Parades, Fireworks, Party at the Pool – 4th of July in Terlingua

The 4th of July celebrations in Terlingua were fun this year.

There was a parade and burger-bash on the 4th and an outdoor pool party with live blues by the Fabulous Vortexans on the 5th.

Saturday, the 4th, the American Legion post hosted a burger and hot-dog feast after the parade.

The parade itself was impressive, but held way too early in the day. The idea was that at 10:30 in the morning it would be cool enough that people would enjoy sitting on the side of the road watching the parade.

Although the concept was good, it turns out that Terlinguans would rather deal with the heat than get up early. I missed the parade, but made it to the party.

Saturday, there was a celebration and inauguration at the Lajitas Golf Resort. After a hotly contested election and run-off, Claymore Henry, the goat, beat out George Goss, local celebrity for the office of Mayor.

From the 50’s until just a few years ago Lajitas has had a goat for Mayor named Clay Henry. Previous goat/Mayors were famous for drinking beer. It’s unknown if Claymore will have a taste for the brew, but odds are that he will. It runs in the family – he’s a direct descendent of the original Clay Henry.

So, Saturday Lajitas hosted a party at the pool to introduce the new Mayor. Big Bend Brewing Company provided beer.  BBQ, burgers, and hot dogs were available. And local blues band, The Fabulous Vortexans, provided the music.

Check out the pics-

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George Goss provided entertainment at the burger bash on the 4th.
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Wes Abbot enjoyed the party.

Continue reading “Parades, Fireworks, Party at the Pool – 4th of July in Terlingua”

Fire in the Ghost Town – Terlingua – June 4, 2014

Fire in the Terlingua Ghost Town!

Last night, a group of locals was sitting on the porch outside the Starlight Theatre when a plume of black smoke starting snaking up in the sky in the Terlingua Ghost Town.

Smoke in the Ghost Town

Smoke in the Ghost Town

I jumped in the 4Runner and raced down to take a look.  A motor home was on fire.

NEW – You can donate to the Sam and Dani fund right now!

When you click the “Donate” button and contribute, your money goes to TerlinguaCares, a 501 c 3 non-profit based in Terlingua, Texas.  100% of all donations made will go directly to Sam and Dani.

 




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The Road to Austin – Doug Moreland – Terlingua.

The Road to Austin and Doug Moreland and the Flying Armadillos – this week in Terlingua.

I’ve said that “everything comes to Terlingua if you just wait long enough.”

Sometimes you don’t have to wait long at all.

Gary Fortin brought his amazing movie, “The Road to Austin,” to Lajitas last Wednesday.

 Gary Fortin and Trevor Hickle

Gary Fortin and Trevor Hickle
 Poster

Poster

The movie starts out with a brief history of Texas music, then morphs into the story of a concert held in Austin.  Stephen Bruton was music director of the concert. A few months before the concert, Stephen was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. He heroically did a fine job producing the concert with Gary, but by the night of the show he was very ill and weak. Continue reading “The Road to Austin – Doug Moreland – Terlingua.”

Bonnie Whitmore, Craig Carter, Fireman’s Ball 2014

Last night, Bonnie Whitmore played the Starlight Theatre.  Later, Craig Carter and the Spur of the Moment Band played the Fireman’s ball at the Boathouse.

I’ve been watching and listening to Bonnie for… a decade?  Her folks, Alex and Marti, started both of their girls out young- singing and playing and writing songs.  It worked.

When you go to Bonnie’s website, you’ll note that she’s getting a LOT of radio airplay. Listening to her perform her songs, it’s easy to see why.

Last night’s show was a sort of homecoming.  Bonnie played and talked about how her parents influenced and taught her.  Then Alex and Marti joined her on stage.

bonnie whitmore at the starlight in terlingua
Bonnie at the Starlight

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1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music Festival

The 1st Terlingua Microbrew and Music festival was held yesterday, 3/29/14, at the pavilion behind Delia’s store in Terlingua.

It was a day of sunshine, music, beer, and community.

