Merry Christmas - Georgetown View Magazine
Transcription
Merry Christmas - Georgetown View Magazine
DECEMBER 2014 SERVING THE HOMELESS: A FAMILY CHRISTMAS TR ADITION ELVIS LIVES! THROUGH THE MUSIC OF MIKE ELLIOT T VINTAGE HOLIDAY RECIPES: STAFF FAVORITES Postal Patron Georgetown, TX PRSRT STD. ECRWSS U.S. POSTAGE PAID GEORGETOWN, TX PERMIT # 429 Austin’s Oldest & Largest Spa and Hot Tub Dealer, ...Conviently located in Georgetown 0% Interest Financing Available 5 Person Spas Starting at only $3995! FREE Stereo System (up to $1300 value) With purchase of qualifying in stock models. Present ad at time of purchase. Swim, exercise, and relax with your own Swim Spa Visit the SWIM SPA Experts! • Over 10 Years Experience • Swim Spas on display • Wet Test a Swim Spa at A-TEX SPECIAL! RL4 Length: 14’ Turbo Swim Jets: 4 Width: 7.5’ Total Jets: 30 Height: 4’ 2” Buy Local SAVE $6000! Special Introductory Price NOW $15,995 Limited time offer *Cannot be combined with any other offers of rebates. Qualified buyers only. 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W I N ES · S P I R I TS · F I N E R FO O DS D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1 DUSTIN P. DINH, DDS m a e T m a re D r u O t e L Co m e e!!! il m S m a re D r u o Y e t a C re FAMILY DENTISTRY: Braces Implants Sedation Crowns Root Canals Extractions Dentures Dustin P. Dinh DDS BS in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Zoology, University of Texas DDS, University of Tennessee Member of American Dental Association, Texas Capital Dental Society, Internat’l Assoc for Orthodontics, International Congress of Oral Implantologists Volunteers with Texas Mission of Mercy & Texas Donated Dental Services of Austin Wis hin g y ou a ll a Ve ry H a ppy Ho li d a y Sea s o n! Donna Jay Registered Dental Hygienist BS in Health Professions, Texas State Assoc in Dental Hygiene, Bee County College Candace Tran Registered Dental Hygienist NEW PATIENT SPECIALS: Limit one per person without dental insurance. $125 EXAM, ROUTINE X-RAYS AND PANORAMIC RADIOGRAPH A $317 value. Services may be scheduled over multiple appointments. Call for details! Most Insurances Accepted Visa, MC, Discover Se Habla Espanol 2 $300 DISCOUNT FOR FULL ORTHODONTICS 512-863-2303 www.dreamsmilesdental.net D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W $250 CUSTOM TEETH WHITENING 1950 S. Austin Ave. Georgetown, TX 78626 CONTENTS 77 F E AT U R E S ALL ABOUT DECK THE STREETS WITH SOCKS AND TACOS | 32 From their home to the homeless: one family’s Christmas Eve tradition D E PA R T M E N T S LIVE AND LEARN MORE THAN A DOCTOR | 11 Practicing dermatology in a war zone more than a duty for one soldier VIEW FROM THE TOP BETHLEHEM VILLAGE AT THE STROLL | 16 What goes on behind the scenes at this popular Stroll attraction? CREATE WAITING HEARTS | 21 An author pens her first romance novel VIEW FROM THE TOP ART MEETS ANIMAL | 38 Furry models challenge students in a drawing class at SU HOW’S THAT WORK? IN THE KITCHEN SPREADING SYMPHONIC CHEER | 48 IN HONOR OF HEIRLOOM RECIPES | 77 Get the scoop on the Wilco Symphony Orchestra View staff members share their heirloom favorites VIEW FROM THE TOP HISTORIC VIEW Elvis tribute artist aims to portray the singer authentically Just who was the man Williamson County is named after? AN INSPIRING “ELVIS” | 52 FITNESS VIEW A(NOTHER) FRESH START | 56 At-risk youth learn to run to get their lives going in right direction A STONE’S THROW ACROSS TIME: CROSSROADS OF CENTRAL TEXAS | 66 Spend the day at the Mayborn Museum in Waco A MAN OF MANY HATS | 80 16 EXTRAS GREETINGS | 6 EXTRA VIEW TRUE VALUE | 62 Centenarian stayed “in the hum of things” on the Square 48 GEORGETOWN LIVE | 79 GOLFER’S CORNER MUSINGS FOR MOMS LEARN FROM THE BEST | 73 CREATING HOLIDAY MEMORIES | 70 Tips from Pro Bill Easterly What holiday traditions take place in your family? LIFE WITH RELISH, PLEASE ENVISIONING THE FUTURE | 74 As the year closes, plan your goals for next year D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 52 T.V. & Audio SALES SERVICE INSTALLATION SH 130 Toll Road Georgetown 512-930-2299 Open Mon–Fri 9:00–6:00 Saturday 9:00–3:00 4201 East University Avenue in Georgetown ULTRA 4K HD UN60HU8550 SERIES SMART TV 60" CLASS HWY 29 E BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL 199999 $ four times clearer than HD QuenansJewelers.com Bobby R. 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No split meals. Valid Sun thru Thurs. Expires 12/31/14 A Taste of Europe Without Leaving Georgetown 512-864-2687 1201 S. Church St. • Georgetown • (Exit Hwy 29 go East) • www.tonyandluigistx.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 GREETINGS MEG MORING EDITOR’S NOTE Be sure to check out our website gtownview.com In the 1966 photo, my cousin and I sit before a fireplace in the living room, where an artificial Christmas tree with silver “leaves” shimmers with blue ornaments. It’s Christmas Eve, and like kids everywhere, we’re waiting up—in matching red nylon pajamas—for Santa Claus. To pass the time, we’re giggling over The Night Before Christmas. In reality, though, we were not giggling, but shivering. That fireplace was cardboard, the glowing logs fake. And the tall man in the red suit, who appears to have sneaked into the room to deliver presents (a red tricycle, a baby doll, and a stuffed pink horse) without our noticing? His white beard is blowing sideways in a stiff wind. My dad, who managed a hardware store at the time, had the brilliant idea that he’d create a Christmas parade float that featured items people could buy in the store, like the tree and the toys. He hadn’t reckoned on a Panhandle cold front plowing through at parade time. The wind cut through our thin pajamas, nearly knocked over the fireplace, and threatened to uproot the Christmas tree. Santa smiles grimly; his lips, I think, were frozen that way. Texans just never know what the weather will be during the holidays. But no matter what the forecast, one family sticks to a special Christmas Eve tradition that spreads warmth, both literally and figuratively, to those who need it. In our main feature this month, “Deck the Streets with Socks and Tacos,” writer Mikaela Cain talks to them about how they make giving the focus of their holiday. We have other stories to get you out the door this season, from a look behind the scenes at Bethlehem Village at The Stroll to a story about an unusual auction item you can bid on at the Bow Wow Meow Holiday Bash to benefit Georgetown Animal Outreach. So read up, bundle up, and enjoy the holidays—whatever the weather. Cover photo by Tina Lopez Georgetown View is a View Magazine, Inc. publication. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. Georgetown View is published monthly and individually mailed free of charge to over 31,000 homes and businesses in the Georgetown zip codes. Mail may be sent to View Magazine, P.O. Box 2281, Georgetown, TX 78627. For advertising rates or editorial correspondence, call Bill at 512-775-6313 or visit www.gtownview.com. 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W PUBLISHER BILL SKINNER [email protected] EDITOR IN CHIEF MEG MORING [email protected] DEPUTY EDITOR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY CAROL HUTCHISON [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR CYNTHIA GUIDICI PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT JILL SKINNER [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTOR BEN CHOMIAK Red Dog Creative PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ANDREA HUNTER WEB DESIGNER MONICA BROWNLOW CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MIKAELA CAIN RACHEL BROWNLOW LUND EMILY TREADWAY CHRISTINE BOLAÑOS JENNIFER ARMSTRONG NANCY BACCHUS NIKKI ELKJER TIFFANY R. WHITE ALICEA JONES CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS RUDY XIMENEZ TINA LOPEZ LIZ PAGLIUCO ANDREA HUNTER SALES [email protected] 512-775-6313 Bella Casa Realty …beyond the expected! 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FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT PARKS.GEORGETOWN.ORG OR CALL 512-930-3596 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 9 Georgetown’s Premier Homebuilder where quality comes standard We are Proud to Announce the Opening of our Newest Subdivision Oakland Park Estates Featuring: 22 Premier, Private, Estate Lots Custom and Spec Homes Park-like Setting 1 Acre Heavily Treed Lots 17 lots left 5 Custom Specs in Progress… Pick your Colors. Peiffer Custom Homes offers you a proven group of architects, structural and interior designers and real estate professionals, all to serve you. Whether you dream of a Tuscan design, Spanish villa, ranch Christmas Move ins! estate or modern craftsman – your Peiffer Custom Home will exceed your dreams. ld Rona Reagan Boulevard riv e b lW De ll Ro a sD d he am ad Me d var ule o B eb ow Wi lli ive Dr S 10 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 512.791.6768 [email protected] peiffercustomhomes.com LIVE AND LEARN More Than a Doctor Dermatologist changes Iraqi girl’s life T he rays of the sun burned through her clothes and struck her skin. Sweat quickly formed on her forehead, evidence of extreme desert temperatures. At any moment a roadside bomb could go off, signaling the last step she or her parents ever took. But it didn’t matter. All the girl could do was keep walking the war-scarred roads until she reached CPT Chris Collins, MD, a combat physician and sole dermatology consultant for the entire Middle East region, eight hours away in Baghdad. To the tall, thin, dark-haired Iraqi girl, Dr. Collins wasn’t just any doctor. He was the one who could give her hope for a more normal life. “In 2009, I was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving in Baghdad, I would go on medical missions. In some of those medical missions, we’d go to outlying villages,” Dr. Collins, founder and medical director of Collins Advanced Dermatology Institute in Leander, says. It was in one of those villages that he met the young girl, who suffered from early onset psoriasis. Thick, red, dry patches had formed all over her skin and particularly on her hands and feet. Even worse than the intense itch she suffered were the looks of disgust and misunderstanding from those around her. She felt isolated and different, additional burdens for a young girl living in a war zone. “They had very limited medical resources. A lot of Iraqi physicians left the country during the war, so this area was totally underserved or partially treated,” Dr. Collins explains. “I started treating the girl, who had had this condition for several years, and she improved so well that after we started treatment, her family started traveling to see me in Baghdad.” The girl and her family then traveled twice to see him at the military base, braving an eight-hour trek across dangerous terrain with multiple military checkpoints. “The extreme heat was in the 120s. There were roadside bombs everywhere during wartime, what they call improvised explosive devices buried alongside the roads,” Dr. Collins says. “Just traveling on the Iraqi highway system was extremely dangerous. A lot of the main highway infrastructure Chris Collins, MD BY CHRISTINE BOLAÑOS D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1 1 was totally destroyed. The military checkpoints and bases have massive concrete barriers that are about 15 to 20 feet tall surrounding these zones.” But the family made the trek in order for the girl to continue her skincare treatment. “It just shows how much her parents wanted her to get better skincare,” Dr. Collins recalls. The condition was so severe on the girl’s hands and feet that she would keep her hands totally covered. “On my medical base, when she was able to visit, I would get her stocked up on topical medicines. Iraqi doctors and pharmacies were very limited in everything they had,” Dr. Collins says. “It made me realize how big an impact it made, being able to go out there and provide medicine to patients that would not otherwise have any help or hope at all. They were willing to risk their lives to come into an area to get treatment.” Witnessing the girl transform from shy and reclusive to confident and social was priceless not just for her parents but for Dr. Collins as well. Her father, says Dr. Collins, told him that it changed her life so that she began making friends. The psoriasis had bothered her “for years, but they never had any treatment for it,” Dr. Collins says. The medical missions were dangerous for doctors as well. “About every two or three weeks, when I was in Iraq, we would do medical missions. We would travel by Blackhawk helicopter and heavily armored vehicles [marked with a Red Cross],” Dr. Collins explains. “In Iraq, the enemy did not follow the Geneva Convention, and terrorists and the enemy would specifically target those vehicles.” “Our risk was higher than during regular travel because terrorists knew that if they could hurt the physicians or medics who treat soldiers, that affects how our military would be run,” he adds. “Every mission was dangerous. On each visit, we would go for two to three days at a time and see anywhere from 60 to 80 patients a day.” The family of the young girl, and other patients in the village, knew that Dr. Collins risked his life to treat them. One way they knew how to express their gratitude was through homemade food. The young girl’s family brought traditional Iraqi dinners with them to give to their beloved doctor. “Just seeing the happiness on those people’s faces, and then for them to prepare those dinners—it was their way of showing appreciation with meals, hugs, handcrafted items. They would also knit and sew items for me,” Dr. Collins shares. “Those were some of the most rewarding experiences in my medical career. Going on those medical humanitarian missions was at one point the scariest, most dangerous time of my life, but the missions were also the most medically rewarding.” Gary R Brown CPA LLC Partnering with Our Clients to Provide Financial Peace of Mind! We work in partnership with our clients to ensure you fully understand your data and can make well informed financial decisions. We are not satisfied until we see the light bulb go off over our clients’ heads. Choose from our full line of services and enjoy the convenience of working online through advanced client portals. Choose from: Accounting Remote Bookkeeping Full-service Payroll Tax Preparation & Planning Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Time to get 2014 paperwork ready. Call today for a free consultation. Gary R Brown CPA, LLC 12 • 5353 Williams Drive Ste. 200 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W • Certified Public Accountant Georgetown Smart Solutions. Real Results. Dedicated Commitment. • 512-930-3003 • www.gbrowncpa.com Wishing You and Yours Peace this Christmas Season Our Family Serving Your Family As Georgetown’s only familyowned funeral home, we continue the tradition of commitment to you and your family from people you know and trust. The Ramsey Family Ramsey Funeral Home & Crematorium 5600 Williams Drive • Georgetown, Texas 78633 512.869.7775 ~ www.RamseyFuneral.com 512•869•5898 University Place Townhomes 40108 Industrial Park Circle Georgetown, TX 78626 Is your granite losing its luster? We repair ~ seal ~ add new life to your granite. