October Starts Busy

October starts Thursday, and the calendar fills up fast.

Saturday alone could take you from the Farmers Market to Fire Festival, BOOMONT downtown, Lamar football, Comic Con, Bobby Orozco at the Jefferson, or Gabriel Iglesias at Doggett Ford Park. So much for easing into fall.

But the story I keep coming back to this week is a quieter one.

Emily Lopez built a business around helping people figure out which colors look best on them. What she really talks about, though, is how women see themselves. One thing she told me has stuck with me: "You are worthy of it right now."

Not after something changes. Not when life settles down. Right now.

There's plenty to do this week, and plenty worth knowing. I gathered up both.

Tax breaks may soon come with a hometown hiring ask

The gist: When the city gives a company a break on its taxes, it wants something back for Beaumont. Council is weighing new rules that would ask those companies to hire locally, invest in workforce training, and show their work. One piece would require 20% of construction labor hours to come from workers in registered apprenticeship programs, which some local contractors worry could raise costs.

Why it matters: When a company gets a break on its city taxes, more of the jobs that come with it would go to people who live here.

Help for families facing childhood cancer, right here at home

The gist: Go 4 The Bell held its third annual gala at the Beaumont Civic Center on September 19, with Chris Cagle headlining. Roni and Kirk Gillespie founded the nonprofit in 2023 to help families in Jefferson, Orange, Hardin, and Chambers counties with the costs that pile up around a child's cancer treatment, like gas money, hotel stays, and everyday essentials. The name comes from the bell kids ring when they finish treatment. All proceeds stay local.

Why it matters: If you know a family going through this, now you know where to send them. They can apply for help directly online.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

Nacho Average Spanish Class Jr.’s · 10:30–11:30am · Theodore Johns Library · Free. A kid-friendly way to sneak a little Spanish into the day.

Homeschool Hangout · Noon–1pm · Theodore Johns Library · Free. An easy midday meetup for Beaumont homeschool families.

Cattail Marsh Van Tour · 2:30pm · Cattail Marsh. See the marsh without doing all the walking.

Plan With Us · 4–5pm · Elmo Willard Library · Free · Ages 16+. Planner supplies are provided, which feels like a small win.

The Stitch Circle · 5–6pm · Main Downtown Library · Free. Bring the project that has been sitting unfinished at home.

Film Club Showcase · 5–7:30pm · Theodore Johns Library · Free. Local library movie night with a little more intention behind it.

AMSET Film Crew · 5:30–7pm · Art Museum of Southeast Texas · Free. Watch Final Portrait on your own, then come talk about it with other art and movie people.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

Senior Movie Day · 10am–3pm · Theodore Johns Library · Free. An easy daytime outing if you have a senior in your life.

Crafternoon: DIY Strawberry Craft · 2–3pm · Main Downtown Library · Free. One hour, one craft, and somebody else supplies the materials.

Teen HSH · 2:30–3:30pm · Elmo Willard Library · Free. One for the teens who need somewhere besides home to hang out.

Bird Activities & Observations · 3:30–4:30pm · Port Arthur Public Library. Nature and bird activities with the Port Arthur CVB and library.

Chess Club · 4:30–5:30pm · Theodore Johns Library · Free. Bring your game face.

Shelf Society · 6–7:30pm · Theodore Johns Library · Free. Midweek plans for the book people.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

Pollinator Garden Ribbon Cutting · 4:30–5:30pm · Tyrrell Park Nature & Visitor Center · Free. Beaumont has a new pollinator garden, and this is the official welcome.

Cajun & Creole Acoustic Jam Session · 6:30–8:30pm · American Legion Hall, Nederland · Free. Bring an instrument, dance or just sit back and listen.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

Orangetober Festival · Friday–Sunday · Riverside Pavilion, Orange · Free. Ten thousand pumpkins, vendors, food, live music and a whole weekend of fall.