Like the original Chili cook-off, SXSW, and the Kerrville Folk Festival, this event started out slow- which worked out great for the lucky ones who attended.  Stand-out music sets were provided by Trevor Reichman and Chase Peeler and Alex and Marti Whitmore, George Goss, Jeffro Greasewood, Charley Maxwell, Clayton Drinkhard, Neil Trammel, Webster, Mark Lewis, Shirley Bird, Marshall (Dammit) Spires, and several others.

There was plenty of parking, lots of room on the dance floor, and Big Bend Brewing Company provided the beer- the IPA was perfect for a hot day of music.  The only thing in short supply was Scotty’s brisket, which went WAY too fast.

After the show was over, Jeff and a few others sat around discussing how to make the next show even bigger and better.

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Webster, George Goss, and Jeff Haislip

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Benefit for Hungry Terlinguans

Last Sunday, 3/2/14, there was a benefit at the Starlight Theatre for:

Food Distribution in Terlingua 

Family Crisis Center of the Big Bend, Inc.

Once again, the Terlingua community came together to take care of our own.  Terlinguans, wherever you are, give yourselves a hand.

“Hungry children in Terlingua?  Not on my watch.”  Glenn Felts

I did a blog post HERE explaining why this is something we had to do right now.  A few weeks ago, Mike Drinkard told me he could provide food assistance for the 600 or so people in the Terlingua area who needed it for $300, and he was having trouble coming up with the $300.

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Me, Trevor Reichman, Chase Peeler, Charles Maxwell – Photo by: Jessica Lutz

Sunday night we raised about $2,000 for food distribution.  More importantly, over 30 people signed pledge forms to contribute monthly.  When you add in Lajitas Golf Resort for $250/month (thank you Ruffin Moore, GM) and the Terlingua Preservation Society for $420/month- they picked up Glenn Felt’s donation as a memorial to Glenn, that gives Mike over $1,000 a month in recurring income to buy food.

I’m pretty sure Glenn would be proud of us. Continue reading “Benefit for Hungry Terlinguans”

Saying goodbye to Glenn Felts

On Saturday, 2/22/14, Terlingua said good-bye to Glenn Felts in a fashion he would have approved of.

There was a wake/party at La Kiva with live music, beverages, and a delicious pot-luck dinner.

Terlinguans from all over the country travelled to gather one last time.  Friends who hadn’t seen each other in years hugged.  There were tears, laughter, and dancing.

Attendance was limited to close friends and family.  Glenn was much loved and had a lot of friends. The parking lot was full.  There were cars parked along the road.  The club was packed.

As the sun dropped low in the sky, shots of Glenn’s favorite drink – 12 year old Macallen single-malt scotch – were passed out to all attendees and we gathered for a final toast to Glenn.

Gumby walked to the microphone and, raised his glass, and said, “To Glenn.  He was my brother.  I loved him.  He loved all of you.”

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pot-luck dinner…
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Just Us Girls (JUGS) held a reunion
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the world-famous penisaurus erectus

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Benefit for Boquillas scholarship – Starlight – Feb 16, 2014

Sunday night, 2/16/14, there was a benefit concert at the Starlight Theatre to generate funds to send a girl from Boquillas off to school.

The Terlingua community raised $1,075 for the scholarship fund.  Since Cynta only needs $250 right now, TerlinguaCares has set up a fund for Cynta’s projects with the remainder of the money.

In the process of raising the money, we had an amazing party.  It’s the Terlingua way.  Music was provided by Laird Considine, Charlotte Teer, Jeff Haislip, Moses Martinez, Tom Delaney, Webster, Al Berry, Ted Arbogast, Mike Davidson, Chase Peeler, Collie Ryan, and many other local pickers.  Trevor Hickle was there and ready…

The plan was for the “band of angels” to play an acoustic set early in the evening and rock out later on…  and, once again, I discovered that making plans is for amateurs.  We had so many musicians who wanted to contribute that it turned into a concert.

Buckner ran sound and herded cats.  The Starlight Theatre provided a comfy and friendly location for the benefit as well as paying the band – and the band donated that paycheck to the fund-raiser.

We were hoping to raise $500, which will cover the tuition for a year. Terlingua reached deep and more than doubled that.  I’m proud of my community – we funding compassion in action and having a party while we’re at it.  It’s the Terlingua way.

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Buckner kept it sounding good all night.

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