A final

On the Rocks A6

Farah's Fishing Adventures A7

Natural Pest Control for your Garden A11

Live Music A18

Deep Sea Roundup A16

Free

FREE

Island Dogs' Favorite Phrase: "Lets go to the Beach"

The Island Moon

Issue 535

Weekly

The voice of The Island since 1996

Encantada Reinvestment Zone Holds Key to Island Water Exchange Development Rankin Headed ByTheDaleyear INSET MAP PADREBridge ISLAND JURISDICTIONAL MAP editor@islandmoon.com was 2002 and change was It is summertime on our Island, the air. The vote to build Packery to City Council inChannel and indeed, the living is easy. Island was just a year old and The

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downtown interests who tied the two projects together because they didn’t want Packery out of fear it would stymy development downtown.

NUECES CO WCID 4: Source TCEQ

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1,375 2,750

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Legend

Others will say the Robstown Gateway Municipal Management Dist backers knew their project couldn’t Tax Incrementing Finance Dist pass alone and it was bootstrapped SCHOOL DISTRICTS to Packery to get it by voters.

CITY LIMITS ETJ

Stuff I Heard on the Island continued on A5 CNTYS

Schlitterbahn Update

PARK Certificate of Compliance & Necessity WATER

UTILITY CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI NUECES CO WCID 4

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Reinvestment zone outlined in red

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Dead Zone continued on A5

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Oceanic and Administration

OCEA

Another summer of high temperatures is expected to create a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico that is about as big as Connecticut.

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Summer 'Dead Zone' Expert Notes Connection to Midwest Corn Planted for Ethanol

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PINS has announced it will conduct a Sobriety Checkpoint on Saturday, July 19, “near the park entrance”. Park officials did not say if the checkpoint will be on inbound park or outbound park traffic or both.

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If you go to Padre Island National Seashore this Saturday be prepared to blow.

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Check It!

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Bridge continued on A14

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The first rides to open will beo n the north end of the park site near the clubhouse.

Crews this week began loading inventory into the souvenir shop on the building’s first floor.

Closed Real Estate Sales First Half of 2014

So using public money to build a culvert in the privately-maintained canal system became a legal question.

“We don’t want to set a precedent, “ said Mayor Nelda Martinez, who eventually withdrew her second to Loeb’s motion pending further review.

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Schlitterbahn developer Paul Schexnailder told the Island Strategic Action Committee Tuesday that the last of the concrete for the water rides at the north end of the park is done and the first water rides at the park are expected to be ready to open in three weeks.

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The list of projects presented to the council on Tuesday included the Encantada project but Loeb raised questions about using public bond money to fund a culvert in the Island canal system which is, by agreement, maintained by private money from the Padre Island Property Owners Association.

Under the city’s annexation agreement with the city the POA maintains the waterways – exactly what that entails is under discussion – and the city maintains the roadway above.

The National Atmospheric

ALOHA

BONASSE

That project failed with voters in 1999 because it was tied to county development plans in Robstown.

Opinions vary as to why that was done. What can be said is that the Packery project was popular and the Robstown project was not; the questions was why they were both placed on the same ballot item which meant they sank or swam together. If you listen to the Robstown crowded, to this day, they will tell you it was

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There was some talk last week of sinking one or more of the doomed Columbus ships at the site but the fact

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The effort to sink the 155-foot coastal freighter Kinta at the newly established reef site in 73 feet of water off the mouth of Packery Channel and nine miles from the mouth of the Aransas Pass is coming together nicely thanks to the good folks over at the Saltwater Fisheries Enhancement Association (SEA). The deal on the ship is almost done and the group is now in the process of working out how to get it to the site, with arrival expected in early fall.

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Reef news

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We Islanders scoff at water restrictions; we’ll drill more wells and have the best watered rocks south of Swinney Switch.

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To their credit the City of Corpus Christi Parks Department has listened to us and next Tuesday, as scheduled, will drill three 25-foot deep wells in Billish Park in anticipation of using the fresh, free, water there to fuel improvements to the park which include a pond to hold the water which will be used for irrigation.

Imagine if you will, Island parks with grass instead of healthy crops of sandburs; playgrounds with actual kids in them, dogs and cats play together. It may sound like crazy talk but just ask the flock of Island seagulls which now congregate at the newly dug watering holes at the entrance to the county park at Bob Hall Pier, or ask the developers at Schlitterbahn where newly dug canals filled with nine inches of fresh water daily. Old salts hereabouts tell us that a water well drilled just below the surface will produce about nine gallons per minute of water, about the same as what comes out of a garden hose. The water is down there and after years of burying our collective head in the sand we’re starting to use it.

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But for the dozen or so folks on our sandbar who have drilled backyard wells into the sea of submerged fresh, if brackish, water right under our feet it means little. Those who regularly follow these pages know that we sit on top of a 43-foot deep strata or underground fresh water which, being lighter than salt water below floats on top. Three feet of that fresh water is pushed up above submerged sea level where it awaits capture for us to use in irrigation.

O

WALDRON

Title: PADRE ISLAND JURISDICTIONAL MAP Printing Date: 4/26/2010 File: H:\PLN-DIR\SHARED\GIS Projects\Special Projects\FOCUS AREA\MUSTANG_PADRE_ISLAND\Padre_Island_Jurisdictional_Map.mxd Illustrative purposes only. Prepared By: KAB Coordinate System: NAD 1983 StatePlane Texas South FIPS 4205 Feet © City of Corpus Christi © Development Services

For many Islanders this means little since watering the rocks in our yards will only bring weeds (there’s a parable in there somewhere folks), for others it may be a time to soak the yard prior to the deadline; we’ll leave that to your conscience.

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WASP HARBOR LIGHTS

PAUL JONES

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The question at hand was whether to place an item on the bond package in November that would replace the plugged up culverts under Encantada Avenue with a box culvert to allow for water passage. The matter had come up earlier in the day at the Corpus Christi City Council meeting when At-Large Councilman David Loeb had proposed a failed motion that would have de-funded the culvert project in favor of diverting the $2.5 million to cover the anticipated cost of the culvert, instead placing $1.5 million in reserve for a blue-sky project that could eventually bring a second bridge to The Island and Rivera School District sending the remaining $1 million into a fund to repair city streets.

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CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI: Source TCEQ

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Island was pregnant with expected growth. Packery Channel wasnt the main thrust of the bond vote. Packery was actually a beach re-nourishment project kick-started with $19.5 million in federal money from an earmark that then-Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison tacked onto a federal water resources bill.

MYSTIC STAR

The Island Strategic Action Committee hadn’t met in six weeks but it didn’t take long Tuesday night for its members to get down to business.

SWEET BAY EASY

ASWAN NILE

POENISCH

HINMAN

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N EGYPTIA DELTA

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By Dale Rankin

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SUSAN

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Island’s only bond project hanging by legal thread RODD FIELD

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A wise Texan once said that when God made Texas he made enough land for everybody but just enough water to fight over. That point was driven home this week when after eight months of voluntary water conservation as the arid Southwest staggers under the weight of a prolonged drought the City of Corpus Christi kicked into Moderate Drought Stage 2 (We really mean it! Well, sort of.) water restrictions as lake levels fell below 40%. Here are the new rules: Watering is limited to once a week, including car washing, on the resident’s garbage pick-up day; Hand-held and drip irrigation is allowed any time. The rules kick in on Monday, July 28 and violations may result in citations of up to $500 a day.

