Features

The Birdsong Project, a historic and unprecedented outpouring of creativity by more than 220 music artists, actors, literary figures, and visual artists, won the 2024 GRAMMY for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. The artists came together to celebrate the joy that birds bring to the world and to elevate the message of the environmental threats they face. The project was produced by Grammy Award-winning music supervisor Randall Poster. Original music, artwork, and poetry performances are available on digital streaming platforms and as a limited-edition LP box set. All proceeds benefit Audubon’s mission to protect birds and the places they need. For more information go to https://www.audubon. org/birdsong-project.

The Wimberley Birding Society will host Rufus Stephens, an award-winning wildlife biologist, author, and one of the founders of the Texas Master Naturalist program, on February 26, at 10 a.m. at the Wimberley Community Center. He will be discussing his book, “Land Stewardship for Birds: A Guide for Central Texas,” co-authored by educator Jan Wrede, published in August 2023. The talk is open to the public.

Gary Zupancic, the host of the KWVH program At the Hitchin’ Post, loves a good story. He’s so fond of shooting the breeze that he put an actual hitching post in his front yard so that visitors feel comfortable sitting on his porch and swapping a few tales. If visitors come up empty, Gary will supply a story or two of his own. He’s got a lot of them.

It is astonishing to discover the depth of talent and success that so many of the hosts that light up the airwaves at KWVH bring to their weekly shows. A case in point is Wailin’ Gaylan of the Funk Sway Hour that airs every Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. Wailin’ Gaylan, whose full name is Gaylan Latimer, is joined on the program by co-host, YaYa, otherwise known as Yvonne Thompson.

There are some conversations that are so intimate, so profoundly significant in the human journey that finding the right place for them to land can be a tricky and sometimes estranging endeavor. KWVH’s program, “What we know and what we don’t,” hosted by Benita Conde and Peter Rosch, provides the landing strip for these personal expeditions to the soul and back.

For Susan Welch, the cohost of the Classical Portfolio show that airs every Sunday from 5 to 6 p.m. on KWVH, her love affair with the arts began early in life. Her family visited museums and her mother taught her piano at a young age. She recalls her father, who loved classical music, stretched out on the floor listening to Igor Stravinsky’s ballet, Petrushka, for hours at a time. As a student, she played violin as well as piano, studied modern dance, tap, ballet, as well as literature and other fine arts. She is, she told me in a recent interview, “an extremely rightbrained person.”

The Wimberley Community Civic Club has announced that 2024 grant applications from local nonprofits serving the Wimberley 78676 zip code will be accepted from March 1 – 18.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Hays County is hosting a wine tasting event at the Wimberley Community Center, February 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. Fine wines from Duchman, Salt Lick, Limestone Terrace and Graveyard Wineries will be available for sipping and savoring. Delectable snacks will round out the gustatory experience. In addition to the tasting, there will be a silent auction where guests can bid on a variety of items.

“After an extensive search, the Wimberley Players is proud to announce what they hope to be their most exciting season to date,” said Karin Cunningham, Vice President of Wimberley Players Marketing. “The selections for the 2024 season’s five productions includes an eclectic mix of popular, challenging and controversial plays.”

Ever wonder why some songs seem to take up residence in your mind and never let go? What is it about those compositions that draw you in? What makes a good song great? The Darren and Micah Show on KWVH is a show that can answer those questions. Two pros look at songs from two different perspectives — one from the angle of a musician and producer, and the other from the angle of a marketer.

Murder, its resulting mayhem, and mirth delighted guests at Old Glory Ranch last week during the “Deck the Halls with Merry Murder” mystery theatre and dinner. More than a hundred guests attended the event. As the dinner got underway, news of a murder shocked diners and before long, everyone at the table fell under suspicion. As suspects were interrogated by tablemates and other participants, shocking revelations were exposed and soon, it appeared that multiple people had the motive, the means, and the opportunity to commit the crime. Just as diners inched their way to the truth, a scream split the air and a body turned up right before their eyes.

The Stars Over Wimberley, a program of the Wimberley Valley Arts and Cultural Alliance, presents Winter Nights, a Singer- songwriter Showcase, January 9 and 10, 2024 at the Wimberley Playhouse, 550 Old Kyle Road. Ten artists will perform in six shows over the course of two evenings.

For families facing a crisis at this time of year, Christmas gift giving and receiving can seem like an unattainable goal. But thanks to Wimberley Good Neighbor, an all-volunteer organization, 25 families will get some of the Christmas spirit despite their circumstances.