Seguin Magazine - November 2019 by Seguin Gazette

G u a d a l u p e C o u n t y l i v i n g

November 2019

A-Plus Service

John Gesick recalls military career

Strengthening lives Young Marines promote development of Guadalupe Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youth

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Old Main Ice House mixes the old with the new

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G u a d a l u p e C o u n t y l i v i n g

Vol. 6, No. 6 Seguin magazine is published twelve times a year by the Seguin Gazette. PUBLISHER Elizabeth Engelhardt

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EDITOR Hannah Ruiz-Gruver

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WRITERS Felicia Frazar Valerie Bustamante Dalondo Moultrie Lizz Daniels Joe Martin

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SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

Seguin Heritage Museum Executive Director and Vietnam veteran John Gesick is captured on the second ﬂoor of the Seguin Heritage Museum in front of the original elevator.

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An inside look from our WRITERS... “John Gesick has quite the history when it comes to his career in the U.S. Army. He has a passion for gathering information and sharing it people, which led him to help establish the Seguin Guadalupe County Heritage Museum. He is truly one-of-a-kind, and getting to hear his stories are a treasure.” – Felicia Frazar “We all have to grow up some time. And with the help of the Young Marines program and their unit commander, a group of area youth have decided that time is closer to now than later. Speaking with Dina Dillon about the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines unit was both enlightening and inspiring. She and the program are making sure kids get the skills they need to succeed in life far sooner than many others would. The fact that they’re also committing to stay away from drugs and alcohol is a huge bonus. Kudos to the volunteers who run the program locally and the young people committed to making their futures bright.” – Dolando Moultrie “It was so inspiring to hear Nick Marquez’s story of how he returned home to the Schertz-Cibolo area and started the complete revitalization of Main Street in Cibolo. It is also a wonderful sight to see the once dilapidated area bustling with customers and new businesses.” – Elizabeth Engelhardt

Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

eing thankful seems to be the theme for November which is completely understandable being that Thanksgiving falls during the month. With this issue of Seguin Magazine we have brought you subjects that we are thankful for as well. Felicia visited with John Gesick at the heritage Museum to recall his time during the Vietnam War and his service to our country. We also have an article on the Young Marine program, which is truly a great program for the youth of our county. Lizz also got to visit with Bobby Morris and learn about the art of taxidermy and Joe met with a local Piñata maker. The time and talent they both put into their crafts is outstanding. Elizabeth got to tailgate at Texas A&M University and shares with us the traditions of Aggieland. She also went down the road to Cibolo and had a fantastic visit at the Old Main Ice House. We also share a delicious holiday drink for our culinary creations this issue. The staff at the Seguin Gazette works extremely hard to bring you this magazine, but we do it with love, so, I hope that you enjoy it! So turn the page and come on in!

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Features

Around Town

In Each Issue

14 JOhn Gesick Recalls his military career

30 on the Music

12 Sizzlinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Five

18 Young Marines promote development of area youth

34 Under the Hood

40 Faces of Seguin

36 Day Trip

42 Favorite Finds

22 The Art of Taxidermy 26 Creating art out of Paper

10 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

38 Culinary Creations

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SIZZLINFIVE November 7th

Designer Purse Bingo

The Guadalupe County Children’s Advocacy Center is putting up designer purses as the bounty in a night of Bingo fun. The guests will vie for purses created by Double D Ranch, Kate Spade, Coach, Consuela and more. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for VIP and 6 p.m. for general admission, a seated dinner will be served. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door if not sold out.

November 9th

all Day 8th annual Fall harVest FestiVal/ Fall Wings & Wheels

The 8th annual Fall Harvest Festival is joining forces with the Kingsbury Aerodrome’s Fall Wings and Wheels for a day of fun in the Kingsbury community. The event will include a farmers and artisan’s market, as well as a Trading Post in downtown Kingsbury from noon to 6 p.m. At the aerodrome, the classic cars and replica planes will steal the show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

November 11th

Veteran’s Day ParaDe anD cereMony

Local groups and organizations take the day to honor those who served in the military on Veterans Day with a special ceremony. The event takes place at 11 a.m. in Veteran’s Park, located at the corner of South Saunders St. and Jefferson Avenue. The ceremony is a joint operation between all of the area veterans organizations, including the American Legion, the American GI Forum, Disabled American Veterans, Geronimo VFW and the McQueeney VFW.

