Recently, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. reminded all interested volunteers to sign up for the 2023 Texas Adopt-A-Beach (AAB) Coastwide Spring Cleanup on Saturday, April 22nd at 23 locations across the Texas coast, from Port Arthur to Boca Chica Beach.
Edinburg Music Fest is seeking vendors and artists to participate at the fourth annual festival on April 15th. This year’s festival will take place at the Edinburg Promenade Park Amphitheater located at 201 W. McIntyre and promises to be a fantastic day filled with music, dance, food, and fun for the whole family.
The Edinburg Music Festival will feature various local bands, carnival rides, folkloric and dance performances, food trucks, crafts, children’s activities, an animal petting zoo/exhibits, and more. This year, Texas Folklife and the Museum of South Texas History will host the annual Big Squeeze, partnering with the City of Edinburg for the annual accordion semifinals competition, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by the Edinburg Music Festival concert from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public but VIP tables are available for purchase at edinburgarts.com/viptables.
The South Texas Ecotourism Center (STEC) had its grand opening last year, but it’s still one of the newest nature centers in the Valley. STEC gives visitors the opportunity to experience the Valley’s native landscapes through displays and mini habitats on its property. The center has living models of six different ecosystems that can be found in the Rio Grande Valley.
The center promotes the restoration and preservation of the native landscape and brings awareness of the plants and animals that are threatened in the Valley and live in these habitats. Throughout the center grounds, you can find signs that illustrate the plants and animals living in the habitats. The signs tell of what to look for, what the animals eat, and how to preserve the wildlife and vegetation.
Read more: Experience native landscapes at South Texas Ecotourism Center
Ed Martens stood there in the middle of a group of people, never getting a moment alone -- and all was right with the world.
That made the 20th annual Winter Texan softball rivalry games between Canada and the United States a super celebratory event with plenty of fun, laughter – and competition. There were USA and Canada memorabilia being carried around, chants of "U-S-A" and "Canada" throughout the games, food and games within games for the annual event. At the center of it all was Martens.
“It’s good to be back, to be here,” Martens said, adding that he was feeling just fine. “It’s a beautiful day to play.”
Canada won the matchup in both divisions, 9-5 and 17-10 but everyone won on a day where they played two under nearly perfect weather conditions. Canada pulled away from a 4-4 with five straight runs in the “B” Division game while exploding for nine runs in the top of the seventh inning while trailing 10-8 in the “A” Division
The U.S. Department of State has updated the processing times for U.S. passports. Now, the routine processing of a passport application is eight to 11 weeks, while the expedited processing – for the additional $60 fee- is five to seven weeks. The processing times begin the day the U.S. Department of State receives the application at the passport agency or center, not the day the customer applies for a passport at an acceptance facility.
If you love coming down to the Rio Grande Valley each winter, you’re invited to become a Winter Texan Ambassador. The job is simple: share with your friends all the good times you have in the Valley each winter – away from the snow and ice. In a place where you can play golf almost any winter day. In a place where your MH & RV resort is a community of its own with lots of friends to share in a whole array of fun activities.
The Food Bank RGV is proud to announce the opening of its new Mission Resource Center, a partnership with the City of Mission, which will serve as a comprehensive hub for social services, nutrition education, and food assistance for the community. The Center is located at the former Mission Food Pantry and will be open to the public for the first time on Thursday, March 2.
Read more: Food Bank RGV unveils new Mission Resource Center
Do you enjoy putting together meals with fresh and savory plants to make up a colorful dish full of robust flavor and energy? Quinta Mazatlan invites you to join them on their one-hour guided tour, Foraging Forests, to get you started foraging native edibles and herbs safely and ethically in your garden.
Read more: Foraging for Native Edibles Tour at Quinta Mazatlan
Submitted by Duane Yurek, Silver Lake, MN
This one started the summer of 2002 on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes near Richmond, MN.
My adult son, Dallas, was leaving the family cabin by boat to go to an island to set up an overnight camp out with some of his friends. Being young adults, they wanted to be fairly comfortable, so they had quite a lot of camping gear and supplies. So, he made a first run by boat to deliver firewood, tenting equipment, and some of the other gear. The second run was for the food, refreshments, and friends.
The Way We Were
Now… although it was written 35 years ago, I think there might still be some that can relate to what will be shared here this week. We think about all the changes that have happened in the past 35 years with the paper, but as we get older, we also know things change all around us. I do think I need to find a more updated version in the next few years.
Like in a previous throwback when we talked about computers. Things are ever evolving around us. We can’t stop it, but sometimes we do wish for those simpler times.
According to Vernon Weckbacher, Mission Historical Museum’s archivist, the 17th annual MHM’s Quilt Show was a success. Although there were fewer quilts than in past years, they each had a distinctive character with none resembling the others.
During the annual “Turning of the Quilts,” presented by Nancy Lenz, a local quilting expert, most of the quilts presented were antiques.
First, she presented a hand-stitched quilt bought at a rummage sale for $15.
The Museum of South Texas History presents Heritage and History Day scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, February 11.
The community event highlights the culture of South Texas peoples through regional folkway demonstrations ranging from hands-on activities to live performances.
Museum staff will host several hands-on activities such as embroidery using yarn and plastic needlepoints. Another activity includes a role-playing voting booth that assigns participants with a character card, determining whether they can or cannot vote. Attendees are welcome to watch or participate in butter churning, an essential chore practiced when modern equipment was not available. Other living history demonstrations include knitting, leather crafts, rope making and roping.
The South Texas College Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery, History Department and the Center for Mexican American Studies proudly present “Life and Death on the Border: 1910-1920,” a panel exhibit that includes photographs, postcards, court documents and rare artifacts that tell the story of daily life and re-examines Texas historical events of the early 1900s in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas.
STC History Professor and co-founder of the Refusing to Forget project Trinidad Gonzales, Ph.D., worked alongside colleagues throughout the state and nation to help research and put together this exhibit and event series. These histories inspired Tejano literature, art and music and influenced the creation of the Mexican American civil rights movement.
The Museum of South Texas History presents the spotlight exhibit, “Furniture that Built the Valley,” debuting Tuesday, February 14.
The museum has a variety of beautiful furniture in its collections, each with an interesting story to tell. “Furniture that Built the Valley” will share the story of three South Texas families through a piece of furniture that was donated from each family.
Read more: Sharing family stories through historic furniture
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 5th starting at 7:30 a.m., and the one-mile fun run will start at 8:30 a.m. at 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.
