Features

Brave Combo’s music can be described as wild. The Denton-based quintet began 30 years ago as a band built around polka music, even though none of the five members grew up around it. Polka then opened a door to a myriad of traditional rhythms, including salsa, conjunto, zydeco, ska and punk.

Today, I am here to say let’s give up the Dog Days and create a celebration of ‘The Tiger Days of Summer’. I am, however, not talking LSU, Auburn or Clemson starting football workouts. I am however touting states like Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia coming together for the one thing they have in common, and that is they have all chosen the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail as their state butterfly.

With climate change affecting weather around the globe, including the heatwave we’re currently experiencing in the Hill Country, more and more people have taken an interest in plants.

Q. I saw the meteorite (or meteor — I’m not sure what the difference is) that was seen in Texas skies recently. Why was it so bright? Also, the moon was very big and bright a few days before. Was this related?

San Marcos Premium Outlets is currently holding its back-to-school denim drive, “Do Good with Denim” in an effort to support sustainability and positively impact the community through Aug. 22. This promotion is in collaboration with the Austin Habitat for Humanity ReStore, a nonprofit home improvement store and donation center.

Lately it seems San Marcos is experiencing a comforting cultural resurgence. Some of our well-loved local treasures have made their return. Sundance Records, for example, recently made a comeback as Sundance Record Lagoon. Then on Wednesday, Valentino’s Pizza reopened.

It has been a tad warmish lately.

Supertunia Mini Vista Scarlet petunia will quickly become the one to which all other red petunias will be compared. Though it is making its debut in 2023, the tsunami created from the beauty shown in 2022 trials is already causing market jitters. Will there be enough next spring? We can only hope.

Over time, populations shift and change. We know this, because we see it happening right here in our town. San Marcos has always been a place to adapt with the changes, pivoting from its agrarian mill-town roots to a college town and then a tourist destination with the addition of the outlet malls.