YOUR VIEW OF THE CROSSROADS OUTDOOR LIVING IN 361 • FALL 2022 INSIDE FOOD FEATURE LAVACA BBQ
@SteveKleinCBNew Home Advisor | 361-572-4101 102 Blue Rock Court Victoria, TX 77904 @SteveKleinCB STEVEKLEIN.COM New Home Advisor | 361-572-4101 PRISCILLA GARCIA 102 Blue Rock Court Victoria, TX 77904 MODEL HOME | DESIGN STUDIO @SteveKleinCB STEVEKLEIN.COM New Home Advisor | 361-572-4101 PRISCILLA GARCIA 102 Blue Rock Court Victoria, TX 77904 MODEL HOME | DESIGN STUDIO @SteveKleinCB STEVEKLEIN.COM RELIABLE TEAM LIBRARY OF FLOOR PLANS ON-SITE DESIGN STUDIO PRICE ADVANTAGE BUILD ON YOUR LAND QUALITY ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN MULTIPLE COMMUNITIES BUILT WITH ELEGANCE IN MIND. New Home Advisor | 361-572-4101 PRISCILLA GARCIA 102 Blue Rock Court Victoria, TX 77904 MODEL HOME | DESIGN STUDIO
3Fall 2022 | Discover361.com DORNBURG LAW Aggressive Criminal Defense DEFENDING TEXANS SINCE 1999 361-570-4444 www.DornburgLaw.net Get to know our experienced lawyers We provide representation on all felonies, misdemeanors, expunctions, nondisclosures of criminal records, and more. We are located in Victoria, Texas, and we have helped thousands of clients throughout Texas reduce or clear their criminal charges. You need experience in your corner when you’re facing criminal allegations. Our attorneys are here for you with personal service and will return your call the same day. We will be there for you every step of the way! 101 W. Goodwin Ave., Suite 305 • Victoria, TX 77901 Brent & Terri Lynn Dornburg 202010OFTHE 202212ANNUALTH
What is better in the fall than fresh locally made barbecue and all the trimmings?. We traveled to Port Lavaca to meet Kelli Nevarez, the pitmaster of LaVaca BBQ. She tells the story of how she went from teaching school to being the pit boss of her family’s barbecue restaurant. The eatery is catching the attention of locals, as well as visitors from across the globe. If home cooking is more up your alley, Daniel Escalona, executive chef at Colony Creek Country Club, offers recipes to try at home. Or you can try them at the club’s Sunday brunch, which is open to the public. If you like wine, take a tour of the area’s wine trail. Of course, you can’t think about the fall without talking about fashion and beauty. This month’s fashion section features men’s clothing provided by High Brehm Hats & Western Wear photographed at J Welch Farms. For the women, if you want to dress up your eyebrows, try the art of microblading. The beauty enhancing trend is catching on quickly. Fall is also a time to travel. Head to Shiner. Take a tour of the Spoetzl Brewery to learn about Shiner Beer. Shiner is also home to friendly people, antique stores, clothing stores, a variety of restaurants and much more. On a planning note, as we usher in fall, we are already working on magazines for the coming year. If you have a story idea for a future issue of Discover 361 please contact me at bcooper@vicad.com.
Be sure to give us your name and contact information and a brief description of the storyWeidea.hope you enjoy your fall and enjoy reading this issue of Discover 361. Happy reading.
Becky Cooper Managing Editor
Dear WelcomeReaders,to the fall. It is still not cool enough to truly call it fall, but it is time to start making plans for it.
GENERAL MANAGER George Coleman SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR Wendy Duke ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Kevin Alstrom EXECUTIVE EDITOR Keith Kohn MANAGING EDITOR Becky Cooper DESIGNER Kimberley Bailey WRITERS Leo TamaraBertucciDiazIanGrenier Catherine Kohn Kit JeremiahMacAvoySosa PHOTOGRAPHERS Chase CatherineCofieldKohn Kit DuyMacAvoyVu SPECIAL TO DISCOVER 361 Allison Lacey CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dayna Wiles | Images by Dayna Kevin Pak COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Dayna Wiles | Images by Dayna COVER MODEL Bryce Winters COVER LOCATION J Welch Farms COVER CLOTHING Provided by High-Brehm Hats and Western Wear Model is wearing Resistol 20X black gold felt hat, Ariat Pro blue plaid shirt, Ariat cowhair and stone belt, Ariat M4 boot cut blue jeans © 2022, M. ROBERTS MEDIA 101 W. Goodwin Ave., Suite 1200 Victoria, TX info@discover361.com77901361-575-1451
This issue of Discover 361, the first in our second year of publication, is full of fun things to enjoy as we make our way to fall. In October we will have the annual running of the great Duck Safari. Thousands of rubber ducks will be unloaded into the lake at Ethel Lee Tracy Park and race to the finish line all in the name of helping nonprofits. The owner of the winning duck as well as the charity the owner is supporting will walk away with a nice prize. The safari is hosted by the Victoria Symphony Society. We also have a feature on the Victoria Symphony’s executive director Michelle Hall. She stays busy promoting the symphony and making sure we keep top-notch musicians coming to Victoria to perform. As your thoughts turn to hunting, we talked to hunting fans who offer their insight in game ranching, archery hunting and taxidermy.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com4 MANAGING EDITOR'S LETTER
DEPENDABLE, HONEST, & INSURED When you find yourself needing a roof repair and are looking for a roofing company, American Shield Roofing and Construction is happy to meet your needs. When dealing with a roofing company you need a roof contractor who is dependable, who can arrive on time and provide you a quality new roof in a timely manner. Our goal is to present you with honest, accurate information, quotes, and estimates. We also have liability insurance. 361-343-7018 | WWW.AMERICANSHIELDROOFING.COM Left, Jon Lamson, Vice President of Sales Right, Joshua Pinter, President of American Shield 202212 THANNUAL
Fall 2022 Discover361.com6 MAKING8 A DIFFERENCE Yellow squeaky ducks race to reach the finish line in the Victoria Duck Safari PEOPLE12 YOU SHOULD KNOW Michelle Hall maintains a steady tempo as director of the Victoria Symphony FOOD18 Creating Texas Gulf Coast wines requires collaboration and creativity FOOD23 Pitmaster Kelli Nevarez creates her own twist on barbecue FOOD27 Recipes with The Club at Colony Creek's Executive Chef Daniel Escalone OUTDOORS33 Bucks, does and bows, with a bit of stuffing FASHION38 Hats off to fashionable fall attire HEALTH50 & BEAUTY Jessika Rinehart microblades to create a perfectly sculpted eyebrow DAY54 TRIP Shiner may be small, but its heart is Texas-sized CULTURE62 & EVENTS: MUSIC Victoria Fine Arts Association giving back to the community with a free concert CULTURE64 & EVENTS: FILM Karissa Winters hopes to build a future with upcoming Viva Texas Film Festival CULTURE66 & EVENTS: FILM Viva Texas Film Festival presents world premier of 'Americana' OUT73 AND ABOUT See who was Out and About with Tony Vasquez at recent events CALENDAR80 OF EVENTS 54 27 33 12 66 CONTENTS
DEUTSCH&DEUTSCHJEWELERS 6007 ZAC LENTZ PARKWAY | 361-576-4777 VENETIAN PRINCESS & PRINCESS FLOWER COLLECTIONS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE STORY BY IAN GRENIER | IGRENIER@VICAD.COM PHOTOS SPECIAL TO DISCOVER 361 GO GET set... On their MARK,! Discover361.com
Thankfully, things started to normalize a little bit in 2021, so the society decided to make some changes to the event, growing it from just a duck race into a full family-friendly event. The river flooded that year, forcing the event to move to its current home at Ethel Lee Tracy Park. Since the public was able to attend in 2021, organizers added live music and food to the agenda.
When you think of rubber ducks, you might not be thinking of break-neck speed and photo finish races — but that means you haven’t been to the Victoria Duck Safari. On Oct. 29, thousands of bright yellow ducks will brave the waters of the lake at Ethel Lee Tracy Park, vying to win their sponsors thousands of dollars. Onsecond thought, that might be a slight exaggeration in the intensity of the event, but what it lacks in checkered-flag intensity it makes up with live music, family fun and cash prizes. This year’s iteration of the event, put on by the Victoria Symphony Society, will be the third since it started in 2020. That year, the symphony’s board of directors was in a difficult situation: how do you bring people together for a fundraising event when a pandemic makes it impossible to bring people together? Their answer was small, bright, and squeaky. People could “adopt” a duck competitor for $5, and if it finished the race in the top 10, they’d win a cash prize. That year’s race was held on the Guadalupe River, and it was a resounding fundraising success. It raised over $12,000 for its nonprofit partners, said fundraiser’s chair William Myers.
vie
The Jerry James Band, a local group, performed, and local food trucks fed the crowd. The fundraising numbers weren’t quite as high that year, which squeaky ducks to reach the finish line in the Duck
Adopted yellow
Victoria
The event didn’t just bring the community together during the craziness of the pandemic, but it also brought together the usually-separate fundraising efforts of Victoria’s nonprofits, one of the event’s goals.
Safari | CONT. ON PG. 11
“It’s always a focal point for me to try to see how we can bring folks together, rather than having all these wonderful nonprofits work independently, when there’s a lot of synergy that could be of benefit,” Myers said. “And so my long-term goal for this would be to really… focus it more on the exposure of our participating nonprofits.”
When you dump 10,000 , 15,000 , rubber ducks into... water...it’s KIND of HARD not for YOUR INNER CHILD to come out- William Myers
The 2022 edition is scheduled for Oct. 29, a little earlier in the year than before. That change in date means the safari’s organizers are planning to expand the event even more. Since it’s right before Halloween, the plan is to incorporate the holiday into the fundraising efforts and hold a trunkor-treat event for kids, with candy and costumes. Activities include live music and food trucks, like in last year’s event, as well as thousands of dollars in prizes for the top 10 ducks. The grand prize, for the winning duck’s owners, is $5,000. A computer program randomly assigns people their ducks, Myers said, so don’t worry about anyone getting a head start. So far, 27 nonprofit organizations are on board for the 2022 race, with more to be announced. The benefactors range from performing arts groups, to museums, to schools, all set to profit from Victorians’ duck adoptions. “Duck season” — that’s adopting ducks, not hunting them — starts six weeks before the race, giving everyone plenty of chances to grab a rubber competitor. Would-be adopters can get a duck through their favorite nonprofit partner on the safari’s website, which even helps the nonprofits beyond the $5+ donation. Each nonprofit gets the contact information of the people who adopted their ducks, meaning they can reach back out to see if the individual wants to get more involved with the organization’s goals, whether it be educating kids or feeding the less-fortunate. Theorganizers say the community feedback from the last two years has been
11Fall 2022 | Discover361.com Saturday, October 1st Alamo Park El Campo the 12th annual Craft & Food Booths Children’s Games & PettingActivitiesZoolive #JOINTHECLUB WASH AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE FREE VACUUMS AND TOWELS ONE MONTHLY PRICE NO CONTRACTS VICTORIA LOCATIONS 1502 JOHN STOCKBAUER DRIVE VICTORIA, TX 77904 7102 N. NAVARRO ST. VICTORIA, TX 77904 FIND A LOCATION NEAR YOU www.clubcarwash.com | (833)416-9975
“Whenpositive. youdump 10,000, 15,000, rubber rucks into a piece of water and watch it move towards a finish line, it’s kind of hard not for your inner child to come out,” Myers said. “And so I say the kids love it, but really everybody loves it.”
Myers attributed to the fact that the world had wound down a little after but the event still raised overThe$10,000. duck-related festivities will continue this year.
