Seguin Magazine - December 2019

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

December 2019

Organic Garden

Couple farms hydroponic vegetables

Metal Menagerie Gabe Garcia creates creatures from unwanted parts

GINGERBREAD BARN

The craft of creating an edible barn

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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. 7 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 Joe Martin

ADVERTISING Gay Lynn Olsovsky Laurie Cheatham TO ADVERTISE IN SEGUIN MAGAZINE CALL 830-379-5402 STORY IDEAS seguinmagazine@seguingazette.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Bethy Male

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

Being able to decorate an edible creation was a fun task, from concept to creation, I really did enjoy it.

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“Gabriel Garcia has an incredibly imaginative mind and a talent for bringing his ideas to life. His workshop is filled with his creations, he calls his zoo. It was fun getting to sit and talk with him, see what he sees and how he crafts his creatures. No two are the same and each one has its own personal story, and a name.”

– Felicia Frazar “Electric vehicles appear to be the wave of the future, and GVEC appears to be catching that wave. Learning about and writing about the agency’s EV was insightful. Hopefully the article opens some eyes and gets car buyers too take a few extra looks at EVs in the future.”

– Dolando Moultrie “For decades, the Veterans of Foreign Wars have served as a place for former servicemen and women to come and visit with comrades. The Geronimo VFW is still that place, plus so much more. In an effort to continue serving their veterans, the Auxiliary opens the hall’s doors to all, and puts on country music shows and dances. Lea Phelps, who serves as the Auxiliary president, said their goal is to make sure everyone feels like family, and they accomplish just that.”

– Felicia Frazar

8

Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

I

love Christmastime, the lights on houses and trees, the hustle and bustle of shopping and being able to choose the right gift for every person on my list and of course kids unwrapping presents on Christmas morning!

This issue I got to step out of my comfort zone and create a gingerbread barn, which was a fun experience. Joe and I also went out Trinity Ranch and met the Stanleys a couple who grows hydroponic vegetables.

Felicia met with Gabe Garcia and got to see his zoo of metal animals, he creates them out of what others would consider junk. This story truly embodies the phrase “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”

I hope that you enjoy this issue. So turn the page and come on in!

Hannah Ruiz-Gruver

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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 Organic Garden

30 on the Music

12 Sizzlin’ Five

18 A Lighted Path

34 Culinary Creations

40 Faces of Seguin

22 Metal Menagerie

36 Day Trip

43 Favorite Finds

26 Relax, Relate, Release

38 Under the Hood

10 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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SIZZLINFIVE December 5th - 7th

HoLiDay stroLL

The Christmas spirit officially rolls into town with the Holiday Stroll Parade on Dec. 5. This event gets the community out to welcome the Christmas spirit with a parade and festivities that include the lighting up Central Park. The celebration continues the next night with the annual Holiday Sip-n-Stroll, which pits area business against each other in a friendly war of “who has the best hot cocoa.” Then on Saturday afternoon is the North Pole Stroll which offers a variety of arts and crafts booths, activities for children and more.

December 13th

GeroniMo siP ’n stroLL

Get a look at the downtown shops in Geronimo during the fourth annual Sip ‘n Stroll from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 13. The Village of Geronimo Merchants will open up their shops and offer up a tasty beverage to their guests. Santa will be on hand at the Geronimo VFW for photo opportunities.

December 13th -14th country cHristMas

The Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center embraces the Christmas Spirit at the Big Red Barn with decorations, carolers, hot wassail, roasted marshmallows, a live Nativity, Santa Claus and more with Country Christmas. This year’s event will also include a 5K Country Christmas Dash. The event is Dec. 13 and Dec. 14 at the Big Red Barn, 390 Cordova Rd. For more information, visit www.texagedu.org or call 830-379-0933.

December 14th

JuKeBoX rocKs

Sting Ray Anthony with special guest Shake, Rattle and Roll, an all-female group, will take over the Palace Theatre for a onenight event. The show will pay tribute to the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s. for more information or reservations, call 832-312-0074 or email stevemdxelvis@gmail.com

December 15th

HoLiDay FaVorites

The Mid-Texas Symphony is bringing Holiday Favorites to the Jackson Auditorium Stage during its annual Christmas Concert from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 15. Celebrate the season with selections from the “Nutcracker,” some of the classic Christmas songs.

