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Current Weekly News for Leakey, Camp Wood, Sabinal, Utopia and Surrounding Areas Vol. 5 No. 31
INSIDE
www.hillcountryherald.net
Tri-Canyon’s Only Weekly Newspaper!
editor@hillcountryherald.net
July 29, 2015
PHILLIPS AND HOHMAN WINNERS OF REAL COUNTY JUNIOR HORSE CLUB SADDLES
by Julie Becker
Maggie Phillips and Sackett Hohman were the big winners at this year’s end of the season ceremony of the Real County Junior Horse Club. Phillips won the All Around Cowgirl saddle and Hohman won the All Around Cowboy saddle. Both Phillips and Hohman have participated in the Horse Club for years. Phillips is also the reigning 2015 Real County Junior Horse Club Rodeo Queen. This was Hohman’s last year to participate, and he will be greatly missed. Pictured (LtoR) with Phillips and Hohman are Ronnie Phillips, Club Vice President, Russell Glass, Club Director, Vincent Becker, Club President, Mekaila Millican, Club Director, and Ricci Pendley, Club Director. The All Around Cowgirl saddle was sponsored by Cecil Atkission Motors-Tommy Atkission and the All Around Cowboy saddle was
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2015 ALL AROUND COWGIRL AND COWBOY
4 paws and a wet nose Sabinal Band Students Attend Summer Camp can save a wounded veteran’s life ............................ Page 11
Over the summer, five of Sabinal’s band students attend the Texas Tech Band and Orchestra Camp held on the campus of Texas Tech University. While at camp, students were able to experience dorm life, go to the student rec center, meet university students and staff, and several other activities that really showed them what college is like. This was a great experience for our students, and each one left with a tremendous amount of knowledge gained from camp. Drum majors, Marlowe Story and Hope Lopez attended the camp facilitated by Solutions and Specialized Innovations, or SASI. This is an organization dedicated to better develop student leaders throughout a band, including drum majors, section leaders, and color guard. Sabinal drum majors consistently win high honors at marching contests. This exceptional tradition comes from their training at camp.
Bernardo Jimenez, Trey Valdez, and Nathan Valdez, attended the all-day band camp. The students auditioned for a performing ensemble, then worked for five days on challenging music that they then performed for the public on the last day of camp. Bernardo Jimenez made the third band out of six, Trey Valdez made the second band out of six, and Nathan Valdez made first band out of six. They were also offered different elective courses to help them grow as musicians and meet new students from across the state. Our students had the opportunity to work with professional players on their instrument and learn new and different techniques to help further their playing ability. Our students had a great time at camp and came back better players and more prepared to start the year off right. Great job kids and way to go band!
Water News and River Flows ........................... Page 4
Do your supplements stack up? 4 tips to ensure they make the grade ............................ Page 7
River flows were taken on the Frio and Nueces Rivers July 24th with all flows still above last summers’ levels; but down from the measurements two weeks ago. The flows have decreased on average 35% since two weeks ago but are still at levels that are high enough for a float trip with minimal walking in most stretches of the rivres. The following is the most current flow rates for our District. Fulgham’s Crossing just south of the Alto Frio Baptist Encampment had a flow of 62,277 gpm last measurement and now has a flow of 34,462 gpm; this crossing had a reduction in flow of about 45% over the last two weeks and the forecast is for hot dry weather to persist for the remainder of July and into the first part of August. The Leakey Springs Crossing
had a flow of 6,736 gpm last measurement and a flow of 6,375 gpm this reading which is still around double what this crossing is usually flowing. This crossing showed the least amount of reduction with only a 5% drop over the last two weeks. The Mill Creek Crossing showed a 21% decrease in flow since the last measurement; there are culverts on the south end of this crossing that once again do not have flow but all of the culverts on the north end of the crossing have some flow this reading. This crossing has a flow of 17,056 gpm this measurement down from the flow last measurement of 21,724 gpm. On the west prong of the Frio River; the Rancho Real crossing had a flow of 7,338 gpm this reading compared to a flow of 11,159 gpm last measurement. continued page 9
The Spirit of ‘45 ............................ Page 5
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: 96° Low: 70°
By: Joel Pigg, General Manager
Pedro “Pete” Leos, Sr. was born in 1925 in D’Hanis to Juan and Ascencion Amaya Leos. He went to school at the Trio School through the third grade. He then went to work with his father, Juan Leos, as a ranch hand and worked along side his father as a contractor, hiring migrant workers to go up north and work in the fields. He got his notice and went into the Army at age 18. He reported to San Antonio and got his basic at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. He also got infantry training there. He was sent to Germany and held the rank of private throughout the war. He was in an Army tank which hit a land mine. Twenty two men were killed in the blast and Pete was thrown out, landing on another mine. Fortunately it did not go off. He was eligible and received a Purple Heart for that action. In 1945, he returned back to New York City, rode the train to Uvalde, got out at the depot, and walked into a bar for a beer while in uniform. The owner
by Billie Franklin
refused to serve him, and he never forgot the incident. Pete went to flight school on the GI Bill, a student at Southwest Texas Junior College. He really wanted to learn how to fly, but after wrecking a plane flying over a baseball game in Batesville, he tried to land the plane in a field of corn, wrecked the plane, and was thrown out of the school. At the age of 24, he married Maria Porter Rodriguez. The result of that union is four children, 9 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. Pete went to work as a bull dozer operator and held that job for 35 years. When he lost his hearing, he went back to work as a ranch hand. When he hired on at Freer, Texas, he was the manager. He retired in 1999, because of Altzheimer’s. At the last, he had to go into a nursing facility and he died in 2008. In this picture, his widow is holding his picture of when he was at the flight school.
sponsored by Pam and Browne Rice and Diamond D. Thank you to all of our sponsors. The Real County Junior Horse Club begins playnights the first Thursday of June each year and continues through July. Held in conjunction with the end of season awards night, the club also held a benefit roping sponsored by Consuelo Ranch, Doug and Suzanne Huddleston. Thank you to Consuelo Ranch and their foreman Tell Hohman. The Benefit Team Roping came off without a hitch and the Real County Horse Club is indebted to everyone who came out and supported this youth organization and to all the ropers who participated. Each of us, as parents strive each day to guide and direct our children to activities that will enrich their lives. The Real County Junior Horse Club does just that!
by Zachary Sims