In This Issue: Up the Chisholm Trail Art in the Square Cemetery Touring Landfill Home to Exotic Animals Local Train Ride
Fall 2010
Welcome to the 12th issue of GeorgeTown & Country Magazine, a resource for residents, newcomers and visitors alike. The magazine’s primary focus is on Georgetown and secondarily, the beautiful Hill Country area.
Your Guide to Georgetown & the Hill Country 28 28 26 21 5 5 8 9 28 6 25 11 28 27 9 19 17 28 19 19 21 28 12 15 6 18 27 4 16 BC
This issue of the magazine features several fall events. Two unique events are the Up the Chisholm Trail event, held in September, and the Cemetery Tour, held in November. An October happening is the Art in the Square event, with more than 100 fine arts booths around the historic downtown Square. Another is the Taste of Georgetown event held in late October in the Courthouse. We’ve included the fall calendars for the Palace Theatre and Southwestern University for those who like concerts and plays. We were fortunate to be able to visit the award-winning TDS landfill in Creedmor, where Georgetown’s refuse ends up and the amazing home of many exotic animals from around the world. Our featured artist in this issue is Prudy McKenzie, whom you may have seen around town with her Georgetown paintings. I would like to say thanks to our advertisers and contributors for their support with the magazine. It’s been fun and challenging to bring this publication to our community. If you would like to be an advertiser or would like to contribute an article for the magazine, please contact me at 512-863-3263. I hope you enjoy the magazine and find it useful! Lucas Adams, Publisher
Camille & Co. Chupa Rosa Cianfrani Coffee Company Created for You Catering Franklin & Company Jewelers Gatherings Georgetown Winery Georgetown Antique Mall Hey! Pet Goodies His and Her Treasures Inner Space Cavern Just Kidds & More KB Original Art Keller Williams Realty La Maison Laurie’s Too Palace Theatre Pam’s Antiques Plaka Greek Cafe Roberts Printing San Gabriel House B&B Sanaloma Laser Southwestern University Sweet Serendipity The Collector The Escape Tony & Luigi’s Tribal Impressions Wonderful Things Zoot Pet Hospital
Advertise in Magazine
Phone 512-863-3263
for more information or visit www.georgetownandcountry.com for rates and to view previous issues © 2010 Lucas Adams. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without express written permission from Lucas Adams, of any portion of this publication is prohibited. Reasonable efforts have been taken to prepare this publication for accuracy, however the publisher assumes no liability for errors. Content in GeorgeTown & Country Magazine may include paid advertisements. Booklet designed, photographed and published by Lucas Adams. Phone 512-863-3263.
Cover photography: Art in the Square Event with artist Don Snell’s painting on the light pole banner
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Georgetown AirFest
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Up the Chisholm Trail
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Art In the Square
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All Aboard
Air show with vintage airplanes Annual event celebrates local heritage Fine art event downtown Train ride day trip
10 Mountain Biking a Favorite Trail
Goodwater Loop trail is challenging
12 Southwestern University Events Complete fall schedule
13 Not Your Usual Landfill
Award winning, with wild animals
17 Palace Theatre Calendar New season offerings
18 Taste of Georgetown
Sample local cuisine and wines
20 Monument Market
New market for local and Texas products
22 Artist at Work
Prudy McKenzie paints Georgetown
23 Cemetery Stories
Tour promotes local history
Business Happenings Laurie’s Too Tony & Luigi’s Restaurante
Tony & Luigi’s, located at the corner of University Ave. and Church St., is celebrating their second birthday in Georgetown in September, starting on their third year! Their menu will change a little in September, so be sure to check it out. For more information, phone 512-864-2687.
Serving lunchtime home-cooked meals, Laurie’s is celebrating their 10th year on the Square! If you have been following the magazine over the past couple of years, you may have tried one of the recipes that have been included in nearly every issue. Many of them came compliments of Laurie’s cookbook, now with a second version and more great recipes. They are located at 612 Main St., just behind the Visitor’s Center. For more information, phone 512-863-5875.
Lemon Raspberry Muffins
Franklin & Co. Fine Jewelers
Franklin & Co. is now carrying a fine new product line of the Romance Diamond Bridal Collection in addition to their regular product line. Also, in November and December, the featured artist will be internationally recognized painter Michael Windberg. Mr. Windberg will be at the store on First Friday of both months to greet the public and talk about his art. A colored stone specialist will also be at the store for those Fridays. For more information, phone 512-869-2300.
Adi’s Italian Village
Located in the historic Lockett Building on the corner of Austin Avenue and 7th Street, Adi’s is now open serving a broad selection of Italian food. They are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. For more information, phone 512-868-9587.
