Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
The intrepid Hill Country Honeys took the music stage at EmilyAnn last weekend to play for a large crowd of visitors attending the Trail of Lights family extravaganza. An Americana and Classic Country band, the Wimberley- based Honeys are Rose Gabriel, Mindy Cornutt, Janice Ryals-Rogers and Elliot Rogers. Gabriel plays guitar and mandolin, Cornutt plays flute and guitar, Ryals-Rogers plays the acoustic bass, and Rogers plays lead guitar. All share in the vocals. Elliot Rogers, as the outlier of the all-female band, has been christened the “The Honey Bear.”
Since their HoneyFest concert in October, the band has been playing everywhere, including a live performance with Coach Smith at the KWVH 94.3 Fishbowl studio, at Blue Hole, Wimberley Art Fest, and a host of private events, as well as gigs at area restaurants, wineries and breweries. Lauded for their soulful harmonies, their acapella version of Amazing Grace at EmilyAnn did not prove that wrong. That song was followed by a composition written by Gabriel called “An American Christmas” that reminded people that the point of the season was family and not “stuff.” From there, she led the vocals on “Maria,” her touching song that remembers her childhood caregiver. “I never asked her if there was somewhere else she’d like to be,” she lamented. Mindy Cornutt followed that with “Loving Arms” written by Tom Jans and covered by the likes of Elvis, Dobie Gray and The Dixie Chicks.
The Honeys formed in 2021 after Gabriel heard Cornutt sing and thought, “I should form a band with her.” Some people said that “forming an all-female band was crazy,” but she followed her instincts. About that time, bassist Ryals-Rogers became available and perhaps the stars aligned into a grand trine to create the Hill Country Honeys. They debuted at the 2022 inauguration of Oak Park and the Wimberley Welcome Center at the invitation of Mayor Gina Fulkerson. In time, Elliot Rogers, who is Janice’s husband, came on board.
“Thanks to Mayor Fulkerson’s invitation, we received great exposure,” said Gabriel. “Since then, people have been very kind and appreciative. The support has been fantastic.” The Honeys enjoy a loyal fan and friend base who call themselves the “Honey Bunnies.” It appears the Hill Country just cannot get enough of our local “Honeys.”
Roams: Johnson City
My roam this week took me to Johnson City, just 40 miles from Wimberley, to bask in the glow of the illuminated trees outside the city’s Pedernales Electric Cooperative. It was Congressman LBJ who brought five counties together in 1938 to incorporate PEC and to secure the loan to build 1,800 square miles of electric lines. Now in its 85th year, it’s hard to imagine a life without the service that PEC provides. Today, the cooperative serves about a million customers in the Hill Country.
To celebrate the season, PEC illuminates the venerable live oaks that stand guard in front of their building. The trunks and limbs of the handsome trees are meticulously wrapped in LED lights. What makes the display unusual is that the treetops are lighted too, so that the shape of each august beauty is outlined against the night sky. Every year, from November 24 through January 7, PEC’s holiday lights shine from 6 p.m. to midnight and it’s worth a trip to see them. Much like snapping a photo of your clan in the bluebonnets, a photo under the PEC lights in Johnson City is perfect for your next holiday missive.
Not to be outdone, the rest of the town follows suit. Like Wimberley, their downtown buildings are rendered brilliant with lights outlining their roofs and columns, but just a few blocks from PEC is a real stunner. The Blanco County Courthouse, a 1916 two-storey, stone revival-style building — not to be confused with the Blanco Courthouse in Blanco — is draped in a curtain of white lights. The vertical strands fall from its roof line to create a sheer Austrian curtain with rows of swags that create a scalloped edge at the bottom. It is an elegant display in keeping with the building’s era.
That said, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service tells us that up-angled lights, including white, too- bright Christmas lights “affect migrating birds by distracting them and throwing them off their migration paths.” “Birds,” they say, “appear to navigate the skies by using mental maps of the terrain, the position of the sun, moon and stars, and the earth’s magnetic field.” Once birds are thrown off from their path, they become disoriented, circle aimlessly, and call out in confusion. They become exhausted and suffer the winter without the protection and wisdom of their flock. Fortunately, for our area, the peak migration date is late April to early May.
Over the holidays, the Fish & Wildlife experts recommend turning off Christmas lights when not using them and to purchase specialized lights where the bird’s eye view of them is dimmer than the frontal view, but they did not specifically note where that light is available to purchase.
Canadian research found that red and amber lights are easier on birds than white lights.
One brand of LED lights called FeatherBright are 9.5 watt, 5500k, full-spectrum bulbs that claim to be perfect for all kinds of birds, but it is unclear if they come in strands of Christmas lighting.
While The International Dark-Sky Association’s website lists DarkSky approved products and companies, it doesn’t specifically list Christmas lighting options. For now, it looks like the answer isn’t immediately handy and it’s time to call out to the experts for help. More as we learn how to share the holidays safely with our feathered family.
Raves: Tillie’s at Camp Lucy in Dripping Springs Word has it that Tillie’s in Camp Lucy is the subject of a Goodtaste.tv episode this weekend. Part of their season 9, episode 9 program, Tillie’s segment will air on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on the CBS affiliate, KEYE, Channel 42, as well as 16 other cities around the state, along with Nashville and Oklahoma City. The restaurant’s enormous tomahawk steaks star along with Goodtaste host Tanji. Part of Camp Lucy’s wine resort, the restaurant itself is a stunning, repurposed town hall from the Ninh Binh region of Vietnam. Along with their lunch and dinner menus, Tillie’s serves an afternoon tea every Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