COVID-19,
| CONT. FROM PG. 9
This perspective comes in handy when working with the symphony’s music director to plan each season. She’s even managed to convince him to play “Irish Tune from County Derry,” her favorite piece by Percy Grainger, who is also her favorite composer.“Hewas an odd individual but he has created some music that I really like,” Hall said about Grainger. “I did convince him (the symphony’s Music Director Darryl One) to play it, and he wasn’t familiar and I was really happy aboutEventhat.”though she knows her stuff when it comes to music — how many of you have a favorite composer? — her day-to-day job at the symphony centers around keeping the lights on and the music playing. Victoria is a relatively small city to have a
“I feel like it’s a pretty good fit because I can read music, I can understand perspective from a musician’s standpoint,” she said. “It feels natural with me, I’m comfortable in the environment. I enjoy the experience. I’m grateful that when we're talking about pieces that we’re going to perform I know what they’re talking about.”
Michelle Hall maintains a steady tempo as director of the Victoria Symphony Michelle Hall never set out to lead the Victoria Symphony — in fact, when she and her husband moved to Texas more than 20 years ago, she didn’t even know the job was available. Instead, the Kentucky native had applied to be the symphony’s operations manager, but when she arrived to interview for the position, the interviewer asked her to instead apply for the executive director position. She got the job, after going through a much more drawn-out application process than she had bargained for, putting her in position to direct the symphony for the last two decades.WhileHall said she never saw herself as leading a symphony orchestra, or even in a career in the music industry, in some ways it’s a natural fit. She minored in music at Morehead State University and played the clarinet, so even though she’s not on the level of the professionals who play in the symphony, she still has a musician’s perspective.
UNEXPECTED JOURNEY AN
Fall 2022 Discover361.com12 PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW STORY BY IAN GRENIER | IGRENIER@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUY VU | DVU@VICAD.COM
symphony orchestra, which means they often have to navigate around larger areas such as Houston, Corpus Christi, San Antonio and Austin. In fact, only three of the Victoria symphony’s musicians actually live in Victoria, a dynamic which Hall said has an upside and a “Wedownside.havetobe able to pull from a pool of very qualified musicians, and if we’re wanting them, then other orchestras are wanting them as well…if we all schedule on the same weekend then we’re just hurting each other, we’re hurting ourselves,” she said. “So we make an effort to communicate with each other so that we don’t conflict, so that we’re able to all get top quality musicians to play in our ensembles.” Victoria’s size also means it has a small-budget and small-staff, making fundraising crucial. Ticket sales provide less than 18% of the orchestra’s income, Hall said, meaning special events and charitable donations are essential to keep the organization afloat.
“I’m really proud of what we’re able to accomplish with a small staff. We have an outstanding board of directors, it’s a very hands-on, hard-working group of volunteers that we’re very fortunate to have supporting arts in Victoria,” Hall said. A lot of her work is cyclical, with the same sort of thing coming up as the orchestra progresses through each year’s season, but that cycle doesn’t mean Hall doesn’t have to deal with the unexpected. One year, for example, the symphony’s performance schedule was almost derailed when a volcano erupted in Iceland. The ash in the air shut down airports all over Europe, meaning the guest artist scheduled to perform in Victoria couldn’t make his flight over the Atlantic. Thankfully, (at least for Victorians) a highly acclaimed classical guitarist performing in Austin had the opposite problem: he was stuck in Texas because the eruption meant he couldn’t fly home to Europe. So, he made 14
| CONT. ON PG.
13
Fall 2022 Discover361.com14 the drive to Victoria and filled the open spot in the Victoria orchestra’s performance instead.
| CONT.
“We had such a wonderful concert experience because he was available and we were last minute hires, and you really felt people hanging on every note that he was playing,” Hall said.A similar but more tragic version of the story unfolded years prior on the weekend after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Since flights were grounded for days after the attacks, the artist who was scheduled as a guest performer was stuck in New York, and Hall thought the performance would have to go on without him. However, at the last minute he was able to catch a flight from New York to Florida, and then from Florida to Houston, and finally meet a driver from the symphony to pick him up at the Houston airport, who got him to Victoria an hour before the concert started.
13 ...I LUCKYFEELto HAVE KIND of STUMBLED into this job -
Hall
“The orchestra got to rehearse with him briefly and then put on an amazing concert that really everyone, who didn't know at the time, kind of needed, because it was such a hard time for our country,” Hall said. Despite challenges and the unexpected, Hall said her more than two decade tenure as executive director has been a good one, thanks to the people she works with.
“This is such a great organization to work for; everyone works hard FROM PG. Michelle
La Bahia An
To make things even better, Hall isn’t the only one feeling the benefits of her job at the symphony. Her daughter, Georgia, had the unique opportunity to grow up around professional classical musicians while studying music. She’s a big fan of the harp, Hall said, and the orchestra’s harp player will talk to her about it and sometimes let her play a few notes. She’s also learning the piano, and at one point even got to play her recital piece in front of the orchestra’s soloists.“She’s always kind of been immersed in the orchestra world, and I don’t know that she realizes not everybody gets that kind of behindthe-scenes experience that she’s getting,” Hall said. “So we’re very lucky that she gets to be exposed to it in that way, and hopefully we’re creating a lifetime patron of the arts.” Hall said she’s grateful she saw the classified ad in the newspaper for the operations manager job two decades ago. “I feel lucky,” she said, “it’s a great experience.”
Texas
in Texas • Living
Visit
La Bahia Goliad, TX
night. • Chapel available
year. • Rent
Presidio
15Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
Presidio important part of History. the Presidio and step into Texas history. of the oldest churches History featured throughout the the spend the for at: 217 Loop 71, Goliad, TX 77963 Contact and reservations, call: (361) 645-3752 or visit www.presidiolabahia.org to make sure that we're a success, but they're also open and friendly and so it makes for a great work environment,” she said. “So I feel lucky to have kind of stumbled into this job, because I didn't even know it was available or something that you could work at, and just happened to find the ad in the paper.”
weddings. Located
• One
quarters and
VC V
Fall 2022 Discover361.com16 VCSCompanies.com VCS RocketI.C.T.VCSVictoriaCompaniesCommunicationsSecuritySystems OPERATEDOWNEDLOCALLY&BYTHEHARTMANFAMILY Mon - Sat 9am361-576-4287www.high-brehm.com7pm|6603N.Navarro, Victoria Get your gear ready yourscheduleandUltrasoundcleaningnow Pat Calhoun • 361.648.9895 • pt_calhoun@att.net Robert Fly • 210.218.0818 • rtfjr1@flash.net 240 S. Commercial Street Goliad, TX 77963 Tuesday - Saturday 10 Am - 6 Pm or just come in and take a look at our collection
17Fall 2022 | Discover361.com CUERO’S CHRISTMAS IN THE PARK Entrance at 87 South (361) 275-8178. Follow us on www.cuerochristmasinthepark.orgFacebook Brought to you by The Cuero Development Corporation/December Events Committee COME ONE, COME ALL! To ensure Christmas in the Park remains a family friendly event, donations are welcome online. 202212TH Voted Best of the Best Holiday Event for the 11th consecutive year and Best of the Best Festival for the 3rd consecutive year by the readers of The Victoria Advocate Oldest Fine Arts Museum in the Crossroads Come Visit 306 W. Commercial St. • Victoria, TX 77901 • 361.575.8228 www.NaveMuseum.org Admission is Always Free • Donations are Gladly Accepted Open Thursday & Friday Noon-5pm, Saturday & Sunday Noon-4pm. Closed Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday Calendar subject to change. Check our website for the latest information Upcoming Schedule Art of Wine 2022 September 9 through October 2 VISD Artist Exhibition October 15 through November 6 E. Vincent Wood December 1 through January 22 The Royston Nave Permanent Collection Always Turning Cooks into Chefs 361-578-0717 701 E. Mockingbird Ln. • Victoria, www.premiumapplianceandmore.comTX Monday-Friday 9:00AM-5:00PM | Saturday by Appointmant We also provide "Certified" Technicians for all your warranty and service needs. Visit our Showroom and Experience our Live Kitchens!
Fall 2022 Discover361.com18 FOOD STORY BY LEO BERTUCCI | LBERTUCCI@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUY VU | DVU@VICAD.COM Creating Texas Gulf Coast wines requires collaboration and creativity FINDING THE Balance BalRight
All of these jobs come with considerable pressure.
JonAnn Welch drives around the property on J Welch Farms.
Daryl and Morgan Hale established Gulf Breeze Winery four-and-ahalf years ago. Their passion for winemaking diverted them from careers in the oil industry.
The winery features a collection of 55-gallon fermentation tanks, each of which contain around 250 bottles worth of wine. Eight inches of foam insulation on the ceiling protects Gulf Breeze’s wine from the summer heat. Farther down, a large stainless steel container keeps juice cold if need be.
19Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
“The alcohol industry can be pretty cruel,” Morgan said. “You screw up once and your reputation can be sunk – and you’re done.”
FRIENDLY
WELCOMING -
JonAnn Welch 20
STRIVE
The most popular wine at Gulf Breeze is their Summer Sangria, which is middle-of-the-road in terms of sweetness, the Hales said. As co-owners of a small winery, Daryl and Morgan wear many hats. Besides fermenting, bottling and sampling wine, the Hales sell and deliver their products to local businesses as far south as Port Aransas. They also open a tasting room on the weekends and maintain their vast property at 3005 Farm-toMarket Road 1685.
On a warm sunny day, inside what was once a three-car garage on the outskirts of Victoria, a father and son produce Blanc du Bois, a type of white wine.
Above
| CONT. ON PG.
The good news for Gulf Breeze is there is a trail of wineries in the Crossroads. The Winery at J. Welch Farms, 111 Ripple Road in Victoria, brought Gulf Breeze and four other wineries together – Beneath the Oaks Winery in Midfield, Lavaca Bluffs Vineyard and Winery in Lolita, Rusty Hook Winery in Long Mott and The Winery at San Ducerro – to form the Texas Coast Wine Trail in Sept. 2021.
The Winery at J Welch, which sells 12 wines ranging from dry to sweet on the 120-acre J. Welch Farms, is also an entertainment venue open year-round from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Local bands play on the property from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays andWhenSaturdays.forming a wine selection, J Welch takes grapes purchased from local growers to the Thirsty Mule all we to be and
Gulf Breeze sells 14 different kinds of wine, including white, red and fruitflavored varieties.
“We try to have something for everybody, whether they’re experienced wine drinkers or just starting out,” Daryl said.
”You can come out ‘dressed to the nines’ or you can come out wearing jeans or cut-off shorts and you’re gonna fit in,” Welch said. “Above all we strive to be friendly and welcoming.”Welchalso wants folks to see what the other wineries have to offer as well. While they were all together in person earlier this year, the group coordinated a promotion. For $55, wine aficionados can enjoy a free glass and collect a charm bracelet from each location. Travelers who pick up all six charms between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 can complete the set with a special trail charm. Daryl Hale said the collaboration between the wineries presents opportunities to direct connoisseurs to more flavors for their taste buds.
CONT. FROM PG. 19
“When people think about good wineries, they think they need to go to the Hill Country,” he said. “Our goal is to raise awareness about how we have really good wines to offer.”
Father and son duo Morgan Hale, right, and Daryl Hale, left, at Gulf Breeze Winery. Labels are placed on a wine bottle at Gulf Breeze Winery. Hale bottles some wine.
Morgan hopes Gulf Breeze can boost the reputation of local wine. I know we make good wine, so I enjoy when people say, ‘Oh, Texas Gulf Coast wine, this is going to be crap,’ and then they figure out, ‘Oh, these guys are serious.’”
Fall 2022 Discover361.com20 We try to have SOMETHING for EVERYBODY , whether they’re EXPERIENCED WINE DRINKERS or JUST STARTING OUT - Daryl Hale
Winery and Vineyard in Central Texas. Winery owner JonAnn Welch takes several flavors through a taste test while she is there.