The show will also feature the Children’s Chorus. For more information or tickets, visit http://www.mtsymphony.org/ 12 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

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Organic Garden

Couple farms hydroponic vegetables

By Joe Martin

14 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

A

husband and wife duo work tirelessly to bring a taste of the good life to children’s plates through a unique method of farming.

Local farmers Brady Stanley and Dawn Stanley dropped everything they knew a year ago to launch their dream of owning and operating a hydroponic farm.

In pursuit of their dream, the duo transformed their home and land into a haven of clean vegetables and healthy animals that roam the property, which the Stanley’s have dubbed as Trinity Ranch.

“I grew up in Pennsylvania, and my husband was actually born in Alberta, Canada,” Dawn said. “I never thought that I’d be growing things to make a living because I would kill all my houseplants, but I enjoy this because it’s very specified and focused, and there’s so much to learn. It’s a challenge, and there’s always something to do, so it’s a lot of fun. Brady has always wanted to do the hydroponic. He was a master diesel mechanic by trade for years, and he can do anything he puts his mind to.”

Before their move to Seguin, the Stanley’s lived in Virginia, where they spent many years garnering their taste for the farmer’s life on a Tyson chicken farm.

“We picked up well over 30,000 eggs a day while we were

there,” Dawn said. “We actually supplied broiler farms with chicks. After he did that, Brady worked as a mechanic on another farm by the shore, but I was getting really sick from mold poisoning from our home at the time, and so I got really interested in nutrition while we were there. We knew that we needed a change. It just so happened that Brady has a brother that lives near here, and he was like, ‘Come on out here,’ and so here we are.”

The farm consists of two greenhouses, a pigpen, a housing area for chickens, ducks and goats, and a wide gated open range where bulls, cows, and sheep freely roam.

The greenhouses, which were assembled entirely by Brady, host various vegetables ranging from cucumbers to green beans. However, the largest greenhouse of the two is where the real heart of the operation lies – the hydroponically grown vegetables and herbs. The conservatory is riddled with a system of modified PVC pipes that are suspended on wooden planks. Within these pipes are hundreds of plants that are fed nutrient-rich water through small tubes that run throughout the pipes, dispersing the enriched water to hungry plants, all within a temperature-controlled environment and completely devoid of soil.

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 15

“We’ve only been doing this for a year, and we’ve progressed and expanded, so it’s a learning process,” Brady said. “We have a hundred-gallon tank that feeds the plants, and the whole house uses about 50 gallons a day. We use a nutrient film technique, and it’s a thin film that’s touching the base of every one of these plants, keeping them moist. The nutrients in the water slide past the plants, and they pick up everything they need. All the elements are mixed into the water. In soil, you’ve got all your PH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium – well all that is premixed right to specification and into the water.”

By growing their produce in this way the Stanley’s are able to produce a non-genetically modified organism, flavorful, clean-tasting product that is 100% organic, Brady said, Although the hydroponic greenhouse hosts a wide variety of goods ranging from peppers to kale, the main focus of the duos efforts is their hydroponically grown lettuce, which they distribute to schools throughout the area.

“Right now, we do three campuses in Seguin, and we do four campuses in Navarro,” Brady said. “We deliver mostly lettuce, and we do it once a week.”

Lettuce wasn’t always the name of the game for the Stanley’s, but as the demand for their product rose, so did their need to produce it.

“Originally, we had some cucumbers and tomatoes and stuff like that in here, but as the lettuce business grew, we needed to expand that in here,” Dawn said. “We usually produce about 800 to 900 heads of lettuce a week. We really like working with the schools because it’s good for the kids because they’re getting a healthier product. We have a beautiful product, it’s healthy, and it’s not limited by the season so much, and sometimes we get to go and set up in the schools and show the kids 16 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

what we do so it can be a lot of fun.”

In addition to their produce, Dawn and Brady also cultivate from the animals that are peppered throughout their farm.

“At one point, we had up to 1,500 chickens, but we’ve sold most of them off because we’re getting out of that aspect of the chicken business,” Brady said. “Now, we’re just collecting duck eggs and chicken eggs to sell.

The ducks and sheep can produce a tremendous amount of meat, but right now, it’s mostly used for our consumption or for friends.”

