September/October 2023
HOTEL BLESSING
History behind the inn
CELEBRITY WAITER DINNER
Pilot club fundraiser back again
SURVIVING BREAST
CANCER
Mother, daughter battle cancer
Honoring lost loved ones
My home is two left turns from the house I grew up in with my family. Its coral brick stands up against the pine needles and leaves that scatter throughout the yard with signs of fall near.
The interior is lined with Spanish tile and the coziest cottage wallpapering. There are wooden beams above the living room’s vaulted ceiling and in the kitchen. It protects the items most sacred to me and greets me with its familiar scent when I unlock the front door.
My home is a town of some 18,000 people. It’s where I was raised, and where I came back to from college. It’s a place I’ve grown with and purchased property in. Its back streets are the ones I take each day to and from work and meetings.
My home is in the arms of the man whose last name I took. He’s sturdy and strong, with a foundation built to last. I know the sound of him falling asleep and he knows every quirk I possess.
My home away from home, is this office. It’s complete with four other women who keep me on my toes and a coffee machine on its last leg. It holds a history I will never completely know and will no longer be my home soon after this edition comes out.
This building has served The Tribune well and has seen many faces over the years. It has seen people in every range of emotion, work crises, hurricanes, uncertain times and hopeful times. I wish her well in her next chapter of life with her new owners. Time will tell what she sees next.
One thing that seems to remain the same, is everything changes. I hope you're enjoying the new season fall brings.
As for me? I'll be curled up with mystery books and the scent of a pumpkin spice candle filling the air. Sip on your hot coffee and get comfortable, we've got a variety of good reads ahead and fall themed cocktails from Fat Grass Bar & Restaurant.
General Manager
Brittany Price
Managing Editor
Ashley Brooking
Contributing Writer
Jonnie Montalbo
Photographers
Anna Hernandez
Advertising director
Anna De La Rosa
Advertising
Dena Matthews
Ad design & Circulation
Jennifer Matura
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considered informative.
By Ashley Brooking
Walking through the historic Hotel Blessing, time has almost stopped. There’s no central air conditioning, and the charming Mission Revival architecture shifts you over a century back — literally — as it was built in 1906 and opened its doors in 1907.
“So, is it haunted?” I ask.
It’s a question hotel Manager Dedra Ramsey says she’s asked at least 100 times a day. Ramsey said she doesn’t believe it is but has heard plenty of tales from guests.
Resting in the sitting area, you get to wondering
about all who have traveled through these doors.
The hotel sits on a block in the town that’s namesake is owed to its builder, Jonathon Edwards Pierce. Pierce built the hotel to provide lodging for land seekers settling in the region and traveling salesmen.
In 1977, the hotel was entrusted to the Blessing Historical Foundation by Jonathon Edwards Pierce’s grandson, Able Pierce and his wife Ruth, to carry on the beauty's legacy.
A Pierce descendant has been on the board since its inception, with the current president being Jedie
Ashley Brooking
Fredrick "Pokey" Pierce, Jedie Pierce and Mike Pierce
Blessing Hotel's lobby in the evening and the second story.
Pierce, a fifth generation Pierce. Like her late mother, Ona Lea Pierce, Jedie is proud to carry on the hotel's history and legacy of the family name.
The hotel is Matagorda County's first location entered into the National Register of Historic Places and is full of character including antique furniture, a honeymoon suite featuring a clawfoot soaking tub and keys instead of card readers.
Ramsey knows the ins and outs of the hotel and plenty of the history. She maintains the hotel and frequently looks for grant opportunities for the hotel, as running a historical inn doesn’t come cheap.
When winter Storm Uri hit in 2021, the hotel had to undergo new plumbing throughout the building and repair water damage totaling upwards over several thousands.
The foundation is currently looking to replace the roof and update the electric system in the future.
The hotel's annual fundraiser and car show help offset some of the costs of upkeep while also raising scholarship funds for local high school students.
“We have a lot of locals that come in and support us and we also have out-of-towners that come to the fundraiser," Jedie Pierce said. "It really takes a village and we’re really thankful for all the support we receive.”
The hotel has 14 rooms and my favorite part about
the hotel is some of the rooms adjoin to share a bathroom – perfect for families.
