APRIL 2017
your local Design Build Firm servicing the greater Boerne and Texas Hill Country, as well as North San Antonio.
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Other Features:
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Stop in and see us, our associates are ready to assist you. 3 2 2 5 5 I H 1 0 Wes t , B oer n e, TX 78006 | Tel : 830. 816. 3200 | Fax: 830.249.3090 w w w.acaci al an d s cap ean dd es i gn . com
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FORMERLY
SAME STYLISTS. SAME AMENITIES. SAME IMPECCABLE SERVICE NEW NAME.
SPRING 2017 - NEXT TO LA GLORIA BOERNE LOCATION :: 930 E. BLANCO, BOERNE TX :: 830.443.4500
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CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marjorie Hagy History Marjorie is a bibliophile, a history nut and an insomniac, among several other conditions, both diagnosed and otherwise. When she's not working tirelessly to avoid getting a real job, she nurses an obsession with her grandson and is involved in passing legislation restricting the wearing of socks with sandals. She is an aspiring pet hoarder who enjoys vicious games of Scrabble, reading Agatha Christie, and sitting around doing nothing while claiming to be thinking deeply. Marjorie has five grown children, a poodle to whom she is inordinately devoted in spite of his breath, and holds an Explore record for never having submitted an article on time. She's been writing for us for five years now.
Kendall D. Aaron Spiritual I’m just a normal guy. I’m not a theology student, I don’t preach in church, and I’ve never written a book. I’m just a normal guy that thinks, and feels, and is on a never-ending journey attempting to be the best person I can be. I fail frequently at this quest, yet each day, the quest continues. I’ve lived in Boerne since the late ‘80s, I’ve got a most beautiful wife, three wonderful children, and just really, really love God. Thanks for going on my spiritual journey with me.
Old Timer Just Old Timer
12 From The Publisher
30 Coffee
16 Calendar
32 Parade of Artists
20 Art of Transition
36 Spiritual
24 History
40 Good Vibes
Operations Manager Peggy Schooley peggy@smvtexas.vom Publisher Benjamin D. Schooley ben@hillcountryexplore.com
10 | EXPLORE
Creative Director Benjamin N. Weber ben.weber@smvtexas.com
The Old Timer tells us he's been a resident of Boerne since about 1965. He enjoys telling people what he doesn't like. When not bust'n punks he can be found feeding the ducks just off Main St. or wandering aimlessly in the newly expanded HEB. Despite his rough and sometimes brash persona, Old Timer is really a wise and thoughtful individual. If you can sort through the BS.
ADVERTISING SALES 210-507-5250 sales@hillcountryexplore.com
EXPLORE magazine is published by Schooley Media Ventures in Boerne, TX. EXPLORE Magazine and Schooley Media Ventures are not responsible for any inaccuracies, erroneous information, or typographical errors contained in this publication submitted by advertisers. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of EXPLORE and/or Schooley Media Ventures. Copyright 2016 Schooley Media Ventures, 930 E. Blanco, Ste. 200, Boerne, TX 78006
DEAREST EXPLORE READER, Rene Lima-Marin was a 19 year old thug in 1998 when he and a buddy robbed a video store outside of Denver, Colorado. They were of course picked up quickly, and being poor dumb black kids, they were hit with a variety of trumped up charges despite the fact that nobody was hurt in the robbery and the guns used in the crime were actually without ammo, as Lima-Marin admitted that he couldn’t afford bullets. After a brief trial, they were each sentenced to 98 years in prison. Essentially, a death sentence. In 2008, a clerk at the prison accidentally counted his eight sentences concurrently instead of consecutively, so he was released. Lima-Marin asked no questions, and simply told his friends that his prayers had been answered. He complied with the terms of his parole for the next five years, got a job and was promoted multiple times while learning a trade, got married, and raised two sons in a home that he bought. He coached his boys’ sports teams, joined a church, and focused on building a life away from the prison that he had spent a decade. Days, weeks, and eventually 5 years passed as Lima-Marin grew further and further away from the man that he once was. As you might have guessed, the State eventually caught their error, quickly picked him up, and tossed him back in his cell. Multiple hearings are looming, as of course Lima-Marin is claiming that he is a changed man and doesn’t deserve the sentence, and an embarrassed prosecutor is out there making passionate arguments about the reverence of our justice system and about how it must be served as ordered. Picket lines are outside the jail chanting for his release, and a judge is sitting somewhere having to consider it all. In the mean-time, Lima-Marin watches the days pass through bars. This may or may not surprise you, but there are a lot of stories out there like this. Stories of men and women that committed crimes, and then had an opportunity to turn their lives around….and did so. One of my favorites was of Michael Anderson, who was given 13 years for an armed robbery of a Burger King. Upon conviction, he appealed while out on bond and through a wild series of clerical errors and miscommunications, the State thought he was already in prison. So they never told him to go to jail. In fact, nobody ever said anything to him about his conviction and sentence. So he got married. And had children. Started a business. He even voted with his real address. He said to his wife that “I guess that they just wiped the slate clean.” 13 years later (as his original sentence should be ending), the State discovered their error and arrested him. In this instance, however, the Judge ruled that he was a changed man and with a bang of the gavel, he was set free.
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I’m not sure why, but stories such as these just fascinate me. They are real life movie scripts with villains, and crimes, and changing hearts. They are of people that taste freedom, and realize its value. They tell stories of redemption, and who doesn’t want to root for the underdog? They force people to consider the PERSON and focus less on the crime. They are stories of the human spirit and remind us that we are all the same. I’m not sure that I like the way our justice system operates. It’s run by PEOPLE, and people do stupid things and I think that our justice system has a lot of stupid parts to it. Like sentencing 19 year old kids to 98 year prison sentences for robbing a Blockbuster on a Tuesday night with an unloaded gun. These are death sentences, and I think that we should value life more than that. But we don’t. Sometimes when I’m having coffee outside the Boerne Grill, I people-watch. And sometimes while I’m people-watching I think about people and their pasts. I wonder how many of them have committed crimes, and yet are currently very important bankers while climbing into their BMWs. I wonder about their lives and I daydream about the people that they became despite errors that they have made in their lives. I think about what the extremely fashionable man in tailored clothes would look like in jail scrubs. During these times, I think I conclude that we are all criminals to varying degrees. That’s not a pleasant thing to consider or admit, but with as many laws as we have on the books nowadays, I’m pretty confident in my assessment. There’s a lawyer, Harvey Silverglate, that wrote a book entitled “Three Felonies a Day”. He opines that a runof-the-mill American actually commits three felonies in the course of an average day without knowing it. He goes on to explain that our laws are written in such convoluted ways, and can be entwined with other statutes and laws to make it so that the most innocent of “crimes” can be prosecuted as a felony. It is in these ways that 19 year old thugs get 98 year sentences. (Our friend LimaMarin wasn’t charged with one count of robbery. He was charged with one count of robbery for every person in the building.) People don’t like to consider themselves “criminals” and rightfully so. However, some honesty would probably reveal that you have, in fact, committed crimes in your life. I could probably be locked up pretty easy. Not because I’m actively committing crimes, but because I have before. Just like you. I can think back to younger days, and I can remember some amazingly stupid stunts I have pulled when I was a 19 year old, and how the right circumstances could have elevated a stupid stunt to a serious felony. And according to the law, I would deserve the punishment. But I have gone on to earn a couple of degrees. Have 3 beautiful children. Join a church, and start some small businesses and only occasionally annoy our local government officials with the printing of Old Timer articles. From most accounts, I’ve lived a pretty normal life as an active member of a community.
