July 19: Bao T. Tran; Roxanne Ochoa; Rose Smith 

July 20: Jacob Lucey 

July 21: Cavu Mangum; Nicole Reed; Janie Goldman; Chuck Ramirez 

July 22: Patrick Overton; Jayson Amason 

July 23: L’Roy Bell Jr. 

July 24: Jose Chavez; John Spears; Lyla Kallus 

July 25: Lucas Taylor; Chase Amason; Chelsea Whitehead; Linda Marie Carrera; Pastor Carrera 

July 26: Eloisa Newsome; Monica Torres; Manuel P. Sandoval 

July 27: Marie Richter; Andrew Ureste; Katie Redding; Pam Weathersby; Rachel Watts 

July 28: Phillip Lewis; Glynis Spencer; Rudy Covarrubias 

July 29: Johnny Rhyne; Joel Kelly; Michelle Ureste

July 31: Angelica Villarreal; Donna Maxwell Ovens 

August 1: Lisa McLean; Iris Garcia; Amber Ziechang; Parker Luna 

August 2: Adolfo Covarrubias Jr.; Elliott Bakey 

August 3: Cherice Apostalo; Mary Christy 

August 4: Michael Anthony Luna 

August 5: Scott Gayle; Ronnie Carriles 

August 6: Collin Haynes; Jamie Harper 

August 7: James Lively; Samuel Uresti; Adrianna Carriles; Kamryn R. Chandler 

August 8: Andy Vuichard; Bianca Locke 

August 9: Barbara Crouch 

August 10: Robert Lopez; Nick Cockrell; Kiara Akoon; Lauren Weatherly; Charlotte Romine; Brandon Sparks 

August 12: James Overton; Sophie Perry; Martin Martinez; Mario Rodriguez 

August 13: Marty Lewis; Chaz O’Shields; Autumn Smith 

August 14: Sharon Preslar 

August 15: Jonathon Pitonyak; Audie Vasquez 

August 16: Sue Kubecka

Gold Star Leadership Award

On June 27th, the Commissioners’ Court recognized the Treasurer’s Department, the Auditor’s Department, and the IT Department for their hard work and dedication and for receiving the 2013 Gold Leadership Circle Award from the Texas State Comptroller for Financial Transparency in Government. This is the fourth year that this award was given to Calhoun County.

Through the Leadership Circle program, the Comptroller’s office awards certificates based on a self-scoring checklist that evaluates how local governments provide online access to their expenses and revenue. Local governments receiving a gold, silver or bronze Texas Comptroller Leadership Circle award have opened their books to the public and provide clear, consistent pictures of spending with detailed information on how tax dollars are allocated and spent. Top-ranking entities provide information online in an easily accessible, user-friendly format and set up features that allow taxpayers to easily drill down for more detailed information.

The 5th annual Flip Flop Festival will be held this year on August 31st at the Port Lavaca Bayfront Peninsula. Free gates open at 10:00 a.m.

You are invited to come join in a day of food, IBCA sanctioned BBQ Cook-off, arts and crafts vendors, horseshoes and washers, beach volleyball, live music, contests and more – fun for the entire family. There will be a concert that evening.

For more information or vendor applications visit:
www.flipflopfestival.com
or call the Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce at 361-552-2959.

Environmental activist and Dobie-Paisano-winning author Diane Wilson and National Book Award-winning novelist Larry Heinemann will be featured at the Alamo Bay Writers’ Workshop, July 19-21 in Austin, Texas.

The workshop—which also includes Dobie-winning novelist Lowell Mick White and National Endowment for the Arts Fellow poet Lee Meitzen Grue—will focus on the generation of new material and to the development of personal creativity.

“We’re going to have a unique workshop format,” says White. “Every participant will have the opportunity to work with every instructor. Poets can learn from fiction writers, and fictionists can learn from poets, or memoirists. In the end, it’s all just words that we’re writing, and this workshop will focus on finding ways to get words down on paper and then revise them in new and creative ways.”

Wilson is the author of An Unreasonable Woman and Diary of an Eco-Outlaw, memoirs of her actions as an activist in Texas and around the world. Heinemann is the author of Paco’s Story, a novel of the Vietnam War which won the 1987 National Book Award for Fiction. White is the author of That Demon Life, winner of the Gival Press Novel Award. Grue’s books include Goodbye, Silver, Silver Cloud and Downtown.

The weekend will begin with a reception and instructors’ readings Friday evening, followed by full-day of workshops on Saturday and Sunday.

The venue will be Rio Far Niente, located on 36 acres just east of Austin, overlooking the Colorado River. Music by Claudia Voyles and Lee Edwards will help kick off the weekend on Friday evening, and cello music by Randall Warren will accompany Saturday night entertainment.

“This workshop will be valuable for writers of all levels of experience and skill,” says White. “Participants need only bring along an ability to think and to have fun.”

Registration is currently open. Price is $325. Full details can be found on the workshop website: www.alamobaywritersworkshop.com

Those who may not be able to attend the workshop, but are interested in learning more about the Alamo Bay Group may contact Director Pamela Booton at pbooton07@gmail.com.

The on-going “Cooking with Seafood” classes, sponsored by the Calhoun County Extension Coastal & Marine Resources, is expanding its focus from strictly seafood to other meats with its August 5 class, 6:00 p.m. at the Bauer Exhibit Hall.

Do you know the difference between a Prime cut and a Choice cut of meat? Which one is better? How about a Select cut? Charles Seely will be teaching about the different grades of beef and participants will grill up some beef for judging.

Future classes will feature wild hog and other wild game, as well as seafood.

For more information, please call Rhonda Cummins at the Extension Office, 552-9747.