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Did You Know?By Cynthia Leal MasseyIn the 19th century and into the early 20th century, a general store was a common feature of rural Texas. Patrons, predominantly farmers, came to the store, which often also housed the post office, to purchase their staples and to socialize. Business transactions often involved trade and barter. Since farmers did not have ready cash until they sold their crops or livestock, purchases were frequently made on credit, with transactions recorded in ledger books.Helotes’s general store was founded in 1881 by Arnold Gugger (1855-1928) who purchased 110 acres at the intersection of Helotes Creek and Bandera Road in December 1880. He built a family homestead, and next to it, the Helotes General Store, which he and wife Amalia “Mollie” Benke (1860-1921) operated for more than twenty years.After the couple moved to San Antonio at the turn of the 20th century, the Helotes General Store operated under different proprietors for several decades, startingwith Wilbert “Bert” Hileman (1873-1956), from 1908 until 1916. Phillip (1897-1949) and Ruth Maltsberger (1903-1993) purchased and ran the general store for almost twenty years starting in 1936. During their tenure, the general store became known as Maltsberger’s. Ruth became the Helotes postmaster and ran the post office from the general store until 1944.Despite the competition from the Red & White Grocery Store and Floore’s Country Store, Maltsberger’s was widely known as having the “best meat market” in town.The general store was leased to Jack Nottingham (1919- 2010) from 1960 to 1965. A Grey Forest community leader, Nottingham quipped, “People don’t remember me, but they remember the Lowenbrau keg beer in the frozen mug I served [in the bar area].” In a remembrance, he wrote of Maltsberger’s, “I did not make any money, but I got a lot of education and met a world of wonderful people.”In 1979, the Hickory Hut BBQ Restaurant opened, with a recently added military barrack attached to the back. The popularHelotes General Store, circa 1979.BBQ eatery, with seating within the old General Store building and in the barrack, was in business for more than 25 years. Today, the General Store building is home to the popular women’s boutique, Cheetahlish, and the back barrack houses B-Daddy’s BBQ restaurant.Cynthia Leal Masseyis the author of severalbooks and articles on thehistory of the area. Visither website at https://cynthialealmassey.com.Mayor’s CornerLooking For Moms & Dads To RecognizeO State Of The City ~ 2023Dear Residents,n Feb 23, I delivered the annual State of the City address, hosted by the Helotes Chamber ofCommerce. InthispresentationIwasableto share all the progress that we have made as a city in the past year. As many of you know, I have spent the past 2 years implementing over 50 strategic initiatives via ordinances, policies, budgeting, and administrative directives. It has been a blessing to watch how the results of these initiatives have improved the city.Among the major advancements made for the people of Helotes include an astounding replenishment of our financial reserves from nearly 2 months to almost 8 months of reserves. While savings are important, I believe we need to also honor those that ‘follow the rules’ and pay their taxes, and we did so by REDUCING the Helotes Property Tax rate by 8%. Additionally, I am happy to announce that due to a negotiated arrangement with HEDC, the city of Helotes is now on track to be debt free in 12 years.Physical improvements to the city include the addition of a huge playground, bathrooms, and water fountains to the Helotes Fitness Park. We have also continued our systematic improvements of our streets with over 1,000,000 s.f. of micro- surfacing and mastic coatings. You may also have noticed the vast expansion of our July 4th and Winter Parade celebrations.Thanks to the support of the citizens for Prop A, we have already added 2 additionalpolice officers and are adding 4-6 more police officers over the spring to provide the much-needed attention to maintaining public safety. Finally, with the support of council, I championed the restructuring of our municipal health care to navigate out of control costs, while increasing availability of immediate services when needed.Space limits how much I can share here, so please watch the full presentation on YouTube! As always, it is a pleasure to serve you as Mayor!Sincerely,Rich WhiteheadRich Whitehead MayorHBy Staffever wanted to let your parents know howthe heart. Tell us why your mom or dad is special to you and keep at 150 to 250 words max.Is it because of what they did and/or still do for you? Or how they helped you become the person you are today? We will highlight as many submissions as possible. We will be selecting one mother and one father to receive a $50. Please send your submissions with contact information and photo via email to contest@highlightspub. com. Deadline for Mother’s Day articles is April 9 and deadline for Father’s Day articles is May 6, 2023.ighlights Publications wants to recognize mothers and fathers of all ages. How many of you havemuch you appreciate them? Well, why not make it public and show them how much you care? We are giving you the perfect opportunity to do so.Highlights Publications is doing a special section to honor Moms in the May edition and a special section to honor Dads in the June edition. It will be a great keepsake for you and for them. They will be totally surprised and it will make a great gift from4www.heloteshighlights.comMarch 2023