Real Estate Photographer in Fredericksburg, TX

Farmers in Central Texas are still recovering from summer rains that impacted their crop schedules.

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — After a summer marked by historic rainfall, farmers across Central Texas are continuing their recovery efforts, facing long-term impacts on crops and harvest schedules.

At Jenschke Orchards in Fredericksburg, heavy rain didn’t cause flooding, but it did present serious challenges. Owner Lindsay Jenschke said the excess moisture delayed fieldwork, increased the risk of mold and fungus, and forced early harvesting to protect vulnerable crops.

“Rain is a blessing, but too much of it at the wrong time can really hurt. We had to make quick calls to get ahead of it – harvest early, protect what we could," Jenschke said.

Jenschke Orchards, a “pick-your-own” farm, grows strawberries, blackberries, pumpkins, Christmas trees and more than 30 varieties of peaches. Despite the setbacks, the orchard reported a successful summer harvest, thanks to fast action and detailed planning.

This past weekend marked the kickoff of the orchard’s fall festivities – an important season for farms in the Hill Country.

And this year, Jenschke Orchards is tapping into some star power to draw visitors.

Country music star Lainey Wilson partnered with farms across the country, including Jenschke Orchards, to launch custom-designed corn mazes promoting her newest album and the importance of local agriculture. The Lainey Wilson corn maze is now open to the public as part of the farm’s fall attractions.

For the Jenschke family, the partnership highlights a mission they take seriously: educating families, especially children, about where their food comes from.

“Anytime we have a crop that we’re growing and folks are coming out and participating, it’s so good to be able to tell people, ‘This is how it happens,’” Jenschke said. “You know, 'This is how you plant it and it grows, and this is how you harvest it.'"

Along with the corn maze, visitors can pick pumpkins, gather their own flower bouquets and take a ride down the Texas Two-Step slides – part of a growing effort to make learning about agriculture fun and hands-on.

The fall festivities run Wednesday through Sundays until the end of October.

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — A small gas station in rural Fredericksburg has become the center of attention after selling a winning Powerball ticket. The Bigs Gas Station, located along U.S. Highway 290, sold one of the two winning tickets for the $1.8 billion jackpot, with the other winner hailing from Missouri.

Melanie Carter, the manager of the gas station, couldn't believe the news she woke up to Sunday morning.

"Nobody ever thinks, 'hey, my store's going to win a jackpot', but here we are," she said. Carter recounted the moment she received a text message about the win. "I'm like, 'no way. You know, nobody believes it.' So I get on my phone, and I look, and sure enough, it's right there plain as day."

Carter said as the jackpot got bigger, the store started seeing an overwhelming amount of people buying tickets. She said there's been so many, she doesn't know who the winner is, nor which employee printed out that ticket.

For some Texans, like Diego Luna from Little Elm, the winning ticket was almost within reach. Luna, who was in Fredericksburg for a wedding Sunday, had been purchasing tickets since the jackpot reached $900 million.

"Ever since it was at 900 million. I've probably bought a cool one hundred papers," he said.

Luna said he woke up to a notification the winner was in Fredericksburg. He immediately started thinking about how he'd spend the winnings.

"Definitely donate some of it. Investing that money into good things, you know, real estate and all that good stuff. Then spreading it to family," he said.

Carter said the winner is still anonymous, and the store employees don't know who sold the winning ticket. On Saturday, someone else in Northwest Austin won a $1 million lottery ticket at a 7/11 off Lake Creek Parkway.

AUSTIN, Texas - It has been a very lucky few days for some Central Texans.

One of the winning tickets for the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot was sold at a convenience store in Fredericksburg. And in Austin, another player scored a one million dollar prize.

The backstory:

The $1.8 billion jackpot is the second largest in Powerball history. With another winning ticket sold in Missouri, those two lucky players will split the grand prize.

Luck was on Texas’ side this week.

One ticket sold at Big's in Fredericksburg matched all six numbers to win the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot, ending a 40-plus-week-long winning drought.

"Shocked, mind blown, I wasn’t expecting it," said Melanie Carter, the store owner.

Here’s how the payout works

Winners can choose the annuity option, 30 payments over 29 years, or one lump sum cash payment. That decision is made at the time they buy the ticket.

"You have more options if you take a lump sum because you can invest it, you can do some charitable stuff, you can, depending on what your family needs are, whether you're trying to put kids through college, whether your truck's breaking down and you need a new truck. There are all kinds of uses for immediate money," said Steve Cotton, President, Cotton Wealth Management Associates.

So what’s the better deal?

The Texas lottery says when the winner claims the prize, they get one initial payment, followed by annual installments for the next 29 years, which increase by 5% each year.

The annuity option for the winner would be an estimated $894 million each before taxes over 30 years.

In this case, the Texas winner opted for the lump sum, worth about $410.3 million before taxes.

The Texas Lottery says 24% will be withheld for federal taxes upfront. But, depending on individual tax situations, the final bill could be even higher come tax time.

"The top tax bracket rate is 37 percent, and that's where this amount of money will line up. So, when the dust all settles in this situation, federal taxes alone are going to eat up about $152 million of the winnings. So that leaves what? $258 million," said Chad Silver, Tax Attorney.

"The takeaway from this is even though it's a $1.8 billion boom, the actual pocket amount is really in the $240 to $260 million range for this winter, still life changing. But the IRS is always the biggest winner here," said Silver.

