Note: Events with + in front indicates newly added event!

While we strive to ensure that all of our events are current and accurate, please always check to ensure that the event is still scheduled and that the information below is correct.

• Houston Latin Jazz Orchestra @ Lee College PAC - Sat. Sept. 27th @ 7:30pm

• +Pre-Grito Party at Baytown Town Square [Free] Fri., Oct. 3rd Starts @ 6pm

• +Grito Fest at Bicentennial Park, [Free] Sat. Oct. 4th 4:30 pm – 9 pm

• Mont Belvieu Market @ the Park Oct. 4th 8am-12pm

• Deaf Social Where Bakery - Oct. 4th - 11 am @
  Heart & Whisk Bakery 4618 N. Main St., Baytown

• +Peggy Bell Book Signing Sat., Oct. 4th, - 2–4 pm @
  The Collaboratory, 5623 S Main Street, Crosby

• +Stronger Than the Storm Seminar, for adults who have lost someone,
  Oct. 7th at 7 pm— at The Collaboratory. The cost is $10.

• National Night Out 2025 Mont Belvieu – Tues., Oct. 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm

• +Nurture Nature Festival - Sat., Oct. 11th, 10:00AM – 4:00PM.
  @Baytown Nature Center 6213 Bayway Dr. [FREE to attend]

• ORW Founders Day Free Festival Sat., Oct. 11th - 10am-4pm
  4818 FM North 565 Old River-Winfree Silent & live auction, entertainment, Ethel P. Ramsey bake-off, exhibits, car, truck, and motorcycle show, and free activities for kids! Click for more info

• +Fall Market Trade Days Sat. Oct. 11th 10am-4pm
  @ Baytown Community Center 2407 Market St.

• +Annual Public Safety Softball Tournament [BPD vs BFD]
  Sat., Oct. 18th @11 am @ Wayne Gray Sports Complex - Come out and cheer on the first responders who keep our community safe! Show your team spirit by wearing blue or red—depending on who you’re rooting for. Open to the community—bring your family and friends!

• +Fall Market @ Town Square – Oct. 18th 10am-2pm 
  213 W. Texas Ave., Baytown

• +Community Yard Sale - Oct. 18th 10am-2pm @ Town Square,
  213 W. Texas Ave., Baytown

• Annual Back the Blue BBQ Festival and 5K Family Fun Run Sat. Oct. 18th – 10am-5pm @ Jimmy Burke Activity Center in Deer Park.

• The “Fab 5” Music Event – Sat. Oct. 25th @ 8 pm – @ Lee College Performing Arts Center - Fund Raiser presented by Baytown Crime Stoppers

Chemical Recycling in Question:
ExxonMobil Pauses Europe
Projects, Baytown Continues

ExxonMobil is putting two major chemical recycling projects in Europe on hold, citing proposed rules from the European Union that the company says make the investments unworkable.

The Houston-based company had planned to spend about €100 million ($118 million) on recycling facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Both projects are paused while the company evaluates the EU’s draft “mass balance” rules, which ExxonMobil argues favor standalone recycling plants over integrated petrochemical sites.

Senior Vice President Jack Williams told Reuters the draft rules “discriminate against using existing petrochemical sites versus standalone facilities.” He added: “We want to make these investments. The only thing standing between us and doing this project is EU policy.”

The European Commission’s proposed mass balance method sets the way recycled content can be calculated in products such as plastic bottles and packaging. ExxonMobil says the rules would leave its integrated facilities with less than half of the recycling credits it believes are appropriate, undermining the economics of the projects.

Baytown Connection

While European projects are paused, ExxonMobil has expanded chemical recycling in Baytown. The company recently doubled the capacity of its Baytown facility, which can now process around 72,000 tons of plastic waste annually. Unlike Europe, the United States does not have the same mass balance allocation rules.

ExxonMobil is also facing challenges in the U.S. Earlier this year, the State of California filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging it misled the public about the effectiveness of plastics recycling.

Industry Context

ExxonMobil’s pause comes as other companies have also reduced or closed plastics operations in Europe, citing high energy costs and global competition. Reports have also indicated ExxonMobil is considering the sale of some of its European chemical facilities, including plastics-related plants in Belgium and the United Kingdom.

For now, ExxonMobil’s European investments are on hold, while its Baytown facility continues to operate and expand under U.S. regulations.

Baytown Fire Department Recognition

The Baytown Fire Department recognized the excellent work of Engine 1, Medic 5, and EMS 1 during a recent incident involving a pediatric injury. Despite unforeseen challenges during the call, the team made the critical decision to transport the patient by ambulance to Texas Children’s Hospital.

