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Published: Wednesday, 27 November 2019 00:00
Festival of Lights opens December 1
The Hidalgo Festival of Lights has become a regular Christmas season must see. With the lighting of the tree, millions of Christmas lights, illuminated nighttime parade, trolley tours, dinner and entertainment, there is plenty to do and see for everyone. The festival officially begins with the lighting of the tree on Sunday, December 1 at 7 p.m. in the front of the Hidalgo City Hall, 704 E. Ramon Ayala Drive.
This year’s theme, announced earlier this month, is Winterland. The festivities will feature Anna and Elsa and other characters from the movie Frozen.
One of the main attractions, and part of their kickoff, is the illuminated nighttime parade. The parade welcomes its visitors with a colorful and Winterland themed parade in from of the City Hall at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 6. The parade will bring spectacular performances with illuminated floats, marching bands, performers from across the Valley, and of course, Santa. After the parade, visitors will be enjoy entertainment, food, photos with Santa and more.
The trolley tours, a favorite among visitors, begin on Sunday, December 1 and continue through December 30, from 6 to 10 p.m. Visitors will have a chance to tour the three miles of over 500 illuminated displays and over five million lights for $5. The tour also has a narrated guide with holiday music.
Every evening during the festival, except December 24 and 25, the carnival court will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. Visitors can enjoy carnival rides and delicious carnival food at City Hall Plaza.
Santa’s House will be open from December 1 through 23. Santa will be in town receiving children, and adults, for laughs and pictures. He will be at the City Hall Plaza from 6 to 10 p.m.
The Hidalgo Posada with Ramon Ayala is a long-standing tradition that the Rio Grande Valley looks forward to every year. The “King of the Accordion” and Latin Grammy Award Winner, Ramon Ayala, with the City of Hidalgo, hosts a free concert on Wednesday, December 18 at 5 p.m. The event has garnered over 50 thousand in attendance. The posada begins at 5 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The event also celebrates the over 10,000 toys that have been donated by local businesses. The toys will go to low-income children in the area.
Another event you don’t want to miss, the Holiday Artisan Market where visitors can find beautiful, unique products made by local businesses and residents. The market will be at the City Hall Plaza from 6 to 10 p.m., December 1-30.
Sponsors this year include Coca-Cola and HEB. The sponsors will be holding their own special events during the month. Every Monday in December you can meet and take a picture with the Coca-Cola Polar Bear for free. HEB will have lots of surprises for attendees at City Hall Plaza Saturday, December 21, 6 to 10 p.m.
HEB will also have their Super Glide Synthetic Ice Rink available for guests from December 11-23, 6 to 10 p.m.
On December 5-8 and December 11-17, Hidalgo Festival of Lights will offer Dinner and Entertainment packages. The packages are $13 per person. Depending on the day, meals include sautéed chicken breast, Salisbury steak or roast beef entrees. The package also includes VIP seating for the community performance and the narrated train light tour. Dinner times are 5:15 and 6:15 p.m. Call (956) 843-5311 or email specialevetns@cityofhidalgo.net for reservations and more information.
Entertainment at the event includes schools, groups, city organizations such as school choirs, folkloricos, dance teams and more. Other entertainment includes Magic Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines, rock band The Switch, character performance shows, and more.
Each night will feature talented performers. Also included in the entertainment, and what has become a tradition, is the famous Estudiantina de San Luis Potosi, who come from San Luis Potosi, Mexico to perform. They will be performing December 12-16.
Entertainment will be throughout the month at the city hall courtyard starting at 7 p.m.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit their website online at hidalgofestivaloflights.com.
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Published: Wednesday, 27 November 2019 00:00
This past week one of many Toys for Tots fundraising events were held outside of 5x5 Brewing. TNT Automotive sponsored the most recent event as well as Automotive Innovation Restoration, Brick Fire Pizza, Dairy Queen, Valley Street Scene, O’Reilly, DL Lighting and Audio, and Danny’s Tire and Service. There will be another event at 5x5 Brewing on Friday, December 29.
George Rice with 5x5 Brewing and Mitch Sens with Automotive Innovation and Restoration, both say they are just happy to be able to help out with the program. They said small events like these helps get people out to donate to such a worthy cause, the entertainment, car shows, drinks and other events are just a bonus, and tends to bring more people in.
