Liberty Hill Independent Monthly - November 2022

Developing an identity for Liberty Hill’s historic downtown

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

For years, downtown Liberty Hill looked a little ghostly -- empty buildings, minimal businesses, no restaurants. But in the last few years, the effort to revitalize historical downtown have paid off in some ways, with the addition of a few restaurants, several businesses, and even the relocation of City Hall and The Liberty Hill Independent newspaper. And while some strides have been made, there is still a lot to be done, especially if downtown is going to survive the community’s rapid growth.

City Administrator Paul Brandenburg, who joined the staff six months ago, said city officials have had a lot of good intentions for downtown in recent years, but no real planning has been done, and he is ready to act. He added that creating an action plan is about more than just coming up with strategies and prior ities -- it’s about putting them all into a plan that can be followed, starting immediately.

“We don’t have time to wait to get to the imple

mentation stage,” he said. “I’m working with our Downtown Revitalization Committee (DRC) to rank things we need to get done by priority, who is in charge of leading these things and getting them done, and the timeline for each strategy. We will also be determining what the cost is and how these projects will be funded.”

The DRC meets monthly and consists of a board of downtown business owners, including Lonnie Wendling, owner of Agape BBQ; Amy Gandy, owner of A. Gandy & Co. Real Estate; Danyel Cake, own er of Liberty Hill Outfitters; Kellie Olisky, owner of Viridian Rowe, and Kristan LeBaron, owner of Kristan Ink. It was initially started in 2015 but did not continuously meet between 2017 and 2020 or during the pandemic. The group was restarted by city officials in late 2021.

Taking inventory

The highest priority for the City right now is to create an inventory of vacant land, buildings and property for sale in the downtown area. Brandenburg

(Top) Downtown Liberty Hill has come a long way in recent years with the addition of new restaurants and businesses, but plans are in the works to make the area even more vibrant and attractive. (Above) Tim Fleming (right), owner of The Hair Stop, visits with customer Clifford Gosnell. PHOTOS BY STACY COALE

said the goal is to have this inventory completed by the end of 2022. He plans on working with the Economic Development Corporation as well as local Realtors to assemble a spreadsheet of the available properties, including their addresses, acre age, square feet, zoning and price.

Along with that, Brandenburg plans to lead and coordinate a strategy for all the vacant land, buildings and properties for sale downtown.

“Do we just let the free market control what happens to these places, or do we as a City take initiative and partner with the EDC to purchase vacant property and then promote and recruit businesses, like a bed and breakfast or boutique motel for example,” he said. “We have to determine what types of businesses we would like to have here and what we are doing to actively recruit those.”

Brandenburg said he plans on targeting niche businesses to bring unique and eclec tic opportunities to the downtown area.

“We basically want to have the butch er, the baker and the candlestick maker downtown,” he said. “Those niche markets are what make a downtown especially neat. The big box stores are coming, but we can still separate the downtown experience from that. We can offer good food, good shopping and a safe and fun environment. If we can check all those boxes, we’ll be highly successful.”

Brandenburg compared Liberty Hill to Georgetown Square a decade ago, when it only had a couple of restaurants and not much shopping.

“Now it’s a vibrant place,” he said. “Even though Georgetown Square is bigger than what we have here, the similarities are there. We could have something that is alive and well seven days a week, so it’s not if something is going on, but where.”

Marketing Main Street

Currently the primary road running through downtown is called Loop 332, but Brandenburg said doing something simple like changing the name to Main Street could go a long way in giving downtown Liberty Hill its own identity.

“It’s the little things like that that will make a difference,” he said, adding that another thing the DRC will be heading up is the creation of a downtown wayfinding signage program as well as installing direc tional signage on major roads like Highway 29 directing people where downtown is located.

“We need signage that shows where pub lic parking is, where downtown begins,” he said. “Changing the street name may be tied into that. If you’re out on Highway 29 right now, there’s nothing that tells you

where downtown is.”

Additionally, the signage and parking downtown will look different from what people see on Highway 29, he said, adding that the idea will be to add to the historical facades downtown already has.

“Right now we don’t have any standards or guidelines for any of that, but we have to have those guidelines,” he said. “We want new businesses that come in, as well as signs and facades, to blend in with the historical look and feel of downtown.”

In October, the DRC adopted the hashtag #downtownlhtx to promote downtown Liberty Hill whenever businesses make social media posts. The committee also has a goal to adopt a downtown slogan. Ideas for downtown slogans can be sent to City Secretary Elaine Simpson at esimpson@ libertyhilltx.gov by Nov. 10.

Brandenburg also plans to create a downtown marketing strategy and plan, as well as create ways to bring more people downtown.

“The visitors center (Stubblefield building) will become a place that houses a museum of Liberty Hill history so people can come see the town’s history,” he said. “We need things like this because if you bring people but there’s nothing to do, they won’t stay. We have to start developing different uses for downtown and then the people will come and stay.”

Improving infrastructure

Another major part of revitalizing down town will be making sure the infrastruc ture can handle new business, more people and future growth.

Brandenburg said traffic challenges are big right now, particularly because several large trucks use Loop 332 to get from point A to point B. Future plans, including Williamson County’s Liberty Hill bypass, TXDOT’s four-way traffic signal at RM 1869 and Loop 332 and the City’s roundabout at CR 279 and Loop 332, will all help to allevi ate that congestion.

While none of those projects have been started yet, Brandenburg said city officials are working now to create a transportation improvement plan that will allow the con struction of the roundabout to begin soon.

Another area of infrastructure that must be addressed is downtown’s water and wastewater. Many of the systems are aged, Brandenburg said, and must be improved before businesses can move in. He said these improvements will be incorporated into the City’s comprehensive improvement plan, which is currently being rewritten.

Lastly, walkability and connectivity downtown with sidewalks and trails is another high priority that can be addressed now, he said.

PHOTOS BY STACY COALE

“All of these things will be worked into the budget for next year after we deter mine what the cost is, and will also be included in our comprehensive improve ment plan,” Brandenburg said. “All of this ties into the downtown infrastructure and what we can do to improve it.”

Financing the future

Brandenburg said financing these proj ects can start now thanks to collected sales tax revenue, but looking to the future, he and the City’s finance department will be creating a tax incremental district (TID) or a tax increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ) for downtown Liberty Hill.

“This is not a tax on the people, but instead will increase the values of our properties downtown and we can set aside money to improve paving, or start adding sidewalks and parking, or improving the infrastructure,” he said.

Using the map the DRC has created that shows where downtown Liberty Hill is, the City will work to put together what the downtown TIRZ values and projected income would look like, including available funds by year, schedules and required approvals, he said.

Brandenburg plans on this step of the plan being completed by the end of February 2023.

“I can’t wait a year,” he said. “We have a lot of momentum, and there is a window here for opportunity. We have identified what we are going to do, who is in charge of it, and a timeline for it. Now we just have to execute it.”

Brandenburg added that a lot of cities have lost the significance of their down towns, and he doesn’t want that to happen in Liberty Hill.

“There are a lot of places in Texas you go and if you don’t have the water tower that tells you what city you’re in, you wouldn’t know where you are,” he said. “We want to protect our downtown. It’s not just nostalgia -- it’s a place of identity.”

(Above) Alice Flora of Round Rock (left) and Debby Carter of Austin (right) stopped for a break at Park er’s Corner Market while on a 35-mile bike ride. (Right) A local family pauses for a photo with the Native American statue downtown. City officials are working to make downtown a real destination for locals and visitors.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Sip N Chip Soda

60 CR 214, Liberty Hill Food Truck Park

Sip N Chip specializes in unique and flavorful non-alcoholic sodas, teas and other custom drinks as well as homemade cookies and scones. The food truck is open on the weekends at the Liberty Hill Food Truck Park.

OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS

SERVICES

Pretty Little Glow inside Wild

West Salon. She provides a variety of services to clients, including facials, lash lifts, teeth whitening and waxing.

OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS

Desai & Shah dental o ce

201 St. Joseph Court, Ste. 101 & 102, Liberty Hill

Kati Lambert Hypnotherapy

Liberty Hill

HB Land Services

Liberty Hill

Heather Beckham Photography mobile, Liberty Hill

Creative Design - Debbie Kaye mobile, Liberty Hill

Texas Ranch Enhancements

Liberty Hill

NOW OPEN

ON THE MOVE

The new building is 2,400-squarefeet and will have 11 bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a laundry room and aliving area. The new dorm will be ready for the K9 handler course beginning in January 2023.

Main Street Marketplace

704 Loop 332, Liberty Hill

^ Care First Walk-in Clinic

12701 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

Katie Haines is the newest nurse practitioner to join the team at Care First Walk-in Clinic. Haines lives in Liberty Hill and she believes in providing patients with comprehensive and individualized care.

Several new vendors have joined on at downtown Liberty Hill’s co-op Main Street Marketplace, including Silver With Soul, Olive & Co. Mercantile, Signal Hill Designs, Lakeline Designs, J Bird Designs, Fine Art by LaWann Tull and Elly Marie jewelry.

CELEBRATING

The Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique

14365 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

The Blue Door Gift Store celebrated its five-year anniversary in October. The shop celebrated with cake, cookies, door prizes and more.

^ Liberty Hill Counseling Center

101 Jonathan Drive, Liberty Hill

•

^ Olive & Sage Boutique

201 St. Joseph Court, Liberty Hill

^ Farmers InsuranceJason Cullison Agency 1353 Loop 332, Liberty Hill

A new Farmers Insurance Agency was recently opened by Jason Cullison across the street from Liberty Hill Elementary School.

