Events Book

FEBRUA RY 2016

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)(%58$5< a publication of the Beaumont Enterprise

380 Main Street Beaumont, Texas 77701 409.201.9934 SoutheastTexasEvents.com PUBLISHER Mark Adkins PUBLISHER EMERITUS Paul Chargois

features Not All Heroes Wear Capes, Some Wear Red Crosses 6-9 Live Cooking Fun Coming to YouTaste of Home Cooking School 10-11 Compassion In Action: Beaumont Community Partners, Inc. 20th Anniversary 12

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EVENTS

SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS MANAGER Shelly Vitanza

Performing Arts Visual Arts Kids Corner Festivals Entertainment Business & Networking Food & Beverage Health, Wellness & Education Sports & Recreation Charity Event Listings

EDITOR Beth Gallaspy MULTI MEDIA COORDINATOR Tina Breland ART DIRECTOR Therése Shearer WEB CONTENT MANAGERS Kathleen Gantner Geneva Quitugua ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Renee Cox PHOTOGRAPHERS Andy Coughlan Jim Debes Scott Eslinger John Fulbright CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Andy Coughlan Beth Gallaspy Chrissie Mouton Nicole Murray Holli Petersen Advertising Information: For advertising, please contact Renee Cox at 409.781.3603 or rcox@southeasttexas.com.

To list your event on Southeasttexas.com: Visit Southeasttexas.com, click events. Under the Calendar tab, click “Submit an Event,” or email us at events@southeasttexas.com.

Copyright 2016, Beaumont Enterprise. All rights reserved. All contents copyright 2016 Beaumont Enterprise, The Events Books. All rights reserved.

EventsBook is a monthly publication. Events shown are from SoutheastTexasEvents.com. Priority listing is given to SoutheastTexasEvents.com’s member organizations. Other events are listed as space allows. For additional information on the events listed in the EventsBook and other events not listed, visit SoutheastTexasEvents.com.

Beaumont Enterprise is not responsible for any discrepancies or changes that may have occurred since the publishing of this issue. Every effort has been made to ensure accurate information at the time of publication, however, this cannot be guaranteed. Beaumont Enterprise recommends visiting SoutheastTexas.com or contacting the represented companies to determine availability of service and to confirm date, time, location and other related event information. All submissions of editorial, photography, advertising and event information are accepted only without risk to the publisher for loss or damage.

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D E PA RTM E N T S Infographic Social Seen Sneak Peek On this Date in Southeast Texas Cartoon Corner Final Photo

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on the COVER Honorees of the American Red Cross annual Hurricane Party “Cocktails & Camo” Ross and Eva Smith prepare for a night of fun and fundraising but also for American Red Cross Month in March. This philanthropic Bridge City couple has not only given to the Red Cross but also received. Read about their generosity but also their Ike experience that proved to them the Red Cross delivers what it promises – compassionate care to those in need.

CORRECTION: Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center photos published in the January EventsBook were taken by Jim Debes not John Fulbright.

Subscribe to the EVENTSBOOK If you would prefer to receive your copies of the EventsBook in the mail for one year, please send $19.95 to: Beaumont Enterprise, 380 Main Street, Beaumont, TX 77701 Include your mailing address.

We list all events for Free. We are the one calendar for Southeast Texas.

For the latest and most exciting events, visit us at

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A Gift for Valentine’s Day & Forever everal months ago, a dear friend died after a courageous, 15-year battle against cancer. He was a man of integrity and had a great peaceful character. I learned much from him personally and professionally, but there is one life lesson among several he bestowed that has proven valuable and worthy of passing along, not to mention it’s pretty darn funny.

In addition to sharing family vacations, celebrating holidays and birthdays, and wining and dining more times than I can count, Keith and I worked together, often taking long road trips to trade shows.

On one occasion while traveling across Texas to an event, I was chattering as fast as the wheels turned on the blacktop about work, weather, friends and most likely about myself. When I got to one lengthy he-said-she-said story where I really let someone have a piece of my mind, Keith, an extremely intelligent and perceptive man who said only what was necessary, leaned over, touched my hand, and said, “Shell, never pass up the opportunity to shut the f*** up.”

Now to some, his statement might seem harsh, even a criticism, but coming from Keith, who I knew cared for me and would never say anything to hurt me, I recognized it as a nugget of wisdom, advice meant to help me better myself. Clearly, Keith needed a little peace to listen to road noise for a few miles, and also obviously, he was suggesting that in the specific tale I was spinning I had opined when it would have been beneficial to be silent. Knowing the insightful Keith, I perceived the statement as more of a commentary on my life and my behavior in general and began

seeking opportunities to apply his wisdom, listening more and talking less.

Before this enlightening day, I had never considered not talking an option. I lived to fill the silence. Share all, all the time. I’ve since made conscious decisions to change such as: - Instead of barraging my teen with questions immediately when he gets home from school, I greet him and chill. The result? He talks more, shares more and seems to trust me more than he did in my previous interrogating days – How was your day? How was the test? Did you eat your lunch? Do you have homework? Why didn’t you bring you coat home? Are you hungry? This seems to work well on the husband, too.

- At social events where I’m often seated with people I don’t know or anywhere I’m with new folks, I ask questions about them and listen to the stories of their lives. It’s fascinating. Everyone has a story. Even with my friends I’ve known for years and members of my family, I’ve started asking questions about their childhoods, their parents, forgoing gossip, the news of the day, politics, stories about me, etc. But sometimes I just sit in silence and wait, letting others share what they will.

From my practice of listening more and talking less, I’ve concluded that listening makes others feel known, accepted and loved, which is really what we all want – to be known, to be accepted for who we are and to be loved regardless of it all.

My friend Keith knew that and practiced it. He loved well and was loved well in return. So in honor of Keith, I’m sharing this lesson, so colorfully stated, with you. If you’re looking for a great way to love someone Feb. 14 and forever, be silent, let your loved one talk and listen without expectation of telling your own story.

Love this EventsBook, too. It’s so full of great stories of nonprofit organizations like the American Red Cross and their efforts to create greater awareness in our area and of their upcoming Hurricane Party, themed Cocktails and Camo, and Beaumont Community Partners celebrating 20 years this month assisting helpless children. Plus you’ll find details about must-do events like the Heart Ball, the Gumbo Festival, Boomtown Film & Music Fest, the Great Outdoors Fest and a night of culinary divinity, Taste of Home Cooking School coming March 10 to the Beaumont Civic Center.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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2016 FEBRUARY

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SoutheastTexasEvents.com

Meet the

Smiths

Every Day Heroes & Hurricane Party Honorees

By Shelly Vitanza

Ross and Eva Smith had volunteered for the American Red Cross practically their entire adult lives, but they never thought they’d one day be the recipients of the organization’s disaster relief services. Hurricane Ike changed all of that.

When the native Southeast Texans returned to their home in Bridge City after heeding the call to evacuate in anticipation of the powerful storm hitting the Gulf Coast, their ranch-style house along Cow Bayou had completely flooded four foot deep. The coastal surge had destroyed their home and the homes of everyone in the neighborhood.

“When we came back and saw our home after Ike, we were in shock. We lost everything,” said Eva. “It was a devastating time.”

The couple along with their neighbors camped out in tents.

The Smiths eventually bought a big trailer and put it in front of their house to live in while they tried to salvage what remained and clean and eliminate the rest. Daily for nearly a month, everyone in the neighborhood would meet at a big tree and share meals.

SoutheastTexasEvents.com

“Every day it was a relief to see that Red Cross truck come with food and support,” recalls Eva. “I don’t care what you see on television, a tsunami, a house fire, a tornado, the American Red Cross is on the scene. In that moment when you don’t even have a toothbrush, they come up and help you with whatever your need is, a toothbrush or a place to live.”

The Smiths moved to another home for a year before deciding to rebuild on Cow Bayou, and they hope they’ll never have to rely on the disaster relief services of the American Red Cross again but want to ensure the organization is there for others who do. They’ve made it their personal missions to continue to give of their time and resources to the American Red Cross.

“We just love people and we’re blessed,” said Ross. “We lost everything, but we had resources; other people lost their homes and their jobs. We know that to whom much is given, much is expected, and we’re glad to give back.”

For their commitment of generous giving to the American Red Cross and the community, the Smiths will be the honorees of the 28th Annual Hurricane Party: Cocktails & Camo, May 6 at the Beaumont Civic Center.

“You won’t find two more well-deserving individuals than Ross and Eva Smith,” said Chester Jourdan, executive director of American Red Cross of Southeast and Deep East Texas. “They’ve helped lots of folks, giving resources to many nonprofits including the Red Cross but also the Salvation Army and others.

They’re great people, and we’re honored to have them involved with our organization.”