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1 3 14 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W simple Spend more time living, and less time Banking. INVESTMENTS INSURANCE BANKING LOANS our family bank is your family bank! Happy Holidays GEORGETOWN 1100 Williams Dr. 512-869-8181 FLORENCE 100 E. Main Street 254-793-2216 LIBERTY HILL 13601 Hwy 29 West 512-515-6300 ROUND ROCK 902 Palm Valley Blvd. 512-246-6800 KILLEEN • SOUTH KILLEEN • HARKER HEIGHTS • TEMPLE INVESTMENTS INSURANCE NOT FDIC INSURED | NO BANK GUARANTEE | MAY LOSE VALUE SECURITIES & INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES ARE OFFERED THROUGH INVESTMENT PROFESSIONALS, INC. 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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1 5 VIEW FROM THE TOP Bethlehem Village at the Stroll A behind-the-scenes look BY CHRISTINE BOLAÑOS PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CHERI THOMPSON OF THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY C hildren grind wheat for the bakery. They head to the pottery shop and the toy shop, where they learn to make useful items from scratch. Young girls work alongside their mothers in the perfume shop. Adults bless their children, placing headbands on their foreheads. Amid the bustle, children hear whispers of a miracle. “When you walk through the gates of Bethlehem, you can feel a difference,” says Cheri Alderman, coordinator of Bethlehem Village at Georgetown’s Christmas Stroll. “The children are engrossed. The workers talk to each other: ‘Did you hear that there was a baby born last night and that some people are saying Jesus could be our messiah?’ They tell the story of Jesus, about how there was no room at the inn so this baby had to be born in the manger.” Telling the story of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem is a powerful experience that draws participants back year after year. “It’s a beautiful start to the Christmas season,” Cheri says. “It’s not all about the tinsel and all that goes along with that…. It’s because of Christ.” Bethlehem Village began six years ago at Georgetown Church of the Nazarene. Though the event was then headed only by the church’s members and was promoted mostly through word of mouth, some 3,000 people showed up to see it. This year’s This year’s Christmas Stroll takes place Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6. Visit www. thegeorgetownsquare.com for more information. 16 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W event will be the biggest yet because several area churches are partnering with Georgetown Church of the Nazarene to create the village. “We’re pulling from so many different churches. This is the first year we are multidenominational,” Cheri says. “It’s grown five-fold in the last six years.” Churches that have lent members in the past and may partner up this year include Grace Bible Church, Celebration Church, River Rock Bible Church, First United Methodist Church, and Main Street Baptist. Cheri adds that the event would not be possible without the “wonderful sponsors” who contribute, too. The most exciting part for Cheri is witnessing so many area children growing up in the Bethlehem Village volunteer family. Her grandchildren, now nine, eight and six, became involved as tots. “They get so excited about it. Just like in biblical times, children are working with their parents,” she shares. The kids who participate “are growing up knowing what it means to serve.” Planning for this year’s event began in June. “We line up who will be leaders, who will help with sponsorship; we meet with costume leaders to determine if we need more costumes; we line up sound equipment. Then we start praying that God will bring the workers and the people,” Cheri explains. It takes about 250 volunteers and several sponsors to realize the event. Organizers station a storage container at the church for the props. “The ladies that work in costumes get all the costumes numbered and ready for the 250 workers to come through,” Cheri says. On the Thursday before the event, trailers arrive with tents and hay. The shops get set up on Friday. A local 4-H club brings in animals, including donkeys and goats, that afternoon. “The 4-H group checks on the animals, and they are contained inside fencing. We just have to make sure they have food and water. We have a faithful helper, Jeff Walls, who brings them in every year for us,” Cheri says. After the Stroll, volunteers take everything down. “The trucks come back in, and we all get busy loading, cleaning up the hay, and turning the street back into Main Street, Georgetown,” Cheri says. “We get home very tired, but we rejoice and marvel at what the Lord has done for another year for our city.” R Best Checking leaps above ordinary checking account rates in a single bound. It helps your savings grow faster than a speeding bullet. It’s a super account, for everyday superheroes, that earns you money – no matter the size of your balance ** and all without any monthly fees. R Best Checking FREE Checking that pays you money. FREE Mobile Banking with Check Deposit via your smartphone. FREE Bill pay. No need to buy stamps & envelopes ever again. 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Consuela Lyssé Holiday Everyday Wear Clara S Made in the USA Comfy USA and Lyssé Leggings Jag Jeans Bridgewater Candles PooPouri Holiday Gift Sets Dusty Rocker Boots GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE BEST BOUTIQUE 114 W. 8th, On the Square in Georgetown 512-943-8252 www.pinkpoppyboutiquetx.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1 9 20 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W C R E AT E Waiting Hearts Local author’s debut novel tells a love story A former Texas A&M communications major, Beth Stifflemire is happy with a career in human resources, but three years ago she decided to try her hand at writing a novel. “I love to daydream and put those thoughts on paper,” she says. She had never before considered writing a book, but she says that one day, as she was driving in the car with her young son, “The idea [for the book] just hit me like lightning.” Set in Austin, Waiting Hearts is the story of Kayla Parker, a young elementary school teacher with a rare heart condition who lives a simple, quiet existence until she meets musician Gabe Sanderson, who brings love into her life. A Nicholas Sparks’ fan since college, Beth admits to being a sucker for a good romance. “I like [to read] everything, but romance is my favorite…. It really appeals to me, I think because it resonates to me in some way.” In the novel’s foreword, Beth’s childhood friend Traci Miller writes, “I know Beth’s life experiences have helped shape the love story in these pages,” she says, “and the results are beautiful. The strength and courage of Kayla and Gabe in this story remind me of traits I saw Beth and her husband, Hank, display early in their relationship.” “My husband and I have a really interesting story of how we met and got together,” Beth elaborates. “We met very young, he was the first person I went on a date with, we parted ways, and then we came back together later in college. He had some unfortunate events occur in his life that really brought us close together, and I feel really lucky and maybe that’s why I do read [romance].” Not content with sitting back and reading a romance, Beth determinedly set out to write one, too. It took her just one year. “It was an experience,” she says. “Everything was from scratch.” She started with her story line, plot line, and characters. “Then I just went with it and started writing and writing and writing. Slowly, you get into your own jive and you… figure out your process.” Beth also felt it was important to incorporate local places and Texas scenery into her story. “I wanted to share a piece of what I grew up with… and I hope people BY EMILY TREADWAY PHOTOS BY TINA LOPEZ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 2 1 “I wanted to share a piece of what I grew up with… and I hope people enjoy that. I think it’s a great thing. It makes the story become real.” enjoy that. I think it’s a great thing. It makes the story become real.” Beth completed Waiting Hearts one weekend when her husband and son had gone out of town. She wrote from Friday night to Sunday morning. “And I just finished it,” she says. “I wrote all day until I couldn’t stay awake and then that was it. It was done and I just put it away.” Beth then didn’t know what to do with her book. She wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about it. “I had self-doubt. I did that, I wrote it, but ‘What now?’ I didn’t know if I wanted to self-publish it. I didn’t know if I wanted to find a [traditional] publisher.” So Waiting Hearts waited in a drawer for three years until a chance meeting set the next phase of Beth’s writing in motion. “We moved, and everything about the move almost felt like it was meant to be,” Beth says. She met a neighbor who shared her love of writing, and the neighbor mentioned knowing a woman at a new Texas publishing company. “Within a week of this conversation, I felt confident enough in [my book] that I sent it off, and [the publisher] liked it, and it went from there.” The experience Beth had with her publisher reignited her desire to write. 22 Waiting Hearts can be found in Now hard at paperback and ebook at Amazon work on a and Barnes & Noble, and at second book, iBooks at itunes.apple.com/ with plans for us/book/waiting-hearts. third and fourth For more information, visit books to follow, www.waitinghearts.com. Beth says, “This go-around it’s so much easier, and I just feel like it clicked. I get it and I enjoy it. I enjoy writing it more than anything else. It’s kind of therapeutic.” Which doesn’t mean it’s easy. Beth has to balance her writing time around find a way to make it happen, to make a full-time job, her husband, and their it work.” six-year old son. She writes in the eveBeth felt that the biggest reward of nings, sometimes into the wee hours of this whole experience, however, was the morning. “I do this whenever I can when her mom read Waiting Hearts. “To because right now that’s the way it has have her read it and enjoy it meant the to work to make my life work.” Beth most to me,” Beth says. “And I made believes she’s demonstrating to her son her cry! Which was my point at the if there’s something he wants to do, end of the book. I hope there are some he can do it. “You have to start it, you tears.” have to finish it, you have to put in the It wouldn’t be a true romance without hard work and the effort, but… when a few. you have a passion for something, you D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W SHOP SMALL. SHOP LOCAL. 109 E. 7TH GEORGETOWN 512-869-1199 121 N EAST ST #A BELTON 254-933-7731 [email protected] HOLIDAY GIFT DRAWINGS For every $100 dollars spent your name goes into our weekly drawing for a $25 gift certificate. 15% OFF ENTIRE PURCHASE. May not be combined with other discounts. Some exclusions may apply. HOURS Mon-Sat: 10am-5:30pm Sun: noon - 4pm Open late on 1st Fridays 3 OFF $ ADMISSION PER PERSON good for up to 5 people Expires 12/31/14. 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Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine ACCREDITED MEMBER CENTER SINCE 2006 3121 Northwest Blvd. · Georgetown, TX 78628 Main (512) 868-5055 Metro (512) 930-3700 Fax (512) 868-5077 www.GeorgetownSleepCenter.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 2 7 PROFESSIONAL WINDOW CLEANING DENALI CLEANING SERVICE Commercial - Residential 15 Years Experience Free Estimates 512-921-4048 WINDOW CLEANING 10 WINDOWS 75 $ (Interior/Exterior value $125) Exp 12/31/14 CARPET CLEANING WINDOW CLEANING 15 WINDOWS 90 $ 109 $ (Interior/Exterior value $179) Exp 12/31/14 CARPET CLEANING TILE & GROUT WHOLE HOUSE (Traffic Area Only) Exp 12/31/14 (Traffic Area Only. 