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup frozen raspberries 2 large eggs 1 cup half and half 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 large lemon, freshly squeezed 1 teaspoon lemon extract Preheat oven to 400º. In a large bowl, combineflour, baking powder, salt, sugar and raspberries, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine eggs, half and half, oil, lemon juice and lemon extract; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spray muffin tins well with non-stick cooking spray and fill three-fourths full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 18.
Monument Market
Soon to be open on South Austin Avenue in the old location of the Monument Café, the market will be Georgetown’s newest market. They are scheduled to be open in the fall. For more information, see the article on page 20, or phone 512-868-5932.
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Recipe from Treasures Too from Laurie’s Tea Room
Georgetown AirFest September 25th
The Georgetown AirFest will be held at the
Georgetown Municipal Airport on Saturday, Sept. 25th. Experience the nostalgia and history of vintage WW II airplanes and take a ride in a WW II-era bomber or fighter plane. The B-25 Devil Dog bomber, featured in the previous issue of the magazine, will be on display as well as a P-51 Mustang fighter and a Czech-built L-29 Delfin jet. There will be precision formation flyovers and radio-controlled plane demonstrations as well.
Thanks to the dedication of volunteers from the Georgetown aviation community, the Georgetown AirFest promises to be a fun and educational experience for the entire family. There is no admission fee for the Georgetown AirFest, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.airfest.georgetown.org.
There will also be other interesting aircraft, such as the B-25 Yellow Rose, a Fairchild PT-19 U.S. Army Air Corps trainer, the C-47 Bluebonnet Belle, and an SNJ-4 U.S. Navy trainer. Plane rides will be available in the B-25 Yellow Rose aircraft for a fee of $350. The price for a ride in the PT19 will be $150 per person, or for the SNJ-4, $200. Or, you can ride in a Cessna or a Piper from Pilot’s Choice Aviation for $20 to $40 per person. Visit www.airfest. georgetown.org. to reserve your spot for an airplane ride and to see the planes that will be at the AirFest. On the day of the event there will be a flight breakfast at 8 a.m. in a hangar near the Terminal Building. The cost is $5 per person.
The B-25 Devil Dog, featured in the summer issue
Georgetown Event
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Up the Chisholm Trail Cattle Drive & Chuckwagon Cook-off Event September 17th & 18th
The fifth annual Up the Chisholm Trail event will be held in San Gabriel Park on Sept. 17th and 18th, a celebration of a rich part of our Texas heritage. The event honors the men and women who fearlessly challenged the open plains with their dedication and hard work.
The Chisholm Trail stretched from Kansas to Texas, more than a thousand miles of country with a few small towns dotting the landscape. Georgetown was one of those towns situated along the route that the herds would travel on their way to market. Old photos reveal a true western town, with dirt streets, horses, carriages and saloons. The event was first created in 2006 as a way to bring local history to life. The first two years the cattle drive went through downtown, but it quickly outgrew the space. Organizers selected San Gabriel Park as the new location for the drive as well as the chuckwagon cook-off events and other activities. The park provided for a longer cattle drive with ample parking and other facilities to accommodate the growing numbers of spectators.
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This year’s event will include live music, children’s activities, demonstrators, a western art show, a chuckwagon cook-off, the ever-popular longhorn cattle drive along the banks of the San Gabriel River, and a ranch rodeo. For more information, phone 512-943-1670, or visit www.upthechisholmtrail.org.
Schedule of Events - Sept 18 Cowboy Breakfast
8 am–9 am
Live Music
9 am–4 pm
Children’s Activities/Demonstrators
9 am–4 pm
Western Art Show
9 am–4 pm
Chuckwagon Lunch Served
1 pm
Longhorn Cattle Drive
3 pm
Chuckwagon Awards
4 pm
Ranch Rodeo
5 pm
Georgetown Event
Cooking and authentic chuckwagons
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3.5 x 5
7/26/10
3:14 PM
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Romance
Art in the Square ™
Diamond Bridal Collection Exceptional Values for Exceptional Brides
October 16 & 17
Georgetown will be holding the second annual
outdoor fine art show and festival Oct. 16th and 17th on the historic downtown Square. Art in the Square is a fine art show featuring over 100 professional artists in the historic and charming setting of downtown Georgetown. Art in the Square artists have been gathered from around the country and offer a wide range of personal creations in a variety of mediums. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, sculpture and more will be on display for the two-day show, which promises to be excellent in both quality and quantity of art.