^ Taqueria Mi Patria

305 Saratoga Springs Cove, Liberty Hill

RETAIL

Bertram Market

West Vaughan Street, Bertram

The Bertram Market is held every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon with a variety of vendors selling their wares, including baked goods, jewelry, hand crafted items, photography, jams and jellies, pickles and more. The market is held at Panther Park in Bertram.

Cullison is a lifelong resident of Central Texas and a military veteran and will serve Liberty Hill and the surrounding area.

• ^ Liberty Axe Throwing 3610 RR 1869, Liberty Hill

• Liberty Hill Veterinary Health & Wellness

13575 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

Heather Stonehill recently joined the sta at Liberty Hill Counseling Center. She specializes in anxiety disorders, trauma and trauma-related disorders, stress disorders, depression and PTSD.

^ The Indigo Salon

1013 Loop 332, Liberty Hill

The Indigo Salon recently hired new stylists Baylie Brewster and Hannah Phillips. Both stylists provide a variety of services, including color, highlights, cuts and blowouts.

^ Radiant Salon & Boutique

2921 RR 1869, Liberty Hill

Radiant Salon celebrated its five-year anniversary in October. Owner Kayla Witbeck has plans to expand the salon in the near future to accommodate more customers.

^ Pretty Little Glow

15500 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill

Esthetician JoAnn Gonzalez recently opened a salon suite called

•

^ Signature Aesthetics

101 St. Joseph Court, Liberty Hill

^ Pacesetter K9

555 CR 200, Liberty Hill

Pacesetter K9 is expanding its facility with a new dorm building.

‘A dream come true’

Parents have pleasure of cheering on triplets

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

During a recent Liberty Hill football game, James and Tanya Mixson joined the army of parents looking down on the field from their spot in the stands to see their sons play for the Purple-and-Gold.

Only for them, it’s a threefold proposi tion, with triplets Gannon, Preston and Prescott all members of the Panthers gridiron squad.

For James, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, it’s simply a validation of many a drop of blood, sweat and tears as his sons have worked their respective ways up the Liberty Hill football ladder.

“Seeing the three of them out there is a culmination of all the years of hard work they’ve put in,” said James. “It’s very grati fying.”

Tanya served four years in the U.S. Navy before leaving the military to pursue a career in education – one that included earning a master’s degree in that field and the young couple had their first son, James, who reached age two before the Mixsons decided to expand their family.

“I wanted a girl,” said Tanya, who origi nally hails from St. Petersburg, Florida. “It was my wish.”

Soon after she discovered she was pregnant, though, Tanya said she knew something wasn’t quite right.

“When I would get nauseated, it was three times worse than the first time,” she said. “I was so sick the doctor put me on bed rest.”

Well, soon after, a sonogram revealed the reason for her woosiness – she was actually carrying three fetuses.

At that point in time, James knew exactly what he desired, he said.

“I wanted three boys,” said James, a St. Louis, Missouri, native. “Boys are easy to take care of – jeans, t-shirts and haircuts.”

Of course, the fact he would have a trio of proteges to follow him onto the gridiron was a bonus.

“I played football in high school and college,” he said, of his playing days at Bene dictine College in Atchison, Kansas, which competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. “Was a defensive end.”

For the record, Gannon is a defensive end – like his dad – Preston plays linebacker and Prescott is a wide receiver/defensive back

who also acts as the Panthers’ “swing man” on offense in carrying the play from the sidelines to the huddle.

All three are seniors and varsity team mates for the first time this season, making for some interesting interactions when all of them are on the field together.

“It’s definitely a different experience,” said Prescott. “I made a tackle and looked up to see one of my brothers – we made the tackle together.”

Adding to the roster

Once the Mixsons realized they had three babies on the way to go along with a 2-year old, the wheels began to turn in James’ head, he said.

“You start to think about the logistics of it,” said James. “Having to buy three of ev erything – we went to get mobiles for three

cribs and it ended up being $100.”

But, it was also an adjustment for young James, who all of a sudden after two years of being the apple of everyone’s eye now had some competition in his three younger brothers – one that Tanya made sure was a smooth one, she said.

“Whenever I had to do something for the three – like get bottles for them, for ex ample – I would always have James get one of them along with me because I wanted to make sure he felt included,” said Tanya. “We knew we had to be careful about that so there wouldn’t be any resentment on his part.”

Suffice to say, it worked and not only that, but soon older brother began to act like one, she said.

“James was the captain of the ship,” said Tanya. “After awhile, he was the one direct

ing things.”

However, before all that could take place, Tanya tells of a time when the three new borns had to spend an additional two weeks in the hospital for medical reasons before finally being released to go home.

“James (younger) said to me, ‘Why don’t we just leave them there,’” she said. “‘We can go visit them.’”

No such luck for young James, though, as he suddenly had three siblings inhabiting what was once strictly his domain – and it got a lot louder, too.

“I remember the night we brought them (triplets) home,” said Tanya. “They were crying and crying and James said to me, ‘Can we just turn the babies off?’”

An upgrade in vehicles was also in order, with an SUV doing the trick, said the senior James.

James Mixson, along with sons Gannon (#46), Prescott (#32), Preston (#7) and wife Tanya during Senior Night ceremonies before the Panthers’ season-opener on Aug. 26. (Courtesy Photo)

“We had to get a quad-stroller for the four of them,” he said. “It was too big to fit inside, so we needed to hitch a small trailer to the back to carry it around.”

But, that was the easy part back in those days, said James.

“Getting into the car was a 30-minute ordeal,” he said. “We had four boys that had to go into four car seats. But, really it was so much fun to go out and have family days like that.”

Following further footsteps

Following his graduation as part of Lib erty Hill’s Class of 2020, the younger James enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in carrying on a family tradition of military service and one that two of his younger brothers will also hold up as Gannon plans to join the Army and Preston the Air Force.

The lone dissenter?

Prescott – but he also has a solid plan in place.

“I want to be a doctor – an anesthesiol ogist,” he said. “I’ve always liked helping people.”

James – who spent 21 years in the Army as an air defense artillery officer including a pair of deployments to Afghanistan – is certainly pleased his sons are pledging their service to America just as he did.

“I think all young people should have to serve in some way – not necessarily the military,” he said. “When you go to some of these foreign countries, you get a whole different perspective of what it’s like to be an American and how privileged we are and everyone should play a part in protecting what we have here – it’s the greatest country in the world.”

Vast differences

Despite the fact Preston, Gannon and Prescott all entered the world mere seconds apart and have spent nearly the first two decades of their lives around each other almost constantly, it’s a misconception to believe they are at all alike.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, said James.

“Gannon really began to look after his brothers – especially when they were younger,” he said. “One time we were out shopping somewhere and the three of them were in the little play area they had for kids. Well, some other kid came up to Prescott and took away the toy he was playing with. This was even before they could talk, but Gannon went over to the kid, took it away from him and gave it back to his brother. So, I guess he’s like ‘The Equalizer.’”

Tanya added her motherly perspective. “Gannon is the sweetest of the three,” she said. “Even now, when he gets home and I’m at my desk working, he’ll always ask if I want some tea, then go make it – he’s always

so thoughtful. Also, he always gives me hugs – like clockwork – before he goes to school in the morning and before bed at night.”

Prescott is the more convincing of the three, said James.

“There was one time when they were younger and for whatever reason Prescott was banned from playing video games,” he said. “So, he got his brothers to go along with what he was doing instead, which was to create their own board game – he’s very diplomatic.”

Finally, Preston is the most stubborn of the three – but, in a good way, said Tanya.

“He’s the most disciplined,” she said. “When he wants to get better at something, he won’t give up until he does it. He did what his coaches told him to do as far as getting bigger and he’s always the first one up and ready for practice in the morning.”

Tanya offered up another example of Preston’s determination and resolve.

“Back in grade school, he wanted to be on a dance team,” she said. “Well, I’m the only one in the family with any rhythm – so he said ‘Let’s pray about it’ and he went and made that team.”

According to Tanya, faith plays a critical role in everything they do.

“As a family, we pray together every morning,” said Tanya. “We would also read books together before bed at night.”

Yes, bedtime.

When parents of young children have the nightly chore of wrangling little ones off to dreamland and the Mixsons were certainly no exception – until Tanya came up with a cunning solution, she said.

“We would put them to bed, but they would always be getting out and coming back downstairs,” said Tanya. “I like to unwind before bed by listening to classical music, so we would all hold hands while meditating with classical music on, and one by one, heads hit pillows, so it worked.”

Perhaps that explains why to this day, Gannon said he enjoys classical in addition to his more contemporary musical tastes.

“It just gives you a good feeling,” he said. “I listen to all different composers – I don’t really have a favorite.”

Brotherhood – literally

One of the main pillars of Liberty Hill’s football program over the years has been the culture of brotherhood exuded among the ranks and one the Mixsons have cer tainly immersed themselves in.

But, for them, the term itself goes beyond being teammates, as it takes on a literal sense along with the figurative one.

“We’ve learned together the value of hard work, pushing through and being mentally tough,” said Gannon. “It’s been great to experience the emotions with them.”

Preston also appreciates what the Pan

thers’ philosophy has meant to him and his brothers.

“It’s been cool for all of us to learn all our rules and do it perfectly,” he said. “Then to go out and practice and play games together.”

James said he never fails to realize how blessed he is when he has the opportunity to see his sons under the lights on Friday nights.

“For me, it’s a dream come true,” he said.

