Festival Service our grandparents counted on! October 21 ...

Fall 2021

Hogeye FestivalOctober 21-23

Pages 2-5 ...Trust your instinctsChemn Cafe

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Home for the Holidays

Service our grandparents counted on!To the point blade

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Photo by Renee Boyle

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2 Photos by Sonia Browder

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50THURSDAY NIGHT HOGEYE STROLL KICKOFF 5 - 9 P.M.• Hogalicious Dessert Contest: Cakes & Pies for youth, adults, and commercial bakers. Judging at 8 p.m.• P E A R L S B E F O R E S W I N E ART SHOW: Artists from Central Texas in all mediums at the Depot Museum downtown through Saturday October 23. • Live Music• The Carnival Family Wristband Night! Overall Festival weekend information available at www.hogeyefestival.com

FRIDAY NIGHT FREE STREET DANCE, OCTOBER 22ND FROM 8 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT Kenny Orts and No Chance will play from 8pm to midnight on Friday, October 22 on Depot Street. The carnival will be open and vendors at the dance will include Burgers, Pecos Pete’s Natural Tea and Sodas, Kettle Corn and the VFW Post 6115 with a variety of beer, soda and water. You can dance the night away with Kenny who started playing when he was 13 with The Westernaires. Bring a chair and plan to spend the evening in beautiful downtown Elgin!

HOGEYE FESTIVAL EVENTS 10 A.M. - 6 P.M.COW PAT TY BINGO Yes, you can – win grand prizes based on where a cow patty plops! Look for Cow Patty Bingo on First Street, buy your tickets early as this event sold out in 2019 before 3pm. Watch the spectacle at 4pm – and see who the winners are – and remember Splatter Matters!

SOUVENIRS Official Festival t-shirts will be available at Dorothy’s Fine Jewelry and Gift Shop during October and the day of at the festival Pig Sty. Don’t forget your hog snout and add some bling with our collectable pig beads.

IN A PIGS EYE CORN HOLE CONTEST Depot Square Museum parking lot - teams or individuals are welcome to try your hand at the perfect shot and winning pigarriffic prizes! Details online at www.hogeyefestival.com

GORDON SWENSON MEMORIAL BBQ PORK COOKOFF - All pork with a beans category – check in Friday night at the Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center at 114 Central Avenue. Enjoy the smoke and a variety of samples Saturday. – Want to judge? Drop by early in the morning and sign up to judge various categories. Winners announced at 4pm at the Gazebo.

LINDSY KAY WING MEMORIAL CHILDREN’S COSTUME PET PARADE - creativity abounds at this event featuring our youngest piglets and their coordinated pet friends. Iguanas and miniature ponies have held the stage with their young masters along side dogs and more – Bancorp South at 9am

OLD IRON FARM EQUIPMENT DISPLAY Franklin Boetcher and friends share a variety of vintage farm equipment and tools, inviting the community to see how farming happened from the late 1800’s through the 1950’s.

ACME BRICK TOSS Learn about brick manufacturing and handle green bricks straight from the plant and see the world’s largest Brick, Baby Clay.

ROAD HOG CAR SHOW Capital City Corvette Brothers and Lower Colorado River Jeepers organizes the car show to showcase vintage vehicles all makes and models.

Booths of HANDMADE ARTS & CRAFTS will be set-up on Main Street between Depot and 2nd Street offering unique, one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted gifts for you and everyone in your family!

CARNIVAL The Carnival is open Thursday and Friday nights and all day Saturday until 10 p.m. Variety of rides and games add to the weekends celebrations.

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FREE FESTIVAL SHUT TLEFrom 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., park at the SPJST Hall 702 Hwy 95 North and ride the shuttle to the festival - At the Festival, drop off and pick up at 2nd Street and Avenue C.

