New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung (Newspaper) - October 7, 1999, New Braunfels, Texas NEW PELS Vol 148 No 230 14 pgs in 2 sections October 7 1999 THURSDAY Serving Comal County since 1852 50 cents GRUENE Music FEST FRIDAY Gruene Music Fest 13th Annual Private Premier Party with dinner and charitable auction At doors open to public with cover for Johnny Dee and the Rocket 88s SATURDAY Gruene Hall 17 7 food booths SUNDAY am Hall presents Gospel reserved only adults children Call 830 6295077 13th Gruene Music Fest adults children younger than 12 admitted biergarten Gruene food booths Music lovers flock to Gruene Music Fest event to help United Way of Comal County BY HEATHER TODD Staff Writer Just about everyone from blues lovers to Texas honky tonk fans will find something to tap their toes to during a music festival to benefit the United Way of Comal County The 13th annual Gruene Music Fest will run Friday through Sunday with a lineup of musical performances to please the most diverse crowd Music will flow from four stages at Gruene Hall during this years Music Fest with fea tured performers such as Brett Graham Clay Blaker and the Texas Honky Tonk Band Sisters Morales and Tim DuBois Dick Koegle cofounder of the Gruene Music Fest said the BLAKER in tent would return as a favorite hot spot this year The blues tent was created this past year to cater to a more diverse audience We were trying to develop more funds for the United Way and the blues environment was a real hit The crowd there was he said Featured blues groups this year include the Monty Guitar Tyler and Friends Jimmy Spacek and Heavy Traffic and Neil Black and the Healers Performers this year also include mariachi See ERIC Creative outlet At Hummel youth encouraged to create get involved BY CHRISTINA MINOR Staff Writer For many youngsters a trip to the museum meant warnings not to touch and admonitions against messing things up But two days a week at the Hummel Museum 199 Main Plaza youngsters ages 6 to 12 are encouraged to create a little piece of art history And no one gets upset when they mess something up Every Wednesday and Thursday the childrens creativity comes alive in a small room on the sec ond floor of the museum tor Cristy Waymer turned an old storage area into the art room We came in and ripped up the she said The room was used to store Christmas trees and gift shop items These items are now stored in a small Waymer said she tried to incor art history lessons with the artwork created in the small room If we are studying the Egyp tians then I will have them create something she said Sometimes I try to play music from that time The students study a different time period each week from Ancient Greece to contemporary styles The students then create one of the more popular pieces from that period For example the children were studying Egyptian art recently so they created mummies using papi er mache and gold paint Each stu dent embellished their mummy with sequins and glitter The yearlong program allows the children to be exposed to a lit tle bit of everything with Waymer teaching the program her way I do my own she said I teach about history the technique and then we do the project With AMANDA Above Alyssa Sacco left and Mackenzie McMillan focus on their art projects during a recent class at the Hummel Museum 199 Main Plaza Below Allyson applies glue to a creation The class es taught by Cristy Waymer are offered two days a week for children ages 6 to 12 How To PARTICIPATE Children ages 6 to 8 meet from to every Wednesday and children ages 912 meet from to every Thursday at the Hummel Museum 199 Main Plaza Seating is limited to 12 students Cost is for one month and children should dress in old clothes Call 6255636 or 800 456 4866 the small kids I focus on the more basic The children also are exposed to reallife artists by viewing their work and listening to them lecture and demonstrate Special guests have included local artists as well as Maggie Gillikin a storyteller and artist from San Antonio The children also go outside to paint landscape paintings Its an extension of Waymer who had a studio art degree said They dont get the See 281 overpass work nearing completion making plans for more along corridor BY HEATHER TODD Staff Writer In just two short months Comal County drivers might have one less headache to face during the daily commute on US 281 Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation said construction work on the new overpass at 281 and Road 1863 might be completed by the end of November Michelle Kopp assistant area engineer for said The bridge is completed and now theyre starting work to complete the roadway Its in the final stages and it should be done by the end of Novem ber if the weather holds officials said the new overpass should help eliminate traffic accidents at 28 land FM 1863 by re routing high speed traffic away from cross traffic The project which began in January 1998 has been a source of consternation for many Comal County drivers Kopp said the office in New Braunfels received complaints from local residents pretty regularly during the project Some drivers said the road work created a traffic hazard by reducing a drivers ability to see oncoming traffic when attempting to cross 281 We would review all the complaints and on occasion we would have signs moved back from the intersections We made adjustments as we got she said 281 PROJECTS Construction work on the new 281 overpass at Market Road 1863 is expected to be complet ed in late November Overpass at Borgfeld Road in Bexar County is funded for 2002 officials are considering overpasses at Evans Road and Stone Oak Parkway Source Texas Department of Transportation Kopp also said many of the complaints stemmed from already existing problems with the intersection We had a lot of complaints about the angle of the inter section and how 281 and FM 1863 cross but mat was a problem she said Kopp also said most traffic accidents were attributed to driver error when law enforce ment officials filed the acci dent reports Usually people fail to yield or give right of way she said When the million con struction project is complete a fourway stop will be at the FM 1863 and frontage road intersection Kopp said the existing roadway for 281 at the intersection would become a frontage road and 281 would remain two lanes in both directions Despite recent progress on the overpass project com muters shouldnt feel like they are in the fast lane just yet See Airport plans open house FROM STAFF REPORTS Local residents are invited to the New Braunfels Airport on Saturday for an open house with plane rides and enter Its just a chance to get to know your neighbor at the airport manager Darrell Phillips said Its a social He said the open house was intended partly to show the public the airports new aircraft storage facilities The airport is off Road 758 Plane rides will be offered from 10 to 3 Stearman rides will cost per person Rides on the smaller planes will cost person The Canyon High School will provide entertainment at 1 And from to a Federal Aviation Adminis tration Safety Meeting will take place at Hangar 1996 at the end of old runway 22 PHILLIPS INSIDE Key code 76 New Braunfels woman in serious condition following Sunday morning auto accident BY ERIN MAGRUDER Staff Writer A New Braunfels woman remained in very serious condition Wednesday following an accident Sunday that might have been caused by a drunk driver Leticia Perez 51 and her husband Gonzalo Perez 53 both were transported by heli copter to San Antonio hospitals after their vehicle was hit by a 25yearold New Braun fels woman allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road The accident occurred at on Road 2722 about one mile north of New Braunfels Leticia Perez was the most critically injured in the accident with both of her legs and wrists broken and fractures to her hips said her son Jehu Perez Jehu Perez was traveling in the car in front of his parents at the time of the accident My mother is still very he said Her injuries are very very serious She has a really low blood count Doctors are trying a new treatment to help Gonzalo Perez was released from Univer sity Hospital on Tuesday after being treated See
