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ABOUT OUR COVER
The Independent is celebrating the 2024 Best of Liberty Hill winners, from restaurants and businesses to the people who make Liberty Hill unique. This year’s winner of the Spirit of Liberty Hill award is the Liberty Hill Public Library, of which the staff is pictured here.
PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
Each year at The Independent, we highlight the best of what our community has to offer in a wide variety of goods, services, organizations and individuals that make Liberty Hill such a special, unique place.
In fact, this year, we redesigned our process to make the voting easier and more streamlined to maximize participation and enjoyment levels.
We also added our new “Spirit of Liberty Hill” award, which shines the spotlight an individual or organization that truly embodies what out town is all about.
Simply put, Best of Liberty Hill is exactly what it implies – the best of the best!
-Rachel Madison and Scott Akanewich, publishers
BIZ BRIEFS:
What’s New?
Latest business news and what’s coming soon to Liberty Hill
RETAIL
29 Gateway
Southwest Corner, Ronald Reagan Blvd. & U.S. Highway 29
A 32-acre development consisting of approximately 10 pad sites that will house both standalone businesses and strip centers is under construction. Businesses that have already signed on to the project include FoodBox, Black Rock Coffee Bar, Verizon, DECA Dental Group, Noir Nail Bar and ATI Physical Therapy.
Magpie Mercantile
102 S. Gabriel St., Bertram
Magpie Mercantile is a new store opening in Bertram in October that specializes in the sale of local farm to market grocery items, artisan goods, botanicals and provisions.
Ronald Reagan Commercial
25562 Ronald Reagan Blvd.
A plat permit has been approved for a 2.5-acre commercial project on Ronald Reagan Boulevard that will include five gas pumps, a convenience store and a building for retail use.
OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS
• Pueblo Goods Co.
Online, Liberty Hill
SERVICES
Martinizing Cleaners
14125 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
A new franchise of Martinizing Cleaners, a dry-cleaning services business, will be opening in the new building at the Water Tower Plaza in Liberty Hill.
Martinizing Cleaners has over 350 stores worldwide.
MissionMove Strategies
Online, Liberty Hill
Liberty Hill resident Michelle Hawley recently launched MissionMove Strategies, a consulting firm for nonprofits looking to build robust, sustainable fundraising events and strategies.
Republic Tint
217 CR 214, Liberty Hill
Republic Tint recently opened its location in District 29 in Liberty Hill. The business offers tint installation for residential, commercial and automobile customers.
OTHER NOTABLE PROJECTS
• Vortex Martial Arts Academy
14745 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
• Bertram Fitness 1040 Hwy. 29, Bertram
• Emerald Elephant Yoga
147 E. Vaughan St., Bertram
• HT Fitness
Location TBD, Liberty Hill
ON THE MOVE
Royal Bliss Day Spa
12701 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
Royal Bliss Day Spa recently
moved to a new location on Highway 29, in the previous home of Care First Clinic. In addition to celebrating a new location, the spa is also celebrating its five year anniversary in October.
Dusty Robbins, Bearded Barber
14365 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
Dusty Robbins recently joined the team at Bearded Barber. A recent graduate of Paul Mitchell in Austin, Robbins brings a fresh perspective to traditional barbering.
Maggie Greenlees, Liberty Hill
School of Music
3608 RR 1869, Liberty Hill
Liberty Hill native Maggie Greenlees is the newest piano instructor at Liberty Hill School of Music. She specializes in classical music and enjoys teaching others.
Pep & Punch
2023 Main St., Liberty Hill
Local boutique Pep & Punch is celebrating its fifth anniversary in business in October.
Cristin Ray, The Indigo Salon
1013 Main St., Liberty Hill
Cristin Ray is the newest stylist at The Indigo Salon. She specializes in cuts and colors, as well as lash lifts and tints.
Simply Home Boutique
15280 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
Simply Home Boutique is celebrating 12 years in business in October.
Benny Boyd Liberty Hill
10620 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
The Liberty Hill location of car dealership Benny Boyd has permanently closed. Other
Benny Boyd locations include dealerships in Marble Falls, Lampasas and Copperas Cove.
Texas Paint & Fabrication
3684 Hwy. 29, Bertram
Texas Paint and Fabrication is celebrating its tenth year in business. Originally founded in Liberty Hill by founders Ed and Nicole Welch, it has expanded to a bigger operation in Bertram on Highway 29. Their services include sandblasting and industrial coatings. They are proud members of the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce and are active supporters of the local community.
Hunters Creek Processing
4892 Hwy. 183, Liberty Hill
Hunters Creek Processing celebrated 14 years in business in September.
Hanson Insurance
13985 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
Hanson Insurance is opening its first brick-and-mortar location in the previous home of Rio Gabriel Liquors. Hanson Insurance is owned by Emily Hanson and specializes in Medicare options.
Dawid Bednarek, Security State Bank & Trust
15050 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
Dawid Bednarek was recently announced as the new AVP loan officer at the Liberty Hill location of Security State Bank & Trust.
Main Street Marketplace
704 Main St., Liberty Hill Main Street Marketplace has several new vendors, including The Pretty Farmer, local honey craft syrups and cocktail mixes; Life Anchored Home, hand crafted soaps, simmer pots, infused cocktail kits, sugar cubes and extracts; Ani's Craft Studio, soaking salts, spa gift boxes, scrubs, eye pillows and hot/cold therapy pads; Jackass Honey Farms, local honey; and Dublin, Texas Bottling Co., craft sodas made with pure cane sugar.
CORRECTION
In September, The Independent reported that The Lash Bar & Boutique in Bertram had closed permanently. This is incorrect. The Lash Bar is still open and accepting clients. The Independent regrets this error.
Cristin Ray
Dusty Robbins
Providing lifelines for those in need
Operation Liberty Hill voted Best Nonprofit
BY BRAD MARTIN STAFF WRITER
When it comes to community outreach, there are often many unsung heroes who fly under the radar of awareness among the very community they strive to support. I’d say it’s high time these heroes were brought into the spotlight so, without further adieu, I present to you Operation Liberty Hill, the winner of this year’s Best of Liberty Hill Best Nonprofit award.
Operation Liberty Hill has been serving this community for over 13 years, and even I, a lifelong resident of Liberty Hill, had no idea of just how much this wonderful organization has to offer. From a thrift store that rivals any that I’ve ever seen to an impressive food pantry, we’re barely even scratching the surface.
I had the opportunity to meet with Executive Director Susan Baker and we were soon after joined by Program Director Regina O’Brien. From the very start of the conversation, I was blown away by the depth of services they offer and even more so by the broad age range of the community members that benefit from said services. Let’s go down the list, shall we?
the pantry provides. It was like walking through a grocery store, complete with fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, meats and many staples that every household needs to thrive.
Operation Liberty Hill also provides numerous seasonal offerings, such as Blue Santa and Angel Tree during Christmas, coats for kids, heaters for households, fan drives, weekly snack programs in the summertime and back-to-school offerings such as school supplies, athletic sneakers and backpacks. Pretty impressive list so far, isn’t it? We’re just getting started, so let’s continue. As the age spectrum broadens, Operation Liberty Hill stops at nothing to ensure their outreach acts more as a blanket than mere random targets. They offer a program called Rise Up, a financial education course for adults which acts as a catalyst to not only help people climb out of financial hardship, but to stay out of it.
In addition, they offer a computer literacy course called Tech Wise that comes with a laptop upon completion of the course. This alone has helped countless people diversify their skills and find much more than mere employment, but a path towards a career.
of their department, from the meticulous organization of the food pantry and thrift store, to the depth of knowledge they had regarding the underserved population.
tions on the lower floor and their operations on the upper floor. There will also be a large public space that will adapt to fulfill a wide array of community needs as well.
The aforementioned thrift store and food pantry are where it all began and the two continue to put food on the table and clothes on the backs of those in need. What impressed me most was the quality of food
And last, but definitely not least, Operation Liberty Hill has an annual event similar to Blue Santa called Silver Bells, which is geared toward the seniors in our community. It lifted my heart to hear so many who may find themselves alone during the holidays now look forward to being remembered as they receive many wanted and needed items that make their way onto their own list for Santa each year.
Now, let’s talk about the lifeblood of the operation – the volunteers. I was fortunate enough to receive a tour of the entire property and it was during this tour I met one outstanding person after another that each exuded a deep dedication to the very outreach they were a part of. They were bubbly and bright and it was clear they enjoyed every minute of their time there. They each took proud ownership
As we walked the grounds, I was impressed at how Baker quietly and patiently commanded every room we entered. At every step, she lit up all whom she interacted with and the fluidity of every facet of the operation reminded me of an orchestra and she took center stage upon the conductor’s podium. If I’ve ever encountered anyone who was clearly born to do what they were doing, it’s Baker.
O’Brien is a wonderful compliment to Baker, as she shines just as bright when it comes to talking about all things community outreach.
“Technically, we’d like to be out of business because that means there’s no more need,” said O’Brien as we discussed the rapidly changing landscape that has laid witness to exponential growth.
As we dove a bit deeper into the subject, Baker shared some exciting news regarding Operation Liberty Hill’s next steps.
“Our forever home is right around the corner,” she said.
Speaking in terms of time, Baker shared the news they hope to break ground on their new facility in the coming spring. Located near downtown, just across RM 1869 from Agape BBQ, the two-acre parcel of land will soon welcome Operation Liberty Hill’s new facility, complete with a two-story building to house its food pantry and thrift opera-
“We’ll be back in the heart of Liberty Hill, which is very exciting.” Baker added.
Work will soon begin on a capital funding campaign to help guide this new vision to reality, and they’ll be counting on their community to show up for them just as they continue to show up for their community.
Whether you find yourself in need or your heart strives to extend a helping hand, there’s a place where the two shall meet and thrive upon common ground – a loving, caring place called Operation Liberty Hill.
In addition to the capital campaign, there are many other annual funding and donation drives that happen throughout the year. A list of upcoming events can be found below.
“Coats for Kids,” part of their Share the Warmth Program (which also provides space heaters for clients) is now accepting new and very gently used coats for school aged kids from now through Nov. 8. Operation Liberty Hill will also be accepting space heater donations during this time. Items can be dropped off at the thrift store donation area during donation hours which are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
In addition, Operation Liberty Hill is in constant need of hygiene product donations of all types.
Operation Liberty Hill was voted Best Nonprofit as part of The Independent’s Best of Liberty Hill for 2024. Pictured are Executive Director Susan Baker and Program Director Regina O’Brien. PHOTO BY BRAD MARTIN
Operation Liberty Hill features a thirft store and a food pantry, along with various services. PHOTO BY BRAD MARTIN
Gold Medal Gymnastics wins Community Choice Award
Local facility dedicated to building ‘healthy, happy, confident, strong young women’
BY RACHEL N. MADISON STAFF WRITER
Gold Medal Gymnastics has been awarded one of the 2024 Community Choice Awards in The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill program. This prestigious new award is reserved for businesses that received an overwhelming number of write-in nominations from the community.
Founded in Leander in 2021, Gold Medal Gymnastics moved into their Liberty Hill location at 250 CR 277 in March 2023. While they may be new to the area, this dedicated team of gymnasts, coaches and business leaders have quickly become distinguished members of the local community.
