Koi Story 🍣

Here's what's up in SETX,

VIVA Beaumont brings lucha libre and mariachi downtown Sunday, the first Southeast Texas Fishing Classic heads to Pleasure Island, and four plants reported a combined 53,440 pounds of emissions after Edouard.

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

Let's get into it. 👇

VIVA Beaumont Brings Lucha Libre and Mariachi Downtown Sunday

Image: City of Beaumont

On the Lineup: Fenix Entertainment brings the lucha libre action, while Sandy G Y Los Gavilanes, Mariachi Proyecto and Ballet Folklorico round out the performances.
Before You Go: The city festival is free. Chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome but may be searched. Leave tents, canopies and pets at home.

📍 Main Street Outdoor Plaza, Downtown Beaumont | 🕐 Sunday, Sept 13, 3 to 8 PM | 🎟️ Free

Gulf Coast Guac Brings Homemade Guacamole to SETX Farmers Markets

Photo: Gulf Coast Guac

Made by Hand: Caleb Flanigan selects every ingredient for each batch, and preparing for a single farmers market can take as many as 250 avocados.
From Hobby to Business: After making guacamole at home for 16 years, he turned it into a business two years ago. Gulf Coast Guac also takes pre-orders and catering requests through Facebook.

📍 Southeast Texas farmers markets

👉 Find Gulf Coast Guac on Facebook

This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

The First Southeast Texas Fishing Classic Comes to Pleasure Island Saturday

Reel Beginnings : The first Southeast Texas Fishing Classic is a saltwater redfish tournament open to every skill level, with cash prizes.
Scale Of Giving : Proceeds fund scholarships for local youth, and it honors "The SETX 25," 25 young men from the Golden Triangle. Hosts Nicholas Rolling and Christian Franks are Lamar alumni.

📍 Pleasure Island, Port Arthur | 🕐 Saturday, Sept 12 | 🎟️ Register at setxfishingclassic.com, spots limited

Koi Serves Sushi and Hibachi on Dowlen Road

Plan Around the Break: Koi serves lunch from 11 AM to 2:30 PM, closes for two hours and reopens at 4:30 PM. Its published listings agree on this schedule throughout the week.
Beyond the Sushi Bar: The menu also includes a full hibachi section, plus specialty rolls such as the Cajun Cut Roll.

📍 3350 Dowlen Rd, Suite C, Beaumont, TX 77706 | (409) 347-8202

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

✅ Follow Tuesday's Beaumont council meeting: Council will vote on the proposed 1.5-acre Charlton-Pollard community garden and consider eliminating its own pay.
✅ Donate supplies for Kountze: Hardin County FFA is collecting water, batteries and flashlights at the ag building through Wednesday.
✅ Register for the Southeast Texas Fishing Classic: The tournament is Saturday off Pleasure Island, and spots are limited. Register at setxfishingclassic.com.
✅ Plan ahead for VIVA Beaumont: The free festival runs Sunday from 3 to 8 PM at Main Street Plaza. Coolers and chairs are welcome.

👉 tailoredfinsolutions.com

A Nonprofit Clinic Cuts Its Ribbon in Bridge City

Care Package : The nonprofit takes patients regardless of income or insurance, running primary care, chronic disease management and telehealth.
Cut To The Chase : The Greater Orange Area Chamber cuts the ribbon Saturday, September 26 at 10 AM, at the same Texas Avenue address as Your Medical Home.

👉 Read more → Greater Orange Area Chamber

This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

📅 SETX EVENTS WEBSITE

Everything further out lives at events.whatsupsetx.com — browse the full calendar and submit your own. 🎉

This Week

Sep 8 DIY Spirit Pants | Groves Public Library. Five PM drop-in, game-day pants in school colors.

Sep 8 Music Bingo, 90s Themed | Pour Neches, Port Neches. Six PM on the riverfront, free to play.

Sep 9 America 250: Lincoln, Grant and Garfield | Stark Museum of Art, Orange. Exhibition programming on three presidents.

Sep 10 Light the Night for Hope | Riverfront Park, Beaumont. Six PM stroll, vigil and memorial wall.

Sep 10 John Conlee in Concert | 2389 US Hwy 96 N, Silsbee. Seven PM, the country hall-of-famer in Hardin County.

Sep 11 Classic Movie Night: West Side Story | Jefferson Theatre, Beaumont. Doors six, film seven. Door tickets from five.

The Weekend

Sep 12 13th Annual Neches River Rally | LNVA Saltwater Barrier, 6790 Bigner Rd, Beaumont. Eight AM paddle, Cooks Lake to Scatterman.

Sep 12 Community 5K Run and Walk | Claiborne West Park, Orange County. Nine AM Rotary run and walk, awards after.

