The Picayune readers vote for ‘Locals Love Us’

ONLINE VOTING NOW OPEN FOR 2014

DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR

MARBLE FALLS — The March 13 edition of The Picayune is dedicated to you, the readers. You took time out of your schedule to vote on your favorites around the community, from plumbers to school teachers.With those votes, The Picayune crew tallied up the winners of the 2013 “Locals Love Us” readers’ choice awards.

Throughout the March 13 edition, you will find advertisements, photos and stories celebrating the award winners. We see this as a true celebration of the community. When we visited with many of the winners, most said how important this honor was because it came from people who chose them.

While businesses and business people made up the bulk of the categories, we also highlighted nonprofit organizations, volunteers and community servants such as firefighters and police officers.

When you chose the winners, you boosted their days.

Highland Lakes Elementary School first-grade teacher Jessica Struchen admitted that when she found out about her honor as Marble Falls area Best Teacher, it made her day.

“It surprised me because there are so many great educators at Highland Lakes and in the Marble Falls (Independent School) District,” Struchen said.

When we stopped by the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce to present Jean Eades with her “Locals Love Us” Marble Falls-area “Best Volunteer,” she cried.

Time and time again, winners told us how grateful they were to the readers for selecting them.

We also broke categories down into areas. So readers in the Llano area could select from businesses and people they were familiar with as could Burnet and Marble Falls-area readers. After all, this is a big community, and we wanted to make sure everybody shared the spotlight.

Once again, thank you for participating in the 2013 “Locals Love Us” honors. And pick up a free copy of The Picayune on March 13 for more.

daniel@thepicayune.com

[tabs style=”default”] [tab title=”PLACES TO STAY”]

BED & BREAKFAST: Wallace House (Marble Falls area), Lake Side Lodge (Burnet area), Sandstone Inn (Llano area)

CAMPSITE: Krause Springs (Marble Falls), Canyon of the Eagles (Burnet area), Inks Lake State Park (Llano area)

HOTEL/MOTEL: La Quinta Inns & Suites (Marble Falls area), Lakeside Lodge (Burnet area), The Antlers Hotel (Llano area)

RV PARK: Poppy’s Pointe (Marble Falls area), Sunset Point (Burnet area), Big Chief Buchanan Dam (Llano area)

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CARPET CLEANER: Johnny’s Floors (Marble Falls area)

DOCK CONSTRUCTION: Randy Clark (Marble Falls area), Hill Country Boat Docks & Decks (Burnet area), Chapman’s Boat Docks (Llano area)

ELECTRICIAN: Gray Electric (Marble Falls area), SCM Electric (Burnet area), AJ’s Electric Service (Llano area)

EQUIPMENT RENTAL: Ace Hardware (Marble Falls area), Minuteman Rentals (Burnet area)

FLOORING: Johnny’s Floors (Marble Falls area), Hoover’s Building Supply (Burnet area), Floormaster (Llano area)

HEATING/AIR CONDITIONING: Clarkson & Co. (Marble Falls area), Burnet Heating & Air Conditioning (Burnet area), Womack Heating & Air Conditioning (Llano area)

HOME BUILDER: Rick Harrison/Rio Ranch Homes (Marble Falls area), Roy Heuss Builders (Burnet area), Bob Mattingly (Llano area)

INTERIOR DESIGN: One Swanky Shop (Marble Falls area), Teresa Carosella (Burnet area), Rosanne Davis Design (Llano area)

LANDSCAPER: Backbone Valley Nursery (Marble Falls area), Nightscenes (Llano area)

MORTGAGE LENDER: Homecorp Mortgage (Marble Falls area), Michael Erhardt/Wells Fargo (Llano area)

PAINTER: Arthur Sanchez (Marble Falls area), Three Star Custom Painting & Remodeling (Burnet area), David Evett (Llano area)

PEST CONTROL: ABC Pest Control (Marble Falls area), Circle S Pest Control (Burnet area), Lowrie’s (Llano area)