5x5 Brewing will be hosting their Black Ops Friday on December 29 with another opportunity to participate in the toy drive. The event will also have Santa, games and entertainment.
If you can’t make it to the event, they will be collecting during their business hours. The Winter Texan Times office also has a donation box for those interested in dropping something off for the children in the Valley.
Black Ops Friday will begin at 6 p.m. 5x5 Brewing is located at 801 N. Bryan Road in Mission.
Toys for Tots is run by the United States Marines to collect toys, or monetary donations, to help less fortunate children have a happy Christmas. The organization asks families to apply for the toys in October. Collections start not too long after and continue through Christmas Day.
Marines and volunteers engage local businesses and individuals within the communities to help collect new, unwrapped toys and then help distribute those gifts to less fortunate children – allowing them to experience the joy of Christmas.
Now going on for 72 years, the organization has assisted 258 million children. Last year, the program fulfilled the holiday hopes and dreams of seven million children in over 800 communities nationwide. In Harlingen, and the Valley, the program brought smiling faces to nearly 31,000 children last year.
For more information about Toys for Tots visit toysfortots.org. You can also make monetary donations online. To get in touch with the local representative, call (956) 425-9643 or (760) 717-9555.
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Published: Friday, 22 November 2019 00:00
A Veterans Day Celebration over Boomerang Billy’s last Sunday, November 10, featured a two-plane formation flight by the Rio Grande Valley Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. The event was sponsored by Padre Island’s favorite performer, Leslie Blasing. The formation fly-over made several passes over the beachside entertainment spot.
Two passengers on the two-plane flight were Lynn Clasen and Marjorie Jacobs. The two women had participated in a fund raising drawing the previous evening. The prize was a flight over South Padre Island during Blasing’s Veterans Day Celebration.
The Rio Grande Valley Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (RGV Wing CAF) is based at the Port Isabel Cameron County Airport. The RGV Wing is one of 84 units, nationwide, of the Commemorative Air Force whose membership numbers over 11,000. The RGV Wing has seven aircraft in the hangar and has organized a walk-in museum featuring World War Two artifacts and memorabilia.
Tentative hours of operation are Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Guided tours for groups of five or more are welcome by appointment anytime by calling David Christopher at (970) 397-4604.
Weather permitting, and crew availability, one of the Museum’s planes will be flown during the tour. Plane rides are available for a $250 donation. CAF are a 501c3, not for profit organization.
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Published: Thursday, 21 November 2019 00:00
The comfort food of Texas Mexican cooking is coming to the Museum of South Texas History with a special presentation featuring a book signing and cooking demonstration by Chef Adán Medrano on Friday, November 22, at 2 p.m.
Medrano will demonstrate dishes from his most recent cookbook, “Don’t Count The Tortillas—The Art Of Texas Mexican Cooking.” In his cookbook, Medrano focuses on the aesthetic aspects of cooking that universally impact identity and community, with more than 100 recipes that illustrate the modern cooking in Texas kitchens.
The cooking demonstration will feature three local dishes inspired by Medrano’s research: chacales, caldo de chayote and chipotle en adobo. At the end of the presentation, visitors will have the opportunity to sample three unique dishes. Medrano will sign copies of his cookbook, which will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.
Medrano is a food writer and chef, specializing in the indigenous foods of Texas and the Americas. Medrano spent 23 years working throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia. He returned to the US in 2010 to focus his attention on the culinary traditions of the Mexican American, Native American communities of Texas and the indigenous cooking of the Americas. He is currently President of “The Texas Indigenous Food Project.”
Medrano has lectured about food and culture at academic institutions, including the Harvard University Co-op, Northeastern University and last year was invited to Moscow by the US Ambassador to Russia, as the featured Chef for the July 4th US official celebration. Medrano has showcased his recipes at the Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston; at the California, New York and Texas campuses of the Culinary Institute of America, as well as at The Briscoe Western Art Museum, the American Book Center in Amsterdam, and the Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival in Great Britain.