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HAPPY HOLIDAYS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE from T-SHIRTS to TIRES! CLOTHING - BOOTS - MERCHANDISE - GEAR - ACCESSORIES COLLECTIBLES (“BETTY BOOP,” ETC.) - GIFT CERTIFICATES MOTORCYCLE SERVICE & REPAIR EXTENDED WARRANTIES AND INSURANCE CLAIMS 1525 N. IH 35 Northbound Exit 264 or Southbound Exit 262 Next to Hard Tails Bar & Grill Open Tues – Fri 9:30-6pm & Sat 9:30-5pm Lynne Moore, AAMS® Financial Advisor 1015 W University Ave Wolf Ranch Suite 505 Georgetown, TX 78628 512-868-3878 www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC www.HogAlley.net D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 2 9 ADVERTORIAL There’s a Bright, Fresh Escape Downtown T he oldest gift store in downtown sparkles like new this holiday season with a bold new look outside and a soft new color inside. Owners, Len and Judy Lester, just completed a redesign to modernize their 18 year old business’ look and feel. Shoppers are loving the new look and are walking out with many wonderful new products in the bright new bags. 713 South Main Street Georgetown, TX 78626 512-930-0052 www.theescape georgetown.com Monday-Thursday 10-6 Friday & Saturday 10-8 Sunday 12-5 30 Along with the new look, The Escape was just awarded a nod in The Best of Georgetown for Best Boutique. While the store has always offered a wonderful selection of women’s jewelry and accessories, this was a new type of recognition for them. “I am sure our fabulous assortment of unique purses like leather goods from ILI, Harvey’s seatbelt bags, & Danny K were a contributing factor,“ says Judy. “Our variety of Texas silk artists have been a draw, too.” The Lester’s and staff at The Escape invite you to come and experience what they truly believe is Handmade Giving for Extraordinary Living. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Now Meet our Agents . 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Austin Ave. Rebecca McLaughlin 512-639-9461 Georgetown Conveniently located in Historic Georgetown, across from the Palace Theater D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 1 Deck the Streets with Socks and Tacos 32 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W ALL ABOUT One family takes to the streets on Christmas Eve to find the true meaning of Christmas O n a chilly November evening, Dwayne Campbell hauled a large, industrial calendar home from work. He asked his wife, Claudia, if she wanted it. With two children in high school, four younger girls schooled at home, and each person involved in a million things, Claudia had a lot to keep up with. She couldn’t find space for the calendar, however, and was about to toss it when nine-year-old Bethany intervened. A few days later, Claudia found the calendar in Bethany’s room, turned to December. The following note, decorated with penciled heart and cupcake, was on the 24th: “The day I will feed the homeless.” “This was before she wrote her Christmas presents list or even marked ‘Christmas’ on her calendar,” Claudia marvels. “I didn’t tell the kids, ‘Hey, remember about the 24th!’ We’d done it for so many years that she was anticipating it.” Claudia posted a picture of Bethany’s calendar on Facebook with a “Thank you” to those who had ever taken part in the Campbell family’s enduring tradition: helping to deliver care packages and serve breakfast to the homeless in downtown Austin on Christmas Eve morning. CHRISTMAS EVE TRADITION The Campbell family started feeding the homeless on the 24th in 2007, when they moved from southern California to Williamson County—they haven’t missed a year. Dwayne and Claudia were looking for a way to nurture their kids’ benevolent hearts. In California, they’d traveled to an orphanage just across the border in Mexico every month or every other month with a truck full of donated clothes and food or hands to assist with construction projects. When the family moved to Texas, they wanted to find a similar family activity. “For our kids, it’s more than just getting gifts on Christmas,” Dwayne says. “It’s about doing something for somebody else.” The first Christmas Eve, they loaded their kids in the van and drove around to find the homeless. Over the years, former homeless people and leaders of nonprofits dedicated to serving the homeless offered tips that steered them to a bridge under the overpass of I-35 and 6th Street. As neighbors, friends, and friends of friends heard about the family’s service and asked to help, the outreach grew to include more hands. Last year, about forty people showed up to participate. “Some of the people, we didn’t even know who they were! People just hear about what we do and want their family to be a part of serving,” Dwayne recalls, still a little surprised at how their tradition has expanded. The set-up is a little different every year, depending on volunteers and donations. The past few years, the Campbells have set up tables with items to give away and breakfast options—juice, hot chocolate, coffee, fruit, and homemade breakfast burritos. In their biggest year, they produced around four hundred burritos and assembled three hundred care packages. It takes about four hours to distribute everything—and they don’t leave until everything is gone, including blankets in the car that kept the little kids warm and, one year, the socks off of their feet. The bulk of the work for the outreach happens in the weeks and months before Christmas Eve. Claudia begins collecting donations from stores, churches, BY MIKAELA CAIN PHOTOS BY TINA LOPEZ D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 3 If you would like more information about or to donate to the Campbell’s Christmas Eve Outreach, e-mail Claudia at [email protected]. friends, and neighbors as early as October. She’s on the hunt for blankets, trail mix, mittens, coats, water bottles, wipes, and other items people living on the streets in the cold need. She also takes whatever people donate. One year, one of their neighbors showed up toting wrapping paper and toys for the homeless to pick out a gift for their children or grandchildren— a huge hit. One man stood out as an especially grateful recipient. He had dirty-blond hair, tattoos down his arms, and tear tattoos on his cheek. For the past three Christmases, he’d arrived empty-handed when he went to see his kids, who live with their mom. He was so grateful to finally bring presents. He couldn’t stop “crying and hugging everybody.” “You get all kinds of people out there,” Dwayne says. “Sometimes, people point to the skyscrapers in Austin and tell you they used to work there. You say, ‘How did this happen?’ As they tell their stories, you begin to become very grateful for all you have. It keeps us very humble because that could be us. It’s just by the grace of God that it’s not us.” SPIRIT OF GIVING The giveaway leaves the Campbells exhausted by the time they make it home to open their own presents. But it’s worth it to impart a spirit of giving to their kids. Dwayne hopes that when his children grow up, they’ll want to Six Tips for Serving the Homeless 1 FOOD FOR THE SOUL. “It’s more important to show people that you care than just to hand them food,” Claudia says. One year, Claudia included Christmas cards with a dollar and stick of gum in their care packages with the simple phrase, “Someone cares.” Dwayne suggests taking a few minutes to ask people their stories. “They want to tell you how they got there,” he says. 2 FOOD FOR THE BODY. Pack soft foods, such as crackers, easy-open ready-made soups and pastas, fruit cups, or soft cereals, and include plastic utensils. “Some homeless people don’t have good teeth,” Claudia advises. Water is always needed. 3 SAFETY AND DISCRETION. “Go with someone who has gone before,” Dwayne says. “Some of these people are on drugs and desperate. You’ve just got to know that.” The Campbells don’t go out alone or at night and require parents to accompany children. “I’m not going to say it’s a bad environment for kids, but you have to use discretion.” 4 CLOTHES AND HYGIENE. T-shirts and socks are always in demand; go with dark colors to hide dirt. In her care packages, Claudia includes hair ties, tooth brushes, wipes, cotton swabs, feminine products, etc. 5 WEATHER-RELATED NECESSITIES. In summer, give out mosquito spray and sunscreen. In winter, offer coats, blankets, scarves, mittens, and beanies. 6 BACKPACKS AND TOWELS. Many homeless children need backpacks for school, and many adults appreciate something to carry their stuff. A towel is versatile—to dry off after a shower at a shelter, keep warm, or even roll up for a pillow. 34 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W start their own tradition of giving with their families. “It doesn’t need to be on Christmas Eve or even feeding the homeless. Just reaching down deep and finding what they want to give. I want them to receive a spirit of giving,” he says. They already have. Sade, the oldest, recently went on mission trip overseas during which she aided girls her age who live in squatter villages with their young children. Dwayne Jr., fifteen, gave brand-new Vans shoes to a girl in school who “needed them more than” he did. Giving keeps Dwayne Jr. and Sade grateful because they realize how much they have that others don’t. They look forward to Christmas Eve because they experience a joy that they don’t get anywhere else. The Campbell children are not the only ones receiving the spirit of giving from Claudia and Dwayne. One Christmas Eve, the Campbells met a couple in their early twenties who had become homeless that day. They’d recently lost their jobs and housing in Houston and traveled up to Austin to stay with a grandparent, but she was gone and her house was locked. They were scared and unsure if they could rough it in the streets. Several of the adults with the Campbells gathered what blankets remained, gave them to the couple, and prayed for them. A man passing by overheard and offered for his church to put them up in a hotel for a few nights. The couple was so grateful that they gave the blankets to another homeless woman. “She didn’t have anything but what we had just given her, yet she freely gave what she had just been given,” Claudia says. “I think it really blessed her to give, too, because it was Christmas.” “The key to giving is not to hold too tightly to what we’ve been given,” Dwayne says. “One of our old pastors told us, ‘When you’re down and out, you give your way out.’ If you give, it will come back to you.” Georgetown’s Original Yoga d Pilates d Barre TRX Suspension Training Pilates Teacher Training Get Fit! Get Flexible! Get Groovy! 501 South Austin Avenue, 2nd Floor In the Beautiful Tamiro Building Georgetown, Texas 512.630.0440 www.MokshaYogaAndPilates.com An authorized licensee of Moksha Yoga. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 5 36 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 512.863.8440 Restaurant Hours: Wed & Thurs: 11:30 AM-9:00 PM Fri & Sat: 11:30 AM-10:00 PM Sun: 11:30 AM-9:00 PM Buffet Hours: Fridays: 5:30-10:00 PM Sat & Sun: All Day Your Book tmas Chris ty! Par Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Prime Rib, Pork Tenderloin, Shrimp Cocktail, Dessert and ALL our German favorites! Live Entertainment by the Walburg Boys! Champagne Toast and Party Favors! ∙ Breakfast Buffet Couples $90 or $50 per person An array of HOLIDAY SPA PACKAGES & TREATMENTS gift wrapped for your convenience. Beautifying Georgetown Since 2005 Purchase online at www.novitaspa.com or in The Novitá Spa Thank you Georgetown for honoring the Novita Spa “The Best Spa” 2010 to 2014! Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year 109 W. 7th St. • 512-864-2773 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 7 VIEW FROM THE TOP Art Meets Animal Innovative drawing class features pets BY CHRISTINE BOLAÑOS PHOTOS BY RUDY XIMENEZ T he furry model sat perfectly still while students in Professor Star Varner’s art class at Southwestern University sketched every detail of his body, from the curve of his spine to the taut muscles of his back and, finally, his small paws. Then he lifted a leg and scratched, vigorously, behind his left ear. “The dogs are not terribly cooperative about modeling,” Star says. Each semester, students learn how to illustrate the inner structures of the human body like those seen in medical illustration. But Star also chal- lenges students to master drawing the human body by having them draw live animals in motion. “It’s a special challenge for students to try to draw a moving target. When students are drawing or sketching in public, people aren’t posing for long periods of time like professional models that come to class.” Students must “become versatile as artists drawing figures in changing environments,” she says. Star also feels that “it’s important for art students to learn to compare the anatomy of animals and humans.” Thus, she explains, “the annual Art for Animals Drawing II event is a celebration at the end of a long semester of drawing the human figure to help students understand the human body and synthesize [that knowledge] with other material. Students love it.” For the past six years Star has offered a session with her Drawing II class as a fundraiser auction item to benefit an animal shelter. Winners may bring a pet to be drawn by the class. Pet owners take home a variety of drawings, from quick sketches to longer studies. Recently, the offer benefitted Georgetown Animal Outreach’s Bow Wow Meow Holiday Bash. Star is not aware of any other art class in the United States that does something like this. Dogs in particular serve as a critical test of students’ drawing abilities. Since the dogs won’t sit still for more than a few seconds, students will sometimes draw