On the back end of the hotel is a lively eatery, that boasts the best fried chicken you’ve ever tried – seriously. The short drive to Blessing is worth it for the tasty lunch Dining Room Manager Helen Feldhousen and her kitchen staff whip up daily.
Feldhousen said the hotel is like home to her. She's been with the hotel more than 50 years and shows no signs of slowing.
Helen’s lunch on Saturday is complete with fried chicken, liver and onions, chicken fried steak, corn bread, collards, roasted potatoes, green beans, corn, fluffy rolls — and there’s always room for dessert.
The dessert I tried was a sort of cherry cobbler, with pineapple tidbits and pecans. In the Blessing Centennial Cookbook, available for purchase in the restaurant, it's listed as Cherry Nut Fruit Cake.
The cookbook features recipes from locals, Pierces and Feldhousen. Throughout the book, you'll learn family recipes and the history of the families who helped make Blessing and the county what it is today.
If breakfast is more your speed, count your blessings, Feldhousen serves up the biggest pancake in the county. The kitchen stays open seven days a week and is only closed on Christmas day.
Ashley BrookingRosa and Dolores Perez sat down to share their personal stories on a warm Sunday afternoon, as sunlight poured in through the windows of their cozy living room. The pair say their faith in God helped them endure all obstacles.
It was 29 years ago when Rosa was given the devastating news, at just 47 years old, she had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
Her survival rate was slim in 1994, with not many options for treatment.
Her daughter, Dolores, was diagnosed in 2022 at the age of 53.
“I was diagnosed with Stage 2, ER Low Positive/ HER2-Negative with a Pal B2 genetic mutation,” Dolores said. “I woke up from a dream knowing I had to have a mammogram. My dad came into my dream. I don’t remember anything specific about the dream or anything, I just know that when I woke up, I was being pushed to get this mammogram done.”
After Dolores went in for the exam, her results came back unfavorable.
“The biopsy was sent off, but inside I already knew
that if it came back positive, I wanted to go to MD Anderson,” she said. “This all happened around May and June last year — then the biopsy came back positive. I called MD Anderson immediately and they told me they couldn’t get me in.”
Being added to MD Anderson’s wait list can be extremely frustrating as waiting can take many months. For the majority of the patients on the list, time is not something they have the luxury of.
“They put you on the list and you have to wait, but I happened to call and connect with a specific lady one day,” Dolores said. “I broke down and started crying on the phone with her. She said,’You know what?’ ‘I’m going to get you in.'"
By June, Dolores was at MD Anderson and ready to begin treatment.
Dolores’s family took the news in stride and immediately showered her with encouragement and support. “I was so afraid, of course nobody wants to have cancer but this stage was manageable, stage 3 and stage 4 is tougher, it’s harder to beat so that made me feel a little better,” Dolores said. “My kids, mom and family — they were just amazing."
As a grandmother to five granddaughters Dolores wanted to stay strong.
“I didn't want them to see me sick and depressed," she said. "I didn’t want my nieces to see me that way either because they saw my mom and how strong she was.”
“She worked through all her treatments and even though I worked through my treatments too, I didn’t do what she did,” said Dolores. “She drove herself to work and I just walked to my computer. I didn’t want them to see me as a quitter.”
As she tells her story, she maintains a sense of humor and a positive outlook on her condition.
“The very first chemotherapy I had, I had an allergic reaction and I ended up in the emergency room,” she said. “I couldn’t take that type of chemo and they had to pump me full of steroids and medication to help me tolerate it.”
“Steroids are hard on a person, but I did all my chemo, then all my radiation,” she said.
Dolores shared her struggles during treatment, and said the most difficult thing was not being able to eat and her heightened sense of smell.
“The pain from the chemo and the weakness made me want to constantly stay asleep,” Dolores said. “But I had to get up, get myself together, take a bath and go to work. I had to watch all my hair fall out and that was hard too. It’s growing back now though,” she said.
Working in insurance verification at Matagorda Regional Medical Center, Dolores never thought about taking time off of work to deal with her cancer.
Instead she pushed through, going to work everyday doing what she loves, helping others. She works in nuclear medicine, trying to get patients approved with their insurance so they can have a MRI done.
