Tex Appeal July 2016

Life and Style in Central Texas

July 2016

STAYING YOUNG AS A

Golden Ager

Cooling off at Hancock Springs Pool Bell County 4-H offers life lessons for youths Delayed summer: Local lakes cleaning up The joy of reading: Literacy Council teaches ESL and reading skills Area summer happenings Sun protection for your skin: Choosing the right sunscreen 1

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Features

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More than livestock 4-H teaches variety of skills

When some people think about 4-H, the first thing they think of is livestock.

If you live in Texas, chances are you’ve been to a livestock show, often held before and during a major or small-town rodeo event. Children show off the cattle, sheep, pigs, cows, rabbits, and chickens they’ve raised to judges who will name a blue-ribbon winner in all categories.

What people may not realize is that kids aren’t just learning about raising livestock for harvest, an important discipline for generational ranchers and farmers, they also learn about leadership skills, Texas government, healthy lifestyle choices and so much more.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

42

SUMMER FUN FOR ALL

Local communities offer lots of activities for families to enjoy July is Parks and Recreation Month in Central Texas, and area parks and recreation have a wide selection of activities that are family friendly.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN and DANIELLE EVERETT

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

36

TEXAS-SIZE SAVINGS

Slow summer start Flooding impacts recreation at Bell County’s lakes

The skies have cleared to azure, and once again the sun reflects off the waters of Central Texas lakes. But that doesn’t mean the work to clean up the damage incurred by this spring’s rains is over.

Despite the slow start to summertime fun in the sun at local parks and beaches, there is still much work to do to keep outdoor activities safe.

“We still have damage from things we couldn’t fix this year from the flooding that happened last year,” said Brad Ellis, lead ranger for the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parks and Recreation.

Central Texas offers an abundance of outdoor recreation that draws visitors from all over the state. But many of the parks at Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes are closed for cleanup and repairs.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

Temple Office

54

learning to read

Volunteers turn page on illiteracy When I met Don Stiles, director of the Temple Literacy Council, I was immediately taken by his friendliness. When he spoke, he smiled, and he never stopped. Right off I knew I was in the presence of a man who never met a stranger.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

Don Murphy

Gary Schmiedekamp

Jessie George

Davis Ford

LUTCF Agency Manager

LUTCF Agent

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Coverage and discounts are subject to qualifications and policy terms, and may vary by situation. © 2016 TexasFarm Bureau Insurance Companies. BEL0616

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Departments

12

TexTalk Neighbors The Putnams run the Golden Age Club

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TexTalk FLAVOURS Opa’s Schnitzel Hut

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TexTalk BEAUTY Sheryl Raley opens her bag

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TexTalk SCENE Live music at Johnny’s Outback in Salado

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TexTalk CALENDAR Upcoming events in July

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58

TexTalk WELL-FED HEAD The importance of reading

Life & Style in Central Texas

July 2016

Life and Style in Central Texas

STAYING YOUNG AS A

Golden Ager

50

9

Sunscreen protects your skin

EDITOR’S LETTER

Tex Appeal Magazine

WELL-CONNECTED Cooling off at Hancock Springs Pool Bell County 4-H offers life lessons for youths Delayed summer: Local lakes cleaning up The joy of reading: Literacy Council teaches ESL and reading skills Area summer happenings

July 2016

Sun protection for your skin: Choosing the right sunscreen 1

OctOber 2013 tex AppeAl

ON the COVER Velma and Larry Putnam. 12 Photograph by MITCHEL BARRETT

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JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

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Contributors

41

PROFILES

64 ADVERTISER’S INDEX

TexHEALTH

54

TexVOLUNTEERS Temple Literacy Council

58

TexADVENTURES Cool off at Hancock Springs

66

TexTHERAPY TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

From the Editor

Tex Appeal

Dear Readers,

Life & Style in Central Texas

Editor CATHERINE HOSMAN Editorial Director ROSE FITZPATRICK Editorial Assistant DANIELLE EVERETT Photographers/Graphic Designers

M. CLARE HAEFNER JULIE NABOURS ERIC J. SHELTON Contributors FRED AFFLERBACH MITCHEL BARRETT MIKE BARTOSZEK GABE WOLF

Tex Appeal goes international

Dear Catherine, I took a copy of the Tex Appeal Magazine with the Neema House story to show our nannies in Tanzania, East Africa. I wanted you to see them looking at it. They loved it, too. Thank you again for doing the story on the babies at Neema House Arusha.

Dorris Fortson

Well-Connected

Life & in Cen tral Tex as

June 2016

Life and Style in Central Texas

May 2016

Tex Ap pea

Tex Appeal Magazine is published monthly by Frank Mayborn Enterprises, Inc. 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501. The cover and content of Tex Appeal Magazine is fully protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.

Style

Advertising 254-778-4444 254-501-7500

Dorris Fortson shares the May issue of Tex Appeal with the nannies at Neema House in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa.

THE

Women OF Special Edition

Subscriptions: For the United States, $24 per year, 12 issues.

M A R C H 2 0

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OctOber 2013 tex AppeAl

Mail check to P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

Questions about subscriptions, call 254-778-4444.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Tex Appeal Magazine, P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

How to contact us: Advertising: Call 254-778-4444 or 254-501-7500.

Editorial: Contact Catherine Hosman at 254-501-7511 or email edittexappealmagazine@ gmail.com.

1 1 in line.

It's a family affair for three local businesses, and the ladies are keeping everything 6

1

also in this issue:

OctOber 2013 tex AppeAl

Texas a&M University

CenTral Texas

May 2016

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

Publisher SUE MAYBORN

l Magaz ine

TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501

June 2016

Tex Appeal Editor edittexappealmagazine@gmail.com 254-501-7511

KILLEEN DAILY HERALD 1809 Florence Rd., Killeen, TX 76540

Tex Appeal Magazine

Catherine Hosman

Published by FRANK MAYBORN ENTERPRISES, INC.

Life & Style in Central Texas

It’s hard to believe we are in the seventh month of the year, July. The rains have stopped and the sun is shining, but the threat of rain is still up in the clouds, and we need to remain cautious. With July and the beginning of summer, a lot of local and out-of-town visitors will be heading toward our lakes, campgrounds and parks.

Unfortunately, because of the severe spring rains, much of our recreational area is still under water and closed. This year’s lakes and parks story on page 36, reflects the current condition of the recreational areas and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reminds us to call ahead for park and boat ramp openings and to be extra careful when visiting one of the lakes or open parks.

If you are missing the opportunity to swim and play in the sun, check out Fred Afflerbach’s day trip story about Hancock Springs in Lampasas.

It’s a short ride away and offers a family-friendly environment for swimming, Page 58.

While you are out at the parks or on the water, remember to take care of your skin. Dr. Katherine Fiala, director for the department of dermatology for Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in Temple, tells us what to look for when purchasing sunscreen.

The Texas sun is not to be taken lightly as it has a higher UV Index than some other areas in the country, Page 50.

Being in the outdoors comes natural for Sheryl Raley, Bell County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development. Although her focus is primarily in the animal science division of 4-H, she explains the numerous opportunities available for children through 4-H, Page 30.

For more outdoors entertainment, check out the Area Summer Happenings that includes a rundown of the Belton Fourth of July festivities, Page 42.

Activities don’t always have to be outdoors. For seniors 55 and older, the Golden Age Club at First Baptist Church in Belton offers activities and trips.

Founded by Larry and Velma Putnam 45 years ago, the club’s membership grew from 25 members to 596 registered members. Nearly half attend the monthly meetings, Page 12.

Wherever you might be in your busy day, take a break and pour yourself a glass of your favorite iced beverage and celebrate summer with this issue of Tex Appeal Magazine.

Letter to the Editor

Rugby 1

OctOb

er 2013

tex App

eAl

A tough sport for theWarriors

OctOber 2013 tex AppeAl

Thirst Quencher » Farm to Table » Que for Kids

DID YOU KNOW?

You can read back issues of Tex Appeal Magazine at texappealmag.com. Log on today to find the current issue and older editions of Tex Appeal.

You can also connect with us on Facebook.

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Contributors FRED AFFLERBACH is an award-winning writer and novelist, college graduate at age 50, and former long-haul trucker. His stories and columns have been published in daily newspapers across Texas. His novel, “Roll On,” debuted in 2012, and is an interstate odyssey about a man afflicted with an incurable wanderlust despite pressure from family and friends to settle down. Fred lives in Cedar Park with his wife, Diane, and enjoys perusing Central Texas backroads with a keen eye out for roadrunners, old trucks and lipstick sunsets.

neighbors 12

flavours 16

beauty 18

scene 20

TexTalk

calendar 24

well-fed head 28

Enjoying their golden age

MITCHEL BARRETT is an award-winning photographer and owner of Mitchel Barrett Photography. Although originally from the British Virgin Islands, for the past 12 years he has come to call the city of Killeen his home. He developed his love of photography while attending high school and the KISD Career Center, and has enjoyed life behind the lens ever since. When not busy taking photos, you can probably find him at the movies with friends or at home with his family and two dogs.

MIKe BARTOSZEK was born in Las Vegas, Nev., and traveled to various Army installations, including tours in Germany; his family finally settled in Killeen. Growing up, Mike had a passion for concert production working on such shows as ZZ Top, Korn and Ted Nugent. He pursues a career in video production and photography and has since worked for various entertainment companies such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and KNCT. He enjoys a life of travel, adventure and outdoor photography.

DANIELLE EVERETT is a military spouse and award-winning journalist. Before coming to Tex Appeal, she was a reporter and fill-in anchor at KWQC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Davenport, Iowa. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s in radio and television journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism. While attending school she also reported, anchored and produced shows for the NBC affiliate in Columbia, Mo., KOMU-TV. Danielle is from the Chicago suburbs. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Texas with her husband and spending time with friends and family.