POOL INSTALLATION/REPAIR: Southern Living Pools (Burnet area), Texas River Pools (Llano area)

PLUMBER: Joby Huffman (Marble Falls area), Brandenburg Plumbing (Burnet area), S&S Plumbing Co. Inc. (Llano area)

REAL ESTATE: Pat Burton/Thelen & Associates (Marble Falls area), Alan Snider (Burnet area), Highland Lakes RE/MAX (Llano area)

ROOFER: Starr Roofing (Marble Falls area), Hartco Roofing (Burnet area), Randy Evers Roofing & Construction (Llano area)

TITLE COMPANY: Service Title (Marble Falls area), Central Texas Land Titles (Llano area)

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AUDIOLOGIST: Lakeview Hearing (Marble Falls area), Greg Scott (Burnet area)

CLINIC/HOSPITAL: Marble Falls Minor Emergency (Marble Falls area), Seton Highland Lakes (Burnet area), Scott & White Hospital (Llano area)

CHIROPRACTOR: Elwartowski Chiropractic (Marble Falls area), Shirley Yanta (Burnet area), Shawn Scott (Llano area)

DENTIST: Stuart Nunnally (Marble Falls area), Milton Phair (Burnet area), Jan Morris (Llano area)

DOCTOR: Dr. Kelly Offutt (Marble Falls area), Dr. Yue Deng (Burnet area), Dr. Jack Franklin (Llano area)

ESTHETICIAN: Brenda Morris/Restorative Skin Care (Marble Falls area), Rochelle Burdick/Beautiful Reflections (Burnet area)

HAIR STYLIST: Maggie Framton/Pro Cuts (Marble Falls area), Nancy Heuss/Looking Good Salon (Burnet area), Peggy Mealor/Merle Norman & Much More (Llano area)

HEALTH CLUB/GYM: Verus Strength and Fitness (Marble Falls area), Galloway-Hammond Recreation Center (Burnet area), Kingsland Health & Fitness (Llano area)

HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL: Kenneth Malamud (Burnet area), Lisa Raddatz/Kingsland Therapy (Llano area)

LASER/MEDICAL SPA: Bella Med Spa (Marble Falls area), Kingsland Massage Garage (Llano area)

MANICURE/PEDICURE: Pro Nails (Marble Falls area), Pam Kinman/Looking Good Salon (Burnet area), Mona Lewis/Angela’s Hair Design (Llano area)

MASSAGE THERAPIST: Donna Kopf/Marble Falls Massage (Marble Falls area), Terry Matlock/Looking Good Salon (Burnet area), Amy Lescoe-Hall/L.M.T. (Llano area)

OPTHAMOLOGIST/OPTOMETRIST: Mohan Poole (Marble Falls area), Kenneth Malamud (Burnet area), Jeremy Danson (Llano area)

ORTHODONTIST: Cain Orthodontics (Marble Falls area)

PERSONAL TRAINER: Calvin Richard (Marble Falls area), Charlotte Dilworth (Llano area)

PHARMACIST: Kevin Atkins/Atkins Pharmacy (Marble Falls area), Stein’s Pharmacy (Burnet area), Robin Riddick/Kingsland Health Mart (Llano area)

SALON: Salon On Broadway (Marble Falls area), Looking Good Salon (Burnet area), Waves (Llano area)

SPA: Marble Falls Massage Center (Marble Falls area), Beautiful Reflections (Burnet area), Kingsland Massage Garage (Llano area)

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AUTO BODY SHOP: Treadworks (Marble Falls area), Bulldog Bodywerks (Burnet area), Action Paint & Body (Llano area)

DEALERSHIP: Johnson Sewell Ford Lincoln Mercury Inc. (Marble Falls area), Budget Auto (Burnet area), Ratliff Chevrolet-Buick-Pontiac (Llano area)

OIL CHANGE: Wingman Oil Change (Marble Falls area), Burnet Lube (Burnet area), Kingsland Tire & Oil (Llano area)

