Bueller? Bueller? 🕶️

Here's what's up in SETX,

Free headshots and Cheddar's at The Forge tomorrow night, a fence in Orange painted with crawfish, and a proposed tax rate Beaumont will take questions on September 8. Busy week.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.

Let's get into it. 👇

Free Headshots Come to The Forge Tomorrow Night

Shot For Free : Nicole Foster of Emerie Photography is shooting free professional headshots, in the same 6 to 8 PM window as the rest of the night.
Plate And Pitch : Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen is handling the food and drinks are available. The room is owners, side hustlers and people still at the idea stage.

👉 Read more → What's Up SETX

📍 The Forge, 268 Pearl Street, Beaumont · 🕐 Thu Aug 20 · 6 to 8 PM · 🎟️ Free

The Jefferson Theatre Screens Ferris Bueller Friday

Sick Day Seating : General admission in a 1927 downtown movie house, $6 a seat, with the concession stand open through the show.
Doors Then Danke : Doors open at 6 PM and the film rolls at 7. Buy ahead at the Beaumont Civic Center box office or online.

📍 Free State Cellars, 4702 Tejas Parkway, Orange · 🕐 Sat Aug 22 · 6:30 to 11 AM · 🎟️ Free

The Hut Smokes Brisket and Boils Crawfish in Orange

Photo: The Hut BBQ & Bugs

Bug Season Rules : Crawfish only turns up in season, which is why the Sunday hours exist. Barbecue runs the rest of the year.
Poluk Family Pit : The Poluk family opened it in 2014 and still runs it. The sliced brisket plate is $13.99 and the loaded stuffed potato $11.99.

📍 1804 N 16th St, Orange, TX 77630 · (409) 883-8282 · thehutbbqandbugs.com

🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us — we feature reader picks.

The Forge Runs a Coworking Space and a Fund

Desk And Dollars : A coworking space and an investment fund share one building on Pearl Street, an unusual pair for a city this size.
Badge To Arcade : Inside there is secure digital access, conference rooms, high speed WiFi, business advisors, community events and an arcade lounge.

👉 Read more → The Forge

This section is sponsored by The Forge. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

✅ Walk in to Forge What's Next : Thursday, 6 to 8 PM at 268 Pearl Street, Beaumont. Free headshots, walk in.
✅ Grab a Ferris Bueller seat : $6, Friday at 7 PM. Beaumont Civic Center box office, 701 Main St, or online.
✅ Register for the Walk to End Alzheimer's : Raise $100 by September 3 and your walk shirt is mailed to you. act.alz.org/Beaumont
✅ Put the tax hearing on your calendar : September 8, 1:30 PM, Council Chambers, 801 Main Street, Beaumont.

❝

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📅 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 20: Port Arthur Recycling Center Grand Opening | Behind the Bob Bowers Civic Center, Port Arthur. The city's first recycling center, cardboard only for now. First 50 visitors get a $10 H-E-B card.

Aug 20: Forge What's Next | The Forge, 268 Pearl St, Beaumont. 6 to 8 PM, free, no RSVP.

Aug 21: Summer Stargazing | Tyrrell Park Nature Center, 3930 Babe Zaharias Dr, Beaumont. 7:30 to 10 PM, free. Telescopes on the moon.

Aug 21: Coffee with the Chamber | Vidor Chamber of Commerce, Vidor. 8 to 9 AM.

Aug 21: Friday Morning Business Connection | Greater Beaumont Chamber, Beaumont. Weekly morning networking. Call 409-838-6581 for the time.

Aug 21: Movie Night, Ferris Bueller's Day Off | Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St, Beaumont. 7 PM, doors 6. $6.

Aug 21: White Linen Night | The Event Centre, Beaumont. 6 to 9 PM. A fundraising evening built around local art.

THIS WEEKEND

Aug 22: Beaumont Farmers Market | 6525 College St, Beaumont. 8 to 11 AM, free. Local produce, baked goods and makers, rain or shine.

Aug 22: Mid-County Farmers and Crafters Market | Central Mall, 3100 Highway 365, Port Arthur. Indoors between TJ Maxx and Target, which counts in August.

Aug 22: Art in Motion Mural Walking Tour | AMSET, 500 Main St, Beaumont. 8:30 to 9:30 AM, free. Registration required.

Aug 22: Community Harvest | Free State Cellars, 4702 Tejas Parkway, Orange. 6:30 to 11 AM, free. Pick muscadines in the rows.

