Downtown Harlingen is a hotspot for seasonal events this month. This includes the Downtown Harlingen Ghost Tour, trick-or-treating on Jackson Street and unique merchant promotions, But did you know Downtown Harlingen … Has a 98 percent occupancy rate for business. Only two buildings are available for lease as of the middle of September. Is one of only five Valley areas to be designated as part of the Texas Main Street program.…
Thomas Hotcaveg has been seeking ghosts for about 17 years. Later this month, he hopes to make his first discoveries in Downtown Harlingen along with dozens of regular citizens who also have an interest in locating paranormal activity. “We are hoping maybe the founder of Harlingen will still be around,” Hotcaveg says about the upcoming ghost tour in the city. “Maybe some of the spirits from those who had businesses…
Allegiant is now providing nonstop service from McAllen International Airport to Phoenix, Ariz. via Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. “We are grateful for our partnership with Allegiant Air and are excited to be working with them on the addition of a new year-round route to Phoenix,” said McAllen Mayor James E. Darling. “This route will enhance westward connectivity for our community as well as offer affordable, non-stop service to a key business…
For generations, manufacturing has played a critical role in Texas’s diverse economy. Texas is home to approximately 17,500 manufacturing firms, with 80 of those being in Hidalgo County, said Mike Willis, treasurer of the South Texas Manufacturers Association. National Manufacturing Month is in October. Today, Oct. 4, the first Friday in October, is actually National Manufacturing Day. “Celebrating Manufacturing Month gets more people involved in economic development, it increases awareness and promotes…
Last week, we spoke with Ryan Peterson and Brian Reed of the Ryan and Brian Real Estate Team about being a buyer in the real estate market with “Education Key to Real Estate.” This week, we’re speaking with them about how to successfully sell your home. Q: What advice do you give to sellers when they’re getting ready to sell their home? Brian: Make buyers feel at home. This involves two…
Amid a crowd of enthusiastic swimming athletes, community members, and elected officials, the City of Pharr broke ground on the Pharr Natatorium Sept. 27. The Pharr Natatorium is a years-in-the-making project in partnership with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District. “My son is an avid swimmer and my wife and I have had the privilege of cheering him on during many competitions,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez.…
It all started with a change of venue and hundreds of pounds of candy. In September 2016, the Harlingen Parks and Recreation Department suggested the city’s annual Halloween event relocate from Rangerville Park to Jackson Street. Four years later, ghouls, goblins, witches, comic book characters and much more stroll the streets collecting candy from merchants on Halloween night. It has become one of the city’s and downtown’s most attended and…
Sam Olivarez marks off the decades in his 100-year-old building by tapping lines on the concrete floor. “Here’s where the building originally ended,” he said, stepping on a line where Barrera’s Supply Co. started in the hardware and auto parts business. That line marks the first 50 or so years of Barrera’s on north Conway Avenue in the heart of Mission. It was the starting era which began in 1918…
As the sun goes down, an eerie feeling falls across the dimly lit streets of Downtown Harlingen. The buildings of the past have a different feel to them. One can almost feel the rush and excitement of the Roaring Twenties in Harlingen. “Some of these buildings have a different feel to them, almost like they’re living,” Downtown Harlingen manager Edward Meza said. “We hear things here in our building and…
It has been more than 30 years since the opening of Cobbleheads in Brownsville and the local establishment keeps on providing a place to eat, to hold gatherings and to listen to music. The local bar and grill introduced the Philly steak sandwich to this part of the country thanks to Philadelphian Joe Kenney. It has weathered the storm from other locally- and franchise-owned businesses throughout those years. Keeping it…