The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

AARP income tax assistance available

The AARP Tax Filing Assistance Program will be offered starting at 12:15 p.m. every Wednesday and Friday through April 15, 2013 at the Orange Public Library. Trained volunteers will be available from 12:15 to 4 p.m.

Anyone seeking assistance should bring the following:

All W-2 and 1099 Forms, including Social Security Benefits statements;

Records of Capital gains and losses;

Receipts of medical expenses, taxes paid, interest paid, contributions, causality and theft losses, job expenses, sales tax receipts for major purchases and Social Security cards for dependents;

A copy of their 2011 tax return to help the volunteers prepare the 2012 return.

Electronic filing will be available. No tax return will be started after 4 p.m.

BC Knights of Columbus to offer fish dinners

Bridge City Knights of Columbus will offer fish dinners (fried catfish, cole slaw, hush puppies, fries) through Friday March 22. Serving between 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. $8 per plate. Dine-in or takeout. Large order delivery is available call 735-5725.

AgriLife Extension to host gardening classes

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension of Orange County will the Green Thumb Series at St. Mary Catholic School from 6 to 8 p.m. Classes will be held Feb. 19. The topics will be: Sprouts, shoots, and Roots; Planning and Preparing your Garden Area; Structures for Planting Year Around; Container Gardening, and Herb Gardening. The cost will be $20 per person for this group of classes and covers all materials. Please call the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office at 409-882-7010 to sign up for these classes.

OC Master Gardeners to meet Feb. 14

The monthly meeting of the Orange County Master Gardeners will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, at the Salvation Army building on the corner of MLK and Strickland in Orange. A pot luck supper will be held and the business meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. Door prizes will be drawn at the end of the meeting. Any one interested in gardening is welcome to attend. Their meetings are held the second Thursday of each month. For more information, please visit their website: http://txmg.org/orange.

Scottish Society of SETX to meet Feb. 14

The Scottish Society of Southeast Texas will meet on Thursday, Feb. 14 at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, located at 1350 N. 23rd at Gladys in Beaumont. A light covered dish supper will be served at 6:30 p.m. followed by the program/entertainment.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, there will be an evening of Celtic music performed by Andrew Bollich, as well as the Valentine custom and traditions practiced through the ages.

Anyone interested in Scotland, its history, culture and land as a tourist destination is invited to attend. For more information, please call 409-898-4986.

BCCC to host Mystery Dinner Theater

The Bridge City Chamber of Commerce will be holding their third annual Mystery Dinner Threater “READING AUNT LOUISE’S WILL”, Feb. 15 and 16.

On Feb. 15, tickets will cost $20 per person or $150 per table of 8, dinner and drinks will be served (no alcohol).

On Feb. 16, tickets will cost $40 per person or $300 per table of 8, and $50 to decorate table. Dinner, drinks and wine will be served (NO ONE UNDER 21 WILL BE ADMITTED).

Stop by the Bridge City Chamber office from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or call 735-5671 to reserve a table.

Valentine Dance At VFW

The Vinton Veterans of Foreign Wars is hosting a Valentine’s Dance on Saturday, Feb. 16, at the post home located at 2992 Hwy 109 S, a quarter mile north of the Longhorn, at exit 4 “Toomey-Starks” off Interstate 10. The dance will start at 8 p.m. and The Texas Pride Band will provide live music until midnight.

Cost is $10 per couple or $6 per person. The bar will be open to purchase snacks and all types of beverages. BYOB is also welcome and cost is $5 cover per bottle. Dress up or dress casual! Come and join us for a lovely evening with friends at the VFW! Any questions please call the VFW at 337-589-5832

Valentine Dance at The Fraternal Order of Eagles

Southern Roads will provide the entertainment from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Feb. 16th the Eagle’s Valentine dance. The admittance fee will be $5 per person. The Fraternal Order of Eagles is located at 803 N. 28th Street, Orange, Texas. For more information contact Sharon Bodin at 735-8662 or cell 729-7793.

Red Hot Flashers to meet Feb. 21

The Red Hot Flashers will meet on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Starvin Marvin’s in Beaumont. Those who want to go can but can’t get a ride are asking to call Better at 792-9244. They will leave Orange at 11 a.m. Birthday ladies are Betty Morgan and Helen Broussard.

BCYRA board election meeting to be held Feb. 21

The BCYRA will hold a board election meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 at the BCYRA Board Room, located at 201 Parkside Drive in Bridge City.

OC Relay for Life to hold monthly Team Captain meetings

The Orange County Relay for Life will holding monthly Team Captain meetings at the Lamar State College – Orange Wilson Building, Room 101.

