Fred Renk – a legend coming to an end

Rio Grande Valley citizens rarely make the headlines in the Washington Post - unless, of course, they are locally elected politicians and hold a high office in Washington D.C. Well, that can't be said of Fred Renk who is well known for operating Bloodless Bull Fights for at least twenty years.

At 83 years of age Fred has decided to sell his Bull Ring located in La Gloria, Texas. On Sunday, February 16, Fred will present his last bull fight. Two bull fighters - one a woman - will perform before what will probably be a full house. Each fighter will draw for the two bulls that they will fight. The bull fight will begin at 4 p.m. and will not end until around 6 p.m.

Prior to the beginning of the fight, food and drink will be available for purchase. Fred makes sure that you are well entertained with music and trained horsemanship performances before the actual bullfight begins. So, arrive early to enjoy all the entertainment.

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Valley Star Wards offers great lineup of entertainment

Every year, the Valley Star Awards offers a great lineup of entertainment – and this year is no different. The lineup includes some of the best Wintertainers™ performing in the Winter Texan parks and resorts during the Winter months. This year’s lineup includes Rick McEwen, Dave and Daphne, Tom Wurth, Desert Polynesia, Maggie Mae and Dan Smith, and Absolutely Country, Definitely Gospel.

Rick McEwen performs classic rock, classic country, rhythm and blues and soul music. He is a member of the Traditional Country Hall of Fame. He has performed with greats such as Earl Suggs, Webb Pierce and The Dillards. He has opened for Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dottie West and other county legends.

Dave Salyer has toured the world with Barbara Mandrell, performed for presidents at the White House and has appeared on countless TV shows. Daphne Anderson has toured with some of the greatest Southern Gospel Groups and has been described as a cross between Shania Twain and Patsy Cline. Together, they perform country music and Daphne yodels.

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It’s that time again

University researchers who study the positive impact Winter Texans have on the Rio Grande Valley economy need your input. Every two years the Winter Texan Times helps the local university collect information about the Winter Texans that visit the Rio Grande Valley. So, it’s that time again – We need your help.

This week, the Winter Texan Times includes the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Winter Texan Survey as an insert in the newspapers. We invite our readers to complete the survey, and in so doing, be entered in a drawing for $150 cash prize.

The easiest way to complete the survey is online. UTRGV has created an easy-to-use web form and there is a link to it on the home page of our website at www.wintertexantimes.com. You can also find the survey form online at http://utrgv.edu/wintertexan.

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It’s been a busy month

Boy, has it been a busy month – with the last two weeks seeming to go non-stop here at the Winter Texan Times office. Our readers have been visiting the office quite a bit this month – bringing their news in, dropping off reunion and meeting notices, picking up papers, placing classified ads and picking up prizes they have won by subscribing to our email edition.

In all of this, my husband, Dan, and I have been trying to get out more and visit the parks, getting to know the people that we serve. We have been invited to a few events, have had booths at others, and some we have just decided to drop in on and see what was going on. Our writers are out there quite often getting the newest story or learning more about a sport – check out our new column From the Cheap Seats where one of our writers has been able to get out and learn about sports in the parks.

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Now, that's Texas Talk

Earlier in January, there were several Travel Expos up and down the Valley from McAllen to Port Isabel. Even though the shows were geared toward attracting Winter Texans, there were many permanent residents that attended. Great entertainment and music were offered at every show. Plus, lots of information and freebies were given out. There were exhibitors from cities and states in the U.S., as well as exhibitors from Mexico.

Those shows did not pertain just to travel but to a wide variety of subjects including how to cook and eat healthy, what bank to use for the best interest rates and best service, who to call in an emergency and on and on. The most popular booth at the Harlingen show was the one giving out a free scoop of soft ice cream. Unfortunately, they ran out of chocolate and then out of vanilla before I got my scoop! And how I do love ice cream. Think I’ll go have some right now!

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I almost had a Harper

I almost had a Harper.

The news kinda surprised me when I first heard it.

What’s a Harper? And how did I not get it?

I was at the indoor shooting range at Alamo Rec Veh Park in Alamo checking to see how good – or bad – my shooting skills were.

“He got a 10,” Jim Davis said, almost surprisingly. “He almost got a Harper.”

A Harper is named after a shooter at the 10-meter air rifle range (with the same guns and distance used for the Olympics) who could shoot out the middle of the tiny target and leave nothing but the white ring around the shot out target. My third shot caught just a piece of the white line or else I would’ve had my first Harper.

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