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Calhoun County Life â&#x20AC;˘ Spring/Summer 2012

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Main Street Galle BY MELONY OVERTON PORT LAVACA WAVE

Dean Johnstone’s second run as an art gallery owner officially began on April Fool’s Day at 309 E. Main St., but Johnstone takes every photograph and painting within it seriously. The gallery for Johnstone, who is a painter and a photographer, is similar to his creative process. “It is a work in progress,” he said. “To attract people to a business like this, you have to provide something local. I can’t compete with the big box stores and sell for less. People want to see pictures of shrimp boats, for example,” Johnstone said. “And when you travel to a place like this, you want to see the person who took the photo. When I travel, I don’t like going into a store where everything is imported.” Johnstone’s first gallery was the Roseate Spoonbill Gallery at 129 E. Main St. until he sold it in 2008 to attend to his wife, Barbara, who had health issues. “I knew once her health issues were better, I would be back on Main Street,” he said. Johnstone bought his current building from the Port Lavaca Main Street Committee with the promise of restoring it. From day one, Johnstone knew the building would be a gallery. The building is one in which Johnstone has a history. Effie Mae Livingston owned it and ran a laundry in it from the 1940s until the 1970s. She offered to give him the building in 2001. At the time, he was fixing up other buildings on Main Street including

the Spoonbill. By then, the building was in a sad state with a dirt floor after the floorboards rotted. Byron Cumberland bought it instead, cleared it out and repaired the roof and the façade after Hurricane Claudette, but eventually he donated it to the committee. “This building was built in three pieces in 1907 by a man by the name of Cruce. It is well-documented with photos. It was one of the most interesting buildings in Port Lavaca because of its architecture,” Johnstone said. “At one time, it had a cupola on top and the sunburst accents on the façade before the hurricane of 1945 destroyed the cupola and much of the front,” he said. Johnstone often wonders what the original colors of the façade were since most photos of it during that time are in black and white. The original “shellcrete” blocks remain, known by that name because the concrete was mixed with oyster shell. “That is why the building has held up so well,” he said. Johnstone enjoys restoring and designing the interior and exterior of a building the most. “Luckily, the Main Street Committee said to me, ‘If you will restore that building, we will let you buy it,’” he said. “It took four solid months to finish, but the building was very cooperative and sturdy. After you do four to five of these, you get better at it. I hope this building helps define downtown Port Lavaca as a place where local artists show their work. I don’t want people to pass through here on their way to Rockport.”

In addition to the Spoonbill and his current gallery, Johnstone has restored a building on 133 E. Main St., one on Colorado Street and his home on Leona Street. For this gallery, Johnstone added interior walls and poured a cement floor. “We backed the cement truck up to the front of the building, put the chute through the door and poured the cement. My neighbors along Main Street were very forgiving of that,” he said. Johnstone knew he wanted Butch and Ray Moreno, or the “Moreno brothers” as he referred to them, to do the masonry work on the building’s façade. “I wanted to give them an entire twostory façade on Main Street. I told them to do what they wanted and when they thought they were done, do some more. The core of the building is the Moreno brick because it will last long after I, and the Moreno Brothers, are gone. They are the true craftsmen. Since it’s an art gallery, I wanted them to do their true art,” he said. On the facade is a two-dimensional figure of a white cat that looks as if it is walking on a ledge. The inspiration for the cat accent is an actual cat that Johnstone affectionately named Morgan. “Morgan is a white, stray cat who has lived on Main Street all this time. He is always under the buildings so his coat has a little gray to it,” he said. “This gallery was made easier because of the first gallery. It’s like I was given a second chance,” he said. Johnstone found his niche with his first gallery exhibiting photos and paintings

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that depict local wildlife, both with prints of his work and those mammal and marine, the of historical photos, are for sale. flora and fauna and the dayHis art studio occupies the to-day life of Calhoun County second floor. This is the space residents from the past to the where Johnstone continues his present, some dating back to painting, a skill he acquired in 1910, or the “Golden era of childhood before he ever took up picture postcards,” as he put it. photography beginning in 1980. He continues this format He completely switched from film with the Johnstone Building to digital photography in 2000. Gallery. “I am coming back to it. I did “My plan was to offer not paint as much for a while original artwork, photographs because I was so busy,” said and prints from my historical Johnstone, who is also employed photo collection. Well, it at Formosa Plastics Corp. From has been made clear by the expanse of the studio that popular demand that while measures 80 feet by 20 feet, he a little original artwork and said, “I am here painting in the wildlife photography are nice, evenings and on the weekends. Dean Johnstone stands in the center of his new art gallery amidst his original people really miss seeing our It is my favorite space in the paintings, photographs and prints of historical photos of life in Calhoun County. building.” historical photo collection of (Melony Overton/Wave photo) Calhoun County and being Johnstone would also like to able to buy reprints along with lend this space to budding artists having old photos restored,” as a place to work. He would also reproducing 16 X 20 reprints,” he said. Johnstone said. like to teach art and photography lessons Johnstone expects to have 100 plus During his absence in downtown Port as a way to show his appreciation to the historical photographs on display at the Lavaca, Johnstone continued to collect Main Street Committee for allowing him to gallery by mid-July. In addition, he will old photos, and as a result, he has many purchase the building. have an indexed digital collection of 2,500 new photos to display. He also received a “With the Moreno brick facade, I wanted photographs at the gallery for review by generous donation of many old yearbooks to create a big piece of artwork on Main mid-August. that will also be available for review at the Street. I also want to nurture and inspire Johnstone said warmer weather has gallery. people to do artwork,” he said. “I want the increased foot traffic on Main Street. “The families of Port Lavaca have been gallery to be known more for a place to “We have visitors from all over the very kind in allowing me to scan and create art than to display art. Port Lavaca country and beyond. I am always amazed display their photographs of historical should be a popular spot for writers and that people from such faraway places find significance. I am working with some new artists because of all of the history here.” their way to our little part of the world,” he photo restoration software and a state Main Street Gallery hours are from noon said. of the art archival printer capable of until 2 p.m. on the weekends only. Original paintings and photos, along

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Por t Lavaca Chamber of Commerce welcomes visitors BY TINA CROW PORT LAVACA CHAMBER DIRECTOR OF TOURISM AND EVENTS Welcome to Calhoun County. We are so glad that you have discovered our own little slice of the Texas Gulf Coast. You have just arrived on one of the last vestiges of unspoiled bayfront areas along the Texas Gulf Coast. A great strength of Calhoun County is the diversity of the communities. Each is unique and yet they offer a quality of life that make them a sure envy to all those who visit. It’s the kind of friendly atmosphere and slow pace that makes us happy to call this place our home. Calhoun County is a great place for you and your family to enjoy many activities. You can enjoy fishing, boating, camping, bird watching, nature walks or just relax and take a stroll down one of our beaches. Our bays are teeming with redfish, trout, flounder, drum and dozens of other species that will put up a great fight and make a good dinner. We have many boat ramps in the area for your convenience as well as bait shops.

We are sure you will enjoy your stay in one of our many RV Parks or find comfort in one of our hotels. Our balmy bays allow for all sorts of outdoor pursuits yearround. While you enjoy your stay with us, be sure to visit the many local establishments that make our town a welcome and inviting place to live. You’ll surely want to check out all the many attractions that makes this such a paradise to those who visit and those who choose to call it home. We have excellent schools, friendly churches, great people, rich history, wonderful shops, superb restaurants, and excellent health care. With Victoria just a short drive away, you are sure to find most anything you need with just a short drive. We invite you to take a tour through our visitor guide. We believe it paints a pretty good picture of what we see as paradise, and we hope you will find all the information you are looking for. We invite you to visit all the businesses in this guide, it is through their support we are able to bring you what we feel is a complete taste of Calhoun County.

Tania French Editor and Publisher

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Staff Writers: Sherry Ficklen Kayla Meyer Melony Overton Jay Workman Managing Editor: John Verser

Creative Director: DD Turner

Port Lavaca Wave 107 E. Austin Street Port Lavaca, TX 77979 361-552-9788 PortLavacaWave.com Calhoun County Life Visitor and

Newcomers Guide is published semi Advertising: Christy Aguilar Betty Birdwell annually. Additional copies available Ashley Kontnier by contacting the Port Lavaca Wave. Diane Weiser Composition: Mac Sistrunk Chloe Williams Special Contributors: Emily Allen Tina Crow Brush Freeman David Hall Pat Hathcock Paul McGee Rob Suarez Phil Thomae

For advertising information, call 361552-9788. On the cover: Dean Johnstone/Main Street Gallery Cover photo by Melony Overton

Visit us online at www.portlavacawave. com or email us at editor@plwave.com.

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Point Comfort offers fishing and recreation The old company town has so much more to offer. The Point Comfort Harbor and Channel boat ramp has been reopened and is back in full swing. The ramp was closed for several months in order to make improvements that included dredging silt to restore its launch capabilities. In addition to work on the ramp, about 3,000 cubic yards of silt was removed in order to improve access to the channel for emergency watercraft, residents, boaters and those who work on Lavaca Bay. Recreation continues to be a key selling point to the town. On either side of the boat ramp, which is down Lamar Street, are two lighted piers. One has its own fish cleaning station along with handicap access. It is open to the public 24 hours a day and the price is also right – free. Fishermen also take advantage of the area along the causeway bridge, which is a popular spot to fish. It is hard to find a time – day or night – when there are not people taking advantage of the fishing hot spot. Redfish, trout and flounder

are regularly caught – without the need for a boat. The town has also completed a renovation of its park with new concrete walkways, 10 cabanas with picnic tables, a gazebo and even more picnic tables further down near the pier. The park also features walking trails and a playground for children. Point Comfort boasts a large fireworks show for July 4, which is put on by the town’s volunteer fire department. Adding to the fun is a variety of food and beverages and other activities surrounding the event. The town’s Community Center was rededicated recently to honor former Police Chief Rick Brush, who died over five years ago in the line of duty. Churches of all denominations dot the town with services offered by the Assembly of God, Baptists, Catholics, Church of Christ, Lutherans and Methodists. A branch of the Calhoun County Library is also open five days a week in Point Comfort. See page 15

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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Calhoun County Life â&#x20AC;˘ Spring/Summer 2012

Where to Dine in Calhoun County

Carancahua

Carancahua Bay Cafe 3753 N. Hwy. 35, 972-2930

Point Comfort Gabby’s Grill 101 Lamar St., Ste. 2, 987-4229 Rolling Joe’s Catering Hwy. 35, 987-5485

Port Lavaca Alejandra’s 227 W. Main St, 553-4788 Bayside Seafood 2005 N. Hwy. 35, 552-7177 Beijing Buffet 339 Calhoun Plaza, 553-6862 Box Lunch (The) 146 N. Hwy. 35, 552-4001 China Inn Restaurant 915 N. Hwy. 35, 552-8962 Church’s Fried Chicken 419 S. Hwy. 35, 552-5266 Dairy Queen No. 1 1409 W. Austin, 552-3755 Dairy Queen No. 2 1205 N. Virginia, 552-2908 Days Inn 2100 N. Hwy. 35, 552-4511 Domino’s Pizza 1211 N. Virginia, 552-5678

Donut Palace (The) 113 N. Hwy. 35, 552-0936 and 1923 W. Austin, 552-6772 El Patio Restaurant 548 W. Main, 552-6316 El Taco Restaurant 711 W. Main, 552-3610 Four Seasons 1005 N. Virginia, 552-5727 Fox’s Pizza 320 S. Hwy. 35, 552-7499 Green Iguana 137 E. Main, 552-3861 Indianola Fishing Marina 8 Bell St., 552-5350 La Antigua 737 N. Hwy. 35, 552-7764 La Familia Cafe 503 W. Main, 552-3981 LaSalle’s Landing / The Cove 2002 Broadway, 553-6348 Magic Asian Cuisine 101 N. Commerce, 552-8111 McDonald’s Restaurant 801 S. Hwy. 35, 552-4442 Mexico Tipico 421 N. Virginia, 552-5713 Monterrey Cafe 723 Broadway, 552-1182 Nava’s Store & Cafe 5463 N. FM 1090, 551-2430 Pantry (The) 702 N. Virginia, 552-1679

Pizza Hut 425 N. Hwy. 35, 552-6868 Shellfish Restaurant 2615 N. Hwy. 35, 552-5300 Skillets 2090 Hwy. 35, 552-4736 Sonic Drive In 411 S. Hwy. 35, 552-2303 Subway Sandwich Shop 306 N. Hwy. 35, 552-7300 and 400 N. Tiney Browning Blvd., 552-6073 Taqueria el Rodeo 2by2 1928 W Main St., 552-7858 Taqueria La Finca 2640 W. Main, 552-6515 Taqueria Mazatlan 150 N. Hwy. 35, 552-8040 Texas Pride BBQ Catering 361-894-1992 Texas Traditions Cafe & Bakery 234 E. Main St., 553-5555 Tropics Waterfront Bar & Grill 802 Fulton, 552-2900 Wagon Train 145 N. Hwy. 35, 552-3056 Whataburger 468 N. Hwy. 35, 552-7416 White’s Barbecue 1728 W. Main, 552-2235

Port O’Connor

Art’s Bar-B-Que 2586 W Adams, 983-4394 Captain G’s 712 W. Adams, 983-2160 Cathy’s Restaurant 2nd Street, 983-2880 Hunt Brothers Pizza 1620 W Adams, 983-2430 Hurricane Junction-Bar/Grille Maple & 15th, 983-4249 Josie’s Mexican Food Hwy. 185, 983-4720 Marty’s Landing & Mama’s Kitchen 31 N. Byers, 983-3474

Seadrift Barkett’s Restaurant Hwy.185, 785-2441 Bubba’s Cajun Style Seafood, Steaks and More 1142 Hwy. 185 E., 785-2645 Falcon Point Ranch 165 Falcon Point Rd., 785-2191 Rocky’s Noodle House 424 S. Main St., 237-6005 Penny’s Seafood 102 W. Bay St., 785-3200 Taqueria el Rodeo 2by3 702 W. Broadway, 785-2232 The Texas Pizza Company 322 Main St., 785-2500

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

ty Lubbock 530 Miles

Austin 150 Miles

El Paso 695 Miles

Houston 130 Miles

chen

Port Lavaca Calhoun County

191

Midland 475 Miles

San Antonio 145 Miles

Dallas 325 Miles

Corpus Christi 80 Miles

Port Lavaca, the seat of Calhoun County, is not too far from wherever you are in Texas. Located right in the middle of the Texas Gulf Coast, Calhoun County is under a three hour drive from five international airports and easily accessible from all major cities in the state. Whether you are planning a short vacation or a long one, Calhoun County with its rich place in Texas history offers a laid back climate for the best in bay and offshore fishing, birding, eating, resting and relaxing. Come to Port Lavaca to find out why “It’s a State of Mind.”

