Temporary Museum of the Gulf Coast exhibit shows how a children’s book, “Roscoe and the Pelican Rescue,” comes together from sketches to finished product. Author and illustrator Lynne Rowe Reed’s 2011 book was inspired by events related to the Deep Horizon oil spill.
Calendar of Events
June 2, 2012
Lotus Garden & Bamboo Festival
The Buu Mon Buddhist Temple & Lotus Gardens of Port Arthur, Texas, will present it’s annual Lotus Festival this year
from June 2-3, 2012. The event is a celebration of life, where guests may enjoy four gardens that are home to more than 30 varieties of lotus flowers, 20 varieties of hardy and tropical water lilies and 30 types of bamboo.
A variety of food will be available along with unique crafts and souvenirs. Plants will be for sale.
Festival Details:
Location: 2701 Procter Street, Port Arthur, Texas 77640
Link to Buu Mon Temple’s website
June 8, 2012
Zachary Breaux Jazz Festival
The 4th Annual Zachary Breaux Jazz Festival will honor Breaux, who has been hailed as a musician ahead of his time. Breaux grew up in Port Arthur and died as he attempted to save someone from drowning.
At the festival, music lovers gather in downtown Port Arthur to hear a variety of local and regional acts.
Doris Hays, (409) 982-8394 or (409) 985-9977, Zachary Breaux Jazz Festival
June 9, 2012
Zombie Voodoo Fest 2012
This horror film fest will include battle of the bands, zombie run & tag, Hot Zombie beauty contest, “Thriller” dance party, food and beverages and entertainment for children. Events will be from 10 a.m to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10 on Pleasure Island. Event will support International Children’s Art Network. www.ZombieVoodooFest.com
June 19, 2012
Juneteenth Celebration
June 19, or Juneteenth, is the date that enslaved people in Texas learned slaves had been freed a long time before. Celebrations in Port Arthur have included a parade in downtown Port Arthur, church events and music. Gail Pellum is a contact:
Juneteenth Celebration, 409-332-9105
June 30, 2012
Southern Summer Night, previously Cayman Night in Port Arthur
Trout Fishing in America will perform at this event which has traditionally honored the many Caymanians who have made their home in Port Arthur. Port Arthur has a sister city relationship with islanders. Greater Port Arthur Chamber of Commerce and Port Arthur International Seafarers Center benefit.
July 4, 2012
Independence Day Celebration
A blast of fireworks and entertainment that often includes a whistler, bag pipe player, singers, barbershop quartet music and excerpts from local theater productions are part of Port Arthur’s Independence Day Celebration. A Veterans of Foreign Wars group posts colors at the celebration, which typically begins a little after 7 p.m. at the Carl A. Parker Multipurpose Center on the Lamar State College-Port Arthur campus, 1800 Lakeshore Drive.
July 4th on Lakeshore concludes with fireworks at 9 p.m. that explode over the Intracoastal Waterway. Bring a chair or blanket for the viewing.
Donna Schion, (409) 984-6101, Lamar Port Arthur
September 8, 2012
Mexican Fiesta
The Mexican Heritage Society of Port Arthur presents the annual Mexican Fiesta tin September to celebrate Mexican Independence from Spain. All cultures are invited to the colorful affair at the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center that includes a pageant, pinata party for children, food booths and folkloric dancing.
Young dancers dress in authentic costumes representing states of Mexico.
Mexican Fiesta, Tony Ramirez, (409) 724-6134 or (409) 504-3791
Battle of Sabine Pass (Dick Dowling Days)
Battle of Sabine Pass 2011 
on You Tube:
See additional Battle and Fiesta photos on Flicker.
Dick Dowling’s men always win in Sabine Pass at the Battle of Sabine Pass Civil War re-enactment.
Dressed in Southern gray wool or Yankee blue while dodging cannon fire, participants re-create how Dick Dowling’s small band of men bested a rush of gunboats in 1863. Women in homespun skirts and bonnets tend camps where visitors to Sabine Pass Battlegrounds can experience how soldiers cleaned weapons with coffee grounds or relaxed in the sea breeze. The two-day event has included a court martial by the Dick Dowling Camp 1295 and Friends of Sabine Pass Battleground.
Battlegrounds, a few miles down from Sea Rim State Park, are open for tourists to take in history and a statue of Dick Dowling. Tentative 2012 dates are Sept. 8-9.
For more information on Port Arthur, Texas attractions, including Sea Rim State Park and Museum of the Gulf Coast, and the Great Texas Birding Trail, visit www.visitportarthurtx.com
September 15, 2012
Texas Pecan Festival Pageant
The Texas Pecan Festival Pageant features Groves youth from ages 3 to high school competing the Saturday before the Texas Pecan Festival.
The festival is set in September to celebrate the abundance of pecan trees planted in Groves and their forthcoming crop. Events at Lions Park typically include a pie eating contest, Cooking with Pecans contest, stick horse races, a pet show, a Twister contest and horseshoe and golf tournaments as well as a treasure hunt, carnival and live entertainment.
The Groves Chamber of Commerce & Tourist Center sponsors the event with free admission and parking. Visit www.texaspecanfestival for details on the event, at the corner of Lincoln and Jackson streets. For more information, call Ronnie Boneau, Groves Chamber of Commerce, 409-962-3631