On the 20th of May, approximately 400 combat wounded heroes will descend on Port O’Connor for a weekend of fishing and a celebration of their service and sacrifice to America. This is indeed our 16th year and has grown from about 55 heroes and some family members in 2007, maxed out at around 900 in 2016 and 2017 and now a much more doable number of around 400. You will see the big tent going up at the POC Community Center around May 11th and a beehive of activity will begin. We will once again be placing a flag in what we call our Tribute Field, one flag for every life lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. We plan to place those on Saturday, the 14th of May.

Many folks think the “war” is over, but for these heroes it never is. They must live with their wounds, seen and unseen, forever. I have said it many times, if they keep wanting to come, we will be there for them. And they do. Although we lost over 7,000 in the War on Terror, over 30,000 of these heroes have committed suicide since the war started. That is one reason why what we do is so important. And now, with what is going on in the Ukraine, who knows what lies before us. About 3 years ago I had a Command Sergeant Major friend tell me he was being deployed to middle Europe. I asked what the hell for? He said in case Russia starts anything. Our leaders have known this was coming for years or at least of the possibility of it.

What can you do to help? Well, for starters, come help us put our over 7,000 flags on May 14th. We will begin around 8:00 a.m. We need boat captains to take these heroes out on May 21st. You do not have to be a licensed boat captain, just a Patriot with a boat. Please go to www.warriorsweekend.org and click on Boat Captain sign up. If you do register, come to our fish fry on Friday night the 20th at the big tent starting around 6:00 p.m. You must also register at Froggies either Friday beginning around 3:00 p.m. or Saturday morning around 5:00 a.m. You will be given instructions and guidelines then. You may also download the Warrior’s Weekend app and register on your phone. You may also email us at warriorswknd@yahoo.com with any questions.

We do need you. The heroes need you. Let’s continue to show them that somebody gives a damn and has not forgotten their service and sacrifice. -Ron Kocian

Just around the corner is the May 7th Seadrift City election for two councilman positions. There are three candidates running. Each one would appreciate your vote!
Voting with be held at City’s Council Chamber at City Hall from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the 7th of May. Early voting will at the City Hall offices April 25th through April 29th and on May 2nd and May 3rd. The hours for early voting will be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On April 26th and April 28th the voting hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. See you there!
Tanya DeForest

Council Candidates:

Ranier Brigham
“The Redfish Fisherman”

Ranier Brigham loves the Seadrift community. That’s why he wants to keep serving as a Seadrift councilman for the City of Seadrift. He will be running again for the position of Seadrift Councilman in the May 7th Seadrift City election.

“I want to make sure that the city keeps moving forward. The city has a drainage as well as a harbor project that I want to continue to be part of,” he stated. He, also, wants to make sure that Seadrift continues to have a good police department.
Ranier has been a Seadrift resident for thirty years. He retired from Union Carbide after twenty-seven years of service. He is a man of many talents and has been a rigger, machinist, pipe draftsman, pipe fitter, and has done industrial cleaning. He has served on the Seadrift council for ten years. He is currently over Public Safety, which includes the Volunteer Fire Department as well as the Police Department.

For twenty-one years Ranier has been a full-time redfish fishing guide-that’s why he’s called the Redfish Fisherman!”

Byron Smith
“Combination Building and Fire Inspector”

Byron Smith wants to see Seadrift continue to thrive and is running for Seadrift Councilman in the May 7th Seadrift City election.
He has lived in Seadrift for twenty years. The love for fishing and duck hunting brought Byron’s family to the Seadrift area many years ago when Byron was in high school.

Byron works as a building and fire inspector, which included working in the past for the cities of Port Lavaca and Bay City. Also, his work history includes being a retired code enforcement officer, master electrician, Texas Plumbing Inspector, Registered Accessibility Specialist, and a retired Floodplain Administrator.

Byron hopes that his background of working for city government would benefit the City of Seadrift by being on the Seadrift City Council.

Eldon Gaines
“Moving Forward”

Eldon Gaines wants to do what he can to help Seadrift “in moving forward in a positive direction for growth and sustainability.” That’s why he is running for the Seadrift City Councilman position in the May 7th City Election.
Eldon (also known as Dale) has lived in Seadrift most of his life. He has been employed at Orion Marine Group as a carpenter for the past 21 plus years. He, also, has been employed by the City of Seadrift and has worked for the County.
He served on the Seadrift Planning Committee where he learned to some extent how local government interacts with various other government agencies. Eldon feels that based on his experience he could help Seadrift “obtain goals that are in the best long-term interest of the city.” Eldon says that “Infrastructure is important to him. He, also, says “Seeing first hand the growing pains and growth rewards (of the city) over the last decade behooves me to do what I can.”

