Here’s what’s up in SETX, 

Beaumont threw its first-ever craft beer festival last weekend, and it brought 20+ Texas breweries to Buckstin's backyard on Phelan Blvd — proof that this city can anchor regional food-and-drink events that draw talent from across the state. Juneteenth week starts Thursday with Port Arthur's parade and Kulture Block Party (featuring a Super Bowl champion as grand marshal), Orange's Krewe De Onyx festival, and Beaumont closing it out Saturday with The Zapp Band at the Civic Center. The Music Man closes Lutcher's 46th season with its last two shows Monday and Tuesday. PLUS: BPD is offering free women's self-defense classes worth putting on the calendar.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Tailored Financial Solutions.

Let's get into it. 👇

Beaumont Hosted Its First Craft Beer Festival — And 20+ Texas Breweries Showed Up 🍺

The inaugural Brew City Invitational landed at Buckstin Brewing Co. on Phelan Blvd last Saturday, bringing more than 20 Texas craft breweries and cideries — Saint Arnold, Spindletap, Galveston Island Brewing, No Label, and more — to Beaumont for the first event of its kind in the city. Thousands of attendees made the trip for pours from some of the state's most recognized independent breweries, and by every account, the inaugural event delivered.

This wasn't a small local tasting — it was a regional draw. Events like this don't happen in cities that can't sustain them: it takes hospitality infrastructure, a venue willing to host, and enough of a beer culture to fill it. Beaumont passed that test last Saturday. The question now is whether Brew City becomes an annual fixture, and whether it pulls more regional food-and-drink programming with it.

Looking for even more things to do? Browse and submit community events at events.whatsupsetx.com — updated every week. 🎉

Mark your calendars for these upcoming highlights.

THIS WEEK

📌 THE MUSIC MAN — Lutcher Theater, Orange

📍 707 Main Ave, Orange | 🕐 Mon Jun 16 & Tue Jun 17, 7 PM | 🎟️ Tickets from $63 — lutcher.org

What to expect: Meredith Willson's six-time Tony Award–winning musical closes Lutcher's 46th season. A traveling con man rolls into a small Iowa town planning to sell instruments nobody needs — and meets the one woman who sees right through him. Big-band numbers, a beloved finale, and one of the most joyful productions in the Broadway canon. If you've never seen live theater at Lutcher, this is as good an entry point as any.

📌 PORT ARTHUR JUNETEENTH — Parade & Kulture Block Party

📍 Procter St, Port Arthur → Pavilion, 522 Procter St | 🕐 Thu Jun 19 | Parade: 3:30 PM → Kulture Block Party: 5 PM | 🎟️ Free

What to expect: Port Arthur native Elandon Roberts — NFL linebacker, two-time Super Bowl champion — leads the parade down Procter Street as this year's grand marshal. The Kulture Block Party follows at the Pavilion: live music, vendors, and the kind of community celebration that Port Arthur does better than most. This is the kind of event that reminds you why the Golden Triangle shows up for itself.

Jun 16: Mix & Mingle — DuGood Credit Union | 1795 N. Major Dr, Beaumont. 4:30–6:30 PM. Greater Beaumont Chamber networking. All chamber members welcome.

Jun 18: Commercial Bank of Texas Ribbon Cutting | 4215 Eastex Fwy, Beaumont. 2–3 PM. Greater Beaumont Chamber welcome ceremony for the new location.

Jun 18: Artist Meet & Greet — FotoFest 2026 "Close to Home" | Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main St, Beaumont. 4:30–6:30 PM. Meet photographers Ray Carrington III, Keith Carter, and Earlie Hudnall Jr. Free admission.

Jun 19: Krewe De Onyx 5th Annual Juneteenth Festival (Night 1) | Riverside Pavilion, 708 Simmons Dr, Orange. Gates open 5 PM. Car show 6:30 PM (entry $25); live music by Rusty Metoyer 9:30 PM–midnight. General admission free.

