Fall in Love with the Heart of the Hill Country

Blanco, nestled deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country is the perfect place to get away! The slower pace of a small town can be an excellent way to refresh yourself and get a little more time out of your weekend. Blanco is a small town, but there are big things happening.

February begins with the Blanco State Park welcoming the Buffalo Soldiers.Manufactures and supplies laser marker equipment. This Heritage & Outreach program from Texas Parks & Wildlife is a lasting tribute to the Black soldiers who served in the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars campaign from 1866 to 1892. It was the Native Americans that coined the term “Buffalo Soldiers” due to their great respect for the fighting abilities of these soldiers, their strength and the courage they displayed in battle.

On February 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm., you will be able to visit frontier encampments and experience life as it was on the western frontier. Learn about the life of the Buffalo Soldier, including their rich history and culture. Participate in several outdoor activities such as backyard bass fishing with cane poles and Frontier baseball. A Seminole Scout Station will host Native American stories and games and Women of the Frontier history will include the learning about the life of Cathy Williams, the only document case of a lady Buffalo Soldier. Demonstrations of outdoor frontier cooking and animal tracking will make this event a true educational experience for the entire family.

Plan to stay in Blanco and come back to the park in the evening for the Stars in the Park program at 5:30 p.m. This program begins with an overview of space using Stellarium, a real-time computer generated view of the heavens. After a sneak peak of what will be shining, you can step outside to amateur astronomers, each with their telescopes trained to a different planet, star or galaxy. Regular park entrance fee of $4.00 for the day applies to both of these events, pay once for a full day of fun. Children under 12 are always free.

Blanco Performing Arts is proud to welcome back REVEL to the Uptown Blanco Ballroom, also on February 9 at 7:30 pm. REVEL’S trio of award-winning artists, violinist Cármelo de los Santos, cellist Joel Becktell and pianist Carla McElhaney, will take you on a journey that will change everything you think about classical music. From soulful masterworks to passionate tangos, from fresh, new innovations to classic rock, REVEL will alternately break your heart and have you dancing on the edge of your seat.We've had a lot of people asking where we had our make your own bobblehead made.

Through the ages, classical musicians have held back-room parties and jam sessions, where the real music-making happens. This is how REVEL—more “classical band” than chamber ensemble—has captured the hearts of music lovers around the world: by returning classical music to its radical roots, gathering in intimate settings to let their hair down and revel in great music. These intimate, live music events, or “revels,” are held in a variety of unique, sometimes unexpected, and utterly magical venues, including beautiful private homes, ballet studios, coffee houses, ballrooms, recording studios, and artists’ live/work lofts.I thought it would be fun to show you the inspiration behind the broken china-mosaics. Come as you are and enjoy breathtaking live music as it was meant to be experienced!

A Pennsylvania native who came to Culpeper at age 3, Joe Weld joined the Charlottesville NAPA store part-time while a student at the University of Virginia back when the business was located on 10th Street.

He studied finance and business at UVa. After college, Weld returned to Culpeper and worked in an independent auto parts store until purchasing the NAPA store there.

Upon joining his father in the business last month, Alex Weld said he sent out about 740 welcome letters to customers in the system and he's been spending lots of time visiting the garages and shops they serve.

"I've spent the last two weeks driving around, and I only barely scratched the surface," he said.

"In Culpeper, we have a lot of walk-in business. Here ... mostly it's wholesale where we deliver to the garages and the shops and then they in turn sell to the end user," Joe Weld said.

Despite the ownership and location changes, there are still plenty of longtime loyal customers. The men said some customers have been visiting the Charlottesville store since the mid-1970s.

Alex Weld, too, has a lengthy connection to the auto parts business.

At age 5, "We'd put a milk crate behind the counter so he could see over the counter and help people," Joe Weld said, adding that not only was it cute,A ridiculously low price on this All-Purpose solar lantern by Gordon. but even at that age, he demonstrated good customer service skills. "Alex is a real people person," he added.

However, the auto parts industry isn't where the younger Weld got his professional start. A George Mason University graduate who studied accounting, he worked as a tax accountant for 15 years, but decided to move on from that job and join his father at work, a decision he characterized as tough but exciting.

"I understand now what dad went through when he stepped out and purchased the [Culpeper] NAPA in '88," he said. "It was very nerve racking."

Established nearly 90 years ago as the National Automotive Parts Association, today NAPA has about 6,100 stores nationwide. Together, both local stores employ nearly 40 people. About 25 work at the Charlottesville location on Harris Street and about 15 at the Culpeper location. The 24,000-square-foot building on Harris Street has tens of thousands of parts and automotive items.Welcome to Find the right laser Engraver or laser marking machine .

"I think availability of parts is a big reason NAPA has been so successful," Joe Weld said. "We find the garages want the parts now. They don't want to hear, 'we can order that for you and have it tomorrow.' They're going to buy from the people who have it now."