You can pretty well judge how long a person has lived in the area by how excited they get at the prospect of rain showers. If you have been a part of the community for more than twenty years it’s a sure bet that you will join in the celebrations and conversations that go on for weeks after a substantial rainfall event.
You can sometimes witness the older locals gathering along the river close to the dam to observe the mighty Medina when it is on a rise like we always did back in the day. Don’t worry if you miss it you can get all the details later on at the OST by eavesdropping on conversations at the table of knowledge. If an older native is there it is guaranteed you will pick up some details about the drought of the 50’s or the flood of 78. I witnessed both and they were tragic.
If you decide to join in the conversation by telling stories about Medina Lake or any fish related tales be careful. The people at that table are professionals who have been honing their skills for many years now. In past generations people would also gather at the Bandera Ice House to give their versions of rainfall amounts and just how much water Medina Lake would catch.
The OST was the place to get morning coffee and lunch along with the latest headlines but later afternoon and nights belonged to The Bandera Ice House. There was more bull traded there some nights than at all the area livestock auctions. That’s the place I first saw a jack-a-lope brought in for hanging in the cooler during hunting season. That should give you a pretty good idea about what an important part that place played in Bandera’s social setting years ago.
After the Red Goose Pool Hall backroom for domino players closed on Main Street they all moved to the ice house to continue “shooting the moon”. There was some pool table action and card playing at times but the characters around the domino tables were the main attraction. Wootton, Herrera, Clark, Haun, D’Spain, Tyron, Anderwald and Smith were familiar names around those tables.
When I was playing in the men’s softball league out at Mansfield Park everyone would gather in the parking lot of the ice house after the games to replay every inning of their game that day. Lone Star and Pearl were the main beverage choices at the time for lubrication to keep the conversation flowing. Schlitz and Falstaff had faded away by that time but some was still stocked for the occasional city slicker passing through town. All the exotic beer brand choices of today hadn’t quite caught on yet.
Not many gathering spots are popular with the oldtimers here in my late Growing Up In Bandera years. Most of the ones I see now when having breakfast at the OST are descendants of the familiar faces that once gathered daily around town. Sadly no one lingers outside sitting on the wide window ledges like back in the day. Because they have added the park benches on the sidewalk that hide the well worn smooth concrete surfaces people no longer see the mark left by some of Bandera’s well known characters of earlier times. Just another one among many of the fast fading traditions in Bandera.
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