MOVIE NIGHTS @ JEFFERSON

THIS WEEKEND

📌 CITY OF BEAUMONT JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION — The Zapp Band Headlining

📍 Beaumont Civic Center, 701 Main St, Beaumont | 🕐 Sat Jun 20, 4–9 PM | 🎟️ Free admission

What to expect: Beaumont's annual Juneteenth headliner this year is The Zapp Band — the funk legends known for the iconic Roger Troutman talk-box sound and a catalog of R&B hits that defined an era. Five hours of cultural performances, live entertainment, and community celebration in the heart of downtown. This one's worth getting there early.

Jun 20: Beaumont Farmers Market | 8–11 AM at Beaumont Athletic Complex, 6525 College St. Weekly Saturday market with local produce, grass-fed beef, baked goods, goat milk products, coffee, and live entertainment.

Jun 20: Great White Shark Family Day | 10 AM–1 PM at Museum of the Gulf Coast, 700 Procter St, Port Arthur. Free family activities celebrating sharks and Gulf Coast marine life.

Jun 20: Port Arthur 8th Annual Juneteenth Festival | All day at Sgt. Lucian Adams Park, Port Arthur. Full-day free celebration presented by the Port Arthur Cultural Coalition.

Jun 20: Krewe De Onyx Juneteenth Festival (Day 2) | 5 PM at Riverside Pavilion, 708 Simmons Dr, Orange. Live music and vendors continue. Free general admission.

Jun 20: Beaumont Renegades vs. Oceanside Bombers | 3 PM at Doggett Ford Park, Beaumont. Home baseball game. Tickets at doggettfordpark.com.

COMING UP

Jun 25: Ribbon Cutting — Doggett Toyota | Beaumont. New dealership celebrated with the Greater Beaumont Chamber — time and location to be confirmed at bmtcoc.org.

Jun 25: Go Skate Beaumont! | 5–8 PM at Beaumont Skate Park, 999 Laurel Ave, Beaumont. Free outdoor skate competition for ages 18+ hosted by EVRYNG and the City of Beaumont for National Go Skate Day. Free.

Jun 27: Kids Fish | 9 AM–12 PM at Sea Rim State Park, 19335 State Hwy 87, Sabine Pass. Free youth fishing event on the Gulf Coast — instructional activities and family fun at the water's edge. Free.

Which event are you hitting up? Reply and let us know! And if there's an event we missed, submit it or browse the full calendar at events.whatsupsetx.com — updated every week. 🎉

Patillo's Barbeque has been smoking meat in Beaumont since 1912 — founded by Frank "Little Jack" Patillo, it's the oldest family-owned BBQ establishment in Texas, now in its fifth generation of family ownership. That's over a century of hickory smoke, hand-ground beef links, and a recipe that predates the restaurant itself.

The signature links are the move: beef ground with garlic, chili powder, and spices, stuffed into beef casings and slow-smoked the old way. No shortcuts — everything from scratch, every time. Texas Monthly has covered Patillo's, the Southern Foodways Alliance has documented its legacy, and the people who know know: this is one of the most important restaurants in SETX, full stop.

📍 2775 Washington Blvd, Beaumont | 📞 (409) 833-3156

🤤 Had a great meal somewhere in SETX lately? Reply and tell us — we feature reader picks.

In 2025, Emily Rhine started an informal, free networking group for marketing professionals across Southeast Texas because there wasn't one.

The group meets regularly at local spots around the Golden Triangle and the conversations are open: AI in marketing, what's actually working, business development, shared challenges. Every industry is welcome from financial services to construction to entertainment. No dues, no strict agenda. Miss a meetup? No worries, you're always welcome at the next one.

Members have built real connections and launched ideas that grew out of these conversations. It's a genuinely good group of people doing interesting work across SETX. If you work in marketing and want a community to grow with, this one's worth checking out.

👉 Reach out to Emily Rhine on LinkedIn if you work in marketing and want in.

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This section is sponsored by Tailored Financial Solutions. Want your business featured here? Email us at [email protected].