“We first opened in a small space in Leander,” Coach Victoria Preister, a Leander native herself, told The Independent “We quickly outgrew it. There wasn’t currently a gymnastics facility in Liberty Hill, so we saw the need. The support of local small businesses is why we ultimately decided to move out here.”
facility also offers preschool and homeschool classes, a toddler open gym on Wednesday mornings, summer camp programs and a variety of events. They also regularly participate in local community events. This distinguishes Gold Medal as not only an impressive sports training center, but also a safe and welcoming center for family fun.
Trotta and Preister both come from gymnastics backgrounds themselves and are well aware of the positive impact the sport can have on lives.
“I grew up in Leander and took gymnastics and competed there for years,” said Preister. “After coaching for a while, I joined the medical field. After 18 years, I went back to coaching. I was able to re-discover my love for gymnastics – it was always there for me. It’s been a part of my life forever, it’s my happy place where you can be yourself.”
The youngest of Preister’s three children was also a competitive gymnast. She now coaches alongside her mother at Gold Medal.
Trotta also has a long history with the sport.
quickly integrated it within Liberty Hill’s ‘little big community.’
Tina Olson’s daughter has been training under Preister for seven years, since they were at their Leander facility, and followed her to Liberty Hill.
“We were surprised to get nominations,” admitted Coach Michelle Trotta. “We’ve had such an awesome experience with the community and support. Just getting nominated is amazing. To win is even more amazing.”
Gold Medal currently serves 267 gymnasts in Liberty Hill, Georgetown, Leander, Cedar Park, Bertram and Burnet. Forty-five children are members of the gymnastics team, which competes across Texas and the U.S.
“Competition season runs December through April,” said Trotta. “The rest of the time is for routine practice, polishing skills and getting competition ready.”
In addition to their competitive artistic gymnastics team, Gold Medal is also dedicated to serving children who aren’t interested in competing.
“Many of our classes cater to the progression toward the competitive team,” said Trotta. “But not all the kids want that – a lot of them are just here to have fun and we want them to have that.”
In addition to team artistic gymnastics, the
“Gymnastics has always been a huge part of my life. I remember watching the Olympics on TV as a kid and deciding I could do the whole routine in my living room,” Trotta said. “So, my mom put me in gymnastics. It was an amazing sport for me and something I have always been passionate about. I coached through high school and college to support myself. It was an amazing job for a young woman.”
Trotta currently lives in Liberty Hill with her husband and three children, coaches competitively across Texas and Florida and revealed her own daughter’s interest in the sport was a motivating factor in Gold Medal’s mission.
“I wanted something better for my child,” she said. “I saw the need for something focused on the whole child, not just about level or scores.”
The entire Gold Medal Gymnastics staff provide more than just athletic instruction –they want to guide and support each child and transform lives.
“We saw a need for greater focus on kids’ progression, specifically more emotional and mental support,” said Preister. “We’re treating the whole child, not just gym progression.”
Gold Medal’s commitment to serving the ‘whole child’ has certainly set it apart and
“It’s been a blessing to watch Coach Victoria learn and grow as an individual and as a coach,” said Olson. “She’s a mama hen – she genuinely loves and cares for these girls.
The whole Gold Medal team take the time to train their coaches and staff, which I can say through experience is not a normal standard with other gyms we’ve been at. They’re always trying to better themselves and it’s great to see how much they care.”
Kelly McGhee echoed Olsen’s praise.
“My daughter has done gymnastics at three different facilities in North Austin and Gold Medal has by far the best balance between expectations and caring about them,” she said. “They do a great job building a facility that supports kids first and foremost. My daughter considers the team and staff her family.”
Trotta said it is very special to be able to provide this service to children in her hometown.
“I love this community,” she said. “We moved here because we love it so much. We get to see kids that [train with us] and out in the community as well. It really feels nice to be part of the ‘little big community’ of Liberty Hill where it feels like everyone knows each other.”
Trotta and Preister expressed gratitude at the community’s support of Gold Medal.
“We’re incredibly honored and excited that people are excited about what we’re doing out here. I want people to know we are working really hard to make this a place where kids can pursue their passion for gymnastics while building healthy, happy, confident, strong young women.”
Gold Medal plans to be even more involved with the local community in the future. With such recognition and support just one year in, there’s no telling how far this team of coaches, staff, and athletes will go. They may just bring home the gold.
Coach Michelle Trotta with the Xcel Gold Team of Gold Medal Gymnastics at the Texas Tough Gymnastics Invitational in Ft. Worth, where they won first place as a team. COURTESY PHOTO
Coach Victoria Preister, Jordyn Senters (state champion on floor exercise) and Coach Michelle Trotta of Gold Medal Gymnastics at the Xcel Gold Texas State Championships. COURTESY PHOTO
The LHISD School Funding Election would pay for: + Teacher/staff pay increases + New positions for student growth The LHISD School Funding Election would prevent:
Heart of the Hill
Liberty Hill Public Library receives inaugural Spirit of Liberty Hill award
BY RACHEL MADISON OWNER/PUBLISHER
Since it first opened its doors in 2002, the Liberty Hill Public Library has been in the same building in Lions Foundation Park, but what happens inside the walls has changed dramatically.
“There’s only so much difference you can make in 2,000 square feet, but the usage and the purpose and the community knowledge of the fact that we have a library here—that has exponentially grown,” said Library Director Angela Palmer. “I would say 15 years ago more people didn’t know about us than
did. There wasn’t as much shelving, not as many books, the kid’s area was different. Physically the building looks the same, but we’ve gone through some exponential changes.”
That growth and those changes are what have made the library a fixture among Liberty Hill residents, which was recently proven when the library received the inaugural Spirit of Liberty Hill award in The Independent’s 2024 Best of Liberty Hill program.
The Spirit of Liberty Hill award exhibits the highest level of support and love for the community of Liberty Hill by making a significant impact on individuals as well as the community as a whole. Ten different community organizations, businesses and individuals were nominated for the Spirit of Liberty Hill award, but the library had a significant win –and it’s easy to see why.
From hosting some of the area’s most popular programming, such as the annual summer reading program for kids, teens and adults to being a hub for local book clubs to join together and discuss literature, the library serves over 14,400 patrons a year.
Shanna Clark, library team member, said one reason why the library is so busy is because the staff stays connected to the patrons, learning many of their names and their book preferences.
“We all have patrons that are near and dear to our hearts,” she said. “The group of us that work together are like a family—we are also connected to each other and have a commit-
ment to the community.”
Palmer added that because of this, the library staff has very low turnover.
“We look a er each other and take care of each other,” she said. “We really are a family.”
On top of the programs offered and the comfortable, homey atmosphere the librarians provide, the library also has a large, curated collection that offers patrons a wide range of book options, as well as games, movies, audio books, e-books and more.
“People come to us over other libraries, even though we have the smallest library district in Texas,” Palmer said.
Board secretary Lisa Messana said it’s because the library has the books people need and want, and that they’re able to find books in Liberty Hill they can’t find elsewhere, thanks to Palmer’s collection management.
“We try to have something for everybody,” Palmer said.
Liberty Hill hasn’t always had a library and it hasn’t always had such an exciting
future as it has now, with a new building on the horizon.
The process of bringing a library to Liberty Hill dates back to the mid-90s, Chambers said.
“That was before anything was organized and there were no real plans, but there were groups looking at ge ing a library started,” she said. “When they decided to create a library district, that had to be voted on by the community. Either through great wisdom or happenstance, the people back then chose the boundaries of the [Liberty Hill Independent School District] for the library district, which covers 110 square miles and is growing quickly.”
Now, as plans begin to move forward on the new building, which will be located on a 6.6-acre parcel of land in downtown Liberty Hill at 1600 Main St. between Liberty Hill Elementary and the Church of Christ, Palmer said the goal is to make sure the community plays a major role in its construction.
The Liberty Hill Public Library earned the Spirit of Liberty Hill award in The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill contest. The Spirit of Liberty Hill award exhibits the highest level of support and love for the community of Liberty Hill by making a significant impact on individuals as well as the community as a whole.
PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
“We’ve been visiting with engineers, all of which are local, because we’re not going to go outside our community to build our new building,” Palmer said. “My goal is that when somebody drives by our new library, they’ll be able to say, ‘My dad helped build that building,’ or ‘My mom was a part of the board.’”
Additionally, consultant Maureen Arndt, whose firm 720 Design takes its name from the Dewey Decimal number for architecture, has been hired to put together plans for the library based on feedback gathered from the community at recent city festivals and
tion of the building is still fluid, but they hope to break ground in 12 months and have the library open by the end of 2026. Ge ing to the point of having a new home for the library has been a long journey, Palmer admitted. Just in the last couple of years, the library was expected to build a new building within Lions Foundation Park and was invited to move its headquarters to Santa Rita Ranch. Both of those options didn’t pan out, and while at the time it was disappointing for the library staff and board, Chambers said, she now sees things worked out how they were supposed to.
Ultimately, Palmer said she wants the library to truly be the ‘heart of the hill’ and provide a legacy to the community that won’t ever be forgotten.
“I get so involved in the day to day, I forget the impact we can have our community,” she said. “It’s an honor to have the Spirit of Liberty Hill award given to us. That means we’re doing a good job and we’re on the right path.”
From left are Liberty Hill Public Library board members Mike Gandy, Terrie Chambers, Lisa Messana, Adrienne Hughes and Bob Calvisi. PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
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Wilk voted Best Community Volunteer
Business leader, boss babe and mother humbly serves Liberty Hill
BY RACHEL N. MADISON STAFF WRITER
Liberty Hill has voted to award Nancy Wilk as this year’s Best Community Volunteer as part of The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill contest. Anyone who knows Wilk will know how deserving she is of this recognition. They will also know she isn’t one to stand in the spotlight.
“Frankly, it’s overwhelming, and it puts a knot in my stomach,” Wilk admitted when asked how she felt upon learning of her award. “I do have a deep sense of pride and gratitude for the recognition, the group of nominees included some extremely deserving members of LHTX.”
Still, she said that the opportunity to serve her community is the true reward.
“I just do what needs to be done and try to help people along the way,” she said. “I enjoy being behind-the-scenes making a positive impact, but we [should never] be boastful of our good works.”
Other upcoming endeavors include Foundation XXL HOPE’s partnership with local trade schools to help connect students with the items they will need for their programs and help them be successful.
On Sept. 24, XXL HOPE also signed a sponsorship agreement with Vinew Shoppe, a new boutique that will be opening in November at District 29, to connect nonprofits with the local community.
“Half of the store will be for-profit retail and the other half will be open to rotating nonprofits to come in and volunteer and learn key skills,” said Wilk. “The volunteers will receive a portion of the store’s profits each month.”
It’s impossible to truly define Wilk’s community involvement because it is so extensive. Since moving to Central Texas from Chicago 10 years ago with her husband and two children, Wilk has volunteered across countless local charities, groups, programs, small businesses and boards. The full list numbers over a dozen and includes, but is not limited to, the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Hill Boss Babe group, the Lion’s Club, the Williamson County Blue Collar Network Group, Junior Achievement USA programs, school booster clubs and her family’s nonprofit: Foundation XXL HOPE.
