Bay City Magazine 2022

Looking for Ways to Connect with Nature?

Check out Bay City’s beloved Riverside Park where they’ve just recently begun renting kayaks out with help from Rent.Fun. Rent.Fun is a selfservice equipment rental company that provides kayaks and all necessary supplies to spend the day paddling or fishing on the Colorado River with peace of mind. There is a $9/half hour rental rate, and the hours of operation are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To get started:

1. Download the App from Rent.Fun and create and account.

2. Scan the QR code at the station to unlock a kayak, paddle and lifejacket.

3. Return your equipment back to the station. Select “Unlock” in the App to return the equipment.

Parks and Recreation Manager Kelly Penewitt

said, “This is a great opportunity to get out in nature in a different way. Sure, you can go out in your boat, but it’s so noisy. With the kayak, it’s so relaxing to just listen to what nature has to offer. Less stress makes better people, and we want the community to be able to destress here.”

The Colorado River winds some 500 miles through west and central Texas before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 miles south from Riverside Park. Almost 4 miles upriver is the Bay City Dam which provides a great 2-4 hour paddle and is approximately 8 miles in length. Heading 13 miles downriver is the FM 521 launch which can be accessed by the public and is better suited for all day or one-way trips.

Paddling upstream and back you will see picturesque scenery. Areas that have high banks on one side and a sandbar on the other. The high

banks usually have some trees with open fields behind them. You will see many live oaks, hackberry, cottonwoods, willows and other plant species typical of the coastal plains. You can also see many bird species including caracaras, the Mexican Eagle that is found commonly in south Texas. A pair of nesting Bald Eagles are also known to inhabit a tall tree nearby. There are many sandpipers, doing their little bobbing walk along the edge of the water or flying weakly about a foot above the water along with other wading birds. Mostly the river looks wild, but you will see cow pastures, and sometimes structures along the way. Slow speed and the quiet allows you to see turtles, woodpeckers, come really close to a spoonbill walking on a log. Watch the deer, raccoons and wildlife while drifting over and enjoy the sounds of the river where it meets downed trees.

Kayak rentals are ready to go and are given out on a “first come, first served” basis. They are only available to registered guests of Riverside Park,

so be sure to check in at the Ranger Station when arriving for tips and helpful advice to enhance your visit. Riverside Park is available for camping, RV spaces, party pavilions and group gatherings. For more information on Riverside Park or programs, events and facilities at the park visit their webpage at https://www.campriverside.org; or follow them on Facebook.

7th A N N U A L

This year, the 7th annual CamoFest will have some big shoes to fill.

Last year, the attendance at the annual event crested between 3,000 and 4,000 and Bay City Main Street Manager Tina Israel knows it will be challenge to top those numbers but is ready for challenge ahead.

“When our community really comes together and supports something we do. People came from all over Texas to Camofest. The support from our local volunteers, our merchants and the business community shows how strong we really are. By welcoming everyone from

Bay City and was estimated to be in the 3,000 to 4,000 range.

“It was hard to gauge how many exactly were in attendance. But we pulled pictures off security cameras, and we estimated about 3,000-4,000 patrons attended. Just from speaking with some they came from all over Texas and that was exactly what we wanted. It’s not just for Bay City. It’s for Texas as a state to show off our great Texas wine and all the wild game we have here at home,” said Israel.

The festival is held on Avenue G and Sixth Street and is the Main Street program’s annual fundraiser designed to attract people to Bay City’s historic downtown area.

“CamoFest is the one of the bigger fundraisers for the Mainstreet Program that we use for beautification downtown program. It is our annual fundraiser to bring people to the downtown area to see our beautiful downtown area with all the proceeds from the event go back to the beautification project downtown,” Israel said.

C A M O F E S T

everywhere, we can improve our tourism and increase revenue, letting us do even more in the future. None of it is possible without the local support. That is what makes it a success in my mind, when the people of Bay City are willing to give their time to the community. If we show that to everyone, we will always be successful. No matter the event,” Israel said.

“That we are here as much for them as we are for Bay City. We are a place for them to visit, shop and enjoy. By promoting each other we all benefit. Coastal communities offer our guests recreation, while we support them with restaurants and hotels. Our wineries and historical areas in the county draw people in to visit and the city gives them a place to base their visit. We will never survive without working together. We have to keep it local and stay strong and be a united front for our community. We love our home, Matagorda County, and we want to make downtown Bay City the best Main Street in the state of Texas,” Israel said.