So am I a changed man? Or was I never really “bad”? Would prison rehabilitate me, or would it have made me worse? Am I any better than the kid sitting in jail right now for doing something stupid and getting caught up in a serious criminal charge? This world has so much life in it. So many opportunities to experience, and engage, and to make a difference. Heck, Some of Jesus’ strongest followers were criminals, yet they broke away from those lives to accomplish the amazing. I’m a lover of PEOPLE, as they unendingly fascinate me. From the good to the bad, people have eternally both inspired and terrified us all. I suppose that the entire point to this little ramble is this: I wish that there was a way for us to choose mercy in the ways that we seek justice, even for those that don’t “deserve” it. I wish that we could take stupid 19 year olds and instead of a death sentence via 98 year lock-ups, we could give them the opportunity to try again. I am so lucky that God was merciful on me and kept me out of trouble, but many aren’t as fortunate. Since you’re a criminal, and I’m a criminal too, I say that we launch a revolution on our justice system. Maybe we could be like Portugal, which decriminalized drugs, and instead, they send you to rehab and then you’re free. They figure that once you’re free of drug addiction, you’re free of drug crimes as well. I like that. Here in the States if you get caught with the right amount of drugs, prepare for a life sentence. That hurts my heart. It hurts my heart even worse that there’s a 70 year old sitting in a jail cell with a death sentence for something he did when he was 19. And all I can do about it is say that it hurts my heart. He’s staring down the gallows and I’m sipping coffee lamenting his cause. God help us. Maybe it’s all about the fact that I know we’re all sinners, and that I’m no better than the guy on death row. I just played my situation a little different. I know that justice is necessary in this world, but I also know that mercy needs to find a greater role. And compassion. And second chances. And freedom. And the absolute highest appreciation for…each other. Welcome to April. Spring has sprung and life begins anew. May you sip coffee, people-watch, EXPLORE your heart, and smile at all those fellow criminals out there. Like me. Smiling, Benjamin D. Schooley
ben@hillcountryexplore.com
Authentic
W E ARE
5 1 8 R i v e r R o a d | B o e r n e , T X | w w w. l i t t l e g r e t e l . c o m | 8 3 0 - 3 3 1 - 1 3 6 8
Want to retire & stay retired? Free dinner. Priceless education. If you are retired or approaching retirement come learn about retirement strategies & enjoy a complimentary gourmet meal. RSVP at 210-642-0401. Space is limited.
April 4 & 5 Bob’s Steak & Chop House
April 18 & 19 Kirby’s Steakhouse
April 25 & 26 Fleming’s @ The Quarry
Can’t make any of those dates? Call us to RSVP for other upcoming dinners. Texas License Number 1490984 “A licensed insurance agent may contact you. All reservations are subject to qualification. Agents, brokers and children are not permitted to attend. RSVP is required. This specialized retirement event is intended for those age 40 and older. Not endorsed by or affiliated with any governmental entity.”
507 E. Blanco Rd. | Boerne, TX | 210-642-0401
AREA EVENTS
Get out and enjoy the great Texas Hill Country!
The most comprehensive events calendar. Send submissions to info@hillcountryexplore.com
April 15-16 Old Gruene Market Days Features more than 100 artisans offering handmade items such as packaged Texas foods. Event includes live entertainment, specialty shopping, wine tasting, unique dining and river rides. Gruene Historic District. gruenemarketdays.com April 20 Come and Taste It A featured winemaker showcases three of its newest released, top-selling or hardest-tofind wines, alongside a craft brew hand-picked by The Grapevine staff. The complimentary tastings are held on the patio and garden. Samples of food that is offered for sale will be provided, and each event features live music and prize giveaways. The Grapevine, 1612 Hunter Road. grapevineingruene.com KERRVILLE April 1 Kerr County Market Days An indoor marketplace has vendors with original handcrafted goods, artwork, and home-grown plants and produce. Pets on a leash are welcome. Kerr County Hill Country Youth Event Center, 3785 Texas 27. kerrmarketdays.org
BLANCO April 1 Twin Sisters Dance Monthly old-fashioned dance in a more than 100-year-old country dance hall. Twin Sisters Dance Hall, South of Blanco on U.S. 281. twinsistersdancehall.com BOERNE April 1 Cibolo Nature Center’s “Mostly Native Plant” Sale Now in its 27th year, the sale features native and tried-andtrue Hill Country plants. Meet expert growers and learn from informal presentations and demonstrations throughout the day. Kendall County Fairgrounds, 1307 River Road. visitboerne.org April 1, 15 Hot Rod Night Hot Rod Saturday Nights are reminiscent of old-fashioned Americana street parties—a gathering place for old and new friends. Loyd Bonham Band performs April 1, while C-Rock band performs April 15. Soda Pops, 103 N. Main St. sodapopsboerne.com April 2 Jump In Main Plaza is filled with inflatables for children of all ages for Nineteen:Ten Church’s annual event. Enjoy mini-moon bounces for the little ones and giant obstacle courses for the older children and parents. Main Plaza, 100 N. Main St. visitboerne.org April 7 “Taj Express—The Bollywood Musical Revue” Enjoy this live cinematic journey through modern Indian culture and society. The production is a high-energy celebration of India’s new pop music, Bollywood culture and deep traditions featuring colorful costumes, joyful dance and live music. Champion High School Auditorium, 201 Charger Blvd. visitboerne.org April 8-9 21st Annual Parade of Artists Art Show & Sale Free to the public. Tour art galleries in beautiful downtown Boerne. Saturday the 8th from 10am-8pm. Sunday the 9th 10am - 3pm. www.boerneprofessionalartists.com April 8-9 Market Days Since 1850, Main Plaza has been a center point of trade for the people of Boerne. On the second weekend of every month, enjoy a magical outdoor market that blends the traditions of the Texas Hill Country with the creations of today’s culture. Also includes delicious food. Main Plaza, 100 N. Main St. visitboerne.org April 8 Second Saturday Art and Wine Participating galleries go all out each month with complimentary beverages and a variety of hors d’oeuvres along with fantastic art. Travel to each gallery in the downtown area on foot or on the Shabby Bus. Various locations. visitboerne.org April 22 Open Car Show The Texas Corvette Association’s 25th annual event is expected to draw more than 350 entrants and hundreds of car enthusiasts. What began so long ago as a one-day car show now comprises an entire weekend filled with activities for the entire family. This free event is open to all types of vehicles and offers something for everyone. Hill Country Mile, Downtown. visitboerne.org
