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Country Sun
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August 2016
LOCAL INFORMATION & ADVERTISING
Roadrunner Bus transporting kids into nature
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By Laurel Robertson
etting inner city kids to have a good time out in nature is pretty easy — the hard part is getting them to nature, says Westcave Outdoor Discover Center’s Children in Nature coordinator, Addie Broussard. Though the 75-acre nature preserve west of Dripping Springs offers discounted rates for low-income schools, they learned that the significant costs of transporting kids from inner-cities to far-away outdoor education programs often prevents lower-income schools from being able to take part. To address that problem, Westcave Preserve recently purchased The Roadrunner Outdoor Adventure Bus to make it more affordable for schools to get kids out into nature. Westcave began fundraising for the Roadrunner Bus at their Celebration of Children in Nature Awards Gala in the
fall of 2014. The Gala raised $25K towards the $125K needed to fund the bus for its first three years. In 2015, the Children in Nature Collaborative of Austin (CiNCA), a community program fostered by Westcave to provide outdoor learning opportunities for kids, raised $80K through a grant from the non-profit group, Impact Austin. The final $20K came from a successful online crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. One short year later, at the 2015 Celebration of Children in Nature Awards Gala, Westcave was able to unveil the newly purchased Roadrunner Bus to the host of thrilled donors. The Roadrunner Bus began taking its first field trips last March. Besides bringing kids out to Westcave, this summer the Roadrunner Bus has been providing free and discounted See WESTCAVE ROADRUNNER, page 2
Grotto at Westcave Preserve west of Dripping Springs. Photo by Mike Murphy.
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WESTCAVE ROADRUNNER, from page 1
Staff aboard the Westcave Preserve Roadrunner Outdoor Adventure Bus. LEFT TO RIGHT Addie Broussard, Executive Director Molly Stevens, Jane Jones, Linda Wofford and Ryan Spencer. Photo courtesy Westcave Preserve. transportation for school field trips and summer programs to the Science Mill in Johnson City, the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, El Ranchito summer camp on the Shield Ranch near Dripping Springs, and Discovery Hill — an outdoor learning garden at Pleasant Hill Elementary in South Austin. The bus will also be available for use by the other 54 local organizations in CiNCA . It provided shuttle service for Earth Day last April at
the Mueller development. Since its charter allows the bus to travel anywhere in Texas, many more opportunities to bring kids out to nature-based field trips are in its future. As part of ongoing fundraising, ad space will be available to rent on the exterior of the Roadrunner Bus for nature-based businesses and non-profits. Through a $10K grant from 3M Company, the bus will get “wrapped” with graphic
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designs. Winners of a Roadrunner drawing contest among art students in Austin ISD will have their works printed on the commercially-produced wrap, which will be installed this month. Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center is engaged in several other communitybased outdoor learning opportunities. As a partner in a new Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) grant, the group will help plan how to better connect children with nature. The $25K grant will help teams from the City of Austin, Austin Independent School District, The University of Texas - Austin and nonprofit community organizations (including Westcave) analyze and assess how to improve community efforts to get children and their families engaged with Jim Nix Grotto at Westcave Preserve. Photo courtesy Westcave Preserve. the outdoors in Texas. September 16, Westcave will host the ninth annual on Hamilton Pool Road (Ranch Road 3238), just west of Children in Nature Awards Dinner at the Pedernales River crossing. Access to the acres of Upland the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin to rec- Trails is available Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm ognize those in the community focused and weekends from 9:30 am to 4 pm. Guided tours of the on getting local children out into nature. grotto are offered Saturday and Sunday at 10 am, noon, 2 Carter Smith, Executive Director of Texas pm and 4 pm on a first-come, first-served basis. Friday sumParks & Wildlife Department, will serve mer tours are available through August 12. The Preserve as Master of Ceremonies for the event. At is closed Mondays. Weekday field trip or groups tours are the dinner, Westcave will announce four available Tuesday through Friday by reservation. award winners chosen for their excellence The 2016 Celebration of Children in Nature Awards in connecting children to nature. Proceeds Dinner will be September 16, from 6 pm to 9 pm at the Four from the event go to CiNCA. Seasons Hotel in Austin. For tickets and more information FYI • Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center is located about Westcave Preserve, visit the web site at westcave.org.
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Kids board the Roadrunner Outdoor Adventure Bus to travel to a week-long residential, nature immersion camp. Photo courtesy Westcave Preserve.