Last year, a large crowd filled the streets of

“I am a third generation family here in Bay City and I am happy and proud of that. I was always raised to give back to my community and this is a good chance for me to do that. I want this event to be big for Bay City and our community. This is a chance to show something different in a festival environment,” Israel said.

The event honors Bay City native and worldrenowned artist, Forrest Clemenger Bess, 19111977. While serving in the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII, Forrest received a commendation for designing camouflage.

Last year, the festival was blessed by beautiful weather and Israel is hoping this year will be no different.

“Great weather was a huge plus we were extremely thankful for that. I think most of it was people wanted to be out again after COVID. I know a lot of us went through so much with the damage of COVID that they wanted to feel normal again. But also, it was a huge success because of what our purpose is. Our purpose is to keep our historic downtown beautiful,” Israel said.

“I needed a lot of work with just maintenance, cleaning, updating, and my first week in this position that was my goal was to start that. We’ve

partnered with public works on discussing what needed to be done and started a priority list of what comes first. We’re working on maintenance schedules to keep up with the work we have already done and starting to fix some of the ADA ramps to accommodate them better. I want our downtown to welcome everyone from everywhere, but I want our citizens to love being here and our merchants to love being downtown. And I think when we show that love as a community it will bring more and more people to Camofest and Bay City in general,” Israel said. Visitors at Camofest will have the chance to sample wild game, fowl and seafood prepared by local cook teams and to taste regional wine from Texas wineries. Israel said with an event strong like Camofest can bring more attention of the downtown area as well and to the businesses located there. “You bring an event that isn’t like everywhere else and showcases our community and our state together this could bring anyone in. This could bring in new businesses, developers, and just new families in general,” Israel said. Israel said coming into this year’s event, she didn’t know if surpassing the previous high total could be accomplished but now that that has been done, she knows topping this strong event will be a challenge next year.

“We will sit together as a committee to work through some of the kinks we had and how we can do things differently or the same. We will always strive for more but all the feedback I have received has been that this was the biggest and best year we’ve ever had and I’ll continue to strive for bigger and better every year,” Israel said. We had 10 wineries. 10 Food Camp teams which we would love to double next year. We had about 43 vendors which was the most we’ve ever had at any Camofest. I think the more people know and see our purpose we will be bigger for years to come. Our sponsors were amazing this year we received $47,000 in sponsorships which was the most we’ve ever received and that just leads me to believe that they see what we are doing, they see how we do it, and why we’re doing what we’re doing. I am a 3rd generation citizen here and my goal is to keep generations of families here to stay and love their home like I do. That’s why Main Street and Camofest have produced this fundraiser so we can keep generations here and love it like we do,” Israel said.

Gettingtoknowlocallawenforcement Detective Scott Sherrill

1. What is your title? Detective Scott Sherrill

2. How long have you been an officer? 32 years

3. What made you sign up to be an officer? I really wanted to do something that could make a difference in someone’s life and carrying a gun and driving really fast with a siren and lights seemed pretty cool!

4. Are you the first officer in your family? Yes

5. What is/was your proudest moment? One day when I was on lunch break in a local restaurant when I saw an elderly man choking. He was sitting a group of people, but no one moved to help. I ran to the man and performed the Heimlich maneuver on him. The food was dislodged and he was able to breath.

6. What’s your favorite thing about your career? The fact that you never know what you’re going to face that day.

7. What did you want to be when you were little? A band director

8. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? A country singer/ performer

9. What’s the best advice you could give to someone? Always try to do the right thing

whether anyone rewards you or not.

10. What’s the last book you read? Lonesome Dove

11. What’s your favorite movie? Why? A few Good Men. It has a very good lesson in regards to doing what s right and fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves.

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12. What’s your favorite sport? Football (American)

13. What’s most unusual thing you’ve ever eaten? Rattlesnake

14. What song best sums you up? Weight of the Badge

15. On a scale of 1-10 how funny would you say you are? 8.. I once had a supervisor put in my performance evaluation that I kept my Division laughing.

BusinessDifferently

After knowing each other for 14 years, 6 of which spent working independently in the same office space, Matt Rickaway and Giovanna Swisher decided it was time to approach their work differently. While most financial advisors work alone, Rickaway and Swisher knew their clients would greatly benefit from them joining forces as a team.

