Port Isabel Merchants Committee Meeting
Re: Block Party
Friday, Sept. 17, 4-7 pm
Four Corners District of Port Isabel.
If your business is interested in participating, please contact the Chamber office at 943-2262. A pre-event meeting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 1st at 8:30 am at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum. All businesses are welcome to attend.

The Gym Mixer/Open House
The Gym, located at 1506-A Highway 100 in Port Isabel, will celebrate their first anniversary with a Mixer/Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 1st at 6 pm.
The mixer is open to all Chamber members and will feature food, drinks, promotions and gifts that will be raffled to all new and existing members attending the party.

Port Isabel Chamber All Member Meeting
Friday, Sept. 3rd, 8:30 am at Pirate’s Landing.
Guest Speaker: Gavin Sotelo, General Manager Laguna Madre Water District.

For more information email director@portisabel.org or call 956/943-2262.

CORRECTED MEETING DATE:
A Block Party Meeting is scheduled for September 1st at 8:30 a.m. at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum (317 E. Railroad Ave.)

All business are encouraged to attend this planning meeting. The Four Corners Block Party, the second in the Block Party series, is planned for Friday, Sept. 17, from 4-7 pm. The Four Corners District is located at the corners of Highways 100 & 48.  If your business is interested in participating, please contact the Chamber office at 943-2262.  All businesses are welcome to attend!

Letter from the PresidentDear Chamber Members: 

Summer is flying by and we have welcomed thousands of visitors at the Port Isabel; Chamber of Commerce office. 

The Lighthouse Establishment Cinema will feature two movies in August and will wrap up their season in late October. Fishing is also booming with the Texas International Fishing Tournament underway July 28-Aug. 1 and the Ladies Kingfish Tournament scheduled the following weekend. 

Our August All Member meeting is set for August 6th at 8:30 am at Pirate’s Landing Restaurant and we look forward to seeing you there! As always, we encourage you to contact our office with any suggestions or questions you might have about the services we provide to our membership. We look forward to hearing from you! 

Sincerely,
Betty Wells
President 

71st TIFT Underway
More than 1300 registrants and 500 boats are expected to converge on the Port Isabel-South Padre Island area to participate in the 71st Texas International Fishing Tournament. 

Scheduled for July 28-August 1, the five day event features bay, tarpon and offshore divisions for anglers of all ages. The two days of fishing will take place on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. Winners will be awarded custom art prints by local artist Larry Haines at the awards ceremonies on Sunday, Aug. 1. 

Special activities for juniors 21 years of age and under will be held on Thursday, July 29. Interested persons can register online at www.tift.org or contact Tournament Director Betty Wells at (956) 943-8438 or (956) 561-1052 for more information. Registration fees for adult anglers are $100. Junior registration fees range from $16 to $30 and captain/crew and social fees are $50 per person. 

Visitors Guide Sales Deadline set for Aug. 10
Advertising sales for the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce’s 2010-2011 Visitors Guide’s deadline is set for August 10th. 30,000 copies will be printed in the early fall 2010. 

In addition to the 30,000 printed last year, the 2009 Visitors Guide is also online on the Port Isabel Chamber website (http://portisabel-texas.com/visitorsguide/pi-guidebook.pdf) where it received over 22,000 hits and on the Port Isabel Info website (http://www.portisabel-texas.com/visitorsguide/pi-guidebook.pdf) where it received over 26,000 hits for a total of over 48,000 hits! For more information, please contact Betty Wells at the Chamber office at 943-2262. View rate card online: http://portisabel.org/chamber/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ratecard-2010-11.pdf. 

Lighthouse Establishment Movies in August
The Lighthouse Establishment Cinema continues in August with two more movies and the last show of July on the 30th! July 30- “Blindside”, August 13- “Twilight- New Moon”, and August 27- “Old Dogs”. 

All movies start on Friday at 9:30 p.m. just after South Padre Island’s Fireworks display over the Laguna Madre Bay. Free admission.Concessions available.

Letter from the President

Dear Chamber Members:
Summer is in full swing and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday marks the middle of our summer season. Increased traffic and warm temperatures are all an indicator this summer will be one of our best ever.