Admission to this program: $8 for adults; $6 for seniors (62+), students (13+) and active military; $5 for children ages 4 to 12; free for children ages 3 and under. FRIENDS of MOSTHistory are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDship.
MOSTH is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 N. Closner Blvd. on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and find us on YouTube or call (956) 383-6911.
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Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2019 14:32
Texas boasts some of the most diverse habitat in the United States. On Thursday, November 21 at 6 p.m., Quinta Mazatlán will host Dr. John Tomecek as guest speaker for Nights at the Mansion speaker series. Dr. Tomecek will be presenting “Wild Texas Carnivores;” sharing some of the most recent research from the Texas Carnivore Ecology Laboratory at Texas A&M University, how this work is helping us to learn more about our wild Texas carnivores, and what the future holds.
A native of central Texas, Dr. John Tomecek has spent much of his life outdoors across the state. From his upbringing on a cattle operation in the Cross Timbers and Edwards Plateau, to spending summers on his grandfather’s commercial red snapper boat in the Gulf. Presently, Dr. Tomecek serves as Assistant Professor and Extension Wildlife Specialist at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
In his capacity as university faculty, Dr. Tomecek conducts research and outreach on issues of wildlife damage and disease, ecology of mesocarnivores, and effective management of human-wildlife conflict. As leader of the Carnivore Ecology Laboratory at Texas A&M University, Dr. Tomecek and his team of graduate and undergraduate researchers work toward better understanding of carnivore ecology to inform management and improve human-carnivore interactions.
Nights at the Mansion speaker series presents noteworthy speakers and scholars to present lectures related to our global environment, local cuisine and the arts and culture. The program takes place on Thursday evenings through May 2020. The program fee is $3 per person and no advance reservation is required. Quinta Mazatlán is located at 600 Sunset Drive in McAllen, one block south of La Plaza Mall on 10th Street. For more information, contact Quinta Mazatlan at (956) 681-3370 or visit www.quintamazatlan.com or the Facebook events page facebook.com/McAllenQuintaMazatlan
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Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2019 08:28
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, Mission families are expressing their gratitude by giving back. Residents are filling shoeboxes with fun toys, school supplies and hygiene items to send to children in need around the world. For many of these children, it will be the first gift they have ever received.
During Operation Christmas Child’s National Collection Week November 18 – 25, local residents, in Mission and surrounding communities, will collect shoebox gifts at drop-off locations in the area. The Samaritan’s Purse project, partnering with churches worldwide, will deliver these gifts to children in need. Area volunteers hope to collect more than 2,805 gifts during the week.
"I love seeing the local community rally together for a global impact," said Regional Director Matt McClelland. "We see all ages getting involved –and more and more every year."
Valley residents are not alone in their effort to help children around the world. More than 150,000 U.S. volunteers including families, churches and other groups are joining forces to contribute to the largest Christmas project of its kind. In 2019, Samaritan's Purse hopes to collect enough Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts to reach 11 million children, with 2,805 coming from the local area.
For more information on how to participate in Operation Christmas Child, call 817-595-2230, or visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. Participants can donate $9 per shoebox gift online through "Follow Your Box" and receive a tracking label to discover its destination. Those who prefer the convenience of online shopping can browse samaritanspurse.org/buildonline to select gifts matched to a child's specific age and gender, then finish packing the virtual shoebox by adding a photo and personal note of encouragement.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. The mission of Operation Christmas Child is to demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to children in need around the world and, together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 168 million gift-filled shoeboxes to children in more than 160 countries and territories.
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Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2019 00:00
By Herb Moering
The perfect weather arrived just in time for Mission’s first annual Veterans Festival Parade on Saturday afternoon, November 9.
The hour and a half patriotic parade was part of the city’s Veterans Day observance, which stretched over four days, starting with a flag laying ceremony Friday afternoon at the Texas State Veteran Cemetery in Mission.
It was the parade that drew several hundred spectators along Business 83, including from Mission, flag-waving Jesse Martinez and his granddaughter Jaynee, to applaud the service veterans riding in the parade.
Among those given a ride was the grand marshal, Lt. Col. Arnulfo Esqueda, a 30-year U.S. Army veteran and a Mission native.
