OCP Young Peoples’ Workshop registration June 7

Registration for Orange Community Players’ annual Young Peoples’ Theater Workshop will be from 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m., this coming Monday, June 7. Registration price is $25 per student.

Auditions for the Workshop’s production will begin at 6 p.m., Monday, immediatly following registration. Students should come prepared to audition by reading out of the script or with prepared music if wishing to audition musically.

This years Workshop is entitled “Lost in American Glee,” an entertaining spoof of the TV shows “Lost,” “American Idol,” and “Glee.” Students ages 6-18 are eligible to register and audition, but space is limited.

Students will learn from individual workshops about costuming, stage combat, stage makeup, and more, as well as take part in the production process. The workshop starts Tuesday, June 8 and will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, with graduating performances on July 8-11.

Any questions may be directed to [email protected].

LC-M TAKS tests

The exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test will be conducted at the Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School, 7327 N. Texas 87 beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the following dates:

• July 13 – English Language Arts.

• July 14 – Math.

• July 15 – Science.

• July 16 – Social Studies.

Individuals no longer enrolled in a Texas Public School and who wish to register to take the exit level TAKS Test may pick up a registration packet at the LC-M High School Counselor’s office or call Pearson Educational Measurement at 1-800-252-9186.

A student can register for the TAKS test online by accessing TEA’s Web site at http://www.texasassessment.com.

Completed registration forms must be received in Austin no later than 5 p.m.

June 11, Registration forms received after this deadline may not be processed.

The Texas Education Agency and NCS Pearson will not be responsible for registration forms delayed or lost in the mail.

To ensure that individuals are registered, forms should be sent by either registered mail or certified mail.

Questions concerning the exit level test should be directed to the Texas Education Agency, Student Assessment Division at (512) 463-9536.

Interested persons may call Jenna Childress at 886-5821, ext. 1750 for details.

LSC-PA classes begin June 7

Friday, June 4 is the final day of registration for Summer I at Lamar State College-Port Arthur.

The college offers a full range of academic and technical courses during its two summer terms, which start with Summer I on June 7.

“The short summer terms allow students to complete courses in just a few weeks, rather than several months, like in a long semester,” said Tom Neal, vice president for Student Services at the college. “Summer terms also can keep people on track for their graduation goals and reduce the number of hours they have to take in the fall or spring.”

Neal said the summer terms also can help recent high school graduates get a jump start on their college education by earning up to six credit hours in each summer session.

“High school co-enrollment students also can take courses at the college during the summer,” Neal said.

Summer II begins July 12. The 2010 Summer/Fall schedule is available in the Admission Advising Office and the Admission and Records Office on the third floor of the LSC-PA Student Center, at the Help Desk in the Student Center lobby of the Student Center, or on-line at: http://www.lamarpa.edu.

All students must be admitted to the college before registering for classes. Continuing students not subject to Texas Success Initiative test restrictions and students who passed all parts of the THEA or ASSET tests can register using their personal identification numbers. All other students must talk with an admission advisor prior to registering for classes. A PIN number also is required for online registration.

Students can add or drop classes through on-line registration after payment is made to the LSC-PA Business Office.

Students are encouraged to register early as lines could be long in the Admission Advising Office and the Admission and Records Office during the last days before classes start.

For information about admissions or registration, call the Admission Advising Office at 984-6186, 984-6183, 984-6184 or 984-6185. For information about financial aid, call the Financial Aid Office at 984-6203 or 984-6205.

OCP fundraiser

The Orange Community Players present the seventh annual “Broadway Fun For Funds,” an evening of song and dance from classic and current Broadway musicals, Thursday through Saturday, June 3-5, at the Orange Community Playhouse, 708 W. Division Ave. Proceeds from the annual fundraiser benefit the OCP building fund, a structure heavily damaged from hurricanes Rita and Ike. The historic building is in need of major repair and restoration.

Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served at 7 p.m., with curtain at 7:37. Desserts and coffee will be served at intermission. The cast of over 55, is directed by Brook Doss, assisted by choreographers John Gray, DeeDee Howell and Mandy Dowden. Tickets are $25. Reservations are required, and can be made by calling 882-9137.

LSC-PA business events

The Lamar State College-Port Arthur Small Business Development Center will present two free “Starting Your Own Business” workshops during April. SBDC consultant Conrad Cooper will lead the Tuesday, June 8, workshop from 6-9 p.m. at the LSC-PA Small Business Development Center, 1401 Procter St.

Cooper also will lead the Tuesday, June 22, workshop from 9 a.m.-noon at the Nederland Economic Development Commission office, 1903 Nederland Ave.

The free business start-up workshops cover business plans, funding, employees and taxes for first-time business owners. Attendance at one workshop is required prior to a new business owner’s first one-on-one meeting with a SBDC business consultant.

