The Crawfish Festival is just around the corner, April 29th to be exact, and we have initiated pre-sales for beer tickets and entry wristbands on our website. Don’t stand in those long lines, order early and pick up your tickets and wristbands on Friday, April 28th, from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at the pavilion or at the Will Call gate from 10:00-1:00 p.m. the day of the festival
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During the festival, go check out the 2022 Polaris Ranger Premium SP250 the chamber is raffling off this year. Tickets will be $100, with only 500 sold. The drawing is scheduled for October 8, 2023, or sooner if we sell out of tickets. Other fun activities you won’t want to miss are the crawfish eating contest, cornhole tournament and horseshoe tournament. Get to the festival early to get your Peoples Choice wristband which entitles you to sample the cookers’ amazing crawfish. Plates of crawfish will also be sold for $25.00. Come early and hungry.

As we mentioned last month, the Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Nueces River Authority in cleaning up our Beaches and Bays. The UP2U yellow litter bags will be placed in boxes near the Kingfisher pier, along Kingfisher Park, the little jetties and other strategic places to help collect litter. We are providing the bags free of charge, in hopes that you will grab one to collect your trash in and place in the trash cans in the area. Please help us keep our beaches and bays clean and free of trash!

We welcome our new and renewing members, Paddle POC – your local kayak rental agency, not to mention authorized dealer of old town and ocean kayaks. POC Fish Camp – Recreational RV Park with on premises boat storage. Harbor Vista- Phase 1, 34 new development lots in a gated community in Port O’ Connor. Roberts, Odefey, Witte and Wall-Law firm that can handle all your litigation needs. Screaming Seagull Services – offering handyman, carpenter, and odd jobs. Inteplast Group Corp – An integrated plastics manufacturer whose products support diverse markets. Espiritu Santo Bay Resort – A subdivision with 42 lots in Port O’Connor in a small fishing town, Port O’Connor. Diamond B Lodge – Airbnb lodging, Rents Daily, Weekly or Monthly. Nielsen Family Dental – Dental Practice in Port Lavaca servicing your family’s dental needs. Coastal Nail & Tool – Building supply center specializing in Marine Construction as well as home building materials. Warriors Weekend – Is a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 Corporation dedicated to the support of veterans of The United States of America with an emphasis on those wounded in The Global War on Terrorism. Coastal Lawn & Maintenance – Complete yard care services. Lester Contracting -Provides heavy/civil construction services including site preparation, utilities, excavation and earth-moving, and much more. Tracy Pershall, Realtor – Specializing in land, home sales, and secondary/vacation home sales., Mowdy Boats – Manufacture of premium, custom made-to-order bay boats.

For more information on each of these businesses as well as our other chamber members please go to our website at www.portoconnorchamber.com.

Wonderful News!!! We have received a $20,000.00 grant from the Earl C. Sam’s Foundation thanks to the hard work of our grant writer, Nan Burnett. This foundation, located in Corpus Christi, awards funds to non profits in the areas of education, medicine, social activities, religious and environmental. We are so honored to be awarded this grant to move us along the road to our goal of $150,000.00 for Phase I which will update the Pavilion.

Bad News!! We have had to cancel our Derby Day Fundraiser due to circumstances beyond our control . We’re making plans for next year to have a bigger and better event. Stay tuned for details.
Our next money raising event is Crawfish Festival on April 29 at Kingfisher Park. Visit our booth to purchase tickets for our drawing. We will be drawing winners for our Redfish bench, our Texas neon sign, and our crawfish dinner gift basket on that day.

