Orange County Stories

06/10/2026

TODAY!!!!! If you are in or around Orange today, Wednesday 6/10/26 DO NOT MISS the 🍋9th Annual Claybar Grandkids Lemonade Stand Fundraiser for Traci's Texas Tails, a nonprofit in Orange that has saved 1000s of animals.

June 10th 10:00-2:00
602 Pine Avenue
Orange, TX (in Orange's beautiful historic district)

Lemonade, home baked cookies, painted rocks, gift baskets donated by local businesses to be raffled off. Not to mention the amazing fellowship visiting with the people there♥️

These kids are now all in high school and one just graduated, but their love of animals is still strong. Over the last eight years they have raised more and more money to cover the vet bills for hundreds of animals. 100% of every dollar received goes to the dogs. Let’s try and break last years record of $4700 plus!

06/07/2026

Did you wear your “Sunday best” clothes to church today?

Today we take a waaaaay-back look at the early days of Shangri La Gardens in Orange. The times and styles were miles away from 2026!

"Finally found a photo of Shangri La when it was open weekends around Easter in the 1950s. Newspaper accounts estimated about 30,000 visitors came from Texas and Louisiana to see the azaleas in bloom each year. Love seeing the cars, clothing and general appearance of those days. Note Fuller's Texaco in the background where 16th St. ended at the curve in Park Ave. The Fullers would sell sandwiches, soft drinks and whirlybirds for the kids."

(Photo & text from If The Devil Had A Wife)

06/05/2026

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Custom pricing and packages for all needs. Includes ads on our page! Message us your email and we’ll send you info! References provided.

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06/03/2026

Final goodbye to a piece of Orange history.

KOGT, the radio station headed by Gary Stelly over the last 30-plus years of its 70-year history, had ceased physical operations at its Meeks Drive location in December 2021, going to a web only format. Today, Stelly held an Open House for anyone who wanted to experience the studio for the last time. The station's building has now sold to a new owner for an undisclosed business venture, and that info has not been made public.

KOGT has been a fixture in Orange County since it began in 1948. You can still catch Gary Stelly on his podcast, Behind The Mic, recorded at the Team Granger Studios.

Thank you to Matt Chandler for the pics. Pictured are Matt, Stelly and Al Granger.

05/19/2026

05/16/2026

I-10 in Orange, Texas - Construction began, and never stopped.....

This historic photo shows I-10 at 16th Street in Orange.
Just past this exit going eastbound, and the last exit before crossing into SW Louisiana, is mile marker 880 and its corresponding exit number in Orange, Texas, is the highest-numbered mile marker and exit on any freeway in North America.

Photo is circa mid-1950s to 1961, depending upon the source.

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Welcome back to us at Orange County Stories and WELCOME to our new followers.....which we managed to get somehow without posting any content in over a year!

For the next couple weeks, we'll be posting throwbacks/"best-ofs" to welcome our new readers who may not have seen them before. Then, new content - you can help by recommending people in Orange County whose stories should be told.

01/18/2026

Happy Sunday folks!! It’s been a while, but we wanted to let you know that we are coming back within the next month or so!

We are changing some of the things we’ve covered before and will be looking for contributors to write for us.

Stay tuned!

05/30/2025

Thank you all for the support these last few years. This page will be on “hold” for a while, due to circumstances beyond our control. We hope to be back.

05/17/2025

Got trash?!

The South East Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC) will host a Household Hazardous Waste and Scrap Tire Collection Event on Saturday, May 17, 2025 from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm in the parking lot of the Bridge City Intermediate School at 1029 W. Roundbunch Road in Bride City, Texas.

During this event, the SETRPC collects items that could pose health and environmental risks if disposed of improperly. This is event is open to all Southeast Texas households; businesses are not eligible to participate.

For more information about items accepted during this event, call 409-899-8444 ext. 7520 or visit https://www.setrpc.org/household-hazardous-waste-and-scrap-tire-collection-event/

05/16/2025

Are you a veteran?

The Southeast Texas Stand Down Committee, in partnership with the non-profit veteran organization SETX Veterans 4 Veterans, will hold a Southeast Texas Stand Down for homeless veterans, veterans, and their families on Friday, May 16th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Orange County Convention & Expo Center, located at 11475 FM 1442.

Stand Down refers to a community-based program that assists veterans transition to community living by providing access to human services agencies, including benefits counseling, employment and training assistance, health care screenings, housing services, mental health treatment, substance abuse counseling, and legal services.

For more information, visit SETX Veterans4Veterans website here:
https://setxveterans4veterans.com/setx-stand-down