one pose and then leave it to draw another position, returning to the original drawing later. “They might have a whole page of drawings of different positions the dog is in if they can move back Attend this year’s Bow Wow Meow Holiday Bash at Berry Creek on December 12 and enter a silent auction to win an Art for Animals Drawing II session in which Star’s class will draw your pet for you. All proceeds benefit Georgetown Animal Outreach. Find out how to purchase tickets at www.georgetowndogrescue.com 38 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W To see SU students in action drawing Georgetown pets in action, visit vimeo. com/92970713 or www.youtube.com/ watch?v=F8tkpOl2yUg and forth between the drawings,” Star explains. Grappling with the challenges of drawing mobile subjects allows students to become stronger artists, Star adds. “I notice that they’re struggling to keep up with a mobile subject, so they have to rely on their knowledge of the skeleton, solid volumes of the cones and the sphere, the cylinder and the cube to construct a solid-looking drawing.” Drawing animals is an extension of drawing the human figure. “Drawing the human figure has been a foundation in western art since the Renaissance. Drawing animals is an extension of the idea that if a person can draw a human figure, he or she can draw anything because the human figure is so complex,” Star says. Star collaborates with Dr. Laura Hobgood-Oster, professor of religion and environmental studies at South- western, who arranges auctions for Georgetown Animal Outreach. “For the last three years, it’s been part of our Bow Wow Meow Holiday Bash, a big holiday fundraiser,” Laura says. “We have a silent auction that a number of businesses in Georgetown contribute to, and that’s the largest part of that fundraiser. The two highest bidders get drawings of their pet. For Christmas, it’s really a unique kind of gift.” “It’s a useful drawing exercise that also benefits the Georgetown community through a Southwestern University outreach effort,” Star says. “Tell people that they can bid on next year’s event on behalf of their pet… Muffin’s ready for her close-up!” Georgetown Medical Clinic Growing healthy families in our community for over 60 years Dec. 5th Back Row: Wendi Kleppinger, PA-C, Megan Fox, PA-C, Thomas Bohmfalk, MD, Greg Willis, MD, Elise Mason, FNP-C, Daniel Voss, MD. Seated: Kay In, MD, Florence Spitler, DO ExpressCare Walk-In Clinic M-F 7am - 5pm Doctors who care for all of you. Adult, Pediatric and Obstetric Care 3201 South Austin Avenue, Suite 210 512-763-4000 www.georgetownmedical.com TheGeorgetownSquare.com B OA R D C E RT I F I E D SPECIA LIST IN FA M ILY M EDICINE D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3 9 ADVERTORIAL Tiffin House Holidays ends, May the closeness of fri the comfort of home, and the unity of our nation, renew your spirits this holiday season. 40 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W We believe in Santa at Tiffin. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of the Tiffin Family. The stockings were strewn on the floor with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Santa always visits Tiffin House a well To a joyful present and shes remembered past. Best wi da for Happy Holidays an magnificent New Year. Greetings! Christmas s ood wishe g y n a m h Wit mas and for Christ g year. the comin As you relish th e goodies, dec orate every er of your hom e and enjoy the get-toget hers, may the joy and festiv ities continue to ra diate in your liv es, long after Chri stmas is gone. nook and corn Wishing you peace, love, and joy this Holiday Season. ——— Santa and his helper. May the magic of Christmas insp ire you. “Exclusive Alzheimer’s & Dementia Residences” 84 & 90 WOODCREST ROAD GEORGETOWN, TEXAS 76833 512-869 -7788 TiffinHouseLLC.com Email at [email protected] D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 4 1 Hummingbird Hollow Is Your Shopping Destination for Functional, Beautiful Gifts & Specialty Apparel. 824 S. Austin Ave. Near Wildfire Rest. & The Palace Theater Georgetown 512-715-9888 W WW W W W W W W W W W WWW W W W W W W W W W W W W WW W WWW W W WW W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W Holiday Extravaganza of Savings! Purchase online at www.novitaspa.com or at the Spa. 109 W. 7th Street, Georgetown • 512-864-2773 Razmataz Gift Cards Purchase a $100 Gift Card FR ES H FO O D & L I VE MU S IC ! Get a $20 Gift Voucher Valid for any service over $50 European Facial $100 Regularly $150 Live Music on Thursday, Friday, Saturday Tuesday is Karaoke & Wednesday is Open Mic. JOIN US! So Many Ways to Say Happy Holidays 118 W 8th Street, Georgetown TX, 78626 RootsBistroGTX.com 512-864-9829 | www.razmatazsalon.com | facebook.com/RazmatazSalon Call Marcy (512) Find out why folks think we’re the best! PINK P PPY ARTISANS • BOUTIQUE perties, Matching people and pro way. making friends along the 413.5842 MARCY URBAN BROKER/OWNER ABR, GRI, CRS, SRES Texas Monthly 5-Star Agent (512) 763-1500 www.UrbanHomesAndLand.com 117 W. 7th Street, Suite 5 • On the Square Downtown • Georgetown, Texas 78626 42 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 114 W. 8th • Georgetown • 512-943-8252 [email protected] Pink Poppy Bucks Georgetown’s Luxury Hair Salon with Celebrity Treatment and Impeccable Customer Service $25 off $100 purchase Offer good through 12/24/14. No combined offers. 202 S. Austin Ave. # 102 512-819-6853 GatzbySalon.com 114 W. 8th in Georgetown 512-943-8252 www.pinkpoppyboutiquetx.com Georgetown Antiques and Artisans Shop us for Vintage Christmas Decorations! Mon–Thurs: 10:30 to 5:30 Friday: 10:30 to 6’ish Saturday: 10:30 to 7’ish Sunday: 12 to 4 20 Exceptional Local Vendors! 109 W. 7th Street, Suite 100 Georgetown, TX 78626 512-869-2300 Corner of 8th and Main on the Georgetown Square NOW OPEN Taking orders for the holidays. Farm to Table Comfort Food with a Twist 204 E 8th Street Georgetown, TX 78626 512-377-1700 www.eatson8th.com 107 E. 7th in Georgetown 512-868-0996 www.galaxybakery.com [email protected] SHOP SMALL SHOP LOCAL This Christmas I PLEDGE to Shop SMALL Spend LOCAL Eat LOCAL Enjoy LOCAL and support the local businesses that support me & my community D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 4 3 JOHN GREEN IS OF GEORGETOWN M A K I N G T O M O R R O W ’ S H E I R L O O M S T O D AY ! �iamond �ancers �hite & �ose �old $399 $849 �aramel �iamonds $1,199 in �ellow �old $999 �aramel & �hite �iamonds $499 $1,399 $899 $1,199 �old & �iamonds �hite & �ose �old YOUR CHOICE $299 $399 ALSO AVAILABLE IN WHITE GOLD $399 $449 1911 N. Austin Ave. #103 • Park Avenue Center in Georgetown 512.868.2228 • www.thejewelerofgeorgetown.com Store Hours: Mon~Fri 10am-6pm & Saturdays 10am-4pm 44 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W La Bella Casa B R I N G I N G B E AU T Y TO YO U R H OM E HOM E F U R N I SH I NG S & DE C OR ❧ AC C E N T S Merry Christmas to All F L OR A L S & G I F T S ❧ I DE AS F OR YOU R H OM E 1 0 8 W E ST 8 T H ST R E E T ON T H E S QUA R E I N G E ORG E TOW N , T E X AS (512) 943-4528 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 4 5 Austin Avenue Furniture Georgetown’s upscale furniture & consignment shop 1905 South Austin Ave. www.AustinAvenueFurniture.com [email protected] Renee K. Pietzsch, DPM, FACFAS ~ Certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery ~ Fellowship trained in Diabetic Foot Surgery ~ Specializing in surgical and non-surgical treatments of foot and ankle conditions Central Texas Foot Specialist www.CenTexFoot.com Home of the “Walburger” Bert Stuewe Hall Book your Christmas Party NOW! Call Bonnie for special rates and packages. Call Today. Dates are filling fast! See website for complete menu! bunions ~ hammertoes pinched nerves ~ diabetic foot care custom orthotics ~ flat feet sports injuries ~ fractures ingrown toenails ~ warts heel pain ~ fungal toenails 512.819.4555 Dale’s Essenhaus FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS BREAKFAST 7:30am–3pm THURSDAY NIGHTS BRISKET, SAUSAGE & RIBS after 5pm Make this shop your store for buying & consigning your furniture 512-869-7070 New Year’s Eve Dance! Live music with Frankly Country 8pm-midnight. Gates open at 7pm. Closed Christm Ev e & Christmas as Day. Regular sched rest of the houle the liday season. $5 Cover, includes small serving of black eyed peas & cornbread for a prosperous New Year! Champagne available for midnight ball drop! CHRISTMAS SMOKED TURKEYS Taking Orders Now through Dec 15. Join us on Facebook for up-to-date announcements! Pick up on Dec 23 11am-8pm. www.dales-essenhaus.com 512-819-9175 [email protected] 46 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 3316 Williams Dr, Ste 120 Georgetown, TX 78628 3900 FM 972 in Walburg (exit #268 IH 35, right at stop, 4 miles on your right) NEW HOURS (starts Nov 2) Mon - Thurs 11am-8pm Fri & Sat 7:30am - 9pm Closed Sunday What makes Urban Homes and Land the Best of Georgetown? ALWAYS going the extra mile! Knowledge AND Experience We LIKE helping people! We’re only the biggest when it comes to caring. We LOVE this town! It’s a great place to live. Lauryl Kays REALTOR® CELL: 512 635-1001 Jane King REALTOR® CELL: 512 590-9411 Michael Cox REALTOR® CELL: 512 431-4473 Our Clients become Life-long Friends! Mike Ashley Karen McKinney REALTOR® REALTOR® CELL: 512 CELL: 512 663-0362 630-7146 Mary Lou Wells REALTOR® CELL: 512 971-0971 Cheryl Wilhite REALTOR® CELL: 512 966-2920 Julie Sisk REALTOR® CELL: 512 948-8231 A GREAT BUNCH OF AGENTS! 117 W. 7th St. • Suite 5 Between Burger University and Diva AND one heck of a great broker! A Great Pack of REALTORS®! MARCY URBAN BROKER/OWNER ABR, GRI, CRS, SRES Texas Monthly 5-Star Agent (512) 413.5842 Iowa Hawkeye SU Pirate Supporter! www.UrbanHomesAndLand.com (512) 763-1500 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 4 7 H O W ’ S T H AT W O R K ? Spreading Symphonic Cheer Wilco orchestra provides free community concerts BY RACHEL BROWNLOW LUND PHOTO BY ELIZABETH PAGLIUCO I n 2002, Dr. Thomas Rainey realized that the area lacked a community orchestra. Adults longed to dust off their old high school and college instruments; but unless they were professionals, few had the opportunity to play again. With the help of Dr. Rainey—better known as “Doc”—and the founding board, the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra (WSCO) was born. Since its first concert, the orchestra has grown from about 30 members to more than 90. It’s upholding its joint goals of encouraging musicians to reawaken their passion for musical performance while sharing the symphony with Williamson County’s diverse community. Georgetown View sat down with Director Rainey to get the scoop on what the WSCO has in store for us this year. For more information on the Williamson County Symphony Orchestra, including their performance calendar and audition information, visit williamsoncountysymphonyorchestra.org/. 48 WHAT’S IT LIKE TO ATTEND ONE OF YOUR CONCERTS? From the beginning, we decided that we want to provide free public concerts. Part of our mission is to get people who normally do not attend concerts because they think of them as boring to come to our concerts, enjoy the music, and… return [to hear more]. Our music is like the Boston Pops’. During the performances, we’ll incorporate widely recognizable pieces, audience participation, and musical contests. RECOGNIZABLE PIECES? Last year, we played an entire John Williams concert. We played ET, Battle of the Heroes, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman…. And people loved it. WHAT WILL YOU PERFORM THIS YEAR? Each of our concerts has a theme. This year, our October theme is “Anything Goes”; in December it’s “Christmas Is Forever”; in March, it’s “March Madness”; and our outdoor concert in May is “Out of D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W This World,” where we’ll play selections from Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars. ARE YOUR CONCERTS INSIDE OR OUTDOORS? Most of them are indoors, but in May we’ll play two outdoor concerts. Our outdoor concerts are geared toward families, children, and grandparents [who may] bring their dogs, blankets, and picnics. HOW MANY PEOPLE TYPICALLY ATTEND YOUR CONCERTS? These days, our smallest audience is about 1,500, but we’ve had as many as 2,500 people in attendance. HOW MANY CONCERTS DO YOU PUT ON EACH YEAR? We put on nine concerts each year so that we can perform in different parts of Williamson County and reach as many people as possible. Then, in December, we’ll put on a third Christmas concert in Fort Hood for the soldiers and their families. It’s one of our favorite concerts—we get chills when we see the soldiers come in. Confused about Medicare? Rates Increased? Turning 65? Needing Private Health Insurance? Contact us for your Free, No-Obligation Insurance Review Local – Independent Agency Top Rated Insurance Companies Medicare Supplements Medicare Advantage Plans Part D Prescription Drug Plans Private Health Insurance Life Insurance Fixed Annuities and More 512-868-4469 www.TexasHealthcareSpecialists.com [email protected] Not Connected with or Endorsed by the U.S. Government or Federal Medicare Program. Cameron Kirchoff, Senior Agent G I V E Y O U R dentala e xperience M A K E O V E R M COSMETIC AND GENERAL DENTISTS CORY ROACH DDS BE SEEN. No waiting for your appointment. RYAN ROBERSON DDS H. BART SMITH DDS BE HEARD. We’ll listen. Your care is unique to you. W W W. R R D E N T I S T R Y. C O M 3006 Dawn Dr Georgetown, Tx BE RELAXED. Dental sedation is always standard. 