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Best Western 2202 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 553-6800 Chaparral Motel 2086 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-7581 Days Inn 2100 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-4511 Executive Inn 2007 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-1300 Holiday Inn Express 2629 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-5700 Holiday Motel 2805 Hwy. 35, (361) 552-5868 LaQuinta 910 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-8800 Motel 6 2805 Hwy. 35, (361) 552-3393 Royal Inn 150 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 553-6640 Sands Motel 1207 W. Main, (361) 552-3791 Surf Motel 2016 W. Main, (361) 552-9755

Port O’Connor 10th St. Lodge 612 10th St., (361) 983-2281 American Inn and Suites 1306 Maple St., (361) 983-2606

Captain’s Quarters Byers & Harrison, (361) 983-4982 Lighthouse Inn 2447 W. Adams, (361) 983-4374 Poco Loco Lodge 305 W. Adams, (361) 983-0300 Reel-M-Inn 14th & Madison Ave. (361) 983-2395 Sand Dollar Motel 1502 Olive, (361) 983-2342 St. Christopher’s Suites and Marina 301 S. 14th St., (361) 983-2329 The Inn at Clarks 7th and Intercoastal (361) 983-2300

Seadrift Bay Motel 322 Broadway Ave, (361) 785-2226 Breezy Palms Cottages & R.V. Park 101 E. Bay Ave, (361) 550-6069 Captain’s Quarters 201 Hwy 185 N., (361) 785-4982 Reel Time Lodging 604 W. Broadway, (361) 785-4335 Seadrifter Inn 106 W. Bay Ave., (361) 785-2031

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A Point Comfort Sunset captured by Rob Suarez.

Point Comfort from page 10 Beginnings Originally built by Aluminum Company of America, now ALCOA, Inc., in 1948 and incorporated in 1953, Point Comfort is home to industrial plants, an international port and many families and retirees that seek a quiet lifestyle in a close-knit small community. The town is also home to the Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort, which a recent economic impact study by Martin Associates found that the port creates more than 16,500 jobs locally. The study also showed that the port generates $2 billion in revenue and another $338 million in indirect revenue for local suppliers. In 2008, the port was the 51st busiest port in the United States, with cargoes of chemicals, petrochemicals, aluminum ore and agricultural fertilizer, of which a key part is high value chemicals produced by area industries. Formosa Plastics Corp. announced two additions at its Point Comfort plant this year. One addition, announced in late February, is a $1.7 billion expansion that is expected to bring an additional 225 jobs to the Point Comfort facility. The expansion includes a grass-roots 800,000 MT/Y olefins cracker, an associated 600,000 MT/Y propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit and a 300,000 MT/Y low density polyethylene (LDPE) resin plant. Formosa also expects the expansion to include 1,800 construction jobs during the expansion. Construction is expected to be complete in 2016. The other expansion, announced by Formosa in late January, is a $150 million hydrocarbon fractionator facility. The fractionator facility is expected to bring approximately 20 full-time jobs to the Point Comfort site, and an additional 300 to 400 construction jobs during the expansion.

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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361-552-3793 Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

t s a p Reflections of the Historical markers give a glimpse into days gone by

Calhoun County is filled with history. With the former port of Indianola being the gateway to Texas immigration, the Indian raid at Linnville, Civil War bombardments and much more, Calhoun County has many interesting stories to tell. On your visit to Calhoun County, there are numerous historical markers to see. One of the more interesting markers tells about Calhoun County’s beginnings. That marker tells about the town of Linnville. The marker is located on Farm-to-Market Road 1090 just north of Port Lavaca. Linnville, which was originally named New Port, was founded by John Linn in 1831 as part of De Leon’s colony. It had a population of about 200 in 1839. The town of Linnville was destroyed in 1840. A group of Comanche Indians raided the town, in addition to Victoria. At least 23 people died in the combined raid. Many of those in Linnville fled into the water, where they were rescued by boat. They watched the Comanches destroy their town and the

estimated $300,000 worth of goods in it. The historical marker for Angelina Belle Eberly honors the woman who is credited with starting the initiative to keep the state capital in Austin, when some wanted it moved to what is now known as Houston. Eberly came to Texas from New Orleans in 1822 with her first husband, Jonathan G. Peyton. It is believed that she was born in Tennessee. She and her husband landed in Matagorda on June 18, 1822. From there, they moved to various cities in Texas and Louisiana, including Nacogdoches and Austin. Peyton died in 1834, leaving Eberly and two children behind. She took over his estate. In 1836, she married Capt. Jacob Eberly, who was also a widower. The couple lived in Austin, where Angelina Eberly operated a hotel starting in about 1840. It is regarded to have been the hotel where many of Texas’ dignitaries stayed when they were in Austin, including a visit by Sam Houston in 1841. In 1842, Sam Houston sent a captain to Austin to take certain

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

records to Washington on the Brazos, which is now present-day Houston. The captain snuck into town at night and loaded a wagon with boxes of records. Eberly saw the captain, and to alert the town, fired off a cannon. The captain managed to escape, but was captured the next day and the records were returned. Eberly moved to Galveston and was living there in 1847 when she purchased the Tavern House in Lavaca, now known as Port Lavaca. She also purchased lots at Indianola in 1849. She moved to Indianola, and died there in 1860. Two historical markers tell of Calhoun County’s involvement in the Civil War. The first is a marker about the bombardment of Port Lavaca by Union forces. Union soldiers took Galveston and Indianola, before turning to Port Lavaca. William B. Renshaw, the Union commander, demanded that Confederate forces surrender on Oct. 31, 1862. After the town refused to surrender, it was bombarded by Union forces. The city garrison returned fire and partially disabled a Union ship. The

bombardment continued until the morning, before the ships retreated. Port Lavaca remained in Confederate hands until Dec. 23, 1863. The second Civil War marker deals with Calhoun County’s involvement in Confederate torpedo works. Port Lavaca citizens developed a unique spring action ignition system in Lavaca Bay. One man, Capt. David A. Bradbury, was later made to lead the Confederate torpedo operations. The devices worked well, and were put in place in rivers and waterways throughout the south, including Mississippi and Alabama. Port Lavaca citizens were also involved with the Confederate submarine, H. L. Hunley. They left Port Lavaca for Mobile, Ala., and some even went to Charleston, S.C., where the submarine was put into the sea. Calhoun County was also approved for four new historical markers this year. The new markers include one for Sgt. William Henry Barnes, the Chihuahua Trail Terminus See page 24

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Port Lavaca

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Bayside Community Church (Olivia) 25080 Hwy. 172, 874-4817

Bethel Assembly of God

305 Warehouse St., 552-2888

Central Baptist Church

1900 W. Main, 552-5996

Christ Community Church

First Presbyterian Church

Second Baptist

Seadrift

First United Methodist

Six Mile Assembly of God Church

Church of Redemption

814 N. San Antonio, 552-7434 301 Alcoa, 552-8818

Six Mile Baptist

Main and Juanita, 553-7800

Six Mile Presbyterian

1902 Oren, 552-9738

Temple of Faith

384 Foester Road, 552-6023

Templo Calvario Assemblea de Dios

1111 N. Virginia, 552-2556

Freedom House Assembly of God Gateway Fellowship Gospel Assembly

Grace Community Church

1101 Calhoun St., 552-5500

Grace Episcopal Church

1114 Alcoa Dr., 552-2328

Hope Fellowship

Christian Faith Family Church Church of Christ

213 E. Austin, 552-2805 210 E. Main, 552-5317

808 Hwy. 35 South, 552-9551

Iglesia De Cristo

1804 Holloman, 218-5809

Mt. Sinai Baptist

Church of God of Prophecy

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

515 W. George, 552-5939 419 W. Center, 552-2094

1901 Holloman, 552-9532

First Baptist

Marek Ln.,552-5518

First United Methodist

345 Royal Road, 552-2002

St. Patrick Catholic

419 N. Colorado, 552-1756

Seadrift Assembly of God

747 W. Main

Port O’Connor

First Baptist

St. Joseph Catholic

410 Jefferson, 983-2727 303 Main, 983-4240

808 Lamar, 987-2318

Comfort Community Church

Port Lavaca Christian Center

St. Ann Catholic

First Baptist Church

St. Joseph Baptist

St. Mark’s Lutheran

First Baptist Church (Indianola)

Salem Lutheran Church

902 Calhoun St., 552-2931 617 FM 2760, 552-4954

401 N. Colorado, 552-7000 811 S. Virginia, 552-6075

Washington Street, 983-4467

201 Jones St, 987-2710

Pt. Comfort United Methodist

702 Smith Rd., 553-6300

501 S. 2nd St., 785-7611

Fisherman’s Chapel

Pilgrims Christian Church 1311 W. Austin, 552-4980

310 W. Cleveland, 785-3405

Church of Christ

Door Christian Fellowship, The 446 Hwy 35 South, 551-2013

2nd and W. Baltimore, 785-4621

First Baptist Church

New Beginnings

415 W. Austin, 552-6140

302 W. Dallas, 785-3411

Point Comfort

Our Lady of Gulf Catholic

302 Smith, 482-7024

609 S. 6th St., 785-5987

6440 FM 1090, 552-5714

Hwy. 35, 987-2775

92 Wood, 987-2812

Lamar Street, 987-2855 83 Milam

2101 N. Virginia, 552-9379

a world too often ruled by war, Without God, it’s Inhunger, disease and inhumanity, a vicious circle. we believe there is hope.

 

                  

  

Freedom House A/G

    Bible Study for All Ages      Sundays - 9:00 AM    Wednesdays   - 6:30 PM

You’re invited to be our guests

SUNDAY Celebracíon en Español .......................................... 9 a.m. Celebration Service .......................................... 10:30 a.m. Kingdom Kidz ..................................................... 10:30 a.m. Bible Study ............................................................. 6:30 p.m. WEDNESDAY Small Groups .............................................................. 7 p.m. Kingdom Kidz ............................................................. 7 p.m. Full Throttle Youth (6th-12th grades) ................... 7 p.m. Other Ministries: Prayer, Praise and Worship,Youth Ministries, Children’s Ministries, Spanish Ministries, Greeting and Ushering.

Pastors Kevin and Kim LeVrier

301 Alcoa Drive - Port Lavaca 361-552-8818 www.freedomhouseag.org 20

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

 

  Worship     Sundays - 10:15 AM    6:30 PM

  

Find A Welcome In Our Home! SUNDAY SERVICES:

• 9:30 a.m.: Bible Classes For

All Ages • 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.: Worship

TUESDAY:

• 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.: Ladies’ Classes

WEDNESDAY:

• 7 p.m.: Bible Classes

Weekly Youth Activities

• Other Activities Include VBS, Gospel Meeting, Youth Group activities, Bible Bowl and Bible Classes For All Ages

Shan Jackson, Minister

808 S. Highway 35, Port Lavaca • 361-552-9551 • plchurch.com

We’re There For You! Calhoun County YMCA 1300 N. Virginia Street Port Lavaca, Texas, 77979 Phone: 361-551-2562 Fax: 361-551-2504

Razor Cuts Se Habla Español

HAYES ELECTRIC SERVICE “Since 1965”

INDUSTRIAL • RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTING - SERVICE CALLS LICENSED - BONDED - INSURED ELECTRIC FIXTURES & SUPPLIES MANITOWOC AND SCOTSMAN ICE MACHINES GUARDIAN EMERGENCY GENERATORS

“We service what we sell!”

552-9538

#TECL 18340 TACLA 004564C

814 West Main Port Lavaca

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Being there is why I’m here. 45 Years of loyal service!

