Issue 1: We found the good stuff. It's all right here.

Beaumont has more good happening than most people ever hear about.

Good people doing quiet, remarkable things. New businesses are opening their doors. Neighbors are showing up. Families gathering. Events worth putting on the calendar. That's why love, Beaumont exists. Every Thursday, we'll gather the good stuff and send it straight to your inbox. Local stories & people worth knowing and celebrating. Places worth trying. Things worth showing up for. Because life really is good in Beaumont.

Welcome to Issue 1. I'm so glad you're here.

Jenny Lee

A few good things worth celebrating and knowing around town.

There's something in the air in Beaumont right now. Businesses are busy. People are out and about. Calendars are filling up. The city has that early-summer energy that's hard to explain but easy to feel.

Just down I-10, Houston is getting ready to host seven FIFA World Cup matches beginning June 14. The biggest sporting event in the world, only about 90 minutes from Beaumont. That does not happen every summer. So if a day trip is on your list, this might be the one to plan around.

Here's what's worth getting out for this week, Beaumont.

Thursday, June 4

🌿 First Thursdays on Calder Avenue · 5 to 7:30 PM · Bon Vivant, Calder Avenue First Thursday of every month, Calder Avenue comes alive. Shop local, grab a bite, enjoy the neighborhood energy. A perfect excuse to get out tonight.

🎵 First Thursday Songwriter's Circle · 5 to 7:30 PM · 999 Calder Avenue, Downtown Beaumont Original music and local songwriters sharing new work downtown. A great companion to First Thursdays.

🌿 Cattail Marsh Van Tours · Cattail Marsh, 4233 Babe Zaharias Dr A guided 30 to 45 minute van tour through one of Beaumont's most beautiful natural gems. Register online in advance.

🎶 Midnight River Choir · 6:30 PM · 7 Oaks Event Garden · A great Thursday night show right here in Beaumont. Ticketed

Friday, June 5

🎨 The Art of Flowers · 7 to 9 PM · The Music Studio, 2192 Eastex Freeway The 9th annual Art of Flowers opening show. Local artists, beautiful work, and a great Friday night out.

🎨 Summerween Paint Night · 7 PM · 229 Dowlen Rd, Ste 3B A summer-themed paint and sip night. Fun Friday evening with friends.

🐾 Dog Days of Summer Adoption Event · through Sunday, June 7 · Beaumont Animal Care, 1884 Pine St Beaumont Animal Care opens its doors for a weekend adoption event.

🎬 Movies in the Park: The Smurfs · 7 PM · Wuthering Heights Park, 3650 Delaware St · FREE An outdoor movie night in the park. Bring a blanket, bring the kids, bring the neighbors.

🏓 Dog Days of Summer Tournament · Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center · all weekend A pickleball and ping pong tournament benefiting a local cause. Come play or come cheer.

🎶 Crossroads Band · Crazy Cajun · 8 PM 🎶 Roadway 7 · 2013 S M.L. King Jr Pkwy · 8 PM

Saturday, June 6

🌿 Beaumont Farmers Market · 8 to 11 AM · Beaumont Athletic Complex, 6525 College St · FREE Rain or shine, every Saturday mid-January through mid-December. Local produce, homemade goods, fresh bread, coffee, and more. Get there early, the good stuff sells out.

☕ Coffee and Kickstands · 9 to 11 AM · Cowboy Harley-Davidson, 1150 I-10 S · FREE Free coffee, pastries, and live music. A great low-key Saturday morning in Beaumont.

🛍️ Downtown Beaumont Junk Days · 10 AM · BAW Resale and Interiors Antiques, vintage finds, and local treasures. First Saturday every month downtown.

🎨 The Alternative Show 2026 Opening Reception · The Art Studio Inc., 720 Franklin St The Art Studio's annual Alternative Show opens this weekend. Local art, creative community, free and open to the public.

