so it wasn’t too bad, especially because many of them were so young,” Connie said. “Now the job is getting to be a little bit bigger. We ended up purchasing a large pecan cracker, which makes things easier, and we are looking into

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 15

getting a machine that will pick them up off the ground for us.”

Meeting Connie in her home kitchen is like getting a warm hug, and it is easy to imagine her and Ramiro sitting together in the living room as they chat and carefully package up soft loaves of orange bread and glazed pecans that crumble when eaten. It is this homegrown attitude that makes them stand out.

As part of their business philosophy, they only use pecans grown in their home orchard, and all their trees are treated naturally for pest control.

“We don’t use any pesticides, and are organic, but are not certified organic because it costs too much money,” she said. “We used natural solutions like wasps to control pests and web worms. Having grandchildren, I didn’t want to use anything with chemicals.”

Grammies has even expanded into offering seasonal items such as pecan pies for fall. She also manages to keep costs affordable for a variety of shoppers and enjoys meeting each and every one of them.

“I love the people that you meet, and talk to,” she said. “Everybody is always very nice, and it’s just interesting to talk to other people. It’s very social. It’s not so much about the money, we just try to earn enough to cover the property tax on our home.”

Each time Connie has to announce that they have sold out, she gets a little closer to her goals.

In the future she hopes to expand her business and has already started down that path by entering a recent contest hosted by HEB. While she did not win, it was a motivational experience that she will reference moving forward.

For now, Connie is preparing for the upcoming Pecan Fest.

16 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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The art of dance

Amanda Harrison-Gold continues on the 40-year dance tradition

By Valerie Bustamante

18 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

T

he chatter of little girls in dance shoes and black dance garb grew louder as they filled the studio over at the Suzi Hughson School of Dance.

The students each took a spot on the wooden dance floor to stretch out before Amanda Harrison-Gold, instructor and owner of the Suzi Hughson School of Dance, appeared from her office and Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” played in the background so class could begin.

Hundreds of students have sautéd and danced en pointe on the same wooden dance floor since 1982 when the Suzi Hughson School of Dance opened its doors at the 515 Kopesel St. location. Although, Hughson originally started the school in 1979 in a downtown Seguin building.

“She had been teaching what we would kind of call circuit teaching.

She would go to different towns and teach there and then they relocated her to Seguin,” Harrison-Gold said.

“Don't close the doors.

I'll keep it going,’” HarrisonGold said.

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 19

Harrison-Gold who has been dancing since she was 3 years old came under Hughson’s direction in 1985 as a student in kindergarten.

When Harrison-Gold graduated in 1998 from Seguin High School she pursued a major in dance from Southwest Texas State University while teaching alongside Hughson at the dance school.

In 2005 when Hughson knew it was time to call it quits it was Harrison-Gold who she knew could carry on the torch at the Suzi Hughson School of Dance.

“She said, 'I think it's time that I hang up my dance shoes. What do you think?' And I said, 'Don't close the doors. I'll keep it going,’” Harrison-Gold said. “It was intimating, exciting. I mean even to this day she's still my mentor and I don't take that responsibility lightly. I need to continue with all the foundations that she laid out for me.”

When a child takes a class with Harrison-Gold, she said it’s as if they’re taking one from Hughson.

“I looked up to her and I still do to this day. She was here twice a week from the moment she stopped teaching and even after she 'retired' she still taught a year after that with me,” Harrison-Gold said.

Today the Suzi Hughson School of Dance offers ballet, modern, Hip-Hop, dance acro, tap, performance and competition dance instruction.

“We start at 18 months old and normally regular classes will stop at 18 years old when they graduate and that's kind of our goal,” Harrison-Gold said.

“We'd like to get them and keep them up through their graduating year when they’re is a senior.”

Children as young as 18 months old to 3 years old can participate in a Tiny Tots class where they learn more 20 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

motor skills for development. This year several adult tap classes were added to the school’s offerings.

“We're hoping to add some more adult classes because a lot of people seem to have an interest when they go through the school,” Harrison-Gold said.

Students who go through the school also have the opportunity to join the competition team.

