The Mission Historical Museum will soon be accepting entries for its Sixteenth 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.
PHARR, TEXAS – Registration is open to join the 2022 South Texas Border Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist training class. Hidalgo, Starr and Cameron county residents, over the age of 18, and Winter Texans are welcome.
Texas Master Naturalist is a unique educational volunteer program sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Sea Grant Program and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Read more: Texas Master Naturalist certification program opens
The Museum of South Texas History welcomes Martin Salinas to present “La inmigración indígena en el bajo río Bravo o Grande,” a Sunday Speaker Series Online bilingual presentation, at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 on Facebook Live.
The presentation will cover the immigration patterns of the indigenous groups in the Rio Grande Delta. Due to different reasons, members of multiple ethnic groups of the continent immigrated to the lower part of the Rio Grande or Bravo during the second part of the 18th and 19th centuries, among which are Pames, Huastecos, Tlaxcaltecas, Tonkawas, Karankawas, Cherokees and, especially, the Comanches and Lipan Apache. The latter two ethnic groups began to prey on the lower part of the river shortly after the colonization of Nuevo Santander, on a seasonal basis. They are part of the cultural portent of the Great Plains and Prairies of the United States and Canada that emerged after the reintroduction of the horse in New Mexico in the late 16th century. The purpose of this presentation is to differentiate cultural adaptations of these ethnicities compared to that of the natives of the Rio Grande.
The Mission Health and Wellness Fair will be held next week, Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9, from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The event will be held at the Mission Event Center, 200 N. Shary Rd.
The event is free to the public and will provide free screenings, blood tests and doctor-led webinars.
To receive the blood test, you must make an appointment by calling the Mission Chamber office at (956) 585-2727 and a 12 hour fast is required.
The Palm Gardens Ladies Luncheon group started off this season catching up with old friends, getting to know some of the new residents, while enjoying a great lunch at the New York Deli in downtown Harlingen. After a nice, leisurely lunch, the group of 18 ladies ventured out to the streets to view the more than 20 larger-than-life-size murals which depict various aspects of the Rio Grande Valley’s history and culture. In addition to the amazing murals that are part of the walking tour, there are many more wonderful murals to see in the downtown area.
While some may think it is still a little early to unpack the holiday decorations, The Salvation Army has been hard at work, planning Christmas programs for several months. Now, as the red kettles are appearing outside stores, and Angel Trees are being set up, volunteers are needed to help ensure men, women, and children in need throughout our community experience the joys of Christmas.
The Gelman Stained Glass Museum in San Juan is scheduled to open its doors soon. The 16,000 square foot state-of-the-art museum is home to the most comprehensive collection of stained-glass windows in the United States. The museum is conveniently located across from the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle.
The museum, still currently under construction, is scheduled to open its doors on December 1. Days and hours of operation have yet to be determined.
Read more: Gelman Stained Glass Museum announces opening date
This GivingTuesday, November 30, consider donating $1 to Palm Valley Animal Society (PVAS) every time you have wanted to adopt a pet or help an animal in their care.
GivingTuesday is a global giving campaign built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses, and communities worldwide. It encourages people to take action to improve their communities, give back in better, more imaginative ways to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts and that they mean even more when we give together.
AUSTIN — With the first sightings of iconic, endangered whooping cranes along the Texas coast being reported, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is reminding Texans to be on the lookout for these impressive birds as they move through the state.
Whooping cranes are the tallest, rarest birds in North America. Currently, there is a population of around 506 individuals. Thanks to coordinated conservation efforts, whooping cranes are slowly returning from the brink of extinction.
Read more: Whooping Cranes Are Making Their Way to the Texas Coast
AUSTIN— Texas State Parks and the Texas Historical Commission are hosting their biggest holiday season yet with more than 80 unique holiday events happening across the state. Having started this past Saturday, Nov. 20, 47 Texas State Parks and eight State Historic Sites are presenting themed guided walks, scavenger hunts and more.
Anyone planning a trip to a Texas State Park is highly encouraged to reserve their day pass in advance since some parks are expected to reach their capacity limit. Day passes can be reserved online (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/park-reservation-information/reservations) through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) website or over the phone by calling (512) 389-8900.
Read more: Greet the holiday season at a Texas State Park, THC Historic Site
Mission Regional Medical Center, in coordination with the Mission Chamber, is sponsoring their yearly Community Health and Wellness Fair. It will be held Wednesday, December 8 and Thursday, December 9, from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. The event will be held at the Mission Event Center, 200 N. Shary Rd. These are new dates from what was previously sent out to the public.
Quinta Mazatlán is honored to host culinary expert, Melissa Guerra, on Thursday November 18th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a recipe presentation and sampling on “Texas Ranch Dishes for Thanksgiving”.
Melissa Guerra is an eighth generation Texan, born and raised on a working cattle ranch in South Texas. She is a self-taught culinary expert and food historian, specializing in the food ways of the American continent, especially Texas regional, Mexican, and Latin American cuisine. In this presentation, she will share delicious recipes and food samples featuring flavors of the southwest that you can make for the Thanksgiving table.
Read more: Texas Ranch Dishes for Thanksgiving presented at Quinta Mazatlan
The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley and Boggus Ford Lincoln McAllen have partnered together to help make the holidays brighter for many RGV families, this holiday season.
To kick off the partnership, Boggus Ford Lincoln McAllen has made a generous donation of $5,000 to sponsor the Thanksgiving ‘Drive-Thru Emergency Pantry’ at the Food Bank RGV located at 724 N. Cage Blvd. in Pharr. This distribution will be on Wednesday, November 17, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. or until capacity is reached. This distribution will serve 1,000 families.
South Padre Island is planning several events in the next few weeks to open up the holiday season. The first event is the third Annual Holiday Light Show.
The Holiday Light Show is synchronized with festive music that is played in 15-minute intervals. This event will run from November 22, 2021, through January 16, 2022, from 6 to 9 p.m. daily. It will be located at the SPI Convention Center.
By Herb Moering
“So glad to see those of you who want to keep the Day of the Dead alive,” said Alex Oyoque, director of City of Alamo Museum during a reception November 1 involving a presentation on the meaning of Dias de Los Muertos by the PSJA Memorial Early College High School’s Spanish Club.
This first ever Day of the Dead altar honored the museum’s late founding member Fire Chief Rolando Espinoza. In addition to Spanish Club members and a few PSJA teachers, about 35 other people attended, including the chief’s widow, Betty, his sisters, Pilar Garza and Armida Gomez, and a dozen other family members.
Angelika Garza, daughter of PSJA Spanish Department teacher Patricia Garza, explained the meaning of the two-day Day of the Dead occasion, mainly celebrated in Mexico and some parts of Central and South America. The holiday has spread in recent years into places like South Texas. It has nothing to do with Halloween traditions it was pointed out.
