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We’re just connecting the dots.
VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 18 • February 17, 2021 • • • your official connection to the rio grande valley • • •
hello FROM KRISTI
S urprisingly,
this season is very much like last in that it seems to be flying by. I’m not quite sure how that’s possible, although I will say our time has been filled cleaning things up, organizing, and strategizing for next season. It’s something we do every year, just not this time of year. I have to admit it has been nice to slow down a bit, but as we put the finishing touches on what we hope we’ll be able to do next season, I’m ready to move on fast forward! I’m hopefully optimistic about next season. There’s no doubt that by then things will have changed-likely not to what we were used to, but certainly different than the way things have been this season. I’ll contradict myself and say that things are now changing at a faster rate, and yet it still seems like they’re moving along at a snail’s pace. It’s very hard to plan six months out without a crystal ball, that’s for sure.
The Rio Grande Valley Rails Club operates an HO model railroad at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum in Hidalgo.
IMPRESSIVE LOCAL MODEL RAILROAD SERVES AS EDUCATION TOOL STORY AND PHOTOS BY ERYN REDDELL WINGERT
Either way, we’re planning ahead, making modifications and thinking about how we’ll continue to grow, serve, and, most of all, have fun! • We’re just connecting the dots,
Kristi
THANK YOU TO OUR
2020-2021
SEASON SPONSORS
T
he moment I met locals Art Nemes and Frank Jacobson in the parking lot of the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse in Hidalgo, Texas, I began recording our conversation. Their passion for all things railroad was immediately apparent, and they were eager to share. What I initially thought was going to be a show-and-tell of a model-train set-up actually turned into a full-on lesson in the history and importance of the railway system to the Rio Grande Valley. “This is the best-kept secret in the whole Valley!” Art excitedly shares, his arms gesturing wide as we walk toward the entrance. We enter the museum, and the two direct me over to a map on the wall where I
Larry Toerber and Art Nemes are seated as Red Knepfler holds pieces from his billboard boxcar collection.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY RAILS CLUB CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 >>
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
WINTER
TEXAN • • • OF THE • • • WEEK Ruby Wood
Welcome Home
We Winter Texans!
®
WINTER TEXAN
your official connection to the rio grande valley
Publisher
Kristi Collier kristi@welcomehomergv.com
Administration
Amie Gray agray@welcomehomergv.com Colette Brookins colie@welcomehomergv.com
Calendar Submissions! For more information on submitting your events and activities, please email:
Event Manager
calendar@welcomehomergv.com
Anne Marie Martin events@welcomehomergv.com
The deadline for submission is Mondays at 5:00pm. •
Business Development
by Rocio Villalobos
La Feria Crafter Serving Community Needs Using Her Talent R
uby Wood of La Feria’s VIP RV use as prizes for bingo. Park has utilized her crafting talents When making pieces to give away, to give back to the local community. she keeps certain things in mind, She knits, quilts, and makes jewelry to like the ease of putting it on. For benefit those in need and helps teach instance, rather than a clasp to fasten others at her park to help maximize a bracelet, she’ll use a wire that can wind around the wrist. the goods distributed. “I want the things to “It makes you feel good to do good for “We keep coming back be usable for whoever others, particularly because it’s the best bang gets it,” she said. Though she’s been those that don’t have for your buck, to host the a lot,” she said. “And the weather is agreeable unable class this season, I know because I grew most of the time, and Wood continues the up very poor as a child. I was loved, but we the people are wonderful.” work on her own time. It has also allowed didn’t have a lot, and • Ruby Wood • her to focus more on thank goodness my quilted and hand-knit mother could sew.” Woods comes from Tennessee items to give out to a local orphanage, with her husband, and this is their and she will not be stopping any time fourteenth year visiting the Park. soon. When they retired more than 20 years During a recent visit to a local flea ago, they tried wintering in California, market, Wood met another knitter who Florida, Arizona, and other warm- offered to deliver free, spare yarn to weather states, but Texas finally stuck. her. “We keep coming back because “I was expecting maybe a trash bag it’s the best bang for your buck, the full,” Wood said. “When she came by, weather is agreeable most of the time, the back of her SUV was stacked to and the people are wonderful,” Wood the roof. I distributed some between other people knitting for charity, and said. They spent their first two years the belly of my fifth wheel is still full.” sightseeing across the Valley, visiting So far this season, she’s made socks museums and hiking trails and parks and caps for 20 girls, 20 boys, and 10 but now spend most of their time with babies. “It’s just a pleasure to do,” Wood activities inside the Park. For years, Wood has hosted Ruby’s said. “And doing this serves several Jewelry Class to teach her neighbors purposes; it keeps my hands busy, how to make their own handmade keeps my mind busy, and keeps me items, which they either keep or out of the pantry and refrigerator so donate to a local senior day care to my clothes still fit.” •
If you have someone you’d like to nominate for Winter Texan of the Week, please visit our website, welcomehomergv.com/wintertexanoftheweek, and complete the application. We’ll be in touch with you if your nominee is selected.