“The girls and boys — we have had boys in the past — that want to compete have an audition day where they come in and audition for a panel of judges,” Harrison-Gold said. “Upon selection, they will perform together, learn their dances and travel to competitions. We traveled to San Antonio, Austin and San Marcos this year.”

The team competes against other studios in Texas as well as some in Louisiana when they’re participating in the Houston event, she said.

While Harrison-Gold is the main teacher at Suzi Hughson, she does enjoy bringing in outside instructors.

“I bring in at least four or five teachers throughout the year just to spice things up. They can only hear my voice so much before they get tired of it,” she said. “It lets them see different styles and different teaching perspectives. It gives them a chance to learn from different people.”

Harrison-Gold said she’s always looking for new ways to keep things interesting for the students.

Aside from wanting her students to enjoy themselves, Harrison-Gold said she hopes they take away more than just that.

“Dance is an art and it's fun, but it's more of the responsibility of having a commitment and following through and the dedication and the value of the friendships that these girls and employees get when they're in the dance,” she said. “They learn self-confidence. They learn how to work as a team. They learn how to be a contributing member of the society, and to take pride in working hard.”

For Harrison-Gold, being able to help her students achieve so much is a little more personal.

“I'm doing what I love every single day. It's funny to say you get paid to do what you love, and sometimes it's not even about the money. It's about seeing them grow,” she said. “My seniors this year, they started with me when they were three so I've seen them grow for 15 years. I’ve watched them grow through elementary and go through that stressful junior high age. Now they're young ladies and they're going to be adults.”

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Women’s study clubs of Seguin Spotlight knowledge, community history and service

By BOBBie maDDOX

I

those first turn-of-the-century t isn’t exactly your great grandmeetings was clear: construct a mother’s literary society anymore, building for the purpose of mainbut over its 120 year existence, the taining the study clubs and also Women’s Federated Clubs of Seguin provide a resting place for wives has managed with determination and decorum to keep evolving. Through war and children who came to town and peace, depression and prosperity, the with the farmers.

Today, Shakespeare President organization of study groups became an important part of community history while Sue Blumberg realizes there is still an important link to those early charting the way for women as leaders.

The clubs making up the local federachapters.

“We try very hard to maintain tion have individually progressed since their ‘traditions and customs’ of the beginnings in 1900 when Mrs. Joseph B. Dibrell brought together The Seguin Shake- charter members,” she said. “We speare Club, The Village Improvement have a constitution and bylaws, but Society and The United Daughters of the we have a lot of freedom to grow and to change. Our programs have Confederacy. Several clubs have come and gone over the years, including the Confeder- evolved from just the exchange of book reports and literary ideas to ate Daughters, but the original Shakespeare Club has remained a constant. learning about anything and everything that our program committee The agenda set for the federation at 22 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

Left - Outside of building The clubrooms of the Federated Women’s Clubs sits snuggly at 432 N. River St. It was moved in 1984 and three other times besides since it first sat at the intersection of Crockett and Center (now Donegan) Streets, and was built for a cost of $530.21. The charter members raised the money through ice cream suppers, bazaars in Central Park and theater productions among other events.

Below - Mrs. Joe Dibrell Founder of the Women’s Federated Clubs of Seguin, Ella Dancy Dibrell organized the association in 1900. She and other members of existing women’s clubs at the time intended to build clubrooms that would not only house their groups, but also provide a place to rest and visit for the women and children who accompanied farmers into town. She founded the Shakespeare Club in Seguin and Austin. The portrait was made in Paris, France, and her daughter donated it to the clubrooms upon her death in 1920. It watches over meetings of the study clubs even today.

Inside clubrooms Long time Shakespeare and Study Club member Sudy Bruns stands amid the historical clubrooms of the Federated Women's Clubs of Seguin. The house features a large meeting room and a kitchen and "powder room." It is decorated with furniture, portraits and figurines from throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st. Sudy heads the committee to plan the Riverside Cemetery Tour which is the organization's major fund raiser to maintain the 116-year-old building. The clubrooms may now be reserved for small private events.

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 23

finds interesting... We do try to give a little nod to Shakespeare by focusing on his works once a year.”

