It’s Fiesta Season! THROUGH ERYN’S LENS!
Capturing a few beautiful opening moments of the holiday season. See photos on page 11.
• • • December 12, 2018 UPCOMING VALLEY EVENTS!www.welcomehomergv.com BON APPETIT! Check out this week’s listings of what’s happening in the RGV!
Executive Chef Bettina Tolin shares a dish that should be world famous!
See calendar starting on page 18.
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Try this recipe on page 31.
VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 9 • December 12, 2018 • • • your official connection to the rio grande valley • • •
hello FROM KRISTI
Music
has a special way of taking you wherever you want to go, faster than an airplane or automobile and without a moment’s notice. I am in awe of people who can sing or pick up an instrument and just play without hesitation. I have a few talents, but being musically inclined is not one of them. I don’t even sing in the shower! Oh how I’d love to, though! I love popping into the occasional jam session. It’s always a surprise because you never know what you might get. Big band, country, jazz and rock -nroll--there’s no shortage of jammers out there to get your feet tapping. And oh, the talent! It never ceases to amaze me some of the hidden talent in our RV parks. The stories they can tell about with whom they played or with whom they toured back in the ‘good ol’ days.” There is nothing better than to kick back and let the music take you wherever you want to go. Sometimes it will take me back to junior high dances, college parties, and vacations. Other times, the music is a friendly reminder of someone I know or love. Sometimes it’s just from one mood to another, going from sad to cheerful in the strike of a chord. I hope you have the opportunity to attend a jam session this season. It’s important to support your musicians and let them take you places you may not have been for a while. • We’re just connecting the dots,
Kristi
THANK YOU TO OUR
2018-2019
SEASON SPONSORS
Gerry Rutherford and Deanna Nelson sing “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” during the Big Band Classic Country Jam Friday, November 30, at Palm Shadows RV Park in Donna. The jam focuses on big-band music from the early to mid 1900s. // photo by Nathan Lambrecht
‘Big band’ mixes it up, keeping an era of music alive
“O
Roger Steiger plays the soprano saxophone during his turn at the jam session. Each member of the band takes a turn playing a song of his/ her choosing, with the band backing up the lead.
Story and Photos by Nathan Lambrecht
nce I had a secret love that lived within the heart of me,” sang Joy Norris, 69, during her turn at the microphone. In the front row sat Ken Smith and his wife, Marie. As Norris continued the ballad, the couple gently held hands, singing right along. “So, I told a friendly star, the way that dreamers often do,” continued Norris, “just how wonderful you are and why I am so in love with you.” “That’s Kenny,” said Gerry Rutherford, 78. “He’s been coming here almost as long as I have. He sings
every song. Whatever he did in his life, he sang while he did it.” Rutherford is one of over a dozen players showcasing music from the 1920s to 50s every Friday night during the Big Band Classic Country Jam at Palm Shadows RV Park in Donna. He has played brass instruments in the band for nearly 20 years and controls the pace of the show. The jam is a sort of musical improvisation, with each musician taking turns playing a song of their choosing as the band backs them up. BIG BAND MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 >>