UITE

THE MA

Water, water everywhere…

ION ULL AT LM L H DA HUL Y BA

GING

BICHON

LIPES

Here are some highlights from Around The Island this week.

HAMPTO N

LA ROCHELLE PARIS

RT BA VAQUERO

snow has arrived in the form of the whimsical leavings from Island palm trees which pile up in bunches around our doors. Even Island dogs are roused from peaceful slumber as their humans lumber in the direction of the door in anticipation of those favorite words of Island dogs everywhere, “Come on boy, let’s go to the beach.”

Living is easy for Island dogs too.

ANVIL

ROCK CREST

BISON

CIMARRON

ANGELWING

PRINCE

D

FOX

ELK

IMPALA

LOKEY

BEECHWOO

ETIENNE

DURHAM BOARDWALK SALLY BROCKHAMPTON L CORNEL

ANNEMASSE

COVE

SALSA

MILAN

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T

LOIRE LOVAIN

CHE

MARSEILLE

LENS

OIN

WILDER

AC YP

HIDDEN

FRAN VILLE

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LIPES

Around The Island

By Dale Rankin

PARKVIEW

July 17, 2014

Padre and Mustang Islands Mary Lou White 361-960-9460 marylou@baxterbrooks.com

Padre Island

76

Between $100,000 and $199,000 Between $200,000 and $299,000

66

Lots and Land Closed

80

4

Below $30,000

28

Between $300,000 and $399,000

30

Between $30,000 and $39,000

17

Between $400,000 and $499,000

12

Between $40,000 and $49,000

7

Between $500,000 and $599,000

3

Between $50,000 and $59,000

5

Between $600,000 and $699,000

4

Between $60,000 and $69,000

5

Between $700,000 and $1 Million

1

Between $70,000 and $125,000

10

Between $126,000 and $200,000

292

Properties Closed For a Total of $65,050,405.00

2

Above $200,000

Lots and Land Closed Between $30,000 and $39,000

Mustang Island

1

Multi Family Property at $308,000

57

225

Residences Closed

2

7

Below $100,000

Real Estate continued on A3

Sports:t A little Island history

An Islander’s Dream-To Be A Professional Baseball Player In Japan

By Dotson Lewis, Special to the Island Moon dlewis1@stx.rr.com Editor’s note: Island history graduated from high school, Freddy comes in many forms and this (Fred) Hawn, who had been a minor week it is in the words of long-time league baseball manager and was Islander and Moon writer Dotson now a full-time scout came out to the Lewis who, prior to guarding war house to see me (later in his career criminals in post-World War II Freddy Hawn was famous for signing Japan also played in the Japanese Lindy McDaniel, Von McDaniel, professional league. Here is his Wally Moon, and Hal Smith to their story. first contracts.)

In May of 1946, the day after I

He talked to me about signing a Minor League contract with the Cardinals. To say the least, I was thrilled! My problem was that I had actually played very little baseball.

I had played football, basketball and participated in track and field, but my high school did not have a baseball team and there was only one organized team in town. They were a semi-pro team sponsored by local merchants, and teen-agers were not very welcome.

The summer before, I had worked out with the team and had even played in a few games when they were short-handed. To tell the truth, even though I had very little Dotson at batting practice in Japan experience, I played pretty well.

Due to my inexperience, Mr. Hawn suggested that I sign with the Pittsburg, Kansas team in the Kansas-Missouri “Ban Johnson League.” That way I was not considered a “Pro” and still eligible for a college athletic scholarship.

I had been offered football and basketball scholarships at four, of what I considered, major colleges in 1946.

Players in the league were not paid to play, they were given jobs with local businesses and we lived at the YMCA. Room and board was paid by our sponsors. I was hired by the YMCA and my job was to drive the “Y” bus, which was also the team bus for road trips. There were no over-night road trips, we returned to Pittsburg after the game.

We did not play on Wednesdays (Bible Belt Church Night), but played most other week-day nights. All games were played at night, except for Saturdays when we usually played day/night double

Baseball continued on A8

A2

Found on the Island

Surfing Port A

July 17, 2014

Island Moon

Photos by Jeff Dolan

\A golden retriever possibly lab mix. He was covered in fleas, and emaciated. We bathed him twice and treated him with frontline. He is an awesome dog, great with kids, dogs, and cats.

His teeth are great, leaving us to believe he is about a year old. We have three dogs already and can't keep this sweet boy. All of the rescue groups and shelters are full. Please help this wonderful boy find his forever home. Please call Patrick at 817-226-0683

The Travelling Moon

The Moon finds love in the most romantic city in Vietnam- Hoi An, Vietnam.

Picture by Kenneth & Laura Butts

Selling dream homes from Port Aransas to Padre Island‌ amazing sunsets included.

Call me and let’s find yours.

Julie Reupke 361-774-5645

julie@portaransasrealty.com www.portaransasrealty.com

Whether buying or selling, the right real estate professional can make all the difference.

Sharon Featherston and Duane Grossman who are Island homeowners took the Moon on a trip. This is Omaha Beach in Normandy France on their recent visit to celebrate the 70th anniversary of D-day on June 6th.

July 17, 2014

A3

Island Moon

Moon Monkeys Mike Ellis, Founder

Letters to the Editor

Beach Driving

EditorI do not think traffic should be shut off along the seawall. There is not any problem that does not occur anywhere else along the beach. Better patrol would solve any problems all along the beach and seawall. Shutting off traffic will give dwellers along the seawall a special privledge.

For that they should pay more in taxes. Pay them back for the parking lot and property to shut them up. Maybe raise the beach sticker fee to do so. Beach maintenance along the seawall stretch should also be reduced or limited if beach driving is ended. Maybe turn it into a natural beach like south of Bob Hall Pier.

Then, whatever happens happens and they have nothing to complain about like now. Also, no driving should mean no beach replenishment when Packery is dredged next time.

Distribution Pete Alsop Island Delivery Coldwell Banker Advertising Jan Park Rankin Classifieds

Mickey

Arlene Ritley Design/Layout Jeff Craft

Moon Monkeys-

Contributing Writers Joey Farah

Handicap Parking

Andy Purvis Devorah Fox

In your "Letters to the Editor" column on 7/3 Dee Glenn made a comment regarding Handicap Parking. Please let her know that at least some of the handicapped parking spaces she cited are not in compliance. For example the parking spaces at Ace Hardware although marked on the pavement, do not have the signs required by Texas law.

Mary Craft Maybeth Christiansen Jay Gardner Chad Peters Todd Hunter Dotson Lewis

"Each accessible parking space shall be designated as a reserved space with a sign showing the symbol of accessibility. Designated van-accessible parking spaces must have an additional "Van-Accessible" sign mounted below the symbol of accessibility. Signs shall be located 60 Inches (1525 millimeters) above the ground."

Ronnie Narmour Brent Rourk Dr. Donna Shaver Photographers Miles Merwin Jeff Dolan Mary Craft Office Security/Spillage Control (Emeritus)

There are a variety of other requirements for handicap parking spaces.

Inasmuch as it might be morally wrong to park in one of these spaces, it is not legally wrong.

You can read more at: governor.state.tx.us/files/disabilities/ accessible_parking_fast_facts.pdf V. Adam Smith

Mystery Cars

Riley P. Dog Editor/Publisher/Spillage Control Supervisor Dale Rankin About the Island Moon

The Island Moon is published every Thursday, Dale Rankin, Editor / Publisher.

