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FROM THE EDITOR Happy Hauntings! PUBLISHER Sandra Castillo EDITOR Karen Gleason WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Brian Argabright Tina & Curtis Cobb Karen Gleason Paul Mancha Atzimba Morales Max Perales III Vanessa Salas ADVERTISING Xochitl Arteaga PRODUCTION
Miguel Campos Roland Cardenas EDITORIAL karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 247 ADVERTISING xochitl.arteaga@delrionewsherald.com 830-775-1551, Ext. 250 STORY IDEAS karen.gleason@delrionewsherald.com
2205 North Bedell Avenue • Del Rio, TX 78840 delrionewsherald.com Del Rio Grande is published by the Del Rio News-Herald. No portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of this magazine. Editorial and advertising does not constitute advice but is considered informative.
O
ctober is a festive month here in the Queen City, with our annual Fiesta de la Amistad celebration and Halloween following close behind. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, a time to celebrate magic and mystery as the seasons turn. Like many other Americans, I am fascinated by the paranormal. I’ve never had an experience I would describe as paranormal, but I’m not excluding the possibility that such things exist. Like Fox Mulder, I want to believe. Years ago, I did a series of stories for the Del Rio News-Herald called “Haunted Del Rio,” in which a colleague and I would spend the night o in some reportedly haunted locale around the city and report on our findings. Over the years, I’ve investigated the Paul Poag Theatre, La Loma de la Cruz Cemetery, the Kress building and the Rincon Del Diablo along the San Felipe Creek. This month, we thought we’d bring back “Haunted Del Rio.” For years, I’ve heard stories of supposedly ghostly activity at the Val Verde County Courthouse, one of Del Rio’s beautiful old landmarks. Former county officials have shared stories about being alone in the building after hours and hearing activity – men’s voices, footsteps – on the second floor of the building. So of course, I’ve been wanting to do an overnight investigation of the building. I got my chance this year, when I approached County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and asked if he would give Atzimba Morales and me permission to stay overnight in the building. Happily, Judge Owens readily agreed and made it easy for us to do so, leaving is in the capable hands of his administrative assistant, Tom Garcia, who took time out of his busy weekend to let us into the building. We hope you enjoy reading about what we found. This month, Atzimba also wrote about two other “haunted houses,” these created by the Casa De La Cultura and the Cobb family of Strickland Street. I spoke with Abigail Hernandez, a former Del Rioan who, along with her friends, pushes the boundaries of personal expression with body art and costuming. Grande contributor Brian Argabright spoke with Del Rio artist Max Perales Jr. about his life and work. We hope you enjoy this month’s issue and take advantage of the mystery and magic that surround us every day! Karen Gleason Del Rio Grande Editor
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GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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CONTENTS 8
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CALENDAR
TOO CUTE TO SPOOK LOOKS
Keep busy this month at these local events.
Halloween costumes never looked cuter.
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MEMORY OF A MURDER Urban legend shared by Del Rioan.
HAUNTED DEL RIO Grande team searches for courthouse ghosts.
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BODY OF ART Former Del Rioan
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Local family scares the community.
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MONSTER MASH The freaks come out at night...
Del Rioan Max Perales III shares his talent for art.
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A GRANDE LIFE
36
TINGLY SPIDERS Arachnophobia never tasted so good.
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Prepare for Halloween with these local finds.
TERROR ON STRICKLAND
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creates “beautiful monsters.”
SPOOKY PICKS
44
HOUSE OF HORRORS Test your courage during the night.
for a good cause.
FIESTA DE LA AMISTAD Two countries share one celebration.
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LAST LOOK Grande writer and photographer Atzimba Morales wraps up the issue.
ON THE COVER: Mia Valentina Pou is a 1st grader at the Buena Vista Elementary School. She has a passion for singing and dancing. Photo by Vanessa Salas Photography.
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GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
lloween Happy Ha gtors Do from your at DVDH
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GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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OCTOBER CALENDAR
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Keep busy this month at these fun local events 5
ÁNDALE DEL RIO • 8 A.M. – NOON BUENA VISTA PARK • FOX DRIVE
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Del Rio’s most trusted repair shop for over 35 years. PH: (830) 775-7451 2400 Veterans Blvd. Suite #9 - Del Rio, Tx
(Located in La Villita Shopping Center.)
Val Verde Regional Medical Center and the Community Health Improvement Coalition present an event centered around all things pertaining to health: eating well, being active and instilling healthy habits into our families. There will be a variety of activities for all ages, including a basketball shoot-out, crafts with Home Depot, easy farmto-table meals, easy fitness demos, a 5K family walk/run (register on-site at 7 a.m.), healthy food vendors and more.
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Presented by Val Verde Regional Medical Center in partn with the Community Health Improvement Coalition
MISS DEL RIO PAGEANT • 7 P.M. PAUL POAG THEATRE • 746 S. MAIN ST.
Saturday, October 5, 201 8 am to 12 pm
The Miss Del Rio and Miss Del Rio Teen Pageant each year kicks off the annual Fiesta de la Amistad. Young women compete to be the “official ambassadors” of the city of Del Rio. The winners represent our city throughout the year and reign over Fiesta de la Amistad events.
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GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
FR Hea Fa
5K Race
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Check in/on-site registration for 5K from 7 - 8 a Race starts at 8:30 a.m.
DEL RIO METALFEST • 5 P.M. Start/Finish/Health Fair at Buena Vista Park baseb PAUL POAG THEATRE • 746 S. MAIN ST. (Fox Drive and Kings Way) MAG Productions presents Del Rio Metalfest 2019, featuring Dawn of Flames, Byfist, Brave New World, a Tribute to Iron To register for Maiden, and Helstar. The VIP package includes preferred front row seating and band meet-and-greet. Handicap seating available on request.
the race or for more information
www.vvrmc.org
Proceeds support the health initiatives of Community Health Improvement Co
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DONNY EDWARDS • 7 P.M. PAUL POAG THEATRE • 746 S. MAIN ST. “An Authentic Tribute to Elvis,” with Donny Edwards and Fever, returns to the Paul Poag Theatre for an encore performance. Las Vegas Headliner Donny Edwards performs a world-renowned tribute to Elvis Presley that is one of a kind and should not be missed. For ticket information, visit paulpoagevents.com.
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CALAVERA WORKSHOP (SUGAR SKULLS) • 5 P.M. CASA DE LA CULTURA • 302 CANTU ST. Explore the traditional Mexican art form of creating and decorating a sugar skull for Dia de los Muertos. Learn techniques for making sugar skulls, then decorate your own. The workshop is free, but seating is limited, so call (830) 768-2287 and register and ahead of time.
