THE TRAILS END IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

If you or anyone you know needs a helping hand be it food or other needs stop by between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 P.M. Wednesday evenings.

Blanche Zuniga and the Zuniga family were a special part of today’s dedication ceremony at the Trails End. The sign tells the story.

Today was a good day in Buffalo Gap. Our annual Hootenanny had people coming from far and wide to enjoy good music, great food and a big helping of plain old fashioned fun. Our food baskets overflowed with donations for those in our communities who have need. If you have an interest in what is happening at the Trails End, we would love to share the journey with you. Come by the Trails End any Wednesday evening between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 8:00 P.M.

The Sign

Rain

The rain yesterday and the sunshine today made a big difference. The corn and beans stand proudly in rows. Of course there are some weeds that are also poking through, it will soon be time to to get out the hoes..

You can almost hear Stephen's thoughts, they seem to be saying there is a story emerging here. A story no doubt worth telling. But, what kind of story might come out of an old gas station and a garden?

There is life emerging in the garden.

This week the interior of Trails End had a face-lift. It is pretty cool watching what sandpaper, elbow grease, a broom and vacuum cleaner can do about getting a place ready to paint. But things really started making dramatic changes when Jackie wheels the spray rig out and gives it a fresh coat of paint. In this picture Jackie is making good use of shelving unit donated by Bill and Julie. Can’t wait to see the time when our shelves are filled and ready to feed folks. Thanks Jackie, Bill and Julie.

Johnny the cutting torch guru is making short order of the old pipe barricades that kept us from having use of the drive through feature of the old gas station. With the old pipe railings out of the way the Trails End Chevron is only lacking the pumps. Thanks Johnny

There is something good that comes out of words like preparing, planting, nurturing and harvesting. It is amazing the transformation that is taking place at Trails End. James and Kay will be overseeing the day to day nurturing of the garden. The Trails End is blessed in having good neighbors. The list of work to be done is in the Friends Place has some empty spots, find a task that fits you and invite a friend to join you in work at the Trails End. Remember May 23 is our Spring Hootenanny. This year as always there is no charge, however we are asking folks to bring a contribution of canned good for the Trails End food ministry. Food, fun and festivities will begin at noon. We have invited Blanche Zuniga, Mike’s son Mike Zuniga and Bobby Broyles to spend the day with us. We plan to set aside time to erect a sign and dedicate the Zuniga Garden at Trails End as a part of the festivities. Jody has taken on the role of promoting our Hootenanny. She will be making and distributing informational flyers and coordinating the use of city hall community signboard.

Wayne, Anthony and Chelsea are spreading mulch around the freshly planted garden.

Today was good. It was planting day at the Trails End. The Zuniga Garden is complete.

Mark Saturday May 23rd as a Super Special day in Buffalo Gap...It is Hootenanny Saturday and we are anticipating the biggest and best ever. We will also use this day as a special time to dedicate the Trails End to our friends in the community. Carl is busy lining up our bluegrass music teams, while Sam is lining up the event. In the past we did not charge a fee, this time is a little bit different. Not a fee, exactly, but we are asking that people bring canned goods like tuna, salmon, chicken (packed in water) fruit and vegetable juices (100% any size) canned beans (red, black, navy, kidney) canned vegetables (all kinds) peanut butter (plastic containers) canned fruits (all kinds). There is much to be done and Sam needs your help. Please give Sam a call and let him know you are ready to go to work.

We desperately need a person to get the word out, something on the order of Hootenanny Public Relations Officer. Basically this means taking flyers to the post office, the store, city hall and making arrangements to have an announcement posted on the city big event board. Sound like you? Let Sam or I know if that fits you.

Saturday we will be a big day at the Zuniga Garden. Starting about 9:00 in the morning we will gather to plant the garden. Joe has several things in mind and is bring seeds and plants. I expect a few gardening tools, like hoes, rakes, shovels and such will be needed. One special thing we need is mulch and we need a lot of it. About 4 pickup loads, maybe more. If you can sometime during this week go by the city recycle center on Oak, I think it is in the 2600 block, for $4.00 dollars they will fill your pickup. It needs to be unloaded next to the garden, not on the tilled soil, we will move it there after planting.

Remember our Hootenannies? They are a fun day for everyone, right? Well, it is May and time to have fun. There are a lot of details yet to be worked out. Sam Cochran is heading up our Hootenanny group and I know he would love to know if you would help him in putting this together..


There remains quite a bit of work to be done at Trails End. Rather than do another work day we have a list of jobs in the Friends Room that need to be done. Look it over and find the task or tasks that fits you best and sign up to accomplish that task whenever the time best suits you. Maybe you pair up with someone on a bigger job, or take your time and do it over the course of a few days. This may be a good opportunity to invite a friend from our community to join you in work at the Trails End.

In April because of your generosity, we were able to help a young mother, who is battling cancer. Her story is one of many trials and tribulations, a marriage that is going bad, unable to work, bills to pays, and uncertainty for not only her future but also her ten-year-old son. Around the Edges is a principal drawn from instructions given to Israel (Leviticus 23:22). Our Eldership knows there are always those who "come our way" who have special needs. We believe that when these "strangers" happen by, we should pay attention. Each month we set aside "Around the Edges" moneys for the poor and alien, for those who suffer catastrophic loss and for those who grieve. Your giving blessed a needy young mother last month.