“I worked all the way through my chemo and radiation, I never stopped working,” she said.
Dolores said the procedure she endured was a lumpectomy, and her lymph nodes were removed.
“They tested them and they were negative,” Dolores said. “My mom was different though, her lymph nodes were positive. She had a mastectomy and had 28 lymph nodes removed at UTMB."
Although Rosa’s breast cancer was very aggressive and her prognosis was not good, she persevered, never wavering on her faith in God.
“I worked all the way up until the last night before my surgery,” Rosa said. “I asked the doctors in Galveston if they would go in and get everything out in one
surgery.
She endured an 18 hour surgery in order to remove all the cancer at once. Rosa was adamant that she wanted only one surgery as she did not want to be opened up anymore.
“When it was time to leave I told that little man I was going to walk out of that hospital and I did," Rosa said. "I got off that wheelchair and I sure did walk out of that hospital."
“My mom always told me, ‘Dios para delante,’ and that means God first, and I believe in that,” she said.
The mantra seems to be working, as it has kept her in remission for more than 29 years and her faith has never wavered.
Rosa and Dolores have been given the gift of time together and new perspectives after their cancer journeys.
They pass along their traits of resiliency and strength to future generations in their family.
“It’s important that women who have a history of breast cancer in the family go get regular testing,” Dolores said. “I started getting tested at the age of 24 because my doctor said I needed to.”
Dolores said her doctor told her that she would need to start getting mammograms earlier than recommended since her mother had stage 4 cancer.
"I stopped getting them for nearly 10 years,” Dolores said. “I don’t know why I stopped, but they still were able to catch it early, so I am happy about that."
The pair continue to remain diligent about their overall health today.
Though they are private people, they share advice with other women, reminding them to get annual mammograms and always have faith above all.
Rosa and Dolores wear pink to support breast cancer awareness. Jonnie Montalbo Bay City Magazine • September/October
As fall draws nears, littles ones and adults alike are getting excited for the joys and fright that Halloween will bring, while others are preparing for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
It’s a tradition that originated in Mexico and is a two-day celebration believed to open the path between the physical and spiritual world – allowing deceased loved ones to visit.
“It’s absolutely not the Mexican version of Halloween as some believe,” Tourism Director Darve Smith said. “It’s a celebration filled with loved one’s favorite foods, drinks, bright colors and music. The loved one’s favorite items are placed on the Ofrenda and everyone sings and dances until the path closes for another year.”
An Ofrenda is an altar set up in homes to welcome home the souls of the dead and is traditionally elaborately decorated with bright colors, marigolds, candles, photos of the deceased and personal belongings.
The Bay City Tourism Advisory Board and Smith are set to host the city’s annual festival in downtown on Friday evening, Nov. 3 and at LeTulle Park on Saturday, Nov. 4 all day.
The festival will incorporate all traditions and cultural activities of Day of the Dead into as much fami-
ly-friendly fun can be packed into a two-day event.
“Attendees can expect to see plenty of food and merchandise vendors, including all their favorite food trucks” Smith said. “There will be a Kid’s Zone filled with hands-on activities like games, crafts, rides and inflatables. We’ve also added new ideas from community members, such as car truck ofrendas (similar to truck-or-treat), a sombrero decorating contest, a scavenger hunt and hot sauce challenge.”
All those attending are encouraged to embrace the tradition of face painting for the two-day event. “The festival will have booths where you can have your face painted and a costume contest for those who do participate,” Smith said.
Contrary to Halloween makeup, La Calavera or skull paintings represent a departed soul, and reflect a personalized style in honoring a lost loved one.
“This festival is an annual event that was first hosted in 2018,” Smith said. “The festival not only promotes tourism and awareness for our city, but it also holds a cultural and traditional significance for the Hispanic community. Historically this celebration may have originated in Mexico, but we’ve adopted and adapted it for our own and no matter where your roots may lie – there will be plenty of food, culture, tradition and fun for everyone, from any community.”
Bar Manager Nick Roots wasn’t sure what he got himself into when asked if he could whip up two fall inspired drinks, but he quickly delivered. On the left, Roots created a Hocus Pocus Martini in a few quick shakes.