GABE Wolf is an award-winning photojournalist, with the most recent being the 2015 Barbara Jordan Media Award. He lives in Kempner with wife Stephenie, two dogs, Benny and Joon, three cats, Mouse, Veruca and Augustus, and two horses, Trouble and China.

He’s been a professional photographer for the past 15 years, documenting the Western Lifestyle with his wife and business partner, Stephenie.

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Velma and Larry Putnam founded the Golden Age Club 45 years ago at the First Baptist Church of Belton.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexTalk neighbors

The Putnams lead club members in fellowship, fun

Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by ERIC J. SHELTON, MITCHEL BARRETT and contributed by THE PUTNAMS

L

arry and Velma Putnam take turns at the podium in front of a crowd of about 200 people at the First Baptist Church in Belton. As co-founders and facilitators of the Golden Age Club for 45 years, they are updating members on upcoming activities and trips.

Ironically, the club was started in 1971 when the Putnams were barely in their 30s, at the FBC where Larry was the music minister.

Both Larry and Velma saw that there were limited activities for seniors, at the time. So they gathered together 11 peers for a brainstorming session and came up with a plan to offer luncheon to senior adults, providing camaraderie and fellowship. Twenty-five people came to the first meeting in September 1971, and Larry Putnam said “it’s been growing ever since.”

“Larry was close to his grandparents and always loved older people,” Velma said, when he got the idea of the Golden Age Club.

“I met with Dr. Leroy Kemp, who was senior pastor before Brother Andy,” Larry Putnam said. “I told him about the Golden Age Club and he got excited and said, ‘Go for it.’”

Velma Putnam speaks during the Golden Age Club meeting at First Baptist Church of Belton on June 7.

The membership has grown from that first meeting to 596 enrolled members.

Nearly half of that come to the monthly meetings where the group shares a potluck luncheon, is entertained by a local speaker and talks about their upcoming trips. For example, at the July 5 meeting, former

Joyce McKinney, center, shares a laugh with other Golden Age Club members.

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JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

Vietnam POW Jerry Curtis will address the crowd.

In addition, the club helps support Piedras Negras, a children’s home it adopted 40 years ago, and Citizens for Soldiers, whose members write encouraging notes to deployed soldiers.

Club members enjoy quarterly day trips around the state and once a year they embark on an out-of-state trip, sometimes an out-of-the-country trip. This fall they are visiting New York, Niagara Falls and Washington, D.C. In the past, they’ve visited the Northwest Coast (Washington, Oregon and Victoria, B.C.), Michigan, Colorado, New Mexico, the East Coast (Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire), and have been on numerous cruises.

“So many people who never had the opportunity to see places, now get to see places they would have never seen, places they would never go. We’ve taken the club to all 50 states,” said Larry.

“When we first started, people had never been out of Bell County,” Velma

ABOVE: Golden Age Club members share fellowship during their meeting at First Baptist Church of Belton. Members also participate in games, and discuss upcoming events and trips. The non-denominational group welcomes all people over the age of 55. BELOW: Larry Putnam addresses those assembled.

added. “And that was exciting. Forty-five years ago people didn’t get around like they do today.”

“I’ve enjoyed every one (of the trips),” said Larry.

“We just love to see the country, and they enjoy it,” added Velma.

Jeri and Oscar Hauser, co-directors of the Golden Age Club, have been active members for 20 years.

“We do anything they want us to do,” Jeri Hauser said, about helping out the Putnams.

One of Jeri’s duties is to coordinate the workers for the potluck lunch that feeds sometimes more than 200 people at the monthly meetings.

“The church provides some of the chicken (for the meal), and people bring the rest. The church provides us with a space to meet and has a Golden Age Fund which supplies the paper goods for the lunch.”

Up until about four or five years ago, Jeri said the Putnams organized all of the out-of-town vacations themselves, scouting out locations and hotels where they knew the group would enjoy. Now they use a travel agent to work out the details.

“The Putnams are super people,” Jeri said. “Larry has done it all, but Velma is always right by his side.”

Jeri and her husband, Oscar, have been on every out-of-state trip in the last 20 years except two: Panama and Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

13

California. And they rarely miss a Texas bus trip.

“My husband loves the bus trips,” she said. “He’d stay on the trips if he could.”

On the bus trips, to alleviate any confusion when getting off the bus, a hankie is passed from side to side at different stops. Whichever side has the hankie disembarks first. With a smile in her voice, she said on the bus trips Oscar is in charge of the hankie.

“You have to have a tough skin on these trips,” Jeri said, smiling. “There is a lot of (fun) teasing going on.”

For God and Country The Golden Age club isn’t the only activity founded by the Putnams. In 1971, the Putnams were watching the annual Fourth of July Parade down Main Street in Belton. As they watched the parade, Larry said he felt like something was missing.

“There should be a concert honoring God and Country,” he said.

As the music minister, his idea was to get a band and involve the entire county.

When he shared the idea with the church pastor, Larry said he received a very loud and resounding YES, GO FOR IT. The first concert in 1972 took place inside the church with the Belton High School Band that helped out for several years. As the years passed, the concert attendance grew and the concert was moved from the church to Belton High School to the BHS football stadium.

After a few more years it grew again to 4,500 attendees and was moved to the Bell County Expo Center, then to the Mary Hardin-Baylor Basketball Arena and this year, it is back at First Baptist Church.

“It’s come back to where it all started,” Larry said.

As music minister, Larry conducted the concert for 30 years. After he retired, he still makes sure he and Velma are front and center for the annual musical event.

“I’ve never missed one,” he said. “We founded it and I directed it for 30 years.

As God gives me breath, I won’t miss any.”

It started in Aransas Pass Fifty-five years ago, when Larry Putnam was a young music minister at the First Baptist Church in Aransas Pass, he was approached by the church secretary about a girl she was sure he needed to 14

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

Golden Age members line up at the potluck buffet during their meeting at the First Baptist Church of Belton.

Larry and Velma Putnam have conducted Golden Age trips for 45 years. Here they are seen visiting Holland, Mich., about 30 years ago.

meet. But Larry Putnam told the secretary that he wasn’t dating. She kept urging him to meet this young lady whose name is Velma. He thought that if he just called Velma up and asked her out for a soda, then maybe the secretary, Wilma, would let it rest.

But it didn’t work out that way.

Velma was teaching school at the time, across the Aransas Pass Bay in Portland, Texas. One weekend she came home to Corpus Christi to visit her parents when Larry called her and asked her out for a soda. She agreed and the moment the two 20-somethings set eyes on each other, it was love at first sight.

After the date he took her back to

her parents’ home. He thought she was a lot of fun. He told Wilma, the church secretary, that “she was OK.” “And I asked her out again,” Larry said, from the patio that overlooks a beautifully landscaped yard at the home they’ve shared for 45 years. “We’ve been dating ever since.”

Six months after they met they married.

“That first soda led to marriage,” said Larry, smiling as he turned toward Velma.

“It only took him six months to propose,” Velma said. “It was love at first sight.”

Both were very involved with their church, where Larry was a music minister.

They kept their weekends for fun and their courtship included going to the beach where they would just sit and talk to each other.

“Just getting out a bit,” Larry said.

“We didn’t think much of what we were going to do. We just wanted to be together.”

“We enjoyed one another. We had fun together,” Velma said, lowering her voice just a bit, “and he was good looking.”

Her parents agreed with the courtship and when the couple decided to marry six months after they met, they received her parents’ blessing.

Married for 54 years, Larry and Velma have three children — two sons, one daughter and four grandchildren.

When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage Velma said, “We respect one another. If we are seen alone, we are asked where our better half is. We were very involved with the church all these years, the Golden Age Club, God, Country and all of it.”

Joann Digby, left, and Dwayne Digby take a look at the agenda for the Golden Age Club meeting.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexTalk flavours

Warm welcome, hearty food at Opa’s Schnitzel Hut

Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by ERIC J. SHELTON

W

alk through the door of Opa’s Schnitzel Hut in Harker Heights, a bright yellow building that looks more like a bungalow than a restaurant, and the aroma of freshly cooked German food embraces your culinary senses. The décor is cottage chic and inviting. The owner, Wally Red Elk, greets her guests at the door with a big smile and a warm welcome with just a hint of her German accent.

Back in the kitchen, cooks are busy tenderizing boneless pork chops to ¼-inch in preparation for any one of Red Elk’s schnitzel plates. The thump, thump, thump of the mallet is continuous as guests order their favorite schnitzel: Weiner, Jaeger or Zigeuner.

Schnitzel isn’t the only thing on the menu, however. There is pork cordon bleu; goulash “suppe”; bratwurst and an assortment of fresh sides. Beverages include Red Elk’s special drink, Spezi, sodas, iced tea, German iced coffee, tea and coffee.

A trio of women sits at a corner table, waiting for lunch to be served.

After a short wait, out walks one of the restaurant’s cook/servers who cheerfully delivers the selected menu items to the women. She chats with them a bit because after all, they are guests at Opa’s. (Because

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JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

the food is cooked to order, bring your patience with you during the busy weekend hours.)

Red Elk is chief cook and bottle washer. Her cheerful personality and positive outlook on life is contagious. She never stops smiling while talking to her guests and is always ready to share her story.

“It’s always been my dream to open a restaurant. I always like to cook, it’s always been my hobby,” said Red Elk, whose husband is retired from the Army. “We have a big family, my husband’s family is here, and my brother-in-law encouraged me to open a restaurant.”

Red Elk met her husband when he was a young soldier stationed in her hometown, Wertheim, Germany. They moved to Texas in 1995, and she said she always shared her father’s “passion for cooking and baking.”

With a degree in retail merchandising and a past career in the retail industry, she reached out and started learning about restaurant ownership at a family-owned chicken restaurant where she worked for eight-and-a-half years. When she decided it was time to open her own place, she said it was a start-stop process “before the restaurant came to me.”