TIRES: Jimbo’s Tire & Lube (Marble Falls area), Hill Country Tire & Auto Service (Burnet area), Kingsland Tire & Oil (Llano area)

TRANSMISSION SERVICES: All Star Transmissions (Marble Falls area), Auto Logic (Llano area)

VEHICLE WASHING/DETAIL: Coach Wash (Marble Falls area), Pristine Clean Mobile Details (Burnet area)

WRECKER/TOW SERVICES: H&H Wrecker (Marble Falls area), Garry’s Wrecker Service (Burnet area)

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BANK TELLER: DeeAn Tuttle/American Bank of Texas (Marble Falls area), Nelda Tinney/Hill Country Bank (Burnet area), Robbie O’Bar/Llano National Bank (Llano area)

BARTENDER: Becca Vickers/Double Horn Brewing Company (Marble Falls area), Travis Adams/Lighthouse Grill & Lounge (Llano area)

CASHIER: Gloria Webb/Gold & Silver Buyers (Marble Falls area), Diana Byrn/FSB Central Texas (Burnet area), Kim Nave/The Dam Grill (Llano area)

CITY EMPLOYEE: Michael Strobo/Marble Falls Fire Rescue (Marble Falls area), Joyce Laudenschlager/Burnet City Hall (Burnet area), Ron Moore/Llano County (Llano area)

LAW ENFORCEMENT: Dorian Turner/Marble Falls Police Department (Marble Falls area), Jason Davis/Burnet Police Department (Burnet area), Chip Leake/Horseshoe Bay Police Department (Llano area)

MAIL/POSTAL SERVICE: Sal Castro/Marble Falls Post Office (Marble Falls area), Lupe Gutierrez/Burnet Post Office (Burnet area)

RECEPTIONIST: Victoria Gommel/Marble Falls Massage (Marble Falls area), Paulette Malamud (Burnet area), Marty Bibler/Genesis Lutheran Church (Llano area)

SERVER: Cheyenne Brailiff/Double Horn Brewing Company (Marble Falls area), Carin Farris/On the Rocks (Llano area)

SHOPKEEPER: Kate Comer Compton/Eve Couture (Marble Falls area), Cindi Evans/Get Gussied Up (Burnet area), Judy Tuttle/Pac n Ship (Llano area)

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION: Mark Earwood/Faith Academy (Marble Falls area), Jo McDonald/Burnet Elementary (Burnet area), Annette Moresco/Llano Elementary (Llano area)

SCHOOL COACH: Todd Dodge/Marble Falls High School (Marble Falls area), Doug Messer/Burnet High School (Burnet area)

SCHOOL TEACHER: Jessica Struchen/Highland Lakes Elementary (Marble Falls area), Brandon Evans/Burnet High School (Burnet area), Michelle Crain/Packsaddle Elementary (Llano area)

VOLUNTEER: Jean Eades/Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber (Marble Falls area), Kenneth Meeks/Burnet Volunteer Fire Department (Burnet area), Charlotte Dilworth/Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber (Llano area)

[/tab] [tab title=”FOOD AND DRINK”]

BBQ PLATE: Peete Mesquite & Co. BBQ (Marble Falls area), Burnet Feed Store BBQ (Burnet area), Spyke’s Bar-B-Que (Llano area)

BEER ON TAP: Double Horn Brewing Company (Marble Falls area), Reverend Jim’s Dam Pub (Burnet area)

BREAKFAST: Blue Bonnet Cafe (Marble Falls area), Las Comadres (Burnet area), The Dam Grill (Llano area)

CATFISH: Ken’s Catfish N BBQ (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), The Dam Grill (Llano area)

CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK: Blue Bonnet Café (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), Grand Central Cafe (Llano area)

COFFEE: Main Street Cafe (Marble Falls area), Cookie Cafe & Bakery (Burnet area), Kingsland Coffee (Llano area)

DESSERTS: Blue Bonnet Café (Marble Falls area), Cookie Cafe & Bakery (Burnet area), Grand Central Cafe (Llano area)

