An aviation services manager recently gave Celia Galindo a call a few days after she had cooked meals for customers waiting to go through customs on their way to points south from Brownsville South Padre Island Airport. “Do you know who you served the other day?” the manager asked. No, she replied, saying she often does not know the identity of affluent customers she serves waiting to go through the…
Robert Sanders rolls open the huge doors of a World War II-era hanger. He walks onto a floor of Learjets and other turbo prop business and civilian jets. It’s TIA Aeronautics at the Valley International Airport in Harlingen. Sanders, the business owner, and Orlando Cano, the company’s general manager, begin to point out the various state of repairs on the planes. Sanders was born in Germany as the son of…
Families looking for the perfect fall photo shoot backdrop this season should make plans to visit the Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch. The McAllen location offering an unforgettable experience sits on Bensten Road between Lark and Auburn Ave. It certainly is a crowd pleaser, especially during the golden hour. Melanie and Rick Vega first opened their McAllen location in 2017, and Maddie’s Pumpkin Patch has since then expanded. There is now a…
The sound-blasting golf carts seen along the streets of South Padre Island are as popular as they can be. The half dozen or so businesses that have the “rent me” signs have been adding newer and fancier rental vehicles to their fleet. Some of these vehicles look like fancy racing cars, called slingshots. Others resemble the smart cars seen on some roads these days. The demand for such vehicles decrease…
There’s no place like home. ~ Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz When Roman Silva left McAllen in the fall of 2013 to attend the University of Texas at Austin, he did not give much thought to whether or not he would come home after graduation. But Silva quickly fell in love with Austin and began envisioning himself making it his new home. Silva declared business management as his major; however, by…
The bays of a brand new 82,500-square-foot warehouse swing open. Truck trailers stand ready to receive freshly packaged 500-pound bales of Rio Grande Valley cotton. “The gins are working 24/7, so we have to be ready,” said Laura Salazar, the general manager of Commodities Integrated Logistics. Salazar walks through the warehouse in Weslaco. Forklift operators are busy transporting packages of cotton to and from the trailers. It’s the cotton season…
McAllen ISD’s Sam Houston Elementary is now a national Blue Ribbon School. The announcement came Sept. 26 with recognition of 362 school nationally by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos as National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2019. Only 26 schools in Texas were nominated for the prestigious Blue Ribbon. Houston was nominated as an Exemplary High-Performing School in January. It then became official with this announcement. “This is like winning the…
Keep McAllen Beautiful is working to give public art a stronger presence in the city. The organization is seeking local design concepts that would painted on irrigation pipes. Submissions should promote the Rio Grande Valley natural landscape, ecology, species and heritage. The submission deadline is Oct. 25. Location of the pipes is along the City of McAllen’s hike and bike trails along Bicentennial Boulevard and 2nd Street, According to Chris Lash, program coordinator for…
Hidalgo County’s Health and Human Services department has received state recognition in the form of a Gold Award. The award comes from the Texas Healthy Communities Program for efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease and stroke, as well as other chronic diseases in the county. “This award is a direct result of collaborative efforts of a workgroup coordinated by Ricardo Salinas,” said Eduardo “Eddie” Olivarez. Olivarez serves as Health and Human Services…
To honor and celebrate the lives and dedication of first responders, the City of Pharr is hosting the inaugural First Responders Festival Sept. 28. Families may attend this free event from 6-11 p.m. in Downtown Pharr (118 S. Cage Blvd.) to learn more about first responders, safety tips and life-saving resources. “Our first responders are crucial to saving lives and are always the first to arrive on the scene during an…