The Smiths are the first honorees to be recognized from the American Red Cross Chapter in Orange that merged with the Beaumont Chapter late in 2015, creating one regional Red Cross with one consolidated board and representing 11 counties.

“We’re also glad to be in the company of very generous and charitable people as honorees of the American Red Cross Hurricane Party like Joe Tortorice, Skylar Thompson, Walter Umphrey and all of the others. It’s quite an honor,” said Ross.

Ross and Eva Smith are not only heroes without capes but a Southeast east Texas power couple, family focused, business owners and philanthropists. ts The charity-minded two met volunteering for Little League. He was a score keeper, and Eva (Fontenot) helped. Each was divorced; she had two kids and he had one. Love grew in the press box, and the two merged families and have raised all three kids as their own.

Eva, a graduate of West Orange High School, was a hairdresser, and Ross, who graduated from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School and attended both Lamar University and the University of Houston, was working at A. Shulman Company, a global plastics supplier.

Early into their marriage, Ross was transferred to company headquarters in the suburbs of Akron, Ohio, where they lived for five years but longed for home and closeness with extended family. Ross, with his astute behind-thescenes business partner, decided to start their own company, founding Akrotex, Inc. and returning to Southeast Texas where they made their home along the waterways of Bridge City.

Business flourished, and the Smiths have expanded their core business and branched out into other businesses, specifically the car business. Their initial company Akrotex, a service company for the plastics and rubber industry located in Orange, has led to other related companies including an industrial warehousing operation, industrial trucking and a plastics extrusion company called Nexus Resins that recycles old plastics from the area industrial plants as well as a plastics brokerage company. In addition, the Smiths own Sabine River Ford, Inc. and Volkswagen of Lake Charles.

During their 33-year marriage both have served the community extensively.

While most of Eva’s civic work relates to childrearing and now grandmother duties for their six grandchildren and one great grandchild, she served on the board of the American Red Cross for as long as she can remember.

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FEBRUARY 2016

American Red C ross of Southeast and Deep East Texa s 28th Annual Hu rricane Party:

Cocktails & CAMO

HAPPY HOU

R | LIVE & SILENT AUC TION DINNER & DANCING DATE: Friday, M ay PLACE: Beaumo 6, 2016 nt TICKETS: Individ Civic Center ual tickets are $125 with sponsorsh ip le vels to CONTACT: For In formation and ti $20,000 ckets contact K at 409.782.912 ari Fenner 1 or kari.fenne r@redcross.org

Past Hurricane Party Honorees Joe Tortorice Skylar Thompson Walter & Sheila Umphrey Sallye Keith Judge John B. Stevens, Jr. Gerald Condon Tom Broussard Jim Broussard Jon M. Huntsman Guy Goodson Joe Penland, Sr. Joe Domino J. Earl Brickhouse Dalton Babineaux

Evelyn Lord Jimmy Simmons David Moore Larry Beaulieu Bonnie Cokinos Rabbi Peter Hyman Carl Griffith Bob Lily Jim Farris Betty Greenberg Billy Tubbs Richard P. LeBlanc Bob French

American Red Cross Gulf Coast Giving Day THURSDAY, APRIL 21 Giving Day is a 24-hour telethon and phone-athon fundraising event that starts with a breakfast and raises awareness and money for the mission of the Red Cross.

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(YHQWV%RRN SoutheastTexasEvents.com 2016 FEBRUARY The couple gives their time, talents and resources mostly to the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the United Way and St. Henry Catholic Church in Bridge City.

So committed to giving to others, the Smiths recently established the Ross and Eva Smith Foundation.

Ross is a past board member of the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club and the Boy Scouts of America (Three Rivers Council). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for First Financial Bank in Orange, the Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts, Lamar State College-Orange Foundation Board, Southeast Texas Foundation Board, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and the Gift of Life.

For his business success and generosity, the Madison Lodge 126 AF and AM and the Masonic Grand Lodge of Texas awarded Ross the “2000 Community Builder Award;” the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce distinguished him with the “2004 Small Business Person of the Year;” and in 2010 the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce named him “Citizen of the Year.”

March is Red Cross Month: Recognize Every Day Heroes “I request that during that month (March) our people rededicate themselves to the splendid aims and activities of the Red Cross.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt, first Presidential Proclamation of March as Red Cross Month, 1943.

Each year the President of the United States proclaims “March Red Cross Month.”

Traditionally since 1943 the American Red Cross sets the month of March aside to recognize every day heroes. This year during the month of March, recognize that not all heroes wear capes. They help home fire victims recover. They brighten the day of an injured service member. They step forward to help someone having a heart attack. The Southeast and Deep East Texas Chapter invites you to discover your inner hero during Red Cross month. Here are some ways to get involved: • Give time to help a neighbor or take a Red Cross class in First Aid or CPR. • Be ready for an emergency by working on preparedness plans for your household.

• Give blood or make a financial donation if you are able.

• Become a Red Cross volunteer.

Our Own Group of Heroes: The Southeast & Deep East Texas Team The organization that was born on the Civil War battlefield conducted its first domestic and overseas disaster relief efforts by aiding the United States military during the Spanish-American War. It was chartered by Congress in 1900 and still provides lifesaving services and programs today.

The American Red Cross is the nation’s premier humanitarian organization “dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world with contributions of time, blood and money from the American public to support.”

Locally, the American Red Cross of Southeast and Deep East Texas, which

Other Importa

nt Numbers:

Classes (CPR, First Aid, 1.800.733.276 Disaster calls (fi etc.)

7 re, floods, etc.) 1 .866.526.8300 Military Calls 1.877.272.733 7

now includes Orange, represents 11 counties, more than 500 active volunteers and five full-time staff members and fulfills the organization’s global mission right here in Southeast Texas to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

Executive Director of the American Red Cross Southeast and Deep East Texas, Chester Jourdan, said the merger of the Beaumont and Orange offices, boards and volunteers increases efficiencies to better serve the Gulf Coast region including Deep East Texas, especially when it comes to serving the military and their families.

“We provide pre-and-post deployment counseling, which is critical for our area because we don’t have a military facility here; the closet is Fort Polk,” said Jourdan, a veteran. “Most military bases have a Red Cross facility, but we don’t have a military base so all military men and women and reserve and guard in our area reach out to us a lot.”

With a strong network of volunteers, donors and partners, the American Red Cross serves members of the military, veterans and their families turning compassion into action by giving impactful help in times of need including 24/7 global access to vital community service providers, resources and programs.

One of the founding missions of the American Red Cross was to restore family links, initially finding family members of those who died in conflict. In more recent times the Red Cross has provided connection and communication for families and their service members around the world in times of emergency. It’s a service Natalie Prosperie was well aware of long before she came to work for the organization.

Prosperie and her mother were traveling across the country to her cousin’s graduation from Marine boot camp in San Diego. They were planning to connect with her cousin’s father, her uncle, on a leg of the trip but got a call that her uncle had had a heart attack and died. Soon thereafter the Red Cross contacted her.

“The Red Cross did everything,” said Prosperie, who now serves as the disaster program manager in the Beaumont office. “They had a representative meet us at the base and got everything lined up and got a first-class ticket for my cousin so he could fly home to the funeral.”

In her role with the Red Cross, Prosperie and a team of volunteers regularly collect and send everything from ramen noodles to crossword puzzle books, candies and other nonperishables to our military overseas. During the Christmas holidays 240 care packages were sent from the entire Gulf Coast region to National Guardsmen from Texas.

The Red Cross provides emergency prevention as well as crisis services to civilians, too. At press time, two of Prosperie’s disaster relief team volunteers had been deployed to emergency situations outside of Southeast Texas. One case worker was in Springfield, Missouri, helping people recovering from freezes and floods and another, a paramedic, was in Dallas providing health sevices to tornado victims.

Prosperie or volunteers members of the local disaster relief team that she coordinates assist victims of all home fires in the 11 county area. Last year was a record year for the number of fires in Southeast Texas, so the local chapter has initiated a massive undertaking to install smoke alarms early in 2016. By Feb. 26, the Red Cross hopes to install 5000 smoke alarms along the Texas Gulf Coast for those families in need. With national sponsorship, smoke alarms have been supplied, but sponsors for installation are still needed.

One of Prosperie’s biggest ongoing prevention projects is the Pillowcase Project. In partnership with the Disney Corporation and inspired by hurricane evacuations when people filled pillowcases with essentials, the Red Cross is teaching school-aged children lessons in disaster preparedness – hurricane, fire, floods, tornadoes – with the simple and readily available tool, the pillowcase. In 2015 Prosperie reached 672 kiddos, ages third to fifth grade, in the Gulf Coast area with preparedness training, distributing pillowcases, markers and workbooks.