DOUGHNUT: Donut Palace (Marble Falls area), Gude’s Bakery & Deli (Burnet area), M&M Donut (Llano area)

FAJITAS: Julie’s Cocina (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), Alfredo’s (Llano area)

FRIED CHICKEN: Chicken Express (Marble Falls area)

FROZEN TREAT: Fresh & Fruiti (Marble Falls area), Sonic (Burnet area), Dairy Queen (Llano area)

HAMBURGER: Double Horn Brewing Company (Marble Falls area), Storm’s (Burnet area), The Dam Grill (Llano area)

ICED TEA: Chicken Express (Marble Falls area), Juanes Mexican Restaurant (Burnet area), The Dam Grill (Llano area)

MIXED DRINKS: On The Rocks (Marble Falls area), Lighthouse Grill & Lounge (Llano area)

OVERALL BAR DRINKS: On The Rocks (Marble Falls area), Pardners (Llano area)

PIZZA: Papa Murphy’s (Marble Falls area), Texas Pizza Co. (Burnet area), Gatti’s (Llano area)

RIBS: Peete Mesquite & Co. BBQ (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), Spyke’s Bar-B-Que (Llano area)

STEAK: On The Rocks (Marble Falls area), Cafe 2300 (Burnet area)

TAKE-OUT: China Kitchen (Marble Falls area), Subway (Burnet area), China Wok (Llano area)

WINE SELECTION: Bella Sera (Marble Falls area), Twin Liquors (Burnet area)

[/tab] [tab title=”PROFESSIONAL SERVICE”]

ACCOUNTANT: Freeman, Shapard & Story (Marble Falls area), Charity Taber/Taber & Burnett, P.C. (Burnet area), Trudy Kelley (Llano area)

CHILD DAY CARE: Flip-N-Swim (Marble Falls area), Pumpkin Patch Learning Center (Burnet area), Bright Beginnings (Llano area)

COMPUTER REPAIR: On Site Computers (Marble Falls area), Burnet P.C. (Burnet area), Lively Computers (Llano area)

DRY CLEANING: Victory Cleaners (Marble Falls area), Canyon Cleaners (Burnet area)

FINANCIAL PLANNING/INVESTMENTS: Wells Fargo (Burnet area), Ray Lynch (Llano area)

FUNERAL HOME: Clements-Wilcox Funeral Home (Marble Falls area), Edgar Funeral Home (Burnet area), Putnam Funeral Home & Crematory (Llano area)

INSURANCE: Mike Atkinson/State Farm (Marble Falls area), Camm Lary (Burnet area), Rene Gann/Germania (Llano area)

LEGAL: Shell & Shell (Marble Falls area)

NURSING HOME: Granite Mesa (Marble Falls area), Oaks Nursing Home (Burnet area), Kingsland Hills Care Center (Llano area)

PET GROOMER: Comanche Creek (Marble Falls area), Tender Touch Dog Grooming (Burnet area), Deb’s Doggie Bath House (Llano area)

TRAVEL AGENCY: Susie’s Travel Time (Marble Falls area)

VETERINARIAN: Donnie Jung/Highland Lakes Veterinary Clinic (Marble Falls area), Elizabeth Defilty/Bluebonnet Veterinary (Burnet area)

[/tab] [tab title=”RESTAURANTS”]

ASIAN: China Kitchen (Marble Falls area), Aranya Thai (Burnet area), China Wok (Llano area)

BARBECUE: Peete Mesquite & Co. BBQ (Marble Falls area), Burnet Feed Store BBQ (Burnet area), Spyke’s Bar-B-Que (Llano area)

BAKERY: Brothers Bakery (Marble Falls area), Berry Street Bakery (Llano area)

BAR AND GRILL: R Bar and Grill (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), The Dam Grill (Llano area)

CAFE/TEA ROOM: Main Street Cafe (Marble Falls area), Cookie Cafe (Burnet area), Grand Central Cafe (Llano area)

DELI: Darci’s Deli (Marble Falls area), Tea Licious (Burnet area), Subway (Llano area)