AUGUST 2016
Dripping Springs Market Days Artisan Market September 17-18
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on’t miss the Artisan Market at Dripping Springs Market Days Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18, 2016. Organized by Amy Kirk and Kathy Hill, the indoor market offers an array of handmade and original goods by vendors. “No commercial goods are allowed as we want to make and keep this a purely handmade artisan market,” explains Kathy. “We have room for 50-plus The Artisan Market at Dripping Spring Market Days vendors and the art is really will feature a wide variety of vendors and their varied. We have had Masterhomemade goods. All photos courtesy Dripping Springs Market Days. piece Glass from Austin, Mesquite Mystique from Fredericksburg, Emily’s Delicate Earrings, Quirk it a pleasant, relaxing and fun vending and Thrift, all of whom are returning. We and shopping experience. It has been rehave started getting in the applications ally fun for Amy and myself,” says Kathy. In addition to plenty of handmade for lots of new vendors as well — jewelry, clay art, homemade jerky, photography and original wares, food will be available from the Sweet and Spicy Texan and and more.” “Our goal is to have a handmade mar- guests can even enjoy offerings from a loket, where all of the vendors showcase cal winery or two. A Holiday Market is and sell their beautiful, creative art and planned November 26-27. FYI • The Artisan Market at Dripping Springs Market for everyone to have a great day and sell their creations... we will charge $1 admis- Days is September 17-18. Hours are 10 am to 5 pm Saturday sion, which goes to Helping Hands, our and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday at Dripping Springs Ranch Park. Admission is $1, kids get in free. For more information, email local food bank,”says Kathy. The market is organized in an orderly, Kathy Hill at dsmarketdays@gmail.com. yet casual way, and “we offer free coffee and water to the vendors, have live, local music throughout the day and try to make
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St. Sophia Orthodox Church to host dinner fundraiser
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By Laurel Robertson
urning grapes into wine may not be a miracle – but Father Peter Smith of St. Sophia Orthodox Church sees it as divine symbolism. “Changing a plain fruit into fine wine can be symbolic of the miracle of Christ’s Transfiguration, where a human being became God,” the parish priest explains. August 6, the Eastern Orthodox Church in Dripping Springs will celebrate one of its highest Holy Days, the Feast of the Transfiguration. Three weeks later, on August 28, the church will host its first Blessing of the Vineyards event at Fall Creek Vineyards in Driftwood. After joining in the blessing of the Fall Creek vineyards, participants in the Blessing of the Vineyards will enjoy a delicious dinner of herb-roasted pork loin, new potatoes and seasonal vegetables served in the vineyard’s Tasting Room. The evening’s entrée will be paired with Fall Creek’s premier wines; appetizers and desserts will accompany the meal.
The book of the Holy Gospels. Photo courtesy St. Sophia Orthodox Church. The event’s Silent Auction will offer a weekend at Wimberley’s NaPa Valley B&B, a five-day cabin vacation in Vermont, a private tour of Dripping Springs Vodka and Gin Distillery and many more treasures. Money raised will go to the St. Sophia college scholarship fund for graduates in the parish. St. Sophia is one of three Eastern Orthodox churches established in Central See BLESSING, page 5
Chalices on the Altar at St. Sophia Orthodox Church. Photos courtesy St. Sophia Orthodox Church.
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Fr. Peter Smith and a young convert. Photo courtesy St. Sophia Orthodox Church.
AUGUST 2016 BLESSING, from page 4
Matins of Holy Saturday at St. Sophia Orthodox Church. Photos courtesy St. Sophia Orthodox Church. Texas in 2000, when Father James Kenna, a retired priest from St. Elias Orthodox Church in Austin, started new churches in San Antonio, Fredericksburg and Dripping Springs. St. Sophia’s original building, located behind Hill Country Care Nursing Home on Highway 290, burned and was rebuilt the next year by parish members themselves. Father Peter came to Dripping Springs to lead the parish in 2009. Many people in this area aren’t familiar with the Orthodox religion, Father Pe-
ter says. “We’re evangelical, but not Protestant; we’re Orthodox, but not Jewish; we’re Catholic, but not Roman. The Orthodox church isn’t non-denominational — it is quite literally pre-denominational,” he explains. The Orthodox Church (often called Eastern/Greek /Russian Orthodox) traces its roots back to the original founding of the Christian Church in the Middle East and then to Constantinople after the decline of the Western Roman Empire. The Western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church officially split during the East-West Schism in 1054, when the Pope excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, head of the Eastern half of the Church. Though they share many traditions, a major difference between the two religions is their attitude towards Innovation, says Father Peter. The Eastern church has not changed its creed or traditions in all that time, he says, while the Roman Catholic Church has continued to change many of its practices throughout its history. The Orthodox Church is organized as a communion of “autocephalous” churches, led by bishops (Patriarchs) that are equal in standing. There is no central governing office like the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church – although the Patriarch of Constantinople is called ‘the First Among Equals.” The weekly church calendar at St. Sophia begins on Saturday evening with Vespers at 5 pm, followed by Confession.