When the Stanleys aren’t at their farm or delivering to schools, they are Layaway & either out selling their goods at farmFinancing ers markets or making deliveries to customers’ doorsteps.

Available* “We’ve been working very hard to find our market,” Dawn said. “We (830) 372-1944 • 1024 E Court St do farmers markets, but they are Seguin, Texas really difficult nowadays for farmers. They tend to wear us out, and you *W.A.C don’t really make money in a farmers market; in fact, sometimes you lose money. But we do local deliveries, and 280 S. King St. Seguin, TX musculos High quality care for • • • we are trying to get more. I send a text disorders injuries.

Walnut Springs Familyand Health list out on Fridays or Saturdays and •Sports injuries •Trauma 309 Silverado St. LaVernia, TX •Fractures deliver on Mondays to people that LaVernia Patients Seen Every Thursday Morning •Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot P have contacted us, and people just let Walnut Springs Family Health us know what they want, and if they G. care Steven MD trent J. twit 309 Silverado St., LaHigh Vernia quality forWhite, musculoskeletal High quality care for musculoskeletal aren’t home we ask them to leave a disorders and injuries. disorders and injuries. cooler on their porch, and we just drop Call for aninjuries appt.

830-379-9492 •Sports •Trauma •Fractures •Sports injuries •Trauma •Fractures our products in the cooler.”

•Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot Problems •Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot Problems The horizon for Trinity Ranch Walnut Springs Family Health Walnut Springs Family Health Promp MD G. Steven trent MD J. Atwitero, s G. St., Vernia t anceLa Steven White, MD White, trent MD J. twitero, is bright with plans in the to 309 309midst Silverado St.,Silverado La Vernia Most insur ppoint ments accepted, A luding v inc ailable expand the company’s reach. mp !

Worker’s Co Call for830-379-9492 an appt. 830-379-9492 dicaidan Call for appt. & Me “We’re talking to the hospital currently and seeing if we can get in with them,” Dawn said. “So we’re working to see if that will work out.

We are also talking to a couple of restaurants. We can’t charge prices like the big suppliers out in California, we have to charge a little bit more, so we need a restaurant that wants a little bit fancier of a lettuce. We still do wholesale prices for them so that they do make it affordable, but it’s been really CALL FOR AN APPT. 830-379-9492 fun to figure it all out.”

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Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 17

A lighted path Country Christmas Ranch opens just in time for Christmas

By Lizz Daniels

T

ucked away in a quiet corner of La Vernia lies the brand new Country Christmas Ranch. Pulling up on opening night, the sounds of children playing, drift across a wide field of brightly colored lights as cars cruise down a dirt road toward a beautifully lit bridge to Santa’s Barn. Inside, Christmas music plays and families laugh as they enjoy the cozy atmosphere put together by Justin West and his family.

The Country Christmas Ranch is a mile long drive through light show, open seven nights a week with a $19 entry fee, and is unlike others in the area. Rather than focusing on showy light displays and theatrics, West wanted to make something that embodied his family’s Texan values and personality.

The grand opening took place November 9, with the prepara-

18 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

tion keeping Justin busy from sun up until after dark for months.

“We knew we wanted this to be different than others around,” West said. “This is less commercialized, you’re actually coming out to somebody’s farm. We are focused on the natural country life with almost no traditional displays. Trees are wrapped, tractors, and of course, the bridge.

We are decorating for the rural, simply life and providing good, clean family fun.”

The entire project came about when Justin decided to purchase, and move, a hundred year old pony bridge two years ago. As a child he used to ride the school bus across it every day, and before that, his grandfather even crossed it in a mule-drawn wagon. When the bridge was closed, he contacted the county, purchased it, and after a lot of planning, moved it to his land

where it became the ranch’s centerpiece.

The refurbished bridge stretches across a quiet stock tank that reflects twinkling lights on its calm surface, creating a holiday vision that is peaceful, with an unmistakable down-home charm. The bridge began as a way to tie the past and present for Justin, but became much more as the idea for the holiday destination grew.

“Along the way, we started thinking it would be neat to have lights on the bridge for when people come to the house,” he said. “It spiraled out of control from there. We want it to be a good time for everybody.”

