CMO MARKET SALE – Saturday, June 25, starting at 7:30 am

Dick’s Food Store, Seadrift

All kinds of sweets, including pineapple upside-down cake, hommade kolaches (taking orders for large amounts), beer bread, healthy breakfast cookies.

Candied Jalepeños, Jalapeño Jelly, Pickled Beets, Home canned Sauerkraut

Please visit us and make a purchase or donation to this awesome group:
Combat Marine Outdoors

-Mary Hodges

Combat Marine Outdoors Fishing Trip in Seadrift

While POC celebrated Warriors Weekend 2016, a celebration of another kind was happening at the Welder Cliburn Ranch just southwest of Seadrift. About 20 combat wounded veterans from Army, Navy and the Marines were fishing, fellowshipping and recovering together.

Combat Marine Outdoors (CMO) serves veterans who would find the larger event difficult or even impossible. These vets are still in the process of recovery, just making the transition from hospital or rehab and need extra help and smaller venues. The 20 vets who participated this year flew in on Thursday, received a welcome procession and made a visit to the Seadrift School to speak with small groups of students about their experiences. They fished out of Seadrift with designated guides who donated their time and expertise and spent preparation time to be prepared for their unique outing on both Friday and Saturday.

Combat Veterans stayed at the beautiful quarters of the Cliburn Ranch and were treated to great food, campfire therapy, fishing outings and a gala banquet on Saturday evening complete with gourmet food, a ceremony honoring a highly decorated senior veteran and live music provided by a western band.

It is a very intimate setting and they are protected from crowds, media and pressure. This is a time for them to feel secure and connected away from hospital settings, and to enjoy the outdoors. Camaraderie, friendship and fellowship associated with the retreat have healing properties well beyond the event or the hospital settings and many have experienced a turning point in their recovery afterwards.

The fishing and seasonal hunting trips offered to combat wounded veterans by CMO are once in a lifetime chances at some world-class locations and destinations, and the companionship provides these heroes with a demonstration of just a portion of Americans’ support and appreciation for their sacrifice and service. Many leave with a new hope and sense of belonging as they face reintegration into family, community and society.

Combat Marines Outdoors was founded in 2005 after the founding veterans and their friend Rusty Hicks visited Marines and sailors at Brooke Army Medical Center for several months. Retired Marine Colonel Orr, Rusty Hicks, who is an honorary marine as declared by Colonel Dunford in 2015, and retired Marine MGySgt A. Garcia were the big dreamers who came up with the idea of helping traumatically wounded vets by getting them outdoors together, and in just months made it happen. These ‘founding fathers’ of the project remain vitally involved and interact with each vet served by the program. But, wow, has the dream grown.

They have served veterans from every branch, almost 2,000 traumatically wounded combat veterans to date at around 50 different locations. Their website, Combatmarineoutdoors.org, tells of their impressive fundraising, their specially scheduled television broadcasts of expressly selected outings on outdoor channels and networks including TNT, their numerous recognitions and awards and shares heartfelt testimonials from the veterans they have gotten ‘back outdoors.’

Most impressive by far is their commitment to helping the veterans they serve achieve a sense of accomplishment, a hope for healing and experience the adventure of a lifetime hunting or fishing their way to a tomorrow many only hoped and dreamed about before their contact with Combat Marines Outdoors.

Plentiful Rains Turn The Island Green

Greetings from the island everyone. Hope all of you are doing well and enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend, never forgetting to honor those that paid the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. . a country that has always been great, and always will be.

And don’t forget that Fathers Day is but a few more days away. Whether your dad is still with you or in heaven, take the time to visit with or talk to him, letting him know just how much he means to you, and the positive differences he has brought to your life. So many times we neglect to tell special people just how wonderful they are, whether by voice or words. The written appreciative and caring word, whether by letter or card or messaging, is a powerful thing. . take advantage of it.

