Del Rio Grande 1018 by Del Rio News Herald

OCT 2018

HISTORIC HAUNTINGS Ghost tour thrills Fort Clark Springs visitors

HALLOWEEN READY Homeowners create spooky scare-scapes

OCTOBER 2018

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FROM THE EDITOR October is my favorite month! PUBLISHER Sandra Castillo EDITOR Karen Gleason CREATIVE DIRECTOR Megan Tackett WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Karen Gleason Bonita Kowalski Megan Tackett ADVERTISING Kim Dupill Ashley Lopez PRODUCTION Jorge Alarcon

Roland Cardenas Antonio Morales EDITORIAL karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 247 ADVERTISING ashley.lopez@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 250 STORY IDEAS karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

2205 North Bedell Avenue • Del Rio, TX 78840 delrionewsherald.com Del Rio Grande is published by the Del Rio News-Herald. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.

It is a time of passage, of transformation. The heat of the summer is finally gone, and I breathe easier in the cooler days and nights. Around me, nature is in flux. With the summer gone, birds from the north are arriving to make their winter homes here or taking muchneeded breaks before continuing on their journeys south. October also brings us the annual multi-generational migration of Monarch butterflies, one of the truly great spectacles of the natural world. But I suppose the thing I love most about October is that it is the month of my favorite holiday, Halloween. I loved Halloween even as a little girl. In retrospect, I think I loved it because it gave me the chance to try on a different persona: an anonymous ghost, a plastic pistol packing female version of the Lone Ranger, bow-wielding Artemis. As a mom, I loved sharing Halloween with The Boy, my son Tim. I have many fond memories of taking hours to perfect our makeup, scary skulls, fierce pirates or flesh-eating zombies, then piling into the back of my husband’s pickup with a passel of the neighborhood kids while he cruised slowly from street to street, letting us out at intervals to race pell-mell through dark yards and stopping at lighted homes for candy. October is a busy month in Del Rio. This is the month of our annual Fiesta Amistad, a yearly celebration of the deep bonds of friendship between the cities of Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña. This year, that celebration will become even larger as the organization that hosts it, the International Good Neighbor Council, holds its international conference here. Also hosting a major conference in Del Rio in October is the Portsto-Plains Alliance, a group that is working to bring greater prosperity through commerce to northern and central Mexico, west Texas, the central U.S. and Canada. We have many other interesting features in this month’s issue: Go on a ghostly tour of historic Fort Clark Springs, check out this year’s Monster Mash downtown, let local homeowners thrill and chill with their spooky yard decorations and buy a pumpkin or 10 at the First United Methodist Church’s annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser. Finally, in October we honor the women (and men) who each day bravely face their battles with cancer, breast and otherwise, a spirit we believe is personified in Del Rio’s Mary Pierce, a survivor and advocate for others fighting the fight, who shines on our cover. Megan and I hope you enjoy perusing this issue as much as we did putting it together! Happy Hauntings,

Karen Gleason Grande Editor

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

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CONTENTS 8

CALENDAR Keep busy this month at these local events.

PICK YOUR PUMPKIN First United Methodist Church hosts annual Pumpkin Patch.

HALLOWEEN-SCAPES Del Rioans take Halloween décor to a scary new level.

RECIPE The perfect pumpkin loaf, sans gluten.

COCKTAIL Capture fall flavors in this crafty cocktail.

FORT CLARK GHOST TOUR Walk amongst the fort’s most famous ghosts during this traditional tour.

PORTS-TO-PLAINS Alliance hosts Del Rio conference to talk about the future of commerce, highways.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Not all holidays involving the dead are scary.

AUTUMN AESTHETICS These looks encompass fall feelings with a festive flair.

MONSTER MASH

Once a year, downtown Del Rio runneth over with costumed children.

Fill your home with fall with this month’s picks.

FALL FAVORITES

GRANDE LIFE

LAST LOOK Our creative director wraps up the September issue.

Mary Pierce inspires during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and all year long.

On the cover: Del Rio’s Mary Pierce strikes a playful pose with a masquerade mask anticipating the Halloween season and a palette of scarlet, russet, orange and gold. Pierce has been battling cancer since October 2009, and her positive, spiritual outlook is an inspiration. • Photo by Karen Gleason 6

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Karson Kemp, the son of Hailey and Jason Kemp of Del Rio, picks out his favorite pumpkin at the First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch in this photo taken by his grandfather, Mack Pusley, in 2016.

Great Gourd Almighty First United Methodist’s Pumpkin Patch an October tradition Story by KAREN GLEASON; Photos by SUSAN LEWIS, MACK PUSLEY and KAREN GLEASON

n Del Rio, perhaps nothing signals the start of the autumn season like First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch, held annually on the church grounds at 100 Spring St. This year, the hundreds of pumpkins and other fanciful gourds are scheduled to arrive at the church on Saturday, Oct. 13. The sale begins the next day, Sunday, Oct. 14, and ends on the last day of October. The Pumpkin Patch is a fundraising vehicle for the church, which uses the money from the pumpkin sales to help feed Del Rio’s hungry. “Tim Brewer, who was our pastor back before John (Fluth), is the one that got all this started, and there were several church members who thought it was a good community project,” parishioner and

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Pumpkin Patch volunteer Dotty Vogt recalled. The church held its first Pumpkin Patch in 2010, and in 2011, joined the Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers, a group that has its roots in North Carolina, where it started in 1974. According to the Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers’ web site, Richard and Janice Hamby were farmers who grew pumpkins on three acres of land. The Hambys began a partnership with Centenary United Methodist Church, agreeing to let the church sell the pumpkins and share in the proceeds. “It’s amazing to me the number of people from the church that participate in this,” said parishioner and Pumpkin Patch volunteer Jeri Kynion. “In the Pumpkin Patch, we’ve had volunteers as young as 10 years old and as old as 85.”