18kt Gold & Diamonds
109 W 7th St • Suite 100 • Georgetown, TX 78626
(512) 869-2300
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Georgetown Art in the Square is produced by The Blue Lotus Art Show Tour, a professional organization dedicated to the promotion and education of fine arts in Central
Texas. This is the third year of their production, the first being a show in San Gabriel Park in 2008 that was held in conjunction with the music festival. There will also be a children’s area where the kiddos are encouraged to participate in art activities to create masterpieces to take home. October is the Month of the Arts and Georgetown’s Art in the Square event is a great way to celebrate and further the arts and art education. There is no charge for admission and everyone is invited to enjoy!
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All Aboard! Local Train Ride Makes a Nice Day Trip Whether you’re a train buff or are just looking for a fun day trip, the Austin Steam Train Association offers year-round excursions into the country west of Georgetown.
The trips start from a depot in Cedar Park that is just 14 miles from Georgetown. To get there, take I-35 south to Hwy. 1431 and then head west on Hwy. 1431 for 8 miles. The depot is located between the new Hwy. 183 toll road and the original Hwy. 183.
the most scenic spots on the route is where it crosses the San Gabriel River. The rail line was bought by the City of Austin in 1986 and is now owned by Capital Metro. The first five miles of the route are on the same tracks used by Capital Metro’s new commuter rail service from Leander to Austin. The Austin Steam Train Association, which is a volunteer-run organization, has been running the scenic excursions since 1992. The group owns a 1916 steam engine, which is usually used to pull the cars, but it is currently undergoing a complete overhaul. In the meantime, the coaches are pulled by a 1960 diesel locomotive that is the only remaining diesel of its type still in operation.
The ASTA offers two trips. The Hill Country Flyer is a day-long trip that travels 66 miles round trip to Burnet and back. The train stops in Burnet long enough for guests to have lunch in the historic downtown, and to enjoy a Wild West gun show. The Bertram Flyer is a three-hour trip that goes to Bertram and back. This trip stops at a historic 1912 depot that was moved to Bertram in 1998 and meticulously reconstructed by volunteers to show visitors what the railroad depots that once dotted America looked like. While most of the ride travels through suburban landscapes, you are riding through history. The railroad track from Austin to Burnet was originally built in 1882 to haul minerals from the Hill Country. It was later extended to Marble Falls, Llano and Lampasas, providing a lifeline to the quarries, ranches and small towns in the thenisolated region. The granite used to build the state capitol building in Austin was hauled down these tracks, as was the granite used for the construction of the seawall in Galveston after the 1900 hurricane. The route from Cedar Park to Burnet goes past the sites of two former forts, one of which was built by the Texas Rangers in 1836. One of
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Three types of seats are available for the excursions. The least expensive are the coach seats, which are in a 1920-era open-air car. The excursion seats are in airconditioned cars from the 1950s. The most expensive seats are in the First Class Pullman Lounge cars. You can rent a whole car for a small party or an individual room for a family. Reservations are recommended because the rides fill up fast. In addition to the Hill Country Flyer and the Bertram Flyer, ASTA offers special excursions for Halloween, Christmas and the Oatmeal Festival south of Bertram. For complete schedule information, or to purchase tickets, go to www.austinsteamtrain.org or call 512-477-8468. For information on volunteering with ASTA, write volunteers@austinsteamtrain.org. ~ Ellen Davis
Day Trip
Southwestern University Observatory Fall Viewing Schedule • Friday, Sept. 17, 8-10:30 p.m. • Friday, Oct. 15, 8-10:30 p.m. • Friday, Nov. 12, 8-10:30 p.m. Fountainwood Viewing Nights are always free and open to the public. The observatory is located on the northeast side of campus adjacent to the Rockwell Baseball Field (see #6 on campus map at http://www.southwestern.edu/map). Faculty members from the Physics Department at Southwestern as well as observers from the Williamson County Astronomy Club will be on hand to guide viewing. For weather-related updates about viewing nights, call the Fountainwood Observatory hotline at 512-863-1242.
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“BEST OF GEORGETOWN” AWARDS ON SHOP.GEORGETOWN.ORG Rules: 1. Vote from Shop.Georgetown. org website from Oct. 1 – 31 2. Can only vote once per verified email address 3. Must vote for at least half of the categories (25) in order for the ballot to be successfully submitted. For local business ideas, look at the Dining and Shopping categories on VisitGeorgetown.com 4. Top three winners in each category will be announced at the November 5th First Friday.