This is, of course, in addition to her management of The Market LHTX and her involvement in other youth-centered support and growth programs.
Wilk also has several new initiatives currently underway, including “Mustard Seed,” a booth at all future markets where kids can come plant an herb seed, learn how to care for it, and watch it grow.
“At The Market LHTX we just recently started the ‘mustard seed project’ with two of our young entrepreneurs, Evelyn (10) and Edgar (12), who run the booth with their grandparents,” said Wilk. “I’m quite excited about this new endeavor – our tagline is ‘planting knowledge and growing our future, one seed at a time.’”
Wilk’s values of community involvement, support and hard work were ingrained in her from a young age.
“I grew up in a very unstable environment,” she said. “Growing up, I didn’t have anyone cheering me on or supporting my life, so it’s incredibly meaningful to be able to provide that to our kiddos. [Helping them] take ownership of their dreams and being able to offer the encouragement to get from step one to step two to step three is really exciting – that experience shaped my adult life and instilled in me a desire to make sure people feel seen, valued and supported. I want to be able to help children know their worth and be inspired.”
Wilk’s experience with hard work has also equipped her with her discipline and integrity.
“Having been raised in poverty, we didn’t rely on others – we worked hard and pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps. I like to improve the lives of those around me who need a hand up, not a hand-out,” said Wilk. “That upbringing humbled me, but it also taught me resilience, patience and not to judge, but to hold ourselves to a high standard – it’s something I strive to pass on to my sons.”
Wilk’s sons, Dylan and Kyle Wilk, have certainly learned from their ‘boss babe’ mother. The brothers are entrepreneurs and business owners themselves, currently running Wilk Imaging, an aerial photography business, and managing their family’s foundation, along with several other local volunteer initiatives.
Wilk expressed pride at her sons’ commitment to service.
“They both have servant’s hearts,” she said.
Wilk is “very family-oriented – her family is the most important thing in her life. They are all just like her. It’s a great family,” said friend Cindy Wells.
Longtime friend and The Market LHTX board member Amy Padilla spoke of Wilk’s big heart for the community.
“She wants to see the community grow and foster connections,” she said. “Nancy would give you the shirt off her back. She does so many things that people don’t even know that she does. She donates and helps community members in need. With The Market LHTX, it goes beyond just selling goods and products – she guides people to success.”
“Nancy has never met a stranger,” said Wells, who has worked with the Wilks at The Market LHTX and will be joining their Vinew initiative. “After she meets someone, that person leaves feeling like they’ve made a new friend.”
Wilk got emotional as she thought of the support that her friends and others have given her and her family.
“I’m so blessed that I have such good
people in my life,” she said.
Over the past decade, Wilk has dedicated her life to the Liberty Hill community. Even now, she is hesitant to accept praise.
“The Lord is my puppet master,” she said. “My deep faith plays a central role in guiding me to where I’m needed most. I believe the Lord places us in situations where we can make a real difference and that has always been my driving force. One of my favorite sayings is: ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I… and I have.’”
Wilk said she is honored and humbled to receive the recognition.
“It means a lot to me to be acknowledged by the very community I’ve been fortunate enough to serve,” she said.
Wilk considers it all a family affair and said her family, blood and chosen, inspires her to continue to do good work. She added she is grateful for every community member, organization and business that has supported her over the years.
“I truly could never be the ‘best of’ without the help of everyone in our community,” she said.
Nancy Wilk was voted Best Community Volunteer in The Independent’s 2024 Best of Liberty Hill contest. Pictured is Wilk with husband, Jeffrey, and sons, Kyle and Dylan. COURTESY PHOTO
Serving with soul
Dahlia Cafe voted Best Overall Restaurant
BY BRAD MARTIN STAFF WRITER
As Liberty Hill continues to grow, so does our choice in eateries. From fast food establishments to some familiar favorites moving in from Austin and beyond, we’ve got some new neighbors in town that stand ready to serve.
But there’s one place that stands ready to fill so much more than our grumbling bellies. A place as welcoming as a warm blanket or a cool breeze – a place called Dahlia Cafe. It earned Best Overall Restaurant in The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill contest.
For those of you familiar with the area, Dahlia Cafe is no secret and it’s a safe bet you frequent the establishment. However, for those of you who may find yourself just settling into the area, you need to pay this place a visit – like, right now. At first glance from a passerby, it’s quite an unassuming place, but once you step onto the grounds, it becomes crystal clear that you’re in a place like no other. It’s almost as if you’re walking up to a family reunion held on sacred ground and dinner is almost ready.
Elideth Juarez added. “It’s more difficult to maintain a goal than to reach it, but I feel that we’ve done a good job.”
She then spoke of the support of the employees.
“We appreciate every single person,” said Elideth. “They’ve been supportive, which has helped a lot.”
For those of us who have been frequenting Dahlia Cafe long enough, we all remember how painful it was to watch the breakfast offerings go away during Covid. One of the first orders of business the Juarez family took on was to reintroduce a weekend brunch offering and some familiar tastes and smells soon returned to the kitchen and dining areas alike. When asked how the new brunch menu has been received, both gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“People love it,” Taylor said. I mean, who’s going to complain about brunch?”
Although Dahlia Cafe has been around for many, many years, it recently witnessed a changing of the guard as Pete Juarez took ownership of the cafe in November 2022.
Along with his son, Taylor Juarez, and daughter-in-law, Elideth Juarez, he embarked on a mission to provide a seamless transition with minimal changes. The trio has done just that.
I was able to sit down with Taylor and Elideth on an absolutely perfect afternoon underneath their majestic oak trees to catch up on where they are, their journey to get there and the road ahead.
I was curious to find out how they were continuing to settle into ownership and management and how the community has responded to the new faces at the helm. Taylor was happy to oblige.
“Everybody was overwhelmingly welcoming,” he said. “We didn’t really have any naysayers – we had a few that were skeptical, for obvious reasons, but everyone was welcoming. Settling in was a task – it was hard work, but I feel comfortable with where we’re at and I feel comfortable with the community.
“The beginning was a lot of hard work,”
There are the obvious reasons one would think makes Dahlia Cafe so popular, but I was curious to learn their perspective on just what makes this place so special and their answers touched on something that the untrained eye may easily overlook – the value of teamwork.
“We would not be Dahlia without them,” said Elideth, speaking of the employees.
Taylor doubled down on that sentiment.
“We wouldn’t have made it to where we are and maintained the level of excellence and the level of quality if it wasn’t for our team,” he said. “Sure, we’re the ones at the helm, the ones spearheading everything, but they’re behind us supporting us and we’re here to support them. It’s a team effort.”
I then mentioned the proverbial elephant in the room – the aforementioned growth of Liberty Hill. It has become impossible to ignore and I often ponder how the longtime mainstays of the area plan to adapt to such an ever-changing community landscape. Taylor chimed in first.
“I’ll be here as long as the community will have us,” he said. “We’re never going to change the classics that we inherited – why would we? It’s one of the things that makes this place great. But we want to show the community our creative mind. We want to show everyone what we’re all about – this is just the beginning.”
“We’re trying to innovate,” added Elideth. “We see the city is growing and we see new
places popping up. At the end of the day, we know there is competition. We’re trying to be original and not always be ‘in the square.’ We have many plans ahead, but we’re taking it step by step so that, with every step we take, we know that it’s right.”
While speaking of growth and adaptation, the couple was excited to announce five tasty new appetizers that have been added to the menu along with their recently acquired mixed drink license, which allows them to now offer frozen and flavored margaritas, piña coladas and mojitos. They’ve also introduced happy hour, complete with appetizer and drink discounts from 2-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
As we all set our sights on what seems to be a prosperous future for this small town with a big heart, my excitement grows at the
thought of both new and regular faces alike meeting for dinner under the big and bright Texas stars, the live music swimming through the air, and the kids running amok on the playground, all with Dahlia Cafe’s staff ready to serve as they fill your stomach, heart and soul.
Dahlia Cafe, owned by Pete Juarez and run by Taylor and Elideth Juarez (pictured), was voted Best Overall Restaurant in The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill contest. PHOTO BY BRAD MARTIN
One of Dahlia Cafe’s newest appetizers is the loaded nachos, which includes fried tortilla chips tossed in cajun seasoning topped with ground beef, queso, cheddar jack cheese blend, pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos and guacamole. COURTESY PHOTO
Making a difference
Winner of Best Teacher award takes educational
BY BRAD MARTIN STAFF WRITER
This town has played a tremendous role in who I am as a person, and it all started with a sleepy little 2A school district that had the heart of a 6A behemoth.
I recently read a short transcript from Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. It pertained to how fleeting our memories of famous actors and athletes alike can be, but then tasked one with recalling certain people that have had an impact on their life, starting with a few of the teachers who aided them through school.
I don’t know about you but, thankfully, I can recall many.
I was lucky enough to sit down with this year’s Best of Liberty Hill winner of the Best Teacher award, Cindy Gatlin, and I now have yet another teacher to add to that list.
experiences to heart
came increasingly apparent Gatlin takes her role as a teacher very seriously.
She is the definition of a teacher’s teacher and has an infectious passion that filled her classroom that afternoon.
“It’s a hard job, but it’s the best job ever,” said Gatlin. “When you love the kids, they know.”
As the case can often be, the student can unknowingly become the teacher, and Gatlin shared with me the wisdom and inspiration that her kids continue to offer each and every year.
She may not have taught me personally, but she left a lasting impression and left no doubt as to why she is this year’s winner.
Gatlin is the resource and inclusion teacher at Liberty Hill Elementary School.
“In resource, I work with kids of all ages who need help in reading or math,” said Gatlin. “I love helping them and feeling like I am giving them some tools to be successful.”
Gatlin has the unique opportunity of working with the various age groups throughout the elementary school, which offers a diverse array of both the types of interactions among said age groups and the effect those interactions have in regard to the age of the child she is teaching.
Although she may be new to the resource and inclusion role, this being her first year in the position, she is no stranger to Liberty Hill Independent School District.
“This is my twenty-ninth year of teaching and they’ve all been at Liberty Hill Elementary,” she said.
A bit further into the conversation about her teaching journey thus far, it be-
“With my background (having a certification in special education), I often have kids in my room that might have more needs than other kiddos, and I love to see the kids take care of each other or come alongside other kids that need help,” she said. “They don’t see the differences as much, they just know that they might need help and that’s a blessing to see – that’s something they have taught me.”
I brought something more than my notes and a recording device to this interview. It was my first grade yearbook from 1984. The school? It was the very building she teaches in today.
Her face lit up when I opened it up and showed her my picture. Unbeknownst to me, my first grade teacher, Mrs. Janet Treadmeyer, was Gatlin’s principal earlier in her career. It also turns out my second grade teacher, Mrs. Patsy Perry, was her mentor.
Gatlin’s face lit up as she thumbed through the pages and told the stories of her unique experiences with many of the teachers and faculty. It was such a memorable moment.
Just as this wonderful community has its way of doing, it connected Gatlin and I, even though we’d only just met moments before.