Ok Lord, I’m pretty sure we have had an abundance of rain now, let’s turn off the sky faucet for awhile, please. At one point last week, the island had received nearly 16” of rain in 21 days, saturating the ground and making a mess of the makeshift roads. The bay water in the lagoons and along the shoreline stayed a dark brown from all of the excess runoff. Just when it appeared that the skies were clearing for at least a few days, another large orange and red cell would pass over, dropping another several inches. And I know it’s not just been out here, but everyone has gotten an unusual amount of rain the past month. It always seems as though it’s feast or famine with our rainfall lately. But famine sounds pretty good right now, for at least a few weeks.

The deluge of rain has certainly greened up the island though, and kick-started my late planted raised bed garden areas. The tomato plants (several over 7’ tall), and watermelon and cantaloupes have shot up and out since the rains, and my recently planted peach trees are looking very good. And I don’t know about everyone else’s, but my fig trees are loaded down this year as well. I’m assuming the rains have helped them also, and I’m already eating sweet ripe figs from my oldest tree of six years. The plumeria and Esperanza are also doing great, and the two beautiful Norfolk pine trees, one of which is now exactly 19’ tall, just keep growing.

Of course with all the rain and standing water comes the dreaded devil mosquitoes. As with anywhere else, they get really bad during these times on the island, and there are no mosquito sprayer trucks to fog the area and help out. So I just soak down with the most probable cancer laced deet, and hang in there until the grounds dry up and the little demons die off.

The beach has been inundated with debris from all of the rivers flooding lately. Mostly large dead trees and limbs are scattered along the four mile stretch of beach, making weekend bonfires a common sight on the island. Over time the debris will sift into the beach sand and disappear, helping with the erosion, which is an ongoing battle on this barrier island, both on the beach and bay side. But such is life on the island, you simply accept the bad with the good.

Well that’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and hopefully enjoy some extended days of beautiful sunshine.

Seadrift & Port Lavaca Police and DPS patrol units make drug bust.

Multiple investigations, intelligence work, “Eros” Seadrift’s K9 and working with other agencies has paid off for the Seadrift Police, resulting in the largest bust in Seadrift Police history.

Drug busts are nothing new for Seadrift Police under Chief Bermea’s department, but the busts are getting larger, Several years ago Chief Bermea started working with other law enforcement departments, like the Port Lavaca Police and the Victoria Police, by sharing and pooling information on narcotics and their movements, The Seadrift K9 unit has aided the Port Lavaca Police to recover narcotics, cash and wanted persons.

And now the Port Lavaca Police, under the new interim Police Chief Brandon Reidel, came to aid and help with the large Seadrift bust as the Seadrift Police evidence lockers are not big enough nor secure enough for the large amount of narcotics (with a starting value of approximately $40,000.00, as the value has not yet been determined).

Chief Bermea said that other agencies involved were the Victoria police investigators, Port Lavaca investigators, DPS, and Federal agencies.

The narcotics, firearm and vehicle have been moved to the Port Lavaca Police for evidence where they are capable of handling, It is believed that the narcotics are supply for the Port O’Connor and Seadrift area. Two Victoria men have been taken into custody and a dually truck and trailer seized.

“In today’s modern world, police agencies must be able to work together, as narcotics and distributors are working and moving between communities. Narcotics are the poison of communities. They are directly related to theft, burglaries, family violence, and many other crimes. It is our job and duty to keep our communities family-friendly places,” Chief Bermea said.

May 5: Port O’Connor Volunteer Fire Department and Seadrift Volunteer Fire Department responded to a grass fire off of West Monroe in Port O’Connor; Port Lavaca Fire Department also responded.

May 10: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a reported fire off of Hwy 185 near Ineos Nitriles; false alarm.

May 18: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a one-vehicle accident at the Hwy 35-Hwy 185 intersection.

May 20: Seadrift VFD responded to a one-vehicle accident at the Hwy 238-Hwy 185 intersection.

May 25: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a one-vehicle accident on Hwy 185 in front of Dow Chemical.

May 27: Seadrift VFD and Port Lavaca FD responded to a two-vehicle accident on Hwy 35 near Sikes Road.

May 29: Seadrift VFD responded to assist Port O’Connor VFD and Port Lavaca FD with several grass fires off of Hwy 1289; cancelled while en-route.