Garnished with black cherry, the sweet treat has a trick – it’s not at all what you’re imagining it’d taste like.
The combination of vodka, blue curacao and Malibu Rum will put a spell on you. Stop in and ask for the cocktail inspired by Halloween favorite, Hocus Pocus.
If wine is more up your alley, ask for a Sangria Spritzer. Iced down with fresh fruit and lime, this drink is refreshing and easy going down for any patron. Get festive and colorful with these two drinks sure to give you a scream, and don't forget to let the staff know who sent you.
Mark your calendars, the Pilot Club of Bay City will host its 12th annual Celebrity Waiter Fundraiser featuring local celebrities at the Bay City Civic Center on October 19, starting at 6 p.m.
The Pilot Club is an international service organization whose primary focus is the education, prevention and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury for adults and children.
As part of Pilot International, their mission is to influence positive change in communities around the world by focusing on preparing youth and adults for service and encouraging brain safety and health.
The fundraiser helps the nonprofit provide puppet shows promoting safe play to school age children and visit the Colonial Special Care Unit to host ice cream and bingo socials. The club also hosts a prom in the spring for exceptional students in Matagorda County.
They also provide two scholarships each year to seniors in the county and support Challenger Baseball, Harmony Ranch, Toys for Tots, the Angel Tree, the Women's Pregnancy Center, and Pick Me Ups for exceptional teachers.
Celebrity participants consist of elected officials, teachers, people in the medical field, lawyers and other well-known people in the community that will serve a catered meal.
All waiters compete for tips and the competition gets heated as they compete to be one of the top three earning waiters. First, second and third place winners will receive a prize plaque.
While guests enjoy their meal, a live auction and bucket drawing will take place. Dave Owen will entertain during happy hour with country music and there will be a photo op area for taking pictures.
Confirmed waiters for the event include Donnye Stone, Patti McKelvy, Kellie Wright-Nelson, Brittany Matthews, Matagorda Regional Medical Center, MEHOP, Melanie Bradley, Bill Orton, Tina Israel, Jessica Russell, Jason and Alyssa Sanders, Elizabeth Quillin, Mike Estlinbaum, Julie Estlinbaum , Bubba & Becky Cook and Jessica Shephard.
If you'd like to join to become a waiter, attend the event or purchase tickets, contact Theresa Knebel at 979-240-3419.
by Lisa See
According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose— despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other’s joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-inlaw forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights.
In this lost pet story with a fun, comforting twist, a little girl worries about her missing cat, Fred, while the reader gets a behindthe-scenes view of where he is and what he's doing—having adventures!
While the text tells the girl's side of the story, wordless pictures reveal what Fred is up to: driving a car, sunning at a resort, and traveling in Egypt, China, and the Alps. Fred even meets some friendly space aliens, who eventually help him get back home to reunite with the little girl he's been missing too.
Spare text and cheery, action-filled illustrations make this a satisfying adventure that's perfect for very young cat lovers and their grown-ups—or anyone who needs reassuring when someone they love is away.
"Check out" these books suggested by the Bay City Public Library
By the late 1970s, the fishermen of the Texas Gulf Coast were struggling. The bays that had sustained generations of shrimpers and crabbers before them were being poisoned by nearby petrochemical plants, oil spills, pesticides, and concrete. But as their nets came up light, the white shrimpers could only see one culprit: the small but growing number of newly resettled Vietnamese refugees who had recently started fishing.
Turf was claimed. Guns were flashed. Threats were made. After a white crabber was killed by a young Vietnamese refugee in selfdefense, the situation became a tinderbox primed to explode, and the Grand Dragon of the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan saw an opportunity to stoke the fishermen’s rage and prejudices. At a massive Klan rally near Galveston Bay one night in 1981, he strode over to an old boat graffitied with the words U.S.S. VIET CONG, torch in hand, and issued a ninety-day deadline for the refugees to leave or else “it’s going to be a helluva lot more violent than Vietnam!” The white fishermen roared as the boat burned, convinced that if they could drive these newcomers from the coast, everything would return to normal.
