What better way to celebrate summer than a good old-fashioned county fair!  This year marks the 126th and longest-running county fair in Texas, complete with all the sights, sounds, and smells you remember when you were a kid!  Bring the whole family for this historic event and enjoy:

• Thrilling carnival and midway
• Your favorite fair food
• Livestock judging
• Agricultural and household exhibits
• Arts and crafts
• Antique tractor shows
• Live music
• Live pari-mutuel horse racing!

The Kingsland, Texas Lions Club will be hosting their 21st annual charity golf tournament Saturday, October 25, 2014!  C'mon out and play to support local needy charities!  What a beautiful way to welcome fall by hitting a few on the famed Lighthouse Country Club course.

Details:

Date:  10/25/2014
Time:  11:00 a.m. shotgun start
Location:  Lighthouse Country Club, 118 Club Circle, Kingsland, Texas  78639
Organization:  Kingsland Lions Club
Contact:  Chuck Henicke (325)388-3568
Format:  4-person Scramble (W/HDCP)
Entry Fee:  $65.00 per player - $50.00 for Lighthouse Club members - green fees, cart, range balls, door prizes, meal following play with refreshments - additional meal tickets $10 (get in advance)
$500 in prizes:  closest to Pin all par 3s - longest drive for men and women
Top teams based on gross and net

Mulligan's available at sign in
HOLE-IN-ONE PRIZES and SPONSORS:
#18 - $20,000 cash - Friends of the Lions Club
#16 - Callaway Diablo Irons - Ray Lynch - Edward Jones - Kingsland
#12 - Sharp LCD Flat Screen TV - Highland Lakes Watercraft
#7  -  Roundtrip Domestic Airline Tickets for 2 - Kingsland Health & Fitness Center
(Winners will be responsible for any state/federal taxes)

Entry Form and Fee Requested by October 20, 2014.
Please make checks payable to: Lighthouse Country Club.
Information provided by Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce


Come join us and have fun!  All proceeds go to local charities.

MARBLE FALLS LAKEFEST, AUGUST 8 – 10, 2014

Every year Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce hosts a wild three-day drag boat race party called “LakeFest,” and this year is no exception!  Going on its 23rd year, the annual event transforms Lake Marble Falls into a liquid quarter-mile “racetrack” where sleek drag boats race quarter mile with 7,000 horsepower and speeds up to 250 miles per hour!

Ticket prices:
Friday: $5
Saturday: $20
Sunday: $20
3-day: $40
Kids (ages 6-12): $5 per day
Kids under 6: Free

As with any festival, there will be plenty of food, drinks, merchandise and vendors to visit between races.  Outside alcohol, pets, skateboards, and umbrellas are not allowed.  For more information go to:
www.marblefallslakefest.com.

Temperatures are rising in July in Texas...and it's about to get even hotter!  While visiting the Texas Hill Country, or if you've already found your vacation or second home here, don't miss Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 "Chili & Chilin" event this Saturday, July 19th!

Thirteen award-winning wineries team up with the top local restaurants to pair their amazing chili's and some of the best wines made in the country.  No doubt you will discover, the Texas Hill Country is one of the top 10 wine (and chili!) destinations in the world!

• When:  Saturday, July 19, 2014.  Hours vary by winery - click each individual winery links for  details!
• Where:  All of the Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 wineries.
• Cost:  There is no additional cost for this event.  Regular winery tasting fees will apply and vary by winery.

Becker Vineyards

Chisholm Trail Winery

Fredericksburg Winery

Grape Creek Vineyards

Hilmy Cellars

Hye Meadow Winery

Pedernales Cellars

Rancho Ponte

Texas Hills Vineyard

Torre di Pietra

William Chris Vineyards

Woodrose Winery

4.0 Cellars


  Prost & Guten Appetit, Y'all!!!

Deep in the Texas Hill Country, the Blanco County Fair and Rodeo started on the banks of Town Creek in Johnson City in 1930 and has been entertaining families annually ever since.  Folks from near and far flock to participate in this event’s rich western heritage.

Events include the Big Street Parade, County Queen Contest, Rodeo shows, exhibits, live music, as well as your favorite carnival rides and tasty treats set up on the hay-covered fairgrounds.

2014 Schedule of Events

Thursday, August 14
7:00 pm – Carnival
7:00 pm – Youth Rodeo and County Roping

Friday, August 15
7:00 pm – Jr. Lamb Show and Jr. Meat Goat Show
7:00 pm – Queen’s Coronation
7:00 pm – Carnival
8:00 pm – Rodeo by Lester Meier Rodeo Company
9:00 pm – Dance with Cameran Nelson

Saturday, August 15
10:00 am – Parade
12:00 pm – Exhibit Hall Open
1:00 pm – Washer Pitching
1:00 pm – Jr. Steer Show
7:00 pm – Queen’s Coronation
7:00 pm – Carnival
8:00 pm – Rodeo by Lester Meier Rodeo Company
9:00 pm – Dance with Jake Penrod

Blanco County Fair & Rodeo is August 14 – 16, 2014 at the Blanco County Fairgrounds in Johnson City, just south of the Pedernales River Bridge on State Highway 281 North.

For more information about Johnson City, contact

Darryl Dismuke
Darryl@AvalarAustin.com
830-637-0006

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Prior to moving to the great state of Texas, my untutored barbecue experience was memories of my family charring burgers on the grill that could be mistaken for hockey pucks.  Anyone who lives here can tell barbecue is huge in Texas, and some of the best and most popular barbecue restaurants are here in the Texas Hill Country.   I also noticed a rivalry among different barbecue “joints” all around the state, which led me to ask the question, “What’s the difference?  Barbecue is barbecue, right?  Not.

Regional Styles

Widely considered the “national food of Texas,” Texas barbecue has four distinct styles and features beef ribs, brisket, chicken, pork ribs, and sausage.   The four styles include East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, and West Texas.  East Texas style beef is slowly cooked to the point at which the meat is falling off the bone, usually over hickory wood and marinated with a sweet, tomato-based sauce.  Central Texas style meat is rubbed with spices and cooked over indirect heat from pecan or oak wood.  West Texas style meat is cooked over direct heat from mesquite wood, giving it a distinctive, bitter taste.  South Texas signature style is thick, molasses-type sauces that keep the meat very moist.  In Deep South Texas, the barbacoa tradition is a Mexican style of meat preparation (barbacoa in Spanish means barbecue, though in English it is often used specifically to refer to Mexican style of preparation).  The barbacoa tradition uses goat or sheep meat (even cow’s head), and the meat is cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with agave or century plant leaves. Today, though, barbacoa is mostly cooked in an oven in a double boiler.

Here in Texas, beef cuts remain the most common featuring beef brisket, unlike a lot of other Southern barbecue where pork is the star.  Many “pit masters” are proud of the fact their barbecue requires no sauce and is typically served on the side upon request.  Succulent meats are ordered by the pound and served on butcher paper with your choice of sides including beans, coleslaw, potato salad, Texas toast, and a tall, unsweetened iced tea.

Texas’ love of barbecue is so fervid, once governor of Texas, Ann Richards, even narrated an Emmy-nominated documentary about it.

So there you have it.  No matter what your preference, summer is the ideal time to get your grill on and sink your teeth into some tasty, tender BBQ!   Happy Summer!