By Herb Moering
Great weather brought out the crowd of mainly Winter Texans on opening day, Jan. 13, for the 15th annual two-day Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center open house in Donna.
Sue Stsauver, from Trails End Mobile Home and RV Park in Weslaco, came to see the grand prizes to be given away after having a dream she won a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle and had it shipped home to Minnesota.
Walking through the 36th annual RGV Woodcarvers Show this past weekend, it was clear that if you can envision it, someone can carve, sculpt, burn, paint or chip it into reality.
More than 150 pieces covering a wide spectrum of images and styles were on display over the weekend at the Nomad Shrine Club in Pharr. There were decoys, caricatures, walking canes, gourds, pens, candles and so much more as the carvers showed what can be done with wood.
Quinta Mazatlán World Birding Center is honored to host author and Texas historian W.F. Strong on Thursday, January 13th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a special discussion on birds of prey and reading/book signing of his most recent publication Stories from Texas, Some of Them are True, Vol. II on the Nature Speaker Series at Quinta Mazatlán.
Read more: Vultures and Raptors discussion at Quinta Mazatlán
The Museum of South Texas History kicks off the 2022 Sunday Speaker Series with a book presentation and signing featuring Robert Saldaña at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16 at MOSTH in Edinburg.
Saldaña’s book titled, “Tejano Experience: The History and Genealogy of My Maternal Grandfather’s Garza & Olivares Families in South Texas” is a case study in Spanish and Mexican American genealogy which resulted from his efforts to learn more about himself, his family and fellow Tejanos. Guests can purchase a copy of the book, while supplies last, at the Museum Store that can be signed by the author.
Although he was in a brief retirement, Fred Renk is back at it this season. Due to the hundreds of phone calls received requesting the continuance of putting on the world class bloodless bullfights, Renk is proud to announce they will be coming out of retirement to re-open for at least two bullfights this season.
“For the last 20 years we have put on world class bloodless bullfights and will continue to do so as long as people want us,” said Renk. “We cannot turn them down.”
The Santa Maria Bullring is one of the only bullrings in 49 states. For now, the Renks, Fred and his wife Lisa, will be managing the events.
For the second year in a row, Paradise Park RV Resort in Harlingen has made quite an effort to participate in giving back to the Harlingen CISD community. The park has been finding someone in their community to help out the last few years and the Harlingen CISD Clothing Closet has been blessed by them the last two.
A couple of years ago, Sharon Bargel, who has been heading up the charitable projects at the park, said they didn’t have a charitable project. It was then that she saw a Facebook post about a Reverse Advent calendar idea. She shared the idea with others in the park, and once the season started, it was fully embraced by park management. It was then that they felt the need to do something each year during the holiday season.
The Texas corridor is a huge birding spot for many and is a huge migration area for thousands of birds as they escape the colder climates for warmer weather, and then come back through in the spring and summer searching for cooler weather. This year, while we have been finding new ways to entertain ourselves, the birds still continue on their patterns.
The Valley is a hotspot to several migrating patterns and the Lower Rio Grande Valley has had a huge fallout this season. In the fall months, South Padre Island was full of color as Buntings and other birds passed through the area. Birders were flocking the area getting once in a lifetime photos to add to their collections.
Weslaco residents of Ranchero Village Senior Resort Park kicked off the season of spreading holiday cheer by giving back to the local community. Due to the generous donations of the residents, Ranchero Village teams were able to deliver cash and multiple boxes of food to the RGV Food Bank while six more teams delivered gifts and food boxes to families in the community.
They also did not forget to show their gratitude for those who serve the community. The resident bakers kept their ovens hot preparing Christmas cookies and goodies for holiday treat boxes, which were delivered to the Weslaco Police Department, the Weslaco Fire/EMS Department, the Texas Army National Guard, and the U.S. Border Patrol.
A revival may be coming for those interested in square dancing.
Lessons and square dances are popping up at Winter Texan parks across the Valley. More importantly, both veterans and “newbies” are finding a keen interest in taking part.
A few couples attended recently at Mission Bell RV Park in Mission, where Robert Ferguson teaches a weekly class Friday afternoons.
Chuck Berry, not to be confused with the rock 'n roll Chuck Berry, and his wife Phyllis are part of the newbie group.
Welcome home. By now most of our Winter Residents have arrived and we are so glad to have you back in the big, wonderful state of Texas and the sunny Rio Grande Valley. If you drove down, then I am sure you were once again impressed by how big - and varied - Texas is. If you flew in - especially if you came from Canada - you were probably just a little shocked when you stepped off the plane. What a big difference it is between European Quebec and the tranquil palm lined roads of the Rio Grande Valley. It is quite a shock. From East to West and North to South, all these different areas have their own personalities. Yep, Texas is a Whole Other Country.
