The Hill Country Podcast

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox speaks with the people and organizations that make this one of Texas’s most unique areas. In this award-winning podcast series, Tom Fox visits Robbie Closson of Bausen Technology in Kerrville.

They talk about the company’s unexpected relocation after Kerrville’s second consecutive year of flooding; their prior office flooded, prompting a move to 1000 Main Street. The move improved parking and visibility but reduced square footage; Closson works from home, and the business still faces fallout, including a roughly 25% dip in cash flow tied to community disruption, lost foot traffic, and overtime/relocation costs. Closson notes reduced external disaster support versus 2025, fundraising challenges for nonprofits, and difficulties obtaining federal tax-related relief guidance. He describes a strategic shift toward managed service provider contracts to stabilize revenue, outlines the practical MSP service area, discusses veteran-based trust in the community, and shares core security tips: enable MFA and keep systems updated to mitigate evolving threats and zero-days.

Resources:

Bausen Technology

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Nancy Huffman

Welcome to the award-winning Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox talks with the people and organizations that make this one of Texas’s most unique areas. In this award-winning podcast series, Tom Fox visits with Kristy Vandenberg about the Rotary Club of Kerrville’s 2026 “Pints, Pumpkins, Pies for Polio” fundraiser, which supports Rotary’s polio eradication campaign.

The campaign began in 1985 when polio caused about 350,000 annual cases; in 2026 there are 12 cases, split between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They discuss polio’s devastating, incurable impacts, including post-polio syndrome, and note a speaker who contracted polio at age five and now experiences renewed weakness. Vandenberg highlights compliance-relevant public health risks from low vaccination rates, asymptomatic carriers, global travel, and a recent vaccine-derived case in New York. She explains Rotary International’s partnerships, including a Gates Foundation 2:1 match, a $15,000 local goal, and district-wide events, and shares event details on food, beer/wine, the pie auction, and how to get tickets.

Resources:

Rotary Club of Kerrville

Pints, Pumpkins & Pies for Polio

Information on the event on Facebook

Email for tickets: [email protected]

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Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

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Nancy Huffman

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. Today, Tom visits with Lisa Nye-Salladin, who co-owns Hill Country Bicycle Works in Kerrville and Fredericksburg, which she and her husband opened after arriving in Kerrville during a 1995 around-the-world bike trip.

Lisa describes the shops’ sales, service, rentals, events, and community role; compares cycling conditions in Kerrville with road-cycling demand in Fredericksburg; and outlines local group rides and route resources. She discusses regional trail development, including volunteer-built trails at Kerrville Schreiner Park, riding options like Flat Rock Ranch, and upcoming state park expansions. She explains the Mountain Bike Biathlon and the formation of the Texas Hill Country Trails Alliance to fund a Singing Wind Park enduro trail system and improved signage. She also details ongoing Tuesday/Thursday river and creek trash cleanups after the flood, with participation coordinated through the Alliance website, email list, Facebook, and the bike shop.

Key highlights:

Resources:

Hill Country Bicycle Works

Kerrville Mountain Bike Festival

Texas Hill Country Trails Alliance

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox talks with the people and organizations that make this one of Texas’s most unique areas. In this award-winning podcast series, Tom Fox visits with Michelle Sanders about the upcoming 17th Annual Oktoberfest Kraut Run.

The Fredericksburg Morning Rotary Club hosts the 17th Annual Kraut Run. It takes place Saturday, October 3, 2026, featuring an 8K, a 5K, and a non-timed 5K walk, all beginning at 8:30 AM. But this event is about much more than running. From its finish at Oktoberfest to the scholarships, literacy programs, schools, and local organizations supported by the proceeds, the Kraut Run demonstrates how a community event can create an impact well beyond race day.

Today, we will explore the story behind the Kraut Run, where the money goes, and its impact on Fredericksburg.

Resources:

Sign up for the Kraut Run

https://www.athleteguild.com/event/fredericksburg-tx/2026-oktoberfest-kraut-run

Follow and support the Fredericksburg Morning Rotary on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MorningRotary/

https://www.facebook.com/fredericksburgmorningrotary

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Revitalizing Mason County: Chamber Leadership, Local History, and Community Events. This podcast is a cross-post with the Hill Country Hustlers. Our guest today is Taylor Krull, executive director of the Mason County Chamber of Commerce.

Taylor Krull brings both fresh leadership and a deep commitment to helping Mason County thrive as a small rural community. She sees the chamber as a vital “pillar” that stabilizes the town by supporting local businesses, helping new and home-based owners gain visibility, and strengthening word of mouth. Krull also believes community promotion should protect Mason’s County and Mason’s small-town charm by building partnerships with nearby chambers while keeping local identity at the center. Through events, business support, and regional collaboration, she wants Mason and the surrounding area to keep the momentum that has made the town feel “alive again.”

Key highlights:

Resources:

Taylor Krull on LinkedIn

Mason County Chamber of Commerce 

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this the most unique area of Texas. In this award-winning podcast series, Tom Fox visits with Schreiner University Head Coach Keith Allen about his path from walking on at the University of Oklahoma to coaching and leading programs across college football and high school football.

