We are most grateful for contributions, donations and people who are a part of the garden project. How delightful to see this piece of land put to good use and be a benefit to many. We appreciate community members’ time, local businesses’ donated materials, and fundraising participation.

“Throwing shade” is slang that means a person is criticizing another. However, that term has a positive connotation to us at the garden! Thanks to fundraising efforts, a shade structure has been ordered and will be here soon. A butterfly garden is in the process as well.

An example of community spirit can certainly be found in the fencing project. Many thanks to a great group of volunteers who contributed time to paint the new fence at the community garden. Expect to see a mural by Dawn Ragusin soon.

Preparing For Cold Weather

Greetings from the island on this very windy Jan 12 morning.  As I sit at my little kitchen table having coffee, I can hear and feel the steady 30 mph winds, with gusts to 50 mph, blowing across Matagorda Bay and onto this barrier island.  When I step outside, the blustery winds hit me like a dang freight train, and the poor chickens have to hunker down to keep from being blown across the yard.  I can also physically see the tide dropping lower with the strong north winds, and will surely become very low tides by tomorrow morning.

This strong norther is a pre-cursor to the first Arctic cold weather that will be arriving in a few days, probably on Sunday afternoon, Jan 14, and be bitter cold for several days afterwards.  Island temps are forecast to be in the mid to upper 20’s for a few early mornings, so I’ve gotta get prepared for that.  I know that many inland places will be much colder, but for a barrier island those are very cold temps.

The evening prior to the temps getting the coldest, I’ll shut off the water pumps for the underground well that provides outside fresh water, and also the pump for the rain water tanks for inside water usage.  I’ll then open all the outside water faucets and the inside faucets to drain everything, and this should hopefully keep any pipes from bursting.  I’ll fill up a few five gallon buckets with water before turning off the pumps, so I’ll have fresh water for miscellaneous uses.

My nighttime sleeping heat will consist of a small propane heater near the bed, keeping it on the low setting.  Flannel sheets, a blanket and 70 pound Mr. Dog, Corky, sleeping at my feet will provide enough heat throughout the night.  In the morning downstairs, I’ll turn on a few burners on the propane stovetop, and that will easily heat the kitchen area.  And then I’ll just stay bundled up and spend the majority of the day inside until the outside temps start to warm up a bit.  As long as I have plenty of propane, I’ll have heat to make it through the brutal cold spells.

Well that’s it from the island for now.   I hope that everyone got through the cold without any issues.  Please do a nice deed or say a kind word to others whenever you can, and enjoy life.  Everyone take care and have a great day.

In December we held our Chamber Board of Directors’ election and at our January meeting we selected our officers which include Darla Parker, President; Dawn Ragusin, Vice President; Kimberly Lucas, Secretary; and Brent Hart, Treasurer. Belinda Bush, Sue Glover, Mike Overton, Debbie Michalek, Steven Guevara, and Ross Harlow make up the remainder of the Board. This group looks forward to serving our businesses and the community in 2024.

We have changed our meeting times for our regular monthly meetings. We will be meeting at 6:00 on the second Monday of the month at the library instead of our previous 6:30 meeting time. We welcome you to come and get involved.

Some of our accomplishments in 2023 included a successful Crawfish Fest which profited $74,000 despite the mud; we grew our membership to historic levels, we partnered with UP2U to provide mesh litter bags and placed them throughout the community; purchased new lights for the pier; conducted a successful raffle of a Polaris; supported the San Antonio Bay Partnership with shoreline cleanup; constructed the steps and kayak ramp and installed benches at Park & Main and will be finishing up with landscaping; secured the Matagorda Lighthouse historical marker which will be installed at the Library; awarded 2 scholarships ; increased our social media presence on Facebook and Instagram; and held our first boat and fishing expo which was an enormous success. All of our efforts are based on our mission statement, which is to promote business, enhance economic and community development and serve as a means for improving the overall quality of life for our community.

Our membership drive is currently underway and will continue until March 1, 2024. Individual/Couple membership is $35 and business memberships are $199 which 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.

Please mark your calendars for our Membership Appreciation Casino Night which will be held February 23rd at the Community Center. Members and one guest are invited to come out and enjoy all the games and enter for a chance to win some great prizes.

The Crawfish Festival will be here before we know it: April 27, 2024. Look for more information soon regarding cooker registration, vendor registration and information about pre-sale of tickets.

We welcome our new members, DWT’s Poly Foam Concrete Leveling which uses a specialty poly foam that lifts, levels, and returns stability to your concrete. Indianola Fishing Marina is known for the best pier fishing and also offers great food and a full bar. They also have an RV park and other amenities. For more information on these businesses and our other chamber members please vis

it our website at www.portoconnorchamber.com.

Great news to report this month regarding the seventeen month journey to raise money to rejuvenate the Port O’Connor Community Center. The goal has finally been reached. The Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce voted to supply the last needed funds in the amount of just over $15,000.00. They will pay these funds directly to the contractor when the first draw is due on the restroom remodel at the Pavilion. A big THANK YOU to all on the Chamber Board who voted to supply these funds so that this project could be completed. The Community Center does bring in many visitors each year who spend money at Chamber member businesses. It plays a vital roll in the economics of Port O’Connor. Now, with the final funds received, the Community Center can continue to do so for many years to come.

Two other groups also helped us reach our Facelift Project goal this past month. The Port O’Connor Ladies Bookclub donated $601.00 and we also received another check from the Little Mullets Fishing Tournament. This tournament has been a big supporter of the Facelift Project from the very beginning. THANK YOU everyone who helped make this dream come true.

If you have an opportunity to visit the Community Center, be sure to take time to appreciate all the improvements that have been done inside. There is new flooring, paint, counter tops and chairs. If you were part of the fundraising process at any point, now you can see where your donated dollars were spent. Work probably has already been started on the Pavilion by the time this paper is delivered. It is slated to be completed in 60 days depending on the weather. Stay tuned for information on the date and time for the celebration to show off all the new improvements.

-Diane Cooley

The City of Seadrift has a new garbage truck and it’s a beaut! It’s a brand new International and was purchased by the city in 2023. Terry Maddux, the SSW (Seadrift Solid Waste) supervisor says, “This truck rides smoother than our old truck which was a Hino.” The new truck has a lower profile than the Hino which was the city’s first truck. The city has a back-up truck which is an Izuzu. Both the Izuzu and the new International have a Pac-More Packer which is the brand of the trash compactor on the truck.

2017 was the landmark year for the creation of Seadrift’s Solid Waste Department. It was in April of that year that plans were made to create a solid waste department. In October it became a reality. Having its own waste department has been a savings for the city’s residents. It costs more to contract an outside company to come in and pick up people’s trash
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Our hats off to the City of Seadrift for its wonderful and efficient trash pick-up service for the community.
-Tanya DeForest