EDITORIAL: New Braunfels Monthly June 2021

Hello New Braunfels,

Passion is something intangible. Sometimes you choose your passion from a list, but unlike how it’s portrayed in young adult novels and movies, life’s purpose and a person’s pursuits aren’t dictated by a shadowy group of elders and determined by a talking hat or ominous council.

Many times, passion comes from a momentary spark that sticks with a person’s imagination. It’s something they find dominating the free moments of their day, filling the voids between responsibilities. 

An interest someone can shake, but a passion overwhelms. You find yourself spending money on equipment, ordering new books online and sometimes rambling endlessly to your friends about your recent discovery.

Sometimes you aren’t even particularly good at your passion, if it is a hobby. It can take years of practice and learning to become competent at what you suddenly care so much about. 

And in this issue of New Braunfels Monthly, we are looking at a few residents who have taken their passions to new heights, even in the face of obstacles and changing landscapes.

In fact, these stories are often on the pages of this magazine. Passion is the fire of life, and sometimes it just takes a person reading about someone else’s burning desire to grow and learn to light that same fire inside themselves.

Kori Free has been chasing two passions over the years, through her efforts to care for animals and advance her skill at playing guitar. Her personal story of ties to the band Heart are enough to get anyone who is shy about reaching out to their heroes off their behind and putting a handwritten letter in the mail. Even in the face of COVID, Free stayed determined in her missions and adapted to the year that caught every person flat on their feet.

Connor Dillon, on the other hand, has been making an effort to bring unique fighting techniques to the New Braunfels area for years, and now is leading a new group that teaches hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. It’s not a skill you see every day, and it’s nice to see people in the community embracing new (and old) passions.

People don’t come to New Braunfels because they want to watch life pass them by. They visit or move here because they recognize the character of the city and its residents, and the unique passions they bring to the table. 

Hopefully these stories share with readers the unique stories behind people’s passions and bring to light even more of this wonderful city’s character. 

Try going native when landscaping in Central Texas

As people continue to move to New Braunfels from across the country, they bring with them their own preferences for landscaping. But a lush green yard that requires lots of water and care might not be the right solution for the unique environment of Central Texas and New Bruanfels.

Lauren Strack, assistant manager at the Headwaters at the Comal, said there are plenty of options for homeowners looking to decorate their yards with plants that will have minimal impact on the local environment and might just save homeowners money in the long term.

“I would say, certainly look into xeriscaping,” she said. Xeriscaping is a form of landscaping that relies on drought-tolerant plants and often features rock and gravel instead of green grass.

“This is more of a desert climate, and green grass yards are not something that would be found naturally,” Strack said. “So, I would encourage people to replace some of that grass with sand or rock.”

But that doesn’t mean a homeowner’s yard needs to be all rock. She said there is plenty of information available to residents through the Native Plant Society of Texas as well as at the Headwaters at the Comal.

“Mealy Blue Sage is a great plant,” she said. “It gets pretty big and showy and it has nice color. It really supports pollinators and so I like that plant. The best part of native plants is they aren’t very labor intensive. They don’t require a lot of watering.”

And living in the Hill Country, despite its sometimes dry environment, can still support some native grasses sustainably.

“There are some really beautiful grasses. … A Lindheimer Muhly or Indian grass will give color throughout the year,” Strack said.

Beyond general aesthetics, Strack said focusing on native plants when landscaping can also save money through rebates.

“I would suggest they check out the rebates [New Braunfels Utilities] has,” she said. “There are turf removal rebates, irrigation zone removal rebates. If you are looking to add trees to your yard, there is a list of native, drought-tolerant trees. If you buy something off that list, that’s available for a rebate too.”

Strack said the Native Plant Society has classes at different levels throughout the year to help residents identify what kind of plants work well under what conditions.

For information about the Native Plant Society of Texas, visit https://npsot.org/wp/lindheimer/.

For information about the Headwaters at the Comal, visit https://headwatersatthecomal.com/. Information about rebates can be found at https://nbutexas.com/rebates/

New Braunfels housing market is red-hot

If there’s one story regarding housing over the past several months that stands out, it’s the hot market for sellers and the uphill battle some buyers are experiencing.

