The Lead Live podcast: June 19, 2025 episode

The latest episode of “The Lead Live,” broadcast today from the Peterson Health Digital Studio at Pint and Plow Brewing Co., covered a range of community events, fundraising efforts and local news, including plans for a new Christmas tree and a blues festival.

Clifton Fifer of the Doyle Community Center detailed the upcoming “Pleasure Garden Blues Fest,” a free public event scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. The festival will feature musical acts such as Conrad, Ashley, Ruben and Friends, Ray Gutierrez, Ghost of the Pleasure Garden, and the Buddy Holly Band. Attendees can also expect food vendors, a silent auction and face painting, with all proceeds benefiting the Doyle Community Center. Fifer also announced plans for a three-day Juneteenth celebration next year, which will include baseball, softball, barbecue, music and a “Juneteenth pole” ceremony.

Kinslee Owens and Kate Thompson from the Kerrville Christmas Lighting Corp. provided an update on their fundraising for a new Christmas tree for the courthouse lawn. They announced more than $10,000 has been raised toward a $50,000 goal, which would meet an anonymous matching grant. The new tree is expected to be lit on Nov. 22, coinciding with the city’s parade, with the aim of having the tallest tree in the Hill Country.

Leslie Jones from the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau highlighted numerous upcoming local events. These include a young artist camp at the Hill Country Arts Foundation, a “Sprouts” reading program and trivia night at Riverside Nature Center, various live music performances, the final weekend for “The Play That Goes Wrong,” local farmers markets, the Squeeze the Day Lemonade Stand competition, a sustainability workshop and a rodeo.

The broadcast also touched on local news items, including a high-speed chase involving a juvenile, Schreiner University’s $50 million fundraising campaign for scholarships, new military ID card requirements for veterans and dependents, and a mega food pantry event on June 30 by First United Methodist Church. A segment was dedicated to the obituary of Donald Coers, described as a prominent John Steinbeck scholar known for his Scrabble expertise and civil rights advocacy.