Weekly e-Blasts
Stacy Madden sales@welcomehomergv.com Curt James Riester curt@welcomehomergv.com
Kristi’s e-Blasts are sent weekly October - March to our subscribers. Find out what’s happening across the Valley. These e-Blasts include helpful links and fliers for “Featured Events.” Sign up today at:
Travel Division
Kristy Meyer travel@welcomehomergv.com Stella Riester stella@welcomehomergv.com
info@welcomehomergv.com
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on Social Media!
Anna Talbert accounting@welcomehomergv.com
Editor
Chris Ardis news@welcomehomergv.com
Welcome Home RGV has several ways to join the action on social media. Our WHRGV Facebook page is dedicated to community events and information that will appeal to people of all ages. Our Winter Texan page is more specific to our Winter Texan target market. Finally, our latest addition is our Winter Texans RGV group. Member parks and business partners can send event fliers to us at:
Graphic Design
Jenny R Carpenter artwork@welcomehomergv.com
Social Media / Photographer Eryn Reddell-Wingert eryn@welcomehomergv.com
news@welcomehomergv.com
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Fran Adams fran@welcomehomergv.com
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Rita Huether rita@welcomehomergv.com
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rio grande valley
219 W. Nolana • McAllen, TX 78504
956-687-5115
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Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021
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IMAS Exhibit - Spectrum Dynamic Opens February 20 Special to Welcome Home RGV
T
he International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) announces the opening of a new exhibit, Spectrum Dynamic, February 20. Indiana University’s Caleb Weintraub, associate professor, Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture, and Design, and Dr. Dan Kennedy, associate professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Science, collaborated with staff and students at CIP Bloomington, Indiana, to complete a series of artwork entitled Spectrum Dynamic. CIP is an agency that assists young people on the Autism Spectrum. An initial body of work was part of (Re) imagining Science, an exhibition at the Grunwald Gallery of Art at Indiana University that featured collaborative projects by teams of researchers in the arts and sciences. “The goal of science is to find answers and to solve,” said Weintraub. “The goal of art may be to ask questions and to stimulate.