Total circulation is 10,000 copies. Distribution includes delivery to 4,000 Island homes, free distribution of 3,000 copies in over 50 Padre Island businesses and condos, as well as 600 copies distributed in Flour Bluff, 1,400 copies on Mustang Island and Port Aransas businesses.

News articles, photos, display ads, classified ads, payments, etc. may be left at the Moon Office.

Has anyone seen the 3 small black & white Fiats driving around? We see them every morning headed to the national seashore, what's that all about ? Test cars? Anyone?

Alfred Mendez It's a "vehicle wrap" and yes, they are test cars and the wrap is to hide the details of the car being tested. The Michigan plates give them away. I have a buddy that works for that outfit.

Jon Emmons

The Island Moon Newspaper 15201 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 250 Corpus Christi, TX 78418 361-949-7700 editor@islandmoon.com Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Where to Find The Island Moon Port Aransas Lisabella’s Restaurant Pioneer RV Park Stripes @ Beach Access Rd. 1A

Port A Glass Studio The Gaff Wild Horse Saloon Tarpon Ice House

North Padre

Miss K’s Catering & Bistro

All Stripes Stores

Amano

Whataburger

CVS

Around continued from A1 that they are made of wood and apparently due to the possibility they could move in a storm that idea was scratched. Divers on the site which already has concrete structures in place say that the fish population has found it and the diving is good.

Realty speaking We’ve included real estate numbers from the first half of the year in this issue in Mary Lou’s column on this page. Word Around The Island is that sales have slowed a bit in recent week, in some part due to seasonal fluctuations, and strangely vacant lots, and in some cases even houses, just OTB have been selling at prices comparable to Island prices. We’re confident an efficient market will arbitrage these anomalies out of the system soon enough and the world will right itself on its axis.

In the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.

Real Estate continued from A1 2

Between $40,000 and $49,000

4

Between $50,000 and $59,000

4

Between $60,000 and $69,000

6

Between $70,000 and $79,000

9

Between $80,000 and $89,000

4

Between $90,000 and $99,000

16

Between $100,000 and $199,000

5

Between $200,000 and $299,000

5

Between $300,000 and $399,000

3

Multi Family Properties Between $350,000 and $600,000

1

Commercial Property For $375,000

192

Residences Closed

12

Below $100,000

52

Between $100,000 and $199,000

Public Library

64

Between $200,000 and $299,000

Chamber of Commerce

Flour Bluff

29

Between $300,000 and $399,000

15

Between $400,000 and $499,000

Duckworth Antiques

H.E.B.

4

Between $500,000 and $599,000

Back Porch

Liquid Town

6

Between $600,000 and $699,000

Woody’s Sports Center

Whataburger on Waldron

6

Between $700,000 and $1 Million

Shorty’s Place

Ethyl Everly Senior Center

4

Over $1 Million

253

Properties Closed for a Total of $66,994,279.00

Felder Gallery

Doc’s Restaurant

Island Woman Boutique

Snoopy’s Pier

Coast Club Coffee Waves Moby Dicks Spanky’sLiquor IGA Grocery Store Port A Business Center Carter Pharmacy San Juan’s Taqueria Wash Board Laundry Mat Port A Parks and Rec

The Flat’s Lounge Giggity’s Stripes @ Cotter & Station Gratitude Gift Shop Keepers Pier House

Isle Mail N More Island Italian Ace Hardware Holiday Inn Texas Star (Shell) Jesse’s Liquor Scuttlebutt’s Restaurant Subway Island Tire And all Moon retail advertisers WB Liquor

Fire Station Police Station Stripes on Flour Bluff & SPID

Any Private Transactions would have been in addition to the combined Total of $132,044,684.00 of Island Properties that Closed between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2014. Being informed is a good thing...

I have been reading all the trash talk articles about the seawall and beach driving. Almost every night I go for a relaxing beach drive starting at the access road just south of the Bob Hall Pier and travel north to the south jetty then turn back and travel to where I start. Beach traffic along the entire stretch is basicly the same including in front of the seawall. Certainly there are a few drivers behaving badly but none in particular in front of the seawall. For the most part, the section in front of the seawall is the best behaved. People are enjoying themselves and the city maintains the seawall stretch about as best as any.

Let us remember the seawall was not to have been there in the first place. OK, they built a parking lot and restrooms but logically they should have been there anyway. All I can see is a bunch of babies who now want a semi-private beach. Crowding the people who choose to enjoy the beach onto the other sections is poor thinking. Crowding, increased traffic, etc will make the beach other than the seawall stretch much worse for the bulk of the people who like to enjoy the beach. And really, why should the seawall babies have special treatment?

OK, add a dollar to the beach permits and pay the babies back for the parking lot. Then, have them fix their precious seawall or remove it. If in fact the traffic is shut off the Seawall Babies will have a beach mostly for themselves. At that point their taxes should be raised and they should pay a large part of the beach maintenance. Or, since the beach will be limited for most people's use, city maintenance should cease. All I can say is enjoy the trash and seaweed that washes onto the shore which is now removed because beach goers enjoy that section of beach. Also, since there will be no beach traffic the seawall stretch would be a perfect place to put the seaweed and spread it out to dry. I am looking forward to enjoying the beach just south of the south jetty seaweed free since it has been placed in front of the seawall. Remember the bonus, the seaweed will keep the babies precious seawall beach from washing away.

Keep the Seawall beach open to traffic the entire stretch.

Gary Bachunas

Kim Gonzalez Backs Todd Hunter’s Insurance Reforms State Representative Todd Hunter’s proposed reforms of the Texas Department of Insurance are a good first step toward making windstorm insurance rates more equitable and affordable, said Kim Gonzalez, the Democratic nominee for State Representative against incumbent J.M. Lozano in District 43.

Did Ya Hear?

by Mary Craft mkay512@aol.com

New Advertisers Dental Oasis Family Dentistry in Port A accepts all major insurance plans and is open weekdays 9 am – 5 pm. They are located at 600 Cutoff Road and can be reached at 749-1992. Dr. Christopher Kight is opening a second location O2 Dental in the Bluff at 9929 SPID Suite 119 in August.

Freeway Managing General Agency offers low cost car insurance with rates as low as $29/month. Call 298-0119 for a free quote.

All-Tech Construction Services offers carpentry, Drywall, painting and more.

Estimates are always free. Call 210-3254835

Business Briefs A new pizza place is going in between Ace Hardware and La Palma restaurant and they will also serve beer and wine. More details next issue.

Numero Quatro – yep, a fourth Mexican restaurant will be on the Island soon.

Schlitterbahn’s main public restaurant on the first floor we hear will be called The Veranda and will serve Mexican food and seafood.

Island Joe’s Coffee Shop will be hosting “Coffee with Councilman Chad McGill” on Tuesday, July 22nd 7:30 – 9 am.

Black Marlin Bar & Grill has an elevated bar on the third floor serving refreshing summer cocktails with a view of the Gulf and is open daily. The restaurant serves lunch daily and gourmet entrees for dinner Wednesday – Saturday 5 – 9 pm. Enjoy a concert with your meal every Saturday at 9 pm. To reserve a table call 749-4653 or visit their website.

Sonic now has cheesy bread dogs that are extra cheesy on the outside. Garlic Parmesan is a cheesy bread hotdog with grilled onions and garlic parmesan sauce and the Ultimate Cheese & Bacon is mothered with cheddar cheese sauce and bacon.

The Back Porch in Port A will have a couple of their most popular entertainers this weekend. Two Tons of Steel will play on Friday and Gary P. Nunn on Saturday.