A shocking campaign of violence ensued, marked by bur ning crosses, conspiracy theories, death threats, torched boats, and heavily armed Klansmen patrolling Galveston Bay. The Vietnamese were on the brink of fleeing, until a charismatic leader in their community, a highly decorated colonel, convinced them to stand their ground by entrusting their fate with the Constitution.
By Katie Cotungo
Michael Linden—or just Linden to his preppy boarding school pals—doesn’t belong in wealthy, storied Martha’s Vineyard. But when his roommate Jasper invites him to spend the end of summer at his massive beachfront home, August House, Linden tries his best to fit in. Linden wouldn’t call it lying, exactly. Though it turns out August House is full of liars.
Then someone is found unconscious in Jasper’s pool, and everyone has something to hide—Jasper, his beautiful sister Eliza, their older brother Wells, and their friends. The accident is written off as just that—an accident—but Linden begins to wonder...
Enter: Holiday Proctor. Linden’s childhood friend, and the one person on the island who knows the truth about Linden. There’s nothing Holiday loves more than a good old-fashioned mystery and she’s convinced there's a potential killer on the Vineyard. The only question is…who?
Have an upcoming event? Make sure it gets included in The Buzz! Send the event information over to us by emailing the who, what, when and where to: ashley.brooking@baycitytribune.com
Sept. 9
Riverside Park and Bay City Parks and Recreation will host a Camping 101 class on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 10 a.m. to noon to learn the basics of camping, such as how to plan your camping trip, tent set up, cooking, camping gear and more. For more information or to register, visit the Parks Administration building at 1209 10th St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sept. 16
Bay City Parks and Recreation will host community event, Touch a Truck, on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hardeman Park located at 600 12th St. Trucks, tractors and maintenance equipment will be on display for children to learn about their favorite big trucks. For more information on parks or activities held by Parks and Recreation, visit cityofbaycity.org, or call the office at 979-323-1660.
Heroes on the Water Matagorda will host a Kayak Fishing event on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 6:30 a.m. to noon at the East Matagorda Bay Paddlesports Park. The non-profit organization provides no-cost therapeutic kayak fishing experiences to veterans, first-responders, active-duty military members and their families. For more information, email Matagorda.tx@heroesonthewater.org.
Sept. 22
The Bay City Chamber of Commerce will host an Ag Producers Breakfast at the Civic Center on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 a.m. Topics will include Waters of the United States, and Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. The Civic Center is located at 201 Seventh St. For more information or to RSVP call 979-245-8333.
Sept. 23
The Artisan & Crafter Market will host Market Day on the Matagorda County Courthouse square located at 1700 Seventh Street, Bay City on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come check out some amazing vendors and get yourself a new addition to your home. For more information call 361-314-2226 or email ad-
min@acmtexas.com.
Riverside Park and Bay City Parks and Recreation will host Hunter’s Education on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the USO Building, located at 2105 Avenue M. Attendees will learn basic instruction in firearm and hunting safety, and legal and ethical hunting practices.
For more information or to register, visit the Parks Administration building at 1209 10th St., Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sept. 30
Friends of the Sargent Library will host the annual Kayak Fun Run on Saturday, September 30. Registered kayakers will be eligible for a drawing for a free kayak. For more information email edwardscat55@gmail.com.
Oct. 7
The Matagorda Regional Medical Center Foundation will host PULSE…A Bavarian Experience, an Oktoberfest themed fundraiser, that will raise funds to upgrade the Cardiac Patient Monitoring System at Matagorda Regional Medical Center on Saturday, Oct. 7 from 6 to 11 p.m. Guests will enjoy German cuisine, music, games, ceremonial “Tapping of the Kegs” and stein hoisting. For more information or tickets, visit matagordaregional.org/concert.
Oct. 19
The Bay City Pilot Club will host its 12th annual Celebrity Waiter Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 19 starting at 6 p.m. For more information about the event, to be a waiter or purchase tickets, call Theresa Knebel at 979-240-3419.
Oct. 21
Matagorda County Birding Nature Center will host their annual Full Moon Food Truck Festival beginning at 5 p.m., with live music from Adriana LIVE beginning at 7 p.m. Bring your lawns chairs and blankets to support the nature center. For more information or to become a vendor, call the center at 979-245-3336.