Teachers hold the key to the gates of tomorrow. Without them, we as a city, state or nation would be left to our own devices to figure it all out as we wander aimlessly through academics and life skills alike. Could we figure it out? Quite possibly, but it would only breed a new round of –you guessed it – teachers.
This world and, more importantly, this
“It’s a hard job, but it’s the best job ever. When you love the kids, they know.”
Cindy Gatlin Liberty Hill Elementary School teacher
nation, would not be what it is without those who make it their life mission to teach. I’m better because of them, the kids are better because of them – each and every one of us are better because someone selflessly invested their time in us.
So join us, as we applaud Cindy Gatlin for her continuous contribution to the youth of this community and let’s applaud all teachers as they show up for us day after day, ready to serve.
Cindy Gatlin of Liberty Hill Elementary School was voted Best Teacher in The Independent’s 2024 Best of Liberty Hill program. PHOTO BY BRAD MARTIN
Where the family of Liberty Hill hangs out
Forrest Coffee House earns Best Overall Business distinction
BY RACHEL MADISON OWNER/PUBLISHER
On any given day at Forrest Coffee House, you’ll see someone at a table working on their laptop, a family playing games outside under the oak trees, or a group of friends catching up over lattes on the couches. That’s why it’s no big surprise that Forrest Coffee was voted the Best Overall Business in The Independent’s annual Best of Liberty Hill program.
Nathan Curley, who owns Forrest Coffee alongside his wife, Rachel Curley, and Justin and Tina McGuire, said being voted the Best Overall Business by the Liberty Hill community they serve means a lot.
we have special things going on all the time –and we have ideas to do even more community engagement activities in the future.”
One of the events Forrest Coffee is becoming known for are its wine tastings, which have grown in popularity since the shop opened.
“We’re really thankful that people have received us so well,” he said. “We were all really hoping that we would become a hub for the community.”
Curley added in the short seven months the coffee shop has been open, it’s been able to do just that.
“The community has embraced us and I think it’s because we go out of our way to do things a coffee shop doesn’t normally do,” he said. “We serve beer and wine, we host events,
“It’s been really cool to see the wine enthusiast side of Liberty Hill,” Curley said. “We really like to show our experience on the wide side of things. We have a sommelier we partner with for our wine events, and we’re about to roll out some exclusive deals for wine that you won’t find from anyone else in Texas. We’re also going to start doing some wine pairing events.”
Another event Forrest Coffee just started in September is a monthly car show, held on the last Saturday of the month from 7 to 10 a.m., where car enthusiasts can bring their vehicles to show off to the community.
“We see great potential in the downtown region and we’re trying to put together some of the pieces that could be much in the future,” Curley said of the car show’s future. “We want to make downtown more attractive to people who don’t live here.”
Curley said Forrest Coffee is also starting a run club, aptly named the Run Forrest Run Club, which will give locals the chance to meet together for a group run on Saturday mornings.
“We’ll have one- or two-mile options up to five-mile options,” he said. “If you join us consistently, then we’ll give you a discount on coffee the mornings of our runs. We want to roll out more things attached to the club. We are really excited to create a hub for people who can gather together and do things alongside each other.”
Forrest Coffee serves a variety of coffee drinks, of which the most popular is their iced latte with the house syrup, made exclusively for the shop by local Best Bakery winner Michelle Doyon of Michelle’s Patisserie.
“On the food side, people love our pumpkin loaves, blueberry muffins and breakfast tacos,” Curley added. “We’ve noticed Liberty Hill is pretty diverse, so we try to cater to that. We have people who come in for drip coffee once a week and others who come in and want the
specialty seasonal drinks.”
Curley said the ultimate goal of Forrest Coffee has been to create a place that cultivates relationships, not transactions.
“We hear daily that somebody has just learned about us, and we see new faces every day, but we have also learned hundreds of names and it’s been really cool,” he said. “I’ve started countless new friendships with regulars.”
Over the last seven months, Curley said the staff at Forrest Coffee has learned a lot about what the community wants and how they can be efficient while still giving their customers a quality experience.
“We are always looking to refine our latte art and we don’t want long wait times,” he said. “We have a long list of activities we want to do here that we thought of even before we started construction on the shop. We have a lot of space to work with here, and we want to
keep adding to that and growing our events.”
Overall, Curley said Forrest Coffee House wants to be a place where people can truly feel at home.
“We want to be the place where the family of Liberty Hill hangs out,” Curley said.
Front row, from left, are Forrest Coffee House owners Justin McGuire, Nathan Curley and Rachel Curley (holding daughter, Evan), and The Finely Finished Home owner Lisa Harper. Harper designed the interior of Forrest Coffee House, giving it a cozy, homey vibe. Second row, from left, are members of the Forrest Coffee House staff, including Dixie Forkl, Hannah Reger, Kyndal Carpenter and Amelia Vogt.
Iced lattes at Forrest Coffee House are a popular drink among customers, who enjoy them in the shop’s outdoor space under the oak trees.
PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
The blueberry muffins at Forrest Coffee House are a customer favorite. PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
FORREST COFFEE HOUSE
Best Overall Bu1ine11 Best Coffee (Runner-up)
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
OVERALL RESTAURANT
Dahlia Cafe
Runner-up
Jardin Corona
BAKERY
Michelle’s Patisserie
Runner-up
Cadillac Cookie Company
BAR
Liberty Hill Beer Market Runner-up
Hell or High Water Brewing
BEER
Whitestone Brewery Runner-up
Liberty Hill Beer Market
BURGER
Major’s Burger Company
Runner-up
Liberty Tavern
COFFEE
Mojo Coffee Runner-up
Forrest Coffee House
FOOD TRUCK
Taqueria Birria Carnitas in a Million Runner-up
The Food Dood
MARGARITA
Jardin Corona Runner-up
Thirsty Penguin
TACO
Texas Taco Kitchen Runner-up
Boomer’s Taqueria
PIZZA
Fratelli Pizza Runner-up
Liberty Hill Beer Market
LIQUOR STORE
Uptown Liquor Runner-up
Freedom Libations
GOODS AND SERVICES
ACCOUNTING
Stephanie’s Accounting Runner-up
The Well Account
BANK
Prosperity Bank Runner-up
Classic Bank
MORTGAGE LENDER
Guild Mortgage Company
Runner-up
Frontier Bank of Texas
TITLE COMPANY
Independence Title
Runner-up
Capital Title of Texas
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
Keller Williams Realty
Liberty Hill Group
Runner-up
Jessica Murdock, Magnolia Realty
ATTORNEY/LAW FIRM
Law Office of Jamie Etzkorn
Runner-up
The Law Offices of Kristen Black
INSURANCE AGENT/FIRM
Christa McCoy, Farmers Insurance Runner-up
Shultze Agency, Farmers Insurance
TRAVEL AGENCY
Tara Rhoades, Travel with Tara Runner-up
Joree Shields, World Showcase Vacations
LANDSCAPE COMPANY
XXL Land Services & Hauling Runner-up
Primos Landscaping
HOME BUILDER
Corker Custom Homes Runner-up
J. Murdock Homes
HOUSEKEEPING
Bizzy Bees Cleaning Co. Runner-up
Maids & Moore Cleaning
Fratelli Pizza
The Dog Ranch at Liberty Hill
Jardin Corona
OUTDOOR BUILDER
Paradise Pools & Spas
Runner-up
Hill Country Outdoor Builders
OUTDOOR HOME IMPROVEMENT
Fenced-N-Fencing
Runner-up
All-Terrain Roofing & Construction
INDOOR HOME IMPROVEMENT
Liberty Air
Runner-up
Vaquero Plumbing
VETERINARY PRACTICE
Comanche Trail Veterinary Center
Runner-up
Liberty Hill Animal Hospital
DOG BOARDING
The Dog Ranch at Liberty Hill
Runner-up
Liberty Hill Animal Hospital
DOG GROOMING
The Dog Ranch at Liberty Hill
Runner-up
Happy Dog Grooming
DOG TRAINER
The Dog Ranch at Liberty Hill
Runner-up
Ashley’s K-9 Training
BOUTIQUE
The Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique
Runner-up
Simply Home Boutique
GIFT SHOP
The Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique
Runner-up
Simply Home Boutique
FLORIST
Fletcher’s Florals
Runner-up
All Stems from Sophia
HOME DÉCOR
Simply Home Boutique
runner-up
The Blue Door Gift Store & Boutique
ARTISAN VENDOR
Felted Crown Hat Co.
Runner-up
Bows by Lizz
MED SPA
Royal Bliss Day Spa
Runner-up
Signature Aesthetics & IV Lounge
DAY SPA
Royal Bliss Day Spa
Runner-up
Radiant Salon & Spa
BARBER
The Hair Stop
Runner-up
Bearded Barber
HAIR SALON
Radiant Salon & Spa
Runner-up
Power Room Blow Dry Bar & Salon
NAIL SALON
VIP Nails & Spa
Runner-up
Noir Nail Salon
MEDICAL PRACTICE
Liberty Hill Pediatrics
Runner-up
Care First Clinic
DENTAL PRACTICE
Liberty Hill Dental
Runner-up
West Family Dentistry
ORTHODONTICS PRACTICE
Liberty Hill Orthodontics
Runner-up
Ortho 360 Orthodontics
OPTOMETRY PRACTICE
Liberty Hill Eye Associates
Runner-up
Vista Family Eye Care
CHIROPRACTOR OFFICE
Cornerstone Chiropractic Center
Runner-up
Calhoun Chiropractic
MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDER
Liberty Hill Child & Family Counseling
Runner-up
Dove Salerno, Sound Mind
PHYSICAL THERAPY CLINIC
Liberty Hill Physical Therapy runner-up
Texas Physical Therapy Specialists
PRESCHOOL
Happy Trails Learning Center
Runner-up
Mrs. Amy’s Adventures Preschool
YOUTH SPORTS
Liberty Hill Youth League
Runner-up
Country Fire Volleyball
Kent Walker, Liberty Hill High School
FITNESS CENTER
Anytime Fitness
Runner-up
John’s Gym
MARTIAL ARTS
Urban Defense Academy (Shin Gan Dojo)
Runner-up
John’s Gym
STORAGE FACILITY
Panther Storage & Parking Runner-up
Storage King USA
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jessica Penny, Harper Rae Photography Runner-up
Jaclyn May, Jaclyn May Photos
EVENT VENUE
Reunion Ranch
Runner-up
Shooting Star Ranch
AUTO SHOP
Davis Tire & Automotive
Runner-up
Crosstech Automotive
CHURCH
The Grove Church Runner-up
RockPointe Church
NON-PROFIT
Operation Liberty Hill Runner-up
L4 Cares
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
Liberty Hill Public Library
Runner-up
Operation Liberty Hill
OVERALL BUSINESS
Forrest Coffee House
Runner-up
Power Room Blow Dry Bar & Salon
PEOPLE
PRINCIPAL
Monica Miller, Liberty Hill Middle School
Runner-up
Kendall Luedtke, Santa Rita Elementary School
TEACHER
Cindy Gatlin, Liberty Hill Elementary School
Runner-up
Makenna Diaz, Liberty Hill Elementary School
BOSS
Steve Snell. Liberty Hill Independent School District
Runner-up
Dr. Matthew Lane, Liberty Hill
Animal Hospital
COACH
Kent Walker, Liberty Hill High School
Runner-up
Nate Nelson, John’s Gym
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER
Nancy Wilk, The Market LHTX
Runner-up
Kendra Cofer, L4 Cares
Community Choice
e Community Choice award was given to just 12 businesses across the community who didn’t necessarily t into one of the Best Of categories, but still received an overwhelming number of write-in nominations from the Liberty Hill community.
