The meeting of the Service Club was held Thursday, April 7th at the Community Center at 10:00 a.m. and was followed by the members starting to prepare for the Garage Sale.

The main item on the Agenda was the Annual Spring Garage Sale which is scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 8:00 a.m. and will be held in the Pavilion of the Community Center. The Garage Sale is held semi-annually and is the source of income for our many projects in this community during the year.

Ms. Biddie Hileman, Chairman of the Sale, announced that she has a garage full of boxes that are being delivered to the Pavilion for the Sale. Additionally, she has made arrangements for workers to empty the County building of the items stored there.

Ms. Sally Ragusin, Chairman of the Bake Sale accompanying the Garage Sale, has her telephone committee calling all members to learn of their choice of baked items to bring. And with the baking talents and abilities of the members, she expects to have a variety of many different baked goods for purchase. Additionally, there will be copies of the Service Club’s 3 volume cookbook along with several pounds of walnuts.

Arrangements have been made for the speaker from Medevac to appear on Tuesday, April 12th at 1:00 p.m. following the weekly Seniors’ Luncheon and Bingo. All residents are invited to attend this meeting at the Community Center to learn what is involved with the Medevac program of airlifting potential patients to the hospital and the annual costs per family. Carol Fox, our Vice President, has confirmed the scheduling of the speaker, and she urges all Port O’Connor residents to attend.

The next meeting of the Service Club will be Thursday, April 21st at 10:00 a.m. and will be held in the back room of the Community Center. If any female member of this Community desires to be involved with working towards the betterment of our area, please consider joining the Service Club. We welcome all interested women at any time at our meetings; contact Shirley Gordon, Membership Chairman, 983-4365 or Janet Johnson, President, 983-4733 for further information. After all, you just may meet your neighbor here!

A book from a favorite author, Lisa Gardner, has just arrived at the Library; I marvel every time I read another one of her books; Ms. Gardner does not just write a novel of romantic suspense, but a novel with both highly developed plots and characters. Love You More is the latest of her books and returns the Boston Police Department investigative team of D.D. Warren and Bobby Dodge. They are called to the home of a State Trooper, Tessa Leoni, who appears to have shot her husband.

Ms. Gardner is a master at interweaving both a highly explosive plot with extremely strong characters, and she seems to have really outdone her previous books this time. The reader continues to keep turning the pages long after bedtime to see how the plot finally ends. And, why. I look forward to her next book to see how, if she can, top this one.

Luckily, one of our favorite people came into the Library earlier and asked me if I had read an interesting author, P.J. Tracy. At that time, I hadn’t, but immediately grabbed two of her books, Monkeewrench and Live Bait. Starting the first, Monkeewrench, I became highly intrigued and refused to start the laundry. The title is the name of a computer games firm, composed of some very unusual people who have developed a very serious game plotting unusual murders. And intertwined with this group in Minneapolis, is a very strange murder in Calumet, Wisconsin. The plot is excellent and the tie in of both actions in two different areas with the corresponding police force is fascinating.

But what is even more fascinating is to learn that the author is really two people: P.J. Patricia and Traci Lambrecht, a mother and daughter team who reside in Minneapolis and Los Angeles. How they form both the excellent plot and believable characters is a story within itself.

And the latest of fun books is Stuart Woods’ Lucid Intervals. This book brings back his bon vivant attorney Stone Barrington and his police detective pal, Dino Bachetti, and several totally crazy characters. The book also returns the exclusive restaurant Elaine’s in New York City which has an outstanding menu. Woods’ books are always fun to read, nothing very heavy, a good bit of diversion to stop the heavy thinking prior to sleep.

“When an old person dies, a Library burns down”
Karin Gillespie

The George Overton Stoner Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans invites you to attend The First Annual Decoration Day honoring the Fallen Soldiers of the War Between the States.

It will be held Saturday, April 16, 2011 at the Evergreen Cemetery in Victoria, Texas at 1:00 p.m. Evergreen Cemetery is located at the corner of East Red River and North Vine Street near Hwy 183.
The speakers will be Mr. Gary Dunham, Victoria Preservation Society and Mr. Michael Hurley with the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The event is free. It is open to all and all are welcome.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans is a non-political, historical, and geological society.

For further information contact Eric Chester at 361-219-1193 or stonercamp@yahoo.com

The Kindergarten students at Port O’ Connor Elementary have been studying plants in science. At least one or two days a week we walk to Tommy Smith’s garden. When we first went everything was short. Each week we visit the plants get taller and taller. The students gave Mr. Smith a little advice and told him he should get some earth worms to aerate his soil. The students love to go and it is something we look forward to each week. Thank you very much Mr. Smith for letting us visit!

“To God be the Glory – Great Things He has Done.” This beautiful weather makes you tell God “how much you appreciate living in Port O’Connor”. Fresh mowed lawns, children playing in the water, people launching their boats, cleaning fish, and the smell of steaks cooking from backyard cookers – What a wonderful place to live – Vacation every day!

People packed the church last Sunday, the first Sunday in April. In the absence of Brother Raymond Grant, I led the congregational music. Brother Raymond was attending a reunion at one of the churches he previously served. The congregation sang “To God Be the Glory”, “At Calvary”, “Tell Me the Story of Jesus” and “Oh, How I Love Jesus”. Leah Griffin sang the special music, “Because He Lives” and it was beautifully done.

Brother Marcos Gohlke preached a very inspirational sermon, “No Cross – No Power” from Mark 8: 34 to 37. Yes, it was a very soul searching and inspirational Sunday morning worship service.

Candice Stryker is planning a Big Easter Egg Hunt for all the Port O’Connor children and their guests. The fun will start Saturday, April 23, at 2:00 p.m. The eggs will be “hidden”? in special places according to the ages of the children. Parents will assist their small children and everyone is guaranteed a fun filled “hunt”. There will be prizes for some “special” eggs and all will enjoy refreshments after the hunt.

Port Lavaca First Baptist Church is having an Easter Musical/Drama on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 14, 15, 16 at their church at 7:00 p.m. each night. There is no charge, but tickets are required and available at the church office. You may call 552-2931 to reserve your tickets.

Make your plans to attend the Port O’Connor Annual “Easter Sunrise Service” on Easter Sunday morning at 7:00 a.m. on King Fisher Beach at the pavilion. Brother Marcos Gohlke, pastor of First Baptist, will deliver the Easter message and Brother Erny McDonough, pastor of Fisherman’s Chapel, will read the Scripture. Our choir will sing and there will be congregational songs led by Brother Raymond Grant. Cathy’s Restaurant will again have coffee and hot rolls for those attending the service. Be sure to bring a chair and a jacket.

See you in church Sunday!