No matter how disparate, everything in the universe is somehow connected to everything else. Take the following elements: Yale divinity school, South Austin’s famous Saxon Pub, the planet Mars, the Vegas strip, and World War II-era American South. Is it possible that a line could be drawn to directly connect such a mixed bag?

The answer of course is yes. It’s a real line, stretching the few city blocks that make up Main Street in Marble Falls, and it’s one every fan of the Texas Hill Country should consider walking.

Because Marble Falls is located so centrally—smack dab amongst the Highland Lakes, and right on a scenic thoroughfare linking Dallas to San Antonio—most touring Texans have at least driven through. Unless you’ve hitched a turn off Highway 281 and spent some time on Main Street within the last few months, however, it would be mistake to think you know all Marble Falls has to offer. This summer saw some big changes for this small town, some painful but all in the end good.

The biggest news from Marble Falls was reported across the country, when the town suffered a massive deluge of rain: 19 inches within a few short hours. The water did enormous damage. Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed, along with bridges, streets, and even sections of the train track that runs through town.

Just a few days later, however, Marble Falls was up and running again. Christian Fletcher, executive director of the Marble Falls/Lake LBJ Chamber of Commerce, credits that quick response to several factors. “It’s indicative of the population we have. People who did really well in other places have moved to Marble Falls because they recognized it as a neat place to live. Some of them had previous careers in emergency management roles. The other thing, and I would never have thought of this as a potential benefit, is that we had completed our emergency preparedness training so shortly before. Everybody was fresh.”

According to Fletcher, not all of t ...

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