Saturday, Oct. 23rd Hogeye Festival 2021Entertainment Schedule

1st Street Stage 10:00am The Monty Thomas Family Band 11:15am The Larry Harris Band12:30pm The Prairie Rattlers2:00pm The Gypsy Drifters 2:45pm The Sowpremes 3:15pm X Factory4:45pm Rumores Veterans’ Park Stage10:00am WELCOME 11:00am Sowpremes12:00pm Amor por Panama Grupo Folklorico 1:00pm Clickety Cloggers 2:00pm Tuck and Tumble 3:00 p.m. Community Choir5:00pm BBQ Cook-off Awards

Photos by Sonia Browder

Sponsoring OrganizationsCity of Elgin,

Elgin Main Street BoardElgin Chamber of Commerce

Elgin Economic Development Corporation

Publication CommitteeGena Carter, Amy Miller,

Kaley Frye and Sonia Browder

Art/Design DirectorSonia Browder, Enye Creative

Advertising SalesElgin Chamber of Commerce

Contributing WritersGena Carter,

Elgin Chamber of CommerceAmy Miller, City of Elgin

Kaley Frye, Main Street Manager

Contributing PhotographersSonia Browder,

and Elizabeth Marzec,Program Manager, Parks and Recreation

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Your comments and ideas are welcome and encouraged. Please email us at [email protected].

For advertising opportunities, please contact us at (512)285-4515.

For digital copies,visit www.elgintx.com.

Elgin, Texas

JUNE 2006

ART & ARTISAN SHOWCASEELGIN STYLE!

4TH of JULY ACTIVITIES

COMING SOON!WESTERN DAYS

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100 YEARS of the ELGIN COTTON OIL MILL

JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

Elgin, Texas 78621 • 512-350-3861

Design and Layout by Sonia Browder for Enye Creative. ñ

(en•ye)

The Hogeye Festival brings great live music to two stages throughout the day.

@1st Street Stage

RUMORES 4:45 pm

@1st Street Stage

CLICKETY CLOGGERS 1:00 pm

@Veterans’ Park Stage

ELGIN COMMUNITY CHOIR 3:00 pm

@Veterans’ Park Stage

AMOR POR PANAMA GRUPO FOLKLORICO 12:00 pm 4:30 pm

@Veterans’ Park Stage

78621Downtown

E L G I N • T E X A SA local magazine. It’s all about Elgin.

Downtown 78621 2021 Masthead.indd 1Downtown 78621 2021 Masthead.indd 1 8/24/21 2:46 PM8/24/21 2:46 PM

MONTY THOMAS FAMILY BAND 10 am

@1st Street Stage

THE SOWPREMES 11 am & 12::45 pm

@Veterans’ Park Stage & 1st Street Stage

X FACTORY 3:15 pm

@1st Street Stage

THE PRAIRIE RATTLERS 12:30 PM

THE LARRY HARRIS BAND 11:15 am

@1st Street Stage

THE GYPSY DRIFTERS 2pm

@1st Street Stage

Member FDIC | Equal Housing Lender

A Commitment to Community

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since 1939

Member Service: 800-842-7708Report an Outage: 800-949-4414

Find us online at bluebonnet.coop

Hogeye Festival Sponsors, “Thank you!”

Whole Hog $3500 TRCHEBBrohn Homes & Harvest RidgeOnePointe Solutions

Baconator $2500 Bluebonnet Electric CooperativePecos Pete Natural Tea + SodaAviator Pizza & Brew Company

Hog Wild $2000 Frontier Bank of TexasCarr Lane ManufacturingAustin Title

Hogs & Kisses $1000 Acme BrickAqua Water Supply CorporationCircle Brewing CompanyElgin Butler BrickProsperity BankMcDonald’sPost Oak HardwareAustin Community CollegeIndependence TitleJeanette Shelby RealtyMeyer’s Elgin SausageFirst National BankSmart CompaniesSouthside Market & BarbecueRainy Real Estate

Real Ham $500 Rush ChevroletElgin General StoreElgin VFW Post 6115Winkler & Company Realtors Menley GroupDorothy’s Fine Jewelry & Gift ShopElgin Funeral HomeFireWild on MainWaeltz & Prete Civil Engineers

Oinker $250 Edward Jones - Candace ElliottElgin Farmers’ MarketJake Carter & Joy Casnovsky

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What’s your favorite food? My Mom’s chicken mole and rice, she passed away in 2017...

Something you’d be surprised to know about me? My love of blues music and the fact that I go anywhere I can go to see and hear it. Other states, other festivals, my best friend Liston and I will go just about anywhere to hear to hear great Blue’s music. I am also enjoy metal detecting.