512.869.5997 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 4 9 The Staff and Owners of The Gabriels Funeral Chapel & Crematory Invites you to join us for our 6th Annual �ervice of �emembrance In our Chapel Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. 393 North IH-35 (West side Service Road) We have placed an ornament to memorialize each of the loved ones we have served from Dec. 2013 to Nov. 2014 on our Tree of Remembrance. Please join us in our service of dedication. The Gabriels Funeral Chapel & Crematory is a community owned independently owned funeral establishment. Virgil’s da natural so 512-869-8400 3010 Williams Dr. Ste.105 (beside Laplaya) www.georgiasnaturals.com HEALTHY HOLIDAYS! ~ WE DELIVER TO SUN CITY ~ 50 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W s! g n i t e e r G s n o s a e S Wasabi Japanese & Chinese Cuisine Sushi Bar Hibachi Items Always Fresh ~ No MSG Low Sodium Dine-In and Take-Out Lunch & Dinner Sake ~ Beer ~ Wine Open for Lunch & Dinner Mon – Thurs 11-10pm Fri-Sat 11-10:30pm ~ Sun 11-9pm 3303 Williams Drive 512-869-2055 y wa ke Wi La llia ms Dr . FREE EGGROLLS FREE EDAMAME One coupon per table. Must surrender coupon upon ordering. Cannot be used with any other offer. Expires 12/31/14 One coupon per table. Must surrender coupon upon ordering. Cannot be used with any other offer. Expires 12/31/14 with purchase of any 2 dinner entrees . Dr with purchase of any 2 special rolls D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 1 VIEW FROM THE TOP An Inspiring “Elvis” Mike Elliott’s hobby brings Elvis to the community BY JENNIFER ARMSTRONG PHOTOS BY RUDY XIMENEZ 52 S tanding backstage at the Sun City Ballroom, Mike Elliott waited for his first chance to emulate the late musical legend Elvis Presley. Dressed in the classic attire of a one-piece jeweled bell-bottom jumpsuit, Mike took the stage while a trademark Elvis tribute version of “2001: A Space Odyssey” blared in front of a 400-member audience. “I was terrified,” Mike recalls. “But it was awesome. I thrive on challenges!” Four years later, Mike’s hobby has become a full-scale, passionately perfected show in the Austin arena and beyond. His voice has developed. His moves are iconic, and he believes his stage presence is stronger than ever. Portraying Elvis in a way that does justice to his legacy is important to Mike. By day, Mike serves as director of marketing and advertising for his family business, Texas Outdoor Power Equipment. But on evenings or weekends, Mike transforms into Elvis. Mike’s wife, Zelinda, who he says is his “rock and biggest fan,” manages makeup, costume, jewelry, and photography. Together, the couple works to give the community insight on the character and kindness of Elvis Presley. “He took care of his friends and family and gave millions of dollars to charity,” Mike says. “He always seemed bigger than life to me, and I grew up wanting to be like him.” It’s a role Mike has trained for all of his life. As a child, he spent hours watching Elvis movies with his mother, who always claimed, Mike remembers, that he was hooked on Elvis from the first movie he ever watched. And he D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W had the moves to prove it. “I’d listen to his music and stand in front of a mirror with a hairbrush ‘microphone’ trying to imitate him,” Mike reminisces. In college, Mike occasionally sang with a rockabilly band called “The Elvis Brothers,” and in 1996, Mike dabbled in acting, starring as Elvis in a production in Round Rock of a play called All Shook Up at Heartbreak Hotel. The play ran for 15 sold-out performances, and people started asking to book Mike for charity and corporate events. Charity events, in fact, are at the heart of Mike’s hobby. Once, during a Make-A-Wish Foundation event, an elderly gentleman asked Mike if he would sing a song for his ill wife. Mike got on one knee, put a scarf around the woman’s neck, and held her hand as he sang “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Later, the gentleman explained to Mike that his wife had terminal cancer. The man had driven a hundred miles to bring his wife to see “Elvis,” her lifelong idol. With tears in his eyes, the man told Mike, “If she were to pass in her sleep tonight, she’d go with a smile on her face. Thank you.” Moments like these occur often during Mike’s shows, which include fundraising concerts for The Caring Place, The Georgetown Project, and the Georgetown Police Department’s “Silver Bells” project, as well as for the Blue Santa program and numerous senior citizen events. Nationwide, Mike has performed for Facebook Corporate, Intel, the Army, Dell Children’s Hospital, For more information, check out Mike Elliott’s website at www.elvisaustin.net. the Austin Music Hall, and Harley Davidson. He’s the Austin Police Department’s Official Elvis for their Blue Santa Program, and two years ago Mike was chosen to perform with Wayne Newton at a USO Gala at Fort Hood. “As Mike Elliott, there is only so much that I can do,” Mike explains. “But as Elvis, the possibilities are limitless as to what I can do for people. I feel that I was blessed with a gift and that my purpose is to share it and use it to the best of my abilities.” “As Mike Elliott, there is only so much that I can do. But as Elvis, the possibilities are limitless as to what I can do for people.” D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 3 LET KINSEY INTERIORS DECORATE YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS! CALL TO SCHEDULE! Professional Services Include: • • • • • Design & Color Consulting Hunter Douglas Dealer Custom Window Treatments Remodel Specializing in Kitchen & Baths Accessorizing & Staging NEW all time LOW prices on Hunter Douglas blinds and shades! 512-930-2677 www.facebook.com/KinseyInteriorsInc 54 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Gigi’s Interior 10 Get Ready – Here are my Top Ten trends we will see in 2015: 1 Colors: Gray, Violet, Emerald Green, Peacock Blue, and Shimmering Neutrals will be seen in home and fashion. 2 Warm metallics are making a huge comeback! Gold, bronze, and copper will be competing with the polished nickel and brushed stainless of the last few years. 3 Cowhide on furniture, accessories, rugs, and fashion. Remember, a little goes a long way. 4 LED lighting is everywhere. Pendants and chandeliers are huge in 2015! 5 Use rustic and natural materials such as stacked natural stone, teak wood, river rocks, and sisal. 6 Mix design styles like Vintage and Contemporary. 7 Repurpose and Recycle. 8 Making a splash are freestanding tubs! Or, forget the bathtub and have a luxury walkin shower. 9 Sensor-operated faucets in kitchens and baths. They are user friendly and hygienic. 10 Luxury appliances in the kitchen. Maybe a steam oven or warming drawer. Stainless steel is continuing to be the front runner for finishes on appliances. 512-930-2677 See photos of these ideas at www.facebook.com/ KinseyInteriorsInc Happy Decorating! D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 5 FITNESS VIEW BY RACHEL BROWNLOW LUND PHOTOS BY ANDREA HUNTER S abine Medrano flipped through a copy of Runner’s World magazine, gleaning tips about super foods and running shoes, weight loss and mental perseverance—strategies that could help an avid runner, like her, improve. One fateful page turn later, her eyes landed on Peter Vigneron’s 2011 article “A Fresh Start: Tackling a marathon gives inmates a new outlook on life.” Sabine, a juvenile probation officer, was intrigued by how a women’s correctional facility in Kansas helped rehabilitate inmates through Running Free, an eight-week prison running club that helped lower participants’ recidivism, or relapse, and improve their overall physical and mental health. Inspired, she shared the article with fellow juvenile probation officer Miranda Villarreal, and the two devised a plan to implement a similar program, called Run Free Texas, in the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Department. “Our biggest goal is to provide Sabine Medrano and Miranda Villarreal 56 A(nother) Fresh Start A running program gets at-risk youth back on track a support system for these kids to get them back on track,” says Miranda. “We teach them the benefits of being physically active, because not only is it really great for your physical condition, but it’s also a great coping tool.” Practices occur twice weekly for twelve weeks, during which time groups of four to eight kids are coached to run between 1 and 4.5 miles in an hour and a half. At the end of the program, they participate in a final 5K and a fundraiser to collect money for their race entry. “Everything we’ll ask the kids to do, we’ll do with them,” explains Miranda. “That opens up communication, so we can counsel them about whatever issues they may bring up—hard times at school, hard times at home…. Also, I was not a runner when we first started D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Run Free Texas, so I can encourage the kids who aren’t experienced runners and tell them, ‘Look where I am now. If I can, you can.’” Run Free Texas invites motivational speakers, including coaches, athletes, and entrepreneurs, to speak to participants and their families about goal-setting, healthy habits, and recovering from past failures. Olympic medalist Leo Manzano, Aztex soccer player Robin Martinez, and Southwestern University track coach and former Olympic runner Francine Larrieu Smith have spoken to the group. “Leo Manzano’s talk really incited a passion in one of our kids. He’s now aiming for the Olympics and is working with a local coach to train on weekends,” says Miranda. Youth who attend at least 75 percent of practices in the free, voluntary program and complete the fundraiser and community 5K are eligible to receive up to 26 community service hours. They may also return to subsequent groups to earn additional hours and to mentor others. “A year ago, we had a kid come into the program who was not doing well in school; he had a chip on his shoulder and was having issues at home. During our running practices, we learned that he had a lot of sadness about his parents’ divorce and didn’t know how to communicate or handle that, which resulted in him making some poor decisions,” says Miranda. Fast-forward a year, and that same participant has enthusiastically signed up for three subsequent twelve-week running sessions—twice as a mentor. “He turned his life around. Now, he’s doing [well] at home; he’s doing [well] in school. He made the varsity wrestling team; he was selected as an assistant coach for a youth basketball group. And because he had made so many positive changes, his probation officer selected him out of 81 kids to let off probation early,” says Miranda. “It’s amazing—this program really can change lives.” For more information or to donate to support the program, visit www.runfreetexas.org/. To read the Runner’s World article that inspired Run Free Texas, visit www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/ fresh-start. GAIN •CARDIO CINEMA® •CIRCUIT AREA •TONS OF CARDIO •FULL LOCKER ROOM •FREE GROUP TRAINING •AND MUCH MORE! 6 WITH LESS PAIN 99 BI-WEEKLY JOIN TODAY Call, Click or Come in Today! 512-686-4777 | GoldsGymEXPRESS.com 1019 W. University Ave. Georgetown, TX 78628 In Wolf Ranch Town Center FREE VIP 1 DAY PASS EXPIRES 12 / 31 / 14 First time visitors only. Must be 18 years old and a local resident with valid ID. Not redeemable for cash. Valid at participating Gold’s Gym Express only. Other restrictions apply. See club for details. ©2014 Gold’s Holding Corp. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 7 Welcome Home… Come buy your tree at Legacy at Georgetown Thursday, December 4 5:30 p.m. Luxury living that exceeds expectations, embodies tradition, and embraces tomorrow. Every detail of Legacy at Georgetown has been crafted with our residents in mind, from our dedicated staff to our adaptive technology. You’re invited to Legacy of Trees These details make our community the ideal choice for living in Georgetown. As a luxury assisted living and memory care community near Austin, Texas, our home is designed for the safety, comfort and happiness of each of our residents. Thursday, December 4th 5:30 p.m. Call us today to schedule a tour and join us for lunch. Gala & Auction Join us for our 1st Annual Legacy of Trees gala. We will be serving light h’orderves & festive cocktails. While holding a silent auction to auction off the beautiful trees donated by local businesses. You’ll see what makes Legacy at Georgetown the new standard for senior living. All proceeds will benefit Honor Flight Austin. RSVP to [email protected] or call 512-686-1694 4907 Williams Drive • Georgetown, TX 78633 www.legacyatgeorgetown.com 512.686.1694 Facility ID No. 105556 Our Service & Reputation Are Top-Notch www.kinseyservices.com 750 CR 234 • Georgetown LEAK SPECIALISTS WATER HEATERS SEWER & DRAIN GAS LEAKS WATER SOFTENERS BATH/KITCHEN REMODEL 512-930-2677 Lic. #M-18887 58 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W MERRY CHRISTMAS AND WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY 2015! DISTRIBUTOR OF PROFESSIONAL PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. ALLSTATE PEST CONTROL Locally Owned & Operated Serving Georgetown Since 1983 Georgetown’s Oldest Pest Control Company NO CONTRACTS TO SIGN USE WHAT THE PROS USE. Fertilizer, Weed Killer, Pesticides, and Organic Products. We also provide Tree Spraying for web worms, termite control, fire ant control, and home services. • • • • • 512-863-7964 Termite Inspections & Warranties Interior & Exterior Treatments Available Scorpion Treatments • Flea & Tick Control Ant Control • Rodent Control Yard Spraying • Attic Dusting AllstatePestControlinc.com 5800 Williams Drive • Retail Store Open M-F 8-5 COSMETIC, NEUROMUSCULAR, AND GENERAL DENTISTRY www.AestheticDentistryGT.com (512) 819-9100 3622 Williams Dr. Bldg. 2 Georgetown, TX 78628 John Hay DDS ~ M andy Holley DDS D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 5 9 ADVERTORIAL Galaxie Granite Our Work is Out of This World! G alaxie Granite is family owned & operated in Georgetown. This allows us the opportunity to offer you that personal touch you deserve, and makes you proud of the final product. We specialize in exotic and unique natural stones. Call us and we will come to you and together we can create your dream room. Joe McNabb, Granite Repair Specialist, Eric Hillin, Owner, with Ethan, Nikki Hillin, Executive Assistant Daniel Hernandez & his crew: Edgar, Antonio, Elder, Luis, Daniel Hernadez, Alex. Highly skilled and true craftsmen, turning even the simplest jobs into beautiful works of art. Eric & Mike Weynand of University Place Townhomes, thrilled with the new unit install. Installs New Construction Remodels Residential 512.966.6134 Commercial Repairs 40108 Industrial Park Circle, Georgetown www.GalaxieGranite.com Restores The Bitter Taste of poor Quality Lingers Long After the Satisfaction of a Low Price 60 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE CARING PLACE! The Shops at The Caring Place: Come see us for your last minute Christmas list items. Your donations help us to serve our community. 