Long-time member and organizer of the Riverside Cemetery Tour, an event that joins the efforts of all three of today’s clubs to preserve their building, Sudy Bruns said she was first drawn to the Seguin study clubs because of “book reports, friendship and historical significance.” She said the clubs exist to give women the opportunity to meet, further their knowledge and to do good.

“Examples of that include their efforts during the wars to knit blankets, supply socks, send letters, etc. They aided in planting trees and improving the historic Walnut Creek,” Bruns said. “Most notably was that the clubs provided the city with its first public library.”

A member of two of today’s study clubs, Hope Pees has observed that it may appear members are not as involved in community service as in the past, but she notes, “... the members today also serve in other organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, the hospital, Christian Cupboard, Library, Rotary, and others.” Members are kept informed of community needs and opportunities through their study clubs.

In addition to supporting the community and preserving its history, Delphian member Gerry Richardson finds

membership helpful on a personal level.

“Being a part of something is good for a person’s psychological and physical being. It brings self-esteem and pride in one’s worth,” she said.

The building that has housed these women’s groups has changed its location over the years of the federation’s existence. In fact, recognized as the first club house in Texas for the use of women, its location has moved four times since its construction in January, 1903. The cost of the building, first set at the intersection of Crockett and Center (now, Donegan) streets, was $530.21, and the money was raised by the club members through ice cream suppers, bazaars in Central Park, theater productions, donations and an Advertising Board. In 2019, The fundraising continues as the clubs prepare to sponsor the Eighth Annual Riverside Cemetery Tour, Oct. 27.

With each of the four moves of the clubrooms building between 1903 until 1984 came renovations and improvements. “The clubrooms have added some handsome mission chairs and a table,” the minutes of the 1908 Shakespeare meeting records. Other furniture and decorative pieces were added over the years, such as a “handsome marble bust of Shakespeare,” which still adorns the meeting place today. Another cherished centerpiece of the

Riverside Cemetery Tour The Federated Women’s Clubs are fortunate to have local actor and director Pat Hoppe among their numbers. In addition to helping to organize the Riverside Cemetery Tour, she is often called upon to portray one of the ancestors who tell their stories, graveside, to visitors and patrons of the tour. In recent years, she and volunteer Marvel Maddox recalled the lives of Eugene and Claudia (Gallaher) Nolte. This year, the cemetery tour is Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27.

24 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Sojourner Truth Visuals are displayed in the clubrooms for a presentation by Delphian member Jolly Ellis on Sojourner Truth, an African American abolitionist and women’s rights activist who lived from 1797 to 1883. She was born into slavery but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826.

This table is one of the early pieces of furniture acquired for the building before it was moved to its current site in 1984.

Seguin Federated Women’s Clubrooms is a portrait of founder Mrs. Joseph B. Dibrell, taken in Paris, France, and donated to the clubs by Mrs. Dibrell’s daughter, Mrs. Walter Nolte.

“Her portrait hangs on the walls of the clubrooms and it well may watch in silence the proceedings of the Seguin Shakespeare Club,” Willie Mae Weinert wrote in the 1960 pamphlet The Early History of Women’s Clubs in Seguin.

Over the years, a series of club and community organizations, including the Red Cross, a soldiers’ recreation group, the Anti-Vice Association and the Campfire Girls met in these clubrooms. At one time, five study clubs existed.

In 2019 three women’s clubs remain, including The Shakespeare’s, The Delphian Study Club (established in 1924) and the Seguin Study Club (chartered in 1935). They meet monthly or twice a month to hear a variety of speakers present topics from mission work in Africa, to famous authors, to travel abroad. In addition, all three clubs host yearly luncheons, teas and special Christmas programs. The Seguin Study Club makes it a habit each December to decorate the clubrooms, inside and out.

“With lights on the rooftop, wreaths on the windows and doors, there is no doubt about the season,” said Study Club President Carol Coker. “When an individual wants to rent the house for a holiday occasion, all the decorating has been done, including a Christmas tree.”

Today, the little white house, now firmly established at 432 N. River St., may be reserved for small gatherings such as bridal showers, receptions and seasonal gatherings.