Meet my family: Five children Stephanie, Stacey, Veronica, Jeff, and Erin, Very Proud Daddy of all my kids, and eleven fabulous grandchildren and two great grandchildren!! I am third generation Elginite, and I am proud of being mayor after all these years in our community.

Where did you grow up, go to school and work? I was born in Elgin, graduated EHS in 1974 and attended UT for 18 months. I joined the United States Airforce, and then started a career at the United States Post office where I worked for 28 years, the last 12 years as Elgin Postmaster. Most of my part time jobs after retirement have had to with music, including concert stage security at ACL Moody Theater, Circuit of the America concert security and the Majestic Theater in San Antonio. I was also the sportswriter for the Elgin Courier for the 3 years prior to being elected as Mayor

What does the Mayor do? The Mayor is chosen through a city-wide election by all qualified voters of the City of Elgin.  He or she works with eight council members elected within each of the four Wards in Elgin to develop policy for the operations of the city.   The Mayor serves as the Chairperson at City Council meetings and represents the City at local regional and statewide meetings and events.   Where do you like to vacation? I really love New Orleans, Mem-phis and Nashville  because of their great music scenes, food and history. My favorite festival is the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival in New Orleans. I also really love to explore Mexico, great people, beaches, food and history.

What do you love about Elgin? The sense of belonging and the excitement of meeting new people.

Favorite thing to do in Elgin? Conversations over great meals with family, friends and new people. What do you love about Hogeye Festival? The excitement of downtown, seeing the crafts, listening to the music and seeing all the people smiling.

What’s your favorite food? Texas BBQ, of course.

Something you’d be surprised to know about me? My Dad was a mechanic and had a service station when I was growing up, so I know a little about working on cars. I am one of the few men my age whose mom didn’t throw out his baseball cards and I still have a pretty good collection.  

Tell us about your family. My wife Mary Ann and I have been married for 36 years and have two great kids – Alex and Lillian who both live in Austin (Mary is a Dallas girl and my kids are also native Texans)

Where did you grow up? I was born, raised, and educated in Ohio; and earned a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Bowling Green State University. I have served as City Manager in 7 different cities, in 3 different states over the last 35+ years beginning in Rosebud, Texas in 1982. The majority of my career and adult life has been spent in Texas.

What does the City manager do? Elgin operates by the voter-ap-proved City Charter under a Council-Manager form of government. The City Manager is the chief executive officer who is hired by the Mayor and Council to manage all city staff and day to day operations; and implements policy as determined by the City Council. 

What do you love about Elgin? The uniqueness of the community and the historic times we are living in. It’s an exciting and challenging time to be in Elgin as we embrace growth and the positives it will bring - while at the same time, making sure we preserve the distinctive characteristics, cultural diversity, and downtown area that have been part of Elgin for generations.

What is your favorite thing to do in Elgin? Sip, Shop, & Stroll and spending time at home with my family. We really like our home here and our neighborhood.

What do you love about Hogeye? It’s great that Hogeye has evolved into a true signature event for the Elgin community that has broad support and involvement. Everyone here wants to be part of Hogeye and Elgin is now known in a positive way for this event throughout the region.

Tom Mattis City Manager

 The City of Elgin was established in 1872. Next year we’ll celebrate our Sesqui-centennial. Currently the City of Elgin operations include 150 full and part time employees and provides the following services: Water and Wastewater distribu-tion, public safety, animal control, streets and drainage, Code Enforcement, plan-ning and development services, water and wastewater utility billing, accounts receivables and payables, municipal court, records management, library services, parks, recreation and pool operations, economic development, downtown devel-opment, historic preservation, and special events.

Ron Ramirez Mayor

Getting to know you.

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New Patients & Children Always Welcome.

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Providingcomprehensive

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Tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do at To the Point?We are Tana and Grizz, a husband-and-wife team running the cool-est little knife shop in town!  We sharpen blades of all kinds-knives, scissors, clipper blades, mower blades, chainsaw chains, yard tools and more! We also sell Texas and US made custom and manufactured knives. We offer a great variety of knifemaking supplies including steel and belts, hammers, tongs, forges, grinders, handle material and so much more. We like to say that we offer the kind of service that your grandparents would have counted on.

