On a recent Friday, Edna Pena walked into the Dustin M. Sekula Memorial Library in Edinburg and seemed to know everyone and everything before making her way to the office of the director. “I’m a social butterfly and a free spirit,” said Pena, the president of the Edinburg Arts Foundation and a former president of the local chamber. “I never start at zero. I start at 100 percent and go…
Custom ice cream is made in small batches from close to 100 different recipes. You can buy a cup or a cone, or pick up a hand-packed pint or quart. Customers can choose flavors for a sundae or classic banana split with a variety of toppings. Shakes and floats and even ice cream pies round out the menu at Schoolhouse Creamery in Harlingen. The genesis for Schoolhouse Creamery took shape…
He came, he sang, he talked, he cooked. Lamar Jones joined H-E-B officials Feb. 8 in launching his newest addition to The Jank line, The Jank BBQ spice rub. And he did not disappoint shoppers who stopped to watch the show and sample some unique dishes. Shoppers were drawn in by dishes such as Jank Brussel Sprouts, Jankanero Dry Rub Chicken sliders and Marbled Jankanero Cornbread Cake. The new rub…
In front of the building already under construction, Lone Star National Bank hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Feb. 7 to celebrate its second Edinburg location. The new branch will be the 34th in a network of banks throughout both the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio. “Our goal is to continue to grow in the Valley, Lone Star National Bank President and CEO David Deanda said. “We are always there to…
Exhibit opens Feb. 2 Art that challenges space and time will be the focal point for FOLD: Art, Metaphor and Practice, a series of art exhibits, lectures and live performances over the next two months in McAllen and Edinburg. Artwork by 13 women artists will converge in what is described as a presentation of works that explore the concept of the fold in terms of form and conceptual metaphor in…
Some may call it a dying industry as technology keeps swallowing one tradition after another, but the only bootmaker left in Raymondville and one of a few in the Rio Grande Valley keeps defying the odds against dozens of commercial bootmakers. Armando’s Boots Co. has been producing the custom-made footwear for nearly 40 years and is not showing any signs of slowing down. The 77-year-old owner, Armando Duarte Rios, comes…
A retired pipefitter and welder said he wanted to gather information that would “help my grandchildren get something better than I’ve got.” Others in the room were considering starting businesses such as a second-hand boutique, a construction company and an environmental consulting firm. What they all had in common was a desire to find success owning and operating their own business. About 30 people gathered in January at the Small…
When CARDONE Industries announced plans in December to build a 920,000-square-foot distribution center in Harlingen, it was touted as the largest economic development project in the city’s history. The $50-million facility represents a major strategic move for CARDONE, complementing existing operations in Matamoros, Brownsville and Harlingen. For Harlingen, the deal represents a giant step forward for economic growth in a city that over the last five years has experienced new…
Ever since Raymondville posted a whopping 66-percent increase in sales tax revenue for October 2017 over the same month in 2016, the small Willacy County city has continued to see gains with percentage growth among the highest in the Rio Grande Valley. With a population of fewer than 12,000 people, the Raymondville economy took a blow when Walmart closed in January 2016, laying off 149 workers. At the time the…
“I’m not a be-still or sit-still kind of guy,” said sculptor Doug Clark in his Edinburg studio. The number and variety of bronze sculptures he has created in his 35-year career are a testament to that. In McAllen alone, 65 of Clark’s pieces are on display, including Quinta Mazatlan’s extraordinary statues of native animals and his Veterans War Memorial of Texas’s statues and remarkable Korean War plaques. His Janis Joplin…