🎶 Daniel Waters Piano Man · The Logon Café · 8 PM 🎶 Chase Richburg & The Tonkaholics · 11325 Old Voth Rd · 9 PM

Sunday, June 7

🌿 Acoustic Brunch with Chris Smith · 10 AM to 2 PM · The Logon Café, 3805 Calder Ave Live acoustic music over brunch every Sunday. One of Beaumont's best kept weekly traditions.

👜 Handbag Bingo · 5 PM · Little Woodrow's Beaumont, 6210 Phelan Blvd Their very first Handbag Bingo. Coach Chelsea Shoulder Bag up for grabs. Fun girls night out.

🗺️ Just Outside Beaumont

🌲 Summer Movie Series: The Lorax · Big Thicket National Preserve, Kountze · Sunday June 7 · 2 to 4 PM · FREE A free outdoor movie at one of Southeast Texas's most beautiful natural spaces. Perfect family Sunday.

🎶 Chip Darby & Vintage Soul · Honky Tonk Texas, Silsbee · Saturday June 6 · 9 PM · $12 cover Texas country and good times just up the road.

📌 Coming Up

🎉 City of Beaumont Juneteenth Celebration · June 20 · 4 to 9 PM · Beaumont Civic Center · FREE The Zapp Band headlines alongside Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers, NuSoul, Blacque Koffee, and the SETX Linesteppers. Mark your calendar now.

Good people doing good work right here in Beaumont.

Richard James III - Fit Lab Foundation

Richard has been training my son and me for a while now, and before you read a single credential, here is what you need to know: he is one of the kindest, funniest people I have ever met in a gym. That is a gift. So is everything else he brings to this community.

Richard James III is Beaumont-raised and world-class. A world powerlifting champion and Olympic Torch bearer, he returned to the platform just months after tearing his pectoral muscle and walked away with four first-place medals and a world ranking of second in his division. He also qualified for Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas this September.

His book LiveYoung tackles the real health crisis nobody talks about: the slow loss of muscle as we age. His nonprofit, Fit Lab Foundation in Nederland, coaches Southeast Texans of every age and level. He is also the creator of Adventures of the Elements, a Gates Foundation-praised STEM fantasy series with a film adaptation in the works.

He is kind, he is funny, and he is one of ours.

The Beaumont business community, doing what it does.

BBB Diamond Awards for Excellence - Tonight

The BBB Education Foundation of Southeast Texas hosts its annual Diamond Awards for Excellence this evening at the Beaumont Civic Center, 701 Main St in downtown Beaumont. This celebration has been recognizing local businesses built on integrity and trust since 1997. Tonight, the Southeast Texas business community gathers to honor the best among them.

If you know someone being celebrated tonight, tell them congratulations. That kind of reputation gets built one customer, one decision, and one day at a time.

Community Exposed. The good stuff nobody's talking about.

🐾❤️ Millie's Way: Because No Pet Should Get Left Behind I'll be honest with you. This one isn't just a community story I found. I'm part of it. We're a group of friends rallying around founder Kacie Bass for a cause that's as sweet as it is important. Millie's Way started with a promise Kacie made after losing her dog Millie: no animal should be surrendered, go without care, or say goodbye to its family just because money is tight.

Here's how it works. Millie's Way is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit right here in Southeast Texas, providing emergency vet care, grooming, and basic needs funding for families and rescuers facing hardship. No middleman. Just direct help, when a family and their pet need it most.

If you have ever loved a pet, you understand exactly why this organization exists.

Keep a lookout, there's more coming from Millie's Way, and a lot of ways to help along the way. If you feel moved to give, every bit goes straight to a pet in need.

A look at your weekend.

Thursday: 72 to 82 · 🌧️ Wet one. 90% rain, keep the umbrella handy.

Friday: 72 to 86 · 🌦️ Still soggy and warm, rain on and off.

Saturday: 75 to 85 · 🌦️ Drying out a bit, 55% rain. Good window for the Farmers Market.

Sunday: 76 to 89 · ⛅ Warmest and driest of the stretch.

A very Southeast Texas start to June. Stay cool and dry out there, friends.

We read every word you send.

We find the good stuff so you don't have to. See you next Thursday.

Jenny Lee

Locally written. Community trusted.