Every year, the Valley Star Awards offers a great lineup of entertainment – and we say it every year, this is going to be a great show. The lineup includes some of the best Wintertainers™ performing in the Winter Texan parks and resorts during the Winter months. We’ve got a little bit of comedy, some country, variety, and some rock n roll. This year’s lineup includes Leslie Blasing, Bruce Boudreau, Mark Merchant, Diego and Edith, Dale and Gayle and the Night Howlers.
Leslie Blasing is probably a very familiar name to Winter Texans and locals alike. She performs year-round at locations on South Padre Island, she does a summer show to the north, and she performs at Winter Texan parks during the WT season. She is a pleasure to watch with her energy, connection to the crowd, and love of music. Her songs span seven decades of country, classic rock, 50’s and 60’s, and some of today’s music as well.
Bruce Boudreau started strumming a guitar at the age of 14. Within six months of getting that guitar, he started his first band and started writing songs. In January 2021 he released his first single and by March he had released his second single. Bruce keeps the crowd moving and dancing to his tunes. He performs country music and has a special attachment to George Strait and many other top artists.
Mark Merchant is two voices in one. For a man that began talking to himself at a young age, making his parents concerned, it has taken him around the world introducing his audiences to him and his many characters. Mark has performed his comedy ventriloquism for 30 years, traversing from cruises to casinos and corporate events all over the world. Now he is entertaining the Winter Texans in the Valley. He is sure to bring tons of laughter with his many voices.
Diego and Edith, Valley natives, perform variety music at the Winter Texan parks. They are known for their happy hours and providing dance music. Their shows are known to get people out on the dance floor enjoying some foot stomping and hand clapping music. They love to make people dance and have a good time on the dance floor.
Dale and Gayle are retired schoolteachers from the little town of Newkirk in northern Oklahoma. They have been traveling as full-time entertainers for ten years, spreading their love of music to everyone they meet. They don’t play to track music and prefer playing everything live and spontaneous. They have over 750 songs in their repertoire, playing a variety of music from country to gospel, and more.
The Night Howlers, a Rio Grande Valley band, perform all year, but really love performing in the parks for our Winter Texans. They perform a variety of music from blues to country, folk music, oldies, and some rock and roll. They keep the dance floor packed with their high energy tunes and they are bringing that this year to the Valley Star Awards.
This year’s Valley Star Awards will be held on Wednesday, February 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. with an intermission. It will be held at Mission Bell Resort in Mission, and they will have lunch available for a small price before the show at noon.
Tickets for this year’s Valley Star Awards Show are now on sale online at www.wintertexantimes.com or at one of the following locations:
Winter Texan Times – 1217 N. Conway Ave., Mission
Mission Bell Resort/Tradewinds – Activities Office, 1711 E. Bus. 83, Mission
Winter Ranch RV Resort, 600 State Highway 495, Alamo
Tickets are $15 each or $12.50 for groups of 10 or more.
To vote for your favorite Wintertainers™, fill out the Valley Star Awards Ballot that can be found in today’s edition of the Winter Texan Times. Voting can also be done, in our preferred method, online at www.wintertexantimes.com.
Only one vote per person is allowed. Voters must use either the online ballot or the printed ballot from the paper. No photocopies of the ballot are permitted. Ballots must be received by Wednesday, February 14, by 4 p.m., to be counted.
When you fill out the ballot, we ask that you vote for someone in every category, if you are familiar with the nominees. Also, be sure to write in your choice for Entertainer of Group of the Year. This can be any of the individuals or groups on the ballot, from any category.
If you have any questions, call our office at (956) 580-7800.
