FORE! GOLFING IN THE RGV!
This week features the beautiful Tierra Santa Golf Course in Weslaco!
www.welcomehomergv.com • • November 8, 2017 RECIPE• CONNECTION! Check out this week’s listings of Executive Chef Bettina Tolin shares what’s happening in the RGV! a classic comfort soup!
UPCOMING EVENTS!
Welcome Home See details on page 6.
See calendar starting on page 17.
VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 4 • November 8, 2017
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Try this recipe on page 25.
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WINTER TEXAN
• • • your official connection to the rio grande valley • • •
W
hat a way to kick off the season! Last week, we entertained over 150 activity directors and park managers at our 8th Annual Connection Fair. This event allows attendees to make quick connections with tour operators, event sites, and service providers from across the Rio Grande Valley. Immediately after the show, many of us packed our bags and headed to the island for the weekend for our annual Activity Director Boot Camp. In the weeks to come, we will give you tidbits from our adventures, but we also encourage you to ask your activity directors about it! Ask them to schedule some group outings or to give you advice on where to go and what to do across the Rio Grande Valley. We’ll also be visiting other area attractions over the next few weeks, so be sure to stay tuned on our latest adventures with your PMs and ADs. What does all of this mean for you? It means new ideas, new tours, and new activities brought straight to you. We want to make this your best season yet, and we know keeping your activity directors informed is the first step in that process! We can’t wait to hear what you think about all of the things they’re planning for you this season! • We’re just connecting the dots,
Kristi
Free Things to Do at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival Special to Welcome Home RGV
The
Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival is going on in Harlingen at the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium November 9-12. The free schedule is full of activities, from walking the 60-booth trade show (called Birders Bazaar) to participating in a bird walk at Ramsey Park to attending presentations. Thursday offers the Birders Bazaar at the Casa de Amistad wing of the Harlingen Municipal Auditorium, 1204 Fair Park Boulevard. Vendors from tour companies, wildlife refuges, local nature organizations, optics companies, and everything “birdy” will delight your senses and quest for adventure. The Bazaar hours are from 12-noon to 6 p.m. At 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. is a flight show with educational birds by The Raptor Project. Friday offers a repeat of Thursday plus a special presentation on Birding the World at 2 p.m. Seven tour guides will talk about the birding opportunities in their respective countries, just in case you have wanderlust. If you are moved to visit
Welcome Birders! November 9-12, 2017 For schedule & information
www.rgvbf.org
their countries, you can get further information at their booths in the Birders Bazaar. Saturday begins with a free family bird walk at Ramsey Nature Park, 1001 S. Loop 499 in Harlingen. Meet in the Ramsey Park parking lot at 9 a.m. for a two-hour guided stroll through the park. Or you might want to see an hour-long presentation at
11 a.m. on raptors in the auditorium, including a flight show. Or maybe you want to join in the “Big Sit” adjacent to the parking lot with the Bay Area Birders. All day, they will be counting birds that are sighted from within a 17’ diameter circle. Come spot birds, get a button, and maybe win some prizes! Plus, the Birders Bazaar will run from noon to 6 p.m. again. If your motor is still running, you can grab dinner from one of the many food trucks outside the auditorium and eat dinner in the adjacent Lon C. Hill Park. At 7 p.m., the bands will officially start playing for Harlingen’s Blues on the Hill night, but be prepared to be entertained starting at 6 p.m. by some special local talent. Maybe even do some two-stepping! Sunday is the final day of the Birders Bazaar, which will be open from 12noon to 4 p.m. The Raptor Project will perform in the Bazaar for the last time during this festival at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. So much to do, so little time… •
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2017-2018 SEASON SPONSORS