Greater Port Arthur The Magazine Vol. 4

VOLUME 4, 2023

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Port Arthur feels at home as the official Cajun Capitol of Texas..................................4

“PORT-ART-TURE”

Cajuns flocked to Port Arthur in 1927 and a new way of life was introduced....................6

THE (REAL) GUMBO BOOK

Enjoy this authentic Cajun shrimp, crab and okra gumbo recipe.....................................10

DR. JANICE MILO

Empowerment Church pastor works daily to create a resiliency plan...........................14

CHECK OUT THE BIRDS

Pleasure Island’s latest attraction is a new bird blind.....................................................20

QUASQUINCENTENNIAL

Port Arthur celebrates 125th birthday part at Popeye Holmes Park..............................26

P ort A rthur Greater

Publisher:

STEPHEN HEMELT

Editor:

STEPHEN HEMELT

4 6

Contributors: SIERRA KONDOS

STEPHEN HEMELT

PA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Photography: SIERRA KONDOS

MARY MEAUX

PA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

Advertising: CANDACE HEMELT NATALIE PICAZO

10

Designer: STEPHEN HEMELT

Contact Information: PORT ARTHUR NEWSMEDIA, LLC PO BOX 789 PORT ARTHUR, TX 77641

Advertising Inquiries: 409-721-2400

Subscriptions: 409-721-2400

www.panews.com

Copyright 2023 by Port Arthur Newsmedia, LLC

MISSION STATEMENT

Our driving mission is to present a positive image of the most interesting and intriguing aspects of the characters, locations and quirks in the Greater Port Arthur area that make our community so remarkable. Our success will be measured through the number of coffee tables on which this magazine proudly lives and the number of conversations its pages spark.

CAJUN CAPITAL OF TEXAS

Port Arthur and its people are driving forces for special culture

Gov. Greg Abbott signed into official state legislation in June that Port Arthur is the Cajun Capital of Texas.

The news wasn’t too surprising. Despite the claims of other groups or organizations across the Lone Star State, there could only be one place to carry the mantle of such an important and prestigious honor.

That place is Port Arthur.

My heartfelt congratulations go out to the hard-charging Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau for spearheading such an effort.

The news also perfectly falls in 2023 for the city, which is in the middle of celebrating its Quasquicentennial, a birthday party 125 years in the making.

In helping trumpet the news, the Visitors Bureau made sure to highlight the efforts of State Rep. Christian Manuel and State Sen. Brandon Creighton for pushing numerous resolutions and proclamations while introducing legislation throughout the process.

So, what does it mean to be Cajun?

According to the Visitors Bureau, this official Texas designation is good for the next 10 years.

“Our diverse city reflects many cultures, including Mexican-American, Vietnamese, African-American, Italian and more. This effort to recognize our Cajun background brought residents together to celebrate our history and culture. We’re all Texan, and a lot like our Louisiana neighbors,” a release from the Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau noted.

That brilliant but complicated hodgepodge speaks to me in a truly personal level.

I’m 42 years old, and a proud native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where many across the nation and globe look to when they think of Cajun culture and Cajun people. As I assume you can imagine, when you get past the slogans and appeals to tourists and speak on the nitty-gritty of the topic with actual New Orleans residents, they have their own opinions on what it means to be Cajun and where the true home of the culture lies.

To me, being Cajun and celebrating its charms is less about location and more

about a state of mind.

I’ve seen New Orleans at its worst and celebrated arm-in-arm with my long-ago neighbors at its best.

And in that way, Port Arthur feels so much like true Cajun culture that I can think of no other place or people in Texas who can accept and thrive under such a charge.

A great Cajun dish or party includes a taste of everything.

It welcomes all cultures and nationalities. Naturally, that can create tension, but it is not something to run from, because then you would be losing all the spice.

And, well, all great Cajun dishes and parties embrace that spice.

That’s because life’s better with passion.

Port Arthur is the same way. In the four years I’ve lived and breathed this community, it’s been a blessing to soak up its strengths and stare down its obstacles.

On more than one occasion, elected leaders have given me a tongue lashing for something posted online at panews.com or in the printed edition of The Port Arthur News. I don’t fault them for their positions or minimize their passions. It’s what makes working in media so thrilling.

Conversely, I have shed tears with our neighbors as we worked together to report on the very real stories that unfold daily.

Some of the tears were out of grief because of shared stories of lost loved ones, and other times the tears were of joy as we chronicled the amazing accomplishments of the younger and older residents we’re lucky enough to call our neighbors.