“To look down and see three Mixsons on the field.”

Tanya said raising triplets – along with a fourth son – hasn’t been the horror show some would imagine when dealing with a quartet of kids at once – in fact, it’s been quite the opposite.

“They’ve always been such good boys right from the beginning,” she said. “God knows what you can handle.”

Preston (#44), Gannon (#33) and Prescott (#79) during their Liberty Hill Youth Football days. (Courtesy Photo)

W h o W e A r e

T h e B r a n i g a n T e a m i s a p a r t o f S t r a i g h t R e a l t y , a l o c a l l y o w n e d r e a l e s t a t e f i r m h e r e i n L i b e r t y H i l l . J o n a n d R o s e B r a n i g a n a r e b o t h l i f e l o n g r e s i d e n t s o f L i b e r t y H i l l , h a v i n g o v e r 2 5 y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e c o v e r i n g a l l a r e a s o f r e a l e s t a t e i n c l u d i n g , n e w h o m e c o n s t r u c t i o n , c o m m e r c i a l , l a n d d e v e l o p m e n t , r e s a l e l i s t i n g s . J o n a n d R o s e h a v e d e v e l o p e d a n d s o l d m a n y o f t h e l o c a l L i b e r t y H i l l s u bd i v i s i o n s s u c h a s , R i o A n c h o , I r o n O a k , S t o n e C r e e k R a n c h , R a n c h e s a t B e n t l e y R i d g e a n d R o s e m o n t W i t h o v e r 5 0 0 + h o m e s s o l d i n t h e L i b e r t y H i l l a r e a , t h e B r a n i g a n s h a v e p l a y e d a k e y r o l e i n L i b e r t y H i l l ’ s g r o w t h o v e r t h e y e a r s

W h y C h o o s e

U s ?

A s R E A L T O R S ® i n t h e L i b e r t y H i l l a r e a r e a l e s t a t e m a r k e t , w e h a v e m a n y f e a t u r e d p r o p e r t i e s f o r s a l e . W e h a v e a n e x t e n s i v e m a r k e t i n g p l a n t h a t i n c l u d e s s e v e r a l s tr a t e g i e s o f a d v e r t i s i n g a n d m a r k e t i n g f o r o u r c l i e n t s t o s e l l t h e i r h o m e s a n d l a n d w i t h m a x i m u m e x p o s u r e . W e h a v e e x t e n s i v e e x p e r i e n c e i n d e v e l o p i n g l a n d a n d c a n u s e t h a t e x p e r i e n c e t o h e l p o u r c o m m e r c i a l a n d l a r g e l a n d o w n e r c l i e n t s f i n d b u y e r s f o r t h e i r p r o p e r t i e s C a l l u s t o f i n d o u t h o w w e c a n h e l p y o u r e a c h y o u r r e a l e s t a t e g o a l s

"Our local court should be about justice - not partisan politics. If there's one thing that can bring Texans together, it is fair and equal protection under the law."

- Sara Groff

Pol. Adv. paid for by Sara Gro for Justice of the Peace Pct. 2

Remembering Jaycee

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

Something was wrong. Amanda Cross land didn’t know what that was, but what she did know was that she had to act fast. She walked into her house after running a quick errand on the morning of Oct. 10, and went straight to her bedroom, and then to her closet.

She tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge, so she started kicking it until she was able to create a gap in the doorway. That’s when she saw her 15-yearold stepson, Jaycee Crossland, lying on the floor.

She saw his arm first. It was covered in blood, and she thought maybe he’d cut him self. But then she saw a gun lying next to him and realized he had shot himself. She tried to revive him, but it was too late.

Next, she called 9-1-1 and left the room, gathering her other five children along the way to get them out of the house. When she stepped outside, she saw her husband (Jaycee’s dad), William Crossland, and had to tell him what she had just seen.

“I was right there,” she said. “I don’t know why he did it. There was no note, no anything. I was right there, and I couldn’t save him.”

William, who serves as a member of the Liberty Hill City Council, and Amanda, who along with her husband runs local automo tive shop CrossTech Automotive, had just lost their son to suicide.

How did this happen?

The Crosslands had a good weekend together as a family. On Saturday, they worked at the Liberty Hill Pop Up Mar ket, where Jaycee made and handed out Halloween treat bags to kids and showed off his dad’s classic Bonneville to passers-by. After the market, the family went to Main Street Social for lunch, where Jaycee talked about his plans for the next pop-up market. On Sunday, the family spent time together watching movies and playing games.

Which is why, on that Monday morning, nothing felt wrong. Will and Amanda saw him around 8 a.m. before they left to go to work and told him they’d be back to pick him up and take him to the shop to help out later that morning. By the time the Cross lands arrived back home between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m., Jaycee was gone.

“I had seen Jaycee go into our bedroom on our cameras,” Amanda said. “He said as he was going in our room that he was going

to get the laundry and he’d be right back, so that’s what I thought he was doing. But before we got home, my 11-year-old called and told us Jaycee had been in the room and hadn’t come out.”

After finding Jaycee, the Crosslands realized he had opened the gun safe in their bedroom and used one of their firearms. Amanda said she knows the safe was locked, but that Jaycee had learned the code to open it. Will added that gun safety has always been a big part of their family. Jaycee grew up going to the gun range, and he knew how to load a gun and use it, but he was also educated on the importance of being safe around them.

As time has passed since that Monday morning, the Crosslands have come up with a long list of questions, but at the top of their list is a simple one: Why?

“If he was happy, why did he do this?” Amanda said. “That’s not an answer we have right now.”

About Jaycee

Jaycee, who was a sophomore at Liberty Hill High School, loved strumming the guitar, listening to heavy metal and playing video games, but his greatest love was for cars.

“He loved cars,” he said. “He wanted to rebuild every car that we came across. He loved our Bonneville. He would ask all the time if we could do stuff to it, but I just wanted to preserve it. He was really into Mad Max and Wasteland and wanted to build an apocalyptic style of car.”

Jaycee was planning on doing just that with an old Chevy Blazer the Crosslands have at their shop.

“He loved doing research on stuff,” Will said. “He started out loving heavy equip ment as a kid and then it evolved into cars. We had a lot in common that way; I feel like he looked up to me a lot.”

Jaycee was legally blind. He had mac ular hypoplasia. He was also color blind. Because of this, he was told by his doctors that he would never drive, but he always maintained an attitude of positivity around that analysis.

“He told the doctors, ‘That’s not an option—I am going to drive,’” Amanda said. “And he did not let it hold him back from his love of cars. He even told his grandma that even though he couldn’t see the cars, he could recognize their shape.”

This school year, Jaycee had enrolled in the JROTC cadet program and was an active member of that group. He also participated

in the agriculture program.

“The JROTC program was looking for logos, and Jaycee created one to submit,” Amanda said, adding that his logo was that of a saluting soldier. “I’m going to be persistent with the school about using his sugges tion. That’s the one class he never stopped talking about— that and Ag.”

Aside from Jaycee’s interests, his personality was one that changed the community, Aman da said, adding that their family has received hundreds of mes sages and comments about how good of a person he was, how he stuck up for his peers, and was accepting to all people.

“Jaycee was just an all-around good kid,” Will said.

Bullying

The Crosslands may never know why Jaycee did what he did, but they have a strong suspi cion that it was because he was bullied. He had “come out” as gay to his classmates 11 days before he died, they said.

“We’ve known he was gay since last school year, and we were fine with it,” Amanda said. “But the other students at school were making comments to him. He got called into the assistant principal’s of fice one day and [students] asked him if he got caught kissing a dude. They asked him what kind of porn he liked, and they were calling him ‘faggot’.”

Amanda said when this happened, she decided not to report it to the school. She was hoping to resolve the issue outside of school with the students involved, by trying to contact their parents via community Facebook pages.

“I’m carrying a lot of guilt that I didn’t say something,” she said. “But I was afraid they wouldn’t listen in the first place. But now I know, if your kids, especially your boys, say something is bothering them, especially in high school, you have to report it. It doesn’t matter if you are worried about other students getting in trouble. If it’s bothering them, it needs to be addressed.”

Since Jaycee’s death, the Crosslands have had good conversations with school district leaders and said they have been accommo dating and caring, being sure to check in on their family often, but both Amanda and Will plan on following things through to

What’s next?

The Crosslands have moved out of their home in Liberty Parke and have found a temporary space for the next couple of months. The family plans to stay in Liberty Hill so that Will can continue to serve on the City Council.

“We will be selling our home,” Amanda said. “The kids don’t want to go back there and neither do we. There is not any amount of prayers that could comfort us in that home.”

The Crosslands will continue to run CrossTech Automotive, but plan on making Jaycee a big part of the business’ future. The shop is moving to a new location in ear ly 2023 and is absorbing a body shop, which will expand its services.

“We want to start a DBA called Crusader Jay Body Work,” Amanda said. “With that we intend to rebuild the Blazer. We plan to reach out to family and friends and the community to help us in obtaining parts for it, and then we’ll do the work and get it painted, and we want to put his name on the rear door.”

Seeing things through

The Crosslands understand that they’ll never know exactly what happened to

make sure their son gets justice.

The Crossland family is mourning the loss of Jaycee, 15, who took his own life Sept. 28. (Courtesy Photo)

Vacation rentals: Where to stay in Liberty Hill

Whether it’s for a weekend getaway or a place for out-of-town family to stay during the holidays, our hometown has unique options

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

Although Liberty Hill is growing at a rapid rate, the area still doesn’t have a hotel. And while a hotel could become a reality in the near future, according to city officials, that doesn’t leave a lot of options for out-oftowners to stay when they visit.

