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Hidalgo Watercolor Society exhibit opens

UVAL Hidalgo WatercolorSociety 2022 Best of Show Sew What by Dennis Grover webHidalgo Watercolor Society presents "Water Works" with an opening reception Saturday, February 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Upper Valley Art League Gallery, 921 E. 12th St, Mission.

The annual HWS watercolor exhibit runs February 3 to February 24. Come vote for the People’s Choice award.

UVAL Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The UVAL Gallery is free and open to the public. (956) 591-0282.

GAO events coming up

Here’s what’s coming up during the next two weeks at the Golden Age Olympics:

On-site registration will not be accepted, and participants must register a week in advance prior to the event. In-person signups are held at the following sites:

Lark Community Center
2601 Lark Ave (956) 681-3340
Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Las Palmas Community Center
1921 N. 25th Street (956) 681-3350
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Palmview Community Center
3401 Jordan Road (956) 681-3360
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Online registration can be found at Mcallenparks.net.
Or by mail to: McAllen Parks and Recreation; ATTN GAO 2023; P.O. Box 220, McAllen, TX 78505.

Wednesday, Jan. 31
Movie Show
10 a.m.
McAllen Public Library

Thursday, Feb. 1
Contract Bridge
10 a.m.
Las Palmas Community Center
Bean Bag Toss Men
10 a.m.
Palm View Community Center

Friday, Feb. 2
Shuffleboard Doubles
9 a.m.
Casa Del Sol RV resort
Bean Bag Toss Women
10 a.m.
Palm View Community Center

Saturday, Feb. 3
Bake Off
Dessert Dropoff 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Judging 12:45 p.m.-1:45 p.m.
Pickup 2 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Las Palmas Community Center
Bean Bag Toss Mixed
10 a.m.
Palm View Community Center

Monday Feb. 5
Shuffleboard Mixed Doubles
9 a.m.
Casa Del Sol RV Resort

Tuesday, Feb. 6
Bowling Team
1 p.m.
Flamingo Bowl

Wednesday, Feb. 7
Euchre
10 a.m.
Palmview Community Center

Thursday, Feb. 8
Poker Men and Women
10 a.m.
Palmview Community Center
Duplicate Bridge
10 a.m.
Las Palmas Community Center

Friday, Feb. 9
Shuffleboard Mixed Doubles
9 a.m.
Casa Del Sol RV Resort
Volleyball
1 p.m.
Lark Community Center

Saturday, Feb. 10
Volleyball
10 a.m.
Lark Community Center

Monday, Feb. 12
Shuffleboard Mixed Doubles
9 a.m.
Casa Del Sol RV Park

How to maintain a palm tree

20240124 MOSTH Chuck Malloy webThe Museum of South Texas History (MOSTH) will host the Sunday Speaker Series presentation, “Palm Care and Maintenance,” featuring Chuck Malloy at 2 p.m., January 28, in the Courtyard Gallery.

This presentation will cover some popular types of palms that thrive in the Rio Grande Valley. Malloy will also provide tips on the proper time and how to prune palm trees as well as feeding them. With the extreme weather, Malloy will also discuss how and when to anticipate the weather’s wrath and how to combat it to protect palm trees. He will also discuss the environmental approach to protecting the landscape, real estate values and creating a habitat for birds, bats, and other wildlife.

Read more: How to maintain a palm tree

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at IMAS

Fan Painting Lunar New Year Festival webCelebrate the Year of the Dragon at the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) on Saturday, January 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 12th annual Lunar New Year Festival, supported by the IMAS Guild, will feature traditional Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese crafts, games, and more.

Discover the art of calligraphy, create a dragon puppet, and enjoy local eateries Snow Bite, Ulike Tea, and Han's Katsuya. Paper fan painting will also be available for an additional $3 per participant (limited supply).

Read more: Celebrate the Year of the Dragon at IMAS

February programs at Bentsen State Park

Bentsen State Park Cardinas Picture1 webThere are fun and informative programs at Bentsen-RGV State Park for all to enjoy. Scheduled programs are free with park admission. Reservations are required for some programs. All programs meet at the tram turnaround at park headquarters unless otherwise specified.

On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, there are Bentsen Bird Walks at 8:30 a.m. Star Stories will be held on Sunday, February 11, at 6 p.m. This event requires a reservation. On Thursday, February 29, at 8:30 a.m. there will be a Wild Wellness program.

Read more: February programs at Bentsen State Park

Caution, Carving can be addictive

unnamed 2 webBeginning in October a dedicated group of Winter Texans and local carvers begin gathering at the Nomad Shrine Club in Pharr. Carvers come together to visit, carve, and rekindle old friendships. Meetings are every Thursday from 8 a.m. till Noon at 1044 Nolana Loop in the Nomad Shrine Club Building from October through March.

The club has a long history in the Valley dating back to 1983. Carving club members come from as far away as New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Texas and even Canada, not to mention the members from right here in the Valley. They meet each week to follow a common passion: woodcarving. Visitors are always welcome. Stop in and check out what’s going on.

Read more: Caution, Carving can be addictive

Ron Hoover Open House continues to be a success

DSC 1111 webBy Herb Moering

Several thousand Winter Texans took advantage of nice weather to inspect the latest in RV fifth wheels, motor homes, boats and 4-wheelers on opening day, Jan. 11, of the 17th annual Ron Hoover RV & Marine Center Open House in Donna. Visitors were treated to free hotdogs and soft drinks along with chances to win door prizes and a grand prize in a drawing at the end of both afternoons of the open house.