You call that what you want, but I’ve been calling it Cajun my whole life.

So I, and so many others , welcome new and old alike to the wonderful city of Port Arthur — the Cajun Capital of Texas.

It’s full of spice.

Stephen Hemelt is the president of Port Arthur Newsmedia, which publishes panews.com, The Port Arthur News and Greater Port Arthur The Magazine. He can be reached at stephen.hemelt@panews.com or 409-7212445.

Stephen Hemelt

How Port Arthur became “Port-Art-Ture”

Cajuns flocked to Port Arthur in 1927 when Louisiana flooding brought farmers looking for black gold. Big refineries meant big jobs here in Southeast Texas.

Our coastline allowed Cajuns to provide for their families while living the same bayou lifestyle reminiscent of their years spent in southern Louisiana.

Visit Port Arthur has used the Cajun Capital phrase in their marketing efforts clear back to the ‘70s to describe the historical, cultural and modern makeup of Port Arthur and Sabine Pass. Alli and Elli Gator, Visit Port Arthur mascots, have fallen in love and exchanged wedding vows in front of motorcoach tourists enjoying multi course meals and that famous Cajun Cake by our very own Cajun Queen, Esther Benoit.

Ça C’est Bon (That’s Good)

We know the French appeared in Nova Scotia and ventured to Louisiana and the Acadians became Cajuns. When they converged in Port Arthur, Port Arthur’s coastal economy was just right for what they brought to Texas. They had found an additional home. Here are some bullet points from our resolutions that highlight some of our Cajun ties:

Resolutions and Proclamations

Government talk has a lot of “whereases” and fancy language. Here’s where we break it down and just tell you what we are proud to convey:

• Port Arthur’s coastal economy and appetite is fueled by the shrimping industry serving and sales of Cajun delicacies such as crawfish, gumbo and boudain that bring joy to restauranteurs, shopkeepers, residents and visitors.

• Residents have been two-stepping and toe-tapping for generations to Cajun, Zydeco and Creole music, including that from Harry Choates, called “Godfather of Cajun Music’ and “The Fiddle King of Cajun Swing” and Choates lived in and is buried in Port Arthur, and his 1946 recording of “Jolie Blon” is considered iconic.

Letting the Good Times Roll

• These new Lone Star lovers set their hearts to work in fields, refineries and myri-

ad occupations. They had a heart to celebrate good family times with events such as Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas — founded in Port Arthur and first celebrated in 1993 - to Cajun Heritage Festival in Port Arthur. There were fais do do house parties and family style Cajun dancing at the historic Rodair Club and Larry’s French Market and Cajun Cafeteria. The desire remains to “laissez les bon temps rouler,” or “let the good times roll.”

• The lowly washboard patented in 1833 and sometimes used as a percussive instrument, reached international status in Cajun Zydeco music, fused with Creole music; and as Clifton Chenier designed and metalworker Willie Landry designed the wearable frottoir in 1946 during the time they worked at Port Arthur’s Texaco Refinery; and this wearable board frottior, (FWA-TVJAH) meaning “to rub” in French, is considered one of the few musical instruments invented entirely in the United States; and Chenier received a Grammy for his music and his brother, Cleveland, commenced to creating music on these boards using bottle openers.

• The rich and reedy notes of the accordion are known to waft from dance halls, crawfish boils and back porches, with many of these instruments made by local Jude Moreau.

Courtesy photo

Port Arthur is the home of Al and Ellie Gator. This popular wedding ceremony is a presentation of The Port Arthur Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Sabine Pass Shares in the Story

• The fishing village of Sabine Pass, just beside Port Arthur, was the home of worldclass restaurant “Granger’s Seafood” founded and operated from 1927 until it was destroyed by fire in 1958; and Granger’s was recommended by noted restaurant critic Duncan Hines and invented such iconic dishes as its often copied “barbe-que crabs” and their stuffed crabs that were so wonderful they are still revered by the local Cajun folk today

• In the deep darkness of the era known as Prohibition, on the back ridge of the Port Arthur suburb called Sabine Pass, Cajun extraordinaire and whiskey smith Jack LaBove would emerge to bring light into the darkness by establishing two historic distilleries to produce his much sought-after libations that were hailed as “the best corn and rye whiskeys in the region.”

