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

The Calhoun County Republican Club will be hosting Michael Quinn Sullivan, the publisher of Texas Scorecard, on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 6:00p.m. at Drifters Hall, 5287 FM 3084, Port Lavaca, TX 77979.

Through news reporting and investigative journalism, Texas Scorecard provides citizens the knowledge they need to effectively dominate government and culture and exists for the purpose of reporting on the advancement of self-governance in the Lone Star State. Mr. Sullivan has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine contributor, Capitol Hill staffer, and think-tank vice-president. Texas Monthly called him “the enforcer” in their list of the most influential Texans, while the Dallas Morning News has called him the state’s “most powerful” unelected Republican.

A catered meal is available at 5:00pm for $12 with a reservation. Please call (361) 552-6313 or email CCRCLUB@proton.me to RSVP for dinner or for more information.

April’s Book Club meeting was held on a perfect Spring afternoon, overlooking our beautiful Matagorda Bay, and was a fun and entertaining event! Hostesses Connie Britton, Jeanette Henke, Kathleen Simmons, and Sandra Pustka went all out in portraying April’s book, Bet Your Bottom Dollar, by Karin Gillespie.

All the delicacies served came straight from the pages of the book, spun from the streets of the one-horse town of Cayboo Creek, South Carolina! The Hostesses delighted the Ladies with homemade meat loaf, baby corn on the cob, a beautiful bowl of fruit, hummus and pimento cheese served on crackers, coleslaw, jalapeno corn muffins, Funions, Pork Skins, a can of Vienna Sausages for fun, and various candies, all sold in Cayboo Creek’s “Bottom Dollar Emporium”- Baby Ruths, Milky Ways, Red Hots, and Swizzle Sticks. Tea, bottled water, and wine accompanied the yummy food, and dessert was Vanila Ice Cream served with a side of candy bars!

The book discussion began with the hostesses handing out $1.00 bills (with a song attached) to select members of the audience who were expected to “actively participate”!! The Hostesses read excerpts and quotes from the book, and asked thought-provoking questions about the various characters and episodes in the book, to which the Ladies responded. In a repeat performance, Cindy Boone danced around the room, and belted her heart out in a rambunctious karaoke rendition of “You Can Bet Your Bottom Dollar” by Canadian singer, Jack Scott, and all the “Active Participants” jumped in and sang!
It was a fun, lively, loud, and laughter-filled afternoon, and all agreed the book was a fun account of life in small town America, where the residents rise up to fight against big box stores running little guys out of business, and long kept family secrets are uprooted and exposed, interlocking the lives of the book’s characters in shocking and surprising ways.

Everyone thanked the Hostesses for their hard work in making it such a fun and wonderful afternoon!

Our next Book Club meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 2:00 p.m. The book is Crowded In The Middle of Nowhere by Dr. Bo Brock, a Texas Veterinarian. If you are interested in joining “Hooked On Books”, please email your contact information to alanehaardt@yahoo.com.
Submitted by Alane Haardt

At the “Hooked on Books” meeting