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April 27 A Thirst for Nature Join the Cibolo Nature Center and their team of experts for an evening of themed cocktails and educational programs. Many of these monthly programs incorporate guided tours in the park to see the subject of the program in real life. Cibolo Nature Center, 140 City Park Road. visitboerne.org BULVERDE April 27-May 13 “The 1940s Radio Hour” This musical comedy by Walton Jones tells the story of a live radio broadcast about a harassed producer coping with an unusual cast of performers recording the show for the troops overseas. S.T.A.G.E., 1300 Bulverde Road. stagebulverde.org COMFORT April 29 2nd Annual Pet Fest Come support the Kendall Co. Animal Shelter. Fun for the whole family, including the dog. Food, games, vendors, pet costume contest and more. Come tour the new facility locate at 702 FM 289 in Comfort. Free t-shirts while supplies last. DRIPPING SPRINGS April 21-23 Founders Day Festival This annual threeday festival honors and celebrates the founding of the Dripping Springs community in 1850. Includes free music and entertainment on two stages, the Mighty Thomas Carnival, food, beer, street dances, cook-off competitions and more than 150 arts and crafts booths and business vendors. Downtown Dripping Springs, Mercer Street. cityofdrippingsprings.com FREDERICKSBURG April 8-9 WWII Pacific Combat Program Brings history to life with equipment and weapons used during WWII and a battle re-enactment set on an island in the Pacific. Pacific Combat Zone, National Museum of the Pacific War, 340 E. Main St. pacificwarmuseum.org April 8-9 Waltstock and Barrel Wine and Music Festival This year’s music, wine and craft beer festival features headliner Walt Wilkins, as well as artists and food trucks on site. Texas Wine Country Jellystone Park Camp-Resort, 10618 U.S. 290. waltstockandbarrel.com April 14-16 Trade Days Shop with over 450 vendors or relax in the Biergarten while listening to live music. Sunday Farms, 355 Sunday Farms Lane. fbgtradedays.com GRUENE April 9 Gospel Brunch with a Texas Twist In the tradition of a New Orleans-style gospel brunch, this event serves awe-inspiring gospel music coupled with a mouth-watering buffet, catered by the Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road. gruenehall.com
April 14-16 Easter Hill Country Bike Tour Quiet, well-paved roads, fully-stocked rest stops and panoramic scenery have made this tour one of the premier cycling events in Texas, with routes suitable for all categories of participants— from novices to experienced riders. Y.O. Ranch Hotel and Conference Center, 2033 Sidney Baker St. ehct.com April 15 Here’s to the Heroes Easterfest and Cook-Off This fun-filled free community event includes a barbecue and chili cook-off, games, vendors, live music, washer-pitching tournament, Easter egg hunt, and open car and bike show. Flat Rock Lake Park, 3840 Riverside Dr. kerrvilletx.com April 22-23 Texas Gun and Knife Show Show includes new and used guns, knives, gold and silver coins, jewelry, camping gear, military supplies and several businesses under one roof. Kerr County Hill Country Youth Event Center, 3785 Texas 27. texasgunandknifeshows.com MARBLE FALLS April 21-23 Balcones Songbird Festival This event encourages the preservation of critical habitat through educational tours, exhibits and children’s activities that provide opportunities to experience the animals, plants and habitats of the Texas Hill Country. Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, 24518 F.M. 1431. balconessongbirdfestival.org NEW BRAUNFELS April 8-9 Folkfest This annual family heritage festival features living history re-enactments, pioneer-craft demonstrations, free museum tours, children’s activities, musical entertainment and delicious food. The historic Kindermasken Parade, dating back to the founding of New Braunfels, is held in conjunction with this event. Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture, 1370 Churchill Dr. nbheritagevillage.com April 28-30 Crawfest Features four stages filled with live music, a battle for gumbo championship, 5K dash, arts and crafts market, and more than 10,000 pounds of crawfish. Comal County Fairgrounds, 701 E. Common St. comalcountyfair.org WIMBERLEY April 9 Starlight Symphony Orchestra Concert: “Shapes” The two winners of the 2016 Young Artist Solo Competition—violinists Lillian Sun and Sophia Ayer—will perform. First Baptist Church, 15951 Winters Mill Pkwy. starlightsymphony.org April 22-23 Arts Fest As many as 100 juried artists will display their work along the beautiful Blanco River at The Waters Point. Live music, food trucks, beer and wine. The Waters Point, 13401 R.M. 12. thewaterspoint.com April 22 Butterfly Festival Celebrate Earth Day at this free festival, which includes a live release of butterflies throughout the day, a flag raising ceremony, a commemorative Air Force flyover, butterfly art, entertainment, concessions, games and more. EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens, 1101 F.M. 2325. emilyann.org
Celeste and Gunner
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18 | EXPLORE
F A M I LY
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R E A L E S TAT E
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BUSINESS
706 E. BLANCO, SUITE 200 | BOERNE, TEXAS 78006 | O: (830) 249-3559 | F: (830) 214-2181
H
ART OF TRANSITION Hunter Beaton is not your stereotypical 16 year old teenager at Boerne High School, obsessed with cars, girls, and counting the seconds until he can leave town for college. Instead, he’s a thoughtful, compassionate and focused young man that has some pretty high aspirations…for himself and others.