However, Liberty Hill is home to a few different places that may rival the ameni ties of a hotel, including a nearly 100-yearold farmhouse and a tiny home community.

CASITAS AT COPPER RIDGE

At the Casitas at Copper Ridge, guests can get their fill of the Hill Country thanks to the wide-open spaces and the grazing longhorns that can be spotted from the casita windows.

Each of the seven casitas are part of a two-acre tiny home community opened by owner Rose Branigan in the middle of the pandemic in May 2020. Branigan wasn’t

sure if opening during that time would work out, but surprisingly, her tiny homes were constantly booked.

Two and a half years later, the homes continue to be popular with locals looking for a weekend getaway, out-of-towners who are visiting family nearby, and even people who are in the process of buying or building a home and stay for a few months.

Each unit is 399 square feet, and ev erything inside is full size, including the kitchen, bathroom and living area. Each casita has its own unique floor plan, and is fully stocked with dishes, pans, silverware as well as shampoo, conditioner and soap.

Branigan said having these types of amenities is a big draw for people, because hotel rooms typically don’t have kitchens where people can cook and dine, or a place to relax. Each of the casitas also has an outdoor covered porch with rockers for guests to enjoy.

Each casita can comfortably fit a family of four. Two of the casitas have lofts with

extra beds, which are better for families, Branigan said, but there’s also the option of renting more than one if there are several people traveling together.

Additionally, the trend of staying in a tiny home has made the Casitas at Copper Ridge a place in high demand.

“Tiny homes are a big thing right now,” Branigan said. “People want to stay in tiny homes, so they book because of that. Another thing people like when they come and stay is they get that Hill Country feel. A lot of people come in from the city and they want to get away.”

For more information or to book a stay, visit www.casitasatcopperridge.com.

ABBEY OAKS

Abbey Oaks in Liberty Hill takes visitors back in time when they book a stay at the 3,200-square-foot farmhouse surrounded by 50 private acres, numerous oak trees and three large porches to enjoy the outdoors.

Tiffani Scott, owner of Liberty Hill

Pediatrics, also owns Abbey Oaks. She said the house was originally a dorm room from Southwestern University in Georgetown that was built in the 1930s.

“It was cut in half and moved to Liberty Hill and a house was built around it,” she said. “The original door numbers from the dorm room are still on the doors upstairs.”

The house was renovated again in the 1980s, and then again when Scott and her husband, Brian, purchased it a couple of years ago.

“We did not want to tear the house down, so we decided to renovate it and VRBO it,” she said. “We stayed mostly full during COVID because people wanted to get away from the city. We rent mostly to return cus tomers and friends and the weekends are popular for local wedding attendees to stay because there are not hotels nearby.”

The house will accommodate up to eight people in the four bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom, but there is also more room for guests to sleep on couches

(Left) The farmhouse at Abbey Oaks is a four-bedroom home on 50 acres that’s perfect for large families. (Cour tesy Photo) (Above) Rose Branigan, owner of the Casitas at Copper Ridge, says tiny home rental is a popular choice for vacationers in central Texas. PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON

or air mattresses, Scott said, adding that they provide queen air mattresses for an extra four people to sleep comfortably.

“We have several wedding venues near us and it’s walking distance to the whiskey distillery, Fire Oak,” she said.

That’s the reason behind the home’s custom-built bar, which was handcrafted with whiskey barrels from Fire Oak. The farmhouse also includes two spacious dining areas, a sun room, a barbecue grill, coffee maker and a variety of board games. For more information or to book a stay, visit www.vrbo. com/9459151ha?fbclid=IwAR1914K 1kfTP3vu5w_1rN8-fXcsKtznorndzoL VOjkDPBB_kpGjjBlVc80w&preferlo cale=true&uni_id=8538254&vgdc=HAUS.

HILL

Liberty Hill City Administrator Paul Brandenburg said there has been some interest in Liberty Hill from various hotels, but none that have committed to build in town—yet.

“I believe we are getting to that tipping point,” he said. “There’s no place to stay here. When people need to stay local, they have to stay in Leander or Cedar Park. What the tipping point is, I don’t know, but I think it’s coming maybe six months to a year from now.”

(Left) Inside the living area of one of the casitas. The tiny homes have fully-equipped kitchens and plenty of space to relax and enjoy Liberty Hill’s rural scenery. This home has a loft to the bedroom. (Right) The dining room at the farm house at Abbey Oaks offers plenty of seating for family mealtimes, and everything needed to make a home-cooked meal. (Courtesy Photos)

Semi-annual boutique crawl to donate to library fund

BY RACHEL MADISON STAFF WRITER

Since 2019, a handful of the boutiques Liberty Hill is quickly becoming known for have joined together to provide a semi-an nual day of shopping, with a good cause at the center of it all.

The event happens twice a year, in November and again in the spring, and is dubbed either Holiday Around the Hill or Hop Around the Hill, depending on the time of year. The next boutique crawl, Holiday Around the Hill, is set for Nov. 26, which is also known as Small Business Saturday.

Tami Spearman, owner of Simply Home Décor & More, has been part of the bou tique crawl since it started.

“We wanted to connect our crawl to Small Business Saturday so it could go alongside the vision to support local, independently-owned brick-and-mortar stores,” she said. “Since the beginning, the boutiques involved have had a fashion focus and we have given back to a different nonprofit organization each year.”

In 2019, the boutiques chose to donate a portion of their sales to Operation Liberty Hill. The following year, their donation went to the Liberty Hill Education Founda tion, and the year after that their donation went to Hope House. Since 2020, the group has collectively donated $25,177.67 to these various organizations.

This year, a portion of all sales will be donated to the Liberty Hill Public Library District to help fund a new building.

Renee O’Dell, owner of Pep & Punch, said boutique crawls in Texas aren’t unique, but what sets Liberty Hill’s boutique crawl apart is that its focus is to give back to a nonprofit organization within the commu nity.

“Our goal is to bring the community together to give back to the community,” she said. “We can increase our impact by coming together. When you live in a sup portive community like Liberty Hill, people are going to show up to shop regardless, so we could forego giving back, but this is the cherry on top of the event.”

Over the years, the event has grown in popularity, as has the number of boutiques in town. Spearman said because of this, not every boutique can participate because

shoppers simply can’t make it to every shop in town during the 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. window that day.

“We stick to brick-and-mortar fash ion-based boutiques for the crawl,” she said. “This year we have eight boutiques total participating.”

Those boutiques include Simply Home Décor & More, Pep & Punch, Viridian Rowe, Hill Country Hickster, Two Brand It, Lib erty Hill Outfitters, Ginger Roots Boutique, and The Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique.

Shoppers can visit the boutiques in any order, but must get their passport stamped at each location to qualify for a drawing of gift cards from each of the stores. A purchase does not have to be made to get a stamp.

“Then, on Giving Tuesday, which is the following Tuesday, all the boutique owners will gather and present our donation to the library, and we will pick our winner for the gift card basket,” she said. “That basket will have a $50 gift card in it from each busi ness.”

The decision to give a portion of the money shoppers spend at the crawl to the library this year was an easy one, Spearman said.

“We knew the library was going to be getting some land for a new building, and we all believe the library is so beneficial to our community,” she said. “We thought that was a great cause that would speak to all of us and our customers.”

O’Dell agreed.

“The fact that the library is able to have such a big impact on our community via the younger generation in and of itself is price less,” she said. “You can’t put a price tag on the way kids are touched through reading. With all the amazing things they do with our youth through their programs, it just seemed right to choose them this year so they can expand.”

Spearman said a certain goal for an amount to donate isn’t set, but instead, each boutique gives what they can.

“Everybody is at a different spot in their business, so we just let each one decide what to give back,” she said. “It’s been amaz ing to see what we’ve been able to donate, and it’s always more than what we think.”

For more information about the Holiday Around the Hill event, visit www.facebook. com/hoparoundthehill.

Special food, drinks, deals and more

BELEZA SURGERY will be hiding Mojo’s gift cards and coupons for their med spa services in each of the boutiques below.

PEP & PUNCH will have four vendors set up outside, all of which will be donating a portion of their sales to the new library fund as well. Vendors include Fletcher’s Florals with wreaths and garland; The Treat Box with Christmas-themed baked goods, The Food Dood food truck; and The Rush Coffee ATX truck.

SIMPLY HOME DECOR & MORE will offer giveaways with purchase while supplies last; Black Friday promos and door buster sales, as well as buy more/ save more deals on select items. Outside, Cotton Candy Cowgirls and Dutch Girl Treats will be selling treats.

VIRIDIAN ROWE will provide breakfast tacos, fall sangria, and a coffee and hot chocolate bar for customers to enjoy while they shop.

THE BLUE DOOR GIFT STORE & BOU TIQUE will offer door prize drawings throughout the day and “Blue Door” bust

ers around the store. Early bird shoppers who come in before noon will be entered to win a $250 gift card with any purchase. Gifts with purchase will also be offered while supplies last.

GINGER ROOTS BOUTIQUE will have Cadillac Cookie Co. set up outside with a festively decorated Cadillac for photo opportunities; a spiked hot cocoa bar with all the fixings; swag bags for the first 10 customers, and specials on items in the shop throughout the day.

LIBERTY HILL OUTFITTERS will have a hot chocolate bar set up for customers, as well as special discounts based on the amount purchased.

HILL COUNTRY HICKSTER will provide drinks and snacks to customers, as well as several different giveaways, discounts, swag bags and more.