The Lighthouse Establishment Cinema is in full swing with three movies planned this month. See the related article in this newsletter. Fishing is also booming with the Texas International Fishing Tournament set for July 28-Aug. 1.

Our July All Member meeting is set for July 2 at 8:30 am at Pirate’s Landing Restaurant and we look forward to seeing you there! As always, we encourage you to contact our office with any suggestions or questions you might have about the services we provide to our membership. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Betty Wells
President

71st TIFT Scheduled to Start July 28
More than 1500 registrants and 500 boats are expected to converge on the Port Isabel-South Padre Island area to participate in the 71st Texas International Fishing Tournament.

Scheduled for July 28-August 1, the five day event features bay, tarpon and offshore divisions for anglers of all ages. The two days of fishing will take place on Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. Winners will be awarded custom art prints by local artist Larry Haines at the awards ceremonies on Sunday, Aug. 1.

Special activities for juniors 21 years of age and under will be held on Thursday, July 29. Interested persons can register online at www.tift.org or contact Tournament Director Betty Wells at (956) 943-8438 or (956) 561-1052 for more information. Registration fees for adult anglers are $100. Junior registration fees range from $16 to $30 and captain/crew and social fees are $50 per person.

Visitors Guide Sales Underway
Advertising sales for the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce’s 2010-2011 Visitors Guide have begun with a deadline of July 15th for space reservations, according to Chamber President Betty Wells.

Now entering its fourth year of publication, Chamber officials plan to print 30,000 copies and commit one-third of the total guides for local distribution. “We hope to attract visitors to the area and capture those who are already in our communities,” said President Betty Wells. “The only way we can effectively accomplish this is to print more guides.” As an added value, the guide is also accessible online and has received over 8,500 hits in the month of June alone.

Chamber businesses will soon receive rate information in the mail and are encouraged to respond as soon as possible to meet the July 15th deadline for advertising commitments. For more information, please contact Betty Wells at the Chamber office at 943-2262. View rate card online: http://portisabel.org/chamber/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ratecard-2010-11.pdf.

Lighthouse Establishment Movies in July
The Lighthouse Establishment Cinema continues in July with three movies! July 9 (rescheduled from July 2) “Monsters Vs. Aliens”, July 16 “Transformers II”, and July 30 “Fantastic Mr. Fox”.

All movies start on Friday at 9:30 p.m. just after South Padre Island’s Fireworks display over the Laguna Madre Bay. Free admission. Concessions available. Visit www.portisabelmuseums.com for more information.

Dear Chamber Members,

Due to the approaching tropical storm, our Friday, July 2^nd All Member meeting has been cancelled. For current information on the storm and public bulletins, please visit the City of Port Isabel’s website at www.portisabel-texas.com

Good luck to all of you!
Sincerely,
Betty Wells

The Port Isabel Merchants Committee has launched a new fundraiser that features Port Isabel T-shirts.

The T-shirts feature art of the lighthouse designed by Valerie Bates and offer a unique twist upon standard T-shirts—they are color activated by the sun. T-shirts are available at a cost of $15 each at participating Merchants Committee businesses or at the Chamber office.

For more information, call the Port Isabel Chamber office at 956/943-2262. Limited quantities are available, so pick yours up or several for gifts today!

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Chamber Members:

Schools are in recess and that means the summer season has officially started.  

The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce is ready to host the thousands of visitors who will pass through our doors in the next few months. We’ll also be busy preparing for our fall and win-ter events—the World’s Championship Shrimp Cookoff and the Longest Causeway Run & Fitness Walk.

Our June All Member meeting is set for June 4 at 8:30 am at Pirate’s Landing Restaurant and we look forward to seeing you there! As always, we encourage you to contact our office with any suggestions or questions you might have about the services we provide to our membership. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Betty Wells
President

ROEL GOMEZ IS JUNE CHAMBER GUEST SPEAKER
Roel Gomez, Area Specialist for Rural Development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will be the featured speaker at the June 4th Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce All Member meeting.