Recipients of the funds raised by the First United Methodist’s Pumpkin Patch have included the Women’s Shelter, the Bethel Center, School Food Backpack program, Meals on Wheels and the Domestic Violence Alliance, Vogt said. In addition to offering pumpkins in every shape and size as well as a variety of unique gourds in a palette of fall colors, the church will also host a Country Store on Saturday, Oct. 6, the weekend before the pumpkins are scheduled to arrive. “The Country Store was started by a group of talented women in the church, and it has really grown. They’ve always offered a lot of fall and Christmas decorations, and this year, I think they’ll put more of an emphasis on fall. “This year, one member is going to make some decorative crosses. There are just lots of different items for the home, as well as a variety of baked goods. In fact, the things that sell the best are the casseroles and the frozen foods,” Vogt said. “There are a lot of good cooks in the church. There are a lot of people that know them, and they’re there early to get the best selection.” Other items that sell quickly are baked goods like pies. But Del Rioans don’t just stop at the Pumpkin Patch to buy pumpkins and gourds, they also use the pumpkins as a backdrop for creative seasonal photos. “The picture-taking is really popular. People bring their kids to take photos on and around the pumpkins. People hire photographers to take photos of themselves or their children there. We’ve even had quinceañera and wedding parties take their photos there,” Vogt said. “I think it’s a real service to the community, whether we make money or we don’t make money. I think people just enjoy coming and seeing it. That’s what I like to see, people bringing their kids in costume, little babies. It’s just very joyful,” Vogt said. “And all the money we do raise goes to feeding people. The church doesn’t keep one penny of it.” The money raised by pumpkin sales is

(From top) Pumpkins in every size are available for sale at the First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch beginning Oct. 14. Proceeds from the sale of the pumpkins help fund a variety of charitable causes. First United Methodist Church parishioner and volunteer Mack Pusley carries pumpkins from a tractor-trailer to the church grounds before the start of the 2017 Pumpkin Patch fundraiser. Volunteers young and old form a “bucket brigade” to move pumpkins from the back of a tractor-trailer to the grounds of the First United Methodist Church for the church’s annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser sale.

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

Creating festive fall decorations is easy with pumpkins and gourds from the Pumpkin Patch.

Rows of perfect pumpkins wait to go to their new homes at the First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch.

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

The grounds of the historic First United Methodist Church, 100 Spring St., are awash in orange during the church’s annual Pumpkin Patch fundraiser.

distributed among a variety of worthy causes. “As a church, we have more outreach, dealings with the community by doing this, especially because it supports our ‘School Food Backpack’ program,” Kynion said. She explained the church partners with Del Rio’s Garfield Elementary School to make sure kids don’t miss meals. “They have students that, when they go home on Friday, have nothing to eat until breakfast is served at the school on Monday morning,” Kynion said. “So we pack backpacks, and each of these kids gets one, full of food, and they pick them up on Friday and bring them back on Monday.” “At the end of the program, last year we gave money to the Bethel Center, we gave money to our backpack program, Meals on Wheels, and our Wesley nurse is involved in a domestic violence alliance at the church,” Vogt said. Vogt, originally from Yoakum, Texas, has been a member of the church of 21 years. She and her husband moved here in 1996. Vogt was the public health nurse with the Texas Department of Health, and her husband was a veterinarian for the Del Rio Port of Entry. “I worked for the health department for 32 years, then retired, and then I went to work for Methodist Health Care Ministries, and I was a Wesley nurse for a little over 10 years,” Vogt said. She said she currently “takes care of a lot of grandchildren” and is still involved with a lot of the programs and services she worked with before she retired.

“I’ve always been involved with the community. I’m not as involved anymore, but . . .,” Vogt said. Kynion opened Robert’s Jewelers here in 1975. Her ex-husband worked for Sears, and the couple was transferred to Louisiana and were there five years. Kynion said she had worked for KDLK radio station here before moving, and she applied for a job at the radio station in the small Louisiana town where she and her husband landed. She finally found work at a jewelry store. “I worked there about a year-and-a-half, and they had a Keepsake fpatchise, which was at the time the biggest bridal thing in the country, and the Keepsake salesman came by for us to order one day and asked me if I hadn’t told him I used to live in Del Rio, Texas. When I said yes and told him I’d love to move back, he asked me if I’d be interested in opening a jewelry store there, because he was losing his fpatchise there,” Kynion said. She raised the funds, and she and her husband opened the jewelry store in Del Rio. “I think being involved in the Pumpkin Patch is important, not only for what we do for the community, but it’s important for us. Before we started this, I sometimes felt – and I’m sorry to say this – like the church members were sitting on their hands, and once we started these projects, we grew. Now we work together, so to me, that’s one of the most important things,” Kynion said. “Faith without works is dead,” she added. •

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

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This is halloween All-Hallows Eve enthusiasts dress their homes with demonic decorations to give trick-or-treaters a unique experience

Edward and Kimberly Rivera’s 7-foot clown welcomes guests to their hair-raising home.

Story and photos by MEGAN TACKETT

hen Del Rio’s summer fades into fall, homes throughout the city slowly become increasingly spooky as the days draw closer and closer to All-Hallows Eve. Two Del Rio couples in particular get scary-serious about the annual haunted holiday, transforming their houses into horrific Halloween-scapes complete with decapitated dummies, creepy clowns and demonic dolls. Juanita Martinez and her husband Arturo are veteran Halloween enthusiasts, having decked out their home every October for more than 20 years. The couple began decorating at their previous home on Avenue A and since moving to 1606 N. Main St., they’ve gained neighborhood notoriety for their hand-crafted, terrifying trimmings. “I do have some store bought stuff, but I think it looks more

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

interesting when you go homemade,” Martinez said. “I like to make it exciting for the kids.” Each year, Martinez creates a new, unique Halloween-scape for her trick-or-treaters, rarely repeating the same features twice. In previous years, their yard has featured bloodied baby dolls, ghastly murder scenes and a chilling, interactive cemetery. “I had the lights on fast, and it looked like fire,” Martinez said. “Sometimes we had actual people lay down and they’d pop up.” Martinez’s decorations are so convincing, one year a concerned police officer stopped at the haunted house while Martinez was assembling a particularly gruesome exhibit. “I was putting up a hanging man, a policeman said, ‘Stop right there!’” Martinez said. “They thought I had an actual body hanging.”

