Jim Hooper with winners of the Gumbo competition Sue Glover, Nicole Collins and Jeane Newberry

Saturday, October 24, 2015 meant the HAPPENING of the 7th Annual Chili & Gumbo Cookoff as staged at Hoop’s new place, Hooper’s Bar & Grille on West Maple Street. And what a happening that was!

Saturday’s weather forecast was a continuation of rain, heavy at times. But that didn’t stop the eager local chefs, determined to show their talents at this Event. Because of the “lousy” weather, the Cookoff was held in the large, concreted area underneath Hoop’s building. And all participating cooks were so pleased to have this sheltered area for the constant stirring and preparation of their chilis and gumbos.

Arriving early in the afternoon one was accosted by a totally unusual wave of many tantalizing aromas; and if that person was semi-cognizant of what those aromas could mean, well, no one is leaving quickly.

Walking further down the outside was the first contestant’s area, as manned by Ginnie and Gerry Lichac and the tantalizing smell from their chili pot made me look for a bowl, quickly. Ginnie is the former President of the Friends of the Library and Gerry, of course, is her avid supporter.

Moving down a line of sites with cooking facilities of all kinds, the assault to my smelling facilities became strong and stronger. While walking and checking and conversing and sampling, I found chili made with lots of ground meat and lots of beer too. And one gumbo was full of fresh seafood, which made it truly remarkable and very tasty too.

But the approaching late afternoon soon became a time for judging with a very distinguished panel of specially selected judges, all of whom came prepared to display their fearless talents to render an unshakable verdict on the many bowls of chili and gumbo. This undaunted group may have started this blind tasting with some trepidation, but their votes were lasting and firm, though some contestants tried to change their minds. Serving on this sterling group of impeccable justices were Stephen Ehler, John Hribek, Dan Whitworth, Becky Haynes and Joyce Skloff. Our thank yous to all, and we hope that the results of all that seasoning did not require several bowls of ice cream to cool things down. But Gerry Lichac was wandering around the guests with cups for sale so that the audience could sample the many dishes and give their completely ignored votes for prizes.

The Showmanship Award was claimed by Coastal Bend Charters with Matt and Kim Jensen doing the work. And they had unusual shoes to fill as Marie Richter and her group had smilingly carried off that award for several years in the past.

A special award in the Margarita Competition went to Abigail Ehler, and I understand her interpretation of that delicious drink was truly original and remarkable. But how did I miss sampling her special brew?

The top three gumbo winners were 3rd place with Dee Woodruff placing once again; 2nd went to Brandi Boriskie and First place by the gals from Austin: Sue Glover, Nicole Collins and Jeanne Newberry showing off their skills with an incredible shrimp, crab and oyster gumbo with a beautiful roux for the incredible base. Mmmmmm!

Chili winners were quite difficult to choose, but the Third Prize was awarded to the “Coastal Bend Charters” and Kim Jensen doing the honors for the group that had captured 3rd prize several years ago, and scoring 1st last year. Second prize was cornered by Peyton Martin being the major stirrer; and the coveted First Prize was claimed by Lynn Turner as he very excitedly got his prize. And we can be assured that all of these winners will return in 2016 to uphold their titles, along with many new challengers.

And following the Awards to so many deserving and hardworking Chefs, the silent auction of many items commenced. Competitive bidding evolved on the various interesting donated items and many concerned bidders watched one person after another return to the same item to increase their bid.

But the biggest kudo of this event goes to Hoop, the proprietor of Hooper’s Bar & Grille. Hoop is known throughout our community for his generous donations for various activities; he has made the Building Fund for our Library the beneficiary of the Cookoff for the past five years as well as this year. It’s the members of our community, like Hoop, who make such a difference in the success of our various organizations, whether the support goes to our graduating high school students; to our Volunteer Fire Department; our Library; Scholarships; help for our local School’s activities and other individuals and projects here in Port O’Connor. But it’s also those that attend these activities; take part in them; or support them in so many ways. A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU ALL!

And, if you missed the 7th Annual Chili/Gumbo Cookoff this October as held at Hooper’s Bar & Grille, don’t mope and be unhappy. Hoop hasn’t quit yet, so get busy and get your team to start practicing those award-winning recipes, and we will look forward to seeing you in October of 2016!

1st Place Chili – Lynn Turner

Margarita Champion
Abigail Ehler

Showmanship Coastal Bend Charters

The Annual Chili & Gumbo Cookoff was a huge success in spite of the torrential rain.  Our thanks go out to the cooking teams, those who donated items for our silent auction, our board and committee members who worked hard on this effort and all the loyal folks of POC who came out in spite of the weather!

Words cannot express our gratitude to Jim Hooper for his continuing support of the POC Library.  We appreciate you Hoop and we wish you great success in your new location.  Not to mention, we are so excited that your delicious hamburgers are back! THANKS TO ALL!