Why did you choose to relocate your business to Elgin?I have sharpened for locations in Elgin for about 5 years and really enjoy the area so when I outgrew my space in Bastrop and was seeking a bigger shop, Elgin was naturally one of the first places we looked. We didn’t find a spot that would work for us, so we contin-ued our search, then we connected with the Main Street Program who passed on our information to Jeff at Prosperity Bank. He reached out to tell us about the space that he had for rent. The rest is history-and we’re so happy to be here!

What do you like most about downtown Elgin?In the short time that we’ve been here we’ve seen so much support and excitement from the com-munity. That’s not something that we’re used to. It’s a nice, welcom-ing feeling.

What does To the Point have on the horizon that the citizens of Elgin can get excited about? We are in the process of plan-ning classes that will be open to the community. These will include Knifemaking (beginner and advanced), Handle Application and Hammer Refurbishing. We will also hold Hammer-Ins on-site, which are gatherings of knifemakers and blacksmiths working and col-laborating on projects and doing demonstrations. We love local live music so there is a great possibil-ity that you might hear someone that you’re familiar with at our events.

Anything else you think we should know about you guys and your business?We love meeting new people so stop in any time and say hi!

To keep up with Grizz & Tana, you can find To The Point Blade on Instagram & Facebook.

point

Q&ATo the

“We offer the service that our grandparents counted on!”

To The Point Blade Sharpening & Sales | 25 N. Main Street | Elgin | TX | www.txknifemakers.com

Advocacy Outreach

Established in 1992, Advocacy Outreach exists to facilitate social change and justice through advocacy and a provision of services to the poor and disenfranchised in Bastrop County and surrounding rural areas.

Beth Rolingson, Executive Director, shared “in the beginning we focused on legal assistance and realized early on that people needed help to access basic support services. Then and still today, it is a challenge for the poor in Elgin to connect with the services and programs that can help them meet their basic needs and improve their life situation.”

One of Advocacy Outreach’s first programs provided education for the homeless by provid-ing life skills classes. Literacy classes evolved into a holistic program that provided Family Literacy Classes following the Kenan Model to combine Adult Education with Early Childhood Education, Parenting classes, and home visits to result in long term sustainable, quantifiable, educational impacts on the children and the parents.

Through a partnership with Austin Community College, the Family Literacy Program con-tinues to offer a robust bilingual program that incorporates hands on activities with English language learning, preschool education and parenting. Advocacy Outreach facilitates a federally-funded program that provides day shelter for homeless people and provides funding so that they can regain housing; it also prevents homelessness by paying rental arrears when eviction is threatened. A resource and problem resolution center helps individuals with a range of services, including forms assistance for documents such as applications for benefits, tax returns and minor legal issues. Computers, copy and fax machines are available for free use by the community. The organization operates a Free Thrift Store where gently used clothing, furniture and household goods are available to anyone in the community. Special programs include the distribution of heaters, fans and help with utility arrears.

Funding from the City of Elgin, Bastrop County, Dollar General, Walmart, foundations, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and local community members help sustain Advocacy Outreach. You can support their programs online at www.advocacyout-reach.org or through donations of reusable goods to their site at 200 Depot Avenue (but please only drop off items when staff are present to receive them.)

Advoca cy Outrea ch

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Pictured from Left to Right: Kelly Koenning, Realtor/Broker Associate; Amber Garcia, Resident ServicesCoord.; Maria Martinez, Prop Mgmt Admin; Jeanette Shelby (Owner) Broker/Realtor; Sandy Smith, Realtor;

Pete Bega, Realtor; Kay Silkenson, Office Manager; Anne Pierce, Admin Asst.

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200 Depot St., Suite A | Elgin | TX www.advocacyoutreach.org | Facebook

Advoca cy Outrea ch

Saturday, November 6th, 2021 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PMElgin Recreation Center – 361 N. HWY 95, Elgin, TX 78621

Did you know that Texas Arbor Day is in the Fall and not in the Spring like the rest of the country? This is so that our trees have a longer time to get settled before the Texas Summer! Enjoy nature crafts and games and tree plantings to add more edible trees to Elgin Memorial Park which will increase the biodiversity, beauty and shade in our parks. Planting a variety of trees helps our environment and improves the community experience in the parks. To ensure adequate supplies, register ahead of time: https://secure.rec1.com/TX/elgin-tx/catalog. By donating $10.00 through the registra-tion link, your family can have a sign on a tree with their name and date planted so you can identify it and visit it for years to come.

