All hands on deck! The annual Freeport to Port O’Connor Toy Run will arrive Saturday afternoon at Clark’s. There will be lots of toys to unload and transport to the Community Center.

There, volunteers will sort them out to be distributed to many children in our area.

This generous group has been sharing with our children for many years – whether the weather is fair or not.

And that evening, they will participate in the Boat Parade.

Every year since the 60’s there has been a tradition at Seadrift’s St. Patrick Church to have a fund-raiser event each fall. This was started by the Catholic Ladies Club. It began with turkey dinner plates and it has morphed into not only turkey dinners, but delicious Oriental fare provided by the local Catholic Vietnamese community.

In the last few years the title of the event became known as the church’s Fall Festival. On October 30th of this year six hundred-fifty plates were sold. Plates varied from the traditional turkey dinner to egg rolls or Vietnamese noodles. Along with the food choices there was a country store, bake sale, and a raffle where the first place was a fishing trip and dinner from Bay Flats Lodge.

The event took six months of planning by the planning committee of six members: Sandy Reese, Charlene Terrell, Linda Ovalle, Cindy Hanson, and Tommye Schustereit. Sandy Reese, the president of the pastoral council, had this to say about the Fall Festival, “It was a huge success and we thank the entire community for their continued support.”

Monies raised from this event will go towards the renovation of their sanctuary.
-Tanya DeForest

The timeless hymn by Josiah G. Holland says it best…”There’s a song in the air! There’s a star in the sky! There’s a mother’s deep prayer and a Baby’s low cry!”

Christmas IS a celebration of song and it’s all about the Savior!

The Seadrift Community Choir invites the public to join them in their Christmas Celebration of Song.

History of the Seadrift Community Choir

The community choir first brought the Christmas message to the Seadrift Community on December 8, 1989, singing the cantata “Joyful and Triumphant” for the lighting of the Christmas tree at Seadrift City Hall. The idea of a community choir was envisioned by Barbara Stanfill and Nancy Childress during lunch one day at Fannin Middle School. Coincidentally, the Rev. Joe Duffner, pastor of the First Baptist Church, had the same idea and brought a copy of the cantata to Nancy to preview. In 1989 the choir was funded by the First Baptist Church and, thereafter, by the singers. Since its inception, only in 1995 and 2020 did the choir not organize. The choir prepares its program during nine 11/2 hour rehearsals and, this year, will present performances at area churches, the Seadrift School, Trinity Shores Retirement Center and the Seadrift Chamber of Commerce Christmas celebration at the Bayfront pavilion. It is their pleasure and privilege to bring the message of the season to their community.

Performance Schedule

Sun., Dec. 4 9:00 am St. Patrick Catholic Church, Seadrift
6:00 pm First Assembly of God, Seadrift

Thu., Dec. 8 6:00 pm Trinity Shores, Port Lavaca

Fri., Dec. 9 2:00 pm Seadrift School, Seadrift

Sat., Dec. 10 4:45 pm Bayfront Pavilion w/Seadrift C of C
7:00 pm St. Joseph Catholic Church,
Port O’Connor

Sun., Dec. 11 11:00 am First United Methodist Church, Seadrift
6:00 pm First Baptist Church, Seadrift

Wed., Dec. 14 7:00 pm Salem Lutheran Church, Port Lavaca

The goblins and ghosts all showed up for the annual trunk or treat on October 29th at Front Beach. We had some great displays this year but the Chapman family from Lockhart took first place with the POC Cemetery. Honorable mention went to Encanto and Zolta. Reno Glover took first place in the dog costume contest. Thank you to everyone that participated, and we know the kids and the hounds all had a great time.

Small Business Saturday is November 26th this year. Please support our businesses and when possible, shop local!!
The Second Annual Poker Run will be held the Saturday November 26th, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Registration and your first card will be available at Josie’s Cantina starting at 10:00 a.m. Each hand will be $25.00 and you will draw additional cards at stops in Port O’ Connor. You can participate with any means of transportation, golfcart, bicycle, car, etc.

The Annual Toy Run will be Saturday, December 3rd. Boats will leave Freeport that morning and arrive at Clarks in the early afternoon loaded with toys and bikes for the kids in Port O’ Connor and surrounding areas. Volunteers will be waiting and will unload the gifts and place them in trailers. Then the trailers will head to the community center for sorting and then distribution.

Later that evening, around 6:30, the Lighted Boat Parade will get under way at the little jetties and move down the ICW to just past Scurlock Street. The boat parade is open to all boats that meet the minimum US Coast Guard Safety requirements. There is no fee to enter, and plaques will be awarded in several categories: Best Overall, Most Spirited, Most Unique, Best Commercial, Best Large Pleasure, Best Medium Pleasure, and Best Small Pleasure. If you are interested in participating in the parade, please go to www.portoconnorchamber.com/local-events/lightedboatparaderegistration to register online.

Annual board elections are coming up at our December 12th meeting. If you are interested in joining our team and promoting the goals of the Chamber let us know. We have monthly meetings and work on several projects and events throughout the year. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else, please send an email to info@portoconnorchamber.com.

Welcome to our new and renewing members this month: TISD and Bay Bandits. Remember to renew your membership in January!

Our meetings are the second Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Port O’Connor Library Multipurpose Room. We welcome everyone to come out and get involved.

Remember to visit the chamber calendar to stay up to date on all the local events. https://business.portoconnorchamber.com/events/calendar