FAST FOOD: Taco Casa (Marble Falls area), Whataburger (Burnet area), Sonic (Llano area)

FINE DINING: Russo’s (Marble Falls area), Cafe 2300 (Burnet area), Grand Central Cafe (Llano area)

HAPPY HOUR: River City Grille (Marble Falls area), Sonic (Burnet area), The Badu House (Llano area)

ITALIAN: Francesco’s (Marble Falls area)

MEXICAN: Julie’s Cocina (Marble Falls area), The Maxican (Burnet area), Alfredo’s (Llano area)

SEAFOOD: Doc’s Fish Camp (Marble Falls area), Farm House (Llano area)

WINERY: Flat Creek Winery (Marble Falls area), Perisos Winery (Burnet area), Falls Creek (Llano area)

[/tab] [tab title=”RETAIL”]

ANTIQUES: Betty O’Connor (Marble Falls area), Laami Auctions (Burnet area), Southern Pickers (Llano area)

APPLIANCES: Aladdin Home Store (Marble Falls area)

BUILDING/HARDWARE: Ace Hardware (Marble Falls area), Hoover’s Building Supply (Burnet area), Ace Hardware-Kingsland (Llano area)

CLOTHING SHOP: Eve Couture (Marble Falls area), Bealls (Burnet area), Merle Norman & Much More (Llano area)

CONSIGNMENT SHOP: Vintage Vogue (Marble Falls area), Dragontails (Burnet area)

CONVENIENCE STORE: Texan Mart (Marble Falls area), 7-11 Burnet (Burnet area), Speedy Stop (Llano area)

FLORIST: Marble Falls Flower & Gift (Marble Falls area), Kyle Robinson/The Cutting Edge (Burnet area), Kingsland Florist (Llano area)

FURNITURE STORE: Aladdin Home Store (Marble Falls area), All Mixed Up (Burnet area), Design & Co. (Llano area)

GIFT SHOP: Accents Boutique (Marble Falls area), Get Gussied Up (Burnet area)

HOME DECOR STORE: Aladdin Home Store (Marble Falls area), Get Gussied Up (Burnet area)

JEWELRY: Salem’s Jewelry (Marble Falls area), Salem’s Jewelry (Burnet area)

LIQUOR/WINE STORE: Twin Liquors (Marble Falls area), Twin Liquors (Burnet area), Twin Liquors (Llano area)

NURSERY/GARDEN SUPPLIES: Backbone Valley Nursery (Marble Falls area), Sam’s Dam Ranch (Llano area)

[/tab] [tab title=”THINGS TO DO”]

ART GALLERY: Highland Arts Guild and Gallery (Marble Falls area), Buchanan Arts & Crafts (Llano area)

BAND: Eddie Shell & The Not Guilties (Marble Falls area), Genesis Lutheran Praise Band (Llano area)

COMMUNITY EVENTS: Walkway of Lights/Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber (Marble Falls area), Bluebonnet Festival/Burnet Chamber (Burnet area), Aqua Boom/Kingsland/Lake LBJ Chamber (Llano area)

CLUB/ORGANIZATION: Country Cuzzins Square Dance (Marble Falls area), Rotary (Burnet area), Lions Club (Llano area)

GOLF COURSE: Hidden Falls (Marble Falls area), Delaware Springs (Burnet area), Lighthouse Country Club (Llano area)

MARINA/WATER ACTIVITY: Paddle Down (Marble Falls area), Vanishing Texas River Cruise (Burnet area), Splash Boat Rental (Llano area)

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY: Hidden Falls Adventure Park (Marble Falls area), Reveille Peak Ranch (Burnet area), Longhorn Cavern State Park (Llano area)

PARK: Inks Lake State Park (Burnet area), Longhorn Cavern State Park (Llano area)

THEATER PRODUCTION: “Fantasy Nutcracker”/Harmony School for Performing Arts (Marble Falls area), “The Nutcracker”/Studio 29 (Burnet area), “Unnecessary Farce”/Hill Country Community Theatre (Llano area)

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