November 14th

rotary raFFle night

The Rotary Club of Seguin is hosting its largest fundraising event at the Seguin Events Complex - Coliseum. The night will include all you can eat fish and shrimp, music by Tin Roof, gift card raffles totaling $20,000 with the top prize of $10,000; silent auction, bucket raffles, whisky wagon and more.

November 29th

reD Kettle caMPaign

The Salvation Army Seguin Unit will kick off the season of giving with its participation with the Red Kettle Campaign. Each year, scores of volunteers ring the bell in front of Wal-Mart, CVS and other locations to gather donations. All cash donations or checks made to the Salvation Army Seguin Unit go toward helping local residents in need. 12 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

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A-Plus Service

Area man recalls exemplary military career, battles as member of Alpha Team By Felicia Frazar

ohn Gesick is locally known as a historian of Seguin out of San Antonio and was successful wherever he went.” and Guadalupe County. Growing up in the Terrell Hills/Alamo Heights area, Gesick Through donations of various collections and a took on a paper route. building, he helped start the Seguin Guadalupe County “My early life, one of my first jobs was as a paperboy on a Heritage Museum. bicycle,” he said. “I threw papers He has spent the later every afternoon, and I had the years of his life teaching history, Sunday papers. I was on a bicycle, either in a Seguin High School in the elements at 5 o’clock on classroom, at a Texas Lutheran Sunday mornings. It was a very College (now known as Texas good mechanism for learning Lutheran University), or through responsibility and overcoming his work in the museum. the problems.” Before that, he was a member He later became a caddy at the of the U.S. Army Special Forces, San Antonio Country Club. He more commonly known as the graduated from Alamo Heights Green Berets, and an intelligence High School and ventured off to officer serving in Germany and college in Texas College of Arts Washington D.C. and Industries, now known as “I’ve had a remarkable life,” Texas A&M in Kingsville. Gesick said. While in college, Gesick joined Born in Washington, D.C. in the ROTC and upon graduation 1943, Gesick grew up in a family enlisted in the Army as a second that taught responsibility and service. lieutenant. His mother was among the first women brought to the “I went through boot camp and all of that stuff,” he said. FBI by J. Edgar Hoover, and his father was a member of the “Next thing I knew, a lieutenant asked if I had heard of special general staff. forces.” After the end of World War II, his father was recruited to Gesick said it wasn’t often that second lieutenants were pull a Chicago-based company out of bankruptcy. He was then invited into the elite group. sought out by Tom Slick, founder of the Southwest Research “Usually, you have to be a first lieutenant or a captain with Institute, to become its chief accountant. experience under your belt,” he said. “He told me I’ve got “After World War II, mom had the job of finding a place for some things that kind of impressed them, characteristics that us to live, which ultimately ended up being in San Antonio,” are good, and that I had shown pretty good leadership.” Gesick said. “Dad went on into the corporate business world After training at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Gesick was 14 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