Port O’Connor Community Center

Over 25 years ago, the citizens of Port O’Connor had a dream of someday having a gateway and a center point in the community where all kinds of events could take place- sports, weddings, funerals, meetings, reunions, etc. The community as a whole, decided to help themselves and not depend on the government to complete this project. The County did become partners in the project by donating the land where the buildings now sit. This is a great example of what community and county unity can accomplish! It took countless hours of hard work to raise the money and make the dream come true. Not many communities the size of Port O’Connor have such an extraordinary asset. Thousands have walked through the doors and we want to make it possible for many more to do so.

The Community Center opened its doors in 1999 and the buildings were deeded to Calhoun County to rent out and maintain. The community uses the grounds as needed and many of the events are not charged a rental fee. Community organizations, churches, funerals, Calhoun County Senior Citizen luncheons and benefits usually hold events free of charge. The rent collected each year does not cover expenses, but Calhoun County absorbs the costs in their budget and keeps the complex operational.

After all these years, the complex is in need of a FACELIFT. The Community has again decided to help themselves. The Board of Directors of the Community Center, the POC Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of the Library, the POC Community Service Club, plus other groups and individuals, have agreed to work together and raise the funds needed to complete all these renovations. This project will take time, money, and many volunteer hours. Get on board, get involved, and be part of this exciting undertaking!

PHASE I: New flooring in the Pavilion bathrooms and kitchen. Overhead door installed on the north opening of the pavilion near the bathrooms. Paint and new countertops in kitchen. Projected cost $15,000.00.

PHASE II: Add 2 additional stalls in each pavilion bathroom. Add onto storage room. Paint, sinks and countertops.

PHASE III: Community Center floors throughout, paint all indoor walls and outside trim, kitchen and bath countertops, new stoves in kitchen.
Since PHASE II and III are in the future and prices are rising at an alarming rate, we do not have an exact estimate of costs for them, but we expect the final total estimate for all the renovations to be around $200,000.00

Grants are being applied for and fund raisers are in the planning stages.

Taco Thursday Launch Party June 23, 2022
Join us at the Community Center and find out what the plans are. Enjoy the taco bar and pick your favorite dessert.
Clay Shoot Competition
October 8, 2022
Community Center
Teams are entered from all over, so come out and watch them show off their shooting skills. Don’t miss out on all the FUN!!!!
Other events are in the planning stages. Details coming soon. -Diane Cooley

Clint & Corky

Island Winds and Easter Sunrise

Greetings from the island everyone! I hope that all of you are doing well and adjusting to the Spring time change. It always takes me awhile to adjust, because I like starting my days not with a clock, but instead with the rising of the sun. So with sunrise being a bit later, I feel like I’m getting a late start. But that’s OK, it’s not a fire drill, and it’s not like I have a time scheduled job at which to report.

The weather days are getting nicer, but these winds have really been brutal. I think those March winds have certainly carried over into April, and I just hope that they start dying down soon. There are days that the high winds, 20-30 mph, simply make it not worth the risk in trying to cross the bay. Yes, it would probably turn out fine, just an uncomfortable and long rough ride, but it would only take once for a rogue wave to cause havoc and make you a drowning statistic. . no thank you.

What I do hope that April brings are some much needed rain showers. It has been a good 6-8 weeks since any decent measurable rain has fallen on the island, so I could definitely use a good drenching out here. And with my garden just now getting underway, the occasional soaking rain would be wonderful. There’s just something about a good rain watering the garden, and having a more positive effect on the plants versus watering them from a hose or watering can. I believe that the falling rain helps oxygenate the soil and has a better outcome.

Well Easter is but a few days away, a wonderful time of year to give thanks and feel blessed for what you have. We always wish for our lives to be better, and to have “things” to make us more comfortable, and often overlook just how good we have it. I can assure you that your life could ALWAYS be worse, so enjoy every sunrise and sunset that you can. And speaking of sunrises, I’ll head down to the island beach early that Sunday morning, to enjoy what will hopefully be a beautiful sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico waters. I find every sunrise to be beautiful, but Easter morning sunrises are truly special, and I hope that everyone can see it.

That’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a wonderful Easter Sunday.