David Denham • 361-552-8881

Main Street Gallery R. Dean Johnstone Art  PhotographyHistorical Photos “Photo Restoration is our Specialty” 309 East Main Street (by the Theater)

Independent & Assisted Living Calhoun County’s Premier Senior Living Community

Faith Based Private Apartments Comfortable & Affordable Restaurant-Style Dining Caring Staff Activities & Entertainment Safe & Relaxing

361-552-2333 201 Trinity Shores Drive Port Lavaca, Texas

www.trinityshores.com

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Facility #102951

Calhoun County: an odyssey of historical markers 1. Alsatian Immigration through Lavaca Bay • 300 block Commerce Street, on bay front, Port Lavaca 2. Beach Hotel • Main & Commerce Sts., Port Lavaca 3. Beaumont, Jefferson • Port Lavaca Cemetery, south end of S. Nueces St., Port Lavaca 4. Calhoun County • Ann & Leona Sts., Port Lavaca 5. Calhoun County Hurricanes • Calhoun County Courthouse grounds 211 S. Ann St. 6. Calhoun County Jail • 301 S. Ann St., Port Lavaca 7. Civil War Bombardment of Port Lavaca • 200 Block of Commerce Street, Port Lavaca 8. Civil War Torpedo Works • Live Oak and Commerce Streets, Port Lavaca 9. Clark Cemetery • From Hwy. 35, take US 87 north 3.6 miles. Turn left on FM 2433 and then immediately turn right on FM 1679. After 0.9 miles, turn left on Sanders Rd. Go another 0.9 miles to private road on the left. The cemetery is about 0.4 miles down the road on private property. 10. Cox’s Point • Northeast end of causeway, on SH 35, near western city limit, Point Comfort 11. Eberly, Mrs. Angelina Bell Peyton • From Port Lavaca, take FM 238 three miles southwest to FM 316; follow FM 316 south about 8.75 miles 12. First Baptist Church of Port Lavaca • 902 Calhoun, Port Lavaca 13. First Presbyterian Church of Port Lavaca • 1111 N. Virginia 14. First United Methodist Church of Port Lavaca • 814 N. San Antonio Street, Port Lavaca 15. George, Wiley • S. Nueces at Cypress St., at entrance to Port Lavaca Cemetery 16. Grace Episcopal Church (2 markers) • 213 E. Austin Street, Port Lavaca

17. Green Lake • 12 miles southwest of Port Lavaca on SH 35 right-ofway 18. Half Moon Reef Lighthouse • Bay Front Park, west end of causeway on SH 35, Port Lavaca 19. Hatch Cemetery • From Port Lavaca, take US 35 about six miles south. Then go west about one mile on Meadow View Ln. to golf course. 20. Hatch, Sylvanus • From Port Lavaca, take US 35 about six miles south. Then go west about one mile on Meadow View Ln. to golf course. Marker is about in the middle of the bridge on the south side of path. 21. Indianola • SH 316 terminus at beach, Indianola 22. Indianola Cemetery • From Port Lavaca, take FM 238 south southwest three miles to FM 316. Follow FM 316 about 8.75 miles to Brighton Rd. in Indianola. Follow Brighton Rd northwest about one mile and then go west on Comal Rd one-half mile and then right on Orleans St. one quarter mile to cemetery. 23. Indianola, Site of the Town of • SH 316 South to Ocean Dr one mile to Indianola 24. Johnson, Moses, M.D. • Six miles northwest of Port Lavaca on US 87 25. Johnson, Moses, M.D. • Private, 6.25 mile north of Port Lavaca off US 87 26. La Salle, Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de • Beach Rd at SH 316 terminus at Indianola 27. Lavaca Lodge No. 36, A. F. & A. M. • From Port Lavaca, take FM 1090 north about two miles 28. Linnville, Site of the Town of • From SH 35 in Port Lavaca, take FM 1090 north about two miles and turn east onto E. Maxwell Ditch Rd. for about 0.8 miles to Bay Meadow Dr. Go south on Bay Meadow Rd. about 1.3 miles to Meadow Lark Rd. Go east on Meadow Lark to

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Lavaca 35 end. Take the private road south at 1593 172 Bay 46 44 45 Point water front. Walk south along 2143 Comfort shore at field area. Marker 28 10 falls in water. 1090 32 31 29. Matagorda Island Light35 house* 27 36 87 • Located approx. 3084 Port 7.5 miles south Lavaca 238 4 24 25 of Port 87 O’Connor 9 1090 2433 Lavaca at 28° 20’ Bay 1679 185 16.44”, -96° 25’ 19 20 26.62” on 2541 Matago48 rda Island, 35 Matagorda 21 26 lighthouse 17 Bay 50 is acces11 2235 sible only by 23 private boat or 1289 238 airplane plus a 22 35 hike to the site. 30. Mt. Sinai Baptist Church 37 185 Port • 419 Center St., Port O’Connor Lavaca 31. Olivia 43 185 • SH 172 at city limits Seadrift 185 32. Olivia Cemetery 39 • SH 172 & County Road 317 on County Road 317, Olivia 42 33. Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic Church • 415 W. Austin San Antonio Bay 34. Port Lavaca 29 • SH 35 between SH 238 & Half Moon Dr., at Bauer Community Center, Port Lavaca 35. Port Lavaca Cemetery • End of S. Nueces St., Port Lavaca 36. Port Lavaca Chapter No. 373, Order of The Eastern 1090 Star 35 • FM 1090, two miles north of Port Lavaca 40 12 37. Port O’Connor 18 34 238 • E. Monroe Ave. at S. Park Ave., at King Fisher 3084 38 Beach 13 38. Ranger Cemetery (2 41 Markers) 2 14 • Harbor St., Port Lavaca 39. Rasmussen, Andrew A. 1 • Main & 15th St., Port 35 O’Connor 5 40. Salem Lutheran Church 7 8 • 2101 FM 1090 6 41. San Antonio and Mexi87 16 can Gulf Railroad • 110 N. Virginia, Port 33 Lavaca 47 42. Seadrift 35 49 30 • SH 185, Seadrift 43. Seadrift Cemetery 3 15 35 1090 • 1273 Cemetery Road; Located 1.273 miles from Hwy 185 on Cemetery Road. 49. Wilkins, Alice O., School 46. Six Mile-Royal Community 44. Six Mile Cemetery • Ann and Alice Wilkins streets, Port • Go 4.1 miles northwest of SH 35 on FM • Go 4.5 miles northwest of Port Lavaca Lavaca 1090 on FM 1090 to Royal Rd. Turn west on 50. Zimmerman Cemetery 47. St. Joseph Baptist Church Royal and go about 0.4 miles. Cemetery • From Port Lavaca, take FM 238 about 3 • 811 S. Virginia St., Port Lavaca is behind Six Mile Presbyterian Church. miles to FM 316. Go south 7.25 miles to 48. Town Cemetery, Old 45. Six Mile Presbyterian Church • From Port Lavaca, take FM 238 south roadside area. • Go 4.5 miles northwest of Port Lavaca southwest about three miles. Then follow on FM 1090 to Royal Rd. Turn west on FM 316 south about 8.5 miles. Go north one * National Registry listing; no historical Royal and go about 0.4 miles. mile on county road to Old Town Cemetery. marker.

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Markers from page 18 in Indianola, World War II in Calhoun County and one for folklorist Ed Bell. On Feb. 11, 1864, a 23-year-old William Barnes, of Maryland, responded to the “Act For Enrolling and Calling Out the National Forces” (Conscription Act) signed into law March 3, 1863 by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. Barnes entered a recruiting station at Point Lookout, Md., and joined the Union Army. He started military service as a private in the 38th U.S. Colored Troops in Norfolk,

Va. On Sept. 29, 1864, the 38th USCT, and other USCT regiments attacked Confederate forces at New Market Heights, Va. He returned to service on Dec. 12, 1864. On April 6, 1865, Private Barnes was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Sept. 2930, 1864, battle in New Market Heights, Va. “Of the 12 men on the order that received the Medal of Honor that day, alphabetically Barnes would have been first on the list

The Greenhouse Floral Designers

704 N. Virginia, Port Lavaca, TX

552-9758 • 552-4202

The Pantry -Daily Lunch Specials-

702 N. Virginia, Port Lavaca, TX 552-1679

and is; therefore, likely the first black soldier to have physically received a Medal of Honor,” Gary Ralston said in his application. The Civil War ended in April 1865. In June 1865, Union soldiers began flooding into Texas to maintain law and order and assist with the Reconstruction era in Texas. Troops were also ordered to the U.S. and Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley in case intervention was necessary in the war between France and Mexico. Many of these soldiers were from the 25th Army Corps that was formed of regiments of the U. S. Colored Troops (USCT). Barnes was among them. Soon after, Barnes was promoted to the rank of sergeant, the highest rank that could be attained by a black soldier in the Union Army. The service of the 38th USCT in Texas included Brownsville and various points on the Rio Grande, Brazos Santiago Island, Galveston and Indianola. However, from July through October 1866, Barnes was reported in the bi-monthly Company Muster Roll as “Sick” or “Sick in Hospital.”

In the November and December Muster Roll, it is recorded that he “Died of Consumption in Hospital at Indianola” on Dec. 24, 1866. Sgt. Barnes was laid to rest at Indianola. “Although the assignment of the U.S. Colored Troops to Texas after the Civil War created many conflicts between the soldiers and the white citizens, the role of these troops was important to the early stabilization of the Texas government and the protection of the recently freed slaves,” Ralston wrote in his application. In 1867, the bodies of more than 300 soldiers, including that of Sgt. Barnes, were removed from the Indianola area and re-interred in a common grave at the San Antonio National Cemetery. A marker “In Memory of” William H. Barnes” was placed at the San Antonio National Cemetery in the area of the group burial. The Calhoun County Museum, located at 301 S. Ann St. in Port Lavaca, has a free brochure with additional information on the county’s historical markers. The museum can be reached at 361553-4689.

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2012

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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texaspropertycontrol@yahoo.com http://www/wix.com/texaspropertycontrol/TPC

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Most insurance plans accepted

FEET HURT? Don’t Walk In Pain...

Bunions, Hammertoes, Heel Pain, Ingrown Toenails, Warts, Sports Medicine, Injuries, Diabetic Wound Care Dr. Richard Steinberg, DPM

Memorial Medical Center 815 N. Virginia • Port Lavaca

361.552.0324 Serving Port Lavaca since 1995

ty i l a u Q ol r t n o C g n i t s e T

Dr. Richard Steinberg, DPM

Kay McPherson, President

v DATIA Accredited v Drug & Alcohol Testing Servic v DNA Testing Monit es oring v Paternity Testing Traini v Occupational Health Physical Drug/ ng Alcoh ol v Maritime/FMCSA Consortiums

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Travel 24/7 Call Out! 709 C. Hwy. 35 S.(behind McDonald’s and next to TSC) 361-553-7080 • 361-553-7025 qct@cableone.net

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

709 C. Hwy. 35 S. Port Lavaca, TX 77979

Our Lady of the Gulf Catholic School Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re growing to meet the needs of our students and community! Class Sizes are limited to 16 students to allow individualized instruction

Hands-on, Quality Education. Full Curriculum including Technology and Arts for Grades PK-8th

Call today for more information about becoming a Mariner! Go to WWW.OLGMARINERS.ORG or Call 361.552.6140

Faith. Academics. Service.

Calhoun County Life â&#x20AC;˘ Spring/Summer 2012

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Getting to the Beach A. Lighthouse Beach Lighthouse Beach is part of the Lighthouse Beach Park located adjacent the TX Hwy. 35 North causeway bridge. Entrance to the park is from Broadway St. (TX Hwy 238) just south of the Hwy. 35 and Hwy 238 intersection across from the Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse and Bauer Community Center. There is a modest per vehicle fee to enter the park. B. Magnolia Beach Go west on TX Hwy. 238 from Port Lavaca as it exits town. Continue straight on TX 238, which eventually becomes TX Hwy. 316. Continue on Hwy. 316 for approximately 5.5 miles before turning left when you reach Farm to Market Road 2760. Once on FM 2760, travel approximately one mile, then turn right on Vivian Stevens Rd. Make an immediate left around the curve once on Vivian Stevens, and then an immediate right around the curve. The beach will be on your left in a few feet. C. Indianola Beach Go west on TX Hwy. 238 from Port Lavaca as it exits town. Continue straight on TX 238, which eventually becomes TX Hwy. 316. Continue on Hwy. 316 for approximately eight miles, then turn right on Brighton Avenue. Stay on Brighton Avenue for about a mile, and the beach will be on your left.

D. King Fisher Beach at Port O’Connor From Port Lavaca, head west on TX Hwy. 238 out of town. Follow Hwy. 238 and when you reach the flashing yellow lights at the intersection of TX Hwy 316, turn right, which will still be Hwy. 238. Follow Hwy. 238 for about one mile, then turn left on Farm to Market Road 1289. Continue on FM 1289 for just over 11 miles until it ends. From there, turn left on TX Hwy. 185. Continue on Hwy. 185 through Port O’Connor until it ends. Once it ends, turn left on Park Street. The beach will be on your right. E. Seadrift Bayfront Park From Port Lavaca, head west on TX Hwy. 238 out of town. Follow Hwy. 238 and when you reach the flashing yellow lights at the intersection of TX Hwy 316, turn right, which will still be Hwy. 238. Follow Hwy. 238 for approximately 10 miles, where it will “T” with TX Hwy. 185. Take a left on Hwy. 185 and you will reach Seadrift in approximately one mile. Continue on Hwy. 185 until you reach Main Street, and turn right. Follow Main Street until it intersects with Bay Street. Turn right on Bay Street, and the beach will be on your left.

Public Boat Ramps 1. Olivia 2. Point Comfort 3. Six Mile 4.* Lighthouse Beach 5. Bayfront Peninsula

6. Harbor of Refuge 7. Chocolate Bayou 8. Magnolia Beach 9. Port O’Connor 10. Seadrift Bayfront Park

* A modest per vehicle fee is required for entrance to the Lighthouse Beach Park.

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Cha

Chamber of Commerce 361-552-2959 â&#x20AC;˘ 1-800-556-Port www.portlavacatx.org

Diamonds From

A Small Town Store with a “Salty Charm.” Owner: Vicki Dworaczyk

Make Dreams Come True

Homeowned Since 1976

310 N. Virginia, Port Lavaca Quality at Affordable Prices 552-3633

Antique, Vintage, & Coastal Decor Items www.thesaltwatercowgirl.com 508 S. Main St. • Seadrift, TX. 77983 361.655.2973 thesaltwatercowgirl@gmail.com

We Finance Most of our payments are $200 a month.

TWIN DOLPHIN s Cinema

Getting you back to the things you love!!!