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New Trail A Challenge For Veteran Mountain Bikers FM
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I was intrigued, having hiked part of the 26-mile trail. The Goodwater Loop was included it in a previous issue of the magazine as a hiking trip ˗ a fairly rugged hiking trip ˗ and I could not imagine being on a bike in some of the areas. Littlefield confirmed that there are some parts of the trail that are extremely challenging, requiring a rider to be fairly expert. He stressed “expert” on a large part of the trail, about 75 percent of it due to sharp rocks, cacti and dropoffs on the trail.
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Boundaries, trails and distances are approximate. Use extreme caution on trails as they are irregular with drop-offs, rock outcroppings and cacti. Always carry water, food and a cell phone. Hiking or biking alone is not recommended. Always wear protective gear when biking and carry a first aid kit. Mountain bike riding is a potentially dangerous activity and is not recommended for children under the age of 18.
Mountain biking is a serious sport and Paul Littlefield at Georgetown’s Central Texas PowerSports can attest to it. We were talking about bike rides at his shop recently and he indicated that the Goodwater Loop around Lake Georgetown was a good mountain biking trail, one of the best in the Central Texas area.
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Lake Overlook Park Headquarters & Information
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the Ridge Riders. The nice thing about the Goodwater Trail is that there are rest stops at the different parks and also the opportunity to shorten the ride if need be. Before attempting an extreme activity like this, a rider needs extensive training and preparation, as well as doing research into the ride. For more information about this ride, contact Paul at Central Texas PowerSports, 512-948-9922. ~ Lucas Adams
“There are some areas that are smooth and level, near the Lake Overlook Park and also near Russell Park,” he said, continuing, “and at Tejas Park there are a couple of parts of the trail that are more like a jeep trail, kind of wide. Those are the easier rides. The rest of the trail is very tough.” When asked how long the entire ride is, he indicated it takes about 3 to 6 hours to bike the 26-mile loop, which can be undertaken from several different trailheads. The trail was built by the Austin Ridge Riders with help from the Army Corps of Engineers and is maintained by
Trail riders
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COMMUNITY GROUP HELPS SUPPORT THE FINE ARTS AT SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY Many residents of Georgetown take advantage of the plays, concerts and art exhibits that are held at Southwestern University, most of which are offered free of charge. For members of the community who want to help support the fine arts program at Southwestern, there is a special group called the Friends of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts (SSFA). Membership in the group gives residents the opportunity to attend four “members only” events a year, as well as the opportunity to socialize with each other before or after selected performances. The pre- and post-event socials are often held in members’ homes. The 2010-2011 Friends season kicks off Sept. 19 with an orchestra “demonstration” conducted by Lois Ferrari, director of the SU Wind Ensemble and SU Orchestra. The demonstration will be followed by a New Orleans-style reception featuring music performed by the SU Jazz Band. Other events planned for the fall include a Nov. 11 panel discussion featuring Central Texas ceramic collectors who will be featured in the exhibit titled “Central Texas Collects: The Ceramic Spectrum,” which will be on display in the Fine Arts Gallery from Oct. 18 through Nov. 20. The discussion will be moderated by Patrick Veerkamp, professor of art at Southwestern and noted local ceramic expert. Events planned for spring 2011 include a pre-show curtain talk to coincide with the March 6 performance of Stephen Sondheim’s popular musical “Into the Woods” and a dinner following the performance. The season will conclude with a “Friends-only” dessert reception following the SU Chorale’s April 9 concert. The Friends also are sponsoring a bus trip to the Dallas Museum of Art in February 2011 to view the exhibit “Gustav Stickley and the American Arts and Crafts Movement,” which will offer the first comprehensive examination of the life and work of the patriarch of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Money raised by membership in the Friends group has helped fund a variety of projects for the Sarofim School of Fine Arts, including the purchase of new equipment for the Theatre Department, a new kiln for the Art Department, and a recent trip to China by members of the SU Chorale. For more information on the Friends of the Sarofim School of Fine Arts, visit http://www.southwestern.edu/sarofim/friends.php. If you would like to attend the Sept. 19th kickoff event, call 512-863-1483 or write events@southwestern.edu.
