Despite the very hot days this Summer, Bunco is still in play. The next meeting will be August 4th and two very efficient and charming hostesses will be there to welcome you at this party at the ending of our Summer. Bunco meets the first Tuesday evening of each month in the back room of the Community Center at 7 pm; contact Shirley Gordon our Librarian at 983-4765 for more information.
The beginning of our very warm months means the start of the many fishing tournaments held in our community week after week. And the biggest of all and the most famous and longest running one in Texas is Poco Bueno which is scheduled this year during the third week of July; beginning the 15th and ending on Saturday the 18th. Poco Bueno is very loosely translated to mean “It’s Ok”, and it really is. It is always only one of the very few “Invitation Only” tournaments, and at one time it was also the most monied throughout the world. Begun in 1969 by Walter Fondren III with 13 teams of his fishing buddies, the tournament now boasts entries from various areas throughout the United States.
With it being scheduled this weekend, we’ll all be watching from our varied vantage spots as these very large fishing boats arrive to be moored at Caracol. And a tour of Caracol on a golf cart gives the opportunity to see these beautiful boats and often renew acquaintance with them from previous years. My favorite of all these boats is a black hulled one named “Bandit”, and have watched her for several years, luckily taking her picture as she arrives and then leaves much earlier for the tournament. If you have the opportunity to view these beautiful boats in their docking spaces from your own small boat, one really understands the vast importance of this event. And a book detailing one man’s dream of fishing in POCO, is available at the Library for all you Fishermen!
Hurricane Junction is open once again following remodeling. I understand that lunch is served there daily along with other items on their bar menu.
The last program of the Summer Reading Program at the Library will be Tuesday, July 21st and will be honoring “Heroes of our Imagination”. Reading logs are due on Saturday, the 18th and the Awards Ceremony with its corresponding Party will be Tuesday, July 28th. Hope you all have had fun this Summer with the varied innovative and imaginative programs, and we at the Library look forward to seeing each participant during the coming year.
Saturday marked once again the 4th of July in our area, and many, many families from other areas came to celebrate it with us, and enjoy the annual BBQ from the VFD and ending with a stunning display of fireworks from the Front Beach. But earlier years in POC were even more interesting; following the ending of the Second World War, one family who resided on the Front Beach gave money for the purchase of firecrackers by some of the local men. Other families would get together and fix dinner for all participants. That went on until the Chamber was formed in the mid-60’s and took over the activities at a later date. There were street dances at that time with music being provided by local musicians; bbq with the meat being purchased from the local grocery and cooked under the direction of Teddy Hawes; salads and other dishes and desserts (watermelons too?) prepared by local women; and fireworks set off on the Front Beach with Johnny Hawes being in charge from the 70’s.
Has anyone seen the new “little house” on Commerce? I’m taking bets as to its inhabitants!
Hooper’s Bar and Grille located on West Maple Street is scheduled for opening soon with many innovative dishes for a great meal. The kitchen is under the direction of Dalene S. Caffey, and her talent with food is unbelievable. A glance at the proposed menu features several appetizers, shrimp and chicken salads for some of the female (watching their weight) diners, hamburgers, hot dogs and, of course, tempting pizzas. However the view is definitely worth the price of any dish as all chairs are directed to the water, and seeing the Intracoastal and watching the many boats, barges and shrimpers all parading up and down on the water is an unbelievable sight. But watching the host in action is a joy in itself as Hoop always seems to be having fun, no matter what he is doing, and that attitude always brings a corresponding smile to everyone’s face!
MUSINGS
As I sit in a chair on our deck in the early morning with the requisite cup of coffee, I have an incredible view of the Intracoastal Canal. Sometimes its surface is like glass; others it is whipping with white caps; Spotting the many fishermen leaving port and heading for their favorite spots with hopes for a limit of trout or reds; Seeing the local crabber go by with his truck laden with crab traps and knowing that in the evening, crab meat will be available to make Mrs. Raby’s favorite dish; Watching several shrimp boats heading towards their trawling spots and then seeing them return in the evening with the many gulls following and creating a black cloud; Observing the Pelican Air Force heading towards the Fishing Center, one by one in flight, while knowing that their dinner is waiting; Seeing the Sun making its appearance from the East with its spreading rays of light to promise a delightful day and watching it set in the West while knowing that that day has been perfect.
This is Port O’Connor, and despite its growth, will never change.
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361 798-0560