Her husband encouraged her to try it for a year. On June 11, she celebrated her second anniversary.

The restaurant seats 20 patrons

IF YOU GO Location: 1608 East Farm-to-Market 2410, Harker Heights (across from the Community Park) Phone: 254-432-2657 Hours of operation: Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch 4 to 8 p.m., dinner Eat in or take out. inside, 12 on the porch and 20 in her “biergarten.”

Everything is made fresh daily, and guest turnover is constant. Homemade desserts include German cheesecake and Mandarin crème torte cake. Order it by the slice or whole for a special event.

Alcohol is not served at Opa’s, but patrons are welcome to bring in their own bottle at no charge. Watch for her Octoberfest this fall.

Wally Red Elk shared her recipes for wiener schnitzel, spatzle and cucumber salad with Tex Appeal.

Scnhitzel Wiener Style Traditionally this recipe calls for veal, however pork is used as a substitute.

4 boneless pork loin chops 2 eggs 1 cup flour 2 cups bread crumbs 1 lemon Salt, pepper and paprika to taste Oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan about ¼ inch 1. Tenderize the meat with a mallet on both sides.

2. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.

3. Beat eggs with ½ cup of water.

In separate platters or bowls: 1. Place flour on large plate.

2. Pour egg mixture into a shallow bowl.

3. Place bread crumbs on large plate.

While oil is heating, prepare the tenderized chops.

One piece at a time: 1. Dip meat in flour, coating both sides.

2. Dip flour-coated meat into egg mixture, both sides.

3. Dip coated meat into bread crumbs and cover both sides.

4. Pan fry in shallow oil, both sides, until golden brown.

Serve with a slice of lemon.

Spätzle 10 ounces flour 5 ounces water 3 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 1. Mix flour, water, eggs and salt in a bowl. Stir vigorously until bubbles form.

Should look like pancake batter.

2. Boil water in a large pot, add salt.

3. Pour part of batter into a spätzle press and squeeze into boiling salt water.

4. Take out of water as soon as they all rise. Repeat until all batter is used.

Cucumber salad 2 cucumbers 1 tablespoon dill weed ½ cup sour cream 1 pack of Salat Krönung (Dill Krauten is available at the local German bakery) 1. Mix dill weed, sour cream and Salat Krönung.

2. Add cucumbers.

3. Mix and let set for 30 minutes.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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beauty TexTalk

Beauty in the Bag

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

How do you stay beautiful on the go?

Each month Tex Appeal peeks inside the bag of one busy woman to reveal her best beauty secrets and must-have essentials.

Sheryl Raley

Bell County Extension Agent

4-H and Youth Development Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

The ESSENTIALS she CARRIES Hair brush and hairspray: Got to have both of these! I try to always be prepared and the wind-blown look is rarely acceptable in any situation.

Sunglasses: My job and personal life keeps me on the road and outside a lot. A good pair of sunglasses is essential.

Portable phone charger: My job keeps me busy on the go so I can’t afford for my cellphone to die. Not only do I have a truck charger, but I keep a portable charger with me, too.

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Wallet: My Coach wallet is always in my purse! It’s great because it has enough room for all your important stuff.

Work Keys: I keep my work keys separate from my house and truck keys. I hate clutter so I keep the two separate so I don’t always have to carry a bunch of keys at one time Small bag: My small Fossil bag holds some different shades of Victoria’s Secret lip glosses. I like the subtle colors and nonsticky feel.

Photographs by JULIE NABOURS

Most valuable TOOL in her BAG

I always have to have my cellphone with me. Not only is it crucial to my job, but with my hectic schedule, it helps me keep in contact with my family and friends.

Do you have a signature item you are known for using?

If you know me, the odds are you know I have Chapstick in my purse, pocket, truck or all of the above. My job and hobbies keep me outside a lot, which can easily dry out your lips, so you have to be prepared.

Do you have a helpful hint to share with readers?

Sunscreen is a must-have. Keeping a spray-on version in my vehicle is a great way to be proactive.

Tell us about any other essential item you carry.

My calendar keeps me organized and in the right place at the right time.

I write down non-work events, too. You have to have a good balance between work and family to be successful.

TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexTalk scene

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Randy Rogers performs at Johnny’s Outback in Salado 2

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1. Randy Rogers performs at Johnny’s Outback in Salado. The show also included a set from The Red Shahan Band.

2. Erin Gorsuch and Jamey Gorsuch.

3. Kendall Harp, right, dances with her father Bill Harp during the outdoor show.

Photos by MIKE BARTOSZEK 20

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

4. From left, Lexi Smith, Bekah Alcozer, Seth Alcozer and Nick Alaniz.

5. From left, Mary Catherine Constant, Madeleine Gerdes and Shelby Bronstad.

6. From left, Julie Cecil, Paul McPherson, Jamie Jennings and Joshua Jennings.

7. Katie Burke and Tori Burke.

8. Emily Schlueder and Travis Anderson 9. Tony and Sabrina Francis spin around the dance floor during The Red Shahan Band’s set.

Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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scene TexTalk

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1. Kieth Sawyer and Jessica Smith.

2. John and Kim Russ.

3. Randy Rogers performs with his band at Johnny’s Outback in Salado. The Red Shahan Band also played a set during the show.

4. Anna Birdsell and Cody Lee. 5. Paige Carpenter and Natalie Paraliticci.

6. Clorinda Zawacki and Pedro Perez.

7. From left, Josh Roberts, Lainey Sirois and Allen Sirois.

8. Lucas Welles dances with his 5-year-old daughter Kendall Welles.

9. From left, Meagan Elmore, Dailene Bown and Christina Lopez.

10. From left, Kali Moffett, Myranda Corral and Allison Holly.

Photos by MIKE BARTOSZEK TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexTalk calendar Free Concerts in the park Hot Summer Sounds 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

July 1, The Dirty Good July 8, Landon Evans Band July 15, Marshall Street July 22, Rare Dog Miller Park 1919 N. First St., Temple Call 254-298-5440 for more information.

On the Home Front Family Day July 2, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free During World War II, everyone was part of the war effort. Stop by to learn about life in the 1940s and what kids did to do their part on the home front.

Temple Railroad Museum 315 W. Avenue B., Temple Call 254-298-5172 or visit www.rrhm.org All-American Family Fun Fest Fireworks Show July 4, 4 to 10:30 p.m.

Live music, craft and food vendors, inflatables, splash pad and more.

Miller Park 1919 N. First St., Temple Call 254-298-5440 for more information.

Call us today to advertise 254-778-4444 in Temple or 254-501-7500 in Killeen 24

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calendar TexTalk

Nolanville First United Methodist Church Christmas in July July 9, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission is free 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. fish fry, $10 Handmade arts and crafts; homemade jellies and jams, baked goods and door prizes. Register to win one of three grand prizes: a $100 Wal-Mart gift card; a wooden Texas flag (wall hanging); and a quilt.

300 W. Avenue, Nolanville Call Jim Butler at 254-699-0654 or 254-368-2670 for more information.

Gardeners Education Series: Rainwater Harvesting Harker Heights Parks & Recreation July 11, 6 to 7 p.m.

This class teaches how to collect rainwater for re-usage and how to construct a rain barrel.

Activities Center 400 Indian Trail, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5466, visit www. ci.harker-heights.tx.us/parks or email smylcraine@ci.harker-heights.tx.us for more information.

Belton Senior Activity Center Dance Time 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

July 7, Hawaiian Luau Dance, Bobby Dean July 21, Shorty Grisham July 25, Pot Luck Dinner, Quinton Locklin performs Frank Sinatra

GO Heights: Survival Skills Part 2 Harker Heights Parks & Recreation July 14, 6 p.m.

Learn the components of wilderness survival to help you thrive if you ever find yourself lost in the woods. This is the second part of a two-part series.

Harker Heights Community Park 1501 East Farm-to-Market 2410, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5466 for more information. To RSVP, visit www.meetup. com/goheights.

Fun Day in the Park Harker Heights Parks & Recreation July 9, 10 a.m. to noon Discover your super powers by getting fit, learning new abilities, and making new friends. Put on your favorite superhero costume and join us for inflatables, games, a DJ and vendors.

Carl Levin Park 400 Miller’s Crossing, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5466, visit www. ci.harker-heights.tx.us or email smylcraine@ci.haker-heights.tx.us for more information.

Film & Food Friday Harker Heights Parks & Recreation July 15 Food vendors available: 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Movie starts at 8:30 p.m.

Grab some grub from local food truck vendors then join us on the amphitheater lawn to “let the good times reel” by watching a free family-friendly movie on a 16-foot inflatable screen.

Carl Levin Park Amphitheatre 400 Miller’s Crossing, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5466 for information or visit www.ci.harker-heights.tx.us/parks.

Director Donnie Williams addresses cast and crew at rehearsal for “Salado Legends.”

10th Annual Hot 2 Trot 5K July 16, 7:30 a.m. $20 Pre-registration by June 24 $25 day of race Lions Park 4320 Lions Park Road, Temple Call 254-298-5582 or visit racetemple.com.

Traditional Craft Workshop – Embroidery July 16, 1 to 3 p.m. $10 registration fee by July 8 Ages 12 and older Learn basic embroidery and stitches.

Railroad & Heritage Museum

315 W. Avenue B., Temple Call 254-298-5172 for information.

Local Author Fair July 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit with local authors Revlon Wilson, Teresa Miller, James A. Earl, Walterene Brizendine, Alex Alexander, Lisa Roberts, Willow Love and K’Ellen Wasson at the annual author fair.

Stewart C. Meyer Harker Heights Public Library 400 Indian Trail, Harker Heights Call 254-953-5491 for more information.

Photo by Steve Pettit

The 24th Annual Salado Legends July 23 and 30, concessions and gate open at 7 p.m.