Beyondsaid.the wine itself, Welch envisions her winery as a place that attracts a broad spectrum of people.
“So a lot of times we’ll start out with something and maybe it has too many tannins or it’s a little bit too sweet or too dry, and so we go back and forth until we find something we and our customers will appreciate,” Welch
|
21Fall 2022 | Discover361.com THE WINERY AT J WELCH FARMS 111 Ripple Road, Victoria Thursday11361-412-7677jwelchfarms.coma.m.to10p.m.through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday GULF BREEZE WINERY 3005 Farm-to-Market Road 1685, 115gulfbreezewinery.com361-550-1086Victoriato8p.m.Fridayto8p.m.Saturdayto5p.m.Sunday BENEATH THE OAKS WINERY 796 SH 71, 14beneaththeoakstx.com979-240-9542Midfieldto9p.m.Thursdayto9p.m.FridayandSaturday LAVACA VINEYARDBLUFFSANDWINERY 172 Private Road 4261, Lolita 2lavacabluffs.com361-874-5663to6p.m.Thursday and Sunday 12 to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday RUSTY HOOK WINERY 5880 TX-185 N., Port Lavaca 1Noon4rustyhookwinery.com832-646-4246to7p.m.Fridayto7p.m.Saturdayto6p.m.Sunday THE WINERY AT SAN DUCERRO 500 Dagg Road, Yoakum 1sanducerro.us361-407-3056to7p.m.Friday and Saturday 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday IF YOU GO Over 1,500 Toys, A Candy Shop, Clothing & Accessories for Children 236 S Commercial St, STE B Goliad, TX 77963 JonAnn Welch shows off her favorite bottle of wine at J Welch Farms. Wine tanks containing a variety of wines.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com22 Victoria 7010 North Navarro St., Victoria, TX 77904 Hours Mon-Sat 10 A.M.- 6 P.M. • Sun Closed PREMIER MEAT MARKET Educational Supply StorE TEACHERS SCHOOLS DAY CARES CHURCHES OFFICE SENSORY NEEDS HOME-SCHOOL TOYS & MORE Die Cut • Laminating • Binding • Copy & Print Services www.theteacherstoolbox.comtheteacherstoolbox@tisd.netCall:361.575.8665Fax:361.578.6888 HOURS Mon. - Fri. 9am-6pm Sat.Sun.9am-2pmClosed NOT TEACHERS!FORJUSTSO MUCH MORE THANDECOR!TEACHER SHOP In Store or On Line Accepting Purchase Orders Offering Nationwide Delivery We’re Over Half Way There! Thanks to the generous support of community members just like you, we’re over half way to our goal of bringing expanded mental health services to our community! YOU can be part of this exciting project with your tax deductible donation. Visit GulfBend.org today to donate & learn more 6502 Nursery Drive |Victoria, Texas 77904 (361) 575-0611 Gulf Bend Center is now recognized as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic by the State of Texas. This new certification enables Centers to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use disorder services to individuals.
Pitmaster
Nevarez steps into her father’s footsteps to create her own twist on barbecue Family tradition with fresh ideas
23Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
Since their opening in 2019, LaVaca BBQ has gained worldwide recognition thanks in part to their listing on Texas Monthly’s 2021 Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints, as well as their appearance on Eater, a YouTube food
Kelli
O
nce you open the aged wooden door of LaVaca BBQ, you are greeted with three things: barbecue, Big Red, and big smiles.
Located in Port Lavaca, LaVaca BBQ is owned and operated by Lupe and Christine Nevarez, along with their daughter, and the restaurant's pitmaster, Kelli Nevarez.
| CONT. ON PG. 24 STORY BY JEREMIAH SOSA | JSOSA@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHASE COFIELD | CCOFIELD@VICAD.COM
The fusion of Mexican and barbecue had the Nevarezes come up with the restaurant's fan favorite; their smokedInsteadtamales. ofwrapping their tamales
Fall 2022 Discover361.com24 channel with 3.16 million subscribers. Their post oak wood smoked meats are their specialty, including their brisket, spare ribs, turkey breast, pork belly, and their made in-house sausage. However, they don't like to conform to the stereotypical nature of Texas barbecue joints. They like to think outside of the box which has them serving up dishes such as their blue corn tacos, green creamed corn, smoked cheesecakes, Big Red glazed ribs, and their highly touted smoked tamales. “Wetry to stay new with fresh ideas,” Kelli Nevarez said. “We don’t want to be the restaurant that just serves three meats and three sides. We always want to give our customers something new and exciting that they get to try and come back for.”
The Mexican twist they take on barbecue comes from the family’s heritage. “We’re Hispanic and we love our culture,” Christine Nevarez said. “We just wanted to bring it out in everything that we cook because it’s got more flavor. We know those spices and we’re more comfortable cooking with them.”
| CONT. FROM PG. 23
“When (customers) first see it they think it’s kind of dry, but when they taste it they say, ‘Wait, this is good. This is not your typical tamale,’” Christine Nevarez said. Just as loved by customers are their Big Red glazed ribs. While she is smoking them, the pitmaster spritzes the ribs with the soda, and once they are done cooking, she tops them off LaVaca BBQ displays a map of where their customers have traveled from. A few have traveled from abroad to visit the restaurant. One of LaVaca BBQ’s 1,000-gallon smokers.The smok ers were designed by Lupe Nevarez Jr., the owner of the restaurant.
It’s really nice to SEE PEOPLE COME OUT and SUPPORT US even though they are FAR AWAY - Kelli Nevarez in a corn husk and steaming them, they cover their quarter-pound brisket tamales in butcher paper, and lay them inside of the smoker.
“I think it was really cool. I really liked the simplicity of it, and the first thing that meets you is a great, big smile,” he Travelerssaid. often request to meet and take a picture with the pitmaster, and even though she spends a large part of her day tending to her smokers, Kelli Nevarez still makes time to meet them. “Itnever gets old, and I hope it never does, but it’s still surprising to me that people actually want to take pictures with me and they recognize me,” she However,said. when some people find out that the pitmaster is a woman they are surprised, and sometimes, even doubtful. “There are still skeptical people out there that are like, ‘She can’t really do it because she doesn’t know. She doesn’t have that male brain to do ON PG. 26
Slices of brisket lie on the slab at LaVaca BBQ.
One of LaVaca BBQ’s specialties outside their meat is their smoked cheesecake.
At LaVaca BBQ, customers can order a side of jalapeño cream corn with their brisket.
25Fall 2022 | Discover361.com ArtisanShop Dana Dobbs 231 S. Market St. Goliad, TX 361-412-865177963 Tues - Sat 9:00-6:00 Follow Us! CologneCTradingPost Goliad, Texas with a glaze that has a base of Big Red syrup. The Mexican flare on their menu, along with their unique style of barbecue has Port Lavaca locals constantly lining up outside their doors. However, they aren’t the only ones who get to enjoy LaVaca BBQ. Their food has been taste tested by travelers ranging from West Texas to Paris. “We get people from around the country, around the world that make it a point just to stop here just because they saw us,” Kelli Nevarez said. “It’s really nice to see people come out and support us even though they are far Paulaway.”Rostvang, a former butcher, visited LaVaca BBQ all the way from Norway, after seeing their Eater feature on TV. “It was even better than I expected,” he said about the food. “They have this really cool balance between sour, meaty and fatty, and it works out really well.”
Rostvang was not only impressed with his meal at LaVaca BBQ, but he was also just as impressed with their southern hospitality.
| CONT.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com26 The Victoria Farmers' Market is a program of the Food Bank of the Golden Crescent. • locally producegrown • farm fresh eggs • meatspastured • local honey • pickles • jellies • salsa • plants • baked goods • itemshandmade Wednesdays and Saturdays 9:00 to 12:00 Pattie Dodson Public Health Center 2805 N. Navarro For more info: 361-218-9246 Find us on Facebook @VictoriaFarmersMarket it,’” Kelli Nevarez said. “But, I try to let my food speak for myself. I try to not let it bother me because people are going to think what they think and you can’t change that.”She learned her esteemed barbecuing skills from her father. Not only did he make barbecue during his family cookouts, but he would also make it for barbecue cookoffs. Shestarted paying attention to her father's skills while at these gatherings. After a while, she began to understand the processes that come with barbecuing like how to cook the meat, and what type of woods to use. However, she wasn’t the original pitmaster of LaVaca BBQ. When the restaurant first opened in 2019, her father held the title. At the time, Kelli Nevarez was a first grade teacher at HJM Elementary, located just a block behind her parents' restaurant. She would help out on weekends, but after the pandemic hit and her father had to go back to his fulltime job, she decided to trade in her teacher's desk for a smoker and join them full-time. Sinceshe took over as pitmaster in 2020, LaVaca BBQ has been able to expand into other parts of Texas. They opened a location in Bay City, but decided to close in order to prepare for their newest location in Victoria. Their new location will feature a food park loaded with tables and chairs where guests will be able enjoy their barbecue in an indoor/ outdoor atmosphere. The Nevarez family is excited about the expansion, and what it will mean for the overall business. “We’re going to focus on Victoria and (Port Lavaca). We love this location, they’ve been good to us, the community is great, but we also know that Victoria is going to be amazing,” Christine Nevarez said. “So, we’re going to focus on Victoria, and make sure that we give them the best possible barbecue restaurant they’ve ever had.” | CONT. FROM PG. 25
Twitter: @BbqLavaca COMING SOON: Victoria location in September 2022 IF YOU GO
LAVACA BBQ 532 N. Virginia St, Port Lavaca Thursday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Friday: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., 4 - 8 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Call, 361-894-2333; email, info@lavacabbq.com; Facebook & Instagram, : @mylavacabbq;
The Club at Colony Creek’s Executive Chef Daniel Escalona learned his profession from the dish sink up He thought he wanted to be an electrician. His father was a cabinetmaker for several builders in Victoria and encouraged him to consider a career in the construction industry. He came very close to taking that route, but life had other plans for Daniel Escalona.
27Fall 2022 | Discover361.com STORY BY CATHERINE KOHN | CKOHN@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUY VU | DVU@VICAD.COM
Small kitchen with a Big Heart
Lara, who died in 2021, was a wellknown local chef. Escalona said Lara helped him to learn more than just cooking techniques. He showed him that being a chef also meant being able to communicate and relate to customers.Whenhe was 18, Escalona’s dad essentially told him “to get a real job” he said laughing. So, he left Maggie’s and went to work for a company with his father. However, although the company had an electrical division, they put him on the concrete team. “I didn’t like working outside.” He managed 10 months, but only because he didn’t want to disappoint
| CONT. ON PG. 28
At the age of 16, his mom was working as a server at Maggie’s Meat Market & Restaurant. One Sunday they needed a dishwasher, so he took the job. “I got thrown into the mix. Just a young boy who wanted to make some extra money and not have to be out in the sun.” He washed dishes for about three months. “It was not the most glamorous thing,” Escalona said, “especially on Sundays when we’d have a line out the door waiting to get in.”He said the work was hard, but “it was a fun environment.” After a couple of months, a position opened up in the kitchen and he moved up to fry cook and slowly worked his way over to the prep side of the kitchen. By the time he graduated from high school he could cook a mean steak. While working at Maggie’s, he attended the career development school in Victoria for two years with the intention of becoming an electrician. He said he’d always enjoyed learning and was interested in electronics.ThenChefCharlie Lara came along.
| CONT. FROM PG. 27
Working in a professional kitchen requires a great deal of flexibility and adaptability. Escalona gave the example of his previous week. “We had a Rotary Club in there,” he said, pointing to the ballroom. “Then we had a little book club in our backroom over there.” They also host larger events such as weddings. He said they will often have three different menus going simultaneously. He said one group might be having a buffet with comfort foods such as chicken fried steak and pot roast. Another group might want more elegant dishes such as a pretty spinach salad. Their regular business consists of golfers who’ll want a club sandwich, Philly cheesesteak sandwich or maybe just some fried pickles. At home his favorite activity is something beloved by Texans everywhere – barbecue. “There’s nothing like a brisket.” He said he enjoys the trial and error of using different seasonings and techniques.
