PORT ARTHUR, Texas — An event celebrating the 10th Anniversary of UGK Day is being held in Port Arthur.
The event takes place Saturday, December 3, 2022 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Downtown Pavilion, located at 522 Procter Street.
On November 9, 2022, Port Arthur City Council and Mayor Thurman Bartie passed a resolution designating and establishing December 3, 2022 as the 10th Anniversary celebrating UGK Day.
UGK, short for Underground Kingz, was a hip-hop duo from Port Arthur formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman.
On December 2, 2012, Pimp C and Bun B were inducted into The Museum of the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame. This day was pronounced UGK Day by former Port Arthur Mayor Deloris "Bobbie" Prince.
Event organizers, Clark & Coleman Museum Consultancy, have planned a short film screening and performing arts piece meant to educate, celebrate and create memories.
These memories will help build a foundation for the next wave of music, arts and culture being fostered in Texas cities, according to a news release from the City of Port Arthur.
The event will also feature home videos, oral histories and interviews of Pimp C, giving Southeast Texans the opportunity to reflect on the aspects of Southern rap culture the rapper and record producer helped create.
"We do this for Pimp C. We do this for Texas. We do this because the influence of UGK in our lives, in our hearts, and in our minds has changed the world. It has made a way and has given us hope," event organizers said.
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The family-friendly event is free and open to the public. There will be a vendor market, food, entertainment and more. Tickets can be reserved here.
Schedule
3 p.m.- 5 p.m.- Vendor Market, Family Activities, Community Resource Booths
5 p.m. - 5:20 p.m. – Opening Remarks
5:30 p.m.- 6 p.m. – Panel to Introduce Films
6:30 p.m.- 7:45 p.m. – Short Film 1 + Performing Arts Film 2
8 p.m.- 9 p.m. – Closing Remarks & Comments from Audience
In July 2021, a mural paying homage to UGK was unveiled at the corner of 17th Street and Woodworth Boulevard in Port Arthur.
The old mural had been taken down over a decade ago, but the new work of art has a special meaning for the community.
"We are the ones that are working toward our future, the people that live in our community,” Armando Ruiz previously told 12News. “Whenever you take a business, you take a local business and you make it your own that gives you pride in your hometown."
The previous mural was taken down in 2011. A decade later, Ruiz said the pain still remains for many in the community.
"So, that mural is kind of like recognizing our own whenever you tear something down that has that sentimental attachment to its always disappointing," Ruiz said.
For some it’s just a painting, but for this city it’s a symbol of pride.
"What this mural has done, it has brought back our hopes,” Ruiz said. “We have now created a place where we recognize some of our own and that was the whole idea behind it."