Texas Arbor Day Celebration

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Thursday, December 2nd, 2021 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM Elgin Public Library | 404 North Main St.

Celebrate the upcoming winter holidays by decorating your own gingerbread house at the Elgin Public Library! No signup is required, but supplies are limited.

Gingerbread House Decorating

Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead is a traditional celebration in Mexico and Latin America celebrating life and death where mourning is exchanged for celebration. Friends and family gather together to remember and pray for friends and family members who have died. Traditionally held on November 1 and 2, elements include making an altar for a deceased family member with photos, yellow marigold flowers, favorite food and drinks of the one being honored, sugar skulls, and music. Learn more about Dia de los Muertos on Thursday, November 4 from 5pm to 8pm downtown. Traditional altars will be on display downtown with a strolling mariachi band and local volunteers will share the history, significance, and importance of this holiday with attendees. The library will host a class to paint sugar skulls, crafts, at the Depot Museum and free screening of the movie, Coco, at dusk.. Additional information available here

Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead

Thursday, November 4, 2021 | 5:00 - 8:00 PM | Elgin Public Library | 404 North Main St. | Elgin, TX 78621 & Depot Museum | 14 Depot St.

Yegua Creek FarmsPecan Orchard & Kitchen

Pecans, Breads, Cookies, Flavored Pecans,Gift Baskets, Firewood, Bar-B-Q Chips, Mulch.

www.yeguacreekfarms.com

Gene & Eileen Niswander(817)929-2789 • (512)856-0192

Elgin, Texas

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NOV 27

Throughout 2020 and 2021, local businesses worked in new ways and implemented innovative solutions to serve the community. As challenges continued to come our way with the Big Freeze of February 2021, local businesses helped distribute water, food and more to meet community needs. As you’re making your holiday shopping list or sharing your holiday wishes with friends and family – consider what a difference you can make by shopping in Elgin and supporting these great locally owned busi-nesses! The Elgin Main Street Board, Elgin Chamber of Commerce, and the Economic Development Corporation are joining forces with American Express to celebrate Small Busi-ness Saturday on November 27.

Enjoy store specials, refreshments, and holiday promotions. Take this unique opportunity to show suupport for local business. Shop Elgin First and Dine Elgin First all year long!

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Elgin welcomes Carr Lane, an aircraft parts manufacturer

expanding from Austin, to Elgin Business Park II. “We

are proud to have Carr Lane investing in our community

and bringing more high-quality primary jobs to Elgin.” said

Mayor Ron Ramirez. The company will construct a new

50,000 sq.ft. facility on five acres in the park. With an

estimated value of $3.9 million, the new facility will house

65 full time jobs with hourly pay ranging from $13 to $20

per hour.

“The Elgin Economic Development Corporation is excited

about these new primary jobs coming to Elgin. We are

happy to provide a great location for Carr Lanes expan-

sion and are proud to have them building in the Elgin

Business Park II. We look forward to working with Carr

Lane in the future and expect their project will attract other

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New Business, Carr Lane Expands in Elgin

manufacturing companies to the business Park,” Bryan

Bracewell, Elgin EDC President and owner of Southside

Market and Barbeque.

Lots ranging from 1 to 5 acres are available in the busi-

ness park which includes regional storm water detention,

utilities and access to Hwy 290. Yerico, an existing Elgin

business that is a supplier for Samsung is expanding in the

business park too. “Elgin is growing with new manufactur-

ers like Carr Lane, new retail on US Hwy 290, a 90 percent

occupied downtown district and multiple subdivisions under

construction, we are a great place to grow your business”

noted Tom Mattis, City Manager. More information about

business growth in the community is available with Owen

Rock, Economic Development Director [email protected]

or www.elgintx.com

“We are proud to have Carr Lane investing in our community...”

“...their project will attract other manufactur-ing companies...”