June is one of the best months to get out to Sea Rim State Park, 25 miles south of Port Arthur on State Hwy 87. The park spans 15,000 acres of Gulf Coast beach and freshwater marsh along the Bolivar Peninsula — and right now the beach is wide open for swimming, surf fishing, and watching the Gulf from a stretch of coast that doesn't have a condo tower in every direction. The marsh boardwalk is prime for birding in June; egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbills work the cordgrass in the early morning and just before dusk. If you're bringing kids, mark June 27 on your calendar — there's a free Kids Fish event at the park from 9 AM to noon with instructional activities right at the water.

To get there: Take TX-87 south from Port Arthur through Sabine Pass — park entrance is at 19335 State Hwy 87. Admission: $5/person, or free with a Texas State Parks Pass. If you don't have a pass yet and spend any time outdoors in SETX, it pays for itself fast.

🏕️ What's your favorite outdoor spot in the Golden Triangle? Reply and tell us — we'll feature the best ones in a future issue.

The Beaumont-Port Arthur metro posted a 5.1% unemployment rate in April 2026 — more than a full percentage point above the state average of 4.6%, with roughly 9,700 people actively looking for work. The good news: Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 is in active construction, and with the Louisiana Connector now live, Bechtel's workforce demand for skilled trades, operators, and CDL drivers is ongoing. If you're in the trades, this is one of the bigger projects in the region's near-term history.

🏗️ Construction Trades — Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 | Port Arthur

Bechtel is the EPC contractor at the Sempra Infrastructure LNG terminal site. If you hold certifications in pipefitting, welding, electrical work, instrumentation, or heavy equipment — or if you have a CDL — this project is hiring through the construction phase. Steady work, local to Jefferson County.

How to apply: bechtel.com/careers | Search: "Port Arthur LNG"

💼 Tax Professional Lead — Tailored Financial Solutions | Remote
Detail-oriented tax pro needed for a growing local firm. Fully remote. Ideal for a CPA, enrolled agent, or experienced tax preparer looking for flexible work with real local roots.
How to apply: Apply: tailoredfinsolutions.com | [email protected]

👷 Blue-Collar Skilled Trades — Port Arthur / Sabine Pass

Patriot Security EOC is hiring 60+ positions across Port Arthur and Sabine Pass. Strong market region-wide for welders, operators, and industrial support roles. Ask about openings at your nearest WorkForce Solutions SETX location or check local job boards.

🏥 Healthcare Careers — CHRISTUS Southeast Texas | Beaumont

CHRISTUS is actively recruiting clinical and support staff heading into summer — registered nurses, technicians, and patient care roles are in demand.

How to apply: Apply at christushealth.org/careers

👩‍🏫 Teachers & Support Staff — Vidor ISD / Lumberton ISD / Hardin-Jefferson ISD

Three area school districts are running job fairs this week with on-the-spot offers — Vidor ISD has 20–30 openings (teachers, sped, bus drivers, custodial, food service), Lumberton and H-J ISD are seeking teachers, aides, transportation, and nutrition staff. Show up ready. Details →

🤝 Community Relations Coordinator for What’s Up SETX

We're looking for a local SETX connector — part community ambassador, part relationship builder. If you're already in the room at networking events and love sharing good news about this region, this role is for you.

Interested? Reply to this email or reach out at [email protected]

💼 General SETX Openings

Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas posts current openings across industries — manufacturing, healthcare, education, and skilled trades.

How to apply: Browse the full board at setworks.org or stop by a local office in Beaumont or Port Arthur.

Looking for outdoor work this spring? Tailored Lawn Care is hiring for local routes. Good steady gig with a local company.

🔜 Browse all local SETX job listings — coming soon. Sign up for early access when our job board launches: reply here to get on the list →

🎉 Are you heading to any Juneteenth events in the Golden Triangle this week or weekend? Which one, and why?

See you next week neighbor 📍,

The What’s Up SETX Team