assigned to an Alpha Team (A-Team) in Panama. While his team was out on operations, Gesick continued his training. “Boy, they were all over the place — Central America, South America, the Republic of Panama, Columbia, you name it,” he said. “There were three-man teams, two-man teams, and they were working with Bolivians and who knows what else. I didn’t get to go on those missions because I had some training I had to go through, such as jungle training and guerrilla training.” It wasn’t long after that Gesick was promoted to first lieutenant and then was sent to Vietnam. Gesick’s team was stationed in the Central Highlands and worked with the mountain people, as commonly referred to the Montagnards in North Central Vietnam, he said. “We had four tribes that we worked with. We were in a very rural area,” he said. “I was a very young first lieutenant, and I was in charge of making sure that we had contracts, and the nearest municipality was Dà Lat, which was about a 45-minute to an hour helicopter ride.” He would gather fruits and vegetables to bring back to his men and the Montagnards. The team also partnered with the Montagnards for meat. “We also provided 30 caliber rifles to the Montagnards chiefs of the unit, and they would go out and shoot deer for us at night, and then they would get a part of the deer as well, as we would have meat and saved a lot of money,” he said. The partnership worked out well. And while the A-Team was in the area, Gesick said their operations were successful, although he couldn’t specify what they entailed. Only one went sideways, Gesick said. “What that involved was I was to team up with another A-Team north of us and infiltrate,” he said. “I got to bring one sergeant with, so I got Jimmy Best, and he was the best. We penetrated and got into the area that we needed to get into.” 16 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Gesick described the area as thick jungle with rugged terrain. He said as they pushed forward, something felt off. “We knew we were getting close to something, but we didn’t know what,” he said. “The next thing we knew … all hell broke loose.” About midnight that night, Gesick, Best and the rest of their team found themselves in the firefight of their lives. “We were in a deadly firefight,” he said. “We lost some people, I lost the use of my right arm — it was barely hanging on — and Jimmy lost two fingers. I put tourniquets around his fingers, and he was able to continue to fight. I couldn’t, I was losing blood.” Gesick was sure he wasn’t going to make it, however, with the help of the Montagnards, they were able to break up the fighting and get a helicopter in to get them out. “That is basically what saved me, just by minutes when you get right down to it,” he said. Gesick was flown to a hospital where they worked to fix his arm, experimenting with a technique that is still used today, he said. In 1970-1971, Gesick was assigned to the intelligence center, talking with officers and enlisted men about guerrilla warfare and working on the front lines in battle. It was there that his last operation in Vietnam came back full circle. “I just happened to be teaching at the intelligence center, and a couple of guys came up and said, ‘can we talk with you,’” he said. “I started talking about that night, and about where we were in Vietnam. They said, ‘yeah, we were there. We were prisoners.’ Taken aback by what the men were saying, Gesick asked what happened that night. ‘They said ‘The North Vietnamese took us out of there while the battle was going on. They got us to the Ho Chi Min Trail, and then we were put in cages and hauled up to North Vietnam,’” Gesick recalled.

Gesick and his team were unaware of the prisoners and how close they were to them. The men told Gesick they were held captive until the end of the war. “I apologized. We got so close, but we were overwhelmed,” he said. “We didn’t know what we were going up against. They (the North Vietnamese) were good fighters. It was kind of a reunion, and we were both glad we were still vertical.” In 2010, Gesick made the journey back to Vietnam with his son. “I knew a couple of people who were living there in North Vietnam,” he said. “I knew some Australians who had travel agencies in Hanoi, and I got in touch with one of them, who was the equivalent of Australian Special Forces. I got in touch with him and set up everything.” The two flew into Hanoi and with the help of a pair of guides, visited numerous places, some that most tourists don’t get to see. “They even got us into some of the prisons where they held the prisoners of war,” Gesick said. “We got to see how they lived.” During the second part of the journey, Gesick and his son visited the mountain villages where the Green Beret was assigned. “We took a train from Hanoi and went to Central Vietnam, which was close to where my A-Team was,” he said. “We were able to get to where my A-Team was in the mountains, and where I used to trade for food. We stayed in Dà Lat, which was really nice. It was a nice journey. (My son) was just amazed.” As chief of intelligence, Gesick was assigned to Brigade 75 in Germany, which was the first combat unit in the North German plain since World War II, he said. “They had three combat battalions and one support battalion,” he said. “We lived in North Germany, worked with the German Army, we worked with the Dutch Army, we worked with the French Army, we worked with all of them. We were the first American and only American combat unit since 1941, and we worked well.” Gesick eventually came back to the area, taking on the role of teaching history at Seguin High School for about 10 years and then transitioning to the history department at Texas Lutheran College. After his retirement from education, Gesick didn’t stop gathering information and sharing it with the community. As the executive director of the Seguin Heritage Museum, Gesick has made it his mission to ensure area residents and visitors know the history of Seguin and Guadalupe County, especially children. “I came home and have never stopped,” he said. “I knew Seguin was home, even though I grew up in San Antonio. We had the ranch here; I had friends here. My personality fit.” Gesick has four children and nine grandchildren.

