The Senior Texan Softball League is hosting the 21st annual Canada versus USA senior softball games on the fields at McAllen Westside Park next week on Thursday, March 12. The park is located at 1000 Ware Road (on the West side of Ware Road, ¼ mile North of Expressway 83).
Opening ceremonies start at 9:20 a.m. The “A” Division Game will start at 9:30 with a “B” Division Game starting at approx. 10:30 a.m.
Cajun food lovers can feast on all-you-can-eat crawfish and craft beers at the 2020 Ales and Tails Fest on Saturday, March 7 from 3 to 8 p.m. at Victor Park in Harlingen. In addition to the spicy tails and ice-old ales, guests can move to the live sounds of local bands Hot Rodz, Rock Star and Southern Ashes.
The Harlingen Chamber of Commerce began the crawfish boil in 2017 as a way to bring the taste of the Louisiana bayou to the Rio Grande Valley. According to Executive Director Chris Gonzales, the festival grows more popular each year.
"Most Valley restaurants don't serve crawfish or Cajun food, so the food is definitely a big reason people come out," Gonzales said, "but there is also so much great music and dancing. It's a great time for everyone."
Tickets for the 2020 Ales and Tails Fest cost $30 in advance and $40 at the park. A reserved table for eight people costs $500. To purchase tickets, call the Harlingen Chamber at (956) 423-5440 or stop by at 311 E. Tyler Ave. A portion of the proceeds raised will benefit Harlingen Bark Park.
By Herb Moering
Those staying at Trophy Gardens RV Resort celebrated Texas independence by sweeping all the trophies in the Winter Texan Division at the Alamo parade on Saturday, Feb. 29.
In addition to garnering the top trophy overall in the 2020 Texas Independence Day parade by offering entries for the theme “Decades” from the 1920s to the 1990s, the Alamo resort’s “Happy Days Are Here to Stay” entry featuring costumed Ken and Linda Svenby and Glyn and Lynn Massingill took a 1st place. They were followed by “We All Live in a Yellow Submarine” with shipmates Beverly, Nathalie and Walter the dog for 2nd place. The Trophy Gardens’ award-winning line dancers claimed the 3rd place trophy.
South Texas’ largest music, culture and heritage festival, kicks off this weekend at the Hidalgo Borderfest Fairgrounds, located next to the Payne Arena in Hidalgo. Borderfest, the three-day festival, held March 6-8, is packed with entertainment, food, vendors, and parades. Each year, Borderfest picks a theme, a country, a culture to embellish on. This year, the country of choice is Japan.
The festival includes entertainment by Becky G, Kalimba, Ramon Ayala, Solido, Carolina Ross, Lupillo Rivera, Lunay, El Coyote, Dalex and Sech. There will also be a magic show, a mentalist/comedy hypnosis show, sea lion show and The Pirates of the Sky show. There will be parades, a carnival, petting zoo and much more.
Since the theme for this year is Japan, there will be a Japanese cultural area for visitors to learn more about Japan. Anime Boom will be celebrating Nippen Fest.
The Budweiser Grand Parade will take place Saturday, March 7, at 10 a.m., and an illuminated parade will take place on both Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
The fashionistas of Winter Texans gathered in one place last week to enjoy fashion, food and camaraderie.
A full house saw that bell bottoms never went out of style, that western wear can be casual, formal and anything in between and that bright colors and leopard print clothing are just as in style today as they ever were at the 23rd annual Summer Time Fun Style Show at Victoria Palms.
Four local stores – Boot's 'n Jeans, Jewels by Jazz, Lionel's Western Wear and Wells of Weslaco each paraded their fashions, worn by other Winter Texans, up and down the runway in the banquet room at Victoria Palms. There were bellbottoms, fancy shawls, cowboy hats and belt, and plenty of boots with bling during the two-hour event that was catered by Victoria Palms Catering.
Each of the four fashion stores described each piece that their five or six runway models were wearing, from sophisticated to creative and everything in between.
Leah Wells, of Wells of Weslaco, said that the show provided an opportunity for family-owned enterprises to not only show what they have available but also what they offer for each Winter Texan and other customers.
By William Renner, Reference Librarian
Join Speer Memorial Library in Mission on Tuesday, March 3, for a discussion of the book The Girl He Used to Know, to take place in the library’s Community Room at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and discuss the book.
In 1991, Annika Rose is a student at the University of Illinois. Beautiful and brilliant, yet shy and socially awkward, she has difficulty understanding others’ behavior, and feels more comfortable alone, reading a good book.
We’ve been busy again over here at the Winter Texan Times. We tried to get out as much as possible, but there were places and people we just couldn’t get to. We almost had to place requests in a hat and pick one to go to when we could. You want us out there and we are trying our best to come and see you. Please know that we want to know everyone, but we can’t go to everything.