Upon first meeting Hunter, you are struck very quickly by his poise, intelligence, and focus. As he begins to explain the work he has done, you find it not very surprising that this kid is capable of virtually anything he puts his mind to. Hunter begins, “My family has taken in foster kids before. 3 of those kids are now adopted by my family. When they arrived in our home, all of their earthly belongings were in trash bags, or literally nothing at all…simply dumped on the floor.” Knowing that he had his Eagle Scout project looming, Hunter saw an opportunity. “I guess you could call it a charitable project. I needed to develop a project, and normally they do a building project. So when it became time for my Eagle Scout project, I thought, ‘Why not tackle this and provide them with a proper bag?’” And just like that, Hunter began working with local churches, various online sites, and within a short period of time, he delivered 100 bags to the Kendall County Welfare Board, who then began using them for each of their foster children. However, with his Eagle Scout project complete, Hunter saw that the program could quickly disappear. “After I got my Eagle Scout, I told my parents that these bags would probably be gone soon so I wanted to establish a way for these counties to make a sustainable bag project and to keep them continually for kids being placed.” Thus began “Hunter’s Bags” – a program which quickly expanded to Kerr, Gillespie, Bandera, and Kendall counties. Hunter taught each county how they can buy the bags inexpensively, and how they could work with manufacturers to keep the program operating annually. At last count, there were more than 17,000 Hunter’s Bags for foster children throughout our area.
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Quickly Bexar County jumped on board, which then took Hunter to the State level and now the entire State of Texas is participating in the program. A complimentary program, One Simple Wish, based in New Jersey is also participating now. They include a card in each Hunter’s Bags that allows the child to make a “wish” for an item (a bike, laptop, etc) and the program works to find a donor. This collaboration has caught the attention of other foster care entities, and Hunter is now working to take his program nationwide. Hunter finishes, “My folks were always focused on the child, and I just thought that it was weird that these kids were showing up with virtually nothing. I was only 6 when we started adopting foster kids, but I can remember that it confused me that I had so much, and they had so little. Why should these kids have so less than I? I felt called that I could bring the knowledge that they aren’t trash…they have worth…and they have their items and I didn’t want them to experience such big transitions without such a simple thing.” A sophomore at Boerne High School, he has equally large plans for after graduation in 2019. He dreams of going to Notre Dame as a PreMed student and to ultimately specialize in… (you guessed it)… Pediatrics. If you’d like to donate to Hunter’s Bags, email Hunter at beatonh01@gmail.com
WWW.HILLCOUNTRYEXPLORE.COM | APRIL 2017
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BROUGHT TO LIGHT: PART 2 By Marjorie Hagy
L 24 | EXPLORE
Last month we left the Insall family hanging, Richard, the patriarch, having just been cleared of a charge of treason- possibly for acting as a Confederate spy- and right back in the army while his wife Caroline was back home at the family seat in Lavaca County having and raising her kids. If you missed the first part of our saga and want to catch up, you can do all that at hillcountryexplore.com under the archives tab, and meanwhile I’ll catch you up a bit right now. Richard was a wanderer from Louisiana, we learned, and had spent his professional life gypsying around and dabbling in land speculation, some of which flew pretty close to the wind, legally and ethically.
He’d married a neighbor by name of Caroline Keller, and they’d had a daughter, Alzenith, when Richard got another of his famous wild hairs, took the fam and lit out for Harrisburg, Texas (a place soon to be absorbed by what my grandmother, a transplanted Houstonian, used to call Heavenly Houston.) The first Caroline Insall didn’t find it so heavenly, though, and after eight months she took her baby, made like a banana and split. Back home she told everybody her husband was dead in order to avoid the stigma of divorce, and Richard went on doing whatever he did, and eventually landed in Hallettsville. There he met and married another Caroline, this time of the Mims family of Lavaca County, they started having babies post haste, and then Richard went off to fight for the bad guys in the Civil War where he was almost immediately slapped with a treason charge, of which he was later acquitted, and then it was back to the war for him. Can you believe I said that all in one breath? And that’s where we left him, sick and miserable and at forty-eight years old, too old for the mess of war- and on the march with the Confederate army somewhere in Texas. Fifty-eight years later, an ancient Caroline Mims Insall would sit down with a reporter for the San Antonio Light newspaper and tell her story about coming to Texas from Alabama and her family’s hardscrabble life in, reportedly, the oldest cabin in Kendall County, in a bend of the Guadalupe way out in the middle of nowhere, and that’s where we come across her. Only- well, Caroline, who didn’t get a “bored well” until 1900 and up to that point had to haul every drop of water up a bluff from the Guadalupe River- she could never have foreseen such a thing as the internet, or the 6th floor of the San Antonio Central Library, or that all of her carefully guarded secrets would ever be out there just waiting for someone to happen upon them. A heaping portion of what she divulged in that newspaper article was a deliberately constructed fable, carefully managed in order to shroud the skeleton hiding in the tiny cabin and which was wholly capable at any time during Richard Insall’s life of suddenly gathering flesh and life unto itself and coming back to Insall Bottoms to seek its vengeance. Now, Mrs Caroline Insall nee Mims was blessed (or burdened, or possibly a little of both), with a surfeit of siblings and all their husbands and wives and kids and the whole entourage that goes with an enormous family. Caroline, like her husband Richard, was one of ten children, and most of them stuck around and settled near the home place in Lavaca County, so when one of Caroline’s sons referred to that part of the world as “Mims territory” he wasn’t just whistling Dixie. One of Caroline’s sisters, a certain Marilda Mims, was first married to a guy named Charles Chambers, who was an assistant marshal and constable at various times, and who may have been murdered (I’m looking into it)- at any rate he died, leaving behind what one contemporary report called his “relic”, which is an old word they used to use in obituaries to refer to the widow, meaning “a surviving memorial of something past.” I include that snippet of information free of charge, because I think it’s interesting. Anyhoo, Marilda Mims Chambers next married a fella by name of William McGathey (or McGahe), who may have been a whole ‘nother ball of wax from her first husband, the
