The committee has met for this year’s Adopt an Angel program, which provides Christmas gifts for some of our less fortunate children in Port O’Connor.

This is how the program works:

From November 18th until December 6th, you can pick up paperwork at POC Hardware which will have your angel information in a numbered envelope. Inside the envelope will be the “vital statistics” for your chosen child: age, gender, grade, clothing size, shoe size and coat size. Shoe and coat sizes are only going to be available if your child needs these items. You do not need to purchase any toys. The Toy Run provides toys.

The committee recommends a spending limit of $100 per child. If you would like to participate but feel that you cannot afford this amount by yourself, enlist a friend or two to split the cost, and share in the fun of shopping and wrapping, along with the glow of knowing you gave a child a nice Christmas.

If you want to participate but are unable to do the shopping, let Wanda or Judith at the Hardware Store know. Santa’s elves will be glad to help.

After you have shopped for your angel, wrap the gifts and put your angel’s number on each gift and take your gifts to POC Hardware. The store will keep the gifts until delivery/pick-up. The employees at the Hardware Store are most gracious in helping us to complete this project each year.

The deadline to return gifts will be December 16th. See if by participating, it doesn’t make your Christmas merrier!

If You Need to Put a Child on This Year’s Angel List:

Angels are now being accepted for the Adopt An Angel Program. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! This is a large program and it takes numerous people to get it up and going.

You should contact Wanda Redding or Judith Bowman, at the POC Hardware (983-2708) during the store’s business hours.
Strict confidentiality will be maintained. Even the kind souls who adopt these angels do not know the identity of the child.

The parent or guardian only may put a child on the list and make arrangements. The child must live in Port O’Connor and be between the ages of one year and fifth grade. School-age children must attend Port O’Connor School. Do not put relatives’ children on the list unless they live with you.

You will need to furnish the child’s age, grade, clothing sizes. You may also include any special interest that your child may have.

Please use this program if you need, but do not abuse it. If you have used the program in the past, and if you can, maybe this year you can adopt an angel.

Pull your outdoor decorations out of storage, and – Ready, Set, Go!! The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the Christmas Outdoor Lighting Contest for 2013 and will be handing out plaques for the categories listed below. Let’s put up the trees and tinsel and light up Port O’Connor!

BEST OVERALL • MOST DECORATED • BEST CHRISTMAS THEME • MOST COLORFUL BEST RELIGIOUS THEME • MOST UNIQUE • BEST SPIRIT • BEST COMMERCIAL

Judging days of Wednesday, December 11th and Thursday, the 12th.

Note: In order to win one of the plaques in the categories listed above you must complete the form below and send it to the POC Chamber of Commerce, Attn: Beverly Clifton P. O. Box 701 , Port O’Connor, TX 77982 since we will need to have your contact information.

After that, make sure you have your lights on for the judging. If you look around town, you may see one POC Citizen’s decorations already on display.

Please note that previous winners receiving plaques in the last two years are not eligible to win in 2013 – in order to give others a chance at the prizes. For any additional information, please contact Beverly Clifton at Cell# 361-220-1583.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW AND MAIL TO THE POC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO PARTICIPATE (In case needed, some extra forms will be posted on the bulletin board outside the Port O’Connor U.S. Post Office):

To: Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce
Attn: POC Christmas Lighting Contest
P.O. Box 701
Port O’Connor, TX. 77982

From: ____________________________________________________
(Name)
Physical Address: ____________________________________________________

P.O. Box Address: ____________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: ____________________________________________________

Telephone No.: ________________________________
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY, DECEMBER 9th.
Thank you and Good Luck!! The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce

Port O’Connor PTO is excited to announce the Christmas Store for students again this year. The Store will be open on December 11, 12, and 13. Items will be available for students to purchase as presents for their families at a cost of 25¢ to $2.00. The PTO will then wrap the presents to be sent home on the 13th.

Donations for the Christmas Store would be greatly appreciated. Needed are items that are either new or gently used (toys that are like new, gently used household items, etc.) Donations of wrapping paper, tape, gift tags, ribbons, bows and gift bags would also be greatly appreciated.

The PTO is accepting donations through December 2. Donated items can be dropped off at the school auditorium stage.
Thank you for making our students’ Christmas more meaningful as they share in the joy of giving. And don’t forget, the Port O’Connor School Christmas Program will be held December 17th at 6:30 in the gym!