Part of the decorating fun, Martinez said, is building up her front yard each day until Halloween, as to not spoil the spectators with too much spookiness at once. “I do it as the days go by,” Martinez said. “I don’t want to give them everything all once. I want them to say, ‘What is she going to put up next?’” Martinez utilizes clothing stuffed with cotton, real wheelchairs and crutches, trash bags, gauze and fake blood to create a truly creepy, eyecatching canvas. Edward and Kimberly Rivera typically start the Halloween season early each year, usually the second week of September. For the past six years, they’ve decorated their home at 302 Avenue A with hair-raising horrors like possessed-looking figures with glowing eyes and a 7-foot

“I don’t want to give them everything all once,” Martinez said “I want them to say, ‘What is she going to put up next?’” mechanical clown. The towering clown, Edward said, was not an easy decoration to get his hands on. Edward, who travels to Eagle Pass for work, stopped into a Spirit Halloween store right at opening to purchase the creepy clown. As he left the store, he said he received multiple offers from other customers who were eyeing the sinister creature. Edward said he was relatively indifferent to Halloween before meeting Kimberly, whose family embraced the holiday as a family tradition. “My parents would always go all out. That’s where I got it from,” Kimberly Juanita and Arturo Martinez use a combination of store bought and hand-made decorations to create a hauntingly unique appearance.

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

The Martinez family combines an old woman mask and a walker to give their guests a good scare.

The Riveras hang their favorite decoration, a swinging zombie girl, from their porch every year.

Bloodied baby dolls hang from a clothesline in Martinez’s front yard.

Juanita Martinez said she adds to her scare-scape throughout October to keep spectators on edge.

said. “I knew once I got my own place, I’d go all out.” “She really got me into it,” Edward added. “I love it now.” The Riveras say they add to their collection each year with an endof-season clearance purchase. This year, Edward splurged on an item that recalls childhood memories, a six-foot Pennywise replica, the horrifying clown from Stephen King’s recently re-created movie “It.” In addition to giving the children a good thrill, the Riveras said they enjoy the evening’s overall feeling of a community coming together to celebrate. They even host a potluck some years to enhance the occasion. “We love the atmosphere that’s created that night with the kids

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

having a good time,” Edward said. “And seeing the parents too, every year we’re a lot of their first stops,” Kimberly added. Both families said one inspiration for their decoration is to give their neighbors a good, local experience so they don’t need to drive to the Buena Vista neighborhood, an area well-known for trick-ortreaters. “I wish more people would just go all out,” Edward said. Juanita, Arturo, Edward and Kimberly all say they have no plans to slow down their scare-scapes. Rather, they’ll continue to build their devilish decorations for years to come. •

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During the research phase, Super Lawyers will look at past verdicts and settlements, awards, special certifications, bar activity, education, scholarly lectures, and more. Before final judgments are made, there will also be a peer review conducted by other top attorneys. Once every candidate has been evaluated, they will be arranged into categories according to the size of their firm, where they will be compared with their peers. Final selections will then include only 2.5% of all lawyers in the area.

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Gluten-Free

Pumpkin Bread Recipe and photo by BONITA KOWALSKI

ou know it’s fall when everything is suddenly flavored with pumpkin spice. That definitely doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun if you’re glutenintolerant. Breads and cakes are some of the trickiest foods to bake if you’re making them gluten-free. After much trial and error, I’ve discovered that starch-based all-purpose flours are not only more expensive, but best for cookies and other more dense confectionary. These flours are also good for breading and thickening in cooking recipes. However, if you’re looking to make more fluffy desserts, such as cakes and breads, you’ll get the best results if you use an all-purpose gluten-free flour that doesn’t list starches as the first ingredient. Also, make sure the flour has leavening agents listed in the ingredients. These help the cake or bread

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rise in addition to the baking soda and baking powder you may add in your recipe. So if you’re coming out with overly dense baked goods, the type of flour you’re using may be part of the problem. This pumpkin bread recipe includes a number of spices. I had no pumpkin spice so I just made my own. If you have pumpkin spice, you can replace all the spices with a tablespoon of pumpkin spice and 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon in addition to that. If you’ve recently discovered that you’re gluten-intolerant, don’t give up! Grocery stores and restaurants are becoming more familiar with gluten-free items, not to mention the endless amount of recipes that are available online. If you’re interested in more gluten-free baked goods, bonitappetit.com has more recipes. •

Ingredients • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree • 1 1/2 cups self-rising gluten-free allpurpose flour • 2 eggs • 1/4 cup almond milk • 1/2 cup canola oil • 1 cup white sugar • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger • 3/8 teaspoon ground allspice • 3/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 2 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Method 1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare baking pan with nonstick baking spray. 2. In a large bowl, mix eggs, oil and pumpkin puree on medium speed. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and sea salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients using a low speed on your mixer. Raise the speed as the mixture combines. 4. Add in almond milk and mix gently. (Optional: Gently fold in chopped walnuts). 5. When pouring batter into the baking pan, make sure to leave about 3/4 inch of space at the top. You may be left with extra batter, but you can use this to make muffins or smaller loaves. 6. Bake for one hour or until the center is set. Let bread cool before removing from pan in order to prevent the bread from going flat.