upstanding lawman, just based on one little glimpse of Mr McGathey at a fateful moment in his life. It seems that while they were all living in their hometown of Hallettsville, McGathey borrowed either a hoe or a “plough” off his sister-in-law Caroline Mims Insall, and when it came time for him to give it back so that Caroline could hoe or plow her own corn crop, William flat refused. At least that’s the story. Furthermore, when Caroline marched over there to take the thing back, a huge argument erupted and it ended in brother-in-law William striking Caroline and knocking her to the ground. Oh no he didn’t! Yes, he did. And it would cost him. Richard Insall, away somewhere waging his “wore” (which is what he termed it in a letter home; Richard was a lot of different things but champion of the spelling bee doesn’t seem to have been one of his accomplishments), got wind of what had happened back home. Perhaps his wife wrote and told him what went down, or, more likely, Caroline’s brother Henry Mims, a big running buddy of Richard’s and with whom Richard spent some time in the army, was the informant, but no matter how Richard found out, find out he did. And he was mad. He immediately took a furlough- family historian Shirley Pieratt suggested it was more likely that Richard granted himself the furlough and went AWOL- and hot-footed it straight back to Mims territory, looking for William McGathey. And found him, on a moonlit March night in 1864. McGathey and his wife were reportedly “going to preachin’,” when McGathey showed up in one Thomas Bullock’s horse lot to water his horse. Marilda was with him at the water trough when a shot from outside the lot hit her husband in the back and dropped him to his knees. Confused, Marilda took a step in the direction of the shot, and it was then that she saw her sister’s husband, “saw him plain...saw Insall half-bent looking under the sides of the fence; the moon shone full in his face.” (Another Mims sister, a Mrs Brooks, would contradict Marilda during Insall’s “examining trial”, which must’ve been something like a grand jury hearing. Mrs Brooks said that Marlida told her, the morning after the shooting, that she’d seen the shooter “running through the adjoining lot,” and that “she knew Insall by his clothes and hat.” Marilda Mims McGathey responded that she’d only said that because she was afraid of her brother-inlaw (with very good reason, it would seem) and didn’t trust her sister Malinda not to tell him what she’d said. Richard Insall was arrested for the murder of William McGathey, thrown into jail, and was finally released on ten thousand dollars bond- payable in Confederate moneyon the first anniversary of the murder,. “No one now living,” quoth author and Insall descendant Pieratt, “whether Richard had reason for shooting McGathey other than avenging Caroline’s honor. In those days a woman’s honor was sufficient motive for a duel in the Old South. But in Texas,” she added, “murder was safer and simpler.” And at any rate, Richard didn’t plan to be around to be convicted and hanged for it. Lawyers would soon argue that the bail wasn’t binding anyway, since it had been paid in Confederate scrip which, at the time bond was
posted, a month before the end of the Civil War, was worthless anyway. How that argument fared is anyone’s guess- what’s worth noting is that nobody was saying Richard hadn’t done the murder. They were merely pressing a technicality. And whether or not his bond was binding or legal or anything else, Richard wasn’t waiting around to see how it all came out. He went home, grabbed his wife and their kids and whatever would fit in a wagon and could be packed in a hurry, and got the hell out of Dodge. They left behind everything they owned besides the clothes on their backs, pretty much, even forfeiting some land they owned in Lavaca County, and literally fled under cover of darkness. It was the last either of them would ever see of Caroline’s hometown- of Mims territory- and the beginning of their life on the lam. Said Shirley Pieratt: “Richard Insall, boldest and most impulsive of the Insall clan, was now a fugitive in fear for his life.” Fifty-eight years later, a ninety-one year old Caroline Insall spun a tale for her interviewer that skimmed right over that pivotal event in the family’s fate. With a straight face told him all about she & Richard’s journey to Texas from Bridgeport, Alabama, a treacherous trip over water through Mobile and New Orleans, over the Gulf of Mexico to Indianola, with a herd of fifty-three “good, fat hogs” and their children, a dangerous, treacherous trip, fraught with peril. It was all a lie. It was all part of a sixty-year cover-up of Richard’s ambush and shootingin-the-back of his brother-in-law back in Hallettsville, and yet fifty years after his death, she still faithfully repeated the myth the two had crafted to cover Richard’s tracks and save him from the noose. You can almost see that family skeleton peering out a window of the cabin, over the old lady’s shoulder as she rocked on her porch so far from where she’d started, and hear Caroline sigh with resignation, knowing without looking that he was back there, never forgetting he lived with them, had for fifty years. That trip Caroline described for the reporter had actually happened- it had happened to her own parents when they’d come from Alabama to Texas, when Caroline was an eight year-old child in that boat on the shark-infested Gulf of Mexico, but it hadn’t been her story, nor Richard’s. Later on, the birth certificates of the youngest of the Insall children, even their death certificates, listed Richard’s place of birth as Bridgeport, Alabama. It was a false narrative that would reach down through the decades far into the future, through a century and more. On the run, the Insall family- the two parents and four children, ranging in age from a year old on up to twelve or so- travelled in a pair of oxcarts, Richard driving one team of oxen while they “hired an old man to come with us and drive the other,” according to Mrs Insall. “Of course,” she noted, “I could have done it myself, but I never had done much rough work up to that time, and we didn’t know then, that I could drive an ox team all day, and cook and take care of the children at night.” She was no shrinking violet, our Caroline, but if there was one thing that did scare her it was Indians. “We camped out at night,” she recalled when she was ninety-one. “We would stop by the side of the road- when there was a road- to cook our supper, and we’d cook it with just as little fire as I could manage with, because the country was
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full of Indians and we were afraid to let them see our smoke. After we had eaten we would go way in among the trees as far away from the road as we could get, hiding from the Indians, and try to sleep where they couldn’t find us.” Talk about sleeping with one eye open! “It isn’t as easy to hide nine yolk of oxen, four children, two men and a woman as it sounds,” she went on, I guess in the assumption that anyone reading the story might think the whole thing sounded like a fun-filled lark. One of the Insalls, remember, was only a year old, and if it’s been awhile since you’ve hung around with a one year-old or if you’ve never had that particular pleasure, I can tell you that if the one I live with is anything like the rest of her peer group, they can be loud and restless and squirmy, they don’t mind overly well and they haul off and cry- yea, scream- without any provocation or prior warning. And they do all this wherever and whenever the urge strikes, in church, say, or in the car or in the middle of the night, or even, presumably, while hiding out in the woods from folks who’d just as soon kill you as look at you. I’m gonna say it right here, it actually doesn’t sound easy at all. It sounds like Mrs Insall probably didn’t manage to get a whole lot of shuteye on the trip. Caroline, continued: “We never saw a single Indian on that whole trip, though we were always thinking we heard them, [see the part above about the lack of shuteye] and knew they were very near us.” Yikes. Any rate, the whole crew finally fetched up in Kendall County, and landed at a place described as “three miles, as the crow flies, from Comfort, reached via the Brownsboro road” with “an old Spanish Trace, known as the San Saba road, [passing] two miles east of the cabin.” If that doesn’t lead you right to the spot, it might help to know that this was roughly halfway between Comfort and Waring, tucked into a big bend of the Guadalupe River (right down River Bend Road from today’s James Kiehl River Bend Park), right about at the place where the San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad would build a big trestle bridge over the river along about 1890 or so. The big bridge is still there, and visible from Ranch to Market (RM) road 473 between Sisterdale and Comfort (you can get even closer via River Bend Road). They tried to tear it down after the SA & AP quit running, but the Seidensticker family who have that amazing big 1920s house overlooking the old Insall place on the other side of 473, bought the bridge in order to save it from what some (idiots) call progress. There was an ancient log cabin down there in what would become known as Insall Bottoms- a cabin the SA Light article of 1923 claimed, on unspecified evidence, to be the oldest house in Kendall County- and it was just standing there empty when the Insalls happened upon it.