Theme: A Celebration of Friendship, Love & Unity Between Our Two Countries OCTOBER 5
MISS DEL RIO PAGEANT
OCTOBER 18
abrazo ceremony
4:00 PM Amistad DAM
7:00 PM PAUL POAG THEATRE HILDA MORENO 830-734-1587
7:00 PM Abrazo Reception Civic Center Red Oak
october 19-20
october 19
arts & Crafts fair
12:00 PM Greenwood park Alma nunez 956-286-3659
Dora Alcala: (830) 719-0324
copa de la amistad
Presented by ana’s chute out bullriding 7:00 PM Val Verde Co. Fairgrounds Diego Cadena: (830) 309-6444
OCTOBER 19
Fiesta de la
Amistad PArade Lorem ipsum 10:00 AM Downtown Main St. Dolores martinez: (830) 719-2330
OCTOBER 20
angelo state university orchestra Dr.Alfredo Gutierrez, Jr. Amphitheater 6 PM – Picnic Style event/BYOB - FREE
www.igncdelrio.com
GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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HAUNTED DEL RIO:
Courthouse Ghosts Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON
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T
he imposing limestone façade of the Val Verde County Courthouse is a familiar landmark to Del Rioans, dominating the 400 block of Pecan Street like a dowager
empress. More than 130 years of county history has occurred in this building: county commissioners court meetings, murder trials and hotly-contested elections. Maybe more than dusty county records are held inside these old walls; maybe it contains a few ghosts of times past. Over the years, I have heard a number of stories from county officials and employees about strange experiences they have had in the building after the lights go out and the civil servants head home. In one compelling tale, a county official told me that once, when that official had stayed long after closing time, the sound of a court in session could be heard on the courthouse’s second floor. When the official went upstairs to investigate, all of the footsteps and talking abruptly ceased. Del Rio Grande obtained permission from Val Verde County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. to conduct a nighttime investigation of the courthouse. All of the courthouse’s various offices were offlimits, and we stayed in the public areas of the building, the main hallway downstairs and the staircases leading from the first to the second to the third floor. • Our investigation begins just after 9 p.m. on Sept. 6, about an hour after sunset, when Tom Garcia, the county judge’s administrative assistant, meets us at the back door of the courthouse and ushers us inside. After explaining how the courthouse doors lock and unlock, Garcia leaves us. The lock on the back door clicks shut, and Atzimba Morales and I are alone in the grand old building. We spend some time walking through the wide hallway on the first floor, dimly lit by bulbs set in wall sconces near the doors. Light filters in from outside as well, creating a soft twilight inside the building. We familiarize ourselves with the old building’s night sounds, the soft clicking of the automatic fire alarm system and a regular, mechanical-sounding tick-ticking that emanates from behind the locked door of the county clerk’s office. We sit down in chairs outside the county commissioners’ office and settle in to listen to the sounds of the building. After a time, I climb the stairs to the second floor and walk back and forth in the foyer outside the locked doors of the second-floor courthouse so Atzimba can hear what footsteps there sound like on the first floor. Around 9 p.m., I step outside to make a phone call, and when
Left: Sconces near the doors of the county courthouse provide nighttime lighting inside the facility. Top to bottom: The stairs leading to the second floor of the courthouse lie in deep shadow. Globes of light illuminate the sidewalk at the front of the courthouse in this view out of the building’s front doors after midnight. A geometric pattern runs along the edges of the main hallway on the first floor of the county courthouse.
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Grande contributor Atzimba Morales records sounds inside the county courthouse.
The locked doors of the second-floor courtroom inside the county courthouse.
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The shuttered windows of the Val Verde County Courthouse stare blindly into the late summer night. This is a view of the courthouse’s back door and features limestone accents recreated during a restoration of the historic building nearly a decade ago.
The faces of former county judges kept silent watch over our nighttime investigation of ghosts in the Val Verde County Courthouse.
I return, Atzimba says she heard what she believed were footsteps, without the creaking of the wood flooring, from the second floor. At 9:32 p.m., I hear a tap that is not repeated. Perhaps it was the old building settling into the relative cool of the night. At 9:34 p.m., both of us hear another tap. Again, the sound seems to come from behind the locked door of the county clerk’s office, and Atzimba said to her, it sounded like the clack of a manual typewriter. At 9:41 p.m., Atzimba says she hears what sounds like “whispers of a man talking.” At 9:54 p.m., Atzimba and I both hear a sound: She describes it as the sound of a bell ringing, and I hear a high-pitched whine just on the edge of my hearing. At 9:58 p.m., we both hear the sound again. Surprisingly, it is captured on our audio recording device. To me, it still sounds like a whine, and Atzimba says she still hears it as more of a tinkling bell. The sound repeats itself again a few minutes later. At 10:08 p.m., Atzimba says she heard what she describes as “a female voice” that seemed to come from the building’s second floor. I didn’t hear the sound; I had stepped outside to make another call. At 10:15 p.m., I smell the faint, but unmistakable odor of brewing coffee. It doesn’t last long, and Atzimba says she smells it, too. About 45 minutes later, just after 11 p.m., I hear a faint whispering coming from the second floor. It sounds like a man’s voice, but it is so quick and quiet, I can’t tell for sure. I venture to the courthouse’s second floor and, with my iPhone recording, ask the night air if there is anyone present, if anyone
wishes to say something. I emphasize that I mean no harm, and that I only want to listen. I hear no answer but the nighttime silence, and a playback of the recording reveals nothing, either. Outside the courthouse, traffic is steady on Pecan Street, which surprises us a little, but then we also remember there is an event at Mesquite Creek Outfitters and speculate some of the traffic may be from participants in that event. After 11 p.m., traffic on Pecan Street slows, and the courthouse settles into the late summer night. A set of automatic sprinklers on the southeast side of the lawn goes off, and a cricket starts his nighttime serenade somewhere just outside the front door. At 11:14 p.m., Atzimba and I both hear a sound like the bristles of a broom sweeping tile, but the sound doesn’t repeat itself. I try to keep in mind the building’s acoustics, which bend and twist sounds from the outside. The night investigation gives me a whole new perspective on this building, which I know as a place of bustling activity. I think about how many hours of my life I have spent inside this building. I’ve even spent the night here before on several occasions, cat-napping on these very same benches as I waited for election returns. I’ve also spent hours poring over court records, waiting for an interview with some county official or another. After midnight, there is no more activity, and I think about that fact that most of the people who work and have worked in the buildings do so because they have a desire to serve the community. After the hours I spent in the courthouse on our night investigation, I won’t go so far as to say the building is haunted, but we did hear some sounds we couldn’t explain, and if it is haunted, perhaps it is only haunted by the spirits of those helping individuals who served here in life. •
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Val Verde County Courthouse built in 1887 Story and photo by KAREN GLEASON
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Steeped in history
n excellent, comprehensive history of the Val Verde County Courthouse can be found in local historian Douglas Braudaway’s book “Del Rio Queen City of the Rio Grande,” part of the series, “The Making of America.” After the organization of Val Verde County in 1885 from parts of Kinney, Crockett and Pecos counties, the first Val Verde County Commissioners Court meeting was held on May 15, 1885 and included County Judge W.K. Jones, commissioners John Glynn and W.H. Liles, Sheriff W.H. Jones and County Clerk Peter Porter. The commissioners court approved the rental of a stone building across from the Del Rio Hotel as its first courthouse and leased a “store building” from B.C. Greenwood for use as the county jail, Braudaway recounts. Two years later, the commissioners court voted and approved a site for a more permanent courthouse, and in late 1887, the court awarded a contract to the Austin architectural firm of Larmour and Watson for the design of the building. “The courthouse was completed in 1888. The firm of Hood and McLeod won the overall construction contract, but John Taini, who had built many of the stone structures at Fort Clark and several homes in Del Rio, was sub-contracted for the stonework. Local legend says that much of the work was actually done by former Chinese railroad laborers, out of work after the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad,”
Braudaway wrote in his account. The new courthouse was described as follows: “The Second Empire style courthouse featured Classical details . . . and included Mansardic roofing and ornamental wrought ironwork, bull’s eye windows containing Lone Star motifs, octagonal towers and pedestal-mounted statues of both the goddess of justice and the goddess of liberty.” In 1915, the courthouse was remodeled and a third floor added to the structure. Years of neglect and weather took their toll on the grand old building, and 80 years later, in 1995, it was listed as “one of Texas’ top 10 most-endangered properties.” That same year, “large pieces of plaster fell out of the ceiling into the court secretary’s office” on the secondfloor of the courthouse, which at the time housed the state district courtroom. No one was injured, but the second and third floors of the building were closed to the public. The building was extensively and painstakingly renovated after the county obtained a grant for the work in 2000 through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program. The restoration project was completed in 2004 and included much hand-worked limestone from a Leander quarry. The courthouse remains in use, although the county has also expanded into another historic courthouse, the former Federal building on East Broadway Street, which now serves as the county judicial center. •
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GRANDE / SEPTEMBER 2019
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ly Month
Magazine
GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON
BorderTown Brujas use bodies as canvases
A
bigail Hernandez has a simple mantra: Don’t quit. Hernandez, a 35-year-old native of Fort Worth who attended school in Del Rio and graduated high school here in 2003, created waves with a living, breathing tableau of “beautiful monsters” in a show she organized at a local watering hole just before Halloween in 2018. “This show is all about women’s empowerment, celebrating all sizes, shapes and colors,” Hernandez said backstage during the show. And celebrate they did. Hernandez herself channeled a fierce voodoo princess, her eyes deepened and highlighted with black and gold shadow, a crimson cross bisecting her strongfeatured face. She carried a staff topped by plastic skulls and trimmed with black ribbons and white feathers.
