Colorful objects flying above the sandy beaches often greet South Padre Island visitors and residents. Some look rather weird like a giant pink octopus with undulated tentacles. Others are of fish species, medusas, turtles, purple frogs and even patriotic themes. The potpourri of these flying objects are actually kites people enjoy and fly as a hobby practically all year around. Remember the boxed- or diamond-shaped kites of yesterday flown with…
Christmas is a time of giving and giving back. It’s a time when people come together to remember their friends, family and community. Maribel Valdez, President of the McAllen chapter of LAMA says it’s a time of year she and her club truly enjoy, because it’s a time they can give back to a special group of McAllen ISD students. Q: Can you give us a bit of background about…
Imagine being in a winter wonderland with snow surrounding you. You can also see Christmas characters, homes and businesses with various holiday decorations. Even Santa Claus is waving at passerbys. Better yet – imagine seeing all that without going to the coldest places of the United States or to the North Pole during this time of year. Well, imagine no more. Brownsville’s Dean Porter Park currently has all of that in…
The Rio Grande Valley Chapter of Texas Master Naturalist is offering a new class session to their program of enlightening and educating a corps of volunteers about the natural resources of the Rio Grande Valley. Classes begin Jan. 15 and take place every Wednesday night for 10 weeks. Additionally, Sunday field trips will pair with the classes. Most participants of this program volunteer at local state parks and wildlife refuges.…
The Weslaco Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors held its first-quarter meeting at Don Pedro’s Restaurant in Weslaco on Nov. 6. Here, Daryl Smith of Smith Security Group was elected to continue as Ambassador chairman. With the election, Maria Belmares of Designer Zoo Closet Exchange and Laura Lopez of LaserLux are now Ambassador chair-elect and Ambassador captain, respectively. The Weslaco Area Chamber Ambassadors are a highly visible group of volunteers who…
Kicking off the Weslaco 100 celebration on Dec. 6 is the Century Leader Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Knapp Medical Center Conference Center. Ray Perryman will serve as the keynote speaker. Perryman, the unofficial Texas economist with a sense of humor, is the president and CEO of The Perryman Group, an economic research and analysis firm based in Waco. His firm’s more than 2,000 clients since inception…
The halls of the International Museum of Art & Science are heavy with anticipation for the annual exhibition of community-decorated Christmas trees. The IMAS Christmas Tree Forest is a five-decade tradition originating shortly after the opening of the 53-year-old museum. This annual holiday event is the brainchild of the IMAS Guild. It began the tradition of organizing community entries featuring a unique tree resplendent with hand-made ornaments and decorations showcasing…
On Nov. 2, the Dia de los Muertos Festival took place at the International Museum of Science. The day featured events and exhibits, including a Catrina contest and the lecture “Mexico, Bones, and Life” by Servando Hinojosa. Other activities included story times and Calavera rock art. Also available for a small fee was the sugar skull workshop and decorate your own sugar skull with icing. Vendors and food trucks were…
South Texas College invites communities in Starr County to visit and explore high demand, high wage career opportunities in a series of information sessions in November and December. Sessions will take place at the Starr County campus, 142 FM 3167, Rio Grande City. The Emergency Medical Technology Program will open its doors from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Nov. 20,, Nov. 27 and Dec. 4. The Patient Career Assistant Program also welcomes the…
On Nov. 2, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas hosted its 24 annual Texas Butterfly Festival free community day. The National Butterfly Center is a non-profit organization geared towards butterfly conservation. The center has plenty of nature to explore throughout the 100-acre property, and more than 300 different butterfly species to catch sight of. On this specific day of the festival, there were plenty of free activities to take part…