• Kumon Learning Center
• Vaquero Plumbing
• Water Baby Infant Aquatics
• Quick Start Small Engine Repair
• Sweet Honey Glow Spray Tans
• King’s Window Cleaning
• Faithful & True Bridal House
• Liberty Hill Pharmacy
• Edward Jones Investments –Seth Herbeck
• Liberty Hill School of Music
• Gold Medal Gymnastics
Spirit of Liberty Hill
e Spirit of Liberty Hill award exhibits the highest level of support and love for the community of Liberty Hill by making a signi cant impact on individuals as well as the community as a whole.
Liberty Hill Public Library
New customers can mention this ad for a one-time $5 off a $25 purchase at first visit.
We are so blessed and thankful to be recognized by our loyal customers in the community. Your support since 2012 is the reason we are celebrating 12 years this month and look forward to many more.
Hope House breaks ground on new home facility
New duplexes to provide a lifelong home for severely disabled children
BY RACHEL N. MADISON STAFF WRITER
On Sept. 19, Hope House community members and partners gathered at 1705 CR 285 to celebrate the groundbreaking of Hope House’s latest housing facility. They were joined by members of Home Aid Austin, Pacesetter Homes, construction partners, community members and philanthropists Dick and Sara Rathgeber, whose generous donation made the project possible.
Hope House provides assistance in the form of 24-hour care and a home for life.
“Our mission is that we take care of folks with very special needs,” said Executive Director David Gould. “They have severe to profound intellectual disabilities and need full assistance.”
Hope House has been serving the local community for 55 years thanks to the efforts of Rose McGarrigle, who made it her mission to support local disabled children in the late 1960s. The need quickly outgrew her converted home garage space and, when 11-acres near Liberty Hill was donated in 1967, the first Hope House was born.
Hope House now has five facilities in the Liberty Hill area and serves 35 individuals. The new space, located directly adjacent to the first building, “Rose’s House,” will pro-
vide a long-term home for over a dozen kids with profound disabilities and the new unit will have 16 beds for children aged 5 to 17.
“The idea is to move those children currently at Rose’s House into these new facilities that have individual rooms and use [the old building] as a training facility for therapy sessions,” said Shasta Bruce, director of purchasing at Pacesetter Homes.
The new home community will also serve Hope House’s dedicated staff.
“The average tenure for a care worker in Texas is 12 months, ours right now is 12 years,” Gould said. “It really is a family environment and we make sure to take care of them. The program is providing a lifelong path for people to come out and be of service and also have their families taken care of.”
Gould welcomed attendees as they gathered around the new site.
“Right now, we have 10 residents who have been with us for over 40 years. I have a constant influx of children that are coming into our kids’ program,” he said. “After five to 10 years, they move to our adult program. In that program, they usually stay 20 to 60 years. We want to be able to take care of folks in this community for life and that is why we are expanding.”
“Our mission is to take the best care of these children and give them a wonderful life,” Gould added. “This will give them a much more home-like environment. The next 16 kids that are going to live here, not just now but over the next 50 to 70 years, wouldn’t have their story without [the peo-
ple here today].”
Gould expressed deep gratitude for all partners who donated goods, as well as the support of Home Aid and Pacesetter Homes. Throughout the speeches and acknowledgements, one individual stood out.
“Shasta [Bruce] has been the driving force,” said Gould. “She has gotten all the people together and is doing the front and back-end work. I cannot brag enough about all she’s done.”
“Home Aid is an organization that helps bring service providers together with builders to get projects like this done,” continued Lynne Williams, executive director of Home Aid Austin. “Our mission is to get 30 to 50 percent off construction costs so they can put that money back into their programs. Thanks to Shasta, we’re over 65 percent and we’re not done yet.”
“This was not on our agenda last December,” added Gould. “This existed in my head five to seven years down road, but Shasta wasn’t taking no for an answer. She gave it 120 percent. Without her, this did not happen.”
Bruce reflected on her dedication to the project and its greater purpose.
“Some of these children are the most physically and mentally disabled that there are. The lovely support Hope House gives to that community is one of a kind,” she said. “We really wanted to foster and nurture that love of these children, and what better way to do that than through Hope House?”
Legendary local philanthropists Dick and Sara Rathgeber were also present at the event. It was their generous donation that made the dream of the new homes possible. The site will be named the Rathgeber Com-
munity in their honor.
“We are honored to be able to name these homes in the Rathgeber’s honor,” said Erland Schulze, Hope House’s development director. “Dick and Sara have generously supported any balance to ensure these houses will be completed.”
Schulze said the groundbreaking represents a “milestone” in Hope House’s history.
“There are not enough Hope Houses,” he said. “There is a crisis in our community where these children with high level of disability have no place to live and don’t have the proper care. These two homes today are a wonderful blessing for these kids.”
The site is expected to start framing in November, with an estimated completion and move-in date in the first quarter of 2025. In addition to construction and logistics, Hope House has its sights set on community outreach and education over the coming months.
“We want to start sharing our vision with our community and get them involved in volunteering,” said Adam Stone, Hope House’s community engagement manager.
Hope House will hold a Hope for Kids benefit dinner on Oct. 26 and a volunteer day on Nov. 16.
“[The benefit dinner] is a night of coming together,” said Stone. “We’re going to sing songs and tell stories about our kids and talk about our vision to create a better life for disabled kids.”
All proceeds from the event will go directly toward supporting Hope House.
To learn more about Hope House’s history, mission and upcoming events, visit hopehouseaustin.org.
From left are Tom Lynch and Shasta Bruce of Pacesetter Homes, Gregg Evans, Erland Shulze and Dave Gould of Hope House, Dick and Sara Rathgeber, and Lynne Williams of HomeAid. COURTESY PHOTO
Rendering of the new Rathgeber Community site. The new home, with expected completion in early 2025, will house 16 children with severe disabilities and their dedicated team of caretakers. COURTESY GRAPHIC
From the City of Liberty Hill to the Liberty Hill Independent School District, read our roundup to learn more about the biggest news stories affecting our community
COMPILED BY LIBERTY HILL
INDEPENDENT STAFF
City provides update on water master
plan
Liberty Hill Water Masterplan engineers and managers presented updates on water analysis, proposed improvements, and core objectives at a special City Council meeting Sept. 11. Key highlights included analysis of existing water infrastructure, demand increase projections, and water conservation strategies.
Project Executive Zach Stein outlined the project’s objective to Council, which is “to develop a transparent and defensible infrastructure financial plan” that the city can then use as a guide for future water-related decisions. The plan includes recommended strategies based on conducted studies as well as a financial plan that will pay for implementing them.
The path toward this goal is a multi-phase approach which includes data collection and demand forecasts, proactive long range water supply planning, and incorporating innovative strategies to meet future needs. HDR consultants began this process last fall and have completed the first four phases, which include analysis of existing infrastructure,
evaluation of future demands, and identification of improvement strategies.
The City of Liberty Hill currently has three surface water contracts, along with existing ground and well water. However, groundwater resources are not reliable long-term and are, based on a 12 percent per year population increase, expected to be depleted within the next 25 years.
Matt Schorsch, HDR associate and water supply section lead, highlighted water demand forecasts to council. It is estimated that demand is expected to increase fivefold by 2050, marking the need for new infrastructure to meet this growing need.
Schorsch explained that new infrastructure will help provide water specifically for peak days where extra water is currently pulled from a diminishing groundwater supply. Presenters also suggested distribution and transmission buildouts, increased pump capacity, and pressure reducing valves as methods to further conserve water resources.
Additionally, water conservation strategies and public awareness will be key to preserving and maintaining a sustainable water resource system going forward, Consultant Susan Roth told Council. Some strategies include replacing all remaining water meters
with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology, strict watering restriction enforcement, and continuous water conservation outreach for the community.
The team is currently still collecting and analyzing data from the water impact fee and rate study. This will be the final step in the Masterplan development process, and HDR representatives plan to present the final overview to council in late October.
School board names new director of technology
Liberty Hill Independent School District’s Board of Trustees named Gregg Burcham as the new executive director of technology at their Sept. 9 special-called board meeting.
Burcham earned his bachelor degree from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, and brings 24 years of professional IT experience to his new district role. Burcham has worked across sectors in both educational and non-educational environments but is especially passionate about public education and serving students. He joins Liberty Hill from his latest position as director for networking and technology services with Little Elm Independent School District.
Originally from Kansas, Burcham and his family now call Central Texas home. His wife also works in public education. He is eager to bring his diverse background in education technology and IT management to the Liberty Hill community.
Burcham believes that public education
is a pillar of society and plans to implement innovative solutions within Liberty Hill that will benefit generations to come.
“I am honored to join Liberty Hill ISD and partner with the incredible technology team to enhance educational experiences for students and empower educators,” Burcham said. “Together, we will design innovative and scalable solutions to foster creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills necessary for our students in this digital age.”
Burcham officially began his new role on Oct. 1.
District payroll expenditure summary highlighting LHISD’s lower average teacher and administrative base salaries. COURTESY GRAPHIC
Liberty Hill’s projected annual water demands. GRAPHIC BY HDR CONSULTANTS
Gregg Burcham is the new executive director of technology for LHISD. COURTESY PHOTO
LHISD reviews efficiency audit, prepares for VATRE
Chief Financial Officer Rosanna Guerrero introduced the LHISD efficiency audit results to board members at their Sept. 16 meeting. The audit was necessitated by House Bill 3 prior to the district’s special-called November voter approved tax rate election (VATRE) to raise the maintenance and operations (M&O) tax rate, which covers the district’s day-to-day operational costs.
MoakCasey conducted the audit and their executive director of finance, Dr. Amber Lasseigne, presented the results to the board. The audit revealed several financial shortcomings currently burdening the district’s resources and compared them to peer districts.
Overall, Liberty Hill receives less revenue per student than peer districts, largely due to Liberty Hill’s smaller population size. Liberty Hill’s per-capita student revenue is also significantly lower than the state average. This resulted in a $2 million deficit the past school year.
This revenue shortfall directly affects staff compensation, resulting in Liberty Hill’s lower teach-er and administrative base salaries when compared to state averages and peer districts. Lasseigne emphasized that these lower rates makes it more difficult to compete for top educators and is also likely a factor in Liberty Hill’s higher teacher turnover rate.
On the other hand, the audit revealed lower overall operating expenditures per student when compared to peer districts and the state average. Lasseigne explained that most of these expenditures “go toward instruction, maintenance and operations, school counselors, mental health services, and specialized staff such as special education diagnosticians and speech-language pathologists,” revealing both LHISD’s financial efficiency and its strong focus on students’ mental health and wellness.