The American Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters a year all across the United States, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. The Southeast and Deep East Texas chapter, assisted with 298 local disasters last year. Throughout the worldwide network, the American Red Cross provides 24-hour support to members of the military,

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veterans and their families – in war zones, military hospitals and on military installations around the world. Locally our chapter provided assistance to 265 members of the military. And more than 2.5 million people across the United States receive American Red Cross training in first aid, water safety and other skills every year. In our community 1,997 received this valuable training last year.

The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs.

To get involved with the Southeast and Deep East Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross becoming an everyday hero, contact them at 409.832.1644 or email Kari Fenner at kari.fenner@redcross.org.

Summation of American Red Cross Services to the Military: • Worldwide emergency communications network, sending emergency messages 24/7, 365 days a year.

• Access emergency financial assistance, providing access to financial assistance 24/7, 365 days a year when an urgent personal or family crisis arises such as emergency travel, normal monthly expenses and household setup.

• Get information and referrals. identifying resources and government benefits to assist service members and their families.

• Receive resiliency, coping and reintegration education. The Red Cross offers several education programs designed to help military families throughout the deployment cycle.

• VA facility companions lend a hand to patients at veterans and military hospitals and provide companionship to hospitalized veterans.

• Totes of Hope program provides Totes of Hope to homeless veterans and hospitalized veterans in VA hospitals.

• Veterans History Project collects, preserves and shares veterans’ stories for future generations in their own words; validates feelings and experiences.

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FEBRUARY 2016

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SoutheastTexasEvents.com

Bringing the

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By Shelly Vitanza

SoutheastTexasEvents.com

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FEBRUARY 2016

11

6SHFLDOLVW $GGV &XOLQDU\ .LFN WR WKH 6HDVRQ 6KDULQJ 'HOLFLRXV 5HFLSHV ZLWK /RFDO +RPH &RRNV he perfect recipe for creating new memories with loved ones includes good friends, good conversation and, of course, great food. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expected at the Taste of Home Cooking School Thursday March 10 at the Beaumont Civic Center.

Taste of Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Celebrity Culinary Specialist Jamie Dunn will share her home cooking tips and tricks while demonstrating step-by-step recipes for the most flavorful dishes. The culinary event is brought to you by The Beaumont Enterprise.

The Taste of Home Cooking School is Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading cooking school program, inspiring more than 140,000 passionate home chefs at 200-plus events nationwide. Attendees experience exciting recipe demonstrations using ingredients that are easily found at the local grocery store, and best of all,

the dishes are submitted by home cooks from across the country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From experienced home chefs to beginners learning their way around the kitchen, the Taste of Home Cooking School offers something for everyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; putting a fresh spin on old favorites and adding new and delicious recipes to your seasonal repertoire,â&#x20AC;? Dunn said.

Attendees will receive a gift bag including the Taste of Home Cooking School magazine. This magazine includes recipes featured during the program, along with many more, as well as coupons and other goodies from participating companies. Some attendees will go home with an exciting door prize or one of the tasty recipes created onstage that night.

$ /LWWOH $ERXW -DPLH 'XQQ 7DVWH RI +RPH Celebrity Culinary Specialist Coming to Beaumont March 10

â&#x20AC;˘ Love of cooking was sparked by eighth grade home economics and her parents â&#x20AC;˘ Earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Vocational home economics Education and community service from Oklahoma State University â&#x20AC;˘ Worked as a culinary instructor for Tulsa Technology and Bama Cooking School â&#x20AC;˘ Was a high school Home Economics teacher â&#x20AC;˘ Lives with her husband and three sons in Owasso, Oklahoma

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Tickets are on sale for $15 until Feb. 29 when the ticket price goes up to $20. VIP tickets, which include early entry to the vendor hall, a reception with Dunn and preferential seating, is $45.

Visit http://tasteofhomesetx.brownpapertickets.com/ for your ticket.

For more information, visit www.TasteofHome.com/Cooking-Schools.

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By Shelly Vitanza An organization that has worked behind the scenes for abused and neglected children for 20 years plans to celebrate in a big way. Beaumont Community Partnerships for Children, Inc., an organization that is “compassion in action for Texas children” will host a luncheon at 11:30 a.m., Feb. 24 at the Beaumont Country Club featuring keynote speaker Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.

Guzman, who was appointed during Gov. Rick Perry’s term in 2009, has received many leadership awards and has a long track record of community service, but she was chosen as keynote speaker for the celebration because of her advocacy for children.

As chair of the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families, Guzman has worked with leaders across the state to improve outcomes of safety and permanency and to foster the well being of Texas’ most vulnerable children and families. She has previously served on the boards of Texas Court Appointed Special Advocates, the Escape Center, Wesley Community Center and the Houston Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Since 1997 Beaumont Community Partnerships for Children, a generous, all-volunteer, nonprofit, has assisted the Jefferson County Department of Family and Protective Services in coordinating events for foster children in Southeast Texas.

Events have included the Prom Project: Girls and Guys Nights Out, the Kids Fest in April, Seniors’ Graduation Celebrations and a Foster Children’s Christmas Party. In addition, the partnership operates the Rainbow Room.

The Rainbow Room is an in-house emergency supply center located within the Jefferson County Department of Family and Protective Services of-

fices for the benefit of abused and neglected children. The partnership stocks the room with new items caseworkers need such as infant and toddler clothing, diapers and wipes, formula, baby food, stuffed animals, books, car seats, blankets, pack-nplays and cleaning supplies.

The most basic needs of a family in crisis are often unavailable, and caseworkers typically cannot provide the necessities from their own personal resources. This program has been instrumental in keeping families together through traumatic times.

“Without a Rainbow Room the children that are in such dire need and in emergency situations would have no resources,” said Patti McSpadden, chair of the 20th anniversary celebration. “Before the Rainbow Room, it was the burden of the caseworker to take care of these children’s needs. The Rainbow Room takes that burden off the caseworkers and answers the unheard cries of our children.”

The State of Texas currently has more than 160 Rainbow Rooms that all meet the needs of abused and neglected children, sharing ideas about how best to do that.

One of the greatest challenges the partnership has is keeping the public abreast of the needs of the Rainbow Room and identifying volunteers for varying projects like its Prom Project.

“We need support either in item donations or monetary donations,” said Rainbow Room Buyer Karen Soares. “Texas has a slogan - a bed for every head - so we always need pack-n-plays, and those are $50. For older children we buy twin blow-up mattresses. Some think only babies are removed from a home, but that’s not true. All ages need the resources at the Rainbow Room. It’s how we do our little part to assist CPS and to help them help families in crisis.”

The partnership only hosts one fundraiser a year, a dinner a McAlister’s Deli in October. A portion of revenue from the receipts are donated to the Rainbow Room. All other funding comes from the generosity of individuals, grants and other charitable organizations.

The community is invited to the attend the luncheon and also to get involved to continue and further the efforts of the partnership. Information about the Rainbow Room is available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/beaumontrainbowroom.

Individual tickets are $75 with sponsorships up to $2500. For tickets contact call 409.842.0282 or 409.898.8145.

67$7,67,&6 )25 5(*,21 -())(5621 &2817< (Based on 2014 numbers)

Total Children in Care Confirmed Victims of Child Abuse/Neglect

Total CPS Investigations Confirmed CPS Investigations

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FEBRUARY 2016

GROOVE WITH THE GIFT OF LIFE AT THE PARTY OF THE YEAR!

13

GET IN THE

CHAMPAGNE & RIBS THURSDAY, APRIL 14

5:30 PM VIP RECEPTION 6:30 PM GET GROOVY 5115 INTERSTATE 10 SOUTH BEAUMONT, TX

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FABULOUS LIVE & SILENT AUCTION PACKAGES

TICKETS $125 Benefiting the Gift of Life Prostate Cancer Program

FOR TICKETS OR SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION, CALL 409.833.3663 OR VISIT GIFTOFLIFEBMT.ORG

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INFOGRAPHIC INFO

WHY DO WE NEED LEAP YEARS?

Leap Years are needed to keep our modern day Gregorian Calendar in alignment with the Earth's revolutions around the sun.

LEAP YEAR

24

THE NUMBER OF DAYS WE WOULD LOSE OFF OF OUR CALENDAR AFTER 100 YEARS IF WE DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T HAVE A LEAP YEAR.

IIff youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one of those always wanting a little extra time, in w wa 2016 youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get it. 2016 will 2 20 have ha 366 days instead of 365 days.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Leap Year. This year d da weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll w have a Feb. 29!

WHY FEBRUARY 29?

