Events - page 2

It’s Trash-Off time once again! The 28th annual Community Trash-Off is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the City of Orange Riverside Pavilion, located at 709 Simmons Drive in Orange, Texas, with a rain date of March 4, 2023. This year’s Community Trash-Off is generously presented by INVISTA and hosted by Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center in collaboration with the City of Orange.

Orange County residents are encouraged to come out, take pride in their community, and help clean up trash from area neighborhoods and waterways. Show your community spirit and join us for a morning of good CLEAN fun! Please register a team today, and join us as we work together to beautify our community.

Participating teams and individuals will enjoy a free pizza lunch after the event. To register a team or individual, visit shangrilagardens.org to complete registration and waiver forms. Teams are limited to 3-5 members, but groups are encouraged to register several teams. For more information, contact Melinda Jackson at mjackson@shangrilagardens.org or at 409.670.9113. Please take note that this year’s Community Trash-Off location has been moved to The City of Orange Riverside Pavilion at 709 Simmons Drive, beside the boat ramp to the south.

Shangri La Gardens Associate Director Katie Krantz shared her excitement for the event stating, “Trash-Off is the perfect opportunity for individuals of this community to come together and work towards the common goal of making Orange a cleaner place to live and work. We encourage all of our neighbors to take a few hours to join us for the 28th Annual Community Trash-Off and showcase the pride and resilience we have as a community. We hope everyone takes a little time from their day to help achieve this common goal. We are deeply grateful to INVISTA for supporting Trash-Off again this year as our Presenting Sponsor, along with Orange Mayor Larry Spears, the City of Orange staff, and all of those great volunteers who contribute to this important effort.”

Located at 2111 West Park Avenue in Orange, Texas, Shangri La is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Entry to the gardens is free of charge. For more information, call 409-670-9113 or visit shangrilagardens.org.

The United Way of Orange County is excited to bring Together Thursdays back to Orange County in 2023. This year’s events will kick off some FUN weekends in Orange.

They will kick off Mardi Gras weekend with Together Thursdays on February 9, 2023. Thanks to their partnership with Dow, they are offering this FREE outdoor concert series with The Spazmatics. They will have food trucks, outdoor games, and lots of fun! Bring your cooler and lawn chairs; no pets. It takes place at the Orange Riverside Pavilion.

The Spazmatics is a chain band consisting of multiple cast members conceived by Perfect World Entertainment. The band plays cover songs from the ultimate new wave bands from the 1980s. The band members’ onstage costume includes bowties, plaid pants, taped glasses, pocket protectors, and short shorts. The costumes are a homage to the film Revenge of the Nerds.

And save the date for October 5, 2023, as Together Thursdays kicks off the Orangetober Festival.

Mark your calendars for Date Night at the Museum on Thursday, February 2, 2023, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

This special event offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the museum after hours. Enjoy complimentary appetizers and sangria from Free State Cellars Winery while taking in the museum’s lobby featuring selections from our world-renowned collection before exploring the galleries and special exhibitions featuring the breath-taking display “The Art of Edgewater Tapestry Looms” and the special loaned exhibition “A Noble Pastime: Hunting Pictures from the Collection of the Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation.” Admission is free!

Continue your date night downtown and head over to the Lutcher Theater for the Performing Arts for the 7:30 p.m. performance of The Simon & Garfunkel Story. The immersive concert-style theater show chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Tickets at lutcher.org!

For more information, visit starkmuseum.org.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -Orange TX Branch will be hosting a Martin Luther King, Jr. March on January 16, 2023. The NAACP invites the Orange community and County to participate and be a part of this traditional and historic event.

The MLK March will begin at Mount Sinai Baptist Church, 1113 2nd Street and end at the Pavilion and Boardwalk on Division Street. It is a one-mile walk.

Participants will gather at the church at 9:30 am, and the MLK March will begin at 10:00 am. There will be a short program at the Pavilion.

The goal of the walk is to honor and remind the community of Dr. King’s legacy, teachings, and ethics.

The City of Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting a kick-off to Mardi Gras with a concert featuring Keith Frank. The fun starts at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Riverside Pavilion, located at 709 Simmons Drive.

The City of Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau, in partnership with the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce, will be hosting the 19th Annual Mardi Gras Festival on Saturday, February 11,  2023, at the Riverside Pavilion, located at 709 Simmons Drive.

No dogs or pets are allowed at the pavilion, but coolers are permitted.

The schedule of events includes:

• Kiddie Carnival | 10 A.M. – 6 P.M.
• Munchkin Parade | 1 P.M.
• DJ Entertainment | 10 A.M. – 6 P.M.
• Krewe of Krewes Parade | 6:30 P.M.

The parade route for Mardi Gras 2023 has changed. The parade will begin on Front Ave. and 1st Street, turning left on 5th Street, turn right on W. Division Street, turn right on 10th Street, turn right on Green Ave., and left on Simmons Dr.

Food and drink vendors will be on-site throughout the festivities. Please note — no dogs or pets will be allowed at the Riverside Pavilion.

Entries for floats, motorcycles, gas-power golf carts, and cars are being accepted at the Greater Orange Chamber of Commerce office.  Entries are due by January 31, 2023. The entry forms can be found online here.

For parade applications or additional information concerning the Mardi Gras festivities, please call the Orange Convention and Visitors Bureau at 409.883.1011 or the Greater Orange Area Chamber of Commerce at 409.883.3536,