Once visitors cross the bridge, the atmosphere immediately changes as the sounds of laughter grow louder and the smell of Barbecue fills the air. Santa’s Barn stands in the dark, a sparkling beacon for visitors, inviting them to come inside and check out the fun on Saturday and Sunday nights.

“In the barn is going to be Rabel’s Roadhouse BarBQue,” West said.

“Kids will be able to sit and talk to Santa, there’s a Christmas tree, and a couple of ladies will be here with a company called Baker’s Bears. There will also be plenty of treats to get some sugar in the kids, so they can enjoy the play areas.”

In today’s busy world, work, and life, often keep families from spending as much time together as they might like. That is why Justin has kept his focus on providing an opportunity for families to get out of the house and spend quality time together.

“The perfect evening for me is the family comes out, they drive through, come to the barn and get something to eat,” Justin said. “The kids talk to Santa and run, play and have a great time. At the end of the night, they get back in the car to see more lights on the way out and fall asleep when they cross the cattle guard to go home.”

20 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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Metal Menagerie

Gabe Garcia creates creatures from unwanted parts

By Felicia Frazar

G

abriel Garcia sits in his large workshop surrounded by a metal menagerie.

“I call it my zoo,” he said, referring to the rustic, metal critters he created.

From birds to grasshoppers, tables and fishing cowboys, Garcia has made it all using old worn-out tools, metal parts and junked scrap.

For the past 30 years, Garcia has dabbled in welding, making it a hobby. About 20 years ago, he started crafting the critters, Garcia said.

“I used to make stuff for our patio,” he said. “I would never paint them, and I would just make rustic birds and whatnot. One day, I had one, and I decided to paint it. It made a whole lot of difference.

Now I make them, and I paint them, and people like them like that.”

One of his favorite pieces includes an eagle perched on top of an old windmill adorned with an American flag. That one was scooped up by a friend of his, who is a veteran.

His wife’s favorite is “New Orleans,” the Mardi Gras bird. The colorful bird is made out of an old pickaxe and shovel with metal-made flip flops, decorated with Mardi Gras beads and sunglasses.

“I usually put names on them and give them stories,” he said. “I have my Madonna bird that I made from an old bicycle seat. When my friend brought it to me, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.”

When painting the metal artwork, Garcia opts for spray paint. On a turtle he built, Garcia used a lace table cloth to create the designs on its shell.

“I painted it green and then painted the orange and black with the table cloth,” he said. “I sometimes run out of different colors to use.”

People often ask him where his ideas come from, Garcia said.

“I don’t know, I just see it and know exactly what it is going to be already,” he said. “Sometimes, I have an idea; sometimes, I just start working with a shovel for the body and go from there.”

In his shop, Garcia has tubs of supplies. He uses a little bit of everything he finds from tools to shovels, old plow blades, chisels, bicycle parts, a lamp, even a piece of mesquite If it’s metal, he can find some way to use it in his creations.

“I’ve got tubs of ‘junk,’ well that’s what other people say,” he said.

“I start digging through it and see that it will be a good head or a good body.”

When searching for supplies, Garcia scours garage sales. Some times, his friends will bring him some of their finds they think he can use.

His zoo began to expand after he retired from AT&T in 2006 after more than 30 years.

“It was AT&T when I started in ’74. In ’82, it changed to Southwestern Bell, but then when I retired in 2006, it had gone back to AT&T,” he said.

Under encouragement from family and friends, Garcia started sharing pictures of his zoo on Facebook, along with their backstories.

“I’m proud of them. I like to show them off,” he said. “I just started putting them on Facebook about a year or two ago.”

It wasn’t until recently that he started to sell some of them.

“I sell them, give them to friends,” he said. “I’ve only done two shows — Heritage days and one in Schertz.

People like them. I sold a few.”

But with a cash-only option, Garcia said he wasn’t able to sell much, but he’s looking to expand it in the future.

It usually takes Garcia about a day to craft a piece, and another to paint it. For the retired man, time isn’t an issue, he said.

Garcia has his shop set up so he can work in assembly style to help save him from having to stand for hours on end.

“I’ve got bad knees, so I’ve got my stool right there, and I’ve got my welder, my cutter, my grinder all lined up, so really, I just move on down the line,” he said.

The shop has almost everything Garica needs to work and to entertain friends and family.

