USPS 125-020 Comfort, TX 78013

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The only newspaper in our world that cares exclusively about the community of Comfort, Texas

and has been reporting its news for more than 115 years.

Volume 116, No. 41 Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Early voting begins Tuesday, here’s what you need to know

Hondo's Wyatt Boss can't believe it as Chris Rodriguez scores on a 2-yard TD run after he

appeared to be tackled. Rodriguez ran for 206 yards and is now just 13 yards shy of 1,000 for

the season. (Photo by Kady Zunker)

upcoming election and all

available Vote Centers on the

county website at

www.co.kendall.tx.us as well

as on the bulletin board at the

County Courthouse and

Courthouse Annex. A sample

ballot along with a list of write

-in candidates is also

available.

Texas Voters are still required

to provide state-approved

identification at the polls.

Voter identification

requirements can be found at:

www.VoteTexas.gov.

The graphic on the right,

courtesy of the Kendall

County Elections Office,

provides the days and hours

for early voting in the Nov. 3

General Election at Kendall

County’s main location for

early votes.

This year, on election day,

you are not required to vote in

your precinct. Because the

county was accepted into the

State of Texas Countywide

Polling Place Program, any

registered voter of Kendall

County can vote at any

Kendall County Election Day

Polling Location they choose

according to Staci Decker,

elections administrator for the

county. “Once the voter has checked

in, they will receive their

precinct-specific ballot,” she

said in a news release earlier

this year. “All locations will

be equipped with at least one

electronic poll-book with

instantaneous voter

verification through a virtual

private network. When a voter

checks in at one Vote Center

their record is instantly

updated to all of the other Vote

Centers that they have

checked in and voted.”

Voters can choose the most

convenient polling location for

them giving them the freedom

to vote close to school, work

or home.

“No longer will a voter be

turned away from casting a

regular ballot because you are

not in the ‘correct precinct’,”

she said.

The Kendall County

Elections Department has

posted information about the

Continued on page 5

By either name, Harvest Moon or Blue Moon, this month's second full moon will be a beautiful sight above the Hill Country. (Photo by Robert Reeves)

Comfort Skies by Robert Reeves Full Moon, Harvest Moon, or Blue Moon; no matter what name, all

are beautiful!

By Michael Hawkins

In the first part of this story,

which ran last week, Shirley

Solis, executive director of the

Great er Comfort Area

Chamber of Commerce, spoke

to the changes necessary to

cont inue operat ing the

C h a m b e r d u r in g t h e

pandemic. Though the July 4

celebration had to canceled,

going forward Christmas in

Comfort is planned, but

without a night parade.

Scarecrow Invasion is being

held, and the Chamber invites

everyone to participate. The

Second Harvest Festival will

be held next weekend and the

Christmas Decorating and

Lighting Contest will also be

held. But what about the

Chamber, itself? How is it

faring? What does the future

look like for the Chamber, and

C o m f o r t ’ s b u s i n e s s

community in general?

This year’s Chamber

membership has dropped,

according to Solis.

Membership, funds take a hit during COVID-19

“Our current membership is

at 235 which is down slightly

from last year,” she said.

“Those businesses that did not

renew had a wide range of

reasons with some citing

financial hardship, others

going out of business and still

others moving away. Our

membership dues typically

take us through 7 months out

of a year with the remainder of

our income from events. The

absence of a July 4th event, in

addition to being greatly

missed as a community event,

has created a hardship for the

Chamber.

“In addition to the loss of

community events, we have

also lost income from Park

events while park expenses

have continued to be the sole

responsibility of the Chamber.

Typically, income from park

events cover about 60 percent

of the overhead for the park

with the Chamber covering

the remainder of the expenses.

This year with almost no

income from the park to offset

expenses, the Chamber budget

has taken a hit. The Chamber

does not have any outside

income sources. We are

d e p e n d e n t u p o n o u r

membership dues and income

fr o m t he t wo ma jo r

community events, July 4th

and Christmas in Comfort to

cover annual expenses in

office and visitor center

overhead, community and

business promotion, events,

the park and the list goes on.”