152 N. Hwy. 35, Port Lavaca • 361-552-6764 twindolphinscinemas@gmail.com

NOW PLAYING REAL D 3-D MOVIES! (ONE OF ONLY 2 THEATERS IN A 150 MILE RADIUS WITH THIS FEATURE)

SHOWTIMES:

FRIDAY, 7PM & 9PM • SUNDAY, 2PM & 7PM SATURDAY, 2PM, 7PM & 9PM • MONDAY – THURSDAY, 7 PM ADDITIONAL SUMMER MATINEE TIMES MONDAY – THURSDAY, 2PM

Leslie Pfeil Insurance Agency, Inc. pfeilinsurance@gmail.com www.pfeilinsurance.com

Home • Auto • Cycle • Boat Travel Trailers • Life 152 N. Hwy 35 • Port Lavaca (located inside Twin Dolphins Movie Theater building)

Office Hours Mon.-Fri. 9-4 552-9403

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

WE OFFER:

• Physical Therapy • IV Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Wound Care • Speech Therapy • Respite Care • Outdoor Therapy Courtyard • Private Medicare Hall

We accept Medicare, Medicaid, Private Pay, Private Insurance, and V.A.

Stop by our facility for a FREE cup of coffee and a TOUR. Contact Admissions Coordinator or Administrator at 361-552-3741.

361-552-3741 524 Village Road • Port Lavaca, TX 77979

Melstan, Inc.

”

Feed & Hardware

Family Owned & Operated Personal Service Lawn & Garden, Pet & Hardware Supplies

111 N. Ann • 361-552-5441

Oil Changes • Alignments • Tune-Ups • Computer Diagnostics Fuel Services • Transmission Service • Brake Service Diesel Service • A/C Work and more

124 S. Virginia Street•Port Lavaca, TX 77979

Rolando Reyes • 361-552-5474

www.firestoneportlavaca.com Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Taqueria La Finca

SPECIALS EVERYDAY ✦ Breakfast ✦ Lunch ✦ Dinner ✦ Drive Thru Sun. - Thurs. 5 a.m. - 9 p.m. • Fri. & Sat. 5 a.m. - 10 p.m.

2640 W. Main • Port Lavaca, Tx 361-552-6515

Saltwater Fishing Regulations SPECIES

DAILY BAG

Amberjack, Greater • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Bass: striped, its hybrids and subspecies • • • • • • • • Catfish: channel and blue catfish, hybrids and subspecies Catfish, flathead • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Catfish, gafftopsail • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Cobia • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Drum, black • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Drum, red • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Flounder: all species, their hybrids and subspecies2 • • Gar (alligator) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Grouper, gag • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Grouper, goliath (formerly called Jewfish) • • • • • • • Mackerel, king • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mackerel, Spanish • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Marlin, blue • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Marlin, white • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mullet: all species, their hybrids and subspecies1 • • • Sailfish • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Seatrout, spotted1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Shark: allowable species1 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Shark: prohibited species • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Sheepshead • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Snapper, lane • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Snapper, red (pole & line - circle hook only) • • • • • • • Snapper, vermilion • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Snook • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Tarpon • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Triggerfish, gray • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Tripletail • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1

INCH LENGTH (MIN - MAX)

1 • • • 5* • • 25* • • 5 • • • N/L** 2 • • • 5 • • • 3 • • • 5/22 • 1 • • • 2 • • • 0 • • • 2 • • • 15 • • N/L** N/L** N/L** N/L** 10 • • 1 • • • 0 • • • 5 • • • N/L** 4 • • • N/L** 1 • • • 1 • • • 20 • • 3 • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• 34 - N/L** • 18 - N/L** • 12 - N/L** • 18 - N/L** • 14 - N/L** • 37 - N/L** • 14 - 301 • 20 - 281 • 14 - N/L** • N/L** • 22 - N/L** • C & R*** • 27 - N/L** • 14 - N/L** • 131 - N/L** • 86 - N/L** • N/L** - 12 • 84 - N/L** • 15 - 25 • 24 - N/L** • C & R*** • 15 - N/L** • • 8 - N/L** • 15 - N/L** • 10 - N/L** • 24 - 28 • 85 - N/L** • 16 - N/L** • 17 - N/L**

Refer to Texas Parks & Wildlife site for more detail http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/regulations/fish_hunt/fish/saltwater_limits.phtml * - In any combination N/L** - No Limit C&R*** - Catch & Release ONLY 2 Nov. 1-30 limit is 2; may be taken only by pole and line.

The fishing is good around here. It always is on Matagorda Bay and Lavaca Bay which also just happen to be the destination for hundreds of ships and barges moving valuable cargo through the Port of Port Lavaca-Point Comfort. The Calhoun Port Authority has long been committed to promoting responsible, sustainable development that’s in the best interest of the community, the environment and the economy. We strive for continuous improvement in our environmental performance and pollution prevention measures. That makes the fishing better for everybody.

CALHOUN Port Authority

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Calhoun Port Authority 1/2 page for Visitor Guide 2010

Where’s the bait? If you are out to catch big fish, then you need to know where to get the best bait. Don’t get caught without the supplies needed to catch redfish, flounder, gafftop, trout, tarpon, snapper or shark.

PORT LAVACA

• Bowed Up Outdoors

• J&J Bait & Tackle

123 N. Hwy. 35, 482-0336

• Evelyn’s Fish Market

732 Broadway, 552-2882

• Indianola Fishing Marina 8 Bell St., 552-5350

1374 N. Ocean Dr., 552-2724

• Miller’s Seafood

515 Fulton, 552-6423

• Poor Boys Bait Stand 400 E. Live Oak, 552-1504

PORT O’CONNOR

• Beacon 44 Seafood Market 1982 W. Harrison, 983-4247

• Boathouse (The) 7th and Maple, 983-4764

• Fishing Center (The)

Intracoastal Canal, 983-4440

• Charlie’s Bait Camp 785-3023

• Chunky Monkey’s

• Froggie’s Bait Dock 2649 Stella St., 983-4466

• J&H Shrimp

Hwy. 185, 983-2565

• Marty’s Landing and Mama’s Kitchen, 983-3474

SEADRIFT

• Dockside Bait Shop 806 S. Main, 785-3344

621 Main St., 785-2138

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

O.K. Pawn & Jewelry Loans • Jewelry Guns Electronics Sonya Oubre Williams

361-552-9005 • 1414 S. Hwy 35, Port Lavaca TX

For All Your Electronic Needs! 245 Calhoun Plaza  Port Lavaca, TX

361-552-3600

Migrate Over To The...

1 Wildlife Circle Austwell, TX 77950

361-286-3559

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Open Daily 30 Minutes Before Sunrise to 30 Minutes After Sundown Visitor Center Hours 8:30am–4:30pm

Always Dredging For The future! Formerly known as King Fisher Marine

RE/MAX

159 Hwy 316 • Port Lavaca, TX 77979 (361) 552-6751

Land & Homes on the Bay Cissy Sullivan, REALTOR ® 361-220-0326 Dallas Franklin, REALTOR ® 361-230-2667 www.portlavacareal-estate.com

Roxie Stringo, REALTOR ® 361-746-5112 www.roxiestringo.com

www.SellingCalhounCounty.com Each office independently owned and operated. 36

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

1 31 N. Virginia, Suite A, Port Lavaca 361-552-5200

BEACHCOMBING exposes hidden treasures Photo by DAVID HALL

BY EMILY ALLEN

To find that perfect shell to serve as a reminder of a trip to the Texas coastline, one must possess a little basic beachcombing knowledge and a lot of perseverance. Calhoun County has more than 500 miles of shoreline to provide ample opportunity for beachcombers looking for various shells to add to their collection. Ten bays, Texas’ largest natural freshwater lake and the Gulf of Mexico offer plenty of areas for both the casual and serious beachcomber. Within the five classes of mollusks, there are roughly 400 different species that may be collected along the Texas coastline. The five classes include gastropods (snails), bivalves (scallops, cockles, clams and oysters), scaphopods (log, tapering, tusk like tubes), chitons (segmented to allow them to roll up like a pill bug) and cephalopods (squid and octopus). While Texas tides are not extreme, they are still high enough to prevent optimal shelling at certain times of the year. The best time to collect shells is during the winter months when the lowest tides occur along the coastline, leaving flats and mud exposed.

COLD BEER * ICE * FISHING TACKLE * SNACKS * COLD DRINKS * GROCERIES

Tips for the inexperienced beachcomber from veteran shellers: – Wear appropriate seasonal clothing – Protect yourself from the sun by wearing sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen and possibly long sleeves – Wear old canvas shoes to protect your feet; hidden balls of tar can ruin a perfectly nice pair of shoes – Pockets – Light weight plastic bucket

– Plastic bags for driftwood or carrying messy material – Fill bottles for small/special specimens – Small strainer or dip net for collecting in grass flats, etc. – Trowel or other digging tool. – Tweezers or toothpicks (wet the end) to pick up tiny shells. – Waders, rubber boots, possibly thermal underwear – winter is the best time to collect and the water can be very cold. – A note pad and waterproof pen for keeping location data. – A friend – use the buddy system, especially when combing isolated areas. Several prime spots for shelling in Calhoun County include the former site of Indianola; the jetties along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in and around Port O’Connor; the Gulf beaches adjoining Pass Cavallo; and several spots on Matagorda Island. Please remember to never collect living specimens, as they are still part of the ocean’s food web.

J&T ONE STOP

BIG BREAKFAST TACOS

514 Margie Tewmey Rd. at Magnolia Beach 361-552-2913

BURGERS

Come have the BEST burger on the beach!

Located 3/4 mile from public beach

QUIT YOUR BEACHIN COME ON IN!! Don’t forget Saltwater Saloon in the back

* * FRIES OR TOTS SUNDAY BREAKFAST SPECIAL: BISCUITS & GRAVY

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

P A Guide to Newcomer Information ELECTRICITY

AEP (877) 373-4858 Reliant Energy: (866) 222-7100 TXU: (800) 818-6132 Victoria Electric Co-op: (361) 573-2428

NATURAL GAS

CenterPoint Energy: centerpointenergy.com or (800) 427-7142

TELEPHONE

Verizon Residential: (800) 483-4400 AT&T Residential: (800) 222-0300 Commercial: (800) 222-0400

TELEVISION

CableOne of Port Lavaca (361) 552-9621 Direct TV: (888) 777-2454 Dish Network: (866) 271-3005

INTERNET

CableOne of Port Lavaca (361) 552-9621 Testengeer: (361) 573-1102 Time-Warner: (210) 464-8877

WATER AND SEWER

VOTER REGISTRATION

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Port Lavaca Service Billing and Connects 202 N. Virginia; (361) 552-9793, ext. 236 Port Lavaca Maintenance and Repair 800 N. Commerce; (361) 552-3347 Seadrift Service (361) 785-2251 Point Comfort Service (361) 987-2661

Tax Assessor and Collector Office 211 S. Ann, (361) 553-4433

All emergencies should be reported by using 9-1-1. However if a particular department is needed not regarding an emergency use the following numbers. The county has the Enhanced 911 system. This allows dispatchers to see the location and phone number of the person placing the call. You must still give them this information when you call.

GARBAGE COLLECTION Allied Waste Services (800) 640-2014

RECYCLING Calhoun County Recycling Center (361) 552-7791

VEHICLE REGISTRATION Tax Assessor and Collector Office 211 S. Ann; (361) 553-4433

DRIVER’S LICENSE Calhoun County Courthouse Annex 201 W. Austin; (361) 552-5046

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PORT LAVACA Calhoun High School Sandcrab Blvd., (361) 552-3775 Hope High School 300 Alcoa, (361) 552-7084 HJM Elementary Complexes (361) 552-5253 Jackson-Roosevelt Elementary 1512 Jackson, (361) 552-3317 Travis Middle School 705 N. Nueces, (361) 552-3784 Victoria College, Calhoun County Center 900 N. Virginia, (361) 553-4316

PORT O’CONNOR Port O’Connor School (361) 983-2341

SEADRIFT Seadrift School (361) 785-3511

Calhoun County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) (361) 552-1140 Calhoun County Sheriff ’s Department 333 S. Benavides, (361) 553-4646 Port Lavaca Fire Department Station #1, 800 N. Hwy. 35, (361) 552-4620 Station #2, 1501 W. Austin Street, (361) 552-3241 Port Lavaca Police Department 201 N. Colorado; (361) 552-3788 Point Comfort Police Department Point Comfort, (361) 987-2345 Seadrift Police Department Seadrift, (361) 785-2069

Rentals

•W

B o u n c e House Rentals Call and Book Today!!!

361-237-8335 We have NEW INFLATABLES!!!

We look forward to providing you the resources to make your next event unforgettable! LICENSED & INSURED

Trackless Trains Available For Rent! NO DEPOSIT!

We rent tables and chairs for your special occasions!

Kench connally Insurance

106 S. Commerce, Suite 4 • Port Lavaca, TX 77979 • kconnally@farmersagent.com

& Joyce Shillings Antiques

Great Home Decorations Antiques • Collectables Texas Accents 130 E. Main, Port Lavaca• (361) 551-2115 38

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Farmers. Gets You Back Where You Belong.

Kench Connally Agent

Office 361-552-0701 Fax 361-552-0760 Cell 361-649-3843

Auto • Home • Life • Boats • Commercial

Sal Fre 220 Por Ou

Port Lavaca Chamber 2012 Calendar of Events Port Lavaca Market Days – Held the first Saturday, every other month. upcoming dates are June 2, Aug. 4, Oct. 6 and Dec. 1. Featuring music, food, craft vendors, and a farmer’s market. Held at the Bauer Community Center, 2300 Hwy. 35 N., Port Lavaca, 8 a.m – 3 p.m. More information available at www.portlavacamarketdays .com. Saltwater Series Fishing Tournament – Held July 21 and 22 in Port Lavaca. 4th Annual Flip Flop Festival – Will be held Saturday, Sept. 1. Features music, food

and craft vendors – full day of fun for the entire family. Located at Hwy. 238 at Bayfront Pennisula, in Port Lavaca beginning at noon, concluding with big name concert that evening. More information is available at www.portlavacatx.org. “Business Expo” – Will be held Oct. 16 through 20 in the Calhoun County Fair Commercial Building at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds.