The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce has had an awesome year. The organization has worked diligently toward the goal of building a new pavilion on King Fisher Beach. The existing pavilion is in need of replacement. The community and friends of Port O’Connor have been instrumental in helping and working with the Chamber to go forward with their plans for the future pavilion.

Mark your calendar to attend the Annual Lighted Boat Parade on the ICW, December 7th. Everyone is invited to decorate and enter their boat.

December 9th is the Annual Christmas Party and Election. It’s not too late to add your name to the ballot if you would be interested in running for a director position for 2014. Contact Donnie Klesel donnieklesel@hotmail.com .

Chamber meeting and election will be held 6-7 p.m. and Chamber Party will be 7-9 p.m. This year the event will be held at The Sanctuary at Casa Grande–entry code is 1209–RSVP to 361-983-2696.

December 11th and 12th will be judging for the Annual Outdoor Lighting Contest. Entry form must be received by December 9th.
If you need more information on any of these events please call 361-983-2898. Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving.

New & Renewed Members:
Alan R. Berger
Donny Haynes
Gary & Carolyn Garrison

One Roemer Closer

Throughout my journey to discover more about Seadrift, often times Long Mott comes up in conversation as well as Roemerville. However my search for information of the latter often leads to a dead end.

This time, I found a family tie which was able to get me one step farther to learning more about the small town which was located on Highway 238 about six miles northeast of Seadrift.

German immigrants were the first to settle in Long Mott around 1853; one family in particular – the Roemers. In fact, a member of the Roemer family has been exploring Texas since as early as 1845. I’m referring to the ‘father of geology of Texas,’ Ferdinand von Roemer who was dubbed this title due to his in-depth writings on the subject.

He published Texas in Bonn, Germany in 1849. The book covered his journey and observations of Texas as it was from November 1845 to May 1847. It was translated in English by Oswald Mueller of Houston in 1935 and has become better known as Roemer’s Texas.

I was able to locate other family members but I found very little. Ferdinand was brother of Friedrich Adolph Roemer, also a German geologist. Frederick W. Roemer was the first postmaster in Long Mott in 1893. Dr. John and Anna Mary (Braentegam) Roemer were also early settlers in Long Mott. It is thought that Roemerville was named after Dr. John Roemer.

That is as far as the search led me so I decided to find Roemer’s Texas to see if I could piece together more of the puzzle as I was not sure how the Roemer family tree branched out.

The following day I sat at the library in Victoria with the book in front of me. I was eager to learn about our great state as seen through Von Roemer’s eyes. In the preface, Mueller explains how he translated the book in celebration of Texas’ Centennial celebration and may I say he did an outstanding job!

As I browsed through the Table of Contents and Index, I skimmed to a chapter which mentioned Lavaca Bay, I was immediately drawn into the book. It was very well written and seemed more a book of fiction – primarily because the landmarks, climate, vegetation and wildlife were so contrasting.

In Chapter III, he wrote, “Accordingly I took leave of Galveston on the afternoon of January 12, 1846, and boarded the steamboat Spartan. The trip from Galveston to Houston requires on the average twelve hours. The fare, including accommodations in a cabin, and meals was three dollars.”

Incredible! What is presently a 50-minute drive took 12 hours in 1846! I had so many questions flood my thoughts as I read further, all the while keeping this in mind. The hours passed but they seemed like minutes – I barely noticed when the lights dimmed signaling it was time to head home. I could not take the book home with me as it lives in the Texas Reference section, but you can purchase your own copy of Roemer’s Texas via Amazon.com and various other websites. Von Roemer passed away in December of 1891 and in his lifetime published over 350 works!

While the pages I read did not cover family nor our area in particular, I have since uncovered more about the Roemer’s and Roemerville. But I’ll leave that till next time!

I also ask anyone that has any information or photos of Roemerville to please contact me before the next issue of the Dolphin Talk (see our contact page.). I’d also like to take a moment and thank all of you out there that have taken the time to share your stories and photos with me and our readers throughout the years. You’re the best! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Jasmine Gordon is researching the history of Roemerville. She would like to hear from anyone who has information or photos about this former area settlement.