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Southwestern University
Fall 2010
Events
August 31 Faculty Recital Dana Zenobi, soprano, and David Utterback, piano 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater September 11 Alumni Recital Rhapsoidos Trio with Melinda Brou ’99 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater September 14 Faculty Recital Kiyoshi Tamagawa, piano 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater September 23-26 Black Box Theater performance: “Mud” Heather Hall, Fine Arts Center September 26 Faculty Recital Hai Zheng, cello, and Kiyoshi Tamagawa, piano 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater September 30 Faculty Recital Eric Stone Miller, bassoon 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater October 2 Southwestern University Orchestra and Wind Ensemble Lois Ferrari, conductor 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater October 18 – November 20 Central Texas Collects: The Ceramic Spectrum 1-5 p.m., Fine Arts Gallery October 21-24 “Man Who Came to Dinner” Alma Thomas Theater
October 29-30 Southwestern University Opera Theatre Bruce Cain, director 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 6 Faculty Recital David Asbury, guitar 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 7 Guest Artist Recital Ayako Yonetani, violin, and Kiyoshi Tamagawa, piano 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 9 Writer’s Voice lecture featuring filmmaker Mira Nair 8 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 13 Southwestern University Orchestra and Wind Ensemble Lois Ferrari, conductor 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 20 Southwestern University Chorale 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater November 19-21 “Yellow Boat” Jones Theater November 30 Southwestern University Jazz Band David Guidi, director 7 p.m., Alma Thomas Theater For more information visit www.southwestern.edu 12
Not your usual landfill Georgetown’s trash goes to a landfill that is one of a kind Have you ever wondered where your trash goes? If you live in Georgetown and much of Central Texas, it goes to a landfill south of Austin that is operated by Texas Disposal Systems (TDS). But this isn’t your typical landfill. It’s a landfill that includes an exotic game ranch, a tree farm, a special events venue for nonprofit organizations and coming soon – a wildlife safari adventure park that will be open to the public. Texas Disposal Systems was founded in 1977 by two brothers named Bob and Jim Gregory. The brothers originally just ran a garbage collection business, but they decided to build their own landfill to control costs. They purchased 1,350 acres in Creedmor, a town of about 200 people located 45 minutes south of Georgetown. The landfill opened in 1991 and currently receives 3,000 tons of trash a day from Austin, San Antonio and other cities in central Texas. TDS has had the contract to pick up Georgetown’s trash since 1999. From the beginning, the Gregory brothers were determined to operate a model landfill – one that neighbors would not object to living near. Since their landfill was required to be surrounded by a buffer zone, they decided to put some animals on this land. “Many in our family were hunters, so they were used to seeing animals,” Jimmy Gregory says. Their ranch started with a single longhorn, but has since grown to 2,000 animals representing 65 species from all over the world. Their collection includes seven species of antelope, buffalo, camels, gazelles, giraffes, oryx, rhinoceros, wildebeest and zebras (which explains why their garbage trucks have zebras on the side of them). The animals roam free in different pastures on 1,400 acres not currently being used as landfill. “Neighbors don’t say ‘I live near a landfill, they say ‘I live near the TDS game ranch,” Gregory says. TDS has also planted 3,000 trees around the landfill – so many that they opened their own tree farm to provide them. The Gregory brothers sell and trade some of their animals as a way to pay for the upkeep of the animals, which eat one ton of hay a day. They also are working with organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund to help replenish endangered animals in their native lands. The TDS exotic game ranch is not open to the public, but Verna Browning, a retired City of Georgetown employee, conducts invitational tours as part of her jobs as community
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The park is expected to open sometime in 2012 and will be called “Austin Savanna”
relations manager for TDS. Many Georgetown residents have had the opportunity to see the site as part of a school group, neighborhood group, or other group that was invited for a site visit. The game ranch has proved so popular with guests that TDS recently purchased another 425 acres on the west wide of their property that they plan to open as a commercial animal park that will be open to the public. The park is expected to open sometime in 2012 and will be called “Austin Savanna.” Gregory says it will be a “safari-style” park, with a variety of tour types and lengths available, including some “behind the scenes” tours. Many local residents have also had the opportunity to see the game ranch as part of nonprofit events held there. Ten years, ago, TDS decided it wanted to give something back to the community, so it built a 12,000 square-foot pavilion on its property that qualified nonprofit groups can use to hold fundraisers for no charge. The facility now hosts an average of 200 events a year, and has helped raise millions of dollars for nonprofit groups. “Events draw big crowds because people want to come see the animals,” Browning says. The pavilion area also includes a golf hole and an area for clay shooting. The Gregory brothers are proud of the fact that the pavilion is located downwind from the landfill, but visitors don’t smell anything. The game ranch and the entertainment venue aren’t the only things that are different about the TDS landfill. From day one, the company has tried to divert as much waste from the landfill as possible. They were the first landfill in Texas to offer recycling as well as composting and brush grinding. The landfill was composting more material than TDS could use, so in 2000 the company acquired a company called Garden-Ville. The seven Garden-Ville stores in central Texas sell the material that TDS composts, as well as trees that are grown on its tree farm. Gardenville stores also offer classes to help residents learn how to use the materials they sell. TDS shreds tires and combines them with wood chips and low-grade plastics to create a mixture that can be used as fuel by cement plants as an alternative to coal. At the entrance to the landfill is a “re-use” center where residents can purchase discarded items such as exercise equipment that have been refurbished. “A lot of people bring items to the landfill that could be used by others with a little repair,” Gregory says. Even the sheds for the animals were made from tin recovered from the landfill. Continued on following page