The other women walking in the show were equally startling: a green-skinned dryad with a black mask and black lips, a buxom red-skinned djinn, a witch bride sporting a skull headpiece and necklace. Hernandez christened the show “BorderTown Brujas” and said this was the “Brujas’” second show. Hernandez said the show was a culmination of the artistic freedom she has given herself since leaving Del Rio after high school. “After graduation, I was honestly clueless about my life. I didn’t have the guidance that a lot of my friends did. I wasn’t rich and had very low funds to attend college. I worked several jobs, some good-paying, some horrible, until I realized that my passion was art,” Hernandez said. She said she decided to express her love of art by becoming a hairstylist, but
Former Del Rioan Abigail Hernandez at the 2018 “BorderTown Brujas” show at Doc Holliday’s.
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Clockwise from top left: Maria Turner Woods channels a horned dryad; Paige Guzman sports a skull headpiece and necklace, and Deya Bernal is a red-skinned djinn in the 2018 “BorderTown Brujas” performance and show at Doc Holliday’s in Del Rio.
added that became a battle, too, when she realized her instructor frowned on tattoos and brightlycolored hair. “One big and strong part of me is that I don’t quit. I finally graduated from beauty school and moved to San Antonio to attend the International Academy of Design and Technology in San Antonio where I majored in fashion design. I chose fashion because I loved it, and I felt that it was all somehow in the same industry path. I wanted to be an all-in-one artist,” she said.
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Hernandez said she ended up living in Italy for three years, then made a difficult move back to Texas. She opened her own business in San Antonio, so, she said, “I can have the freedom to offer all my skills to my clients.” Hernandez now owns her own salon, Flip Top Beauty and Barber, in San Antonio and said she is also an educator and platform artist for Johnny B Hair Care in the Alamo City. Hernandez said she decided to create “BorderTown Brujas” as something of a “comeback” statement.
“I wanted to show my town what I had been doing all these years I was gone, bring something new to town, something that had never been done before and, most of all, show my support for women,” Hernandez said. She said she is thrilled to be able to incorporate what she learned in fashion school with hair and makeup. “I’m a perfectionist. I can’t do makeup and not implement an artistic piece of wardrobe to complete the look. It’s part of my services and my love for art. To mold a woman from head to toe into what my mind envisions. All my inspiration comes from my favorites, such as Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen and Rob Zombie,” she said. Hernandez said her joy comes from seeing women bloom, especially those who might be self-conscious or shy about their physical appearance. “What is important for me is that people acknowledge the fact that all women can be sexy. All women can be models. All women are beautiful. I want them to feel comfortable while being something they’ve never been and going outside the box. Sometimes they are scared, but I make sure to build up their selfesteem,” Hernandez said. “I create beautiful monsters,” she added. Hernandez said she also wants to honor the fact that each of the women who participated in the
Sandy Krieger strikes a pose for “BorderTown Brujas,” a show celebrating the power and beauty of women.
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Jazmine Cordero’s golden antlers and lavender hair transform her into a fantastical woodland sprite.
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“BorderTown Brujas” came to the show with her own life story. “Not all the girls were my friends. Some were sent to me because they needed a selfesteem boost, and I gave it to them. Domestic violence victims, emotionally-abused women, some who don’t like to talk about what is hurting them but join as an escape, and some just for fun who came to express their own love for art. I was accepting of all bodies,” she said. Hernandez said the “Brujas” performances, which had the flavor of an outré runway show, took place in San Antonio, Eagle Pass and Del Rio, with the Del Rio event, held at Doc Holliday’s bar, the biggest of them all. Hernandez said she won’t be having a “BorderTown Brujas” event this year, but is already planning an even bigger show for 2020. BorderTown Brujas has both a Facebook page and an Instagram presence for fans to keep up with Hernandez’s latest endeavors. She said she was moved by the support and acceptance she received here. “This wouldn’t have been possible without all the models’ support, along with the support we got from the town. I was truly surprised that we sold out of all tickets and VIP seating. The amazing turnout gave all of us a great feeling of accomplishment,” Hernandez said. •
Clockwise from top: Maria Turner Woods’ elaborate costume piece includes green and black makeup, gilded horns and a collar of flowers. Yazmin Perez’s costume creates a nightmare vision. Abigail Hernandez said her inspirations are Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen and Rob Zombie.
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Ghouls and goblins beware with this giant spider found at Dirt Cheap for $187.99; price will vary by store discount.
spooky picks Celebrate pumpkin season with this Peanuts doormat found at Marshalls for $9.99.
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Bring the fall season to your living room with these Sand + Fog candles found at Marshalls for $7.99 each.
Be the character you want to be with these makeup sets found at Dirt Cheap for $3.14-$3.98; prices will vary by store discount.
Mommy’s little monster can stay cozy during the fall season with this pet costume found at Marshalls for $9.99.
Show your mummy some love with this figure found at Marshalls for $9.99.
Punk’s not dead and neither is style with this black and gold sequined skull pillow found at Marshalls for $14.99.
GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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Too Cute To Spook Looks
Fashion Shoot Photos by VANESSA SALAS PHOTOGRAPHY
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“Life is better with dragons” - Dragon Luis Andres Salas Costume available at Marshalls $24.99
“With great power comes great responsibility” - Spider-Man “Rise and shine” - Rooster Elijah Muñoz Costume available at Marshalls $19.99
Angel Sebastian Alvarez Costume available at JCPenney $40.00
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“A whole new world, that’s where we’ll Be a thrilling chase, a wonderous place... For you and me” - Jasmine Mia Valentina Pou Arteaga Costume available at JCPenney $40.00 26
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“I can do this all day” - Captain America Lucas Alessandro Alvarez Costume available at JCPenney $40.00
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“We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were on one single tribe” - Black Panther Moses Castoreno Costume available at JCPenney $40.00
“Sparkle like a unicorn” - Unicorn Ellie Muñoz Costume available at Marshalls $19.99
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MEMORY OF A MURDER Businessman, historian pushed to rename bridge Story and photos by KAREN GLEASON
Y
ou get the idea that Del Rioan Gary Humphreys likes history when he drives up and you see the Native Texan license plates on his pickup truck. In talking to Humphreys, you soon learn he is interested in history and that interest stems from family stories, many of them related by his father, Sidney Humphreys, who arrived in Del Rio via covered wagon in 1916. Humphreys was born and raised in Del Rio, but moved away and lived and worked in other parts of the state before returning here in the early 1950s. He worked for CP&L and for other agencies here, but is now perhaps best known as the owner of Humphreys Gun Shop on East Garfield Avenue. Humphreys first opened the gun shop in the garage outside his home on Avenue D. A few years later, another friend offered him space inside White’s Auto on East Gibbs Street. He next moved to La Villita, then to his own building at 124 E. Garfield Ave., where the store remains to this day. Humphreys said he has always liked guns and shot on the local 4-H rifle team as a youngster and has been a supporter a coach of 4-H’s shooting sports program ever since he moved back to Del Rio. “I’ve always liked history. I never did do good in school, but I liked history, old stuff,” Humphreys said. His love of history comes from family stories that he is related to Davy Crockett, legendary frontiersman and one of the heroes of the Alamo. “My great-grandmother, she was married to my greatgrandad and his name was Sidney Lee Humphreys, and she was a Crockett, a niece to Davy Crockett, and that was just something that was known in our family,” Humphreys said. He is also related to John Newton Sowell, one of the famed “Old Eighteen” at Gonzales and is related to three men who helped defend the Alamo in the Texas War of Independence. Humphreys said he learned about the Hammer Bridge murder story while researching local unsolved murders. “I’d always heard this bridge called the ‘Hammer
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Bridge,’ and it’s known as that today. I found a little bit of information about it and the Hernandez family lived right there on Bridge Street,” Humphreys said. In a paper on the history of the murder, which he presented to the Del Rio City Council in September 2016, Humphreys wrote Faustina and Brigido Hernandez lived in the 100 block of Bridge Street, close to the banks of the San Felipe Creek, in the early 1930s. They had six children, and as soon as the two oldest girls were old enough, they began working to help support the family. “One of them started to work as a chambermaid, and the other one was a waitress in a downtown café. Both of the Hernandez girls were young and beautiful. They were also very popular and forever being surrounded by friends and admirers. This popularity, in part, led to the unfortunate incident in which Brigido Hernandez lost his life,” Humphreys wrote. He said Hernandez, who had retired from work on the railroad, accompanied his daughters to and from work, especially when their employers asked them to work late. Hernandez was on his way to pick up the daughter who worked at the café when he was attacked, reportedly as he crossed a plank over the irrigation canal. “He was attacked and brutally slain with what appeared to be a hammer or a crescent wrench. Later it was discovered that he also had been shot several times in the head with a pistol. His body was dumped and allowed to float down the river,” Humphreys wrote. Hernandez’s wife and a neighbor began looking for Hernandez along the route he normally walked. When Mrs. Hernandez and her neighbor arrived at the café, they found the daughter still there, waiting, and she told them her father had never arrived to escort her home. On their way home, the group noticed blood on the path near the irrigation canal crossing. “This discovery really scared them, and they immediately rushed home in search of additional help. . . The search led to the discovery of (Hernandez’s) body, brutally beaten, quite a distance from where the crime had been
Del Rioan Gary Humphreys stands at the south end of the Brigido Hernandez Memorial Bridge over the San Felipe Creek. The bridge connects Johnson Street to the north and Taini Street to the south and was renamed by the Del Rio City Council at Humphreys’ request in 2016.
committed. It was found in the San Felipe Creek beyond Canal Street close to the old ice plant,” Humphreys wrote. The police department was notified and a subsequent investigation revealed that the crime had been committed by four young men who “were not in good standing with the patriarch of the Hernandez family.” “These young men had previously visited the Hernandez home and there were some disagreements between them and Hernandez that led to more serious confrontations. These four men, again according to reports, decided to get Hernandez out of the way in order to continue courting the girls,” Humphreys wrote. Incredibly, no charges were even filed against any of the four young men “as the surviving Hernandez children were young and inexperienced and had no financial means to pursue this matter into the court.”
A vehicle bridge was built over the San Felipe Creek in this area in about 1935, and it has been rebuilt and repaired several times since then. It was widened and enlarged and re-dedicated in 1991. “However, in spite of modifications and improvements, those painful memories do not appear to rest, and it continues to be identified as ‘El Puente del Martillo,’ the Hammer Bridge, an important landmark in the Barrio de San Felipe,” Humphreys wrote. In September 2016, Humphreys asked the Del Rio City Council to formally rename the bridge in Hernandez’s honor, and the council voted unanimously to rename it the “Brigido Hernandez Memorial Bridge,” also to be known as “El Puente del Martillo.” “When I thought about it and how it happened, it touches your heart,” Humphreys said. •
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A GRANDE LIFE
Max Perales III Story and photo by BRIAN ARGABRIGHT
H
alloween is a favorite time of the year for many Del Rioans, but for Max Perales III, it’s a reminder of
his youth. Perales, whose day job is as a prep cook at Blue Oasis, has devoted much of his free time to creating art. And while he is skilled in a variety of mediums, he finds his greatest satisfaction in recreating the creepy and terrifying icons of horror films. “I started my love of Halloween through my grandma. Every October we’d get all the stuff out of containers and set it up and around the house. We’d even make dummies out of of old newspapers and clothes,” Perales said. “The house I grew up in was on Waters Street, and we’d always go all out to decorate it. We didn’t do it to scare people, but rather to set the mood. It wasn’t like a haunted house or anything like that.” At the age of 10, Perales put together his first scary costume. It was a Jason Voorhees mask, from the film series “Friday the 13th,” a plain white shirt and some fake blood. Despite the scary start, Perales said many of his costumes as a kid were the more common variety. “My mom dressed me up as a Power Ranger or as Peter Pan,” Perales, 29, said. “It wasn’t until I was 14 or 15 that I started making stuff on my own. I started making masks based on characters I saw in movies. The first one I remember was Freddy Krueger. I just sort of learned by trial and error and was really teaching myself. Anything I’d see just lying around the house I’d try and use in my costumes.” When he turned 18, Perales turned his
attention to the Casa de la Cultura as a way to spread his love of art and to help others develop their passion. Perales said he doesn’t pass on his love for spooky or horror-based art, but rather helps the young artists he encounters to understand there are no boundaries in art and that anything can be used to create. “I’ve always tried to teach them to do yourself and create what comes from your mind,” Perales said. “I also try and show them that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make art. We live in Del Rio, so sometimes we don’t have access to a lot of art supplies, so I say if you can’t buy it, make it.” It was at that same time that he began to design and create haunted houses to serve as fundraisers. He said the first one he did was at his old elementary school, Lamar, but he’s since designed the Casa’s annual haunted house. “I try to create rooms that reflect different themes, but I like to use things that trigger our phobias or affect our psyches. I focus more on sounds than images. The fear of the unseen,” Perales said. Perales is also a father and is passing along his love of Halloween to his five-year-old son, Luke. He and his wife, Ashley, try to make the holiday a family thing, and in years past they’ve each done their own thing, but Perales said this year will probably be a group costume. “He’s at the age now that he’s in charge of what we’re going to dress up as. I think this year we’re going to be characters from ‘WreckIt Ralph’. He’ll be Fix-It Felix, Ashley will be Vanellope and I’ll be Ralph,” Perales said. To see more of Perales’ work, visit his page on Instagram @leatherface3290 •
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TINGLY SPIDERS Recipe by ATZIMBA MORALES; photo by KAREN GLEASON
T
his creation wound up being a quick snack and a short sugar rush needed to get through the day. It’s easy to make and fun to do with others, plus the snack is great to eat after the onslaught of trick-ortreaters haunt the streets for candy. This is our spin on a classic creature of the night.
