Fall Market at IB Festive takes place Nov. 16 at Lamar Academy, offering a one-stop shop for holiday shopping while raising funds to give back to the community. The diverse group of vendors on hand include Zombie Fries, Candy House, Paparazzi Jewelry, It Works, Suca Maria, Scentsy, and Prayers for Paraguay. Also, Buzzy Bees Designs, Rodan + Fields, Power of Why Studio, Stella & Dot, Paula’s Designs, Wreaths for All…
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.…
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…
Eighty years ago, the Rio Grande Valley was a rural, agriculturally based economy with little growth happening. Fast forward to 10 years ago, and the RGV was quickly becoming a thriving metropolitan area as development intensified. Today, the region has completely transformed economically. It has become an area developed by improving and increasing commercial, retail, industrial, entertainment, medical and higher education institutions. Education In 2013, the transformation of the RGV’s…
J.J. Serrano Jr. can look out his office windows and see his alma mater across the way on Panther Drive. “It’s crazy,” said Serrano, the facilities leader of H-E-B’s Weslaco Retail Support Center on 1100 Panther Drive. “That’s my high school over there.” Weslaco High School is in his front view, but behind Serrano’s office is a cavernous 408,000-square-foot distribution and transportation center. It serves as the nerve center for…
The weekend is fast approaching and if you’re looking for a leisurely, family-friendly Sunday afternoon, Tres Lagos Farmers’ Market should be on your list. The Tres Lagos Farmers’ Market takes place from Sept. 1 from 2-5 p.m. at 4350 Tres Lagos Blvd. in McAllen. There’s live music playing as you walk the market, which features roughly 30 different vendors to shop from. The market also offers a wide variety…
It’s not about the type of beer that fills your glass; it’s all about the process. Just ask Steve Padilla. Owner of Big River Brewery in Pharr and alumnus of UTRGV legacy institution UT Pan American, Padilla says that whether you prefer stouts, lagers or seasonal sours, his authentic Valley brews came from ideas fermented in the science classroom. Padilla got a degree in nursing in 2008. As a nurse and anesthetist,…
Whether writing, playing a sport, dancing or creating something new, our hobbies are a labor of love and enjoyment. Every once in a while, we are lucky enough to turn our hobbies into something more. This is exactly what Veronica Cerda-Ayala did. After 18 years of being a teacher, Ayala decided she was ready to pursue her true passion … home decor. She began several years ago in her very…
Although the Rio Grande Valley is one of the state and country’s best fertile regions to grow fruits, vegetables and livestock, consumers have not had the opportunity to get the best the land produces unless they go to a grocery store or to a fruit stand. Winter vegetables, for example, usually ship to many places in the United States. Goat cheese isn’t a supermarket staple in this part of the…
In the mid-1990s, Carlos Rodriguez found himself back in his native Mexico. He had an industrial engineering degree in hand, but with an economy in tatters, he found no real jobs in his field. “I had no job, no car, no nothing, but a lot of enthusiasm to start a new adventure,” he recalled. Rodriguez had just returned from Canada. Here he took intensive English classes in Vancouver to bolster…