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landfill Continued from previous page Gregory estimates that 175,000 tons of trash a year is diverted through efforts such as composting and recycling. This fall, TDS will be opening a 105,000 square-foot recycling facility on its site known as a materials recovery facility (MRF). They plan to power the facility with methane generated by the landfill. The facility will enable towns served by TDS to implement single-stream recycling, in which all recyclable materials are collected in a single container. TDS is proud of the fact they received the Gold Landfill Management Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America in 2008. This May, Bob Gregory was one of five people in the country who were inducted into the Environmental Industry Association’s Hall of Fame. “There’s no reason for landfills to have the bad reputation they have,” Gregory says. ~ Ellen Davis
Bongo Antelope To see pictures of all the animals on the TDS exotic game ranch, visit www.texasdisposal.com. Tours of the game ranch are by invitation only. For more information about the TDS facility or the TDS pavilion, contact Verna Browning at vbrowning@texasdisposal.com or 512-930-1715. For more information on Garden-Ville stores, visit www.garden-ville.com To reach the TDS landfill from Georgetown, take Toll Road 130 south to the Creedmor exit. Turn right on FM 1625 and take the first left at the light, which is FM 1327. The landfill is located on FM 1327.
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Thomson’s Gazelle
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THE PALACE THEATRE 2010- 2011 SEASON September 24 through October 31, 2010
Cinderella, The Enchanted by Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
November 19 through December 30, 2010 Scrooge, The Musical by Leslie Bricusse
January 14 through February 6, 2011 The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon
February 18 through March 20, 2011 Evita
by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber
April 1 through May 1, 2011
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by David Yazbeck and Jeffrey Lane
May 13 through June 12, 2011 Cabaret
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
by Joe Masteroff, John Kander and Fred Ebb
Sundays at 2:00 p.m. June 24 through July 17, 2011 Call (512) 869-SHOW for tickets! A non-profit performing arts facility Accepting Visa and Mastercard over the web & phone 810 S. Austin Avenue Georgetown, TX 78627 512-869-7469 www.georgetownpalace.com 17
Wait Until Dark by Frederick Knott
August 5 through September 4, 2011 The Wizard of Oz
by L. Frank Baum, Frank Gabrielson, Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg and Herbert Stothart
Taste of Georgetown
Saturday, October 23 In the Courthouse
On Saturday evening, Oct. 23rd, the annual Taste of Georgetown event will be held in the Williamson
County Courthouse. The courthouse was built in 1911 and is a wonderful venue for the event. What is the Taste? It is an opportunity to sample cuisine and wines from Georgetown and the Hill Country and includes a “Best of...” contest. Held in the past in different venues such as Grace Heritage’s parking lot and the Wolf Ranch Water Plaza, the event has grown each year to become one of the local favorites. In fact, it has become so popular that it will be held with two different sessions so as to comfortably accommodate everyone. The plan is designed to reduce waiting in line, making for a more pleasurable experience. Tickets are available for $30 at the DGA office on the corner of 7th and Main on the downtown Square or online. For more information, phone 512-868-8675 or visit www.thegeorgetownsquare.com.
Food and wine abound at the Taste
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Monument Market
A home-grown store for healthy food products The original Monument Café opened on South Austin Avenue near Leander Road in 1995. Over the years it became a landmark, a destination café that was a must for visitors to Georgetown.
She continued, “We plan to have local farmers bring produce through the front door so shoppers can see who it is that’s working so hard to grow this beautiful food and see how fresh it really is.”
Moving to a new location a block off the historic downtown Square in 2008 took a lot of planning and time, but the new location was well worth the wait. A larger dining area and kitchen have increased the capacity of their restaurant, making it an even better dining experience. But what has become of the old location? A plan has been put in place to turn the old Monument location into a 7-day-a-week market, a place where locally produced products are sold. These products range from vegetables and fruits to meats, dairy, nuts and grains. They also plan to carry local salsas, jellies and specialty foods that come from the immediate area. The concept is to have a home-grown Texas store, but moreover, to focus especially on nearby producers of these products. “Our goal is to primarily buy local, close to this area, and then widen our area of products from all over Texas,” says Pattie Meyers, Monument Market manager. “While our produce will be organic/ naturally grown, the remainder of our products will not necessarily be. Our goal, though, is to source products that are as natural as possible.”