This outdoor musical drama written by playwright/lyricist Jackie Mills and directed by Donnie Willliams was ensconced in the Library of Congress for depicting life in the 1850s.

Dinner: 7:15 p.m., $10 per person (reservations required) Show: 8:15 p.m., $20 adult, $5 children age 12 and younger Tablerock’s Goodnight Amphitheater Royal Street, Salado Continued

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TexTalk calendar

Visit www.tablerock.org to purchase tickets on line or for more information.

For group tickets, call 254-947-9205.

Model Railroading 101 Workshop July 22, 9 a.m. to noon $20 registration fee by July 16 Ages 5 to 12 Join the Central Texas Area Model Railroaders to learn the ins and outs of this exciting hobby. Kids will get the chance to run some of Central-Mod’s layouts and complete a small modeling project to take home.

Railroad & Heritage Museum 315 W. Avenue B., Temple Call 254-298-5172.

Free Movie in the Park July 23: “The Good Dinosaur” Grab blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a family-friendly movie in the park. Pre-movie activities begin at 6:30 p.m. Movies start at sundown.

Miller Park 1919 N. First St., Temple Call 254-298-5440 for information.

Bend O’ The River Picnic July 30, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Free admission Bring a blanket, pack your own picnic lunch or grab some grub from the food vendors. There will be music and games.

7915 General Bruce Drive, Temple Call 254-298-5440 for information.

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Cultural Activities Center presents Shinyribs July 16, 7:30 p.m.

Shinyribs show is an exaltation of spirit. All styles of American music are likely to be touched on, squeezed on and kissed on by this world-class band featuring Winfield Cheek on Keyboards, Keith Langford on drums, Jeff Brown on bass and the Tijuana Train Wreck Horns.

Food Truck: Fire Street Pizza Tickets are $23 advance; $27 door 3011 N. Third St., Temple Call 254-773-9926 or visit http:// www.cacarts.org/ for more information.

Hot Summer Nights Free Movie Series July 8, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” July 15, “Hotel Transylvania 2” July 22, “Jurassic World” July 29, “Zootopia” Movies begin at dusk with giveaways and prizes before every show. Concessions available or bring your own. No alcohol or glass allowed.

Killeen Amphitheater, 2201 E. Veterans Memorial Blvd., Killeen Call 254-501-6390 for more information or visit www.killeentexas.gov.

Schoepf’s Free Texas Music Series Free admission for patrons 21 and over; 12 and younger.

Ages 13 to 20, $5 Shows start at 6 p.m.

July 9, Whiskey Myers July 14, Jason Eady July 21, Brandon Rhyder with

Hunter Rea Band 702 E. Central Ave., Belton Call 254-939-1151 for information.

Miller’s Smokehouse Free Summer Concerts Shows start at 6 p.m.

July 1, Michael Saldana July 8, The Shady Rest Band July 15, BenJamin Guenther July 22, Rushin Steele July 29, Stoneface Cowboys 208 N. Penelope St., Belton Johnny’s Outback Behind Johnny’s BBQ and Steak House General admission: $20 Shows start at 7 p.m.

July 1, Granger Smith July 15, Josh Abbot Band July 29, Pat Green 301 Thomas Arnold Road, Salado Visit http://johnnysoutback.com/ for more information or to buy tickets.

Cultural Activities Center Farmers Market Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Rain or shine, find fresh vegetables, homemade jams, and pickled items.

Other vendors include fresh eggs, hand sewn aprons, bags, and crafted gift items 3011 N. Third St., Temple Call 254-773-9926 or visit www. cacARTS.org for more information.

Email upcoming events to edittexappealmagazine@gmail.com.

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TexTalk well-fed head

Don’t underestimate the importance of reading

An essay by CATHERINE HOSMAN

I

love books — those bound pages of the written words that can take a reader on a magic carpet ride to faraway places or to distant times past. Not only do they take me to places I may never get to see in person, they also teach me about cultures and eras so different from my own, but eerily similar.

I can’t imagine not being able to read.

I prefer nonfiction to fiction and my library is a mix of writing books and Native American history. However, I do read the occasional novel for review as the editor of Tex Appeal Magazine.

How lucky we are to live in a region that has so many good fiction and nonfiction authors. Not only do their stories entertain, but they also teach, and there is always something hidden between the lines that connects you to a time in your life, especially when the story is set in a town you live or lived in, and the landmarks are familiar.

I don’t use a tablet or an iPad and probably never will. When I hold a book in my hands, it feels like I am connecting directly with its author, picking up the passion they had that led them to write a particular tome. When I read “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” by Ernest Hemingway, a classic for any generation, I felt like he was right there in my living room telling me the story himself, instead of my reading it on printed pages.

Tablets and iPads just don’t have that same effect on me. Any connection to the words and author seem to be lost by the cold metal of technology.

Reading was my strongest subject in school. I had a knack for sounding out words and figuring out how they are spelled. But not everyone can do it.

There are people new to this country whose grasp of the English language is minimal, despite their efforts to learn our language well. And there are folks who, for whatever reason, don’t know how to read beyond a pre-elementary level.

I speak from experience on this one.

Many years ago when I was home visiting my late father, I asked him if he had ever 28

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When I hold a book in my hands, it feels like I am connecting directly with its author, picking up the passion they had that led them to write a particular tome. read any of my published stories I had sent him. He quietly revealed to me that he couldn’t read. I was heartbroken.

Granted, he was able to write his name, and read the necessary paperwork he needed to for his job, but he couldn’t sit down and read a book. All those years I saw him reading the Sunday paper, he was picking out only words that he knew, unable to grasp the entirety of the story.

Yet he succeeded in his life as father, husband and family provider. I offered to help, but his pride was bigger than his inability to read.

Today there is help for all who want to learn how to read, regardless of age or

background, and those who are new to our country and need to learn English as a second language.

The Temple Literacy Council offers small classes and discreet sessions.

Everyone can gain knowledge of the English language, learn how to read, and begin to take excursions of the mind through the books, newspapers and periodicals that are available.

For the more tech-oriented person, the internet is a treasure trove of discovery. Anything you want to know about a particular subject is right there with only the click of the mouse.

But reader beware, it is addicting.

Once I began to read nonfiction books on a favorite subject, I searched for whatever books on that topic I could find.

The more I read, the more I wanted to read. When I read a really good work of fiction, I found myself clamoring for more.

Other classics came into my collection and I continue to learn and form new ideas about the world around me.

If you know anyone who is struggling with English as a second language, or who just needs some help learning how to read proficiently, direct them to the Temple Literacy Council at 254-774-7323. It will expand their universe.

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Learn skills for life

4-H teaches youth about more than livestock Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by JULIE NABOURS and contributed by SHERYL RALEY

W

Sheryl Raley is the Bell County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development.

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hen some people think about 4-H, the first thing they think of is livestock.

If you live in Texas, chances are you’ve been to a livestock show, often held before and during a major or small-town rodeo event.

Children show off the cattle, sheep, pigs, cows, rabbits, and chickens they’ve raised to judges who will name a blue-ribbon winner in all categories.

What people may not realize is that kids aren’t just learning about raising livestock for harvest, an important discipline for generational ranchers and farmers. They also learn about leadership skills, Texas government, healthy lifestyle choices and so much more.

Through 4-H camps and clubs, kids can learn about a variety of disciplines including horsemanship, photography and shooting sports. In addition, Sheryl Raley, Bell County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development said kids learn about “healthy cooking, clothing and textiles, and how to make the best consumer decision for a product they want to purchase.”

“Kids who want to work with textiles and clothing and participate in a fashion show can create their own outfit, or buy one and explain why it is not well made or is well made,” Raley explained.

Consumer decision-making teaches how to responsibly buy a product.

Members choose four items to display and talk about why one product is a better choice than another.

“Not only does this teach consumer skills, but public speaking as well,” Raley said.

Through hands-on experience, 4-H kids learn leadership skills and etiquette, how to conduct a meeting, internet safety, baby-sitting safety or how to write a bill they would like to see passed into law.

“Bills could be about gun control, politics, or whatever else the youth may be passionate about,” Raley said. Kids get to see how the Legislature works.

Occasionally, Raley said, one of their bills

Sarah Wood, 11, demonstrates proper pepper dicing technique at a 4-H Healthy Cooking Class.

turns up “later in real life.”

There are still the traditional classes in archery, shooting, hunting and agriculture, but for kids who want to learn something different, options are available.

The overall goal of 4-H, Raley said, is to take youth and guide them to become great young adults when they graduate by teaching them responsibility, developing their public speaking skills and ethics.

“We don’t need to teach these kids respect,” she said. “They come to us (4-H)

already with respect. They are taught how to say ‘no ma’am’ or ‘yes ma’am,’ shake hands and things associated with being great.”

Any youth organization, however, has its challenges, and 4-H is not exempt.

Raley said sometimes they get a kid who doesn’t really want to be there, but their parents make them join.

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Sheryl Raley on Cracker team ropes with her dad, Charles Raley, on Hollywood.

foot in the door, they want to be more involved. A lot of kids think we are only livestock, but they can do more than they think.”

Regardless of which division a child chooses, members who are about to graduate high school are eligible to apply for one of several college scholarship programs.

“Our kids receive a bunch of scholarship money,” Raley said. “We raise great leaders and they go right on to college.”

So far this year, more than $150,000 in scholarships has been awarded.

James Steglich, 8, waters his garden as part of the 4-H Horticulture Project.

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A lifetime in 4-H Raley knows first hand what 4-H can do for youths. A member since she was 8, she remained in 4-H through high school.

When she graduated from Tarleton State University with a BA in Agricultural Services and Development in 2008, she was hired as the County Extension Agent in Hillsboro, where she worked while studying for her MA in Agricultural Sciences at Texas A&M in Kingsville.

She stayed in Hillsboro before moving to Belton last year. In her new position, she works with a team of extension agents who each have their own 4-H specialty.