When these efforts are combined with an interest in people and our interactions with our world, the result is something altogether different...it yields a space for the reframing of conversations, the acknowledgment of difference, and the exercising of respect for the variety of human experience.” Spectrum Dynamic comprises a series of dye-sublimation prints and an accompanying video that presents visual interpretations of motor stereotypies, sometimes termed stimming. The community is invited to visit the IMAS exhibits Thursday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $1 (ages 4 and up). Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. are reserved for visitors with sensory sensitivities. For the most up-to-date information or advance tickets, visit theimasonline. org or call 956-681-2800. •
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Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
>> RIO GRANDE VALLEY RAILS CLUB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
received a brief lesson on how trains transported Valley crops far and wide, even more so after the introduction of refrigerated cars in the early 1900s. “Four things made the Valley what it is today,” Art begins, “the land will grow just about anything, the availability of water, the railroad allowed everything grown here to be shipped, and access to beautiful labor.” Frank adds, “Originally, all the irrigation was put in by developers that were brought down here by the railroad.” We are soon joined by Larry Toerber of Paradise Park in McAllen. Larry is a Winter Texan from Kansas. I learn that he worked for a railroad and retired from the federal government as a railroad accident and incident investigator. Art leads the four of us through a set of doors that open onto a landing. The men look over the landing rail, and I follow suit, witnessing an aerial view of a large model-train city. Their excitement and eagerness to show off the setup is warranted. It’s spectacular. At approximately 30’ by 30’, it fills the open space below. Art, the model curator and builder, says when he gives tours to school children, he likens this view to what a town looks like from an airplane. The description is spot-on, with the model’s telltale geometric shapes of houses, buildings, roads, and railways. Once downstairs, the minute details come into focus: miniature children playing basketball in a school yard with a yellow school bus parked nearby; laundry pinned to a minuscule clothes line in a backyard; a 1970s Volkswagen Beetle. There’s even a pumphouse. As I take it all in, Art makes his way over to the computerized control system, and Frank points out elements that pay homage to the Valley’s railway system. Soon, little warning lights flash as model trains begin to roll down the tracks. Converted Texan Red Knepfler of Mission West Resort and Ernie Olson of Alamo Palms Resort join us downstairs. Earlier, Art had shared there are four types of people who are drawn to model trains: builders, operators, collectors, and rail fans, or what he likes to call “gabbers,” people who sit around and just ‘gab’ about trains. For the next hour and forty-five minutes, that’s exactly what we did. The gentlemen graciously answered my questions as they touched on topics such as the vast history of the local rail lines, rail-line leases, the Railroad Express Office (the UPS of the day, according to Art.), tunable train whistles, roundhouses, the evolution of the dispatching system, and the RPO or Railway Post Office, just to name a few. For the most part, Red sits quietly against the wall, taking an occasional
sip from a thermal mug. When I ask him directly what inspired his love of trains, Art chimes in, “He has one of the finest collections of billboard boxcars!” As Art explains how companies utilized boxcars to advertise their product in the mid20th century, Red silently walks over to a corner of the room and retrieves examples of his collection to humbly show off. He eventually shares how he grew up a block away from a depot, and a childhood pastime was watching the trains roll in and out. “Did you know if you put a quarter right in front of the engine wheel, the train won’t move? Consider the weight of that locomotive!” I respond, “I’m sure you never did that, right?” His smirk belies the shake of his head as he turns to gather more examples of his collection. Red, Art, and Frank are members of the Rio Grande Valley Rails Club. Frank is the long-standing club president. The group was founded on modeling as a hobby about 25 years or so ago. The model was originally easy to dismantle and was showcased around the Valley, including Sunrise Mall in Brownsville, the Texas Air Museum in Rio Hondo, and the RGV Livestock Show, before finding a permanent home at the pumphouse. In turn, Ernie and Larry share a little background on the origins of their local group, The Retired Railroaders. “The Retired Railroaders have been around a long time. We have stories that will bore your head off,” Ernie shares as Larry chuckles in agreement. The retiree group was formed approximately three decades ago by a yard master from Minneapolis. Ernie, who hails from Minnesota, joined the group 23 years ago after a 45-year career with the railroad. One story he readily shares is about a member who worked on the movie The Runaway. Membership in both groups numbered in the forties but has dwindled over the years. A mutual interest in trains and the railway system informally unite the two clubs. The Rio Grande Valley Rails Club typically meets once a month at a local restaurant. Each Wednesday morning from nine to noon, Art and Red post themselves at the model-train site at the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum to operate. Frank is quick to clarify, with a smile, they do not ‘play’ with the model, they ‘operate’ it. After Art graciously provides a bonus tour of the pumphouse and surrounding grounds, I come away from the lively interview with a newfound respect for the impact the railroad--and its workers--had on our country and the Rio Grande Valley and the importance of its biggest fans passing on the history of the railroad to future generations. •
For more information or to schedule a tour of the Old Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum, visit theworldbirdingcenter.com or call 956-843-8686.