Annual Consignment Auction – Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds.

Monster Dash 5K Walk/Run – To be held Saturday, Oct. 27 in conjunction with the Fall Festival at the Calhoun County Air Center.

Christmas on Main Street – Christmas shopping and entertainment on Main Street in Port Lavaca, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Laura Deming, RN, PNP Nichole Bruno, RN, MSN, CPNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

Parade of Lights Christmas Parade – Thursday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Choose Well At

Two Locations To Serve You!

Inside Walmart (on Highway 35) 361-552-6073

306 Highway 35 361-552-7300

• We Pierce Ears • Allergy Testing • Sports Physicals

Randy’s

361-575-4768 • 800-696-4768

Floor Company WOOD FLOORING, CERAMIC, COUNTER-TOPS, & MORE RANDY’S FLOOR COMPANY CAN HELP YOU CEILING TO FLOOR! Robin Kacir is a certified decorator & CEU in Chicago

Sales & Installation Free Estimates 220 E. Main Port Lavaca, TX 77979 Out of Town

Community Tree Lighting Ceremony and Festivities – Tuesday, Dec. 4 at the Bayfront Penisula.

Randy & Robin Kacir Owners

552-6785 1-800-357-8781

START YOUR NEW CAREER TODAY! Office Assistant/ Microsoft Publisher Legal Office Specialist/ProDoc

Financial Aid Available VA Approved

Accounting/ Quickbooks Medical Office Specialist Coding/Medisoft IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO REGISTER WITH US!

Advanced Combination Welding/Plate/Pipe/Heliarc

www.texasvocationalschools.com

1921 E. Red River • Victoria, TX Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Culinary delights await Calhoun County visitors BY MELONY OVERTON PORT LAVACA WAVE Whether you have a hankerin’ for traditional American comfort food, fresh seafood or a meal with either a Mexican or an Asian flavor, you will find a restaurant to serve it while visiting Calhoun County. The Port Lavaca phone directory lists more than 50 restaurants located within the expanse of Calhoun County from Port O’Connor, to Seadrift to Point Comfort and points in-between. At least 13 of those listings serve Mexican food. Operating under names like El Patio, La Finca and Josie’s, these restaurants serve traditional Mexican dishes such as tacos, enchiladas and burritos and a bit of TexMex, like fajitas. “El sabor de nuestras raices” or “The flavor of our roots” is the motto of La Antigua, located at 737 North State Highway 35, in Port Lavaca. Owner Santiago Degollado Jr., along with his aunt, Maria Chavez, who is head of the kitchen, serve traditional Mexican dishes that might make some patrons raise an eyebrow. Lengua. Tripas. Cabeza. In English, these words translate to

tongue, intestines and head, with those parts specific to a cow. Each part is served as tacos or as plates that come with rice and beans. Each organ has its own distinct texture and flavor. The dishes are spiced with cumin, paprika, garlic, various peppers and cilantro. When Degollado purchased the restaurant, he did not see menudo, tripas, lengua or caldos (soups) on the menu. “These are essential Mexican dishes, Mexican food at its best. If Mexican food could be copyrighted, these are it. It is some of the best food you will ever taste in your life,” he said. For those visitors whose palates prefer dishes from the Asian continent, at least six restaurants within the county provide cuisine popular in China, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Rocky Thach Le, the owner of Rocky’s Noodle House, located at 424 S. Main St., in Seadrift, wanted to bring the cuisine of his native Vietnam to his friends and neighbors. With his wife, Phuong Pham, and fellow cook, Van Nguyen, Le’s menu includes homemade appetizers like egg rolls and spring rolls, and entrees like a

rice platter, grilled honey-braised chicken, char-grilled pork and fried and stir-fried entrees made with chicken and vegetables and served with fried rice and an egg roll. Pho, which is a beef or chicken noodle soup, is a menu staple. Le’s pho can come with rare steak, brisket, meatballs or any combination of those three, too. Lisa Nguyen, of Palacios, also had a desire like Le did to bring Vietnamese dishes to the locals, but in Port Lavaca. She opened Magic Asian Cuisine at 101 N. Commerce St. The dearth of Vietnamese cuisine in Port Lavaca was the driving force behind Nguyen’s idea for a restaurant. “I wanted Americans to try Vietnamese cuisine,” she said. Like Le, Nguyen also serves pho. The menu also includes a Vietnamese sandwich made up of barbecue pork or roasted pork, sliced cucumber, cilantro and jalapeño within a bun made with butter. “So far the response has been very good. Everybody said they liked Vietnamese food, but they have to go to Palacios or Houston to get it,” Nguyen said. Sokkheang Seng, with husband,

Sina Sin, both from Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, opened Four Seasons Restaurant, located at 1005 N. Virginia St., in Port Lavaca, six years ago serving Vietnamese, Thai, Szechuann and Cambodian dishes. “People in Port Lavaca are not too familiar with Cambodian food, but we want them to know about it,” Seng said. So far, customers like stir-fried Cantonese noodles with Chinese broccoli and a pan-fried crispy yellow noodle with vegetables dish, where when the noodles are prepared, end up resembling an edible bird’s nest that doubles as a bowl for the meat and vegetables. “When customers order, they do not know what to call this dish. They just say they want the bird’s nest,” Seng said with a smile. In restaurants with names like Shellfish Sports Bar and Grille, Bayside Seafood, Cathy’s Restaurant and Bubba’s The Boiling Spot, seafood, whether it is served fried or boiled, stuffed or Cajun-style, is served in a plethora of county restaurants perhaps because of Calhoun’s proximity to thriving bay systems and local commercial fishermen’s willingness to harvest seasonal oysters and shrimp from them.

Melissa Sterling Escrow Officer, Manager

Missie Landry Escrow Officer

Misty Garcia Escrow Assistant

2121 Sailboat• Port Lavaca, Tx. Phone: (361) 551-2300 Fax: (361) 551-2312

LET

LOAN COMPANY

Help With Your Finances

Loans From $100 To $1,258 Se Habla Español

361-553-8002

321 Calhoun Plaza, Port Lavaca, TX 40

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Penh, ened cated Port rving n and

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fried inese rispy ables s are g an s as a bles. they dish. bird’s

ames and thy’s The her it uffed in a rants oun’s tems men’s sonal m.

Forest Christy, and his wife, Amy, owns Barkett’s Seafood Restaurant, located at 321 Broadway Ave., in Seadrift. He said reliability and consistency are what keep regulars coming back for more of the restaurant’s signature dishes. “Consistency is hard to do. We have to make sure our recipes are not deviated from and that wait staff takes care of customers,” he said. Staff makes the tartar and the red sauces, French and ranch dressings, gravy and batter for the fried foods. The whole flounder can be broiled, blackened or fried. Flounder is stuffed with a crabmeat dressing that also fills the stuffed jalapeños. “We’ve had people ask us how we make that stuffing, but I won’t tell,” Forest Christy said. Bayside Seafood, at 2055 Hwy. 35 N in Port Lavaca, offers a mix of American, Chinese, and Cajun cuisine featuring local seafood and an atmosphere perfect for a casual, sit-down lunch or an ambient dinner date. After successfully starting Baytown Seafood in Palacios in 2004, owners Andrew and Christine Lee decided to open a restaurant in Port Lavaca in 2006 when the building became available. “My family came here from California to start a new life,”

Christine said. “We liked the town of Port Lavaca and when we saw the building open up, we decided to open another restaurant in Port Lavaca.” At their restaurant, Andrew and Christine offer an abundant selection of seafood including snapper, flounder, scallops, shrimp and oysters. They also offer American-style food including hamburgers, steaks, French fries and Buffalo wings, and they offer Chinese-style cuisine as well. “One of our most popular dishes is fried rice and egg rolls,” Christine said. But perhaps most importantly of all, Christine said that they strive to maintain a friendly, customer-service atmosphere. “I love to be around my customers and to make them smile,” she said. “When you make someone happy, it makes you happy.” Al and Dianna Stanger opened Shellfish Sports Bar and Grille in 2009 with the desire to provide a fine dining establishment in Port Lavaca. It is located at 2615 Hwy. 35. N. “My husband and I never wanted to own a restaurant,” Dianna said in 2010. “However, we do enjoy good food without making the trek to Houston or Austin to get an evening out with good food and atmosphere.” Shellfish is billed as a

contemporary American restaurant that serves fresh seafood, prime steaks and a whole lot more. “Shellfish Sports Bar and Grille is an alternative to the dining choices available in our local area,” Dianna said. “With a fantastic waterfront view of the wetlands in Port Lavaca next to the causeway; the sports bar offers the perfect place to unwind with over twenty beers on tap and a view of sports on televisions from each seat. “The menu complements the casual atmosphere with outstanding sandwiches, hamburgers and freshly made French fries. We are very happy with the community support and continue to evolve with what our area favors.” Traditional Texas home cooking, like a juicy steak, meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy, chicken and dumplings, soups and desserts made from scratch can all be found in Port Lavaca at Texas Traditions, located at 234 E. Main St. Owners Victor and Patsy Franek make sure the restaurant’s ambiance and decor are not a far cry from their patron’s own kitchen table. “We wanted Texas Traditions to feel like home, and it does,” Patsy said. “We made sure this place looks like a home. We decorated

it in a way to where people feel like they are sitting in their own dining room.” The couple also made sure their entrees and desserts taste like home. They offer an extended dessert menu that includes Patsy’s signature Ding Dong and a Whoopie Pie, made of Heath bars and topped with whipped cream. Hostess Ding Dongs have always been a favorite of Patsy’s, but the recipe for her own creation came to her in a dream. Her own is a three-step process that takes two days to complete. “Our way of cooking has made us successful,” she said. “We use old recipes my grandmother used. I haven’t changed anything. I watched her make these recipes. I watched as she rolled out the dumpling dough and cut it into strips. When you do that, it all comes to you.” Franek feels the amount of processed food served in restaurants is sad. “Our food might cost more to produce, but that is because we actually make it. It takes more employees to make it, but we try to keep our prices comparable with other quality food. People can taste the difference,” she said. Kayla Meyer contributed to this article.

Calhoun County Independent School District Our Schools: HJM Elementary---(361)552-5253 J/R Elementary---(361)552-3317 Port O’ Connor Elementary---(361)983-2341 Seadrift School---(361)785-3511 Travis Middle School---(361)552-3784 Hope High School---(361)552-7084 Calhoun High School---(361)552-3775 s-

Quality School Successful Students

A Texas Education Agency

Recognized

District

www.calcoisd.org

525 N. Commerce Port Lavaca, TX 77979 (361) 552-9728

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

New heights at the Calhoun Air Center

WAVE STAFF REPORT

People might not think of an air center as a way to spend the afternoon, but the Calhoun Air Center has a different flavor than most. Owner and pilot Dianna Stanger and her staff promote community involvement by promoting a number of events throughout the year. In the spring, the air center hosts the annual Kids Day in May. “This year Calhoun Air Center is focusing on our community involvement by reaching out to our area residents and expanding their knowledge of aviation,” said Steve Plunkett, air center manager and pilot. The air center hosts the Monster Bash in October, which is a family-friendly Halloween event for children. It features costume contests, games and many other activities. Another event, scheduled in November, is the annual aviation art contest. It is open to area students, many of which advance to the state level. One way that is accomplished is through discovery flights, which are only $75. Those flights last about a half hour and can include up to three people. “It’s a great way to spend a weekend,” Plunkett said. “And a discovery flight makes a great gift for a birthday, anniversary or Christmas.” The air center has been honored multiple times for its promotion of aviation. It has twice been given the womenfriendly flight training seal by Women of Aviation Worldwide, followed by two additional awards from WOAW. The air center worked last year with a Girls With Wings event to allow 98 females of all ages to take flight. The air

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

center had an event scheduled for this spring, hoping to break its previous record, but it had to be canceled due to rain. Stanger received the award for “The Most Dedicated Female Pilot in the World” from WOAW for her 2011 efforts, while Jasmine Gordon, public relations director, received the award for “The Most Creative Aviation Advocate.” “The females that flew on the WOAW weekend walked away inspired, motivated and excited,” Gordon said. “Their eyes were opened to an entirely new perspective.” Other awards received by the air center include the Business of the Year award by the Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce in 2011, and the most improved award in 2009 by the Texas Aviation Conference. The Calhoun Air Center is a state-of-the-art flight center, offering flying lessons as well as full services for pilots. The center has made millions of dollars in improvements the past few years. The air center features a lobby and pilot lounge for comfort, a refreshment center and pilot briefing room. Other improvements include an expanded apron and new overlay for the runway. Upgrades to the apron mean space for more planes and better drainage, and the new overlay allows access for larger aircraft. The airport also features a 24hour self-fueling station with guaranteed fuel prices, hangar space and a full flight-training school. Contact the Calhoun Air Center at 361-552-1228. The air center is located at 4876 Farmto-Market Road 3084 in Port Lavaca.

ts Your Port Lavaca Walmart:

Working To Save You Money So You Can Live Better!