President and CEO of the Gorgas Science Foundation, Lawrence “Larry” Lof, will be sharing his expertise and knowledge of the ever-changing Rio Grande River at Quinta Mazatlán’s Nights at the Mansion Speaker Series. Join Lof Thursday, February 27, at 6 p.m. as he presents, “The Rio Grande: Reflections on a Disappearing River.”
Read more: Quinta Mazatlán presents Reflections on a Disappearing River
The Upper Valley Art League (UVAL) will host its first annual UVAL Butterfly Art Walk on Saturday, February 29. The event invites participants to find as many of Mission’s sculptured butterflies as one can in a two-hour timeframe.
Bring your camera or cell phone, enjoy a delicious breakfast – while supplies last – and take a two hour walk or ride around the City of Mission. Prizes will be awarded.
By Herb Moering
Local history is what passengers received during a day aboard ship on a Breakaway Cruise out of South Padre Island on Feb. 19.
The 64 mostly Winter Texans on the three-hour excursion learned about the Port of Brownsville’s thriving industries, watched dolphins leaping out of the waters, saw pelicans and seagulls and enjoyed a shrimp boil lunch.
St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Event and Raffle will be held on Saturday, February 15, at the Edinburg Center at Renaissance, 118 Paseo Del Prado. Music and raffle/silent auction will be at 10 a.m., shaving starts at 10:45 a.m. The head shaving event helps fund research into cures and better treatments for childhood cancer. Come and watch the Hair Fly.
The event was started by Winter Texans in 2009 at Texas Trails RV Park. The first seven years the event was staffed by seniors. Doctor’s Hospital joined the event in 2016 and now the event is staffed by senior volunteers and volunteers from the hospital.
Latin dance instructor, Solenne Reyna will be sharing her passion for dance at Quinta Mazatlán Thursday, February 13 at 6 p.m. as the presenter for Nights at the Mansion. Solenne will be leading a Valentine’s Salsa Night as she teaches her “Beginners Bachata Class,” for couples and singles alike.
Solenne has been dancing for over 10 years and is known for her superb technique and infectious energy. From Hip-hop to Tango, she is familiar with a broad range of dance styles. Presently, Solenne is a dance instructor at the Rhythm Room Studio in McAllen. The studio offers dance instruction in Salsa, Bachata, Country, Ballroom, Cumbia, Zumba and more.
The great, great grandson of Henry Clay Davis, a famous Texas Ranger, will present about his ancestor during the Sunday Speaker Series program, “The Legendary Henry Clay Davis in Early Texas,” at the Museum of South Texas History February 9 at 2 p.m.
L. Michael “Mike” Davis is the great, great grandson of Henry Clay Davis. He created a booklet with the goal of telling his ancestor’s story to his family, and other history enthusiasts. Using Dick D. Heller Jr.’s manuscript, “The Story of Henry Clay Davis,” Mike Davis will discuss the life of the former Texas ranger, frontier fighter, enterprising merchant, state senator, brigadier general and founder of Davis Landing, a docking station for steamboats on the Rio Grande. In addition to the landing, Henry Clay Davis established barracks called Camp Ringgold, later named Fort Ringgold, in 1848. Henry Clay Davis is buried at the Rio Grande City Downtown Historic Cemetery.
Read more: MOSTH speaker series presents famous Texas Ranger
For those that visit the Valley regularly, you know how much we talk about Fred Renk and the Santa Maria Bullring. Well, this year is his last year and he will be having one more event on February 16. Look for more about the event in our next issue, but until then, check out Jo Liston’s column On the Road with Jo on Page 35.
I told you last week we had been busy this January and our month wasn’t over yet. I tried to get everything in last week that we had done, but I tend to ramble and it got lengthy, so I wanted to talk about a few more things we did before we get our February rolling – which we already plan to attend six events in the next couple of weeks, including the Bull fight, Mission Mega Winter Texan Fiesta, the Valley Star Awards, and Glenn Miller Orchestra. Who knows what else will come up during the month though?
The International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS) will be hosting its eighth annual Lunar New Year Festival on Saturday, February 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Celebrate the Year of the Mouse (Rat) alongside RGV’s vibrant Asian community. Visitors of all ages are welcome to explore China, Korea, and Taiwan with traditional calligraphy, art, games, story times by McAllen Public Library children librarians, and more.
Entertainment includes a hip-hop dance by X Studio, a piano performance by Dr. Jooyoung Kim from UTRGV, and a martial art performance by students from Bob Davis Martial Arts school. A food sampling from local restaurants will take place (while supplies lasts), plus boba tea will be for sale by the Filipino Student Association from UTRGV.