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All the land down there, including the piece where the old “log-and-stone” cabin stood, was once a part of the old Juan Andres Zambrano tract, a section of the old Spanish Land Grant, but it had changed hands several times and it’s not real clear who owned the place at the time the Insalls got there. Caroline Insall recounted to the San Antonio Light reporter that she and her husband paid fifty bucks for the cabin and the “small fenced-in yard in which it stands”, but this detail is all mixed up with a tale of selling a slave they brought with them from Alabama, where, of course, they hadn’t come from at allanyway, it’s hard now to say what’s actual fact, what’s part of the big cover-up, and what just got muddled up in the fuzzy memories of a very old lady, sixty years after the fact. In 1875, Caroline Mims Insall actually did purchase four hundred and eighty acres at Insall Bottoms, while her son Cade bought four hundred more acres adjoining his mother’s land. What the arrangements were at the time the family first got to the abandoned cabin in 1865 aren’t really known. What is known is that the place was deserted, and that the present owners were either, as Shirley Pieratt put it, “absent or very tolerant, and let the family stay there [either] as renters or squatters.” The SA Light in 1923 described it as “a tiny cabin of five small rooms and a smaller sagging porch and when the family came there in 1858 [it was actually 1865], the logs of which it was originally built were so badly worn and decayed from age that it was necessary to nail roughhewn cypress boards on the outside to prevent its further disintegration.” One of the Insall descendants recalled that the “inside cabin walls were rough split logs chinked with clay,” and that “the kitchen floor was dirt; the bedrooms had wood floors.” Another said that “the house had one big room, a kitchen and a bedroom, and one big vine on the porch.” About the home where she would spend the rest of her long life, Mrs Insall herself reported that “we liked the place right away. Everything was so convenient. We were only about a quarter of a mile straight up the hill from the Guadalupe river, and it wasn’t much trouble to bring all the water we needed up to the house.” Clearly, Caroline had discovered somewhere along the way that she could, indeed, handle the rough work, since she was able to find delight in the new situation in which all she had to do to get ahold of some water was to walk down a sheer cliff to the river and haul buckets of it back up the bluff and then four and a half football field lengths to the house. Easy-peasy. She was happy, too, with the school situation for her kids, with aschool “only four miles away from the house” and taught by a man named Merritt, whom she considered “a mighty good teacher [who] give [sic] the children all the book learning they really needed.” There was a public school at the time
the Insall children were young, the Brownsboro school, which served the river bend folks from 1848 to 1944, but it was only a mile or so from the cabin- but who knows what the roads were like in the old days, the trip might have stretched to four miles or it might’ve just felt like it. The kids all rode a horse to school, “an old gray horse,” according to Caroline, the oldest kid on the front of the horse “and so on, petering on down to Dick- Dick always was the baby- just above the tail. They couldn’t ride very fast ‘count of Dick slipping off in the back.” So with Dick always sliding off the horse’s butt and the nextto-the-last Insall having to haul him back up, the mile or so to the Brownsboro school might well have seemed like four. Or forty. Richard and Caroline and all the kids, “in the summer and all the time they wasn’t in school,” all worked the place together, “hoeing and plowing,” said Caroline, and you’ve gotta wonder whether she ever thought about that hoe or plow or whatever implement it was that had started all their trouble out in Hallettsville and had brought them to this rough new life on the banks of the Guadalupe in the middle of nowhere. It was a spare, hand-to-mouth life there in the river bend; “cotton and corn,” wrote Shirley Pieratt, “a few chickens and a cow or two were their mainstay.” For their staple goods and all those things they couldn’t produce on the homeplace, Insall sons Cade or John had to travel to Comfort, as Richard Insall dare not leave the place for fear of his life and liberty. Still, Caroline said, “things went along pretty good,” in those first years at Insall Bottoms. She allowed as how “the crops was better in those days than they are now, and we was doing fine…” Ah, but in those three dots. Life was about to change out of all knowledge, in that ellipsis, for Caroline and her children, and their life on the hardscrabble farm in the river bend. More Insalls would go to their rest in the family burial plot just up the road and other folks would seep in from the outside, some would go on to be heroes while others would become scalawags, there would be scalpings and cattle rustling, a railroad that would be laid a few steps from the cabin and scare the Insall chickens. And running through the whole saga like a fine, strong cord, was always that rough diamond, that redneck mama with the southern accent and the solid core of quiet courage, Caroline Mims Insall. TO BE CONTINUED
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Changing form in a Magical Way Our mission at ShapeshifterS is “Forever Changing” meaning we want our returning customers to find fresh new inventory and offerings every time they stop by to visit. Our vision is to be an inviting destination, offering a multi-faceted environment for everyone. Craft and project classes will be offered featuring a vast assortment of subjects and fun projects. Varying special events will be held to enhance the seasons and support the community. Parking is available, so come by and enjoy a relaxed place to rest your feet and share good conversation with neighbors and new friends. An open invitation awaits everyone to visit the”Monkey House” (our restoration workshop) where the magic of ShapeshifterS takes place! Beware though, you can easily get caught up in the intrigue and activities and find yourself helping out. The perfect place for the guys and gals to hang out, swap stories and kill some time while their significant other shops! Come by and say hello to Pam and Hank and enjoy some history, a cup of coffee and experience the “Spirit of the ShapeshifterS”.