“We knew we could best serve our clients by working collaboratively, leveraging our combined professional experience and unique areas of expertise. So, we officially formed the Rickaway Swisher Group in July 2021,” stated Rickaway.

Rickaway’s background in corporate leadership

and working alongside business owners for over two decades, combined with Swisher’s wealth of experience as a research analyst and financial planner, provide an unparalleled level of expertise for their clients. In addition to their multiple certifications, the group offers specialized proficiency in retirement planning, local employer benefit plans, tax mitigation, wealth protection and transfer, and divorce financial analysis.

Soon after forming their new group, Nancy Sims joined the team as their client assistant. Her background in business administration and wealth management makes her the perfect fit to ensure the business runs smoothly while creating

a cohesive client-experience.

“We truly believe our clients are best served by having a team of professionals available to them. When a client is facing a challenging situation, we’re able to work collectively to find the best solution, rather than strategize in a vacuum. That’s a unique perspective that most financial advisors don’t leverage,” Rickaway added.

Although Rickaway and Swisher are dedicated to disciplined investment processes, it’s only the beginning of their depth of services. Rickaway and Swisher help their clients to be good stewards while navigating life’s transitions. In particular, they focus on the challenges high-networth clients face in preparing for retirement, selling their family business, and transferring wealth.

But they’ve set out to accomplish it all a little differently. Their work is underscored by their Christian beliefs and values, providing the moral compass for their work and a guide for their team.

“Not only can clients trust our integrity and confidentiality, but we are also fiduciaries. That means we also have the legal obligation to act in the best interest of our clients; first and always. Not all financial advisors operate to that standard,” stated Swisher.

The group’s passion for cultivating and growing true partnerships with their clients drives their work. While most financial advisors utilize a plugand-play approach, Rickaway and Swisher are dedicated to creating customized strategies, unique to each client’s needs and goals. Their unprecedented, proactive approach has garnered the attention of industry experts and clients alike.

“During the market crash in the spring of 2020, we proactively took steps to take advantage of what the market was giving us. Together with our investment team we leveraged the momentary volatility to execute tax strategies saving one high-net-worth client tens of thousands of dollars,” recounted Rickaway.

Swisher added, “The client’s CPA was beyond impressed and commented that she doesn’t see advisors proactively working for clients like this.”

Rickaway and Swisher specialize in serving clients who are in transition: clients within 5 years of retirement, either as an employee in the local petrochemical and energy industry or as a business owner seeking an exit strategy; and those navigating the loss of a spouse, from death or divorce. The Rickaway Swisher Group are able to offer the most added value to clients approaching or exceeding a million dollars.

“Those individuals are in a critical stage of life,” Swisher added, “and we’re here to assist them as they make pivotal decisions that will impact their future.”

Whether assisting a client in navigating life change or preparing for their future, it’s clear the Rickaway Swisher Group is doing business differently…setting a new standard for wealth management.

STORY BY LESLIE CARTER Breakthrough Consulting - Paid Advertising

Fiction: A History of Wild Places

by Shea Ernshaw

Travis Wren has an unusual talent for locating missing people. Often hired by families as a last resort, he takes on the case of Maggie St. James—a well-known author of dark, macabre children’s books—and is soon led to a place many believed to be only a legend.

Called Pastoral, this reclusive community was founded in the 1970s by like-minded people searching for a simpler way of life. By all accounts, the commune shouldn’t exist anymore and soon after Travis stumbles upon it…he disappears. Just like Maggie St. James.

Years later, Theo, a lifelong member of Pastoral, discovers Travis’s abandoned truck beyond the border of the community. No one is allowed in or out, not when there’s a risk of bringing a disease—rot—into Pastoral. Unraveling the mystery of what happened reveals secrets that Theo, his wife, Calla, and her sister, Bee, keep from one another. Secrets that prove their perfect, isolated world isn’t as safe as they believed—and that darkness takes many forms.

Children’s: Lion Lights: My Invention That Made Peace with Lions

by Richard Turere and Shelly Pollock

Richard Turere’s own story: Richard grew up in Kenya as a Maasai boy, herding his family’s cattle, which represented their wealth and livelihood. Richard’s challenge was to protect their cattle from the lions who prowled the night just outside the barrier of acacia branches that surrounded the farm’s boma, or stockade. Though not well-educated, 12-year-old Richard loved tinkering with electronics. Using salvaged components, spending $10, he surrounded the boma with blinking lights, and the system works; it keeps lions away. His invention, Lion Lights, is now used in Africa, Asia, and South America to protect farm animals from predators.