The Gregorian Calendar is based on the Roman calendar, which only had 10 months beginning in March. In 700 BCE January and February were added to the end of the calendar making February the last month of the year. In 45 BCE Julius Caesar added Leap Year by adding one day to the last year of the month, February, and declared that every year evenly divisible by four would be a Leap Year, which created too many Leap Years to keep the calendars aligned. When the Gregorian Calendar was adopted, a new formula for determining Leap Years was set up.

104

THE NUMBER OF LEAP DAYS SINCE THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR WAS ADOPTED IN 1582.

365.242199

The number of days it takes the Earth to circle around the sun, which is also 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. However, the Gregorian calendar has only 365 days in a year, so if we didn't add a day on February 29 nearly every four years, we would lose almost six hours off our calendar every year.

GD\V KRXUV PLQXWHV

VHFRQGV

START NO

EVENLY DIVISIBLE BY 4

NOT A LEAP YEAR

NO

LEAP YEAR

2000

THE FIRST INSTANCE WHEN THE THIRD CRITERION HAD TO BE USED SINCE THE TRANSITION FROM THE JULIAN TO THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR.

HOW ARE LEAP YEARS DETERMINED? THE YEAR IS EVENLY DIVISIBLE BY 4; IF THE YEAR CAN BE EVENLY DIVIDED BY 100, IT IS NOT A LEAP YEAR, UNLESS THE YEAR IS ALSO EVENLY DIVISIBLE BY 400. THEN IT IS A LEAP YEAR.

YES

EVENLY DIVISIBLE BY 100 NO

YES

EVENLY DIVISIBLE BY 400

NOT A LEAP YEAR

YES

LEAP YEAR

SoutheastTexasEvents.com

1 IN 1461

TTHE TH HEE CHANCE OF BEING BORN ON A LLEAP EAPP DAY; FOUR YEARS IS 1,460 DAYS EA AND AN D AADDING ONE FOR THE LEAP YEAR YOU HAVE 1,461.

SO, ODDS OF 1 IN 1,461.

DESPITE THE RARE ODDS, KARIN HENRIKSEN OF NORWAY HOLDS THE WORLD'S RECORD FOR GIVING BIRTH TO THE MOST CHILDREN ON CONSECUTIVE LEAP DAYS- HER DAUGHTER ON FEB. 29, 1960, AND TWO SONS ON LEAP DAY IN 1964 AND 1968.

4.8 MILLION L

NUMBER OF PEOPLE BORN IN THE THEE WORLD WORL ON LEAP DAY, THUS BECOMING NG G LLEAPLINGS. EAPLI EAP EA L NGS.

$0

MOST SALARIED WORKERS ER RS WILL WILLL ESSENTIALLY WORK FOR R FFREE REEE O ON N FEB. 29 SINCE ADDED DW WAGES AGES S USUALLY ARE NOT CALCULATED TO O COMPENSATE FOR THE EXTRA DAY.

1 IN 5

THE NUMBER OF GREEK COUPLES WHO AVOID PLANNING THEIR WEDDINGS IN LEAP YEAR BECAUSE GREEK SUPERSTITION HOLDS THAT MARRYING IN A LEAP YEAR BRINGS BAD LUCK.

2012

FEB. 29 WAS DECLARED RARE DISEASE DAY.

2020

THE NEXT LEAP YEAR. SOURCES: History.com, timeanddate.com/date/leapyear

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3

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62&,$/ 6((1

1. Left to right: Kathryn Bangoy, Wendi Bangoy, Baby Amelia and Taylor Bangoy at Keller Williams Christmas Party.

2. Left to right: Jim Rich, Johnny Trahan, Ida Schossow, Karl Segura and Dan Parker at the 2016 Economic Outlook Forum.

3. Melody, left, and Kirk Hinson at Down-

town Beaumont Junk Days.

4. Left to right: Jimmy-John Akins, Michael Kopta and Payshunz Burnham at Jerry McMillan's 2nd Annual NYE Broadway Soiree at Beaumont Community Players.

5. Left to right: Hope Berry, Dakota Berry and Jason Berry at the Spindletop Anniversary Celebration.

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PERFORMING ARTS

BOOMTOWN FESTIVAL BRINGS BLAST OF FILM AND MUSIC

By Beth Gallaspy Southeast Texans with a passion for innovative films and original live music, rejoice! The Ninth Annual Boomtown Film & Music Festival comes to multiple Beaumont venues Feb. 25-27, offering audiences a chance to sample a wide range of films otherwise unavailable on local screens.

“The quality of submissions has gone up,” said Chase Kiker, festival director, crediting improved technology and lower prices for equipment. “It’s getting easier to make a good short film as long as you have good stories to work around.”

Boomtown’s film programmers are able to choose the best of these independent film submissions for screening, which has helped bring in bigger and bigger audiences in recent years. That means additional revenue, which goes right back into improving the festival, Kiker said.

“It’s exciting because it’s starting to really turn into something,” Kiker said.

He and other festival volunteers had strong interest in Boomtown from the Houston film community at film events there, he said.

Although the festival will include films with Texas and Southeast Texas ties, it is not limited to them. “We’ve had submissions from all over the country and several out of the country,” Kiker said, mentioning films from England and Asia he has screened. “Films are just an interesting way to see what life is like in other parts of the world.”

Along with films submitted for award consideration, festival organizers have reached out to arrange screenings of interesting independent films. One of this year’s top selections is “Janis: Little Girl Blue,” a documentary by Amy Berg about music legend and Port Arthur native Janis Joplin. Kiker said he thinks local audiences also will enjoy “County Fair, Texas,” a documentary that follows four students from Alvin, Texas, as they raise animals to show and sell.

On the music front, the festival will bring in a combination of local favorites and new acts. Olivia Busceme, music director, said she’s excited to introduce Southeast Texas to the Matchsellers, a touring bluegrass duo performing on Thursday. Friday’s highlights include electronic dance from Boogerbear and heavy rock from CARREERRS. On Saturday, local favorite Unu plays during the day with touring act Hank & Cupcakes headlining the wrap party.

The festival kicks off Thursday evening at the McFaddin-Ward House with films in the VIsitors Center and music on the front porch. On Friday evening, film screenings return to the McFaddin-Ward House Visitors Center with music at the Logon Cafe and a special screening of “The Princess Bride” at the Jefferson Theatre. On Saturday, the festival’s big day, films will screen inside the Jefferson Theatre while the street outside will be filled with live music, vendors selling art and other items, and food trucks.

Along with individual venue tickets each day ($10) or full festival passes ($20), Boomtown is adding a limited number of $50 VIP passes this year, Kiker said. VIP passes provide access to all festival events, including the Saturday night wrap party, along with gift bags and access to complimentary food and drinks on Saturday.

Matchsellers

Ninth Annual Boomtown Film & Music Festival Feb. 25 McFaddin-Ward House: film screenings in Visitors Center, live music on front porch Feb. 26 McFaddin-Ward House: film screenings in Visitors Center Logon Cafe: live music Jefferson Theatre: screening “The Princess Bride” Feb. 27 Jefferson Theatre: film screenings and awards inside, live music and vendors outside Evening wrap party at the Red Room on Crockett Street Ticket prices: $50 VIP pass all access including complimentary food, drinks and gift bag $20 festival pass includes access to all venues and wrap party $10 individual venue passes not available for wrap party

Janis: Little Girl Blue

www.boomtownfestival.com

FEATURED PERFORMANCES COMMUNITY Feb. 5, 6, 12, 13 at 7:30 p.m. & Feb. 6 at 2 p.m.

August Osage County Beaumont Community Players, 409.838.4664 Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Symphony of Southeast TexasHome for the Holidays Julie Rogers Theatre for the Performing Arts, 409.892.2257 Feb. 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at 7:30 p.m. & Feb. 14 & 21 at 2:30 p.m.

Steel Magnolias Orange Community Playhouse, 409.882.9137 Feb. 26, 27, Mar. 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 7:30 p.m. & Mar. 5 at 2 p.m.

Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert Beaumont Community Players, 409.838.4664 PROFESSIONAL Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

The Hillbenders: Tommy A Bluegrass Opry Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts, 409.886.5535 Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

Symphonic Duo Valentine Weekend Concert Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts, 409.886.5535 STUDENT Feb. 25, 26, 27 at 7:30 p.m. & Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

A Year With Frog and Toad Lamar University Theater, 409.880.8037

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Kelly alum to speak on improv comedy career A 1997 graduate who serves as associate artistic director of the world’s largest and most respect school of improvisation and sketch comedy is the featured speaker for the second annual Beyond the Blue & Gold Lecture Series at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School.

Anthony LeBlanc will share stories about his work as a performer and director with Second CIty and as associate artistic director for the Chicago Training Center at Second City. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Centennial Complex on the Kelly campus.