The grand prize winners were Luis Lopez, who chose the four-wheeler; and Dan and Sherry Zirnhelt from Forman, North Dakota, who chose the enclosed utility trailer.

Read more: Ron Hoover Open House continues to be a success

An RGV tradition continues

SPI Market DaysPress Release Photo webThe 27th Annual SPI Market Days will be held on South Padre Island from January 26 to 28 and February 23 to 25. This indoor event will take place at the South Padre Island Convention Center, 7355 Padre Blvd. Event hours are Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is only $1 and Children 12 and under are free.

Read more: An RGV tradition continues

VA holds free drive-thru food pantries

McAllen20Food20Distribution webLocal Veterans Affair offices will be holding drive-thru food panties. On Thursday, January 18, there will be a drive-thru pantry at the McAllen VA Clinic from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. or while supplies last. The Clinic is located at 901 E. Hackberry Ave.

On Thursday, February 22, from 9 to 11 a.m., or while supplies last, there will be a drive-thru pantry at the Harlingen Health Care Clinic located at 2601 Veterans Drive

Veterans must be enrolled in health care at the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System and present a valid VA identification card to confirm their Veteran status

Read more: VA holds free drive-thru food pantries

Monthly meeting to be held

Native Plant Project's guest speaker for the January 23 meeting will be Joey Santore. The title of Joey's program will be "Kill Your Lawn," which is also the title of the cable TV show which he hosts on channel EarthX TV.

Besides explaining how to successfully "destroy" one's lawn in order to install native plant gardens, Santore's presentation will focus on rare plants of the Lower Rio Grande Valley with an emphasis on the more desert-like regions of the Western Rio Grande Valley in Starr County. Santore describes himself as a railroader-turned-botanist who quit his job as a locomotive engineer to travel the world and study plant evolution and ecology. He produces the YouTube channel “Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't,” and moved to South Texas in 2021 to start focusing on the native plants in this area.

Read more: Monthly meeting to be held

Annual Golden Age Olympics is underway

20190123 GAO Bird a thon HMoering 1169 PRINTThe 44th Annual Golden Age Olympics is underway under the guidance of McAllen Parks and Recreation Department. The event started in 1983 with competition in three events and has grown to include over 30 events. Competition is limited to men and women over the age of 50.

The Golden Age Olympics includes a wide range of competitive events for seniors, including shuffleboard, billiards, poker, hearts, bowling, bridge, bike tours, bingo, pickleball, painting, volleyball, table tennis, jigsaw puzzles, bean bag toss, race walk, and a few others. Different events are offered each week now through February 24.

Read more: Annual Golden Age Olympics is underway

Winter Texans’ focus on children offers surprising benefits

aLand Diane carrying 2 balls USE PRINTBy Barb Zanetti
Photos by Dennis Zanetti

For a second year Winter Texans from Alamo Palms RV Resort and Alamo Rec-Veh Park helped Roy Landa, owner of The Landmark on Tower, decorate his half-a- football-sized courtyard, as well as distribute toys to hundreds of children Thursday, December 21.

What emerged was a community event that did much more than add a brightly lit and festive holiday atmosphere meant to put smiles on children’s faces.

According to The Landmark owner, it wasn’t the children who benefited most from the hours invested by Winter Texans. He felt he was the one who enjoyed it most of all, and perhaps the Winter Texans themselves did, too.

“A lot of you all were strangers to each other, but you all have that sense of community,” he said. “It’s the way I grew up, too. I see that in the Winter Texans … where you work in such a close-knit community that when you see projects – especially for holiday events – it’s a sense of family, of community, even if you don’t know each other.”

Read more: Winter Texans’ focus on children offers surprising benefits

How a South Texas educator transformed the Chicano Movement

MOTSH ThomasRayGarcia Headshot PRINTThe Museum of South Texas History will host Aurelio Manuel Montemayor and Thomas Ray García during the Sunday Speaker Series presentation, “How a South Texas educator transformed the Chicano movement,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, January 14.

Montemayor and García will present on their historical memoir, “El Curso de la Raza: The Education of Aurelio Manuel Montemayor.” The authors will share the historical context behind the South Texas Chicano Movement, including first-hand accounts from Montemayor. Key events include the founding of El Curso de la Raza, the founding and the fall of the Colegio Jacinto Treviño, and the role of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA). The authors will also share insights into the writing process for the book and what they hope 21st century readers will take away from Montemayor’s story as an educator-turned-activist.

Read more: How a South Texas educator transformed the Chicano Movement

Retired Nurses Luncheon will be held January 30

20230118 Nurses luncheon webThe Annual Retired Nurses’ Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, January 30. All retired RNs and LPNs in the Rio Grande Valley are invited. The event will be held at Peter Piper Pizza, 3101 E. Expressway 83, in Weslaco (exit International Blvd./FM 1015, north side of the expressway). Check-in is at 12:30 p.m. with lunch following at 1 p.m. There will be a buffet lunch that includes pizza, breadsticks, salad bar, dessert, and a beverage. A social, announcements and doors prizes will follow. No reservations are required. For more information, call or text Jan Bergman at (956) 532-1223.

MHM holds lecture series presentation

The Mission Historical Museum Lecture Series presents: Sifting through South Texas Ancient History Stone Tools and Archaeology by F. Nick Morales. Presented on Saturday, January 13 at 11 a.m., admission is free to the public. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

The presentation centers on how geology influenced the manufacturing of lithic tools in South Texas and Northern Mexico and how they are identified and used. Critical to this task will include archaeological methods employed in the collection and documentation of artifacts. Additional information will be presented regarding the Ancients that lived in this area.

Read more: MHM holds lecture series presentation

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