“It was a great honor and privilege to represent all the veterans,” he said. “I want people to appreciate the veterans. Veterans want to play a role in the community.”
Esqueda joined the military at the age of 18 in 1965 and was in the Vietnam jungles for four years as a special forces operative. The green beret was a leader of one of the six-member teams involved in top secret cross border interdiction missions. His team, among others, which included two Americans and four South Vietnam soldiers each, were attached to the secret Military Assistance Command Special Operations Group. They operated mainly along the Ho Chi Ming Trail that wound through North Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
The retired officer said the greatest fear while deep in enemy territory was being captured. He said they were on their own at night, without communication with allied forces, but by day were back in contact and had U.S. air support if needed. What was also hard to comprehend was the condemning response from the public after returning home. There was no parade for soldiers who fought in Vietnam, he noted.
When his Vietnam tour ended in 1969, he went to college and also joined the Texas National Guard as a 2nd lieutenant, which was a part time situation until 1979. Then he went on active duty with the guard. He received his lieutenant colonel rank in 1993 and finished his service in 1995.
A World War II veteran, Savas Sandoval Jr., got to ride in a Mercedes Benz classic convertible. He served in the U.S. Army in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska from 1942 until 1945. Army 1st Sgt. Victor Fonseca was among veterans riding in golf carts.
One squad of veterans walked the parade route, which began at Conway Avenue and ended at Bryan Road. The lead parade entry was the Mission Fire Department’s 1927 fire truck, followed by color guard units and a contingent of patriotic motorcyclists. The parade included floats, school marching bands and cheerleader groups, scouting units, dance squads, and Texas Citrus Fiesta royalty.
The day also included the first Veterans Cook-off that began at 9 o’clock in the morning. A total of 26 teams competed for $5,000 in cash and trophies in five categories of chicken, pork spareribs, brisket, pan de campo and citrus dessert.
There was live music and food vendors on hand as the cookers worked their magic throughout the day. Head judge for the International Barbecue Cookers Association (IBCA), Eddie Tapia, has been running cook-off competitions for 13 years, which takes him all over the Valley. He said he began with just two events his first year, but now he averages more than two per month. His wife, Judy, helps him in distributing the entries to the local volunteer taste judges.
David Santoy, who heads the South Texas BBQ team, said he recruited eight family members and friends to join him in working the cook-off, which he’s been doing for four years. He’s out about once a month on average to compete.
“I love barbecuing and hanging out,” the Mission resident said. “It’s a ‘win, win’ time.”
Andy Garza, the head cook for the Mi Pedasito Ranch team, also from Mission, said he’s been involved in cook-offs for 10 years. He currently does about five events a year as time permits.
“I love it, being in charge,” he said. “We do it for the love of barbecue.”
His wife, Blanca, said, “We enjoy it, and it’s all family members on the team.”
The first 10 placings in each event received recognition, with the top five earning cash awards and a winning plaque to each first-place team.
The Veterans Cook-off grand championship trophy went to the Cowboy Up Cooking team headed by Ralph Flores of Edinburg. His team earned the top award by winning the pan de campo division, placing third in chicken barbecue, fourth in pork spareribs and eighth in brisket.
The reserve championship belonged to Chew N the Fat squad with head cook Jason Bartimus. Also, from Edinburg, the team topped the pork spareribs category and placed fifth in brisket.
Top finishers in the other categories included BBQ Holics, taking first in the chicken category with Hector Cantu the head cook from La Feria; the Chillin N Grillin team headed by Mario Benavides from McAllen, and Bridget Gonzalez who topped the dessert division.
The festival also included an evening of entertainment with music by several bands on stage in conjunction with the 5x5 Brewery sponsors. Kids rides went on all day.
The festival salute continued on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 10, with a Cars and Stripes car show along with a chili cook-off between five veteran’s teams, with winners chosen by “people’s choice.”
Wrapping up the celebration was the Veterans Day golf tournament, The Fairway to Freedom, a 3-person scramble. The tournament, free to veterans, was played at Sharyland Municipal Golf Course. The event was featured in last week’s paper.
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Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2019 00:00
It’s that time of year and McAllen Elks Lodge #1402 is holding a ‘Share the Love Food Drive’ and a toy drive. Their food drive ends on November 22.
