The 2020 Rio Grande Valley Woodcarving Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday and Saturday, January 10-11, at the Nomad Shrine Club, at 1044 W. Nolana in Pharr. Admission for the event is a $3 donation.
'The Artisan' by Sue Sill
2019 People’s Choice Award
The Upper Valley Art League will hold an opening reception for their Hidalgo Watercolor Society Annual Art Exhibit on Saturday, January 11 from 7 to 9 p.m. Drinks and refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.
An honorarium will be presented to Juanita Gibson, longtime Rio Grande Valley artist.
The Watercolor Exhibit will hang until February 2.
The UVAL Kika de la Garza Gallery is located at 921 E. 12th Street in Mission.
Winter Texan Wednesday is a program that welcomes Winter Texans and retirees to enjoy an afternoon at the Museum of South Texas History. The museum, which is located in Edinburg, features a presentation followed by a highlight tour of part of a museum exhibit. The first program, titled “Sal del Rey,” with guest speaker Joe Vidales Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 3 p.m.
Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center will hold their 14th annual Open House Thursday and Friday, January 9 and 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The annual open house has become a popular event in the Rio Grande Valley, drawing in thousands of people each year. Last year the event was attended by over 7,000 people – 10,000 free t-shirts were given away. Even more are expected this year.
The Mission Chamber of Commerce will host their 25th Annual Mission Community Health and Wellness Fair on Saturday, January 4 from 7 to 11 a.m. The event will be held at the Mission Event Center at 200 N. Shary Rd. in Mission.
The event is free to the public and will feature free blood tests for the first 500 people – Must have fasted for 12 hours prior to test.
There will also be free health screenings, flu vaccines, complete blood count, total cholesterol, comprehensive metabolic panel, pulmonary function test, bone density test and much more.
The goal of the event is to provide the free screenings, awareness, and education for the community.
Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center will hold their 14th annual Open House Thursday and Friday, January 9 and 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The annual open house has become a popular event in the Rio Grande Valley, drawing in thousands of people each year. Last year the event was attended by over 7,000 people – 10,000 free t-shirts were given away. Even more are expected this year.
There is a whole lot of feathered fun happening on January 4 at Quinta Mazatlan. The Center for Urban Ecology is hosting the first Hobbies in Nature session of 2020 – “Begin to Birdwatch”. The 2-hour program invites guests into the world of birds, where they will be amazed by the beautiful colors, fascinating behaviors, and incredible diversity of birds found all around us.
By Nancy Herberholz
FCRV WT Chapter
Activity Charirman
The FCRV Winter Texan chapter has been privileged to help the Veterans at the Alfredo Gonzales Texas State Veterans home for several years. One of the projects that the chapter works on, all year round, is furnishing stuffed animals. The memory care unit is one of the special places that uses the stuffed animals. The stuffed animals have a calming effect on the Veterans.
Read more: FCRV WT Chapter remembers Vets during the holidays
The International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) will be rocking out during its first lecture of the New Year on Thursday, January 2.
Join Dr. Juan Gonzalez, from UTRGV, at 6 p.m. for insights on his new research of the geological history of the RGV. Dr. Juan Gonzalez is a native of Colombia and an Associate Professor at the School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at UTRGV. He received his PhD at Tulane University.
The Texas Travel Information Center is excited to have the opportunity to host a Welcome Home Winter Texan Open House at their Harlingen location on Friday, January 3 from 1 to 4 p.m.
The purpose of the event is to promote awareness of attractions, events and cultural diversity that gives the beautiful cities of the Rio Grande Valley their distinctiveness. The travel center wants to build relationships with the Winter Texans so that you continue to see the benefit of visiting and living in South Texas.
Read more: Texas Travel Information Center welcomes Winter Texans
It seems as though 2019 has come to a close way too fast. We are just about halfway through our season and it has been great getting to know you better. It has been a pleasure working with you to help serve you and get the news you want to read.
This holiday season I have seen parks go out of their way to make sure others have a nice holiday. It has been eye opening in seeing how many of you are so willing to give to the communities you reside in while in the Valley.
The transition with directors went just as planned as several hundred spectators enjoyed the City of Alamo’s Christmas celebration in “Candy Land” the evening of December 14.
With Parks and Recreation Department Director Arnold Robles retiring earlier this month, the task of organizing the 10th annual illuminated parade, tree lighting ceremony and on-stage entertainment fell to Steve Vela, the recently named interim agency director.
The Texas Citrus Fiesta in Mission is an event to look forward to every year. Each year the parade has a different theme and floats in the parade that are all decked out according to that theme using lively decorations and Valley products. This year’s theme is Space Odyssey Adventure to celebrate the anniversary of space exploration.
The Mission Historical Museum is accepting entries for its “Turning of the Quilts” program to be offered January 17. The museum is looking for antique, vintage, or just plain interesting quilts for this program. The quilts are presented stacked on a bed. As each quilt is shown, it is turned down to reveal the next quilt, until all have been presented. A knowledgeable presenter will talk about each quilt as it is shown.
Read more: MHM accepting entries for ‘Turning of the Quilts’
The Mission Historical Museum is now accepting entries for its Fourteenth Annual Quilt Show. Entries will be accepted in three categories: Hand-quilted bed quilts; Machine-quilted bed quilts; and Wall hangings. The show is open to all quilters, both Winter Texans and year-round residents.
Quilts will be exhibited in the Museum’s Shary building. Quilts and wall hangings exhibit must be ready to hang with a sleeve for display purposes. Every effort will be made to show the quilts full-length. Any that exceed gallery ceiling height will be shown half-length.
Entries are accepted on a first-in/first accepted basis. Because of limited space, the museum reserves the right to close entries before the deadline. This will allow for the best possible presentation for all entries. To allow for the broadest representation, participants may submit only one item per person.
Any quilt entered in this show within the past five years is not eligible for entry this year. The quilts will be judged by a panel of independent judges, with ribbons awarded for first, second and third places in each category. Best-of-show and Viewers’ Choice ribbons will also be awarded.
Quilts may be entered by submitting an entry form, which is available at the Museum.
Entry forms and quilts will be accepted at the museum through Thursday, January 2, 2020, during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum will be closed December 24, 25, and 31; and on January 1.
Quilts may be pre-registered, and the quilts themselves may be delivered on any date during this time, through the deadline. If you would like to enter your quilt, you are urged to register early, because space is limited.
The show opens on Saturday, January 11, 2020, and runs through Saturday, February 8, 2020. An Awards Reception and Turning of the Quilts program will take place at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 17, 2020.
The Mission Historical Museum is located at 900 Doherty in downtown Mission. Admission is free. For information, call the museum at (956) 580-8646.