The most difficult aspect of his career is time management, he said. “There's so much stuff going on, you know what I mean? There are always so many things going on at the same time – all the time. On any given day we'll have two or three different events going on.”
The next influence in his life was Lillian “Sunshine” Beasley, who died in 2015. “That lady instilled a work ethic in me,” Escalona explained. They both loved cooking and when they would get busy in the kitchen “she would tell me, ‘Eyeballs and common sense. I can’t hold your hand and show you everything. But if you look and learn and see what I’m doing, and follow, you’ll be just fine.’” He said years later his mom ran into Beasley and told her how much she had meant to her son and it brought tears to her eyes. It is people who make the difference, he emphasized. “People like that helped me be where I am today.”Ashe continued his career, he spent time at the Victoria Country Club and then at Sendera Restaurant downtown. Business slowed down at Sendera so Escalona spent a year at the Holiday Inn, which folded after the University of Houston-Victoria bought the property. He said one perk of that job was “it had benefits galore.” He finally arrived at The Club at Colony Creek and began working under Chef Kurt Clements. Escalona said Clements was French trained and an excellent chef. “I learned a lot of stuff from him.” He is now in his 12th yearAfterthere.Escalona had spent two years working with Clements there was a change in the club's ownership. Clements left and the new owners hired Escalona as executive chef. At first, “I was a little intimidated. It’s a big step to take.” It’s been a labor of love ever since.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com28 his father. “I was in the middle of Port Lavaca working on the county jail.” He was not a happy camper to say the least, but fate (and the weather) moves in mysterious ways.
One of the reasons Escalona loves his profession is that “cooking is like the ocean. It's fast. You'll never be able to know everything about it. There’s always something new, the minute you think you got something down, there’s a new technique.”
Escalona said club owners Robby Burdge, Ann Calhoun, Claud Jacobs, and Greg Norgard support their staff unwaveringly. “I've been fortunate to work here. Throughout the COVID-19 shutdowns and slowdowns, “ownership kept us all aboard. We didn't have to fire anybody. We
“We got a bad rainstorm and went two weeks without work,” Escalona said. “I went back to Maggie’s and never looked back.”
29Fall 2022 | Discover361.com THE CLUB AT COLONY CREEK 301 Colony Creek Drive, com.info@theclubatcolonycreek.Call11selectionsfromtoThecomGoVictoria.to:theclubatcolonycreek.formoreinformation.publicisinvitedeachweekSundayBrunchwithruns10a.m.to2p.m.Lunchareavailableaftera.m.361-576-0018oremailIFYOUGOINGREDIENTS: (To make two 9-inch pies) 2 - 9-inch deep dish pie shells 2 cups white sugar 2 cups light corn syrup 8 ¼eggscupmelted sweet cream unsalted butter ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp Malibu coconut rum 3 cups of 2macadamiaroastednutscupsofroasted coconut flakes Optional: Whipped cream and/or pineapple sherbet DIRECTIONS In a large mixing bowl mix the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, melted butter, flour, vanilla extract and rum with a wire whisk until fully blended. Once well-blended, gently fold in the roasted coconut flakes and macadamia nuts and pour into the two 9-inch pie shells. Bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees in the center rack of your preheated oven. Let cool for two hours before serving.Thepie is especially good when served with a dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of pineapple sherbet on the side.
So what does a chef do when he’s home to get away from the hectic pace of the kitchen? For Escalona, it’s yard work. “Sounds crazy. I know,” he said. “But I've always said it's my escape. When I'm out there, weeding my flower bed or watering my flowers or checking my rosemary bush. … nobody goes and bothers me when I'm out in the yard. It's my way to, I guess, clear my mind.”
Escalona emphasized the general public can enjoy the restaurant every Sunday for brunch. “I personally greet everybody as they walk in and I do my best to greet them when they're leaving. It's a family environment.” One of the owners once told him, “We’re not your grandmother's country club,” Escalona said. “We're not a stuffy environment or you know, pinkies in the air. We're more of a working man's country club. It's more of a laid-back atmosphere.”
TOASTED COCONUT & MACADAMIA NUT PIE
didn't have to put any people off to the side. … I am very grateful to the owners for that, and for giving me the opportunity to be where I am today.”
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt 1 1/2 Tbls. of Dutch poppy seeds
1 watermelon radish (optional) 5 cups of mixed salad greens according to preference, such as romaine, arugula, escarole, leaf lettuce etc.
1/8 cup orange juice
INGREDIENTS:
Fall 2022 Discover361.com30
IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PREPARING SALAD: Cut the red onion into quarters, then finely slice two quarters of the red onion. Cut the avocados in half, remove pits, then carefully slice each half into four even pieces.
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Rinse the strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Cut the stems from the strawberries then cut the strawberries into quarters.Peelthe mandarin oranges and separate the pieces.
STRAWBERRYDRESSINGAVOCADO SALAD
A DAY BEFORE: Soak thinly sliced watermelon radish in water and keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours.AN HOUR BEFORE: Slice the red and yellow peppers into very thin long pieces and place in ice water until they curl for about 1 hour.
In a large bowl mix the greens and spinach leaves and add the sliced onion. Place an equal amount of salad greens onto six serving plates. Place strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in small groups around the salad. Add candied walnuts and several mandarin orange slices. Place four slices of avocado on the top of the salad. Place one or two radish slices upright to “frame” the avocado. Shred the Manchengo cheese to taste over the salad. To garnish add swirls of the red and yellow bell peppers on the top. This salad is also good with added grilled chicken or shrimp if desired.
3 ¼2½½½avocadospintstrawberriescupblueberriescupblackberriesmandarinorangesto½cupofcandied walnuts
1 small red bell pepper (for garnish) 1 small yellow bell pepper (for garnish)
1 cup of fresh spinach leaves
PREPARATION:
1/8 cup of dried onions
3 oz. of Manchengo cheese (Spanish cheese made with sheep’s milk)
COLONY CREEK POPPY SEED
DIRECTIONS: In a beverage blender add sugar, white vinegar, dried mustard powder, kosher salt, dried onion and orange juice. Cover with lid and blend together on medium speed. While the ingredients are blending slowly drizzle the vegetable oil through the center of the blender lid. Once the mixture is completely blended it is ready to use.
½ medium red onion
1 tsp. dried mustard powder
3/4 cup of white vinegar
31Fall 2022 | Discover361.com 202212ANNUALTH 3508 Sam Houston Dr - Victoriacrossroadsflooringanddesign.com361-582-4826 We carry Johnny Was, Jon Hart and Tyler. Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 5:30 pm ■ Sat. 10 am - 4 pm We make HAPPY happen! Rendezvous Boutique & Marketplace 1301 N. Esplanade St., Cuero, Texas 77954 (361) 275-5777 202212TH BE CONNECTED EVERYWHERE • Internet • Streaming • Fiber • Phone • IT Solutions (361) 573-1102
Fall 2022 Discover361.com32 Enroll Now CHOOSE VICTORY Pre-K3 - 8th grade OURLADYVICTORY.ORG361.575.5391 Educating Hearts, Minds & Souls for Eternity Fun for the whole family! Exciting new attractions September 9, 2022 - November 27, 2022 Friday 6pm - 10pm | Saturday 10 am - 10pm | Sunday 11 am - 6pm (361) 412-7677 |111 Ripple Rd Victoria, Tx 77905 | www.jwelchfarms.com
Autumn hits everyone differently. Some people set up shop on the couch and never miss a football game. Others are gripped by a fierce hunger for the taste of pumpkin. But for many in the Crossroads, the coming of fall heralds the beginning of hunting Certainlyseason.hogsand a few other animals are fair game year-round. But autumn brings a bevy of new hunting opportunities, and cooling days and nights widen the distinction between deer blind and sauna.|CONT.
ON PG. 34 STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT MACAVOY | KMACAVOY@VICAD.COM A HUNTING WE WILL GO OUTDOORS Above - A massive stuffed moose hangs over a fireplace at Bob Moncrief’s home. Below - Arrows of various lengths are available for customization at STX Archery.
The Benbows put up a high fence around their property north of Victoria 20 years ago. Then they bought some deer to fill it. After about a dozen years, they ramped up their operation.
“He has no idea what a deer is going to score or whatever,” she said. But sometimes a parent will steer a first-time hunter to a trophy deer.“Which actually ruins the kid,” Gary Benbow said. Because what do you hunt after a 60 point buck?
YOAKUM — If there’s one thing every hunting season needs, it’s something to hunt. And while Crossroads hunters may have been taking a break from white-tailed deer, local breeders such as Gary and Emily Benbow at 7F Whitetails don’t take a season off.
A pair of some of the Benbows' first whitetails mounted on their living room wall. An albino fawn, one of eight born this year, takes a snooze.
“Hunting and breeding is a huge industry in Texas,” Emily Benbow said. And while their operation may be small, they breed quality animals.Butthat wasn’t always the plan.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com34 A APARTBREED
Gary Benbow scratches the chin of a bottle-fed white-tailed deer.
“I swore I’d never get into the breeding part,” Gary Benbow said. “But here we are, seven years later.”“We do breed some nontypical stuff,” he said. But now, he’s focused on typical, traditional white-tailed genetics, because that’s what hunters seem most interested in. And the animals they breed draw hunters from near and far. “And they’re return hunters,” Emily Benbow said, explaining they seem drawn to the ranch’s laid back atmosphere.“Alotofhunters we get are kids,” she said. “First time hunts and stuff like that. I enjoy that more than I do somebody who’s just come to kill a big trophy deer.” For her, it’s all about seeing the expression on a kid’s face.
|Moose?CONT. FROM PG. 33
“If you tell us you’re a new shooter, we’ll sit back in the back with you, we’ll work on trying to get your form where it needs to be,” Tipton said. “As long as you can get comfortable with it, you’ll be in there shooting x’s in no time.”
| CONT. ON PG. 36
On top of all that, they said, there’s just something special about hunting with a bow. And they’re keen to share the art of bowhunting with newcomers and veteran archers alike.
STX Archery bow tech Blane Tipton looses an arrow. An array of Mathews brand compound bows hang on display.
Arrows with various fletching colors and styles on the counter of STX Archery. STX Archery employee Cayden McLennan, right, prepares to adjust a customer’s compound bow.
“We’re the only bow shop that is actually a full bow shop, and not a gun shop and a bow shop together,” said bow technician Blane Tipton. The specialization means Tipton and general manager Kyle Markum have the know-how to fit each bow — and arrow — to every customer who comes through.“Sohaving someone that can build your arrows, build your bow, restring your bow — like do the maintenance on it — you have to have a shop to do that,” Markum said.While the startup costs of bowhunting are no joke, Markum and Tipton said the sport quickly becomes more wallet-friendly than hunting with guns — particularly, they said, as ammunition becomes more and more expensive.
35Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
INEZ — If you’re looking to get the most of the hunting season, the bow is the way to go. Whether you’re picking up a compound bow for the first time or you just need a quick tune up, the gents at STX Archery in Inez have Crossroads bowhunters covered.
“You can shoot a dozen arrows,” Tipton said. “If you don’t wreck ‘em, you can have a dozen arrows for five years.”
WHAT’SINYOURQUIVER?
Sometimes, it’s as simple as sending your taxidermist a text to let them know what you’re hunting.