Ingredients • Brownie bites • Pretzel sticks • Red Hot candies
Method • First, take a pretzel stick and begin breaking it into fourths. The pieces do not need to be even. After creating eight pieces, leave them where they will be reachable by your right hand. • Take a brownie bite and gently lay it on your palm. Your thumb should be the only finger resting on the top of the brownie bite. Make sure to not apply pressure on the top. • Using the broken pretzel sticks, insert four pieces on each side of the brownie bite. This will create spider legs. Put enough pressure to have the sticks stay inside the brownie, but not too much pressure to flatten it. • Now, take two pieces of Red Hot candy and place them in between the space created by the pretzel sticks. The candy is now the eyes of the spiders and will give it a creepy effect. • The eyes can be interchanged with whatever candy is preferred, just make sure the candy is round and hard enough to stick onto the surface of the brownie. • After the first spider is done, then the recipe is complete and can be repeated as many times as the chef desires.
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Casa de la Cultura volunteers scare adults and children willing to enter the haunted house.
fo Horrors
Story by ATZIMBA MORALES; and photos by CASA DE LA CULTURA, PAUL MANCHA AND MAX PERALES
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T
he Casa de la Cultura is a staple in the Del Rio community, hosting a variety of events that tie the arts with the local community. Since 2006, citizens have contributed to the organization’s yearly haunted house experience. Executive Director Lupita De La Paz said the event is always held in the main building and organized by local adults, teens and children. “We started the haunted house in 2006 … The really cool part about the haunted house is that every year somebody different is in charge of it,” De La Paz said. De La Paz said she enjoys watching teenagers take on more of a leadership role as they try to organize and work with their peers. “That’s hard, because they have to tell them to behave,” De La Paz said. She added sometimes she may be in charge of the haunted house, but that only happens if Casa de la Cultura members are unable to find someone to organize it or the organization is running late doing other projects. Volunteers begin meeting right after 16 de Septiembre, also known as Mexico’s Independence Day. They meet on a weekly basis, according to De La Paz, and brainstorm ideas for the acts that will be featured. “It’s weekly meetings, and that’s where they end up coming up with ideas, themes and start making props. We’ll have prop workshops so kids can learn how to do the fake blood or we’ll have someone come in and show them how to do the makeup, then trying to make costumes,” De La Paz said. While De La Paz admitted the volunteers are very creative, there have been times she had to deny some of the ideas. “Sometimes these kids come out with crazy ideas, and I have to go in shoot their dreams down. Most of the time, they’re super creative,” De La Paz said. On average, the haunted house work crew can include as many as 60 volunteers. “Sometimes we’ve been able to pull
Volunteers do their own makeup and costumes with the sources available to them.
People hold onto each other, in fear of being frightened by volunteers.
The layout of the Casa de la Cultura’s patio is used as part of the performances during haunted house tours.
A Del Rioan jumps in fright when a group of volunteers begin surrounding him inside the haunted house.
The hockey-masked slasher is a popular character used in the haunted house.
Volunteers are dressed in a variety of scary outfits before getting into character for attendees. GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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Max Perales III helps volunteers with makeup and special effects before the haunted house is open to the public.
No one is safe from the sound of the chainsaw or its wielder as he scares attendees throughout the night.
The sight of the chainsaw guy is enough to have Del Rioans run towards the exit.
There are surprises in every corner and these Del Rioans did not suspect a volunteer waiting for them.
it off with less than 30 people,” De La Paz said. She said volunteers also come in a wide range of ages. “One volunteer was in her 80s; she had a ‘Scream’ mask, and she would just get up and sit back down … Our youngest volunteer has maybe been seven years old. There may have also been a year someone brought in their baby,” De La Paz said. Many of the props and costumes used in the haunted house have been recycled and repurposed over the years. “Some of the stuff is pretty beat up. Last year we wound up throwing out a lot of stuff, because it was worn out,” De La Paz said. De La Paz added the organization receives donations from the community, especially once people hear preparations for the haunted house are in place. “We’ll have people donate because they hear we are having a haunted house and they donate their rocking chair or crib,” De La Paz said. While the organization tries to not spend money on props and
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costumes, they do pay for construction of the haunted house. Construction of the event’s layout is done by a contractor and is made sure it is secure for people to walk through. Volunteers are also given a budget for the props they can purchase. “I give these kids a budget, and they begin looking at thrift stores,” De La Paz said. Recently, a popular character featured in the haunted house is the villain from the movie, “The Nun.” Other recurring characters include the chainsaw guy, Medusa, the crazy scientist and clowns. De La Paz said it is the sound made from the chainsaw that frightens people. One year, attendees had to crawl through a tight space, with air compressors and other effects scaring them along the way. People that could not go through the tightened space were given the option of using an ADA complaint pathway. De La Paz said they always make sure the pathways are wheelchair accessible. “We’ve had people come in with wheelchairs,” De La Paz said. According to her, there have been times people ran through the
advantage of trick-or-treating on Halloween night and the older entire haunted house without seeing any of the acts. volunteers want to party if Halloween lands on a weekend. “The “Some people have gotten so scared they lost a shoe or their amount of work their put into this makes all those hours’ worth phone went missing. It’s so funny because we get some people it,” De La Paz said. that are so intimidated by the scare, they put up tough guy front Entry price increased recently to $3. De La Paz said there or behave rudely, and we remind them these are mostly kids are times the volunteers would want to charge more, but she and it’s for fun,” De La Paz said. explains to them how the low entry cost allows a family to enjoy Everything is scarier at night, and De La Paz added it may the event without the worry of spending too much. scare some more than others; attendees should keep in mind The money earned the actors are children does go back to the putting on a show and organization and help having fun. recoup the money spent “Some people come in on props, but a portion is with a tough guy attitude, donated to a good cause. and that’s just how some “Sometimes we like people react when they to raise money for start feeling scared,” De other causes … Some La Paz said. of the money comes to The haunted house reimburse us on the opens to the public for expenses we used and if three nights in the month we have money left over of October, the weekend we like to donate it to before and the day of United Way,” De La Paz Halloween. This year it said. will take place on October De La Paz encourages 25-26 and on Halloween adults to volunteer, in night. order to help even out De La Paz said the number of teenagers Halloween night is the and because it’s a perfect busiest night for the excuse for adults to feel haunted house and the like kids again. weekend prior is more “They’re teenagers and of a test run. In between we have to watch out for the two showings and them. I think if adults Halloween night, the ever want to feel like kids volunteers will reconvene again, the haunted house and figure out what can be is perfect for them,” De La fixed in order to make the Paz said. final night a good one. The haunted house is “That week in between conceived as a theatrical we end up (doing) trial piece, and it focuses on and error, find out where the arts while teaching we need more people that Barbara Olguin helped in previous with special effects makeup for the haunted volunteers how to be way Halloween night is house. Olguin shared her tips and tricks with recurring haunted house volunteers. leaders, manage money always our best night.,” and manage a project by De La Paz said. themselves. The past two years, on Halloween night, it rained and that is “Even though the haunted house is various projects put into the night when the event receives the most attendees, according one, we still focus on the arts,” De La Paz said. to De La Paz. While volunteers have begun organizing and designing this “When it rained on Halloween night, we were open for maybe year’s haunted house layout, there is no telling what will jump 15-20 minutes, and then it just rained all over everything, sound out at night. There may be some classics and some new ideas, system included. We’re hoping we get good weather this year,” but don’t let this experience become another story to tell in the De La Paz said. dark. • De La Paz understands the younger volunteers want to take
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eT rSrtorrickl a n d On
Story by ATZIMBA MORALES; photos by TINA COBB and CURTIS COBB
Tina and Curtis Cobb decorate the Strickland haunted house with props including the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz, skeletons and creepy characters.