People who don’t know its history sometimes think the Seguin Federated Women’s Club is a church, an annex of the Texas Theatre, or another of the historical homes that enhance Seguin.

They might be surprised to know her rich history and the on-going events that happen today behind those hallowed walls.

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Stained Glass Gifts Brenda Moore creates pieces of art, memories and decor

By Felicia Frazar

26 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

I

n a small room in the corner of a large garage, Brenda Moore is fast away at soldering a few pieces of red, white and blue glass together in the shape of Texas.

She has several pieces of stained glass works of art that she recently completed laid out in a line, each slightly cascading off the next.

“I’m finishing an order and getting ready to start another one,” she said.

From palm-sized Texas to a large parrot and everything in between, Moore has a knack for creating stained glass works and has created a small business out of it called Glass Creations.

Her journey into stained glass began several years ago after her husband was diagnosed with muscular sclerosis.

Moore said she needed something to keep her mind occupied while she was home helping him.

At the time Moore lived in Nixon, but being from Seguin, she opted to seek an instructor here.

“I needed something that would take my mind off of it,” she said. “I needed to be there, but I needed something to do. I talked to a guy here, and he said sure, he’ll teach me. I got a group of girls together, and we started coming here.”

The class that takes about six weeks continued for three years, as the group enjoyed their evenings.

However, as her husband’s health deteriorated, Moore put the meetings and her stain glass works of art on hold to take care of him.

A few years ago, Moore began to pick up the hobby again, really diving deep into it, she said.

Some pieces would go to family and friends, but eventually, she began selling her work.

It would take her a while to amass enough products to sell, but she would get there.

“It would take me a whole year to get a large enough inventory for Yule Fest,” she said. “Some people like a big piece, but some people like the smaller pieces like the hummingbirds or something small. At Christmas time they

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 27

really want ornaments.”

While she did that for a couple of years, Moore got to work this past winter and found she had too much stuff.

“This last winter, I really just went crazy and picked it back up,” she said, looking up at the roof of her workshop.

“I had hooks all over the ceiling and things hanging everywhere. These walls were full of stained glass.”

She visited the Funky Monkey/Seguin Market in downtown Seguin, and they agreed to give her some space to sell her work.

However, she’s not in it for the money.

“I do it because it is just so much fun,” Moore said.

“When you get my age, you need something that requires you to think. There are about eight steps to it, and every one requires you to think.”

Moore bounces around from larger, time-consuming pieces to smaller, quick pieces, and then occasionally switching off from creating the glass creations to another project.

“I go back and forth between piddling,” she said. “I piddle an awful lot. I do a little bit of everything, I have done some repairs, but I don’t do lead like churches have.”

Moore enjoys creating something that will have a lasting effect on the person and their family.

28 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

One of those was a crocheted doily a friend inherited from her grandmother.

Not wanting to put it out and risk it getting ruined, Moore offered her a solution.

“It was beautiful, and she didn’t want to put it on the table, so I said, ‘why don’t you let me put it between two pieces of glass,’” she said. “I put colors all around it that brought out the colors of the doily.”

Later Moore helped a cousin create memory angels from a plate for family members to cherish.

“I enjoy doing stuff like that more than anything,” she said. “I’m kind of old school and sentimental.”

Moore said she is always looking for a challenge, something new to create.

“I’m always looking for new things,” she said. “With hunting season starting up, I started looking at the shotgun shells and bullets to see what I do can with them. Can I turn them into flowers? What can I do with them? I also do wind chimes, stuff like that. In my yard, I have several chandeliers with solar lights in them, and then I add these jewels to them to make them sparkle.”

Her pieces of stained glass include everything from animals and birds to angels, crosses, even the front end of a Chevrolet.

“It is just all about finding what you like and doing pieces that you want,” Moore said. “I like doing pieces that are interesting to me and something I’ve never done before. Once I’ve done them, then I want to move onto the next thing and the next. I look for the challenge.”

The time it takes to create a piece depends on the size and details.

“Larger pieces can take about 15 hours,” Moore said. “I usually do a big piece and then for a week or two, I do small pieces, something small to bring myself back, then I’m ready to go again on something big.”