They will also have frequent demos of all sorts, such as cooking and educating the shopper on how to prepare fresher, healthier meals, as well as demos by the owners of the small companies featuring their products (from coffee roasters, cheese makers, wine makers, sausage makers, to pasta makers, etc.) Their goal is to offer unparalleled freshness in products such as locally grown organic wheat berries and the grinder to create fresh flour “on the spot.” In addition, they will offer educational aids to help inform the shopper of the benefits of eating locally created food in the form of printed material, video, and special events. “We want to show that the Market is a natural extension of what we have been doing at the Café for some time – offering local, fresh, delicious food,” says Meyers. We are all looking forward to this next “monumental” leap forward in healthy food options in Georgetown! They are scheduled to be open early this fall. For more information, phone 512-868-5932.
Georgetown Business
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Mallots and Merlot Sunday, October 24
On Sunday, Oct. 24th, the Mallots and Merlot event will be held at The Vineyard in Florence from 2-6 p.m. The sport of kings, polo, will be played to benefit the students of R.O.C.K., Ride On Center for Kids.
What is R.O.C.K.? In simplest terms, it provides therapy for people with disabilities. R.O.C.K. clients often have cognitive, physical or emotional challenges that are helped through equine-assisted activities or therapy. Nancy Krenek, founder and now therapy director and researcher for R.O.C.K., explains, “We are partnering with local universities and working to quantify the medical benefits of our services.� R.O.C.K. is indeed a place where miracles happen. Toddlers whose bodies cannot support their weight find balance and support from the movement they experience atop a R.O.C.K. quarter horse named Leroy, and where those challenged with cerebral palsy find independence when they ride a Paint horse named Lucky ˗ or where a man who has had a stroke experiences movement from an Arabian named Kashan. It is a place where those with the diagnosis of autism are soothed and enjoy a sense of calm from a gentle Fjord named Shandy. What is known from research is that the movement of the horse mimics the movement of the human body. Support is needed from the community to continue to help those who need financial assistance to benefit from equine-assisted therapy known as therapeutic riding or hippotherapy. A team of over 50 dedicated volunteers will make this event happen. By attending the Mallots and Merlot event, you literally put adults and children on horses so that their lives are made just a little bit easier. The event is free. Tickets to the VIP tent are $150. For more information, phone 512-930-7625 or visit www.rockride.org.
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Local Artist Captures Georgetown’s Essence On any given Second Saturday Market Days for the past several years, you might have noticed an artist sitting in front of the Hill Country Bookstore painting with watercolors and visiting with people. Artist Prudy McKenzie has been one of Georgetown’s most visible artists as well as one of Georgetown’s best illustrators of the buildings and shops on the Square, including homes around town. Her style is unmistakable, soft, clean and slightly whimsical, catching the essence of her subjects whether they are buildings, florals or landscapes. T-shirts with her artwork on them can be found at His and Her Treasures on the south side of the Square, and there are also note cards in different shops in town. Stopping to visit with her during the Market Days event in July, I noticed a book bearing her name. The title was Generational Secrets and was published locally by Armadillo Publishing. The book is a fictional story and she explained that she had done it several years ago. More importantly though, she is continuing to write, bringing some of her experiences to life with short stories. In some of her new short stories, she writes, “The Depression continued, but we children went through our days as children do ˗ unaware of the effects. I do remember mother sharing coal with the neighbors, giving sandwiches to the hoboes who came to the kitchen door. And there was depression soup. Coffee, water, stale bread and milk.” Her writings are powerful testimonials, also dealing with WW II as seen through a young girl’s eyes. She continues to write and share her experiences, which she hopes to publish some day, and in the meantime she continues to paint on a regular basis. If you are out and about on Second Saturday Market Days, be sure to stop and visit with this Georgetown artist and check out her work! She’ll be in front of the Hill Country Bookstore wearing a smile as she paints.
Prudy at work painting in front of the Hill Country Bookstore
Georgetown Artist
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Cemetery Stories
Annual tours bring early residents back to life
Would you like to learn more about some
of the people are who are buried in Georgetown’s largest cemetery? There is a tour focusing on history that offers residents the opportunity to do so twice a year in the IOOF Cemetery, which is located at the end of East 7th Street behind Southwestern University. These aren’t just ordinary cemetery tours, though. The tours are given by people in period costume who portray real people buried in the cemetery. The IOOF cemetery, which was officially established in 1878, contains the resting places of many of Georgetown’s most prominent early residents, including Georgetown Washington Glasscock, for whom Georgetown is named. Other notable residents who are buried in the cemetery include: • Sam Houston’s oldest daughter, Nannie
Houston Morrow, and her husband, J.S.C. Morrow.