400 Tiney Browning Blvd ★ 361-552-4116

Mau-Shong Lin M.D 1706 N. Virginia • Port Lavaca, TX 77979

361-552-2906

Welcome new patients! Internal Medicine Children-Senior Citizens Medicare & Medicaid & Network accepted Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri. 9 am - 5 pm Thurs. & Sat. 9 am - 12 noon

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Nitriles

31 Years In Calhoun County! 1981 - 2012

INEOS Nitriles, Green Lake Plant is a modern, state of the art chemical complex. Being the world’s largest Acrylonitrile manufacturing plant, Green Lake’s primary focus is Acrylonitrile production. Acrylonitrile is used in the production of acrylic fibers, plastics, and nitrile rubber. INEOS has a strong focus on community support and environmental awareness. INEOS is a great place to work with competitive benefits and salaries. Green Lake is an OSHA VPP Star site. Green Lake Complex 13050 State Highway 185 Port Lavaca, TX 77979 44

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

R.V. Park Listing

Port Lavaca

Bayside 316 8530 State Hwy. 316 Indianola, (979) 338-9936 Circle H R.V. Park 558 Margie Tewmey Rd. (361) 571-7525 Gateway R.V. Park 1620 W. Main, (361) 552-1388 Lighthouse Beach and Bird Sanctuary Park 700 Lighthouse Beach Dr. (361) 552-5311 Lavaca Bay R.V. Park 1818 Broadway, (361) 552-4814 Lonestar R.V. Park 1334 Broadway, (361) 553-7808 Oceanside R.V. Park 1162 Ocean Dr. North, Magnolia Beach (361) 564-0055 Powderhorn R.V. Park Indianola Beach, (361) 552-7481 Sandollar R. V. Park 1103 Broadway Street (361) 552-5150 Texas Lake Side R. V. Park 2499 W, Austin Street (361) 551-2267

Port O’Connor 2 R.V. Park 1402 Harrison, (361) 983-4688 Beacon 44 R.V. Park Harrison and Druscilla (361) 983-4247

Dolphins of the Bay R.V. Park 112 S. 16th Street (361) 983-4802 Fishing Center (The) Intercoastal Canal (361) 983-4440 LaSalle’s Landing RV Park 2699 West Adams Ave. (361) 983-4854 Port O’Connor RV Park 110 Steve St., (361) 983-2484 Sea Isle R.V. Park 1650 Adams St. (Hwy. 185) (361) 983-0020

Seadrift Beacon 7 R.V. Park West Bay Avenue (361) 785-2717 Captains Quarters Located next to the motel on Hwy 185, (361) 785-4982 Breezy Palms Cottages & R.V. Park 101 E.Bay Ave. (361) 550-6069 Lost Pelican R.V. Ranch 107 E. Broadway (210) 262-3991

Olivia Keller Bay R.V. Park (361) 893-5801

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Birding is big here

Photo by Rob Suarez Key R=Rare P=Pelagic/Offshore H=Hypothetical E=Extirpated/Extinct I=Introduced or Exotic

Just as Calhoun County attracts visitors from all over, it also hosts a variety of avian species. The bird watching opportunities are sure to please even the most experienced wildlife seekers. There are several options for those interested in watching the wildlife. Visit the Port Lavaca Lighthouse Compiled by Brush Freeman Beach and Bird Sanctuary, Magnolia Beach or even Matagorda Island State Jan. 18, 2012 Park. According to Brush Freeman, coauthor of The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds, 429 species have been recorded in

___ Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ___ Fulvous Whistling-Duck ___ Greater White-fronted Goose ___ Snow Goose ___ Ross’s Goose ___ Cackling Goose ___ Canada Goose ___ Trumpeter Swan (E) ___ Tundra Swan (R) ___ Wood Duck ___ Gadwall ___ Mallard ___ Mottled Duck ___ American Black Duck (R) ___ Blue-winged Teal ___ Cinnamon Teal ___ Northern Shoveler ___ Northern Pintail ___ Green-winged Teal ___ Canvasback ___ Redhead ___ Ring-necked Duck ___ Greater Scaup ___ Lesser Scaup ___ Surf Scoter ___ White-winged Scoter (R) ___ Black Scoter ___ Harlequin Duck (R) Jan. 29, 1945; Aransas NWR (likely mislabeled to Aransas Co.) ___ Long-tailed Duck (R) ___ Bufflehead ___ Common Goldeneye ___ Hooded Merganser ___ Common Merganser (R) Dec. 23, 1992 ___ Red-breasted Merganser ___ Masked Duck (R) ___ Ruddy Duck ___ Northern Bobwhite ___ Greater Prairie-Chicken (E) ___ Ring-necked Pheasant (RI) ___ Wild Turkey ___ Red-throated Loon (R) Dec. 19, 2004; Port O’Connor ___ Pacific Loon ___ Common Loon ___ Least Grebe ___ Pied-billed Grebe ___ Horned Grebe ___ Red-necked Grebe (R) ___ Eared Grebe ___ Western Grebe (R)

___ American Flamingo (R) ___ Black-capped Petrel (PR) ___ Cory’s Shearwater (P) ___ Great Shearwater (PR) ___ Sooty Shearwater (PR) ___ Audubon’s Shearwater (P) ___ Leach’s Storm-Petrel (P) ___ Band-rumped Storm-Petrel (P) ___ Red-billed Tropicbird (PR) ___ White-tailed Tropicbird (HP) Aug. 6-7,1937; Matagorda Island ___ Wood Stork ___ Magnificent Frigatebird ___ Masked Booby (R) 1st county record June 8,1885; Matagorda Bay ___ Northern Gannet (P) ___ Neotropic Cormorant ___ Double-crested Cormorant ___ Anhinga ___ American White Pelican ___ Brown Pelican ___ American Bittern ___ Least Bittern ___“Great White Heron” (R) A pure white phase of Great Blue Heron ___ Great Blue Heron ___ Great Egret ___ Snowy Egret ___ Little Blue Heron ___ Tricolored Heron ___ Reddish Egret ___ Cattle Egret ___ Green Heron ___ Black-crowned Night-Heron ___ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron ___ White Ibis ___ Glossy Ibis ___ White-faced Ibis ___ Roseate Spoonbill ___ Black Vulture ___ Turkey Vulture ___ Osprey ___ Swallow-tailed Kite ___ White-tailed Kite ___ Mississippi Kite ___ Bald Eagle ___ Northern Harrier ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk ___ Cooper’s Hawk ___ Northern Goshawk (R) Pre-1978 record; one in Port O’Connor 2009 reported

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

the county or the counties’ offshore waters, although many of those were single occurrences, or once in a lifetime finds, that will likely not be repeated any time soon. Some of the more popular birds in the area include Rosette Spoonbills, Reddish Egrets, White-tailed Hawks and Whooping Cranes. Use the list below to see what species you can find during your stay in Calhoun County. Special thanks to Brush Freeman for his help with the following listing of bird species that have been previously spotted in Calhoun County.

___ Harris’s Hawk ___ Red-shouldered Hawk ___ Broad-winged Hawk ___ Swainson’s Hawk ___ White-tailed Hawk ___ Zone-tailed Hawk (R) ___ Red-tailed Hawk ___ Ferruginous Hawk (R) ___ Rough-legged Hawk (R) ___ Golden Eagle (R) Jan. 16, 1993; Mar. 3, 2000 ___ Crested Caracara ___ American Kestrel ___ Merlin ___ Aplomado Falcon (I) ___ Peregrine Falcon ___ Prairie Falcon ___ Yellow Rail ___ Black Rail ___ Clapper Rail ___ King Rail ___ Virginia Rail ___ Sora ___ Purple Gallinule ___ Common Gallinule ___ American Coot ___ Sandhill Crane ___ Whooping Crane ___ Black-bellied Plover ___ American Golden-Plover ___ Pacific Golden-Plover (H) ___ Snowy Plover ___ Wilson’s Plover ___ Semipalmated Plover ___ Piping Plover ___ Killdeer ___ Mountain Plover (R) ___ American Oystercatcher ___ Black-necked Stilt ___ American Avocet ___ Northern Jacana (R) Dec. 10, 1992-April 22, 1993 ___ Spotted Sandpiper ___ Solitary Sandpiper ___ Greater Yellowlegs ___ Willet ___ Lesser Yellowlegs ___ Upland Sandpiper ___ Eskimo Curlew (E) ___ Whimbrel ___ Long-billed Curlew ___ Hudsonian Godwit ___ Marbled Godwit

___ Ruddy Turnstone ___ Red Knot ___ Sanderling ___ Semipalmated Sandpiper ___ Western Sandpiper ___ Least Sandpiper ___ White-rumped Sandpiper ___ Baird’s Sandpiper ___ Pectoral Sandpiper ___ Purple Sandpiper (R) ___ Dunlin ___ Stilt Sandpiper ___ Buff-breasted Sandpiper ___ Ruff (R) ___ Short-billed Dowitcher ___ Long-billed Dowitcher ___ Wilson’s Snipe ___ American Woodcock ___ Wilson’s Phalarope ___ Red-necked Phalarope (R) ___ Black-legged Kittiwake (R) ___ Sabine’s Gull (R) ___ Bonaparte’s Gull ___ Laughing Gull ___ Franklin’s Gull ___ Mew Gull (R) Mar. 4, 2005; Magnolia Beach ___ Ring-billed Gull ___ California Gull (R) ___ Herring Gull ___ Thayer’s Gull (R) ___ Lesser Black-backed Gull ___ Glaucous Gull (R) ___ Great Black-backed Gull (R) ___ Sooty Tern (R) ___ Bridled Tern (P) ___ Least Tern (P) ___ Gull-billed Tern ___ Caspian Tern ___ Black Tern ___ Common Tern ___ Arctic Tern (PR) Sept. 21, 1996 ___ Roseate Tern (R) Mar. 15, 1998 ___ Forster’s Tern ___ Royal Tern ___ Sandwich Tern ___ Black Skimmer ___ Pomarine Jaeger (P) ___ Parasitic Jaeger (P) ___ Long-tailed Jaeger (PR) ___ Rock Pigeon ___ Eurasian Collared-Dove ___ White-winged Dove ___ Mourning Dove ___ Passenger Pigeon (?E) ___ Inca Dove ___ Common Ground-Dove ___ White-tipped Dove (R) ___ Monk Parakeet (RI) ___ Yellow-billed Cuckoo ___ Mangrove Cuckoo (R) ___ Black-billed Cuckoo ___ Greater Roadrunner ___ Groove-billed Ani ___ Barn Owl ___ Flammulated Owl (R) ___ Eastern Screech-Owl ___ Great Horned Owl ___ Burrowing Owl ___ Barred Owl ___ Long-eared Owl (R) ___ Short-eared Owl ___ Lesser Nighthawk ___ Common Nighthawk ___ Common Pauraque

___ Common Poorwill (R) ___ Chuck-will’s-widow ___ Eastern Whip-poor-will ___ White-collared Swift (R) ___ Chimney Swift ___ Vaux’s Swift (R) Dec. 20, 2010; Port O’Connor ___ Black Swift (R) Apr. 11, 2006; Port O’Connor ___ Broad-billed Hummingbird (R) Dec. 5, 2010; Six Mile ___ Buff-bellied Hummingbird ___ Blue-throated Hummingbird (R) near Seadrift ___ Ruby-throated Hummingbird ___ Black-chinned Hummingbird ___ Anna’s Hummingbird ___ Costa’s Hummingbird (R) ___ Calliope Hummingbird (R) ___ Broad-tailed Hummingbird ___ Rufous Hummingbird ___ Allen’s Hummingbird (R) ___ Ringed Kingfisher (R) ___ Belted Kingfisher ___ Green Kingfisher ___ Red-headed Woodpecker (R) ___ Acorn Woodpecker (R) ___ Golden-fronted Woodpecker (R) ___ Red-bellied Woodpecker ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ___ Red-naped Sapsucker (R) ___ Ladder-backed Woodpecker ___ Downy Woodpecker ___ Northern Flicker ___ Pileated Woodpecker ___ Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet (R) ___ Olive-sided Flycatcher ___ Eastern Wood-Pewee ___ Western Wood-Pewee (R) Sept. 24, 2000; offshore oil rig ___ Yellow-bellied Flycatcher ___ Acadian Flycatcher ___ Alder Flycatcher ___ Willow Flycatcher ___ Least Flycatcher ___ Cordilleran Flycatcher (R) ___ Black Phoebe (R) ___ Eastern Phoebe ___ Say’s Phoebe ___ Vermilion Flycatcher ___ Ash-throated Flycatcher ___ Great Crested Flycatcher ___ Brown-crested Flycatcher ___ Great Kiskadee ___ Couch’s Kingbird ___ Western Kingbird ___ Eastern Kingbird ___ Gray Kingbird (R) ___ Scissor-tailed Flycatcher ___ Loggerhead Shrike ___ White-eyed Vireo ___ Bell’s Vireo ___ Yellow-throated Vireo ___ Plumbeous Vireo (R) ___ Cassin’s Vireo (R) ___ Blue-headed Vireo ___ Warbling Vireo ___ Philadelphia Vireo ___ Red-eyed Vireo ___ Yellow-green Vireo (R) ___ Green Jay ___ Blue Jay ___ American Crow ___ Chihuahuan Raven (R) ___ Horned Lark ___ Purple Martin

___ Tree Swallow ___ Violet-green Swallow (RH) ___ Northern Rough-winged Swallow ___ Bank Swallow ___ Cliff Swallow ___ Cave Swallow ___ Barn Swallow ___ Carolina Chickadee ___ Tufted Titmouse ___ Black-crested Titmouse (R) ___ Verdin (R) ___ Red-breasted Nuthatch ___ Brown Creeper ___ Cactus Wren (R) May 11, 2004; Port O’Connor ___ Rock Wren (R) ___ Carolina Wren ___ Bewick’s Wren ___ House Wren ___ Winter Wren ___ Sedge Wren ___ Marsh Wren ___ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher ___ Golden-crowned Kinglet ___ Ruby-crowned Kinglet ___ Eastern Bluebird ___ Mountain Bluebird (R) ___ Veery ___ Gray-cheeked Thrush ___ Swainson’s Thrush ___ Hermit Thrush ___ Wood Thrush ___ American Robin ___ Gray Catbird ___ Northern Mockingbird ___ Brown Thrasher ___ Long-billed Thrasher ___ Curve-billed Thrasher ___ European Starling (I) ___ American Pipit ___ Sprague’s Pipit ___ Cedar Waxwing ___ Lapland Longspur (R) ___ Chestnut-collared Longspur ___ Smith’s Longspur (R) ___ McCown’s Longspur (R) ___ Ovenbird ___ Worm-eating Warbler ___ Louisiana Waterthrush ___ Northern Waterthrush ___ Golden-winged Warbler ___ Blue-winged Warbler ___ Black-and-white Warbler ___ Prothonotary Warbler ___ Swainson’s Warbler ___ Tennessee Warbler ___ Orange-crowned Warbler ___ Nashville Warbler ___ Virginia’s Warbler (R) Oct. 10, 1999 ___ MacGillivray’s Warbler (R) May 11, 2006; Port O’Connor ___ Mourning Warbler ___ Kentucky Warbler ___ Common Yellowthroat ___ Hooded Warbler ___ American Redstart ___ Cape May Warbler (R) ___ Cerulean Warbler ___ Northern Parula ___ Tropical Parula (R) ___ Magnolia Warbler ___ Bay-breasted Warbler ___ Blackburnian Warbler ___ Yellow Warbler ___ Chestnut-sided Warbler ___ Blackpoll Warbler