“The only reason I have a TV out here is my son and his friends like to come out and watch games,” he said. “I like being out here.”

24 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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Relax, Relate, Release Equine masseuse rubs away the pain

By Lizz Daniels

T

here was a sharp bite to the air as Robin Bisha uses her education to help clients live the best life possible, stepped into a stall at Osborne Stables Equine whether they are working or retired to pasture life, Bisha Rescue on a breezy fall afternoon. Inside the says the best way to achieve results is to work in conjunction with a veterinarian. pen a mud-speckled gelding, named Traveler, “The type [of therapy] I do is designed to enhance overall stood patiently waiting for her to begin his massage. In health and support regaining health by encouraging blood under a minute she found a tender spot near his shoulder, and lymph circulation to all the muscle groups,” she said. which she carefully worked to manipulate away the pain.

“If they have something they need to heal, it helps promote As she did, the horse relaxed. His eyes drifted closed, his head drooped and moments later, he licked calmly signaling their ability to heal themselves. I’m not doing any specific interventions, it is for whole body health.” his relaxation.

Bisha personally learned these lessons by working with Scientific studies have shown that massage is beneficial not only to humans, but to their animal companions. It can her trio of donkeys, specifically her first rescue, Sasha. He arrived with behavioral problems, but using the minimally help heal injuries, reduce stress and improve overall health invasive techniques she now employees on others, Bisha and quality of life. Bisha earned her first certification from helped Sasha heal by teaching him to relax, which also The Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and improved his manners.

Massage, and plans to pursue two additional courses. She

26 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Silver-haired with a soothing presence, Bisha works with a tenderness that appears akin to Swedish massage. She finds a gentle touch and working at liberty (without halter or lead), helps break the ice with her four-legged clients.

“I need to get them to trust me to touch them, sometimes in places that may be uncomfortable,” she said. “It’s mostly quite light and I have found that if I press hard when they’re really tense, it hurts.”

Causing discomfort is never the objective, rather, Bisha’s purpose is to alleviate pain and decrease stress. Many factors cause the physical issues horses deal with such as injury or abuse. More easily overlooked is an all too common problem improperly fitted tack.

“Traveler’s saddle, at some point, didn’t fit him right, so he has some muscular issues in his shoulders,” Bisha said. “Working on that softly helps him not only heal, but to trust that when people touch him they’re not trying to hurt him.”

It typically takes more than one session for animals to over28 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

come this aversion. That is why many equine professionals prefer to work with clients over a period of multiple appointments. Building a relationship is crucial to establishing understanding with the horse and improves care over time. Traveler is a perfect example. Whereas once he may have chosen to move away from the irritation, he now understands it will help him feel better.

Bisha’s work is currently done out of the goodness of her heart with help from those who donate to her Patreon: Cheshire’s Legacy Sanctuary. She does this because she believes in the mission.

“My purpose is to help bring harmony with nature, humans, the land and animals,” she said. “The massage therapy is part of that initiative to bring unity and give back to animals.”

With her drove of donkeys at home, Bisha stays motivated to learn and improve so she may not only help horses like Traveler, but so she can keep her own herd healthy to live long, happy lives.

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 29

A place to gather

Geronimo VFW offers weekly dances

F

By Felicia Frazar

or decades, the Veterans dance halls, Phelps said of Foreign Wars organizaBut that didn’t stop the Auxiliary tion has strived to give its from keeping the party going, she said. members a place to meet “It got to be a little much for the and converse with other service older people because they were going members. to the Silver Center on Friday night, In Geronimo, the VFW Post #8456 and it was difficult for them to come met in a small building in the center dance two nights in a row,” Phelps of town. said. “So she changed them to Sunday Eventually, it made the move to a afternoon. That was probably 10 larger facility, just across State Highyears ago. Now we have our dances way 123 North. every Sunday afternoon.”

“The building that we’re in now was The hall hosts bands and musicians a grocery store, a post office and they from all across Central Texas, some even sold coffins,” Lea Phelps, VFW even from as far away as Houston, all Auxiliary president, said. “The buildof which play classic country music. ing has been there for years. At one On top of the weekly Sunday time, it was another dance hall.” dances, the hall plays host to a onceThe building, located at 6808 State a-month Saturday fundraiser and Highway 123 N., evolved from a a show they call “The Gathering,” meeting place to a dance hall to help which brings together several musithe post raise money to support its cians and the house band on a Tuesveterans, Phelps said. day evening each month.