C
urtis Cobb and his wife, Tina Cobb, began a Halloween tradition that has become a sensation within the Del Rio community. Citizens may recognize the tradition as the Strickland Haunted House. With the help of their son, Dennis Whatley and his wife Selica Whatley, as well as Tina’s sister Aurora Hobart, Heidi Esparza and members of her family, Juan Cerda, Diego Saucedo, Judith Delgado, Celeste Preze and Amber Price, the haunted house has attendees jumping the hood of their cars or crawling away in terror. Tina said she and Curtis created the family’s first haunted house here about 11 years ago on the front porch of the house. “We started out small, and people are already saying, ‘Oh,
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I remember when you used to be on the porch,’” Tina said. The haunted house grew bigger from there. The family came to Del Rio from California, and Tina said haunted houses there charge a lot for entry fees. The family noticed the community was lacking in haunted houses and decided to bring a little bit of that here. “We don’t charge. It’s mainly for the kids,” Curtis said. They created their free haunted house as an alternative for families that could not afford to pay an entry fee to other haunted houses. Tina added they started doing it for the families with many kids in the household and without worrying about the cost. Usually the family begins putting the haunted house
together towards the end of September, beginning of October. This year, they began construction on Sept. 9. The family is always looking for volunteers that are willing to be monsters. Curtis said the haunted house is a family event, and people are asked to be at their best as police officers will be on hand. Medical first responders will also be hand during the nights the house is open to the public. Tina said the weather always dictates how many nights the haunted house will be open to the public. Currently, they are looking to have the haunted house open on Oct. 25, 26 and 30. The entire layout of the haunted house is created out of cardboard and is never the same. The Cobbs said they couldn’t be making a bigger haunted house without the sponsorship of Ashley Furniture and Nissan Automotive. The haunted house features lasers, smoke, loud scary music and more. “Once you walk in, you’re disoriented,” Curtis said. Large numbers of colorful lights and rooms keeps attendees distracted. Live action voices will be done by Curtis throughout the night. The family is willing to accept any monetary donations. Tina said the funds collected are donated to the Friends of the Hospice Bargain Box. Tina and Curtis said they are not the only haunted house in Del Rio. “There’s plenty of room in town for others (in the community) to put up their own haunted house,” Curtis said. Small children are encouraged to attend the haunted house beginning at 6 p.m. “We won’t turn on the flashing lights and it will just be the rooms as they are,” Curtis said. After a certain time, the entire show comes to life for the adults and teenagers. The haunted house closes at 10 p.m., out of courtesy for neighbors and to abide by school night hours for teenagers. Haunted house hours will extend when there is a long line of people waiting to get in. Curtis said this is usually on Halloween night. “We’re thankful our neighbors don’t complain about the number of people lined up outside,” Curtis said. Curtis and Tina confirmed their neighbors have volunteered for the haunted house. Curtis and Tina said in the previous years, there have been people who have run or crawled out of the haunted house, people that have run into their cars and locked the doors and some people who jumped onto the roof of their cars. “It doesn’t always end when they exit the haunted house,” Whatley said. Curtis and Whatley hinted the tour could end up on the street, if the person is not paying attention. Whatley said he finds it funny that the crowd waiting in line never helps those exiting, they’ll just watch as people run and yell in terror. Everything is caught on video. Curtis has cameras set up which allow him to see people’s reactions in the dark. In one video, volunteers are seen walking out of the haunted house while the attendees run away. One attendee
The Strickland haunted house features creepy creatures and skeletons throughout the maze; the layout is never the same every year.
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Masks of all kinds of creepy characters are used throughout the haunted house while volunteers scare attendees throughout night.
jumped over the hood of the car and another was crawling away as fast as he could. Even though the family enjoys scaring attendees, they also advise people to be aware of their limits. “We have signs outside and if someone has a medical condition or gets easily scared, we ask they do not enter,” Tina said. This is in part because the haunted house does encompass features, such as flashing lights and repetitive sounds, that could trigger a medical condition, and the family does not want anybody to spend the night in the hospital. Curtis explained he enjoys celebrating Halloween because it gives him an opportunity to scare people. That does not mean the scares end on Halloween night. Whatley said the family enjoys scaring each other throughout the year. “You go to visit her (Tina), and you go to get a cup then a fake mouse just pops out at you from the cabinet,” Whatley said. Nothing is off limits for the family when it comes to a good scare. •
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Haunted House Tips These tips apply to all haunted houses within the Del Rio community. This is to help make the experience the best for attendees and volunteers. • Be nice to the volunteers. Things can get scary inside a haunted house, but a volunteer should not get hurt due to your fear. • No film and photography until the final night. You wouldn’t want your favorite movie spoiled before you watch it, so don’t spoil what’s inside a haunted house for others. • Don’t risk your health. Listen to the warnings, they are there to prevent you from being sent to the hospital.
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Monster Mash
Story by ATZIMBA MORALES; Photos by KAREN GLEASON and contributed by ALEXANDRA CALDERON
Some of the thousands of Del Rioans who attended the 2018 Monster Mash event on South Main Street in historic downtown Del Rio.
T
he Del Rio Downtown Association continues to keep the spirit of Halloween lively and entertaining with the annual Monster Mash event. The event originally started in 2003, and Del Rio Downtown Association Director Alexandra Falcon Calderon said she was able to verify that date through a photo and documents. “I verified (the date) with a picture that was shown to me by a businessperson from downtown. He took his son to Greenwood Park, and he brought me the picture that was on his desk and told me the year of that (photo),” Calderon said. She said the Monster Mash event was initially developed as a program to promote Del Rio’s historic downtown district and as a way to draw visitors to the downtown area. Throughout the years the event has moved locations, with its roots taking place at Greenwood Park. Now, the event takes place on Main Street and has expanded from one block to two blocks.
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“Of course, with everything you do, you can’t expect something big because you have to start with something small, with the intention of it growing and continuing,” Calderon said. Calderon said the event did not become an annual happening until 2014. “In 2014, it was the first Monster Mash coming back consecutively, because there was always gaps in between years,” Calderon said. She explained the gaps had to do with changes within the program or the event did not take place during specific years. Whatever, the reason was, Calderon assumes it was because of changes within the program. The event takes time and preparation, and this year the association began preparing in March. After closing out the downtown market series, the association began preparing for the Monster Mash, Calderon said.