Even when times are lean, Moncrief said hunters are always eager for a tangible reminder of their time spent on the“Mosthunt. of the people who get them mounted want to remember the day. And it’s a memento to remember the day by,” Moncrief said. “Especially when fathers and sons are hunting and the kid kills his first deer, or something like that, that’s always a time when they’re going to hunt for a taxidermist.”Andalittle bit of foresight can make the process less stressful for both the hunter and the taxidermist.
rack of antlers.
finished pieces take
“Well, people have to recreate. And the people that love to hunt are going to hunt,” Moncrief said. “It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally they’re going to get something that they want to have mounted.”
| CONT. FROM PG. 35 21Oct202223
‘STUFF BUDDY!’IT,
Fall 2022 Discover361.com36
scholarships, Cowboy Claus (providing Christmas gifts to local children
of
A menagerie of up half Bob Moncrief’s studio
Moncrief shows a
which
Bob Moncrief describes the multistep process of a
work-in-progress involving two badgers and a rattlesnake.
“I don’t care if it’s a duck or a deer head or a grizzly bear,” he said. “What I want to do is when I get done with it, I want the person that killed it to come in and go ‘oh man, I love it.’ That’s the only thing I care about.”
Moncrief said that while most shop owners covet working on deer heads, everyone is different. And his goal is the same, regardless of the animal.
Yorktown’s Western Days Association is a 501c3 organization. Western Days helps finance the Association’s Wagon Wheel Charities includes in need), supporting the FFA program,
VICTORIA — Bob Moncrief boasts a menagerie to rival most zoos. A lifelong taxidermist, Moncrief began practicing the craft when he was 12-years-old. Now he shares his office with bobcats, badgers, bears and practically every other animal found in North America. The demand for good taxidermy is high.
and, more. ANNUAL64TH YORKTOWN Western Days Sponsors Grand Parade · Carnival Mechanical Bull · Craft & Food Vendors Car Show · Tractor Show · Quilt Show Much More! Fri FANTAZZIA Sat JON WOLFE Sat KELLYRECKLESS Sun MOE BANDY Family Activities: Mutton Bustin’ · Pig Scramble Li’l Wrangler Rodeo · Kids Tractor Pull · More! ADMISSIONFREE
preparing
office at his
in Victoria.
“I would recommend that anybody that’s going to go hunting – particularly if they’re going out on a hunt where they’re looking for a trophy – have a relationship with a taxidermist ahead of time.”
37Fall 2022 | Discover361.com 608 N. MOODY STREET VICTORIA, TX 361.575.788177901 See US Before YoU Hit tHe road
STORY BY ALLISON LACEY PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAYNA WILES IMAGES BY DAYNA MODELS MARK KIMMEY, BRYCE WINTERS FASHION SHOOT LOCATION J WELCH FARMS ALL CLOTHING, ACCESSORIES AND FOOTWEAR PROVIDED BY HIGH-BREHM HATS & WESTERN WEAR BOOTS ANDWine FASHION
FASHION PRESENTED BY
Mark Kimmey wears 7X Silver Belly Rodeo King felt hat, Ariat Aztec print snap shirt, Ariat concho belt, Ariat M4 boot cut jeans, Lucchese full quill ostrich boots. Bryce Winters wears 7X Black Cattleman Stetson hat, Ariat Bronc print shirt, Ariat cowhair and stone belt, Ariat boot cut jeans.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com40
Mark Kimmey wears 7X Black Rodeo King hat, Ariat blue print shirt. Bryce Winters wears Resistol 20X black gold felt hat, Ariat blue plaid shirt, Ariat belt, Ariat M5 jeans.
HATS
Well guys, we have officially survived what I think was one of the most brutal summers I have ever experienced. I think at one point my air conditioner lost all hope and just threw in the towel. I love summer and all that comes with it, but man'am I ready for fall. I have been to a lot of hot places in my life, but nowhere have I experienced the humidity that we have here. It makes it hard to get excited about getting dressed every day. In even the lightest of sun dresses, I know that by the end of the night I’m OFF to fallfashionableattire PRESENTED PG. Mark Kimmey, 7X Rodeo King felt hat, Wrangler red denim pearl snap shirt, Ariat M4 jeans.
FASHION
41Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
44
BY | CONT. ON
Fall 2022 Discover361.com42 MAKE YOUR STORY TEXAS STRONG. 2022 SILVERADO TRAIL BOSS THIS BOLD CHEVY TRUCK IS READY TO TAKE ON SOME TRUE TEXAS FUN. OFFERING A 2-INCH LIFT STRAIGHT FROM THE FACTORY, THE Z71 OFF-ROAD PACKAGE, GOODYEAR WRANGLER DURATRAC® MUD TERRAIN TIRES AND AN AUTOMATIC LOCKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL, IT’S BUILT FOR ADVENTURE JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE. ARE YOU READY?
43Fall 2022 | Discover361.com SERVING THE CROSSROADS AREA SINCE 1926! 3211 N. NAVARRO ST (361) AtzenhofferGM.com578-0181
Fall 2022 Discover361.com44
Bryce Winters wears Ariat turquoise plaid shirt, Nocona studded belt, Ariat boot cut jean.
| CONT.
FASHION PRESENTED BY going to be a sweaty mess. With cooler temperatures come more fashion options. For me, this means I can start (slowly) bringing back my favorite jeans and sweaters. If boots and hats are your thing, there is no better place to go than High Brehm Hats and Western Wear. High Brehm has been a staple in Victoria for more than 50 years. They are a true-blue family-owned local business with a fascinating history.After doing a little digging, I learned that V.R. High started in the hat business in 1902 in Dallas. His son, Roy High, later stepped into the hat business in 1945 and opened High Hatters in Alice. In 1953, Roy partnered with his brother-in-law, Buddy Brehm, to start what we know as High Brehm. Kelly High bought the business from his father in 1986. FROM PG.41 | CONT. ON PG. 47
Mark Kimmey wears Silver Belly felt hat, Ariat navy cactus shirt, Tony Lama concho belt, Ariat M4 boot cut jeans.
45Fall 2022 | Discover361.com Bryce Winters wears Ariat blue floral shirt, Nocona ostrich concho belt, Ariat M5 jeans.
Bryce Winters wears 20X Resistol black gold felt hat, Cinch plaid shirt, Ariat cowhair belt, Ariat M5 straight leg jeans, Tony Lama sea bass boots. Mark Kimmey wears Resistol 6X black CoJo hat, Cinch red plaid shirt.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com46
STAY CONNECTED Like, subscribe, and SHARE for
I knew High Brehm had been around as long as I could remember, but I had no idea about its origins. To my knowledge, there are only a handful of local businesses that date back to the early 1900s. Hats off to these guys. If you are thinking they are all boots and hats you would be wrong. Although they call themselves the “Work Boot Headquarters,” they also carry Western clothing and accessories for men, women and children. They have everything from purses to pajamas, from deck shoes to jewelry. And if cheetah print is your thing, they have you covered.
content! FOLLOW FGG ONLINE: Email:Youtube:facebook.com/FGGTLinstagram.com/fashionable_girls_guideFashionableGirlsGuidetoLifefashionablegirlsguide@yahoo.com
47Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
Bryce Winters wears 7X black Rodeo King felt hat, Ariat purple plaid shirt, Ariat cowhair and stone belt, Ariat M5 jeans, Tony Lama Sea Bass boots. Mark Kimmey wears Resistol black CoJo 6X hat, Cinch red plaid shirt, Nocona hand-tooled belt, Ariat M4 jeans, R. cowhideWatsonboots.
| CONT.
So, after you stop in for some new duds, where are you going to go? There are lots of options around town these days, but I think fall is the perfect time for wineries. Actually, there is never a bad time to go to a winery. Luckily for us, J Welch Farms is right up the road. Located on 40 acres just outside of town, the Winery at J Welch Farms is another locallyowned treasure. As part of a larger 120-acre farm, the winery offers tastings of both wine and olive oil. They have an outdoor pavilion with live music every Friday and Saturday night where you can snack on gourmet charcuterie boards or pizza. Their wines and craft beers are Texas made. Also, if you are looking for something to do with the kids, J Welch Farms offers a corn maze from mid-September throughSittingThanksgiving.outsideenjoying a nice glass of wine as a cool evening breeze floats by is about as good as it gets. At the end of the day, fall fashion is all about rich colors, bold patterns and celebrating the fact that we are past endless days of 100 degree heat. It is about finally being able to express yourself through what you wear without worrying you will sweat through your clothes 30 seconds after you step out the door. The air feels lighter and everyone’s mood seems to lift just a little. Maybe this year try out a new style. You never know. Cowboy boots might just be your thang.
FASHION PRESENTED BY FROM PG. 44 more FGG
Fall 2022 Discover361.com48 126 N Courthouse Square, Goliad Tx, WellnessGiftsBody/Mind/Spirit77963-Jewelry-BooksYoga&MassageClasses&Workshops KnoxRobertMeet Robert S. Knox, Agent 422 N Virginia Street Port Lavaca, TX 77979 Bus: robert@robertknoxagent.com361-552-4689 For the family you’d do anything for, life insurance could mean everything. I can help you find easy, affordable ways to protect their future. Call me today. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. ® 2025 State Highway 35 N Port Lavaca, Texas 77979 Office: 361-552-6313 Cell: 361-920-6313 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. With unparalleled industry knowledge, experience, and local expertise, we are the Port Lavaca, TX Real Estate experts you’ve been looking for. Commercial ResidentialWaterfront www.russellcain.com 361-920-2005
49Fall 2022 | Discover361.com 125 E. Church Street Cuero, Texas Schedule a 361-243-1015walk-through: thevenueonchurchstreet.com Located in downtown Cuero, The Venue on Church Street is perfect for all types of weddings and events Visit us to see why we are the perfect canvas for your special occasion Sales,Service,AndPartsWithHeartWithHeart 4702 N Navarro St, Victoria 361-572-8425 | victorybuickgmc.com EL CAMPO 907 S. WHARTON ST. 979-543-7756 EAGLE LAKE 201 HWY 3013 979-234-2191E. EDNA 1116 S. WELLS 361-782-5051ST. DANEVANG 11338 S. HWY 979-543-672371 WWW.UNITEDAG.NET WESTERN WEAR ANIMAL HEALTH AG PARTS & HARDWARE LAWN & FENCINGGARDEN&WILDLIFEHIGHCALIBERDEER CORN PURINA BULK & LIQUID FEED
HEALTH & BEAUTY ARTISTRY in Discover361.com
Microblading sculpts a perfect eyebrow STORY
51Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
NAZARETH ACADEMY school 206 W. Convent 361-573-6651 NazarethAcademy.org
| CCOFIELD@VICAD.COM | CONT. ON PG. 52
| TDIAZ@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Grades: PK3 - 8th grade Call for more information The Nazareth Academy experience provides children with a well-rounded education, solid in academics and values, in a safe, environment.nurturing 202212
Congratulations to Allison Arceo Best Teacher BY TAMARA DIAZ CHASE COFIELD
She sees clients from all over the
Victoria makeup artist Jessika Rinehart knows how to tame them, create them, and make them look fresh, real, and sculpted. She is a masterMicrobladingmicroblader.isa process by which a skilled makeup artist makes hundreds of tiny incisions on a client’s brow lines, injects pigment into the little lacerations, and creates a remarkable illusion of perfectly sculpted natural eyebrows.
The likeness of a sculpted eyebrow lasts about 12 months, Rinehart said. Clients will need a single touch-up within that year. “It is not permanent like a traditional tattoo,” Rinehart said. “It sits superficially in the skin and that’s why you need the touchup.”
|
|
The artist wears a ring, shaped like a little cup, which holds the pigment. As the artist slices the client’s numbed skin, she dips the blade into the pigment cup and tattoos the color into the skin, perfectly mimicking eyebrow hair, explained Rinehart.
The cutting and coloring process begins after the mapping is finished. The blade is made up of multiple needles arranged in a row of up to 21 needles, Marwah wrote.
