Midway BBQ planning to reopen Sept. 1

Midway BBQ announced that it plans to reopen its restaurant Sept. 1.

The rebuilt restaurant includes a third smoker in a new smoker room, an expanded service kitchen and food service line. It also features a new catering kitchen, new bakery kitchen area, larger dessert case and retail area. Improvements have also been made to the restaurant’s semi-private dining room and the private banquet room has been redesigned.

The rebuilding comes following a fire at the restaurant in February 2021. The damage to the interior of the building was a total loss and the rebuilding effort began from scratch.

The store opened Midway BBQ Jr., 6191 Highway Blvd., to accommodate its customers, and continued to serve meals at its long-established Midway Meat Market location, 5901 Highway Blvd. The “junior” location will be closed while the final arrangements take place before the reopening. However, the Midway Meat Market will remain open during this time.

Katy Heritage Society to hold vintage carnival Oct. 22

The Katy Heritage Society is planning its second annual vintage carnival, which will feature food, vintage carnival games and festivities.

The carnival will be from 4-7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Katy Heritage Park, 5990 George Bush Dr. For more information, visit the Katy Heritage Society website at katyheritagesociety.com.

Fort Bend County Fair mutton bustin’ seeking entries

Mutton Bustin’ online registration for the 2022 Fort Bend County Fair will begin at 8 a.m. Aug. 16.

The first 100 qualified children who are 4-7 years of age and who weigh less than 55 lbs. on the day of the competition are eligible to compete. The top 10 qualifiers advance and will compete before the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo performance at 2 p.m. Oct. 2. To enter once on the fair's website, click on the preferred date, complete the entry, and submit payment. A confirmation email will be sent, and you are registered.

If your preferred date is unavailable, go to the next available date. If all dates are complete, there is the “alternate” option. Alternates will only be able to ride if someone else opts out. Ride dates for alternates will be determined based on availability.

A Grand Champion buckle will be awarded to the mutton buster with the highest score at the Final Round on Oct. 2, with prizes for each contestant in the preliminary rounds. Mutton Bustin' is a fan favorite, and everyone is welcome to come to cheer on their favorite cowboy or cowgirl.

For more information, visit the website fortbendcountyfair.com.

Fort Bend Junior Service League accepting community assistance fund applications

The Fort Bend Junior Service League’s Beneficiary Review Committee is preparing for the 2022-2023 league year.

The league is accepting Community Assistance Fund (CAF) applications for $5,000 or less. This fund enables the league to make multiple small grants throughout the year to local Fort Bend County non-profit organizations.

The CAF is funded through the league’s annual Sugar Plum Market, which will take place Nov. 3-5, with a special Preview Night Celebration on Nov. 2 at the Stafford Centre Performing Arts Theatre and Convention Center.

For more information on applying for a CAF grant, visit the website fbjsl.org/requestsupport/. For more information about the Sugar Plum Market, visit the website sugarplummarket.com/.

Committee members are: Jennifer Bombach and Jennifer Small as co-chairs, Misty Gasiorowski, Monique Brown, Alexis Geissler, Dana Loper, Kelsea Lake, Diane Molina, Jennifer Semeyn, and Jessica Gregory as board liaison.

Mamie George Community Center’s Mission of Love Gala to honor Father Dat Hoang of St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear

Father Dat Huang will be honored at the Mission of Love Gala, which benefits Catholic Charities’ Mamie George Community Center in Richmond. He is the founding pastor at St. Faustina, which came into being in 2014 when the priest was appointed by his archbishop, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, to solidify a congregation in the fast-growing Fulshear area.

Dat Hoang wanted to be a priest from the age of 10, while living with his large Catholic family in Vietnam. Because his father had served as an officer in the South Vietnamese Air Force, their bishop advised that they leave the country to realize the youngster’s dreams.

It took two years and harrowing journeys to escape. They were lost at sea and starving, rescued by a Soviet tanker, imprisoned, lost their life savings, separated from each other, and attacked by pirates. Eventually they made it to refugee camps. Dat Hoang’s faith remained strong as he served as an altar boy, even risking his life setting up for Mass in the middle of gunfire.

Eventually, Dat Hoang was reunited with his brothers in Houston, where he pushed himself to learn English in high school, and went on to attend seminary and realize his dream of becoming a priest.

Father Dat’s remarkable story will be the centerpiece at the Mission of Love Gala, which will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 at Safari Texas Ranch, 11627 FM 1464 in Richmond. For 11 years, the Mamie George Community Center has provided meals, gatherings and classes to keep seniors engaged and active. In addition, the center provides vital services for people of all ages: a food pantry, financial assistance, help for women veterans, and parenting education for young families.

Thousands of Fort Bend residents are helped each year through the center, located in a zip code with high levels of poverty.

During the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, MGCC converted to home deliveries of meals and food to seniors, virtual interaction with other clients and drive-through food distribution. Nearly five million pounds of food have been distributed, with help from a devoted corps of volunteers, since the pandemic began.

For tables and tickets, visit the website CatholicCharities.org/MissionofLove. Those unable to attend but still wish to support Mamie George Community Center and the services provided in Fort Bend County may visit the website CatholicCharities.org/MissionofLove/make-a-gift/.

For more information, contact Matt Johns at mjohns@CatholicCharities.org or 713-874-6659.