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Strengthening lives

Young Marines promote mental, moral and physical development of Guadalupe County’s youth By Dalondo Moultrie

bout 10 years removed from starting the local unit, Guadalupe Valley Young Marines Unit Commander Dina Dillon is proud of the group and what it regularly teaches area youth. The program teaches young people to be civic-minded leaders who help veterans and give back to their communities, Dillon said. Focusing on those aspects allows participants to steer clear of harmful actions, she said. “When they’re leaders they don’t want drugs. That’s one of our things,” Dillon said. “The kids learn the negative affects of drugs and alcohol and smoking and things like that. Because we’re helping to develop leaders, they choose not to.” The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501c (3) youth education and service program for boys and girls aged 8 through the completion of high school, according to information listed on the organizations website. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork and self-discipline so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, according to the site. Former Marines started the organization in 1959 in Waterbury, Connecticut, according to the website. The organization continues to carry out the vision those Marines had so many decades ago. Young Marines attempts to strengthen the lives of youth in this country by teaching the importance of self-confidence, academic achievement, honoring veterans, showing good citizenship, becoming involved in community service, and living drug-free lifestyles among other things, according to the website. “Of course one of the main things we do is we drill,” Dillon said. “Usually we break into PTE which is physical training. We’ll do some exercise because being healthy, you need to exercise.” It’s not just about the physical aspect of it all, Dillon said. She started the local unit in 2009 and has watched her own children come through the program — the youngest of whom is now 20 years old. The lessons learned and benefits 18 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 19

young people take away from the organization are varied and many, Dillon said. She knows her children took some valuable life lessons from the program. “If you go for a job interview one day, the skills you learn just from Young Marines practicing before a promotion board are amazing. I’ve seen it with my own four sons,” Dillon said. “Instead of having to go through several interview things, usually the first interview my kids had gotten their jobs because the people were so impressed with how mature and very comfortable that they were speaking to the adults, that they were able to get jobs very easily when they were in high school and so on.” Currently, the Seguin-based unit has about 14 Young 20 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

Marines, Dillon said. Six of them are girls, which is the most the local program has had enlisted at one time. Women volunteers have begun to outnumber male volunteers with the program, Dillon said. The Young Marines and the adult volunteers participate in events across the area. They march in the Veteran’s Day Parade and take part in the ceremony. They marched in the fair parade again in October. The unit serves as color guard when called upon for various functions throughout the year, Dillon said. As part of a military-styled organization, the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines Unit likes to give tribute and assistance whenever and wherever it can in service of United States military veterans, she said. Being based in Seguin provides ample opportunities to reach out and

be a part of what area veterans have going on. “We’ve been so fortunate here in Seguin because all of the veterans organizations work together with each other,” Dillon said. “They really support each other and support us. If they ever need anything, we’re there to help.” Annually, the unit helps with a flag ceremony for the local American Legion post, she said. The unit has helped with different events coordinated by the Geronimo VFW post, the Disabled American Veterans events and more. It all allows the cadets to get a better understanding of what it means to be all they can be, Dillon said. “Giving back to veterans who gave so much, you know, gave of their time and being away from their families, it’s just important to show respect,” she said. “It helps our kids understand it wasn’t just a job, they did sacrifice and do more than just a job. The kids get to hear some great stories and learn more from the adults, different things they did and have done.” The work she and her Young Marines have put in over the past year has paid off, Dillon said. While she sees the improvement the young people exhibit, she’s not the only one. And the Young Marines in the unit aren’t the only ones who have been recognized for the work that they do, Dillon said. “We won the Division Young Marine Unit of the Year. That’s out of seven states,” she said. “I was also chosen as the Adult Volunteer of the year for our division.” The prospect of winning accolades wasn’t her reason for starting the unit, the unit commander said. But it was nice to be noticed for the hard work she and the young marines put into the program. “It’s pretty exciting,” she said. “I had never received that honor. That was like, ‘Wow! Oh my gosh, pretty cool!’”

