Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bud Holzman accepts a certificate at his retirement ceremony in 2008. Holzman will be the guest speaker for the Veteran’s Day ceremony on Tuesday. Courtesy photo

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 688 will host a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park in Boerne on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to honor and salute all of the many American veterans who throughout history have placed their lives on the line.

The color guard will be provided by the Boerne – Samuel V. Champion High School AF JROTC. The program will also feature performances by the high school choir and band. Mayor Dan Heckler will represent the city of Boerne.

The guest speaker will be Boerne area resident Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Bud Holzman, a highly decorated veteran who has recently completed 42 years of military service. Holzman served in Vietnam where he flew Huey helicopters and more recently served in Iraq as a counterintelligence agent.

During the ceremony, all veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle will be asked to come forward to be recognized and be formally welcomed home.

Veterans Day is a special day. Unlike Memorial Day, it is a time to remember all veterans, both living and dead, and their sacrifices. It be a time of pride and reflection on what veterans have accomplished and the freedoms they have protected.

Everyone is welcome to attend, especially those veterans who have recently returned to the U.S. For further information please contact VFW member Chuck Allen at (830) 249-3766 or (210) 845-9247.

Events listed in this calendar were provided by the sponsoring organizations and were e-mailed to the editor by the Friday noon deadline. For questions about events, contact the sponsoring organization. To be included in future listings, e-mail complete information to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

ONGOING

Boerne Parks and Recreation is taking reservations from groups wishing to be in this year’s Boerne Christmas parade on Dec. 6. Forms will be due to the Parks & Recreation office, 1017 Adler Road, by Nov. 20. Forms and fees can also be mailed to P.O. Box 1677, Boerne, TX 78006. Call Tori Bellos at (830) 249-9511 for more details. 

NOVEMBER

Boerne Public Library in November will be honoring American veterans of all the major conflicts in the past century by showing a war movie each Monday evening at 6 p.m. Veterans, as well as the rest of the community, can enjoy a movie from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. For details, call (830) 249-3053, or visit www. boerne.lib.tx.us

FRIDAY

City of Boerne’s semi-annual bulky item pick-up is set to begin Monday, and Friday is the last day to sign up for the service. If you are a residential customer and billed for garbage service by the city of Boerne, you are eligible for bulky item collection. Waste Management crews will start picking up junk on Monday.

To have your items picked up, you must register with the Utility Customer Service Office by calling (830) 249-9511 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. through Friday.

Items that will be picked up include old furniture, hot water heaters or other bulky household items. Appliances including air conditioners, refrigerators and freezers will only be picked up if accompanied by a certificate from a licensed technician indicating that the Freon has been removed.

Grey Forest Farmers Market is held 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. the first and third Friday of each month at a new location on Scenic Loop Road, across from the Grey Forest City Hall and next to the fire department at the corner of Scenic Loop and Sherwood Trail. Shop for fruits, jellies, veggies, eco-tote bags, plants, pecans, peaches, breads, cookies, note cards and locally produced goods of all types.

SATURDAY

Leon Springs Farmer’s Market is held every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Leon Springs Baptist Church, 24133 Boerne Stage Road, behind H-E-B.

Vendors offer plants, herbs and a variety of edibles, from fresh produce to honey, nuts, breads, jams and jellies. Live music will be heard all morning. Call Mario Obledo Jr. at (210) 823-3393 with questions regarding the Leon Springs Farmers Market or visit www.LeonSpringsFM. com.

NOV. 12

Boerne Farmers Market is held Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. through Nov. 26 at Kendall County Fairgrounds, Texas 46 east of Boerne. Home grown vegetables, local pecans, breads, canned fruits and vegetables, plants, aromatherapy and other fresh seasonal farm products will be offered. All products are fresh and high quality. The market will not be held over the winter but will resume in March when fresh vegetables are available again.

Boerne Community Theatre will present Neil Simon’s comedy, “The Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” directed by Larry Beauchamp. The cast features Paul Godfrey (who left audiences howling from the last show), veteran BCT performer Keisha McFerrin, and two new faces to the BCT stage, Kaitlin Campbell and Allison Dietz.

The story follows the trials and tribulations of Barney Cashman, a middle-aged seafood restaurant owner, who decides his life is a little boring and that he should have an affair. His inept attempts at this clandestine affair occur in his mother’s New York apartment, while she is out doing charity work.

Performances begin Friday and run through Nov. 22. Reservations are recommended; call the box office at (830) 249-9166 or visit in person Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon. A credit card is necessary to reserve seats or you may pay in advance at the theatre. Thursday evening shows are at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m.

NOV. 13

Messiah Lutheran Church will be holding the first meeting of a new support group on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. This faith-based support group is for families and friends who have a loved one with depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or anxiety disorders. The intent of the group is to provide support and information so we can better care for our loved ones. Participants will view the video “Creating Caring Congregations.” All information shared at this meeting will be kept confidential.

For more information, call Messiah Lutheran Church at (830) 755-4300.

NOV. 15

Cibolo Nature Center will sponsor “Building Green” on Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Green building techniques will be discussed, including passive solar design, solar hot water, geothermal heat pumps and sustainable materials. Call (830) 249-4616 for details, or visit the Web site, www. Cibolo.org.

ONGOING

Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Kendalia seeks volunteers to help all orphaned and injured native wildlife who need caring hands – animals who would suffer or die if Wildlife Rescue and its team of staff and volunteers were not there to save their lives. You can help by being a volunteer caretaker in the clinic or a rescuer out in the field. Call Krystal at (830) 336-2725, extension 303, or visit www.wildlife-rescue.org.  