In the shop, Moore has several filing cabinets filled with designs of her own creations and those of others that she found over the years.

“Sometimes I draw my patterns myself, sometimes I use others,” she said. “I have a file cabinet of stuff I have drawn over the years, or I take patterns from someone else, and if I don’t quite like something, I’ll change it up.”

After finding the design she wants to use, Moore selects the glass and begins to cut it carefully. Then she starts to put the pieces together. After she grinds them and smooths out the edges, then puts a layer of foil around those edges and puts the pieces together, using flux. Then the final step is to solder it.

“You get it to where you are happy with the lines,’ she said. “You have to cover all of the edges. After you’ve had all of that fun, you have you clean it and clean, and you clean and you clean. You can dye the solder, and then you clean some more.”

There are days where Moore will spend hours in her shop just working away, sometimes waiting for inspiration to strike.

“This is my little ‘she shed,’” she joked. “I have a lot of good friends that give me stuff and say ‘see what you can do with that.’ You just never know when inspiration is going to strike. Usually, anybody that I do work for becomes my friend.”

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On the Music

Easy Listening

The DeLeons offer different musical styles to Seguin’s music scene

By Felicia Frazar

A

trio of musicians takes center stage in a small coffee shop surrounded by familiar faces each month.

The group, known as The DeLeons, is comprised of Michael DeLeon, Rick DeLeon and Claudia DeLeon-Loera.

“It is myself, my dad Michael, and my Uncle Rick,” Claudia said.

The trio are regulars at Court Street Coffee Shop, meeting there the first Friday of every month, playing mostly jazz tunes and easy listening.

“We love the fact that we are doing something completely out of the norm in terms of the style of music we play,” Michael said. “There was a kind of niche in terms of the type of music we do. We prob-

ably lean a little more toward the jazz type vocals and early ballads. Everybody is always amazed when they hear that Claudia has known a lot of the old songs most of her life, and that is obviously because of her hearing me play.”

Their love of music was instilled in them many years ago by the family’s matriarch, Michael said.

Michael and Rick’s mother began teaching Michael to play the guitar when he was about 9 or 10 years old, his youngest brother Rick started to learn when he was about 12, Michael said.

“Music has been a big part of our lives since day one,” he said. “I always tell everyone the only legitimate guitar teacher I ever had was my mom.”

Michael played in several bands growing up, including

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 31

his own — The Mike DeLeon Band. Rick was a member, helping to keep the beat on the drums.

“My youngest brother Rick, who played in my band way back, we have always had a tight connection musically to the point that we don’t have to rehearse,” Michael said. “I can look at him, and he knows what I wanted to do.”

The Mike DeLeon Band was sought out for various weddings and private parties.

As a child, Claudia would occasionally get to tag along and watch.

While their gigs helped spark Claudia’s passion for performing, Michael said his daughter has always been a natural.

“As my daughter grew up, I guess she grew up hearing all of that and being around it, it influenced her,” he said. “Claudia has been doing musical theatre since the age of 4 or 5. She’s really been comfortable on stage most of her life.”

In 2011, after Claudia moved back to Seguin, she and her father began jam sessions around the house, she said.

That eventually led to them taking their show to the coffee shop.

“We decided to try to get a gig here and there,” Claudia said. “At the time, Mary Jo (Filip) owned the coffee shop, and we got a few gigs there and it just kind of developed 32 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

from there.”

After a while, Rick began driving into Seguin from Round Rock to join his brother and niece.

“It just works,” Claudia said. “We just love it, and it is a ton of fun. It is nice working with family. We are a close family. My dad has five siblings, and all of them have children, and all of us have grown up together. The DeLeons extend so much further beyond our trio, and we’ve always been a close family.”

For some working with family may come with some struggles Michael and Claudia agree that their group works together nicely.

“I tell everybody I am so blessed in so many ways,” Michael said.

The three musicians can read each other like sheet music, Michael said.

“The fact that we have this connection .. I know beforehand what key to put songs in for her,” he said.

“She has a very fine-tuned ear. I tell everybody, Claudia never has to rehearse. We’re the ones who have to rehearse. Once she’s heard the song a few times, it’s done. She has a knack for that.”

