By Forest Riggs Dust off your red, white and blue and get ready to celebrate Independence Day, Galveston style! With a hot summer in full swing, Galveston is preparing for its annual 4th of July parade and spectacular fireworks display over the Gulf of Mexico. Over the years, the annual celebration has grown in size

By Forest Riggs | For more than a decade, businessmen and bar owners Todd MacKenzie and Tom Fiero have been perfecting their formula for developing and operating successful businesses on Galveston Island. The pair purchased 23rd Street Station several months ago and in the past eight months followed their successful and proven business model of

By Forest Riggs As the old adage says, June is busting out all over! Well, not America’s favorite pearl-wearing mom June Cleaver, but rather the warm, summer month of June has arrived, sans pearls. Galvestonians and Gulf Coast dwellers take a deep breath this time of year and prepare for hurricane season, which officially starts

By Forest Riggs |  You don’t have to be a meteorologist to know that summer is definitely arriving, and fast. Temperatures have been steadily rising for the past few weeks and, although a nice breeze makes it tolerable at times, it is going to be a hot one this year. The Island’s favorite weatherman Frank

By Forest Riggs –  Like the old saying states, April roared in like a lion (well, maybe a small one) and went out like a lamb. April was a fun month on the Island, with lots of events that brought friends, family and visitors to the Island. The Tall Ships came and went, tall drinks

By Forest Riggs If you’ve ever had a fantasy of living a salty life on the high sea as a pirate, cabin boy, prostitute or stow-away (or just all of these combined!), your dreams are getting a little closer in the Gulf of Mexico and on Galveston Island. The creak of the rigging, the pop

By Forest Riggs Now that the chill of winter has passed and the “big†holidays and celebrations are behind us, it is time for Spring to arrive and bring with it sunshine, blossoms, new beginnings and fun times — both in and out of doors. All over Galveston, gardens are being re-dressed, damaged foliage from

By Forest Riggs Shiver me timbers! Spring, though it has tried, has not sprung. A clump of sand sitting in the Gulf of Mexico, Galveston has recently experienced a few cold and damp days, coupled with chilling winds that cut to the bone. Seems we have several days of glorious sunshine, then BAM! Here comes

Mardi Gras has come and gone, the last strings of beads have been thrown, the balls and parties are over and done and, hopefully, everyone survived the madness of Fat Tuesday. Holding true to the Island tradition of Mardi Gras and keeping with the ideas of hospitality, celebrations, good times and fun, Galveston welcomed visitors

By Forest Riggs It is Mardi Gras time again and, with it, come parties, parades, beads and balls. If you have lived on or visited Galveston within the past few decades, you are surely familiar with the infamous Banner Party that grew from a gathering in a private residence to the jam-packed, historic Balinese Room