Community Bulletin Board and Church Briefs

AARP income tax assistance available Feb. 1

The AARP Tax Filing Assistance Program will be offered starting at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 at the Orange Public Library. Trained volunteers will be available from 12:15 to 4 p.m. Every Wednesday and Friday through April 15, 2013.

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.

Red Hot Flashers to meet Jan. 17

The Red Hot Flashers of the Red Hat Society will meet at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 in the garden area of Walmart to carpool to LeBergue Casino in Lake Charles.

Ladies will carpool.

Birthday ladies are: Lady Cha Cha, Marcie Baca and Patty McKinley.

Please do not bring door prizes.

A discussion will be held on how to celebrate winning first place in the Shangri La Christmas Tree contests for organizations.

All ladies are welcome.

For information call 883-1609.

Lutcher Theater Service Guild to meet Jan. 17

The Lutcher Theater Service Guild will hold a general meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 on the third floor lobby of the theater. The theater is located at 707 Main Ave. in Orange.

BCLL holding spring registration

Bridge City Little League will be holding spring registration for kids to play baseball, softball, and challenge ball from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19 and 26 at the Bridge City Community Center, located at 105 Parkside Drive in Bridge City. Fees are discounted for children registered on or before Jan. 19, 2013.

As always, challenge players play for free. Please bring child’s birth certificate and a utility bill for proof of residence if first time playing at BCLL. Further information can be obtained at http://www.bcll.org or by emailing us at [email protected].

Like us on Facebook for the latest updates as well. All children ages 4-16 are welcome to register regardless of financial status.

Cormier Museum to open Jan. 19

The Orangefield Cormier Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 19. The museum is located on Highway 105 in Orangefield, next to the Orangefield High School.

Orange Chapter of DAR to Meet

The William Diamond Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution of Orange will have their monthly meeting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, at 193 Glynn Street in Bridge City. The program will be “Show and Tell of Vintage Kitchen Utensils.”

All members and guests are encouraged to bring a vintage kitchen item to share. Any woman eighteen years of age or older who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of The American Revolution is eligible for membership. Anyone who is interested in becoming a member is encouraged to attend. If more information is needed, the Chapter Regent may be contacted at 409-735-5253.

LCM HS to host financial planning meeting

Little Cypress-Mauriceville CISD High School will hold a college financial aid planning meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24 in the library lecture room. Parents of seniors are invited to attend in order to receive valuable information about grant and loan opportunities, as well as the financial aid application process. For additional information, contact Jeanna Childress at 409-886-5821, extension 1750.

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 are as will be held Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12, and 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.

6th Annual Glenn Pearson Alumni Basketball Game

The sixth annual Bridge City High School Glenn Pearson Alumni Basketball Game Saturday, Feb. 2. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m.

All interested players are to e-mail Coach Knight at [email protected] ASAP to reserve a spot. The only participation requirement is that you must have played Varsity basketball at and graduated from Bridge City High School.

Interested players should include in the e-mail the year they graduated, the coach they played for and their jersey number.

Mardi Gras Parade set for Feb. 2

The Krewe of Krewe’s Mardi Gras Parade is set for Saturday, Feb. 2 in Historical Downtown Orange. Those wishing to participate and have a float in the parade can pick up an application at the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce or email Lacey at [email protected].

Entry fees will cost $100 and the applications must be turned in by Wednesday, Jan. 23. A mandatory drivers meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.

For questions or more information, please call the chamber office at 409-883-3536.

OC Parks Dept. to release trout

Orange County Parks Department announces the trout release at Claiborne West Park on Thursday Feb. 7, 2013. Five hundred trout will be released. Park hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. A fishing license and stamp are required. For more information call 409-745-2255.

Eagles offers 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.

The Eagles will host a dance from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, Jan. 19. Entertainment will be provided by Three Legged Dawn. The cover charge is $5. For more information call Sharon Bodin at 409-729-7793

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 Fraternal Order of Eagles will have tables ready to play 31 on Saturdays from 4 p.m. until closing. Enjoy happy hour 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.

As always our community is invited to come meet our members and enjoy our facility.

The 63’ X 39’ hall is available for rent. The hall is suitable for all occasions, with an occupancy of 200. The amenities include a band stand, nice dance floor, tables, chairs, large kitchen, wet bar, pool table, and a large parking lot. A bartender and waitress will be provided as needed. The Fraternal Order of Eagles has an excellent location, one block off MacArthur Drive.

The Texas Fraternal Order of Eagles selects a charity each year as State Project. The “Battered Women’s Foundation” has been selected.

The Orange Fraternal Order Eagles holds a yearly “charity fair” to assist in raising money for this worthy project. The date for the current state project charity fair has been set for April 27, 2013. The charity fair will be held at The Fraternal Order of Eagles located at 803 N. 28th St., Orange, Texas. This will be the largest activity to raise funds while smaller fund raisers are being held to help our organization with this worthwhile charity.

Our community and surrounding communities will be kept informed to enjoy dances and other events as scheduled.

For more information on The Battered Women’s Foundation, (BWF), call 1 (817) 284-8464, E-Mail: [email protected] or website: http://www.bwf1.com.

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

American Legion Club Room now open

The American Legion Club Room, located at 108 Green Ave. in Orange will be open at noon, Monday through Sunday, on a trial basis. The American Legion Post 49 is revised their hours to be serve their members and guest. For this venture to be successful, the American Legion is asking for the support and patronage of the community.

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 meets

An Alcoholics Anonymous meeting is held each Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Mauriceville at the United Methodist Church on Highway 12. 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.

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.

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.

Sixth Street Community Church to January events

The Sixth Street-Community Church revival, hosted by the Brotherhood Department, will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16 and Thursday, Jan 17. The speaker for the “Some Things Come by Fasting and Praying” revival will be District Missionary Beulah Singletary Jones of the Jasper District. The inspiration speaker will be Missionary Debbie Thomas.

The church will host a prayer shut in at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18.

The church will have their Sunday services at 11:15 a.m., with Sunday School starting at 10 a.m. YPWW will begin at 5 p.m. and Bible Band will be Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Thirsty Thursdays will be held at 8 p.m. every Thursday.

The church is located at 1619 6th Street in Orange. For more information, please use the free telephone number: 213-226-0400 and the pin number is 886682.

The community is invited to attend and be blessed.

Salem UMC to host gospel fest

Salem United Methodist Chuch 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.

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.