In the beginning, the dances were “We have people like Tony Booth, held once a month on a Saturday Dallas Wayne and Dottsy. We have night. Eventually, it grew to a weekly lots of good music,” Phelps said. affair, an idea that was brought to the “We have so many talented men and members by former Auxiliary presiwomen in our community, and they dent, Barbara Owen. are amazing. I can’t say enough about “Barbara Owen was the lady that got the talent we have in this area.” all of this started,” Phelps said. “She Those who visit the hall are treated decided to have a dance every Saturlike family, not guests, Phelps said. day night. That was very successful.”

“We’re a family,” she said. “We try to However, the crowds dwindled over treat everyone that comes through the time, as the regulars hit up other area door like they are a member of the 30 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

family. The part that I love the most is watching the people come through the door and greeting them. I love watching them have fun.”

Like most establishments, the Geronimo VFW has its regular customers. Some of them are only seasonal, but they keep returning year after year, Phelps said.

“We have Canadians that come down during the winter months, and their kids and grandkids come down from Canada on their Spring Break to come dance at the VFW,” she said. “They love it that much. We have people from San Antonio, Lockhart, Brazoria, Corpus Christi.”

The dances are not limited to only members of the VFW. Anyone can come out and two-step in the smokefree, family-friendly hall. They’re only asked to donate the cost of admission.

On top of the weekly dances, the Auxiliary prepares sandwiches and sausage wraps to sell during the show.

Once a month, they offer a cook’s choice meal for anyone to purchase.

On special occasions, the hall offers up a festive meal, like a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing and all of the fixings, Phelps said.

“We always have a big News Years Eve Dance where we serve black-eyed peas and cornbread and champagne,” she said.

The Auxiliary sponsors all of the 32 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

dances with the funds benefiting the post, Phelps said.

“Our dances on Sunday afternoon help raise money to benefit veterans who are in need, to promote the building, maintain the building and to do whatever is necessary to ensure that our veterans are taken care of and have a place to go,” she said.

None of it would be possible without their volunteers, Phelps said.

“We have a lot of members who put a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears and love into that hall,” she said. “We have a lot of veterans who have put a lot of time and love into that hall.”

As the generations change, and tastes in music do too, Phleps worries that classic country music will fade away.

“We’re afraid that when our generation … is gone, country dancing as we know it is gone,” she said. “All we play out here is original country music, not today’s country music, where people do the two-step and waltzes, polkas; we have a line dance. They do a stroll where the men line up on one side, and the women line up on the other side, and they change partners through the dance.”

The Geronimo VFW Hall is more than a dance hall. It is a place where families have gathered in celebration and mourning, to remember the POW/MIAs and to celebrate the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines, Phelps said.

“I’ve seen a marriage proposal here.

That was really really sweet,” she said.

The hall also is a place where people can meet other people who like to dance and a stop for Santa during the Village of Geronimo Sip ’N Stroll.

And it is a place where veterans from all times of service are honored.

“We always honor and recognize our veterans at the dances,” Phelps said.

“We have some band that will play the national anthem. We recognize birthdays and anniversaries and special occasions.”

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Gingerbread Barn The craft of creating an edible barn

By HannaH ruiz-GruVer

C

reating this gingerbread barn was fun.

It was extremely interesting to see all the parts come together. Upon opening the box of the kit we ordered it was really great to see that the barn itself was already constructed and we really just had to decorate it, so I set to work. I started with the red roof, spreading the royal icing and placing the fondant as it dried I decided that adding texture to the roof would be a great addition, plus it helped later when I was adding the string lights.

The next step was the windows, stripes and sliding doors. I went to the store and purchased red fondant for the more solid red parts, rolled it out and adhered the fondant with a little dab of royal

icing. Then I had pipped the red stripes on the barn using the guidelines baked into the gingerbread.

Up next, I rolled out black fondant and added that to the doorways, and then framed everything with white royal icing.

I finished out the barn by adding white royal icing to the edges of the roof and sides of the house to look like snow and added the string lights using light shaped sprinkles that came with the kit. While at the store I purchased holly shaped sprinkles and added those to decorate the house. I also bought Lifesaver gummies to add as the wreath.

