October 1st of 2013 may have been somewhat early to celebrate Halloween but don’t tell Biddie Hileman and Sally Jones, the hostesses for the Bunco Group that evening. And those two certainly came prepared for a fun time. When I saw a nun drive up in full regalia, I thought perhaps she had arrived “at the wrong pew”, then discovering it was Sally Jones, I started to giggle. And then when MAMA drove up, extremely well dressed and topped with a flowery hat, I could not contain the giggles. Sister Grace and MAMA then proceeded to set up a large table with all sorts of delicious items for the attending ladies. As the evening progressed with much animated play, it finally ended with Pat Ekstrom being the big winner with Most Games; Mary Ann Claiborne the winner of the Most Buncos AND the Floating Bunco, and Judy Overton snagging the Booby Prize. Next month’s hostesses will be Kelly Gee-Cooper and Judy Overton. Call Shirley Gordon at the Library, 983-4365 for further information.

Biddie Hileman & Sally Jones get ready for Bunco.

October 26, 2013 is the date for the 5th Annual Chili & Gumbo Cookoff at Hurricane Junction! See Hoop for more details and how to enter this delightfully original contest! Once again, our local Library and its Building Fund will benefit. And participants can expect a wandering photographer and journalist to be there to sample the wares and discuss recipes with the chefs!

And also on the 26th of October is the annual Halloween Fest at our local school; this is when the kids and many adults try to outdo each other with some fascinating costumes. Check our paper or the school for further information.

But do save Saturday, November 9, 2013 for the semi-annual Fall Garage Sale as organized by the members of the POC Service Club. And as always there will be a Bake Sale of totally enticing desserts whether they’re cookies or cakes or even pies to whet the appetite of the consumer. See the POC Service Club News for further information.

And a plea to our long-time residents; we in the Service Club are putting together a book of photographs and other information concerning our community to show our history and also the many families that have been a part of that history. Many of you residents may have pictures of your children at our School, a picture of the churches with their ministers and priests, the stores, and hopefully your families, grandparents and all. IF and that’s a big IF, you could share with us these pictures and a little information about them, we would be extremely grateful. Your treasured photographs would then be professionally copied and returned with much gratitude as each would then become a part of our Book! Please contact either Sue Kubecka, the Chairman of this endeavor at 361 798-0560, or Janet Johnson, the President of the Club at 983-4737.

One topic that should be addressed are the number of dogs of various sizes that are allowed to run loose and often in a pack of other dogs. It can be somewhat of a frightening happenstance if you find yourself being surrounded by a number of large strange dogs. Although POC does not have a leash law, we are under County jurisdiction for the control of animals. Now one can understand why a resident on a golf cart or on a “moped”, carries a big stick!

Have you been in our local bank since last week? If so, did you see that stunningly beautiful quilt that is hanging on the wall thanks to our bank manager. The quilt, king-sized, has been made by the Calhoun County Quilting Guild; each member has been working on this all year and the completed result is striking. But if you’re very lucky, you CAN be the owner of it. Just see any of the local ladies selling raffle tickets, 6 for $5, and wish for good fortune. The raffle will take place on November 3rd, and luckily, one does not need to be present to win. Contact Peggy Elliott, 983-2165 or Carol Haverfield, 983-4969 for more information about buying tickets! And some tickets are available at the Bank too! The funds from this raffle will go to support the ongoing projects of this organization benefiting the community at large.

Does anyone have up-to-date information as to when the new bridge on 1289 will start construction?

Seeing the truck and boat trailer traffic by the Fishing Center the weekend of October 4 & 5, should lead to an extremely successful Grand Slam Tournament in memory of Chris Ragusin. There was quite a line stretching down the street of the waiting fishermen to get going! And the proceeds again will benefit our community thanks to this outstanding group.

And, potential vendors; DON’T FORGET that the 2nd Annual Arts & Crafts Festival as sponsored by the Lions Club will take place on March 8, 2014. Yes, that’s several months away, but if you have articles that you’ve made to sell and wish to become a part of this new happening, please contact Joyce Jordan, President, 361 655-6999 to reserve space. Indoor space in the Pavilion of the Community Center goes quickly, so get your reservation in NOW!

kubeckasue@yahoo.com
361 798-0560

I welcome correspondence from various organizations re their happenings for information to add to this column. Also welcome any remarks, good or otherwise.

Table of many, many goodies. No wonder Bunco play doesn't start very promptly!