Despite the district’s best efforts to stretch revenue, MoakCasey confirmed that the district’s current funding is unsustainable.
“Rising costs due to growth and inflation have outpaced revenue, eroding the district’s financial savings,” Lasseigne said. “As property values rise, the state contributes a smaller share of funding, placing a proportionally larger burden on local taxpayers and the district.”
Superintendent Steve Snell told The Independent he’s “very impressed with the results of the audit. It reinforces that Liberty Hill ISD is being very financially responsible even with the fact that we are
shorthanded on revenue side by the state.”
“When you look at our operating revenue, we are getting less revenue than our peer districts and therefore we’re spending less on average teacher base salary and average administrator base sala-ry,” he added. “It shows that with more revenue we would be able to catch up with the sur-rounding districts.”
Liberty Hill has proposed a 2024-25 M&O tax rate increase of $0.06, which will bring the rate from $0.6669 to $0.7269. This increase, equating to $21 per month per taxpayer, is expected to generate an addition $6.2 million in yearly tax revenue. Lasseigne explained that most surrounding districts have already increased their tax rates, resulting in greater funding per student and salaries for educators.
“Even with this new tax rate, the Liberty Hill tax rate will still be a penny lower than peer districts,” Lasseigne said.
The VATRE to raise this rate will “level the playing field” to make Liberty Hill’s funding more competitive when compared to neighboring districts.
“Whether you have kids in public school or not, it’s a privilege that the local government can step in and choose to help students in our district when we don’t have enough money coming in from the state right now,” School Board President Megan Parsons said following the presentation. For more information on the school funding election, visit lhvotes.com.
CCMR program participation soars
Chief of Schools Travis Motal and Deah Twine, college, career and military readiness (CCMR) director, presented CCMR updates to the Board of Trustees at their Sept. 16 meeting.
Twine highlighted the achievements of the past academic school year noted by increases to student exam scores, dual credit hours, and industry-based certifications.
Liberty Hill showed a notable increase in AP exam scores from 2023 to 2024, increasing from an average score of 2.8 to 3. The percentage of students receiving a score of 3 or above also increased, from 60 percent to 63 percent.
Dual credit enrollment also increased, from 616 students in the 2022-23 school year to 699 students in 2023-24. Total enrollment increased from 698 to 840.
“The percentage of students earning [dual credit] went up as well, along with enrollment,” Motal told board members.
The number of industry-based certifications has also steadily increased over
the past several years, jumping from 150 in 2020-21 to 775 certifications earned in 2023-24.
“We have been working really hard over the last several years [to increase the number of industry-based certifications],” said Twine. “Moving forward we’re also going to focus on students completing those programs of study and taking those upper-level courses and increasing participation in those upper-level courses.”
Liberty Hill Independent wins 2024 Business of the Year award
During the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce’s annual gala held in September, the Liberty Hill Independent received the 2024 Business of the Year award.
Other awards given during the gala included Operation Liberty Hill for Nonprofit of the Year, Melissa Romero for Ambassador of the Year, and Steve Schiff for Community Champion of the Year.
“This award is a huge honor and testament to our team at The Independent,” said Rachel Madison, owner and publisher of the newspaper. “We love sharing the stories of our community and appreciate the support shown by the chamber and our fellow business organizations.”
From left, Independent staff members Odalis Suarez, Rachel N. Madison, Rachel Madison and Brad Martin at the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce gala. The Independent won 2024 Business of the Year.
COURTESY PHOTO
The Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award. PHOTO BY RACHEL MADISON
Waiting in the wings
Senior running back paid dues, reaping rewards
BY SCOTT AKANEWICH OWNER/PUBLISHER
Following Kyle May’s freshman season of football, he wasn’t entirely sold on his gridiron existence. In fact, his heart may still have been on the baseball fields he grew up on before deciding to try running with an oblong object under his arm as opposed to chasing spheroids in the outfield.
“Honestly, I didn’t know if football was really something I wanted to continue doing – I didn’t really connect with the sport,” said May. “I still had more love for baseball.”
However, May ended up continuing with both athletic ventures and played baseball up until the end of his junior season last year be-
fore walking away from the diamond for good as a senior this year.
According to May, something inside him clicked over the summer between his freshman and sophomore campaigns.
“During PAC (Panther Athletic Conditioning), I started working out really hard and took physical training seriously,” said May, of Liberty Hill’s famed offseason program. “Something was different all of a sudden.”
Before not too long, May’s determination in the weight room began to yield results on the field as he began to move up the Liberty Hill football ladder, he said.
“I went from being on the freshman ‘B’ team to being the starting halfback on the JV ‘A’ team the next year,” said May. “For me, it was
“Honestly, I didn’t know if football was really something I wanted to continue doing – I didn’t really connect with the sport. I still had more love for baseball.”
Liberty Hill senior Kyle May
an entirely different thing once I really got into it.”
After seeing significant playing time on the varsity squad last year as a junior, May has now secured a spot in the starting lineup as a senior – the residue of the effort he’s persevered with, said Panthers head coach Kent Walker.
“Kyle has consistently worked for the past three years to get where he is now,” he said. “So many kids not getting to play much would’ve just walked away. But, he was persistent.”
May’s rise up the depth charts hasn’t been without its fair share of foul weather, though, as injury derailed his season last year in only the second week of the campaign.
“In the Hutto game, I got tackled and rolled over on my side with the guy’s entire weight on me,” said May. “There was a lot of pain and when I went to get up, my arm didn’t want to work and there was a burning sensation.”
After being diagnosed with a broken and dislocated collarbone, May said he feared the ailment would end his entire season before it practically even began.
“At first, I didn’t think I’d be back,” he said. “But, I made it back for the last game of the regular season and scored a touchdown, then got some reps in the playoffs.”
With the mass exodus of the Panthers’ backfield from last
season due to graduation, May has taken his long-awaited starting opportunity and run with it – no pun intended – although Walker said the process played out like so many others who have risen up the Purple-and-Gold ranks over the years.
“I wouldn’t say Kyle was waiting,” he said. “But, where he is now is a testament to his work ethic – he’s never been a ‘why-not-me’ kid, but a team player – he believed in our program and our coaches.”
Last season, May saw action in six games, rushing for 54 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown – numbers he had already surpassed after this season’s opening two games, including 83 yards and a touchdown in the Panthers’ season-opening loss to Steele.
However, against rival Rouse the following week, May ran roughshod over the Raiders with 23 carries for 142 yards and four touchdowns to once and for all cement his place in the Panthers’ offense during a 57-38 victory.
In the aftermath, May took a moment to reflect on the journey that had gotten him to this point, he said.
“Yeah, I thought about it a little,” said May. “Especially when I was with my family because they’re the ones who have always been there and sacrificed for me.”
Certainly not bad for a kid who had only played a single year of football as a youth in his native California before taking up the game for good after arriving in Texas and Liberty Hill, in particular.
“I played one year when I was eight years old,” said May. “My family and I moved here in 2018 and in middle school, I heard great things about the program.”
Liberty Hill’s Kyle May (9) started playing football as a freshman and has worked his way up to starting in the Panthers’ backfield this season as a senior. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Panthers halfback Kyle May (9) scored four touchdowns in Liberty Hill’s 57-38 home win against Rouse earlier this season. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Liberty Hill competed at the Georgetown/East View Invitational on Sept. 28 and came home with three individual medals. In the girls’ varsity race, Laura Jonas finished seventh in a time of 19:15.6, while teammate Ella Egizio was eighth with 19:17.3. In the boys’ varsity race, Nick Hogge crossed the finish line in 10th place with a time of 15:59.3. PHOTOS BY BRIEN AHO
Slinging and running the ball
Wranglers signal-caller poses dual threat from backfield
BY SCOTT AKANEWICH OWNER/PUBLISHER
When Will Cunningham drops back into the pocket to pass, the Legacy Ranch quarterback has an internal clock in his own head he must listen to in order to do one of two things – either find an open receiver downfield or if all else fails, set out to gain yardage himself with the ball under his arm.
“Usually what happens is I go through my first and second reads, then my third,” said Cunningham. “If there’s still nothing there, then I’ll run.”
Cunningham certainly has the ability to successfully execute either option – a testament to his overall athleticism, said Wranglers head coach Tim Knicky.
“The biggest compliment I can give Will is he’s a football player,” he said. “He can play any position on the field, is tough, physical and always plays with effort.”
Indeed, Cunningham also sees time at linebacker for the Columbia-and-Navy, as well as safety and special teams and Knicky said if push came to shove, he could hold his own with the big boys in the trenches.
“I’m pretty sure we could put Will on the offensive line and he would do well,” said Knicky. “It’s just the kind of player he is.”
But, Cunningham’s cunning isn’t limited to the gridiron, as the freshman also plays basketball as primarily a shooting guard and runs the hurdles in track, which only contributes to his all-around athletic ability.
In a day and age when many highschool athletes feel pressured to specialize in only a single sport, Cunningham plans on continuing on as a multi-sport star – at least for now, he said.
“I’ve put a lot into both sports,” said Cunningham. “So, we’ll see at some point where God leads me.”
As far as faith goes, Cunningham said that’s a facet of his personality that’s always been a big part of his life.
“As a Christian, it’s important to me to stay humble, so I like to read and study the Bible,” said Cunningham, who listed the book of James as his favorite, along with Philippians 4:13 as his go-to verse for inspiration. “My dad is a pastor and has always been a mentor for me in that regard.”
Cunningham and his family moved to Liberty Hill from Leander when he was in sixth grade and had anticipated playing for the Panthers at what was at the time the only high school in town and said he wasn’t so sure about making the switch from purple to blue.
“I was excited about it,” he said. “But, I was also nervous because I didn’t know if all my friends were going here.”
However, as someone who likes to sling
“From the beginning, Will had a willingness to learn our offense, which speaks to his coachability,” he said. “At this point, he’s now able to coach his teammates and project his understanding of the system on others and has done some things for us that are pretty impressive.”
Despite his leadership and teamwork, though, Cunningham does have a distinct individuality about himself, not the least
“I think if I had gone to Liberty Hill, I would’ve been a running back. But, I’ve always liked playing quarterback because I’ve always been able to throw the ball far from when I was younger.”
Legacy Ranch quarterback
Will Cunningham
the ball downfield, Cunningham is confident he landed in the right place, after all.
“I think if I had gone to Liberty Hill, I would’ve been a running back,” he said. “But, I’ve always liked playing quarterback because I’ve always been able to throw the ball far from when I was younger.”
From that standpoint, Cunningham fits right in with the Wranglers high-octane passing offense, said Knicky.
of which is a bleach-blonde buzz cut courtesy of a sibling.
“A lot of people were getting buzz cuts, but I wanted to be different,” said Cunningham. “My older sister Bailey actually dyed it for me.”
But, that wasn’t all.
“(Wranglers center) Jett Ware did the same thing,” he said. “I didn’t want to follow the crowd – I’ve always been that way.”