Crawfish Racing and the Judice Family

Former State Senator Carl A. Parker introduced Port Arthur Days in Austin, with Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce members and Cajuns gathering at the Capitol, and proposed Jim Braud and A.J. Judice as Craw-

Build. Sustain

fish Racing Commissioners, and that the days grew into ever-larger events dubbed Golden Triangle Days in Austin.

• Port Arthur supporters and Allie and Ellie Gator themselves have for years filled the Capitol with fiddle music, Esther Benoit’s legendary gumbo from Esther’s

Seafood, the famous restaurant open for decades under the towering Rainbow Bridge, and Cajun esprit de corps during Golden Triangle Days in Austin in support of legislative action to benefit our community.

• Personalities including A.J. Judice, “The Crazy Frenchman”

became ambassadors of Cajun Culture; and Judice’s mother, Lariza “Maw Maw” Judice and family opened Judice’s French Market in 1927 in their single car garage, becoming the first store in Texas to sell live crawfish and hot boudain, and other seafood said to have “slept in the Gulf last night” and extended family operated Judice’s French Market in nearby Groves; and the family is credited with making crawfish season as popular as football season in Port Arthur; and Texas Gov. Preston Smith appointed him as Texas Crawfish Racing Commissioner.

Got Gators?

• Port Arthur’s coastal marshes and wetlands provide a home for one of the state’s highest concentration of alligators to sun themselves, and these wetlands are a bridge away, connecting Jefferson County, Texas to Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and

• The heritage of this culture’s

early life in the area is displayed with an Acadian home display at Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur and in our neighboring towns of Nederland, via La Maison Acadienne in Nederland and in Port Neches at La Maison Beausoliel.

Bienvenue, Welcome

Port Arthur is a city of diverse cultures, each celebrating their own proud identity. These cultures continue to include the “bon ami” or “good friend” welcoming relationship of the Cajun culture to all residents and visitors as they “laissez les bons temps rouler,” or “let the good times roll.”

Provided by the Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau, the official destination marketing organization for Port Arthur. For more information on why we’re the Cajun Capital of Texas, events, hotels, good eating and bird-friendly practices, visit visitportarthurtx.com.

Curt Edgerton performs Zydeco music during the Cajun Heritage Festival.

Courtesy photo

The (Real) Gumbo Book

Enjoy this shrimp, crab and okra gumbo recipe

Visit Port Arthur is celebrating the city’s legislative designation as Cajun Capital of Texas and it seems like James LaBove wrote his latest book just for this occasion.

“The (Real) Gumbo Book: A Deep Dive into the Lifeblood of Cajun Culture,” is just the right read for all of us right here in Southeast Texas. We’d be happy to share that knowledge with all those up north, as well.

LaBove grew up helping his father collect seafood from the waters of Sabine Pass and selling it as Cotton’s Seafood. He has a series of books that illustrate and share these stories. This gumbo book shares authentic bayou Cajun gumbo recipes and the stories that inspired them. He keeps the Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau straight about Cajun history, and he says we can share part of his book right here:

Okra and the Cajun Diaspora

Okra is actually a vegetable that was probably introduced to America (and to Cajuns) by enslaved Afri-

cans. During the period of the slave trade, which was early American’s most ugly moment, it is believed that some Africans smuggled okra seeds to the Americas.

The Cajun people readily embraced the customs and practices of the indigenous peoples of southern Louisiana as well as those of the African enslaved. After living through Le Grand De’rangement (The Great Upheaval) that was forced upon the Acadians by the British, the new Acadians (Cajuns), upon their arrival to southern Louisiana and the Atchafalaya Basin needed all the help they could get. In many instances, the Cajuns were again “starting over from scratch.”

Okra became a very Cajun vegetable but for some people, eating okra comes with a bit of a learning curve.

Okra tends to create a slimy texture when it is cooked. There are several remedies for this tendency, but it is this very characteristic that made it desirable to early cooks for making and thickening gumbo. Every year, we grew okra in our family garden and so I was

raised eating okra in various ways.

My favorite way to eat okra when I was young was when Mama split small okra pods long wise, dipped them in evaporated milk, then rolled them in corn meal and fried until golden brown. Although this is probably the least healthy way to eat okra which is a very healthy vegetable, it is probably the tastiest. Never forget, cher, no one making Cajun food has ever claimed it to be health food.

Using okra in gumbo was another of my Mama’s little heritage tips –little did she know that we neither could nor would forget that we are Cajuns. In the following recipe, we are using okra as an ingredient and not the principal thickening

— By James LaBove

Courtesy photo Okra tends to create a slimy texture when it is cooked. It is this very characteristic that made it desirable to early cooks for making and thickening gumbo.

