1. This year Calhoun County Senior Citizens has teamed up with Texas Chrome Hero’s Foundation to hold a Senior Citizens’ and First Responders’ Thanksgiving lunch. This will be held Tuesday, November 15th at 11:30 a.m. at the POC Community Center. RSVP IS REQUIRED as seating is limited. Please call Pat Ekstrom at 361-983-2030, Kassie Smith at 512-844-5862 or call CCSCA at 361-552-3350.

Those 60+ in POC and Seadrift, as well as our POC and Seadrift 1st responders are welcome!

Additionally, if anyone is, or knows of POC residents who are shut-ins who would like a meal, we will have delivery available but you must RSVP as well!

2. Attention POC people! On NOVEMBER 23rd we will be giving out Thanksgiving meals for the underprivileged/elderly of our community. If you would be interested or know someone that is in need please contact Kassie Smith at 512-844-5862. The pickup will be located at LOCO GRINGO BBQ. Delivery will be available, but limited. Please contact us as a soon as possible so we can make plans.

If you would like to donate please contact us and let’s make a difference in our community!

3. Calhoun County Senior Citizens Annual Thanksgiving Lunch will be held on Thursday, November 17th at The Heritage Center. There will be 2 seatings; the first will be at 11:30 a.m. and the 2nd at 12:45 p.m. RSVP IS REQUIRED. Please call 361-552-3350 to RSVP and be added to the list! Seating is limited and available to those 60+ and their spouses. First responders are also invited to attend!

“Beacon of Light…Anchor of the Community”

Library News:
September was Library Card Sign-Up Month. Why should you have one? Card holders can check out more than just books. By using a card, patrons save money on entertainment, such as books and streaming services for audio-books, videos and music. These are just a few of the great benefits of possessing a library card.

Reading is FUNdamental! Plus, when you sign up, you are helping demonstrate that YOUR library is important for future funding. Simply take a look at the new arrivals: books and DVDs.

Take note of the business hours and contact information listed below. Librarian Michelle Marlin is ready to accommodate your needs. POC Library Hours:

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

Friends of the POC Library:

The Friends of the POC library is a support group and welcome all who would like to join this hardworking organization in supporting the POC Library.

Donations are accepted year-round and can be dropped off at the library. No need to wait until end-of-the-year gifting season.

Libraries are certainly different than they used to be. Not only are they valued for the books on the shelves but are also valued for experiences and spaces. The POC Library and The Friends partner to utilize the library and Multipurpose Room to provide a sense of community, such as meeting spots and venues for events and lectures. Thirty-one children attended September’s Children’s activity sponsored by the Friends of the Library. How exciting! With the generosity of the community, events are planned and many are well-attended.

Please mark your calendar for the following weekly events as well as the specific dates. Members and visitors are always welcome. Please join us!

Weekly Events:

Wednesdays: 8:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m.- “Coffee and Conversation”
Take a few minutes to visit with your “coffee mates” and neighbors over a hot cup of coffee!
Thursday: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Bridge
Fridays: 1:00-3:00 PM- “Mahjongg”

Specific Dates for POC Multipurpose Room:

October 11- Hooked on Books Club meeting
October 19 – Bingo 9:30
October 27 – Riders of the Orphan Train at 6:00 PM
(see info below)
November 28 – Wreath Making

Riders of the Orphan Train

Few people today know much about the largest child migration in history. Between 1854 and 1929 over 250,000 orphans and unwanted children were taken out of New York City and given away at train stations across America. Children were sent to every state in the continental United States; the last train went to Sulphur Springs, Texas in 1929.

This “placing out” system was originally organized by Methodist minister Charles Loring Brace and the Children’s Aid Society of New York. His mission was to rid the streets and overcrowded orphanages of homeless children and provide them with an opportunity to find new homes. Many of the children were not orphans but “surrendered” by parents too impoverished to keep them. The New York Foundling Hospital, a Catholic organization, also sent out children to be placed in Catholic homes. This seventy-six year experiment in child relocation is filled with the entire spectrum of human emotion and reveals a great deal about the successes and failures of the American Dream. Source: (ridersontheorphantrain.org)

The one-hour multi- media program combines live music by Phillip Lancaster and Alison Moore, video montage with archival photographs and interviews of survivors, and a dramatic reading of the 2012 novel “Riders on the Orphan Train” by award-winning author Alison Moore.