For more information about the Rio Grande Valley Rails Club,
contact Frank Jacobson, president, at 956-330-2489 or 956-686-1040.
Red Knepfler, Art Nemes, Ernie Olson, Frank Jacobson, and Larry Toerber stand beyond the 30’ by 30’ HO model train built and operated by the Rio Grande Valley Rails Club.
The center of the HO model train highlights elements of Mission.
The Rio Grande Valley Rails Club operates the model Wednesday mornings, 9:00 to noon.
Train depots within the model are representative of various Valley cities.
Within the model miniature figures are stagedin activities representing everyday life.
Red Knepfler and Larry Toerber visit as a train moves down the model tracks.
Rio Grande Valley Rails Club president Frank Jacobson visits with railroad industry retirees Ernie Olson and Larry Toerber.
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Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
Offshore Fishing on South Padre Island Special to Welcome Home RGV
O
ffshore waters are where the big fish roam. But don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to be an experienced angler to make a great catch. Whether you’ve been fishing for years or you’ve never held a rod and reel in your life, you can head out to the deep waters that surround South Padre Island and have a fishing trip to remember. Anglers and eco-tourists have noticed more fish around South Padre Island thanks to the Friends of the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Reef. Friends of RGV Reef have put efforts forth to create an artificial reef 13 miles northeast of the South Padre Island jetties. The Reef was built to protect baby red snapper and other fish species, as well as turtles and shrimp. At 1,650 acres, the Friends of RGV Reef is the largest artificial reef off the Texas Coast and certainly the most complex. While the RGV Reef isn’t the only place to offshore fish, it is one of South Padre Island’s gems for fishing. Many fishing charters take trips year
round. You can offshore fish all year on South Padre Island--during your summer vacation, for a winter getaway, and any time in between. You can expect to catch some well-known game fish in the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. The fish you catch depends on the season, but year-round, there is plenty of fish in the deep waters surrounding South Padre Island. Depending on how far off shore you go, here are some of the fish that can be caught surrounding South Padre Island: red snapper, amberjack, blue marlin, bonito, grouper, Jack crevalle, kingfish, ling, mahi-mahi, sailfish, tarpon, and tuna. Many fishing charters and tours provide bait and tackle, so all visitors have to do is show up to the boat docks. Most trips take a minimum of three hours, and many others are upwards of five to even eight hours long, which is great for fishing opportunities! Start planning your next adventure on South Padre Island at sopadre.com •
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Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021
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Oscar Sotelo, MD
BOARD-CERTIFIED DERMATOLOGIST
SRT-100 TM by
Speer Memorial Library to Host Discussion by William Renner, reference librarian of Book Educated S
peer Memorial Library in Mission invites you to join us Tuesday, March 2, for a discussion of the book Educated, to take place via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. in Spanish and at 6:30 p.m. in English. We will send a link for this virtual meeting to all who sign up. For 2021, we are providing an added incentive to participate in our Morton’s Book Club. Speer Memorial Library was the recipient of the Texas Reads Grant and will make free copies available, while supplies last, to people who sign up for our book discussions. This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and Texas State Library and Archives Commission (grant number TXR-21008). (2021) In this biographical story, the author talks about her childhood in rural Idaho, growing up in a survivalist family. Her father tended the family farm, sold scrap metal, worked in construction, and hoarded resources in preparation for the End of Days. Her mother, a midwife and herbalist, prepared all sorts of herbal concoctions to remedy all sorts of ailments. The family had to rely on these herbal remedies because the author’s father did not believe in doctors. Nor did he believe in schools; her mother schooled the children at home, as much as the father would allow, and the author recalls acquiring old textbooks to read on various subjects in order to educate herself. She
didn’t even have a birth certificate until she was nine years old. But one day, against her father’s wishes, one of her brothers, Tyler, decided to leave home and go to college. Tyler’s love of learning had already left an impression on her, and that impression would, years later, conspire with unfolding events to lead her to consider taking the same path herself. Written by Tara Westover and first published in 2018, Educated is a journey of self-discovery, a story about breaking old bonds, uncovering new horizons, and learning the true value of an education. For more information or to sign up for the book discussion, please call our Reference Desk at 580-8754 or send an email to reference@ missiontexas.us. (Please include your name, telephone number, and how you heard about the book discussion). We will send a link for the meeting to all who sign up. Speer Memorial Library is located at 12th and Kika De La Garza in Mission. Our library is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19 prevention measures, but we are doing curbside service (except for holidays) Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The Library’s homepage can be accessed for information via the Internet at www.mission.lib.tx.us. Stay up to date with the latest events going on at our neighborhood library by joining our Facebook page at www.facebook. com/speermemoriallibrary. • Rick W Bassett, M.D.