Rinehart owns Plum Crazy Makeup and Microblading, 4104 Houston Highway, and her skills are in high demand.
catholic
First, the artist has to map a client’s eyebrows, taking meticulous measurements to ensure that symmetry – a standard of beauty – is achieved in the microblading process.Theeyebrow consists of four parts: the head, body, arch and tail. Each person, depending on gender, age, and even ethnicity, has a different facial structure and is mapped accordingly, wrote Manjot Kaur Marwah in the 2021 report, “Microblading and the Science Behind it.”
The average person has an incredible 250 hairs in each of their eyebrows, but some people have no eyebrows, or eyebrows too light to be seen.
She microblades on average two clients a day, and the waitlist for her services is about three months long. She charges $300 for the service.
Rinehart started applying makeup for weddings and other events, but transitioned to microblading about five years ago when the art form gained popularity in the United States, she said. Besides clients who come in for purely cosmetic reasons, Rinehart does the procedure on clients with alopecia. Alopecia is a disease that develops when the body attacks its own hair follicles, which can cause hair loss anywhere, according to the American Academy of DermatologyMicrobladingAssociation.tookshape in Asia about 25 years ago, Rinehart said. It started in Vietnam and gained immense popularity in Japan before crossing the Pacific to take hold in the United States. Rinehart also teaches other artists how to microblade. She teaches a class every three months, usually of about four to six students. The three-day course costs each student $3,500, which themselves-JessikaRinehart
| CONT. FROM PG. 51 I like WOMENEMPOWERING by making them FEEL GOOD about
Rinehart puts on the finishing touches.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com52 Crossroads, as well as from other parts of Texas and even from other states. She mentioned one client who moved to Utah but still flies down to have Rinehart microblade her brows.
Jessika Rinehart microblades at her business Plum Crazy Microblading and Makeup.
53Fall 2022 | Discover361.com YOUR VIEW OF THE CROSSROADS OUTDOOR LIFE • FALL 2021 INSIDE PEOPLE MAKING A DIFFERENCE GARY MOSES
While the experience upset Rinehart, she bounced back in high fashion, meticulously teaching herself to microblade and then becoming a high-demand microblade artist. The experience also motivated her to teach so highly trained microblading artists would be available in the Crossroads. She pointed out microblading does not require any particular training for certification, and anyone with the certification can make a lot of money. The result is a lot of unskilled microbladers trying to cash in, she said.Marwah wrote, “But with the rise in popularity of microblading, there is also a rise of untrained professionals performing it, leading to a rise in its sideTheeffects.”procedure does involve cutting the client repeatedly, after all. The risk of infection looms large, unless the artist is skilled and knowledgeable like Rinehart.Hermotivation to excel at her art comes from a sincere altruism.
“I have always been very passionate about the beauty industry,” Rinehart said. “I like empowering women by making them feel good about themselves.”
We are honored to have been awarded Second Place, Best Magazine, in the 2020-2021 Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
Thank you to our readers, contributors and advertisers for your continued support includes $1,500 worth of microblading supplies.Rinehart decided to teach the art to other students after she was scammed out of $2,500 a few years ago. She paid that amount to a woman in San Antonio for a microblading class. The woman, she said, took her money and taught her nothing. That woman is out of business now, Rinehart said.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com54 DAY TRIP STORY BY CATHERINE KOHN | CKOHN@VICAD.COM PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT MACAVOY | KMACAVOY@VICAD.COM From the brewery to its bars, shops and restaurants, Shiner radiates friendliness and fun TEXAS-SIZED Shiner is a surprising little town wrapped around railroad tracks with an economy wrapped around its brewery. It’s worth a trip, if only for the brewery, but there’s more. THE SPOETZL BREWERY If able, go on a weekday. It is the best time to experience a tour at Spoetzl Brewery as that’s when all the machinery is going, however, a weekend tour is still quite fascinating. The grounds are spacious and inviting and the brewery feels like stepping back in time into an old mission, at least if you ignore the machinery for brewing.Thetours are reasonably priced and include some swag. The basic tour costs $20 a person for guests SHINER MAY BE SMALL, BUT ITS HEART IS
55Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
| CONT. ON PG. 56
over 21. Under 21 is $10. Although the swag can vary, we each received a bag with a very nice Shiner beer glass. Mine is now decorating my kitchen. Included are tokens for free Shiner beer at a bar that’s set up to offer a chance to test several unique varieties.At$50 per guest, visitors receive a Shiner cooler bag with complimentary cans or bottles of Shiner beer as well as the free token pours from the bar. If you need more, the gift shop is filled with Shiner emblazoned items of every imaginable kind for every member of the family. The tour is highly professional and provides a great history lesson of the brewery, its founder and the town. Although the tour lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, allow another hour or so to enjoy the grounds, the bar and the gift shop. There are films at different spots on the tour that are well-done and entertaining. Visitors learn that in the early 19th century there was a great wave of immigrants from Europe. A sizable number of those immigrants came from Germany and Czechoslovakia and settled in South Texas, including Shiner, which had something special – artesian water. In 1909 the residents of Shiner formed The Shiner Brewing Association to take advantage of the water. The association hired Kosmos Spoetzl, a brewmaster from Germany, who took the long way to Shiner, via Cairo, Canada, San Francisco and San Antonio. He ended up leasing the brewery from the association and eventually bought it outright in 1915 and gave the brewery his name. He is a singular character, and the brewery tells tales of his exploits, including his arrest during prohibition. The spectacular looking copper and stainless-steel kettles and huge rooms of equipment that move, bottle and crate the products are impressive. Their lab is surrounded by glass so you can watch the process of testing to ensure a safe product. Each step of the tour gives the visitor a better idea of the complexity, creativity and craft involved in the creation of Shiner beers. The brewery’s rich history has imbued the place with a sense of pride that is evident throughout the tour.
The Shiner brewery floor. A statue of Kosmos Spoetzl, the first brewmaster. The basic components for brewing beer
A medley of Shiner beers on display at Antiques, Art & Beer. Antiques, Art & Beer offers an eclectic mix of objects d’art and uncommon beers off Shiner’s Avenue E. Onion rings.
Getting hungry after your tour? Head over to the Shiner Diner on North Avenue E., a converted garage/ gas station that retains its enormous windows and features two Sinclair gas pumps with their signature dinosaurs outThisfront.place has high ceilings, lots of brick mixed with wood and a truly industrial, yet weirdly old-timey atmosphere. The large awnings across the windows prevent the inside from getting too much sun. It’s a bit noisy because of the high ceilings, but it gives off a lively and friendly vibe.
| FROM PG. 55
A fried-chicken sandwich piled high with coleslaw and a side of french fries at the Shiner Diner.
Buffalo chicken deviled eggs. Homemade fudge is among the many things available at Antiques, Art & Beer.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com56
SHINER DINER
CONT.
The menu is substantial and combines classic comfort foods with some unique offerings. Appetizers include Southern favorites such as fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese. But you’ll also find things like the buffalo chicken deviled eggs, pineapple Habanero wings or fried asparagus. There is something for everyone with salads, stew, soups, a wide variety of sandwiches from simple grilled cheese to the “Joey Tribiani” with salami, capocollo, turkey, Swiss cheese, pesto mustard and pepperoncinis. You’ll also find steak, shrimp, pasta and fish. The “Mile High Onion Rings” were actually piled amazingly high and perfectly cooked, crisp and delicious. Great for sharing. The buffalo chicken deviled eggs are a must. We also ordered the open-faced roast beef sandwich on Texas toast with homemade mashed potatoes. You might need a nap after that one. The fried chicken sandwich on a brioche bun is smothered in coleslaw and flavored with sweet chili sauce and comes with a generous order of fries. It will fill up even the biggest appetite. Be prepared to take some food home.
ANTIQUES, ART & BEER After filling up at the Shiner Diner head down the street for some shopping. If you love quirky historic shops that are a topsy-turvy treasure trove of cool antiques and memorabilia look no further than Antiques, Art & Beer at 720 N. Ave. E. And while you are inside pick up some homemade fudge to go with your Shiner beer. It is absolutely delicious. This narrow shop stretches back
The seating area in the center of the shop is as colorful and creative as the rest of the store. I particularly loved the elaborately embroidered chair featuring the image of artist
Racks are color coordinated and the displays are eclectic and engaging. Everywhere you look there is something interesting to catch the eye from a very stylish poodle rocking everything pink to the head of a steer on the wall with purple flowers for eyes and sparkling blue glass covering its head. Mexican culture has had a field day in this wonderful shop. Step through a connecting door and the adventure continues with a coffee shop in the rear offering cappuccino, espresso, lattes, Frappuccinos, smoothies, teas, and, of course, regular coffee. They even have a “Kids Frap.”
| CONT. ON PG. 59
A floral print dress.
The menu at B’Marie Boutique & Coffee Bar
57Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
to reveal layers upon layers of stuff, otherwise known as collectibles: lamps, art, photos, containers, clocks, glassware, beer bottles, baskets, bags, jewelry, candles, soaps, mugs, plates, pots, signs, paintings, antique toys and dolls, jams, and a whole lot more.These are true collectibles for the most part – those odd, quirky, fun items that many of us love to fill shelves and desks with. I was drawn to a collection of Tiffany lamps, as there were several beautiful ones. But there’s more. It’s also a small bar with comfy bar stools for chatting with friends. The shop offers hundreds of different kinds of beer and wine. Plus, complimentary peanuts and popcorn.Takeyour time wandering around this shop, there’s a lot to see and you’ll find friendly conversation while you’reTherethere.isan authenticity to Antiques, Art & Beer that is rare. It feels rooted in the town and its history.
Earrings on display inside B’Marie Boutique & Coffee Bar.
B’Marie Boutique & Coffee Bar offers a range of fashionable items. An array of old tap handles on display.
Antiques, Art & Beer offers a diverse collection of Shiner beers.
Across the street and you will find B’Marie Boutique and Coffee Bar at 709 N. Ave. E. This shop is packed with comfortable, unique and trendy women’s clothing, shoes, boots, purses, jewelry, gifts and accessories.
B’MARIE BOUTIQUE AND COFFEE BAR
Cards identify the ice cream flavors at Shiner Farmhouse Creamery.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com58
Taxidermied animals line the walls and ceiling of the Palace Saloon.
Mike Hooper sells succulents in mugs and other flora.
Single scoops of Strawberry Shortcake, left, and Campfire Treat, right, ice creams from the Shiner Farmhouse Creamery. Vendor tents fill Shiner’s Seventh Street during the town’s Market Day.
Mike Hooper, of Victoria, shows a terrarium on Market Day.
Fine bourbons at the Palace Saloon in Shiner.
SHINER MARKET DAYS AND THE PALACE SALOON
Frida Kahlo, who was obviously a
A taxidermied steer bucks above the bar in the Palace Saloon.
big inspiration throughout the shop.
If any place exudes a hometown atmosphere, it's Shiner. Check the town’s calendar because Shiner loves to hold festivals and celebrations and there are many throughout the year. Just don’t drive too fast, or you might miss it. FROM PG. 57
dancing. It’s generally open from 3 p.m. to midnight Thursdays through Saturdays. Inside is a gorgeous bar of carved wood that will make you feel like you’re on a movie set. Everywhere is a plethora of taxidermied animals of every type. Who needs a natural history museum? Glass cases are full of historical items such as old weapons, documents and pamphlets. The atmosphere is Texas-sized, friendly and fun. The outdoor market along East Seventh Street is host to vendors of all types from across the Crossroads, each selling a bit of everything from plants to leather goods, from handmade jewelry to arts and crafts. You might also find a petting zoo or water inflatable for the kids. Dessert contests, such as the cobbler contest held inside the Palace Saloon in June, are a staple event. The lucky winner’s “Easy Peach Cobbler'' resulted in a $200 cash prize. The judges did a lot of tasting of the 16 entries. Tough gig, but somebody’s gotta do it. Residents and visitors sit along the sidewalk shooting the breeze together. Many bring lawn chairs to relax and enjoy the music or wander through the many vendors set up along the street. There are a lot of smiles, a lot of laughter, and a lot of beer drinking.