Although the program is about children, it is designed to engage audiences of all ages and to inform, inspire and raise awareness about this little-known part of history.

Local relatives and acquaintances of Orphan Train Riders are especially invited to attend and share their stories with the audience.

The Mission of the POC Community Garden Club is to establish  garden plots and other zones such as orchards, chicken coops, or bee keeping areas for local residents and community members to garden and participate in food production. The primary objectives of the Club are to advance the knowledge, science, and practice of gardening in the Port O’Connor area. The POC Community Garden Club is making progress on both the garden site and club activities. Here’s an update on both:

We cannot say thank you enough to the folks at Lester Contracting! Buddy Janca did one heck of a job clearing the four acres for the garden. Lester Contracting provided the equipment and manpower to get this job done in less than a week, and now we are preparing to construct the raised beds for phase 1 of the Garden. Feel free to check it out – the Garden is located at the corner of 16th and Harrison. Please contact Cindy Hanson, POCCGC President, (cindyfriemel@yahoo.com) if you are interested in securing a garden plot.

Our Club activities are under way as well. The Club has scheduled monthly educational meetings to assist all community members interested in gardening. The monthly programs focus on a variety of topics including natural fertilizers, pest control and weed prevention strategies, canning and food preservation, comparison planting, and appropriate plants and timelines for Zone 9B. Whether you have a garden plot at home or at the community garden, you are welcome to join the club (just $20) and learn about gardening. The first Club meeting was held on October 18th and focused on how to build a raised bed. The next meeting is November 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the Library Multipurpose Room and the topic will be “Garden Resources and Planting Guides”.

Be on the lookout for our fund raising efforts. We have several activities planned!

Now in its third year, San Antonio Bay Partnership (SABP) Shorelines Cleanup has blossomed into a multi-day and multi-partner effort to remove awful trash. On Thurs, Sept. 22 employees of Braskem Seadrift cleaned shorelines at Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area along Broad Bayou. On Tues, Sept. 27 the Seadrift community, under the leadership of Janie Waghorne, mobilized 10 local boat captains for their inaugural cleanup, and Aransas National Wildlife Refuge staff cleaned up the refuge shorelines. Thursday, Sept. 29 brought the entire senior class from Victoria’s St. Joe High School to clean shorelines out of Port O’Connor as their class service project. On Saturday, October 1, boats went out of Port O’Connor for the third year. Additionally, several boats cleaned shorelines individually throughout the period.

“It was gratifying to be able to significantly expand the effort this year. By all measures, the event was the most successful yet in terms of participation” said Allan Berger, SABP Chair and Cleanup Coordinator. “It’s indicative of the increased awareness and community concern about plastic litter in our bays.”

Total effort included 183 persons and 33 boats that removed approximately four tons (3 roll-off bins) of trash from our bay shorelines throughout the Port O’Connor & Seadrift areas. Over 54 miles of shorelines are now cleaner due to these dedicated volunteers.

As teams picked up trash, a designated team member recorded each item on a data sheet. This data reveals the staggering amount of trash in our bays and is the key to providing insights into how the trash ended up in the bay. This year over 11 thousand items were removed from our local bays. Cumulatively, over the three years of the Shorelines Cleanup event, 31,017 pieces of trash were removed. Berger uses the data to assess local sources of trash and observes that much of the trash appears to be items blown off boats — and could be prevented by changes in boater behavior.

“Marine litter is a problem, aesthetically and, as the science continues to show, environmentally. For those of us who grew up on the Texas Coast, it’s like someone dumping a load of trash in your front yard.” Berger said, “Picking it up is effortful. Doing this work as part of a dedicated team though replaces the drudgery with camaraderie and fun competition.”

Over 50 miles of shoreline was cleaned, but it’s not enough. The real impact will come if we change our collective habits to reduce the plastics entering our bays. “I challenge each of you to review your choices and actions regarding single-use plastics.” Berger said, “A good place to start is to ‘skip the plastics’ on your boat! To keep the bay cleaner, use refillable water bottles or refillable coffee cups.”

Funding for the events was provided by a NOAA Marine Debris Program Community-based Marine Debris Removal grant obtained by the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program. Other sponsors included Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, San Antonio River Authority, H-E-B, TPWD, and USFW. Thanks to all!”

See SABayParntership.org for a full report and pictures. The event is volunteer driven. If you would like to be on the contact list for next year’s event, contact AllanRBerger@outlook.com or text to 713-829-2852. Boats and crews are always needed.