Michael and Rick’s decades of practice and play has them playing off each other without many words shared between the two, Michael said.

“Rick is very flexible and very responsive to what we

need,” he said. “He is very in tuned to what we need without having to talk to him. Rick is very perceptive.

That may come with the fact that he is my brother and we’ve played together since he was 12 years old.

We’ve been doing this a good 50 or more years.”

All three sing vocals, while Michael plays guitar and Rick drums.

However, it’s not just the trio who are musically talented, Claudia said.

“My whole family is musically inclined,” she said. “We love listening to music; we love playing music.

It is something we are all super into, and it’s really cool.”

Occasionally, the trio changes things up a bit and brings in special guests.

Recently, some of Michael’s former bandmates joined The DeLeons.

They are currently working with a young musician, getting him prepared to join them on stage occasionally, Michael said.

“We’re just always trying to add new things,” he said. “We bring in guest artists that are friends of mine from the past. It is just something I think musicians respect.”

As the crowd pours into the Court Street Coffee Shop, the band recognizes many faces. And, once they start to play, the audience tunes in, Claudia said.

“We’ve developed an awesome following here,” she said. “The coffee shop consistently has great audiences. It is really cool that we have consistent people who come see us every month.”

Michael agreed.

“I’m very surprised that we have the following that we have at the coffee shop,” he said. “Everybody is commenting about how we’re doing something different, and it is pleasant to hear. The coffee shop really is the perfect venue for us. The minute we start, they get quiet and listen to what we are doing. It’s more like a regular show than a gig.”

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2007

Freightliner

F

By DaLOnDO mOuLtrie

or years, the Seguin High School marching band had no troubles getting their vast array of instruments and equipment from one spot to another for sporting events, contests and performances.

Volunteers would travel over to San Antonio, rent a truck and have it ready for loading in plenty of time to get the student musicians to their destinations. But then things changed, said Larry Jordan, the volunteer who drives the vehicle hauling the band gear.

“When I first started, we could go at lunch on Friday and pick one up without a problem,” he said. “As time went on, we would have to go earlier and earlier. The past two years I would have to get up at 6:30 a.m. to go to San Antonio to see if we might get a truck.”

The grind became too grueling.

So the Seguin High School Band Boosters came up with a different plan, President Bill Wilcox said.

“Our booster organization would end up paying for the rental of that truck for the entire marching season ...,” he

34 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

said. “We were longterm renting those trucks for 10 weeks of marching season. It was hard on us.”

Another better course of action had to be chosen. So instead of renting, Jordan searched and found a vehicle the booster club could purchase, and that’s what the club did.

The Band Boosters bought a 53-foot, 2007 Freightliner semi-truck especially for transporting the equipment. He rides shotgun while Jordan drives, Wilcox said.

Jordan said he has spent 27 years driving trucks — the past eight for the band — so he knows a thing or two about what works. The new rig works for the band boosters and the instrumentalists.

It’s a single-rear axle vehicle, with 190-inch wheel base motored by a 14-liter, 515-horsepower Detroit Diesel engine, Jordan said. The truck is equipped with a 10-speed Fuller transmission.

Per regulations, the semi is electronically governed so as to reach a top speed of 62 mph, no more. The Freightliner has a towing capacity of 80,000 pounds, far more than the

band needs, he said.

The trailer is fitted with a system of cabinets for proper storage of the equipment and LED lighting to help students see where they’re going when the sun isn’t out.

“With all of our equipment in the trailer we weigh just a little less than 50,000 pounds, truck, trailer all the equipment and a driver and a passenger,” Jordan said.

“Those little LED strips light it up. You can sit in there and read.”

He said the band boosters paid about $11,000 for a truck equipped with an optional feature not many people choose for such vehicles.

“It’s fully air ride,” Jordan said. “It’s not really a rare option but not a lot of people get it. It has air ride front suspension and air ride rear suspension and it also has air ride on the cab.”

Air ride provides a set of airbags on the back of the cab that suspend the cab from the frame, he said. Way back in the day, semi’s were built without the airbags.

He can feel the difference in a more cushion-y ride, Jordan said.