Pam Ray, Fundraising Chair
Judy Whitworth, President,
Friends of the POC Library, Inc.

The Blessing Hotel

My neighbors Parker and Patty are always telling me how proud they are to be a part of Port O’Connor, Texas. They say it is a great community and so friendly.

Just last month Nani Patty and Pop Parker had their youngest grandson for the day while Mom attended a conference. They decided on a day trip. They saw interesting places on their drive and had a good time, but they had the most interesting time at lunch. After driving most of the morning, they ended up at the Hotel Blessing.

The lunch was outstanding. Homemade smothered steak, real potatoes, garden tomatoes, fried chicken, sautéed cabbage; the list of delicious entrees and sides was lengthy. If you have not been there, they highly recommend you try it for yourself. Don’t miss the dessert table either.

The proprietor is a gregarious man, full of great stories and historic information about the over 100 year old building that is filled with articles, artifacts and remnants of a bygone era so lovingly preserved and presented in the period guest rooms, the family style dining room and the historic common areas. One lunch is not nearly enough to absorb the atmosphere and investigate the information of the historic and beautiful old landmark. And yet, that is not the story of our lunch.

Upon arrival, the front screen door banged nostalgically as Nani and Pop entered with young Payden. The house kitty purred welcomingly as Payden gave her a scratch on his way into the hotel. In the front hallway each guest room was painstakingly put together with charm of the bygone era. Each quilt and doily was placed just so. Payden asked if he might go in one room, and was granted permission. He promptly, in the fashion that only a busy and curious 5 year old boy could, touched and tugged, tested and tried each antique, old fashioned and historic touch in the room. He rumpled the quilt, rubbed the arm covers on the chair, clunked the pitcher on the washstand as he pretended to pour into the basin, and slid on his knees across the floor using the rag rug for momentum. And all of his innocently awful explorations took only moments. Nani and Pop were horrified and embarrassed. They tried valiantly to straighten the guest room and quickly corral the young whirlwind that was their grandson.

The group moved on down the hall towards the dining room where they found many of the family style tables were full of diners, but found one large table with seats available. They took them and moved towards the serving line. The entire way, Payden kept up a steady stream of loud questions. Who are they? Why are they sitting with us? What’s for lunch? Can I have chocolate milk? Etc, etc, etc….    Patty tried to answer patiently and quietly, but the stream was unending.

As they arrived at the antique stoves used to serve the superb looking lunch dishes Payden reached out to touch the doors, turn the knobs and test the hot plates.

After reigning in what felt like half a dozen busy hands, Parker got Payden a plate. As he served small bites and spoonful tastes of several dishes to Payden’s plate, he made the mistake of holding up a spoonful of sweet potatoes and asking the boy if he liked them. Without missing a beat, Payden stuck out his little tongue, licked the spoon, took it in his hand, shoved it into the serving bowl of sweet potatoes, heaped some on his plate and declared them delicious. Patty was pink with embarrassment, Parker was red with frustration and Payden was clueless. The nice waitress came over and calmly removed the potatoes from the serving line.

Fearful of what Payden might do next, they sat for lunch. Parker held Payden’s small hand and bowed for grace. As he said Amen, Payden pointed at the couple adjacent to him at the table and loudly announced that they did not close their eyes for the prayer. The couple chuckled and did not move, so the group ate a fairly quiet and uneventful lunch. Payden politely ate, and other than the steady stream of questions, had no issues that is, until dessert.

Parker and Patty often share dessert, so Payden thought nothing of taste testing the peach cobbler of the poor woman sitting next to him. She smiled kindly and offered him a second bite, but he was ready for something else. So, after several tastes of other desserts, the meal was finished, the bill paid and Pop and Nani were ready to leave.

They tried to cross the lobby and exit without any other incident at Blessing Hotel, but it was not to be. As they crossed the porch, Payden picked up the kitty and gently placed her inside the front screen door where she promptly darted across the lobby and jumped upon the period furniture.

When asked, Payden said the kitty was hot and wanted to go in and sit under the fan like his puppy always does. Patty thought for a minute about going in and removing the cat, but decided it was best to hurry away and so they did.

Parker, Patty and Payden enjoyed the visit, but were not so sure they were a ‘blessing’ to the beautiful old hotel.

We live in very busy times, but exciting things are happening at the Chapel. We were honored to host the Annual Community Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, November 15. The service was uplifting and the fellowship was good. Our ladies outdid themselves again, but that is becoming normal around here! We are hosting a Ministers’ Wives Retreat here this weekend and are experiencing the blessings of the Lord.