For the food drive, they are collecting all non-perishable food items. The items will go to feed needy families in the community for Thanksgiving.
The organization’s toy and coat drive begins on November 22. They will collect items until December 20. They welcome any contributions.
You can drop off donations at the McAllen Elks Lodge, 3500 Jordan Ave. For more information, call (956) 686-3902.
McAllen Elks Lodge is a nonprofit organization whose main purpose is to invest in their communities through programs that help children grow up healthy and drug-free, meet the needs of today’s veterans, and improve the quality of life. McAllen Elks Lodge #1402 started on December 28, 1920 and will celebrate their centennial next year. They have invested over $1.7 million in charity and scholarships in the area communities.
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Published: Saturday, 16 November 2019 00:00
Develop new art skills and socialize with other Winter Texans. The International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS) introduces a series of four Winter Texan Workshops this December through March featuring Mexican Embroidery, Landscapes, Milagros Hoop Art, and Floral Painting.
These art workshops take place every third Saturday of the month, December through March, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each workshop features a guided tour of a current fine art exhibit followed by a studio art-making activity and refreshments. All workshops are open to beginning and experienced artists.
On December 21, IMAS teaching artist Lisa Cortez will teach about the origin of beautiful Tenango embroidery, a distinctive Mexican fiber art form, and participants will create their own Tenango embroidery piece.
Explore the history of landscapes with a behind-the-scenes look at art works in the museum’s collection with IMAS teaching artist Roni Cortez. On January 18, 2020, she will lead this landscape painting workshop for participants at all levels – previous art experience is not required – and everyone will have the opportunity to paint with acrylics.
IMAS teaching artist Valerie Escamilla will lead the final two workshops. On February 15, 2020, she will present Milagros Hoop Art. Milagros are small metal charms commonly used in Mexican folk art. Participants will learn about this folk art and create a mixed-media work of art using milagros, felt, and embroidery.
The final workshop, Floral Painting, will take place on March 21, 2020, when participants will explore different watercolor techniques with various watercolor types and applications. A still-life bouquet of flowers will provide a starting-point composition after which participants will be encouraged to experiment painting their own spring floral design.
Visitors can also explore the IMAS fine art galleries including large-scale charcoal murals of Dialogues with Mother Earth, Highlights of the Permanent Collection, Mexican & Latin American Folk Art, and the upcoming Compulsory Measures.
Winter Texan Workshops are $10 per workshop and limited to 15 participants. All workshops include General Admission on the day of the workshop. IMAS Members receive a discount. All workshop supplies are provided.
The museum is located at the intersection of Bicentennial Way and Nolana Avenue at 1900 W. Nolana in McAllen. Log onto https://www.theimasonline.org or call (956) 681-2800 for more information.
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Published: Friday, 15 November 2019 00:00
Mission Fire Department is hosting another “Stop the Bleed,” training course. Stop the Bleed is a national awareness campaign and call-to-action. The program teaches bystanders how to assist in an emergency before help arrives. The course will be held on Saturday, November 16 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Central Station in Mission.
The program is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that encourage everyday citizens to become trained, equipped, and empowered to help in a bleeding emergency before professional help arrives.
The purpose of the campaign is to better prepare the public to save lives. The program raises awareness of basic actions to stop life threatening bleeding following everyday emergencies and man-made and natural disasters.
The course is free to the public, but space is limited. If interested, please contact the Mission Fire Department at (956) 580-8705. The MFD Central Station is located at 415 W. Tom Landry Ave.
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Published: Wednesday, 13 November 2019 00:00
A simple shoebox can bring such toy to a child’s heart. This is just one purpose of Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child. Organizers are building a local team this year to help get the Valley more involved with bringing those smiles to kids faces all over the world.
This year, Elizabeth Dukquits is serving as an area coordinator. On her team is “Big” Lew Corya who serves as the church relations coordinator. They are spearheading to make the Valley more involved in the effort to gather gifts and coordinate packing the boxes and shipping them off.
