A special thanks to a group from Dallas. You guys were great. This group traveled from Dallas to go fishing on one of the local fishing charters. The group on the boat caught about 130 fish. The catch was made up of a combination of sharks and red snapper.
Taken from San Antonio Express News. Written by Jessica Belasco, December 2, 2006.
There are plenty of reasons to head to the beach during the winter months.
The hotel rates are cheaper. The restaurants are less crowded.
And then, of course, there’s the shopping.
Never thought of doing your holiday shopping in Port Aransas? Well, why not? You can skip the packed malls and find original, often unique gifts, and have yourself a merry little vacation at the same time.
Those mammoth surf shops hawking T-shirts, souvenir seashells and boogie boards may dominate the main drag of Alister Street, but as Port Aransas and Mustang Island have undergone increasing development over the last few years, the shopping opportunities have grown as well. Savvy merchants have responded to the influx of tourists who bring their considerable disposable income to this tiny gulf community by opening specialty boutiques and gift shops.
And they’re not all concentrated in the nexus of Alister Street and Avenue G.
For more information on shopping check out the article in the San Antonio Express News or go to the Port Aranansas Chamber of Commerce at www.portaransas.org.
Birthday girl asks for gifts to benefit holiday toy drive
BY DAN PARKER SOUTH JETTY REPORTER
|
Guests won’t bring gifts for Gabriella Hanmore when she has her eighth birthday party tomorrow, Nov. 30, at Port A Pizzeria.
And that’s the way Gabriella wants it.
The H.G. Olsen Elementary School second grader has handed out written invitations to more than 60 Port Aransas children to bring gifts only so that she may pass them on as donations to the 10th annual Port Aransas Emergency Services Toy Round Up, a program that helps lower income families in Port Aransas provide Christmas toys for their children.
Gabriella is the daughter of Erol and Laurie Hanmore. Laurie Hanmore said she and her daughter were watching a local television news segment about a Corpus Christi toy drive when Gabriella suddenly had an idea.
“She just started talking about her birthday party and how she has so many toys and doesn’t need so many,” Hanmore said. “We talked about it, and she just wants to give her birthday presents to (the Toy Round Up),” Hanmore said.
“I feel sorry for those kids who don’t have very much,” Gabriella told the South Jetty.
(By the way, the Hanmores did not contact the South Jetty about their plans. A South Jetty reporter asked the Hanmores for an interview after hearing about Gabriella’s planned party from a Hanmore family friend.)
Hanmore wasn’t completely shocked by her daughter’s decision to forgo gifts. She said she almost has gotten used to Gabriella’s unusual maturity and kind-heartedness.
“She blows me away all the time,” Hanmore said. “I was touched (by Gabriella’s decision). I want to do whatever I can to help her.”
Gabriella formally has handed out written invitations to her entire second-grade class (about 40 students), her karate class (10 kids) and ballet class (10 dancers). In addition, Gabriella’s mother said anyone who reads this article should feel free to stop by Port A Pizzeria during the party, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., drop off a toy and have some pizza.
Toys should be in their original containers and not gift wrapped, according to guidelines issued by the Port Aransas Emergency Services Toy Round Up. Hanmore said she will drop the toys with Port Aransas Emergency Services after the party.
Debbie Bridges, manager at Port A Pizzeria, said her restaurant is glad to be a part of the party and charity effort. Bridges’ own daughter got one of the invitations.
“When I read that invitation, I was really surprised,” Bridges said. “Just to see such a young girl make that kind of decision and be so unselfish, to give up all the presents and everything, I was like, wow!”
Go Deep or Don’t Go At All November 10, 2007
Plantation Suites / Bass Pro Deep Sea Fishing Adventure for November was a huge success. 34 fishermen, including 3 children, caught a lot of fish. Some of the fish caught on this trip included a spotted eel, a strawberry grouper and 54 sharks. The sun was shining, the water was a little rough, but everyone said they had a good time.
Prizes were awarded after the guests enjoyed a shrimp boil catered by Mark Admire from Little Joe’s Smoke’n Grill which is located here on the island.
A shark was the biggest fish caught and the prize was awarded to Michael Redfern. For the most fish caught, we had a tie between Phil Rainforth and Joe Rivera. Each angler caught 13 fish. Joe Rivera also won the prize for the first fish caught.
Door prizes were drawn and given to Duane Price, Nancy Ralter, Azenett Garza, Mike Cunningham, Bill Thomas, Virgil Bergman and Wallace Lemore. Plantation t-shirts were given to the three children that attended, Taylor and Kayla Redfern and Anna Sobey,
Bass Pro Shop and Plantation Suites hope all that participated had as much fun as the staff did hosting the event. We look forward to seeing old friends and new ones at our next event with Bass Pro which is scheduled for Friday, February 29 and Saturday March 1, 2008. Contact the hotel to reserve your spot for this fun filled event.
The 1877 Elissa, the Official Tall Ship of Texas, will accompany the Harvest Moon Regatta racers to Port Aransas next week where she will receive visitors for tours, then proceed to a berth in Corpus Christi where she will be open for school children tours and educational maritime exhibits. At the end of the week, Gov. Rick Perry will present a special proclamation to the Elissa.
Tours will be given Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27 and 28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for those under 18. Children under 6 will be admitted free.
As taken from the Port Aransas South Jetty.
Bayfest comes once a year to downtown Corpus Christi. This year Bayfest is Sept. 28-30. Bayfest will host over 30 bands this year including Roger Creager and Sammy Kershaw. For more information please visit www.bayfesttexas.com.
Each person that would like to go Deep Sea Fishing, now requires a fishing license. Texas Residents are $10 per day, Non-Residents are $15 per day. Fishing license can be purchased at many locations in Port Aransas including the local IGA Family Center.
Port A Beach CamPort Aransas missed out on the rain from Tropical Depression Erin. We have had blue skies and beautiful weather for 2 days now. Don’t miss out on your chance to come enjoy the beach based on predictions by the weather channel. Plantation Suites has rooms left for this weekend. Right now there are no predictions that we will recieve any of the weather from Hurricane Dean.
Have you ever dreamed of getting away for a few days just to relax and enjoy pleasant surroundings? Well I found the perfect place. It’s the Plantation Suites located in Port Aransas, Texas. Opening the door to our suite was much more than we planned to see. Having stayed at the beach before we expected the usual. Not so at this hotel. Everything was so clean, and convenient. A refrigerator, microwave and all the trimmings greeted us as we entered. Not only did I enjoy the heated pool and hot tub, but the complimentary breakfast with all the trimmings was fabulous. The convenience to the coast with shops and dining was a service the Plantation offered as well with smiles. So if you just need a special place to escape to for a few days or longer, give the Plantation a try. You won’t be sorry. I have already booked reservations for next weekend.
V. Currin-San Antonio
A Satisfied Guest
){kind=link}