The Chamber wants to “THANK” Russell Cain Real Estate and POC Rentals for furnishing the Larry Joe Taylor Band at King Fisher Park on September the 5th  for everyone at the park to enjoy. Everyone I talked to said it was a great performance.

As you can see, once school starts, things in Port O’Connor begin to slow down. I think it’s been a terrific summer, in fact I believe this has been one of the most outstanding years ever. The Chamber hopes everyone had a great and remembered trip to our community.

This is a place to come and relax and recharge before going back to the city life. There’s not many places left that have the lifestyle of Port O’Connor, I’m so fortunate to live in this little community and I think the local residents feel this way.

This area has so much history, Port O’Connor has an amazing past and so does Matagorda Island. Last year I received an email and story that had been published in a Dallas paper about the “Islands of the Oil Kings”. This is an amazing article. Just type in your tool bar –Islands of the Oil Kings–and it will pop up. More history than I could have ever imagined.

The October meeting of the Port O’Connor Chamber of Commerce will be on the 12th at 6:30 p.m. in meeting room of  the POC Community Center. Looking forward to seeing you there!!!

New & Renewed Members
POC Rod & Gun
Darla Parker

Nation’s biggest all-volunteer cleanup right here in Texas

Volunteers are signing up now for the nation’s biggest coastal cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 26. The 2015 Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup takes place at four sites in the our area:

Magnolia Beach/Indianola Calhoun County
Check-in: Crabbin’ Bridge
Contact: Rhonda Cummins, 361-552-9747,
rhonda.cummins@texasadoptabeach.org

Boggy Nature Park, Port O’Connor Calhoun County
Check-in: At the birding observation deck
Contact: Alexa Cordova, 361-573-2428,
alexa.cordova@texasadoptabeach.org

King Fisher Beach, Port O’ConnorCalhoun County*
Check-in: Pavilion at King Fisher Beach
Contact: Renee Tuggle
renee.tuggle@glo.texas.gov

Austwell PierRefugio County
Check-in: Austwell Pier
Contact: Dwight Mutschler, 361-286-3762,
361-250-5484 (cell),
austwellredfish@texasadoptabeach.org

Volunteers can sign up online at www.texasadoptabeach.org to take part in a fun-filled day at the beach that makes a difference.

“Sign up now to join forces with thousands of other Texans who care about the coast,” said Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Marine debris kills wildlife and hurts tourism, but it’s a problem we can fix. Come out and be a part of the solution on Saturday, Sept. 26.”

Each volunteer will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. All volunteers are advised to wear closed-toe shoes, bring sunscreen and plenty of drinking water.  The Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups are held rain or shine!

Texans who are not able to attend the cleanup can help keep their beaches clean by making a tax-deductible donation online at www.TexasAdoptABeach.org. There are several different Adopt-A-Beach sponsorship levels ranging from $25 to $25,000, allowing both individuals and corporations to contribute to this major cleanup effort.

Shell Oil Company is the lead statewide sponsor for the 2015 Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup. Other sponsors include Apache Corporation, Murphy Oil Corporation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program, Schlumberger, the Ocean Conservancy, Corona Del Mar Properties and Trusted Senior Specialists.
To learn more about the Adopt-A-Beach program, visit www.TexasAdoptABeach.org or contact the GLO at 1-877-TX COAST. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/texasadoptabeach or follow us on Twitter @TexasAdoptABeach.

Who:   Thousands of Texans who care about the coast
What:  29th GLO Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup
When: Saturday, Sept. 26
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
Clean up will be from 9 a.m. to noon
Where: 30 sites along the Texas Coast, including:
Magnolia Beach/Indianola
Boggy Nature Park
King Fisher Beach
Austwell Pier

* The folks at Texas Adopt-A-Beach Program express their condolences to the Gayle family of Port O’Connor. Debbie Gayle had been the site coordinator at King Fisher Beach for 18 years and did a fabulous job.

Port O’Connor Summer Readers with Officer Rosales and Librarian Shirley Gordon

Margaret Servantes, Children’s/Reference Librarian reports a total of 188 children participated in the 2015 Summer Reading Program county wide!! A total of 2,466 hours were read this summer!!

Port O’Connor Branch Library had a total of seven readers who read two hours and received a certificate for completing the Summer Reading Program. Five of the seven received medals for reading more than eight hours. Port O’Connor read more than 48 hours in 6 weeks.

Seadrift Branch Library had a total of five readers who read two hours and received a certificate for completing Summer Reading Program. Two of the five received medals for reading more than eight hours. Seadrift participants read more than 61 hours in six weeks.

Seadrift Summer Readers with Librarian Robbie Bess and Officer Thompson.

Greetings fellow culinary enthusiasts! I am re visiting the soups, salads and sauces section of the Port O’ Connor Community Service Club cookbook. A few months ago, I attended a luncheon and quite innocently inquired about a recipe. The inquiry was mostly meant as a compliment but somehow became a big deal. The inquiry was passed through several people and after two months of email replies I learned that the person who prepared the dish was unwilling to share the information because it was a “family” recipe. I found this humorous, maybe because I am an educator and I share all information with anybody who wants to listen.

My husband is not so adept in the kitchen but he is the “bomb” in outdoor cooking, in fact he is known in his circle of outdoor cookers for his homemade barbecue sauce. When I found a recipe in the Port O’ Connor Community Service Club cookbook for barbecue sauce, I asked him for input. It was a big surprise to me when he said it was a secret! The following is a barbecue sauce recipe from Leona Baker with a few hints for additions from my husband’s prize winning recipe.

BARBECUE SAUCE

Cook one onion and one clove of garlic in one half cup butter slowly until tender. Then add one and one half teaspoons prepared mustard, two tablespoons chili powder, one cup ketchup, one half cup vinegar, one half cup water, one tablespoon sugar and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and simmer until thick.

Homemade sauce can be a great way to explore new flavors and to teach yourself how to enhance or reduce different ends of the flavor spectrum. To take a traditional Barbecue sauce and make it sweeter consider adding honey, brown sugar, corn syrup, or even molasses in lieu of sugar. Some people prefer the spicier side of life don’t be scared to try salsas, dried peppers or blends of pepper powders. Finding the balance that you and your dining party enjoy can be a rewarding culinary challenge. Don’t be afraid of ruining the sauce, you can always even flavors by adding an opposite to whatever you have in excess (sweet to spicy).

Thank you to Leona Baker and her family for their contribution. Enjoy!