Dust Devils Interview

An Interview with Candelight Ranch Caretakers

Barbara and Kevin Higgins

Four years ago, through a mutual friend, Barbara & Kevin Higgins heard that Candlelight Ranch was looking for a couple of caretakers. "We didn't have ranch experience, but we had a willingness to learn. Kevin and I were both working 9-5 jobs in Austin. Our band, The Dust Devils, was performing nearly every weekend in the Hill Country, so it made sense to be closer to the honky-tonks and clubs. In fact, we had actually been looking to move out to the Hill Country.”

Barbara and Kevin met with the founders, Don, Jeri, and Randy Barr, and hit it off instantly. “Before we knew it, we had packed up all our belongings and moved out to Marble Falls, " recounts Barbara.

The couple was immediately thrust into action the day they moved to the ranch. "It started raining, and didn't stop for over a week," Kevin recalls. "That was the time Lake Travis rose over 35 feet in 10 days. We had to keep checking on the boat dock twice a day." At one point, the boat dock got away and Kevin went swimming in the rain to haul it back to shore. “We didn't even have any rain gear back then...just some big, black trash bags that we pulled over our heads," laughs Barbara.

The two eventually settled into the rural life and began to learn the ropes. These days, it's not unusual to see Kevin on the John Deere tractor, cutting back the pasture at the retreat. The couple has learned to clear brush, eradicate cedar and mesquite, tend to the horses, and help with "controlled burns", all the while still running up and down the road on the weekends performing throughout Texas.

Barbara and Kevin are generally on hand to greet visitors, show them around the property and handle whatever else needs doing around the ranch.

Once the couple learned the mechanics of keeping the ranch running, they had more time to focus on the ranch's "mission." After the wheelchair accessible Treehouse was finished, groups of special-needs kids started visiting Candlelight Ranch more frequently. "We offered to help out in any way we could. It wasn't long before Kevin and I started playing music for the kids, or showing them how to paint the horses like Native Americans have done," says Barbara. "These kids just light up when they get to pet a big, friendly horse, " Kevin adds. "It's unbelievable how much love and warmth gets passed around when these kids come out to the retreat. But, somehow, we felt like we wanted to do more for the ranch."

It wasn't long before Barbara and Kevin came up with an idea to help the ranch raise money. "There were plans to add a universally-accessible bath/shower facility, more paths and cabins, but the ranch needed money to make these projects happen. We decided to offer our services as musicians to put together a benefit concert each year. Calling on some musician friends that we'd met in our travels, and started building an entertainment lineup. Before you knew it, we had radio station support, generous sponsors, and excellent entertainment coming out to Candlelight Ranch, all because these folks are supporters of what this ranch is trying to accomplish. They want to feel as if they are a part of something good."