Calhoun County Republicans are excited to be hosting for the first time ever the Senate District 18 Quarterly Meeting. Senate District 18 is composed of 19 1/2 counties in south-central Texas: Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Caldwell, Calhoun, Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Goliad, Gonzales, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Refugio, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Wharton, and a western portion of Fort Bend County.

The meeting will be held on Saturday, August 23, in the Community Room of Grace Episcopal Church on Austin Street in Port Lavaca.  There will be a continental breakfast buffet from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.  The meeting will consist of information from our State Representatives on the Executive Committee, Ben Zeller and Becky Berger.  There will be multiple speakers representing all levels of the State Government, including Senator Glenn Hegar and State Representative Geanie Morrison.  Various candidates will be present to visit with the audience and present their platforms.

Our current State Senator, Glenn Hegar, is running for the position of State Comptroller.  At present, there are at least two candidates who will be running in a special election called by the Governor if Senator Hegar wins in November.

From Noon until 1:00 p,m,, there will be a fish fry buffet, complete with all the trimmings and desserts.  The meeting will resume at 1:00 p.m. and continue until 3:00 p.m.

The public is invited, however, reservations are requested (361-552-0917) in order to prepare the proper amount of food and drink.

Will Smith (l) and Scott Weiler (r) caught 67.8 and 28.4 pound sharks for 1st Place and Heaviest Shark in the Sharp Tooth Shootout.

The POC Shark Hunters Sharp Tooth Shootout returned to POC after a 5 year absence. August 1 and 2 brought 34 boats of shark fishermen to Froggies in search of the biggest and best shark they could land in the bay and surf areas. . An overnight storm challenged the anglers but more than 20 sharks were weighed in, ranging from a few pounds to the largest at 67 pounds. Music from the band Southern Drive, great food and snow cones from Ben Parker’s food truck and a raffle made it a fun event. Lots of families and kids came by to see a big hammerhead shark stored in a cooler near the weigh in. Organizers Mark Robinson and Kristy Chappel along with their corporate sponsors Bobwhite Rentals, Mowdy, Compadres Pro Wraps, and Waterloo Rods were delighted with the turnout and proudly gave away more than $10,000 in prize money to the heaviest shark, heaviest two, side pot catch and others. Several anglers donated their catch to the local food pantry efforts.

Leigh Ann Saunders, female shark angler in 2nd place

Sharp Tooth Shootout Organizers Mark Robinson & Kristy Chappel with David Walker

A Festival To Build A Veteran’s Memorial

6th Annual Port Lavaca Flip Flop Festival

LABOR DAY WEEKEND 2014 – August 29th & 30th

The City of Port Lavaca, TX, is excited to bring you the 6th Annual Flip Flop Festival benefiting the Bayfront Veteran’s Memorial, honoring all military veterans past, present and future.

A secluded area of the City’s Bayfront Park, also the site of the festival, will be the location of the memorial, which will include bricks engraved with a veteran’s name (available for purchase at the festival) and pavers that line a donor walkway. Construction on the memorial is planned to begin by September. The Veteran’s Council along with members of the local VFW, GI Forum, and American Legion will be working hard at the festival.

The Flip Flop Festival is an exciting, family-friendly event that visitors and locals alike look forward to each year.

The waterfront location and festival experience gives attendees a taste of what you can expect when you visit Port Lavaca – a welcoming atmosphere, friendly conversation, a great view of the water, cold drinks, great food and shopping, and of course, flip-flops!

Visitors are encouraged to stay the weekend and explore all that Port Lavaca has to offer, including boating and saltwater fishing, RVing and camping, historical site-seeing, birding and a white sandy beach with a 2200-foot boardwalk.

This year’s festival will kick off Friday evening, August 29th, with a Street Dance on the Bayfront Peninsula with music by Night Moves. There will be live music all day on Saturday, August 30th, with performances by Riptide, Kayla Ray, TipJar Romeo, The Scott Taylor Band and the festival’s headliner, Bart Crow!

Saturday morning, gates open at 10AM. You can expect the best in food and arts and crafts, professional sand sculptor, Fred Mallett, a huge kid’s zone with a splash pad, rides, games/prizes and face painting. Contests include a Children’s Sand Sculpting Contest (new this year!), a Horseshoe & Washer Tournament and the Annual Fling Flong Contest.

The festival will include an IBCA-sanctioned barbecue cook-off with a $10,000 guaranteed payout!

Admission to The Flip Flop Festival will be FREE!

Whether you live in, near or far from the community of Port Lavaca, we invite you to spend Labor Day weekend with us. Flip-flops welcome!

For up to date information on the Flip Flop Festival and to find lodging options, go to www.flipflopfestival.com and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/flipflopfest.

There is a lot of history buried at the Port O’Connor Cemetery, including the fact that three generations of Matagorda Island Lighthouse Keepers are buried there. There are many families whose history is important to our community and the Cemetery Board is anxious to hear from anyone with something to add to our knowledge.

Anyone who is willing to share what they know of their family’s history is asked to contact Marie Hawes at 920-2322, Bob Allen at 983-2266, any other Board member, or the Dolphin Talk.

GBRA  Port Lavaca Water Treatment Plant to Begin Modified Disinfection Process

Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority (GBRA) temporarily will substitute chlorine as the disinfecting agent in the drinking water treatment process in place of its regularly used chlorine/ammonia compound (chloramines) at the GBRA Port Lavaca Water Treatment Plant. According to Herb Wittliff, manager for Port Lavaca Operations, this action will begin on August 18, 2014 and will be used through September 8, 2014 after which the plant will resume the use of chloramines.

“Chlorine and chloramines are both excellent disinfecting agents and are used extensively in the drinking water industry to safeguard finished water against bacteria that cause water-borne illnesses,” said Wittliff. “However, the substitution of chlorine alone on a periodic basis is recommended by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in order to provide more stability to the disinfecting process and to remove any excess ammonia that might accumulate in the distribution systems over time.”

As part of the process, the wholesale customers of GBRA ¾ the City of Port Lavaca, the Calhoun County Rural Water System of GBRA, the Port O’ Connor Improvement District, and the LaSalle Water Control and Improvement District will monitor the disinfectant residual in water mains and increase flushing activities to provide a more efficient change-out of the water.

“Some customers may notice a slight change in palatability or “taste” of the water,” said Stephanie Shelly, GBRA chief operator. “There also may be a slight discoloration of the water due to flushing, but the water will remain safe and available for all domestic purposes.”

For more information, please contact your local drinking water provider. City of Port Lavaca 361-552-3347, GBRA Rural Water 361-552-9751, or Port O’ Connor 361-983-2652. LaSalle customers may call the 983-2652 number or GBRA at 552-9751.

The GBRA was established by the Texas Legislature in 1933 as a water conservation and reclamation district.  GBRA provides stewardship for the water resources in its 10-county statutory district, which begins near the headwaters of the Guadalupe and Blanco rivers, ends at San Antonio Bay, and includes Kendall, Comal, Hays, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Gonzales, Dewitt, Victoria, Calhoun, and Refugio Counties.