Wranglers quarterback Will Cunningham (10) fires a pass downfield during Legacy Ranch’s inaugural game against Lake Travis earlier this season. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Legacy Ranch’s Will Cunningham (10) is a dual-threat signal-caller that can make plays through the air or on the ground. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Same floor, different sport
Lady Panthers volleyballer switched from hoops, hasn’t looked back
BY SCOTT AKANEWICH OWNER/PUBLISHER
When Taylor Gaines envisioned herself competing athletically at the college level, she always saw herself sinking shots and pulling rebounds down on a basketball court. However, somewhere along the road to the hardwood, Gaines discovered a new calling – one that would see her continue to ply her skills on the same shiny surface, only with an altogether different kind of net and ball.
“Basketball was always my main sport growing up,” said Gaines. “But, a neighbor of mine suggested I try club volleyball one summer.”
Saying the rest is history is easy – but in this case, absolutely accurate – as Gaines walked away from hoops following her freshman season and has gone on to excel at volleyball to the point where she will indeed play collegiately – only in her adopted sport – at the University of Texas-San Antonio for the NCAA Division I Roadrunners.
So, what proved to be the catalyst behind her cataclysmic change in course?
“Once I started playing volleyball, I absolutely fell in love with the game,” said
Gaines, a 6-foot outside hitter for the Lady Panthers. “In basketball, one player can carry a team, but with volleyball, we all need to depend on each other so much.”
Gaines made the jump to Liberty Hill’s varsity squad as a sophomore and hasn’t looked back, recently surpassing the 1,000-kill mark for her Purple-and-Gold career despite only becoming a full-time starter last season.
After recording 271 kills her sophomore season, she hammered home a team-leading 458 during her junior campaign and once again led the Lady Panthers in that category with 278 though the first 30 matches this year, including an 18-kill performance in Liberty Hill’s victory over Salado that enabled her to eclipse the millennium mark.
According to Gaines, her previous court experience helps her current endeavors.
“A lot of the movements are similar to basketball, as far as quickness, footwork and agility,” said Gaines. “Basketball is just a more physical sport, where volleyball isn’t.”
Despite the fact she didn’t even take up volleyball until eighth grade, Lady Panthers head coach Marie Bruce said she knew Gaines was ready for the varsity
level as a sophomore due to the natural ability and poise she showed on the court – even as a young player still relatively new to the game.
“Taylor’s just so athletic and coachable and we knew she was only going to get better,” said Bruce. “She’s also a very smart hitter we know we can rely on set after set.”
Concerning court intelligence, Gaines said one of the aspects of her game that makes her so dangerous is knowing when to lower the boom on opponents, as opposed to killing them softly.
“If I’m at the net, I can hit harder, but if I’m off the net, I just need to be able to place the ball when the other team’s out of system,” she said. “Which is when it helps to have a good vertical because that allows me to get better contact on the ball and do what I need to with it.”
As far as service from setters goes, Gaines isn’t too particular as far as placement is concerned.
“Really, I’m a very low-maintenance hitter,” said Gaines. “I just tell the setters to get the ball anywhere close and I’m good.”
Bruce said after losing senior outsie hitters Gigi Mason and Kealy Dirner to graduation after last season, Gaines has more-than-capably filled the void left by the dominant duo – and then some.
“Taylor was always next in line for us and she’s stepped up,” she said. “She’s really blossomed, handled the pressure to be successful and is a great leader and teammate.”
Gaines said leading is not something that’s new to her.
“I think I’ve always been a leader on every team I’ve ever been on,” she said. “But, I’ve really taken on that role even more this year especially because half our team is young and I need to lead by example.” If there are critical areas to be proficient in to be a good hitter, Gaines said there is one on either side of the tangible/ intangible line.
“Physically, you just need to be consistent,” she said. “Mentally, you need to have a short memory when you have a bad hit by just letting it go and making sure the next ball is in.”
Once she matriculates south for college, Gaines plans to study business marketing with aspirations of someday owning her own salon.
“I want to have a job I really enjoy, so it’s never like ‘oh, I have to go to work now,’” said Gaines. “I’ve also always really liked dong hair and been attracted to it.”
Gaines will play a large role for the Lady Panthers this season as they attempt to return to the Class 5A state tournament for the third consecutive season and although she left one court behind for another, there is still similar satisfaction gleaned from a moment in her current sport much like another in her previous, she said.
“I really like getting a stuff block when you hit it right back in their face – even better than a kill,” said Gaines. “Just like blocking a shot in basketball.”
Liberty Hill’s Taylor Gaines (5) led the Lady Panthers with 458 kills last season and is again the leader this year as a senior. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Lady Panthers senior outside hitter Taylor Gaines (5) – originally a basketball player who didn’t start playing volleyball until eighth grade – has excelled during her Liberty Hill career and will play in college at the University of Texas-San Antonio. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
When we contacted local companies for quotes to repair our roof, one of our calls was to Freetail Roofing. Owner Michael Kalish stopped by with an incredible offer: FREETAIL ROOFING WOULD REPAIR THE LIBRARY’S LEAKING AND DAMAGED ROOF FOR FREE!
The library is so blessed to have patrons and community members, such as Mr. Kalish and his family, who give back to their library and community in such incredibly generous ways.
Freetail Roofing did an amazing job, we cannot recommend them highly enough! Everything in the library is now safe and dry thanks to the outstanding community spirit of Freetail Roofing!
www.freetailroofing.com (737) 234-5703
freetail@freetailroofing.com
We are thrilled & honored to announce that we have won both the inaugural Spirit of Liberty Hill Award & the Best Community Organization Award! Thank you to everyone who nominated & voted for us! We are so honored to receive these awards from our community, it means the world to us! We would also like to thank the LH Independent!
Controlling the controllables
Wranglers volleyball taking it one step at a time
BY SCOTT AKANEWICH OWNER/PUBLISHER
At the conclusion of each of Legacy Ranch’s volleyball matches, Lady Wranglers head coach Taylor Bryant has a look at the scoreboard, but win or lose, she immediately dismisses the numbers she sees in evaluating her team’s play.
“Our win-loss record really doesn’t concern me,” said Bryant. “At this point for our program, it’s not a representation of what our players have done.”
During Legacy Ranch’s maiden voyage on the athletic seas, the Wranglers are featuring all-freshman squads, as the school is a ninth-grade campus in the inaugural year of its existence, which lends itself more to development rather than results. After all, at full high schools, freshman teams – and junior varsity, for that matter – are strictly employed to ready players for the varsity level of competition, with victories and defeats largely irrelevant in the big picture of the overall program’s fortunes.
In fact, leading high-school rookies who are also making the academic and social adjustment from middle school adds an entirely different dimension to the challenges Bryant has faced this season, she said. “At the freshman level, it’s more about
coaching life rather than just volleyball as far as day-to-day is concerned,” said Bryant. “They don’t necessarily have the capabilities yet to do some of the things upperclassman can.”
According to Bryant, one of the biggest obstacles she’s faced thus far is the constant need for redundancy.
“I’ve had to repeat things a lot more than I thought I was going to have to,” said Bryant. “But, then I have to remind myself they’re only 14.”
Middle blocker Izzy Wood is one of those players making the transition to high-school life and realizes she and her teammates must continue to do their best to grasp everything being thrown at them without being overwhelmed.
“Overall, I think the season’s gone really well,” said Wood. “We’ve already seen a lot of improvement on the court, but it’s also about character and growing as a person, so we can learn even more and do well for each other.”
Wood said the most tangible example of this was the Lady Wranglers’ first-ever home win over Leander earlier this season when they fought back from a large deficit to ultimately claim victory.
“It really felt good to see all our hard work pay off and all the people there to support
us,” she said. “We realized we’re all here serving a greater purpose playing the game we all love.”
An all-freshman environment presents a unique dynamic in that the leadership roles usually taken on by older, more experienced players are a void that must be filled organically – not due to class status, but by certain individuals that step up and take ownership of the opportunities – something Wood said has already begun coming to fruition.
“We’re not snapping at each other anymore, like in the beginning,” she said. “We’re growing our program and treating the team as our new family because we’re spending so much time together. Also, we’re learning to take accountability as far as getting better as players and people because now we have a different perspective.”
From the very beginning, Bryant has stressed above all else the need to trust the process and most of all to be a good teammate.
“I’ll take a less
talented kid than an all-star who isn’t a team player,” said Bryant. “You have to treat others with respect and understand everyone has a job to do and we can’t accomplish our goals as a team without each other.”
Bryant has also imparted the need for her players to only concern themselves with things they have a say in.
“I always tell them ‘Control the controllables,’” she said. “As far as how I conduct myself, take care of my body and all the other things they need to do to get better.”
Despite the fact Bryant herself was once a freshman volleyball player at Odessa High School, she said her experience was vastly different than what her current players are going through.
“As a coach, this is a whole new thing for me,” she said. “I was part of the 100th graduating class at Odessa, so we had seniors to keep us in line as freshmen.”
Moving forward, Legacy Ranch will add one more class per year until 2027 when all four classes will finally be represented, with a junior varsity team added next year along with a “flex” squad comprised of freshmen and sophomores, as new players from Santa Rita Middle School arrive to help build and expand the ranks of the program with varsity play beginning in 2026.
Bryant said although starting a program from scratch has been more challenging than she anticipated, at the same time, it’s also been highly rewarding.
“Definitely been a lot more high-stress than I expected,” she said. “But, I’m a Type A personality, so a lot of that stress is self-induced because I’m so competitive.”
Legacy Ranch’s Lily Rich (6), Adelyn Eaton (14) and Braylie Whitman (9) celebrate during the Lady Wranglers’ home win over Leander earlier this season. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Lady Wranglers head coach Taylor Bryant has faced many challenges this season in starting up the Lady Wranglers’ program from scratch. PHOTO BY ALEX RUBIO
Major country music star came close to playing Liberty Hill gig
BY JAMES WEAR COLUMNIST
Chances are if you’ve been listening to country music over the past 30 some odd years, the name Garth Brooks might sound familiar.
Garth, after all, is the leading solo artist the genre has produced, having sold more than 160 million records during his career.
Now what you might not know is Garth was a signature away from playing in Liberty Hill during the Chamber of Commerce’s first festival back in 1990.
I’d been appointed as festival chairman by Chamber President Jim Linzy and was in the process of lining up different events and attractions designed to not only entertain local folks, but also to bring visitors to our community.
I determined that a major country music star doing a show out at the VFW would be a bonus feature, and my first call was to a fellow out of Waco by the name of Ron Cotton.
I had worked with Ron before, back when I lived in Lampasas. He operated a booking agency known as C&M Productions, and had an inside line to booking major label recording artists.
Ron had served as the middle man when I booked Sylvia and Earl Thomas Conley, both of whom went on to enjoy successful careers. All of that took place back in 1981-82. Fast forward now to 1989, and note that I hadn’t listened to the radio much at all for two or three years.
“Ron, who’s a good act to book?“ I asked after filling him in on the basics of
our festival, which was going to include the standard arts and crafts booths, a parade and a barbecue cookoff, an event that was growing in increasing popularity across the state.
“Well, there’s a fellow named Travis Tritt who’s been doing well,” Ron started to say before I interrupted him.
“Never heard of him,” I responded, and that, looking back, was very much true.
I misunderstood Ron and had written down “Travis Tripp” in my notebook.