Operation Christmas Child started in 1993 in the United States when Samaritan’s Purse, an organization from Wales, partnered with them, to take it global. In 2018, 10.6 million shoeboxes were given out to children all across the world. More than 8 million of those boxes came from the United States. There goal for this year is 11 million. 168 million children have received a shoebox since the beginning of Operation Christmas Child.
The project goes to over 160 countries and are pushing to get into more every year. While they want to reach as many kids as possible in impoverished, third world countries, the project is simple to take part in.
Corya, a pastor with BT McAllen, has been helping the organization for several years. BT McAllen has been participating in the collection of boxes for 15 years. Now, Corya wants to get more churches, groups, and Winter Texan parks involved.
Dukquits said, right now, even though collections are coming to an end soon, they are trying to get the word out on what people can do to help out. Their range is from Brownsville out to Laredo and to Corpus Christi. Even though Laredo and Corpus have their own drop off locations, they have chosen to spread the word as far as they can.
Corya said they will be at this year’s Winter Texan Expo. His goal is to get at least two Winter Texan volunteers that will help him make a real impact. They can start collecting or putting together boxes early and already have some things done before coming back to the Valley in the fall.
He wants help in talking to local churches and organizations to share the message of how they can help send boxes to the children.
To date, they have already collected nearly 6,000 boxes.
The program has kickoffs in early October, but they encourage people to start collecting early. The earlier you start, the more you can collect.
November 18-25 is the time to put the boxes together and make sure they are ready to be shipped off.
They said they are looking for leaders that can organize collections in their own parks, or churches, and then bring to their drop off location at BT McAllen. You collect the boxes, make sure they are packed right, and then bring to the church. BT McAllen then goes through the boxes and makes sure it is done correctly before shipping them out to their main office in Dallas.
It’s a simple program – They have suggested items to put in the shoebox for girls and boys from ages two to 14 years old. Although the
Corya suggests buying items in bulk, or they could be something as simple as party favors. The items don’t have to be expensive.... They have to be small. Most boxes have items such as baby dolls, coloring books, crayons, chalk, silly putty, socks, jump ropes, marbles, yoyos, and other small items. These are items the kids would not otherwise have.
A $9 donation per box is welcome to help with shipping and materials, but it is not a requirement to participate.
This program is helping children all over the world, said Dukquits. It’s helping those that have no access to anything. It’s non-denominational, she said, you get a box no matter what, but they do like to share a message.
Corya said Jesus is at the core of this project. While it is not mandatory for the children or families to participate, all that receive a box are invited to listen to a message. After that, they are invited to participate in a bible class that continues sharing the message of the plan of salvation.
“They don’t know God. They haven’t heard of God,” added Corya. This box plants a seed and the program helps that seed grow if they want to take part in it.
They both stressed, that the recipients do not have to participate to receive a box. “It’s an invitation.”
“No strings attached,” said Dukquits.
“It’s an opportunity,” added Corya.
They share the main message of the gift of love. When the children see these gifts and wonder why people would do such a thing for them.
“They look at this box, and they can’t believe that somebody clear across the world packed this for them,” said Dukquits.
“To them, it’s everything,” said Corya.
If you would like to help, or need a few boxes, call Dukquits at (956) 458-1005. If you would like to help out at BT McAllen, call (956) 686-5296. BT McAllen is located at 2001 Trenton Road in McAllen.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan’s Purse, visit online at samaritanspurse.org/occ. For online shopping go to samaritanspurse.org/buildonline.
Texas historian and premiere chronicler of Texas lore to present a cultural storytelling masterwork. On Thursday, November 14th at 6 p.m., Quinta Mazatlán will host Dr. W.F. Strong as guest speaker for Nights at the Mansion speaker series. He will discuss and share excerpts from his book “Stories from Texas.”
Harlingen’s Hugh Ramsey Nature Park boasts 250 some species of Rio Grande Valley native plants, shrubs, trees, cactus and the untold numbers of birds, butterflies and critters that use this native habitat.
Eyes and faces were wet Monday afternoon as the colors were presented by the PSJA Early College High School JROTC during a Veterans event at Brookridge Retirement Community. Quilts in red, white and blue made by the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild hung along the stairway and banisters that circled the dining hall.
Jim Bartelt was out golfing for the first time in five years.
