It was dance time with the 70 plus musicians McAllen Wind Ensemble's February 18 concert as three of the numbers included performances by The Debra Case Dance Academy members. The music director was Roger Olivarez for the free "Let's Dance" concert at the McAllen Performing Arts Center. You can catch McAllen Wind Ensemble’s last free concert of the season on April 5. (Photo by Herb Moering).
Quinta Mazatlán is excited to welcome, Nick Morales, resident geologist of South Texas and Northern Mexico specializing in mineralogy, local geology and lithic (stone) artifacts, Thursday March 6, 6 to 7 p.m. for a presentation centering on how geology influenced the manufacturing of lithic tools in South Texas and Northern Mexico and how they are identified and used.
Born and raised in McAllen, Nick Morales is a collector of worldwide minerals and local ancient stone tools. He has undertaken research, along with faculty at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in the geology and archaeology of this region. Morales was a guest lecturer in Geology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Texas–Pan American and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Read more: Sift through South Texas ancient history at Quinta Mazatlán
Representatives from the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, MD. will participate in the Rio Grande Valley’s first “Walking Southern Roads to Freedom” event from March 3 to March 9.
Roseann Bacha-Garza, manager of the CHAPS program at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, said the event’s goal is to “increase awareness about the resilience and resolve of freedom seekers of African ancestry who participated in underground railroad-like activities from south Texas to Mexico, as well as bring awareness to the valuable shared history of our region.”
The Gladys Porter Zoo is back with their annual 5K and one-mile fun run to support ocelot conservation. The Ocelot 5K Run will take place on March 8 starting at 7:30 a.m., and the one-mile fun run will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Gladys Porter Zoo. The run will begin in the zoo’s parking lot.
The 5k route will take guests through some of the most popular areas around the Mitte Cultural District before leading them into the scenic Gladys Porter Zoo for the final stretch. The one-mile route will take guests through a fun and colorful run around the Zoo.
Texas celebrates their Independence Day on March 2. It is the day Texas adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. The document was signed by 59 delegates and it officially declared independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas.
In San Antonio, you can find events being held from February 23 through Thursday, March 6. These events honor the 13-day siege leading up to the Alamo. They bring the Alamo’s unique story to life, inspire visitors, and honor all those who lived, fought, and died at the Alamo. You can find out more about the events that will be held on their website at www.thealamo.org/remember/commemoration.
The City of Edinburg is proud to announce the highly anticipated 5th Annual Hometown of Heroes Half-Marathon, set to take place on Sunday, March 9, at 7:45 a.m. This year’s event will feature a 10K, a Half-Marathon, and a Two-Person Relay.
Runners have until March 6 to register and be part of this exciting race. Entry fees are $50 per person for the Half-Marathon, $25 per person for the 10K, and $50 per team for the Two-Person Relay. A $10 discount is available for first responders and veterans.
Join Artists Reefka Schneider and Poet, Steven Schneider for a presentation on their eco-tapestry of art and poetry, Last Poet in the Woods, Thursday February 27, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. For this special presentation Professor Schneider will discuss the literary traditions of ekphrasis and eco-writing as well as the social, pedagogical and ecological goals of Last Poet in the Woods.
Read more: Another presentation of The Last Poet in the Woods
Get ready for the ultimate showdown of compassion and competition – March Muttness 2025 is back and bigger than ever. This nationwide, bracket-style fundraising tournament is uniting over 35 animal shelters from across the country, bringing together animal lovers in a high-stakes race to raise funds for homeless pets in need.
Sunrise Mall in partnership with Valley Regional Medical Center offers the "Let's Get Fit" program, designed to encourage community participation and promote a culture of health and wellness. The program offers a variety of free weekly exercise classes, health talks with doctors, and community health events.
Join others for an engaging and fun way to stay healthy and active. Their weekly exercise classes include Tai Chi on Mondays, Chair Aerobics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Line Dancing on Wednesdays. All exercise times are at 9:15 a.m. In addition, Valley Regional Medical Center offers health talks with doctors and various community health events to provide valuable health information and support.
We are so glad you chose to spend your winter in South Texas – especially in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. We think Texas is the BIGGEST and the BEST – especially in the Rio Grande Valley way down South in the tip of Texas. One of the things that makes us famous is the 825,000-acre, historical King Ranch that is ranked as the most famous ranch in the world and is considered the birthplace of ranching in North America. The King Ranch produced a new breed of cattle, had a horse that won the Triple Crown and today boasts 35,000 head of cattle and over 200 quarter horses.
Those facts sound mighty big in my mind. But we cannot brag that the King Ranch is the biggest in the world. It isn't even the biggest in Texas. It seems that all the large ranches in the world were formed in the mid 1800's. They are ranked in order on the web with the largest in the world being the Anna Creek Station in South Australia with 5,851,000 acres. That is bigger than the acreage of lsrael and is larger than the state of Rhode Island. That makes 825 thousand acres look pretty small. The King Ranch is still the most famous.
If you have a computer and we happen to have a bad weather day, spend a little time looking up the facts and figures about the ten largest ranches in the world and the ten most famous ranches. You can even read about the founding of the King Ranch and a brief history of the life of Richard King who was orphaned and placed as an indentured servant in a jewelry store – a job he hated.
He became a stow away on a ship, eventually a ship captain who moved cotton through Mexico to offshore ships sailing for Europe.
He saw and took advantage of many opportunities to build an empire. Unfortunately, he died at a fairly young age after some difficult years leaving his widow with a heavy debt. Through the help of a son-in-law and finding oil on the ranch, the widow, Henrietta King, was able to hold on to all the land and brought the ranch out of debt. She was greatly admired by the cowboys who worked the ranch. At her death they paid their respects by mounting their horses and hats off and they circled her grave as a farewell salute.
Join us on one of the Go With Jo! Tours of the King Ranch or the King Ranch Farm Tour. You will admire the hard work and determination that built an empire...the historic King Ranch.