"Check out" these books suggested by the Bay City Public Library

Nonfiction: From Paycheck to Purpose: The Clear Path of Doing Work You Love

by Ken Coleman

Does the work you do matter to you? Are you unsure what you want to do for a living? Are you in the right place but looking to advance? No matter where you are in your career, you were born to do work you love.

National bestselling author and career expert Ken Coleman was stuck in an unfulfilling career until he realized he didn’t have to be. In his latest book, he draws on what he learned from his own ten-year journey as well as from coaching thousands of others to walk you through the seven stages to discovering and doing meaningful work. This is your moment. You are needed, and you were made to contribute. It’s time to exit the daily grind and use your talents to start living your dream once and for all.

Teen: Spells for Lost Things

By Jenna Evans Welch

Willow has never felt like she belonged anywhere and is convinced that the only way to find a true home is to travel the world. But her plans to act on her dream are put on hold when her aloof and often absent mother drags Willow to Salem, Massachusetts, to wrap up the affairs of an aunt Willow didn’t even know she had. An aunt who may or may not have been a witch.

There, she meets Mason, a loner who’s always felt out of place and has been in and out of foster homes his entire life. He’s been classified as one of the runaways, constantly searching for ways to make it back to his mom; even if she can’t take care of him, it’s his job to try and take care of her. Isn’t it?

Naturally pulled to one another, Willow and Mason set out across Salem to discover the secret past of Willow’s mother, her aunt, and the ambiguous history of her family. During all of this, the two can’t help but act on their natural connection. But with the amount of baggage between them—and Willow’s growing conviction her family might be cursed—can they manage to hold onto each other?

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 & where to: ashley.makara@baycitytribune.com

January 7

The Bay City Parks and Recreation will host Polar Plunge at the Hilliard Pool located at 3020 Le Tulle Avenue, Bay City, on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. For more information call the Parks and Rec. at 979-3231660 or email parks-rec@cityofbaycity.org.

January 19

The Bay City Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture’s 100th Annual Awards Banquet will be hosted at the Bay City Civic Center located at 201 Seventh Street on Thursday, Jan. 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. Man and Woman of the Year and Teacher of the Year will be announced at this time. For more information or to cast nominations for Man & Woman of the Year, call 979-245-8333.

January 19-22, 26-28

Community Actors of South Texas (CAST) will present A Night on Broadway: Film Noir directed by Dr. Kara Cowart and Ray Garcia from Jan. 19-22 and 26-28. Showtimes will be at 4 p.m. and Sundays showing will be at 1 p.m. The Night on Broadway will feature local talent performing musical numbers from beloved Broadway Productions. This audience favorite has been a CAST tradition since 2010 and this year marks the thirteenth production in the Night on Broadway series. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.baycitycast.com or call 979-479-3123.

January 20

The Crisis Center will host the Fifteenth Annual Chicken Fried Steak Fundraiser supporting the Matagorda & Wharton County Crisis Center on Friday, Jan. 20 from 4 to 11:30 p.m. at the KC Hall located at 3070 Hamman Road, Bay City. There will be live music performed by Dave Owen and Steel Country. All proceeds go to fund programs for child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence. For more information, to purchase tickets or for sponsorship opportunities call 979-245-9109 or email kelli@crisiscnt.com.

January 28

The Seventh Annual Wild Game and Wine Camofest will be Saturday, Jan. 28 from noon to 6 p.m. in historic downtown Bay City. Cooking “guides” will provide locally caught samples of wild game, fish and fowl and food inspired by Texas wines. Attendees can enjoy samples of wine from local wineries, live entertainment and shopping. Camofest highlights the one-of-a-kind Downtown Bay City and Matagorda County as the “gateway to the great outdoors.” For more information call 979-245-8081 or visit baycitycamofest.net

February 10-12 and 16-18 Community Actors of South Texas (CAST) will present Mixed Couples by James Prideaux, directed by Zeinab Ghais from Feb. 10-12 and 1618. Showtimes will be at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday’s showing will be at 2:30 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.baycitycast.com or call 979-479-3123.

February 11

The Palacios Harmonie Club will host the 2023 Valentine Sweetheart Parade and Ball on Saturday, Feb. 11. For new entries, more information or questions email theharmonieparade@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page Harmonie Club’s Annual Parade & Ball.