JARED FIELDS • PICAYUNE STAFF

BURNET — Many of Burnet’s water customers soon will be relying on well water as severe drought continues to plague the Highland Lakes.

The city of Burnet will switch many customers to well water around June 3. The city has been drawing its water supply mostly from Lake Buchanan. The area inside the red border is an approximation of the area that will be switched to well water. Courtesy of City of Burnet

City officials said the switch from surface water of Lake Buchanan to well water could occur around June 3.

City Manager David Vaughn said the wells currently are healthy enough to support the city’s needs, and the change to well water helps the city balance its resources.

“Right now, we want to maximize all our sources of water to have as little impact as possible,” Vaughn said.

Well water was used by the city from December 2011 to April of last year.

Currently the city has no water use restrictions.

Lake Buchanan is 41 percent full with 360,000 acre-feet of water, according to the Lower Colorado River Authority.

“We have enough well capacity to service 100 percent of demand in a normal year and 80 percent in a severe year,” Vaughn said. “We want to balance those resources.”

Vaughn said the city uses about 2 million gallons of water per day.

“Our usage for a year equals about two days of Austin’s use,” Vaughn said. “But we do everything we can to be responsible with our portion.”

jared@thepicayune.com

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DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

HOOVER’S VALLEY — A day at the park turned tragic May 23 when an 18-year-old man drowned while attempting to swim across a portion of Inks Lake, according to officials.

Rescuers and divers attempt to locate the body of a drowning victim at Inks Lake State Park on May 23. The victim, 18-year-old Johnny Mosley, and another man were attempting to swim across a cove at the park when the teen went under about 11 a.m. Divers recovered his body about 12:30 p.m. The young man was at the park with a church group when the accident occurred. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton

The victim, 18-year-old Johnny Mosley, and another young man were apparently attempting to swim about 100 yards across a cove at Inks Lake State Park when the teen went under.

“He apparently became tired and started to reach out for his friend,” Inks Lake State Park Manager Terry Rodgers said. “Basically, the other person couldn’t keep himself and (Mosely) up, so he had to swim to shore.”

The incident occurred just after 11 a.m. Divers recovered the young man’s body about 12:30 p.m. in seven feet to eight feet of water.

Rodgers said Mosley was a college student but returned home to Kingsland for the summer break. The 18-year-old was at the park enjoying the day along with a church group from the Smoking for Jesus Ministry, the park manager said.

Many of the young man’s friends and family stood on the shore grieving and supporting each other as officials retrieved the body.

Units from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department state parks, TPWD game wardens, the Lower Colorado River Authority, the Cassie Volunteer Fire Department, the Hoover’s Valley Volunteer Fire Department, the Kingsland Volunteer Fire Department dive team, the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office and the Burnet County Victims Services office assisted in the search and recovery.

daniel@thepicayune.com

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MARBLE FALLS — While the 2013 kickoff is still months away, football is up and going in the Highland Lakes with the Marble Falls High School Spring Game on May 23.

And KBEY 103.9 FM Radio Picayune will be covering it live. The Spring Game starts at 8 p.m. at Mustang Stadium, 2101 Mustang Drive. But you can tune in to KBEY at 6:30 p.m. for a pre-game show that features the latest on the Mustangs and other area high schools.

The pre-game show includes a Highland Lakes football tour with KBEY sportscasters Jennifer Fierro and Jared Fields visiting with coaches from Burnet High School, Faith Academy, Llano High School and Marble Falls High School.

At 7:30 p.m., KBEY goes live at Mustang Stadium with interviews and more pre-game analysis. And after the game, Marble Falls head coach Todd Dodge will share his thoughts on the Mustangs’ performance.

Sure it’s spring, but it’s always football season in Texas, so tune in to the Mustangs’ Spring Game. Remember, the 2013 season is only three months away.

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MARBLE FALLS — For 12 Marble Falls Independent School District athletes, their journey to Arlington for a state competition is more than just a drive up Interstate 35.

“For these kids, it’s the ultimate trip,” said Marble Falls Middle School teacher and coach Gavin Smith. “They are part of a team, and they’re representing Marble Falls. For them, that’s a big deal.”

The MFISD Special Olympics team is competing in the 2013 Texas Summer Games at the University of Texas at Arlington on May 23-26. The Marble Falls squad began track season the day after its basketball season wrapped up in mid-February.

“The kids have been working extremely hard,” Smith said.

The team has been working out just about every Tuesday afternoon at Marble Falls Middle School’s Pony Stadium. The student-athletes practice several events they compete in such as shot put, 50-meter and 100-meter dashes, softball toss and javelin (plastic) throw.