Sunday morning’s Matins service begins at 8:45 am, with the main Divine Liturgy Service at 10 am. The Church observes 12 Special Feast Days throughout the year, all centered on Christ or Mary, the Mother of God, explains Father Peter. The feast day of St. Sophia, their patron saint, will be September 17. St. Sophia’s congregation is a mix of people raised in the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant faiths, says Father Peter – and people with no prior re-
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Parishioners of St. Sophia Orthodox Church in Dripping Springs. Photos courtesy St. Sophia Orthodox Church.
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ligious affiliation. He himself converted from Protestantism to the Orthodox faith in 1992. The church hosts an Inquirers Group for those interested in learning more about the Orthodox faith – with no commitment required, Father Peter assures. FYI • St. Sophia Orthodox Church’s Blessing of the Vineyards fundraising dinner will be at Fall Creek Vineyards, 18059 FM 1826 (across from the Salt Lick) August 28 from 5 pm to 8 pm. For tickets, visit the web site at www. stsophiachurch.us, email at St.Sophia.Blessing@gmail.com or text 512-226-3732.
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EVERY MONDAY • Rotary Club Meets. 11:45 am at Flores Restaurant, 2440 East Highway 290. 11:45 am. www.drippingspringsrotary.org. • Boy Scout Troop 280 meets at St. Martin de Porres Church Hall. 512-904-0444, drippingsprings280.mytroop.us. • Karaoke Night at Hudson’s on Mercer. 7:30 pm. www.hudsonsonmercer.com. FIRST and THIRD MONDAYS • Dripping Springs Lions Club meets. 6:30 pm at Dripping Springs Ranch Park. Sharon at 512-923-8360. SECOND MONDAYS • Group of Dripping Springs (GODS) Moms meets. Dripping Springs Methodist Church 9 am to 11:15 am. 512-894-0581. FOURTH MONDAYS • Artists of Dripping Springs. Gatherings at area studios. 512-894-0394. • Gen. Ben McCulloch 2435, UDC meets at the Veterans Hall, 27500 Ranch Road 12 at 7 pm. Sharon Hudson at 512-858-7177. EVERY TUESDAY • Dripping Springs Toastmasters. 6:30 pm at Pioneer Bank, 100 Creek Road. Visitors welcome. www.dstoastmasters.com. • Dripping Springs Property Tour. 512-5797711, dshometour@gmail.com. • Hill Country Community Band Rehearses at Chapel in the Hills, Wimberley. 7 pm to 8:30 pm. 512-517-3111.
• Open Mic Night at Hudson’s on Mercer. www.hudsonsonmercer.com. SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH TUESDAYS • Dripping Springs Boy Scout Troop 101 meets. Dripping Springs United Methodist Church. 7 pm. Tom Chenault, 512-707-7488. SECOND TUESDAYS • Friends of the Dripping Springs Community Library. 11 am. 512-771-3217 or friendsofdslibrary@gmail.com for information and volunteer opportunities. EVERY WEDNESDAY • Dripping Springs Farmers Market. The Triangle (Highway 290/ Ranch Road 12) 3 pm to 7 pm. cityofdrippingsprings.com. • Open Mic at Mercer Street Dance Hall hosted by Nick Gatewood. www. mercerstreetdancehall.com. • Wednesdays with Carl Weathersby a t H u d s o n ’ s o n M e r c e r. w w w. hudsonsonmercer.com. SECOND WEDNESDAY • Free Alzheimer’s Support Group meets at Arveda Alzheimer’s Family Care. RSVP to 512-637-5400. www.arvedacare.com. EVERY THURSDAY • Hill Country Jam at Mercer Street Dance Hall with Doug Moreland. Free admission. 7:30 pm. www.mercerstreetdancehall.com. • Thyme and Dough Bistro Nights with live music, dinners and decadent desserts. 6 pm to 9 pm. 512-894-0001.