512.943.0700 2000 Railroad St., Georgetown www.caringplacetx.org Midas of Georgetown 6 MONTHS SPECIAL FINANCING Availible at participating shops with approved credit. Minimum monthly payment required. See manager for details OIL CHANGE PLUS 1999 $ INCLUDES TIRE ROTATION Locally owned & operated for 14 years. GARY & DIANA Free up front estimates (most cases) We help you prioritize maintenance by letting you know what should be fixed and what can wait Lifetime Warranty Experienced Stable Staff Save on oil changes OR 10 $ OFF (Regularly Priced) High Mileage or full synthetic oil change • Oil & filter change • Courtesy check including visual brake check, air filter, fuid, belts and hoses • FREE tire rotation • FREE battery test Most vehicles. Up to 5 quarts of conventional oil. High mileage, synthetic, synthetic blend oils extra. Up to 10% shop fee where permitted based on pre-invoiced retail price, not to exceed $35.00. Plus applicable tax. Tire rotation at time of service. No cash value. Not valid with other offers. At participating Midas locations, with coupon. Expires: 12/31/14 *OC964USOTH* Save on brakes SECURE STOP BRAKE SERVICE 50 $25 $ UP TO UP TO OFF OFF BRAKE SERVICE PER AXEL • Lifetime guaranteed brake pads or shoes installed • Comprehensive brake system evaluation Discount off regular price. Lifetime guarantee valid for as long as you own your car. See manager for limited guarantee items. Plus applicable tax. Most vehicles. No cash value. Not valid with other offers or brake warranty redemptions. At participating Midas locations, with coupon. Expires: 12/31/14 *BK903USOTH* Save on tires Trust the Midas Touch.® Have a Safe & Happy Holiday Please call for appointment or book online at www.midas.com 551 South I.H. 35 512-869-2886 Next to Schlotzsky’s Deli Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm BUY 4 TIRES GET HALF OFF AN ALIGNMENT • Adjust front wheels to align with rear • Adjustment of rear wheels, as required Most vehicles. Required in-store installation extra.No carry-outs. Plus applicable tax. Computerized alignment check at time of purchase. State mandated tire disposal fee extra. Plus shop fee up to 10% where permitted of non-discounted retail price, not to exceed $35. No cash value. Not valid with other offers. At participating Midas locations, with coupon. Expires: 12/31/14 *TI520NAOTH* D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 6 1 EXTRA VIEW True Value A half-century’s work on the Square BY EMILY TREADWAY PHOTO BY RUDY XIMENEZ 62 M any people look forward to retirement, but Georgetown resident Eloide Newsom was not one of those people. “My son-inlaw says I was still working when I was ninety-five, and I think I was close,” she says. “I wasn’t on the payroll, but I couldn’t stand being away from the Square. I had to be down there where things were going on.” Eloide, who reached the century mark this past August, spent almost fifty years working on the Square. In the mid-1960s, Eloide and her husband, Paul, moved from Missouri to Georgetown to be near to their grown children, who already lived in Texas. They opened a Western Auto franchise, and later, with their son-in-law Ken Olson, they bought into a True Value franchise. These stores were family run and focused on personal service for customers. “People would tell us the reason they liked to come in [the store] is because someone would greet them and wait on them,” Eloide says. Sears eventually bought Western Auto, but by that time the Newsom and Olson families also had a furniture store on 6th Street directly behind their True Value store. Eloide’s daughter Judy says, “You could just walk out one [store] and into the back of the other.” Laughing now over the memory, Eloide recalls the day in the 1970s when her granddaughter disappeared from the furniture store. “She went and hid where we had the furniture, crawled under a baby crib, and nobody knew where she was.” “She fell asleep,” Judy adds. “We had the whole Square out looking for her,” Eloide says. “Back then, everybody seemed like family. Even someone who was in business against you was there helping you. It was a wonderful place to be.” “Everyone just dropped their customers and left the stores and went out looking,” Judy says. “We had people going through the courthouse. They went over to a car lot place, thinking she may have gotten into one of the used D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W cars,” Eloide says. “It was amazing. Of course, we found her and she was fine, and everyone was so glad.” These last few years, Eloide hasn’t been able to get to the Square as much as she’d like. “It’s not like it was when I first worked there,” she says. “It’s got a lot of new and interesting things around it.” Eloide worked as long as she could because she was lonesome at home. Family and friends visit Eloide frequently, but she says, “I liked to be out with people. I do miss working. All of the young people that work for us at the store keep in touch with me, and I encourage them never to quit working… most of them took my advice.” People often ask Eloide the secret to her longevity. While she doesn’t have the answer to the location of the fountain of youth, she suggests, “I think it’s good to be within the public. You don’t want to get out of the hum of things.” All Types Of Stonework Interior & Exterior Patios Fireplaces Outdoor Kitchens Hardscaping/Landscaping 512.789.2897 www.jcstoneworks.com Thanking Heroes ~ One Home at a Time™ Homes for Heroes® is giving back to those who serve our country and community. We offer considerable savings to heroes when buying or selling a home by rebates and discounts of 25% of gross commission paid to the Homes for Heroes Realtor® affiliate’s company. Heroes include Military, Veterans, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Educators, Clergy, EMS and Healthcare workers. No forms - No red tape - No fine print - No hidden fees - No catch. Jason Garst, Realtor® Wishing you a safe and happy holiday. each office independently owned & operated Keller Williams Realty Austin Northwest 512-350-8834 • [email protected] www.homesforheroes.com/affiliate/jason-garst www.jasongarst.kwrealty.com www.facebook.com/jasongarstrealtor www.HomesForHeroes.com Serving Georgetown Since 1996 Your Hometown Office & Break Room Supply Company Locally Owned & Operated RIGHT HERE IN GEORGETOWN Dedicated, experienced, local staff taking on the national office supply chains. Check out the hometown team FIRST! ORDER ONLINE NEXT DAY DELIVERY NO MINIMUM ORDER NO HASSLE RETURNS We’re Running For Your Business! 4159 A E. University 512-763-8800 www.V-QuestTx.com Toner & Ink Cartridges Office Supplies & Furniture Printers & Printer Repairs & Parts Managed Print Solutions Break Room Supplies Over 30,000 Products - If your office needs it - WE HAVE IT! D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 6 3 HOUSE CLEANING Done Right! Customized to meet your needs. Bonded & Insured Weekly, Bi-weekly and Monthly ™ Move in & Move out Serving Georgetown & Round Rock Areas 25 off Second scheduled cleaning Affordable living for Active Adults 55+ $ Swimming Pool Fitness Room Full Library Beauty & Barber Salon Game Room Billiards Room Movie Theatre Business Center 1 or 2 Bedrooms Clubhouse With in 10 minutes of 5 Golf Courses Offer valid one time per household. Expires 12/31/14 CALL TODAY for a free in home estimate 512-639-3906 ∙ HisWayCleaning.com Beautiful Craftsman-style cottages surrounding a three-story clubhouse community. Lic# A11433 MerryChristmas Since 2003 Infidelity and Child Custody Surveillance/Undercover Background Checks Runaways Computer and Cell Phone forensics Strictly confidential! 512-246-9889 Anji Fussell-MaCuk, President 121 River Bend Georgetown, Tx 512-930-4242 www.MariposaApartmentHomes.com “I’m always watching out for you” More services can be viewed at shespiespi.com Simply the BEST burgers around! Starting at 7.50 $ (plain ‘ol burger) HAPPY HOUR DEC 31 NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY! Live Music! Party Favors! Champagne Toast! New York Time Ball Drop and more fun! Mon – Fri 11am-7pm LIVE MUSIC Thur – Sat each week (Live music inside) check facebook & website for details. OPEN Monday – Friday at 11 am Saturday - Sunday at 10 am 64 20 13 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 1515 IH 35 512.869.5454 (Northbound exit 264, Southbound exit 262) www.hardtailsBarandGrill.com NATURAL & AFFORDABLE Alternative to Botox, Fillers, Face Lifts FREE CONSULTATION Cats-Only Boarding 512-863-2607 PHOENIXface and body Monday-Friday: 10am-5pm Saturday: 10am-2pm Non-Invasive Cosmetic Recovery Replace 2 Years of Lost Elastin through the process of Iontophoresis Call today WhiskersCatBoarding.com before after 512-818-5669 5411 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas “Next to the Dollar General” Why risk expensive surgery or injections? You can get similar results with the PHOENIX System. PKZ Embroidery Treatments are Non-Invasive, Non-Surgical with No Pain & No Downtime MicroCurrent, Radio Frequency and LED Light Therapy Lifts, Tones & Tightens: Cheeks, Jowls, Eyelids, Thinning Lips Crows Feet & Frown Lines Tightens Enlarge Pores Before & After Photo Taken See Visible Results after Treatment By Pixie Zimmerman Special Holiday Offer: 49 $ 512-591-7292 [email protected] One Treatment Get ready for your holiday parties and family photos. 400 West Main Street, Suite: 217 • Round Rock, TX 78664 [email protected] • www.phoenixfacebody.com DESIGNS LOGOS DIGITIZING Kenny & Tracy Meek and the employees of Meek’s Family Chem-Dry Keith Hutchens, Michael Anthony, Kevin McFarlin and Taylor Hutchens would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas New Year and a truly blessed CHEM-DRY’S BRAND PROMISE We will delight our customer’s with the cleanest and fastest drying carpets and upholstery in the carpet cleaning industry and the area. Our products will be expertly applied so as gentle on carpets and property, safe for people and pets, and our services will be delivered by trustworthy, friendly professionals. MEEK’S FAMILY CHEM-DRY MISSION We are dedicated to provide our customer’s with state-of-the-art equipment, knowledge and eco-friendly products delivered to you by our trained professionals. We will provide a prompt, high quality service at a competitive rate, while prolonging the life, look and health of your home’s furnishings and flooring. SUPERIOR CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING TILE & GROUT CLEANING AND SEALING ORIENTAL & AREA RUG CLEANING (IN HOME OR IN OUR FACILITY) MEEK’S FAMILY CHEM-DRY Independently owned & operated by Kenny & Tracy Meek 512-868-6722 Proudly serving Travis, Williamson & Burnet Counties since 2004 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 6 5 A STONE’S THROW Across Time: Crossroads of Central Texas “Engage, explore, enjoy” at Waco’s Mayborn Museum BY NANCY BACCHUS PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAYBORN MUSEUM COMPLEX Mayborn Museum is open seven days a week except for major holidays. Check times and prices at www. MaybornMuseum.com or by calling 254-710-1110. 