![Collage of twelve bartenders celebrating Bar Stars]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341.trlica.bartender.SET-IMAGE.Jan07-2026-2-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":19738},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341.trlica.bartender.SET-IMAGE.Jan07-2026-2-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":28517},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341.trlica.bartender.SET-IMAGE.Jan07-2026-2-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":52075}})
The ‘Bartender Bunch’ have stories to tell
One last look at what Montrose Star's 2025 Bartenders of the Month had to say when asked, “What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen from behind the bar?”
![Contemporary dancer arching back in spotlight]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341-ISHIDA-DANCER-2-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":15606},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341-ISHIDA-DANCER-2-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":19970},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341-ISHIDA-DANCER-2-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":36780},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341-ISHIDA-DANCER-2-878x494.jpg","width":878,"filesize":100567},"large":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341-ISHIDA-DANCER-2-1024x1024.jpg","width":1024,"filesize":217937}})
Diversity shines through with ISHIDA Dance Company
By SA Tripi We are once again being given the opportunity to see some of the most visually stunning dance by the critically acclaimed choreographer Brett Ishida. I had the
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Galveston shouts HELLO, 2026!
For 2026 to be a good year, we must make our voices known and show that there is strength in numbers. This horrible thing cannot last forever.
![Bowl of chickpea tomato soup with lemon]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341_Food-For-Thought-CHICKPEA-Soup-SET-IMAGE-Screenshot-2026-01-06-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":13037},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341_Food-For-Thought-CHICKPEA-Soup-SET-IMAGE-Screenshot-2026-01-06-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":50918},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341_Food-For-Thought-CHICKPEA-Soup-SET-IMAGE-Screenshot-2026-01-06-475x267.png","width":475,"filesize":123024},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341_Food-For-Thought-CHICKPEA-Soup-SET-IMAGE-Screenshot-2026-01-06-878x494.png","width":878,"filesize":315595},"large":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/341_Food-For-Thought-CHICKPEA-Soup-SET-IMAGE-Screenshot-2026-01-06-1024x423.png","width":1024,"filesize":314368}})
Happy, healthy New Year !
are a wonderful plant-based protein that Chickpeas are an excellent source of fiber. One cup of garbanzos has 14.5 grams of protein, which is twenty percent of the recommended daily amount for a 185-pound adult.
![Smiling doctor beside "99 Ways to Die" cover]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99-Ways-to-Die-SET-IMAGE-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":13346},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99-Ways-to-Die-SET-IMAGE-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":18129},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99-Ways-to-Die-SET-IMAGE-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":31141},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99-Ways-to-Die-SET-IMAGE-878x494.jpg","width":878,"filesize":65276},"large":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/99-Ways-to-Die-SET-IMAGE-1024x512.jpg","width":1024,"filesize":70168}})
’99 Ways to Die And How to Avoid Them’ by Ashely Alker, MD
You want to live a long and healthy life. Kind of. But what about the chancy things you do, that you don’t know might kill you? What about those inside “99 Ways to Die”?
![Rainbow crosswalk at neighborhood Houston intersection]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Inclusivity-in-Houston-Screenshot-2026-01-10-1-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":13478},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Inclusivity-in-Houston-Screenshot-2026-01-10-1-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":59552},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Inclusivity-in-Houston-Screenshot-2026-01-10-1-475x267.png","width":475,"filesize":73799}})
Inclusivity in Houston and the fish out of water concept
By Derick Matthews New year, new beginnings, and still the same questions that afflict so many of us in the LGBTQIA+ world and beyond: ‘How Do I Make Real Connections?’
![Giant snowball rolling across snowy mountain plain]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/340_Ehrlick_SET-IMAGE_SNOWBALL-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":11036},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/340_Ehrlick_SET-IMAGE_SNOWBALL-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":23352},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/340_Ehrlick_SET-IMAGE_SNOWBALL-475x267.png","width":475,"filesize":58269},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/340_Ehrlick_SET-IMAGE_SNOWBALL-878x493.png","width":878,"filesize":191003}})
Why we are rollin’ downhill like a snowball headed for hell
Huge military contractors must keep society fearing the enemy du jour, and buying more weapons!! Oil, gas, coal, resource owners, and industry shareholders must keep drilling and distribution going.
![Rain soaked bench with lone foggy silhouette]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AdobeStock_1781828307-SET-IMAGE-SILENCE-Screenshot-2025-12-08-170x95.png","width":170,"filesize":12891},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AdobeStock_1781828307-SET-IMAGE-SILENCE-Screenshot-2025-12-08-270x152.png","width":270,"filesize":28969},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AdobeStock_1781828307-SET-IMAGE-SILENCE-Screenshot-2025-12-08-475x267.png","width":475,"filesize":77116},"jaw_blog-16_9-big":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/AdobeStock_1781828307-SET-IMAGE-SILENCE-Screenshot-2025-12-08-878x494.png","width":878,"filesize":232001}})
The language of silence
I now communicate differently, especially with those I love. I am fully present and available. In stillness, I realize that what they say has nothing to do with me — it is entirely about them. When I detach with love and release the outcome, I am free to be in the moment, unburdened by the projection of my own thoughts or fears.
![Male dancer carrying female in dramatic lift]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IshidaBalance-PR-p15-SHORTERLITE-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":14013},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IshidaBalance-PR-p15-SHORTERLITE-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":19075},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IshidaBalance-PR-p15-SHORTERLITE-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":33019}})
ISHIDA Dance Company announces RARA AVIS
“The dancers weaved pure magic in the air, and you could almost hear jaws dropping as they moved…” wrote Brett Cullum, Broadway World.
![Blonde wig, dramatic makeup, jeweled red gown]({"jaw_blog-16_9-small":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WEB-chevelle-170x95.jpg","width":170,"filesize":15158},"jaw_blog-16_9-middle":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WEB-chevelle-270x152.jpg","width":270,"filesize":21956},"jaw_blog-16_9":{"file":"https:\/\/montrosestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WEB-chevelle-475x267.jpg","width":475,"filesize":42336}})
Chevelle Brooks
To all performers, organizers, and audience members — I say: hold your light higher. Because when drag is under threat, it isn’t just drag that’s at stake. It’s free speech. It’s community. It’s the freedom of people to show up as full versions of themselves.