The SBDC offers individual consulting for small business owners at no charge. The center helps prospective business owners by providing financial analysis, loan preparation assistance and help in setting up a business plan Reservations are required for all SBDC events. For reservations, or more information, call 984-6531.

Democratic Party meeting

The Orange County Democratic Party’s regular meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 8, at K-Dan’s in Orangefield. This will be the last meeting before the state convention.

BC class of ‘65

Members of the Bridge City High School class of 1965 meet first Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. at Robert’s Restaurant in Orange. The next meeting is June 3. Class members and guests are welcome to join the informal gatherings. For more information, call (409) 963-4859, or Brenda, (409) 735-2918.

IRS grant applications

The Internal Revenue Service is accepting applications for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) grant programs, which will allow some organizations to apply for annual funding for up to three years.

Applications will be accepted through July 9. Previous grant recipients will have the option to apply for up to three years of annual funding, which would reduce the amount of paperwork they must complete over a three-year period. This annual funding will also help recipients with budget planning.

The 2011 application packages and guidelines will be available on the IRS Web site by June 1. More information about the TCE and VITA grants is available in Publication 4680, TCE and VITA Grant Programs.

The IRS in 2010 awarded 24 TCE grantees $6.1 million and 147 VITA grantees $7.44 million. Through mid May, the two grant programs filed more than 2.1 million returns at almost 9,000 sites nationwide.

The TCE program was established in 1978 to provide tax counseling and return preparation to persons age 60 or older and to give training and technical assistance to the volunteers who provide free federal income tax assistance within elderly communities across the nation.

The VITA Grant program was established in 2007 to supplement the VITA program, which was created in 1969. VITA provides underserved communities with free tax filing assistance. The grant program enables VITA to extend services to underserved populations in hardest-to-reach urban and non-urban areas, to increase the capacity of targeted taxpayers to file returns electronically, to enhance training of volunteers and to improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at VITA sites.

Around the World Buffet

St. Therese Catholic Church’s annual Around the World Buffet will be Saturday, June 12, at Joe Ware Plaza. For more information, call Hazel Johnson 883-3029 or 779-1957; or Freda Guillory, 886-1473 or 882-1768; or call the church at 883-3783.

Hartburg Baptist to host VBS

BAOBAB Blast vacation Bible school will be hosted by Hartburg Baptist Church for 4-year-olds through sixth grade. Classes with run 5-8 p.m., June 13-17.

The church is located near Deweyville at 2316 County Road 4181.

For more information or a ride call 746-2841 or e-mail [email protected].

Harvest Chapel hosts old time Gospel meeting

Join Troy Keathly and Pastor Ruth for an old time Gospel meeting with singing and preaching at Harvest Chapel in West Orange. Come as you are, Jesus will meet you, His blood will cleanse, heal the sick, mend the broken hearted and set the captives free.

Scheduled nightly at 6 p.m., the meeting will be held June 6-11 at Harvest Chapel, 1305 Irving St., West Orange.

For more information call 882-0862.

Farmers’ Market continues

The spring Farmers’ Market continues Saturday at the MacArthur Shopping Center in the Big Lot’s parking lot off MacArthur Drive in Pinehurst.

Starting at 7 a.m., the market will be open until all vendors have sold their produce. Items include squash, cucumbers, snap beans, eggs, jams and jellies and baked goods, and possibly banana peppers and tomatoes,” said Jean Fregia, one of the vendors organizing this season’s market.

Produce varies from week to week. There is no charge for vendors. The market will continue each Saturday until the crops are no longer available, probably sometime in mid-June or July, according to Fregia. The Texas AgriLife Extension Program again sponsors the event.

For more information, call Fregia at 745-4017 or 670-6121 or Jim Frazier at 276-1260.

VFW Auxiliary dues

The Ladies Auxiliary to Orange Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2775 is collecting early dues for the 2010-11 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

All dues will be taken to the state convention at the end of June and turned in during the annual Parade of Transmittals. Members are asked to mail their dues of $18 to Treasurer Patricia Kemp; 4700 London Circle; Orange, 77632. Make checks payable to LAVFW 2775 or Auxiliary 2775.

Discount food packages

McDonald Memorial Baptist Church will take orders for Angel Food Ministries on Wednesday, June 9, from 3-6 p.m. in the church office, corner of South and Broad Streets near Orange Lions’ City Park.

Distribution date is Saturday, June 26. A variety of food is available; beginning around $22. Cash or LoneStar cards are accepted.

For more information, call the church at 883-3974.

BC volleyball camp

Registration is being accepted for the 2010 Bridge City Volleyball Camp. Participants will learn fundamental and basic skills along with competition as individuals and teams. Camp begins June 28 and continues through July 1 for incoming fourth- , fifth- , sixth- and ninth-graders. Fourth- through sixth-graders are scheduled from 9-11:30 a.m., while ninth-graders attend 1-3 p.m. Incoming seventh and eighth graders will attend camp from 9 a.m.-noon, Aug. 16-18. All sessions will be held at the BC High School gymnasium.