Sheryl Austin is the extension agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. With

Front row, from left, Jackie McLaughlin, Tonya Elliott, Heidi Prude, Sheryl Raley, Scarlot Barreras, Janice Runyon; back row, from left, Lyle Zoeller, Pam Reavis and James Maynard work at the Agrilife Extension office in Belton. The case behind them showcases 4-H awards.

“A big aspect in leadership is how to conduct a meeting, kids volunteering for community service and giving back to community. Kids don’t have to do just livestock.

The possibilities are endless.”

— Sheryl Raley Jackie McLaughlin, she addresses lowerincome families and families in need within the community.

“Family and Consumer Sciences is another division of 4-H and is not as publicly known as the other areas,” Continued

Bell County Master Gardener Betty Nejtek helps Jessalyn Payne, 11, demonstrate edible and nonedible plants at a Bell County safety seminar in May. TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Braylee Mackie, 14, assists with a beef educational clinic at Bell Count Expo.

McLaughlin said. “It covers all aspects of health and wellness of family life, nutrition, education, health improvement through physical activity, healthy recipes and adult education communitywide.”

Lyle Zoeller is the agriculture agent and works with farmers and ranchers.

“We plant different types of crops — corn, cotton, wheat — in a test plot using new seed. We work with small acreage land owner programs and livestock education. We educate the public on what they need,” he said.

Natural Resources Agent Heidi Prude teaches people how to conserve water, maintain healthy springs and capture rainwater.

“Anyone in our county can participate in any of our programs,” McLaughlin said. “There is something for everyone.”

Born to the saddle Raley learned how to ride a horse almost before she could walk. Her dad put her on top of a pony when she was just 1 year old and she’s been riding ever since.

“We always had them (horses) growing up,” she said.

A Crawford native, she grew up on her generations-old family ranch, where they raise lambs, goats and sheep. It sits on the opposite side of Crawford from former President George W. Bush’s ranch, and Raley said, “It was never a dull moment.”

She got involved with 4-H when she 34

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Sheryl Raley and her horse Cracker at her family ranch.

One 4-H projects brings chick to hatch into the classroom students can learn about life and animal science. Colored food dye injected during the development stage creates colored chicks who lose the color as they grow.

was in the third grade. In her current role with 4-H, Raley coordinates the Bell County programs, assists members with

their animal projects and competitions, and teaches agriculture concepts, such as setting up still air incubators and auto egg

turners in classrooms.

“This is a three-week program for schools who want to participate,” Raley said. “It takes 21 days for chicks’ eggs to hatch out.”

Watching live baby chicks hatch educates the children to life and animal science. “They (the chicks) are actually in the classroom with the kids,” she said.

Currently three schools participate and with a total of 10 classrooms. “The goal is to hatch out live baby chicks,” she said.

Each year 4-H sponsors a leadership camp in Brownwood. Chaperoned by adults, kids spend a week at the camp learning different things like interviewing skills, public speaking, proper table etiquette, personal or business, how to conduct a meeting, internet safety and learning about the law-making process.

“We bring in specialists from the outside to teach sessions,” Raley said.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Crose Photography.

Bell County 4-H Ambassadors Erin Steglich, 15, Clara Steglich, 14, Kristen Helsch, 15, and Nathaniel Fallolino, 17, learn about Texas law with County Commissioners Bill Schumann, Tim Brown and County Judge Jon Burrows.

“This continues to build on what we taught them. It’s a parliamentary process with a county judge and commissioners.

“A big aspect in leadership is how

to conduct a meeting, kids volunteering for community service and giving back to community. Kids don’t have to do just livestock. The possibilities are endless.”

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A pontoon boat cruises by a submerged pavilion on Belton Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed several parks along the lake until repairs from flooding are complete.

Late start to summer

Bell County lakes and parks get slow start opening Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photos by GABE WOLF

T

he skies have cleared to azure, and once again the sun reflects off the waters of Central Texas lakes. But that doesn’t mean the work to clean up the damage incurred by this spring’s rains is over. Despite the slow start to summertime fun in the sun at local parks and beaches, there is still much work to do to keep outdoor activities safe.

“We still have damage from things we couldn’t fix this year from the flooding that happened last year,” said Brad Ellis, lead ranger for the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parks and Recreation.

Central Texas offers an abundance of outdoor recreation that draws visitors from all over the state. Both Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes and their parks, such as Dana Peak Park, offer boating, fishing, camping, picnicking and hiking.

Continued 36

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A speed limit sign marks the park road and a playground is almost totally submerged at Temple Lake Park.

The white rocks on the Lake Belton Dam tells the tale of the water level during recent storms with the elevation being close to 655 feet.

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Only one boat ramp was open near Frank’s Marina on June 12, but a few boats were still out on Belton Lake for some weekend recreation.

Park Ranger Stephen Barcelis visits with a visitor to Chalk Ridge Park as water flows through the dam gates from Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

However, due to heavy rains over the past month and beyond, many of the parks and boat ramps remain closed, so call ahead before packing up your boating and camping gear.

If you do make it to the lakes this summer, keep in mind that not all of the damage will have been repaired. Ellis said all of the park roads, restrooms, picnic areas and some campgrounds could still be under water. Be aware of where you swim, even in the designated swim beaches. With the higher water levels, there could be a lot of obstacles. If you see a tree sticking out of the water, it’s probably not a good place to swim.

The busy season for the parks is Memorial Day through Labor Day, but limited open areas have caused the Corps to funnel visitors into one park or one lake area.

“There are not a lot of places to accommodate visitors because of the floods,” Ellis said. “Usually about a

some favorite campsites, such as at Dana Peak Park, may not be open.

Ellis said once the flood waters recede, rangers will assess the damage, but cannot allow public access to the parks if they still pose a danger to public safety, such as shelter tops caving in, picnic tables broken in half or the roads washed out.

“Until we can actually see the damage and assess it, we are not going to open a park that is unsafe,” he said.

When the parks reopen and with the summer months still ahead, visitors are asked to be mindful of the dangers, take precautions for their own personal safety, and “leave no trace when you leave a site.”

If you are camping, don’t leave items that don’t burn, like empty bottles and cans, in the burn ring. Don’t leave food inside the park grills. It will attract wildlife.

Don’t overfill the dumpsters.

Ellis said there are dumpsters placed Continued

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Barricades at the Dana Peak Park Gate House warn visitors that the park on Stillhouse Hollow Lake is closed.

million people visit our two lakes each year, with the greatest numbers between those two dates.”

Because of the high water levels, and limited release of waters downstream to mitigate any more flooding in those areas,

Water and debris cover the picnic area in Union Grove Park on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

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A Do Not Enter sign sits in Stillhouse Hollow Lake and marks where the road is in Union Grove Park. BELOW: A closed sign covers the normal operating hours at the park.

Visitors looking for a good spot to cast their fishing lines enter Chalk Ridge Park, the only park open at Stillhouse Hollow Lake in early June after spring flooding.

Volunteer Information Local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Offices: 254-939-2461 Volunteer.gov Volunteerclearinghouse.com Free Boat Ramps AT Belton Lake (24-hour access) Call 254-939-8150 to check ramp status as most are closed due to recent flooding.

Sparta Valley Arrowhead Point Leona Park Iron Bridge Park Belton Park Roger’s Park Owl Creek Park At Stillhouse Hollow Lake Riversbend Park Cedar Gap Park First Come Picnic Areas AT Stillhouse Hollow Lake Riversbend 40

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The road leading in to Riversbend Park is completely underwater and tire marks show where trespassers have almost become stuck in Stillhouse Hollow Lake. Many facilities on Stillhouse and Belton lakes are closed due to flooding and damage from spring storms. Call before you head out to the lakes this summer.

AT Belton Lake Owl Creek Park McGregor Park Sparta Valley Park Miller Springs Park

Iron Bridge Park Belton Lakeview Park For updated information on closures, visit http://www.swf-wc.usace. army.mil/lake/lakefacilities.htm

throughout the park. If the one in your area is full, take the trash to another dumpster.

“When people leave the trash outside (the dumpsters) varmints and animals will smell it and trash will be spread everywhere,” Ellis said.

In addition to the natural damage caused by the flooding, and the trash element left by campers, Ellis said people are painting graffiti on the wing walls at Sunset Point Overlook Park, covering a mural painted by students from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.

“This is not a cheap fix,” he said. “It disgraces the people who created it.”

Another human element is the destruction caused when people go “mudding.”

“It tears up the land and the grounds,” he said.

A close encounter of the animal kind When camping, hiking, boating or just enjoying the views from the shoreline, Ellis said to be aware of the animals that live in the park. Keep your eyes open for Eastern Rio Grande Turkey, deer and fawns.

“This is the time of year when fawns drop,” he said. “It’s also real important to know that a mother deer will not be with

their fawn during the day.”

Ellis said the deer leaves her fawn in a place she knows and will return to it at night. He stressed campers should not pick up the fawns or try to rescue them.

“The mothers are aware where their fawns are. Don’t pet them, don’t go up to them. We are not sure why they do this.”

Ellis said fawns are generally not very agile at birth and it takes a couple of weeks for them to be able to follow their mother.

“The first couple of weeks, they can’t keep up. They are usually left under a tree shade and play possum until they get old enough to follow their mother. They were not abandoned.”

Other critters to watch for while camping are squirrels, raccoons that are notorious for getting into trash and scattering it all over the place, buzzards, blue herons, osprey, jack rabbits and cotton tails. There have not been any

sightings of bobcats or cougars as the human presence deters big predators, Ellis said. Also, look for a variety of birds and butterflies.

“We call the area birds, butterflies and bunnies,” he said, referring to the Bell County lakes and parks.