But according to local real estate agent Megan Callahan with Coldwell Banker D’Ann Harper Realtors, located at 532 South Seguin Ave., that shouldn’t scare buyers off. They just need to consider their options.

“There really wasn’t an issue before with houses selling for tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars above their list price sight unseen, appraisals being waived,” Callahan said. “So, the market has been incredibly, incredibly fluid.”

Tight inventory of housing on the market has made for a competitive environment when purchasing a home, that being spurred by homeowners reluctant to leave their current residence. Those who do can find themselves with a great sale price, but then need to find a new place to move into.

“It makes it super frustrating and really hard for buyers, and sellers are getting the sweet end of the deal,” she said. “It’s a seller’s market. But those people also have to worry about where they are going to go.”

Home sales in the San Antonio-New Braunfels Metropolitan Statistical Area increased 16.6% in March, compared to a year ago, the Herald-Zeitung previously reported.

So what are buyers looking for?

“They want the biggest amount of upgrades they can get for the amount, but definitely open concept (kitchens),” Callahan said. “People always want a covered porch. We live in Texas and it’s really hot. When they go in the back yard and there’s absolutely no coverage, that’s usually a dealbreaker.”

She said upgraded bathrooms and kitchens can often make or break a buyer’s interest in a home. 

But what matters goes beyond the walls of the home.

“People definitely want a yard, now more so than ever,” she said.

She attributes this attitude to likely being tied to buyers being stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic. That and a two-car garage can make a home a hot commodity.

“If they are buying, they definitely want a two-car garage,” she said.

But buyers sometimes come to the market with their expectations already set, and Callahan said new buyers could sometimes benefit from opening up their options.

“I would say a lot of them want the newer builds and stay away from the older ones that may need more work,” she said. “I would really just encourage them to consider them because a lot of times those older homes have really good bones.”

She said the role of a real estate agent is often to know the market, and make sure the buyer gets what they want, even if they don’t initially realize it’s what they are after in a home. That’s why Callahan said she encourages buyers to not rush into a purchase and consider their options.

“I think that most people in this day and age understand that because of the way the market is,” she said. “They are coming to Realtors now more than ever, but there’s a wealth of knowledge that comes with having a real estate agent that you’re not going to get the same information or incentives.”

As for who is buying, she said there isn’t one group.

“It really isn’t a certain demographic that’s looking to buy,” Callahan said. “I can’t say that at all because in my experience, I have people who are buying who are older looking to buy their second home they are looking to use as an investment property — they want to rent it out because the rental market is really hot right now. There’s younger people who are looking to buy their first home.

“I’m seeing a really wide range of buyers. … It’s really everyone,” she said.

Local student works toward Eagle Scout status with bed project for children in need

A bed is something many people can take for granted, but Life Scout Jacob Tuckness was working toward achieving the rank of Eagle Scout at only 13 years old when he found that there was a sometimes unrecognized need by local students for that basic home amenity.

“Long story short, my mom showed me this video of this other organization … they were making bunk beds and I thought that was a good idea,” Tuckness said. “And also, one of my friends — she’s a judge now — she … ended up telling me how many kids go without a bed and I thought, that’s horrible. Everyone should have a bed. I know I love mine.”

From there, Tuckness got to work raising money, gathering supplies and volunteers to help him with his Eagle Scout service project of building bunk beds for children in need.

Being only 13 and a student at Mountain Valley Middle School, Tuckness wasn’t old enough to operate the tools necessary to construct the beds, so he turned to leading a group of adult volunteers who would cut lumber to size and prepare it for assembly at the homes of students in need.

“That’s the thing with an Eagle project: you have to instruct people,” Tuckness said.

The people helping included adult leaders, scouts, friends and his neighbors.

“It was my project, but I had a lot of people helping me,” Tuckness said.

People from the community came together to help him with his project in a variety of ways, from cutting the lumber to financial help.

“I also had some help from McCoy’s (Lumber),” Tuckness said. “They gave me a discount on the lumber, which helped a lot.

“He really wanted to build something,” his mother, Alice Tuckness, said. “That’s what we started with.”

His mother, a teacher at Mountain Valley Middle School, helped get him in touch with Communities in Schools of South Central Texas.

According to CIS, the final delivered bunk beds, which were made for two CIS families at Mountain Valley Elementary School and Morningside Elementary School, included the frames and bedding.

