Every
year Dr. Peter English, Ph.D., and the University Ornithology Club of University
of Texas at Austin visits the BolivarPeninsula.A total of 32 made
the annual trip to bird the Bolivar Flats, Boy Scout Woods, Smith Woods and
Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.
Quite
a group to go birding, but after the hard work learning the birds of the Austin area all semester, they were ready for the
challenge of the HighIsland migrants. Most
students saw between 120-140 species during the weekend, of which about 60-80
were new to them. This brought the total number of species seen by
students on "official" class trips up to just over 220. This is
a record for the Biology of Birds class and shows what a great group of
students came this year.
THANKS Bolivar for a great time of birding and a
wonderful seafood dinner with all the fixings hosted by our local, Coastal
Concierge, Edith Watson. Can't wait until next year.
Bolivar
Chamber of Commerce
2010 Awards
Banquet
Citizen of the Year ~ Mary
Ellen Bestani
Business of the Year ~ "Chuy" of TJ's Exxon
Teacher of the Year ~ Tina
Lee of HighIsland ISD
EMS of the Year ~ David Loop
Last
Tuesday evening I was honored to be a part of the Annual Awards Banquet for the
peninsula. It was a wonderful evening
hosted by the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce with Jerry Valentine opening in
prayer and Anne Willis officiating the program.The winners are as listed above.Congratulations!And thanks to
all those who took part in making this another great event on Bolivar!!
THIS
TUESDAY, April 20th, we will have a tree planting in the Port Bolivar County
Parks. We need help and volunteers are welcome. We plan to start at Ft Travis
at 9am and will work until all the trees are planted.
Houston Audubon is supplying the trees with funds from a grant from Ducks Unlimited
and Houston Endowment.
Winnie Burkett
Friendswood & the BolivarPeninsula
Glenda Collins of Crystal Beach made a hole in one while playing last week at Chambers County Golf Course. 91 yard shot at hole 11 using a 7 iron. She was playing with her husband Jack Collins and daughter Terri Robbins. Woohoo! Go Glenda!!!
Good
News from "The Hill" Each
Saturday in April, the ladies from the MethodistChurch
in HighIsland will be making Bar-B-Q
Lunches
to sell to the community and to accommodate all the Birders on the
weekends.Plate lunches will be sold
for $10 each at St. Mathews Methodist Church in High Island.
The Beaux Arts Ball, A Technicolor Masquerade sponsored by The Art Studio was held Saturday April 10th in Beaumont. In attendance at the annual fundraiser were some of our local artists, bottom row left to right, Mary Alice Luna, DJ Kava, Margo Holst, standing Jenny Richard and June Peveto.
CLICK on the LOGO above to register and view categories, prizes and schedules.
1st Annual "Bolivar
Slam" Fishing Tournament All are
invited to participate in the 1st Annual Bolivar Saltwater Slam of Crystal
Beach, Texas.
FIRST
100 ENTRANTS QUALIFY FOR THE EARLY BIRD ENTRY PRIZE DRAWING
Event to take place at
Stingaree Restaurant May 22nd beginning 6am until 3pm .
Calcutta to take place at Coconuts Restaurant, Friday, May 21st.
Community Wide
Picnic
Memorial Day
Weekend
At LaGuna
Harbor
Saturday, May
29th
more details coming soon!!
Join me in
welcoming our Newest
Local Business Sponsor. Stop by to say "Thank You" for
sponsoring our local news...
One Room at a Time is an interior custom painting and design
service
owned by Ellen Kennedy, a local resident of Crystal Beach. Her painting
partner is Robert Fridge who is also a resident of Crystal Beach. They
work together as independent contractors and have been designing and
painting
on the BolivarPeninsula
for over six years.
They
are known for high contrast colors and specialty texture and glaze
techniques. They enjoy working directly with the owners to design a
bright, welcoming palette for their homes, but will work with general
contractors as well.
Their
main focus has been remodeling, but will work with new construction.