For more gluten-free recipes and inspiration, visit bonitappetit.com or find me on Instagram @_bonitappetit_

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

Maple-Bacon

Old Fashioned Recipe by MEGAN TACKETT; photo by KAREN GLEASON

When you master a skill, you’re constantly looking for new ways to improve upon your accomplishment. The classic old fashioned is easy enough to make. Why not add a classic flavor like maple to embrace essence of autumn? While making your next hearty morning meal, consider saving the bacon grease to create this smooth, savory sip.

Ingredients • Three or more pieces of bacon • Bourbon whiskey • Real maple syrup

• Bitters • Preferably an extra large ice cube

Bacon-infused whiskey method • Cook bacon in a frying pan and save rendered fat. • Strain bacon fat from pan into a large glass container. • Fill container with bourbon and stir. • Don’t worry about your whiskey/bacon fat portions too much. The bacon flavor is very subtle. • Allow mixture to sit for about five hours. • Remove solidified fat from top of mixture and use a mesh strainer to move whiskey into a new container. • If you still have residual fat particles in your whiskey, try using a coffee filter to strain out the whiskey on an as-needed basis.

Cocktail method • In a rocks glass, mix two ounces bacon-infused bourbon and a half an ounce maple syrup. • Stir well to mix syrup and bourbon. • Add two dashes of bitters and add large ice cube. • Garnish with an orange peel if you’d like, serve and enjoy!

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The twisted black trunks of live oak trees frame a two-story building once used as quarters for officers stationed at Fort Clark Springs. Like many of the buildings constructed for the fort’s leaders, this building now houses private residences.

fort clark frights “Ghostly Tours” highlight historic hauntings Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON

ORT CLARK SPRINGS – One of the things that’s easy to forget as you cruise along U.S. Highway 90 in your airconditioned car is that this area of Texas was in the nottoo-distant past a war zone every bit as brutal as farthest reaches of Afghanistan are today. As recently as 1857 – less than 200 years ago – U.S. Army Lt. Edwin Fitzgerald Beale wrote this of the “Lower Road,” an Indian traverse between clear springs that eventually became Highway 90: “Scarcely a mile of it but has its story of Indian murder and plunder. In fact, from El Paso to San Antonio is but one long battle ground – a surprise (attack) here, robbery of animals there.” The U.S. Army established a fort at Las Moras Springs in the summer of 1852. Although originally named Fort Riley, the military outpost was quickly renamed Fort Clark. The Army, trying to protect the passage of mail, goods and

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cattle between San Antonio and El Paso, as well as points west, skirmished with Indian raiding parties – Apache, Kickapoo, Comanche and others – until the start of the Civil War in 1861. In March of that year, all federal installations in Texas, including Fort Clark, were surrendered to Confederate authorities. The native raiders took no note of the hostilities between blue and gray except to grow more bold. They continued their lightning raids on stagecoaches and settlements, killing farmers, travelers and military personnel, taking slaves and driving off cattle, mules and horses. It would be another 20 years, 1881, before the Indian raids finally came to an end. With such a history of violence and hardship, it’s no wonder that Fort Clark is one of the region’s most haunted locales. On two Saturdays in October, the Fort Clark Springs Community

Council will offer a “Ghostly Tour” of the fort, a jaunt that combines history and hauntings for a spine tingling experience. “For instance, outside Dickman Hall, the tour guides stop and talk about how fort workers would hear people dancing in the hall at night, and all the furniture would be rearranged. Maintenance would go in and put the furniture back and the next morning it would be rearranged again, and all the lights would go on and off,” said Allison Watkinson, Fort Clark Springs Community Council treasurer. Katie Brown is a writer who has lived on the fort for 20 years. She took Del Rio Grande on the “Ghostly Tour,” which begins at Fort Clark’s Rendezvous Park adjacent to U.S. Highway 90. “We start the tour here because this is really where the fort began. The Comanches camped along the creek here, which was later named Las Moras, meaning the mulberries . . .When the fort was established, it was the westernmost of the frontier forts. They were literally out here in the middle of nowhere. The town of Brackettville actually came into existence as a supply depot for the fort,” Brown said. She spoke of the fort’s history as we made our way by golf cart to the administration building. Brown said she once interviewed a woman who worked in the building and who had several paranormal experiences there over the years. “One morning she came in, and all this smoke is coming from behind the front desk. She thought one of the computers was on fire,” Brown said. The woman immediately moved to alert fort security, but when she turned around to glance back at the smoke, it was gone. “She said it looked like black smoke, really dark,” Brown said. The same woman, who was the accountant at the fort, came in one morning and heard someone move a file cart down the hallway leading to her office. “She told me, ‘I didn’t think there was anybody else in the building,’ and she got up and walked around to check, and there was nobody there, but that cart had been moved. She said it scared the dickens out of her. She had some really strange experiences in this building,” Brown said. On another occasion, the woman was in the building and heard someone playing the piano in adjacent Dickman Hall. “She said to herself, ‘I have the only key to Dickman Hall, and I hadn’t loaned it out,’ but she said everybody in the office heard it, and they laughed, but it was unnerving,” she said. Dickman Hall, the fort’s former officers’ club, has its own haunting air. The stately two-story building served as a hub of activity and events as the officers’ open mess when the fort was a military installation.

The grand old wood-floored ballroom on the second story of Dickman Hall is reportedly one of the most haunted areas on Fort Clark Springs. Fort employees have heard phantom dancers and a piano playing, as well as a ghostly woman singing.

Present-day residents of Fort Clark Springs have reported hearing the sounds of booted footsteps and smelled bacon frying from some of these homes along historic Colony Row.

The commanding officer’s quarters on Fort Clark Springs has served as home to military luminaries such as Col. Ranald S. MacKenzie and Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright. GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

Steps lead down to the old morgue in the building that once housed the fort’s hospital. What kinds of stories could these buildings tell?

