Dickie Colburn: Fishing See Page 5B Cooking With Katherine See Page 8A
Hometown Football
The Record
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Vol. 51 No. 25 Week of Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The Penny Record of Bridge City and Orangefield • Founded 1960
Bridge City Heritage Festival Saturday Mark Dunn
For The Record
The count down is on for the first Bridge City Heritage Festival to be held Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on the Community Center grounds. The event will feature carnival rides, performances from area bands headlined by Bridge City’s own Britt Godwin, arcade games, food, contests, arts and crafts, bingo and a full slate of activities. “We’ve planned something for everyone no matter what their age,” said Paige Wil-
liams, chairwoman for the event, “Blue skies are in the forecast and it’s going to be a beautiful day for a festival.” The Bridge City Heritage Festival is being hosted by the Historical Museum of Bridge City, a nonprofit charitable organization formed in 2009 to help preserve local history and enhance tourism. Proceeds raised from the festival will go toward the future waterfront park on Cow Bayou in Bridge City. A big attraction is sure to be the dunking booth where festival goers will get the chance to sink some of their favorite
dignitaries. They include Bridge City Cardinal athletic director Cris Stump and coach Josh Smalley, Bridge WILLIAMS City Mayor Kirk Roccaforte, First Baptist Church Pastor Bob Boone and
Julie Kayla team manger for the World Series contenders Bridge City Junior League softball team. Also to be dunked is Rev Paul Zoch of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Norman Gaspard, Jason Beuhler and others. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held just prior to the start of the festival to com-
memorate the 70th Anniversary of the 1941 dedication of the Cow Bayou Swing Bridge. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the bridge. The carnival will begin on Thursday, Sept. 29 and run throughout the festival. Thursday is ‘bargain night’ from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. entry bracelets for unlimited rides
are $15 or just $10 with two nonperishable food items to be donated to the Bridge CityOrangefield Ministerial Alliance. Friday and Saturday carnival bracelets are $20.00. Craft and exhibit vendors will be within the Community Center with performances by BRIDGE CITY PAGE 2A
H Orangefield 2011 Homecoming Court H
Detective honored for prevention of internet crimes Nicole Gibbs
For The Record
Detective Richard Fergon with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department was recognized in Monday’s Commissioners’ Court meeting for all of his hard work to stop and catch internet predators that target children. The Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations presented Fergon with a rarely given Partnerships for Public Safety Award. This national award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the DSH-HSI’s child exploitation mission. Nathan Curry with the Department of Homeland Security presented Detective Fergon with the Award because Resident in Charge Agent Ed Silva was not able to make it to the Commissioners’ Court meeting on Monday. “We nominated Detective Fergon because he’s become vital contributor to Operation Safety Net, a multi-agency enforcement initiative sponsored by ICE-HSI office of the Resident in Charge in Beaumont,” Curry said. “In support of Operation Safety Net, Detective Fergon conducts online, undercover investigations, par-
Inside The Record • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page..................... 4A • Obituaries Page......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing..................5B • Kaz’s Korner Joe Kazmar...........4B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................7B • CLASSIFIED ADS Page......................8B
ticipates in search warrants and conducts digital forensic examinations in support of HSI Child Exploitation Investigations, both in SAC Houston area of responsibility as well as nationwide.” Fergon has identified numerous child exploitation suspects and is relied upon in support by HSI in the execution of search warrants, most importantly providing digital forensic analysis. Forensic analysis is critical to the HSIBeaumont mission, where the office lacks the requisite personnel with such a unique and specialized background. Fergon has become a tremendous asset to HSI. In January 2010, the Orange County Sherriff’s Department began working with Houston’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to help catch internet predators that target children. Hiring Freeze The Commissioners ordered a hiring freeze for Orange County earlier this month, which will require each department to come before the court to request hiring a new employee. This order did not include temporary help or part time workers. Temporary workers are hired in emergency situations or when an employee is out sick or on vacation. Part time help are considered permanent part time. The Commissioners decided that each department would be able to hire emergency temporary workers at any given time if there was a need for it. The department heads would then go before the court at the next scheduled Commissioners’ Meeting to get approval to keep the temporary worker hired on until they were no longer needed. An example of this would be for the Maintenance Department. When a custodian is out sick or on vacation, they need a temporary worker to fill in until the employee comes back to work. The Commissioners approved of Mark Wimberly, Maintenance Director, hiring a temporary worker on an asneeded basis. Other business The County decided to not implement a burn ban even though the western side of COUNTY BUSINESS PAGE 2A
Members of the Orangefield High School 2011 Homecoming Court are Front Row: Junior Duchess Chloe Breaux, Sophomore Duchess Brittany Ashworth and Freshman Duchess Geri Jackson. Back Row: Senior Princess Hannah Walles, Senior Princess Erica Edgerly, Senior Princess Haley Permenter, Senior Princess Ashley Ehrlich, Band Sweetheart Lindey Fontenot and Football Sweetheart Maria Winfree. The Bobcats take on Jasper Friday night for Homecoming. COURTESY PHOTO: Rachel Boyett
Free clinic brings smiles to Bridge City
Staff Report
For The Record
Twenty dentists and over 100 volunteers flocked to Bridge City Middle School Saturday as part of the Smiles on Wheels (SOW) program. The free event brings a MASH like, one day dental clinic mission into rural areas. Saturday’s program provided 218 patients with $139,000 in free dental care. Some patients started lining up around midnight Friday at the chance to get needed extractions, fillings and cleanings. Bridge City’s SOW was sponsored by the Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation, the Stark Foundation and the Houseman Charitable Trust. “Our goal is to relieve pain and restore smiles,” stated literature provided by Billy Callis. Patients signed in at the Middle School cafeteria and
Dr. Doug Bogan works on a patient at Smiles on Wheels Saturday. RECORD PHOTO: Albert Moreno
provided a brief medical background, ensuring they were able to have procedures done. X-rays were taken as part of triage procedures. Extractions or fillings were then performed as needed. Partial plates and flippers were provided to some patients. Cleanings and post care supplies and information was given. “So much wonderful work was done for so many,” said Thelma Swearingen of Advanced Dental in Bridge City. “It seemed to be a huge undertaking for these volunteers, but everything seemed to be well organized and moved smoothly.” Since its inception in December 2008 the Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation has treated more than 2,430 patients with over $1,363,344 in dental care. There will be a clinic in Jefferson County on Oct. 12 that is expected to treat 1,000 patients.
Angel Food Ministry shutting down Darla Daigle
For The Record
When she returned home from a week away, Cris Anderson found an unexpected and most unwelcomed email in her inbox. The head of a local Angel Food distribution ministry chartered through McDonald Memorial Baptist Church in Orange was in-
formed the national food distribution ministry was immediately shutting down giving no specific details or warning to their affiliates that depended on them for food acquisition and delivery. “It shocked me terribly. There was no warning. I had no clue. I read all emails I got from them when they came in but there was no hint of this,”
Cris said, who has, for the past four and a half years made the met the monthly quotas and fulfillment of orders required to be a part of the program. “I didn’t set up the program at our church, it was a Missions minister, but I have been running it,” Cris explains. The Angel Food Ministry has been a national food distribution organization that
was dedicated to bring wholesome, high quality foods to people at low cost. Running since 1994, there were no qualifying specifics required to get to participate in the program. All anyone was required to do was to pay from $40 to $50 and place their order. In return they would receive box ANGEL FOOD PAGE 2A