FIRST THURSDAYS • Dripping Springs American Legion 7 pm. 512-858-5637. • Nonfiction Addiction Book Club meets at the Dripping Springs Community Library from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. New members are always welcome. dscl.org, 512-858-7825. • First Thursday. Participating businesses offer special events from 5 pm to 9 pm. www. drippingspringstx.org. FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAY • Lions Club meets at 131 East Mercer Street. 512-858-5159. SECOND THURSDAYS • Knights of Columbus, Council 11695, meets at the St Martin de Porres Parrish Hall on Post Oak Road, at 7:30 pm. Preceded by a pot luck dinner. THIRD THURSDAYS • Dripping Springs Cookoff Club. 6:30 pm in the VFW Hall in Dripping Springs. ryoncrew@yahoo.com. • Dripping Springs VFW meets. 27500 Ranch Road 12. 7 pm. 512-858-5637. • Thirsty Thursday’s. (See story, page 4.) Now at City Hall, 511 West Mercer Street. Poets, musicians, songwriters and storytellers eagerly share their talents. Free admission. Sponsored by City of Dripping Springs and New Life Lutheran Church. 7 pm, Dripping Springs Ranch Park. 512858-2024.
FOURTH THURSDAY • Photographers of Dripping Springs (PODS). Dripping Springs Community Library. 6:30 pm. 512-524-7897. EVERY FRIDAY • Men’s Breakfast at Fitzhugh Baptist Church. 6:30 am. 512-913-4808. EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY • Dance Lessons at Mercer Street Dance Hall. 7:30 pm. mercerstreetdancehall.com. SECOND & FOURTH SATURDAY • Pet Adoption Sponsored by Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary. Tractor Supply. 512-402-9725. EVERY SATURDAY & SUNDAY • Live music and food at Twisted X Brewing Company. 23455 West Ranch Road 150. 512-829-5323, www.TexMexBeer.com. AUGUST 6 • St. Sophia’s Blessing of the Vineyards Fundraiser Dinner. (See story, page 4.) Fall Creek Vineyards, 5 pm to 8 pm. www. stsophiachurch.us, email St.Sophia. Blessing@gmail.com or 512-226-3732. AUGUST 11 • ROAR 2020 Freshman Orientation. Session One: 3 pm to 5 pm. Session Two: 6 pm to 8 pm. Competition Gym, Dripping Springs High School. AUGUST 13 • Tiger Football Pigskin Kick-Off Gala. 7 See CALENDAR, page 7
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AUGUST 2016 CALENDAR, from page 6 to 11 pm at Hog Heaven. dspigskins. bloomfire.com AUGUST 18 • Meet the Teacher Night. Grades Pre-K, K, 2 and 4 from 5 pm to 5:45 pm. Grades 1, 3 and 5 from 6:15 pm to 7 pm. www.dsisd.txed.net. AUGUST 21 • Austin Ridge Bible Church Dripping Springs Campus Launch. 11 am at Dripping Springs Middle School. austinridge.org/ dripping. AUGUST 22 • Dripping Springs ISD First Day of School. www.dsisd.txed.net. AUGUST 27 • Hill Country Shootout. The event attracts shooters competing for awards to the top men’s, women’s, and junior shooters. Trophies are also awarded to the top teams. Festivities continue after the Shootout with a catered lunch, door prizes, and raffle pm
drawings. Longhorn River Ranch. www. hillcountryshootout.com. • Pat Green and Kyle Park at the Nutty Brown Cafe. Sponsored by KASE101 & 98.1KVET. Doors at 6 pm. nuttybrown.com. SEPTEMBER 10 • Dripping With Taste Wine & Food Festival. Texas wine, craft beer, distilled spirits, food, music, artisans, more. Dripping Springs Ranch Park & Event Center. DrippingWithTaste.com. SEPTEMBER 17-18 • Dripping Springs Market Days Artisan Market. 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday at Dripping Springs Ranch Park. Admission is $1, kids get in free. dsmarketdays@gmail.com. SEPTEMBER 23-25 • SAXET Gun Show at Dripping Springs Ranch Park Event Center. www. saxetshows.com.
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