Two new homes on the peninsula were recently painted by One Room
at a Time and can make appointments for you to see them. For more
information or to make an appointment, please call 409-684-0176.
One of the women who
lingered at the foot of the cross had once known thirst that ordinary water
couldn't quench. She had been an outcast among her peers.......She had a great need,
and nothing could fill the emptiness, the void within her. Then came the day
when she met Jesus. Although her accusers had already given up on her and would
readily have stoned her, Jesus saw her need, and rather than give up on her, he
faced her accusers and saved not only her life but her soul as well. From that
moment forward, Mary Magdalene was a devoted disciple of Christ, following him
even to the foot of a brutal cross. When Jesus cried out in thirst, the soldiers
mistook it for weakness of the flesh and thrust sour wine to his lips. What
they didn't comprehend is that Jesus' words were a declaration of his
completion of his Father's work. He was thirsty because he was being poured out
as an offering, not only for the grateful woman who knelt at this feet but also
for generations of people to come.
JESUS, you poured out your
life like an offering and gave me living water that saved and restores my soul.
Help me to take that same living water and extend it to those around me who are
thirsty. Please us me to reach out to the abandoned, the scorned, the
unlovable, with your sacrificial love.
Content is
derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of
Tyndale Publishing House
Adopt-A-Beach Spring
2010
will be Saturday, April 24th.
All cleanups are from 9am
to noon.
For more information on the Adopt-A-Beach program, or to participate in the
next cleanup visit www.texasadoptabeach.org.
You may also call the Texas General Land Office toll free at 1-877-TXCOAST.
Galveston
County
Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District
News Release; Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Board of Directors of the Bolivar Peninsula Special Utility District (BPSUD)
are happy to announce that they have a new General Manager, Mr. Jody (Jo) Ball.
Jo has been
employed in the water business since 1995. He and
his family are coming to the peninsula
from Lovelady, Texas, where Jo was employed for
seven years
as the General Manager for the Trinity Rural Water Supply Corporation.
Jo and his wife Euna have two daughters and one son. In 2002, Jo was
named
Operator of the Year by the Texas Water Utilities Association. He has
served as
a District Director on the Texas Rural Water Association Board and he
brings
years of experience in providing quality water service to the customers
of the
BPSUD.
Forgotten: Hurricane Ike and one city's refusal
to die while no one was watching We're devoting one
chapter of "Forgotten" to telling the story of what happened on the BolivarPeninsula. I think a lot of people dismissed
the damage in Crystal Beach, Gilchrist and the other peninsula communities
because so many of the homes lost belonged to wealthy people who rented them to
visitors. If more of the homes obliterated by Hurricane Ike belonged to
full-time residents, I think the peninsula would have gotten much more
sympathy, and therefore help.
Although around 17,000 Galveston
families came home to some kind of flood damage, relatively few came home to
absolutely nothing. Most islanders managed to salvage something from their
soggy homes. But Ike left very few pieces for peninsula residents to put back
together. Renee Brawner, then a science teacher at Crenshaw Middle School, and
her husband Brian, a charter fishing boat captain, found nothing but a concrete
slab when they returned to their Crystal Beach home two weeks after the storm.
The only thing they ever found was a fishing pole. The loss devastated the
couple, who planned to live in their second row beach house for the rest of
their lives.
During an interview in November, Renee told me Ike took much more than her
home. The storm destroyed her community, displaced her students and scattered
her friends. Ike left the Brawners, and other full-time peninsula residents,
without a place to call home.
"We don't really know what the future holds for us," she said.
"Ike almost made us feel like we don't belong anywhere."
As
you all know school is almost out and it will be time for our youth to
head off to church camp. Our camp
is at Lakeview in Palestine
and beside camp fees we will also have a transportation fee so all help greatly
appreciated. The BayVue UMC Youth will
be holding a bake sale on May 1 2010 in front of the Big Store. It will begin around 8 and last till we are
out of goods.
All
who have so graciously offered to help can give me a call on my cell.