Shrimp, crab and okra gumbo

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pint [up to 1 Quart] of Roux

5 Quarts of water or stock

THE MIREPOIX

3 Large yellow onions

4 Cups of coarsely chopped celery

2 Large chopped green bell pepper

4-6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds small to medium peeled shrimp

1 dozen cleaned blue crabs with claws separated (or four cleaned Dungeness Crabs – each cut in half w/claws separated)

1 cup chopped green onions

½ cup fresh chopped parsley

1 clove minced garlic

6-8 cups chopped fresh okra

1 tablespoons vinegar

12 eggs

5 teaspoon Sea salt (or to taste)

OPTIONAL:

2 to 4 chopped jalapenos (not exactly Cajun but tasty), or:

1-2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper (very Cajun)

In a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté okra and 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for about 10 to 15 minutes and add in 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

Continue stirring mixture until slime disappears. Set okra aside for later.

Coarsely chop 2 of your 3 large yellow onions (reserve one onion for later), and combine with vegetable oil, celery, garlic, and bell pepper along with your choice of peppers (if desired) in a large stockpot over medium-high heat for a light sauté. Add water or vegetable stock and bring to a rolling boil.

Remove the metal lid from the jar of roux and microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes until roux is warmed (warming the roux makes it melt and combine with the water quicker).

Spoon roux into the boiling water, stirring continuously until all the roux is completely melted.

If excess foaming occurs that cannot be controlled by continuously stirring, lower heat and continue until all roux is dissolved.

Lower heat and simmer for about one hour, stirring occasionally.

At this point of the simmering process, a few shrimp and one crab body should be added in to flavor the liquid.

Boil one dozen eggs in a saucepan

until hard boiled.

Crack and peel eggs, and reserve for later use when serving gumbo. After simmering, crabs, claws and shrimp should be added to the mixture, and the heat should be elevated to return the mixture to a boil.

The yellow onion that was reserved should be cut up in slices, separated into rings and dropped into the mixture for appearance and texture and add in the okra that was sautéed earlier. You can additionally add a chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper at this point.

Lower heat to maintain low boil (and to cook seafood) for 20 to 30 minutes. Then, turn off heat and add parsley and green onions. Serve over cooked rice with filé and one or two peeled, hard-boiled eggs. Although the okra will still add some thickening to the gumbo, the roux will be the principal thickening agent.

I always liked this gumbo best of all since even though I am a pure breed Cajun and proud of it, okra was never my favorite vegetable.

My Mama liked okra a lot and to me, this gumbo was a compromise that I could make with Mama where the okra was not the dominate ingredient.

My sisters also liked this gumbo,

especially when it was made with only shrimp and the crabs were left out.

On that subject, the above gumbo can be made with just shrimp, with

just crabs or it can be made with both as described above.

When only using just shrimp, it would be best to increase the amount of shrimp used from 3 to

maybe 4-5 pounds.

Also, in the recipe, I allude to the possibility of using Dungeness crabs in this recipe.

My son lives and works in the Pacific Northwest near Seattle, Washington.

Once while visiting him, we made this recipe with Dungeness crabs, and it was wonderful [but not very Cajun].

If you live in that region, be adventuresome and try it.

As with file’, you can make many of the same gumbos that you make with a roux base along with okra but again, you must keep in mind the peculiarities of the use of okra and how it acts in the gumbo.

Remember that regardless of whether you use okra as the principal thickener or if you want to use roux as the thickener and simply want okra in your gumbo, the okra is going to thicken the gumbo somewhat, so you have to learn how to allow for it.

Courtesy photo

Author and certified Cajun Jim LaBove enjoys crabbing on Sabine Lake.

EMPOWERED PERSISTENCE

Pastor Dr. Janice Milo talks key to success in assisting her community

Sierra Kondos/Special to Greater Port Arthur The Magazine Empowerment Church Pastor Dr. Janice Milo holds her warehouse vision board, which is key to greater outreach in Port Arthur and beyond.

Dr. Janice Milo, pastor of Empowerment Church in Port Arthur, works daily to create a resiliency plan that focuses on providing relief services that range from career readiness training to disaster assistance.

She wants her dreams to turn into reality with the help of local partnerships.