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The Art of Taxidermy Bobby Morris shares his craft of bringing animals to life

By Lizz Daniels

exas may not be cooling off this fall, but the days are getting shorter and that can mean only one thing – it’s deer season. For Bobby Morris, this means business is about to get hectic. Morris owns Morris Outdoors Taxidermy, located in Seguin, and has been a taxidermist for 15 years. “It’s a small shop. We do more high quality work rather than volume,” Morris said. “That’s our main focus here instead of just a ton of mounts. My goal is to try and get it as perfect as I can, making the animal look alive – not like a stuffed animal on the wall.” Morris says the challenge is the most rewarding part of what he does because it’s not as simple as sticking a tanned hide on a base. What Morris does is nothing less than artistry at a master level, and this is exemplified by the way he describes it himself. “I’ve always been artistic, so that got me into it,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes in under the 22 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

skin to make it look alive a lot of clay work and sculpting. You start with a foam mannequin and you have to fit the skin of the animal to the form. You either carve the base down or build it up while keeping the anatomy correct.” When looking at one of Morris’s pieces, every little detail seems to bring it closer to life. The bumps on a buck’s nose, the wrinkles on its skin, the gleam in its eyes all make it seem as though at any moment, this work of art might draw a sudden, unexpected breath. “Most of the difference is in the time spent on the little details, they go a long way,” Morris said. “Probably the biggest part of making it look alive is the eyes. Mounts can be slapped together, but if it doesn’t look like the real animal it’s not good.” Morris’s love for wildlife and art combined into the perfect recipe for success. It’s given him a creative outlet that keeps things interesting as all kinds of unique projects walk through the door. “I recently got into African animals, but I

do mostly whitetails with quite a few bobcats,” Morris said. “The smaller animals is where it gets more tricky. Cats especially are really hard.” Despite these challenges, Morris continues to push himself to improve his work. He does this by participating in yearly contests and workshops put on by the Texas Taxidermy Association. “Once a year we get together and learn from experts from all over the world,” he said. “It took me a while to figure out from learning to start actually winning. The biggest win I have so far was a Cape buffalo mount from Africa. It was actually the first I ever mounted and I scored a 98 out of 100, and that is one of the most difficult animals to mount.” While many of his competitors take their own work to contest, Morris prefers to take his clients’ work. This is partly due to his “customers first” attitude. Besides, when you stay as busy as he does, you don’t have time to work on your own projects. “I’ve probably only done two or three animals for myself in 15 years,” he said. “Customers always come first. I’m up into the masters level now, which is above professional. Of course that’s a big step up, and that’s when you get into the state champion awards and that’s my next goal – win a state champion award.” It’s Morris’s attention to detail and his commitment to the craft that will help get him there. That level of quality keeps his work in high demand, and is why Morris Outdoors Taxidermy requires drop-offs be made by appointment. During hunting season, this is especially important. “This is pretty much a full-time job, but I do it part time,” Morris said. “We usually schedule drops after 5p.m. Right now we are roughly $750 for a regular shoulder mount after tax for a whitetail. Different size animals are different prices.” Potential clients can find all the information they need on his website from price points to field care instructions. If they choose to go to Morris Outdoors Taxidermy for their work, they are guaranteed to get a piece that has been crafted with care, and that they will love for years to come. 24 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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Creating art out of Paper Local artist shows off her passion for piĹ&#x201E;ata making

26 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

By Joe Martin

rmed with a glue gun and a passion for papermâché, local artist Marisa Chavez has been making top quality piñatas from her home for close to a decade. With more than 30 piñatas under her belt to date, Chavez is no stranger to bringing life to paper. However, the 20-yearold’s interest in arts and crafts has been with her long before she began making destructible centerpieces. “Growing up, we didn’t really have a lot of money, so my mom would always do what she could with the budget we had,” Chavez said. “One day she had a crazy idea for one of our parties and said ‘What if we make a piñata instead of buying one at Walmart?’ And so we got a poster from the Dollar Store and some streamer paper and through the simple art of papermâché, it all started from there. When I was in school – when I wouldn’t be doing paper-mâché – I was an avid doodler. Ever since I could hold a crayon, I

would be doing some kind of art, and it all kind of matured from there. I often have sketchbooks lying around every shelf of my house filled with ideas and things like that.” From intricate Jack-o-lanterns to two-foot tall margarita glasses, Chavez has cultivated a diverse skill set in the art of piñata making

