Brownsville’s public market and town hall went up as the city got its start in 1850. Butchers and other vendors moved in a year later. The city’s central square would go through various rebuilds. It would survive hurricanes as well as other calamities through the ages with a city that grew up around it. The last half of the 20th century saw what came to be known as Market Square…
Joe Bowling grew up a Midwest kid listening to his heroes. It was the voices of legendary baseball broadcasters Jack Buck and Harry Carey that carried into Bowling’s home in southeast Missouri. He was a baseball-crazed kid following his beloved St. Louis Cardinals. “It got into my blood,” Bowling said of his love for sports and broadcasting. Those influences play out today as Bowling calls Rio Grande Valley sporting events…
The most adorable way to celebrate milestones has arrived and it’s taking the Rio Grande Valley by sweet surprise. Proud small business owner Esli Escobedo is the brains behind Charming Picnics. The Alamo native is thrilled to have so much support from the community early on in her journey. How it came to be Growing up around her entrepreneur father, Esli has always known she wanted to follow in his…
I eat cake because it’s somebody’s birthday. ~Author Unknown Katie Jones took a leap of faith in August 2019 when she posted a message on Facebook. She let her friends know she was ready to share her love of baking outside of her family-and-friends network and turn it into a business. That was the start of Cookies by Katie. “A simple Facebook post started my journey,” Jones said. “Just asking…
It’s mid afternoon at Pieology in Edinburg. The lunch rush has thinned out, yet the build-your-own pizza restaurant is still busy with mostly Millennial-aged customers. Come back the next day in the noon hour. It will likely be employees from the nearby hospital and medical offices on Trenton Road who are enjoying their break and lunch at Pieology. In the evening hours, families with young children often push the tables…
Placing a loved one in a care facility can be one of the most difficult decisions a family has to make. This is even more true when the loved one is suffering from an illness that affects their memory, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. Moving them from the home they know and love to a new environment can prove to be challenging. Avalon Memory Care in Edinburg is working to…
Veteran-owned and operated 5×5 Brewing Co. is a craft brewery in Mission that is pioneering high quality beer by tackling a labor issue early on. There is an ever-increasing interest for craft beer amongst RGV locals. A brewery apprenticeship program could very well be the missing link between supply and demand in our area. With their rapid growth, 5X5 Brewing Co. anticipates labor issues to arise regarding the abundance of…
Picking up a new book for the first time, leafing through the crisp pages and taking in that ‘new book’ smell is something most of us have done. It’s a connection we make before we dive into a new world or whichever adventure the book will take us on. Ida H. Acuna-Garza, EdD, wants to inspire that kind of excitement for books in children across the region. In her role…
South Padre Island is no stranger to sandcastle building, but the Holiday Sandcastle Village steps up the festivity. The village brims with holiday sand sculptures from talented artists from all over the world. It started last year as a joint effort between city leaders and local sand artist Lucinda Wierenga, also known as Sandy Feet. South Padre Island is the self-proclaimed Sandcastle Capital of the Universe. The city thus felt…
Unique. Fun. Vintage. Those are the three words that come to mind when you think of The Happy Camper. Photo booths have been a growing trend over the last several years, and we’re all familiar with them. You step into the booth box, grab a couple of props and take a few pics. The Happy Camper owners Dina and German Hoppenstedt have taken this idea to a whole new level. …