As much as we hate to see an iconic restaurant like Cathy’s close, we wish only the best for Cathy and her staff. We thank you for the years of support you have shown the Chamber and our community. You will be truly missed!

Our Trunk or Treat event will be held Saturday October 29th on Park Street at the Kingfisher beach. We will have a dog costume contest again this year. So, dress up the kids and the hounds and plan on a fun safe event.

The Second Annual Poker Run will be held 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. 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, golf cart, bicycle, car, etc.

The Annual Toy Run and Lighted Boat Parade will be Saturday, December 3. Boats will arrive at Clark’s in the early afternoon loaded with hundreds of toys for the kids in Port O’ Connor and surrounding areas. The boat parade will start a little after dark and will light up the ICW. If you are interested in participating in the parade, please go to the chamber website and look under events.

The Board of Directors has made the decision not to host the annual Christmas Party and instead focus our efforts on the Casino Membership Appreciation event which will be held February 24th. We will have our annual Chamber business meeting on December 12th.

Our meetings are the second Monday of the month at 6:30 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

If you have not already heard about pickleball, it wont be too long before you do. This friendly, fun, and social game has garnered millions of players of all ages. So what exactly is pickleball?

It is an enjoyable racket game that combines elements of ping-pong, tennis and badminton, and no matter what your fitness level may be, you can still enjoy the game. You play with a paddle that looks like an oversized ping pong paddle and the ball is made of plastic that contains lots of holes, similar to a Wiffle ball. The courts are smaller than tennis courts and the net is not as high. Pickleball can be played in doubles or singles format, though it is most often played in doubles.

Due to the generosity of the Service Club, we now have two courts at the community center pavilion to play the game on. They are marked with yellow tape. The Service Club also purchased two nets and eight paddles for our use.
For those who are interested in getting started on this fun game, or if you already know how to play, the courts will be open play (first come first served) on Wednesdays and Sundays, as well as some Saturdays, when the pavilion is not in use. The time will be from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Nets will be set up and balls and paddles will be out for your use. Each player will need to initially sign a waiver before play and they will be near the nets on a clip board.

Open play will start November 2nd. If you are interested in playing between now and then, contact Cindy Hanson at 361-676-3093 for the nets and instructions. And thanks again to the Service Club for funding the equipment !!!

Clay Shoot: POC’s inaugural Clay Shoot, held on Saturday, October 8, was a huge success, and the Service Club would like to thank all the organizations, businesses, and individuals who worked in any capacity; donated money, raffle items, and prizes; or helped with the Clay Shoot in any way! We could not have done it without you! We also want to thank all of the Clay Shoot participants, their families, and all of the spectators, who also made this fun event so successful! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You to everyone involved! All proceeds from the Clay Shoot went to the Port O’ Connor Community Center Board for their “Community Center Facelift Project”, and we are happy to support this important and much needed project!

Fall Mega Garage Sale: The Club’s “Fall Mega Garage Sale” is fast approaching- Saturday, November 5 from 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., at the POC Community Center Pavilion. The Garage Sale will be HUGE this year, so please plan to come on out and support us! There will be something for everyone, and you won’t want to miss it! The Club continues to accept your generous donations of gently used household, decorative and kitchen items; small appliances (in good condition and working order}; clothing; shoes; toys; children’s and baby items. For your convenience, we have a “Donation Drop Box” located at the front of our Donation Center, which is the building immediately behind the Community Center Pavilion. As always, we appreciate your continued support so that we can keep doing great things for the POC Community. (Please note that we cannot accept computers, electronics, mattresses, or microwaves!!) To donate, please contact one of the Service Club Members listed below.

Pickle Ball: The Service Club is proud to announce that its new Community-wide Project for 2022, the “Pickle Ball Courts” at the POC Community Center Pavilion, are up and running! See article on page 3 for details.

Meetings: The Service Club meets the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month, with its next meetings being November 3 at 8:00 a.m. at the Community Center Pavilion, and November 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the POC Community Center. If you are interested in joining this fun, hardworking group, please feel free to contact one of the ladies listed below, or visit one of our meetings and check us out! All Ladies are welcome!

Farmers Market: Please continue to support the Service Club’s Booth at the Farmers Market, held the second Saturday of every month, next one being Saturday, November 12, 2022 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. We have a variety of homemade breads and sweets, plants, hand crafted items, and, of course, our “Service Club Cookbooks” There is something for everyone, so please stop by!

Senior Citizens Christmas Luncheon: Each year the Service Club hosts a Christmas Luncheon for all of POC’s wonderful Senior Citizens, and this year’s Luncheon will be held on Friday, December 2, at 11:30 a.m. at the beautifully decorated “Merry and Bright” POC Community Center!! All Senior Citizens are invited and encouraged to join us for this huge Christmas Celebration, help us ring in the Yuletide Season, and partake of a delicious meal of home cooked goodies prepared by the Service Club Ladies!! Come help us celebrate with fun and festive Christmas caroling and merriment as we “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly”!!!! There will be prizes galore, lots of fun and laughter, and it’s all completely free!! You don’t want to miss this wonderful Christmas Event!

Contacts:
Alane Haardt- 281-416-6028; Marie Hawes- 361-676-3093; Nan Burnett- 832-276-5948; Nancy Ladshaw- 830-832-0510

Linda had taught at the Seadrift School for fifty years. As one member of the Seadrift community so aptly put it, “She touched the lives of nearly everyone in Seadrift.”

Linda passed September 13, 2022 in Yukon, Oklahoma at the age of seventy-eight. She was born on February 21, 1944 in Los Angeles, California.

She came to Seadrift in 1966. That was her first year at the Seadrift School. She taught English, Home Economics, and was a cheerleader sponsor.

Celia “Sally” Jones, 84, of Port O’Connor, Texas, passed away quietly on September 23, 2022. She was a resident of Port O’Connor for over 50 years.

Sally was born to Pedro and Josefa Garcia on December 23, 1937, in San Antonio, Texas. She began working from a young age and her strong work ethic kickstarted a career of over 25 years with MI Drilling and Smith, Inc., in the service industry.

Sally was preceded in death by one son, Randall Allan Reed and her husband of forty-six years, Russell Allen Jones. Sally leaves behind three children: William (Alice) Reed, Jr. of Port O’Connor, Robin (Jonathan) Chapman of Millbrook, Alabama, and Rachel (Simon) Sanchez of Fort Worth. She leaves behind six grandchildren, Kati Chapman, Kelcy Chapman, Sabrina Sanchez, Kallie (David) Beretta, Kole Chapman, and Rainia Sanchez, and one great granddaughter Alyth Lenae Leon. Additionally, Sally leaves behind four siblings, Alberto Garcia, Andres Garcia, Hortencia Vasquez, and Thomasa Flores all of San Antonio, Texas.

Sally retired in 2008 and spent her time going to coffee with the ladies, gardening, helping in the community, teaching water aerobics, and shopping; she could often be seen dressed from head to toe in her own unique, trendsetting style, even just to go to Cathy’s. Sally was active in the POC Service Club and was a part of multiple fundraising events to give back and improve the coastal town she called home. She also attended the First Baptist Church of Port O’Connor. Her beautiful smile would light up a room along with her bling. She will be missed immensely.

The family welcomes your attendance to A Celebration of Life to be held at First Baptist Church of Port O’Connor at 1:0 pm on October 22, 2022, followed by lunch and refreshments at the POC Community Center.