Guadalupe River State Park & Honey Creek State Natural Area offers programs at no cost other than the park entrance fee of $6 per adult (children 12 and under free) unless you are a holder of a Texas State Parks Pass. For more information about any of these programs, please contact Craig Hensley, park interpreter at (830) 438-p7653 or craig.hensley@ tpwd.state.tx.us.

Courtesy rendering

As with any development in Leon Springs these days, local officials have mixed feelings about plans for a European-style marketplace scheduled to open in mid-2009 at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Ralph Fair Road.

Rialto Village will feature locally-owned restaurants, boutique shops, upscale apartments and offices connected by outdoor plazas, walking trails and lush landscaping, according to Dale Schuparra, president of Schuparra Properties Inc.

In short, Rialto Village will bring urban offerings to the Hill Country, he said.

“We envision Rialto Village as the gathering place for the thousands of people in the Dominion, Anaqua Springs, Crownridge, Fair Oaks Ranch, Boerne and beyond,” Schuparra said.

Crowned by a 121-foot tower, he says he expects the 24-acre village to become a landmark for the more than 60,000 vehicles that pass the site on Interstate 10 everyday.

The Ralph Fair Road overpass, which carries 10,000 vehicles daily, will extend directly into the main street of Rialto Village, Calle Rialto.

And that’s the rub. A local mayor sees more traffic congestion.

And Camp Bullis officials say trees that were chopped down to make way for the project could have housed the golden cheeked warbler.

As for another hot button issue, dark sky lighting, the developer is very aware of the importance of protecting Camp Bullis, Schuparra spokesman Jeff Coyle said.

“We have gone to great expense and effort to ensure that Rialto Village is the type of development that is compatible with all of its neighbors,” Coyle said. “We have anticipated pending Camp Bullis ordinances as much as possible and are already planning accordingly.”

Coyle said because of the intimate ambiance of the development, the lighting won’t be blazing or overly tall, and efforts have been made to stay in constant contact with Bexar County’s Environmental Engineer, Andrew Winter, to ensure compliance with all Camp Bullis’ requirements. San Antonio Councilwoman Diane Cibrian vouches for the planned lighting.

“They agreed to downward lighting voluntarily,” Cibrian said. “That shows they’re willing to follow Camp Bullis’ requirements. They’re taking it very seriously.”

Coyle says Rialto Village represents a new trend in community-oriented development that protects and enhances the native environment. It won’t have the big-box stores or the endless sea of parking, he added. Rather, the developers are fashioning what they call “pockets of parking.”

“We plan to provide adequate parking as a convenience to our customers, but rather than massive parking areas, we will plan for smaller lots separated by landscaped walkways,” Coyle said. “The proximity of the shops will be such that once you have parked, it will be inviting to walk from one store to the next.”

Coyle said that, where the Rim and La Cantera are typical of large outdoor malls anchored by national retailers, Rialto will have more regional boutique-type stores and local merchants wanting to take advantage of the proximity to both San Antonio and Hill Country markets. Folks have an option of living there, too, if they wish.

“We have envisioned a residential element to be a part of the landscape,” Coyle said.

The village features native landscaping and old-growth live oak trees.

“We are so fortunate to be surrounded by a natural greenbelt on our west and south boundaries,” Coyle said. “This will be developed in future phases. Some variations along this greenbelt discussed thus far include hiking and jogging trails or a linear park.”

Regardless of how much the developer touts nature, Army officials say a lot was lost in the clearing of the land.

“This tract, which is located one mile west of Camp Bullis, contained some mature woodland, which has already been cleared,” U.S. Army Col. Mary E. Garr told San Antonio officials last month. “Thus, it is too late to provide comments on potential golden-cheeked warbler habitat.”

With new developments comes more congestion. Factor in construction, and it’s a challenge for Fair Oaks Ranch residents to get to work and back, according to Mayor Dan Kasprowicz.

“Right now, we have the best traffic situation to get to downtown,” Kasprowicz said. “But, with the trenches, dirt movers and maintainers reshaping the area around us, we are limited in our ability to cross I-10 at Ralph Fair Road and Fair Oaks Parkway. I forecast I-10 West and East will look much like the congestion that we see on TV each evening on 281 North. I think we’re in for a significant increase in traffic and the associated headaches that brings.”

Police cordoned off the Security State Bank and Trust on Oct. 31 after a predawn robbery. Photo by David Basarich

Boerne police are looking for a man they say robbed Security State Bank and Trust Friday. An unknown amount of money was taken in the 7 a.m. heist.

According to investigators, the first employee arrived at the bank, located at 607 N. Main, and was approached by the suspect, who forced her into the building through the back door. He then handcuffed the employee. The white male was carrying a handgun and was wearing a ski mask, police said.

A second employee also was handcuffed upon arrival at work shortly thereafter, and one employee’s mouth was taped shut, police Chief Gary Miller said.

The suspect demanded information to gain access to the bank’s safe, then took the keys to one of the employee’s vehicles, took the money and left in the stolen vehicle.

A short time later, police were contacted by a pedestrian walking his dog on the Old No. 9 trail near Garden Street who reported an abandoned vehicle on the trail.

Police arrived at the scene and discovered the employee’s Ford Focus, with a handgun in the vehicle.

Police say the last bank robbery in the city occurred in 1982.

Investigators with the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrived in Boerne and are assisting the police.

Anyone with information on the robbery should contact the police at (830) 249-8645 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-348-5323.

This story originally appeared on the Web on Oct. 31. For updates, visit www.clickitsa.com