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Photos by Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
July 30, 2025
Back to School Bash serves more than 800 kids
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
More than 800 students have fresh hair cuts, new backpacks, and all the pens, pencils and supplies they need for the 2025-26 school year.
An estimated 2,000 people walked the grounds of the Lakehills Community Center during this year’s seventh annual Back to School Bash.
Approximately 50 organizations and 150 volunteers participated in the event’s success. Feature booths included a petting zoo, face painting, water works tent, corn and sausage roaster, cotton candy and snow cone stands, a hot dog truck, and many more. The Lakehills Community Center donated the use of the facility, and funds were raised through the donations of businesses, individuals, churches, non-profits, and from proceeds raised at the Hill Country Samaritans annual Lasagna Drive-Thru Dinner.
Please see hillcountrysamaritans.org for more information.
“The Bash Project will continue now for another couple of weeks with backpack handouts in Medina and Utopia, as well as some follow up here in the Bandera area,” Event Coordinator Kelly Beedle, of the Hill Country Samaritans, said. “Have a great '25-'26 school year Bandera County Students! Your community is behind you!”
The first day of school for Bandera ISD is Monday, Aug. 4; Medina ISD starts Wednesday, Aug. 13.
The statewide tax-free weekend for school supplies and clothes will be Friday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 10.
An estimated 2,000 people walked the grounds of the Lakehills Community Center during this year’s seventh annual Back to School Bash.
Approximately 50 organizations and 150 volunteers participated in the event’s success. Feature booths included a petting zoo, face painting, water works tent, corn and sausage roaster, cotton candy and snow cone stands, a hot dog truck, and many more. The Lakehills Community Center donated the use of the facility, and funds were raised through the donations of businesses, individuals, churches, non-profits, and from proceeds raised at the Hill Country Samaritans annual Lasagna Drive-Thru Dinner.
Please see hillcountrysamaritans.org for more information.
“The Bash Project will continue now for another couple of weeks with backpack handouts in Medina and Utopia, as well as some follow up here in the Bandera area,” Event Coordinator Kelly Beedle, of the Hill Country Samaritans, said. “Have a great '25-'26 school year Bandera County Students! Your community is behind you!”
The first day of school for Bandera ISD is Monday, Aug. 4; Medina ISD starts Wednesday, Aug. 13.
The statewide tax-free weekend for school supplies and clothes will be Friday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 10.