Realtor Mike Raymor has a waterfront lot at 13538 Queen Johanna Ct that is in a quiet area of the Island near the Community Gardens for just $129,900. There are limited waterfront lots available so this one will not be on the market long. Call Mike at 9457331.

Aunt Sissy’s Kitchen received a perfect score from Kitchen Cops on Action 10 News. Congrats Joan! Be sure to check out her Dash and Dine dinner entrees that can be picked up 4 – 7 pm Tuesdays – Thursdays and she serves lunch those days 11 – 2 pm. The lunch menu includes sandwiches, salads and quiche and you can eat in or take out. Check out her Facebook page for her “just like mom used to cook it” daily entrees.

Padre Island National Seashore will have a sobriety checkpoint at the entrance to the park Saturday, July 19th.

It looks like driving in front of the seawall may go to the November ballot. Read Dale’s

“Coastal Bend homeowners, like my husband and I, are willing to pay reasonable rates for windstorm insurance,” said Gonzalez, a mother of two and Assistant District Attorney for Nueces County. “However, we are not willing to allow an out-of-control state agency to rip us off with outrageous and unjustified rate increases.”

This is not the first time Gonzalez has spoken on the issue. In a June letter to the Insurance Commissioner, she wrote that the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) was trying to force coastal homeowners to pay for the agency’s disastrous financial blunders.

She also wrote that the Legislature, in which Lozano serves, was guilty of inaction. “In 2013, the Legislature had a chance to reform TWIA and solidify its financial situation” she wrote.

“Sadly, legislators failed to pass meaningful reforms and instead caved in to the insurance industry.”

In that light, Gonzalez said she would consider stronger reforms that would bring the agency under control. “Just because we live on the Coast, that doesn’t mean we should get cheated,” she said.

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A4

July 17, 2014

Island Moon

PIBA Mixer

The Padre Island Business Association held its monthly mixer at Keller Williams last Tuesday evening with the help of hosts Duane and Denise Ebert. Door prizes were very popular.

Photos by Brent Rourk

Wanted: Fun-loving, Energetic, and Friendly Island Women of all Ages!

The ladies of PIE had their July meeting last week. Now they are looking forward to their membership drive in August.

Joining is CAKE and PIE (Easy as PIE and joining is easy as a Piece of Cake!)

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Well-Behaved Cats, Dogs & Owners Always Welcome Keep Your Cats & Dogs Safe From Heat Exhaustion: *Don’t Leave Your Pet Unattended *Always Keep Water Available *Provide Plenty of Shade

Membership fair and BINGO at 11:20 a.m. Friday, August 8, Holiday Inn. PIE members will man booths for each PIE activity. Expert PIE members will give information, answer questions, accept new members, initiate new activities, help form new activity groups, and explain about PIE Board membership.

PIE booths will include, but will not be limited to: Bridge, Bunco, Lunch Bunch, Happy Hour, Beach Night, Craft Night, Movie Night, Service Standing Committees, Scholarship Committee, and Executive Board.

12:00 Noon -- Lunch, $15.00 -- catered by Holiday Inn Make reservations early! Kathy Merchant at 361-774-8994, or email: kmerchant99@gmail.com. Bring $25.00 for your yearly dues! For questions and testimonials, ask any happy PIE member!

All photos by Joy Claer.

July 17, 2014

Island Moon

Club News

The Island Moon provides this space for Island organizations. If you are a member of a club and want to get the word out about your events and/or projects send them along and we will get them in.

Be sure to include a brief description of what your organization does and a contact person for those interested in joining.

Send the info to editor@islandmoon.com and we will include it. Or call us at 949-7700.

Island Uke Club – Here’s your chance to learn to play the ukulele! Tuesday, July 15th Island Joe’s Coffee and Gallery is hosting this month’s ukulele club meeting. Island Joe’s is located at 13919 SPID right here on the island. The meeting begins promptly at 6:00 PM and ends at 7:30. Plan on arriving 10-15 minutes early to get settled in and tuned up. Everyone is welcome. A $3/person donation is requested.

Loaner ukuleles available. More information also available at PadreIslandUkeClub.com and on the club’s MeetUp.com site. RSVP online or call Joe Sexton at 361-500-8955. PadreIslandUkeClub@ gmail.com PI Dog Group (PI Dog). Saturday, July 19, 2014: 9:00 a.m. Beach Walk. Meet at the Bristol Pavilion at Padre Bali Park. Bring leash, water for your dog & you, poop bags, etc. Meets monthly for dog and owner activities, training and education. Free to join! To join visit padreislanddogpark.com or contact Bev (bevhoffman@aol.com) or Lyn (lyn. edler@gmail.com).

Rotary Club of Padre Island Corpus Christi – The Rotary Club of Padre Island is always looking for new members seeking to put “service above self”. If you are interested, please come join us and see what we are all about.

The Padre Island Rotary usually meets every Tuesday at noon at the Boathouse Bar and Grill (upstairs), 15241 Leeward Dr, Corpus Christi, TX 78418. For more information contact Jacqueline Carlson at 361-331-8618 or jcarlson@ jmcarchitecture.com.

P.I.E. Padre Island Enrichment Club, Inc,P.I.E. strives to enrich the lives of Padre Island women through social activities and community involvement. Full membership luncheon meetings are held the second Friday of each month at the Holiday Inn. Members may also participant in special interest clubs (bunco, bridge, spades, books, etc) that meet throughout the month. For more information about PIE, please contact Katherine Pierce, President, at 361 960-0327 or Sandy Leber, Membership Chair, at 361 949-7145.

KIWANIS Club of Padre Island. The Kiwanis meet at noon each Wednesday at Black Sheep Restaurant.

For more information contact Karen Wilson at 361446-4626. e-mail at karenwilson61@gmail.com.

IUPAC (Island United Political Action Committee): Maximize representation of Corpus Christi residents on Padre and Mustang Islands in area government by promoting and supporting, by the endorsement process, proactive and unified voting in non-partisan races and other issues and referendums put to public vote.

Contact Persons: President – Linda A Walsh lawalshva@yahoo.com 361-445-7999. Secondary Contact Person: Member – Brent Hess, bhess0604@ gmail.com. 361-774-0089. Meetings: Open to the public, meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month.

Parrot Heads of Port Aransas – The Parrot Heads of Port Aransas will be having their monthly meeting on Thursday July 10 at 630pm in the Island Hotel on Hwy 361. Anyone interested in being a parrot head is welcome to attend. Parrot Heads of Port Aransas is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to assist in community and environmental concerns and provide a variety of social activities for people who wish to volunteer. Founded in 2009 the club motto is “Partying With a Purpose.” To join go to portaransasparrotheads.com or call LuAnn Ferguson, 361 749-5141 or 817 291-7034.

Padre Island Yacht Club - A members only Club, however we invite all Island residents to visit us. The PIYC is about boating, friendship and enjoying living on Padre Island. We collect more toys than any other organization in the area for the US Marines “Toys for Tots” program with La Posada events, including the Lighted Boat Parades.

To schedule a visit or find out more information please contact John Diggins - Phone 361-867-1313 as the Rear Commodore/Membership for 2014.

POA - Padre Isles Owners Association. The Association’s primary responsibility is to maintain the Common Areas, assess and collect the annual fees and provide information and assistance to property owners. .. Membership in PIPOA is automatic for anyone acquiring record legal title to any property within Padre Isles. Their office is located at 14015 Fortuna Bay Drive on The Island.