“We are very thankful to Jacob for all the hard work and dedication he put into making these beds,” the organization said in a press release. “These will truly change the lives of the students who are benefiting from them. When Jacob first approached CIS about this project, he mentioned that it had really stuck with him when he learned about the importance to children of getting a good night's sleep and sleeping in their own bed.”

What’s left for Tuckness to achieve the Eagle Scout status is to finish his application and await a review by the scout board.

EDITORIAL: New Braunfels Monthly May 2021

Hello New Braunfels,

I’m having some whiplash lately with it already being May. Last I checked, the February page of my calendar was still hanging on the wall. But life moves fast, and it’s important to take the time to recognize the events and people around you.

That’s what contributing columnist Jenny Jurica discusses in her most recent column on page 40, but beyond the scope of her column I feel the message ties into many of the stories in this issue. 

There are so many people who contribute daily to the lives of New Braunfelsers and don’t always get recognition. Many of them aren’t seeking recognition, so we have to seek out these stories of inspiration. 

It isn’t always pulling people from burning cars that means helping your community (although that’s a feat on it’s own that always deserves recognition). Sometimes it can mean finding a need in the community that isn’t being met, or helping the next generation get their feet moving in the right direction. There’s many ways to do that, through education, volunteering or just finding a way to share your passion.

In a place like New Braunfels, where culture is essential to the fabric of what makes this community special, it is of utmost importance to make sure we are sharing the tools we might have been deprived of when we were young or to help inspire children who are dealing with hardships. 

And what a year it has been in terms of hardships, thanks to the unprecedented winter weather we experienced in February on top of the continuing pandemic, which is hopefully on its way out locally by the time you are reading this.

Matt Briggs shares in Dale Martin’s most recent story that he was unable to find the musical guidance he now gives students at his studio in New Braunfels. 

As someone who spent a lot of time growing up in rural areas without sidewalks and where “the city” meant the nearest town with a Walmart, it’s difficult to describe what it means when an adult would recognize the opportunities and lessons they were deprived of growing up and make an effort to take you under their wing.

Service comes in a lot of forms, and it doesn’t always have to happen at a volunteer event. Just putting a little effort into making your community better can sometimes be enough.

Please, read through the stories in this issue and take the time to recognize that while some of the featured people are doing what they love, they are also trying to better the lives of those around them as they go, that driving their inspiration.

EDITORIAL: New Braunfels Monthly April 2021

Hello New Braunfels, 

It goes without saying  that March marks an important 12 month journey we began a year ago. The New Braunfels and routines we grew to know over the years became something else.

Rivers once filled with tubes were empty. Restaurants closed. Concert halls were quiet.

It wasn’t the New Braunfels you grew up hearing about. All of this was due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it would be difficult to not also mention the surprise winter storm that once again challenged families and businesses.

The last 12 months have been a lot, but difficult times often show the best characteristics of a community and its people.

For New Braunfels, this came in the way of locals supporting their long-loved restaurants and businesses, or volunteers stepping in to help others get supplies such as food and water when they themselves might have also been in difficult situations.

Le Citron European Cafe and Bistro, featured in this issue, was among the restaurants faced with a difficult year after opening mere months before the accepted beginning of the pandemic in Texas. Its owners understood the difficulty of opening a restaurant under normal circumstances, but 2020 threw them a curve ball. 

Over the last year though, they have found New Braunfels residents showing the town's true character as the poured into the cafe doors or ordered food to go. And just as importantly, local business leaders made sure the new business felt the warmth of the community's support, lending hand and advice when needed.

If there's one theme to this issue I would like readers to come away understanding, it's that you could take the Comal River and put it down in any other city in the U.S., but doing so wouldn't replicate the character that its residents have developed and continue to show in the face of difficult times. New Braunfels is a giving community and those who call it home should never take that for granted.

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As a special note, you might have noticed a page turn on the front cover. This month we are including the spring edition of Living Well in the back of New Braunfels Monthly. This issue focuses on senior living and health matters, and also features special messages from advertisers. 

We hope this brings readers additional enjoyment and information as they look after those they care for, be it a family member or simply their neighbor. 

Thank you, and have a wonderful April