Crosswalks: Downtown Walking Tour · Friday + Saturday · 5:15pm · Downtown Beaumont · $20. Downtown history is better when somebody tells you what you’re actually looking at.

Ken Mazzu: Wetlands Opening Reception · 6–8pm · Dishman Art Museum · Free. More than 40 works inspired by the wetlands of the upper Texas Gulf Coast. Very much ours.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

The Big Pumpkin Run 5K · 7:30am · Port Arthur Seawall · Registration required. Five years of pumpkins and running along the seawall.

Dean Granger Memorial 5K + Kids Run · Morning · Riverside Pavilion, Orange · Registration $40 + fees. The race benefits United Way of Orange County.

Beaumont Farmers Market · 8–11am · Beaumont Athletic Complex pavilion · Free. Produce, local vendors and a solid Saturday-morning ritual.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s · Walk begins 9am · Event Centre Great Lawn · Free to participate. A community morning for families, caregivers and everyone affected by Alzheimer’s.

Neches River Adventures Public Tour · 10am · Collier’s Ferry Park · $26.50 adults; lower prices for kids and seniors. October means the boat leaves an hour later, which is civilized.

Beaumont Comic Con · Saturday 10am–6pm + Sunday 10am–4pm · Doggett Ford Park · Ticketed. Comics, cosplay, collectibles and two full days to find your people.

Fire Festival · 11am–3pm · Fire Museum of Texas · Free. One of the first events of Beaumont’s Museum Madness month.

BOOMONT Fall Festival · Noon–6pm · Orleans Street at the historic Kyle Building. Live music, family games, costume contests, food, shopping and a downtown small-business crawl.

Lamar Cardinals vs. Northwestern State · 6pm · Provost Umphrey Stadium · Ticketed. It’s Family Weekend and Breast Cancer Awareness night at the stadium.

First Saturday at TASI · 7–10pm · The Art Studio, Inc. · Free. Two new exhibitions open at once, including Bridge City artist Justin Bossier’s The Dust & The Damned.

ON STAGE + BIG TICKETS

An Evening With Bobby Orozco · Saturday · Doors 6pm · Show 7pm · Jefferson Theatre · $20 GA / $70 family four-pack. A Bridge City pianist comes home with original music, cello and live painting on the Jefferson stage.

Gabriel Iglesias: The 1976 Tour · Saturday · 8pm · Doggett Ford Park · Ticketed · Adult content. Fluffy is in Beaumont. That probably covers the explanation.

COMING UP

Lamar Wind Ensemble + Symphonic Band · Thursday, Oct. 8 · 7:30pm · Julie Rogers Theatre · Free. Two Lamar ensembles, one free night downtown.

Music at the McFaddins’: Curse and the Cure · Thursday, Oct. 8 · Gates 6pm · Music 6:30pm · McFaddin-Ward House lawn · Free. Lawn chairs, local music and one of Beaumont’s prettiest backdrops.

Groves Pecan Festival · Oct. 8–11 · Lions Park, Groves. Four days of carnival rides, vendors, contests and the giant pecan you knew was coming.

History After Dark: Ghost Hunt · Oct. 9–10 · 7pm + 9:30pm sessions · John Jay French Museum · $60. Ghost hunting inside one of Beaumont’s oldest houses seems like a decision you make for yourself.

AMSET Delilah Montoya Opening Reception · Friday, Oct. 9 · 5:30–8:30pm · AMSET · Free. New exhibition, light bites and a gallery talk with the artist.

Beaumont Oktoberfest 2026 · Saturday, Oct. 10 · 2–8pm · Rogers Park · Free. Live music, food, and family activities at one of the City’s biggest fall events. Add this to your calendar now.

Emily Lopez wants you to see what she sees

The new mom in Emily Lopez's chair said she hadn't felt like herself in a while. Emily knew that feeling. Motherhood has a way of handing every piece of you to someone else. So she draped the colors, walked her through a five-minute makeup routine, and watched. "I could see her smile returning," Emily says. "I could see her start to see herself more clearly."