Financial experts say before making any moves, winners should build a team.

"Working with a tax professional, an investment professional, and probably an estate planning attorney, if you get those three key professionals in your corner and you sit down with them before you make any decisions, they can really help position you to protect you, achieve the goals of your family, and make sure that you end up being a good steward of this, and you don't. You don't just spend it away," said Cotton.

Other big winners

And Texas had more than just the Jackpot winner.

A $2 million ticket was sold in Tyler, and another $1 million winner was in Midlothian.

In Austin, a player matched five of six numbers, scoring a $1 million prize.

"Even if you didn't win the big jackpot, you should always check your numbers. There are literally hundreds of thousands of winning tickets associated with this, with Saturday's drawing ranging from $4 up to the jackpot prize," said Glenn Neal with the Texas Lottery.

Saturday’s Powerball drawing revealed the winning numbers for a staggering $1.8 billion jackpot, the second-largest in lottery history.

The Austin and Fredericksburg winners have yet to come forward. They have 180 days to claim their money.

"The tax year is almost over. So, we don't have a lot of time to do tax planning. So, we've got four months and maybe even less when they finally realize the income and that's very, very little time to get your finances in order to handle this. Large lump sum and figure out how to shelter the remaining amounts properly," said Silver.

The store that sold the Jackpot ticket — Big's in Fredericksburg — is also cashing in, eligible for a $250,000 bonus.

The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas - The numbers for the historic $1.8 billion jackpot have finally hit, one winning ticket bought in Missouri and the other, right here in Central Texas.

What we know:

There was a lot on the line with this lottery drawing, as it marked the second biggest in Powerball history. And talking to people at the store where that big purchase was made, it was almost too hard to believe it could happen that close to home.

Some are still in disbelief, while others still wish they would have snagged a ticket. On a lone stretch of Highway 290 in Fredericksburg, that’s where one person’s luck changed for the better.

Local perspective:

One of the two winning tickets bought at this Big’s convenience store, whose doors have only been open for a matter of months.

"Shocked, mind blown, I wasn’t expecting it," said the store owner, Melanie Carter.

"We’re a brand-new store, so you’d think if somebody was going to win it’d be an established store that’s been around for years, but that’s not the case."

Dig deeper:

In the days leading up to the big draw, tickets flew off the shelves, too hard to pass up, especially when the amount of prize money starts with a B.

"We’ve been having a lot of customers come and like we don’t really play, we just play because it’s for the billions," said cashier Sean Peterson.

This now puts an end to a 41-week drought, where no one was able to match all six numbers, and that eventually led to a $1.8-billion jackpot.

What they're saying:

Regulars who make their pit stops at Big’s are in disbelief and maybe even a little jealousy is starting to creep in.

"I regret not buying one here cause I may have been a winner," said local resident, David Tharp.

"It’s like standing in a field and lightning struck right beside you and didn’t hit you."

What's next:

Now the Texas winner will have to split their winnings with the winner out of Missouri, and they have a few options on how to go about doing that.

There’s the annuity plan of receiving 30 payments over the next 29 years, or they can take one big lump sum right now, $410.3 million.

Now there was another winner in Austin who matched five out of the six numbers, earning themselves a $1 million cash prize.

Now neither of those winners have come forward to the Texas lottery commission to claim those prizes, but have 90 days to do so.

The Source: Information in this article was provided from interviews conducted by FOX 7's Marco Bitonel.

In case you woke up hoping for some good news, I hope I'm the person who is sharing it with you. After nearly three-months of no winners, on Saturday, September 6, the Powerball drawing for what is known as the third-largest jackpot in its history was held. And now, it looks like there are two winners of the historic $1.8 billion prize. One of those winning tickets was bought in Missouri, while another of those winning tickets was purchased in the San Antonio-area.

Here's everything to know about the Powerball drawing that just made history.

What were the Powerball numbers last night?

The winning Powerball numbers from the September 7 drawing were 11-23-44-61-62 with the Red Powerball number of 17. The power play number was 2.

Where in Texas was the Powerball won?

The winning Powerball ticket was purchased at Big's Convenience Store, located at 103 11905 E. US Highway 290, Fredericksburg, TX, 78624. And no, the winning ticket was not a quick pick.

Where is Fredericksburg, Texas?

The home of Texas Wine Country, also in the Hill Country, is located about 70 miles Northwest of San Antonio. If you've got an affinity for wine, peaches and more, this is the place for most in the State of Texas.

Where in Missouri was the Powerball ticket sold?

The sold winning ticket location will not be revealed until 72 hours after the drawing, in accordance with Missouri law.

Will the $1.8B Powerball Jackpot be split?

The Powerball jackpot will indeed be split, according to a release from the Powerball Lottery. "Each ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $893.5 million or a lump sum payment of $410.3 million," Powerball officials said. "Both prize options are before taxes. If a winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year."

More Texas lottery winners from the $1.8B Powerball Drawing

Powerball officials revealed about 9.9 million tickets won cash prizes in the latest drawing. However, only 18 tickets matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes, while two tickets hit the Power Play to score a $2 million win; one of which was also sold in Texas.

A Super Food Mart located at 2431 Ese Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701 sold the $2 million wining ticket. A Murphy USA store located at 100 Walton Way, Midlothian, TX 76065 and a 7-Eleven convenience store located at 10207 Lake Creek Pkwy, Austin, TX 78729 both sold the other $1 million tickets.