To all our patients and people who need care for their knee and hip pain. We are still here to service you! Using special precautions and ultra clean rooms, we have seen more than five hundred patients at our clinic in the past four months. With laminar air operating rooms and minimally invasive surgery, ninety percent of our patients have gone home in 12 hours, walking after a knee replacement or hip replacement. Same day surgery (outpatient). Those patients who need to stay in the hospital have a private room. Not one person has had an infection. Thank you, Rick W. Bassett, M.D.
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
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Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
THROUGH
ERYN’S LENS Exclusive to Welcome Home RGV Photos: Eryn Reddell-Wingert
Hidalgo Viejo (Old Hidalgo) Historic District
‘T
Hidalgo
he District’ in the city of Hidalgo comprises historic buildings that tell part of the city’s rich history. Colorful homes-turnedbusinesses are situated just across the street from the historic Hidalgo Pumphouse Museum, which is also part of the World Birding Center. A few blocks away sits a cluster of buildings, including the old Hidalgo County Courthouse and jail, constructed with handmade bricks from Mexico that date back to the 1800s. (Source: texastropicaltrail.com) •
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
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www.welcomehomergv.com • • • Exclusive to Welcome Home RGV
Green Gate Grove Palmview, Texas CAPTURES
February 2021
Photos by Ron Kowalczyk
This week’s images from Ron Kowalczyk offer further proof of the wide variety of cacti that thrive in the Rio Grande Valley. Ron shares images from his neighborhood in Green Gate Grove in Palmview. •
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February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
with Chaplain Roy Gee
• How Unlikely Was It That God Called You? •
Jeremiah 1:5; Isaiah 44:2; and 49:1
Have you ever wondered, with all
the people in the world, why would God call you? Do you think God could have made a mistake? Have you ever felt you were not worthy of God’s calling on your life? Are we living up to the call of God? Are we doing all we can to serve Him with all honor, glory, and praise? In the verses above, we see God knew you before you were born. He even knew your name. God formed you in the womb; you were not an accident. God made you by using your mom and dad. He did this, according to Isaiah 44:2. “Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb who will help you.” God had a plan and a purpose for you, and he knew all about you, even before your parents might have known your name. But you see, God who knows all and sees all knew exactly who you were then and now, and he chose you for a purpose. His purpose was for you to bring glory and honor to the kingdom of God. Can you and I see us bringing that honor to God who knew us before we were born? Can we imagine what God called all those aborted babies over the years to do? God did not wait to see how we would respond, how and if we would do His will. Just as today, God did not wait to see if we would be good people, honest people, church-going people, “but while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In every situation, God has called us out of millions and millions
Chaplain Roy Gee is chaplain to the board of directors of Caring Resources Ministries, Int’l. This is the governing board for Christian Resort Ministries (CRM), which places chaplains in RV resorts/parks across the RGV, Arizona, and Florida. Chaplain Gee and his wife, Paula, served for many years in the RGV in multiple RV parks, most recently at Big Valley RV Park in Donna. They are now semi-retired, living in Joshua, Texas.
of people to come to Him in the forgiveness of sin. He could have called anyone, but he called you. Have you accepted that call? Are you doing God’s will today? God called you before you were born. God called you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Have you come to the place where you know for sure that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? You can know for sure (1 John 5:13). Do not be fooled. Life is short; eternity is forever. Do not put off the most important decision you can ever make. Ask Jesus to forgive you, repent of your sins, and follow Jesus today before it is too late. He is still calling men and women. Will you accept the call? •
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Bar & Grill and Special Event Center
WE ARE OPEN!