Kelly High School launched the lecture series last year as a way to celebrate the school’s alumni, said Deborah Drago, director of development. “We wanted to be able to share the wealth of our graduates with the community,” she said.

LeBlanc became interested in improvisation and sketch comedy in college. He joined a comedy group, Boxaganga, while obtaining his computer science and physics degree at Loyola University in New Orleans. After college, he moved to Chicago to help start an interfaith service house, later auditioning for Second City. Second City, which opened in Chicago in 1959, helped launch the careers of some of the biggest names in comedy, from John Belushi to Stephen Colbert to Tina Fey. In addition to his presentation to the Southeast Texas community on Feb. 4, LeBlanc will meet with students on Feb. 5.

Sessions with drama students from Kelly’s partner middle schools - St. Anne, St. Anthony, St. Mary, St. Catherine and All Saints - are planned in the morning. LeBlanc will meet with Kelly students during lunch and with Kelly drama students in the afternoon.

“We’ll have him really busy while he’s here,” Drago said.

“We’re really excited and think this will open doors for some of Anthony LeBlanc our students.”

The director of the third annual Southeast Texas “Listen to Your Mother” show is seeking local amateur and professional writers to share their heartfelt, hilarious and inspirational stories about motherhood on stage.

“We are seeking true stories about motherhood that tell about the joys, trials, and occasional absurdities of motherhood,” said Jennifer Williams, director of the Beaumont production. “You have a story to tell. We want to hear it.”

Auditions are open to men and women of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. Auditions will be held in Beaumont, Texas, Feb. 27 and March 5. Show dates are April 28-29. Information regarding the audition process can be found at www.listentoyourmothershow.com/southeasttexas.

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FEATURED EXHIBITS Art Museum of Southeast Texas

VISUAL ARTS

WORKING ARTIST: DAVID W. GRANITZ, III like to play music. I am attracted to anyone who has some sort of claim to achieving something in the arts.”

Being an artist, in any form, is to travel through life collecting experiences and then to share the results of that journey with others through the work — to be the “Eulipion” of the show’s title, a term coined by poet Betty Neal on jazz musician Rhasaan Roland Kirk’s 1975 “Theme for the Eulipions.” She describes the musician as a “journey agent” whose art is “a duty-free gift for the traveler.”

Granitz is the agent for the discerning viewer to share his experiences through his work, and through the images, to connect with a basic truth.

“I’m just trying to find something universal that people can connect with that causes a deep breath,” he says.

Granitz’s latest journey is just beginning. It promises to be exciting — and a lot of work. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

500 Main, Beaumont, 409.832.3432

Café Arts: Max Bean Envelopes through Mar. 30

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Recent Works from Flatbed through Feb. 28

JOURNEY FROM WITHIN: Ceramics by Linnis Blanton through Feb. 28

Protégé exhibition Feb. 20 through March 20

Protégé Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25

Winter Family Art Day 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 20

Beaumont Art League 2675 Gulf Ave., Beaumont, 409.833.4179

African-American artists in the Golden Triangle: Igalious “Ike” Mills, Kwanzza Edwards, Shedrick “Shakey” Lewis, Henry “Art” Smith, Wayne Goodman and Rebecca Rodgers Feb. 6 through March 12 Opening Reception Feb. 13

Dishman Art Museum 1030 E. Lavaca St., Beaumont, 409.880.8959

Hollis Hammonds: Wasteland/Wonderland through March 6

Museum of the Gulf Coast 700 Procter St., Port Arthur, 409.982.7000

A Triple Middle Passage: The Angels Done Bowed Down through April 1

Stark Museum of Art 712 Green Ave., Orange, 409.886.2787 Photography by Andy Coughlan

By Andy Coughlan David W. Granitz III is a hard worker. He says it is important to know that. The 37-year-old visual artist is a skilled practitioner, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that art is easy. It can be grueling. It can be tiring. It can be frustrating. But making art is what he does.

“For me, it has to do with something that’s more ingrained in my soul,” the Beaumont native says. “I don’t know why I need to do it, I just need to do it. And even though I might be uncomfortable doing it, I do it — it’s that satisfaction that I get.”

After years of study and experience, Granitz, who earned his degree in studio art from Lamar University in 2007, recently made a leap of faith and decided to become a full-time artist.

“I’ve been trying to develop my art, and I haven’t really felt ready to present myself as, ‘Here I am. Here is my art. I want a big show. Let’s get this ball rolling,’ until just now,” he says.

Granitz is working almost every day to prepare new pieces, and the fruits of his labors will be on display in the exhibition “Eulipion Concepts: The Recent Artwork of David W. Granitz III” at the Art Studio Inc., beginning Feb. 6 and running through Feb. 27.

Music fills the artist’s studio space as he works on meticulously crafted panels to create a series of works that are the culmination of acquired experiences, from living in an isolated cabin in the California forests to working as a homebuilder. Currently he is working on a series of abstract landscapes that marry the rigidity of geometric shapes and lines with free-form improvised drawings.

“It’s very improvisational,” he says. Even the seemingly straight lines are an illusion of perfection. “These lines look rigid, but when you get up close, I used a ruler to draw the lines and then I paint up to the line — I feel like I’m chiseling lines sculpturally and embracing the imperfect edge.”

The sense of creative improvisation reflects Granitz’s view of what it means to be an artist.

“It permeates every part of your being, I firmly believe that — even when I cook,” he says. “I like to write poetry; I

FEBRUARY 2016

Gallery Scavenger Hunt: Roving in Red 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Feb. 2-27 Teacher Workshop: Learning to Look 1 p.m., Feb. 6 Bug Brigade Community Workshop 1-5 p.m., Feb. 10 Stark Museum of Art Playdate: All About That Face 10-11 a.m. Feb., 19 CREATE! Workshop: Inky Waters 10 a.m., Feb. 20

Texas Artists Museum 3501 Cultural Center Dr., Port Arthur, 409.983.4881

Nederland Art Guild Meet to Paint Every Saturday, 3:30-5:30 p.m.

The W.H. Stark House 610 Main Ave., Orange, 409.883.0871

To Have and To Hold through March 5

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KIDS CORNER

SESAME STREET ON STAGE Timeless Tunes & Lessons for All Ages

By Nicole Murray It’s time to “Make a New Friend” with the Sesame Street crew. Elmo, Grover and Abby Cadabby are just some of the characters making a special visit to Ford Park this month. On Feb. 26-28 they’ll be singing and dancing their way into the hearts of kids of all ages.

This year’s theme is “Friends old & new meet on Sesame Street in Beaumont! No matter where you’re from or where you’ve been, everyone is special - so join in!”

“We are so excited! Sesame Street returns annually to Ford Park, providing wholesome family entertainment,” said Linda Waggoner, Ford Park’s director of marketing and sales. “It is a joy to watch the kids as they sing and dance with their favorite characters.”

Last year, Beaumont resident Andrea Porter took her 4-year-old son Taylor to meet the characters she grew up with. “It was fun, something different to do. I became a kid again. It brings you back to your childhood, and it was surreal to see my child watching something I watched as a child.”

The Sesame Street family prides themselves on teaching kids life lessons. This year the crew will explore the universal fun of friendship and celebrate

cultural similarities, from singing and dancing to sharing cookies. They are also introducing a new character Chamki, Grover’s friend from India.

Elyse Bauchle, director of publicity for the show, said, “Sesame Street Live production features timeless tunes and lessons for all ages. The universal appeal of each Broadway-quality musical production continues long after preschool. Adults will appreciate the high-tech stagecraft, cleverly written script, and music they’ll recognize and enjoy sharing with children, such as ‘Count Me In’ and fun new parodies of ‘Hot and Cold’ and ‘Moves Like Jagger.’”

Bauchle said the show is a fun-filled, interactive experience that includes up-close interactions with everyone’s favorite furry friends. The live show also features timeless tunes and lessons for all ages.

As for Porter and her son, she is looking forward to attending again this year. “We are planning to be in the front row singing and dancing to our favorite Sesame Street characters.”

There will be five Sesame Street Live “Make a New Friend” performances starting on Friday, Feb. 26 at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.

Tickets may be purchased at the Ford Park Box

Office; at any Ticketmaster outlet including HEB on Dowlen Road, Beaumont and Houston area Walmarts and the Lake Charles Civic Center; online at Ticketmaster.com; and by phone at 800.745.3000.

Ticket prices range from $16 to $61. For more information on ticket sales, call 409.951.5400.