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720 N MainStreet Boerne,Texas 78006 830-331-7421 www.shopshapeshifters.com www.facebook.com/shopshapeshiftersBoerne www.instagram.com/shapeshifters.boerne
We here at EXPLORE have a habit of working long and irregular hours. Night turns to morning and we’re still here slaving... I mean happily working away. That usually necessitates drinking large amounts of jet fuel. If that’s not available, we turn to coffee. Lots of coffee. Typically we’re more of the “quantity” mind-set, rather than “quality”. That being said, we thought it would be fun to see what coffee connoisseurs recommend to those with more refined palates than ours.
One of the most expensive coffee in the world is this bad boy, also commonly known as Civit coffee. It usually runs for $160 per pound, But before you decide to give it a try you might want to hold your breath. This particular type of coffee can only be produced after it has passed through the digestive system of a certain animal, the mongoose.
The Blue Mountain coffee, from the name itself, is grown in Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. The best produce of this particular type of coffee is known for its lack of bitterness and mild flavor. This coffee usually runs for about $49 per pound. This is one coffee you must try!
Here’s another stomach turner for you, this specific coffee is produced also by passing through and animal’s digestive system. The Elephant! Hailing from Thailand’s Golden Triangle , Black Ivory is one of the world’s most rarest and expensive coffee. On a lighter note, these elephants are street rescued elephants at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.
The Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee is grown specifically in Boquete, Panama. People from all over the world enjoy this type of coffee because of its unique taste. It is mostly cultivated under the shades of old guava trees. If you want to be able to try the Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee, be prepared to pay for a minimum of $104 a pound! Located around 1,200 miles from the coast of Africa, St. Helena Island is cultivating their most popular coffee. Thanks to Napoleon Bonaparte, who made its popularity. This coffee goes for around $79 a pound!
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learn a most valuable lesson. In the depths of my fear and my frustration at this crippling illness, God met me in my pain. I didn’t want to meet Him there, as I’d much rather meet him in my celebrations, or in my victories, or peacefully sitting by a mountain stream, but I definitely encountered God at the depths of this struggle. It’s kind of funny to consider, but God essentially showed up as I moaned about my afflictions and simply said, “How is YOUR way working out?” And really, that was all that I needed to hear as I knew exactly what He was saying. I’m a control freak, and like all control freaks, that means that I am ALWAYS in control. Of my life. Of my job. Of my relationships. I will wrestle the steering wheel of life in the direction that I intended until my arms give out.
PANIC
Or until my body starts to fail me.
By Kendall D. Aaron
I
I remember my first panic attack like it was yesterday.
I was under a ridiculous amount of stress and pressure both professionally and personally, but I had never experienced anything I would call anxiety at other points in my life, so I simply assumed that I would somehow muscle my way through this situation as well. I sat on the corner of my bed, with my mind spinning about all of the “What if ’s” swirling around me, and within a few moments, I felt nauseated. I knew I had to get to the toilet quickly and by the time I had taken just the few steps to get there, my legs gave out. When I tried to put my hands on the ground to push myself up, they were locked into distorted claws and it felt as if my entire body was vibrating. I could barely breathe, and nothing on me was working
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correctly. I laid on the floor, my tongue didn’t work so I couldn’t call out, and processed the fact that I sincerely thought I was dying. Unable to really breathe, with a heart that was about to burst out of my chest and a body that was convulsing violently, I had the rare moment of understanding that today is the day you die. After a trip to the ER and stabilization, I set out to understand more about anxiety and panic attacks. I think that previously in my life I would have just made fun of someone: “Oh, c’mon. Just relax. It’s fine.” I had no idea that while it was certainly a mental issue, it definitely affected you physically as well. It was embarrassing. It was scary. It was difficult to navigate some situations for fear that the panic attack might return, because, if you’ve never had a full blown panic attack…you don’t want one. What I ultimately have learned has made my panic attacks (have had 3 so far in 4 years) a form of a blessing because they forced me to
And honestly, that’s what was happening. I had attempted to control my life to such a degree, I had to learn and understand that I actually control very little. And that’s a good thing. When given the opportunity, I had to learn that I could no longer cling to that steering wheel any longer, but rather, I had to stop and turn my eyes upward and allow God to take what I could no longer carry. He’s proven Himself to be just a wee bit stronger than I. God speaks to us in our pain. And our fear. And our frustration. But we have to look for Him. One of my favorites is Psalm 34:1-10): “I will bless You at all times, Your praise will continually be in my mouth. I sought You, Lord, and You heard me, You delivered me from all my fears. When we look to You we are radiant. Your angels encamp all around those who fear You and You deliver us. Help me to taste and see that You are good, oh Lord. You say I will be blessed when I trust You. Those who seek You lack no good thing.” As is true with any tribulation, you’ll find that God wants nothing more than to meet at your lowest and take you to your highest. Peace be with you.
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GOOD VIBES
I
THE FIRST MUSIC FESTIVAL OF ITS KIND By Denise R. Marcos
Imagine living in a world where silence prevails. The sounds of ocean waves crashing and birds singing are nonexistent. Imagine that the hums and dings of everyday life are just faint sounds in the very far distance. For some, this is a reality they know all too well. For one local young woman, it is something she encounters every day.