SHINER CREAMERYFARMHOUSE
| CONT.
On the third Saturday of the month outside Shiner’s historic Green Building of 1911 on West Seventh Street, now the location of nightbarvendorsholdscalledrestaurant/bar/entertainmentthevenuethePalaceSaloon,thetownanoutsidemarketwithstreetandlivemusic.ThePalaceSaloonisauniqueandrestaurantthat’smainlyavenuewithlivemusicand
When it’s hot outside (and even when it’s not) ice cream is always a welcome treat. Shiner Farmhouse Creamery is small but delightful. The strawberry shortcake ice cream was delicious and refreshing. There are café-style seats inside and along the sidewalk to relax and enjoy your treats. Some of the other ice cream selections were Campfire Treat (think s’mores), Rainbow Road, Belgian Chocolate, Brittany’s Parade, and an American as the Flag. Prices are reasonable with the large containers (four scoops) $5.25; medium (three scoops) $4; and a single scoop for $2.75.This pretty shop also offers premade lunch and snack items, juices and other drinks, candy on a stick, small gift items (including Boot Cream nicely packaged, this is Texas after all), jars of honey, candies in jars, and baked goods.
59Fall 2022 | Discover361.com Open M-F 10:00am - 5:30 pm Sat 10:00 am - 3:00 Groomingbethuneandsonvtx.compm(361)579-7328•Gifts•BooksLoungewear•Casual Shop Local YOU MAY TEXIANBOOKS.COMONLINESHOPAT 201 South Main Street Victoria, TX 77901 Loungewear • Casual Custom Shirts and Suits for Men Happy Holidays from Shop Local This Christmas Grooming • Gifts • Books Loungewear • Casual Men's Clothing • Suits
61Fall 2022 | Discover361.com NOW HIRING KASPARCOMPANIES.COM/CAREERS 317 N Avenue E Shiner, TX 77984 (361) 594-2928 Monday 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM Tuesday - Sunday 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM (361) 594-2172 813 E. 16th St. - PO Box 932 Shiner, TX info@maekerssausage.comwww.maekerssausage.com77984Maeker’sSausage&Processing@maekerssausage Real TEXAS SAUSAGE
Fall 2022 Discover361.com62
This year’s main event is a free 75th Anniversary Concert on Oct. 1 at DeLeon Plaza.
CULTURE & EVENTS
Victoria Fine Arts Association giving back to the community with free concert CATHERINE KOHN | CKOHN@VICAD.COM
Because the association has a long history of bringing big names in music to Victoria to perform, Faskas said they “wanted to look at our history and bring someone who would be respectful of that level of excellence, but also offer a diversity that represented Victoria.” Their choice was a group from
Austin called Brownout. This ninepiece band was formed 16 years ago by members from Grupo Fantasma, a Grammy award winning revival orchestra.Thegroup has performed at numerous events throughout Texas and the U.S., including Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival; High Sierra Music Festival, Pickathon, FFFFest, Bear Creek Music Festival, Utopia Festival and Pachango Fest.
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY VICTORIA FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC EXCELLENCE
“They're a nationally recognized funk and jazz band,” Faskas said. “I mean, I'm talking very, very high level.”Faskas explained the group’s broad musical appeal is based on a combination of influences. “It is still a Latin funk band, but it's got more, I would say, rock influences. It's going to be appealing if you enjoy jazz, as it's got a top-level horn section. If you enjoy Latin music, it's going to have that influence. …and if you enjoy just really good rock music, you're gonna love it.”
YEARS75
This is an important year for the Victoria Fine Arts Association as it is “celebrating 75 years of bringing excellent music to Victoria,” said David Faskas, president of the board of directors.
STORY BY
and enjoy – whether you're
Brownout won three Austin Music Awards and has backed artists such as Prince, Daniel Johnston, GZA and Bernie Worrell. In 2014 the group had a national hit with their Black Sabbath inspired album, “Brownout Present BrownFaskasSabbath.”saidthe album is of a heavy instrumental take on Black Sabbath with horn sections and great guitar and vocals. It highlights orchestral arrangements.In2018theband partnered with hip-hop label Fat Beats and released an album described as “psychedelic funk interpretations of Public Enemy classics.” Their most recent album in 2020 featured original works by the band. The album, “Berlin Sessions” was produced by Steve Berlin, former member of Los Lobos’ and noted saxophonist and keyboardist. The Berlin album is described as a “multitude of styles.” community has supported us for 75 years, we wanted to give back something for free that anyone could come young something 361-894-4159 Lova
“Our
or old …it's
• 2001
for Public Invited and Welcomed VFW Post 4146 •
Lane • Victoria, TX 77901 Come on down every Wednesday from 5-8pm for the Best Burger in town! You be the judge! It’s Hump Day, Come on down and grab a burger!
63Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
“I wanted to create more than just a film festival,” she said. “It’s also a jumping off point to make a filmfriendly city. We’re doing the arts and entertainment district. It would be great to have someone willing to move their filming studio here. So, all of this is opening doors and avenues for our city to become known on a world-wide platform.”
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CATHERINE KOHN | CKOHN@VICAD.COM is Karissa Winters' mantra ‘LET’SDO IT’
The buzz about the festival is growing quickly. Variety magazine is now attached to the film festival “which is huge because that’s worldwide exposure for our city and what’s going on,” Winters said. She explained that Victoria has long been known as “the Crossroads” and a place that’s great because of the big cities that are all about two hours away. “I want to flip the script –change the narrative.” Her vision is that Victoria becomes “a crossroads where people come in” not go out. The population in those larger cities surrounding Victoria becomes an advantage because Victoria is not a hard destination to reach. “People can get in their car and drive. We're accessible. They don't have to buy a plane ticket if they live around the area. So that's really nice,”she said.
Winters said the festival will celebrate and promote “the influences of American and Latin American culture upon one another by highlighting, honoring and juxtaposing both cultures, films, filmmakers and creatives.” The goal is to create new opportunities for upand-coming artists.
Fall 2022 Discover361.com64
“I'm hoping that this festival is going to create something big and entertaining and fun. And get those people coming into our city – getting our city known because our city's amazing. But people aren't going to know what they don't know,” she emphasized.
“One of my superpowers is I'm really good at knowing how to get experts and knowing how to get the correct people in the correct roles, so things can run seamlessly, and everything goes well. So, I'm really good at delegating tasks,” she said.
Viva Texas Film Festival is not just a business enterprise but a mission for Karissa Winters.
Winters is well-known in the Victoria community as someone who knows how to get things done. She is high energy and maintains an incredibly positive and upbeat attitude toward her goals and how to meet them.
High hopes to build a future with upcoming Viva Texas Film Festival
I'm hoping that this festival is going to
The three-day film festival begins on Sept. 16, “because that's Mexican Independence Day. It goes along with our platform that we want to highlight Spanish speaking filmmakers, as well as film and actors and actresses, because that is something that is heavily underutilized in the film festival world. And we have so much of that heritage in our community, we need to celebrate that,” Winters said.
“They bring their years of experience, knowledge and their connections in that world,” Winters explained. Through these experienced producers Winters expects to draw a wide variety of good films.
Winters said that’s just how her brain works. She’s always asking herself, “Well, why not? Why not us?” She said after her brain processes all the reasons why something will or won’t work, she usually ends up with, “Let's do it. Let's go. Let's make it amazing.”
Winters wants the festival to be a “catalyst that opens doors to making this a film friendly city” and have people open their film studios here. “I want to create better jobs… I look around our town, I'm like, ‘Ooh, you could shoot a great movie there.’ I see, you know, Hallmark in our downtown. I'm like, ‘we can have Christmas in the square!’ You know, my cousin lives in Covington, Georgia and their square almost looks like Christmas all year round, because they shoot so many Hallmark movies there and different shows. And I thought, ‘why can't that be Victoria?’”
Winters and her business partner Claire Santellana, who owns Crossroads Art House with her husband, Joshua, have been working with experts in the film industry to stay on task and on target. Assistance and advice is coming from producer Steve Prince who “knows the film world very well and has a lot of connections” and Michael Dunaway who has been extensively involved in the film festival world including as creative director of the highly-regarded Sarasota Film Festival.“They’re experts at this. They know how to make it first year out of the gates,” Winters said, adding the city is on board and understands the importance of the project.
SOMETHINGCREATEBIG and ENTERTAINING and FUN - Karissa Winters
65Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
STORY BY CATHERINE KOHN | CKOHN@VICAD.COM CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS BY KEVIN PAK VIVA TEXAS FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF 'Americana' Discover361.com
“As a photographer, I do a lot of fine art where I go out and shoot on old vintage cameras on film and sell them. I have a bunch of upcoming shows. But my dream and passion has always been to make movies. And so, I spent about two years researching everything for this movie called 'Americana.' And once I had a good story, I wanted to make the short film to get things in place, so I can make the feature film.”
67Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
| CONT. ON PG. 69
His 10 years of experience with photography has given him useful expertise with cameras and lenses.
He has more movies planned after that becomes a reality. “We're gonna do a romantic comedy, after that about a cowboy, and then we have a psychological thriller, then we have a horror film. And then there's a motorcycle road trip movie.”
One of the short films slated for the Viva Texas Film Festival will be a world premiere by filmmaker Joshua Schultz called 'Americana.' The film is in postproduction.Schultzdescribes his film as “a neoWestern” that is structured like a TV pilot. He is writer, director and lead actor. “I play this military vet who lives in the desert. I think my daughter’s dead.” His co-star plays an indigenous young woman on a reservation who works as a social“Myworker.character rides a Harley instead of a horse.” Schultz said to imagine the television shows "Yellowstone" and "Sons of Anarchy" blended together. The plot twist involves sex trafficking. Schultz said they introduce the characters and end on a cliffhanger because the goal is to develop a feature length film. A number of celebrities from the entertainment industry “really believed in the project” and volunteered their talents to become a part of it.So how did he happen to connect with Karissa Winters?
“I can look at a scene and I know how I
Shultz, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, considers himself an artist, first and foremost. “I got into photography about 10 years ago and shot a few hundred celebrities for different magazines - Rolling Stone - a lot of the big bands, actors, and then I got into music video directing and had a lot of success there. I had seven music videos go No. 1 trending in the world.”
“We have a friend in common, … she messaged me over Instagram and then we started chatting. She's very good with communication,” he said with a laugh. “She gets things done.”
Fall 2022 Discover361.com68 My character rides a Harley instead of a horse - Joshua Schultz
69Discover361.com www.kliemlaw.com 5606 N. Navarro, Suite 209 Victoria, TX 77904 202212 • Estate Planning and Probate • Business Law • Real EstateAnd more can manipulate my audience just by the lens and the light that I'm using, in the color tones,” he explained. “There are so many nuanced details that go into storytelling. …I kind of wanted to learn all the tasks before getting into it. And I want to make movies that are gritty and real and move you. Stories that you don't just watch once. I want to make classic movies that you go back and watch, again, 10 years from now, and they're stillThegreat.”music was written |Mountain."Original1978.composingalbumshundredslong.accomplishmentsDavidcomposer/arranger/conductorbyCampbell,whoselistofcareerisexceptionallyCampbellhasworkedonofgoldandplatinumbymajorartistsaswellasformajorfilmssinceHewonanOscarforBestScoreforthefilm"Brokeback“WeassembledthisincredibleCONT.FROMPG.67|CONT.ONPG.71 I can look at a scene and I know how I CAN MANIPULATE my AUDIENCE JUST BY the LENS and the LIGHT that I'm using, in the color tones - Joshua Schultz
Discover361.com
•
• RICH PAUL (Derrick) is an actor and producer with the 2014 movie "Godzilla" to his credits.
