On February 8th, Ms. Grace Stone celebrated her 108th birthday with cards, candy and presents. She especially enjoyed visits from friends and family. Pictured with her is daughter, Susie Onishi.

“Miss Madalyn”

“I’m very pleased with the improvements that are being done.” Seadrift Harbormaster Chris Ingram

What’s going on at the harbor in Seadrift? Well, for starters doesn’t the riprap at the West End look great? How about the new bulkheading that’s been done at the harbor? Have you seen the dredge parked at the harbor?
About one-third of the Seadrift Harbor has new bulkheading and a breakwater at the Pine Street Extension is in the process of being built. This will keep the harbor from filling back up with sand and soot after it has been dredged.

Pictured above in the harbor is “Miss Madalyn” who is just as pretty as you please! She is truly a lovely sight and such a much-needed part of the storm recovery from Hurricane Harvey! We are told that the dredging will begin soon at the harbor. Please feel free to drive down once the dredging has begun or anytime for that matter. Our harbor belongs to the City of Seadrift and has been a haven for boats for some time. Back in the day the Seadrift Harbor was used to load cotton from Tivoli, oysters and fish from the bay, and canned vegetables from a local cannery that was transported via train. The train had a wharf that extended out to where Miller’s seafood is now.

The grant for our harbor was an economic development grant for Seadrift because of Hurricane Harvey. The company in charge of the project is Shirley and Sons Construction Company, Inc.

Winter Beach Rides And Low Tides

Greetings from the island everyone!  I hope that all of you are doing well and weathered the very cold temps and high winds that we had last month.  Being on a barrier island, the temperatures never get quite as cold as on the mainland, especially the more inland towns, but dipping down into the mid 20’s like it did last month was dang cold!  And factor in the 20-30 mph winds, it certainly felt like temps were in the teens.  That’s too darn cold for sure!  Corky, Jetty and I just hunkered down and stayed inside during those several days, running my little propane heater and a few stovetop burners to stay warm and thawed out during the day and night.

I know that I talk a lot about the tides out here, but the fact is they play a very important role in when I can, or cannot, get off the island and then return when it’s time.  For some reason, it seems like the tides have been much lower this winter, and staying low for extended times, than in previous winter months.  Of course the strong north winds are the primary factor in the tides dropping lower, and if those winds continue blowing hard for 3-4 days at a time, the water level just gets lower and lower.  To get off the barrier island and into the actual bay, I have to maneuver out of the lagoon and through a narrow inlet, and it’s this inlet that becomes impassable if the tide gets too low, at times being only inches deep   There have been several times this winter that I had to lift the motor and get on the bow and pole the boat through the narrow shallow inlet.

Corky and I have been making a few trips down to the beach lately, when we can catch a nice weather day without the bitter cold and rain.  The island has seen an abundance of rain the past month, having gotten nearly 9” of the wet stuff since the beginning of January.  Once on the beach, Mr. Dog and I just drive along, me looking for seashells or unusual treasures that might have washed ashore, while Corky is doing his running and chasing the little surf birds.  The beach has been fairly clean lately, not a lot of seashells or neat little finds to collect and bring back to the house.  Beach combing is definitely a hit and miss endeavor, never knowing what, if anything, might wash up on the beach.  I’ve seen several weeks at a time pass and very few treasures would make their way from the Gulf of Mexico onto the sandy beach.  But it’s still enjoyable being on the beach and seeing all of nature’s wonders.

In closing, I want to take a minute to wish my handsome and smart little buddy, Kamdon, a very HAPPY 7th  BIRTHDAY!!  I hope you have a wonderful day and get lots of great birthday presents!  I love you, little Kam.
That’s it from the island for now, everyone take care and have a wonderful day, and Happy Valentines Day to all!

As I prepare our monthly article, we are busy preparing for our yearly member appreciation casino night. February 23rd we will host our members and a guest to a fun evening of blackjack, roulette, and craps with chances to win some incredible prizes. Everything we accomplish is because of the support and encouragement we receive from our members and we are happy to show our appreciation with this event.

