FEBRUARY 9, 2022 www.wintertexantimes.com 2 WINTER TEXAN TIMES Playground For Retirees • 14,000 Sq. Ft. Rec Hall • Free Cable and Internet • Exercise Room • 24 Shuffle Board Courts • 30’ Wide Streets • Gated Community • Ceramic Studio • Stained Glass Studio • Billiards, Cards, Crafts • Wood Carving Studio • Swimming Pool & Oversized Spa • R/C Race Track • Free Lot Rent – (For One Year!) • Free Concrete Drive • Free Skirting & Carport • Free Storage Shed • 1 Free Spectrum Cable TV box • 1 Free Internet Modem • Free Smart TV • Free Washer & Dryer Amenities include Free!!! With Purchase of a New Model Home Homes by Ranchero Sales, License #MHDRET00001830 Website: www.RancheroVillageTX.com RancheroVillage@outlook.com Ranchero Village (956) 968-6223 1900 S. Bridge Ave, Weslaco, TX 78596 (Sister Park to Rio Valley Estates) Also Visit Our Sister Park Rio Valley Estates Amenities include: • Wide, Well Lit, Paved Streets • Spacious Concrete Sites • Full Hookups Available • Cleanest Bathhouse in the RGV • Modern Laundry Facilities • Convenient Dog Park • Gated Senior Community • Swimming Pool & Hot Tub • Shuffleboard Courts • Recreation Hall & Dance Floor • Game Room with Billiards • Craft Room and Library • Great Park Activities Booking RV Park Site Reservations New& Included with all RV Pad Sites FREE Spectrum WiFi Internet FREE Spectrum Cable TV SHUFFLEBOARD Rio Valley Estates 956-968-2708 715 N. Westgate Dr., Weslaco 78596 (Sister Park to Ranchero Village) Homes by Ranchero Sales, License #MHDRET0035769 Website: www.RioValleyEstates.com RioValleyEstates@gmail.com POOL & SPA RV PAD SITES A time of reverence, remembering the sacrifice Claudette Merriman used the phrase “mind-boggling” to describe the event unfolding in front of her. The public relations chairman at the Bibleville Conference Grounds in Alamo watched, like the 100 or more of those in attendance, in reverence and honor as veterans took turns carrying a U.S. flag to its retirement. They went, one by one, placed the flag onto the fire created earlier and stoked with each additional flag, saluted it and returned to retire another. They did this, over and over. Close to 500 times they brought flags that were in “such condition that (they) were no longer a fitting emblem for display,” and destroyed them in what the U.S. Flag Code calls a dignified way. When it looked as if they were running low on flags, another volunteer would bring out a box full of those waiting for their proper disposal. The flag retirement ceremony had been postponed a year earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the number of flags waiting to be properly disposed were much larger than normal. “It was awesome,” Merriman said. “It was so respectful, so solemn. And to watch the veterans salute the flag each time they put a flag on the fire, it was something very special to be a part of.” The audience looked on, many in their golf carts and some wearing the U.S. colors as tribute. One group played the national anthem before two others performed taps. As the day wore on, the clouds began to dissipate, and streaks of sunlight burst through the clouds as if almost in sync with the a c t i v i - ties on the conf e r enc e grounds. D r . Elwood C h i p - chase is the Bibl evi l l e C o n - f e r enc e Grounds chaplain and president of Encouragement Ministries. Earlier he was one of the taps trumpet players and looked on as the fire raged and the thick, black smoke billowed as the flag pile grew. “They catch and burn really fast,” he said while sitting in his golf cart with his wife. “This is a special ceremony. It’s also needed as a reminder of what the flag means to us and to remember the sacrifices our veterans give. Some gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We can never forget that.”
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