TRY OUR TEXAS SIZE PORK TENDERLOIN
There’s Nothing Wrong with a Four-Day Party
Special to Welcome Home RGV
T
hanks to everyone who came out in person or joined us via Zoom and enjoyed our 7th Annual Yarn Tasting. As with everything these days, it was different, and y’all were wonderful! Hosting the Yarn Tasting over four days--not one--gave us the time and space to do all the usual “yarn-fun” things. And there’s nothing wrong with a FOUR-DAY yarn party, right? We kicked off the week with the announcement of the final donation count for 2020. Drum roll, please. The Donation Chest total for 2020 was 4777, and that surpassed 2019. The theme for this year’s Yarn Tasting was Helping Hands. Several of our friends put their hands to work and created our decorations of mitts and
mittens. We are so grateful to all of our Helping Hands, as they put their hands to work for this ministry and have encouraged and brightened the day for so many. We are looking forward to 2021 and our Donation Chest filling and filling again as more people come and join in the fun. We are also grateful for all of the pretty weather all week; our outside Sit-n-Knit was put to good use. It was great to see so many friends use this space to re-connect and have a good time visiting and catching up. There were projects worked on and a little show-n-tell, too. Inside, the new yarns and projects were enjoyed by everyone, along with new pattern choices shared.
Now there’s more show-n-tell to look forward to in our future. It is always so much fun to see all the talent and joy that comes from it every day. We do hope you’ll come join in with us and become a PEG! Pray, Encourage, Give. Remember, The Lamb’s Loom is not just a yarn shop; it’s a ministry and a mindset. The Lamb’s Loom is located at 1102 Tamarack in McAllen. We are open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional parking is available in the rear via Upas Avenue. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and our website (thelambsloom.com). •
#stitch1share1 #LambsLoomFun
Wednesday ............... 11am - 8pm Thursday .................. 11am - 8pm Friday ...................... 11am - 8pm Saturday................... 11am - 8pm Sunday..................... 11am - 8pm SOCIAL DISTANCE SEATING
Relax outside by the Rio Grande River. Plenty of outside seating on our covered deck & patio. Plenty of inside dining area as well. Face Mask required.
*Event Center Available for Park Gatherings*
LIVE MUSIC Sundays • 1:30PM - 5:30PM
Steven May & Leon Mann Limited Seating. Face Mask Required.
• Only 15 couples on the dance floor at a time. • You are only allowed to dance with who you came with or someone sitting at your table. • No mingling allowed
Riverside Dreamer RIVER TOURS CALL TODAY 956-581-4477 *** RESERVATIONS SUGGESTED *** Additional boat rides added as needed 1 HOUR RIVER TOUR
Wednesday ............1:00pm Thursday ...............1:00pm Friday ...................1:00pm Saturday................1:00pm
SENIORS $12 FACE MASK REQUIRED
• Covered Cushion Seating • Enclosed Windows & Heating
$ CASH ONLY $
PRICE INCLUDES TAX
No Outside Beverages / Food Allowed Passenger Minimum for Departures: 15 for 1 Hour
PRIVATE TOURS AVAILABLE 956-581-1033 • www.ontheriver.net 214 E. Chimney Rd. • Mission Riverside in-MissionTx
16
February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
saving you more!