I really enjoyed putting together this Gingerbread barn. It really was an experience!

Day trip

City of Lights A Christmas tour in downtown San Antonio

By Valerie Bustamante

G

rowing up in San Antonio my family looked forward to the weekend after Thanksgiving every year. It wasn’t for the Black Friday or Cyber Monday sales, but it was because it meant we could drive downtown to see the Christmas lights on display.

My parents, brother and I would find a parking spot at one of the downtown parking garages before making our way to Alamo Plaza, where the iconic 50 foot Christmas tree, which has been donated by H-E-B for more than 30 years now, stood. I remember always feeling so tiny next to the gigantic evergreen decked out in Texas-themed ornaments.

Like ours, other families would stand in front of the tree for an annual photo.

Around the Christmas tree, which sat in front of the Alamo, were other regular trees decorated in strings of lights — creating a Winter Wonderland setting.

While the classic H-E-B Christmas tree no longer sits in Alamo Plaza today — since being moved to the center of Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St., in 2017 — downtown San Antonio is still a place many natives and tourists visit for the Christmas season.

Every year more than 100,000 lights — 2,250 strings of bulbs — are draped over the bald cypress trees along the River Walk. It makes for the perfect photo opportunity to those walking along the river as well as for those riding in the riverboats or eating at one of the restaurants.

36 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

The lights are usually turned on at the end of November through Three Kings Day on Jan. 6.

Those who don’t wish to walk to Travis Park to see the classic H-E-B tree can still visit Alamo Plaza where last year the local grocery company placed a 20-foot tree.

The company donated a second tree for the plaza after a group of residents mobilized to set up several miniature trees where the 50-foot tree once stood.

After looking at the lights along the River Walk and the Christmas tree, I recommend driving down Commerce Street or Houston Street to the Historic Market Square and picking up a marranito, concha or maybe both and cafecito from Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia.

When we were kids before we would make our way to see the lights, my family would stop by Market Square for a bite to eat at La Margarita Mexican Restaurant — one of the many restaurants owned by the Mi Terra Cafe’s founders, the Cortez family.

Those cheese enchiladas really hit the spot.

At Christmas time, the Market Square itself is decked out in multi-colored Christmas lights and in Mi Tierra, there is a tree decorated in Fiesta-themed decorations.

Light the Way Another opportunity for Christmas lights sits viewing north of downtown at the University of the Incarnate Word.

For more than 30 years, UIW has kicked off the holiday season with it’s annual Light the Way event and illumi-

nated almost every single tree on campus with lights. The annual event, which former UIW President Dr. Louis Agnese started in 1985, attracts more than 9,000 guests each year during the weekend before Thanksgiving.

When I was in elementary my parents would drive us through the campus slowly just so we could see the trees from our seats.

I always thought it was the most beautiful sight. I never thought when I became an adult that I would get to see the lights every Christmas season for four years as a college student.

When I attended UIW before graduating in 2017, Light the Way used to be held on the campus football field, where attendees would pack the stands to the top. On the field, there would be performances by local choirs, San Antonio native Patsy Torres, the UIW Pom Squad and a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

There then would be a countdown by Agnese to flip the switch for the lights as a fireworks display went off in the background.

The event is now held in a more festival atmosphere on campus with a food truck yard, a Holiday Shoppe with more than 30 vendors and a Kid’s Corner.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is the flip of the switch by the UIW president, a position now held by Dr. Thomas M. Evans.

To get to UIW from Alamo Plaza, drivers can take North Alamo Street to Broadway Street, which runs under Interstate 35 and U.S. 281, and continue straight to Alamo Heights where UIW is located at 4301 Broadway St. Other holiday festivities in San Antonio include Sea World’s Christmas Celebration, San Antonio Zoo’s Zoo Lights, Six Flags Fiesta Texas’ Holiday in the Park and the Ford Holiday River Parade.

Meet Sparky

C

By DaLonDo MouLtrie

hances are if you’ve attended community events and spent time outside in Seguin, Guadalupe County and the surrounding area, you’ve likely spotted the Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative’s electric vehicle buzzing around the area.

And that’s partially by design, one representative of the co-op said.

