Author Archives: VBR

With Halloween around the corner, Quinta Mazatlán is now hosting the Sticks & Bones Trail to show the not-so-spooky side of skeletons. The family-friendly outdoor educational exhibit of more than 30 skeletal installations teaches about bones through signage, trail exhibits and scavenger hunt sheets. The trail begins with health tips on ways to strengthen bones. Upon entering the Thornforest, guest may meet the Invertebrates with a Spiderman Skeleton photo opportunity…

City of McAllen Seeks Community Input

October 6, 2022

VBR

Community e-Brief Features News Comments

The City of McAllen is developing an updated comprehensive plan and is asking for residents’ input on what they feel the community needs. A community meeting in which the public can speak takes place Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the McAllen Public Library Auditorium, 4001 North 23rd Street. At the meeting, McAllen city leaders and staff, including those who speak Spanish, will be on hand to receive comments and…

Pharr To Host Produce Season Celebration

October 5, 2022

VBR

Agriculture Community Events News Comments

The City of Pharr and the Pharr International Bridge will host a special event “A Taste of Trade” to initiate the start of the 2022-2023 produce season on Oct. 6. The event, which is open to the public, includes produce growers, importers, distributors and consumers from the United States and Mexico. The annual “Start of the Produce Season” event takes place from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pharr International…

McAllen to Hosts Citizens’ Code Academy

October 4, 2022

VBR

Community Featured News Comments

The City of McAllen Environmental Health and Code Enforcement Department is looking for a few good citizens via its Citizens Code Academy to help clean up their neighborhood. The three-week academy seeks to promote clean and safe neighborhoods through community empowerment and action by creating and maintaining strong partnerships between citizens’ organizations and Code Compliance Services. Attendees will learn about various subjects such as the department’s organizational structure, premise violations…

TSC Hosts Living History Day

October 4, 2022

VBR

Community Events Featured News Comments

After a two-year hiatus, Living History Day is back on Oct. 8 at Texas Southmost College’s Fort Brown Campus in Brownsville. The lawn and grounds of the college’s Performing Arts Center will serve as a backdrop for a morning of family-friendly activities, historical reenactments and more unique ways to experience history. History instructors Dirk Yarker and Rob Ramaker are the principal organizers of the event, bringing people young and old enjoying…

IMAS Hosts Día de los Muertos Festival & Market

October 3, 2022

VBR

Arts Community Events Featured News Comments

The International Museum of Art & Science kicks off its seasonal programming with Día de los Muertos Festival presented by H-E-B Helping Here and Market at the museum on Oct. 9 from 1-5 p.m. Visitors can join a guided tour of the Mexican & Latin American Folk Art exhibition and view community altares. Art activities include candle painting, monarch masks and paper flowers. Traditional sugar skull decorating is also available…

McAllen Wins Highest International Festival Designation

September 30, 2022

VBR

Community Featured News Comments

The City of McAllen recently earned 82 multiple awards, as well as an international designation and a coveted industry award, at the IFEA/Haas & Wilkerson Insurance Pinnacle Awards and the IFEA World Festival & Event City Awards. The accolades came during the 65th annual International Festival & Events Association Annual Convention, Expo and Retreat, held just recently in McAllen. “I am proud and honored of the amazing work that the…

Texas State-Fish Art Contest Open for Entries

September 29, 2022

VBR

Arts e-Brief Features News Comments

The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center is accepting entries for the 2023 Texas division of Wildlife Forever’s Fish Art Contest through Feb. 28. The Fish Art Contest is part of an international conservation education program to foster youth interest in fisheries and fishing. “The Fish Art Contest does a tremendous job of exposing students across Texas to the wonders of fish and fisheries resources through the nexus of art,” said TFFC…

BCIC Receives IEDC Recognition

September 29, 2022

VBR

Community e-Brief Features News Comments

The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation was recently recognized for its work in the Downtown Brownsville Business Improvement and Growth Programs and the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization during the International Economic Development Council annual conference in Oklahoma City, Okla. BCIC received a Silver Award in the category of Neighborhood Development for the BIG programs. BIG programs are reimbursable and stackable grants to provide financial support to commercial property owners…

RGV Food Bank Supplies STC Food Pantries

September 28, 2022

VBR

Community Featured News Comments

Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley will now be providing student food pantries at South Texas College’s Mid-Valley and Pecan campuses with free food supplies for one year estimated at more than $10,000. “We want to make sure our students are focused on their education and not where their next meal is coming from,” said Libby Ann Saenz, Food Bank RGV co-chief executive officer. “We are very big on…