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Did You Know?formation, there are 36 caves in the Helotes area, encompassing the Edwards Limestone and upper Glen Rose formations between Leon Creek and San Geronimo Creek in Medina County, about a mile west of the Bexar County line.The higher Helotes caves tend to be shafts while the lower caves are horizontal passages. A common feature of caves in the upper Glen Rose of the Helotes are large chambers.Early pioneers Francisco and Catarina Menchaca are said to have lived in a large cave on their property until their house was built. The Shelly Lee family that settled along Lee Creek in Grey Forest, stored fruits and vegetables in a large cave on their ranchland.The following are names and some other interesting facts about a few caves in Helotes: Helotes Blowhole, also called Barham’s Cave No. 2 and Helotes Creek Cave, is home to cliff frogs, Syrrhophus marnockii, named after Helotes frontier naturalist Gabriel W. Marnoch.Ross W. Barham (1895-1983), whodiscovered the cave, was a Helotes building contractor and civic leader who moved to Helotes in the 1920s. He was an amateur archeologist and student of Indian lore who was often seen exploring along Helotes Creek. Helotes Hilltop Cave, also called Barham’s Cave No. 1 and Scenic Loop Cave, among other monikers, was a popular spelunking cave.Madla’s Caves include three caverns of various sizes, one of which was likely an Indian stronghold. Inaccessible to the public, they are on private property.Several endangered cave-dwelling invertebrates reside in Helotes area caves: the Helotes mold beetle (Batrisodes venyivi) and Madla Cave meshweaver (Cicurina madla) were added to the Federal list of threatened and endangered species in December 2000.If you are interested in exploring caves, consider joining the Texas Speleological Association, www.cavetexas.org, or visit one of the show caves in the area. Two of the nearest are Cave Without a Name, 12 miles northeast of Boerne, Texas, at 325 Kreutzberg Rd, and Cascade Caverns, 226 Cascade Caverns Road, near Boerne.Certainly, their political beliefs seeped out because their belief in the Bible and their faith mandated a Truth and Righteousness that they could not hold to themselves. Both were shot because of their beliefs.These barbaric attacks were more than just assassinations of two people, but an attack on the fundamental building blocks of our country, freedom of speech and equality.We must remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King .... “Darkness cannotIBy Cynthia Leal Masseyndians encamped in them, outlaws hid in them, and early pioneers used them as temporary shelters. There isa long and storied history involving caves in the Helotes hills, formed millions of years ago from the Balcones Escarpment Fault Zone.The fault line, which also contributed to the formation of our aquifer, goes through Helotes and gives the town its unique topography of rolling hills, limestone outcroppings, and myriad caves.When the early pioneers moved into the area, those who homesteaded on hilly properties often found hillside caves or holes atop the earth leading into large underground caverns. Many used the easily accessible caves as temporary shelters and as places to store food.According to a 1994 report by George Veni & Associates, an environmental consulting firm of hydrogeologists and biologists specializing in caves and karstAuthor’s daughter at the front entrance of Barham’s Cave No. 2, circa 2006. An iron gate blocks the interior. Many area caves have gates and fences to keep curious folks out.Cynthia Leal Masseyis the author of several books on the historyof Helotes. For more information, visit her website, cynthialealmassey. com, and her Facebook page, CLM Books.drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” We must hold bad actors accountable and maintain the light that drives out darkness.Sincerely,Rich WhiteheadRich Whitehead MayorMayor’s Corner9/11 and Charlie KirkADear Residents,s we prepared to hold our council meeting to discuss the annual budget, new tax rate (no new increases!), and EDC budget, we became distracted as another tragedy struck this nation on Sept 10th, 2025 when Charlie Kirk was assassinated. I led our city council invocation and centered it around asking God to support Charlie’s family, bring healing for this nation, and a remembrance for 9/11 and the victims of the Denver school shooting. My thoughts immediately went to Charlie, who was a father, husband, an entrepreneur, a civic and religious leader, and led a movement that inspired millions of people to embrace respectful debate, educating with fact and dialog about topics most people shy away from.Charlie loved all people. He preached peace, love, and respect out of his foundational beliefs in the Bible. He was a civic leader in every sense of the word and was instrumental in engaging people to think about their positions and not just give in to rhetoric. Like most people, I knew about him, but didn’t realize how smart, how compassionate, and how brave he was to put himself in the public to stand for his beliefs. Watching numerous excerpts from his campus events, he quickly became a hero and a role model for me.I realized that Charlie Kirk shared remarkable similarities with Dr. Martin Luther King. Both were civic and religious leaders, both preaching a message of equality, love, respect and community.Halloween Craft Ideas For KidsHBy Staffwhimsy and imagination, whether that involves choosing a clever costume or helping design the theme and scope of home decorations.Parents, guardians and educators can channel the creativity inspired by Halloween into various craft projects. Crafts can not only keep children busy when the“I’m bored”lamentations inevitably turn up, but crafts also are a way to keep children off of screens. Plus, the items that children create can be used to decorate rooms in the house — helping to curb added expenses on commercial decor.The following are some Halloween crafts children can make alone or with the help of older siblings and parents.Jack’s slimeThe toothy grins of jack-o’-lanterns can be seen just about everywhere come Halloween, and the bright orange color of pumpkins heralds the start of fall. What better way to say“Halloween is here” than with a craft that can be displayed and also played with? Slime is something that’s always a big hit with kids. Here’s a recipe for slime, courtesy of The Best Ideas for Kids.• 6 ounces of Elmer’s glue (substituting with another brand of glue may not produce thealloween is an enjoyable holiday for all, but particularly for children. Kids enjoy the opportunity to channel theiryour local geico agent makes bundling simple.Home + Auto = easyLOCAL OFFICERod Musslewhite210-673-2391¡Hablamos Español!Limitations apply. See geico.com for more details. GEICO & affiliates. Washington, DC 20076. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2022. © 2022 GEICO. 21_6333121294www.heloteshighlights.comsame results)• Orange food coloring to create desired hue• 1⁄2 teaspoon of baking soda• 11⁄2 tablespoons of contact lens solution (one that contains boric acid in the ingredient list, as that is what causes the chemical reaction to form slime)• Optional: 2 tablespoons of water added to the glue before the baking soda if you desire a stretchier slime• Black felt or black construction paper, cut into the eyes and mouth of a jack-o’-lantern• Small mason jar with lidDecorate the mason jar using a bit of glueHalloween - continued on page 9 October 2025