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Island Moon
The Island Newspaper since 1996 Island Area News ● Events ● Entertainment
December 6, 2012
Photo by Miles Merwin
The Island where the wise men don’t attend the La Posada by camel, they drive boats.
Next Publication Date: 12/13/2012
Its La Posada Weekend!
Around The Island
By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com
The Moon Environmental Assessment and Weather Speculation Department can’t say whether Global Warming is real or not; but we can say that when it comes to November 2012 Island Warming is alive and well.
38th Annual La Posada Lighted Boat Parade Schedule
It is so warm in early December that the flat fish (flounder for you OTBers) still think it is the spawning season and are still running the Packery. How warm is it you ask? It’s so warm that last week we saw an early Winter Texan with a lobster tan.
(Suitable for taping to your refrigerator door)
If the forecast holds we should have the best weather for both the Friday and Saturday night La Posada Lighted Boat Parades that we’ve had in several years. The La Posada season has kicked off with a bang so far with Santa putting in three Island appearances for breakfast on Saturday, ice cream on Wednesday, and cookies on Thursday. On Tuesday night the second annual La Posada Kickoff Party played to a packed house at Scuttlebutt’s. For those of you reading this on Thursday don’t forget that if you want to enter the La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on either Friday or Saturday you must attend the organizational meeting tonight (Thursday). See the full schedule of events on this page.
Sea Wall driving As crews have begun the dredging process along the Michael J. Ellis Seawall and have begun placing dredge sand from Packery Channel on the south end of the beach there we have had several questions from readers about whether is it legal to drive south to north on the beach. The answer is no…but; it is technically legal under city ordinance to drive north to south but not the other way around. This becomes a problem for drivers who head south on the beach only find their exit from the beach blocked at the south end by the dredging project. We have never heard of anyone actually getting a ticket for driving south to north but them’s the rules. The driving rules were never updated after the beach was widened enough for driving by beach re-nourishment when Packery Channel was dredged and the sand placed on the beach because at the time a plan was in place to stop driving on that section of beach altogether. That plan called for the land to build the current Windward Parking Lot to be bought by landowners along the seawall for $400,000 and dedicated to the city with the understanding that once the parking lot opened vehicles would be removed from the beach. That never happened. Then two years ago a plan to limit driving on the beach at the seawall to two lanes was scrapped after city crews said it would take a full time crew and front end loader to keep the lanes open and free of drift sand.
Good news for golfers We are happy to report that, barring unexpected changes, it looks like golfers will be able to play through during the construction of the Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Resort. Up to this point it has been uncertain if any/all of the course would remain open during construction which is due to get underway early next year, but with the current plans we can say that some holes will remain open and available for use. So there you go.
IslandFest
Breakfast with Santa The good little boys and girls who forgot to pick up their pictures with Santa can come by the Moon office to pick them up
La Posada Kick-off Party Huge Success By Brent Rourk
What a rip-roaring time at Scuttlebutts Tuesday afternoon and evening as music, great food, raffles of gifts from countless businesses, and the Toys for Tots collection all converged to create an exciting kick-off party for La Posada 2012. Beginning at 3:00 P.M. people began to stream in with new toys and smiles and the exhausted doors closed at 11:00 P.M. The rain finally crept in around 8:00 P.M. making the large restaurant even more cozy and intimate. In the meantime, local crowds and out of state visitors alike enjoyed the music both outside in the palapa and inside the packed restaurant, many of them enjoying the Tuesday special prime rib and the deep-discounted fine wines. There was also a spirit inside Scuttlebutts that typified the generous nature of Christmas. The La Posada Boat Parade and Toys for Tots make for a dynamite Christmas combination that undeniably create joy in our lives; joy from enjoying a wonderful parade (and additionally this super kick-off party), joy from combining our efforts as an island to create the festive parades and parties for an entire weekend, and from the joy of being able to collect toys and give them to children not as fortunate as others. It is refreshing to see so many volunteers, businesses, and organizations join their time, money, and love to create this series of events for such a wonderful cause. The list of contributing businesses is lengthy and we certainly tip our hat in gratitude to them. There are also many volunteers and organizations that worked hard to make the kick-off party the success it
Update on Island projects
Duck Hunting, Water Exchange Bridge, Island Municipal Management District By Dale Rankin
So that’s what we know. Keep your gratitude high and your expectations low, and in the meantime say hello if you see us Around The Island.