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 27

over the years, she has even started a small business under the name of Paper to Party where she sells her creations for about $25 depending on the size. “It’s a small out of home operation that I consider to be a hobby of mine that people pay me for,” Chavez said. “I haven’t really put anything too major into the business. I’ve set up a Facebook page and joined two local party groups, and I do take commissions, and I do take requests, but I didn’t officially make it a thing until about a year ago.” Chavez says the idea for Paper to Party began when she accidentally slipped the news of her artistic endeavors to her coworkers. “I initially assumed people were pretending to take interest, but they continued to press further into that, and I would tell them my whole process of how the piñatas are made and how long it normally takes and it kind of just spread from word of mouth,” she said. When she began her business, most of Chavez’s clients were friends and family looking to see what she could cook up. Over time though, word had spread of her abilities leading her to branch outside of her family, where she has now created several piñatas for events ranging from birthday parties to restaurant events. Each one of Chavez’s piñatas takes around two to three weeks to create, depending on her free-time. However, she says the most challenging part of the process is coming up with a design for her creations. 28 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

“The one thing you got to do is you got to have an idea,” she said. “It all relies on what you are making a piñata for. If someone is having a party that has a theme, then that’s what you have to go by. If they just want a surprise, then that’s another thing to work with because sometimes people can be very specific and say ‘My kid is having a pool party so can you make a beach ball or a pirate ship or a mermaid?’ it depends on what they want and I can show them what I am able to do with those ideas. It also can be difficult if they want either a standard, two-dimensional piñata, like the ones you see at flea markets, or in some extreme cases where I had a client who wanted a sculpture, or 3-D piñata as I like to call it.” Each creation made by Chavez is unique, as they are all completely hand made. Although piñatas are traditionally made to be cracked open, Chavez typically views them as decorative pieces. “For the most part, my piñatas are strictly art,” she said. “If you’re a family friend, or if I’ve known you for a while or even if you ask, then I can fill it up with candy, confetti or glitter depending on what that person wants, of course. One of the questions I am asked most is if I ever get bothered by my piñatas being smashed, but what really rubs me the wrong way is when some people make passive-aggressive suggestions like saying ‘oh wow, that’s just about perfect.’ The thing about piñatas is that they are literally made to break apart, so that’s one of the things I have to remind myself when I see people smash them.”

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Because each of her piñatas is different, the process of making one can vary. 280 S. King St. Seguin, TX musculos High quality care for • • • However, her favorite piece is a colorful disorders injuries. Walnut Springs Familyand Health cactus she made for a Sweet 16 party. •SportsSt. injuries •Trauma •Fractures 309 Silverado LaVernia, TX “I like it because it was such a simple LaVernia Patients Seen Every Thursday Morning •Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot P design at first, but then the girl that Walnut Springs Family Health commissioned the piñata allowed me G. care Steven MD trent J. twit 309 Silverado St., LaHigh Vernia quality forWhite, musculoskeletal High quality care for musculoskeletal to get creative with it,” Chavez said. “So, disorders and injuries. disorders and injuries. what I did was I went with a green and Call for aninjuries appt. 830-379-9492 •Sports •Trauma •Fractures •Sports injuries •Trauma •Fractures teal color scheme because those are two •Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot Problems •Joint Replacements •Arthritis •Hand/Foot Problems of my favorite colors, and I added inWalnut Springs Family Health Walnut Springs Family Health Promp MD G. Steven trent MD J. Atwitero, s G. St., Vernia some little paper roses that made309 t anceLa Steven White, MD White, trent MD J. twitero, 309were Silverado St.,Silverado La Vernia Most insur ppoint me accepted, Availab nts of tissue paper. Another thing that I including le! mp Worker’s Co Call for830-379-9492 an appt. 830-379-9492 dicaidan Call for appt. & Me really like about the cactus is how clean and symmetrical it came out.” Spherical piñatas are especially tricky for Chavez as she typically forgoes the more traditional method of using chicken wire in most of her pieces along with other corner-cutting techniques. “When it comes to spheres, they’re pretty delicate, and it’s pretty easy to see any kind of oblongs. What I mostly do is I look for cardboard. I know that depending on where you go, most piñatas are made of bamboo or straw, or they CALL FOR AN APPT. 830-379-9492 are the typical ones that you make in an art class where it’s like a balloon covered Baby, Children’s & with paper-mâché until it’s thick enough Women’s Clothing to pop. Chicken wire is even used, but I feel that while those may look good, they’re impossible to work with. Plus, there’s always the risk of possibly cutting yourself when everything breaks, and that could be dangerous.” Although Chavez does make money 20% OFF 1 Item from her piñatas, the real reward she gets with this ad from her business and hobby is the therExpires 11/30/19 apeutic ease she feels when constructing 111 N. Austin St. her masterpieces and the joy it brings the Seguin, TX 78155 people for which she makes them. “It’s kind of a little zen feeling when Monday through Friday 10-6 you see it all come together," she said. "For instance, I made a jack o’ lantern a Saturday 10-5 while ago and even though it was spherClosed Sunday ical it was a pretty interesting task to take on because I love Halloween. The 803.406.2404 people I made it for never really got to celebrate the holiday in a party sense because all they did was just hand out candy. It was fun because Halloween is Watch Facebook for Specials my favorite holiday, and I loved that I helped other people to express it.”