“When I started 27 years ago, the cabs were bolted straight to the frame like your pickup is,” he said. “They were spring riding so they rode pretty rough.

“It’s way more comfortable for the drivers these days.”

The comfort is necessary with all of the miles they put on that thing, Jordan said.

The band performs all over the place, he said. They usually make a trip north of Dallas once a year for a percussion contest, he said. They take trips up to Austin which can mean up to 50-plus miles each way, Jordan said. The same goes for numerous trips to places around the San Antonio area.

Many of the trips are even farther away, oftentimes about 100 miles one way, Jordan said.

The truck is a far cry from the day of renting, Wilcox said. After the Federal Emergency Management Agency began taking up all of the rentals following hurricanes and other weather events, the last option was purchasing a vehicle expressly for the band, he said.

The new truck serves its purpose as well as can be imagined.

“Our band is so large that we have to have a 53-foot semi-trailer to take everything that we have,” Wilcox said. “We have a huge front ensemble of over 20 kids.

That front ensemble is all like marimbas and keyboards and all of the auxiliary band equipment. All of that has to go in there, as well as instruments for 200 kids.

“Then all of the stuff that goes along with that. The trailer works best, better than a flatbed trailer or a horse trailer to get our band where it needs to go. It’s the most efficient way to get stuff there and keep it protected.”

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 35

Day trip

A town along the I-35 corridor A mid-point stop in Waco means a trip to the Magnolia silos

By Elizabeth Engelhardt

L

ong before Chip and Joanna Gaines made Waco into the hot tourist attraction it is today, Waco became a center point in between our two families. I grew up in Dallas, where my mother still resides and we settled in Guadalupe County near my in-laws. Over the years when we’ve needed to meet my parents for holidays, kid drop-offs/pick-ups or just a quick lunch visit, 36 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Waco became our meeting place.

This summer when my aunt and cousin came to visit from Virginia, the Magnolia Silos were at the top of their list to visit. So we planned a Thursday afternoon to “meet in the middle” and away we went.

Even for an afternoon in the middle of the week, when it’s not their usual peak tourist time, the silos were bustling and parking lots were full. I had visited

once before, after Thanksgiving, but there were some major improvements made since. If you’re anything like me, you’ve come to know and love the Gaines’ on their beloved “Fixer Upper” show and you’ve fallen in love with their rustic chic approach to decorating.

When you first walk up to the silos, you see a very large green astroturf area right in the middle of the grounds. It is a great example of Chip and Joanna’s love for family, as there are tables and activities spread around for families to enjoy. Our sons loved the soccer balls and had a great time making new friends while playing.

The minute you step foot in their store, you are a little awestruck to see some of their creations in real life. There is so much to see as they had since added on a warehouse that housed even more goodies. From housewares to jewelry to decor to souvenirs, you won’t leave the Magnolia Market disappointed.

After we were done shopping, we headed over to the bakery to get a sweet treat that you could smell from a mile away. I remember the episode vividly when they were opening the bakery and once we got inside, the cupcakes and desserts were even more amazing than they’d looked on TV. They had a menu to choose from the assorted treats and I decided on their signature “ship-lap” cupcake, which was outstanding. We ended up buying a half dozen of the cupcakes in an assort-

ment, as we wanted to try a little of everything. The cupcakes were no small feat, as we shared those for a couple days after. Savoring every bit.

Chip and Joanna had recently announced that they were constructing a coffee shop on the grounds, which I have no doubt will be as decadent as everything else they have established so far.

Nestled along the Brazos River, Waco has always been just another town along I-35 that was known for Baylor University. Now with the help from the Gaines’, Waco has been reborn. But instead of tearing down old buildings and replacing them with modern structures, the Gaines’ have embraced the town’s charm and heritage, while putting their own spin on things, and they have created a world-wide phenomenon and have folks flocking to Waco from all over the world. Another shining example is the recent opening of their restaurant, Magnolia Table. While staying true to their beliefs, they renovated the famous Elite Café that had sadly closed in 2016.

If you haven’t had a chance to hop in the car and take the short drive up I-35 North, I would encourage grabbing some friends and family and enjoying the day.