Hotel Occupancy Tax still being discussed

For some time now there has

been an ongoing discussion

about a county Hotel

Occupancy Tax, a small tax

on lodging stays that is used

by many counties and cities

across Texas for a variety of

reasons. One idea was that

such a tax could help pay for

the business promotion

operations of the Comfort

Chamber and supplement the

funds it usually brings in

t h r o u g h e v e n t s a n d

memberships.

“Over the last few years, we

have researched and presented

t o K e n d a l l C o u n t y

Commissioners the possibility

of a Hotel Occupancy Tax to

help in the funding of

promotion for tourism in the

unincorporated area of

Kendall County,” said Solis.

Last weekend we were

blessed with stunningly clear

skies that highlighted a

gorgeous full Moon. Although

I live in the central Texas area,

my home is not in the city of

Comfort, thus this jewel of

Hill Country elegance is a

destination for me to

occasionally visit. Such was

the case last weekend when

my wife, Mary, and I spent the

weekend celebrating our 40th

wedding anniversary at one of

Comfort's many bed and

breakfast establishments.

There is something special

about the full moon as seen

from the Hill Country. It is the

same Moon I see from home

less than an hour drive away,

but it takes on a whole new

character. Perhaps it is the

subconscious excitement

about visiting a place other

than familiar home, or perhaps

it is a deep seated connection

to nature that is unleashed

when one is away from a

crowded urban environment.

Whatever the reason, it always

brings me peace and joy.

During our stay in Comfort

last weekend we visited the

flea market and met many

delightful people. One of them

reminded me of an upcoming

astronomical oddity that I had

overlooked in the rush of life

under our current Covid-19

restrictions... the upcoming

second full moon this month.

October already had a full

moon on the 1st, and it will be

followed by another on the

30th. The second full moon

this month coincides perfectly

with Halloween happening the

following night, but sadly this

year's ghostly activities are

severely curtailed by the

ongoing national health crisis.

So we will have to enjoy this

Harvest Moon with more

solitary activities this year.

A second full moon in the

same month has traditionally

been called a Blue Moon, but

in the strictest astronomical

sense, this particular full moon

on the 30th of this month is not

a real Blue Moon. The actual

definition of a Blue Moon is

the fourth full moon within a

calendar quarter. Thus

October's second full moon is

only the second full moon in

this quarter. Technically, the

full moon occurring on

December 30 is the true Blue

Comfort Chamber of Commerce, part 2

Going forward, what’s in store for the Chamber and Comfort?

The routine maintenance and care of Comfort Park facilities is the Chamber’s responsibility. In 2019 major renovations started on the park pavilion and were completed just prior to 2020. The Chamber will be making more repairs to the park in the near future. (File Photo)

Cats hammer Hondo for sixth straight victory

Toughest challenge tomorrow night at Llano

By Coach George Edwards

It may be dove season in the

Hill Country of Texas but it

was a flock of Owls that

invaded Bobcat Stadium on

Friday night. By the time the

full moon rose above the

eastern horizon the Comfort

boys had bagged their limit.

Like the Cats, Hondo came

into the night with an

unblemished record. Like the

Cats, they had made quick

work of common opponents

like Marion and Uvalde. With

a KSAT-12 truck parked just

beyond the north end zone,

two of the top teams in the

region faced off in a battle of

unbeatens. The media came

for highlights. And highlights

were exactly what they got.

The early highlights were all

from Hondo as they held the

Cats to a 3-and-out and then

marched down the field on a 9

-play drive that culminated in

a Brandon R. Garcia 44-yard

FG. On the ensuing Bobcat

drive, Falcon was strip-sacked

and the Owls took over near

midfield. Hondo QB Brandon

J. Garcia then launched a pass

deep for Shelton Luedke that

was hauled in at the 1-yard

line. From there Trey Dickens

scored on a 1-yard plunge and

the Owls led 10-0.

At this point, Hondo looked

like the undefeated 4A playoff

beast that was advertised. But

the Cats were not alarmed.

With poise they began a

march down the field with