TWO BRAND IT will be serving cookies from Cadillac Cookie Co. as well as offer ing a free gift for the first 50 customers and 25 percent off all holiday items.

COURTESY PHOTO

Make plans for Holiday Around the Hill on Nov. 26, and help make a difference in the community

SHE DIDN’T CARE. SHE WOULDN’T LISTEN.

County Commissioner Cynthia Long violated our trust and turned her back on Liberty Hill values.

PROBLEM:

Dangerous traffic congestion placing lives at risk in Liberty Hill.

LONG’S SOLUTION:

Take land and homes from residents at below-market values to build a bypass... someday. Despite the outcry of oppo sition to the I-2 Corridor, Long strayed from the Republican value of private land ownership, ignored Liberty Hill property owners, and encouraged adoption of the Long-Range Transportation Plan that included the I-2 Corridor. As President of CAMPO, Long has had every opportunity to send funds to Liberty Hill to help re lieve life-threatening traffic problems, but instead sent support to other cities.

PROBLEM:

Quality of life features like parks and river access are limited for Liberty Hill residents.

LONG’S SOLUTION:

Take parkland known as Grace Park away from the City of Liberty Hill. The riverfront property has served the commu nity with water access from its founding days. The County’s River Ranch Park,

Dear Neighbors:

located off Bagdad Road, was funded by park bonds and work began in 2019. The park is still not open.

PROBLEM:

Cynthia Long makes decisions for Liberty Hill that are not in our best interest, and without seeking input from city government or caring about the concerns of local residents.

LONG’S WAY:

Place a county probation office one lot outside of our city limits -- a stone’s throw from downtown on RM 1869 and less than one mile from an elementary school. She did not inform the City of Liberty Hill of her plans and did not seek the appropriate city permits.

I have been a Liberty Hill Council member since 2020, and am a conservative independent voter fighting for what’s best for our community. Since my election, I have been doing my best to move traffic and protect our traditions. The biggest obstacle to both of these goals is Cynthia Long. Her continued presence on the Commissioners Court is the greatest threat to the future of our community. She has had 15 years to help Liberty Hill manage growth and improve quality of life issues, and has failed. That’s why I’m supporting Brigid Lester on Nov. 8, and inviting you to SAY NO TO CYNTHIA. ~ Chris Pezold

Pol. Ad Paid for by citizen Chris Pezold, Liberty Hill, TX

IN THIS ELECTION, DO NOT VOTE FOR ALL REPUBLICANS ON THE BALLOT BECAUSE A VOTE FOR CYNTHIA LONG IS A VOTE AGAINST LIBERTY HILL.

✔ Knowledgeable of the cases brought before the court, including both civil and criminal law.

✔ Dedicated to keeping our community safe while administering the law with respect, compassion, and concern for the people’s rights.

✔ Stalwart defender of our Constitution, the rule of law, and interpreting and applying the law as written.

✔ Continue programs that help youth in our community, such as the Williamson County/YMCA Teen Court and other leadership programs for juveniles.

✔ Small business owner, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and public servant committed to our community.

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Williamson County Association of Realtors Pct. 2 Constable Jeff Anderson EARLY VOTING OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 4 | ELECTION DAY NOVEMBER 8, 2022

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A different kind of hard work

Panthers kicker hones his craft in isolation

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

While Connor Hawkins’ teammates are banging heads and bodies at one end of the field at Panther Stadium during a typical football practice on a given day, Liberty Hill’s kicker is at the other end – alone.

Well, almost.

“Usually, it’ll be me and Karson Bye,” said Hawkins, of his junior varsity counterpart. “We’ll work on things together and give each other advice.”

Yes, being a kicker can be a lonely existence, but a very important one, as games that are fought for over the course of four quarters can sometimes come down to whether or not the man charged with putting the ball through the uprights can properly execute under pressure with the weight of an entire team on his shoulders.

So, to ensure he’s ready for such a situation, Hawkins spends his time on the practice field working to perfect his kicking motion to the point where muscle memory can kick in – no pun intended – when the game is on the line.

“It’s exactly like a golf swing,” said Haw kins. “You just have to do it over and over exactly the same way.”

Only for Hawkins, putting a pigskin through the paces is a relatively new endeavor as he grew up playing a different kind of football.

“I started playing soccer when I was two,” he said. “I didn’t start playing football until eighth grade.”

Back in those days, Hawkins thought the world version was going to be the road he traveled on as opposed to the domestic variety, he said.

“I thought soccer was what I was going to pursue,” said Hawkins, who played on the Panthers soccer team his first two years of high school. “But, then (Liberty Hill junior varsity soccer) Coach (Josh Blake) told me (former Liberty Hill kicker) Ethan (Minix) was graduating and they would have a spot open on the varsity.”

So, Hawkins played on the JV football squad his freshman year – although after only a single season of gridiron, he said he was ready to walk away.

“Back then, I was forced to also play offense and defense,” said Hawkins, who was also a halfback and safety. “By the end of football season, I was worn out for the beginning of soccer.”

However, when it came time to report the following season, he was granted a reprieve from playing other positions and allowed to focus strictly on kicking – which made all the difference, he said.

“Kicking was really what I enjoyed most about football,” said Hawkins. “Also, I had some natural talent – I ended up falling in love with kicking.”

Soon after, Hawkins was faced with one of the biggest decisions of his young life in making a choice -- continuing to play the game he had since he could walk or switch ing over full-time to his newfound vocation.

“At that point, I realized football was probably going to take me the furthest,” he said. “Besides, continuing to try playing soccer would’ve messed up my mechanics for football.”

According to Hawkins, the repetition of swinging his right leg back exactly the same way to boot a football could potentially be disturbed by the improvisational nature of kicking a soccer ball.

“When you’re playing soccer, kicking the ball isn’t as technical,” said Hawkins. “You’re dribbling and kicking the ball when it’s moving, trying to get it to do different things.”

Despite the fact Hawkins doesn’t un dergo the exact same type of training his

teammates do, that doesn’t mean his degree of difficulty isn’t the same, he said.

“Kicking is a lot more complicated than people think,” said Hawkins. “It might look easy, but it’s quite a bit more difficult.”

For one thing, when he lines up for a placement – be it a field goal or an extra point – there is more than just him to the equation.

“It’s all three of us working together,” said Hawkins. “Me, the holder and the long snapper.”

Hawkins’ holder happens to be senior starting quarterback Reese Vickers, whose hands are also used for another quite important purpose, that is, running Liberty Hill’s vaunted Slot-T offense from his sig nal-caller position.

So, does Hawkins ever experience any angst about accidentally derailing Vickers with a misplaced boot?

In a word – no.

“I suppose it could happen, but it’s very unlikely,” laughed Hawkins. “Reese does a pretty good job getting his hands out of the way in time.”

Now that Hawkins has found a new athletic calling on a different kind of field than he had envisioned and completely committed himself to the cause, he has aspirations of booting balls at higher levels of football and has already attended elite kicking camps where players are recruited to college programs.

“I’ve already been invited to camps at Arkansas, UTSA and Texas Tech,” he said. “I’m going to have a game day campus visit to Arkansas in November.”

Does he have a dream destination at which to continue his career?

Any SEC (Southeastern Conference) school would be great,” said Hawkins, a junior. “It doesn’t really matter which one.”

Even though Hawkins has left soccer behind for his new kicking passion, there is one piece of his past he has brought with him into the present.

“I still wear soccer cleats,” he said. “They fit your feet much better for kicking than football cleats.”

Connor Hawkins (#1) puts in a different kind of work to hone his craft as a kicker compared to the other positions on a football team. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO

Liberty Hill junior kicker Connor Hawkins (#1) switched to football full-time after growing up playing primarily soccer. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO

BY ALEX RUBIO

Providing the spark

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

Whenever Kylie Hutchinson is anywhere near a volleyball court, one thing is for sure. She will definitely make her presence known.

For example, this season the junior defensive specialist has developed a trade mark celebration for whenever one of her teammates serves an ace.

First, Hutchinson will rise up from her seat on the bench, then sprint past her teammates exchanging high fives while letting loose with a celebratory shriek. But, that’s not all.

Once she’s reached the end of the bench, her run continues culminating with a flying leap directly toward a video camera that’s broadcasting the match live.

According to Hutchinson, the origin of the celebration was inspired by a particular viewer earlier in the season.

“We were at the Glen Rose tournament,” said Hutchinson. “My mom was watching online, so I wanted to make sure she saw me.”

However, lately Hutchinson’s mother

has been able to see her daughter per form much more on the court as she has received more and more playing time as the campaign has carried on down the stretch – an occurrence Liberty Hill head coach Marie Bruce said has been justified by how she has conducted herself away from the spotlight of matches.

“Kylie has been working very hard in practice,” said Bruce. “She’s a phenomenal team player.”

But, Hutchinson is far more valuable from an overall aspect than just her contri butions on the court, as the perky, 5-foot-1 dynamo brings much more to the fight than anything that shows up on the stat sheet.

“Coach Bruce put me on the this team to provide a spark,” she said. “My role is to always bring energy whether I’m playing or not.”

Hutchinson has a history of lifting the spirits of others, as she was a cheerlead er long before she took up volleyball in seventh grade after feeling as if she had accomplished all she could holding pom poms, she said.

“I think I had pretty much maxed out what I could do,” said Hutchinson. “I also

played basketball in middle school, but thought volleyball would be fun.”