___ Black-throated Blue Warbler (R) ___ Palm Warbler ___ Pine Warbler ___ Yellow-rumped Warbler ___ Yellow-throated Warbler ___ Prairie Warbler ___ Black-throated Gray Warbler (R) ___ Townsend’s Warbler (R) ___ Black-throated Green Warbler ___ Canada Warbler ___ Wilson’s Warbler ___ Red-faced Warbler (R) ___ Yellow-breasted Chat ___ White-collared Seedeater (R) ___ Olive Sparrow ___ Green-tailed Towhee (R) ___ Spotted Towhee ___ Eastern Towhee ___ Cassin’s Sparrow ___ Chipping Sparrow ___ Brewer’s Sparrow (R) ___ Clay-colored Sparrow ___ Field Sparrow ___ Vesper Sparrow ___ Lark Sparrow ___ Black-throated Sparrow (R) ___ Lark Bunting (R) ___ Savannah Sparrow ___ Grasshopper Sparrow ___ Henslow’s Sparrow (R) ___ Le Conte’s Sparrow ___ Nelson’s Sparrow ___ Seaside Sparrow ___ Fox Sparrow (R) ___ Song Sparrow ___ Lincoln’s Sparrow ___ Swamp Sparrow ___ White-throated Sparrow ___ Harris’s Sparrow ___ White-crowned Sparrow ___ Dark-eyed Junco ___ Summer Tanager ___ Scarlet Tanager ___ Western Tanager ___ Northern Cardinal ___ Pyrrhuloxia ___ Rose-breasted Grosbeak ___ Black-headed Grosbeak (R) ___ Blue Grosbeak ___ Lazuli Bunting (R) ___ Indigo Bunting ___ Varied Bunting (R) Apr. 27, 1999; Port O’Connor ___ Painted Bunting ___ Dickcissel ___ Bobolink ___ Red-winged Blackbird ___ Eastern Meadowlark ___ Western Meadowlark ___ Yellow-headed Blackbird ___ Rusty Blackbird (R) ___ Brewer’s Blackbird ___ Common Grackle ___ Boat-tailed Grackle ___ Great-tailed Grackle ___ Shiny Cowbird (R) ___ Bronzed Cowbird ___ Brown-headed Cowbird ___ Orchard Oriole ___ Hooded Oriole (R) ___ Bullock’s Oriole ___ Baltimore Oriole ___ House Finch ___ Pine Siskin ___ Lesser Goldfinch ___ American Goldfinch ___ House Sparrow (I) ___ Nutmeg Mannikin (I)

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Calhoun Museum presents three new exhibits BY MELONY OVERTON PORT LAVACA WAVE The Calhoun County Museum will host three new exhibits beginning in May that focus on diverse topics such as the efforts of the local garden club, a Port Lavaca World War II veteran and the influence of Tejano culture within the county. The Port Lavaca Garden Club exhibit, a first of its kind for the club, begins May 1 at the museum, located at 301 S. Ann St. in Port Lavaca. The exhibit lasts a month. Club member silver awards, silk arrangements, scrapbooks and photos from members’ gardens will be on display. Members will be present at the museum at 2 p.m. on May 2 to greet the public. “This exhibit will show off the many things that the Port Lavaca Garden Club has done. A lot of the members grow plants and flowers that are native to this area,” said museum director George Anne Cormier. “I am looking for someone to give a lecture on the native plants while the exhibit is up.”

A second exhibit, “The Strategic Air Command,” will feature the service of the late Walter Blevins. Blevins served in World War II and later within the Strategic Air Command (SAC). The exhibit will begin June 1 and will last a month. The SAC was the former command of the U.S. Air Force charged with organizing, training, equipping, administering and preparing strategic air forces for combat. It was headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. From 1946 to 1992, SAC controlled most U.S. Strategic nuclear weapons. Its bombers and guided missiles played a key role in the nuclear strategy of the Cold War. Blevins joined the U.S. Air Force in 1940 and fought in Europe until the war ended in 1945. He remained with the military and became part of SAC, ultimately participating in the Berlin Airlift, said his brother, Harold Blevins, of Port Lavaca. It was 1948 at a time when friction between the U.S. and the Soviet Union intensified. At one point, the Soviets stopped

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Part of the “The La Salle Odyssey” exhibit at the Calhoun County Museum. (Melony Overton/Wave photo) all trains from departing Berlin for western Germany. In response, the U.S. Army Military

Governor for Germany informed the Soviets that Allied military aircraft would fly in and out of

Silver be on (Melon

ony

rmed ary of

One of the most popular items at the Calhoun County Museum, located at 301 S. Ann St. in Port Lavaca, is the Third-Order Fresnel lens from the Matagorda Island Lighthouse. Visiting the lens equates to a passport stamp, which the museum has, as part of the Lighthouse Passport Program. (Melony Overton/Wave photo)

Silver awards earned by Port Lavaca Garden Club members, as well as silk arrangements and scrapbooks will be on display at the Calhoun County Museum during a month-long exhibit devoted to the club beginning in May. (Melony Overton/Wave photo) the city. More B-29 bombers were moved onto the European continent to intimidate the Soviets. Harold Blevins donated his brother’s uniform, discharge papers, dog tags, his clearance forms and pictures to the museum. “I have kept Walter’s military items for about four years, but I thought the museum would be a good place for them. All that is missing is one of two sets of wings he earned while he was a flight engineer. Walter helped plot the flights, and part of what I gave the museum includes the instruments he used,” Blevins said. “Walter served his country well, received good conduct medals among many other medals and he received an honorable discharge. I think donating his items to the museum is a great way for the public to know about him and remember him by,” Blevins added. Blevins served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and retired from the military in the early 1960s. Tejano Heritage Month is observed in Texas in September. Cormier is still considering a title for a Tejano exhibit slated to begin in August. “The Tejano people go back to the start of Texas. Calhoun County has such a rich and wonderful Tejano history,” Cormier said. “We still have a few old Tejano families in Port Lavaca. We are trying to get information and pictures from these families for the exhibit and to build up our files.” The “Calhoun County-Blue and Gray-Civil War Artifacts” exhibit will continue for a few more months, Cormier said. The exhibit includes Minié bullets, a type of small arms ammunition, belt buckles and cannonballs to

name just a few items on display. The museum relies heavily on donated historical artifacts in order to tell the history of Calhoun County and Texas. Recent donations include hotel ledgers from the former Lafitte Hotel, which was located in Seadrift, a postcard featuring the La Salle statue in Indianola and a cast iron cane press from Navasota, located at the museum entrance, that was used to make syrup from pressed sugar cane and grain sorghum. Cormier also recently purchased an engraving entitled “The War in Texas Pass Cavallo Matagorda Bay” from 1864 that she found on an online auction site. “A lot of historical things leave Calhoun County and end up on Ebay, for instance. I will often check for these items at online auction sites. If the museum can afford to purchase the item, we use donated funds designated for such purchases, or we might ask the seller if they care to donate an item,” Cormier said. “Anyone who has photos of Calhoun County should know we would love to have them. When we get our new building, we will have more room to put up photos,” she said. “I have a large copy of the last platted map of Indianola that I would like to have span one wall. So when visitors come to the new building, they are immersed in what Indianola looked like.” A portion of the Calhoun County Museum collection deals with the history of Indianola, which was destroyed by two hurricanes – one in 1875 and the last in 1886. A large diorama of Indianola has the locations of a number of the homes and businesses before the 1875 hurricane. Display cases are filled with artifacts from

the town found after the hurricane. One of the most popular items is the Third-Order Fresnel lens from the Matagorda Island Lighthouse. The museum now has the Matagorda Island Lighthouse stamp that lighthouse enthusiasts seek as part of the Lighthouse Passport Program. “People who are into lighthouses travel all over the country as part of this program. They visit a certain lighthouse and get the stamp put in a passport book,” Cormier said. “We will eventually sell the passport books.” Since the Matagorda Island Lighthouse is accessible by boat only, and no organized tours of the lighthouse are available, the program coordinators have made an exception, and allowed a visit to the Fresnel lens at the museum worthy of a stamp, Cormier said. The Half-Moon Reef Lighthouse also has a stamp, and it is available at the Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce office at the Bauer Community Center on State Highway 35. The museum has several displays entitled “The La Salle Odyssey” with items found on the La Belle, a ship used by explorer Robert de La Salle. The ship was found in Matagorda Bay in 1995. The ship sank in 1686. Several items from the ship can be found at the museum, including a heavy cast iron “petard,” or an explosive device formerly used in warfare to blow in a door or gate or form a breach in a wall, that was until recently misidentified as an iron crucible. The museum is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free. For more information, call 361-553-4689.

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

SEADRIFT

prepares for centennial celebration

By PAT HATHCOCK SEADRIFT – A 100th birthday is a pretty big deal. Seadrift was incorporated in December of 1912, and the village is having a year-long observance of its centennial. Like most coastal settlement, the village grew out of the enthusiasms of a developer, A. D. Powers. According to the wonderful history book, Shifting Sands of Calhoun County, Texas, published in 1981 by the County Historical Commission, “Seadrift began its growth May 15, 1911 with Mr. A. D. Powers as promoter. He offered five acres of land outside the city limits for each city lot purchased. The advertisements he put out on Seadrift presented it as the land of the Satsuma Orange and the Magnolia Fig.” Some of the early settlers, before Powers invented the idea of Seadrift, were Germans from

the old Indianola stock that landed on the next bay north and hung around near where they alit. There are Bindewalds and Dierlams around today. There was a post office in 1891 and a Dierlam was postmaster, but Powers promotion really got things moving. Another descendant of early comers is Janie Waghorne, who is working on the centennial celebration. Waghorne is one of those pillars without whom society would fall on our heads. She was president of the Seadrift Friends of the Library, instrumental in helping get a new library building in town, and her name seems to show up on the roster of any local group working for local improvement. At 62 and retired from a teaching career, she is bright, funny, ebullient and a great patriot for her village. She lives where she can sit and look at the water. Her father was Bill Sanders, who

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

arrived on a sailboat from Fulton with his father, who was raised on the Blackjack Peninsula on Saint Charles Bay. That makes at least three generations – or five if you count the various Sanders kids and grandkids – on this part of the coast, a long history in a new country. Waghorne is one of seven siblings in the Sanders clan, including her sister Diane Wilson, shrimper, author and environmental activist. Waghorne is working with Wilson on a book about the fishing families of Seadrift. A brother is Froggie of the eponymous bait shop in Port O’Connor. That constitutes firstfamily status in a new town, and Waghorne jokes that the Sanderses come from something more like a saltwater pool than a standard gene pool. Coastal folks mark the milestones of time by hurricanes, called storms in earlier days. Current residents date things

from Hurricane Carla in 1961. Bill Sanders’ storm years were 1919 and 1942. Waghorne says her father considered the 1919 storm as bad as Carla. He wrote later, “I remember helping my two older sisters mopping up water with towels, wringing them out into pans.” Photos from those old storms show horrible destruction, but the bayrats – a term that can be pejorative or affectionate and admiring – just rebuilt and kept on going. Rather than figs – and figs still grow beautifully in Seadrift – and satsumas, there was a lot of truck gardening to provide vegetables and fruits to local markets in those days before all produce came from California or Florida, and ranching has been a major business since the days of Texas cattle barons beginning after the Civil War, but it was the bay that offered daily bread to most of the settlers. Shifting Sands reads, “In

The bayfront pavilion was a social gathering-place in the early days of Seadrift. July 1916, a census was taken and the population was 2,000… People came to bathe in the warm salt water of San Antonio Bay. The city had a big Pavilion built on a pier out over the bay that was the scene of many parties and community get-togethers.” In those days before Six Flags over everywhere, tourists arrived on excursion trains and stayed at hotels and boarding houses so they could enjoy fishing, bathing – swimming to us – and the exotic scenery. Before Carla, the shore along the waterfront was a bluff (you can still see remnants of bluff at the turnaround at the west end of Bay Avenue). Now there is a concrete seawall running along several blocks of bayfront. It is a favorite place for anglers. One of the ambitions of the centennial committee is to dedicate a new fishing pier on the bayfront on Dec. 1, the day of the big anniversary celebration, but that’s aspirational, not rock solid. A lot of people have been scuffling for grants and donations and raising money for the pier. If there is no pier, there is still often good fishing off the seawall. The old railroad depot, arrival point for excursion trains, has been moved to South Main Street at Railroad Avenue. It is across the street from its original site. The depot is to be refurbished for a museum. Waghorne remembers that back in the day they kept fish in a live tank until Thursdays, when they cleaned them and took them, covered with wet sacks into Port Lavaca to sell. Except for a little trotlining for black drum and some flounder gigging for the market, finfishing is pretty well gone, killed by a ban on selling netted redfish 30 years back. The bay still gives in other ways. During oyster season, the harbor looks like a mall parking lot, and shrimping is pretty constant,

depending on the season. Refrigerated trucks full of blue crabs run out nightly during season, headed for Houston, where the crabs will be flown to the East Coast to appear in some of those famous Maryland crab cakes. There are three or four places in Seadrift where you can get the local product fresh out of the water if you have not caught your own. Avail yourself of local shrimp or a big tray of boiled blue crabs. You will not find fresher anywhere. The big weekend in Seadrift most years is Shrimpfest, held the second weekend in June. If you have never seen the town, Shrimpfest may be the best day to see it. It is also the weekend of the Texas Water Safari, which finishes at the flagpole right there on the bayfront, though paddlers will not start arriving until well into the Sunday of that weekend. At Shrimpfest, there are dances and live music, carnival rides and game booths, and some of the finest walk-around food you will ever eat. “We are supposed to have a booth at Shrimpfest, sell t-shirts and have leaflets, things like that,” said Joyce Amason, co-chair of the centennial committee. Laurie Weaver, whose mother is Nina Sanders, is working on the committee. “For Dec. 1, we are basically doing things like a parade and activities during the day at city hall – music, vendors, a parade,” she said. “The depot, I think we’ll have the exterior done in time to have a dedication. With all the pictures we gathered, we want to have families do a family history. Years ago there was a Seadrift memory book done. Various families contributed to that. Janie and are working with Diane to recognize fishermen in Seadrift.” “Well, we would like to mark 100 years and think this a big

In a good year for oystering, the harbor fills up with luggers from other homeports.