Allen recounts taking a $700-a-month graduate assistant role over engineering offers, coaching stops including Louisiana Monroe, TCU, Quincy University, San Jose State, and eight years as head coach at Southwest Baptist, then winning a state championship while coaching and teaching in Florida before returning to Texas and joining Schreiner to launch its NCAA Division III, non-scholarship football program. He explains why Schreiner appealed to him: leading again, building a program from scratch, and strong university and community commitment to championship goals. Allen describes recruiting around “five fits” (spiritual, social, academic, athletic, financial), core values like “tough people win,” and promoting discipline, effort, and conditioning, and previews the Sept. 5 home opener versus Austin College; information is at sufootball.com.

Resources:

Schreiner University Football

Coach Keith Allen

Schreiner University 

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Nancy Huffman

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Gene Dowdy returns to welcome us back to the Symphony of the Hills’ July 4, 4:00 p.m. concert, which will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary while memorializing the 2025 Texas flood. The event includes patriotic works such as Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” narrated by Mayor Joe Herring; “Fanfare for the Common Man”; and community singing of the national anthem, along with soprano Sarah Davis performing “God Bless America” and closing with “Amazing Grace.” Governor Greg Abbott will read Kerr County’s 119 flood victims while the orchestra plays Bach’s “Air,” and historic flag artwork by San Antonio artist Bobby Cahill will be displayed. Dowdy also previews the 2026/27 “A Season of Story & Song,” featuring programs like “Weber and Brahms,” “Comfort and Joy,” “Heroes and Villains,” “Frontiers and Freedom,” and “Romance & Passion.”

Key highlights:

Resources:

Symphony of the Hills

Professor Eugene Dowdy at Schreiner University

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

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Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this one of the most unique areas of Texas. In this award-winning podcast series, Museum Executive Director Darrell Beauchamp is interviewed by Tom Fox about the Museum’s current exhibit featuring the work of well-known landscape artist Cliff Cavin.

Darrell discusses the Museum’s current exhibit, “Cliff Cavin: Journeys of a Lifetime,” featuring 54 new landscape paintings by Seguin-based artist Cliff Cavin, displayed across two galleries, and launched with a reception attended by nearly 100 people. Darrell also reflects on the Museum’s April Roundup, highlighting 19-year-old award winners Eliza Hoffman (Patron’s Choice) and Nathaniel Garza (Director’s Choice), as well as Garza’s donated painting “The Witness,” inspired by the July 4 flooding, now in the permanent collection. They discuss how digital platforms expand market access for younger artists, why sales announcements are emotional for artists, and Kevin MacPherson’s influence as a teacher. Darrell previews upcoming exhibits by Adrienne Stein, Bill Kalwick, and Eric Slocombe and notes the community impact of the museum’s remembrance garden. Visitor details and website are provided.

Highlights include:

Resources:

 Museum of Western Art

Darrell Beauchamp on LinkedIn

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Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to the award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, Hill Country resident Tom Fox visits with the people and organizations that make this one of the most unique areas of Texas. In this episode, host Tom Fox speaks with Abby Filyaw and recovery coach Clayton Evans of the Hill Country Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.

They discuss Kerr County’s recovery roughly 11 months after the flood, noting increased demand for mental health services, anxiety triggered by renewed rain warnings, and ongoing community impacts along the Guadalupe River. They discuss how disasters can have delayed substance-use effects, PTSD-like reactions, and the need to support both substance use disorder and co-occurring mental health conditions simultaneously, including referrals to an addictionologist. Abby outlines a naloxone/Narcan initiative deploying large purple “Barney” dispensing boxes at locations such as vape stores and the Kerr County Jail, driven by overdose risks from kratom and potent 7-OH, including deaths when mixed with alcohol, and supported by law enforcement through education and stigma reduction. They also address youth risk prevention and summer triggers and provide contact information for services.

Highlights include:

Resources

Hill Country Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman

Welcome to award-winning The Hill Country Podcast. The Texas Hill Country is one of the most beautiful places on earth. In this podcast, welcomes back Jen Hardy.

 Jen is the COO of Academy of MotivAction, a neuroscience-based training and development company that equips high-stress professionals with resilience and communication tools to reduce burnout and maintain relationships. Hardy explains MotiveAction’s new partnership with Schreiner University’s Center for Talent and Workforce Development to deliver professional development for educators and education staff through workshops, retreats, keynotes, and on-campus courses. She describes a key training gap in education and coaching: managing difficult conversations, regulating one’s nervous system during stressful situations, and addressing increasingly dysregulated students. Hardy contrasts self-paced and live online offerings with the benefits of immersive in-person training. She notes partner Irina is focusing more on CEO responsibilities while new coach Sarah Talley helps lead courses. A summer 2026 on-campus course is scheduled for June 23.

 Key Highlights 

·      What Is MotivAction

·      Schreiner Partnership

·      Training Gap For Teachers

·      Coaching Lessons Applied

·      Team Roles And New Coach

·      How To Connect And Wrap Up

Resources

Jen Hardy on LinkedIn

MotivAction website

Schreiner University’s Center for Talent and Workforce Development

Other Hill Country Focused Podcasts

Hill Country Authors Podcast

Hill Country Artists Podcast

Texas Hill Country Podcast Network

Cover Art

Nancy Huffman