Cost for the camp is $30 and includes a camp tee-shirt. Deadline to enter is Friday, June 4 (for guaranteed shirt). Make check payable to ‘Becca Peveto.

Applications can be found on TheRecordLive.com or at the school. Completed applications should be returned to ‘Becca Peveto, Bridge City High School, 2690 Texas Ave., Bridge City, 77611 or they may be turned in directly to Coach Peveto (Mathews) at the high school or Coach Garza at Bridge City Intermediate.

OF ‘60 reunion

The Orangefield High School Class of 1959 is invited to attend the reunion celebration of the class of 1960 during a 50th anniversary party on Saturday, June 12. For more information, call Beverly Campbell Brown (409) 920-5448; Joann Godeaux Bradley (409) 745-1521; Jerry Lunsford, 745-2057; Robbie Self McCabe, 745-1503; or Jean Carolyn Wolfe Dugas (409) 988-9031. Cut-off date is May 23.

Cormier Museum open June 12

The Paul Cormier Museum will be open from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-3 p.m., Saturday, June 12, in conjunction with the annual homecoming. The public is invited.

Video game course

Lamar State College-Port Arthur will offer a Video Game Design and Development course this summer for high school juniors and seniors and 2010 graduates interested in video gaming.

The program will be presented Monday through Friday, June 14-18. Students can attend in morning classes (9 a.m.-noon) or afternoon (1-4 p.m.).

Cost is $40. Registration and payment must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, June 9. For more information, or to register, call 984-6418.

Peltier fundraiser

A fundraiser for Debbie Peltier, former owner of Handle Bar West, is being organized. Peltier has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. The benefit will feature a golf tournament Saturday, June 26, at Terrell Park in Beaumont. Sponsors and players are needed.

Also, on Sunday, June 27, The West Bar and Grill, 6445 Calder Ave. in Beaumont, will host a day of live music, raffle and silent auction. Donations and sponsors are needed, along with prizes for the drawings and auction.

For more information, call 866-4733 or e-mail [email protected].

Discovery 2010 begins June 21

Lamar State College-Port Arthur will present its annual Discovery program June 21-25 for area students entering third, fourth, fifth or sixth grade in the fall.

Discovery 2010 is a week of hands-on enrichment courses on topics ranging from clay sculpting to computers and music to Spanish. Classes meet from 1-4:30 p.m. daily with students attending two classes. Each class is kept to a maximum of 15 students and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

The cost of the program is $100, which includes all supplies, a T-shirt and a drink each day. The instructors are Lamar State faculty and staff members, teachers from area school districts and community members with expertise in the topics being presented.

The Game Programming class studies simple game program that can be played on computers. The Body Tours class will study the fundamentals of anatomy by dissecting worms and other animals.

Other classes offered this year include “A Taste of Music,” “Art,” “Clay Sculpting,” “Computer Animation,” “Computer Graphics,” “Junior Chefs,” “Science Explorers,” “Scrapbooks and Stamping,” “Spanish” and “Woodcrafters.”

Discovery 2010 also will feature classes such as “Models Inc.” where students study manners and self-improvements, and Publishing Wizards, a class in which students study the history of their last name and create a book about their name.

Businesses and organizations in the area contribute to the success of the Discovery program by donating money to provide scholarships for students who otherwise would not be able to participate in the program. Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible contribution may call 984-6230. The registration deadline is Friday, May 28.

For more information, call 984-6230 or 984-6316.

Fire safety/prevention camp

Applications are being accepted for the Fire Museum of Texas’ Fire Safety and Prevention Summer Camp 2010.

Session one runs June 21-25 for children ages 4-6 years. The second session, for ages 7-10 years, is June 28-July 2. Both sessions run 9 a.m.-noon and costs $60.

Class is limited to the first 20 children per session. No late or first day of camp registration will be accepted.

To register, print and complete the registration forms found at http://www.firemuseumoftexas.org (please include T-shirt size).

Mail to: Fire Museum of Texas, 400 Walnut, Beaumont, 77701.

The camp is sponsored by the Young Mens’ Business League. Volunteers are needed. For information, call 980-3927.

Stark reunion reset

Members of the Lutcher Stark Senior High School classes of ‘49’, ’50 and ‘51 plan a reunion Thursday and Friday, June 17-18, rescheduled from an earlier date. Letters are being mailed to members’ last known address. To report an address change, call the appropriate class representative: 1949 – Fred Fontenot, 886-3978; 1950 – Betty (Estes) Duhon, 886-3150; 1951 – Mary (Broom) Morgan (979) 330-5350 as soon as possible.