100% Of Island Children Report They Have Been Good By Brent Rourk Santa Claus came to North Padre Island for a quick visit on Saturday morning to the St. Andrews by the Sea Catholic Church much to the delight of about two hundred Island children and parents. Mr. and Mrs. Claus happily chatted with children, listening to Christmas wishes and toy requests. The occasion was the annual Breakfast with Santa sponsored by the North Padre Island Kiwanis Club. Santa looked marvelous as always. His prominent cherub cheeks glowed and his flowing white beard gently touched his chest, taking the viewer’s eye from his slightly rounded tummy, deep red pants and charcoal black boots. Families brought toys that will be donated to both CASA and Toys for Tots. Members of the Kiwanis Club cooked a delicious breakfast for everybody and the Seashore Middle Academy Builders’ Club students sold baked goods (donated by many island residents), served refreshments and cleaned tables. In addition to six large bags of toys collected at the door, the Kiwanis Club raised over $550.00 from a bake sale, photography donations, and nut sales. Of course, all of those proceeds will be used to help children in our area. Santa continued on A8
Packery Channel Dredging. Crews are onsite working on a $1.7 million dredging in Packery Channel that will move 200,000 cubic yards of sand from the bottom of the channel near its mouth to the beach at the south end of the Michael J. Ellis Seawall. The sand was left behind by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and the current dredging project was cut short by the Projects continued on A4
Santa has left the building after Breakfast with Santa last week but some good little girls and boys who had their picture made with him forgot to take them home. So if you are missing your photo of Santa stop by the Island Moon office, we have the leftovers.
Thursday Dec 6 Mandatory Captain’s Meeting. 7 p.m. at the Padre Island Yacht Club, 13403 Whitecap Blvd. Parade positions, call signs, parade route, communications and safety procedures will be covered. Official entries for the parade(s) will not be accepted after this meeting. For questions on the parade contact Jim at 361 774-0177 or trawlergenenesis@ yahoo.com.
Friday December 7 La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on the north end of The Island. Starts at 7 p.m. Boats begin staging at 6:30 p.m. at the staging area at the end of Cabana North at Commodores Cove.
Saturday December 8 The night The Island Parties! La Posada Lighted Boat Parade on the south end of The Island starts at 6 p.m. Boats stage at Caravel boat ramp beginning at 5:30 p.m. Parade starts at 6 p.m. The Padre Island Yacht Club will open to the public at 5:00 p.m. for parade viewing. Bring a toy, cookies, coffee and punch, no pets or alcohol.
Sunday, December 9 Toys will be handed over to the Marines beginning at 9 a.m. at the Padre Island Yacht Club followed by a pot luck brunch.
A little Island history
Spanish Shipwreck Survivors Leave South Texas in Autumn 1534 By Dale Rankin If the Indians of the Southern Texas Plains had developed a calendar it likely would not have centered around the movement of the sun or the moon, more likely it would have began and ended in September when the most important time of their annual cycle rolled around; the season when the tunas – the fruit that grows on the ubiquitous Prickly Pear Cactus – turns from green to a bright red before it takes on a dark maroon color at the end of its season. It was during this time – in September at the end of the summer season – that the scattered bands of the various regional tribes descended on the area just south of the Nueces River to feast on the tunas. For many it was the only time of the year their bellies were full.
Moon Market
The market will pick up early next year with the exact schedule depending on weather.
Santa Sighted on the Island!
La Posada continued on A4
The first organizational meeting for the IslandFest was held last week and we have good progress to report. A decision was made to target October for the event and plans are moving forward. The next meeting will be in January and we will keep you up to date. We are looking for Island service clubs who would like to participate to raise funds for their organization. Contact the organizers at padreislandfest@gmail.com.
The last Island Moon Market of the season will be held on Saturday December 15, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the Michael J. Ellis Seawall at the Windward Park Lot, 15202 Windward Drive. Come by and do some Christmas shopping.
Year 15, Issue 452
It was also the time in 1534 when the four men who had been shipwrecked along the Gulf Coast and made their way to the Texas plains decided to flee their Karankawa captors. Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, and an black Moroccan Berber slave named Esteban (later called Estevanico) spent the winter of 1534 among the Avavares tribe who lived in South Texas. But in late August as the tunas began to ripen they set out west in hopes of finding their way back to the Spanish settlements of Mexico.
Cabeza de Vaca as depicted by Hollywood Unwitting shamans As they headed west toward the Rio Grande they cut a trail through thick brush and encountered a fierce rainstorm the first night. The following morning they broke free of the heavy brush and immediately saw several wigwams and women and children who ran off, terrified to summon help from a group of Indians Cabeza de Vaca in reality gathering food nearby. History continued on A4