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Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 29

On the Music

Downtown Cibolo Old Main mixes the old with the new

By Elizabeth Engelhardt Photos By Jacquie Ferrato & Elizabeth Engelhardt

hose who have driven down Main Street in downtown Cibolo the past couple of years, have probably noticed a large revitalization of the area. New businesses of all kinds are popping up and old run down houses are being brought back to life offering a nightlife to the residents of Cibolo and neighboring communities. One of the first sights visitors see is a large white building known as the Old Main Ice House. The parking lot across the street is normally filled by patrons. Owner Nick Marquez, a graduate of Clemens High School in 2004, returned home to his roots after receiving his bachelors degree from Univer-

sity of Texas at San Antonio. Marquez started out in real estate and was looking to open a bar when he stumbled upon some abandoned buildings in Cibolo. After securing the building and renovating, Old Main Ice House opened in September 2015. It was always Marquezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to add live music to the venue and in 2016-17 a stage was built in the back of Old Main in the hopes of attracting larger musical acts. With a sprawling area covered with an outdoor bar, tables, chairs and fire pits, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard not to imagine not having a great time. Marquez handles all of the bookings himself in addition to owning and operating Old Main Ice

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 31

House. The last year and a half, he has built relationships in the music industry and has been able to bring some very well known names to Cibolo. Stoney Larue, Josh Abbott, Jason Boland, Kyle Park and Wade Bowen are just a few of the Texas Country artists that have played at Old Main. Cibolo is surrounded by very large and popular music and event venues, which makes it a very competitive market to attract larger names. However, Marquez has quickly established Old Main as a must-see venue in the Schertz-Cibolo area and is working hard to make it even bigger and better. Old Main has become a beloved venue to some of these artists, who are returning often to perform. Wade Bowen has used Old Main Ice House in a music video. In addition to everything else, Marquez has ventured out openly a second establishment in Schertz. Bar House, 533 Main St., opened last year with the goal of bringing a similar revitalization to schertz, Marquez said. It is special to see these types of projects in smaller communities, especially in a time when the most common thing to see is the tearing down of old houses and buildings to replace them with a new modern structure. Marquez said he sees the value in these old buildings and has been successful with hard work and determination. Old Main hosts a variety of events including weddings, showers, parties, etc. In addition to it’s designation as a live music venue, Marquez said he envisioned a meeting place for people that is family friendly until 8pm, and then it is a bar and entertainment venue after.

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1907

Little Giant

By DalonDo Moultrie

his month’s under the hood feature is a little bit different than it has been in recent months. That’s because the vehicle is a classic. In fact, it is so classic that it no longer runs. So, more of what we’ll focus on this month under the hood is the history this truck is hauling. Meet, or in many cases, get reacquainted with, Starcke Furniture of Seguin’s first ever delivery truck. And, the distinction can be taken even a step farther, said Hilmar Starcke, president and general manager of Starcke Furniture. “It was the first delivery truck in Guadalupe County in 1912,” he said. It is a 1907 Chicago Pneumatic Little Giant truck, Starcke said. The family bought the vehicle in 1912 and put it to work, he said. At the time of purchase, the 2-cylinder engine used sideways-firing 8 ½-inch pistons that powered a chain-driven motor. The delivery truck was also gas-powered. It has solid rubber tires, unlike motor vehicles built today. Today’s vehicle tires are filled with air. The wheels, Starcke said, have wooden spokes, which also are a definite throw back to a much simpler time. But, besides those scant details, Starcke doesn’t know much about the mechanics of the truck. 34 SEGUIN ~ GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING

You see, the county’s original delivery truck is no longer operational. “It doesn’t run,” Starcke said. And it hasn’t been cranked up in a number of years, he added. Getting it running, and, more importantly, keeping it running are no small tasks. Finding parts for the antique is probably impossible, Starcke said. But it wasn’t always like that, he said. “We have driven it, yes,” the furniture shop’s general manager said. “We had it in parades in Seguin, obviously, and New Braunfels and Gonzales in the past.” Now, the Little Giant is kept stored away in a warehouse, Starcke said. When the company needs to take it out, a lot of physical strength and manpower are needed, he said. They roll it out on metal pieces from the warehouse only for certain reasons. The truck still looks good so it still serves a purpose for the Starcke family and company. It just isn’t used as it once was, Starcke said. “It’s used in advertisements,” he said, “photographs we had taken previously and also television ads.”

Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 35

Day trip

Tailgating at A&M Elizabeth takes a day trip to College Station

By Elizabeth Engelhardt

here is just something special about fall. The leaves start to turn, the air gets a little cooler and the long anticipated return of college football finally arrives. About 12 years ago, we joined our family and friends on an annual Tailgate at Texas A&M. This exciting tradition started as a way to go back to Aggieland and relive our glory days from college, but it has now transformed into a family tradition. You will now find us amongst a group of at least 12 travel trailers where the kids nearly double the number of adults. We’ve created our own traditions for this weekend that we all look forward to year round. And hopefully, one day, our kids will continue these traditions with their own families. As long as our plans to “brainwash” them since birth works and they also attend Texas A&M University. The planning starts about five months prior, as the process to obtain a tailgating pass is about the same as getting tickets to see Taylor Swift. You have to join a waitlist immediately once it opens, then a couple of months later, if you’ve made the waitlist, you are able to purchase your tailgate spot. Since there are 12 families trying to get rv spots, we coordinate via email and text to make sure we all get spots next to each other. As the kids have grown older, they have started to take the lead on some of our traditions. They stay up to go to

Midnight Yell Practice at Kyle Field. They have learned the yells and love every minute of it. The next day, depending on the kickoff time, we head to campus to enjoy various activities. The Aggie Yell Leaders do a Kids Yell Practice on the steps of the War Hymn statue. The Texas A&M Band lines up in front and plays to entertain the crowds as they gather to watch the football team walk in. This is one of our favorite parts, as my husband and oldest son are diehard football fans. The chance to see some of their favorite players in person and shake their hands, wishing them luck, is always a great time. We don’t normally go to the games themselves, rather we head back to our tailgate spots where we have several televisions spread throughout camp and watch the game together. We always do a group dinner together during the game, which is usually a crockpot potluck. I always forget to take a picture of the sea of crockpots, which is a sight fun to see as they’re stretched among three or four folding tables filled with yummy recipes. I don’t know what I love more about this annual trip. The traditions, the fellowship or the memories we make together year after year. I do know that it gets better every year and we add so many new friends and family members to this trip. The only thing that would make this trip better is a Fightin’ Texas Aggie football win! Guadalupe County living ~ Seguin 37

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GUADALUPE COUNTY LIVING ~ SEGUIN 41

Favorite Finds

This issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favorite Finds are presented by Mary Luensmann, Seguin Gazette District Manager. I have been going to Dragon Place since I was a Senior in high school. This is one of my favorites. Hot and Sour Soup with crispy noodles, Mongolian chicken with steamed rice.

I enjoy burning candles and this scent from Bath & Body works is one of my favorites. I like the relaxing scent of the eucalyptus and the calming mint. $24

Bath & Body Works products are my favorite and currently the scent that I like to use is Rose Water & Ivy. Body cream $13.50, Fine Fragrance Mist $14.50

I shop in Tractor Supply at least once a week for feed but I always make it a point to shop the home decorations they have throughout the year. Decorative Metal Rooster $39.99, Farmhouse Lage Metal sign $19.99, White faux stone standing rooster $24.99, brown faux stone standing hen $19.99 42 Seguin ~ Guadalupe County living

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