Scheduled to be held Friday, June 4th at 8:30 am at Pirate’s Landing Restaurant, Gomez will be presenting information to small business owners at the meeting about an energy saving/energy efficient grant that can save them money. Gomez has also expressed a willingness to meet with business owners individually to assist them in the grant writing process.

VISITORS GUIDE SALES TO BEGIN IN JUNE
Advertising sales for the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce’s 2010-2011 Visitors Guide will begin June 1st, according to Chamber President Betty Wells. Now entering its fourth year of publication, Chamber officials plans to print 30,000 copies and commit one-third of the total guides for local distri-bution. “We hope to attract visitors to the area and capture those who are already in our communities,” said President Betty Wells. “The only way we can effectively accomplish this is to print more guides.” Chamber busi-nesses will soon receive rate information in the mail and are encouraged to respond as soon as possible to meet the July 15th  deadline for advertising commitments. For more information, please contact Betty Wells at the Chamber office at 943-2262. View rate card online: http://portisabel.org/chamber/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ratecard-2010-11.pdf.

LIGHTHOUSE ESTABLISHMENT MOVIE SURVEY RESULTS ARE IN
The Lighthouse Establishment Cinema will begin Season 6 on June 18, 2010! Six showings are scheduled for the summer and one during Halloween and Day of the Dead weekend on October 29th. The public is invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics and friends and family for a memorable evening on the grounds of the histor-ic Port Isabel Lighthouse.

2010 Summer Schedule survey results for June 18 “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs”, July 2 “Monsters Vs. Aliens”, July 16 “Transformers II”, July 30 “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, August 13 “Night at the Museums”, August 27 “Old Dogs” and October 29 “Coraline”. All movies start on Friday at 9:30 p.m. just after South Padre Island’s Fireworks display over the Laguna Madre Bay. See movie synopsis and more: http://portisabel-texas.com/blog/2010/06/02/lighthouse-movie-survey-results/. Season Schedule flyer: schedule_flyer.

Letter from the President

Dear Chamber Members:

April was a busy month with a variety of events centered around the Lighthouse Square. The Queen Isabel Market Day Arts & Heritage Festival and the first ever Block Party in the Lighthouse District were both very successful. The Chamber also hosted its Annual Awards Banquet on April 16th. For a complete list of award recipients, please see the related article in this issue of our newsletter.

We will soon begin advertising sales for our 2010-2011 Visitors’ Guide, which has proven to be a tremendous success. We hope you will continue to support this project. Watch for our advertising rate sheet and information coming to you mid-month.

As always, we encourage you to contact our office with any suggestions or questions you might have about the services we provide to our membership. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,
Betty Wells
President

Chamber Honors Presented at Awards Party

The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce held their annual awards party for Friday, April 16th from 5:30-7:30 pm at Black Jack’s next to Pirates Landing in Port Isabel.

The format of the annual event changed to a more casual atmosphere, says Chamber President Betty Wells. The highlight of the event was the presentation of awards to individuals and businesses who have made outstanding contributions to the community.

“Scott Friedman and the staff of Black Jack’s Galley did an outstanding job for our event,” said Chamber President Betty Wells. “The relaxed outdoor atmosphere was conducive to conversation and networking and is something our members really enjoyed.”

Awards were presented to the following recipients: Outstanding Service Award—City of Port Isabel Public Works Department; In Appreciation—Tarantino Properties, Inc.; Special Recognition—Richard Wolf; Outstanding Community Improvements—The Friedman Family; Outstanding Community Citizen—Edward Meza; Volunteer of the Year—John & Sandy Sabin; Lifetime Achievement Award—Mary Ann Brown; and Chairman’s Award—Capt. Danno Wise.

Merchants Committee Deems Block Party a Success

The Port Isabel Merchants Committee was deemed a success as hundreds of visitors and residents surrounded the Lighthouse Square.

Held last Friday, the event was the premier event in a series of Block Parties that will feature Chamber members within Port Isabel’s eight districts. Businesses within the District offered special promotions as well as providing refreshments.

“The Merchants Committee feels like our first Block Party was a success,” said Chairwoman Linda Garrett. “Our mission is to promote local businesses and we think this was a wonderful opportunity for the business community to come together. The weather was absolutely perfect.”