Aug 22: Yoga at Cattail Marsh | Wetlands Education Center, 4233 Babe Zaharias Dr, Beaumont. 9:30 to 10:30 AM, free. Vinyasa flow, all levels.

Aug 22: Summer Spree Art Vendor Night Market | The Art Studio, 720 Franklin St, Beaumont. 6 to 10 PM, free entry. Twenty six makers and a live acoustic show.

Aug 22: Dallas Moore | Soggy Bottom Saloon, Beaumont. 9 PM. Touring outlaw country act.

Aug 23: Nature Walk, Learn About Longleaf | Big Thicket, Kountze. 10 to 10:30 AM. A family stroll on the Longleaf Pine Trail.

MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON THEATRE

345 Fannin St, Beaumont. Every Friday — doors 6 PM, film 7 PM. $6, general admission, concessions available. Supported by ExxonMobil.

Aug 28: Cry-Baby

Sep 4: Singin' in the Rain

Which event are you hitting up? Reply and let us know. Missed one? Submit it at events.whatsupsetx.com 🎉

📌 GOOD TO KNOW

🚧 Highway 87 crossing closed at Bleakwood : the crossing is shut 7 AM to 5 PM today for track maintenance.

🚧 Port Arthur's FY2027 draft budget is posted : the draft budget and the Notice of Intention are posted for public review at portarthurtx.gov.

🩸 Walk to End Alzheimer's opens registration : the walk is Saturday, October 3 at the Event Centre in Beaumont. Raise $100 by September 3 for the official shirt.

🎉 Classic Acura cuts its ribbon today : 2 to 3 PM at 1000 IH-10 N Frontage Rd, Beaumont, with a showroom tour open to the public.

🏆 THE SPORTS DESK

🔴 Lamar opens at home on Aug 29 : the Cardinals host Abilene Christian at 6 PM at Provost Umphrey Stadium, on ESPN+.

🔴 Southland picks Lamar third : the preseason poll has them third, and the STATS Perform FCS Top 25 has them twentieth.

🏈 High school football kicks off next week : PN-G plays at Port Arthur Memorial on Friday, Aug 28 at 7 PM.

Beaumont Proposes a Rate Above No New Revenue

Eleven Thousandths Up : The proposed FY2027 rate is $0.695000 per $100 of valuation against a no new revenue rate of $0.683976, a gap of 1.61%.
Under The Trigger : The voter approval rate is $0.764867, so the proposal sits below the level that would force an election.

💡 The bottom line: A rate above no new revenue means a higher bill on a house whose appraisal already climbed, and the September 8 hearing is where residents get a say before the vote.

📋 IN OTHER NEWS

🚧 Woodworth Boulevard redo climbs to about $14.5 million : Port Arthur budgeted $3 million and has paid $11.2 million so far. Five change orders widened the job, and completion is projected for October 13.

🎓 Julie Gauthier named lone finalist for PN-G superintendent : She would be the first former PN-G student to run the district, and it settles the succession before school starts.

📚 BISD sets its AI and ROAR plans for the year : Superintendent Sandi Massey says no AI lessons for students this first semester, and ROAR volunteer sessions move to before and after school.

🚒 Overnight fire at Beckett and Beckett closed Highway 87 : The fire near the Orange County Airport shut the highway overnight. It reopened Tuesday morning, so the commute is clear.

📬 Which story caught your eye?

💼 JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Industry pulse: Healthcare is carrying the volume this week. Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas is running roughly 155 openings system wide, with Beaumont-area hospital pay clustering around $18 to $21 an hour.

🏥 Multiple Openings | Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas | Beaumont
Roughly 155 roles are posted system wide, clinical and support. Apply at bhset.net/careers or call HR at 409-212-6020.

👮 Police Officer | Port Arthur Police Department | Port Arthur
The department is hiring. The application is posted at portarthurtx.gov.

🌿 Tailored Lawn Care | Golden Triangle
Looking for work? Outdoor work, local routes. Call or text Frederick: (409) 365-4887

🔜 Browse all local SETX job listings. Coming soon. Want early access when our jobs board launches? Email [email protected] to get on the list.

💼 Hiring in SETX? Send us your listing at [email protected] and we'll get it in front of our readers.

📣 YOUR TURN

Every week, we ask a few questions because this newsletter is a two-way street. Hit reply — we read every single one.

🔨 Coming to The Forge tomorrow night? Tell us what you are building.
🍿 What movie would get you downtown for a big screen?
🦞 Barbecue or crawfish at The Hut. Settle it for us.
👏 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.