Like military installations the world over, Fort Clark is the final resting place of service men and women who came from around the country to serve here.

The post theater, just off the Fort Clark parade grounds, is home to its very own haunt, “The Lady in Blue.”

The hulking old commissary is one of the most imposing of the many historical buildings on Fort Clark. Visitors have reported seeing a ghostly figure standing in the uppermost window on the third floor.

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A carved limestone cube in front of the fort museum is crudely carved with the phrase, “This stone layed by the hangman.”

Historical markers like this one for the commanding officer’s quarters abound on Fort Clark Springs.

This corner room in the Fort Clark Springs Hotel is said to be one of the most haunted sites on the entire fort, though no one is entirely sure what happened there.

A piano can sometimes be heard playing and a woman singing in Fort Clark’s historic Dickman Hall, once the officer’s open mess. Here, the shadow of writer and avid amateur historian Katie Brown is reflected in the piano’s polished surface.

Most of the hauntings in Dickman Hall seem to center on the grand old wood-floored ballroom in its second story. “People have often reported that they see lights coming on and turning off in this building without anyone being inside,” Brown said. The building housed a restaurant several years ago, and one of the employees reported that she came to work and saw a soldier sitting at one of the tables. “She said, ‘I saw him sitting right at that table. I saw him. I know he was there,’” Brown said. A fort employee spraying for insects in the building downstairs overnight . . . reported that while he was spraying, he heard “a shrill woman’s voice holler, ‘No! No!’ and said he also heard someone stomping on the floor upstairs. From then on, he refused to come down here unless he had someone with him,” Brown said. Spirits reportedly have mimicked the hammering of workmen doing repairs in the hall. There have also been ghostly performers in the hall. “There was a time when the lounge (in Dickman Hall) was active, and one night after closing time, the manager heard someone playing the piano and a woman singing upstairs, so

he came up to ask them to leave, but there was nobody here. As he was walking out the door, the piano started playing, and the woman was singing again. He called security and had them check it out, but they couldn’t find anybody in the building,” Brown said. In another instance, a young man was playing the piano upstairs while his girlfriend listened. “He said he looked up and saw a woman standing at the piano, and he said it scared the daylights out of him. His girlfriend saw the woman too,” Brown said. “There have been many instances where people have heard a piano playing and a woman singing in this building.” Some of the buildings along “Colony Row,” a set of lovely old buildings that once housed the fort’s officer cadre, are reputedly haunted as well. In one, residents have heard echoing footsteps coming from the floors, the ceilings, the walls, everywhere at once. One of the stories that may have been the source of the sightings, on the fort and in the region at large, is the tale of a “Lady In White.” “She has been spotted so many times along Colony Row. They say she must have committed suicide in a year ending in a

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6, because her strongest appearances have always been in a year ending in a 6, and there are many stories of people coming across her,” Brown said. The story is that a military man stationed at the fort met a young woman in Brackettville who had come to Texas from England and was living with her aunt and uncle. The two young people fell in love and decided to marry, but the woman’s relatives felt she needed permission from her parents, so they sent her back to England. The parents gave their blessing, but they could not afford to send her back to Texas. The soldier sent money to her, but never heard from her. A year passed, and when he still did not hear from her, he met someone else and married her. Shortly after that, the young woman returned to the fort, expecting to marry, but found he had already married someone else. “It was early in October that she hung herself from one of the trees on Colony Row. She was in her wedding dress. There have been many times she has been spotted along this row. The legend has always been that if you see her, don’t look her in the eyes and don’t let her touch you,” Brown said. The Lady in White is most often seen on the road to Spofford or trying to get to Eagle Pass. She has also been seen frequently around Dickman Hall, near the Wainwright House, near the Fort Clark swimming pool and in the town of Brackettville.

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The Lady in White is less benign than other haints. There are warnings not to let this grieving ghost touch you: The legend is that she tapped one man on the shoulder, and he died the following day. Another haunted locale is the Wainwright House where the Lady in White was said to have hung herself from the gnarled branches of a live oak tree. These are just a few of the hauntings spoken of on the tour. The tour passes by the old fort hospital, which is surely haunted, and the post theater, with its own ghostly lady, this one a lady in blue, perhaps an aspiring actress who cannot relinquish the stage. The tour passes by the building that now houses the Fort Clark Museum, which is worth its own trip. Outside the museum are a collection of finely carved tombstones of military men who died and were buried on the fort grounds. One of the last stops on the tour takes visitors past the imposing edifice of the old commissary. A ghostly figure has been seen peering out one of the windows on the building’s third floor. Even if the ghosts of Fort Clark elude you, the stories of this historic military installation are sure to keep you coming back for more. For more information on how to participate in the tour, contact Allison Watkinson at the Fort Clark Springs Community Council at (830) 563-5546. •

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WE ARE LOOKING FOR MEN AND WOMEN TO MODEL IN FUTURE ISSUES OF THE MAGAZINE. If you are interested, send photos and contact information to Sandra Castillo at the following email: sandra.castillo@delrionewsherald.com or call 830-775-1551. For story and photo ideas, email Karen Gleason at the following: karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com

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Autumn

Aesthetics Fall hues pair with Halloween headpieces for fun, festive looks. Wardrobe by La Florentina Photography by Karen Gleason Styling by Megan Tackett Headpieces from Walmart

Tiffeny wears a monarch butterfly crown and a fluttering orange duster over a simple tank.

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Jessica wears a regal, glitter flower crown and a black jumper.

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Jessica gets mischievous in a witch hat headband, a white, winking rhinestone tee with a long olive skirt.

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Tiffeny sparkles in a black sequin long sleeve romper and cat ears.

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Jessica wear a long, black, sleeveless jumper with a flower crown headband.

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A special thank you to our models, Jessica Bandaruk and Tiffeny Kelvin, The Del Rio Council for the Arts Firehouse Gallery Executive Director Nancy Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, and La Florentina.

