By Bobby Tingle

 

The food was good, the desserts were yummy, the offering was plentiful, the vendors were gracious and the opportunity to meet and greet friends and neighbors was perfect.

Orange County Disaster Rebuild held its first ever Taste of the Holidays Tuesday, November 13 at the Orange County Convention & Expo Center.

According to board member Kimberly Stiebig the event appeared to be a huge success.

Stiebig was excited about the vendor turnout.  It seemed there was an endless line of tables set up with food and desserts fit for a king, queen, prince or princess.

I had several favorites.

One vendor offered the world’s best beans.  I like beans, so it was an easy sales job.  I must say the beans were very good.  But I haven’t traveled the world sampling beans so I don’t know if their boast was accurate.  Right now they have my vote because they were very good.

Another vendor offered an all-natural and healthy peanut butter ball with dark chocolate.  I accepted the premise, all-natural and healthy, primarily to get the dark chocolate.

There were shrimp and grits and crawfish nachos.  One of the more interesting offerings was a plate with a slice of cornbread, covered with a special sauce and topped with a bit of coleslaw.  On the side was a short with a short rib.  No, I don’t know what kind of sauce it was, but it was definitely good.

None disappointed.

The talk at our table was fun.

Being in reporter mode, I asked those at the table with me what they liked best.

Iberia Smith was the most forthcoming noting the chicken Florentine with white sauce and dirty rice.  Darn.  By the time I asked her about it my belly was full.  How did I miss this one?

Her husband Benny Smith just smiled giving me the impression he was not finished trying to find his favorite.

Hats off to Michelle Stubblefield, Ida Schossow and the rest of the Orange County Disaster Rebuild for an excellent night on the town.

This organization was formed the beginning of this year.  According to their website, they have one cause: rebuilding, reviving and recovering together.

Many Orange County residents are still recovering from the destruction left by Tropical Storm Harvey.  The mission of this group is to assist individuals and families with those unmet needs.

I suspect their work will go on for a while.

To help, go to their website www.ocdisasterrebuild.com, where you can donate or volunteer.

Area residents in need will surely be grateful.

 

The Lions finally got their weather

 

The Lions in Orange County are serious.  Rain did all it could to swamp the grounds and dampen the spirits of the many volunteers who work tirelessly to put on a carnival Orange seems to love.

According to several members, they do the annual carnival to raise money for organizations who are dependent on their support.

Ultimately, it is the residents of Orange who provide the support.

When you show up, buy a burger or hot dog, ride a ride or play a game, you can rest assured you are donating to a good cause.

The weather was beautiful once they actually got started.

Today is the last day.  The doors open at 6:30 p.m. Kiddie Day starts at 2 p.m. with no admission fee.

If you haven’t already, come out and enjoy.

 

Bobby Tingle is the publisher of The Orange Leader.  You can reach him at bobby.tingle@orangeleader.com.