“We purchased it about six months ago. At first we had it available for commuting only and then we decided to take it out to the public,” Tammy Thompson, GVEC senior executive manager of business and brand development, said about the vehicle. “We take it to events like the Come and Take It Festival in Gonzales and the Skylight Balloon Festival in Schertz, large community events where there’s going to be a large crowd so folks can take a look at it, ask us what it’s all about and that kind of thing.”

The “it” to which Thompson referred is Sparky, the only electric vehicle in the co-op’s fleet of about 200 vehicles.

Sparky is a 2019 Chevy Bolt EV. The five-passenger, five-door, front-wheel-drive car sits on a General Motors BEV2 platform and is made of steel and aluminum. It runs on a rechargeable energy storage system and is completely electric — no gas-powered combustion engine in sight.

Sparky isn’t built for racing, but powers from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of about 93 mph, Thompson said.

38 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

The lithium ion battery takes a charge of up to 60 kwh, which lasts about 220 miles depending on speed, Thompson said.

“If you drive at 55 mph, it’ll last you about that and if you drive faster than that it will drain the battery so it will last you about 160 miles” at top speeds, she said.

Sparky’s body weighs about 815 pounds. The battery logs in at about 945 pounds on its own, Thompson said.

Purchasing the electric vehicle for the fleet was a step for the electric co-op to investigate the advantages non-traditional modes of transportation, she said.

“We knew that electric vehicles were part of the future.

They’re growing more and more popular with each passing year,” Thompson said. “Folks want to be green, they want to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible. We wanted to support that and we wanted to learn about the technology first hand.”

The company and its representatives are studying the impacts electric vehicles can have for the co-op.

They’re looking at benefits. One of which, Thompson said, is fuel costs.

Comparing the cost to gas up the tank of a traditional vehicle at, say, about $2.50 per gallon, the Bolt EV is a tremendous deal, she said.

At that rate, $25 would get you 10 gallons of gas, which would take you about 400 miles in a traditional, fuel-efficient, internal combustion engine vehicle, Thomp-

son said. At about 9 cents per kwh, a full charge of Sparky would cost about $9.39, which also would take a driver about 400 miles, she said.

Various employees in the company are helping study Sparky’s efficiency, Thompson said.

“Today we use it for just commuting between our offices for employees. We also use it for community work we do and parades and things of that nature to raise awareness for electric vehicles and show our support for that,” she said. “We want to raise awareness about electric vehicles and the good they can do for your pocketbook as well as the environment. We use it to advertise our website where we have information about EV vehicles on there.“ GVEC is in the energy business. So offering electric vehicle drivers ways of filling up makes good business sense.

In that vain, the company is expanding its offerings, Thompson said.

The company has what it calls “level one” chargers that employees use internally to energize Sparky, she said.

Those take about eight hours to get to a full charge from completely drained.

But GVEC is beginning to role out more powerful offerings for the community, Thompson said.

“We just installed two fast chargers, which we call level two fast chargers.

Those are open to the public,” she said.

“That’s something exciting we have available to the public.”

Also coming soon will be GVEC’s offering of Tesla home chargers for EVs, she said. Those should be available some time next year.

As the technology continues to evolve, EVs continue to look more attractive. GVEC could look to add more of the vehicles to its fleet in the future, Thompson said.

“If we see the technology takes off and there’s a need for it, we definitely will explore that possibility,” she said. “Right now, we’re using it to explore and understand the technology.”

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 39

Faces & Places

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Favorite Finds

This issue’s Favorite Finds are presented by Brenda Mrazek, Seguin Gazette Circulation Manager.

These solar wind chimes come in different shapes, I like the flying pigs ($20.99), but Green Gate also carries cactus’s and hummingbirds.

Quick meals are my favorite and this caramel butter pecan shake ($7) from Creative Nutrition is delicious.

Pape’s Pecan house is one of Seguin’s best kept secrets, they carry so many great treats, my choices are Texas wild dewberry jam ($5.95), pecan oil ($10.95 for 8.45oz) which burns much cleaner than regular oil, a bag of Cajun crunchy mix ($6.50) and of course a bag of shelled pecans ($13.50).

Green Gate has many gift options to choose from, a few of my favorites are the ornamental pepper hanging basket ($5.99), Christmas cactus’s ($5.99 - $24.99) and the lavender ($17.99) shaped like a tree.

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