“I believe in partnership,” Milo said. “I believe in networks and that we are stronger when we work together. An African Proverb I live by says, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ And I believe in that. So, my plan is to network with other churches and businesses for all future endeavors.”

Milo began the career readiness training to help low-income individuals build financial independence to rebuild their lives. To donate or volunteer, call Empowerment Church at 409-983-1771 or visit empowermentchurchpa.org.

“I’m contracted with two local organizations who have provided rental assistance for low-income people,” she said. “The individuals are offered a career choice, where they go to school for six weeks to six months to help bring sta-

bility in their lives, so that they won’t have to continue to depend on people, assisting them with their rent.”

Before they begin a career program, they must complete the three phases of the career readiness training.

“The three phases are self-discovery, self-determination and self-choice,” she said. “We begin to work with those individuals by looking at their lives, their strengths, their weaknesses and determine why they are where they are and why they have not been able to move forward.”

These phases are key in renewing their mindset before they get into school so they have a better chance at success, Milo said.

“We provide three sessions and work with them on resetting of their mind, their vision and their focus. Questions that the individual answers seem simple but are important to know about oneself,” she said. “When was it that I stopped dreaming? Why did I give up on my dreams? Once they kind of refocus, it helps them realize that you can get back on track, you can still do this, it’s not too late. And that’s beautiful.”

Milo crafted the sessions from a book called, “A Framework for Understand-

Sierra Kondos/Special to Greater Port Arthur The Magazine The area behind Dr. Janice Milo is the planned location for a warehouse to augment the efforts of Empowerment Church in Port Arthur.

HAYES REAL ESTATE

ing Poverty” by Judy Payne, which explains the different types of poverty and how one would overcome it.

The book helps everyone understand situational and generational poverty.

Situational poverty is when there’s a divorce, someone loses their job or there is sickness in the family.

Generational poverty encompasses how the grandparents lived in poverty, then the parents and now them. Their mindset is stuck in survival mode, and they do not dream or have a vision of their future.

These types of people respond in anger and tend to be aggressive or do not trust the system. It feels like no one cares for them, she said.

“They really feel that people don’t care, and they don’t have a support system,” Milo said. “They don’t have anyone that they can pick up the phone and talk to without feeling like they’re being judged. They don’t have anyone they can be transparent with and feel like that person understands or will have compassion or empathy towards them.”

Before becoming a pastor, Milo was a struggling, single mother trying to make ends meet.

She now has a great husband who is wonderful to her and takes good care of the family.

“I was a single parent for many years, and I understand the struggle, understand the hurt and the pain,” she said. “I understand what it’s like when you feed your children and there’s not enough food left in the pot for you. Then you eat what they left on their plates. And God fills you up on that. I understand what it’s like when you must have a roof over their heads, put clothes on their backs, food in their mouths, pay the utilities and then you don’t have enough, and something must go without being paid so the kids can eat.”

She knows what it’s like not to have a transportation.

“While you walk your children to school or

walking to get where you must go with your children and people are passing by in their vehicles and they’re looking at you, but no one offers you a ride,” she said. “I understand that feeling of being heartbroken; like no one cares. You’re in this world all by yourself and it feels like you’re drowning. You’re looking for life support and there’s nothing. And so, I have a heart for those hurting people. I have a heart for single parents. I know struggle and want to be the change. I want to create resources for those who are hurting and need a hand.”

The Bible states that Jesus had compassion and there is nothing we do not go through that He did not go through, she said.

Milo’s current endeavor is to build a warehouse behind the church.

“We already have a food pantry located inside the church to pass out food twice a month,” she said. “That was a dream that took a decade to see come to fruition and I know the warehouse construction will be made a reality in God’s timing. Networking with other businesses or receiving donations would be welcome.”

The warehouse will be used as a temporary shelter during hurricanes and provide short-term and long-term needs to those who impacted by the storms.

“Short-term, we need box fans to distribute to

senior citizens,” she said. “A lot of senior citizens, even though they have air conditioning, are not using their air conditioning because it runs up their electric bill. And so, they’ll sit in the heat or they’ll use a fan. So, we want to make sure that if we have senior citizens in need of a fan, they get it.

“Long-term, we need recovery phase building supplies like lumber, drywall, hammers and nails. We’re even providing emergency financial support for prescription drugs, clothing, food and what we have in our food pantry. But if it’s something that exceeds that, if we must go out and buy water, and things like that, we want to be able to have the resources.”

The last part of the resiliency hub are volunteers to coordinate and manage the aspects of the program.

