Window shoppers and serious lookers had a feast for their eyes at the Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center open house Jan. 9-10.
While there is no Valley-wide RV show this year, visitors at the 14th annual Ron Hoover event sure didn’t miss it as they ambled among hundreds of RV units including luxurious motor homes, 5th wheels, travel trailers of various lengths, all-terrain vehicles, golf carts and lots of fishing boats. That is when they weren’t interrupted for a hot dog lunch, taking health screening tests given by South Texas Vocational Technical Institute students from the McAllen campus or talking to RGV Vipers basketball representatives about game promotions. And it was also necessary to get a Ron Hoover T-shirt and a ticket for the grand prize drawing.
Read more: Ron Hoover RV Open House draws a crowd
Sometimes it seems to me that maybe the old ways were the best ways. The way we used to do things maybe took a little longer, but then what were the results in the long run? And what about all those old tried and true reminders of how to behave? They never seem to go out of style. Remember what your mother used to say? “Pretty is as pretty does” or how about “Beauty is only skin deep” or “You will be known by the company you keep.” Or better yet, “If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all.” And I bet you can remember many other tried and true guiding remarks that your mother said over and over and over. Maybe some even stuck.
And how did we live when we were growing up? Much, much more simply than we live today in this fast-paced world. Today the radio and television tell us almost immediately what is happening across the ocean. We stay connected all the time to people we do not even know. Would it not be better if we stayed more connected within our own families? Would it not be better if we recycled instead of throwing away what is sometimes still useful so that we can have the latest model? The latest style? The latest color?
Read more: Oh! The Good Old Days
Claude Laplante stood on the pitcher’s mound and looked toward home plate.
Walking up for his at-bat was a tall, lanky lefty. Laplante was familiar with his dangerous foe — he found an opening between first and second in his last bat, ripping a shot that rolled all the way to the outfield fence.
“
You’re up again already?” Laplante joked before delivering him the pitch – this time tossing some chin music directly at him.
Of course, this was Winter Texan softball and not the Major Leagues, so the batter caught the ball, fans and players alike laughed and joked about the “brushback” pitch and the game continued.
But on the very next pitch: Boom!
Read more: Softball, camaraderie and hot dogs
The brilliant botanist, Benito Trevino will present on the many endangered and threatened species of plants and animals in the Rio Grande Valley. Come learn the names of these endangered species and how to protect them. Join in the talk on Thursday, January 16 at 6 p.m. for a memorable and meaningful evening at Quinta Mazatlán.
Trevino received his botany degree from the University of Texas. He returned home to the Valley in 1986 and purchased his ranch in Rio Grande City, Rancho Lomitas. Benito and wife Toni offer history and native plant tours and provide a bed and breakfast for birders, locals and Winter Texans. Benito is a grower of native plants whose customers include local ranchers, farmers, and various state and federal entities. Since 1992, he has grown and sold over 800,000 seedlings, most used for habitat restoration.
Read more: Botanist presents talk at Quinta Mazatlán
Harlingen Community Theatre will be performing Shakespeare this weekend, January 17-19. The theatre will be performing The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged is by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield. It parodies 37 plays of The Bard, with all being performed in comically shortened, or merged form, by only three actors.
Read more: Harlingen Community Theatre parodies Shakespeare
Join the Mission Historical Museum as they host their 14th Annual Mission Quilt Show, January 17, at 2 p.m. The program kicks off days after the opening of their Quilt Exhibition. The Quilt Exhibition opens January 11 and is a unique display of quilts brought in by the community to be part of the ceremony.
The reception will feature a special Turning of the Quilts program. Quilt Turning is a unique way of telling the history and story behind antique quilts. Quilts have a long history of not only being used for warmth, but are also considered a form of art. They are a tangible history of the lives and experiences as told from the Quilter themselves.
Join the museum as they present awards to participants and journey through the unique stories that are crafted through quilting.
The Mission Historical Museum is located at 900 Doherty Avenue. The museum is open Tuesday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
For more information on this program or any upcoming events contact the museum office at (956) 580-8646, visit us at www.missionmuseum.org, or follow them on Facebook.
Every year the Activity Directors Association and Robert and Billie Ferguson put on two Showcase events. These events introduce the Valley’s activity directors to Wintertainers™ that come to the Valley to entertain you. It gives them a chance to get an idea of what the Wintertainers™ are like, a sampling of what they do, and then an opportunity to book these Wintertainers™ for next season, or even the current season if spots are available.
This year’s Showcase was my first opportunity to attend and was stunning. All of the Wintertainers™ were given nine minutes to showcase their best work with montages and medleys that left the audience tapping their toes, singing along, and doubled over in fits of laughter. I left with a rather long list of my own of the Wintertainers™ I plan to go catch their full show or find at a dance the rest of this season. Be sure to look for my husband and I when you are out some Tuesday or Wednesday evening this season.
Read more: First Showcase was a thumping good time
Another magical story is soon to grace the stage at the Harlingen Performing Arts Conservatory, and they are inviting every Winter Texan to an exclusive showing of Beauty and the Beast.
If you have attended an exclusive Winter Texan showing for either the production of Mamma Mia or In the Heights, then it should be good news to hear Beauty and the Beast welcomes you back for another whimsical musical.
Read more: Coffee, doughnuts, and a musical