Chamber business members participating in the April 23rd Block Party included: Pirate’s Landing Restaurant, Lighthouse Lighting Center, Designer Consigner/The Garden, Marcello’s, Purple Parrot, Salon Samuel, Coastal Winds, Rio Bravo Gallery, ArtSea Gallery & Goods, Farm & Retail Market, Silver Breeze, Yellow Petals, Bayside Furniture, Black Dragon Cruises and the Museums of Port Isabel.

“We encourage all area businesses to become involved in the Merchants Committee,” Garrett said. The committee meets the second Wednesday of each month at 8:30 am at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum. For more information, contact the Chamber office at 943-2262.

American Wind Symphony Orchestra Coming to Port Isabel

The American Wind Symphony Orchestra will make its third appearance in Port Isabel on May 21st.

The Port Isabel performances will launch the 53rd season of the floating orchestra and afford spectators the rare opportunity to hear performances by students from the Julliard School of Music. More than 4,000 people from across the Valley attended their last performance in 2007 and were treated to the sights and sounds of the open air band shell that unfolds upon its traveling barge.

The performance is sponsored by the El Paseo Arts Foundation and is under the direction of Conductor Robert Boudreau. According to El Paseo Board member Joann Evans, support for the event is being solicited from area businesses and individuals. Persons interested in contributing may contact El Paseo at 943-4700.

- NEW MEMBER -
Workforce Solutions Cameron

The Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Awards Ceremony Friday evening at Black Jack’s at Pirates Landing in Port Isabel. Recipients, members and guests enjoyed live music by Tom Wayne, dinner provided by Pirates Landing and pirates’ sword play and fire show!

Awards were presented by Alex Avalos, Chamber Board Chairman, Chamber Director Betty Wells and the Chamber Board to:

• City of Port Isabel Public Works Department- Outstanding Service Award
• Tarantino Properties, Inc.- In Appreciation
• Richard Wolf, Rental World- Special Recognition
• The Friedman Family- Outstanding Community Improvements
• Edward Meza, City Manager- Outstanding Community Citizen Award
• John & Sandy Sabin- Volunteers of the Year
• Mary Ann Brown- Lifetime Achievement Award
• Chairman’s Award- Capt. Danno Wise

Pictured above– front row, left to right: Sandy Sabin (Volunteer of the Year Award); Tarantino Properties, Inc. representative (In Appreciation); Alex Avalos, Port Isabel Chamber Board Chairman with the Chairman’s Award presented to (not shown) Capt. Danno Wise (Chairman’s Award); Mary Ann Brown (Lifetime Achievement Award); Edward Meza, City Manager (Outstanding Service Award) and Richard Wolf, Rental World (Special Recognition). Not shown, the Friedman Family (Outstanding Community Improvements).

City of Port Isabel Public Works Department were presented with certificates In Appreciation.

For more information, call the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce at 956/943-2262. See full story in Monday’s Port Isabel Press.

The Port Isabel Merchants Committee has planned their first ever Block Party for Friday, April 23^rd from 4-7 pm.

The event is the premier event in a series of Block Parties that will feature Chamber members within Port Isabel’s eight districts. The first is scheduled for the Lighthouse District and is open to businesspeople and visitors at no charge. Businesses within the District will be offering special promotions as well as providing refreshments. Live entertainment is also planned.

“The Merchants Committee plans to host at least two block parties a year,” said Chairwoman Linda Garrett. “Our mission is to promote local businesses and we think this is a wonderful opportunity for the business community to come together. It will also be a lot of fun.”

Chamber business members participating in the April 23^rd Block Party include: Pirate’s Landing Restaurant, Lighthouse Lighting Center, Designer Consigner/The Garden, Marcello’s, Purple Parrot, Salon Samuel, Coastal Winds, Rio Bravo Gallery, ArtSea Gallery & Goods, Farm & Retail Market, Silver Breeze, Yellow Petals, Bayside Furniture, Black Dragon Cruises and the Museums of Port Isabel.

“We encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of the many special offerings and entertainment provided by our Lighthouse District businesses,” Garrett said.  For more information, contact the Chamber office at 943-2262.