Inside the Moon
Moon on a Spoon
Fishing A7
The
Issue 616
Island Moon
The voice of The Island since 1996
February 4, 2016
Around The Island By Dale Rankin editor@islandmoon.com The beaches down the Padre Island National Seashore have been the hangout for many stars these days, or more specifically starfish. The drop in water temperature has cold-stunned the starfish much like we are accustomed to seeing it do to turtles this time of year. They usually live on the bottom but as echinoderms they can’t handle chilly weather and when water temperatures drop below 50, they wash ashore and stay stranded on the relatively steeper beaches around Little Shell and Big Shell. The difference between a coldstunned turtle and a cold-stunned starfish is that you can rescue the starfish simply by putting it back in the water. They still may not like the cold water but if they stay on the beach they will certainly not survive. The nice weather and low tides have Islanders making the trek south on PINS of late. Driving conditions heading south have changed drastically in recent months due to the unusually high tides that we had until recent weeks. The driving conditions at Little Shell – 18-20 miles down, and Big Shell 2026 miles down – have improved over what we are used to seeing, especially during the winter months. Usually the drop-off near the water makes drivers make a choice between the slow slog over the bumpy berm or taking their chances near the waterline where the driving is smoother and faster but also more trecherous. You have never experienced beach driving terror until you have had your vehicle stuck in quicksand as the tide starts in. A wrecker charge at $60 per mile down the beach can add up in a hurry when you are forty miles down the beach. But beach drivers report that the higher tides have eroded the beach to the point that driving now is about the same as driving down a sandy highway. Watch the tide charts and hit the beach just as the tide starts out and you can make it to Big Shell and back in an afternoon. If you have never been down there do yourself a favor and go. It is a rare thing in our country and even our state with 28 million residents now, to have more than fifty miles of open and undeveloped beach. Spend the night if you can to take advantage of the lack of light pollution and check out the night sky. It’s like a different Island.
Canal cruising
Winter Texan Roundup A13
Sports A8
Island Residents Push for Traffic Light at Verdemar SPID Intersection No progress on SPID Water Exchange Bridge By Dale Rankin A group of homeowners who live near the intersection of SPID and Verdemar Drive are pushing for a traffic signal at the intersection citing four traffic deaths there in recent years, the latest in December. “There are problems there every day,” Islander Janice Minter told the Island Strategic Action Committee Tuesday. “There is no turn lane on the northbound lane there and people continually make U-turns there. It is very dangerous.” Minter said a planned development on the south side of Verdemar, called Tortuga Harbors, will increase traffic flow at the intersection, which connects to Jackfish Avenue on the west side of the intersection. The push for the light comes as the City of Corpus Christi is preparing to solicit bids for a traffic light at the SPID/Aquarius intersection just north of Verdemar. That project, with $450,000 from a private developer, would include the signal plus a redesign of the intersection. However, a request for proposals on the project in late 2015 produced only one bid of just over $1 million which exceeds the budget for the project and city engineers said Tuesday they will rebid the project in two pieces with separate contracts for the construction of the intersection and the traffic signal. The developer who made the contribution has plans to develop retail space and a 105-room Hampton Inn on the property on the east side of the intersection.
ISAC continued on A5
Free
Weekly
FREE
Barefoot Mardi Gras
Parade, Festival, and Party This Saturday
The seventh annual Barefoot Mardi Gras celebration this Saturday will include an afternoon festival at Briscoe King Pavilion. The event will include food trailers, live music, beer, and several other activities including a kids area. It will begin at 11 a.m. and run through the afternoon. The event will kick off simultaneously with the Barefoot Mardi Gras Beach Parade which will take to the sand at 11 a.m. on Whitecap Beach and run south to Bob Hall Pier. Spectators are advised to arrive early as beach parking spots fill up quickly. Parking is also available on the beach access roads between Whitecap and the county park. Then on Saturday the granddaddy of Island parties will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Veranda at Schlitterbahn. We will see you there. It’s time to do Mardi Gras Island style!
A little Island history
Barefoot Mardi Gras
By Dale Rankin It all started in Dallas with Dede and Big Fred. Each year they threw a Mardi Gras party complete with krews and the solemn reading of their annual rites complete with plenty of “Hear Ye’s” and “Be It Resolveds” The turn of the century found Dede and Big Fred living on The Island where they brought the tradition along with them. The Mardi Gras party migrated to the Briscoe King Pavilion where a maximum of 400 revelers could jam into the place for an annual event the Saturday before Fat Tuesday and party like it was still 1999. The ticket included admission and the ability to bring in your own ice chest full of whatever you wanted to carry in. The musical entertainment was halted frequently while members of the various krews read their
New Port Aransas Ferry Under Construction Texas Department of Transportation is three months into construction of the new 28-vehicle ferry for use in Port Aransas.
Live Music A16
proclamations, mostly while wearing funny hats.
Then in 2009 things changed. Dede and Big Fred moved OTB and Denise and Duane Ebert, who had known Dede and Big Fred in Big D, took over the event and wanted to kick it up a notch. “We want to get on the Today Show,” Duane said. And to get there it was decided that something unique was needed; something that other communities couldn’t duplicate. What’s the one thing we can do that nobody else can do? Beach parade. So Denise and Duane put together a krew to do the planning, the celebration was named Barefoot Mardi Gras and it was decided that rather than hold the parade on the beach in front of the seawall, not yet named the Michael J. Ellis Seawall,
History continued on A6
It is unknown if the Steerlobster will make an appearance at the Barefoot Mardi Gras Parade this Saturday.
Cars Speed over 218 MPH on the Island Speeding Cheered on by over 100 People
Southwest Shipyard in Houston is building the new vessel which is being constructed upside down in four modules. When all four modules are complete, which is expected in mid-March, the modules will be joined together and work will progress to the next phase.
Scouts in the Pit follow the quick races
The new ferry is expected to complete in about 18-24 months.
Starting line at the Pinewood Derby where these three hopeful Scouts prepare for the races Photos by Brent Rourk And speaking of looking at The Island from a different perspective (that was a Moon segue) the (mostly) beautiful weather of late has been an great opportunity to do some canal cruising. It’s a different Island from the water side. We Moon Monkeys have a regular route with stops at friendly decks. It will be a good weekend to hit a few Superbowl parties. Island Girl Scouts are out selling cookies. Even if you have bought some S’more. S’mores…get it? Ah well, enough of that…happy Superbowl everybody and say hello if you see us Around The Island.
By Brent Rourk It was perfect weather last Saturday for speeding cars on the Island and the track conditions were ideal. With countless hours put into creating and refining the cars, the streamlined, aerodynamic designs were sure to reach maximum speeds. Kids and adults looked on with impunity as Island PAC 949 Cub Scouts began their 2016 Pinewood Derby in the gymnasium at Seashore Learning Center. The races began. PAC 949 leader Brian Haney and a devoted crew had diligently and thoroughly prepared for the races, setting the track perfectly and then checking and double checking the
Winners from one of the dens receive their certificates track and the reliable software that precisely tracks the creative and colorful cars as they flash down the initial slope past the iconic black and white checkered flag. Within a couple of feet the cars crashed into a soft nest made from a pillow and towel. As excited scouts led their parents in to the gym their eyes canvassed the room to find out where the awards were for the building of the cars. Kids
Scouts continued on A6