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Authentic leather stackable bracelets add texture to your fall looks. Find these and more in True Value’s boutique.

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FALL FAVORITES As we slowly say “Sayonara” to summer, why not switch up your style to reflect the fall? Embrace autumn with these festive picks found throughout the community.

Add some fall texture to your living space with these faux cotton sprigs from True Value.

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Spooky Halloween decorations not your style? These glass pumpkins are available in a variety of colors and sized at Marshalls.

Transform your home into cozy autumn nest with woodland creature accents like this cute decorative bird. Find him and other cute critters at Marshalls.

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A GRANDE LIFE

Mary Pierce Mary Pierce is so much more than a cancer survivor Story and photo by KAREN GLEASON

el Rio’s Mary Pierce doesn’t look like a woman who has been battling cancer for the past nine years, and although she is a survivor, she is also so much more. Del Rio Grande caught up with Pierce at the Hope Cancer Resource Room in Val Verde Regional Medical Center, where she volunteers, compassionately assisting others as they navigate the confusing and often terrifying world of a cancer diagnosis. Asked how she is feeling, Pierce flashed her millionwatt smile and replied, “I’m still blessed and highly favored, in spite of everything. I’m going to keep on taking it one day at a time. I’m going to keep doing what I need to do. And I am not going to give up. I’m going to keep fighting.” Pierce, who worked in the post office on Laughlin Air Force Base for many years, was first diagnosed with cancer on Oct. 3, 2009. “At the time, I was thinking about the fact that I was about to turn 50, and I was telling myself, ‘I’m about to turn 50 years old. What is 50 going to bring for me? Everybody, I think, has that question when they’re at that time in life, but I was excited. What is 50 going to offer me?” she said. Pierce said her life at the time was very happy, and she “couldn’t wait” to see where it would go next. “I was married to the love of my life, Charles. A lot of people can’t say that, but I can,” she said. After her 50th birthday, which fell in mid-September, Pierce said she immediately began feeling tired, despite B-12 shots she was getting. She said she didn’t think too much about the tired feeling until one night she lay down in bed, and felt a hard lump on her right side, near her breast. She confided in her aunt Louise, who Pierce said was like a

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mother to her, and Louise insisted she get tested. Her local health provider concurred. The official diagnosis came a few weeks later. Since that day, Pierce’s journey has gone in an entirely new direction. She has endured numerous surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and other related treatments. She has also met new friends, some of whom have become as close as family, and had new experiences. Pierce – “Cookie” to her close friends and family – said her sole aim “has been to serve God with my whole heart.” In that vein, she has often served as an advocate for other survivors and worked as a volunteer in the medical center’s Hope Cancer Resource Room. She is also an ambassador for Del Rio’s International Good Neighbor Council. Pierce’s cancer went into remission for several years, beginning in the summer of 2010. She said in the spring of 2014, she began feeling tired again, and Pierce said she knew her reprieve had ended. When she went to the doctor, he only confirmed what she already knew. It seems almost impossible to believe, but Pierce refuses to acknowledge bitterness or anger, and although her body often grows tired, her spirit never falters. “I know the God I serve is faithful, and God does not lie. I know at the end of the day, whatever goes on in my life, whatever happens, whatever may come my way, He has my back. He will never leave me or forsake me,” Pierce said. “I think about how blessed I’ve been, about the many, many friends I’ve met. This has been a very eventful life so far, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” •

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IGNC Convention October 19-21, 2018

Ports-To-Plains Conference October 31â&#x20AC;&#x201D;November 2, 2018

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A tractor-trailer travels south on U.S. Highway 277 north of Del Rio. One of the goals of the Ports-to-Plains Alliance is building a four-lane divided highway between Del Rio and points north to facilitate interstate commerce and further economic development in west Texas.

Commerce Conversations Ports-to-Plains Alliance conference comes to Del Rio Story and photo by KAREN GLEASON

hen Sid Cauthorn thinks about transportation and commerce in west Texas, he often wonders how Del Rio would have been different if Interstate 10 had been routed through here instead of being constructed farther north. And Cauthorn isn’t alone: Since the 1990s, representatives of communities in central Texas and in the central United States have been meeting to discuss how to improve commerce through the nation’s mid-section by upgrading and expanding highways. That coalition of community representatives has grown into the Ports-to-Plains Alliance, which will have its annual conference here Oct. 30 to Nov. 1.

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Cauthorn, chief executive officer of The Bank & Trust and president of Westex Bancorp Inc., has been involved with Portsto-Plains almost from the start. The present-day Ports-to-Plains Alliance is described on the organization’s web site as “a grassroots alliance of communities and businesses whose mission is to advocate for a robust international transportation infrastructure to promote economic security and prosperity throughout North America’s energy and agricultural heartland including Mexico to Canada.” Cauthorn became involved with the alliance’s efforts years ago, when he served as chairman of the economic development committee for the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce. Sitting Ports-