We have plans in the works for a summer and fall fund raiser. They will be so exciting and you won’t want to miss any of the fun. Support your community and support this worthy undertaking. The center is used by us all for so many different events and most use it for free. This Facelift is very important to the life of the facility . CONTRIBUTE TO THE FACELIFT PROJECT TODAY. You can give at FNB POC.
= Diane Cooley

Kambrie Morales

Pretty as a Princess

What does Kambrie Morales have in common with most girls her age? She loves to look her best and that qualifies her to look “pretty as a princess!” In 2018 Kambrie Morales was crowned “Little Miss Shrimpfest.” Pictured is Kambrie celebrating her birthday this past March!
Kambrie is ten years old and attends the fourth grade at the Seadrift School where her favorite subject is math. She loves to draw and play with her cousins on the trampoline. Kambrie has two sisters, Zynniah and Kenzy, and two brothers, Graysen and Jordan. Oh, and by the way, let’s not forget her parents Krystal and Jimmy! And there’s “Axel” the family dog. Kambrie wanted to share this thought about family, “Family is important to me because they keep me loved.”

Kambrie attends the youth program at the Seadrift Baptist Church on Monday and Wednesday nights. She said, “God is important to me because He created us.” Her favorite book of the Bible is the book of Matthew because “it talks more about Jesus.”

In closing, Kambrie had this to say about her faith, “I like coming to Jesus because it makes me happy and gets all the anger out.”

“Beacon of Light…Anchor of the Community”
Library News:
Libraries have always been a place for patrons to come and find the perfect stack of books to read. But technology has enabled us to use library resources in convenient and various ways these days. Visit our library to borrow a book or download Libby, SimplyE, or Hoopla today!

What’s all the hoopla about Hoopla, Libby and SimplyE? These FREE media services allow library patrons to download or stream media content. Sign into a library at your fingertips. You will have access to eBooks, audiobooks, popular music, TV shows, movies, and more. All you need is your library card and a valid email address. Need help downloading an app? See Port O’Connor’s helpful librarians for assistance.

If you are a reader who prefers to hold a borrowed book, please come and browse the shelves. Should you not find what you need, Librarian Michelle Marlin or Assistant Librarian Margaret Claiborne can easily help you borrow from another location or make suggestions depending on your reading preferences.

POC Library Hours: Phone Number: 361-983-4365
Sunday – Monday: Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 10:30 – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Friends of the POC Library:
The Friends of the POC library is a support group and welcome ALL who would like to join, contribute, or attend a sponsored event with this organization in supporting the POC Library for the enrichment of all ages in our community. The Friends make every effort to offer quality events for residents and the greater community. Cultivate relationships and interests by attending events regardless of how you learn about dates and times, whether you learn through word of mouth or read a publication with dates and times. Rest assured that ALL events are free, do not require “club” membership, nor are they “exclusive.”

Wednesdays:
8:00 AM-9:00 AM- Coffee & Conversation: Attend and “espresso” yourself at this weekly meeting with folks of all ages in our community.
9:30 – 10:30 Bingo for local senior citizens –but ALL AGES are welcome! Free to enter and win some great prizes. Special thanks to the generosity of the noted sponsors.
• April 12th : Bingo sponsored by Bethany Senior Living
• April 19th: Bingo sponsored by Port Lavaca Nursing & Rehabilitation
1:00-3:30 PM- Mahjongg –Fun Fact: Mahjongg is literally translated from “sparrows.” Birds of a feather Mahjongg together. All levels accepted: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Please join us whether you require tutoring or not.
Thursdays: 1:00 PM-4:00 PM- Bridge – Two is company. Three is a crowd. Four is a Bridge Game! Anyone is welcome to play!

Specific Dates for POC Multipurpose Room
April’s Children Program was Planting and Easter Crafts. So many participants agreed that it was fun and an awesome spring activity. Many, many thanks to the numerous volunteers who help to create and serve at these community events!
Mark your calendar for the next event in May!
• 10:00 – 11:00, May 20, Saturday Children’s Event: Flowers and Planting

Planning your summer vacation? Remember that reading can take you anywhere! As soon as Calhoun County Library’s website is clear of construction, sign up for Reading is RAD – I love the 80s. (cclibrary.org). Mark your calendar for our summer programs which will begin in June and be through July on every Tuesday at 10:30 EXCEPT for the 4th of July. That program will be on Thursday, July 6th. See you there!

Submitted by Darla Miles/ Friends of the Port O’ Connor Library, Publicity Committee

Children enjoying the April Children’s Event at the Library