, , The Texans started the season on fire this week as Wimberley not only beat the Buda Johnson Jaguars, a 6A school, but also won the Wimberley Tex-Fest Volleyball Tournament without dropping a set. Wimberley enters this week with a 7-0 record and have won 14 straight sets. The Texans opened up the season against their Hays County neighbors in Buda Johnson. Wimberley won the first set at 25-17 before dropping the second set in a thriller 29-27. The Texans rebounded to take the third set 2518 before entering the fourth set. Wimberley and Buda Johnson once again battled in another thriller before...

, Two extraordinary living gateways now mark the entrances to the Cypress Creek Trail Preserve. Designed and fabricated by artist and sculptor Heather Carter, the gateways were constructed over a period of 10 weeks using live Ashe juniper trees and mature grapevines to which fallen limbs were attached and secured. The gateways, with their peaked arches, organically- shaped windows and side aisles, appear to have sprouted from Wimberley soil. Diffused light accentuates the twisting forms of the framework and filters through hob- bit-sized windows and doorways. Altogether enchanting, the gateways draw attention to the tree’s vital role in nature and provide...

The Wimberley Players will present Jack Wright’s touring production of “Neil Diamond Superstar” on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 17 and 18 at the Wimberley Playhouse. Celebrating the artist’s career that spans five decades, this musical tribute takes audiences on a journey through heartfelt ballads and high-energy rock anthems to deliver a show that knows no parallels. Produced by Jack Wright, this tribute offers the opposite of Vegas-style impersonation, presenting a respectful and honest portrait of Neil Diamond’s life and music. The show promises audience interaction, storytelling, song explanations and nostalgic hits — all supported by multimedia imagery. Tickets are $40. Group rates are available. Visit wimberleyplayers. org to purchase tickets. The Wimberley Playhouse is located at 450 Old Kyle Rd, just east of the Wimberley Square.

In preparation for the new school year, the Wimberley Lions provided vision screening for children as part of Barnabas’ annual Back to School Fiesta. One hundred and one school-bound kids were screened by Lions members Hilda Carpenter, Stephanie Gutierrez, Karlene Henshaw, Gloria Ibarra, Lions President Doug McLean, and Harold and Pam Tannahill. Fifteen children were referred to eye doctors for a full examination. Twenty-eight adults also took advantage of the spot screening which led to eight additional referrals. The Lions tested kids using a Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener. The screener can identify if children as young as six months need...

In anticipation of students returning to St. Stephens classes on Tuesday, Fr. Kevin and Fr. Tim led the blessing of backpacks that students will use during the school year as part of the 10:30 a.m. Sunday service. Following the service, Fr. Kevin and Fr. Tim led the congregation outside to unveil Wimberley’s newest Bootiful Boot, designed by scenic painter and artist, Carroll Dolezal. On hand to represent Wimberley Arts, the organization who created the Bootiful Boot program, were president Carl Rabenault, past president Dede Taylor, and board member Lynn Jones who was credited with spearheading the project. Fr. Kevin said a prayer over the Boot and blessed it into the Wimberley consciousness. Afterwards, a waterslide and other activities greeted families and children who were invited to enjoy the St. Stephen’s campus where Wimberley Shaved Ice and Schoolyard Dogs were on hand to offer cold drinks, hot dogs and frito pies.

, Wimberley Arts, the organization behind many of Wimberley’s art and cultural projects, has a new initiative. Citizen-generated haiku, a type of Japanese poetry, will be stamped into the town’s sidewalks to encourage pedestrians to stop and read their message. As more and more of the haiku show up around town, the organization hopes that it will become a signature part of the city that will capture peoples’ attention and spread the word about Wimberley and its focus on the arts. Haiku are traditionally three lines long and have a total of 17 syllables, with a five-seven-five pattern of syllables across...

, , , , , , The long-anticipated Patriots’ Hall of Dripping Springs held an open house August 17 and 18 to give veterans and the public a sneakpeek to the campus’ latest additions. Dripping Springs has long had a strong sense of civic pride, and the new Patriots’ Hall is poised to become a vital resource for the estimated 14,000 veterans in the area. When you add the families of those military veterans, the impact for the community is even larger. The facility provides a 10-acre retreat and resource hub for all veterans and their families to connect and thrive. One...

Meet James Douglas Cooper, the other half of the creative team of “True South: An Antarctica Story” that will begin filming in February 2025. As director of the 90-minute documentary, the Australian native, who now makes his home in Los Angeles, will perform the task of capturing the world’s fifth largest continent located at the base of the globe. Nicknamed “The White Continent,” Antarctica is the windiest, coldest and driest region on earth. He has partnered with Rodney Bursiel, the National Geographic award-winning photographer from Wimberley, to portray the region’s marine animals and take stock of its fragile ecosystem. Their goal...

Wimberley’s Starlight Symphony Orchestra is holding auditions for new players this Thursday, August 15, at 7 p.m. at Wimberley First Baptist Church. Organized in 2003, the orchestra presents a concert season each year that is free to the public. The concert orchestra is composed of professional, semi-professional, amateur and student musicians from Austin, Bee Cave, Blanco, Buda, Canyon Lake, Driftwood, Dripping Springs, Kyle, Lockhart, Johnson City, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Oak Hill, San Marcos, West Lake and Wimberley. All new and substitute players must audition to play in the orchestra. Prospective members are asked to play two pieces for SSO’s conductor, Dr....