SoutheastTexasEvents.com

FESTIVALS

THE BIG ONE Great East Texas Outdoor Fest

By Holli Petersen Local fishermen know that the best place to catch a largemouth bass is Toledo Bend. In fact, Toledo Bend was named the “2015 No. 1 Bass Fishing Lake in the Country” by Bassmaster Magazine. The reservoir, which straddles the Texas and Louisiana state line, naturally attracts fishing tournaments and outdoor activities of every kind each year. However, most of this hustle and bustle takes place on the Louisiana side of the lake, likely due to a lack of development on its Texas coast.

This is where the Great East Texas Outdoor Fest (GETOF) comes in.

Forward-thinking, local citizens formed this nonprofit organization in 2013 to promote Sabine County. Residents of Sabine County believe that building boat ramps, a pavilion and a park at Toledo Bend would encourage economic development in the county. To fund this effort, GETOF hosts fundraisers throughout the year and also holds an annual festival that draws crowds from throughout Southeast Texas.

Each year, the festival has grown.

And, this year, the Third Annual Great East Texas Outdoor Fest promises to offer even more fun and activities for the entire family. Held on March 5 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sabine County Rodeo Arena, the festival will feature a Wild West Comedy Show, Chainsaw Carving and an archery range and demos. Also included in the fun is a beer and wine garden, kiddie corral, face painting, petting

zoo, live music, outdoor vendors and fantastic fair food. Festival tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

The festival will also include a raffle and live auction all benefiting the important mission of economic development within Sabine County. The grand prize is a 2016 4x4 Kawasaki Mule, with additional rifles, shotguns, bows, coolers and other outdoor prizes for lucky winners.

“It is so important that we support this festival,” said GETOF Treasurer and Festival Director Karen Mills. “Sabine County is a poorer county. But we can change that. We have a lake in our backyard. Sabine County is a gateway to Toledo Bend, and we invite the community to come see what we have to offer and enjoy the water.”

While residents are enjoying the festivities of the annual event, GETOF members will remain hard at work to reach their goals. The organization has already engaged state representatives and governmental agencies who have shown interest in the cause. With additional funding and the support of the community, GETOF hopes to bring their dreams to fruition in the coming years.

To support GETOF, individuals can purchase a $5 annual membership, attend membership meetings on the third Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m. (Patricia Huffman Library – Hemphill) or simply attend the festival and enter to win one of the fabulous raffle prizes. For more information, please visit www.getof.net.

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ENTERTAINMENT

MAKE A PIT STOP Monster Nation Returns to Ford Arena

By Nicole Murray Vroom… Vroom… Rev up those engines! On your mark, get ready, set and go! The thrill is back! Monster Nation is rumbling back into Beaumont with 1,800 tons of dirt and smashed metal on Feb. 19 and 20.

Once a year, Monster Nation turns Ford Arena into a destruction zone with six 10,000-pound monster machines. The trucks are huge, loud and super powerful, capable of mouth-dropping stunts including wheelies, high-flying jumps and racing, making for great entertainment for the entire family.

Some of the most well-known monster trucks will come to Beaumont for the show. The most popular on the yard is Monster Truck Bigfoot!

Bigfoot is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest, widest and heaviest monster truck.

But while Bigfoot is the big man on campus, he’ll be defending his Monster Freestyle and Racing titles. Organizers say he will have his work cut out as a field of monsters are gunning for the title including Dawg Pound, Over Bored, Heavy Hitter, Quad Chaos and - introducing for the first time in Southeast Texas – the all new dirt crew.

The pedal to the metal fun doesn’t stop with Monster Trucks. The car-eating, fire-breathing, transforming dinosaur robot Megasaurus weighs

in at just over 15,000 pounds of force in each claw and 15,000 pounds of biting force. No car is safe in the path of the Megasaurus.

Monster Nation’s Destructive Zone will also feature a fire-spewing, jet-powered Smart Car. The compact car packs a power punch; it uses 1300-horsepower turbine engine, the same as an Army helicopter. The engine has been modified from a free turbine helicopter engine into a 1500-horsepower afterburner engine.

Throughout the show, the monster trucks battle in three separate competitions. The tailgateripping Wheelie Contest is first, where each driver attempts to stand his 10-foot-tall truck straight in the air. The next event is elimination-style head-tohead racing around an oval course.

Last but not least, the rules are thrown out the window for the mud-grinding, no-holds-barred destruction Freestyle competition. Organizers say the entire floor of Ford Arena will be open season.

“Monster Nation is one of the most popular shows, and they never disappoint fans,” explained Linda Waggoner, Ford Park’s director of marketing and sales. “The pit party before each show provides an up-close personal visit with the drivers and their incredible trucks. The fire-breathing robot truck will return – and it is something to see! I always encour-

age the skeptical to attend at least one Monster Truck show….knowing that once they do, they will be back.”

Waggoner also encourages fans to attend the Monster Nation Pit Party. It a chance for kids of all ages to meet the stars of the show and get a close up look at the mega Monster Trucks.

The Pit Party takes place from 6-7 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m.-noon on Saturday and 6-7 p.m. on Saturday.

“As a special family bonus, every Monster Nation ticket stub will be good for a $5 admission to Elise’s Family Fun Center in Winnie,” added Waggoner.

The tickets are good for Sunday, Feb. 21. It is a savings of $15 off the regular admission price.

There will be three Monster Nation Destructive Zone shows. The first starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 19 with Saturday, Feb. 20 shows at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Advance adult ticket prices are $25 and $23.

Advance tickets for kids 2-12 are $17 and $15. All ticket prices increase by $2 on the day of the event.

Tickets are available at the Ford Park Box Office; all Ticketmaster outlets, including HEB on Dowlen Road in Beaumont, Houston-area Walmarts and the Lake Charles Civic Center; online at www.ticketmaster.com; and by calling 800.745.3000. Group discounts on adult tickets are available for groups of 12+ by calling Waggoner at 409.951.5413. For more information, visit www.fordpark.com.

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BUSINESS & NETWORKING

CONNECTING PEOPLE WHO CARE WITH CAUSES THAT MATTER

By Mellie Bevilacqua Executive Director, Foundation for Southeast Texas

The Foundation for Southeast Texas is a unique and flexible nonprofit organization for charitable giving in the area. The foundation is one of 32 community foundations in Texas that serve as a bridge between donors and nonprofit organizations. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation that can both give and receive gifts.

Across the nation, there are more than 700 community foundations. The method of operation is simple. Funds are established by individuals, families, groups, corporations or nonprofit agencies themselves, and their donations are pooled, invested, managed and distributed. Because the funds are pooled for investment, there is a greater opportunity for growth, and the cost of management and distribution is kept to a minimum. The Foundation for Southeast Texas is governed by a board of directors comprising 29 community, civic, business and professional leaders representing Hardin, Jefferson and Orange counties.

Community-minded individuals established the foundation in 1996. They saw a need to provide a flexible method for donors to band together and serve both immediate and long-range charitable needs of the broader community. Several types of funds can be established with the foundation. Endowed funds are permanently invested and will continue to exist indefinitely.

Non-endowed funds also are invested and can be distributed over an extended period of time or all at once if the donor chooses to do so. Other options of funds are donor-advised funds, which allow the donor to make gifts to numerous designated charities throughout the year. Groups or individuals can also establish scholarship funds with the Foundation for Southeast Texas.

An important advantage of the foundation’s methods is that additional funds can be contributed to a fund in any amount at any time. This is par-

ticularly attractive for those wishing to contribute small and medium gifts in honor or memory of a loved one. Secondly, it is a tax advantage for the donor in the year that the donation is made, but the money can be given out over time. Often times, nonprofits cannot accept large gifts all at once, so this can be a huge benefit to those nonprofits.

Once a year, beginning in January, the Foundation for Southeast Texas makes grants to local nonprofits. Three unrestricted funds combine earnings with other unrestricted gifts, and the foundation board makes the choice of recipients from grant request applications. In 2015, these funds provided more than $130,000 to local nonprofits.

Examples of just a few of the organizations that benefit from the foundation are the Giving Field in Beaumont, which used its grant to purchase lawn equipment; the Indian Springs Special Needs Camp in Kountze, which needed to restore trails and bridges for better wheelchair access; and the Orange Community Players, which updated the facility with new toilets and computers.

The Foundation for Southeast Texas has both a web site, www.cfsetx. org, and a Facebook page. Nonprofits that would like to be considered for grants in 2016 should consult the web site for applications. These applications are due

by March 9, 2016. For additional information or to create your own fund, contact Mellie Bevilacqua, the foundation’s executive director, at 409.833.5775.

FOOD & BEVERAGE

PRN MEDICAL AND ELK’S LODGE DEFEND GUMBO TITLES Help Choose 2016’s Best Bowl at Girls’ Haven Gumbo Cook-Off

By Chrissie Mouton Mention the word gumbo, and many in Southeast Texas are all ears. Say you have the best gumbo, and many in the area will likely argue with you.