Ever since, Hutchinson has combined her cheer talents with her volleyball skills in a hybrid fashion that makes her an in dispensable member of the Lady Panthers, said Bruce.

“It’s a blessing to have a kid like Kylie on our team,” she said. “She never has a bad day and is willing to run through a wall for the team.”

In her backcourt position, Hutchinson is effective despite her height in repelling even the hardest hits from opponents –something she takes great satisfaction in.

“I love it when we play teams with crazy Division I (college-recruited) hitters,” she said. “I’m always confident I can get the ball.”

No matter what transpires when she takes the court, though, Hutchinson will always remain calm, cool, collected and full of enthusiasm – after all, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My biggest strength is my personality and always giving 100 percent,” she said. “I don’t like a lot of stress.”

Fighting to live a normal life

Swim senior battles various ailments to compete

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

Sitting on one of the purple benches on the sidelines at Panther Stadium on a crisp autumn day, Ryan Benson smiles as the junior varsity football squad takes the field for practice.

Some of the players nod in his direction and one walks over for a fist bump.

Benson is right where he always wanted to be – in a manner of speaking, that is.

The Liberty Hill senior was born with a faulty heart valve that needed to be replaced with one from a pig heart in order to properly oxygenate blood so he could breath – which he couldn’t naturally.

“For the first seven weeks of my life, I couldn’t breathe on my own,” said Benson.

“I had to be hooked up to a machine.”

However, despite the procedure to save his life, the damage had already been done, and it came to fruition in the form of sever al ailments that have plagued Benson from that day forward.

“I have three different heart issues, two with my lungs and one with my brain,” he said. “I’ve been fighting to live for 17 years.”

As a result, Benson has never been able to participate in many normal activities – not the least of which is athletics – in particular swimming.

But, finally after all these years, his life long athletic ambition is unfolding.

Benson is a member of the swim team and is currently enjoying his long-awaited opportunity to compete for the Panthers.

“It finally got to the point where I could use my body,” said Benson. “I’ve been work ing with it for 17 years.”

Benson is referring to an exhaustive, continual process over the course of which Benson has learned to know his body from the inside out – realizing what he can and can’t do – when he can push himself and when he needs to back off.

Before he could do anything even resem bling athletic activity, though, he had to master even the most basic of movements.

“If I’m sitting down and I stand up too fast, I’ll pass out,” said Benson. “At first,

Kylie Hutchinson (#8) provides the Lady Panthers with energy and enthusiasm from her defensive specialist position.

PHOTO

Lady Panthers defensive specialist brings energy, enthusiasm

PANTHER OF THE MONTH

‘Setting’ on the sidelines no longer

Lady Panthers senior volleyballer gets chance to shine

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

For much of her senior year, Macy Land had one of the best seats in the house for Liberty Hill volleyball matches.

However, she wasn’t in the front row of the stands, but firmly planted on the Lady Panthers’ bench as a rarely-used substitute. But a funny thing happened coming down the stretch of the district schedule with the playoffs only a few weeks away.

Suddenly, Land found herself in the midst of the action with an even better van tage point – that is, a first-hand one – from on the court instead of on the sidelines.

Land’s breakout performance was in the Lady Panthers’ 3-2 (25-18, 25-15, 22-25, 23-25, 11-15) defeat to Cedar Park on Oct. 11 when she played in all five sets and collect ed 18 assists on an occasion that marked only the fourth time all season in the campaign’s first 46 matches she had played in each set of a contest.

However, despite her relative inactivity up to that point, Land said she was ready due to head coach Marie Bruce’s ability to keep her backups engaged regardless of the amount of playing time they get.

“Coach Bruce does a really good job with the bench players,” she said. “She tells us when we go in we don’t have to be perfect, which takes a lot of pressure off because she understands it’s difficult to come off the bench cold.”

Bruce agreed with Land’s assessment. “Yes, it’s difficult to go in when you’re not warm,” said Bruce. “You need to get used to the flow and the pace of the game.”

According to Bruce, perhaps Land was cast in the wrong light as far as where she belonged on the court for much of the season.

“I didn’t realize Macy had been a setter – I knew her more as a defensive specialist,” said Bruce. “But, she’s stepped into that role and done very well.”

Quite to the contrary, setting is really the only role Land has ever known on a volleyball court since he began playing the game at age three before moving into club volleyball in sixth grade.

“I’ve always been a setter,” said Land. “It’s a mindset you need to have – controlling the court like a quarterback and being a leader.”

Just like a signal-caller must have proper

chemistry on a gridiron with his receivers, a setter must achieve the same kind of cohesion with the hitters up front that are the beneficiaries of pinpoint passes before hammering them home for winners.

In Land’s case, her primary target is sophomore outside hitter Taylor Gaines, who Land has been feeding volleyballs to for some time now, she said.

“Taylor and I have been playing together since I was in eighth grade,” said Land. “We have a really good connection.”

But, to be an effective all-around provider, successful setters must develop pipelines with all of the big bombers at the net – each one with their own set of

specifications for how they like the ball to be delivered.

“I’m always talking to my hitters,” said Land. “I need to get their feedback, so I can build their trust in me. After awhile, I can tell when I’m getting the ball to them the right way.”

It’s that kind of attention to detail that will serve Land well if she decides to pursue a career in a field that has become her favorite class in high school.

“I took forensic psychology first and now I’m studying forensic science,” said Land. “I find it all very interesting as far as the investigation of what happened at a crime scene.”

In fact, Land was privileged to be chosen from among her classmates for a visit to Texas State University’s forensic science department, where she had a rather close encounter with something usually reserved for most people for around the end of Octo ber, she said.

“We got to inspect some skeletal re mains,” said Land. “Just some bones that had been completely cleaned and every thing – it was pretty cool.”

Land is considering – in addition to a couple other institutions – Texas Tech Uni versity for her collegiate matriculation.

“I’m thinking about studying sociol ogy and psychology with an aim toward criminology,” she said. “Besides, I really like Lubbock.”

One profession Land definitely won’t be pursuing in adulthood, though, is one she’s already had plenty of experience with during her younger years.

“I’ve been a babysitter and really enjoyed it,” said Land. “Kids anywhere from under a year old to seventh grade – I just like meeting all the interesting people and great kids.”

With all that being said, any horror sto ries concerning sparkies running wild and wreaking havoc while under her watchful eyes?

“No,” she said. “They’ve all been really good.”

Any trade secrets to share, then?

“I think one of the reasons is because I spend a lot of time interacting with them,” said Land. “You have to figure out what they like to do.”

Now that Land has found a regular home inside the lines as opposed to outside of them, one would never guess she has a long, storied history with injuries that have forced her to the sidelines in the past.

“I’ve torn the labrums in both of my shoulders,” she said. “In between those, I broke an ankle.”

However, with her physical woes firmly in the rear-view mirror, she can now clearly focus on the job in front of her – not to men tion enjoying the fruits of her labor over the years in getting to this point.

“It really feels like an accomplishment getting to play,” said Land. “Being rewarded for all the hard work in practice and being noticed.”

Liberty Hill senior Macy Land (#12) has taken her opportunity for more playing time and excelled for the Lady Panthers down the stretch of the season. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO

Taking a new identity

Panthers mascot cathartic experience for local senior

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH SPORTS EDITOR

Sports mascots are a jovial bunch. After all, their job is to make supporters happy of whatever team they’re advocating for – win or lose.

For Liberty Hill, that means Prowler, the lovable black panther that can be found on the sidelines for football games, volleyball matches and the like over the course of the entire school year.

For Bella Jaimez, it represents much more, though.

These days, the Liberty Hill senior is the one bounding around happily in costume as the Purple-and-Gold strive for victory.

But, just the fact Jaimez is wearing the suit and the oversize mask that accompa nies it is a victory in itself, for her tale is one of personal triumph over a far-too-common calamity that exists in the halls of schools, with the spotlight on it shining brighter than ever before.

“I was bullied by a group of kids,” said Jaimez. “From freshman to junior years.”

Back then, Jaimez was one of the athletes the school’s mascot was cheering on as a member of the Lady Panthers’ varsity soccer team, a feisty wing back who played in 17 games and scored a goal until a knee injury derailed her rookie season.

However, what would come next was far more hurtful than any physical malady.

“I think once I was no longer that person – an athlete that could be put on a pedes tal – it was different,” said Jaimez. “Also, I didn’t give in to peer pressure as far as drinking or anything.”

New crowd

Jaimez never did rejoin the soccer team once her injury healed, but instead found a new group of Panthers to run with.

“I joined the powerlifting team,” she said. “It was so fulfilling for me.”

According to Jaimez, teammates Elise Eckford and Charlie Harris – who also hap pened to be cheerleaders – mentioned to her there was going to be an opening on the other squad she just might be interested in.

“Most of my friends were on the cheer squad,” said Jaimez. “They told me Prowler was going to be open and I should try out for it.”

Ever since, Jaimez – acting as her alter-ego – has taken much satisfaction in

spreading joy among Panther Na tion and has also gleaned gratifi cation in how playing the role has helped heal her heart, she said.

“Ever since I’ve been on the cheer team, it’s done empowering things for me,” she said. “I don’t want other people to feel how I did when I was getting bullied.”

Looking to above

Part of the recovery process was Jaimez’ faith, which she said was a primary factor in helping her get through the darkest of times.

“I landed on a path with Christ and let God lead me,” said Jaimez, before quoting Deuteronomy 31:6. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or afraid of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”

Perfect for the part

Liberty Hill head cheer coach Kirsten Grant said she got to know Jaimez even before she donned the cos tume.