We will continue our membership drive until March 1, 2024. Individual/Couple membership is $35 and business memberships are $100 or $199. For the additional $99 will include an advertisement in one issue of our full-page ad in Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine and one week of advertising on four of the digital billboards located in Victoria.

Our largest event of the year is quickly approaching. The Crawfish Festival is scheduled for April 27, 2024. This year you will be able to pre-purchase admission tickets, food tickets, T-shirts, and beer tickets. Pick up will be on April 26th at the pavilion from 3:00-6:00 or at the will call entrance that Saturday. Please go to our website for more information regarding cooker registration, vendor registration and information about pre-sale of tickets.

We welcome our new members, Friends of the Port O’Connor Library – The Port O’Connor Friends of the Library is a 501 (c) 3 organization, dedicated to enhancing library facilities, services and resources through fundraising. Captain Todd Jones – US Coast Guard and licensed fishing guide since 2010. Specializing in fishing the inshore waters of Seadrift and Port O’ Connor. Resendiz Concrete specializes in foundations, driveways, parking lots and dirt work. Urban Surveying – Services include Real Estate Transactions/Boundary Surveys, FEMA Flood Plane Certifications, Engineering Support Surveys, Construction Staking and Oil & Gas location services. 5D Steakhouse -is known for its hand-cut signature steaks, signature spirits and cocktails, and live music. Port O’Connor RV Park – offers 71 sites, full hook up, 30 & 50 amp pull through sites, restrooms with showers, laundry room, rally room with full kitchen, dog park, playground, and swimming pool. The Spot Coastal Gifts – Unique POC & coastal gift items & apparel.Realtor, Capital Realty Investments, LLC- Exclusive Agent for Harbor Vista. Our new individual/couple members are Doak & Jennifer Dunkin, Raymond G McDaniel, Roger & Elyse Ross. AJ Foster.
For more information on these businesses and our other Chamber members please visit our website at www.portoconnorchamber.com.

“The best public servant is someone who is visible and approachable and gives of themselves selflessly.” A Forum Attendee

325 people were present at a recent Republican forum at Drifter’s Hall on February 5th. The place was packed with candidates and voters. Many candidates shared about their conservative values and their wanting to make a difference in their communities especially among our up-and-coming generation.

The candidates running for U.S. Representative District 27 are Scott Mendel, Chris Mapp, Luis A. Espinola, and Michael Cloud. Each candidate spoke about the importance of strong representation at the national level. Mark Longoria represented Michael Cloud who was unable to attend. A video clip was used to share his comments.

Judicial state candidates Michelle Slaughter, Jenny Crone, and Jon West spoke to the audience about their keeping of the Constitution in their decision making on the bench. Lisa Harvey Moore, who is running for the 24th District judge position was present as well.

The three candidates running for County Sheriff Steve De La Cruz, Jason Boyd, and Bobbie Vickery were present to talk about the running of the Sheriff’s department and the important role the County Sheriff has within the community.

The three candidates running for the Tax Assessor Collector position Azalia Sally Bonuz, Mark Howell, and Tracey Johnson each focused on how their experience would guide their ability to manage. Tracy focused on her interactions with the public. Sally talked about her experience in the tax office. Mark shared about his experience in private as well as governmental agencies. All three candidates spoke about the importance of customer service.

Candidates running for Commissioners of Precincts 1 and 3 are unopposed. David Hall and Joel Behrens, the candidates, expressed their gratitude to the voters for allowing them to serve their communities.

The County Constable offices for Precincts 1, 2, and 3 are also unopposed. Those candidates are Tyrone Harris, Billy Billings, and Adam Vickery. Tyrone and Adam were present at the forum to express thanks to the community.

For County Constable Precinct 4 there are two candidates running. They are Kevin Koliba and Louis E. Warren.

The Precinct 5 County Constable race includes David J. Thomas, David A. Cleveland, and Chelsi Holt. David Cleveland had to leave prior to his time to address the audience because of a family matter. David Thomas the incumbent spoke about his dedication to keeping the community safe. Chelsi Holt spoke about of her experience within the law enforcement community.