federal level,” Kiely said. to-Plains members asked him to Cauthorn said the Ports-to-Plains join the organization and he did, organization’s efforts must be thought eventually serving as its chairman of as a marathon, not a sprint. from 2002 to 2010. “I think as I’ve said from the outset, “I got to thinking about it, and this is a long game, and there has been back in the 1950s and 1960s, when quite a lot of construction along the Eisenhower decided they were going corridor. You get north of San Angelo, to build the state highway system, and it’s four-lane divided from . . .San how much different would Del Rio Angelo to Big Spring. . . .There’s been have been if I10 had come through a lot of construction. Del Rio instead of taking a northerly “The biggest issue right now, I route? . . . I felt like at the time, if think, as it relates to building the Del Rio had had I-10 come through highway here locally is between here here, Del Rio would have been much and Sonora, that Dry Devils River more economically prosperous as a Draw. That’s a difficult component, community,” Cauthorn said. just a lot of blasting, and it’s not “The vision of Ports-to-Plains was, like north of San Angelo, where you basically, to create a four-lane divided can just get a Caterpillar tractor and highway from Denver, Colo., to the cut out a road. This portion about U.S.-Mexico border and on into the halfway between here and Sonora is interior of Mexico,” he added. problematic,” Cauthorn said. Joe Kiely is vice president of “I think it’s just a long game, but operations for the Ports-to-Plains we’ve got to be in the game. We’ve Alliance and said much the Alliance got to be playing, because if we’re conference in Del Rio this month will not playing, if we’re not involved and focus on the organization’s theme, A vision of the future: The Ports-to-Plains Alliance, along with one of these days we end up having a “United We Build.” regional transportation partners in Colorado, South Dakota president like Eisenhower who says, “It describes the importance of us and North Dakota, is working to creating a transportation all working together for a common network from the Mexican port of Mazatlan through the U.S. ‘Okay, we’re going to go build it,’ then we’re not going to get the call,” he said. outcome,” Kiely said. heartland to Edmonton, Canada, and beyond. Kiely said the Ports-to-Plains Among the conference speakers is Alliance meeting will be centered on its host hotel, the Ramada Alvin New, Texas transportation commissioner, who will talk Inn of Del Rio. about statewide transportation and building west Texas. More detail on the Ports-to-Plains Alliance and its work can “He is the former mayor of San Angelo and familiar with Portsbe found on the organization’s web site, www.portstoplains.com. to-Plains and its efforts, and he’s going to be an important voice The web site includes a link to information about the upcoming on how we move this project forward, to build west Texas and conference. build statewide transportation,” Kiely said. The conference is open to the public. Kiely noted there is a “We’re very excited about the fact that he resides along the registration fee, but it is good for both days, beginning with a Ports-to-Plains corridor and has been an active participant in reception at the Ramada on Oct 30. Ports-to-Plains over the years,” he added. The conference also includes a field trip to Ciudad Acuña, Conference attendees will also hear from Cheri Huddleston Coah., Mexico, for an update on modernization of the Acuña of Hance Scarborough LLP, who will speak about moving the customs facility as well as a report on Mexico’s effort to extend Interstate 27 initiative forward. Kiely said Hance Scarborough the transportation corridor from Acuña and Piedras Negras to the LLP will represent Ports-to-Plains during the next legislative port of Mazatlan through Torreon. session and noted Huddleston will describe how communities The Ports-to-Plains Alliance conference is being co-hosted by can become involved in the overall Ports-to-Plains effort. the city of Del Rio, the Del Rio Chamber of Commerce and the “The third speaker we have is a federal consultant in Area Development Foundation. • Washington, D.C., Jack Schenendorf, and he is with Covington & Burling, and he is looking at how all this fits into the future at the

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

Karina Limon, foreground, and Mariela Alvizo, background, perform during Calaveras y Calacas, the Dia de los Muertos celebration held at the Casa De La Cultura in 2017.

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It's not Halloween Dia de los Muertos honors loved ones who have passed Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON

Irma Calderon, left, and Analisa Cienega Garcia, right, are members of Ballet Folklorico Corazon de Mexico, which performed during the 2017 Calaveras y Calacas event at the Casa De La Cultura.

Isabella Aguilar dances as part of the children’s folkloric dance troupe at the 2017 Day of the Dead festival Calaveras y Calacas.

n the surface, celebrations of El Dia de los Muertos look a lot like Halloween – there are a lot of skulls, food, candles and dancing – but the one thing you should know about El Dia de los Muertos is that it’s not Halloween at all. Dia de los Muertos is a holiday during which the beloved dead are remembered, celebrated and honored, invited back to the homes they shared with family, to sample the food and drink they loved in life. “During this celebration, it is believed that the dead have the opportunity to come and visit the living, their relatives, and because they are permitted to come, we put a shrine or an altar. Depending on the area of Mexico, the shrine could be placed in the home where the deceased person lived or at their gravesite,” said Lizbeth Molina, spokeswoman for the Mexican consulate in Del Rio. “For example, in the state of Michoacan, people go to the grave, they go to the cemetery and put the food and the flowers there. Some people in other parts of Mexico do it in their homes,” she said. “El Dia de los Muertos is a fusion of pre-Columbian traditions and elements of the Catholic religion in Mexico,” she said. Molina said Dia de los Muertos has been recognized by the Vatican as a religious holiday and has been declared an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Part of the confusion, at least north of the border, may come from the fact

Melissa Hostettler, a member of Ballet Folklorico Corazon de Mexico, performs a routine at Brown Plaza during the 2017 Day of the Dead festival.

Zulim Blancas wears candy skull makeup, wedding dress and a veil for the Dia de los Muertos costume contest at the Casa De La Cultura in 2017.

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Abel Ojeda, a member of the Ballet Folklorico Corazon de Mexico, sits patiently as makeup artist Cristal Rodriguez puts the finishing touches on his skull makeup.

that Dia De Los Muertos is a three-day celebration that begins on Oct. 31, Molina said. “On the 31st, we place the altar for the children, for persons who died when they were children. We place a meal, candies, pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread),” she said. “On Nov. 1, we prepare for the older people, for adults. We place food that person may have enjoyed in life. If they liked to drink a beer or tequila or whiskey, we place some of that. We can also place items like cigarettes. A lot of it depends on the traditions of a particular place,” Molina said. She noted her own family, which is from the state of Hidalgo in central Mexico, makes sure to prepare barbecued lamb and leaves tequila for her grandfather and a whiskey for her father. “We also set out candles, although some people use candles and some people use photographs,” Molina said. Marigolds – cempasúchil – are also important flowers associated with celebrations of Dia de los Muertos. 48