“Bella was in a class right next to one of mine,” said Grant, who also teaches at the school. “We built a relationship – she was always gregarious and easy-going.”

Perfect personality traits for a mascot, then?

“Yes, Bella has taken Prowler and made it her own,” said Grant. “She has brought a sincerity and a softness – I know I can go to her when I need something because she’s so caring – she’s kind of like everybody’s big and little sister – small in stature, big in heart.”

About her height, Jaimez stands about five feet tall, which is several inches shorter than her predecessor – but no worries in the wardrobe department, she said.

“It’s the same suit as last year,” said Jai mez. “Although we added the bow and the football jersey with sequins – I’m a girl, so who says Prowler can’t be a girl?”

Once she suits up, Jaimez takes her role very seriously – a goodwill ambassador for all things Purple-and-Gold, if you will –especially toward the younger members of the community.

“I’m very thankful to have that relation ship with all the future Panthers,” she said.

“So far, no kids have cried.”

In her opinion, what does it take to be a good mascot?

“You have to be able to lead with your actions,” said Jaimez. “After all, Prowler can’t talk, which makes it very hard to com municate.”

Prowler isn’t the first identity Jaimez has taken on this year, as she dressed up as George Wash ington on “America Day” at school and even wore the costume to a Lady Panthers volleyball match in getting with the spirit of things.

As for the journey that led her from Panthers athlete to Panthers mascot – and the trials and tribulations that went on in between – Jaimez is now at peace with the process and has even forgiven those who mistreated her.

“I just want to spread the word of God,” she said. “Some of those people have apologized and want to be friends – it’s a blessing to have that kind of face-to-face reconciliation.”

(Above) Prowler getting the Liberty Hill student section fired up at a Panthers’ home game earlier this season. FILE PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO (Below) Senior Bella Jaimez takes her role as school mascot Prowler very seriously in spreading joy among Purple-and-Gold supporters. (Courtesy Photo)

WORSHIP GUIDE

Liberty Hill & Surrounding Communities

ANDICE BAPTIST CHURCH 6570 FM 970, Florence (254) 793-2557 www.andicebc.org

PASTORS

Derrick Norris, Senior Pastor Matt Koehler, Associate Pastor of Students & Families SERVICES

Sunday Bible Study 9:45am

Sunday Worship 11am

Wednesday AWANA 6:30pm Sun. Online facebook.com/ andicebaptist/

CROSS TRACKS CHURCH

101 Church St., Liberty Hill (512) 515-0070 www.crosstrackschurchumc.org

PASTOR

Michele Lott SERVICES

Sunday School 9am

Sunday Worship 10am Sun. Online Facebook.com/cross trackschurch/

CONNECT CHURCH

Meets at Santa Rita Elementary 532 Santa Rita Blvd, Liberty Hill (479) 926-5455 www.ghbc.org/connectchurch

PASTORS

Danny Forshee, Teaching Pastor Leighton Forshee, Campus Pastor  SERVICES

Sunday Worship 5pm

FELLOWSHIP CHURCH 3600 RR 1869, Liberty Hill (512) 515-5579 fellowshiplh.com

PASTORS

Tim McIlhaney, Dan Riemer,

Ed Billock & Angel Perez SERVICES

Sunday Worship 8:30 & 11am Servicio española a las 11am

Sunday Bible Study All ages 10-10:45am

Wednesday Bible Study All ages 6pm

THE HILL CHURCH

111 Holmes Road, Liberty Hill www.thehillchurch.church

PASTOR

Kendall Ringler, Associate Pastor SERVICES

Sunday Worship 10:15am Sun. Online 10:15am facebook.com/ thehillchurch.church

HOLY ANNUNCIATION ORTHODOX CHURCH

5205 County Road 236, Liberty Hill (512) 782-9940 www.annunciationtx.com

PASTOR

Bp. Irineos Placek SERVICES

Vespers Sat. 6:30pm

Divine Liturgy Sun. 10am

LIFE SPRINGS

CHRISTIAN CHURCH

15611 W. State Hwy 29, Liberty Hill (512) 633-6074 www.lifespringschristianchurch.org

PASTOR Dr. William Brannan SERVICES

Sunday Worship 10am Online youtube.com/c/LifeSprings

MISSION LIBERTY HILL LUTHERAN CHURCH

(LCMS A liated)

15725 W Hwy-29 #7, Liberty Hill (512) 778-9310 www.missionlibertyhill.com

PASTOR

Rev. Mike Cofer SERVICES

Sunday Bible Study 9am Sunday Church Worship 10am

Sunday Online 10am - missionliberty hill.com/onlineworship/

ONE CHAPEL LIBERTY HILL 811 Loop 332, Liberty Hill (512) 729-6200 onechapel.com/liberty-hill

PASTOR

Darren Shaw SERVICES

Sunday Service 10am Online Service 10am online.onechapel.com Wednesday Youth 7pm

RESTORATION CHURCH

Meets at Liberty Hill Event Center 14875 W. SH 29, #10, Liberty Hill (512) 271-1976 www.restorationchurchtx.net

PASTOR

Mike Kimmons SERVICES Sunday Services 10:30am

Call (512) 778-5577 or email us at stacy@LHIndependent.com to include your church in the Worship Guide

I would pass out almost every day until I learned what movements I could do and how.”

So, how does someone so restricted get to the point of being able to compete in sports?

According to Benson, an automotive analogy best illustrates his method of movement.

“I’m like a car with a manual transmission,” said Benson. “Most other people are like ones with an automatic – their bodies do things without them having to even think about it. But, for me, it’s always a process – like shi ing gears and using the clutch. A er awhile, though, it just becomes second nature.”

As a result, Benson can now motor down the highway of normalcy – including being able to a end school in person – and can begin to experience the everyday occurrences most teenagers take for granted.

“Last year, I actually made it through most of the school year,” he said. “I’m also in the Solar Car Club.”

Head swim coach Dimitra Becker said Benson has successfully integrated into the Panthers program – including gaining acceptance from his teammates concerning his limitations.

“I think they needed to know about Ryan’s situation and there’s a reason why sometimes he can’t finish something or do what everyone else is doing,” she said. “He’s not qui ing or giving up.”

Becker added Benson brings something to the team that can’t be measured or quantified.

“Ryan has the best a itude of anyone here,” she said. “He will do whatever it takes to be part of the team.”

Benson has strong faith, but said at one point in his younger years, he began to question a bit why all of the maladies were happening to him – until a fateful encounter that provided him with some answers,

he said.

“When I was about 11, I would think along those lines sometimes,” said Benson. “But, then I met someone that had the same illness as me – that was my testimony from God.”

Along those lines, Benson recently traveled to his native Oregon to be a guest speaker at an event sponsored by Dream Factory, an organization that grants wishes for children with chronic illnesses in order to hopefully inspire others to take the same path he has.

“When I was 11, I had a terminal lung disease and the doctors told me I had maybe five years to live,” he said. “I got to go to a place called the Give Kids The World Village in Florida and was able to visit Disney World.”

Speaking of his former home, Benson and his family moved to Texas due to the lower elevation – which is be er for his condition – and the proximity to stateof-the-art health care at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.

Benson never did get to play any other sports – including soccer, a game he has a passion for – nor was he able to join his classmates in helmets and shoulder pads on this bright, sunny day.

But, he is a proud member of the Panthers swim team – an experience that was a long time coming, he said.

Jaycee

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

Jaycee, but they know their son wouldn’t have taken his own life without good reason. He had never a empted suicide before that day.

“We have a very open and transparent family,” Amanda said. “We’ve had heartfelt conversations many times and talked about how we feel. I always wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. But he hadn’t come to me lately to confide in me, and boys don’t say anything until it’s go en out of hand. He didn’t say anything on Sept. 19 when he came out as gay, but he did tell us what was happening on Sept. 28, so obviously it affected him.”

The LHISD Police Department is looking deeper into the factors that could have played a role in Jaycee’s decision.

“They told us something doesn’t feel right and they are not going to leave any stone unturned,” Amanda said. “We didn’t allow him to have social media, but he had a school laptop, and we don’t know everything that was on there. They took his school laptop to see what they could find.”

Pending the investigation, the Crosslands are also going to use their son’s death as the

catalyst to bring awareness to bullying and suicide. William plans to use his role on the City Council to bring awareness to the community, while Amanda wants to make sure the school district makes some changes.

“I’m not going to go down quietly,” Amanda said. “Throughout this whole situation, the community has confided in us a lot and we have a problem. I believe with the current administration we have at the high school and district that they are going to do their best to correct the issue. For our family it is too late, but for other families, maybe we can save a life.”

#BeKindForJaycee

A campaign using the hashtag #BeKindForJaycee has been started by members of the community to bring awareness to bullying and the impact kind words can have. To get involved with future community events, search the hashtag on Facebook for more information.

After a lifetime of fighting various illnesses, senior Ryan Benson is finally realizing his dream of competing for the Panthers swim team.

PHOTO BY SCOTT AKANEWICH

Family, friends and supports of the Crossland family met at the State Capitol last week to remember Jaycee Crossland during the walk for suicide prevention. (Courtesy Photo)

From red dirt to rock

Local band has eclectic playlist

BY SCOTT AKANEWICH STAFF WRITER

When one sees Nameless Road perform, it’s a bit like listening to your favorite radio station.

You have somewhat of an idea what kind of tunes you’ll be hearing, but there’s still that element of surprise when it’s time for a new song to play and the anticipation that goes with it.