Team captain meetings are scheduled for: Monday, Feb. 25, Monday, March 25 and Monday, April 22.

All Team Captain meetings are directed at planning for the Orange County Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, which will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., May 3 – 4, 2013 at Bridge City High School. This year’s theme is “A Little Bit of Texas, A Whole Lot of Hope.”

Individuals or teams interested in becoming involved with this event are invited to attend the meeting and register on-line at http://www.OrangeCountyRelay.org

Eagles offer activities, pool tournament and hall rental

The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 2523, located at 803 N. 28th St. in Orange is offering several classes, activities and fundraisers.

Free scrapbook classes are held at 4 p.m. each Tuesday. The community is invited.

Free genealogy classes are offered at 4 p.m. each Wednesday.

The Eagles will host a pool tournament every Friday beginning at 8 p.m. Prize money will given to first and second place winners. Food will be available.

The Eagles will have tables ready to play 31 on Saturdays from 4 p.m. until closing. Enjoy drink specials and meet our members.

The Eagles have new hours of operation. They will now be open on Monday’s at 4 p.m. The hours for the rest of the week remain the same.

Patrons will now enjoy free pool, free popcorn and drink specials Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during special hours.

For more information on any of the activities or rent the hall contact Sharon Bodin at 409-735-8662 or 409-719-7793.

Weight management classes offered

It’s not too late to join the weight management and diabetes prevention classes offered Wednesdays at Baptist Orange Hospital. The 16 week course that began Jan. 9 will continue through May 8. Afterwards there is a commitment to monthly support group classes for a year.

The cost is $5 per person per class. Scholarships are available.

Classes will educate adults to make healthier choices one day at a time. Look and feel better and learn nutrition for the prevention of diseases.

Call AgriLIFE extension office at 409-882-7010 to pre-register. Classes meet in the fifth floor classroom at the hospital.

Local AAUW to host book drive

The Orange Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is beginning their annual book drive to collect “gently used” books for their scholarship fund. All books, fiction, non-fiction, hardbound or paper back are acceptable. Books may be delivered to the Mann Insurance Agency located at 1505 Park Avenue at 15th Street during regular business hours. If unable to deliver the books, you may call 886-5739 or 886-2194 to arrange for pickup.

KOCB sells Litter Button banners

Keep Orange County Beautiful hopes to sell 50 banners to local businesses for $25 each promoting their “Litter Button” on their Website: http://www.kocb.org. Their hope is that each banner will generate 10 hits of the “Litter Button,” which would mean 500 litterers in the State of Texas would be notified by the Texas Department of Transportation of their illegal activity.

If you see someone littering, take down the time, date and place of the littering and the license plate of the vehicle. Report the activity by going to http://www.kocb.org and hit the litter button. Fill in the information which is then sent to TxDOT.

The offending litterer will be sent a letter reminding them it is illegal to litter in the State of Texas. They will also receive a litter bag for their car and a Don’t Mess With Texas sticker.

To purchase a banner, contact a member of KOCB or visit their Website.

Boy Scouts to host annual flag fundraiser

The Boy Scouts of Troop 62 is now accepting subscriptions for commemorative flag displays in and around North Orange (near Hwy. 87 and Meeks Drive) between IH-10 and South Teal Road. The 3’ by 5’ flags will be displayed on the five flag days of the year (Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Patriots Day [9/11] and Veterans Day). The flags will be displayed no later than 9 a.m. on the commemorative day, picked up before dusk and stored until the next flag day.

An initial $75 tax deductible donation ($50 for renewals) is required. Money orders and checks must be received 14 days prior to posting day in order to ensure timely service. All proceeds go to support Scout activities and programs throughout the year.

For subscriptions, contact Bubba Plexico, Troop 62 Scoutmaster, at 214-770-0568; or Chris Wright, Troop 62 Fundraising Chair, at 409-882-9972.

Mauriceville AA meetings cease

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings held each Thursday in Mauriceville at the United Methodist Church on Highway 12 will cease after this week. For more information call 409-670-6265.

Orange Community Band to meet every Thursday

The Orange Community Band rehearses every Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the National Guard Armory, located at 4103 Meeks Drive in Orange. They are in need of players for the following sections; flute, clarinet, saxophone, French horn, and percussion, but ALL are welcome! The band performs Christmas, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran’s Day concerts. At least one traditional band concert is performed annually. Please visit us on Facebook at Orange Community Band.

St. Mark’s to host Ash Wednesday Service

The families of St. Mark Lutheran Church cordially invites our community to attend a potluck meal and Ash Wednesday service, on Feb. 13. They will gather at 6 p.m. to enjoy the meal that we wish to share with all of you, followed by our evening worship service at 7 p.m. February 13th. The church is located at 945 W. Roundbunch Road in Bridge City.

