The Mission Historical Museum is delighted to announce the Eighteenth Annual Quilt Show, an event showcasing the talent and creativity of community members. Winter Texans and year-round residents are encouraged to enter and participate in this unique project. The quilts will be exhibited in the Museum’s Post Office building.
There will be a rummage sale at the James Nikki Rowe Post 2369, located at 1405 West Kennedy St. in Pharr. The event will be held on December 16, starting at noon.
An Elvis impersonator will be in the house from 3 to 5 p.m. There will also be Karaoke. All Veterans and families are requested to attend.
The post is also asking for any kind of clothing, tools, or any items that are no longer needed at your household for donations prior to the rummage sale. These donations will assist James Nikki Rowe Post 2369 in paying for electricity, water, and other finances.
Donations can be dropped off prior to the rummage sale
For more information, email Juan Millian at juan.c.milian@live.com or Jose Romo at nemoromo@yahoo.com.
Valley residents, Winter Texans, visitors, birders, and those just getting interested in birding are invited to join a team in the count areas for the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count.
The CBC is a one-day event per area within established count circles. This year’s count will be held from December 14 through January 5, 2024. Local counts are listed below with contact information for those interested in joining a team.
Read more: Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count dates are set
Whataburger is having a huge fundraiser benefiting the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley called “Tis The Season To Give.” Guests can make a minimum donation of $1 and receive a free Whataburger with the purchase of a medium fry and 32-ounce drink on their next purchase. More details online and at participating locations. All 45 restaurants in the RGV will be participating in this fundraiser from Roma to Brownsville.
A $1 donation can help the Food Bank RGV provide up to five healthy meals for families in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties. Learn more about our work at www.foodbankrgv.com.
The fundraiser will run through December 24.
Rocket the Space Giraffe is embarking on a wild adventure in her brand-new book, Wish Upon a Star, written by Suzanne Shepard and illustrated by Tilia Rand-Bell. Rocket’s Wish Upon a Star is available for purchase on Amazon and at the Gladys Porter Zoo’s gift shop. Proceeds from the book go directly to the GPZ for the care and feeding of Rocket and her animal friends.
Port Isabel held their 15th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Hometown Holiday Street Parade this past Saturday on December 2. The Parade started at the Laguna Madre Youth Center and went down to the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center. Afterwards, the Tree Lighting took place at Beulah Lee Park. There was holiday décor throughout the park, including photo op areas as well as one with Santa. Present were food vendors and other booths selling various items. Performances put on by local schoolchildren from elementary through high school took place as well, creating an environment where Christmas cheer was celebrated.
By Anastasia Brunson
The weather was comfortable, and the festivities were plentiful at the Lighted Boat Parade that took place at South Padre Island on Saturday, December 2.
Thankfully the drizzly rain and lower temperatures had abated just in time for this outdoor event, allowing families and couples of all ages to enjoy viewing and partaking in the celebration.
Practice has begun for the senior slow pitch softball teams. This is a senior group, so you must be 55 years young and over. Practices take place at the baseball fields on Ware Rd., across from the Convention Center, just before the highway.
All games are in the morning. Depending on what team you are one, your practices could be Tuesdays and Thursdays or Mondays and Wednesdays.
The annual St. George International Festival will be held Saturday, December 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is an annual festival hosted by St. George Orthodox Church, in Pharr, 704 W. Sam Houston Blvd. The festival has been held annually each December since the 1980’s
Members of St. George are multicultural and offer the local community a vibrant celebration of cultures from around the world. It’s a day filled with delicious food, lively music, colorful performances, and local vendors selling holiday items for yourself or gifts.
This is the largest fundraiser for the church each year, and funds ongoing parish needs, improvements projects and ministries. The event is free for all to attend. Food and drinks are available to purchase, but the church tours, vendor booths, and entertainment are all free for the community to enjoy.
After having a successful Thanksgiving event, Angels of Love is reaching out to local businesses and organizations to help them with their 14th Annual Christmas Toy Drive and Christmas Party. They are inviting community members to partner with them.
Angels of Love is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide victims of violence and their families with individualized services in a safe and loving environment. They provide these things in hopes of providing them with the tools necessary to heal and move forward from their trauma. The organization also provides clients with empowerment classes, victim advocacy services, referral services, parenting classes, financial literacy, dating violence workshops, counseling and more.
Winter Texans and residents over the age of 18 in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr counties are welcome to register to join the 2024 South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalist training class. The deadline to register for the 2024 class is December 15.
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: Deadline approaching for Texas Master Naturalist annual training
Capture the holiday fun at the Museum of South Texas History Sunday, December 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Come on by to take a photo with Cowboy Santa. Each four inch by six inch photograph is $5 and will include a blank photo frame that can be decorated with supplies provided by the museum. These frames can be added to your Christmas tree at home or gifted to someone special, making it a fun holiday keepsake or gift.
Author and cartoonist José Alaniz will present a new prose and comics collection published by FlowerSong Press at 2 p.m. December 10 at the Museum of South Texas History (MOSTH).
The hybrid book features short stories and comics, mostly set in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. The stories reflect the author’s upbringing in this region as a second-generation Mexican-American, at times fusing folk beliefs with Bradbury-style science fiction. For example, “Tamales” sets the immigration narrative on Mars in 2063, when a migrant family makes the crossing in search of work via (malfunctioning) rocket.
Read more: Cartoonist shares new prose, comic collection at MOSTH
During the holidays, many organizations seek out the community’s help to fill extra needs that the community has during this time of year. Some organizations help with clothes, blankets, school supplies, food, and Christmas gifts during the fall months more than they do other times of the year.
Cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley have had to make some adjustments to their Veterans ceremonies due to inclement weather. Some of these ceremonies are being rescheduled, locations are changing for a couple, and some are being cancelled. There are still one or two that will still occur as scheduled.
The City of Mission is making changes with almost every event they had scheduled.
Read more: Veterans Day ceremonies cancelled, rescheduled, or location changes
