Some towns introduce themselves the moment you arrive. Port Aransas, Texas, does it with personality. It’s a quirky beach town and it is proud of it, not trying to be like anyplace else. And along the shoreline, you’ll meet the most welcoming public officials you’ll ever run into, the Mayors of the Sand, better known as the Bollard Buddies.

They are simple wooden posts lined up along the beach, dressed in bright crochet and knit outfits. Not a little decoration either. Full on character. Some look like sea creatures with attitude. Some look like they are headed to a parade. And every one of them is basically saying, “Welcome to Port A. You belong here.”

Here’s what I love most.

This whole tradition started the best way possible, with one citizen seeing something in the world and bringing it home. Back in 2016, a local named Diana Vondra traveled to France and saw yarn art wrapped around public spaces, trees dressed up, posts made playful, the kind of public art that makes you smile before you even realize why. She came back to Port Aransas, looked at those plain beach bollards, and decided they needed a little personality too.

That first winter, dozens of Buddies showed up. Then it grew. Locals, visitors, Winter Texans, snowbirds, anyone with some yarn and a little creativity started pitching in. Now the Mayors of the Sand show up like clockwork. They usually appear between Christmas and New Year’s, then wrap up by early March, before spring break arrives and the beach takes on a different kind of energy. That timing turns it into a tradition, not a one-time project.

People walk the beach just to see who showed up. Families take photos. Visitors plan stops around them. Some Buddies even take a quick “field trip” into town for pictures before returning to their posts. It is fun, it is harmless, and it is surprisingly meaningful, because underneath the yarn, this is civic spirit. This is a community creating its own culture in public, not with a big campaign or a formal program, but with neighborly creativity and shared ownership of a place.

Port A is also known as the fishing capital of Texas, and that part hit home for me. When I was city manager in Farmersville, two council members and I had a fishing guide who would call us when the fish were biting. We’d grab a fourth citizen on short notice, drive down, spend one day bay fishing for redfish and one day deep sea. It wasn’t a strategy. It wasn’t a retreat.

It was relationships.

It was community in motion. That is what the Bollard Buddies reminded me of. The best communities don’t wait for culture to happen. They create it. They protect it. They pass it on. Sometimes a person travels, sees something inspiring, and brings it home. Sometimes a town says yes to the idea.

And sometimes the Mayors of the Sand show up wearing yarn, reminding everyone that joy is a serious part of belonging.

To learn more about Port Aransas and the Bollard Buddies, visit portaransas.org.

About Ron on the Road

Ron Holifield speaks to over 2,000 local government officials annually and has coffee with over 250 local government officials each year as part of his travels. If you have a cool site you think he should visit, email Ron@CivicMarketplace.com. 

NOTE: This column was written with the assistance of Melissa Valentine, senior director of operations and support at Civic Marketplace. 

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