Chemn Cafe | 114 N. Main St. | Elgin | TX | www.chemncafe.com | Instagram | Facebook | Tik-Tok

“Believe in yourself and trust your instincts” is what the owner of Chemn Café, Monica Nava attributes her success to. The single mother of three moved from Las Vegas to Central Texas to raise her children. She was commuting from Elgin to Austin and the commute started to take a toll. When the company she was working for went out of businesses she decided to take a leap. Monica had a dream of owning her own business and a passion for coffee. She trusted herself and her instinct and Chemn Cafe in downtown Elgin was born. Chemn Café is an educational design-inspired coffee shop that opened their doors in the Summer of 2019. In two years Chemn Café has grown and established themselves as a pillar in the community. Monica believes having great people and family surrounding you keeps you grounded and sane. Nava is active in the community and continually rises to the occasion to help others. She was recognized by the Elgin City Council for delivering food to those in need during the winter storm. She also mentors’ business owners, is active with the school district, and serves on community development boards. Additionally, Monica co-hosts “Elgin Talks” on YouTube to keep the community informed on pertinent information and upcoming events. She worked hard and persevered through the pandemic by finding ways to diversify her revenue streams. Chemn Café now operates a coffee roaster to produce their coffee inhouse and started manufacturing coffee for other coffee shops in the region. They applied for and were approved for their liquor license to broaden their drink offer-ings. Recently, they expanded their hours of operation to coincide with the Elgin Farmers Market and Sip, Shop & Stroll to meet the evening demand. During the holiday season Chemn Café will be renting out the cafe for private parties and gath-erings.

In July Monica won the Governor’s Commission for Women Owned Small Business pitch competition for the Central Texas region. The Commissioner said the reason Monica was selected is “The grit and determination to start her business, stick with her business and thrive in a community, despite the current circumstances with COVID really resonated with us.

When asked what she would tell young business owners thinking about starting a business she said “start with an idea, and let it grow. It takes hard work, but if you believe in yourself and trust your instincts, you will be successful.” Chemn Café started off as a boutique coffee shop in downtown Elgin. They have grown and become so much more in two short years. Monica Nava continues to work hard, champion the community, and grow her ideas into reality. Downtown Elgin looks forward to what Chemn Café has instore for them in the future.

--by Kaley Frye, Elgin Main Street Manager 12 Photos by Sonia Browder

“Believe in yourself and trust your instincts”-Monica Nava, Chemn Cafe

Your pet’s health is our top priority, and excellent service is our goal!

Elgin FamilyPet Center

512-285-33751399 Highway 290 West | Elgin, Texas | 78621

www.VCAHospitals.com/Elgin 13

HOT COCOA STROLL Saturday, December 4 Select a limited edition holiday sou-venir mug and sample a variety of Hot Cocoa from downtown busi-nesses and vote for your favorite during the Hot Cocoa Stroll!

SANTA SIGHTINGS Visit with Santa throughout the month of December and take your own pictures to share with family and friends. Enjoy this magical holiday tradition with your child or grandchild in the relaxed setting of various downtown businesses. Details at www.elgintx.com

CHRISTMAS TREE FARMS Elgin is home to two choose and cut Christmas tree farms, where you can select your tree and cut it in the field while enjoying games, refreshments and lovely gift shops. The Christmas tree farms are open throughout the holiday season starting Thanksgiving weekend. ElginChristmasTreeFarm.com | Evergreen-Farms.com

SIP, SHOP & STROLL Thursday, December 12 Sip a little wine and shop as you stroll through the stores in Historic Downtown. you will find diverse merchandise, eclectic decor, artwork by local artists and live music in many of the venues. Enjoy wine and beer tastings and refreshe-ments throughout the evening. Visit www.elgintx.com for more information.

Home for the Holidays

Elgin, Tx. chemncafe.com

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Elgin ISD is currently among the fastest growing districts in the state of Texas. In fact, the District is ranked #38 out of 257 of the fastest growing districts with more than 3,000 students. This trend is expected to continue, as the communities in and around the Austin-Metro area, including Elgin, continue to grow at a rapid pace.

The last time Elgin ISD had a bond election was approximately 14 years ago. Since that time, the District has continued to grow and expand its facilities using its local budget to accommodate anticipated growth and to address both near and long-term facility needs. However, the District has now reached a point where campuses are now at and/or over capacity; system life-cycle repair and replacement needs are ongoing; and educational programs are further constrained with regard to facilities.