The state meet won’t be the first one the squad has competed in this year. The Marble Falls Special Olympics program hosted a meet at Mustang Stadium in April. On May 4, the team participated in the regional competition at Leander High School. With more than 600 athletes attending the Leander event, the Marble Falls student-athletes returned with lots of medals and ribbons.

The 4×100-meter relay team consisting of Briant Atkinson, Jonathan Estrada, Trevor Phillips and Andrew Phillips earned a silver medal.

Individual awards included:

• Briant Atkinson: silver in running long jump and silver in 200-meter dash;

• Socorro de la Hoya: gold in 50-meter dash and silver in softball throw;

• Jonathan Estrada: gold in mini-javelin throw and fifth in 100-meter dash;

• Taylor Johnson: silver in 50-meter dash and silver in softball throw;

• Vanesa Lopez: bronze in softball throw and gold in 50-meter dash;

• Kim Morrow: silver in softball throw and fourth in 50-meter dash;

• Andrew Phillips: fourth in 100-meter dash and silver in softball throw;

• Trevor Phillips: fourth in mini-javelin throw and silver in 100-meter dash;

• Jacob Phillips: gold in shot put and bronze in 100-meter dash;

• Karena Rios: gold in 50-meter dash and bronze in softball throw;

• Raul Serifin: bronze in 50-meter dash and fourth in softball throw;

• Michael Thixton: gold in mini-javelin throw and silver in 100-meter dash;

• Ethan Vidal: bronze in shot put and gold in 50-meter dash;

• Tanner Worthing: bronze in softball throw and bronze in 50-meter dash.

Smith said one of the greatest joys in working with the Special Olympians is the athletes’ reactions.

“They get this spirit of competition,” he said. “They are certainly aware of the medals, and they want to get one. They want to win. But no matter how they finish, they are so happy and excited.”

Smith’s first experience with the Special Olympics and its athletes came in 1976 when he was working with the Austin parks and recreation department. At a meet, Smith was helping the athletes off the track to their coaches or parents. During one of the races, a young man was struggling to make it to the finish line.

“He was working so hard to make it,” Smith said. “When you looked around, his mother was crying, he was crying, other people were crying. But he made it, and he was so proud just to have finished the race. He never gave up no matter how tough it was.”

The Special Olympics gives these student-athletes a place to meet other people, go to new places and just be kids. It’s not something lost on his team.

“When we go to these meets like the state one, we travel as a team, we go to restaurants as a team, and I tell them that they are representing Marble Falls,” Smith said. “They’re so proud that they’re representing Marble Falls.”

For more on the Special Olympics, go to www.sotx.org.

daniel@thepicayune.com

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MARBLE FALLS — A group of dune-buggy enthusiasts are descending upon the Highland Lakes for a weekend of driving and swapping stories.

The Texas Manx Club’s annual Buggy Blast is coming to Marble Falls on May 24-27.

“We talk and help each other build buggies, whether it’s online or we get together and help each other that way,” club member Faron Smith said. “It’s just a time for us to get together.”

The club will be in Johnson Park from 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m. May 25 for a “Shine and Show,” where people might notice the buggies all have a unique character.

“There’s some basic buggies to the truly decked-out,” Smith said. “They’re all custom built by the builder.”

Smith said the public is welcome to look at the buggies and ask questions at the park. But from there, the members will hit the road to see the sights around the Highland Lakes.

Smith said the group chose Marble Falls for the Buggy Blast because of its scenery.

“It’s beautiful,” Smith said. “I’d been down there for the drag-boat races and thought it was neat.”

The group of 25 or more will take another drive around the area May 26 and then depart May 27.

Anyone interested in the club can find out more and view pictures at www.texasmanxclub.com.

jared@thepicayune.com

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CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF

KINGSLAND — World War II Veteran and ex-prisoner of war Donald James Huisenga, 89, said hard work on a farm as a youngster prepared him for survival in a German prison camp.

Donald Huisenga, a World War II prisoner of war, is a volunteer with the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store, 2317 RR 1431 West in Kingsland. His name and the names of his three brothers, one of whom was killed in action during the war, will be place in balloons to be launched on May 27 in Buchanan Dam to honor their service. Staff photo by Connie Swinney

“I made it because I had to live on my own ever since I was 12 years old. My folks kicked me out,” he said. “I went to go live with an uncle and an aunt. I had to go to work and go to high school. I milked 30 cows every morning by hand.”

Huisenga, who was a private first class, was captured in September 1944 in France after he became separated from a group while on patrol. He was taken to Merseberg, Germany, where he lived in captivity for eight months.

“We worked hard. We had an SS trooper over us,” Huisenga said. “He got wounded and lost an arm. He was mean.”

Huisenga was assigned to a work detail cutting wood and loading it onto trains every day with 10 other imprisoned Americans.

