By Forest Riggs June is here and busting out all over with pride — Gay Pride, that is! Once again, in every hamlet, village, city, and empire “where two or more are gathered…” there will be rainbow flags, parades, drag shows, club parties, fireworks, speeches, and even a few demonstrations. After all, the “gays are

By Forest Riggs  “The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” —Harriet Ann Jacobs  When it comes to months that are most celebrated in thoughts, songs, poems and movies, next to December would be the merry month of May. Finally, May has arrived and brings the onset of the summer vacation period that

By Forest Riggs It is no secret that I love to tell stories and tall tales. Often while doing so I will say, “…to make a long story short…” This catch phrase is usually followed by some long winded, rambling reminiscence or re-telling of some adventure or story about something I once experienced. Storytelling is

A resilient Galveston welcomes March By Forest Riggs Remember the old rhyme so many of us have often quoted, “Spring has sprung, Fall has fallen, Winter is here and it’s cold as hell”? Well, we sure got it this year. The wintry storm that blanketed Texas in mid-February certainly left its mark on Galveston Island.

By Forest Riggs It’s that time again! As humans, we are allowed only so many Christmases, Easters, Halloweens, etc. In fact, our days are numbered from the moment we take a breath.  As the years pass, and we move from the cradle toward the grave, holidays and special celebrations become more and more meaningful and

By Forest Riggs Each year thousands of tourists and visitors descend on tiny Galveston Island and, for the most part, leave having made some wonderful new friends and memories. The sandy beaches, brown sand and all, beckon to visitors. Tourism is a great part of the Galveston economy, and although the pandemic has put a

By Forest Riggs This year, perhaps more than any other, a majority of Americans wished for more than their two front teeth for Christmas! After four years of a failed and miserable presidency, one that was in no way kind to LGBTQ folks and at every turn opted to go backward, it is slowly coming

By Forest Riggs The election is over! After many long months of mud-slinging, vitriol-infused speeches and ideologies that shock the very core of most folks’ understanding of democracy and how it is supposed to work, a new president has been elected by a majority vote. As this column is being written before Election Day, at

By Forest Riggs Fall weather is finally trying to arrive and bring with it some cooler temperatures and welcomed changes in Galveston. The beaches are not as crowded, the water appears a prettier blue-green and, most of all, traffic along the Seawall and 61st Street has gotten back to normal, and there are shorter lines

By Forest Riggs On September 8, 1900, the terrible hurricane known as The Great Storm struck Galveston and, by all accounts, leveled the island. The Playground of the South had been hit and hit hard. What started as a peaceful Saturday with stormy skies slowly turned into an afternoon filled with building winds, increasing darkness,