409-201-3588. Thanks, Butch
Finally, some
good news to act on!!.
Congressman John Fleming (Louisiana
physician) has proposed an amendment that would require congressmen and
senators to take the same healthcare plan they force on us (under proposed
legislation they are curiously exempt).
Congressman Fleming is encouraging people to go on his Website and Sign his
petition (very simple; it took me less than a minute to sign up to require
our congressmen and senators to drink at the same trough!http://fleming.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=55
The Senate health committee voted 12-11 in favor of a two-page amendment
that would require all Members and their staffs to enroll in any new
government-run health plan. Three cheers for Congressman John Fleming of Louisiana!
Please urge as many people as you can to do the same!If Congress forces this on the American
people, the Congress should have to accept the same level of health care for
themselves and their families.To do otherwise
is the height of hypocrisy!
The
testimony of presidents
The Bible was clearly important to many American
presidents. A few examples:
It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. ~ George
Washington
The whole inspiration of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ
and the lessons of the prophets. To read the Bible for these fundamentals is a
necessity of American life. ~ Herbert
Hoover
Grand Opening
for Gilchrist's
Fantasea
Seafood & BBQ
Memorial Day
weekend...
Future
Site of FANTASEA BBQ and Grill - 1951 Hwy 87 - Gilchrist
Grand Opening Memorial Day
Weekend...owned
by Warren and Pam Adams...serving BBQ Brisket, Pork, Pork Ribs & Chicken by
the Sandwich, Plate, Pound, Whole and Family Pac's. Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers,
Hot Dogs, Steak Sandwiches, BBQ Baked Potatoes, Homemade FF's and Onion Rings.
Will be open
Wednesday and Thursdays 10 am till 6 pm, Friday and Saturdays 10 am till 8 pm,
and Sunday's 10 am till 5 pm. Call in orders welcome. Eat in or carry out, open
area seating on the Bay side of Gilchrist, 2 Blocks east of RolloverPass.
Call in orders 409-286-2160
CLICK on the LOGO above to register and view categories, schedules and sponsorship packages.
Mark your calendars for the Coastal Resiliency
Symposium to be held
Wednesday, May 26, at RiceUniversity.
This forum will address how vulnerable the area is to
hurricanes and other
major storms and what can be done to prepare for future events.
Topics include:
What is Coastal Resiliency?
What are the Threats?
What's at Risk and What are Our Vulnerabilities?
What are the Structural and Non-Structural Options?
What are the Public Policy Issues?
Experts from the United
States and abroad will share
experiences and
information that local decision-makers can use to increase the
resiliency of
our region.
More information on registration and confirmed program topics will be
available
in the coming month.
Visit http://www.rpts.
tamu.edu/
CoastalResilienc e/ for more information.
Organizing Sponsors: U.S EPA, Rice University SSPEED Center, Texas Sea
Grant,
Houston-Galveston Area Council, Galveston Bay Foundation, Harris County
Flood
Control District, Center for Texas Beaches and Shores, Texas A&M
University
- Galveston, Texas Southern University, Texas Coastal Partners
CAJUN CORNER
The Puzzle
Boudreaux and Thibodaux
were sitting in a Houston Bar. They ordered 2 beer and chug-a-lugged. Then they
jump up and gave a high five and shouted, "26!"
Then Boudreaux and Thibodaux ordered 2 more beer and
chug-a-lugged. Then they jump up and gave a high five and shouted, "26!"
The bartender thought about this and couldn't stand
it. "I get the part about a high five, but I do not get the part about
26."
Boudreaux and Thibodaux
said, "That is easy. We can explain."
So they go out in the parking lot to their old
truck, get a child's puzzle, and walk back into the bar.
Boudreaux and Thibodaux
said, "Look-a here on this box. It ways right here on the side. Two to
five years. And we put it together in 26 days. "
Anyone wishing to advertise OR receive an email each Monday morning as a reminder of the "New News", contact pamelacouch@gmail.com.
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