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Published: Wednesday, 05 February 2020 12:51
Bob Repp took his glasses off and made his way toward the tennis court.
“Hey,” yelled out Jerry Butcher. “You forgot your glasses.”
“What,” the 92-year-old Repp responded. “I don’t need those things.”
Repp, Butcher and Bob Tenyak are the three elders in a group of tennis players that meet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to play tennis for 90 minutes. They’ve been doing that at Aladdin Villas for at least 20 years and in a recent email that provided a photo of the group, the subject was: Old Guys Rule.
“I have a hard time sometimes keeping up with them,” said Butcher, the baby in the group who just turned 84. Meanwhile the more “experienced” Tenyak is 87 and Repp is 92. “We play 70-year-old and sometimes 60-year-olds and we definitely keep up with them, if not trounce them occasionally.”
Read more: Old Guys Rule
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Published: Wednesday, 05 February 2020 12:42
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.
Read more: Fred Renk – a legend coming to an end
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Published: Friday, 31 January 2020 10:15
The McAllen Wind Ensemble has been given the honor of premiering the composition “Angels in the Sky” by composer Aaron D. McMichael on February 11. Mr. McMichael composed the piece specifically for the McAllen group as they celebrate their 45th year of performing in the Rio Grande Valley. The February 11th concert, sponsored by Thurmond Eye Associates is entitled “Something...Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue” The event will feature a musical potpourri of concert band works from each of the categories of the old wedding rhyme.
Aaron D. McMichael’s works definitely belong in the “something new” category. Even though he has started composing seriously in just the last three years, Mr. McMichael’s parents started him in music at the young age of five. When he started middle school, he switched to trumpet and was an instant success. After graduating high school, he earned a scholarship at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. There he met the composer Robert W. Smith, who extended a full scholarship to Troy State University. Once Mr. McMichael graduated in 2003 with his bachelors’ degree, he began teaching at Victoria High School. Since then, he has taught at several high schools and middle schools across the state of Texas including Brownsville ISD, Mercedes ISD, San Benito ISD, Mission ISD, and Victoria ISD.
Read more: McAllen Wind Ensemble to premier new composition
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Published: Friday, 31 January 2020 07:10
The 2020 Snowbird Extravaganza will be held at the Pharr Events center, Tuesday, February 4 and Wednesday, February 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This year’s event will feature Next Generation Leahy, Sean Emery, John Wing, Jimmy Flynn, Valdy and April Wine’s Myles Goodwyn.
Next Generation Leahy is a group of very talented siblings whose live performances have been described as astounding and breath-taking. They have performed across North America and have shared the stage with the likes of The Chieftains, We Banjo 3, The Tenors and Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy.
The siblings are all accomplished multi-instrumentalists whose live performances are filled with the high-energy, infectious music associated with the Leahy name. However, not content to play only the music of their Celtic heritage, these musicians explore many genres of music and pull influences from far and wide. Fiddle, cello, French accordion, singing, piano and French-Canadian step-dancing serve to bring their unique style of music to life.
Read more: Snowbird Extravaganza next week
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Published: Thursday, 30 January 2020 20:03
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.
Read more: Valley Star Wards offers great lineup of entertainment
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Published: Tuesday, 28 January 2020 22:01
It's that time of year – time to head to South Padre Island and watch kite fliers from around the world as they 'tie one on' for a weekend filled with amazing kites and performances.
On January 30 through February 1 – Thursday Night, Friday and Saturday – SPI Kite Fest will descend once again on the town of South Padre Island. The festival kicks off Thursday evening with Indoor Kite Performances held at the SPI Convention Centre from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The indoor performance lineup boasts an array of internationally known kite fliers. John Barresi holds thirty-one national championship titles and is the 2018 Open Individual Unlimited Ballet champion. John will be joined by the 2014 AKA National Indoor Champion, James Fletcher (Baltimore, MD) as well as many other talented fliers – Mario Di Lucca & Steve De Rooy (Victoria, British Columbia), Jeremy Wharton (Andover, Hampshire, UK), Spence Watson (SeaTac, WA), Paul de Bakker (Oak Harbor, WA), Paul Lamasters (Germantown, MD), Eli Russell (Medford, OR) and Brett Marchel (New Boston, MI) – to mention just a few. These amazing indoor fliers will show off their kite flying talent as they hit the floor with their choreographed routines to a mix of jazz, swing, classic rock and pop music.
Read more: It's Time to Tie One On – Again
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Published: Tuesday, 28 January 2020 21:53
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.
Read more: It’s been a busy month
I almost had a Harper.
