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Sunday, February 05, 2023

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Texas Master Naturalist graduate new members

STBC Elizabeth Eddy Sandra Trevino Photo by Mary Hroscikoski PHARR, TEXAS–The South Texas Border Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists honored 55 graduates at their first in-person ceremony since 2020. The new chapter members included 24 members who completed the program in 2020, 13 from the 2021 class and this year’s 18 new members.

Texas Master Naturalists are volunteers; they are ordinary citizens from all walks of life. Locally, many are young adults who have jobs and careers, college students, retired members of the community and Winter Texans. Their desires are to learn about the local habitat and to help preserve the native vegetation of the Rio Grande Valley and the wildlife that depends on it.

March 30, 2022 - You are going to be missed

20220330 Thanks Santa meets the line of kids It's that time of the year. Our Winter Texan friends are departing for their summer homes. No doubt your friends and family missed you while you were gone. But we are going to miss you also. Please have a safe trip home and come back again next winter. We will be waiting for you.

March 30, 2022 - Rina's Ramblings

20220330 Thanks Casa del Valle IMG 7384 This season has been a blast!

Despite a knee injury at the beginning of the season, I was able to get out there a bit and enjoy some time with you. It took me a while, and I know we missed a lot at the beginning of the season, but we still had some fun once the season really started picking up in January.

Thank you for all that you do

20220330 Thanks Food 2019 This season is ending, and I hate to see it go. We always enjoy your time with us, and our time with you, and we sure are going to miss it while you are gone.

After a couple of years with a slow down of activities and not much to attend, we were so thankful to get out this year. We wish we could have attended more events, because there was just so much to do. We were so happy to see parks reopening and letting people in this season. It was nice to see things as they should be at most places. After all, the warmness of the parks and the community are what brings us all together.

Winter Texans enjoy 46th Tourist Day in Nuevo Progreso

By Herb Moering

Tourist Day in Nuevo Progreso, Mexico was a “breeze” for Winter Texans attending the all-day appreciation of visitors’ celebration on March 21.

Despite the strong gusts of wind, Winter Texans enjoyed the entertainment, the trinkets, and the food, which included free tamales as the visitors came across the international bridge over the Rio Grande River.

Thousands of stitches sewn to thank veterans

Submitted by E. Louise Baker, Tropic Star Quilter

Tropic Star Park hosted a very special event on Sunday, March 6. Fifty-six veterans were honored with the presentation of a patriotic quilt made by the quilting ladies of Tropic Star.
This special event began three years ago. Someone shared the idea of honoring the veterans in our park with a patriotic quilt. Identifying the veterans in our park was completed by a dedicated committee. Their results were shocking. How could our quilting group produce all the quilts needed?

Little’s vision lives on through quilting group

Submitted by Ruth Filz

Martha Little and her husband Irv first came to Palm Gardens RV Park in Harlingen in 2008 and enjoyed the area, finally buying a place in 2010.

Martha came from a long line of quilters. Her grandmother made quilts out of sugar sacks while her mother used old clothing. Martha’s youngest daughter is also learning to quilt.
When she first came to Palm Gardens, Martha brought her sewing machine and material. During the first year she had other quilters from the park to her house for lessons. Once she had a few other people, they started quilting at the hall.

Four Seasons residents visit Space X

20220330 Space x 2 John Haga, tour coordinator at Four Seasons RV Park in Brownsville, recently went with 45 other residents on a tour to Space X. The group loaded into a 50-passenger old painted school bus with an ‘excellent guide,’ Anthony Gomez, from Rocket Ranch.

Bonham’s Bear supports local organizations

20220330 Bonhams Bears At the annual teddy bear give away that was held on March 3, Bonham’s Bears gave away 400 bears to five local organizations. Bonham’s Bears is based at Green Bay South in La Feria.

The organizations donated to were Family Crisis Center, Children’s Bereavement Center Rio Grande Valley, Rainbow RGV Community Partners, Loaves and Fishes of the RGV, and City of Harlingen Fire Department Station Two.

Onion was center of attention at Onion Fest

20220330 Onion Fest IMG 6175 Thousands of people walked the downtown streets of Weslaco, celebrating what may have been the nicest day of the year to date, in honor of the 1015 onion.

They ate, drank and were entertained – or entertaining - as the much-loved onion, known as the “million-dollar baby” took center stage at the annual festival that returned after a COVID-19 pandemic halt.