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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 27
INSIDE
www.hillcountryherald.net
Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
editor@hillcountryherald.net
July 1, 2015
REAL COUNTY JUNIOR HORSE CLUB CROWNS 2015 RODEO QUEENS by Julie Becker
Dub’s Corner ............................ Page 11
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MIND OVER MATTER
Maggie Phillips is the 2015 RCJHC Rodeo Queen. Maggie is the daughter of Ronnie and Amanda Phillips of Leakey, Texas. Maggie attends Leakey ISD. She says “Rodeo is my one true passion.” Maggie has been a member of the Real County Junior Horse Club for nine years. Maggie has rode all of her life and feels most comfortable on the back of a horse. “I am so blessed to take part in such a wonderful club. I’ve learned so much about responsibility, leadership and sportsmanship through the years here. I’ve met some amazing people and made life long friends. I am happy and proud to represent Real County Junior Horse Club. Averi Walker is the 2015 Little Miss RCJHC. Averi is the seven year old daughter of Chris and Ti Walker of Montell. She is
the granddaughter of Bill and Robin Luce and Jimmy and Gail Walker. Averi is an “A” honor roll student at Nueces Canyon Elementary in Camp Wood, she will start second grade this fall. Averi has been riding most of her life and has been a member of Nueces Canyon Jr. horse club for 5 years. She recently joined Real Co. Jr. horse club and Uvalde Youth horse club. She is also an active 4H member that loves raising and showing her livestock. Averi wants to hone her riding skills and improve her times each week and believes her new horse, Peanut, can help her achieve this goal. Averi says, “I’m into fishin’, huntin’, and horses”. Y’all come out to the July Jubilee Rodeo on Friday and Saturday night at 8pm to see both of the beauties and the wildest rodeo in South Texas!
FOURTH OF JULY LINEUP
FRIDAY JULY 3RD 8 P.M.- RCJHC RODEO CHAMBER ARENA (Hwy. 83 North of Leakey, take 336 North, right hand side behind TxDot) Lester Meier Stock Contractor Bareback, Saddle Bronc, Calf Roping, Breakaway, Team Roping, Ladies Barrels, Bulls For the kids, Mutton Bustin’
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Grant Funded for Rio Grande Cooter Research ........................... Page 6
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INDEX State News .................... Page 2 Legals/Jail Register ...... Page 3 Community News ......... Page 4-6 Feature Story ................. Page 7 Obituaries ...................... Page 8 Classifieds ..................... Page 12
Today’s Weather
High: 86° Low: 69°
and Calf Scramble SATURDAY JULY 4TH -. DOWNTOWN SQUARE, 9 A.M - Arts and Crafts Festival 10 A.M. OLD FASHIONED PATRIOTIC PARADE 8 P.M. - RCJHC RODEO CHAMBER ARENA (Hwy. 83 North of Leakey, take 336 North, right hand side behind TxDot) Lester Meier Stock Contractor
Water News and River Flows River flows were taken on the Frio River June 26th and on the Nueces River on June29th with all flows still above average levels; the rainfall total at the RECRD Office in Camp Wood as of the June 29th is 3.85” for the month 28.75” and this brings the rainfall total for 2015 to 24.9” in Camp Wood. Overall, the flows are some of the highest I have recorded in my four years with the District. Rainfall total since the last flow measurement is 3.85” at the District Office and the last rainfall event was over the weekend of the 27th and 28th. As of the writing of this article forecasts call for additional rainfall over the July 4th weekend. The rain gauge in my yard in Leakey showed a little over 2” of rainfall over the weekend of the 27th and 28th with most of the rain coming on Saturday afternoon. The crossings are still flowing at higher levels than normal and as I drive across the District I still see water trickling out of the hillsides and flowing in creek beds that are
By: Joel Pigg, General Manager
normally dry. A little reminder as you go out swimming and floating while levels are still higher than normal: “STAY AWAY FROM THE INFLOW END OF THE CULVERTS, THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND SMALL PETS AND CHILDREN COULD GET SUCKED INTO THE PIPE. ADULTS CAN ALSO GET SUCKED INTO THE PIPES; SOME OF THE CULVERTS ARE LARGE OPENINGS AND AN ADULT CAN GET SUCKED INTO THE HOLE.” I have received several reports of animals getting sucked into the culverts and the owners barely getting the pet pulled to safety and I also heard that a person was nearly pulled into a culvert and was injured. Do not let kids go through the culverts, it looks like great fun but you never know what may be stuck in the culvert or if there is a hole in the pipe with a jagged edge that may cause severe cuts or scrapes.
The Spirit of ‘45 Roland A. Blair was born in 1908 at Vance, Kimble County, at Bushy Creek on the Blair Ranch. His parents were Lloyd and Cora Lee (Mankins) Blair. He went to school at Vance through the 10th grade. It was then he left home and became a ranch hand. His friend, Enoch Nelson had a sister, Clara, who was from Eden, Texas. He met her in Uvalde and they were married at the Uvalde Court House. They both worked at various ranches in the area, one of them being the Tin Can Ranch. In Laredo, he became an assistant to Dr. Cooper, local veterinarian. Then he was drafted by the Navy, but instead, he joined the Marines. Boot camp was at Camp Pendleton, San Diego, California. Clara and her brother who had a bad back worked in the aircraft factory while Roland served as a Marine in the Pacific. He and his wife had a code worked out. Both had identical maps of where the war was going on. He would use a sheet of typing paper and prick it with a pin point. He would then wrap the outside of his letter to her with this same paper and when she got her mail, she could place the
Bareback, Saddle Bronc, Calf Roping, Breakaway, Team Roping, Ladies Barrels, Bulls For the kids, Mutton Bustin’ and Calf Scramble ANNUAL STREET DANCE 9 P.M. TIL 1 A.M. DOWNTOWN SQUARE “BRINGING THE DANCE BACK” LET’S ROCK THIS CANYON!! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
There could also be things swimming or living in the culverts that you may not see. Culverts are very dangerous and not a place to play. I will also ask that you not place rocks in front of culverts to try and raise the swimming hole, when a flood of water comes along and stuffs the culvert full of
by Billie Franklin
typing paper over her map and know exactly where he was. He was in 4 major battles: Saipan, Tinian, Roi-Namur, and Iwo Jima. Because he was 33 when he was drafted, he was called “Pop” by the younger soldiers. Items of war that he brought back were a set of gold teeth, a Japanese doll that was in actuality the Japanese soldier’s dog tags with information written on a cloth under the back of the doll. He also confiscated an M1 rifle, a carbine rifle, 2 bayonets, and a 45 pistol. The pistol had belonged to a young 17 year old who had “Pop” promise to bring it back stateside if he perished, which “Pop” did. By the time Roland got out, he was the only survivor of his squadron, a fact that haunted him the rest of his life. Roland recalled that he saw the American flag raised during the battle at Iwo Jima. They had Christmas dinner in Honolulu and he was discharged in San Diego, California, in late 1945. While this was going on, Clara had quit the San Diego factory and moved to Phoenix, Arizona to live with her Uncle Rufus Nelson on a dairy farm. continued page 2
these rocks they do not get themselves out of the hole it is additional work for the County or State Road crews and it makes the water crossing more susceptible to damage because of added pressure when the culverts do not allow water to freely flow through the pipes. continued page 4