Sep 12 Fiesta with the Folklorico Dancers | Port Arthur. Mexican Heritage Society dancers in full costume. Free.

Sep 12 Beaumont Farmers Market | 6525 College St, Beaumont. Eight to eleven AM, twenty-plus vendors.

Sep 13 Sensory Sensitive Day | LoveBug's Learning Lab, Nederland. One PM, lower lights and sound.

MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON THEATRE

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

Sep 4: Singin' in the Rain

Sep 11: West Side Story

Sep 25: Some Like It Hot

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

📌 GOOD TO KNOW

🚧 Beaumont set its storm-debris rules : Limbs cut to 8 feet, trunks over 12 inches sectioned to 2 feet, at the curb but clear of mailboxes, hydrants and meters.

🚧 Nightly lane closures hit Nederland : TxDOT mills Texas 347 from Avenue B to FM 365, alternating lanes 7 PM to 4 AM, Tuesday through Saturday.

🎉 Icy Cafe cuts its ribbon : Tuesday, 11:30 AM to 1 PM at 260 Dowlen Road, Beaumont. Pho, boba and snow cones.

🏆 THE SPORTS DESK

🔴 Lamar upsets No. 15 Abilene Christian: The Cardinals won 21-14 Saturday at 🔴 Cardinals fall in Lafayette : Lamar lost 38 to 7 at UL Lafayette. Idaho is next, Saturday, on ESPN+.

🏈 Indians take the home opener : Port Neches-Groves beat Beaumont West Brook on Friday night.

🎺 Bridge City takes the band title : 12News named Bridge City its Week 2 Band of the Week. Memorial had Week 1.

Four Plants Filed 53,440 Pounds of Emissions After Edouard

Pound For Pound : Valero's Port Arthur refinery reported 47,398 pounds over 24 hours. Motiva, G-3 Chickadee in Beaumont and INV Nylon in Orange filed the rest, for 53,440 combined.
Odor In The Court : Emergency management and the fire department chased reports of a gas smell and a rainbow sheen. Monitoring found no actionable levels and no source was identified.

💡 The bottom line: The state filings document the reported emissions, but officials still have not identified what caused the odor residents noticed in Port Arthur.

📋 IN OTHER NEWS

🏛️ Beaumont council members may give up their pay: Mike Williams and Joey Hilliard placed an item on Tuesday's agenda asking the city attorney to draft an ordinance ending council compensation. The General Fund has fallen from about $53.5 million in FY2022 to a projected $35.2 million.

🚗 Port Arthur considers a defense for some yard-parking citations: Owners of properties that had no paved driveway before March 10 could use that history as a defense in court, but they would not receive an automatic exemption. The ban and $500 daily fine would remain. Council takes up the proposal Tuesday.

🤝 United Cajun Navy helps Vidor families clean up: Six volunteers cleared two properties Friday using a mini excavator and chainsaws. They removed one tree from a driveway and another from a trampoline.

💡 Power restoration is nearly complete: By Saturday afternoon, fewer than 800 Entergy Texas customers in SETX remained without power, down from roughly 80,000 after Edouard. Restoration was essentially complete that evening.

📬 Which story caught your eye?

💼 JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Industry pulse: Several hiring events this week focus on contractor and industrial work. Bechtel, SETCON and Louisiana Bridge Builders are all recruiting through Workforce Solutions.

🔧 Veteran Job Fair | Bechtel | Port Arthur
The event runs Wednesday from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Port Arthur Workforce Center, 4680 FM 365. SETCON will also recruit there that morning. Call (409) 962-1236.

🚧 Bridge Crew Hiring Event | Louisiana Bridge Builders | Port Arthur
The hiring event runs Thursday from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Port Arthur Workforce Center, 4680 FM 365.

👮 Corrections Job Fair | Texas Department of Criminal Justice | Beaumont
The job fair runs Thursday from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Beaumont Workforce Center, 510 Park Street. Call (409) 839-8045.

🌿 Outdoor Work | Tailored Lawn Care | Golden Triangle
Tailored Lawn Care is hiring for outdoor work along local routes. Call or text Frederick at (409) 365-4887.

🔜 Our local SETX jobs board is coming soon. Want early access when it launches? Email [email protected] to join 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.

🤼 Are you heading downtown for VIVA on Sunday? Which are you most excited for: lucha libre or mariachi?
👃 Were you among the residents who noticed the smell in Port Arthur or Mid-County? Tell us where you were.
🍣 Who serves your favorite sushi in SETX, and what do you order?
👏 Know someone worth celebrating? Send us a graduation, new business, milestone or story about a neighbor who showed up, and we may share it in Community Notices.