First UMC of Orange church events

First United Methodist Church will host an Ash Wednesday Service which will be held in the Slade Chapel on Elm St. Between 5th and 6th Streets at noon and 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Lenten Soup will be served after the noon service and at 5 p.m. before the 6 p.m. service.

The First UMC Church will present “Love Never Dies,” a Valentine Dinner Theater event on Friday, Feb. 15 in the Praise Center. Dinner will be served by the Orange County United Methodist Men and some of the greatest love songs ever written will be performed by the cast. Tickets are $25. All profits will go toward the Mobile Medical Mission project of The Orange County UMM, the second such venture in recent years. Call 886-7466 for tickets and reservations.

Salem UMC to host gospel fest

Salem United Methodist Church will host the Best of the Best Gospel Fest at 6 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 16 at Joe Ware Plaza in Orange. Tickets will cost $15 and the meal is included. For more information or tickets call 409-883-2611.

LC Bapist Church to host Crisis Preparedness Expo

The Little Cypress Baptist Church will host e Crisis Preparedness Expo from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the church, located at 3274 Little Cypress Drive. They will have several guest speakers from the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Red Cross of Orange, etc. They will teach a CPR course and will teach participants how to can and preserve food for storage. Door prizes will also be given away. For more information, please call 409-883-8905

Faith UMC to host “Holy Workers” work day

Faith United Methodist Church, located at 8608 MLK, Jr. Dr, Orange, is hosting a “Holy Workers” work day from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Feb. 24.

Their worship service will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. There will be no Sunday School Classes that morning. Cleaning will begin at 10:30, followed by a luncheon at noon.

Volunteers are asked to please come to church in your work clothes. This should be a fun morning and we invite everyone to take part. Please note the time change if you are wanting to attend only our worship service, it is 9:30 a.m.

Financial Peace classes at Saint Francis Church

Saint Francis Church, located at 4300 Meeks Drive in Orange is hosting Financial Peace University (FPU) classes consisting of a nine week video based curriculum taught by financial expert Dave Ramsey. These Christian-based classes incorporate small group discussions that help encourage debt-free living, accountability, and discipleship.

These once per week classes are scheduled for nine weeks on Tuesday’s from 6:30 to 8 p.m. from Feb. 26 to April 30 with no meeting planned March 12 (Spring Break). To sign-up for these St. Francis hosted sessions, please use this unique website link http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/org/43141/class/222667. Total course costs are $89 (plus shipping cost) per couple to pay for workbooks and course fees. For additional information, please contact church coordinator, Pat Belcher, via cell at 409-670-8241 or email [email protected].

Starlight COGIC to host WIND Retreat

Registration is underway for WIND Retreat 2013, sponsored by the Women’s Dept.

of Starlight Church of God in Christ.

The Retreat is scheduled for April 12-14 at the Omni Houston West Hotel.

The theme is Joy! Psalms 16:11.

Special Guest include Pastor Elaine Benson of Houston; Evangelist Phyllis Thomas of Sacramento, Calif.

and Psalmist Linda Broussard from Starlight.

Registration includes two nights stay in a luxury hotel, two full meals, conference bag and material.

Registration fees: are Single $325 pp; Double $220 pp; Triple $185 pp; Quad $170 pp; and Teen Girls $99 (based on two adults in room).

A deposit of $75 is due by Friday, March 15 and the balance is due no later than Monday, April 1, 2013.

For more information call 409-886-4366.

Evangelist Josie Lindsey is Director of Women Ministries at Starlight.

First UMC to host MOPS

The local Mothers of Preschoolers group (affectionately known as MOPS) invites you to join them one Tuesday a month 9:30 a.m. to noon September through May in the First United Methodist Church Praise Center located on the corner of 5th and Pine.

MOPS is designed to nurture EVERY mother with children from infancy to kindergarten through guest speakers, mentor moments, creative activities, breakfast, discussion time, play groups and more.

Members come from all walks of life, but share one desire---to be great moms! You don’t have to be a Methodist, just a mom. Free childcare is provided during meetings. For more information and dates, please contact FUMC Orange at 409-886-7466 or find more information on the web at http://www.mops.org or http://www.fumcorange.org.

St. Paul UMC to sell cookbooks

St. Paul United Methodist Church is selling homegrown, local cookbooks. All of the recipes come from members. The cookbook has tried and true recipes. The cost is $20 and all proceeds go to our mission funds. Please call the church 735-5546 or come by from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and pick up a copy.