Port Isabel held their 15th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Hometown Holiday Street Parade this past Saturday on December 2. The Parade started at the Laguna Madre Youth Center and went down to the Port Isabel Event & Cultural Center. Afterwards, the Tree Lighting took place at Beulah Lee Park. There was holiday décor throughout the park, including photo op areas as well as one with Santa. Present were food vendors and other booths selling various items. Performances put on by local schoolchildren from elementary through high school took place as well, creating an environment where Christmas cheer was celebrated.
By Anastasia Brunson
The weather was comfortable, and the festivities were plentiful at the Lighted Boat Parade that took place at South Padre Island on Saturday, December 2.
Thankfully the drizzly rain and lower temperatures had abated just in time for this outdoor event, allowing families and couples of all ages to enjoy viewing and partaking in the celebration.
Read more: Lights on the water
Practice has begun for the senior slow pitch softball teams. This is a senior group, so you must be 55 years young and over. Practices take place at the baseball fields on Ware Rd., across from the Convention Center, just before the highway.
All games are in the morning. Depending on what team you are one, your practices could be Tuesdays and Thursdays or Mondays and Wednesdays.
Read more: Come join the fun
The annual St. George International Festival will be held Saturday, December 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is an annual festival hosted by St. George Orthodox Church, in Pharr, 704 W. Sam Houston Blvd. The festival has been held annually each December since the 1980’s
Members of St. George are multicultural and offer the local community a vibrant celebration of cultures from around the world. It’s a day filled with delicious food, lively music, colorful performances, and local vendors selling holiday items for yourself or gifts.
This is the largest fundraiser for the church each year, and funds ongoing parish needs, improvements projects and ministries. The event is free for all to attend. Food and drinks are available to purchase, but the church tours, vendor booths, and entertainment are all free for the community to enjoy.
Read more: Annual International Festival to be held
After having a successful Thanksgiving event, Angels of Love is reaching out to local businesses and organizations to help them with their 14th Annual Christmas Toy Drive and Christmas Party. They are inviting community members to partner with them.
Angels of Love is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide victims of violence and their families with individualized services in a safe and loving environment. They provide these things in hopes of providing them with the tools necessary to heal and move forward from their trauma. The organization also provides clients with empowerment classes, victim advocacy services, referral services, parenting classes, financial literacy, dating violence workshops, counseling and more.
Read more: Angels of Love seeking donations
Winter Texans and residents over the age of 18 in Cameron, Hidalgo, and Starr counties are welcome to register to join the 2024 South Texas Border Chapter Texas Master Naturalist training class. The deadline to register for the 2024 class is December 15.
Texas Master Naturalist is a unique educational volunteer program sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Sea Grant Program, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Read more: Deadline approaching for Texas Master Naturalist annual training
Capture the holiday fun at the Museum of South Texas History Sunday, December 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Come on by to take a photo with Cowboy Santa. Each four inch by six inch photograph is $5 and will include a blank photo frame that can be decorated with supplies provided by the museum. These frames can be added to your Christmas tree at home or gifted to someone special, making it a fun holiday keepsake or gift.
Read more: Swing by MOSTH for holiday fun
Author and cartoonist José Alaniz will present a new prose and comics collection published by FlowerSong Press at 2 p.m. December 10 at the Museum of South Texas History (MOSTH).
The hybrid book features short stories and comics, mostly set in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. The stories reflect the author’s upbringing in this region as a second-generation Mexican-American, at times fusing folk beliefs with Bradbury-style science fiction. For example, “Tamales” sets the immigration narrative on Mars in 2063, when a migrant family makes the crossing in search of work via (malfunctioning) rocket.
Read more: Cartoonist shares new prose, comic collection at MOSTH
Thanksgiving is over, so that means the Christmas celebrations have begun. The Valley is full of celebrations that start with tree lightings, then parades, and Christmas lights that stay on the entire month, sometimes lasting until the first week of January. We try our hardest to make sure we give you as much information as possible, but we might not have everyone here. So look to your city’s website or Facebook to see if your city is doing anything special for the holidays.
The Brownsville Holiday Village has already started with their little houses and search for the gingerbread man. The village is set up at the Dean Porter Park. Admission is free with live entertainment scheduled and Santa visiting on Friday’s and Saturday’s.
Read more: Christmas activities start this week
The Mission Historical Museum Lecture Series presents: The Alamo Train Crash of 1940 with Juan P. Carmona and Taylor Seaver De La Fuente.
Join the museum for a historical lecture on the Alamo Train Crash of 1940, taking place on Saturday, December 9 at 11 a.m. at the Mission Historical Museum. Admission is free to the public. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.
Read more: Alamo Train Crash topic at Lecture Series
U.S. Senator John Cornyn
As the days grow shorter and cooler, pecan trees in Texas prepare for their annual debut. Leaves take on hues of amber and crimson, painting a breathtaking landscape that attracts visitors from near and far. Amidst this natural transformation, pecans reach peak maturity and are ready to break through their sturdy shells.
In 1919, the pecan tree was named the state tree of Texas, thanks in large part to former Texas Governor James Stephen Hogg. On March 2, 1906, Hogg expressed his wish for a soft-shell Texas pecan tree to be planted at his grave with its nuts distributed to Texas farmers for planting. Years later, journalist Katie Daffan suggested the pecan tree become the state tree of Texas in Hogg’s honor. This idea quickly gained widespread support, leading the state legislature to unanimously pass a resolution formalizing the designation in 1919, which was reaffirmed eight years later during the 40th Texas Legislative Session.
Read more: The pecan tale of plenty
The International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) is thrilled to announce their annual Holiday Market at the Museum, set to enchant visitors on December 9. Celebrate the spirit of the season amidst an array of local artisans, a gallery talk from a guest curator, Gingerbread Challenge workshops, and the annual Christmas Tree Forest community exhibition.
During the holidays, many organizations seek out the community’s help to fill extra needs that the community has during this time of year. Some organizations help with clothes, blankets, school supplies, food, and Christmas gifts during the fall months more than they do other times of the year.
Cities throughout the Rio Grande Valley have had to make some adjustments to their Veterans ceremonies due to inclement weather. Some of these ceremonies are being rescheduled, locations are changing for a couple, and some are being cancelled. There are still one or two that will still occur as scheduled.
The Veterans Day observance got off to an early start with Edinburg holding a parade Saturday morning honoring those locally who have served in the U.S. military.