Biddie

Sally

Pat Ekstrom at the Bunco Halloween party

Aug. 1: Seadrift Volunteer Fire Department and Port Lavaca FD responded to a tractor on fire in a field off of Farik Road near Hwy 185; Six Mile Community VFD also responded.

Aug. 4: Seadrift VFD responded to assist Port O’Connor VFD with a fire alarm call, cancelled while en-route.

Aug. 21: Seadrift VFD responded to a natural gas leak off of Armstrong Road in Seadrift.

Aug. 21: Seadrift VFD responded to a natural gas leak off of Toledo Ave. in Seadrift.

Sept. 7: Seadrift VFD responded to Bay Ave in Seadrift for a two-vehicle accident

Sept 7: Port O’Connor VFD and Seadrift VFD responded to a two-vehicle accident near the Hwy 185 / Hwy 1289 intersection; Port Lavaca FD also responded.

Sept. 7: Seadrift VFD responded to assist Port O’Connor VFD with a two-vehicle accident on Hwy 1289; Port Lavaca FD also responded.

Sept. 8: Seadrift VFD responded to a one-vehicle accident on Gates Road.

Sept. 8: Seadrift VFD responded to a one-vehicle accident near the Hwy 185 / Hwy 238 intersection.

Sept. 15: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a grass fire off of Shafer Road

Sept. 17: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a two-vehicle accident at the Hwy 185 and Hwy 35 intersection.

Sept. 18: Seadrift VFD responded to a one-vehicle accident on the Old Seadrift Hwy, also assisted EMS with a Life-Flight Helicopter landing.

Sept. 30: Seadrift VFD responded to Carabajal Road for a residential Propane tank leak.

One hundred, thirty volunteers cleaned the six mile stretch from the Crabbin Bridge to Indianola, collecting approximately 2,225 pounds of trash during the Fall Adopt-A-Beach.

Some of the more unusual items found were purple cigarettes, Michael Jackson DVD, a large piece of a detour sign, and part of a rocking chair.
– Rhonda Cummins

Mother and son, Gaylin and Ryan Franke, walk the beach together in search of trash and treasures.

At South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, donors can donate every 56 days and can help save up to three lives with each donation. STBTC is encouraging all blood donors to make donations throughout the year to help ensure patients receive the blood they need, when they need it.

Upcoming local blood drives scheduled:

Tues., Oct. 29 – 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Calhoun ISD, 525 N. Commerce, Port Lavaca

Wednesday, October 30, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Seadrift Lions Club
202 Railroad Ave., Seadrift

My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly. The kids and grandkids were here for a visit last weekend and Parker and Patty took them to the Community Rummage Sale and a crazy thing happened. All the family came to shop. The grandsons found some fishing gear they wanted, one granddaughter wanted books and the other wanted some jewelry. The son and daughter in law found some Christmas décor and a few bake sale items they wanted, but Parker thought he hit the jackpot. He found a big box and filled it with things he loved. He had found several shirts, some fishing shorts, a few nets, fishing equipment and some tools he wanted to buy. He brought them over to the area where everyone was supposed to pay and started showing his fantastic finds to Patty. He pulled a blue shirt out of the box and said the small tear in the sleeve would not bother him when fishing. Patty laughed and said he could not buy the blue shirt because she had donated it out of the back of his closet just the week before. He pulled out some wrinkled shorts, a monogrammed sweatshirt, a green colored t-shirt and a weatherproof jacket to show them to Patty. One by one she held them up, looked at them and said, ‘yours, yours, yours… I told you I was cleaning out the storage and the closets. ‘The show and tell continued for several more items with the same results. The shorts with the sticky zipper, the jacket with the broken button, the net that was just like 4 others in the shop were all culled by Patty from Parker’s own private collection of too much stuff in too little space. When all was said and done, Parker bought one hammer and a fishing lure, and returned 15 other items to the racks and bins at the rummage sale where they had been placed for sale after Patty donated them. Parker paid the family shopping bill and left muttering to his family about how Patty should never have gotten rid of all those things, there was nothing wrong with them, and if he lost a few pounds he could wear those shorts and jeans again soon. His son and daughter in law just laughed as they all climbed into the truck handing Parker a cupcake with sprinkles. Just as he bit into the delicious treat Patty opened the door and exclaimed that she baked those cupcakes for the bake sale and she sure hoped he paid the ladies for them before he ate one. Guess Parker knows what he likes.