After a great response to last week’s Bandera County online news roundup, I’m happy to carry on this weekly feature on Bandera.net.

If you would like to see more of this content on Bandera.net, drop me a line on Facebook, leave a comment on this post, e-mail me at James@team-outlaw.net, or call/text me at 830-688-1564 and let me know!

Bandera County Top Stories

Leading off this week with the Bandera All Classes Reunion coming this Saturday, June 12, 8:30 p.m. at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar. I got to preview headline singer and Bandera boy Charlie Montague’s debut CD when I interviewed Byron Boyd this week for the Bulletin, and it should be one heck of a show. Read my story for the Bulletin online, then visit the Facebook event page to see who all will be there (340 confirmed guests so far, including myself).

I’m sad to report former Bandera High School softball coach John Qualls has died, as reported in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune. Facebook lit up this week with kind words and tributes to whom many called their most influential coach. Services will be held Friday in Mount Pleasant. Coach Qualls was always good to us newspaper folk, and even had me come out and take photos of his softball girls at batting practice so he could better show them how to improve their game.

Headline news this week from BanderaBulletin.com included Bandera grad to rock class reunion, Escaped prisoner captured (found hiding under his bed!), Bandera votes itself a Film Friendly Community, Grand juries take no action on sheriff, and the controversial No speech for senior class president.

In sports, the Bulletin had pieces on the Utopia girls taking fifth at the state golf tourney, a recap of the Pitch, hit and run competition, and an update from Bandera ISD Athletic Director Larry Prince on summer camps for athletes.

Other Bandera County Clips from across the Web

Videos

Nothing new courtesy of YouTube, but if you haven’t seen them already, check out the very nice, professional ResortsandLodges.com video promoting the Twin Elm Guest Ranch, which is hosting rodeos every Friday night at 8 p.m. I was born and raised in Tarpley, so driving past the dusty rodeos at the Twin Elm arena is a memory that goes back to my childhood.

Travel Texas did a great video on Bandera and Wimberley back in October 2009, featuring pickin’ by “honkey-tonker” Arkey Blue, OST’s John Wayne Room, and trick ropin’ by Kevin Fitzpatrick. Those of us who have lived here all our lives take for granted the world-famous menagerie of personalities we host here in the Cowboy Capital.

Photos

Veronica from Orlando tweeted her photo of the old haunted Silver Spur Dance Hall

Lakehills and San Antonio photographer Robert Hillis tweeted this photo of a summer night on Medina Lake. You can view Robert’s great photography at Memories of Your Lifetime Photography.

Entertainment & Events

Art and Lisa, Bandera County singers nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year by the Texas Music Awards this year, announced on Facebook that they will be performing tonight (Thursday) at Blue Gene’s at 8 p.m.

You can always stay ahead of Bandera County events by keeping an eye on the Bandera Convention & Visitor’s Bureau events page. Subscribe to their newsletter as well for monthly previews of what events are coming up in the county. They recently redesigned their entire web site for the first time in as long as I’ve been visiting them online, and the Western styling is great. Visit their home page for links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts as well.

Facebook & Twitter

Speaking of which…

Hill Country Travel Center posted on Facebook about Bandera as a good destination for Father’s Day fun.

Bandera Electric Coop. tweeted about their 2010 scholarship winners. Bandera County recipients included Karley Griffin and Sean Scott from Bandera High School, Mary Rizzi from Medina High School and Christopher Vanderveer of Tarpley from Utopia High School. Two college students from Bandera, Ashley Jennings at UT-Austin and Juraluck “Best” Songsangkhan at A&M-College Station, also received scholarships.

Eric from Los Angeles got stuck in Bandera, according to his Facebook, and walked into one of our local saloons to find cowboys playing poker and watching So You Think You Can Dance. One of his friends quipped, “I’m not even sure you could get a country song out of that.”

Bandera real estate agent Larry Wood and photographer Stephanie Hill of Calamity Jane Photography are regular tweeters. Visit their profiles for fresh Bandera County tweets.

Reported by The Outlaw

If you’re a friend on Facebook, you were the first to see my photos from last week’s violent wind and lightning storm; saw my photo from a motorcycle wreck on Hwy. 16 N and participated in a lively discussion about helmet laws; read about the Express-News’ annual Reader’s Choice special, with link to their awesome online best of the best map, and talked about the best food around Bandera County; and were one of the first to hear about the sad passing of former Bandera softball coach John Qualls.

If you follow me on Twitter @BanderaOutlaw, you heard about the drunk cowboy thrown out of the Medina High School graduation ceremony; discussed how to scorpion-proof your home; stayed ahead of Tuesday’s weather; heard about the Freedom Rally in Hondo; and got my recommendation for good eats in Hondo, highlighting the Hermann Sons Steak House (their Mexican chicken fried steak is unique and delicious).

For all the latest Bandera County buzz, catch up with me on Facebook, Twitter @BanderaOutlaw, here on the home of the Bandera County Outlaw at Bandera.net, or weekly in the Bandera Bulletin newspaper.

If you have news to share, drop me a e-mail, hit me up on Facebook, or call/text me at 830-688-1564. If you’d like to comment on this week’s news, feel free to speak your mind below or over on Facebook.

The Utopia varsity basketball squads were unable to pull out a homecoming win tonight against Knippa, with the Buffaloes losing 56-53 to the Rockcrushers and the Lady Buffs falling 59-36.