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Molina said the pom-pom shaped flowers, which can come in a variety of colors, but which are often seen in bright yellow or deep orange, are arrayed on the altars for the dead, but in some traditions, they line a path to the home. “The family cooks for the person who has died, the family shares and tells stories of the person who died, and it’s like a family tradition, to remember the people who have passed,” Molina said. The festival of remembrance closes of Nov. 2 with Dia de los Fieles Difuntos y Todos los Santos, Day of the Faithful Dead and All Saints. On Nov. 2, celebrations often move to the gravesite of the deceased, Molina said. “I really love that tradition. It is very special to me,” she said. Each year, Del Rio’s Casa De La Cultura hosts a spirited Dia de los Muertos celebration called “Calaveras y Calacas.” •

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Crowds of youngsters and their parents throng South Main Street during the 2017 Monster Mash, hosted by the Del Rio Main Street Program. Organizers said the event provides a safe venue for children and parents celebrating Halloween, with lots of games, activities and an all-ages costume contest.

They only come out at night Del Rio Main Street’s Monster Mash offers family Halloween fun Story by KAREN GLEASON; photos by KAREN GLEASON and contributed by the DEL RIO MAIN STREET PROGRAM

t’s ghosts and ghouls and zombies. It’s Dracula with a light saber, a miniature Spider Man and his sister Batgirl. It’s food and fun and family. It’s the Del Rio Main Street Program’s annual Monster Mash bash. Monster Mash began downtown about 2009, a fundraising event hosted by the Del Rio Main Street Program. The Mash has been held continuously since 2014. “When the Main Street Program was re-activated in 2014, we talked about some of the events that had been previously held on Main Street, and Monster Mash was one of those. In 2014, we had less than a month to plan and carry out the event. We had almost no time,” Alexandra Calderon, Del Rio Main Street Program president, remembered.

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Calderon described the Mash as “a fun, family event for Halloween.” “It’s a safe event, where families can feel good about attending with their children,” Calderon said. Over the years, the Monster Mash has grown. Where the event once took up a single block of South Main Street in front of the Paul Poag Theatre, this year it will span two blocks, between Greenwood and Garfield streets. “We saw that it was really crowded, and people were asking for more,” she said. Monster Mash features a variety of games and activities for children and youngsters. “We have a ring toss, where you have to throw rings over

A white wolf dressed up for a night on the town, Dracula with a light saber and a ninja turtle are just a few of the imaginative costumes that appear at Monster Mash each year.

GRANDE / OCTOBER 2018

skeleton hands. The fish pond is always popular, and the one that is fun is where we have doughnuts on a string and people have to eat them without touching them,” Calderon said. Other games featured at Monster Mash this year will include Halloween bingo, witch pitch and monster golf. This will be the third year that the local public school district’s career and technical education culinary arts program provides cakes for the event’s popular cake walk. Another Monster Mash hit to make a return this year is the haunted house, which will be held inside the CrossFit Del Rio building this year. Calderon said participation in each of the games costs $1, and the admission to the haunted house will be $1. The most popular feature of the Monster Mash is the all-ages costume contest. Registration for the costume contest begins at 6 p.m. and the contest itself begins at 7:30 p.m. Age categories for the costume contest are infant to six years old, seven to 12 years old and 13 and over. There will be four judging categories: do-it-yourself/originality, creativity, authenticity and scary/cute. “We keep it fun and G-rated, with first, second and third place in each category,” Calderon said. There are usually about a dozen food vendors on site. “This is actually our big annual fundraiser, with all the proceeds going to the Main Street Program, to fund our façade grant, our Fourth of July ‘Chalk the Walk’ activity and to allow us to work on our pocket park project,” Calderon said. Calderon said she is the expecting a big event. “Last year was the biggest ever, when we opened an extra street, we had more volunteers, and we are expecting an even bigger turnout this year. I know that this is an event the community really anticipates,” she said. The Monster Mash is always held the last Saturday in October, and this year will be held from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. Admission is free. •

Pyramid Head, a character from the video game “Silent Hill” made an appearance at Monster Mash in 2015.

Del Rio police officers get ready to apprehend a suspect. The police and fire departments usually attend Monster Mash and get into the spirit of Halloween by dressing in costume and handing out candy.

Youngsters participate in a marshmallow eating contest, one of several games and activities just for kids at the annual Monster Mash event downtown.

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Last Look

This summer was a rough one

y’all! The record high temperatures were way too much for this Anglo to handle. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when the time finally came to plan out our October issue, knowing it meant cooler weather waited on the horizon. I had to remind myself several times throughout this issue: Just because I’m interviewing people about their Halloween homes, the holiday is still more than a month away. And even though Bonita sent her pumpkin bread recipe all the way from Australia, you must show restraint and wait until Oct. 1 to order your first pumpkin spice latte (it’s a personal rule). As I may have bragged before, I bartended in Seattle for about four years before moving to Texas. My former bar manager put a maple bacon old fashioned on our cocktail menu and oh doggy it was delicious. I was so happy to recreate it for this issue. It sounds questionable, but trust me, it’s tasty. I finally had the opportunity this month to utilize my friend Tiffeny, who has the biggest, brightest blue eyes you’ve ever seen, for our fashion shoot. She and her friend, Jessica, knew exactly what to do in front of the camera. Minimal direction needed. I love that. We hope this issue made you anxious for autumn and the holidays that follow. I, too, am incredibly excited for the fall. One date in particular: Oct. 6, the day I start that married life! Happy reading everyone! See you in November. Sincerely, Megan Tackett Creative Director

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- Megan adjusts Tiffeny’s wardrobe during this month’s fashion shoot at the Firehouse Gallery. - This picture of Tiffeny doing her best cat impression from the fashion shoot was way too cute not to use. - After about an hour of layout editing, Megan hangs out with the Del Rio News Cat in the newsroom parking lot. - Karen photographs herself inside one of Fort Clark Springs’ haunted buildings.

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