JULY 2023 It’s our birthday! WELCOME TO OUR 15TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE BURSTING IN AIR FIREWORKS AND THE FOURTH JULY 2023 $10.99 COASTMONTHLY.COM 645485005999 BACKYARD BASH A STYLISH AND SIMPLE SUMMER SOIRÉE SWELTER SKELTER HOT, CALM DAYS MEAN ANGLING ACTION19607 Shores Drive Dunes of West Beach 7109 Broadway Street Palm Cove Townhomes 25230 Intrepid Lane Playa San Luis 721 Ramsar Road Beachtown (281) 794-9463 Kelly@KellyKelley.com www.KellyKelley.com Galveston is my Home. Galveston is my Business. Kelly Kelley Broker Associate Re/Max Leading Edge Featured Listing 4119 Willet Lane • Pointe West 3802 Abalone Road Beachside Village 21206 Scissor Tail Lane Sunset Cove 12833 E Conquistador Drive Spanish Grant 23007 Lunes Street Terramar 23012 Camino Street Terramar COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 3 1510 Marina Bay Dr., Bldg 124, Clear Lake Shores, Texas 77565 281.334.00064 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 JuLY 2023 | VOLuME 16 | ISSuE 7 62 82 86 FEATURES 14 O, SAY CAN YOU SEE Fireworks long have been a part of our Fourth of July history 20 COVER CONFIDENTIAL Meet July cover model Miss Galveston County Camryn Hopkins 86 SHE DOES IT HER WAY College student pursues artful life despite rare condition 92 WAFFLES FOR GRUMPY AND BUTTERBALL Trip to former Galveston Orphans Home ends in bittersweet discovery 62 ‘MY PEACEFUL SPOT’ Long days and years of work yield beauty and color in Santa Fe garden 82 ‘SUITED FOR THE JOB’ Island artist teaches the secrets of building sandcastles“My exceptional Galveston team is marketing premier properties from the beaches to the bay — from historic treasures to high-rise condos!” NOTHING COMPARES to WHAT’S NEXT. THE DUNES OF WEST BEACH | 19323 Shores Drive 4+ BR | 4.5 BA | +/-3,070 SF Last list price $1.7+M EVIA Stellar new construction. Mesmerizing lake, golf course and West Bay vista sites. Gourmet island kitchens. Grand downstairs primary suites. Colossal screened porches. 1, 2 and 3 story plans. Priced from the $650’s Proudly marketing for over 15 years! SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DIST. | 2208 Post Office, #403 3 BR | 2.5+ BA | +/- 1,993 SF | MLS 27393793 Offered at $785,000 by Debbie Ashley NEW LISTING 13839WINDLASSCIRCLEGALVESTON.COM745SHIRAZPASSAGEGALVESTON.COM NEW PRICE BEACHTOWN | 745 Shiraz Passage Beachside villa. Outstanding ocean and harbor vistas. Exceptional chef’s kitchen. Impressive primary suite offers private veranda. Short term rental income potential. 3 BR | 2.5+ BA | +/- 2,350 SF Offered at $1.1+ M MLS 39598390 INDIAN BEACH | 18407 Ease De Vaca Lane 4-5 BR | 4.5 BA | +/- 4,700 SF Last list price $2.6+M OFFATS BAY | 6802 Driftwood Lane 4-5 BR | 3.5+ BA | +/- 5,331 SF Last list price $1.9+M GALVESTONIAN | 1401 E Beach Drive, Unit #400/401 4 BR | 4 BA | +/- 2,253 SF Last list price $1.1+M LAFFITE’S COVE | 3523 Cove Lane 6 BR | 6.5+ BA | +/- 5,406 SF Last list price $3.2+M Contact me with all your Real Estate needs. Jim Rosenfeld BROKER ASSOCIATE MTSIR Circle of Excellence Award Winner MTSIR Hall of Fame Member Texas Monthly Magazine Five Star Realtor 2012-2023 Galveston Historic Home Tour Major Underwriter 2011-2023 HomeLight Top 1% Producer 2018 Houstonia Magazine Best Of Houston Realtor 2016 Trulia and Zillow Five Star Rating 713.854.1303 Jim.Rosenfeld@sir.com LAFFITE’S COVE | 13839 Windlass Circle Unparalleled waterfront villa. Captivating canal and nature preserve vistas. Divine pool and spa. Superb chef’s kitchen. Breathtaking primary suite. Stunning summer kitchen. Elevator. 4+ BR | 3.5 BA | +/- 2,947 SF Offered at $1.6+ M MLS 73803605 6 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 26 ON THE COVER Miss Galveston County Camryn Hopkins holds a birthday cake for Coast Monthly on the beach near Beachtown in Galveston. Photo by Stuart Villanueva DEPARTMENTS 26 SEASIDE SOIRÉE Gather friends and family and throw a delicious summertime celebration 32 TASTE OF TEXAS Spice up burgers, dogs, dips and more with Cowboy Candy 34 GAME ON Celebrate Fourth of July with venison-enhanced nachos 36 DESSERT ISLAND This pie is perfect for easy, stress-free beach house gatherings 38 DOWN HOME Galveston boxer Jack Johnson was the inspiration for this dessert 42 DOWN THE HATCH Bartender likes the ‘Cheers’ atmosphere in this Dickinson hangout 46 COUNTER CULTURE A dated El Lago kitchen gets a modern makeover 52 HOMEPORT Couple restores 1890 East End island house while preserving its history 46 70 GARDEN VARIETY Eggplant thrives in Texas’ hot and sunny climate 76 HOOKED Hot, calm days mean riotous angling action 96 PARTY PICS Find out who made the local party scene 104 SAVE THE DATE Area events to keep your calendar booked 114 SHUTTERBUGS Readers share their coastal photos 528 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JuLY 2023 YOUR FRESH FISH HEADQUARTERS 21706 Burnet • Galveston (409) 497-4152 • Reservations Accepted Saturday & Sunday 10am-1pm Join us for BRUNCH © Copyright: Coast Monthly is published by The Daily News. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative. WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA coastmonthly.com EDITOR Laura Elder PUBLISHER Leonard Woolsey CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ DESIGN EDITOR Melissa Rivera PHOTOGRAPHERS Jennifer Reynolds Stuart Villanueva CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Carla Peoples Joey Quiroga Capt. Nate Skinner Tom Walko CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alicia Cahill Shannon Caldwell Barbara Canetti Christina Mattison Ebert Sarah Grunau Trace Harris B. Scott McLendon Phil Newton Olivia Savoie Capt. Nate Skinner CHIEF REVENUE DIRECTOR Michelle Robinson ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Maureen Beans Catherine Boudoin Jana Knoell Stephanie McBride John Nagy Kristi Quigley Donna Rhoades MAILING ADDRESS P.O. 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