From cleanup crew to distribution of goods, organizers need a strong group of people who will come when they are needed.

“We are God’s ambassadors, and we are meant to represent Him in the marketplace,” Milo said. “Jesus visited the Synagogue; he was not there all the time. He was in the marketplace where the people were, where he knew they needed him. And that is where I will be.”

— Written by Sierra Kondos

Pleasure Island’s newest birding hot spot

Crave a little quiet time with nature?

Pleasure Island’s latest attraction is a new bird blind attracting novice and expert birders, as well as the birds themselves.

The blind overlooks a pond on the former Palms at Pleasure Island Golf Course. The wooden structure sits on the water and creates a secluded place for people sit by the water and enjoy birds who come to flit and feed. Sit secluded and keep an eye out for herons, alligators, turtles and local and migratory birds. Make sure to bring your binoculars. And maybe a lunch for yourselves. When mulberries are in season, that’s what the birds will be having.

Who’s Out There?

A Great Blue Heron seems to love it out there. Some other birds that might keep it company are the long-legged Great Egret and Tri Colored Heron.

Look for Anhinga, Pie-billed Grebe, Neotropic Cormorant and Green Heron.

Spring and Fall migration are especially busy in Port

Songbirds who may be hanging out include Common Yellowthroat, Carolina Chickadee and Carolina Wren.

• Whereabouts? Find the blind on the north end of the Island from the base of the famous Pleasure Island water tower painted to look like a golf ball.

Park there and look for directional signs. Look for the water tower from the 4-way stop at the corner of T.B. Ellison Parkway and Pleasure Pier Boulevard.

The Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau knows birders come from all over to enjoy Sea Rim State Park and Sabine Woods as well as Pleasure Island.

The bureau enlisted support from Golden Triangle Audubon Society members in selecting a bird-friendly spot for this blind and also worked with the Pleasure Island.

Arthur.

Commission director George Davis.

Pleasure Island Commission received a Jefferson County Hotel Occupancy grant which funded this project in part for all to enjoy.

WHEN YOU GO:

Find walking trails, covered bird blind, two benches and trash bins.

While on the island, enjoy Port of Port Arthur views, a boardwalk along Sabine Lake banks and views of the Port Arthur Yacht Club.

The Saltwater Angler’s League of Texas – Sabine Chapter has a clubhouse

on the island and members will gladly share tales of trout, redfish and flounder caught from Sabine Lake. Be prepared: Around the blind, the mosquito population can be high, especially in wet years. Wear repellent.

Be on the lookout for alligators on the banks and in the ponds.

The Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau is the official destination marketing 0rganization for Port Arthur. For more information on Cajun hospitality, hotels, good eating and bird-friendly practices, visit visitportarthurtx.com

Greater THE SCENE Port Arthur

Port A rthur turns 125

1. Dwight Wagner sings

2. Bob Morgan, speaks with Mayor Thurman Bartie

3. Gary Vincent showed his Port Arthur pride

4. Gloria Sanchez, standing, laughs while speaking with Luz Buentello, left, Elyria Mitchell and Thomasene Thomas during the city’s 125th birthday celebration at Popeye Holmes Park

Port Arthur’s Quasquincentennial Committee and supporters held the city’s birthday party at Popeye Holmes Park on the grounds of the sub-courthouse.

5. Midge and Albert Jacobs enjoy the fun

6. Joyce and Jerome Melonson drove in from Liberty

7. Sandra Conner with Amora Jones and Jannah Jones

With more than 20,000 square feet of divisible space and over 1,200 square feet of smaller meeting rooms, the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center brings it all together for you. Our centrally located facility o ers quality service, free parking and a professional sta to help make your event a success – all this in a clean and bright atmosphere at a ordable rates.

If you’re looking for a smaller venue, the Museum of the Gulf Coast, Pompeiian Villa or a newly refreshed, upscale restaurant like The Pompano are great options for an intimate group to enjoy fellowship, food and live music.

Port Arthur continues to bring business to SETX. Whether your event is related to sports, social, the military, family or class reunions, religious, corporate or associations, our o ce can help you strategically plan and promote your event in order to increase success and attendance. Our free personalized servicing plan is sure to add a little lagniappe to any event!

TIME HAS COME

Darragh Castillo Destination Manager darragh@portarthurtexas.com

Tammy Kotzur Executive Director tammy@portarthurtexas.com

Callie Summerlin Marketing Director callie@portarthurtexas.com