Maurice Parent’s father died while he was in school and his mother worked to provide for the family.
While his friends were being paid allowances, Maurice wasn’t. Well, that’s not totally true. More often than not, Maurice won some of his friends’ allowances, beating them on one of 15 or 16 pool tables, actually snooker tables, set in the basement of a game hall.
“I let them win sometimes,” Maurice joked prior to the McAllen Parks and Recreation 43rd annual Golden Age Olympics men’s 8-ball competition at Fast Eddies in McAllen. “I didn’t get an allowance so I would take theirs.”
Maurice started coming to the Valley in 2006 and resides at Citrus Valley RV Park in McAllen. When he was in high school “earning” his allowance, they played snooker, a game similar to billiards but played with 22 balls, including a cue ball, 15 red balls and six other balls, called the "colours."
Read more: Winter Texans enjoy some competitive 8-ball
Winter Texans participate in Texas Citrus Fiesta
Although participation isn’t as abundant as it was years ago, Winter Texans still have fun at the Texas Citrus Fiesta. This year’s Texas Citrus Fiesta Parade will be held on Saturday, January 28 at 12 p.m. in Mission. There will also be a fun fair on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29 beginning at 10 a.m. on both days. The parade usually runs on Conway Ave. in Mission, from 495 to downtown Mission.
Read more: Winter Texan Times: Looking back 35 years
Celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) on Sunday, January 29, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The 11th annual Lunar New Year Festival will feature traditional Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese crafts, games, and more.
Special performances and activities are scheduled throughout the event for visitors to soak in the cultural celebration that welcomes the arrival of Spring. The community can tap their feet to K-pop dancing by Illusion Dance Team, and “K-Stars” featuring Echo Effect and Levanter Dance Team. Enjoy the sounds of the Lord’s Church McAllen Choir and musical pieces by local violist Young Sin Choi. UTRGV Korean Language students will perform a traditional samulnori,(percussion), poetry reading, and singing. Lastly, Torres Taekwondo Academy will showcase martial arts with a lively demonstration.
Read more: Lunar New Year Festival at IMAS
Veterans Memorial High School Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) students are offering local families the preparation of their 2023 income tax return. This is a free service available for families that have a household income of $60,000 or less annually.
Read more: VMHS VITA program opens doors to the community
By Kathy Olivarez
For those who loved the music of Neal Diamond during their youth, singer Ralph Kuster has put together a show featuring the best of Diamond’s music from his many albums such as “Cracklin’ Rosie,” which tells the story of two fellows sharing bottle of a cheap wine and lamenting their lost loves.
Read more: Ralph Kuster has new Neil Diamond Tribute Show
By Kathy Olivarez
For the first time since covid hit the Valley, the very popular group, Goldwing Express has returned to perform. The group consists of Irishman, Bobby Baldridge, who was referred to in the show as Pop, or, “white man,” and two of his three Indian sons, Steven and Paul, who towered over him. Shawn, a former favorite with crowds, was unable to come.
Read more: Goldwing Express returns to Valley
My how the world has changed
How many of you remember using a computer for the first time?
In our looking back to our previous issues, and our first season of the Winter Texan Times, we see when our writer Virginia Sunderman first used a computer to write an article for submission. It was printed in the January 15, 1988, issue of the Winter Texan Times.
She writes, “This is my first attempt at using a computer to write an article. I am using a computer at the Speer Memorial Library in Mission. The use of the computer is just one of the many advantages the library has to offer the public.”
Read more: Winter Texan Times: Looking back 35 years
Winter Texans clash in local alleys
Stan Hawkins has bowled for 18 years. Wearing his “Flintstones” bright orange team uniform, designed by teammate Rich Michelena, the “Bowling Stones” and “Pin Pals” were two of several teams who hit the lane at Flamingo Bowl in McAllen for league play.
The lanes were dotted on this day with several neon-colored jerseys from different Winter Texan Parks. Hawkins is a Bentsen Grove resident.
Read more: January 11, 2022 - From the Cheap Seats
Take a look at what’s in the RGV
And how are you doing on those New Year's Resolutions? Not so good? Maybe we need to take another look at why we make those resolutions in the first place. Could it be that it is just a long-time tradition? Is it just expected? But why? What is the tradition and when did that tradition start?
Most of us have no idea as to how, why, or when the tradition began. Actually, the tradition started over 4,000 years ago when the belief was that if you did not make promises to the gods to do better that you would be punished and would have bad luck.
It is said that about 45% of our population still make New Year's resolutions. The flip side is that only about 8% of those who make resolutions will actually keep those same resolutions. So how are you doing so far?
I hope that somewhere among all those resolutions were some who resolved to travel again and to travel more in 2023. You don't even have to travel very far to really enjoy yourself and learn more about our surroundings.
From the telephone calls that we are receiving, it appears that more and more people are ready to travel. And that is great as travel broadens your mind and helps you to understand the history and cultures of other people and countries as well as to understand and appreciate what’s around you.
Read more: January 11, 2022 - On the Road with Jo
