By Forest Riggs My, how time flies! It seems like just yesterday that the Island was in the midst of an unending heat wave that kept all but the devoted sun-and-sand lovers inside. With the first weekend in November came the chill of a late fall, and sweaters, coats, and sweatshirts became the fashion. Heaters

By Forest Riggs Halloween, with all its witches and hollow-weenied goblins, came and went. The Island was full of party-going revelers, costume contests and ghost tours. It was not an uncommon site to see lantern-holding groups of folks gathered in cemeteries and in the dark alleys of downtown, all looking for some evidence of the

By Forest Riggs Gosh, it is that time of year again, when most folks dust off old ghost stories and share new ones. Galveston, long known as a “Ghost Capital” in America, is chock-full of famous and infamous tales of lingering and lost spirits, ranging from Karankawa Indians, pirates, spurned lovers and down-right murderers to

By Forest Riggs Just when folks were finally able to get back into their Hurricane Harvey damaged homes, the bottom fell out and along came a Tropical Storm named Imelda. The upper Gulf Coast got it again; the region was flooded from torrential rains that hovered over southeast Texas, causing extensive flooding and damage. You

By Forest Riggs Where to begin? September is about half over, I’m a year older, storms keep crawling off the coast of Africa, the heat will not let up and the stores are already crammed full of holiday junk! Mix all of this with the returning use of pumpkin spice in everything from coffee to

By Forest Riggs Dim the house lights, close the curtains, and shut the stage door: The Contessa has left the production. After a brief illness, the Island’s beloved Antonio “Tony” Garcia, A.K.A. The Contessa peacefully passed away on Friday, August 16, two days short of his 81st birthday. Garcia, a much loved and iconic character

| “You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine… By Forest Riggs How true, how true! Indeed, there is a light in all of us and we must let it shine, just like the popular song states. Well-loved, country singer, Donna Fargo was born Yvonne Vaughn in Mount Airy, North Carolina in 1945,

By Forest Riggs Do gay people still date? Perhaps they do in larger cities and communities, but not so much in Galveston. Recently a friend from out-of-state talked at length about his possibly leaving Denver and moving to Galveston Island. In the conversation he mentioned that he has recently read some articles about Galveston and

By Forest Riggs Folks, there really is a music man and his name is Clay Howell! Every once in a while, someone comes along that can truly be called a showman, blessed with an abundance of talent, superior charm, quick wit, and a strong desire to entertain and keep people smiling. From his humble beginnings

By Forest Riggs There is no doubt about it: Summer is here! The “island near the United States” has experienced some record-breaking temperatures during the past few weeks and, if predictions are correct, there is more to come. Along with the intense heat this year has come days and nights filled with very high humidity