Firefighter Tommy Phillips, Firefighter Taylor Brown, and Firefighter Brian Bakeberg provided exceptional prehospital care throughout the transport. Their efforts contributed to a positive patient outcome and earned praise from hospital medical staff.
Awesome job by everyone involved—-thank you for your teamwork and dedication!🎉

Peggy Bell:
Turning Loss into Purpose

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Peggy Bell of Crosby, you’ll quickly learn that her life story is one of resilience, faith, and purpose. Peggy is a Cajun girl at heart, born and raised in southeast Louisiana, but Texas has been home since 1996 when she and her husband moved here for his job.

Life changed dramatically for Peggy in 2009 when her husband passed away. It was a season of heartbreak, but also the beginning of a new calling. After retiring in 2017 from a forty-year career in education, Peggy realized that sitting still just wasn’t who she was. She had always been a writer, and while she started out with children’s books, she soon felt drawn toward nonfiction—sharing real stories of loss, healing, and hope.

Her first nonfiction book, ‘Life After Loss for Widows: Lifting the Veil of Grief’, opened the door to something much larger than she ever expected. A Facebook group formed around the book, and today “Life After Loss for Widows” has grown into a thriving community of more than 17,000 members worldwide. Peggy pours herself into this group, offering encouragement, wisdom, and a listening ear to those walking the painful road of grief.

But Peggy’s journey didn’t stop with writing. She became a certified grief and life coach—though she prefers the title “grief and life educator.” She says once a teacher, always a teacher, and her coaching is less about formulas and more about guiding people through transformation in their own lives. In fact, Peggy herself was her very first coaching client.

Stepping further outside her comfort zone, she also embraced public speaking—something that once terrified her. “If not now, then when?” she asked herself. Since then, she has spoken at workshops, seminars, and on numerous podcasts, reaching people far beyond her hometown. Every time someone tells her how much her words have helped, Peggy knows she’s living her “why.”

Peggy believes we are called to serve, and while she may be just one person—a “tiny pebble in a big pond,” as she says—she knows ripples can reach far and wide. Her late husband’s passing taught her the urgency of living fully in the present. “Life is short; make it count,” Peggy says.

This fall is another milestone in her journey. Her newest book, Hope After Heartache – Moving Through the Storm of Grief, will be released on September 27th on Amazon. She will host a book signing on Saturday, October 4th, from 2–4 pm at The Collaboratory, 5623 S Main Street, Crosby (free to attend).

She is also leading a special seminar, Stronger Than the Storm, on October 7th at 7 pm—a class for adults who have lost someone, also at The Collaboratory. The cost is $10, and details can be found on her Facebook page.

Peggy continues to inspire those around her with a simple but powerful message: “if you’re not happy with an area of your life, take action to change it. It won’t be easy, but the end result will be worth it.”
And as she reminds us, “If not you, then who? If not now, then when?”

To learn more about Peggy, her books, and her coaching, click here.

The Nurture Nature Festival is Back!🐢

The Nurture Nature Festival presented by the Baytown Nature Center is set for Sat.,
Oct. 11th, from 10:00AM – 4:00PM.

🌳🦋🐢 This is a FREE family friendly event celebrating nature and the great outdoors with activities including:
👉 Children’s Games
👉 Informational Exhibits
👉 Stage Shows 🎭
👉 Inflatables
👉 Live Animals 🐢
👉 Guided Nature Walks 🌳
👉 Bungee Jumps
👉 Archery 🎯
👉 Kid Fish Tank 🐟
👉 Variety of Food & Drinks 🥤

🚌Due to limited on-site parking, there is a small fee (cash or card) to park on-location. Free parking with a shuttle service will be located at West Town Shopping Center (4220 Decker, Baytown, TX).

🛍Local Garage, Yard & Estate Sales!🏷

Please help us spread the word: share this newsletter with your friends, neighbors, and anyone who loves a good deal. Encourage them to subscribe so they never miss a sale. And if you're planning a sale of your own, be sure to submit your info by Tuesday at 5 PM to be included in this week’s issue!

Friendly Note: Garage and Estate sales are as unpredictable as the Texas weather—sometimes they pop up, sometimes they blow away! 🌦️ Hosts may change times, addresses, or even cancel altogether. We just share the info; the rest is part of the treasure-hunting adventure. 🛍️

📌Check Back on Thursday

Job Listings Now on a Separate Page! 🎉

To make scrolling easier for everyone, we’ve moved job listings to a separate page! If you're job hunting, check it out—if not, enjoy a quicker read! 😊👀

Click job listings page

Friday’s Quiz: Which gas primarily creates the holes (“eyes”) in Swiss cheese?
Answer: B) Carbon dioxide.
Propionibacteria release CO₂ during fermentation, forming the characteristic holes.