By Linda Elissalde,
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas when Santa Claus landed at The Big Store (aka Gulf Coast Market). All the elves were at the ready when Santa took his place in effervescent Santa Land. Numerous boys, and girls and young hearted adults, directed by elf Kathy Dodds, lined up to whisper in Santa’s ear. Talented head elf

By Sherry Morgan
United Methodist Women of Bay Vue have been busy making blankets and quilts to donate to UTMB-Jennie Sealy Hospital in Galveston. Three of Santa’s elves made the delivery on Monday to Carol Arvie-Gooden and Mary Moody of the hospital’s Department of Volunteer Services. The inspiration

The Texas Gulf Coast was a winter wonderland last week. A good amount of snow – actual snow – fell on the peninsula and most of the state. And it lasted long enough for many photos to be taken and shared across the globe, and even a few snowmen formed in yards around town. They may have been a mixture of snow and sand, but snowmen they were. Too bad the snow didn’t last very long. As is typical

Galveston County Commissioner Darrell Apffel, along with fellow Commissioner Stephen Holmes and numerous County officials cut the ribbon to open the new emergency shelter in High Island. The shelter is at one of the highest elevations along the Gulf coast, a 9,500 square foot facility, and will withstand over 175 mph winds. The building has been constructed with 55 foot concrete piles,

The Bolivar Peninsula Lions Club kicked off the holiday season with their annual Golf Tournament on Saturday. “Swinging for Santa” benefits local families for Christmas, helping put smiles on children’s faces this holiday season. Forty golfers teed it up at The Ranch, Wallis Smith Community Golf Course, playing for prize money and bragging rights, of course. Many generous sponsors

The Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce held Board of Director elections last Tuesday night during the general membership meeting at Coconuts. There were eight candidates vying for four open positions. Chamber President Brenda Flanagan opened the meeting by welcoming everyone in attendance and allowing each of the candidates to give a short speech. Ballots were passed out

State Representative Wayne Faircloth held a grand opening of his Crystal Beach office on Saturday with a meet and greet and ribbon cutting. The new office is in the Bolivar Tourism facility, located in the Crystal Beach Plaza. Bolivar homeowner Bill Varner introduced Faircloth with a warm welcome, and said this office is “a place where we as Bolivar citizens can come and not only tell him our

The Driftwood 6th Annual Charity Gumbo Cookoff was another tasty success on Saturday as they set out to raise money for charity. Jackie and Brian Sticker hosted as six gumbo teams competed. The teams began cooking soon after sunrise on Saturday morning under the two categories of seafood and chicken-and-sausage. As the aroma filled the air, the party started. Throughout the morning,

Keep Bolivar Beautiful is at it again. KBB took on a huge task on Saturday at West Frenchtown Road Trash Cleanup. W. Frenchtown Road is near the ferry landing and has been a very popular fishing spot for many years. And because of its remote location, it has also been a popular trash dumping spot. The area was littered with discarded furniture, mattresses, and all types of household junk. In addition

Harvey moved out, and the Rig Run moved back in. The 3rd Annual Bolivar Rig Run took place on Saturday, September 30th following its originally scheduled date of Labor Day weekend. Fortunately, the organizers were able to reschedule to ensure better water conditions and enough boats for a good turnout after recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Hosted by the Bolivar Yacht Club and organized by

A fun and friendly golf competition was held on Saturday. For the 4th year in a row, the East Texas Outlaws from Lufkin played the Crystal Beach Golfers in a Ryder Cup type competition at the Crystal Beach Golf Course, aka The Ranch. Six 2-person teams played 3 nine-hole rounds of match-play golf under different formats: par three scramble, full course shamble, and a 3-club only

Dr Seuss once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” And it only takes one devoted person to put a plan in motion. Charlotte Stirling spearheaded a pilot recycling program here on Bolivar. She reached out to friend, Casey Winslow, a Beaumont resident and Bolivar homeowner, to be a part of a group of dedicated recycling advocates. They are

Somehow Hurricane Harvey missed the memo. Fortunately, Bolivar was spared any significant damage from the most recent hurricane. But the devastation caused by Harvey is still wreaking havoc on our neighbors. Houston will continue to work on the recovery efforts and rebuilding from all the damage that is still breaking apart the great metropolis. And even closer to home, our neighbors to the east are

The Bolivar Peninsula Lions Club Poker Run gets bigger every year, and so does the donation to the Bolivar schools. The final tally from the Golf Cart Poker Run held earlier this month broke all records. Over 700 poker players and 275 golf carts participated in this charity event raising money for Crenshaw and High Island schools. On Monday, BPLC presented a check to Crenshaw School in the

Look out for great things to come from Jeeps At The Beach TX (JATB). JATB, a new jeep club in town, has adopted part of the beach from Monkhouse Drive to Westview Road. A large group of jeepers showed up last Saturday for the unveiling of the new sign and their inaugural beach cleanup. Michele Sibley is the President of JATB – “It really is amazing to see Jeepers coming together for a

The 5th Annual Lions Club Golf Cart Poker Run on Saturday had a record breaking turnout with over 630 entries to try their hand at Poker by Golf Cart. The gamblers piled into 275 golf carts, and many were elaborately decorated in hopes of winning one of the Best Decorated trophies. Starting at Coconuts/Bamboo Beach Bar, players signed in to receive a t-shirt, the rules, and draw their first card…

Strolling along the beach and you come upon a peculiar item. It’s not a native to the ocean, but it sure has been living there a while. Where did it come from originally? That is the interesting question. Turns out, it’s a bale of marijuana and it washed ashore in Crystal Beach on Monday afternoon. Nora Cortino found it as she walked the shoreline and after opening the peeling edge, she could tell it was a

County Commissioner Darrell Apffel hosted a community meeting on Wednesday to update Bolivar residents regarding the project to elevate Highway 87 between Rollover Pass and the High Island curve, a critical evacuation route in the event of a storm. Commissioner Apffel invited representatives from TxDOT to present the project plan and answer any questions. Present were Jamal Elahi, Galveston Area Engineer;

A happy crowd turned out for the Grand Opening of Fun Town water park on Saturday. After the 11 am ribbon cutting ceremony, all visitors were treated to free admission into the newly remodeled water park. The fresh paint and new equipment give the place a warm and inviting look. Harold LeBlanc and his wife spent over a year remodeling and upgrading the facility. Fun Town features

Last Thursday was closing night for the spring season of baseball at the Peninsula Sports Park. Looking back, the season was off to a smashing start on April 1st after many months of hard work and dedication from community involvement to bring baseball back to Bolivar. Over 30 games were played this season, from T-ball and pitch ball, to the hilarious match on opening day between the

The Houston Audubon Society is working with other groups to create the Bolivar Peninsula Nature Trail, a nature-based conservation, education and economic development initiative that connects 13 world-class sites on the Bolivar Peninsula. By drawing specific sites together under one symbolic trail, residents and partners hope to enhance visitors’ access and experiences as they explore some of the

The Guys did it again…the colorful canopies were packed, the crawfish was boiling, the games were booming, and the crowds were having a great time! The 15th Annual Five Guys Party was a success again this year. The huge shin-dig is held every year on the weekend after Mother’s Day at Mickey Nelson’s house in Driftwood Subdivision. Crawfish and BBQ was provided as all the party-goers brought