The best of the best are getting their pots polished and ready to cook for the 22nd Annual Girls’ Haven Gumbo Cook-off Saturday, Feb. 22.

“Gumbo will be judged in three categories: seafood, poultry and combination,” says Alice Teeler, executive director at Girls Haven. “There is also a People’s Choice Award given each year.”

PRN Medical has the bragging rights of winning last year’s People’s Choice Award while the Elks Lodge is defending the Grand Champion title. You can eat the best gumbo Beaumont has to offer and enjoy entertainment with live music and Sonny “The Bird Man” in the parking lot of Parkdale Mall from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

“There will be a kid’s area with carnival-like games that are fun for the whole family,” Teeler says.

Admission and parking are free, and for just $7 you can get a large bowl from your favorite chef, or four small bowls in case you can’t choose just one.

We all know that everyone’s recipe is different, and in Cajun Country, you never quite know what’s go-

ing to end up in the pot.

“We’ve seen mushrooms, carrots, okra,” Teeler says.

“I don’t know if those are odd in Southeast Texas.”

Besides the possibility of an odd ingredient floating in the roux-based brew, all of the gumbo aficionados engage in some “trash talk” - fun, boasting that they are simmering the best Cajun favorite in town. Go hear the “trash talk,” have some laughs, then be the connoisseur and decide for yourself who has the best bowl. Find out who leaves with

bragging rights and awards.

Laissez les bon temps roulez.

The good times end with empty bowls and money used to cover the girls’ cost of living, activities and daily needs. Girls’ Haven provides a safe home-like environment for girls who are affected by physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness and severe family dysfunction. The priority is to promote and enhance the quality of life for girls in need.

QG $QQXDO *LUOVÌ +DYHQ

*XPER &RRN 2II )HVWLYDO Saturday, Feb. 22 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Parkdale Mall parking lot • Free Admission & Parking • Girl’s Haven Gumbo Competition Judging starts at 1 p.m.

• Live performances by Southeast Texas bands • For the kids - over 20 carnival-like games and activities • Bounce Houses

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HEALTH, WELLNESS & EDUCATION

WOMEN TO “SOW SEEDS OF FRIENDSHIP” Third Annual LiveWell Expo in Jasper

By Shelly Vitanza CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Jasper Memorial and the CHRISTUS LiveWell Women’s Network have planned a full and exciting day for Southeast Texas women. On Friday, Feb. 5, all women across East Texas are invited to learn about and celebrate ways to achieve a lifetime of wellness at the third annual Jasper Women’s Expo featuring keynote speaker Lisa Whelchel.

“We’re honored to host the third annual Women’s Expo to continue to educate, share and celebrate health and wellness among women in East Texas,” said Women’s Expo Lead Becky Howard. “The community’s interest to achieve a well-balanced lifestyle continues to grow, and our expo works to further the desired education on wellness of heart, soul and mind.”

The Jasper Women’s Expo entails a full day of educational seminars on a variety of health and wellness topics for both the individual and community.

It also boasts shopping booths, free health screenings and catered lunch with a keynote presentation from American actress and author Lisa Whelchel. As the keynote speaker, Whelchel will expand upon the importance of living a well-balanced life, as well as discuss her theme-related book “Friendship For Grown-Ups: What I Missed and Learned Along the Way.” This year’s Women’s Expo takes place at Harvest Church. Event doors open at 8:30 a.m. for registration, health screenings and shopping. The first educational session begins at 9:30 a.m. with presentations and activities to follow.

In addition to lunch, shopping and free health screenings, the day features 20 breakout sessions, each 50 minutes long, with a wide range of enlightening health and lifestyle topics than span health, fitness and spirituality.

Whelchel, a Texas native, gained her first professional acting experience on Walt Disney’s “The New Mickey Mouse Club” as a Mouseketeer. However, she is best known for her starring role as Blair Warner on NBC’s “The Facts of Life,” which aired for nine years.

Following her acting career, Whelchel launched a career in writing and public speaking with a specific interest in empowering women. Her first book, “Creative Correction,” was released in October 2000 and has sold more than 200,000 copies to date. She’s written a dozen more books to educate and empower women since then, as well as founded motivational businesses including MomTime Ministries and Personal Mom Coaching. Whelchel also leads

an international speaker series and has toured with “Women of Faith” and “Extraordinary Women.” Most of all, she is a proud mother to three children, a role she believes is the hardest of all.

“Lisa Whelchel exemplifies the reality of living out a well-balanced life while juggling career, health and family,” said Howard. “Her ability to find balance and embrace a healthy lifestyle across mind, body and soul makes her the ideal keynote speaker to inspire the women and families of our community.”

For more information or to register, call 409.899.7700 or visit CHRISTUS LiveWell Women’s Network at www.christuslivewell.org.

SAVE THE DATE Ninth Annual CHRISTUS LiveWell Women’s Network Conference Thursday, May 9 at Ford Park

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SPORTS & RECREATION

RESOLUTIONS ABANDONED? RECOMMIT

By Brandi Hensley President Sea Rim Striders The number one resolution made every New Year is to lose weight, followed closely by - get healthy. Sadly, by this time every year - February, one month into the new year - most Americans (80 percent, according to Quora. com) abandon their commitments. Sea Rim Striders, a running club founded in the 1970s and located right here in the Golden Triangle, encourages you to recommit every month, and we have events and socials to help you.

We invite people of all abilities to join us at our run/walk events throughout the year. Everything we do is free and open to the public, except for our annual Turkey Trot 5K/10K/Kids K. Our annual events are Resolution Run/Walk 5K on Jan. 1 at the Gulf Terrace Hike and Bike Trail in Beaumont, Spring 5K/Kids K on or about the first day of Spring, the Summer Run/Walk Series, Fall 5K/Kids K and our big fundraiser, the annual Turkey Trot event, held on Thanksgiving morning. You can view dates/times of all the Sea Rim Striders events and many local events at www.

SeaRimStriders.org.

Although our events are free and open to the public, donations are welcomed to help with post-event food and drinks, as our club is a nonprofit organization that relies on sponsorships and donations to keep our club functioning so we can offer these great event opportunities for the community.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great about Sea Rim Striders is the social aspect. Group run/walk events are a great way to get fit and stay motivated throughout the year. They are a fun way to keep connected with friends while staying fit. Whether you walk, run or volunteer at our events, you will get something beneficial out of coming!

The Sea Rim Striders Run Club is an event club. We put on events roughly every three months. If you need a consistent group that meets weekly, check out some fantastic local run/walk groups in the area by logging onto www.

SeaRimStriders.org and look under the Local Run/Walk Groups tab. Many of these groups meet one to three times per week for community runs/walks.

The Summer Run/Walk Series is an annual 12-week event that runs throughout the summer, every Monday evening from June-August.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great about the Summer Series, besides being free and open to anyone of any ability, is that it allows friends and family to gather at a convenient time in different locations throughout the Golden Triangle to keep moving and keep fit!

Post-race pizza, snacks and drinks are supplied at the end of each Summer Series Event. Donations are welcomed to help cover the costs.

Perks of attending the Summer Series are available to club members. For more information on becoming a member and for the lineup of Summer Series locations, please visit www.SeaRimStriders.org.

Volunteers are essential to the events that we put on. Please consider volunteering! Email SRSclub.Volunteer@gmail.com for more information.

THE GUSHER MARATHON The Seventh Annual Exygon and Baptist Hospitals Gusher Marathon, Exxpress Mart Half Marathon, Kinsel Ford 5K, ExxonMobil Heads or Tails Cycling Time Trial, and the inaugural Roughneck Strength & Fitness Challenge is Saturday, Feb. 27 starting and ending at the Montagne Center.

Register at www.thegushermarathon.com.

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CHARITY

THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION UNMASKS HEART DISEASE Viennese Masquerade to Raise Funds, Increase Awareness and Fight Heart Disease

By Chrissie Mouton The Golden Triangle chapter of the American Heart Association (AHA) is continuing its tradition of themed galas to raise funds and promote the lifesaving work of the organization with a bit of flair. This year, influential leaders from the corporate, philanthropic and medical communities will step into a “Viennese Masquerade” at the annual Golden Triangle Heart Ball, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 20, at the MCM Elegante Hotel.

The black-tie event will include dinner, entertainment and dancing as well as an exciting silent and live auction.

Each year, the AHA honors recipients of the J.C. Crager Award, named for the cardiologist and AHA volunteer and president, which is presented to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the betterment of the Golden Triangle through their professional and community service.

This year’s recipients are Dr. Stephen Weatherford and Tom Neild.