There is actually a lot more to do in Waco than you think, and it will quickly become one of your favorite new day tripper stops in our great state of Texas.

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 37

Pumpkin Soup T

his is my favorite pumpkin soup recipe. It’s super creamy (thanks mostly to the pumpkin, with a little help from coconut milk or cream) yet healthy, too. It’s gently spiced, but I make sure that the pumpkin flavor shines above the rest. It calls for roasted pumpkin for maximum flavor. This recipe would look lovely on any holiday dinner table, and leftovers would go great with sandwiches or salads the next day. Recipe yields four bowls or six cups of soup.

38 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin 1 large yellow onion, chopped 4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced ½ teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg ½ teaspoon cloves tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice) Freshly ground black pepper 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth ½ cup full fat coconut milk or heavy cream 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) instruCtiOns 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds (you can roast the seeds if you’d like—see note—but you won’t need them for this recipe).

2. slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. set it aside to cool for a few minutes.

3. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. stir to combine. cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. in the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins and discard the skin.

4. add the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. use your stirring spoon

to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the broth. bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.

5. While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. you want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.

6. once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. you can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. i prefer to use my stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!). securely fasten the blender’s lid and use a kitchen towel to protect your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender as you purée the mixture until smooth. transfer the puréed soup to a serving bowl and repeat with the remaining batches.

7. taste and adjust if necessary (i thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it a little sweeter).

8. ladle the soup into individual bowls. sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months. if you Want to use canneD PumPKin: instead of roasting the pumpkin, you can substitute two to three cans of pumpkin purée. Just skip steps 1 and 2, and add two cans of pumpkin purée in step 4. you’ll still want to blend the soup for the best texture; add more pumpkin purée at that point if you’d like thicker soup.

GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING ~ SEGUIN 39

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GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING ~ SEGUIN 41

Favorite Finds

This issue’s Favorite Finds are presented by Lorinda Spaulding, Seguin Gazette inside sales specialist.

The colors on this pouch really bring out the donkey and it is big where enough that I can carry items in it. D&D Outfitters$22.99

This a cute bag for the fall it has lots of cute colors and the print is very pretty. Southern Good $34.99

I love this oil lamp set it has an on and off setting leaves my room smelling great.

Keepers has many different scents available, Maison Berger Paris Oil Lamp Set $40

With the fair and rodeo coming up this nice top is great the event D&D Outfitters $139.99

I love this lotion it always makes my skin fell great and smooth plus I love the scent.

Beekman hand wash and lotion set $35

42 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

These Jamielizabeth earrings are very pretty you can dress them up or down and the shape is gorgeous.

Jamielizabeth $30

22ND ANNuAl 2 0 1 8

MONDAY, OCtOber 21, tueSDAY, OCtOber 22 & WeDNeSDAY, OCtOber 23!

2 0 1 8

2 0 1 8

bring your little goblins (age 10 and under) by the Seguin Gazette office (1012 Schriewer) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21, tuesday Oct. 22 and Wednesday Oct. 23 and we’ll take their photos. You can also email photos of your children in their Halloween costumes to classifieds@seguingazette.com

1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be awarded! $20 entry fee per child includes treats for the kids.

Sunday, Oct. 27, we will run all the Halloween photos in the paper.

Questions? Call 830-379-5402.

Halloween Costume Contest (please print or type) Name of Contestant _________________________________________ Costume ________________________________________Age _______ Your Name _________________________________________________ Daytime Phone # ___________________________________________ Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 43

WORLD-CLASS CARE Close to home.

50+ Years Caring for Our Community Nationally Ranked for Patient Experience 5-Stars in Hip Fracture Treatment 12 Years in a Row Named Top 100 Best Places to Work in the Nation Recognized for Delivery Care 5 Years in a Row Designated as Best Nursing and Rehab Facility Committed to the Highest Quality of Patient Care Award-Winning Safety Grades — and so much more.

1215 E. Court St. Seguin, TX 78155 830.379.2411 grmedcenter.com 1215 E. Court St.

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Seguin, TX 78155

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830.379.2411

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g r m e d c e n t e r. c o m