The Del Rio Police Department’s Robert Maldonado and his wife Nadia Maldonado portray Popeye and Olive Oyl while handing out treats at the DRPD’s booth at the 2018 Monster Mash.
Joselyn Hernandez dressed up for the 2018 Monster Mash as a cool kitty. Joselyn attended the event with her mom, Carolyn Hernandez.
Brynn Granatelli, daughter of Natalie and Joe Granatelli, strikes a pose in her Batgirl costume.
Jazlynn Macial, left, and her brother, Joel Macial, were Miguel and Mama Coco from the animated Disney movie “Coco” for the 2018 Monster Mash. GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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Asher King, left, and his brother Aiden King, compete in the doughnut eating contest at the 2018 Monster Mash event.
Chris Schulz, left, and Ani Geiger, right, dress up as Barney Rubble and Betty Rubble with their son as Bam Bam from the nostalgic cartoon the Flintstones.
Carolyn Valdez, left, and her mom, Paulina Ybarra, show off the creative makeup they applied for Monster Mash.
Dr. Aide Garabedian created her own costume based on the main character in “Maleficent” for the 2018 Monster Mash.
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Lalo Hidalgo of Rosie’s Gorditas, fries up small, thick tortillas as “shells” for the gorditas. Rosie’s Gorditas was one of several food booths at the 2018 Monster Mash, offering those attending a variety of tasty treats.
Getting ready to go into the haunted house at the 2018 Monster Mash are, back row, from left, Ava Casillas and Camila Fernandez, middle row, from left, Aviana Fernandez, Ashton Casillas, Jorge Fernandez and Alek Casillas, and front, Joaquin Fernandez.
“We usually start six months (prior),” Calderon said. At that point everything is prepared, according to Calderon. Some of the previous features of the event included presenting movies at the Paul Poag Theatre and haunted houses. Calderon said the association always tries to incorporate a haunted house into the event. “We want to have a haunted house and our intention is to have a haunted house at every Monster Mash, but whenever we want to have a haunted house, we have to have a building, a vacant building that we can utilize,” Calderon said. This past year, the event saw its biggest number of attendees yet. “We thought the year before was the biggest, but it keeps getting bigger and bigger. We’re talking about in the thousands. Over 3,000 people (came) last year,” Calderon
said. Most of the work on the day of the event is done by a dedicated group of volunteers, she said. Some of the volunteers include the local fire department, EMS and students in need of volunteer hours. The Career and Technical Education Culinary Arts students donate cakes as part of the Monster Mash cakewalk. “They do the cakes as part of an assignment, and we provide the ingredients,” Calderon said. Calderon said she has had people ask her why the association did not have certain things at the event, and she clarified it would require more volunteers. “The event is put together by volunteers,” Calderon said. There have been years when the event landed on the actual Halloween night and people asked Calderon if the event would still be held. “I’ve told them ‘yeah’ we’re still going to
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Getting ready to score some candy and other Halloween treats at the 2018 Monster Mash are, from left, Eva Flores, Camila Ducharme and Joaquin Flores.
Amber Beasley, left, a zombie princess, and Carlos Rodriguez as the horror video game character Bendy, wait in line for funnel cakes at the 2018 Monster Mash event.
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do it even if it lands on Halloween night. It’s an additional thing people can do aside from the trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods,” Calderon said. Another main attraction within the event, is the costume contest. Registration for the contest begins at 6 p.m. Calderon said the association has to start the contest at 7 p.m. because it can go on until 9 p.m. “Last year we had the biggest amount of participants in the costume contest, which was over 100 entries,” Calderon said. The association anticipates more costume entries this year. Costume contest judges will award first, second and third place based on originality, creativity, authenticity, scariness, cuteness and do-it-yourself effort. Costumes will be awarded in the following age categories: 0-5 years old, 6-12 years old and 13 and older. The contest is open to anyone, no matter where they live. Judges for the Halloween contest are not eligible to participate in the contest. Prizes for the contest recently changed from gift certificates and gift cards to money gift cards. Calderon said costumes vary on popularity of characters leading up to Halloween. Some popular characters that have made appearances at Monster Mash, are a scary nun, Beauty and the Beast, Maleficent and the Exorcist. Calderon said Derome West is a repeat attendee of the event and his Exorcist costume was popular amongst the attendees. While the event is a giant festivity, Calderon said without the community’s efforts to attend the event would not continue to happen. “If the city, as in the community, would not support the event and any other event then it discourages organizers from putting on the event the next year,” Calderon said. Even with all the changes the association has gone through, the event and the association will continue to stay downtown. There no longer is a $5 admission to the event. The only costs attendees need to worry about is purchasing tickets for the games and the cost of food and drinks. Calderon encourages people to submit photos to the association for publication on social media. The event is expected by the community and it’s a fundraiser that helps the association pay for future events. •
The Man Behind the Mask Story by ATZIMBA MORALES
Del Rioan Derome West’s portrayal of the demon from “The Exorcist” was a hit with the 2018 Monster Mash crowd and with the costume contest judges, who awarded it first place in the 13 years old and older age group.
This Del Rioan portrayed horror by mixing mixture of classic clothing and a demonic rabbit mask during the 2018 Monster Mash.
D
erome West is recognized at Monter Mash for his clever costumes. West spends months planning a costume and putting it together. Last year, his costume inspired by the Exorcist won the attention of the crowd and earned him first place at the Monster Mash costume contest. “I went to Home Depot looking for lightweight pipes, and I saw there was a doorframe left behind (from an unknown customer’s purchase of a door). I asked the employee how much the frame was, they told me it was free, and I took it home,” West said. West used the door frame to lay out the bed frame of his costume, then added Styrofoam to give the appearance of a mattress and used two bed sheets to give the effect of a layered appearance. West’s costume was mobile, and that was accomplished by using skate trainers from the Spot skating rink. He only wishes he had thought about using the restroom and drinking water ahead of time. “I could move in the costume, but I couldn’t get myself to a booth to buy water or leave the frame alone if I needed to use the restroom. So I just went without water that entire night,” West said. Even with the issues West faced, people kept asking for his photo last year. “I just love Halloween. It’s meant to be spooky … there’s something about putting in the effort to create a costume,” West said. This year West began putting together his costume late, but he is just as excited to wear it. “I have a zombie mask where there’s a side of the mouth hanging down, and I was going to use that and be the mummy,” West said. The villain Imhotep, from the 1999 film The Mummy, is the character West referred to, but that isn’t the costume he has settled on for this year’s Mash. West said people are asking him what his costume will be but he would not tell them. “I can’t give away what my costume will be for this year. All I can say is that winter is coming,” West said. • GRANDE / OCTOBER 2019
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Fiesta Time Story by ATZIMBA MORALES; Photos by KAREN GLEASON
Sporting red, white and blue ruffles and red, white and green flowers, members of the Del Rio Middle School Dance Team celebrate the close ties between the United States and Mexico during the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade.