Huisenga, a Kingsland resident who is originally from Iowa, was one of four brothers who also served in the Army during the war. His brother Duane was killed in action after suffering shrapnel wounds.

In 1945, the 48th U.S. Army Infantry liberated him and his fellow soldiers as the war was ending.

On Memorial Day, the names of Huisenga and his brothers will be among nearly 300 names placed in balloons during a launch on Memorial Day. The event is 11 a.m. May 27 in the arena at Cross and Spurs Cowboy Church, located at RR 1431 and Lillian Dean Drive in Buchanan Dam.

“Some of them have given their life, their service to our country,” said coordinator Mamie Holbrook of the Kingsland American Legion Auxiliary Unit 437. “Some of them we know. Some we don’t know. They can know that we honored them.”

Residents can donate $1 per name with proceeds used for bingo events for veterans at the U.S. Veterans Medical Center in Kerrville. The POW and MIA names will be put in black balloons, while veterans’ names will be placed in red, white or blue balloons. Volunteers will place the names of those killed in action in gold balloons. Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 15, Kingsland, TX 78639.

Huisenga, who volunteers with the Kingsland Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store, 2317 RR 1431 West, said he hopes people who find the balloons will think about the sacrifices of servicemen and women.

“I’ve got grandkids. They sit and look at all my stuff. I have to get it out for them — a compass, an old German watch and pictures. They love to have me dress up in my uniform,” he said. “If it wouldn’t have been for the veterans, we wouldn’t have our country right now. It’s important for the kids to remember.”

connie@thepicayune.com

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Memorial Day balloon release

WHEN: 11 a.m. May 27

WHERE: Cross and Spurs Cowboy Church arena, located at RR 1431 and Lillian Dean Drive in Buchanan Dam

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BURNET — Former Burnet County Commissioner James Holbrook understands the reason for Memorial Day on a personal level. So when Reveille Peak Ranch owner Vol Montgomery shared the idea of Carry the Load 20.13 with Holbrook, the former commissioner kept his opinion simple.

“It’s a good idea,” Holbrook said. “We need to remember these folks. We need to remember who they were and what they did.”

Capt. Jason Holbrook, the son of James and Elaine Holbrook, died July 29, 2010, while serving in southern Afghanistan. He was a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces. The 28-year-old left behind his parents, siblings and wife, Heather Holbrook. He also leaves behind a legacy of a proud and courageous man who deserved to be honored and recognized like the many others who gave their lives for the country.

Memorial Day was created for just such a reason. But often the reason behind the day gets pushed into the background as people use the fourth Monday in May as the kickoff for summer, shopping or just another day off from work or school.

Carry the Load 20.13 came about to remind people about the reason for Memorial Day and the men and women who it honors. The original Carry the Load started two years ago in Dallas after former U.S. Navy Seal Clint Bruce became upset that Americans seemed to have forgotten what Memorial Day meant.

“I think we take for granted what the day is really about,” Montgomery said back in March. “It is a day to honor those who died for our country.”

Reveille Peak Ranch, 105 CR 114, located west of Burnet off Texas 29 and FM 2341, is hosting the Austin Carry the Load event. The gates open at 10 a.m. The day starts with live demonstration of military, law enforcement and firefighting capabilities.

This includes the Texas Air National Guard Parachute Demonstration Team, a helicopter helocast, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned land-based vehicles, advanced weapons demonstration and multiple SWAT teams.

While the live demonstrations offer a glimpse into law enforcement and firefighting operations the public doesn’t typically see, organizers said the real reason behind the event is the Carry the Load 20.13-mile walk that begins at 2 p.m.

During the walk, teams will trek around the Reveille Peak Ranch pond and a circular course for up to 20.13 miles.

“While the readiness component is exciting, we really want people to come out for the walk,” Montgomery said.

The walk isn’t a race, and participants don’t even have to complete the 20.13 miles or even one mile. The idea, organizers said, was simply to get people coming together to remember those men and women who died in service of the country.

Abraham Santillan is a member of a team walking in honor of Capt. Holbrook.

Though he didn’t know the special forces soldier, Santillan, who is an Army veteran himself, lost a friend in Afghanistan in 2005.

“Memorial Day is about everybody,” he said. “There are brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, moms and dads out there fighting every day for freedom. And I think when you stop and remember those local people who have gone over there and died for our country, you realize it’s not about somebody living in some town far away. It hits home.”

During the event, the entire team walks together — some in honor of one or two people, some in honor of many more. Kim Kelsall, whose brother Lt. Commander Jonas Kelsall was a U.S. Navy SEAL who died in Afghanistan, recalled during last year’s event in Dallas meeting a man who was carrying a log with the name of every SEAL killed since 2001 inscribed on it. Others, she said, carried fire hoses with the names of all the first responders killed at the Twin Towers after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

She carried mementoes of her brother during her walk. Kelsall pointed out it’s not about carrying the most or walking the fastest or farthest. She said it’s all about the intent: taking the time to honor those who served.

