You are invited to the Annual Fish Fry

to benefit Calhoun County Work Activity Center

at Grace Episcopal Church
213 East Austin Street, Port Lavaca, Texas

Sunday, August 12, 2012 – 12:30 p.m.

Music, Entertainment and Baked Goods

Donations Accepted

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: Johnathon Pitonyak; Audie Vasquez

August 16: Sue Kubecka

August 18: Mikaela Overton

August 19: Amie Reed; Robbie Hawes

August 20: Bobbye Martin; George Cady; Melanie Vossler; Natalie Harper; Derek Vasquez Jr.

August 21: Jackie Luker; Brandie Baird; Brittney Collins

August 22: Ted Brown; Ryan Hamerly

August 23: Tim Sandoval

August 24: Aireal Pressley; Lloyd Aflord

In 2012, Texas shoppers get a break from state and local sales taxes on Aug. 17, 18 and 19 — the state’s annual tax holiday. Lay-away plans can be used again this year to take advantage of the sales tax holiday. As in previous years, the law exempts most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks priced under $100 from sales and use taxes, which could save shoppers about $8 on every $100 they spend.

On Friday, August 17, a Tejano/Vaquero Exhibit Forum and Reception will be hosted by the Calhoun County Culture and Cuisine Committee at the Bauer Community Center, 2300 Highway 35 N, Port Lavaca, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Serving will be several guest panelists from Goliad, Victoria, San Antonio and Port Lavaca.

You are welcomed and please feel free to attend this informative Forum. There is no charge for attendance.

You are also invited to become a part of the Culture Cuisine Committee. Meetings are the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Street Inc Meeting Room (in back of Texas Traditions). Your input is needed to highlight the numerous cultures we are fortunate to have in Calhoun County. In researching for the First Annual Cultures and Cuisine Event it was determined that we had no less than 15 cultures and 15 different actively languages spoken in our County.

Schedule of Meeting Dates: August 6; September 3; October 1; November 5, December 3, 2012, January 7, 2013; February 4 and event date March 16, 2013.

For more information, please call Rose Pena at 361-652-0410 or Joe Mireles at 361-482-9906.

This seems to be the time to talk Spanish. In my case that would definitely have to be “un poco Espanol” or whatever is the correct spelling. The Calhoun County Museum has a fine Tejano exhibition for the next few months. The State of Texas has recently dedicated a Tejano statue type exhibit in Austin. Port Lavaca has this Culture and Cuisine series going where you can hear Tejano music along with other styles. That is part of the new Culture and Cuisine effort that was started this year and is planned to be an annual event.

Tejano is an interesting word that has evolved over the years in the Spanish language. Spanish has grown since the number of people who speak it has grown exponentially since Columbus sailed this direction in 1492. At that time Spanish speakers lived on the Iberian Peninsula and that was all. Nowadays it is third on the list of world languages. Most of us know that the Spanish settled in and colonized Central and South America with an extension up into our area and other parts of the Southwest of what would become the United States.

Their conquistadors traveled north and east from Mexico. The conquistadors got up around Caddo Lake and the Caddo Indians by 1540. Those Indians called the Spanish “tayshas’” which meant friend to them. That might have been a mistake on the Indians part.. At any rate the Spanish translated that to Tejas and the name stuck. Oh, we put the X in place of the j , but that is what different folks do when they adopt foreign words.

So in Spanish colonial days the term meant those folks who lived on the other side of the Rio Grande in “Tejas”. It is no harder for even this un poco guy to translate tejas into tejano. Certainly it was no harder than Texas into Texan.

Then as Mexico began to rule their own destiny and they allowed Anglo folks like Stephen Austin to settle in the territory, things began to change. For a while in the 1800’s the term Tejano meant Spanish speaking Texans and other Europeans who were Hispanicized.

It might be pointed out that in the war for independence against Santa Anna all the people on the winning side weren’t Anglos. Some of the native Mexicans were against his policies. For a starter, go up to Sequin, Texas and see the statue and read the story of Juan Sequin. He was a very important, some say hero, on our side in that war.

In the present day Tejano has a broader meaning. Generally it describes a Texan who has Mexican ancestry. The term is also used to describe certain music, some foods; the term Tex Mex might apply.

That is one of the ideas of the Tejano efforts that are in the forefront these days. They all point to the fact that we represent many different people and places in the world and Tejanos are a part of our history.