Here's what's up in SETX,
Boudin before dawn in Lumberton, disco at the Jefferson, and a Netflix glassblower lecturing in Orange. Meanwhile Spindletop Center wants $1.4 million from Jefferson County to build something the region has never had.
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.
Let's get into it. 👇
[ THE FOOD CORNER ]
Boutte's Cajun Market Fires Up At Six AM
Link Legacy — The recipe came from Ronnie Boutte's Lafayette operation. After he died in 1990, the current owner's parents bought it and moved the whole thing to Lumberton.
Hot Box Office — It's a full Louisiana grocery, not just a boudin counter: cracklins, beignets, Natchitoches meat pies, and pork tenderloin stuffed with boudin and wrapped in bacon.
📍 568 N. LHS Dr. (US-287), Lumberton, TX 77657 · (409) 755-0893 ⏰ Mon–Fri 6 AM–6 PM · Sat 9 AM–4 PM · closed Sunday. Breakfast till 10:30, hot plates 10:45–1:30.
🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us so we can feature your picks.
[ EVENTS ]
The Australian Bee Gees Bring Disco To Beaumont
Night Fever Revival — The tribute rebuilds those three-part falsetto harmonies live, touring under the "Feel the Fever Again" banner and landing at the historic Jefferson Theatre.
Ticket Trust Issues — Only the Beaumont Civic Center box office and Ticketmaster are authorized sellers. Buy from a broker or a scalper and your seat may not be honored.
📍 Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St, Beaumont · 🕐 Sat Aug 1 · doors 7 PM, show 8 PM · 🎟️ Ticketed
[ EVENTS ]
Two Orange Landmarks Stay Open Late, Free
Double Door Policy — The Stark Museum of Art and the W.H. Stark House both stay open after hours, with hands-on art making and guided experiences across the two buildings.
Blown Away Guest — Alexander Rosenberg, featured on Netflix's "Blown Away," lectures at six on glass as a studio practice, from first concept to finished work.
📍 Stark Museum of Art + W.H. Stark House, downtown Orange · 🕐 Thu Jul 30 · 5–7 PM · 🎟️ Free
[ BUSINESS ]
Michelli Opens A New Beaumont Calibration Shop
Weight Watchers — Michelli supplies the scales, test weights and calibration work that refineries, shipyards and plants lean on to measure accurately and stay safe.
Ribbon And Rulers — The Greater Beaumont Chamber cut the ribbon on the new South 13th Street facility on July 16, with the public invited in to tour it.
This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].
[ DEVELOPMENT ]
The Shaw Group Opens On Pine Street Thursday
Pipe Dreams Realized — Shaw does engineering, module fabrication and pipe fabrication for energy and industrial clients — the work that keeps Golden Triangle plants turning over.
Open Floor Thursday — The chamber cuts the ribbon at 850 Pine Street on Thursday from noon to one, and neighbors are welcome to come walk the floor.
✅ Register for today's Wild Wednesday — Shangri La in Orange. Free, first come, first served.
✅ Get Bee Gees tickets before Saturday — Civic Center box office or Ticketmaster. Those are the only two, full stop.
✅ Get your books straight before Q3 closes — This week's sponsor, Tailored Financial Solutions, handles bookkeeping, CFO-level guidance, and small-business strategy at tailoredfinsolutions.com 💰
✅ Bag school supplies for Saturday — Vidor ISD's "Fill the Bus," 9 AM to noon, administration lot.
✅ Circle Aug. 7 on the calendar — Texas's sales tax holiday runs Friday through midnight Sunday on clothes, shoes and school supplies under $100.
[ WHAT'S ON ]
📅 THIS WEEK IN SETX
📅 SETX Events Website
Everything further out lives at events.whatsupsetx.com — browse the full calendar and submit your own. 🎉
THIS WEEK
Jul 29: Wild Wednesday — "Creative Connections" | Shangri La Gardens, Orange. Free family story time and hands-on art. Register to hold a spot.
Jul 29: Puzzle Competition | Port Arthur Public Library, 4615 9th Ave. 5:30–7:30 PM, free. Walk in.
Jul 30: Art After 5 | Stark Museum of Art + W.H. Stark House, Orange. 5–7 PM, free. Glass lecture at six.
Jul 30: Community Progress Meeting | Port Arthur. Mayor Charlotte Moses walks residents through the year and takes questions.
Jul 31: Classic Movie in the Park — E.T. | Conn Park, Orange. 8 PM, free. Bring chairs and blankets.
Jul 31: Designer Purse Bingo | Orange County Convention & Expo Center. Doors 5:30 PM, bingo 6:30. Chamber fundraiser.
Jul 31: "What's It Worth?" Appraiser Panel | Heritage House of Orange County. 7–10 PM. $5 covers both days.
THIS WEEKEND
Aug 1: The Australian Bee Gees | Jefferson Theatre, Beaumont. Doors 7 PM, show 8. Box office or Ticketmaster only.
Aug 1: Beaumont Farmers Market | 6525 College St, Beaumont. 8–11 AM, rain or shine. Free parking.