Other wildlife in the area includes nutria and beavers that prefer creeks and tributaries to open water, and the elusive Stillhouse Hollow Lake alligators. Coyotes are contained in the wildlife management area on the northern shore of Stillhouse Hollow, and feral hogs have been spotted.

“If you see an animal, observe them, watch them, take pictures, but remember, they are wild animals and they do not want or desire to have human contact.

Keep a healthy distance, enjoy nature, but don’t handle the wild animals.”

When you see a buzzard or buzzards circling overhead, chances are they have their eyes set on the carcass of an animal or fish.

“Buzzards are definitely animals that cleanup carcasses, and we do have an influx of fish carcasses.” Buzzards are not a threat to humans or live animals, and they do serve a purpose.

Other critters to be aware of are all the things that sting or bite like fire ants, honey bees and rattlesnakes.

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Scarlett Dott of Belton shows her patriotism while riding a float during the Belton July Fourth Parade held annually since the mid-1800s. In 2008, USA Today named the parade as one the nation’s “Top Ten Places to Fly Your Flag on the Fourth.”

The Frosted Redbulls won the Harker Heights 2016 dodge ball championship. Front row, from left, Leo Mantey, Kelsey Coffman, Zullyness Reyes, Yahaira Marquez, Sherill Mansapit, Ayesha Lealiiee, Wilson Everett; second row, from left, Sarah Mylcraine, Josh DeLong, Cynthia Arvelo, Gary Bates, David Mitchell, Jerry Bark and Kelly Metress.

Local parks programs offer activities and events Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN and DANIELLE EVERETT Contributed photos

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Summer fun for everyone

uly is Parks and Recreation Month in Central Texas, and area parks and recreation have a wide selection of activities that are family friendly.

Harker Heights This year, Harker Heights Parks and Recreation has added two new adult activities: dodge ball and kickball.

“As a parks and recreation department we offer two different sports per year for adults. Usually it’s adult softball, volleyball or basketball,” said Heather Bueller, activities director. “This year we are offering kickball.”

Bueller said most adults had played kickball at some point in their life.

“It’s something you play on the playground,” she said, adding that most sports are geared to youths.

“Adults can participate in our sports. It’s another aspect to reach the demographics we have in Harker

Heights.” Adults 16 and up can join the team.

Another first venture away from traditional sports that Harker Heights Parks and Recreation has started is dodge ball.

“It’s mainly comprised of city staff with one team from the police department and fire department. We started in early May and it was a little slow as far as getting people interested. Once the teams got together, everyone had a blast.”

Residents interested in dodge ball are welcome to form their own team and participate in the games.

Bueller said she hopes that kickball will spin off from dodge ball.

“Kickball is played on a baseball field, similar to baseball. In this game, someone rolls the ball then someone kicks the ball and runs to base.”

Other Harker Heights activities include celebrating Parks and Recreation Month 9 from 10 a.m. to noon July 9 with a fun day at Carl Levin Park.

“Usually we have a fun day in the

park and go to a different park every year, so this year we are coming back to Carl Levin where we originally started it three years ago,” Bueller said.

The theme for this year’s event is superheroes.

“People are encouraged to come in their favorite superhero costume, enjoy the park and the pond we have at Carl Levin,” she said.

Activities include a bounce house and a DJ. Local businesses will set up booths to introduce themselves to the public and will have a special superhero game at their booth.

“Whatever super hero game they come up with,” Bueller said.

For fans of the summer dive-ins and films, this year Harker Heights Parks and Recreation is doing something a little different. Instead of swimming and viewing, residents can enjoy Film and Food Friday as a spin-off from the dive-in.

“Not everyone wants to go swimming and more of our demographic will be able to come out to the park,” she said. “At Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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The Bell County Sheriff’s Posse rides down Main Street in the Annual Belton Fourth of July Parade. BELOW: Bull Lil Clever turns rider C.J. Real upside down during a PRCA rodeo.

dive-ins people were swimming and not watching the movie. If you did want to watch the movie it was too noisy. This will allow anyone in the family to attend.”

The movie will be screened on a 16foot inflatable screen in the Carl Levin Park Theater. Moviegoers can bring their own chairs, blankets and picnic food. No glass containers or alcohol are allowed.

There will also be local food vendors available.

“The theater holds up to 300 people and the first 25 get a free bag of popcorn from Kettle Corn Utopia.

Belton Celebrate Belton’s 92nd Rodeo June 30 through July 4. Enjoy family-friendly games, a carnival, barbecue and PRCA action at the Bell County Expo Center, and a spectacular parade July 4.

The festivities kick off June 30 with a barbecue at Yettie Polk Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for kids. (For more information, Continued 44

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

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contact Nicole Stairs at 254-939-3551 or email nicole@beltonchamber.com.)

The carnival is open June 30 and July 1 from 7 to 10 p.m., July 2 and 3, from noon to 10 p.m. and July 4 at 10 a.m. Get unlimited rides for one special price.

This year’s Fourth of July Parade theme is “Traveling the USA.” Lynda MacFarland, wife of Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of III Corps and Fort Hood, and Sandra Smith, wife of III Corps and Fort Hood Command Sgt. Maj. Alonzo J. Smith, are this year’s Patriotic Program Speakers and Parade Grand Marshals.

More than 30,000 spectators and participants enjoy floats, bands, marching units, decorated vehicles, antique cars, decorated bicycles, etc. This long time Belton tradition starts at 10 a.m. on Main Street at 10th Avenue, travels south on Main Street to Central Avenue, turns east on Central Avenue, turns left on Birdwell and ends on Fourth Avenue. The first parade was held in the mid-1800s and has been an annual event in Belton since 1919.

The PRCA Rodeo is July 1 to July 3 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bell County Expo Center, 301 W Loop 121 in Belton.

Enjoy bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, dynamite Dames Trick Riding, mutton bustin’ and more activities that include a Western gift show.

Temple Temple families looking for new ways to enjoy the summer together have several options this year. “We have

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JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

Fireworks explode at Miller Park in Temple.

so many exciting things going on this year,” said Temple Parks and Recreation Superintendent Charlie Bryant.

The city opened a brand new swimming pool at Lions Junction Family Water Park this year and Bryant said its success has exceeded Temple Parks and Recreation staff’s expectations. The $1.8 million project doubled the capacity of the pool and allowed for new features like a climbing wall and a deep-water pool with a diving board.

“We are seeing people staying for longer periods of time because there’s

now something for everyone to do,” Bryant said of the recent expansion.

The city’s summer camp program also went through an expansion of its own this summer. After last summer’s waiting list grew to be about 100 names long, the city opened a third summer camp option this year called Camp Harmony, Bryant said. Camp Harmony, along with existing camps Horizon and Heatwave all have the same focus — outdoor adventure, field trips, music, arts and crafts and whole lot of fun. Bryant said parents may sign their Continued

Many people gathered on Main Street waving to the many participants that were in the last year’s Belton Fourth of July Parade.

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Season passes are available for Lions Junction Family Water Park at 5000 S. Fifth St. in Temple. Call 254-298-5920 for hours and more information.

children up at any time this month, but are encouraged to do so sooner rather than later. For more information on Temple’s summer camp program, call the Parks and Recreation Office at 254-2985690.

Returning this year is the Fourth of July All-American Family Fun Fest at Miller Park from 4 to 10:30 p.m. “There will be tons of food vendors, lots of fun craft vendors, a splash pad and inflatable area,� Bryant said.

The event is always a popular one and he anticipates anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 people turning out this year.

Of course, the highlight of the evening is always the fireworks show. “Last year the fireworks were stupendous,�

Bryant said. “And this year the same fireworks company and fireworks artist are returning.� For more information on this year’s festival, call 254-298-5440.

Temple’s summertime tradition, Hot Summer Sounds, continues this year in Miller Park. Music lovers have four opportunities this July to catch the popular 48

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

free concert series. This month’s lineup features The Dirty Good on July 1, Landon Evans Band on July 8, Marshall Street on July 15 and Rare Dog on July 22.

The series got off to a wet start with the first scheduled concert getting rained out. But the momentum has since picked up and Bryant said attendance numbers ranging from 800 to 1,000 are typical. The concerts run from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Killeen The starry Central Texas sky provides the perfect backdrop for a fun Friday movie night at the Killeen Amphitheater.

Killeen’s Hot Summer Nights Movie Series kicked off earlier this summer and continues through the end of July with a lineup that is sure to please moviegoers of all ages. Hundreds of people gather in the glow of the big screen with their hodgepodge of chairs and blankets brought from home. This month, attendees will see “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles� on July 8, “Hotel Transylvania 2� on July 15, “Jurassic World� on July 22

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and “Zootopia� on July 29.

While the movie is the main attraction, free giveaways and prizes before the show make for a nice bonus and an incentive to arrive early. Movies start at dusk.

Boys and girls in kindergarten through fourth grade have the unique opportunity to brush up on their basketball skills and even learn some new ones at this year’s Little Dribblers Basketball Academy.

The academy runs Mondays and Wednesdays from July 5-30. Parents have the option of enrolling their child in either a 9 to 11 a.m. or a 6 to 8 p.m. time slot. The cost is $75 per child, which includes a jersey.

The Little Dribblers Basketball Academy will be at the Family Recreation Center at 1700 E. Stan Schlueter Loop in Killeen. For more information, please call 254-501-6390.

For more information on parks and activities in Killeen, visit www. killeentexas.gov.

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Block the sun Routine protection saves your skin from long-term damage from exposure

By CATHERINE HOSMAN Courtesy photo and illustrations

I

f you are new to the Central Texas region, don’t let the overcast and cloudy days deter you from taking care of your skin. People moving to Texas from all points north and east, who are used to cooler climes and less sun intensity, may not understand the strength of the Texas sun. It doesn’t take long to feel the heat and receive a Texassize burn.

Regularly applying sunscreen not only helps prevent skin cancer, but also wrinkles and premature aging.