“The Heart Ball is an opportunity for us to celebrate the heart community in Beaumont – our doctors, our donors, our volunteers, our survivors, and also the ones we’ve lost to heart disease or stroke,” said Rhonda Oszczakiewicz, co-chair of the event.

Last year the Heart Ball campaign raised over $51 million nationwide to help fund more cardiovascular research, helping survivors like Kimber Fondren, the evening’s “ special hero.”

Kimber was diagnosed with a severe congenital heart defect. Born Sept. 11, 2014, Kimber is thriving as a heart disease survivor. The Fondrens will share their story highlighting the mission of the American Heart Association, which is edu-

cation, advocacy and research for the nation’s number one killer - heart disease.

The event kicks off with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by a five-star dinner at 8 p.m. A silent auction will be ongoing throughout the night, and a live auction will feature many interesting and valuable items, followed by dessert.

If that wasn't enough, guests will also have an opportunity to dance the night away to a variety of music.

Whether doctor, donor, survivor, volunteer or relative, the AHA invites people to open their hearts and help the organization not just imagine a world without heart disease or stroke but make a difference.

“Thanks to the heart community, we have seen 50 straight years of success in fighting America’s number one killer, heart disease, and the need for our continued work is unquestionable,” Oszczakiewicz says.

The AHA funds more cardiovascular research than any other organization, second only to the federal government. As the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization devoted to fighting heart disease and stroke, AHA has more than 22.5 million volunteers and supporters helping promote its lifesaving work.

Since 1949, the American Heart Association has invested more than $3.3 billion in the heart of the country to create better lives by teaching, supporting and studying the needs of those at risk.

But the AHA cannot do it alone. Those wishing to take part in the masquerade to help the mission can visit www.goldentriangleheartball.heart.org for individual tickets or to sponsor a table.

Tickets are $150 each and table sponsorships range from patron ($1,500) to diamond ($6,500).

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EVENT LISTINGS FEB. 2

FEB. 11

Building Business Relationships With Networking Experts | 7:30 a.m. | $99 | Holiday Inn Beaumont Plaza, 3950 I-10 South, Beaumont

FEB. 227 Gallery Scavenger Hunt: Roving in Red | 9 a.m-5 p.m. | Stark Museum of Art, Orange

FEB. 4 School Students: Help Restore Longleaf Pine | 9 a.m. | Free | Big Thicket National Preserve, 6044 FM 420, Kountze Gift of Life Survivors Celebration | 11 a.m. | MCM Elegant Hotel Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas | 4 p.m. | Downtown Port Arthur, Procter Street, Port Arthur 2nd Annual Beyond the Blue & Gold Lecture Series | 6:30 p.m. | Free | Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, 5950 Kelly Drive, Beaumont

FEB. 5 Jasper's Women's Expo | 8:30 a.m. | Harvest Church, Jasper Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas | 6 p.m. | Downtown Port Arthur, Procter Street, Port Arthur Jefferson Theatre Classic Movie Nights: King Kong | 6 p.m. | $5 | Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St, Beaumont King Kong

Better Business Bureau Lunch & Learn: Business Leadership | 11:30 a.m. | MCM Elegant Hotel Making The Match | 1:30 p.m. | Free | R. C. Miller Memorial Library, 1605 Dowlen Road, Beaumont

FEB. 12 Beaumont Heritage Happy Hour | 5 p.m. | Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St., Beaumont Classic Movie Night: Singing In The Rain | 6 p.m. | $5 | Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St., Beaumont Symphonic Duo Valentine Weekend Concert | 7:30 p.m. | $15-$25 | Lutcher Theater, 707 Main Ave, Orange

FEB. 13 Downtown Beaumont Junk Days | 7 a.m. | Free | BAW Resale and Interiors, 600 Fannin St., Beaumont Peace Love & Run 5K | 8 a.m. | $10-$60 | Lumberton Primary School Pavilion, 128 East Candlestick, Lumberton 21st Annual Community Trash Off | 8 a.m. | Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, Orange Hot Tropics Night in the Conservatory | 6 p.m. | $20 | Beaumont Botanical Gardens, 6088 Babe Zaharias Drive, Beaumont Symphony Ball | 6:30 p.m. | Beaumont Civic Center Complex, 701 Main St., Beaumont

FEB. 14 Hearts for the Arts | 6 p.m. | $55 | Orange Community Players, 708 West Division Ave, Orange

FEB. 17 Alz. 101 | noon | Free | Sertinos Cafe, 7675 Memorial Blvd #100, Port Arthur

FEB. 19 SMA Playdate: All About That Face | 10 a.m. | Stark Museum of Art, Orange Kingdom Zoo

FEB. 6 Larry's Old Time Trade Days | Feb. 6-8 | 8 a.m. | Free | 14902 FM 1663 Road, Winnie Kingdom Zoo "Wild Wishes" Reunion | 10 a.m. | Free | Swenson Whitetail Ranch, 4033 Oilla Road, Orange

FEB. 6 & 7 Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas | 1 p.m. | Downtown Port Arthur, Procter Street, Port Arthur Teacher Workshop – Learning to Look | 1 p.m. | Stark Museum of Art, Orange

FEB. 10 Bug Brigade Community Workshop | 1 p.m. | Stark Museum of Art, Orange

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FEB. 20 Winter Family Arts Day | 10 a.m. | Free | Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main St, Beaumont CREATE! Workshop: Inky Waters | 10:30 a.m. | Stark Museum of Art, Orange Symphony of Southeast Texas | 6:30 p.m. | Julie Rogers Theatre for the Performing Arts, 765 Pearl St., Beaumont Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo | 8 p.m. | Jefferson Theater, 345 Fannin St., Beaumont Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo

FEB. 23 Family Services Luncheon | 11:30 a.m. | The MCM Elegant Hotel, 2355 Interstate 10 S, Beaumont

FEB. 24 Rainbow Room 20th Anniversary Celebration | 11 a.m. | Beaumont Country Club, 5355 Pine St., Beaumont

FEB. 26 Sesame Street | 10:30 a.m. | $16-$61 | Ford Park, 5115 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont

FEB. 27 Sesame Street | 1 p.m. & 5 p.m. | $16-$61 | Ford Park, 5115 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont Maze featuring Frankie Beverly | 8 p.m. | Beaumont Civic Center Complex, 701 Main Street, Beaumont

FEB. 28 Sesame Street | 2 p.m. | $16-$61 | Ford Park, 5115 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont

For more events, go to

events.southeasttexas.com

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SNEAK PEEK march 2&3 Deli Day Temple Emanuel

3 Riders On the Orphan Train

5, 12, 19 & 26 Saturday Adventure Series Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

Bullets over Broadway Lutcher Theater for Performing Arts

10 Taste of Home Cooking School Beaumont Civic Center 20th Annual Go For The Gold Party And Reverse Drawing Art Museum of Southeast Texas

Kristin Chenoweth

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Nederland Heritage Festival

Up Close with Nature Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

16 Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home Tour Lutcher Theater

19 Art in the Park City of Orange

Big Bugs

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Downtown Beaumont Junk Days downtown Beaumont

Cinderella, the Ballet Julie Rogers Theater

David Rogers’ Big Bugs Opening Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

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MARCH 24APRIL 3

Cinderella’s Storytime Julie Rogers Theater

South Texas State Fair Ford Park

21 Le Grand Bal Art Exhibition Opens Dishman Art Museum

Beaumont Heritage Society Easter Egg Hunt John Jay French House

29 Saturday Night Fever Lutcher Theater

31 Lecture and 30th Anniversary Celebration : Brain Alter, “Pearls” McFaddin-Ward House See all of these events and more at

events.southeasttexas.com

ON THIS DATE Feb. 6, 1895 Legendary baseball player George Herman “Babe” Ruth was born in Baltimore, Maryland.

Feb. 27, 1950 The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting the president to two terms or a maximum of 10 years in office.

Feb. 20, 1962 Astronaut John Glenn became the first American launched into orbit traveling aboard the “Friendship 7” spacecraft.

Feb. 21, 1965 Former Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X was shot and killed while delivering a speech in a ballroom in New York City.

Feb. 17, 1973 “Crocodile Rock” was the number one song on the Billboard Charts.

Feb. 15, 1998 “Titanic” was the number one movie at the box office.

Above left: Astronaut John Glenn Above: Malcolm X Left: Famous scene from 'Titanic"

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CARTOON CORNER

FINAL PHOTO

KITCHEN ZEN

Chef Monica Cobb takes a quick break to channel her "Kitchen Zen." Monica, known for her renegade dinners and Banh Mon food truck, is now opening Monica's Restaurant. Located at 6385 Calder Ave. in Beaumont, dining promises to be "Chef Driven, Farm Fresh."

Photo by Scott Eslinger

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