The 36th Combat Aviation Brigade will be deploying to Kuwait. Among them is Carl Collins (CC) of Port O’Connor.
Saturday, February 9th more than 100 soldiers from the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard were treated to a patriotic send -off. CC’s family and some friends were present for this ceremony. The troops will head to Fort Hood for a couple months of training. The troops will support Operation Enduring Freedom.

Once they get to Kuwait, they will be there until the holiday season, providing Apache and Blackhawk helicopter support.

CC is the son of Sylvia Martinez and the late Carl Collins Sr. He has one brother, Pat Ragusin, and two sisters,Veronica (Roni) Ragusin and Misty Redmond. He also has two children, Brittney and Conner.

Just stopping by to welcome Spring to this great community I feel so blessed call home.  The Port O Connor Service Club held their meeting on Thursday, March 5, 2013. It was good to see lots of members back and taking a part. Save your pennies and nickels, you’re going to need them. Our POC Service Club Spring Garage Sale will be a grand opportunity to discover great used treasures and enjoy exceptional baked goods prepared by some outstanding cooks. It will be at the community center on Saturday, April 16th from 8-3. We are still taking donations of gently used clothes, household goods and furniture. Call Lydia Strakos (983-2003) or Susie Onishi (983-0202) for help with donations, or drop them off at the county barn behind the JP offices.

The Service Club would like to give a special Thank You to Jim Butler of Vinson Boat Stalls for donating storage space in his boat storage for our overflow garage sale items. Your help is greatly appreciated Jim! Members don’t forget to bring your baked goodies to the pavilion on Saturday morning, 4/16. All of our proceeds help us award annual scholarships to deserving grads in our community, reward our honor roll students, support Wounded Warriors Weekend, and support other community projects and events.

We have some special opportunities and great events in our little town at the end of the road, don’t we? The Boy Scout Fundraiser was a smashing success and the food was delicious. Saturday, March 16th you will have to hurry to make all the events that are scheduled. The booths are set up and the baked goods are ready even as you are reading this for the inaugural Lions Club Art Festival on Saturday, March 16th from 9-4. ‘We are POC’ Relay for Life team will be having a bake sale at Speedy Stop from 7-11. The annual Easter Sunrise Community Celebration will be at 7 AM Sunday, March 31 in the front beach pavilion. Meetings continue for planning and preparation for our Wounded Warriors Weekend coming May 17-19 and additional events are already in the works. Stay tuned and we will keep you informed.

As always, we invite all interested ladies to join us for the next meeting of the Port O Connor Service Club held on each 1st and 3rd Thursday, 10:00 AM or contact our president Janet Johnson at 983-4737 for more information. You will make great new friends, have a ton of fun and feel good about giving a little of yourself to others to make a difference in your community.

Port O’Connor Service Club
Spring Garage Sale & Bake Sale
Saturday, April 13
POC Community Center
8:00 a.m.
$1 a bag starts at 3 p.m.

Letter To The Editor:

Just want to congratulate all the Cub Scout Leaders, Scouts and their Parents for an Outstanding “Blue & Gold Banquet” at the Community Center on Thursday, February 28 for Pack 116. What an outstanding affair!! The Chicken Fajitas were delicious, the drinks and desserts were great. The Award Ceremony was tops and the Native American dance was first class.

The Climax of the evening was the Auction of the cakes baked by Cub Scouts and their dads. This was exciting and I trust was a great Fund Raiser for Pack 116. Thanks for a Super Night of Entertainment and your Service to our very young men of Port O’Connor!!!

Doyle Adams

Congratulations

To the Lions Eye Bank of Texas, Baylor College of Medicine. And thank you to the people and businesses that donated to the Lions Club of POC. We had three that gave 50 or more and bought a lane. They were: Boathouse Bait, Jack’s Car Wash, and POC Marine. Other donaters were Barbara Bouchard, Madeline Bourg, Mary Ann Claiborne, Alfred and Josie Covarrubias, Phil Efantis, Michelle Fay, Becky Haynes, John Hobbs, Sherry Judice, Evelyn and Howard Lewis, Mary Nell McGee, Marva McKibbon, Bobby Murray, Sledge Parker, Clara Paulk, POC Hardware, Colette Ratjaski, Wanda Redding, Ray and Sherry Roberds, Sylvia Rodriguez, Curtis Smith, Frank Smith, Dell Weathersby and an anonymous person who I will not forget.

We, the team that bowled in the Bowl-a-Thon, out of four categories, got three of them. I think out of 20 teams we got the highest scratch score; the highest men scratch and we brought in the most donations, which also got us the prize money. We donated it back to the Eye Bank.