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E
very October, the United States of America and Mexico come together and celebrate a relationship built on tourism, commerce and friendship, and this year marks the event’s 59th anniversary. International Good Neighbor Council Del Rio Chapter President Elsa Reyes said the events, collectively known as “Fiesta de la Amistad,” the celebration of friendship, commemorate the agreement between the U.S. and Mexico to build the Amistad Dam. The celebration was initially called the Good Neighbor Festival, and dignitaries from both sides of the border met to celebrate the building of the dam. The Fiesta de la Amistad includes a variety of activities, from the annual Miss Del Rio to a new bullriding competition. One of the Fiesta staples is the annual “abrazo,” or embrace, ceremony. “We’re really excited it’s going back to the dam this year, because that’s where (the ceremony) originated, and that’s where it should’ve stayed,” Reyes said. The change in the event’s location was out of the council’s control, and Reyes said she believed it did not feel the same as
it did when it was held at the dam. According to IGNC member and former Del Rio Mayor Dora Alcalá, the International Good Neighbor Council was initiated by Texas Governor Allen Shivers to promote and enhance friendship, tourism and commerce between both countries. The council was christened the Good Neighbor Commission and established in 1952. Two years after the commission was established, on Oct. 20, 1954, the International Good Neighbor Council was formed. Its constitution and bylaws were created in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Movers and shakers of Del Rio have been members of the council, even if they were not active members, according to Alcalá. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexico President Adolfo Lopez Mateos were the first presidents to meet for the ceremony on October 3, 1960. The presidents met in Cuidad Acuña and signed the treaty to build the Amistad Dam. The dam originally was going to be named the Devils Dam,
A member of Del Rio’s Boy Scout Troop 222 carries the U.S. flag down South Main Street in the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade.
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Former Del Rio Mayor Dora Alcalá waves from her car in the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade.
Members of a colorful folkloric dance troop wave from the Casa De La Cultura float in the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade.
Ciudad Acuña Mayor Roberto De Los Santos and Del Rio Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano embrace as part of the 2018 Fiesta De La Amistad festivities.
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due to its proximity to the Devils River, but local officials felt the name did not reflect the friendship between the countries building it, according to Alcalá. “Because we have such a wonderful relationship with our sister country, our sister city and our sister state, let us name (the dam) Amistad. That’s where the name of the dam really came from, from the relationship we have with each other,” Alcalá said. A fun fact is the both cities of Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña were not officially declared sister cities until 2002, during Alcalá’s term as mayor of Del Rio. “We always called ourselves sister cities but we were not official. So we went to the dam, set it up there and signed an agreement to be sister cities,” Alcalá said. The relationship created through this bond has brought about a lineup of events citizens can look forward to every year. The Fiesta de la Amistad celebration consists of events in both cities. When IGNC hosts the Miss Del Rio pageant, on Oct. 5, the reigning Señorita Amistad and her court are guests of honor at the event. The following week, the newlycrowned Miss Del Rio and her court will go to Acuña and join in the coronation for the new Señorita Amistad. Another event that unites both cities is La Foto de Recuerdo, or the commemoration photo in English. Dignitaries, and both newly-crowned courts are invited to join in on a picture taken in front of the monument where the dam treaty was signed in 1960. This year it will be held on Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. Del Rio’s “Fiesta” weekend kicks off with the “abrazo” ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Amistad Dam. Typically, the “abrazo” ceremony is followed by an event known as “the mayor’s reception,” but Reyes said that will change this year. “Everyone is welcome to come. You have dignitaries from both sides that meet in the middle of the bridge and give each other a hug,” Reyes said. Another special aspect of this year’s
celebration will be the appearance of U.S. Rep. Will Hurd as Mr. Amistad. Alcalá said Hurd was present and able to see the abrazo ceremony at the dam when he first ran for a seat in Congress. This was before the ceremony was moved to the Del Rio Civic Center. “He absolutely loved it, and he was so excited to come the next year, but he couldn’t and then the ceremony was moved to the civic center and then to Brown Plaza,” Alcalá said. “This year another thing that will be different is the ‘mayor’s reception.’ That has now become the abrazo reception,” Reyes said. While “the mayor’s reception” was an invitation-only event, this year’s reception is open to the public. It will be held at the Del Rio Civic Center, 1915 Veterans Blvd., and is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 18. Ciudad Acuña will host its parade two weeks before Del Rio’s, with Del Rio’s Fiesta de la Amistad Parade scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 19. The parade will begin at South Main Street and Ogden Street and end at South Main and Nicholson streets. October weather can be a bit finicky, so Reyes and Alcalá are hoping for the best. The newest event to be included in the Fiesta lineup is the Copa de la Amistad bullriding. The bullriding event is not a typical bull-riding competition. Competitors will work as teams to earn the highest score. The event will begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds, and for every ticket sold a dollar will be donated to the city of Del Rio’s “Field of Our Dreams” project. Teams are coming from around the world, including Australia, Brazil and Mexico. The United States will be represented with four teams, Reyes said. This year’s Fiesta de la Amistad celebrations will end with a performance by the Angelo State University orchestra on Oct. 20. Whether people want to experience the traditional aspects of the ceremony or partake in the newest additions to the lineup, Reyes and Alcalá said there will be something for everyone. •
H-E-B’s float in the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade celebrates customers from two nations.
The 2017 Miss Amistad Elsa Reyes is this year’s International Good Neighbor Council Del Rio Chapter president.
Del Rio Host Lions Club member Carlos Cardenas waves to the crowd on the Lions Club float during the Amistad Parade.
Events Wedding Birthdays Graduations
Holiday Parties Fundraisers Prom
VANESSA SALAS Del Rio Fire Department Chief Joe Harrington, left, waves from Matias Aguirre’s car in the 2017 Fiesta De La Amistad Parade.
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Last Look
In the words of Beetlejuice: “It’s
showtime.” Cue
the
sounds
of
creaking
floorboards, cackling witches and eerie ghosts because the spooky season is here and ready to take over Del Rio in this issue. Halloween
gives
people
the
opportunity to be weird, in a good way. Who can refuse a reason to dress up as someone else for a day? Derome West is one of the many citizens in town that takes that opportunity to a whole new level. Haunted houses are a staple during Halloween. Readers can prepare themselves before taking a test of courage through the Casa de la Cultura and the Cobb family’s haunted houses. Make sure to follow some tips before escaping the horrors of the night. The Val Verde County Courthouse is rumored to be haunted, thus Del Rio Grande Editor Karen Gleason and I spent the night to find out the truth. Five hours of ghost hunting and all I got was a story. We’ll let the readers decide whether our findings lead to something or not. Not everything in this issue is scary. Del Rio Downtown Association’s Monster Mash is back with games and the popular costume contest. Prepare to be amazed at the creativity that comes from the community. Even if you’re not one to dress up, there are plenty of items in town to celebrate the season. Check out the spooky picks and prepare for the trick-or-treaters. Fiesta de la Amistad celebrates 59 years this month and the lineup introduces the Copa de la Amistad this year. The history of the ceremony and all the activities was a great story to hear from International Good Neighbor Council members Dora Alcalá and Elsa Reyes. There’s so much about the fall season and Halloween to tell that it would take more than one issue to feature it all. Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @del_rio_grande for updates and more. Stay spooky, Atzimba Morales Grande Writer/Photographer
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- Del Rio Grande Writer/Photographer Brian Argabright interviews the resident skeleton about paranormal activity for this issue. - Marco Antonio Salas sets up backdrops at Vanessa Salas Photography studio for halloween photoshoot coordinated by Advertising Director, Xochitl Arteaga. - Del Rio Grande Writer/Photographer Atzimba Morales shares a spooky find at Dirt Cheap. - Del Rio Grande Writer/Photographer Atzimba Morales presents a possible idea to Paginator Alfredo Jimenez and Del Rio News-Herald Managing Editor Ruben Cantu during a Grande
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