The Thanksgiving Food Baskets for the needy will be distributed on Tuesday, November 24, and all names must be called in by Sunday, November 22. Please use my cell phone because our “land lines” are very unreliable. That number is 361/218-6693. Please call and if I can not answer, please leave a message and I will get it! The Christmas Food Baskets will be distributed on December 22, with the deadline on December 20. We are honored to serve in this capacity for the Port O’Connor Benevolence Committee. It is only through the generous donations of this community that we are able to accomplish this goal. Special thanks must go to the Women’s Service Club who provide the turkeys each year. This year, the Bunco Club gave liberally and the 4H Club, along with the Baptist Youth Group, collected groceries at Speedy Stop. Those who gave in the Community Thanksgiving Service and those who send gifts in the mail are greatly appreciated, because without you, families in our community would remain needing food for the holiday season.

We are planning our Christmas activities. We will be having our annual “hay ride caroling” event on Wednesday, December 16, this year. Our Christmas Sunday will be December 20 with our All Church Christmas Party at 6:00 p.m. that day. If you have never been to one of our Christmas Parties, you should truly make plans. We play games, eat good food, and share “white elephant” gifts. On Wednesday, December 23, we will host a “come and go” family communion time from 6:30 until 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcomed.

Services for 2015 will close with an evening of giving thanks for God’s many blessings during this year. That special service will be on December 30, at 7:00 p.m. You will want to bring your family and share the special events that have been brought your way this year by the mercies of our loving Lord.

The Sea Academy and Capt. Robert have released their 2016 and 2017 calendar. Classes in Port O’Connor are scheduled for February 12-19; April 29-May 6: July 8-15; November 11-18. There are only two classes scheduled for 2017 – February 24-March 3 and May 19-26. Sea Academy has announced that it will be closing its business for retirement on June 30, 2017. The Chapel has been an honored host since 2000 and all who want to receive their Captain’s Licenses from our excellent instructor, Captain Robert, must make their reservations soon or it will be too late!

We continue meeting together each Lord’s Day (Sunday) at 10:00 a.m. for Bible Study; 11:00 a.m. for Morning Service; 5:00 p.m. for Corporate Prayer; and 6:00 p.m. for Evening Service. On Tuesdays, our Spanish Services begin at 6:00 p.m. and our Fisherman’s Bible Institute (FBI) meets from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the parsonage. On Wednesday we gather at 7:00 p.m. for or our Midweek Service. Friday nights are reserved for Friday Night Youth (FNY) from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., under the direction of Nathan and Darin Luna. Everyone is welcome.

Fisherman’s Chapel is an interdenominational congregation that exists solely to help get God’s people from earth to heaven. We still believe that Jesus saves, heals, and helps us in our times of need, and we are committed to praying for Divine Intervention in your lives if we have opportunity. You will always find a warm welcome at the Chapel and are urged to, “Come, grow with us!”

We approach the end of another year. The months of November and December are the big months for retail folks.  This is probably because there are more holidays in those months. If you cheat a little, and include the last week of October, a lot more. You can call the 1st of November, All Saints Day, the extension of Halloween. It’s not all that big a cheat.  There are lots of bigger cheats that have gone down during history.

One of the sad things about this retail bonus time is that quite often it blurs the meaning behind the holiday itself.   As an example, Thanksgiving was originally a celebration by the colonists. They had survived the year.  The harvest had come in.  There was food and so the folks said let’s celebrate.  For many the Thanksgiving dinner is a highlight of that celebration. Nowadays they sell Honey Baked Ham or Butterball Turkeys by the boat load, not the harvest.

Then because the folks were home the football, people started games on Thanksgiving so they could sell tickets and TV ads..  The retailers noted that Friday was also a holiday; they started having big sales. In the last few years some have even opened T Day afternoon to get a jump. I notice that Chevrolet has even designated the whole month of November as Black Friday to sell more cars.
All of this is the prelude to Cyber, Green and Brown Mondays where the e-tailers have designated their big days, to sell more.  I guess that is for the poor folks who had to work on the brick retailers days  or maybe  folks that can order on line at work. Who knows?

The brick and mortar guys keep up the pace for the next couple of weeks too. They also have Christmas gifts to sell..  In the first one, according to tradition, there were only three.  I guess we could still give gold, but myrrh and Frankincense are not on many shelves.  The message of Peace and Good Will has faded.  But there is good news for seasonal workers as they expect the sales to jump to over $620 billion. We will need several hundred thousand part time workers somewhere.

By this time some may think me the reincarnation of Scrooge.  That is for you to decide.  It is just an expression of my concern about the loss of the underlying meaning of the Holidays.  Maybe a little bit about my lack of fondness for pumpkin pie and turkey. However, I do like cranberry, so give me a break there.

The real point is we do have something to be Thankful for and the other stuff is a part of life. This is especially true for families and young folks. Those of us who are older and have many memories can remember quite easily the joy of true thankfulness for the survival and bounty of a harvest. I just want to say, as the Holidays arrive, let your Thanking be mindful of the meaning.