That’s one of the reasons Santillan decided to form a team. He admitted he got a late start for the 2013 event with only three members at this time.

“We’re looking for more team members,” he said. “Everybody’s welcome. Even if you don’t join a team, show up and walk.”

Along with honoring Memorial Day, Carry the Load is raising money for several local organizations that support veterans, service member families and first responders. Those groups are Serve Who Serve, Heroes on the Water, Folds of Honor and Comfort Crew.

The Holbrooks plan to be there.

“Yeah, it’s pretty important to us,” James Holbrook said. “It’s good for people to remember what Memorial Day is all about.”

For more information on the event, go to www.carrytheload.org or www.facebook.com/CarryTheLoadAustin. For directions to the event, go to www.rprtexas.com.

daniel@thepicayune.com

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Carry the Load 20.13

WHEN: May 25

WHERE: Reveille Peak Ranch, 105 CR 114 (west of Burnet on Texas 29, then north on FM 2341)

SCHEDULE: Gates open at 10 a.m.; Texas law enforcement and military capabilities demonstration is 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.; family nature trail tours are 1 p.m.; opening ceremonies are 1:45 p.m.; Carry the Load 20.13 walk begins at 2 p.m.

FOR MORE: www.carrytheload.com; www.facebook.com/CarryTheLoadAustin; www.rprtexas.com

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JENNIFER FIERRO • PICAYUNE STAFF

MARBLE FALLS — The only surprise at the Marble Falls High School baseball and softball awards ceremony May 22 occurred when a handful of senior Mustangs weren’t introduced to the crowd.

Marble Falls High School softball coach Tino Salazar (front) reads his comments about the 2013 season as manager Stormy Lawson (back, left) and Lady Mustangs Zoey Schoch, Tyler Oppenheim, Amanda Thomas and Skyler Riley listen. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

But in good-natured fashion, Stacy Heinatz, Joey Blackledge and Domenic Patterson made their way to their teammates and shared a laugh with the rest of the audience.

It was Blackledge, after all, who predicted the Mustangs would not only be good, they would compete for the Distrrict 25-4A crown. And they did, staying in first place for five of the seven weeks of the season.

But Blackledge wasn’t the only one who predicted the baseball team would be solid.

Head coach J.T. Blair recalled having a conversation with a basketball coach before after-school baseball practice began. Blair said his colleague told him to expect great things in 2013.

“He said, ‘When I leave to go home at night, all I hear is the music blaring at the baseball field and the ping of the bat,’” he said. “That’s when I thought, ‘We might be pretty good this year,’ and we were.”

Once after-school practices started, Blair gathered his players and told them the Mustangs would start the season 10-0.

“There was nothing but crickets when I said it,” he said with a grin. “The boys looked at me like I was crazy. We went 8-2. And they’ll tell you we probably should have gone 10-0.”

Marble Falls was the district runner-up with a 13-8 record, was 23-8 overall and won a bi-district championship.

The softball team had a pre-district season much like the baseball squad’s. The Lady Mustangs won their own tournament and the Kerrville Tivy tournament and finished third at the College Station tournament, an event where 12 of the 16 squads competing advanced to the playoffs.

Marble Falls went 22-12 overall and was 5-7 in district play to finish in fourth place. The Lady Mustangs captured a bi-district championship.

“It was a good year, and we look to continue the tradition we have and four seasons to come,” head coach Tino Salazar said.

jfierro@thepicayune.com

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Coaches can’t vote on their own athletes.

FIRST TEAM: Burnet – Vanessa Escamilla, Rose Bailey, Emily Nodecker; Llano – Cierra Jordan

SECOND TEAM: Burnet – Jill Rosow, Drew Salinas; Llano – Claire Williams, Jessica Wunderlich

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FOOTBALL: Matt Center and Rhett Brooks

VOLLEYBALL: Cierra Jordan and Jessica Wunderlich

CROSS COUNTRY: (boys) Grayson Freeman; (girls) Taylor Durham

BASKETBALL: (boys) Matt Center; (girls) Cierra Jordan and Jessica Wunderlich

BASEBALL: Rhett Brooks, Will Siegenthaler, Andrew Decker

SOFTBALL: Cierra Jordan

TRACK AND FIELD: (boys) Matt Center; (girls) Taylor Durham

GOLF: (boys) Chance Craig; (girls) Alexa Riley

TENNIS: (boys) David Forrister and Ross Henry; (girls) Autumn Sanderson

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