According to vocalist and bassist Dave Warner, he and his bandmates like to keep audiences guessing.

“We’re schizophrenic as a band,” said Warner. “We’ll go from drinkin’, fightin’ red dirt songs to ‘90s rock.”

The Liberty Hill-based quartet was formed six years ago when Warner, along with guitarist Drew Bybee and drummer Dax Oglesby began playing charity benefits, then eventually decided to start playing regular gigs.

Only problem was at that point the band needed a name.

“We would be playing someplace and people would ask us what the name of our band was,” said Warner. “We didn’t have one – we were ‘Nameless’ – then of course, there’s the actual Nameless Road in Leander.”

However, it wasn’t Warner’s first goround as part of a band, as he was a mem ber of one during his college days at Abilene Christian University, he said.

“Oh, yeah, I was in a metal band,” said Warner. “We were called Big Daddy Long Legs – wore makeup, wigs and everything. Played Metallica songs and all kinds of others – did that for three years.”

Although the catalog Warner now plays might not be quite as heavy as in those days, it certainly still has an edge, he said.

“We’ll play stuff by Koe Wetzel and Whis key Myers, for example,” said Warner. “But, then we’ll bust out some Chris Stapleton or Def Leppard.”

Bybee comes from a musical family and played saxophone in the school band from sixth to 12th grade while growing up, but it wasn’t until he reached high school he first picked up a guitar, he said.

“I got one my freshman year,” said Bybee. “I wanted to be like Eddie Van Halen, but realized pretty quickly how difficult that was.”

Oglesby – who by day is a real estate agent – also has rich musical roots, having played

in various bands since age 16 –including adventures that took him overseas, he said.

“I was in a band that went over and played USO shows for the military,” said Oglesby. “We would go to places like the Med iterranean, the Middle East and the Caribbean.”

Nameless Road’s final charter member is Stacey Warner, who sings and also happens to be Dave’s wife, which gives the band three distinctive vocalists de pending on the song they happen to be playing at a particular time, she said.

“We have such a wide variety of what we can do,” said Stacey Warner. “We’re kind of like a radio station when you don’t expect the next song.”

Stacey also attended Abilene Christian and was an accom plished soccer player in her day, actually playing on the school’s men’s NCAA Division III squad due to the lack of a women’s team at the time, was a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and now works alongside Dave in the technology sector.

“We all have day jobs,” she said. “The band is really an outlet for us – it doesn’t matter if we’re playing for one person or a hun dred – we just have fun making music.”

Dave said despite the fact the band plays only cover tunes, it still manages to take songs and inject them with some custom personality, he said.

“We’re a cover band, but we make songs our own,” said Dave. “I like to say we ‘fix’ songs and by that I mean there’s always a certain part of a song you like where you say, ‘You know, I would’ve done this or that instead,’ so that’s what we do – we innovate and make the sound our own.”

Nameless Road plays local venues such as Agape BBQ and Liberty Hill Beer Market, along with others in the greater Austin area and usually forges a connection with what ever crowd they might be entertaining, said Bybee.

“I love the crowd reaction we get,” he said. “It’s cool when you have the ability to put energy out there for people – all of a

sudden something will click and the whole room comes to life.”

However, Oglesby said it took Bybee some time to get accustomed to playing in front of restaurant and bar crowds com pared to his worship music audiences.

“I remember Drew would have to take deep breaths between songs to help himself calm down – there was just this dead air, longer than usual,” he said. “But, once he got comfortable, he was excited to do more.”

Oglesby said when he first began playing with Nameless Road, his drum kit was a bit unorthodox – albeit effective.

“I had electronic drums and they sounded great,” he said. “But, everyone kept wanting me to switch to an acoustic set, so eventually I did – I don’t think they were

ready for how loud they were in compari son.”

Finally, Nameless Road bills itself as “The Most Dangerous Band in Liberty Hill.”

But, what does that exactly mean?

Before one begins conjuring up images of mosh pits and smashing guitars, Dave ex plains the danger is of an entirely different element.

“I think we’re dangerous in that we get people’s attention, they start moving around on the dance floor and all kinds of love connections can be made,” he said.

“But, usually when I tell people that, I just get a lot of eye-rolling.”

Nameless Road – a Liberty Hill-based band consisting of guitarist Drew Bybee, drummer Dax Oglesby, vocalist Stacey Warner and bassist Dave Warner play a wide variety of songs from red dirt to rock at local venues. (Courtesy Photo)

Nov. 4

RECKLESS KELLY

WITH SUMMER DEAN Globe Theater

132 W. Vaughn St., Bertram 8 p.m. Tickets $40-50 globetheatertx.com

CHROME WHEELS

Hometown Watering Hole

3317 E. Hwy. 29, Bertram 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $10 Cover 512-355-7377 hometownwateringhole.net alicia.boychuk@gmail.com

JERRY & STEVE, 7 p.m.

JARROD BIRMINGHAM, 9 p.m.

Hometown Watering Hole

3317 E. Hwy. 29, Bertram $20 at door or purchase tickets online through Eventbrite (all tickets general admission) 512-355-7377 hometownwateringhole.net alicia.boychuk@gmail.com

AUSTIN SPURS VS. TEXAS LEGENDS - NBA G LEAGUE

BASKETBALL

HEB Center 2100 Ave of the Stars, Cedar Park 7 p.m. HEBCenter.com

Nov. 10

SUNNY SWEENEY Globe Theater 132 W. Vaughn St., Bertram 8 p.m. Tickets $20-30 globetheatertx.com

AUSTIN SPURS VS. MEMPHIS HUSTLE - NBA G LEAGUE BASKETBALL HEB Center 2100 Ave of the Stars, Cedar Park 7 p.m. HEBCenter.com

RANDALL KING

WITH BRAXTON KEITH

Haute Spot

1501 E. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park

8 p.m. Tickets $22.50 512-986-7411 hautespotvenue.com

BELINDA CARLISLE

Haute Spot

1501 E. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park 8 p.m. Tickets $49-$99 512-986-7411 hautespotvenue.com

Nov. 5

MUSIC UNDER THE OAKS

WITH TINTED VISION

Agape BBQ

3610 RM 1869, Liberty Hill 7-9:30 p.m. 512-548-6230/agapebbq.com

Nov. 11

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE WITH

MEMPHIS KEE

Agape BBQ

3610 RM 1869, Liberty Hill 7-9:30 p.m. 512-548-6230/agapebbq.com

Nov. 12

TEXAS STARS VS. ROCKFORD

ICEHOGS - AHL HOCKEY

HEB Center

2100 Ave of the Stars, Cedar Park 7 p.m. Tickets $19-$64 HEBCenter.com

Nov. 18

FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE WITH COSMIC CONVOY Agape BBQ 3610 RM 1869, Liberty Hill 7-9:30 p.m. 512-548-6230/agapebbq.com

PAULINE REESE

Hometown Watering Hole 3317 E. Hwy. 29, Bertram 8 p.m.-11:30 p.m. $15 at door or purchase tickets online at Eventbrite (all tickets general admission) 512-355-7377 hometownwateringhole.net alicia.boychuk@gmail.com

ARC ANGELS WITH MADAM RADAR Haute Spot 1501 E. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park 5-10 p.m.

Tickets $29.50-$154.50 512-986-7411 hautespotvenue.com

Nov. 18

TEXAS STARS VS. MANITOBA MOOSE - AHL HOCKEY HEB Center

2100 Ave of the Stars, Cedar Park 7 p.m. Tickets $19-$64 HEBCenter.com

Nov. 19

JESSE LOPEZ Y LOS FUNKY MONKEYS  Hometown Watering Hole 3317 E. Hwy. 29, Bertram 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $10 Cover

512-355-7377 hometownwateringhole.net alicia.boychuk@gmail.com

Nov. 26

4TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY AROUND THE HILL

The Blue Door Gi Store,  Simply Home, Pep & Punch,  Ginger Roots Boutique, Two Brand It, Viridian Rowe, Liberty Hill Outfi ers & Hill Country Hickster 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Crawl your way around to all 7 boutiques and fill a passport card. Full passport cards will be entered in a drawing to win $350. A portion of profits from this event will benefit the Liberty Hill Library’s building fund.

SECOND HAND ROSE BAND  Hometown Watering Hole 3317 E. Hwy. 29, Bertram 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. $10 Cover 512-355-7377 hometownwateringhole.net alicia.boychuk@gmail.com

STONEY LARUE

Haute Spot

1501 E. New Hope Dr., Cedar Park 5-10 p.m. Tickets $25-$45 512-986-7411 hautespotvenue.com

December

Dec. 3

LIBERTY HILL CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL

Downtown Liberty Hill Guests can shop, eat, and enjoy

music during the day, while the kids ice skate, play in real snow, visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and so much more! Festival – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Parade – 6 p.m.

BERTRAM COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

Downtown Bertram 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Kids Dash, float parade, vendor and food booths, photos with Santa, kids zone, live music all day and more! More info, email: bertram marketsfestivals @gmail.com

Dec. 11

6TH ANNUAL NUTCRACKER PERFORMANCE - PRESENTED BY THE DANCE ACADEMY & BALLET ACADEMY NORTH Liberty Hill High School 3-5 p.m. Tickets $25 Purchase tickets at thedanceacademytx.com/events

Join us for this annual holiday tradition. With new choreography, sets, and costumes - this is an incredible performance you won’t want to miss!

Sunny Sweeney

Randall King

Cosmic Convoy

Liberty Hill Christmas Festival (Kendra Cofer photo)