“The sun damage we get before we are 18 years old has a huge effect on long-term skin health,” said Dr. Katherine Fiala, residency program director for the department of dermatology at Baylor Scott & White Healthcare in Temple.

She said it’s important to get into the habit of applying sunscreen at an early age and that it’s never too late to get into the habit of using one, even if you were diagnosed with skin cancer, “even if you’ve never used it before, it’s never too late.”

Fiala advises to stay out of the sun between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun is strongest. And if there is any doubt about the level of ultraviolet rays emitted on any given day, visit www. epa.gov/sunsafety/uv-index. You will find a map that measures the intensity of UV rays for the entire country. You can even download an app onto your smart phone to keep an eye on levels.

“Typically the UV range is measured from 0 to 15,” Fiala said. “It may be an 8 in the northern part of the country, but down here it is a 10 or 11. The intensity of the UV rays varies from north to south 50

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

Dr. Katherine Fiala Baylor Scott & White Department of Dermatology

in the United States.”

In addition to the website and map, outdoor enthusiasts can also purchase bracelets that change color, depending on the UV Index, and can act as a reminder to add sunscreen or get out of the sun and into some shade.

The color of skin Fiala said the darker complexion a person has, the darker pigmentation they have in their skin and the more protection they may have from the sun.

“On the other hand, people with red or blond hair, blue or green eyes, will burn more quickly,” she stated. “If you have freckles, on your cheeks, nose or shoulders, that is a sign of sun damage.”

Genes could play a part in how a person’s skin reacts to the sun, and that

TexHealth

TWO TYPES OF UV RAYS The sunlight that reaches us is made up of two types of harmful rays: long-wave ultraviolet A and short-wave ultraviolet B. UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, the skin’s thickest layer. Unprotected exposure can lead to premature skin aging and wrinkling (photoaging), and suppression of the immune system.

UVB rays will usually burn the superficial layers of your skin. It plays a key role in the development of skin cancer.

The intensity of UVB rays vary by season, location and time of day, with 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. being the peak hours. Sunburned skin doesn’t just feel awful, it can cause permanent damage over time. Source: http://www. coolasuncare.com/sun-science/ SPF — Sun Protection Factor — always look for a waterproof, broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. is seen in people with olive or brown skin who tend to tan easily while others may burn.

“What genes you got from mom and dad determines if you will tan or not tan easily,” Fiala said. “It goes hand in hand with your natural skin, eye and hair color.

Lighter complexions will burn more quickly than those with darker hair or skin.”

If you do stay out in the sun too long and experience sunburn, aloe vera gel can help.

“It has a cooling effect and helps to comfort,” she said.

Ice packs wrapped in a towel can also

ease some of the discomfort and help the healing process. She said ibuprofen could help decrease the inflammation brought on by the burn.

Also, if your skin is peeling, she advises not to vigorously remove the peeling. Apply more lotion, or aloe vera and let the skin heal on its own.

“Peeling away a blister can increase your risk for scarring,” she said.

Choosing the right sunscreen Fiala recommends a broad spectrum, water resistant sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 that offers extra protection regardless of activity.

Broad Spectrum sunscreen covers both UVA and UVB sunrays. It’s important to follow the directions on the bottle.

“If it says apply every 90 minutes

or so to get the right effect, than follow directions and apply every 90 minutes,” she said.

When shopping for a sunscreen, look for a “physical” sunscreen. According to www.skinacea.com, a physical sunscreen protects your skin by deflecting or blocking the sun’s rays and its ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. A Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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chemical sunscreen works by absorbing the sun’s rays and contains up to 11 different types of chemicals.

“If someone develops an allergy to sunscreen, it’s almost always the chemical sunscreens they are allergic to,” Fiala said. “If someone thinks they are allergic to sunscreen, try one for sensitive skin with zinc and titanium alone. People tolerate that very well.”

Although spray sunscreens are convenient because they are fast and can be sprayed on, Fiala cautions people when using them.

“We recommend a shot glass size of sunscreen to completely cover exposed areas of the arms, legs and face. To get that amount with a spray, you would almost have to use a whole can.

Sprays are deceiving. You think you are getting two hours of coverage, but more often than not, areas are missed and people get burned in between on their skin.”

The best sunscreen, however, is the one you like and use.

“You must like the way it smells and feels and like putting it on. Try different ones to see if you like it and wouldn’t mind putting it on.”

There are clear and tinted sunscreens for people who don’t like 52

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

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the traditional cream. Make sure, however, that whatever you choose, it is a broad spectrum with an SPF 30 and is waterproof. And don’t forget your lips. Find a lip balm with sunscreen, especially if you are on a boat or at the beach where the sun rays reflect off the water and sand, she said.

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Don Stiles serves as the part-time director of the Temple Literacy Council, helping people improve their reading skills.

TexVolunteers

Turning the pages on illiteracy in Central Texas Story by CATHERINE HOSMAN Photo by ERIC J. SHELTON

According to the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning at Texas A&M Education and Human Development, the illiteracy rate in Bell County is 13 percent. In the state of Texas, the rate is 19 percent.

W

hen I first met Don Stiles, director of the Temple Literacy Council, I was immediately taken by his friendliness. When he spoke, he smiled, and he never stopped. Right off I knew I was in the presence of a man who never met a stranger.

I met him on the second floor of the Temple Public Library, where the Council is headquartered. On the way to his office he stops to say hello to the librarians. Just as we turn to go into his office he is stopped by a library patron who just wants to say hello and chat.

Stiles welcomes each person who comes into his office as if he or she were already a friend, whether it’s a new student, prospective tutor or inquisitive reporter. His congeniality is genuine and bodes well in his work where he is tasked with the responsibility of helping adults learn how to read or speak English as a second language.

According to Pro Literacy, the umbrella organization for the Literacy Council, more than 36 million adults in the United States cannot read or write.

Of the more than 2 million immigrants who come to the U.S. each year, more than 50 percent of them lack a high school education and proficient English language skills (source: Center for Immigration Studies).

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“We don’t reach everybody who walks through the door. A lot of people are looking for a quick fix. It takes time to change and improve. Some people don’t take the time, others stick with it.”

— Don Stiles Through Stiles’ work at the Council, and assisted by a group of volunteer tutors, he opens up the windows to the world for all persons who enter and who want to improve their reading skills or learn English as a second language.

“We are empowering them to do something better in life,” Stiles said.

“We don’t reach everybody who walks through the door. A lot of people are looking for a quick fix. It takes time to change and improve. Some people don’t take the time, others stick with it.”

Stiles said the Council uses the Laubach Method for beginner readers and the more advanced Challenge Series, that teaches the art of writing and storytelling.

The Laubach Method was founded

by Dr. Frank C. Laubach in the 1930s.

“As a missionary among the Maranao people of the Philippines, he became concerned about their poor living conditions and realized the ability to read and write was essential for them to begin solving their problems. From 1935 to 1967, he took his adult literacy work to 105 countries — creating reading lessons in 315 languages. He founded Laubach Literacy International in 1955.

In 1963, his son, Dr. Robert Laubach,

started New Readers Press, which became part of Laubach Literacy in 1967.” (Source: https://proliteracy.org) “The books are written at an elemental level, but designed for adults,” said Stiles. “Adults learn differently than children, and they come to learn to get better job skills, be able to communicate with colleges, big things not to be taken advantage.”

In the 1950s, New Yorker Ruth J. Colvin, who was interested in global literacy had heard Dr. Frank Laubach speak about illiteracy in faraway countries. But it wasn’t until 1961 when she read a Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper article stating that more than 11,000 people in Syracuse, N.Y., couldn’t read or write well (based on 1960 U.S. Census figures), that she realized there was a literacy problem in the U.S. After speaking with local social service agencies, community leaders, and church groups about the problem, she worked with reading experts to develop a means to train volunteers to tutor adults. In 1962, she started Literacy Volunteers of America in her basement. (Source: https://proliteracy.org/About-Us) Stiles said some students who may Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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be from a country other than the U.S., hold PhDs in their discipline and can talk about scientific discoveries, but are unable to communicate with coworkers using conversational English.

“They either speak no English, or very little,” he said.

Stiles coordinates the curriculum, replaces needed books through the New Reader Press, and trains the volunteers during a day-long training class twice a year. As part of the matching process, he learns the availability and preferences of each tutor. Each student is screened for their availability and their preferences as well. Once a match is made, Stiles checks in with them and helps with any problems that may come up such as needing additional materials.

One-on-one classes are held in the study rooms of the library, at local churches, the Bell County Museum, and the Goodwill Learning Center.

Anyone 18 years old and older is welcome to attend personalized classes through the Council, but Stiles said most students are between 30 and 50 years old, and sometimes older.

“Don is definitely the cog in our wheel,” said D. Kirkland, board chair for the Temple Literacy Council. “There are many aspects that draw us. We couldn’t do it without the students, the tutors, and the board that works on fundraising efforts — at every turn there is Don.” Kirkland said matching tutors, with students, and the curriculum are also components of the same wheel and Stiles is “right in the middle.”

“We come through him to connect to each other,” she said.

Don Stiles, part-time director of the Temple Literacy Council, left, works with literacy student Yoshi Murakami.

Helping others a natural choice Growing up on a farm in Lampasas, Stiles said “if you didn’t become a farmer, you became a teacher.”

He earned his Bachelor of Arts and master’s in education from the University of North Texas and became an elementary school teacher. But he felt that he needed a more worldly view of life and quit teaching to become a social worker with Child Protective Services in Corsicana.

“You will be a better teacher if

you come out of it for awhile and see how the rest of the world lives,” he said. Working with CPS proved more stressful than he thought, however, and he said, “it burns you out real fast.”

As a parent, he said it helps a person do “that kind of a job,” while at the same time, very hard on family life.

“Not everyone is cut out to work for child and adult protective services.”