That's the job. Emily runs Beyoutiful Color Analysis here in Beaumont. On paper, she tells people which colors look best on them: warm or cool undertones, which season you are, a 48-color swatch fan to take shopping. In practice, she's helping women recognize the person in the mirror again.

Beauty wasn't the plan. Her mom ran a beauty business when Emily was growing up, so Emily went the other direction: the University of Texas, Latin American Studies and Portuguese, then a classroom. After her first child she wanted more flexibility, stepped into beauty after all, and found what she calls her favorite work she's ever done.

The teacher never left. Emily doesn't hand you a palette and send you home. She tells clients her job is to convince them she's right, because she needs them to see themselves the way she sees them.

She learned that from her mother. Growing up, Emily was the girl who didn't match the magazine picture. Her mom told her she was beautiful anyway, over and over, until she believed it.

Now she's passing that on to the next generation. Emily works with teens and tweens, and her Mom & Me sessions let mothers and daughters discover their colors together. She takes that age seriously. Girls hear every day that they need different hair, more makeup, or a different face to be worth noticing. Emily wants them to hear the opposite from an adult who means it: the pictures in magazines aren't real, and they're already beautiful as they are. She wants them to know it now, instead of spending years trying to earn it.

Once her clients see it, they can't unsee it. Months later, they still text her photos of something they bought that they never would have tried before. Not asking for advice. Just showing her.

Emily grew up in Southeast Texas, lived in Houston, Austin, and São Paulo, and came home on purpose. Color analysis used to mean a drive to Houston. Now it's fifteen minutes across town.

She's been part of BNI for about 17 years. It's Business Network International, where local business owners meet weekly to refer customers to each other, and Emily serves as president of the BNI Southeast Texas Networkers chapter, roughly 70 members strong. And next March, she's dancing in Dancing with the Stars of Southeast Texas for the Junior League of Beaumont. That one is personal. For about twelve years, Tuesday nights at her house have been Dancing with the Stars nights, the whole family gathered around the TV. This time she's the one on the dance floor. The dancing doesn't scare her. She did drill team. The fundraising is the real work, and she's in it to win.

Ask her what she wants women in this town to know, and she doesn't hesitate. "You are worthy of it right now." Not after the weight comes off. Not after a better season. Now.

Find Emily
Beyoutiful Color Analysis · Beaumont, by appointment
Signature Color Experience $229 · two-person session $399 · groups about $100 to $150 per person, on-location available
Book at beyoutifulcoloranalysis.com · Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Help her win
Give to Emily and Damion's Dancing with the Stars team. All proceeds support the Junior League of Beaumont. The show is March 19, 2027, and tables are available now. For individual seats, contact Emily.

TONIGHT
Chris Wiesinger, known as The Bulb Hunter, is at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens with a bulb sale from 5 to 6 and a seminar from 6 to 7. He's spent years rescuing the tough old Southern bulbs that come back every year with no help from anybody. Register here.

LAST CHANCE
"The Color Orange" closes Saturday at the Stark Museum of Art in Orange. The exhibition centers on one color, using works from the museum's collection spanning the 1500s to the 2000s. Admission is free, and the museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 9 to 5. See the exhibition.

ON VIEW
"Samantha Harrison: Land and Light" is AMSET's fall Community Art exhibition, with landscape paintings and photographs by a self-taught artist. It's up through November 8, and admission is always free. Plan your visit.

SAVE THE DATE
The Symphony of Southeast Texas is playing a free concert on the great lawn at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, Sunday, October 11. It runs from 5 to 7, with music at 6. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. See the details.

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The good stuff is out there; it's just scattered across a dozen places nobody has time to check. Gathering it up is the whole job.

Pick one thing in here and go do it. Then tell somebody about it.

See you around town.

Jenny Lee · Locally written. Community trusted.