If you love mariachi music, you will fall in love with the sounds of the all-female mariachi, Mariachi Mariposas.
Mariachi Mariposas began their musical journey in the summer of 2012 in the Rio Grande valley as a 12-member mariachi. The group launched to provide musical opportunities to talented female musicians who shared the same common goal of supporting, promoting and safeguarding the art of mariachi music.
Valley residents, Winter Texans, visitors, birders and those just getting interested in birding are invited to join a team in the count areas for the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. Novice or pro, come join the count!
The CBC is a one-day event per area within established count circles. This year’s count will be held from December 14 through January 5, 2026. Local counts are listed below with contact information for those interested in joining a team.
Read more: Annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count dates set
The Pharr Community Theater (PCT) is pleased to announce its holiday production of the year: a vibrant Spanish-language adaptation of Charles Dickens’s “A Tejano Christmas Carol,” reimagined especially for the Rio Grande Valley.
In this regional and contemporary version, the classic protagonist is transformed into Ezequiel Codos, played by Pharr’s Pedro Garcia, a greedy lawyer and water broker whose ambition to sell large portions of Rio Grande water jeopardizes the community’s environmental and social future. The story takes a deeply local turn by introducing the spirits who visit Codos.
Read more: PCT presents “A Texas Christmas Carol” in Spanish with a RGV twist
The McAllen Public Library (MPL) is kicking off its Youth Winter Drive to help keep children and teens in our community warm this season. The effort calls for collecting winter essentials for local youth, with donations supporting the Teen Essential Shelves at the Lark, Palm View, and Main branches.
Read more: MPL launches Youth Winter Drive to help keep local kids warm
By Joey Gomez, STC
South Texas College students are helping to transform a developing 30-acre camp for children with Type 1 diabetes by utilizing their skills to build furniture, recreational features and sensory stations for the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association (STJDA).
For more than a year, STC faculty and students from multiple programs have partnered with STJDA to support its vision of creating a residential camp for children with chronic illnesses and special needs. Since then, STC programs including Construction Supervision, Architecture, Culinary Arts and Welding have contributed to the camp’s development on the outskirts of Willacy and Hidalgo counties.
Read more: STC students use skills to support Valley children living with diabetes
The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley will celebrate the completion of its new cooler and freezer facility with a ribbon cutting on Friday, December 12 at 10 a.m.
The new cold-storage facility is located on-site behind the Food Bank RGV’s historic Valley Fruit Company building. The Food Bank RGV is located at 724 N. Cage Blvd. in Pharr.
Read more: Food Bank RGV to host ribbon cutting for new facility
Holiday Village kicked off their 16th season with a jam-packed opening ceremony recently at Dean Porter Park in Brownsville. Guests enjoyed live music, free buñuelos and candy canes, and more, as they anticipated the first official lighting of the cottages.
The event was emceed by Brock Hughston, who also plays keyboard and sings vocals with the band. Other members include Frank Morris on drums and Darak Weaver on guitar. Their holiday music set, which included favorites like You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch and Jingle Bell Rock, had the crowd feeling festive.
Read more: Everyone’s favorite festive cottages have returned
