The 8th Annual Chili and Gumbo Cookoff as staged by Jim Hooper of Hooper’s Bar & Grille is set for Saturday, October 22, 2016 at Hooper’s, located on 2240 Maple Streets.   Contestants with their superlative and authentic family recipes of gumbo are urged to contact Hoop for more information concerning this exciting happening.  And those Texan cooks who excel in the preparation of chili should also get in line quickly.  Besides, Guys, a team of females from Austin took 1st Place last year with their Gumbo, and it was delicious!

As there will be a number of entries from teams composed of just plain cooks as well as those being sponsored by an organization or business, that Saturday will become a lively affair in the concreted area underneath Hooper’s.  Requirements for each entry consist of preparing and cooking your special dish on a propane-butane stove that you bring with you. And ALL COOKING MUST BE DONE IN YOUR AREA ON THE GROUNDS OF HOOPER’S.  Other requirements are that there will be NO beans in the chili and NO rice in the gumbo.  A minimum entry fee with a maximum of 4 persons per team will be charged with your entry form.

A panel of judges will be there to do a blind taste test of each entry, (aren’t all judges supposed to be blind?), and we will be honored to have an incredible group of mostly sighted people to perform that illustrious task.  As Hoop will be the Person In Charge, there will be no favoritism or special gifts sent to the judges by any entrant allowed prior to the judging.

The public is definitely welcome to come by and see their favorite team of cooks in action and give moral support to each.  Additionally, bowls to sample the many entries will be available for a minimal charge.   Setting up the individual cooking areas will start at 9:00 a.m.; and the judging should commence about 4:30 p.m. inside Hooper’s.  Following the judging the final bidding on the silent auction will commence.  And if those items for the auction are anything similar to last year’s, the winning purchaser will definitely go home happy.

So, guys and gals, get your favorite organization or business to sponsor a team of cooks for this Event.  Hoop says he has at least 20  spots for teams to set up their places and strut their stuff!

And once again, Hoop will donate the funds from this event to our Library’s Building Fund.  So, we invite anyone with a yearning to compete in a cookoff, to contact Hoop (361-983-4249) for entry forms, and we also invite all interested persons that Saturday to come and see what a cookoff entails.  Besides, the aromas from the various entries will certainly be more than enough to inspire you to stop and check out this event.  And when you check out some of the prizes available on the Silent Auction, you will definitely be tempted to stay and put in your bids.

If anyone is unable to be present on that Saturday, please remember that all donations can be delivered to Hoop personally at Hooper’s Bar & Grille or to Shirley Gordon, our Librarian, at our Library on 6th & Adams Street.  And Hoop, being the sponsor of this event, has made a very emphatic statement that all monies received will return to our community.

PS: A little extra: one of the income producing parts of this fun event is the silent auction where so many wonderful and exciting products are available to be purchased.  If any one has an item they would wish to donate to this event, please contact Judy Whitworth, 512 567-1464 President of Friends of the Library, Shirley Gordon, Librarian, or Hoop at Hooper’s Bar & Grille. Each of them would be very happy to be of assistance, and all monies from this event will be going to the Building Fund for our Library.  And we hope to see an excited and fun crowd on Saturday, October 22, 2016 at Hooper’s for this super event!

Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas is inviting all girls to join Girl Scouting. 
Girl Scouts is an organization offering girls in grades K-12 a safe place to explore the world and discover their own potential.  In a fun and stimulating environment, and with the guidance of adults, girls develop values, abilities, and leadership skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
There are many ways your daughter can participate:
•  Joining a troop that meets on a regular basis
•  Attending a 6-8 week Series where skills are taught
•  Attending Neighborhood events
•  Attending camp where she will learn about nature and the environment.  She can choose to camp during the day or overnight.
•  Or for our older girls, she can pack her bags and go places.  Whether it’s a trip across town or around the world, Girl Scouts will get her there.
    Want to do more for your daughter?  Help us and have fun.
Become one of our volunteers and start your own troop.  Free training is available and support along the way.  You will be helping us accomplish our mission as you share fun and unforgettable moments with your daughter.
Recruitment Campaign, August 27
Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas is hosting a recruitment campaign in Port Lavaca at the Dairy Queen located at N. 1205 Virginia Street from 2:00 to 3:00 PM on Saturday, Aug. 27th.
Girl Scouts include girls in grades Kindergarten to 12th grade and 5 to 18 year of age. We provide training and support for Parents or Guardians who are interested in starting their own troop. Annual membership fee is $15 per per person. For more information call the Victoria office at 361-573-6451.
Open House September 10
Families are welcome to attend MY HERO Girl Scouts of Greater South Texas Open House on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Deborah F Branch Service Center Victoria Office located at 104 West River, 9am-1pm. There will be activities for children to enjoy and there is an option to come dressed
like your super HERO. For more information call the Victoria office at 361-573-6451.

