Features

The Wimberley Community Chorus teamed up with the Hill Country Band for the fifth annual Hometown Patriotic Concert at the First Baptist Church in Wimberley. Directed by Charles Flores for the chorus, James Malik for the band and accompanied by pianist Stephen McElroy, the groups preformed patriotic and American selections like “I hear America Singing,” “Hymn to the Fallen” and “Festival of Freedom.“

If you have been living in Wimberley for any length of time, the name Chef Jay is usually associated with helping feed those who are in need, whether it was during the devastating floods of ’15 or in other places hit by tornadoes like Dallas around the Christmas holidays. If he can get there, he’ll help.

Chef Jay’s Events has been catering all types of events like weddings, and banquets for a while. But now he’s ecstatic that he has his own place to serve lunch across from Eagle Rock right on the Cypress Creek. 

Bachman’s story is pretty interesting in itself. He started his culinary career in Grapevine, Texas at a Macaroni Grill as a singing waiter after graduating from high school. After two weeks he realized that was not for him. 

Terri Hendrix is a pioneering independent Texas songwriter who spins sorrow into joy and wrings wisdom from the blues with a poetic grace and engaging melodic flair that has endeared her to three generations of loyal fans around the globe. Recently recognized by “Acoustic Guitar” Magazine as one of Texas’ 20 “essential” singer-songwriters, Hendrix has dodged musical pigeonholes her entire career by weaving folk, pop, country, blues and swinging jazz into an eclectic style all her own. That mix, combined with her warm stage presence and serious chops as a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, and harmonica) and classically trained vocalist, makes for a highly energetic and spiritually uplifting live show in any setting, from intimate listening rooms and theaters to outdoor festivals.

The Wimberley Players is a major force in the area for providing live theatre right on Old Kyle Road. Musicals, drama and comedy plays; the list go on for well-produced, well-acted productions. 

However, the main project recently completed has nothing to do with live theatre – and everything to do with it at the same time.  A brand new garden has just been completed, sprucing up the whole Wimberley Players Theater, inside and out. 

The whole community had a part of the project. The city of Wimberley made things safer with providing a sidewalk in front of the grounds. Speaking of grounds, the new gardens in front of the building add a touch of class. 

Swamp fever swept across the rapt audience Saturday night as the mega-talented acting troupe and ensemble, portraying an eccentric cast of displaced fairytale characters, delivered Shrek: The Musical at the scenic EmilyAnn Theatre & Gardens.

The spellbinding performance tugged at attendees’ hearts as the troupe evoked tears and non-stop laughter from people of all ages.

The gifted actors, with years of experience, boundless energy and natural ability among them, seamlessly embodied their big-hearted, whimsical characters and eloquently recited their lines while precisely hitting the high notes in the beloved songs they performed in Acts I and II. Their voices never once quavered as they sang and acted to deliver a solid, mesmerizing performance.

Every year, thousands of individuals transition from high school students to high school graduates to college freshmen. They leave the comfort of home to chase intellectual development and self-growth at higher institutions. Some plan to escape the environment in which they were raised, while others simply wish to pursue new adventures elsewhere. Whatever their reasons for leaving, they must all return home in May when their first year  comes to a close. 

Last month, graduates from the Wimberley High School Class of 2015 returned to Wimberley for the first time after the completion of their freshman years at college. WHS alumni Brandon Bakka and Mary Floreani have returned for the summer and may have a new outlook on the “little bit of heaven” that they left in the fall.

Many of Richard Mason’s photos swirled around social media in the days following the flood. They capture the essence of Wimberley’s life as it was during and after last year’s floods.

Those photos, of both the Memorial Weekend Flood and the Halloween Flood, have now been memorialized in a 95-page, 15-inch-by-11.5-inch, coffee-table book called Wimberley Floods 2015. 

According to Linda Eagleton, Wimberley Village Library Reference Librarian, Richard Mason’s Wimberley Floods 2015 book “is an amazing and invaluable addition to the library’s collection.”

Mason donated a copy of the new book to the Wimberley Village Library. Below are his thoughts and the inspiration behind the book. 

There are 22 names on the Hays County Veterans Memorial wall of those killed in action in Vietnam.  They are also listed on the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. where a project is underway to collect at least one picture of each service member killed during the war on a separate memorial that will also include other mementos left at the wall and a brief bio on each. As 2015 began, there were still five local veterans for whom no pictures had been found.

Janna Hoehn of Hawaii has made it her mission to help find the missing pictures from across the country. With the help of Chapter 923 of the Vietnam Veterans of America here in San Marcos, one area she concentrated on was finding those last five missing from Hays County.

When you hear that newspapers are dying, don’t believe it! Getting local news is more alive than ever, not just in the Wimberley View. It also happens in Jacob’s Well Elementary School and it all started this year in Dene Burttschell, Cheryl Latchford and Brad Wubbena’s fifth grade Gifted and Talented classes.

With a help of a few parents, Marnie Moore and Shana Watson, the students decided in October to publish a newspaper after brainstorming with Principal Andrea Gonzales. The teachers quickly embraced the idea, and the students were came up with the name, The Well and decided to publish one a month. 

A different student editor would be in charge of the monthly newspaper and then the students decided what type of articles they would put in it. One of the major points of a newspaper is “know your audience” and they understood the premise.

A Jacob’s Well Elementary student had her arm outstretched into the hallway as Wimberley High School seniors walked by in cap and gown.

One of the seniors reached out and gave her a high-five.

“She touched my hand!” the elementary school student shouted in excitement.

The senior kept walking, amazed at how excited the young students were to see them.

“They are like rock stars today,” Wimberley High School Principal Jason Valentine said.

It was easy to see the benefits of Wimberley’s newest tradition. It was local seniors setting an example for Wimberley’s youth saying “one day, you too will be here.”