So he switched gears and in 1989 he moved his family of four to Lott, where his parents still lived, and took a

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job with the Windham School District, “a non-geographical school district that provides educational services to offenders in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice” “It was liberating,” he said. “I felt like I was doing something other people didn’t want to do, but was very necessary. You have to be careful, though. There are boundaries.”

Boundaries in the prison system were somewhat different from CPS. With CPS, it’s difficult not to get

emotionally involved with a client, and when things don’t turn out amicable, it is stressful on the case manager, Stiles said. Within the prison system, he said you still care for the people you help, but you can’t get too close to them.

Stiles taught in the Windham School District for 20 years. In that position, he said he helped each of his students progress as much as they could, and not return to prison.

He said he never felt any fear working in the prison system and he

enjoyed working with the students.

“I hadn’t known people who were guilty of crimes (everyone said they were innocent),” he said. “It’s never too late to change in life. I saw older inmates that changed, staff that changed, I changed.”

He learned that people were more alike than different and that he wished he had known that in the past.

“Human beings basically are the same,” he said. “We have a need to be with others.”

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TexAdventures

Naturally cool Hancock Springs provides respite from summer heat in Central Texas Story and photos by FRED AFFLERBACH • Aerial photo by JOHN ANCHETA

J

ump. Splash. Brrr. Repeat.

For more than 100 years, Central Texas swimmers have been diving into the chilly water at Hancock Springs in Lampasas — temperature 68 degrees, year round. The crystal clear artesian water bubbles up from an aquifer and gurgles down an aqueduct into a 300,000-gallon reservoir. The free flow pool, water trickling in, water trickling out, is a unique swimming experience with quarried limestone walls, majestic trees on the banks, and a historic building, the Hostess House, overlooking the whole setup.

Leah Snell would like the pool to open more often than Thursday through Sunday. She says the water is typically clear, but heavy spring rain has turned it a little murky.

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Bernie Schey, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Copperas Cove, says the water at Hancock Springs reminds him of his youth swimming in the Fox River in northern Illinois.

A few years ago, Schey brought his congregation down for a church picnic.

“Hancock Springs is just a jewel. The water bubbles out of the earth, cold.

It’ll cool you right down and it makes these long-lasting summers so much more pleasant. And one big draw, there is a whole bunch of pecan trees which provide shade,” Schey said. “It’s my summer retreat several times a week.”

Swimmers such as Schey are following a long succession of people who have submersed themselves into the springs, going back more than 150 years when the Tonkawas, Apaches and Comanches roamed present-day Lampasas County. In the early 1900s, Baptists camped there, followed by Camp Hood (now Fort Hood) soldiers during World War II. In 1944, the U.S. Army leased the pool and called it Panther Park. John Snell was about 10

at the time. He still swims at the springs a couple times a week (the butterfly, his specialty) and recalls young men packed together like a school of minnows.

“The soldiers over there didn’t have a swimming pool. They all lived in tents, temporary barracks. There must have been 500 of them in here at one time.

And all you could see was heads.”

The springs’ curative powers are part of Lampasas lore. For a brief period in the 19th century, the city was called Lampasas Springs, honoring the seven mineral springs in the area. In the late 19th century, a local man built The Grand Park Hotel and bathhouse at the site. Investors advertised the springs as a resort with lodging, dining, dancing and music. The Hostess House, built around 1917, is the only building still standing from those early, bustling years. Renovated in the 1990s, today it’s a handsome and sturdy two-story, limestone building with a large deck overlooking the pool.

Adjacent to the pool, Sulphur Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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ABOVE: Built in 1929, the Hostess House at Hancock Springs was renovated in the 1990s, thanks to the Oran Milo Roberts Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. It is available for receptions, dances and private parties. BELOW: John Snell said he is probably one of the top three butterfly swimmers in Lampasas County over age 80.

Creek, fed by Hancock Springs, rolls along, sometimes emitting a mild sulphur smell. But the occasional, pungent breeze is not enough to deter passionate swimmers such as John Snell’s wife of 50 years, Leah. She touts the mineral water’s cool and soothing effects. And swimming a half mile, four times a week at age 74, well, who can argue with that?

“I think it’s refreshing. After you get in, swim a few laps, your body acclimates,” Leah Snell said. “We don’t like to swim in chlorine. It burns your eyes, makes your swimsuit smell. We just love to swim in fresh artesian water.

That way I’m cool when I go home. You can turn your air conditioner down.”

Husband John, 82, has been swimming at Hancock Springs since 1939. “I got lots of hair. I tell these lifeguards, there’s one thing wrong with this pool. If you swim in this pool for 75 years off and on, it’ll make your hair turn white.”

In the 1990s, the city was considering bulldozing the Hostess 60

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

House and filling in the pool. Leah Snell and the local chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas said not so fast. The group persuaded the city council to open the pool three days a week for the season. “We did all the advertising. First we got 15 people.

Then we got 25 people. Then we got 50 people a day,” she said raising her

fists over her head. “We were so excited.

The second or third summer, we started having regularly 100 (people). Then last summer, it took us about 25 years to build up to this, but they had to close because of capacity. It was so cool, they had to close that gate and let people leave before someone came in.”

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Special events: a birthday, a full moon and a winter plunge When the pool turned 100, back in 2011, Leah Snell and others organized a birthday party with food and music.

Every time the band took a break, it sang another verse of “Happy Birthday to You.” Another popular ritual hinges on a celestial event. Once a month, the pool stays open for a moonlight swim. Kids sport illuminated necklaces so they’re clearly visible by lifeguards.

Adults share home-cooked dishes for a pot-luck supper. Bluegrass and country bands serenade the revelers. And for the first time ever, the pool opened in winter. On a warm and sunny January day in 2016, dozens of brave souls jumped into the 68-degree water at the inaugural Polar Bear Plunge.

Lampasas Parks Director Micky Tower said it was the two usual instigators behind the polar bear idea — Pastor Schey and Leah Snell. “I said, you get some people to sign up, we’ll see if we can make it happen. So he (Schey) calls me up and says we have about 15 people. Well, Leah Snell got a hold of it.

By the time she got done with Facebook we had about 115 people show up that day. It was 80 degrees outside in the middle of January and the water was still like 68 degrees. People didn’t stay in the water very long.” The city plans to make an annual event out of it, Tower said, possibly including a swimsuit contest.

Because of the unfiltered water, the pool has to be closed, drained and power washed every week, a process that takes three days. Bad news, of course, for the “Cool Pool Gang” and other water bugs. Still, Tower says the process is necessary because some folks have complained about a film building up on the bottom.

“It’s a natural spring pool and over a period of time it builds up algae on the bottom. So we drain it,” Tower said.

“It takes them about two days to clean it. Most of the people don’t mind that the floor is a little slick. It’s a natural pool. We don’t have any chemicals added. We try to keep it clean.”

Hancock Springs has been 62

JULY 2016 | TEX APPEAL

A view from above: Taken with a camera drone, this view of Hancock Springs provides a panoramic landscape of the springs, the Hostess House and surrounding park. AT LEFT: People enjoy a warm afternoon alongside the pool.

If you go Hancock Springs Free Flow Swim Area at the intersection of Plum Street and U.S 281, across the street from a barbecue restaurant.

Open Memorial Day weekend through the last weekend in August; ThursdaySaturday noon to 7 p.m.; Sunday 1 to 6 p.m. Closed Monday-Wednesday.

Admission is $2.50 children, $3.50 adults. A season family pass is $125. compared favorably to Balmorhea State Park in West Texas and Austin’s famed watering hole, Barton Springs. Tower and others say people from across Central Texas trek to Lampasas for the quiet family atmosphere at Hancock Springs. That would include a traveler

who had bypassed the pool so many times that curiosity eventually took hold and he stopped. With nothing to wear but a pair of sweat pants he took the plunge.

Leah Snell said with a laugh: “At least he got to find out how cold it is.”

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ADVERTISERS INDEX AFC Urgent Care............................................................................. 7 Affordable Insurance...................................................................... 49 Bell Air Conditioning..................................................................... 29 Bell County Museum...................................................................... 27 Bell County Women’s Bar Association...........................................61 Belton Metal Mart.......................................................................... 29 CCA Bartlett State Prison.............................................................. 57 Central Texas College..................................................................... 49 Curtis Cook Residential Designs................................................... 19 Dermatology Associates.................................................................. 47 Devereaux’s Jewelers....................................................................... 10 Documaxx/Document Solutions................................................... 25 Dr. Dave Webster.............................................................................. 5 Dr. J. Phillip Davis............................................................................ 9 Dr. Shelley Gieble/Healthy Success............................................... 27 Ellis Air Systems.............................................................................. 26 English Maids................................................................................. 10 Extraco...............................................................................Back cover Gift City Hats................................................................................. 57 Hallmark Service Company............................................................ 19 Hillside Medical Lodge................................................................... 45 James Hardie................................................................................... 29 Killeen Overhead Doors................................................................... 7 Lastovica.......................................................................................... 19 Lochridge Priest......................................................Inside front cover Lone Star Ag Credit ...................................................................... 45 LULAC Council 4535...................................................................... 5 Metroplex Health System................................................................. 3 My Cloud Therapy.......................................................................... 45 The Real Texas Gun Show............................................................. 24 Scotts Lawn Care............................................................................ 45 Seton Medical Center............................................. Inside back cover Shoppes on Main............................................................................ 53 Solar Centex................................................................................... 65 Temple Daily Telegram Bridal Showcase........................................ 65 Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum........................................... 53 Texas Farm Bureau........................................................................... 5 Texas Ranger Hall of Fame..............................................................61 Truecore...........................................................................................61 Union State Bank........................................................................... 27 Wisener’s Auto Clinic...................................................................... 7 The Advertisers Index is published for reader convenience. Every effort is made to list information correctly. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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TexTherapy

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put together.”

–John Burroughs

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