Here's what's up in SETX,
A water main took a chunk of Central Drive with it Sunday, Great China is still slinging roast duck on Calder, and butterflies go up over a downtown lawn Saturday. Tax-free weekend starts Friday, too.
Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.
Let's get into it. 👇
[ THE FOOD CORNER ]
Great China Puts Roast Duck On Calder Avenue
Duck Duck Goose — Beyond the General Tso's and orange-chicken standards, the kitchen runs a roast duck — and the Beaumont CVB names this among the city's best Chinese.
Sunday Scaries — One catch worth knowing: they are closed Sundays. Monday through Saturday runs straight through, with dine-in, takeout, curbside and delivery all going.
📍 3135 Calder Ave, Beaumont, TX 77702 · (409) 833-0537 ⏰ Mon–Fri 11 AM–10 PM · Sat 11:30 AM–10 PM · Closed Sunday.
🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us — we feature reader picks.
[ EVENTS ]
Butterflies Take Flight Over A New Downtown Lawn
Flight Of Fancy — The Harbor Foundation's 14th annual release is free to attend, with food, crafts and entertainment for kids, and it closes on a remembrance release honoring loved ones lost.
Change Of Address — It moved this year to the Great Lawn at Event Centre downtown, so anyone going off last year's memory should check the address before heading out.
📍 Great Lawn at Event Centre, 900 Crockett St, Beaumont · 🕐 Sat Aug 8 · 11 AM–1 PM · 🎟️ Free
[ EVENTS ]
Texas Turns Off The Sales Tax This Weekend
Under A Hundred — Clothes, shoes and most school supplies priced under $100 an item skip sales tax Friday through Sunday, and up to ten backpacks qualify in one trip.
Ship It Later — Online orders count: if the card is charged during the holiday the break holds even when the box arrives later. Jewelry, watches, luggage, computers and textbooks do not.
📍 Statewide, in store and online · 🕐 Fri Aug 7 – Sun Aug 9 · 🎟️ Free
[ BUSINESS ]
TFS Insights: Why 27 Days of Cash Can Break a Business
Cash flow can make the difference between staying resilient and falling behind. With the median small business holding just 27 days of cash buffer, even a brief slowdown or unexpected expense can create financial pressure.
The good news is that better planning starts with better financial visibility. Through accurate bookkeeping, timely reporting, and cash flow forecasting, you can make confident decisions and stay ahead of what's next.
At Tailored Financial Solutions, we help business owners turn their numbers into strategies for long term success.
👉 Learn more: https://tailoredfinsolutions.com
🔗 Connect with us, access our social links, or book a free discovery call with Lance
This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].
[ COMMUNITY ]
The Food Bank Stocks A Free Store For Teachers
Tools Of The Trade — School Tools supplies 46 Southeast Texas elementary schools where at least 70% of students get free or reduced lunch. Teachers shop the shelves at no cost.
Six Trips Yearly — Principal-approved teachers can shop six times a school year, three per semester. Volunteers sort and hand out the supplies — sign-ups run through setxfoodbank.org.
👉 Read more → Southeast Texas Food Bank
✅ THE SETX TO-DO LIST
✅ Shop tax-free Friday through Sunday — clothes, shoes, backpacks and school supplies under $100 an item skip Texas sales tax Aug 7–9.
✅ Grab Visionary Awards tickets — Sat Aug 8 at the Jefferson Theatre. Civic Center box office or Ticketmaster only, $25–$50.
✅ Retire your blue recycling bin — Beaumont collects from it through Aug 31 and stops entirely on Sept 1.
✅ Sign up to volunteer at the Southeast Texas Food Bank — sorting food, packing senior boxes and stocking School Tools — setxfoodbank.org.
[ 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
Aug 6: Cajun & Creole Acoustic Jam | American Legion Hall, 922 Nederland Ave, Nederland. Free, 6:30–8:30 PM. Bring an instrument, dance, or just listen.
Aug 6: Thursday Night Karaoke | Brick & Barley, 2614 Lutcher Dr, Orange. 9 PM. Mid-week mic night in Orange.
Aug 7: Café Reception — Brandon Gouthier, “Lipstick and Grease” | Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main St, Beaumont. 5–7 PM. Meet the photographer.
THIS WEEKEND
Aug 8: Southeast Texas Visionary Awards | Jefferson Theatre, Beaumont. 5 PM, doors 4. $25–$50, Ticketmaster or Civic Center box office only.