Once again, thank you for all your help and generosity.

Debbie Michalek
Vice-President, POC Lions Club

To the Citizens of Port O’Connor and Seadrift:

Let it be known that a group of people from Victoria and Port Lavaca have been meeting together every Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. at the Church of Redemption in Seadrift. The sole purpose of these meetings has been to gather together to sing praises and share the Scriptures with one another.

We are inviting whosoever is hungry for more of God to come and worship with us. We have a desire to see God move and to touch others under His mighty hand. We look forward to seeing you there.

God Bless,

Church of Redemption, 602 Baltimore, Seadrift
(361) 785-5987

Port O’Connor PTO Fund Raiser

Port O Connor Elementary PTO would like to give a big THANKS to Paul McGee, Jim Hooper, & Bill Tigrett for their donation of $1100 to POC PTO. We will be using this donation for the purchase of classroom iPads & other classroom technologies.

POC Elementarty students are also having a fundraiser-FUN PASTA. To place an order through March 22 contact any POC student.

You may also order online at http://www.funpastafundraising.com/shop/port-oconnor-elementary-pto

April Guevara
POC PTO Secretary

The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.

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Port O’Connor, TX 77982
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Can you feel the excitement in the air? We are headed toward Resurrection Sunday! What better day for each of us to set it totally aside for praising the Lord for being willing to die for us! Without His death, there would have been no Easter! Sin would have won! Jesus would have come, lived here, and died without making the mark that God sent Him here to make! (Maybe it is time for a short sermon: What have we been sent here to do? Are we accomplishing it?)

Sunrise Service, 7:00 a.m. on the Front Beach, will be a great start to a glorious day! There will be special singing, a great message by Baptist Pastor Martin, and a time of fellowship with hot coffee to go with some of Cathy’s Restaurant’s delicious cinnamon rolls! But, Easter is about much more than Sunrise Service, Easter Egg Hunts, family gatherings around a meal of baked ham with sweet potatoes, or family photos. Each of these things are great and should be enthusiastically enjoyed. But, Easter must be a day set aside to tell Jesus, “Thank You!” He accomplished more for us than we will be able to understand until we stand with Him at Heaven’s gates! Plan something special – do more than before to center your thoughts toward the Savior!

Just a thought – why not join us at the Chapel for our Bible Study, which begins at 10:00 a.m. It will be followed with a special service at 11:00 a.m. In the evening, at 6:00 p.m., our children will be praising the Risen Savior in a unique way, as a result of the hard work of our children’s department. We are also planning to have our goal met of having new seating for our Bible School and Fellowship areas. We are giving toward our $2,000 goal to purchase these new chairs and have them in use on Easter Morning! If you would like to help, you are welcomed!

Joane and I were guests at the 40th Anniversary celebration of Hillcrest Church in Seguin. I was their third pastor, in fact, they were the reason we came to Texas. It was a great time of seeing “older friends”, and we were delighted that we did not know but only a few of those attending; the Church has grown significantly. In our absence from the Chapel, Hermano Jessie filled the pulpit – Thanks!

Our Annual Chili Cook-Off was held on Sunday, March 10. Even though I cooked my best chili ever, I was once again disappointed that the judges did not recognize the deliciousness of my offering. Debra Holmes won first place with her “Blue Ribbon Chili” and Kelly Gee-Cooper took second with her “Family Recipe Chili”. Congratulations, ladies, but watch out for me next year!

March 17, in both the morning and evening services, Evangelist Gene Summers will be with us for a great day. Reverend Gene and Mona Summers have been at the Chapel several times before and have always been a great blessing. This time will be no exception, so plan to be present. Our own Patrick Overton filled the pulpit on March 13 and will do so again on March 20.

Our Friday Night Youth activities are continuing under the direction of Julian and Alissa. Pastor Joane continues direction our FBI classes each Tuesday evening where we are investigating God’s Word.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation who is actively pursuing God’s blessings for every family in this community. We continue providing a food pantry and the giving away of clothing and household items to those in need in this community. We provide Friday Night Youth to give the youth of our community something constructive and fun to do. We are reaching out to seeing human needs met in every area of human need, because we are convinced that the greatest needs can be met at the Church! You will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel, and are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

Don’t forget: Easter Sunrise Service
7:00 a.m. on Easter Morning (March 31)
Port O’Connor Beach

Chili Cook-Off Winners Kelly Gee-Cooper (left) took second place and Debra Holmes won first place in Fisherman’s Chapel’s Annual Chili Cook-Off. See page 31 for the winning recipe.