After losing her hearing to a profound level at age three, Boerne native, Emma Faye Rudkin learned to navigate the world without being able to hear much of what was going on around her. “When doctors told my parents I was deaf and I would continue to lose whatever hearing I had left as I got older, it took an emotional toll on us all,” Emma said. “They told my family I wouldn’t be able to function at a normal level and they should enroll me into a deaf school and teach me sign language. It was a lot to take in. Whatever they decided to do would determine the course of my life.” Rudkin’s diagnoses came in a time before the Internet was easily accessible and before much research was available to the public about hearing loss. For young parents, Kathy and Kurt Rudkin, the news was devastating. What were their options? What would they do? “I spent hours looking up everything I could about hearing loss. Ninety percent of deaf/hard-of-hearing (HOH) children are born to hearing parents. Emma was the first deaf person we’ve ever known. We didn’t know what to expect, but we knew we were going to do whatever it took to ensure Emma was just as successful as any of the other kids—that she had the same opportunity to do anything and everything they could do,” Kathy said. “So, she wore hearing aids, and we enrolled her into speech therapy, which she took yearlong for 10 years. She learned to read lips, which helps her fill in the gap of the missing sounds to help her communicate. Later, in her teens, she would learn sign language to further her communication skills as her hearing loss progressed.” The Rudkins spent many hours with Emma learning the sound and shape of each letter and understanding new words. They worked intensely on reading every single day. They captioned all their TVs, made flash cards and journals of unknown words or hard to pronounce words and worked diligently with speech therapists; a practice they attribute to her success and love for books today. “We had decided as a family, if Emma couldn’t enjoy an activity due to not hearing, none of us would participate. It makes you acutely aware of how unaccommodating this world truly is for the deaf/ hard-of-hearing,” said Kathy. Growing up in a small town where no one shared the same obstacles as little Emma was difficult. The solitude of being on the outskirts of social acceptance that came from her differences proved its challenges in ways the Rudkins were not prepared to face. “Emma would come home crying nearly every day and only our family knew everything she was facing and dealing with. She wanted to be like the other kids, to just fit in—to hear like they heard and to feel included,” Kathy said. “It broke my heart in unmeasurable ways. How do you comfort your child and tell her that may never be something she can have? As a parent, you only want the best for your kid. Were we doing all we could to help her? I stayed strong for my family during the day, but the nights were, many times, unbearable.” As Emma grew older, the silence took its toll. Despite her close relationship with her family and her childhood friends, Emma grew lonely. For her, trying to just hear and function in a hearing world was becoming increasingly difficult. She entered a state of darkness and anger toward God. Depression began to set in and she was becoming debilitated by her differences. “I became angry, depressed and horribly insecure. I knew I needed to change, for this was a life not worth living,” Emma said. “Although I grew up in a Christian home and went to Christian school, I had the head
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knowledge but not the heart knowledge of who God was. I associated so much of my pain with a God who had not answered my prayers to make me hear. So, in desperation, I signed myself up for a local Christian camp, and when I returned, something clicked that completely transformed me. For the first time, I felt God wasn’t ignoring me or punishing me by making me deaf. He was preparing me for something much bigger—something that would help me change the lives of others through my own deafness. I wanted to start a nonprofit for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, but I knew, to be successful, I needed a platform to raise awareness about it.” Her transformation led her to plan for her future. So, in 2010, Emma took her passion for music, something she’s always loved, to a new level. She intensely studied piano, music theory, guitar, ukulele, kick drum and singing in preparation to compete for a title in the Miss America circuit. In 2015, and then again in 2017, Emma would walk away with the title of Miss San Antonio. Aid the Silent, her nonprofit, was founded in 2015. Music was Emma’s door to something big. “Although I am unable to experience music in all its fullness, I know there are lyrics moving melodically with the song and beautiful sounds created with instruments and voices that I will never hear. Yet, music is not something only to be heard, it is something to be felt with the entire body and to be experienced with all the senses,” Emma said. This passion and desire of inclusion for the entire deaf and hard-of-hearing community, led the Aid the Silent team to pursue a dream of bringing the deaf community a sensory experience unlike any other. So, this spring, on May 20, 2017, Aid the Silent will host an inaugural Good Vibrations Music & Arts Festival (GVMAF) at the 1850 Settlement in San Antonio, Texas from 4pm to midnight, benefiting the nonprofit and in recognition of the deaf/HOH community. Open to the entire public, hearing and non-hearing alike, this concert will be fun for the whole family. Attendees can shop artisan’s booths, partake in crafts and games, delight in good grub from area food trucks and enjoy eight hours of live music, featuring singer-songwriters: Ben Rector, Matt Wertz, Penny & Sparrow, Ryan Proudfoot, Brad Blackburn and Aid the Silent Founder, Emma Faye Rudkin. To accommodate the deaf/HOH patrons, the festival will include live captioning, sign language interpretation, T-coiling, a looping technology that allows hearing aid wearers to tune into the music directly, transformative wearable audio technology that converts sound into high fidelity vibrations, and a synchronized LED dance floor that will harmonize to the beats of the music. To the average hearing person this will look like any other concert; to the deaf/HOH person it will be a full out sensory experience. “Music was something I’ve always loved. I want others who are deaf and hard-of-hearing to experience this passion in a way unknown—to feel it with their entire body. With the support of our sponsors and the community, we can bring this dream to life,” Emma said. The goal of GVMAF is to be a place where festivalgoers (hearing and nonhearing), can enjoy, side-by-side, a full music experience. A place where all can experience a completely interactive, sensory-filled concert and walk away with knowledge about hearing loss. This event will be a fundraiser for Aid the Silent’s four branches: Deaf Resources, Deaf Education, Deaf Ministry and Deaf Research. The festival
will also serve many additional purposes such as bringing awareness on prevention and early intervention associated with hearing loss. According to a study by the University of Gallaudet, Texas is the second largest state (next to California), with the highest deaf/HOH population— more than 15 million people. In addition, research done by the Hearing Health Foundation noted that hearing loss is the number one military war injury, affecting up to 60 percent of military personnel returning from overseas deployment. San Antonio is home to seven military bases. At the festival, Aid the Silent will have an interactive booth simulating what it’s like to live with hearing loss. The nonprofit aims to promote deaf unity among the entire deaf/HOH community—encouraging one another to support the choices and paths each person has taken to
address their hearing loss, that deaf/HOH is not a one size fits all – there is no one way to approach hearing loss. “Growing up, I didn’t feel included outside my home. We didn’t go to the movies like other families, and attending events was difficult because I couldn’t hear or read what was going on,” Emma said. “Our team wants this event to set an example for our community’s businesses, schools and churches. To demonstrate how you can throw a completely deaf/HOH-accessible event. By adding some simple components to an event, you’re promoting openness and inclusion. As a community partner, it’s an essential marketing investment. “Our donors have shown us great support since our establishment, but with resources such as hearing aids
only covered under insurances in 21 states in the U.S., not including Texas, finding funds to continue to help as many children as possible, has proved challenging,” Emma said. “By bringing awareness to Aid the Silent, we hope to gain support from more communities to be able to provide families and their children with the resources and services they need to find personal success. We know this event will help us do that.” General admission, VIP, and meet and greet tickets available at goodvibrationsmusicfest.com. For bulk ticket discounts, contact the GVMAF team, directly at 830-2491744 or info@goodvibrationsmusicfest.com. Kids five and under get in free.
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