(361) 949-7025, padreisles@pipoa.net ARK – Animal Rehabilitation Keep. Located in Port Aransas the ARK is affiliate with the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Center. They handle the rehabilitation of most species of wildlife in the area with an emphasis on marine animals.

They care for abut 1300 animals each year, including about 300 sea turtles and more than 100 species of birds. If you find an animal in peril they can help Tony Amos is the Director. 750 Channel View Dr. Port Aransas. 361 749-6793, 361 442-7638. afamos@mail.utexas.edu.

Island Strategic Action Committee. Is a 14-member committee which meets (usually) at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at the Comfort Suites on Windward Drive. The committee’s purpose is to advise the Corpus Christi City Council on matters pertaining to The Island.

Island’s PIPPs Chapter of Corpus Christi Red Hat Society. In 2004 a group of Island ladies got together under a Palapa and founded the Padre Island Palapa Pals (PIPPs). Our only rule is that there are no rules! We are all about fun and friendship.

We meet once a month for lunch and various fun outings from cupcake making to CPR.

Stuff I Heard on the Island continued from A1

A second vote, without the Robstown item, was passed two years later and some structure was needed to capture and administer the funds needed to dredge the channel and get the spoil sand onto the beach along the seawall. Estimates at the time were that annual dredging would be needed and it would cost as much about $1.5 million per year; annual dredging turned out to be unnecessary. It was determined that the best funding strategy was to put $4 million into a trust fund and leave it there, replenishing it as needed for dredging. Any excess money would then be spent on the so-called Six Pack projects approved by council in 2002. The question was where to get the money and who would manage it. The answer was Reinvestment Zone Number Two, formed under the auspices of the City of Corpus Christi which was formed in 2002.

Who brought the money?

The money would, and does, come from property taxes on any new development inside the zone’s boundaries which essentially includes everything along SPID from the foot of the JFK to the Kleberg County line and just about all the commercially zoned property in between. 2003 was the benchmark year and any property tax collected on new property built in the zone after that would accrue to the Tax Increment Finance Zone which is a second organization but run by the Reinvestment Zone Board.

Two boards run the reinvestment zone; one manages the operations, the other controls the money. One board contains only sitting city council members; the other is the council members with representatives from the Flour Bluff ISD, Del Mar College District, and Nueces County. But the short answer is that the money in the Reinvestment Zone is controlled by the city council and typically the board meetings for the Reinvestment Zone and the Tax Increment Finance Zone are held back to back during city council meetings once a year and each lasts about fifteen minutes with the two boards, made up of almost the exact same people, approving a budget they have not seen prior to the meeting. The gavel comes down, the money goes out, the gavel comes down and the council meeting is back on. Just like that.

As of this writing there is just under $5 million in the fund. In 2002 $163,482 was collected on $11 million worth of property. This budget year $3.1 million was collected on $307 million of taxable property.

The fund balance at the beginning of this budget year in the zone was $4.9 million and the ending balance this fiscal year is projected at $4.9 million with a dredging reserve of $2.9 million, expenditures of about $3.23 million, and administration costs making up the difference.

This is Island-generated money earmarked for Island projects but controlled by the city council with the Island Strategic Action Committee approving the budget which they did this week, being the only governmental entity which actually looks at the numbers.

A5

in taxable property inside the zone’s boundaries, and that next year there will be $328 million for an increase of just $21 million. The wrinkle is that by this time next year the Schlitterbahn waterpark will be open and on the tax rolls with a construction cost somewhere around $60 million, you can do the math. That’s about 20% increase in taxable value with a corresponding 20% increase in tax collectables next fiscal year.

The tax incentive package for the water park, $111 million, approved by the city did not include any property tax breaks; only sales and hotel/motel tax, because by state law property tax breaks cannot be granted inside a reinvestment zone.

So until the resolution of the Reinvestment Zone, currently scheduled for 2022, all property tax paid on improvements to the waterpark, surrounding land, and all the land around Lake Padre with the exception of Cane Harbor, will be paid directly to the Reinvestment Zone fund. Projections are that in 2022 the fund will have an ending fund balance of $27 million. It is unknown at this point what happens to that money?

The Island’s future But the fact is that, according to the city’s figures, between now and 2022 the ending fund balance for the fiscal years will increase from the current $4.9 million to $27 million. The bond and dredging reserves will account for a combined total of $5.5 million rolled over from year to year, meaning that between now and then somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million in Island-generated money will be available for Island projects; and those dollar figures don’t include increased tax dollars from Schlitterbahn nor any other construction in the zone which happens in the next seven years.

So far the Zone money has built the boat ramps, parking lots, and picnic tables north of Packery Channel. The next Six Pack project on the drawing board is a $2.3 million restroom facility on the beach south of Packery Channel; that’s one expensive outhouse and its cost is being challenged by ISAC members. But up until this point little attention has been paid to money management in the fund as exemplified by the failure to include property value/taxes from Schlitterbahn in the Zone’s financials for next year.

This fund is Island money and how it is spent, arguably, can be the most important financial driver on The Island for the next decade.

The ISAC is doing the best job they can but this is a big and important item for The Island.

Nothing short of the Island’s future for the next decade is at stake.

But there’s a wrinkle Numbers provided by the city this week show that in the current fiscal year, as stated, there is $307 million

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A6

July 17, 2014

Island Moon

On the Rocks

By Jay Gardner Well there’s even more quagmire with the driving in front of the seawall issue and I was right in the middle of it this past week. The Watershore and Beach Advisory Committee that I co-chair for the City Council took on the issue. After a blistering 1.5 hours discussing the finer points, we figured out that the only thing we could do was table the issue. While everyone agreed to make a recommendation to close driving in front of the seawall, we couldn’t get a consensus on how it should be done. See, the issue is that there are two issues. One, the bond language that was passed by the voters in 2008 reads “restricting vehicular access to and on the gulf beach seaward of portions of the concrete padre island seawall where the width of the beach between the toe of the seawall and mean high tide is less than 150 feet.” This translates into closing the beach about south of Holiday Inn down to Island House. Well, the parking lot that was constructed is a good 650 feet north of where the beach would be closed. No parking, and no ADA access. Can’t do that and have it be convenient for anyone.

The second issue is that the Ordinance that was passed in Feb 2010 oversteps the bond language and has bollards on the beach north of the seawall. This is something that the voters did not approve, and I’m not sure how the Ordinance was passed that contained that caveat. In addition, it creates a parking lot on the most fluffy sand you can find that also does not provide the safety, would be a huge burden on the City to maintain, would crowd people more, and again, doesn’t provide ADA access.

The Ordinance plan doesn’t take cars off the beach, it just forces them into a narrower space down by the water, where most accidents would potentially take place.

No clear answers or a plan can be garnered from either the bond vote or the Ordinance as written. I don’t have any perfect answers, and neither does two City Council Committees.

Fact is that seawall parking lot could have been built on the southern end of the seawall and we wouldn’t be having this discussion.

But it wasn’t, and the milk has been spilt already. Hopefully there’s no blood shed as we struggle to find the best answer and then get it implemented. Personally, I think the Ordinance should be amended to reflect the bond language, but that’s just me. Stay tuned, something is

Jake and Zep with a kingfish

Photos by Jeff Dolan

Coast Guard Rescue Drill

Rachel with a bonito going to have to break loose sooner than later.