Check out the full set of sports photos from both games and the Utopia High School Homecoming in the Bandera.net Gallery:

Utopia Buffaloes vs. Knippa Rockcrushers – Jan. 22, 2010

Utopia Lady Buffs vs. Knippa Lady Rockcrushers – Jan. 22, 2010

Utopia High School Homecoming – Jan. 22, 2010

As vaguely as I can explain it, I am no longer subsidizing the Bulletin’s photography budget with my professional equipment, and the newspaper has given me a broken point-and-shoot camera with which to shoot Bandera County sports for the foreseeable future.

If you want to know my feelings on this, don’t hesitate to ask.

I hope that the situation will change for the better in the near future, but from what I’ve been told, it’s highly unlikely. I think this is quite unfortunate.

Luckily there is some light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a number of very good local photographers who are shooting Bandera County sports as freelancers this year. Check out the work of Spencer Smith, Ken Lane and Rick Mender to get your sports photo fix.

And what of Bandera.net? Many good things are on the horizon. Bookmark away and come back often; what you’ll see here in the near future is unlike anything that’s graced the Internet landscape of Bandera County. Those of you who know me well know I don’t make such boasts without warrant.

Stay tuned – it’s about to get good!

This week’s photo update includes:

Bandera Bulldogs Alumni vs. Varsity Soccer Game – Jan. 3, 2009

Bandera Lady Bulldogs vs. Devine Arabians – Jan. 6, 2009

Bandera Bulldogs vs. Devine Warhorses – Jan. 6, 2009

Bandera County Junior Livestock Show – Jan. 9, 2009

Medina Lady Cats JV vs. Center Point Lady Pirates JV – Jan. 14, 2009

Medina Lady Cats vs. Center Point Lady Pirates – Jan. 14, 2009

Utopia Lady Buffs vs. Comstock Lady Panthers – Jan. 16, 2009

Utopia Buffaloes vs. Comstock Panthers – Jan. 16, 2009

Utopia High School Homecoming Court – Jan. 16, 2009

Another great couple of weeks for being a photojournalist in Bandera County!

As always, you can find all of these albums at the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.net account.

What do you think of the black and white processing applied to some of the highlight photos from these galleries? What other sports or events would you like to see covered in the community? Leave your comments below or drop me an e-mail.

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

This week’s photo update includes:

Bandera County Chamber of Commerce Mixer at Medina River Ranch Resorts – Dec. 11, 2008

Bandera Business Association Christmas Party – Dec. 12, 2008

Medina Bobcats JV vs. Utopia Buffaloes JV – Dec. 16, 2008

Medina Lady Cats vs. Utopia Lady Buffs – Dec. 16, 2008

Medina Bobcats vs. Utopia Buffaloes – Dec. 16, 2008

You can find all of these photos at the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

And one more gallery, hosted here at Bandera.net, for my musical mates:

Pipe Creek Rock Concert at the Pipe Creek Community Center – Jan. 2, 2009

Thanks for rocking the New Year with The Outlaw!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Direct links to sports schedules are as follows:

Bandera ISD: http://www.banderaisd.net/Calendar_and_Events/Extra-Curricular_Activities/Extra-Curricular_Schedule_Downloads.htm

Medina ISD: http://www.medinaisd.org/athletic/athletic.html

Utopia ISD: http://www.utopia.k12.tx.us/Sports.htm

Who’s ready for some Bulldogs football playoffs next week, and our upcoming fall sports?

You can view both albums on the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Bandera Lady Bulldogs freshmen, JV, and varsity teams vs. the Devine Arabians – Sept. 23, 2008

Bandera Middle School Bulldogs 7th Grade B-team vs. Carrizo Springs Wildcats – Sept. 25, 2008 (I had to run to City Council, so I only have a few images from the game)

Bandera Bulldogs varsity football squad vs. Carrizo Springs Wildcats – Sept. 26, 2008

Bandera Youth Soccer Organization (BYSO) opening day games – Sept. 27, 2008 (because of Medina volleyball, I was only able to grab a few photos)

Bandera County Youth Flag Football Association (BCYFFA) opening day games – Sept. 27, 2008 (Same with BYSO: because of Medina volleyball, I was only able to grab a few photos)

Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball vs. Junction Lady Eagles – Sept. 27, 2008

Utopia Lady Buffs JV and varsity volleyball vs. Leakey Lady Eagles – Sept. 30, 2008

What a week! You can find all of the above photo galleries in the Bandera Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

Thank you for supporting the Outlaw! I’m off to photograph some Medina Bobcats football!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Medina Bobcats vs. Junction Eagles – Sept. 12, 2008

Utopia Lady Buffs vs. D’Hanis Cowgirls – Sept. 16, 2008

Bandera Bulldogs vs. Wimberley Texans – Sept. 19, 2008

All three are from the varsity games. Congratulations to the Bandera Bulldogs on their first win of their 2008 varsity football season, and to the Utopia Lady Buffs for their win over D’Hanis in varsity volleyball action!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

(Note #2: Apparently the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account does not allow direct linking to albums; you have to go through the main DotPhoto.com entry to access any of the images. I have received several calls about the issue, and I can assure you, I share your frustration; the Bulletin’s system is not my first choice, but its use is out of my hands. You should be able to use this link to find the Bulletin’s albums, then just click through to the one you wish to view. If you guys have any further troubles, please do contact me so I can try to help find a better workaround.)

Photo page highlights from the Lady Bulldogs game and Medina Bobcats vs. Junction Eagles varsity football game are also posted to the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com gallery.

Full albums from the Medina Bobcats football game and Utopia Lady Buffs vs. D’Hanis Cowgirls varsity volleyball match will be posted tomorrow!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)