The Delta Area communities of Edcouch, Elsa and La Villa are a cluster of cities along state Highway 107 and located away from the main strip of regional business activity along Expressway 83. These communities are steadily getting a foothold in raising their collective profile in the Rio Grande Valley. Elsa is seeing retail growth and the rooftops of new homes along FM 88 that are located near a Wal-Mart…
The Elsa Economic Development Corporation is looking to support local entrepreneurs with the launch of the Lift Elsa Incentive Program. The small business loan initiative will boost cash flow and provide affordable capital for businesses in Elsa. In partnership with LiftFund, the program offers zero-percent interest loans to eligible businesses. Through this initiative, the Elsa EDC is buying down the interest on loans up to $50,000. They are eliminating interest…
Kristyna Mancias spent eight years at the McAllen Parks and Recreation Department in seeing the impact a range of events can have on a city. Her last job in McAllen was superintendent of athletics of the city’s park and recreation department. In June 2023, Mancias decided to make the move to run and manage her own department as the city of Elsa’s director of recreation and communications. It represented a…
The motto of a local hardware store speaks to its place in its community and the area around it. “Heart of a Working Town,” it says on a store window by an entrance of Express Hardware in Elsa. The store is located about a block away from the intersection on FM 88 and state Highway 107. It has become a crossroads corner for the communities that make up what’s known…
Elsa was once a city off the Rio Grande Valley’s beaten path. Tucked away from the region’s vehicle-heavy corridor – Expressway 83 – Elsa’s location along state Highway 107 formerly made it appear as if nothing of significance could happen here. Times change, however, as do growth patterns and emerging traffic routes where commuters seek new ways to get to work. Elsa has become one of those places where remoteness…
The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is launching Census Sundays in an effort to bolster census participation in areas that are still undercounted. In addition to announcements to parishioners, certain area churches will host drive-through events every weekend through Sept. 27. “A vital part of the mission of the Church is to care for the people of God – all people – Catholic or not,” states a release from the Diocese.…
Leadership Mid-Valley Class XV is currently offering 20 $500 mini-grants to Mid-Valley businesses that are Weslaco Chamber Members. Applications are available online through June 3. Businesses will be selected by a lottery system on Facebook live on June 15. “These times have resulted in economic hardship for millions of small businesses throughout the United States and there is no better time to give back to our very own,” LMV Class…
An abandoned railroad property that runs through the center of town will soon face a transformation into the $1.25 million City of Elsa Community Trail Park. On March 20, the project became closer to reality thanks in part to a $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. The city government will be providing $250,000 in local funds for the park. They are further expecting to receive $500,000 from the…
Ashley Vasquez knows what it’s like to start small. “We started with a shack,” Vasquez said of Iced Cube, the millennial-inspired version of a raspa stand she and her husband, Jonathan Segura, started in Elsa in June 2018. “It was the most humble beginnings you can think of.” Iced Cube didn’t stay humble for long. Tapping into pop culture, social media and offering flamboyant creations that transform old-school raspas into…