This past weekend was likely the best conditions for offshore and the Deep Sea Roundup that I’ve ever seen. We slipped out through Packery in the Donzi to go out and get Jake on some fish. After playing around with some undersized snapper and sharks at the near shore rigs just north, we decided to run over to the rigs off Bob Hall (“Samedan’s”) and see what kind of trouble we could get in.

The idea was to do some light trolling and pick up a kingfish or two. The birds were working the anchovies pretty heavy all over the place, and fish were blowing it up. Zep had put out a couple of lipped divers and we were easing around at 3 knots. The first couple of passes don’t get anything, and then after a close pass of one of the rigs, the rods goes off and Rachel gets to work on it. It turns out to be a large, very angry jackfish, and we get it landed and get back on the troll. The next pass gets us a king, and Jake makes short work of it, with Rachels coaching. Gaffed, pictures, high fives, and in the cooler. This is where the trip breaks down.

We had been drifting along while Jake fought the king, and in the meantime, we had drifted into a school of anchovies with birds working them. Jeff picks up a light bay rod and flings it in the melee, just to be smashed by a bonito.

He hands it off to Jake, who takes 20 minutes to reel it in (after all, the ten year old had just reeled in a kingfish, he was wore out!). During this fight, Baxter decides he wants to get in on the action, and secretly hooks one himself. We have a double on bonito on bay rods. Trolling was pretty much over at that point in time, but the crew had a blast on light tackle with lures catching these hard-fighting bruisers. It was actually a nice finish, and if you’re just looking for some light tackle nearshore action, take a trout rod and a few minnow-looking lures out to those rigs off Bob Hall. Ease or drift into the birds working the schools because if you run up on top of them, you send the fish down and you can do that all day and not get one bite.

Be patient. Give me a shout at jaygardner@ scientist.com if you have any further questions.

Speaking of patience, looks like we’re going to have to be patient with the surf as the Sargassum continues to pile into the beaches, and the wind and waves are staying up. Thankfully the temperature at Bob Hall rebounded back to the mid-80’s and the water continues to clear.

Which is another reason you’ll see me hopping around next week after work On the Rocks.

Coffee with the Councilman Tuesday, July 22 7:30 - 9:00 am

Councilman Chad Magill

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July 17, 2014

A7

Island Moon

Backwater Adventures Limp Lines

By Joey Farah Farah’s Fishing Adventures

and soak up some fishing secrets and take some great samples and a lot of excitement home with you for your next trip on the water.

Lots of redfish showing up in the Laguna Madre this week as tilde levels drop out and bring schools of shrimp out towards the passes out to the Gulf. edge of saltwater fishing has pushed them to refine and improve lure presentation, rigging, and technique to the highest level. If you are a beginner, experienced fishermen, or guide come hang out with us Thursday afternoon at 6pm

Tides of the Week

Tides for Corpus Christi (Bob Hall Pier) July 17 - 23, 2014

Day

High /Low

Tide Time

Height in Feet

Sunrise Moon Time Sunset

Th

17

Low

12:55 AM

0.1

6:47 AM Set 12:20 PM

17

High

7:43 AM

1.0

8:22 PM

17

Low

2:24 PM

0.2

17

High

8:40 PM

0.7

F

18

Low

1:43 AM

0.5

6:48 AM Rise 12:25 AM

18

High

7:48 AM

1.0

8:22 PM Set 1:20 PM

18

Low

3:20 PM

0.0

18

High

11:17 PM

0.8

Sa

19

Low

2:35 AM

0.7

6:48 AM Rise 1:07 AM

19

High

7:50 AM

1.0

8:22 PM Set 2:18 PM

19

Low

4:17 PM

-0.3

Su

20

High

1:53 AM

1.0

6:49 AM Rise 1:49 AM

20

Low

3:57 AM

0.8

8:21 PM Set 3:14 PM

20

High

7:44 AM

1.0

20

Low

5:14 PM

-0.4

M

21

High

3:17 AM

1.2

6:49 AM Rise 2:34 AM

21

Low

6:09 PM

-0.5

8:21 PM Set 4:09 PM

Tu

22

High

4:05 AM

1.3

6:50 AM Rise 3:20 AM

22

Low

7:01 PM

-0.6

8:20 PM Set 5:02 PM

W

23

High

4:46 AM

1.3

6:50 AM Rise 4:08 AM

23

Low

7:48 PM

-0.6

8:20 PM Set 5:52 PM

2014

EE!!

SAT. AUGUST 30- LABOR DAY WEEKEND

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The sand and grass came together like the break between two worlds. As I climbed up onto the shallow shelf I could see small schools of pin fish swarming my DOA shrimp as it glided across the surface. With the first cast I could see a streak of silver and a "v" cut the water towards the bait. Nice water quality in Baffin Bay has opened up some great The trout rushed up and fishing along the KENEDY SHORELINE. stalled just a moment as it had to decide from the small baitfish and my shrimp candy. I played the fish to hand and was shrimp. He failed and chose the easy meal, tickled in the first light of morning to see such an attack. I felt as though I wasn't supposed to watch the show unfold, hidden from human eyes. Little adventures like this can only come from fine tuning your angling skills. Come visit with us tonight and KEEP THOSE HOOKS SHARP AND YOUR LINES TIGHT!

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Last week I sat staring into the crystal clear water wondering why the lines were limp and the rods not bent. Every detail seemed perfect but strikes on large live bait were far between. Most of the year we pray for conditions like we are blessed to have right now and yet many of us are still using buckets full of live bait. I took off the next day with nothing but a free spirit and a bag of lures. Fishing is very good right now but with the large selection of food for game fish lures are working better than live bait much of the time, defiantly more consistent. THIS THURSDAY EVENING AT MARKER 37 MARINA IS A FREE MAGA SEMINAR. We will have a great opportunity to listen and learn from one of the most influential lure makers in salt water fishing with Mark Nicholes from DOA LURES as well as myself and one I his top Prostaff from Florida. Florida has clear water and lots of people so tricks they have learned and being on the cutting

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July 17, 2014

Island Moon

SPORTS It’s Was the Bottom of the Fifth in More Ways Than One It was the bottom of the fifth Whataburger Field on Sunday and the pitch was just a little bit inside.

The game was between the Corpus Christi Hooks and the Midland Rockhounds and after the Hooks pitcher hit the second Hooks batter it was just more than 35-year-old Nikolas Swope could stand. It was the bottom of the fifth in more ways than one as Swopes jumped from the stands and ran onto the field to pursue justice for the home nine by slugging the Midland pitcher.

He cleared the baseline and began weaving his way toward the mound when the other Rockhounds and in fact, players from both teams cleared the benches and turned Swopes into a human pinball, bumping him with their chests and in general making it difficult for him to pursue justice at Whataburger Field. They didn’t hit him, don’t do damage a throwing hand, but they body checked Swopes from one player to the next like a seven-layer cheese dip that had been on the patio just a tad too long. Police got there and pronounced Swopes sufficiently drunk to take to jail where he's now facing a charge of criminal trespassing and is accused of threatening assault, and some other stuff they threw in later which he richly deserved.

But the incident reminded us of the Wild Bunch at Disch Falk Field in Austin back the 1970’s when University of Texas Administrator

Frank Erwin, for whom the Frank Erwin Center is named, always attended Longhorn baseball games. Erwin was known to have several DWI arrests so as the home team Longhorns came up to bat in the fifth inning the Wild Bunch would stand and shout in unison, “Hey Frank, it’s the bottom of the fifth!” Erwin, who possessed a good sense of humor, would stand and wave from his box seat to the applause of the crowd.