Aug 8: Hot Air Balloon Glo Festival | Bridge City Intermediate & Elementary grounds, Bridge City. 4–10 PM. Admission is not posted — call the chamber, (409) 735-5671.
Aug 8: Beaumont Farmers Market | 6525 College St, Beaumont. 8–11 AM. Free parking at the Athletic Complex basketball pavilion.
Aug 8: Open Studio | Stark Museum of Art, 712 Green Ave, Orange. 10 AM–2 PM. Drop-in; August's medium is construction-paper portraits.
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.
Aug 7: The Parent Trap
Aug 14: Clueless
Aug 21: Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Aug 28: Cry-Baby
Which one are you hitting up? Reply and tell us. Missed something? Submit it at events.whatsupsetx.com 🎉
[ COMMUNITY NOTICES ]
📌 GOOD TO KNOW
🚧 Central Drive at East Drive is closed — west Beaumont, while crews rebuild the storm sewer and roadway base under Sunday's sinkhole. No reopening date yet.
🚧 Beaumont City Council next meets Tuesday, Aug 18 — 1:30 PM, mid-way through FY 2027 budget season. Agendas post ahead of every meeting. More →
🩸 The Southeast Texas Food Bank needs volunteers — sorting food, packing senior meal boxes and working the Enrichment Garden at 3845 S. ML King Jr. Pkwy, Beaumont. More →
🩸 Some Other Place's tasting is Aug. 18 — 5–7 PM at the Beaumont Civic Center, $15 a ticket.
[ SPORTS ]
🏆 THE SPORTS DESK
🔴 Lamar football reported to fall camp — about 100 players in, 21 practices before game-week prep, and a fourth season under head coach Pete Rossomando. More →
🏈 The Cardinals open Saturday, Aug 29 — against Abilene Christian at Provost Umphrey Stadium — a rematch of last season's FCS playoff game. More →
🥊 Port Arthur's Shepherd earned USA Boxing Gold Level Coach Certification — the organization's top coaching credential.
[ BIG NEWS ]
A Water Main Break Swallowed A Truck In Beaumont
Hole Lot Of Trouble — A broken main opened a sinkhole roughly 20 feet across and 20 feet deep at Central Drive and East Drive. A pickup went in around 2:15 AM Sunday.
Driver Walked Away — He climbed out unhurt. Water service was back that afternoon with no boil notice, but the intersection stayed shut while crews rebuilt everything underneath it.
👉 Read more → KFDM
[ IN OTHER NEWS ]
📋 IN OTHER NEWS
🏗️ 220 affordable units proposed on the old First Baptist site — Beaumont could add 220 income-restricted apartments on the vacant downtown church property, on top of 119 already under construction citywide.
🗑️ Blue recycling bins lose their pickup on September 1 — The city extended collection through Aug 31, then stops. The bins are privately owned leftovers from the recycling program that ended in 2019.
💰 Council is three sessions into the FY 2027 budget — Staff presented a draft at last week's third work session. The next public look lands Aug 18.
🏅 A Port Arthur volunteer now leads Sertoma International — Financial advisor Tim Romero took the 2026–27 international president post at the national service organization.
📬 Which story caught your eye?
[ JOBS ]
💼 JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Industry pulse: Two clocks are running on SETX hiring. The long one is shipbuilding — Davie Defense is rebuilding the Gulf Copper yards in Port Arthur and Galveston, a $1 billion project pegged at 2,400-plus jobs across the two, with its first phase due in 2028. The short one is healthcare, hiring right now.
🩺 Physician roles — CHRISTUS Southeast Texas, St. Elizabeth | Beaumont
Electrophysiologist, urologist and interventional cardiologist openings are posted. Apply through the CHRISTUS careers portal.
🤝 Caregivers — Amada Senior Care | Beaumont, Nederland & Port Arthur
Hiring dependable caregivers for in-home senior care across Mid-County and the Golden Triangle. Flexible routes.
🌿 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.
🥡 What is your Great China order — the roast duck, or something else you have been getting for years?
🎈 Balloon Glo in Bridge City or the Visionary Awards at the Jefferson? You only get one Saturday.
🕳️ Ever had a road swallow part of your commute? Tell us which stretch of SETX pavement worries you.
👏 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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