Aug 1: Vidor ISD "Fill the Bus" | Vidor ISD administration lot. 9 AM–noon. Drop off school supplies.
Aug 2: The Closet Social: Tiny Trendsetters | Beaumont Civic Center. 2–6 PM. Preloved kids' clothes from local moms.
MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON THEATRE
345 Fannin St, Beaumont. Doors 6 PM, film 7 PM, general admission. Tickets at the Beaumont Civic Center box office or online; leftovers sell at the door from 5 PM.
Jul 31: The Sandlot
Aug 7: The Parent Trap
Aug 14: Clueless
Which one are you hitting up? Reply and tell us. Missed something? Submit it at events.whatsupsetx.com 🎉
[ COMMUNITY NOTICES ]
📌 GOOD TO KNOW
🚧 Beaumont ISD postponed its Running Start events — on hold, with no new date announced.
🚧 Port Arthur's mayor takes questions Thursday — Charlotte Moses hosts a 365-day community progress meeting July 30.
🚧 West Orange opens booth registration Aug. 3 — for Holiday in the Park on Oct. 24, beside city hall.
🩸 Vidor ISD needs school supplies — "Fill the Bus," Saturday 9 AM to noon, administration lot.
🩸 Some Other Place's tasting is Aug. 18 — 5–7 PM at the Beaumont Civic Center, $15 a ticket.
[ SPORTS ]
🏆 THE SPORTS DESK
🏈 Mid-County opens the season Aug. 28 — Port Neches-Groves at Port Arthur Memorial, 7 PM. The rivalry as a week-one opener.
🏀 Beaumont police lost to the teens again — the annual Camp Bright Star game went to the campers for a second straight year.
[ BIG NEWS ]
Spindletop Center Wants A Youth Campus In Beaumont
Five Million Down — State Rep. Christian Manuel secured $5 million for the campus. Spindletop is asking Jefferson County for $1.4 million more to buy the old Buckner property.
Sixteen Beds Regional — Plans put eight girls and eight boys in each building, serving youth from Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, Chambers and Jasper counties.
[ IN OTHER NEWS ]
📋 IN OTHER NEWS
📚 Beaumont ISD paused two accelerated programs — Pegasus at Regina Howell and Guess and the Marshall STEM program are on hold after a review found their credit-by-exam process never got board approval. Read more → 12News
🛝 Port Arthur is rebuilding three playgrounds — Council passed a $727,929.89 contract with GameTime to replace the equipment at Griffing, Herman and Lions parks. Read more → 12News
🏗️ Pleasure Island's office building gets a design budget — A $63,454 contract with Beaumont's Sigma Engineers would produce construction-ready plans in 75 days for a second floor neglected nearly four decades. Read more →
⛪ A Groves hair studio is becoming a church — Council approved a permit for New Cathedral of Faith International at 3500 Main Ave. Thirty members, 62 chairs, twenty parking spaces — double the requirement. Read more →
🏛️ Beaumont hired a familiar deputy city manager — Laura Clark, the city's CFO from 2007 to 2016, returns after nearly a decade at Olson Engineering. She previously ran finance, budget and fleet. Read more →
🎖️ The Museum of the Gulf Coast added four names — Bull rider Dickie Richard, the Chelette Sisters, biologist Charles Stutzenbaker and duck-call pioneer James "Cowboy" Fernandez joined the Legacy Exhibit Saturday. Read more →
📬 Which story caught your eye?
[ JOBS ]
💼 JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Industry pulse: Industrial construction is carrying SETX hiring. Bechtel is still staffing Port Arthur LNG, Gulf Copper ran two job fairs in eight days, and both refineries are deep in a turnaround-heavy year.
🔧 Gulf Copper — Beaumont
Hiring event today at the Beaumont Workforce Center, 510 Park Street, 10 AM–1 PM. Walk in.
🛡️ DSI Security — Beaumont
Also at 510 Park Street today, 10 AM to 1 PM.
🚔 Texas Department of Criminal Justice — Orange
Today at the Orange Workforce Center, 2266 MacArthur Drive, 10 AM–1 PM, alongside Manshack and Sons.
🌿 Tailored Lawn Care | Golden Triangle
Looking for work? Outdoor work, local routes. Call or text Frederick: (409) 365-4887
🔜 Our SETX job board is coming soon. Want early access at launch? Email [email protected] to get on the list.
💼 Hiring in SETX? Send your listing to [email protected] and we'll put it in front of our readers.
[ YOUR TURN ]
📣 YOUR TURN
Every week, we ask a few questions because this newsletter is a two-way street. Hit reply — we read every single one.
🌭 Boudin or cracklins — which one do you actually drive out of your way for?
🕺 Bee Gees at the Jefferson on Saturday: going, or is disco a hard pass?
🏫 Should Jefferson County put $1.4 million toward the youth campus in September?
👏 Got someone to brag on? A graduation, a new business, a milestone, a neighbor who showed up — reply and we'll put them in Community Notices.
See you next week, neighbor 📍
The What's Up SETX Team
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