Mr. Swope got no such greeting. But he didn’t get beaned with a baseball bat, which was lucky for him on a field with two racks of them handy.

Plus he got a free ride to the jailhouse, this swell photograph made to show his grandkids, and one phone call so he’s got that going for him.

And the chances are, when he gets out, he’ll never have to pay for another beer in Corpus Christi as long as he lives; not with a story like that to tell.

“They come in here and throw cheap balls at our batters they got to answer to me!” he’ll say.

So now, as opposing pitchers approach the bottom of the fifth they will be careful to keep that slider low and away from Hooks hitters, make sure they put a little extra snap on that curve to keep it outside, stay away from that hopping fastball up around the bow tie that could bring Agent Swopes in over the wall to mete out justice for the home field nine.

By Andy Purvis Special to the Island Moon

Last At Bat

They are almost all gone. Only a few remain, maybe less than twenty. Most are in their late eighties with a few lucky enough to reach ninety.

Because of their age, they now leave us more often than before. It seems that we lose one or two every month. The last five years have suddenly taken their toll on the professional Negro League players.

I’m not talking about the guys who played in the Negro Leagues after 1950, but the ones who played before Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby broke the Major League color barrier in 1947.

Those are the real Negro League players. A talented group of men of color, who never let the word “No” get in the way of a ballgame.

These players did not have the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues, no matter how talented they were. So for nearly forty years, they played hard and often the game they loved. Some baseball historians believe that this group of men may have been arguably the greatest and most innovative baseball players of their day. Players with names like Verdell Mathis, Joshua Johnson, Whit Graves, and Rick Laurent excelled at this game. Have you ever heard of John Beckwith, Dick Lundy, or John Donaldson? Believe me, these guys were ballplayers. They played everywhere, on any kind of field, in any country, and invented the word “barn-storming.”

Hey Nickolas it’s the bottom of the fifth!

Summer 2014 Adult Softball League Four Divisions * Registration offered July 21–August 14 The Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department will be offering its Summer II 2014 Adult Softball League, which is comprised of four divisions, at the Greenwood Softball Complex, 4501 Greenwood Drive.

Each league will feature a nine-game season that will begin the week of August 25, 2014.

REGISTRATION for all four league divisions will be offered July 21–August 7, 2014, Monday–Friday, from 9am–4pm at City Hall, 3rd Floor, Parks & Recreation (1201 Leopard St.). Late Registration is August 11–14, 2014, from 9am–4pm at City Hall. Download the registration form from www.ccparkandrec. com (click ‘Sports’).

Team registration fee is $400. Late team registration fee is $450. For more information and registration, please call 361-826-3478 or 361-826-3482. League Divisions: • Co-Ed Division games for men and women will be held on Mondays.

• Church Division games for local church teams will be held on Mondays.

• Men’s Division games will be held on Thursdays.

• Industrial Division games for men will be held on Thursdays.

Baseball continued from A1 headers and on Sundays we played afternoon double headers. My only job besides playing ball was driving the YMCA bus, but most of my friends’ jobs required them to work five or six hours a day. We put in five to eight hours every day except Wednesday, going to and from, and playing the games; so we barely had enough time to eat and sleep. The “Y” had a kitchen/ dining room, so we could eat breakfast and dinner (you call it lunch), and we were given brown bags for supper (you call it dinner). The bag always contained one fruit (an apple or banana), one potted meat or bologna sandwich and one peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

But we were playing ball almost every day and there were always scouts in the stands. When we were playing at home if we hit a home run, the fans, a few townspeople, but mostly wheatfarmers would stick dollar bills in the back-stop screen. There had been a pretty good wheat crop the year before (1945) so the pickings were pretty good. I got between $15 & $25 for each home run. As I recall, I hit 11 or 12 home runs at home during the season. I only had two on the road ($ 0). This was the total sum of cash money I received for the season. Our season lasted ten weeks and we played a 71 game schedule.

Big League Park My home batting average wasn’t very good, I think it was .265; I was swinging for the fences.

That season I hit .346 on the road, which was very good for a slick fielding shortstop. I was sure I was on my way to Sportsman Park… home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

After the Ban Johnson season was over I was invited to a try-out in Sportsman Park in St. Louis. The Cardinals were on the road, but I (with about 25 others) went through drills, batting practice and played a 9 inning game each day. It was mid-August and I believe that was the hottest week I ever spent, weather-wise.

I did well enough to be told that if I stayed in shape during the off-season, I would be invited to Spring Training the following April. I was on cloud nine on the trip back to Arkansas.

College ball When I arrived home, my Dad suggested that I accept the athletic scholarship I had been offered by Abilene Christian College (now known as Abilene Christian University). It was his Alma-Mater, he had been a Bible student 25 or 26 years old, but had played on the tennis team which helped pay his tuition. He also had worked as a barber in the school barber shop.

ACC had offered me a “full-ride,” tuition, books, room, board and a job at the school cafeteria which would pay me $15 monthly for each sport. Since I was a three-sport athlete, this was $45 a month, which was referred to as “laundry money.”

I was to report to the Saturday August 17, 1946. I wasn’t told when school was to start or when I was to report for football practice.

My dad was going to ride with me to Abilene, because he had a one week gospel meeting starting Sunday August 18th in Sweetwater, which was nearby.

We got off the bus near the Administration Building, my dad stayed on the bus which was to stop in downtown Abilene and then go on to Sweetwater where he would get off.

I left my luggage, there wasn’t much, and reported in to the incoming freshmen office.

When I gave the clerk my name, she knocked on the door behind her, said something and out

walked a guy who I thought looked to be 20 or 21. He stuck out his hand and welcome to ACC, he was to be my roommate.

He was about six feet tall and was about as wide as he was tall. I guessed his weight to be about 220. I later found out that I was off (under) by about 15 pounds. He was a tackle and the heaviest player on the squad. In my Senior year, the heaviest player on my high school team weighed 190. We had a player my junior year who weighed 205, but my new friend Bob Brown looked bigger to me than anyone I had seen on a football field. He was 21 years old and just been discharged from the Army, he was a draftee and had served 18 months. He was planning to be a Preacher. He had not been overseas.

Duty calls The next Wednesday after football practice, there was a letter at the boarding house (forwarded by my mother) from the draft board, telling me to report to Camp Robinson Arkansas (near Little Rock) no later than September 25, 1946 to be inducted into the United States Army, to serve a period of not less than 18 months unless directed otherwise by the Department of the Army. However, there was another choice. Instead of being drafted for 18 months, I could enlist for three years and I could choose any assignment with an opening, and a type of school to attend.

of bunting and stealing bases was an everyday part of the Negro League game. There was lots of talking and bragging on the field, while little tricks of the game became commonplace.

Cutting edge All in all, the Negro League game was exciting, entertaining, and on the cutting edge of professional baseball. Other players who have had their last at-bat recently are Garnett E Blair, Sr., Toni Stone and “Nap” Gulley.

They continue to leave us at a rapid rate. It’s human nature to want something that you can’t have; and before long, the Negro League players and their game will pass before us like the wind through the branches of a tree.

Only a few outspoken players shared the stories of their times. They helped document the accomplishments of their peers and the struggle of their game. They reminded us of a time when race was an obstacle in sports, yet you heard no bitterness in their voices. Players like Bill “Ready” Cash, Sammie Haynes, Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe and the most famous and outspoken, John “Buck” O’Neil, told us about a remarkable group of men and their love for and contributions to the game of baseball.