SINGER/SONGWRITER AND ACTRESS HALEY REINHART (Sis) made it into the top three on season 10 of "American Idol."
Bugmobiles. We
KRISTINA WAYBORN (Donna) is a Swedish actress and former Bond girl in the movie "Octopussy." She has performed in many major American television series.
termites
Feeling like a notnumber,aperson? www.bugmobiles.com | 2304 E Mockingbird Ln, Victoria, TX 77904 | (361) 575-6401 Residential Pest Control You and your family deserve only the best that life has to offer. We protect thousands of residential homes from some of the country’s biggest pest threats. Commercial Pest Control Your business makes an impact in the lives of others. We’re here to help you serve them better by providing the best treatment plan that fits your business and industry.
• ANDREW W. WALKER (Tim) is known for "Steel Toes," "The Torturer" and "Are You Afraid of the Dark? "
• CAITLIN O’CONNOR (Receptionist) is an experienced actress and television host. She hosts the World MMA Awards in Las Vegas each year and has appeared in shows such as "Two and a Half Men," "Ray Donovan," and "Key & Peele."
•
ZACH SUDFIELD (Jason) is a former football tight end with the New England Patriots. This is his first film. He is also Schultz’ business partner.
Termite Control A termite infestation is best left to the professionals at have the tools and knowledge to create an effective plan and get rid of the quickly.
• ANDY BIERSACK (Jerry), is a singer/songwriter/actor. He performs in the rock band Black Veil Brides.
Family Owned and Operated since 1954 team to make this high-quality film,” Schultz said proudly. The cast includes both experienced actors and relative newcomers to film.
•
| CONT. FROM PG. 69
•
TRAVIS MILLS (Callab) is an actor and composer who picked up a 2012 MTV Woodie Award for Best New Artist.
• RUBY MODINE (Lily-Rose), daughter of actor Matthew Modine, is best known for performances in "Shameless" and the "Happy Death Day" franchise.
REYNEED PEDRO (June) is a young actor known for her performances in "Keepsake," "The Grime" and "How to Spell Revenge."
•
• TY QUIAMBOA (Ty) is an actor known for "Inhumans," "Hawaii Five-O" and "Beyond Paranormal."
Fall 2022 Discover361.com72 3802 Navarro • Victoria, TX 361-572-3369 2807 N. John Stockhauer • Victoria, TX 361-579-9929 1401 N. Virginia • Port Lavaca, TX 361-552-7476 In Touch with You® Your Community Credit Union. Equal Opportunity Lender Join Our Family . . .and enjoy full service, PLUS! FEDERALCAL-COMCREDITwww.calcomfcu.comUNION Savings IRA’sMoneyCertificateCheckingAccountsAccountsAccountsMarketAccounts Club MemberElectronicInternetAccountsBankingBillPayTelephone Service Vehicle Loans RV MotorcycleLoans Loans Boat HomePersonalLoansLoansMorgage Loans MoneyTraveler’sPayrollDirectVisa/MasterCardDepositDeductionChecksOrders Debit/ATM Cards Notary WireWesternServiceUnionTransferandsomuch more! Here are just a few of our products and services. Labor Day Weekend in Port Lavaca flipflopfest.com Bayfront Peninsula Park • Saturday, Sept. 3 Also performing: • SandwichesDelicious • Casseroles • Salads • Soups • Sweet Treats • Coffee Specialty& Drinks • PecansSeasonedFreshly • Gourmet Casseroles-To-Go • Cakes • Cookies • Pies • Pecan Oil • Gift Baskets • Local Jams Est. 1965 C U E R O Est. 1965 C U E R O And Much More! 104 W. South Railraod • Cuero • 361-275-5632 • M-F 8am-4pm www.CueroPecanHouse.com
73Fall 2022 | Discover361.com OUT and ABOUT WITH TONY VASQUEZ SEE WHO WAS OUT AND ABOUT AT : • Theatre Victoria presents ‘Wizard of Oz’ • Five Points Museum of Contemporary Art's opening reception of Mel Chin's Wake exhibit • CASA Tropical Paradise Fashion Show • ISMLESSNESS exhibit at the Nave Museum text • Downtown Victoria Art Walk • Independence Eve Street Dance Photo by Danny Vivian Theatre Victoria Presents ‘Wizard of Oz’ LEO J. WELDER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS JULY 2022 Tom Schilb, Scarecrow; Henry Emiliano, Tinman; Emma Rose, Cowardly Lion; and Audrey Cook. Dorothy Gale Felicia Boyd, The Wicked Witch of the West Olivia Mahan, Glinda the Good Witch of the North
Fall 2022 Discover361.com74 Madeline and Nathan Williams Opening Reception of Mel Chin's ‘Wake’ exhibit FIVE POINTS MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART | MAY 2022 LuAnn O'Connor and Erica Briggs Buck Moore Paisley Humpert and Kelly Pierce Penny Pavlica
Nikira Sanchez and
75Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
Karissa Winters, Gary Moses, and Allison Lacey
Tim Hornback, Nic Solis, Cat Jones,
Amanda Collins, and
Marco Porras Tony Vasquez and Zach Wendel
Gabriela Benoit and Carolina Astrain
Ian Pavlica
CASA Tropical Paradise Fashion Show SPRING CREEK PLACE EVENT CENTER JUNE 2022
Hilary andRossConradandKofron,Rodriguez,SarahYoung
Fall 2022 Discover361.com76
and
Laura Clint
Kendall Lauren Kaffie, Vince Martinez, Nathan Rodriguez, and Natasha Rueff Opening night of the ‘ISMLESSNESS’ exhibit NAVE MUSEUM | JUNE 2022
Jerra Lee
Buddy and
77Fall 2022 | Discover361.com Art Walk DOWNTOWN VICTORIA JUNE 2022 Timmy Windoskey Toni Ross, The Salty SelkieChristoper Gamblin, Christopher’s Kreations Rachel Hansem, Sunshine’s Shiny Things and Elaine Plummer, Honey’s Creations Cindy Tharp
Pavliska and Beau Buchholz Lupe Escojido and Gen Robles Magdalena and Cliff Kuykendall
Albrecht and Hillary Cisneros
and
Corey
Fall 2022 Discover361.com78
Katherine
Dale Debbie Rachel
Morris, Chris and
McDowell, and Doug and Teri Murray Independence Eve Street Dance MOONSHINE DRINKERY | JULY 2022
79Fall 2022 | Discover361.com Now Enrolling Pre- K 2 years - 5th Grade • Christian-Based • Small classroom sizes • (paid) Child care available before and after school (7:00 am - 5:30 pm) Our certified grade level teachers work together to meet the individual needs of students and families. Hours Sunday-Thursday 11:00AM - 9:00PM
Fall 2022 Discover361.com80 VICTORIA JAZZ BRUNCH Sept. 13 – 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Victoria Country Club 14 Spring Creek Road Tickets: $40 VIVA TEXAS FILM FESTIVAL Sept. 16-18 Downtown vivatexasfilmfestival.comVictoria FIESTA VICTORIA Sept. 24 – Noon DeLeon CelebratePlazaHispanic Heritage Month at a downtown family friendly festival. 75TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT SPONSORED BY THE VICTORIA FINE ARTS BROWNOUTASSOCIATIONCONCERT Oct. 1 – 8-10 p.m. DeLeon Plaza Free outdoor concert 2022 VICTORIA WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S Oct. 8 – 8 a.m. Victoria College 2022 CITIZENS RUN AGAINST CANCER Oct. 22 – 7 a.m. DeLeon Plaza Benefit local cancer citizensrunagainstcancer.orgpatients. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL Oct. 29 – 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Nave Museum Mariachis, ballet folklorico, live entertainment, art, vendors and food trucks. 3RD ANNUAL VICTORIA DUCK SAFARI Nov. 6 Ethel Lee Tracy Park CUERO HOWL-O-WEEN PET PARADE Oct. 4 – 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Downtown Farmers Market on Main Street CUERO TURKEYFEST Oct. 7-9 Live music, The Great Gobbler Gallop, Turkeyfest parade, cookoff. turkeyfest.org TURKEY TROT 5K 2022 Oct. 8 – 8 a.m. Bfit Cuero Wellness Center 701 N. Esplanade GOLIAD REMEMBER GOLIAD PADDLING RACE Oct. 8 – 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Riverdale Landing on San Antonio River Tickets: $25-$150 This is a 16-mile paddling race in a rural setting of the river. THE DUCKS ARE BACK... SAT., OCTOBER 29TH, 2022 VICTORIADUCKSAFARI.COM @VICTORIADUCKSAFARI UPCOMING Calendar of Events SEPTEMBER | THROUGH | NOVEMBER
81Fall 2022 | Discover361.com
TOUR DE GOLIAD
Sept. 15-18 Most speakers located at Rockport-Fulton High School Speakers,Auditoriumactivities, guided boat birding, eco-tours and more. Go to: Hummer Event Location (rockport-fulton.org) for details.
SHINER SHINER MUSIC FEST Oct. 30 – 2 p.m.-midnight 65 County Road shinermusicfest.com350
YORKTOWN
YOAKUM
ROCKPORT 34TH ANNUAL HUMMERBIRD CELEBRATION
MISSIONS Oct. 15 bikereg.com/goliadlevels.
car
HALLETTSVILLE KOLACHE FEST Sept. 25 Hallettsville KC Hall Live music, tournaments, demonstrations, Kolache-Fest/hallettsville.com/view-event/121/show.
HOLY CROSS CHURCH FESTIVAL Sept. 11 – 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Yorktown Community Hall 60 Community Hall Road Music, food, cake walk, games, live auction, children’s activities and more. YORKTOWN WESTERN DAYS Oct. 21-23 Yorktown City Park Free live music, carnival, parades and more. goldencrescentcasa.org361.573.3734 Volunteer or Donate to Golden Crescent CASA! Local Foster Children Need Your Voice Recreation@BrackenridgeComplexbrackenridgepark.com Be sure to visit our NEW Texana Community Education Center! We offer Educational Programs, Off-Site Programs, Weekly Programs, and Live Animal Encounters! Office: 361-782-2070 Brackenridge Recreation Complex Come explore at the... Brackenridge and Texana Parks & Campgrounds Located on beautiful Lake Texana in Edna, TX Two Parks, One Destination! • 2 Gated Campgrounds • RV & Tent Camping • Cabins • Rental Facilities perfect for weddings, reunions, showers, and more! • Hike & Bike Trails • Fishing Piers • AND SO MUCH MORE! Texana Park & Campground (361) 782-5718 Brackenridge Park & Campground (361) 782-5456
ROCKPORT-FULTON SEAFAIR Oct. 7-9 Live music, contests, parade, rockport-fulton.org/Seafair-Homevendors.
food, arts and crafts,
HOMETOWN STREET DANCE Sept. 17 – 7 p.m.-midnight Corner of West Grand Avenue and Lott Street Tickets: hometown-street-dance/yoakumareachamber.com/events/$10
FULTON FALL FESTIVAL Oct. 30 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Fulton Harbor, Fulton Festival Grounds Free admission.
Annual bike ride offers routes for all ages and skill
WOMEN’S DIAGNOSTIC CENTER 361-570-7277 • 2701 HOSPITAL DRIVE, VICTORIA, TX 77901 • WWW.CITIZENSMEDICALCENTER.ORG 3D MAMMOGRAPHY has proven to increase early detection of breast cancer by 41 percent. Schedule your 3D mammogram today at Citizens Medical Center Women’s Diagnostic Center. Call 361-570-7277 to schedule your mammogram.
