By Herb Moering
The love and vision that the late Brenda Keen had for pickleball has resulted in a new dimension for the popular sport at Trophy Gardens RV Resort with the addition of two new outdoor courts.
The Kansas Day Celebration for the Rio Grande Valley will be held on Tuesday, January 27. The event will again be held at Peter Piper Pizza, 3101 E. Expressway 83, Weslaco. This is for all Kansans – former or current residents.
If you don’t already know, in 2024 Men of A-Chord and the Sweet Adeline’s become one and perform as Men and Women of A-Chord. The group performs in the Winter Texan parks from January through March.
Submitted by Michele Eastwood
It is time to celebrate the semiquencentennial of the USA. Spend the day at the Llano Grande Quilt Bee 16th annual show on Tuesday, January 27, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The show will be held at the Llano Grande Event Center, 2215 East West Blvd. (off Mile 2 West) in Mercedes.
Read more: Celebrate USA’s semiquencentennial at Llano Grande Quilt Bee
By Herb Moering
Remote car racing has grown in popularity in the past few years with dirt and paved track ovals popping up in recreational vehicle parks in the Rio Grande Valley.
By Barb Zanetti-Taetsch, Photos by Dennis Zanetti
At McAllen’s Elks Lodge 1402 a young girl stands before Santa with her hands on her hips and says, “Santa, do you have a naughty list?”
Santa, Wally Ostrowski, a Winter Texan from Alamo Rec Vehicle Park (ARVP), takes a second to answer her.
“Yes, I do,” he says. “But today, no one here is on it.”
“You HAVE to put my brother on that list,” she says, insisting that he take action and shaking her head, totally ignoring Santa’s absolution. “He steals my French fries … even when I’m watching!”
Read more: Elks and Winter Texans provide Christmas party for special need kids
Mission Bell/Trade Winds hosted their third annual Reverse Advent Calendar food drive. This was started in 2023 by a couple of park residents. DaLeen Markel found an article about a group of people that did this, and she shared it with Rick Anderson, and a decision was made to give it a go. And it has turned into a highly successful event that the sister parks do together.
Read more: Mission Bell – Tradewinds donates over 1,800 pounds of food
The Golf View Estates ladies who love to sew continue to make baby blankets for Mission Regional Medical Center. This season, the group of ladies also started making stuffed bears, dogs and other knitted items. The ladies have made and donated baby blankets and stuffed animals for newborn babies at hospital. This year, the group donated 360 blankets and 45 stuffed animals.
Tropic Star RV Resort raised over $3,000 to help provide clothes and toys for 38 children in the Pharr community. The activity was coordinated by Lorna and Danny Pence. The Pharr Police Department gathered, vetted and then shared the names of families in need. They assisted in obtaining a discount from the Burlington Store on S. Jackson St. in Pharr to help their money go even further. On Wednesday, December 10, 24 shoppers descended on Burlington and quickly gathered items. They then handed them off to 32 residents who wrapped them and then boxed the items for each family. The Pharr Police came and picked up the boxes and beginning, on December 12th, will be delivering the gifts to the families for the next 12 days.
On Tuesday December 9th, Tropic Star RV Resort in Pharr hosted their annual Teddy Bear Luncheon. Coordinated by Carol Peets, 103 ladies gifted 209 stuffed animals that were picked up by six Pharr Police Officers.
Over the past several years, the Teddy Bear Luncheon has donated thousands of stuffed animals for the Pharr Police and other Emergency Services to give out to children in need of comfort. The program is just one of the parks wonderful holiday traditions.
This past week many parks celebrated the Veterans in their parks. Tropic Winds and Sunshine RV were just two of the many parks that held events to honor Veterans for their service and sacrifice.
The Veterans Day Celebration at Tropic Winds was held to honor and recognize the service and sacrifice of the veterans in the community. To start the ceremony, the Harlingen High School Color Guard presented the colors. Then each branch was called forward, and their respective armed forces medley was played as everyone sang along. As a token of appreciation, a coin was presented to each Veteran in attendance, as well as a complimentary meal following the ceremony. There were around 75 people in attendance, with around 26 Veterans honored. During the event, the spouses of the military members were also acknowledged.
We talk about this every year – how the food pantries kick up their game during the holidays. They put out their need to help their communities for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The food pantries try to give the families they support a traditional meal for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Martin Valley Ranch parks in Penitas are known to support the Penitas Food Pantry throughout the year, and especially during the holidays. In previous years, the community parks have not only helped keep the pantry stocked, but they also helped build their new building and help with stockings for the children for Christmas.
This year has been a little different because the need is so big. One of the gentlemen that helps at the pantry put a call out less than two weeks ago for help. Here is a little bit of Jeff Reardon’s original post on the Enchanted Valley Ranch Facebook Page:
Read more: Enchanted Valley Ranch resident thanks his Turkey Angels
The Rio Grande Valley Red Hat Queens Council presents the Festival of Tables on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. The event gives Red Hatters, and other ladies, the opportunity to gather and have fun – and to eat dessert first. As always, the tables will be beautifully decorated by themes chosen by members of the RGV Red Hat Queens Council.
Doors will open for attendees at 10:45 a.m. The event will be held at the Fun N Sun Resort’s Banquet Hall at 1400 Zillock Rd., in San Benito.
There’s never a wrong time to support a cause and this summer, residents at Aladdin Villas found a charity to connect with. Earlier this summer, Tom Hollan from Aladdin Villas wanted to give back to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), but he sought a local chapter. Previously, residents would collect pop tabs and make monetary donations but would return the donations to a chapter up north.
“I knew Ronald McDonald House Charities collected pop tabs, and when I took over the operations, I researched where they actually went, and I wanted to help local kids,” said Tom Hollan.
Every year we enjoy sharing what parks and other Winter Texan residents do for the communities they reside in while visiting the Valley. Winter Texans collect food, make crafts, sew, quilt and more. By the end of the year many have donated dozens of blankets, books, meals, hats, and more to those in their parks and to the communities around them.