• Thomas Proctor Hughes, a lawyer who
was instrumental in bringing Southwestern University to Georgetown
• The Snyder brothers, who made their
fortune driving cattle up the Chisholm Trail and selling beef to the Confederacy. After the war, they provided the land that Southwestern University was built on.
• Charles Belford, who built many of the
beautiful homes that are still standing in Old Town
• J.E. Cooper, who established the
Williamson County Sun
• Women’s rights activist Jessie Daniel Ames • Long-time educator Annie Purl, for whom
a local elementary school is named
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Georgetown Event
Five of Southwestern University’s early presidents are buried in the cemetery, including its first president, Francis Asbury Mood. The cemetery tours provide an opportunity to learn more about these prominent residents, as well as some who are not featured in local history books. On recent tours, for example, we learned that Catherine Jane Snyder, the wife of John Wesley Snyder, was one of the few women who went on a cattle drive. We also learned that baseball star Nolan Ryans’s great aunt and uncle are buried in a far corner of the original cemetery. Originally from Missouri, Isaac Ryan and his wife, Nancy, retired to Georgetown after he founded the United Methodist Church in Burke, Texas. ~ Ellen Davis
The next tour of the IOOF cemetery will be on Saturday, Nov. 6, from 4-6 p.m. The tour is self-guiding and will feature people who had ties to Southwestern University. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the entrance to the cemetery. Speakers in period costumes share local history with onlookers
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Elder Law Today The Law Office of Charles E. Lance, J.D.
Your Will Your will is a legally binding statement directing who will receive your property upon your death. It also appoints a legal representative, called an executor or personal representative, to carry out your wishes. The process by which a person’s property is passed to the people or institutions named in the will is called probate. However, a will covers only probate property. Many types of property or forms of ownership pass outside of probate. Examples of property that pass outside of probate and, thus, are not mentioned in a will, include jointly owned property with rights of survivorship, property in a trust, life insurance proceeds, and property with a named beneficiary, such as IRAs or 401(k) plans. Probate property usually consists of real estate, bank accounts owned by an individual (or with another person as tenants in common), stocks and bonds, and personal property such as furniture and jewelry. Listing the contents of your estate, including bank accounts, stock, IRAs, real estate, motor vehicles, life insurance, and anything else that you may own, whether by yourself or with another person with an estimate of its value will help you make decisions about what to put in your will. This information will also help a lawyer prepare a will that better meets your needs and desires. You need to list the people you would like to receive a part of your estate, including family members, friends, and charities. Next consider who you would like to be the person or persons you would like to appoint as your executor to administer your estate and carry out your wishes as stated in your will. Two people are often named as coexecutors. You should also consider naming a successor or alternate in case the first appointed person cannot serve for any reason. Always ask the person or persons you plan on appointing to get their consent to serve. If you have minor children (under 18) or disabled persons who depend on you, who to appoint as their guardian in the event of your death is usually the most important and difficult decision you have to make. All people with children should have wills naming a guardian and a successor.
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Four Reasons to Have a Will 1. A will allows you to direct where and to whom your estate (what you own) will go after your death. When you die intestate (without a will), your estate is distributed according to the laws of descent and distribution of your state. In general, those rules provide that your property will be divided among your closest family members, but in the case of blended families (second marriages) the rules often leave a widow or widower owning half of his or her house with the stepchildren. Needless to say, such distribution may not be in accord with your wishes. 2. The probate process can be completed more quickly and at less expense if there is a will. With a clear expression of your wishes, there is unlikely to be any costly, time-consuming disputes over who gets what. 3. Only with a will can you choose someone to administer your estate and distribute it according to your instructions. If there is no will naming this person, the court will make the choice. Litigation can arise if family members cannot agree on who should take on this role of administrator. 4. One of the most important functions of a will is that it permits parents to appoint the person who will take their place as guardians of their minor children should both parents pass away. The above information is general. Before taking action, you should consult an estate planning attorney who can examine your specific situation and advise you accordingly.
Member, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Elder Law Today is written by Charles E. Lance, J.D., Attorney at Law. This article is published as a service of The Law Office of Charles E. Lance, J.D., 3613 Williams Drive, Suite 701, Georgetown, Texas 78628. This information is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions you should consult a qualified attorney. For more information, phone 512-868-2224.
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