Rackley Art

A New Kind of Fish Art
For those of us who live on the Texas Coast, big beautiful fish being caught is a regular experience. Still, most of us have never caught a huge blue marlin or a tournament winning trout.
At this year’s Lonestar Shootout Tournament, a special artist made some special art that displayed and preserved just how special those tournament winning fish can be. This was a new kind of picture of the winning blue marlin. Artist Larry Rackley was in POC specifically to ‘paint’ those magnificent marlins in a brand new way.
The crowd was awed as he quickly and beautifully created pictures on loose flowing canvas using multiple paints and fixing agents in rapid succession. As soon as the marlin was weighed and measured, the artist went to work very swiftly. He matched each color nuance and variation exactly as he painted the actual marlin skin and then transferred that paint to the white canvas producing a perfect print of the beautiful fish. His ‘sheet stamp’ art of the Lonestar Shootout marlins was meticulously created to reflect the depth of color and detail of the beautiful fish using numerous colors of paint applied directly on the fish and then reproduced almost imprint style on a large white sheet like canvas.

Most of the spectators had never seen art like it. The results were breathtaking.
As an active philanthropist, one piece was earmarked for a charity auction supporting a regional children’s hospital and the other went to the boat captain.

An active, outdoor enthusiast and fisherman, artist Larry Rackley has a unique way of blending mixed media such as watercolor, ink and pastels to create beautiful works of art.
Rackley was raised in Alabama and grew up fishing Gulf Coast. After serving eight years in the Marines, he followed his dream of painting for a living. His art reflects his love for the coast and big game fishing. Rackley’s art utilizes airbrush and oils and has great depth and detail. His wish to make art ‘fun and accessible’ has led to some unconventional approaches such as the ‘sheet art’ and is anything but stuffy.
Rackley says young and old, collectors and first time buyers have purchased his work. He credits his loose, abstract style with ‘breaking barriers’ to enjoying art and allows anyone to hang a Larry Rackley original in their home. Art aficionados have described Rackley as a ‘rockstar of the marine world who is blazing his own path and changing the fishing world one painting at a time.’
Rackley also paints equine, political and patriotic themed works, supports CCA and other conservation efforts, and is an active, outdoor enthusiast and fisherman. He hopes to return next year to create more big fish art.
To view more of Larry’s outstanding work, please visit www.larryrackley.com or the Lonestar Shootout Facebook Page.

August 19: Amie Reed; Robbie Hawes
Aug. 20: George Cady; Melanie Vossler; Natalie Harper; Derek Vasquez Jr.
Aug. 21: Jackie Luker; Brandi Baird; Brittney Collins
Aug. 22: Ted Brown; Ryan Hamerly
Aug. 23: Tim Sandoval
Aug. 24: Lloyd Alford
Aug. 26: George Harper

Aug. 27: Rocky Harper

Aug. 28: Dillon Hobbs

Aug. 29: Robert Hanson Jr.; Dian Thomasson; Katy Mitchell; Gary Crone Jr.; Ryan Brown; Martha Hartado; Jessica Stringo

Aug. 30: Robert Maxwell

September 1: Esther Caddell;

Sept. 3: Vicki Collazo; Kathryn Stringo;

Sept. 4: Margaret Emrick; Marie Harper

Sept. 5: Lisa Stringo

Sept. 6: John J. Shannon; Marcia Storenski; Pat Ekstrom; Monica McClung

Sept. 7: John Perry

Sept. 9: Helen Neil; Roni Ragusin; Marty McDonough

Sept. 10: Jan Taylor; C.C. Collins; Roxie Stringo

Sept. 11: Kevin Coleman; Dwayne Anderson

Sept. 12: Charlie Johnson; Kaleigh Mapp; Derek Vasquez; Jeannie Mapp; L.M. Caddell; Mamie Jo Oglesby

Sept. 13: Gary Gilliam; Bell Allen; Linda Tipett; Alyssa Ragusin; Chezanne Covarrubias; Joanne Mueller

Sept. 14: David Junek; Sandra Orma

Sept. 15: Brandi Hall;

Sept. 16: Walker Hawes; Jacob Johnson