Boats are the most basic tool of the fisherman’s trade and fishing has always been the lifeblood of Seadrift. milestone and a big deal,” Waghorne said. “It’s also about reaching back, making history alive, remembering the people who came here, settled here. The best way to make people realize what came before us is to go back, whether book, murals around town, banners. Bill McGill set up a web page for the city.” McGill is co-chair of the centennial committee. A peacock raiser and computer guy, McGill’s centennial site can be found at seadrifttexascentennial. com. It is small but growing, as McGill adds items. He is also the photo wrangler, scanning and organizing the pictures donated for preservation by the committee. Old pictures may serve better than words to catch the briny flavor of the village. Around town, the First National Bank, at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Broadway, has a bunch of historical pictures posted on the walls of the lobby. They are well worth a short visit. In the city hall annex, at the corner of Main and Dallas Streets, there is an exhibit of portraits of local shrimpers and fishermen, donated by artist Rebecca Byrd Bretz. They will hang for a year and then

Texas artist Rebecca Byrd Bretz has painted portraits of six Seadrift shrimpers. The portraits will hand in City Hall annex for the centennial year. be donated to the subjects of the painting. Also well worth a visit for a look at the weathered faces of the people who put the shrimp on your table. Any day is a good day to visit Seadrift, but Dec. 1, 2012, will be a particularly good day when you can celebrate the 100th birthday of the town along with all the local people.

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

A big star by Texas Highway 185 is the beacon for visitors to the Art Boat to guide on.

Art Boat features works from a conglomerate of artists BY PAT HATHCOCK SEADRIFT– Coming into town on Texas Highway 185, you will encounter at 6th Street a very large boat announced by a big star beside the road. The boat, a converted shrimper looking like it has gone aground in a harbor of white gravel, is called by all the Art Boat and is Seadrift’s singular claim to distinction in the world of art. The top deck has rudimentary living quarters, and the lower deck is a little gallery for paintings, drawings and sculptures. Where the art gets thick is on the grounds around the boat. There are two or three sculptures scattered about. An art-loving visitor will have a wonderful time on a walk around the grounds. The sculptures range from serious to whimsical, and from granite to the art in concrete favored by Dieter Erhard, director of what is formally named Art Center Seadrift. The Art Boat offers the work of a cosmopolitan crowd – Guatemalans, Americans, Brits, Mexicans, Canadians, French, and Erhard’s fellow Germans. The art was made on the grounds, by artists coming to stay in the boat and do their work as guests of the Art Center.

When artists are in residence, visitors are not just allowed but actively encouraged to watch and talk to the artists when they are working. Some artists do not speak much English, but almost all are friendly and get their message across. Erhard lives most of the year in Erlangen, Germany, with his wife, Miriam, who is herself studying to be a goldsmith. He travels a circuit from Germany to Miriam’s native Guatemala, sometimes to Mexico, where he studied art, and on to Seadrift. In Guatemala, he works with a project called Arte en Concreto, a program with Guatemalan artists doing art in concrete, with the one judged best coming to Seadrift to do a piece on the grounds. He has been working with the Guatemalan project for 10 years. This year’s winner was Oscar Rios Jr., a second-generation artist who did a figure with a star for his Seadrift project. Other artists work from time to time on the grounds, getting in exchange for work done an uninterrupted space of time and a pleasant little vacation by the bay. Others bring in their art to show on the grounds or in the gallery. See page 54

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Art Boat from page 53

Russ Thayer is a Fredericksburg sculptor with work on the grounds of the Art Boat. He is enthusiastic about the boat’s function as a mission for art.

Dieter Erhard, director of the Art Center Seadrift, the Art Boat, spends as much time with administrative and maintenance work as he does in making art. A skill in welding, acquired for art’s sake, often comes in handy for repairs on the boat.

Russ Thayer is an American artist with work on the grounds. He bills himself as an artisan and works from a studio in Fredericksburg where he does a lot of architectural sculpture, besides his sculpting. He is 63, solid looking, and wears a beret with brio. His hands are strong and his forearms thick from the work of wielding hammer and chisel. His work on the Art Boat grounds is a sculpture, “Odysseus,” the old Greek wanderer done in granite. You can see it beside the walk coming in from 6th Street toward the stern of the boat. “What’s good about this is that it’s communicating to local people about art, about what artists do, about another world,” Thayer said. “If people talk to artists they can get a conduit to that other world.” Keeping that conduit flowing is a lot of work. Erhard ends up doing as much weedpulling and painting and plumbing and dealing with administrative headaches as he does working on his own art in the little shop by the stairs of the boat. He worries that the necessary commercial side of the enterprise interferes with his doing his own art, but he perseveres. “You have to have vision and follow up,” Erhard said. “What I think we bring here is a chance for people to see art close up. I have the pleasure of bringing a different thing to people here in Seadrift and people from other places, also.” Michelle Locke is the University Galleries Coordinator at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi and a seasoned observer of the arts scene in South Texas. She made a first-time visit to the Art Boat when she attended a recent opening; she was pleased by what she saw. “The interesting thing from my point of view is that there’s so much energy in the small community around the thing Dieter has created,” she said. “There is so much energy, so much dynamism in this old shrimp boat. It’s remarkable that such an interesting place has developed in such a small community. The art that he’s making is very contemporary and novel, and I think it’s probably seen by the locals as something strange, like ‘What is this doing here?’ But the art community would say this is fabulous.

Guatemalan artist Oscar Rios Jr. did a sculpture at the Art Boat in March of 2012. There is a pipeline of artists from the Arte en Concreto project in Guatemala. “I commend Dieter for the energy and expertise he’s brought to this rural location, and it’s fun. I love the Texas star at the entrance. I hope he’ll be able to parlay this into a known entity in the region. People can come here and find out that artists are humans and they’ve got interesting lives. Artists are so enchanting.” “I’d never been to Seadrift and it’s a lovely little community. The waterfront is very nice, it’s a neat little place, and the Art Boat is a fun, energy-filled treat for Seadrift and for South Texans, a visual treat,” she added. The Art Boat is just there, and you can walk around the grounds anytime you wish. Dieter Erhard and visiting artists show up at various times. You can visit http://www. artcenter-seadrift.com/index.html to see Erhard’s work and check if anything is new on the calendar. If you want to visit the gallery, you can arrange a visit by calling Aubrey Parker at 361-676-8030. There is no admission for either grounds or gallery.

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

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Port O’Connor The secret is out!

Port O’Connor resident Paul McGee is known for capturing beautiful Port O’Connor sunrises.

WAVE STAFF REPORT At one time Port O’Connor was considered the “best kept secret” on the Texas Gulf Coast. But according to locals, the secret is out. Port O’Connor, on the southernmost tip of Calhoun County between Galveston and Corpus Christi, attracts a diversity of tourists from sports fishermen to birding enthusiasts. In addition, the community welcomes Winter Texans and enjoys seeing their return each year. The community’s population averages 1,500 residents but events such as the Fourth of July fireworks and the Poco Bueno fishing tournament bring in tourists and swell the numbers to 4,000 occupants. Port O’Connor is on the edge of the second largest bay system in Texas and offers avid sports fishermen several good fishing spots including Matagorda Bay, Espiritu Santo Bay and San Antonio Bay. This bay system has the best natural passes or entries to the Gulf of Mexico on the Texas coast. These include the famous Pass Cavallo and the Matagorda Ship Channel Jetties (Big Jetties). Pass Cavallo is the only natural deepwater pass on the Texas Gulf Coast. One local guide said you can see more and more fishermen in Port O’Connor every year. “You can catch a lot of fish here,” the guide said. “Most people can catch all they want from a half day of fishing. The fishing has grown to a point where, as a guide, I’m out fishing every day.” October is known as “Red October” because of the large amount of redfish available and fall is the busiest time of year for guides.

Seagulls line up in Port O’Connor. Photo by Paul McGee. Clients hail from Houston, San Antonio, Austin and every little country town in between. They consist of businessmen, farmers, ranchers, teachers and librarians. “Every one of them loves to fish. Fishing is something anyone can do,” said the guide, who never tires of the glee in the faces when they catch a trophy fish.

Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

“I see so many 25-to-45-inch redfish it’s no big deal to me,” said the guide. “But it’s a big deal to someone who’s just caught one for the first time. You never forget the look on their face when they catch a big fish. That is what keeps it interesting and fresh for me.” In addition to the bay and gulf areas, the local area includes undeveloped estuaries

’s no a big e for k on hat is me.” s, the aries

— Powderhorn Lake, Coloma Creek, Pringle Lake and Conti Lake. Pringle and Conti offer shallow water wade fishing with an average of a foot-and-a-half to three feet of water. Along the beautiful, unspoiled beaches around Port O’Connor, fishermen find excellent places to wade and surf fish. When the weather becomes too rough, fishermen can still go to Espiritu Santo Bay, the little jetties or the fishing pier in Port O’Connor where the protected areas offer a safe haven. Port O’Connor offers several bait docks, many places to acquire a license and fishing guides to help you find the mot productive fishing spots. Not only anglers come to this fishing community. Port O’Connor attracts birders in the spring. Throughout the town, along Boggy Bayou and Sundown Island, known locally as Bird Island, visitors will see at least 18 species of birds. During the summer, an estimated 37 species of waterfowl, songbirds and shorebirds are known to nest near Port O’Connor, specifically on Matagorda Island. Port O’Connor offers numerous shelling opportunities for the serious or casual beachcomber. These areas include the jetties along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the gulf beaches adjoining Pass Cavallo and Matagorda Island. Port O’Connor has vacation rentals in the form of houses, town homes, condominiums, cottages and cabins in which visitors may relax from three days to a week when weary from being outdoors. “People are looking for a place to bring the family that will make it an affordable weekend trip,” said one local realtor. Many of the rental properties are described as owner-occupied units. The owner is a part-time resident who uses the property but rents it out when it is not occupied. The sleepy fishing village has a hometown feel, even to newcomers from as far away as Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin or even as close as Houston. “People who are not full time residents are treated like they are part of our community. Port O’Connor is an affectionate place to come and enjoy. You are coming to see friends. You don’t see that everywhere, especially in the resort communities,” the realtor said.-

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Calhoun County Life • Spring/Summer 2012

Calhoun County fishing piers Fishing piers around Calhoun County. For more information call the Port Lavaca Chamber of Commerce at 361-552-2959:

Lighthouse Beach Fishing Pier Nautical Landing’s Boat Ramp Harbor of Refuge Magnolia Beach Indianola Fishing Center Boggy Bayou Port O’Connor Beach Park Clark’s Fish House Restaurant and Marina Port O’Connor Fishing Center Bobbies Bait Doc’s Dock Bait Dock Fulgum Fishing Center Seadrift Boat Ramp Point Comfort Boat Ramp Olivia Boat Ramp Matagorda Island State Park

Encompassing portions of Calhoun County, the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge offers visitors the chance to hike, drive by and view many of the animals that call the Texas Gulf Coast home 365 days a year. The wildlife refuge, which encompasses portions of Calhoun, Refugio and Aransas counties, is a 115,670-acre area that is the home to the largest wintering flock of whooping cranes in North America. Whooping cranes are one of the refuge’s biggest draws, said Wildlife Specialist Vicki Muller. The park welcomes over 60,000 visitors a year, she said. “We have over 405 species of birds that come here throughout the year, alligators, javelinas, wild hogs, armadillos, plenty of wading birds and shore birds,” Muller said. “It’s a place to get people out into nature to see wildlife, and these acres are protected for wildlife.” Before reaching the observation tower or boardwalk, visitors must register and pay the daily $5 per vehicle entrance

fee at the Claude F. Lard Visitor Center. The visitor center is open every day of the year from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For those interested in viewing the wildlife from the comfort of their vehicle, a 16-mile auto loop tour is available. For a guided tour, volunteers conduct free interpretive van tours each weekend from January through April. These tours offer visitors an opportunity to see wildlife in various habitats, ranging from saltwater flats to freshwater ponds, which attract a wide variety of birds. The park, which is open half an hour before sunrise to half an hour past sunset daily, does not allow public camping. The closest campgrounds are located at Hopper’s Landing, just three miles away, and six miles away in Austwell. Other campgrounds are located in various places, including many in Calhoun County. For more information about the refuge, log onto http://www. fws.gov/southwest/refuges/ texas/aransas/, or contact the visitors center at 361-286-3559.

The Port Lavaca Wave Out-of-County

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