In order to proactively prepare for the on-going, growing needs of the District, Elgin ISD formed a Citizen’s Bond Advisory Committee (CBAC), consisting of 30 individual members representing a cross section of the school district, including community leaders, parents, teachers, students, and business owners.

COMMITTEE CHARGEThe CBAC was charged with representing the entire community in the facility planning pro-cess; assisting the district in assessing and prioritizing current and long-term facility needs; evaluating growth and capacity, as well as building age, safety, and condition; analyzing student and program equity; and considering educational delivery and programs. Taking its findings and considering the district’s current financial position and funding methods, the Citizen’s Bond Advisory Committee was ultimately charged with developing a recommendation that is fiscally sound and aligns with the district’s mission, vision, values, and goals and presenting its recommendation to the Elgin ISD Board of Trustees on how to proceed with a potential bond election.

THE PROCESSThe CBAC held a series of eight (8) consecutive meetings during the months of May and June, 2021. During these meetings, committee members: • Took tours of Elgin ISD campuses and facilities • Reviewed demographic projections • Heard from student panels • Received information on school finance, current program offerings and needs, safety and security, maintenance projects, and technology plans and developed final recommendations to present to the EISD Board of Trustees for review and consideration

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Hogeye!

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THE OWL WINE BAR & HOME GOODS STORE

KEY OUTCOMES AND OBSERVATIONS

Demographics and Capacities Enrollment currently exceeds or will soon exceed capacity at multiple campuses within the district (at all levels).

Financial ConsiderationsBased on the recommendations of the CBAC, on August 16, 2021, the Board of Trustees called for a bond election in the amount of $190M Dollars to accommodate growth and to fund capital improvement projects in the coming years. Importantly, with the guidance of the District’s Financial Advisor, it was determined that the District could levy this amount ($190M) without increasing the overall tax rate for Elgin ISD taxpayers.

Facilities Master Plan RecommendationsAfter deliberating on the priority projects under consideration for this bond, the commit-tee came to consensus on the path forward for a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The following projects, in the form of three (3) propositions, were approved by the Board of Trustees, and are summarized below:

• PROPOSITION A: $171,710,000 • Two (2) new elementary schools • Elgin High School expansion and additions, including a fine arts auditorium/facility • A second transportation center to accommodate growth • CTE Expansion and Program Improvements • Identified Priority Maintenance Projects and Renovations at each school campus • Land for future school sites

• PROPOSITION B: $7,240,000 • Renovations and additions to the Wildcat Stadium, including a New Press Box and Scoreboard

PROPOSITION C: $11,050,000 • Indoor, Multi-Purpose Recreational and Extracurricular Facility

To learn more about the CBAC process, you can visit the Elgin ISD website at this link: https://www.elginisd.net/Page/6398

--Report by Dr. Jodie Duron, Elgin Independent School District Superintendent

Graduation Ceremony:Kathy Moore

15

Candace Elliott, AAMS™ CRPC™Financial Advisor

516 Hwy. 95N, Suite BElgin, TX 78621(512) 229-3600

[email protected]

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Happy Hogeye!It’s Hogtastic to see everyone again! Sooeeeyy!!!

Serving Elgin Since 2015• Wealth Building Strategies• Retirement Income Strategies• Preparing for the Unexpected• Insurance and Annuities• Tax-advantaged StrategiesEdward Jones is a licensed insurance produc-er in all states and Washington, D.C., through Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P. and in California, New Mexico and Massachusetts through Edward Jones Insurance Agency of California, L.L.C.; Edward Jones Insurance Agency of New Mexico, L.L.C.; and Edward Jones Insur-ance Agency of Massachusetts, L.L.C.

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ELGIN MAIN STREET BOARDP.O. Box 591Elgin, Texas 78621 USA

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We want to help build your business, develop a strong economy and create a growth positive future for our community. The Elgin Chamber of Commerce cultivates leaders, serves as a catalyst for strengthening the local economy and represents our businesses and community’s best interest. Working together! It’s a great time to join the Elgin Chamber of Commerce. We have many new people moving to our community and they are looking at our website for goods and services. As a member, your business or organization can be visible in our new online business directory. We also offer individual and family memberships. These are exciting times in Elgin. We are grateful for the opportunities to work together with our members and community partners to make Elgin - One Town, One Team, One Family! Check it out at www.elgintxchamber.com

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November 2, 2021

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