EVENTS CALENDAR December 27 – Take a peaceful guided walk through the gardens at the National Butterfly Center and discover the butterflies and wildlife active after the holidays. Refresh your spirit as you explore seasonal changes and quiet beauty on the trails. The NBC is located at 3333 Butterfly Park Dr. in Mission. December 27 – The McAllen Farmers Market will be held at the McAllen Public Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is held every Saturday. The library is located at 4001 N. 23rd St. For more information visit mcallenfarmersmarket.com. December 27 – Firemen’s Park in McAllen will host the Growing Growers Farmers Market at 9 a.m. The park is located at 201 N. 1st St. The event is held every Saturday. December 27 – The Brownsville Farmers Market will be held at 9 a.m. at Linear Park, E. 6th St. and E. Ringgold St. The event is held every Saturday. December 28 – Learn Archery Basics at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park at 10 a.m. This event requires a reservation. Please call ahead to confirm program schedule and details by calling (956) 584-9156. Bentsen-RGV State Park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive in Mission. December 28 – The South Padre Island Farmers Market is held at The Shores, 8605 Padre Blvd., every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shop for fresh produce, meats, cheese, juices and more. To see this event and others, visit https://www.sopadre. com/listing/south-padre-island-farmers-market/1099/. December 29 – Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park will host a Winter Wind-down Hike at 9 a.m. This event requires a reservation. Please call ahead to confirm program schedule and details by calling (956) 584-9156. Bentsen-RGV State Park is located at 2800 S. Bentsen Palm Drive in Mission. January 2 – McAllen Art Walk will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at 601 N. Main St. There will be vendors, exhibits, and live entertainment. The event is free. The event is held every first Friday of the month through May. January 3 – Downtown Harlingen will host their Market Days starting at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Jackson Street and Centennial Park. Call (956) 216-4910 for more information. January 3 – The McAllen Farmers Market will be held at the McAllen Public Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is held every Saturday. The library is located at 4001 N. 23rd St. For more information visit mcallenfarmersmarket.com. January 3 – Firemen’s Park in McAllen will host the Growing Growers Farmers Market at 9 a.m. The park is located at 201 N. 1st St. The event is held every Saturday. January 3 – The Brownsville Farmers Market will be held at 9 a.m. at Linear Park, E. 6th St. and E. Ringgold St. The event is held every Saturday. January 4 – The South Padre Island Farmers Market is held at The Shores, 8605 Padre Blvd., every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shop for fresh produce, meats, cheese, juices and more. To see this event and others, visit https://www.sopadre. com/listing/south-padre-island-farmers-market/1099/. January 6 – McAllen Community Concert Association will present Bridge and Wolak: Scandalous Romantics. Michael Bridge (accordion) and Kornel Wolak (clarinet) are a globe-trotting musical duo who create life-affirming concerts full of beauty, virtuosity and humor. Concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and the doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the McAllen Performing Arts Center. Single concert tickets range from $25 to $65 and are available at http://mcallenconcerts.com/. Reunions are a great time to catch up with friends, old and new. Here we will feature reunions and meetings that are happening throughout the Valley. We hope that if you have such a meeting, you will send the information to us so we can help you spread the word. If you would like to share your information, please send it in. We would love to see your photos as well and share with others what a great time you are having. If you have a great photo from your reunion or meeting, we would love to see that too. You can send your information to news@wintertexantimes.com. Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers The Rio Grande Valley Woodcarvers will have their weekly Thursday get togethers at the Las Palmas Community Center, 1921 N. 25th St., in McAllen from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. They will meet every Thursday, excluding holidays, until the last Thursday in March 2026. Any questions, call Pam Horstman at (816) 590-6521. RGV Senior Texan Softball League The RGV (previously Ed Marten’s) Senior Texan Softball League is open to all local Texans as well as Winter Texan senior men and women aged 55 years and older. The league practices are held at McAllen’s West Side Park, located on S. Ware Road directly across from the McAllen Convention Center. The Division A practice is every Tuesday and Thursday at 9 a.m. Division B practice is every Monday at 9 a.m. Practices run from now through December. The first week of January the league will “draft” players into teams for some competitive play. For more information, call Fred Esqueda at (956) 897-6961 or Mike Brower at (734) 834-0128; or email Mike at mbrower@umich.edu. RGV Concert Band Rehearsals After the holidays, the RGV Concert Band will focus on the January through March Concerts held in various 55+ parks. The group usually performs six concerts per year during the season. If you’re interested in joining the RGV Concert Band, please come to a concert and /or contact director Gene Goede at (956) 682-9225. Practices are held at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 1107 Fern in McAllen. Submarine Veterans The Submarine Veterans will meet for lunch at 11 a.m. on the third Thursday from now (Thursday, January 15, 2026) through April at the Junction Café, 11 S. Cage Blvd., in Pharr. For more information, contact Larry at (715) 305-0401. Fayette County, Iowa Make plans for the Fayette County, Iowa reunion set for Thursday, January 15, 2026. It will be held at Mr. Gatti’s in Weslaco at 11 a.m. Contact Carolyn Beier at (563) 920-3838 if you need more information. Parkinson’s Support Group Join the Parkinson’s Support Group for their first meeting on Sunday, January 18, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. The meeting will be held at Siesta Retirement Village, 2712 S. International Blvd., in Weslaco, in the All Purpose Room. You must sign up by January 16 to reserve a spot. Please call or text (320) 491-6070, or email Kori at korijoywilliams@gmail.com. Meetings will continue on the first and third Sunday’s of the month. NRLCA Winter Texans The NRLCA Winter Texan insurance meeting will be held Tuesday January 27, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the Victoria Palms Restaurant, 602 N. Victoria Rd., in Donna. Lynne Paller, Director of Health Insurance Programs, along with Aetna and CVS will be guests. You will order off of the menu. For more information contact Harry Rhoades at (816)-390-7600 or email bingohwr@grm.net. e r y e s a u e s d WINTER TEXAN TIMES www.wintertexantimes.com DECEMBER 23, 2025 5
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