Aqua Texas has proposed a rate hike for water and wastewater services for Wimberley and Woodcreek customers. The corporation wants to charge up to $20.81 for water customers and $32.48 for wastewater customers, which could add up to a total base rate of more than $50, regardless of how much water and wastewater services are used each month. On Wednesday, August 7, Aqua Texas went before two administrative law judges at the State Office of Administrative Hearings asking for the increase. The proposal has encountered push back from residents unhappy with the proposal, as well as the Wimberley Valley Watershed Association....

The Texans completed their two scrimmages both at home and at Liberty Hill in preparation for the 2024 volleyball season. This season, Wimberley will be under a new head coach, Misty Remmers, who has taken over the program. “It means a lot,” Remmers said. “This is a storied program and they notoriously do very well. You are talking about six state championships and 10 state tournament appearances. It is exciting and a coach’s dream. I’m humbled, blessed and I can’t wait to get the ball rolling.” Wimberley returns nine players from last year’s team that finished with a 36-8 record and advanced to...

The Texans hit the gridiron this season in preparation for the 2024 season after a 14-1 season last year. Head Coach Doug Warren said, “I’m very pleased with them right now. We have seen them all summer long and they had good [Summer workouts]. This first week I have liked their pace and how they retained a lot of the things we taught them in the Spring. Now it’s a matter of getting everyone on the right page and finding the pieces of the puzzle to make another long run.” Wimberley returns five offensive starters that statistically produced the best offenses...

For 31 years, Texas Lions Camp has sponsored an annual golf tournament to help support their Texas Lions Camp in Kerrville. The Camp currently serves as a place of free education and respite for thousands of children with Down’s syndrome, diabetes, cancer or other disabilities. You don’t have to be a member of a Lions club to attend the camp. This year, James Avery Artisan Jewelry sponsored the golf tournament which was held at the Lady Bird Johnson Golf Course in Fredericksburg. The company issued a $50,000 challenge-matching grant to help fund the camp’s mission. Taking advantage of the challenge-match, Doug...

, , , Wimberley Residents Kruger and Shannon du Plessis are on a mission to save the endangered African Penguin. So it was with anticipation that the Krugers traveled to Waco for the Grand opening of the Penguin Shores habitat at the Cameron Park Zoo earlier this month. With the support of their KruSha Foundation, 22 African penguins from the Fort Worth Zoo were moved to the new, state-ofthe- art $12.8 million habitat. “Twenty-two endan- gered African penguins, 11 male and 11 female, now call Penguin Shores home, making it the largest colony in Texas,” said Shannon in emails we exchanged last...

, Hey there, collectors. Want vindication for all that stuff you’ve been keeping in the barn since Hector was a pup? Here’s your chance to cash in. The History Channel’s reality TV program, “American Pickers,” is coming to Texas in October to look for leads on hidden treasures. Approaching its twenty- fifth season, “The hit show,” said an “American Pickers” news release, “follows skilled pickers in the business as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques.” In the 2024-25 season, fans can expect to see host Mike Wolfe, shop manager Danielle Colby, co-host Robbie Wolfe and Jersey Jon Szalay. Frank Fritz,...

Start lighting candles, the City of Woodcreek is having a birthday. A celebration to honor Wimberley’s close neighbor will be held Sunday August 18 at Camp Young Judaea, 121 Camp Judaea Drive in Woodcreek from 1 to 5 p.m. Along with little bites, snow cones and yard games, the Hill Country Honeys will perform from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The pool is available for swimming from 2 to 5 p.m. To learn more, go to woodcreektx.gov.

Join Wimberley humorist Susan Rigby as she attempts to navigate “the small stuff.” Having four dogs and one human means my little home is actually a big dog house. It didn’t start out that way. First there was one and somehow we ended up as a family of five. I bought a sofa that was big enough for me and all the dogs to lie on. There is plenty of room for all of us, but they seem to enjoy sleeping together in the shape of a W, so finding a place for me to fit is a challenge. Luckily, I have...

, , Last week, in one of the most striking locations in Texas, the Central Texas Theatre Academy in partnership with the Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department performed “Romeo and Juliet” at Blue Hole Regional Park. The performance marked the fourth annual Shakespeare on the River collaboration between the theatre academy and the city’s parks and recreation department. Twenty-five students, between the ages of 1218, designed, built, rehearsed and performed Shakespeare’s classic, “Romeo and Juliet.” Students spent mornings in rehearsals with director Bridget Gates, analyzing the text and staging scenes. In the afternoon, the young actors worked on sets and costumes. Aleah...

, , , Sailor Hendrix, a 15-year-old Wimberley Boy Scout, along with his troop, breathed new life into Alexis Pointe Senior Living by building a gazebo and picnic area for residents. The venture, called an Eagle Scout Service Project, is a requirement for Boy Scouts who want to achieve the Eagle Scout rank in scouting. Its purpose is to demonstrate leadership and community service and each Scout must envision, plan and carry out the project to completion. It is considered the most difficult advancement requirement on the journey to Eagle Scout. The project kicked off May 3, with the construction of rebar...

Thanks to the efforts of Dark Skies programs sprinkled throughout the Hill Country, Central Texas has a number of prime locations for stargazing. This is good news for people hoping to make wishes on some falling stars this August with the Perseid Meteor Shower. Regarded as one of most reliable meteor showers in the celestial calendar, the Perseids run from July 14 to Sept. 1, with its peak hitting on the weekend of Aug. 11-12. “The Perseids meteor shower comes from the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle,” Alan Martinez, Texas State Astronomy student and webmaster for the University’s Astronomy Club, said. “It’s a comet in...