They told us of Henry Miller, Wallace Guthrie, and Amos Watson. O’Neil explained the clever nicknames that tell a story or remind us of where these players were from. Players like Bill “Fireball” Beverly, Lorenzo “Piper” Davis, Edsall “Catskills” Walker, “Crush” Holloway, and Burnis “Wild Bill” Wright are examples of players with great nicknames, who have passed on recently. Davis’ and Walker’s nicknames hint at where they were from, like Piper, Alabama, and the Catskills of Albany, New York, while “Fireball,” “Crush,” and “Wild Bill,” attest to Beverly, Holloway and Wright’s competitiveness and abilities.

Gentlemen who rode the buses

Verdell Mathis and Joe Scott shaking hands With the vision and money of men like Andrew “Rube” Foster in the 1920’s, and “Gus” Greenlee and “Cum” Posey, Jr., in the 1930’s, the Negro Leagues were created; and teams from Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Baltimore, and other cities began to compete for baseball fans of all races. The players came from Cuba, Venezuela, The Dominican Republic and almost every state in the union, including the Mexican Leagues and other outlaw leagues, to form some of the greatest teams of all-time. The Birmingham Black Barons, Homestead Grays, New York Black Yankees and the Pittsburgh Crawfords had a deep and successful tradition of great baseball by great players. The Kansas City Monarchs, Memphis Red Sox, Philadelphia Stars, and Baltimore Elite Giants also attracted huge crowds and big-time players. Although times were tough and money scarce; the talent on the field and the quality of their play never wavered.

It has been documented that all-black teams played all-white teams a total of 438 times during the off-season, with 309 victories to their credit. Players like Webster McDonald, Frazier Robinson, Connie Johnson, and Sam Bankhead never failed to excite the crowds with their hard-nosed play. Remember, anything went, in the Negro League’s style of ball. Every player in the league could hit the fastball and run to first base in under four seconds. Negro League pitchers were forced to be creative with their pitches, to be successful. They threw shine balls, spitballs, cut balls and the bowtie pitch with regularity, to keep the hitters off balance.

The knock-down pitch was expected if you hit a home run in your previous at-bat, and the art

You have probably noticed that I have not mentioned the Negro League Hall of Famers. That is not what this article is about.

Those players will be remembered because they have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, but they only make up a very small segment of the Negro League games and its glory. This article is about the other guys, like Jimmy Crutchfield and Armando Vasquez.

Stars like Max Manning, Willie Pope, and Wilmer Fields should not be forgotten. These are the gentleman who rode the buses, played in two towns on the same day, and brought the National Pastime to non-Major League small towns all over the South and Midwest. They may not have played in the Major Leagues but they did play professional baseball. If you ever have the opportunity to meet or talk with a Negro Leaguer in any setting, please do. You might not recognize the names, but the stories will scream the universal language of baseball.

This is their last at-bat. Do the names Gene Benson, Mahlon Duckett or Quincy Trouppe ring a bell? They should; but if not, look them up. You will be surprised.

Andy Purvis is a local author and radio personality. His newest book “Greatness Continued” is now available to order online at bn.com, Amazon.com, Google Books, Booksamillion, etc. You may also purchase all three books at Beamer’s Sports Grill 5922 S Staples or the local Barnes & Noble store.

Please visit www.purvisbooks.com for more info or contact him at purvis.andy@mygrande. net. Listen to Dennis Quinn & Andy Purvis Q & A Session each Thursday 6-8 PM on ESPN 1440 KEYS.

The next morning, I packed my meager belongings and headed back to Arkansas.

The assignment I had chosen at enlistment had been Japan; the rest, is as they say, “is history.”

In the professional Japanese leagues, each team at that time was allowed to sign one American player. So, in the summer of 1947 I was signed to play professional baseball but it was a far cry from Sportsman Park.

Dotson’s Note: When I started this article I planned to tell you story of my professional baseball career, as you can see, I lost my initial direction. Did any of you “Moon Monkeys” every try/play a professional sport? Your comments regarding this and/or any other Moon Sports article will be greatly appreciated.

Please call the Benchwarmers between 3 and 6 PM weekdays at 361-560-5397 or call or Email Dotson. Phone: 361-949-7681 Cell: 530-7488475 Email: dlewis1@stx.rr.com

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July 17, 2014

A9

Island Moon

Read the Moon Online Facebook: The Island Moon Newspaper

Join Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4H Club

Board Members Pictured from left to right: Hailey Elam (Assistant Club Manager), Logan Osterlon (3rd Vice President), Brock Elam (Historian), Cole Hudson (Parliamentarian), Taylor Zamora (Reporter), Guin Torres (President), Hannah Hooper (Treasurer), Sarah Gilliam (1st Vice President), Julia Gilliam (2nd Vice President), Karlie Wilkinson (Secretary), Not Pictured: Flo East (Club Manager)

By Taylor Zamora The Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4H Club is excited to kick-off the 2014-2015 show season.

The club is open to 3rd-12th graders who live in the area or attend the area schools.

4H teaches young people leadership skills and gives them an opportunity to participate in hands-on learning activities outside the classroom. Children can participate in multiple project areas, such as: animal projects (cattle, lambs, goats, swine, poultry, rabbits, and horses), ag mech and handicraft (shop projects), trap and skeet shooting, homemaking (arts and crafts, clothing, creative stitchery, food, and photography), calf scramble (at the county livestock show), livestock judging, and other projects. We have knowledgeable members that are able to help you and your child choose and pursue a project.

If your child is interested in joining 4H, you must first register online through 4H Connect at https://texas.4Honline.com. Registration opens on August 15. This is the state registration website. After you have registered your

child(ren), print out the page stating that your child is now an active member in the state system. You will need to have this in order to enroll your child(ren) in the Flour Bluff / Padre Island 4H Club.

Our first club meeting of the season will be Monday, September 8 at 6:30 pm at the Flour Bluff Intermediate cafeteria. This will be a great chance for you and your child(ren) to meet the other children and families involved in the club and ask any questions that you may have about 4H or specific projects.

Enrollment for our club will be Tuesday, September 16 from 4:30-6:30 at the Janet F. Harte Library. Please remember to bring the paper that you printed from 4H Connect showing that your child is an active member in the state system.

We are excited to welcome new members and their families. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact one of the following people: Flo East 813-7221, Hailey Elam 446-0383, or Christy Zamora 619-3155195.

Two Aggies Jump Out of a Perfectly Good Airplane!

Alright, that was a cheap shot but hey, it got your attention… Stephanie Mundahl, A&M class of 2017, and Lane Rogers, class of 2009 took the plunge on Thursday July 10th at Skydive South Texas in Port Aransas. We’re not sure but it looks like they’re jumping into a crop circle. There’s got to be an Aggie joke in there somewhere.

Catch the view from Port A’s only elevated bar.

Black Marlin Bar & Grill is the ONLY destination on the island that marries chef-driven cuisine, an elevated bar and weekly live music.

Stop by and get hooked.

LIVE MUSIC EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT! Join us every Saturday night this Summer for great food, cold drinks and live music overlooking the gulf. Featuring ROB BAIRD this Saturday, July 19.

Visit blackmarlinporta.com for details.

Lunch 11 – 3 pm Daily

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Dinner 5 – 9 pm Wednesday – Saturday

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Elevated Bar Open Daily

2 5 8 S N A P D R A G O N • P O R T A R A N S A S , T E X A S 7 8 3 7 3 • 3 61 . 7 4 9 . 4 6 5 3

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Island Moon

July 17, 2014