“There’s another fellow who’s getting started and he’s gonna be big,” said Ron. “His name is Garth Brooks.”
“How much?” I responded.
“$3,000,” Ron replied.
I declined as I couldn’t see paying out $3,000 to a guy I’d never heard of.
That conversation, which we had in November of 1989, would later reveal how a fellow can experience 20-20 hindsight.
By the time the festival rolled around less than six months later, Garth Brooks was beginning his long domination of the country music charts and $3,000 wouldn’t come close to landing him and his band for a gig.
Had I inked a contract with Brooks I could have easily resold the contract for 10 times that much.
But that’s life, and I was perfectly content with spending the evening of the Saturday night dance with Johnny Bush and the Bandeleros, who had performed in Liberty Hill one time before, back in 1975 when they were among others who joined Willie Nelson for his third Fourth of July picnic.
Of course, that evening presented its own challenges: Bush drew so many fans we ended up borrowing folding chairs from the volunteer fire department and
hauling in church pews from the pavilion in the Liberty Hill Cemetery while the VFW underestimated the crowd as well and ran out of beer by 10 p.m.
WORSHIP G UIDE
Country music legend Garth Brooks was nearly signed to play at the Liberty Hill Chamber of Commerce’s first festival in 1990. COURTESY PHOTO
Vicki Park
Dec. 27, 1960 – Sept. 4, 2024
Vicki Louise Park was born December 27, 1960 in Georgetown, Texas. Raised by her loving parents, Vicki spent her childhood as a true country girl spending carefree days running around barefoot on family ranches. As a young woman, she yearned for new adventures and when she met her husband, Chester Park, in 1985, she certainly found them. With Chester, she gained daughters, Annie and Bonnie, as well as a massive, loud, and loving extended Park family. In 1988, Chester and Vicki welcomed their daughter, Krystal Gayle, and their circle of love was complete.
Vicki two-stepped to her beloved George Strait songs, straight into riding jump-seat on any adventure with Chester. Together, they dominated the Texas barbecue cookoff circuit, as Chet’s BBQ. Over the years, this team helped to raise thousands of dollars for kids in livestock programs in their hometown, Liberty Hill. Along the way, she perfected her own award-winning recipes, including her famous chicken and dumplings. Vicki was always ready with a giggle and a smirk, the perfect co-pilot, always along for the ride.
Vicki loved the beach, life on their ranch, and above all, Vicki fervently embraced being a Mamaw to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her ultimate goal in life was to create a home where all kids, and sometimes their parents, were always welcome in a loving environment, filled with food, laughter, and some wild shenanigans we won’t care to mention here. Vicki didn’t define her family by blood – if you acted right, you were in. A true “Mamaw to all.”
Vicki was known for being quiet, until she wasn’t. She never rocked a boat, but she never let anyone or anything stop her from speaking up when she saw something that didn’t sit right with her. She was fiercely protective of those she loved, and never missed an opportunity to show up and be a source of support for those she cherished most.
For the 14 years Vicki battled her illnesses, she did it as she did all things: with a quiet dignity, never whining about the hand she was dealt. She remained the one who would call and check on you, the one who actively listened to how your day was going, the one who would always remember your birthday.
She is preceded in death by father, Gene Lentz, and mother, Faye Handy. She leaves to embrace her generous spirit, her husband, Chester Park; daughters,
Annie Park-Pogue, Bonnie Park and Krystal Stauss; sons-in-law, Justin Pogue, Gordon Lillie and Chad Stauss; grandchildren Taylor, Troy, Mason and wife Hope, Callie, Zachary, Kaleb, Jackson, Lane, Carson, Kensi and Molly; bonus grandchildren, April and Lizzie; and great-grandchildren, Presley and Forrest. In addition, Vicki leaves behind a herd of extended family, friends and loved ones.
The family wishes to extend a thank you to the many, many people who visited, called, sent food, and well wishes over the years. It was a long road, but doing it together was the ultimate testament to how Vicki lived. “Just livin’ on love.”
Services were held at The Gabriels Funeral Chapel in Georgetown, Texas, on Tuesday, September 10, at 10 a.m. Burial immediately followed at International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Ralph C. Alexander, Jr.
March 24, 1930 – August 28, 2024
Our patriarch, dad, grandpa, friend, chief story teller, mentor and according to some, the greatest man that ever lived, is gone from our world. Ralph Connor Alexander Jr. passed peacefully on August 28, 2024 in Georgetown, TX. Born on March 24, 1930 in Dallas, TX, Ralph was the oldest of five boys born to Ralph Connor Alexander & Iva Maurine Lewis Alexander.
He was raised in the depression era and the work ethic and frugal nature that surrounded that generation never left him. Nor did his sense of gratitude for the blessings in his life including his many friends, the simple pleasures in retirement, and the love of his wife and the family that grew from that love.
The Alexander family moved to Kingsville where Ralph graduated from HM King High School. He was an accomplished trumpet player and played with the Javelina Marching Band at his beloved Texas A&I University while he attended there.
He worked his whole career at Celanese Chemical plant in Bishop. He met and married Betty Lou Fansler after a whirlwind courtship. He swept her off her feet as they were married on their third date, just ten days after they met.
They lived in Bishop and raised four children teaching his kids the right balance of hard work, laughter and commitment to family and friends. Ralph relished Javelina football, a good day at the golf course, and taught his son and three daughters and several grandchildren to hunt. He and Betty participated in bowling leagues, and loved a good game of cards or dominoes. He never missed the important events in the life of his family.
He lived his life to the fullest showing his children to not just walk through life but to experience all that you can, try new things, finish what you start, enjoy the experience, and most importantly, make friends along the way.
Ralph retired from Celanese in 1985, and he and Betty relocated to the Texas Hill Country
in Liberty Hill. They traveled the world and wearing his Javelina ball cap, made conversation with perfect strangers about South Texas. He was an avid story teller, loved his outings to casinos across the U.S. and made connections where ever he went. As the saying goes, Ralph never met a stranger. He lived the last few years of his life at The Delaney in Georgetown and enjoyed afternoon poker games, watching old westerns or drinking coffee with his buddies. He was preceded in death by his wife of over 68 years, Betty, and his four brothers James, Glen, Steve and Sam. He is survived by his children Ralph C. Alexander III (Linda) of Covington, WA, Marjorie Yandell of Austin, Diane Jay (Billy Wall) of Bertram, Carol Scott (Mark) of Corpus Christi, his grandchildren Danny Rives (Michelle), Ralph C. Alexander IV, Brandon Alexander, Bryan Yandell, Megan Webb (Drew), Connor Yandell, Candice O’Dell (Charlie), Byron Jay (Taren), Katy Haka (Wes), Christopher Scott and Alexandra Scott, 10 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
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EVENTS CALENDAR
October 5
CITY-WIDE PRAYER GATHERING
Liberty in the Hill
450 CR 258, Liberty Hill (Legacy Ranch High School) 10-11 a.m. Libertyinthehill@gmail.com
PENDULUM HEARTS
The Vineyard at Florence 111 Via Francesco, Florence 6-9:30 p.m. info@tvaf.com
October 6
THE MARKET LHTX
McCoy’s Building Supply
2505 RR 1869, Liberty Hill 10 a.m.-2 p.m. facebook.com/marketlhtx
October 10
TRIVIA NIGHT
Forrest Coffee House 103 Forrest St., Liberty Hill
7 p.m. forrest.coffee
October 11
GLEN COLLINS
Dahlia Cafe
2450 RR 1869, Liberty Hill
6:30 p.m. dahliacafe.com
October 12
LIONS CLUB FLEA MARKET
Liberty Hill Lions Club 170 CR 214, Liberty Hill (RockPointe Church)
8 a.m.-2 p.m. facebook.com/LibertyHillLionsTexas
CADE BACCHUS TRIO
Dahlia Cafe
2450 RR 1869, Liberty Hill 6:30 p.m. dahliacafe.com
October 14
BIRDS AND GARDENING
Williamson County Master Gardener 100 Wilco Way, Georgetown (Georgetown Annex)
6:45-8 p.m. txmg.org/williamson
October 16
GREEN THUMBS UP SHRUBS AND ROSES
Williamson County Master Gardener 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto (Hutto Library, inside City Hall)
2-3 p.m. txmg.org/williamson
COUPLES WINE GLASS PAINTING
Connection Adventures ATX
3547 Hwy. 29, Bertram (Decadent Saint Winery)
6:30– 8:30 p.m., $79 connectionadventuresatx.com
October 17
PAINT YOUR PET
Liberty Hill Beer Market
13851 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
6 p.m., $45.50 facebook.com/liberty-hill-beer-market
October 18
DYSFUNKSHUN JUNKSHUN
The Vineyard at Florence 111 Via Francesco, Florence
7-10 p.m. info@tvaf.com
October 19
LIBERTY HILL INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE FESTIVAL
Lions Foundation Park 355 Main St., Liberty Hill
2-7 p.m. experiencelhtx.com
NAME THAT TUNE BINGO
Whitestone Brewery
15390 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
6 p.m. whitestonebrewery.com
BOOT ROCK BOYS
Dahlia Cafe
2450 RR 1869, Liberty Hill
6:30 p.m. dahliacafe.com
HALLOWEEN MURDER MYSTERY
Connection Adventures ATX 3059 CR 212, Bertram (Kfire Winery & Vineyard)
6:30– 8:30 p.m., $79 connectionadventuresatx.com
October 22
NAME THAT TUNE BINGO
Liberty Tavern
3010 RR 1869, Liberty Hill
7 p.m. libertytavern.co
October 25
LIVE MUSIC BY THE DECADES
The Vineyard at Florence 111 Via Francesco, Florence 7-10 p.m. info@tvaf.com
October 26
TRUNK OR TREAT
McCoy’s Building Supply 2505 RR 1869, Liberty Hill 10 a.m.-4 p.m. facebook.com/mccoyslibertyhill
HANDS ON IN THE GARDEN - HERB GARDENING
Williamson County Master Gardener 3151 SE Inner Loop, Georgetown (Demonstration Garden) 10-11:30 a.m. txmg.org/williamson
LIBERTY HILL FALL FESTIVAL
Liberty Hill Middle School 13125 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill 12-4 p.m. facebook.com/LHFallFestival
HALLOWEEN COOKIE DECORATING CLASS
Whitestone Brewery 15390 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill 12:20 p.m., $45 whitestonebrewery.com
October 27
TRUNK OR TREAT
Mission Liberty Hill 15725 Hwy. 29, Liberty Hill
3-5 p.m. missionlibertyhill.com
November 1
RED BRICK SCHOOL REUNION
Lions Foundation Park
355 Main St., Liberty Hill
4 p.m.
November 2
LIBERTY HILL BEER FESTIVAL
San Gabriel River Brewery
500 Chapparal Drive, Liberty Hill 12-6 p.m., $20-75 sangabrielriverbrewery.com
ROBERT ELLIS & JOE PUG
The Globe Theatre
132 W. Vaughan St., Bertram
8 p.m., $25-200 globetheatretx.com
The Decades
Boot Rock Boys
Liberty Hill International Sculpture Festival
Shane T. White Clyde Davis Ginger Floyd Debby Norman