KERRVILLE — Saturday night at the YO Ranch Hotel and Conference Center, five grassroots groups presented Congressman Chip Roy the first Torch of Liberty Award. The Kerr County Republican Party was one of them.
Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) and We the People – Liberty in Action hosted the inaugural Spirit of Liberty dinner. Terri Hall, founder of TURF and co-founder of Liberty in Action, served as emcee. The award was presented jointly by TURF, Liberty in Action, Grassroots America – We the People, the Fredericksburg Tea Party, and the Kerr County Republican Party.
More than 300 guests attended. About half traveled from across Texas. The rest were neighbors from the Hill Country – including constituents from every county in Texas’s 21st Congressional District.
A local dinner with statewide company
The program celebrated America’s 250th year and asked a plain question: how do we keep a constitutional republic for the next 250?
Speakers included Congressman Chip Roy; Texas Comptroller Don Huffines; State Representative Brian Harrison; Patriot Academy founder Rick Green; Grassroots America – We the People founder JoAnn Fleming; and Rafael Cruz of Grace for America.
Four county chairs from TX-21 were in the room: Kerr County GOP Chair Helen Herd, Bandera County GOP Chair John Irving, Blanco County GOP Chair Carlette Lewis, and Real County GOP Chair Jack DuBose.
Guests also heard from Benjamin Franklin – Matt Long of the Matt Long Show on Hill Country Patriot Radio, in character and in costume. Video messages recorded for Roy and the audience came from Assistant to the President and Border Czar Tom Homan, U.S. Senator Mike Lee, and Texas Congressman Keith Self.
Speakers named what is broken in Washington and Austin. They also pointed to the work that still belongs to precincts, county parties, and neighbors who show up. The assignment was smaller government, kept inside a constitution-sized box.
Why Kerr County Republican Party presented the award
Chip Roy represents this district. Kerr County is home turf. The Torch of Liberty Award recognized his service to Texas and his record of treating the Constitution as a constraint, not a suggestion.
The Kerr County Republican Party does not hand out trophies simply for party loyalty. We joined four other independent grassroots groups because the record, not the letterhead, earned it.
Photos and what’s next
Photographer Michael Anglin posted a gallery from the evening:
Event photo gallery (PIN: 1776)
Video of the program is forthcoming from the hosts.
The midterm election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting in Kerr County runs October 19–30.
November 2026 voting information • Host release from Liberty in Action