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Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2012 > January > 26

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Epic Reception at Delta Millworks

The Hill Country Conservancy just might have the coolest group for its young leaders. Epic organizes regular hikes, bikes, camp outs, fly fishing, hikes and other healthy outings. All this to support the nonprofit that helps preserve the Hill County, in part by purchasing conservation rights from ranchers, which allows families to continue as stewards of the land, but nixes future heavy development. (Why wasn’t this around 30 or 40 years ago?)

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Grace Hsieh and Casey Martinez

Even a little Austin happy hour for Epic turns magical. A couple hundred people showed up at Delta Millworks, a huge, old woodworking facility on East Fifth Street and Springdale Road. This space matched the outdoorsy attire of the Epic group on a chilly evening. (Thank goodness nobody smokes at such events. The place could become a tinderbox.)

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Lindsay Hoffman and Andy Smith

Popping up unexpectedly were surreal wooden sculptures by Aldo Valdés Böhm, who keeps a workshop in the building. One was a odd duck the artist said had been hiding in his garage for years.

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Maria Alonso, Angela James and Lorie Solis

Credit: Flashbax Twenty Three Photography

The crowd clearly didn’t want to leave, and so mingled, sipped and nibbled well past the usual happy hour. One of the cleverest scheduling tools for the leaders: A business card with the monthly Epic events listed on the back in a clear, compact format. To top the evening off, salt-of-the-earth Conservancy director George Cofer invited me to go camping or hiking with the group.

Hiking at one of the conserved ranches at least!

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