66 I f time travel through Texas sounds like fun, here’s a destination that will deliver: Pack a picnic lunch and strike out early for Waco’s Mayborn Museum. Located on Baylor University’s campus just off I-35, the beautifully planned museum complex features amenities such as a gift shop, theater, party room, and Mrs. Moen’s Neighborhood for wee folks. Visitors can browse exhibits showing geology millions of years ago, fossilized skeletons from the Cretaceous era, dramatic models of long-dead creatures, representations of Texas geographical regions, and the march of human settlement along the Balcones Fault and Brazos River system. Three different museum areas offer different experiences. Depending on weather, visitors might enjoy going first to the Governor Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village after securing tickets at the museum. Both kids and adults can burn off energy outside and enjoy some fresh air after the drive. The Village, peaceful among pecan trees, features buildings typical of late nineteenth-century Texas farm communities. There’s a barn and smithy, a schoolhouse, a general store full of daily necessities, a country church, and furnished houses for both planter and tenant. Docents help children experience “old-timey” chores like pumping water or learning the fabled three Rs with slates instead of electronics. Adjacent to the Village is a covered picnic pavilion, great for lunch. First-floor exhibits inside are varied and more “museum-like.” One room displays worldwide artifacts called Strecker’s Cabinets of Curiosities after the museum’s earliest curator. Another room brings visitors into Texas forests as they were 150 years ago. Leaves rustle, birds call, and very realistic wildlife peeps from underbrush and tree trunks. A regal longhorn guards another D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W section, and still another section displays a log cabin, a Native American thatched roundhouse, and a Bosque County rock house built in Norwegian style. The Discovery Rooms are also worth a look. Adults can enjoy these simple, interactive displays as much as kids. One grown-up for every two children seems about right to help guide “discovery processes” via minimal instruction signs. What’s not to like about a giant heart with echoing beat, a human skeleton on a bike, optical illusions, or a huge keyboard for playing “Twinkle, Twinkle” by foot? And yes, there’s more: recycling, basic machine design, energy—discoveries continue through sixteen rooms. This generous legacy from Frank and Sue Mayborn of Temple offers a full, interesting day. H A P P Y V E T E R A N S D AY The Lodge at Rocky Hollow Two good neighbors, one great location. Certified Alzheimer’s Community Located just a few miles from Sun City on 6.5 beautiful acres with half an acre of walking paths with fountains and gazebo. Stephanie Featherstone Darren Featherstone Secure Specialized Memory Care Facility Caring for all Forms of Dementia Specializing in Alzheimer’s Care 4 Secure Grounds Apartments with Private Baths 4 Video Surveillance Family Owned and Operated Since 2006 www.stephaniefeatherstone.com www.darrenfeatherstone.com GUMBO FRIDAYS ARE BACK November – March Join us Friday, Dec 5 • 11am-1pm Catered by Placing a loved one with a memory disorder may be the hardest decision you ever have to make. Come see how our family can help. 254.793.2311 512.868.7885 512-868-8000 www.TheLodgeatRockyHollow.com 1650 CR 245 Georgetown Lic # 102467 yardbuilders.com CUSTOM DESIGN LANDSCAPING WATER FEATURES PATIOS OUTDOOR KITCHENS OUTDOOR FIREPLACES Happy Holidays Master Landscape & Site Designer (512) 755-9273 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 6 7 Debbie Bohls 830-613-0145 Outdoor Living Areas for YOUR Lifestyle Happy Holidays DE C KS • PATIO S • CO V E RS • P E R G O L A S E N C LO S URE S • F E NC E S OUTDO O R KITC HE N S & M OR E Cleaning Service and Dog Walking Photography and Art Studio 512-868-0011 Christmas Photo Sets Pin-up & Specialty and So Much More For more information & photos, visit KeltonDeck.com 512-924-5226 • [email protected] www.hellodarlingphotography.com If You Have An Accident - Request GLASS WRECKER on Site. Program our 24 Hour # into your phone – 512-863-5058 Happy Holidays and Safe Travels Paul Bohanan, Owner Keith Anderson, Manager 24 Hours-Since 1967 • Georgetown’s Oldest Wrecker Service • 512-863-5058 68 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W is now in Georgetown! Balsamic Vinegars Flavored Olive Oils Extra Virgin Olive Oils Sesame Seed oil Avocado Oil Marinades Gourmet Olives Bella Cucina Pesto Sea Salts Spices Ask about our Gourmet Club! Local family owned business ❧ Gift Baskets Available for the Holidays ❧ We Ship Anywhere ❧ Texas’ largest selection of infused olive oil & balsamic vinegars. ❧ Over 4000 bottles of olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars between both of our stores in Georgetown and Salado. ❧ 25 year old traditional Balsamic vinegar from Modena, Italy 602 Old Town Center, Ste 5 Salado, TX 76571 512.800.8222 103 North Austin Ave., Bldg 2, Ste 220 Georgetown, TX 78626 512.800.8884 SaladoOliveOilCo.com Dental Implants Periodontal Services Flexible Financing Options Cosmetic Services Whitening Services – In Office/Take Home Teeth In A Day 100 off $ New Patient Exam, X-rays & Regular Cleaning J. Colby Smith, D.D.S. Colleen Nothern, D.D.S. 3007 Williams Drive • Georgetown, TX 78628 512-869-2563 • www.gtowndental.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 6 9 MUSINGS FOR MOMS Creating Holiday Memories Traditions bring families together BY ALICEA JONES W hen I was growing up, Christmastime meant sweet potato pie and sneaking out of bed on Christmas Eve with my sister, watching for Santa’s sleigh to come gliding out of the night sky. When I became a parent, my husband and I started an advent calendar tradition using a miniature dresser we found at Hobby Lobby. We stuffed each of the 24 drawers with scriptures, surprises, and clues for finding treats around the house. Whether you grew up in a family that enjoys traditional holiday routines passed down through the generations or are just starting your own, you can create fun and memorable activities that aren’t complicated or conventional and that can reap positive benefits for your family. A 2002 review of research conducted by Syracuse University found that “rituals were powerful organizers of family life, supporting its stability during times of stress and transition.” Researchers found that routines (traditions) are important for the psychological health and well-being of the family and create a sense of closeness and belonging. For the fun of it, let’s take a look at what some families in George- Alicea Jones is a professional writer and speaker encouraging mothers to nurture the whole woman so that they can achieve all they are designed to be. She is currently working on Free To Mother, a book to help moms live courageously. www.freetomother.com 70 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W town have done to create holiday traditions in their homes. Maybe we can pick up some new ideas: Longtime Georgetown resident and mother of two boys Monica Turner made sure the house smelled yummy on Christmas morning. “We always had baked apples, biscuits, and egg and sausage casserole for breakfast. The kids loved the smells wafting while we opened gifts.” Monica also alluded to the Three Wise Men by limiting gifts to three for each child. “It seemed to help them savor and appreciate the gifts a little more,” she says. She and her husband played a game of hide and seek with their boys. Every year, they’d hide the baby Jesus from their nativity set and the boys had to find him. “They were appalled to find him in the dryer one year,” Monica says. When Lenora Hausman was raising her children, the family tradition was to open one gift on each of the eight nights before Hanukkah. The children were treated to warm potato latkes and played games of dreidel. A dreidel is a wooden four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters on each side. Lynn Jimenez and her family order Chinese dinner for delivery on Christmas Eve. “My family has been doing this for 50 years,” she says. Jen Mauldin, local life transition coach, also incorporates food into her holiday festivities. “After so many years of turkey and ham, our recent tradition for Christmas dinner is a hodge-podge of food that people have expressed a desire for. For example, one year we had salmon, banana pudding, rice casserole, and a Brussels sprouts dish. No one cares if it’s a Real Simple or Martha Stewart table or if the dishes go ‘properly together,’” she says. Stephanie Huges Blanck waxes nautical at Christmastime, decorating her home in a sea-worthy theme. “I have a very nautical mantle—including fishnet and everything…. It pays homage to my Long Island roots.” Stephanie serves steak and lobster on Christmas day instead of turkey. The Moffett family’s tradition is to talk about what they’ve learned during the year. They ask, “What would we have done differently?” says Jade Moffett. “We also sing and lip-sync to our Christmas music while decorating the tree,” says Herb Moffett, Jade’s dad. Whether your traditions feature music, food, gifts, or decorating, incorporating Christmas routines helps to unify the family and create memories. Happy Holidays We Offer a Full Menu of Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgeries Breast Augmentation (Lift/Reduction Revisions/Reconstruction) Body Contouring Liposuction Face and Eyelid Lifts Botox Mini Facelifts Chemical Peels Dermal Fillers Tummy Tuck Laser Hair Removal Laser Vein Removal IPL Photofacials HOLIDAY SPECIALS Complimentary Cosmetic Consultations ••• SOME HOLIDAY FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN GEORGETOWN: $50 off Dermal Fillers Ask about our all-inclusive Skin Resurfacing Package Georgetown’s annual Christmas Stroll, Downtown Georgetown: Visit www.thegeorgetownsquare.com and click on “Events” or call 512-8688675 for information. Dr. Craig Staebel Board Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery Georgetown Holiday Home Tour: Visit www.georgetownheritagesociety. com/events.php or call 512-869-8597 for details. CALL FOR A CONSULTATION 512.686.1650 3201 South Austin Ave., Suite # 305 Georgetown, Texas www.georgetownplasticsurgery.com D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 7 1 MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM EXTREME GOLF CARS From Your Neighborhood Authorized Dealer Merry Christmas Home of the REAL DEAL NEW • Pricing • Packages • Attitude DAILY SPECIALS New Cars - Gas or Electric Starting at $4,999 With Full 3 - Year Warranty % 1.9 C WA GREAT SELECTION OF NEW AND USED 6950 IH 35 North 512.635.1851 www.extremegolfcars.com 72 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 512-864-0777 400 Del Webb Blvd. Suite 101 Georgetown, TX 78633 CapitalGolfCars.com GOLFER’S CORNER Finish Your Shot O ne thing I am seeing daily is a lot of players who have never been shown the correct way to finish their swing (also known as the “followthrough”). If this is something you would like to improve in your game, try this drill: Stand in front of a full-length mirror and think of the mirror as your target line. You will be looking at the mirror over your left shoulder for a right-hand player or your right shoulder for a left-hand player. Now what you want to do is simulate a golf swing toward the mirror and hold your finish. Now look at the mirror and make sure you have made a complete turn facing the mirror with BY your shoulders and hips facing the target. Make sure your right shoulder is in front of your left shoulder at the finish. If your right knee is pointing to the right and your right shoulder is not in front of the left one, you did not follow through. A lot of you have heard to point your belt buckle at the target. This is basically the same thought process. Just remember to start your downswing with your lower body. Do not start with your hands. If you start with your hands, that is what will cause you to come over the top. Practice making this complete follow through to the finish with about 90% of your weight on the left side and 10% on your right toe. Remember a nice follow through will produce a more consistent shot with more power and accuracy. BILL EASTERLY THE PRO Find Bill Easterly through The Golf Ranch 1019 W. University #310 (Wolf Ranch) 512-863-4573 With 30 years experience in golfing, BILL EASTERLY has spent 17 years as a pro player from the US to Australia, winning the Gulf Coast Invitational twice, and three times on the Sr Circuit. Bill has spent 10 years helping others enjoy the sport. Here, he gives you priceless tips – free – every month – to improve YOUR game. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 7 3 LIFE WITH RELISH, PLEASE Envisioning the Future Create a vision board that inspires BY RACHEL BROWNLOW LUND Rachel Brownlow Lund is a professional writer, avid reader, and lifelong learner. Join Rachel in her journey to explore life’s pleasures, big and small, for the young and young at heart. For more on Rachel, including an online portfolio of her articles, visit rachelbrownlow.com. 74 V ision boarding. It began as a whisper—a crafty pastime shared among scrapbook lovers, never something I’d find time to pursue. Gradually, though—and, I suspect, tied to the rising popularity of Pinterest—vision boarding has shifted from “woo-woo” status to acknowledgement as a proven goal-setting method. In the last year alone, I’ve encountered friends, mentors, and established professionals clipping out inspirational messages, art, and magazine clippings, and gluing them onto a poster board they’d study each day. “When you wake up every morning and see that visual representation of your goals, it makes you more likely to follow through,” a successful real estate agent once told me. He and his team make vision boards each year as pathways to their personal and professional success. And so, after a close friend invited me to a vision boardmaking get-together in early 2013, I attended, armed with scissors, a stack of magazines, and a jar of saved fortunes I’d rescued from cookies. Make no mistake: Creating a vision board is a time-consuming task. We each took several hours to sort through old magazines, finding symbolic images and meaningful messages; painstakingly clipping them out; arranging them onto our boards; and then gluing them in place. After a while, however, the tasks became relaxing, almost therapeutic. Flip, flip, flip. Snip, snip, snip. Rub, rub, rub. Pat, pat, pat. My first find was a picture in a fitness magazine of a woman kickboxing; I wanted to be physically stronger, more agile and more confident. Then, I found an image of a full school bus. “I may not be ready to have children yet,” I thought to myself, “but perhaps this year I can apply to mentor one.” Finally, I glued to my board a picture of a man with a microphone, telling myself that 2013 would be the year I’d begin to conquer my fear of public speaking. One by one, I saw my visions for the year take root and become reality. That year I took two self-defense courses, began mentoring a second-grade girl through the Seedling Foundation’s mentorship program, and joined a Toastmasters International club to learn how to give prepared and impromptu speeches with confidence. Because I took the time to create a vision board and look at it daily, 2013 became a year of tremendous personal growth for me. And, not surprisingly, since I added new goals and a new vision board to the mix in 2014, this year has been even better. I’m excited to see what will manifest in 2015. RACHEL’S CHALLENGE: Gather your magazines, favorite quotes, a glue stick, and poster board, and create your very own vision board for 2015. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Engineered naughty. Priced nice. The Mercedes-Benz Winter Event. The Mercedes-Benz Winter Event offers the best of both worlds— an expertly crafted automobile you’ve dreamed of for a price you never dreamed possible. Get great offers on the breathtaking CLA, powerful new C-Class, innovative E-Class, stylishly safe M-Class and versatile GLA. Hurry, offers end soon. Mercedes-Benz of Georgetown A Garlyn Shelton Dealership. SALES AND SERVICE IH 35 at Westinghouse Road • 512.930.6150 • 1-800-MERCEDES www.mbofgeorgetown.com SERVICE HOURS 7:30 - 6:00 Weekdays SATURDAY HOURS 8:00 - 5:00 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 7 5 76 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W IN THE KITCHEN In Honor of Heirloom Recipes BY ANDREA HUNTER, MEG MORING, CAROL HUTCHISON, AND MONICA BROWNLOW H oliday memories are often tied to the treats we remember eating as children. The scent of ginger or coconut pulls us back to our grandmother’s kitchens—and sometimes beyond, to faraway times and faraway countries. If we’re lucky, some of us possess recipe cards in faded handwriting or dogeared, flour-smeared cookbooks handed down through the family. This is certainly true for staff members at Georgetown View. Here, several of us share the family heirloom recipes that we make each holiday season. D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 7 7 Pralines Granny’s Sand Tarts It’s not Christmastime in our home until waxed paper dotted with pralines lines our countertops. I’ve been making my mother-in-law’s recipe for more than 27 years. Making candy isn’t all that difficult—you just have to heat the mixture to the right temperature— but keeping my husband from eating all the pralines at once is. ~ Carol Hutchison For Christmas in 1957, my grandmother compiled an “Heirloom Cookbook” filled with her favorite recipes for her four daughters and one daughter-in-law. “May you enjoy these recipes in cooking for your families as I have for mine,” she wrote. Included in the book, which she typed, was her recipe for sand tarts, which look like snow-dusted confections on a Christmas plate. ~ Meg Moring Ingredients: 1½ cups light brown sugar 1½ cups white sugar 1 cup evaporated milk 3 Tbsp Karo light syrup 1 tsp vanilla 1½ cups pecans Preparation: 1. In a heavy saucepan, combine the light brown sugar, white sugar, evaporated milk, and Karo light syrup. 2. Heat mixture to the softball stage on a candy thermometer, or approximately 240° F, stirring constantly. 3. Immediately remove from heat. 4. Add vanilla and pecans. 5. Stir by hand until mixture loses its gloss, about 6 to 7 minutes. 6. Drop by spoonful on wax paper and wait several minutes for pralines to cool and harden. Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 5 Tbsp powdered sugar 1 Tbsp water 2 cups flour 1 Tbsp vanilla 1 cup nuts, finely chopped ¾ cup powdered sugar (for rolling) Preparation: 1. Cream butter and 5 Tbsp powdered sugar. 2. Gradually add water and flour until creamed. 3. Add nuts and vanilla. 4. Form dough into balls the size of the thumb. 5. Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes. 6. Remove from oven and roll in ¾ cup powdered sugar. Zeolla Gingerbread Men Adeline’s Waffle Cookies This Italian gingerbread recipe has been handed down generation after generation in the Zeolla household. The magical ingredient is the orange extract, which makes these cookies not only aromatic, but absolutely delicious. Soft and full of flavor, they are my most requested treat for holiday gatherings, and I’m excited to share the recipe with our View audience. ~ Andrea Hunter My great-aunt brought these cookies with her from Belgium when she immigrated after World War II. Now the whole family makes them. Somehow, even though we all use the same recipe and subscribe to the same superstitions (like using only a wooden spoon to mix the dough), each person’s waffle cookies are slightly different. The best ones are like buttery pound cake with a crunchy, crystallized sugar exterior. What will yours be like? ~ Monica Brownlow Dry Ingredients: 2 cups white flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ginger ½ tsp cloves ½ tsp salt them to dry mixture. Mix well. Chill dough for a few hours or overnight before rolling out. 2. Roll out half of chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness on a floured surface, and cut into shapes. BAKING TIP: To prevent spreading, refrigerate cut shapes before putting them in the hot oven, or Wet Ingredients: use butter instead of margarine 1 cup margarine or a half butter/half margarine 1½ cups sugar mixture. Add 1 egg (beat until light and fluffy) 3. Preheat oven to 375° F. Bake 1 tsp orange extract cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 2 Tbsp molasses on wax paper. Preparation: 4. These cookies are yummy plain, but 1. Stir dry ingredients together. Cream you may wish to decorate them together wet ingredients and add with icing. 78 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Ingredients: 2 cups sugar 16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) butter, softened 8 eggs, room temperature 3½ tsp vanilla extract 4 cups flour Preparation: 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after every addition. Then add vanilla. 2. Gradually sift in flour, about ½ cup at a time, and stir gently with a wooden spoon after every addition until no dry flour is visible. Do not over mix. 3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 8 hours. 4. Preheat waffle iron. Place a scant tablespoon of chilled dough in each quadrant of the hot waffle iron and cook according to the waffle iron’s instructions. Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack. Keep the bowl of dough refrigerated while each batch is cooking. The cookies are best eaten hot. GEORGETOWN DALES ESSENHAUS 3900 FM 972, Walburg Dales-essenhaus.com New Years Eve Dance Live music with Frankly Country, 8pm-midnight. Gates open at 7pm. $5 Cover GERMAN WALBURG RESTAURANT 3777 FM 972, Walburg www.WalburgRestaurant.com Live Music every Fri & Sat Night The Walburg Boys & more! Check website for updates HARDTAILS BAR & GRILL 1515 IH 35, Georgetown www.HardtailsBarandGrill.com Sundays: Bloody Mary Buffett 10am-2pm Mondays: Texas Hold ’em 6:30 & 9:15pm Tuesdays: Free Pool Wednesdays: Open Mic 4 Chris Manning & Matt Wayne 5 The Instigators 6 Bad Rooster 11 Brodie Lane 12 Joel Tucker Band 13 American Gypsy 18 The Matt Cline Band 19 Audio Queen 20Shopdawgz 26 Max Rios & the Waysiders 27 Mayors of Simpleton 31 NEW YEARS EVE PARTY! ROOTS BISTRO 118 W 8th Street, Georgetown www.rootsbistrogtx.com Tuesdays: Karaoke Wednesdays: Open Mic Thursday–Saturday: Live Music ® City Lights Theatres combines first run movies with a casual dining menu, offering a wide range of choices, including fresh grilled burgers, homemade fire cooked pizzas & several appetizers to choose from. Place your order at the concession and your order will be delivered to you. DECEMBER Opening Dates subject to change 5 The Pyramid 12 Exodus 12 Top Five 17 The Hobbit: Battle of Five Armies 19 Annie 19 Night at the Museum Secrets of the Tomb 25 Interview 25 Into the Woods 25 Unbroken 25 Hot Tub Time Machine 2 25 Paddington W I N ES · S P I R I TS · F I N E R FO O DS Uncork A NEW HOLIDAY TRADITION! HOLIDAY SPARKLER Ingredients: • 5 oz moscato • ½ oz lemon-lime soda • ½ oz raspberry lemonade • Lime wedge for garnish Preparation: Pour the moscato, lemon-lime soda and raspberry lemonade in a flute. Garnish with the lime wedge and enjoy this holiday season! TONY & LUIGIS 1201 S. Church Street, Georgetown www.toniandluigistx.com Thursday Evenings: Frankly Sinatra Call for Reservations Now equipped with all new state-of-the-art digital projection equipment & Master Image 3D. CHECK U S O U T AT: www.citylightstheatres.com for complete schedule show times & purchase tickets on-line 512 868 9922 Cheers to Savings! ® (512) 868-6696 1013 W UNIVERSITY AVE SPECSONLINE.COM Spec’s selection includes over 100 stores in Texas! D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W 7 9 HISTORIC VIEW A Man of Many Hats Robert McAlpin Williamson: Texan to the core BY TIFFANY R. WHITE 80 T hunk! The sharp-honed Bowie knife plunged into the wood of the judge’s makeshift dais. “This is the law that governs here,” said its owner. The judge eyed the Shelby County man and the crowd behind him. Lawlessness had plagued this part of Texas for too long. Order needed to be restored. Judge Williamson stood up and pulled out a pistol. “If this is your law, this is the constitution that overrules it,” he said, laying the pistol next to the knife. Court proceeded without further interruption. Written into the fabric of Texas history are the stories of men and women whose interminable spirit and love for the land forged a republic and later a state. Robert McAlpin Williamson was such a man. Lawyer, newspaper editor, Texas Ranger, cavalryman, judge, and statesman—he exemplified the larger-than-life persona of many early Texans. Mickie Ross, Executive Director of the Williamson Museum and a sixth-generation Texan, describes the county’s namesake: “He wasn’t born here [in Texas], but he got here as quickly as he could. I think that’s what makes Texas different is people who come here and embody what everybody believes Texas is,” she explains. “Williamson fought for Texas, he believed in Texas. He fought not only physically in the [Texas Revolution], but he also fought for what he thought was right for Texans. That’s what makes Williamson so remembered.” Williamson was born in Georgia around 1804. When he was fifteen, an illness left his right leg permanently bent behind him at the knee. Williamson walked by leaning his right knee on a peg leg, garnering him the name “Three Legged Willie.” At nineteen, he became a lawyer and practiced law in Georgia before moving to San Felipe de Austin, Texas, in the late 1820s. The growing calls for Texas’ independence from Mexico appealed to the young firebrand. Williamson edited three newspapers, often writing in favor of independence. In November 1835, he was a delegate to the Consultation—a prerevolutionary meeting that established a provisional Texas government. Williamson was commissioned there as a major in the newly formed Texas Rangers. On April 21, 1836, Williamson took the fight to the Mexican army. During the Battle of San Jacinto, he D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 G E O R G E T O W N V I E W Robert M. Williamson; Accession ID: CHA 1989.111; Courtesy State Preservation Board, Austin, TX; Original Artist: de Gissac, F. rode in the cavalry wearing a nine-tailed coonskin cap. Approximately one thousand Texans defeated the Mexican army in eighteen minutes in a decisively one-sided battle. “While he is not a hero of the [Texas] revolution on the same tier as Travis, Houston, Bowie, and Crockett, in terms of having influenced the movement towards the revolution, he was close,” says Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield, a sixth-generation Texan and a Williamson enthusiast. “I think Williamson and others like him represented and fostered a renegade, independent-thinking Texas spirit.” After the revolution, Williamson served a new role in the burgeoning Republic of Texas. He was elected judge of the Third Judicial District, often covering vast stretches of hill country on horseback as he fulfilled his duties. “You got the impression Williamson could be a tough judge, but he also had a heart and did not ignore the way that human emotions could play themselves out [in the courtroom],” Judge Stubblefield says. In 1840, Williamson left the bench and spent ten years in Congress. First, as a representative and senator during the Republic and after annexation in 1845— something he strongly championed, even naming one of his sons “Annexus”—he served two terms in the Texas Senate. But no matter what hat he wore—judge, lawyer, cavalryman, legislator—Williamson’s unwavering dedication to Texas is something the folks of Williamson County can be proud of. SPECIALIZING IN ALL TYPES FENCING, PLUS…. Decks & Pergolas Patios & Stone Work Custom Gate Fabrication Garage Additions & Apts. Ext. Painting & Staining Sheds & Barns Concrete Work AND MUCH MORE! 3700 Williams Drive, Georgetown Thank you for your support! Hire one of us…You got us all! From Our NATIONALLY KNOWN, LOCALLY OWNED Family to Yours… Audra, Stacy, Hanna, Linda, and Jodie Wendi, Angie, The Searigh t Family Merry Christmas Georgetown www.WilcoAngels.com ~ 512.863.4777 ~ New Location on the Historic Square
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