GOOD NEWS | From The Examiner

Happy birthday to hometown horticulture

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center will be celebrating their 15th birthday on Saturday, March 11, commemorating the milestone by gifting the first 150 visitors a free plant to take home. 

“We can't think of a better reason to celebrate with our community and thank them for supporting us these last 15 years,” said Angie Mason, executive director of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. “Spring is a great time to enjoy our outdoor sanctuary and explore our grounds.”

Located at 2111 West Park Ave. in Orange, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is a 250-plus acre space open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.) Entrance to Shangri La Gardens is free of charge. For more information, call (409) 670-9113 or visit shangrilagardens.org.

Fire department hosting car show

The third annual Votaw-Thicket VFD Car Show is set for Saturday, March 11, at the fire station, 27917 FM 787 in Thicket.

There will be food, children's activities and more, starting at 10 a.m. For more information, call (409) 770-3559.

Music to thine ears

The McFaddin-Ward House invites the community to enjoy its beautiful grounds while enjoying live music at its free “Music at the McFaddin’s” events during SOAR, the museum’s month-long, butterfly-themed community celebration this March.

Friday, March 10, Music at the McFaddin’s will feature “Back Porch Friends,” a Southeast Texas acoustic dulcimer group preserving old tunes.

Gates open at 6 p.m. and music begins at 6:30 on the museum’s lawn at 1906 McFaddin Ave. in Beaumont. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, food and drinks as they gather on the historic home’s lawn to listen to varying tunes.

The event is free and open to the public.

In case of inclement weather, music at the McFaddin’s will be cancelled.

For more information, call (409) 832-2134.

Four tables built  at Sour Lake park

Sour Lake Lions members used teamwork to successfully construct four picnic tables at the Twin County Youth Baseball and Softball League’s Park. 

Lion Rhett Cody spearheaded the project and, with the help of Doug Bertrand, owner of Busy B’s Washateria and Ernie’s Hardware and General Merchandise, who donated lumber that was pre-cut according to diagram specifications, the pair worked together to enhance camaraderie while making a difference in the community.

Drill team brings home host of awards

The Lumberton High School Raiderettes drill team brought home a host of awards from the March 4 HTE Dance State Championships in Fort Worth.

As a group, the Raiderettes were named the Grand Champion Overall Officers and Grand Champion Overall Team, as well as the Large Division Overall Officer and Overall Team Champion. 

Also, they were crowned in the Officer Large Team Jazz Champion, Officer Large Team Lyrical Champion, Officer Large Team Pom Champion, Elite Large Team Jazz Champion, Large Team Field Champion, Large Team Novelty Champion and Large Team Pom Champion. They won Best in Class Award for Officer Jazz Champion.

Individually, Brinly Lewis was first in the 11-12 Grade Solo, Addison Kelly was first and Hannah McNeely third in the 9-10 Grade Solo, and Lewis and Paisley Danna were first in the 11-12 Grade Duet.

Free ballet performance for BISD families

The Beaumont Ballet Theatre will present free performances of Cinderella for all Beaumont ISD families. The performances are 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10, at the Julie Rogers Theatre, 765 Pearl St. in Beaumont.

H-J TAFE chapter shines at state competition

The Hardin-Jefferson High School chapter of the Texas Association of Future Educators participated in the 39th Annual Teach Tomorrow Summit, the TAFE state conference and competition, held at the Kalahari Convention Center in Round Rock on March 1-4.

Qualifying for national competition are Cordelia Acklin and Jaedyn McGalin in the Teacher Created Materials competition; Maggie Langham and Cassidy Nelson in the Interactive Bulletin Board Contest; and Addison Camille and Alexis Soileau in Interactive Bulletin Board.

Top five finishers were Katariena Erickson and Madilynne Coodey in the Professional Development State Competition; and Hailee Rice in the Impromptu Lesson competition.

Silver Certificate winners were Camille and Soileau in the Chapter Yearbook Contest; Bronze Certificate winners were Olevia Smith and McGalin in the Interactive Bulletin Board Contest.

State competitors were Leah Broussard, Jacob Fortenberry and Davveon Walker, Inside Our Schools Competition; Alexis Monsen, Job Interview Competition; and Abbigayle Rice, Exploring Non-Core Subject Teaching Careers Competition.

Student helpers were Laila Keys, Area 5 President, and Fernanda Perez, Area 5 Secretary.

The National Competition is June 29-July 2 at the National Educators Rising Conference in Orlando, Florida.

Putting pen to paper

Find time to write and meet other writers who are also looking to find time to write when Beaumont Community Players opens up its doors for the patently procrastinating parties for a part-workshop, part-networking group event that will meet every other week to encourage each other, hold each other accountable – and write!

This group is free to the public and will be co-facilitated by BCP staff and Brandon Greer, a writer and English instructor hailing from West Texas who graduated from Lubbock Christian University majoring in theatre in 2017 and graduated from Houston Baptist University with a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in 2021. Greer’s short stories include "Something Happened to the Food” and “Buffalo Gals,” and is also the writer, director, and star of the award-winning podcast Codename: Blank.

BCP is located at 4155 Laurel St. in Beaumont.