Old 300 Bar-B-Q Honored with Night Sky-Friendly Award (Community News)

Blanco Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Libbey Aly presents the Chamber’s Night Sky-Friendly Business Certificate of Merit to the Old 300 Bar-B-Q. Old 300 owner, Mike Betzer (left), and manager, Ladd Pepper (right), received the award beneath the long dormant, “Y’all Come and Eat,” red arrow, now made Night Sky-Friendly.

On Friday, May 24, 2014, the Old 300 Bar-B-Q received the Blanco Chamber of Commerce’s Night Sky-Friendly Business Certificate of Merit. Chamber Executive Director Libby Aly presented the certificate to Mike Betzer, owner of the Old 300, on behalf of Curtis Knutson, Chamber President.

Mike and his wife, Sue, are intent on ensuring that the Old 300, situated at 4th and Pecan Streets on the corner of Blanco’s Historic Square, blends into the overall milieu of historic Blanco. One important way of doing this is to have outdoor lighting that does not trespass off the property line, does not produce annoying glare, and does not shine above the horizon to cause light pollution and degrade the nighttime skies above Blanco.

Preservation of Blanco’s night skies is an intregal part of Blanco’s Historic Preservation Action Plan, a plan approved by the Blanco City Council and overseen by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. Having starry skies is part and parcel of Blanco’s treasured rural heritage, a heritage that is diminished wherever there is light pollution. The Blanco Chamber of Commerce’s Night Sky-Friendly Business Recognition Program, implemented in cooperation with the Bee Cave-based Hill Country Alliance, supports this preservation goal by recognizing businesses with good outdoor lighting.

“We are excited about our Night Sky-Friendly Business Recognition Program and the positive support it has amongst our Chamber members,” said Aly. “We appreciate the support of the City Council and value our cooperation with the Hill Country Alliance. We look forward to recognizing many more of our Blanco businesses and organizations and to helping others make their establishments truly Night Sky-Friendly.”

For more information about the Chamber’s program and how to become a Night Sky-Friendly business, contact the Blanco Chamber of Commerce at (830) 833-5101; info@blancochamber.com. For information on how to join, for free, the Hill Country Night Sky Co-op, go to www.hillcountryalliance.org/HCA/HillCountryNightSkyCoop.

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