COUPON
CONNECTION
Our weekly coupon section will help you SAVE while you are
here. Visit our website www.welcomehomergv.com for more printable coupons. •
3 $ 00 3 $
RS
URE TOURS PPER DOLPHIN WATCH & ECO TOURS SUNSET CRUISES PORT OF BROWNSVILLE NATURE TOURS DEEP SEA FISHING - RED SNAPPER BAY FISHING
00
ANY ACTIVITY (Not valid with any other offers.) Expires 3/31/2021
956.761.2764 956.761.4752 www.islatours.com Find us on Facebook
Welcome Home Winter Texans!
MARKHAM’S WHEEL ALIGNING Wheel Aligning & Spring Shop
Proudly serving the Rio Grande Valley for over 70 years
Cars • Trucks • RVs • Trailers • Motor Homes
For All of your Automotive Needs!
513 W Business 83 • McAllen, TX • (956) 686-7661
www.markhamsautomotive.com
Your Safety is our business. God Bless America.
• Suspension Specialist • Complete Spring Shop - U Bolts • Brakes • Oil Changes • Radiator - Engine - Transmission • Flushes • Tuneups • Balancing • Alignments on Cars, Trucks, RVs, Trailers, Motor Homes
www.welcomehomergv.com
••• sp tted RGV in the
Exclusive to Welcome Home RGV Photo by Eryn Reddell Wingert
The Shary Memorial Chapel Palmhurst
Nestled on the outskirts of an orange grove on Shary Road in Palmhurst is the Shary Memorial Chapel, the final resting place of John H. Shary and his wife, Mary. Mr. Shary is widely credited as the father of the Rio Grande Valley citrus industry, recognizing the potential for citrus farming soon after arriving here in 1912. The chapel is located across the street from the historic Shary Mansion. The Shary family also owned homes in Omaha, Nebraska, and Branson, Missouri. Plans are underway by the City of Palmhurst to develop the Shary Chapel Municipal Park, with the chapel serving as the Park’s focal point. (Source: tshaonline.org) •
•••
Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021 17 Bit-O-Heaven RV and Mobile Home Resort
JOIN THE FUN!
SHOW
1051 W. Bus Hwy 83 Donna, TX 78537
www.bit-o-heaven.net EVERY TUESDAY : HAPPY HOUR NOT OPEN TO PUBLIC
EVERY WEDNESDAY : ENTERTAINMENT
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC • OUTSIDE Ice cream bars for sale/BYOB MASKS REQUIRED • THANK YOU
Performance by Kai
STREET DANCE FRIDAY : OUTSIDE/DAYTIME
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
$10 Entry fee first car; $5 each additional car Fee includes lunch; lunch available for $4 for spectators Bring a chair and watch the races; free admission Sponsored by COBA Internet Systems, New Sun Racing & RGV Raceway Cash prizes and trophies
Saturday, February 20th Doors will open to public at 6:30pm
Ticket $8.00 at door BYOB * Snack Bar Available * No outside food *Social Distancing and Masks Required* *Temperatures taken at door*
4770 N. Mayberry Road Mission, TX 78573
956-580-4545
Terry Miller • Activity Director
Feb. 10ENTERTA • Tom Buller • $8.00 INMENT MORE Singer/Guitarist IN MARCH COMING
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM • OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BYOB, Snacks; Popcorn and soda for sale BRING YOUR OWN CHAIRS • THANK YOU
Feb. 19 • Steven May Band • $8.00 Feb. 26 • Top Line Country Band • $8.00 Mar. 5 • DJ dance • For Park Residents Only Mar. 10 • Sweetwater Band • $8.00 Mar. 19 • Steven May Band • $8.00
EVERY THIRD FRIDAY • 11:00AM R/C TRACK RACING
EVERY SATURDAY JAM SESSION : OUTSIDE
BYOB & Snacks MASKS REQUIRED • THANK YOU
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM Come and sing or play or just listen
CRAFT FAIR : OUTSIDE
Second Friday Every Month (Nov - Mar) 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Bake sale Items MASKS REQUIRED • THANK YOU
PATIO SALES
Second Saturday Every Month (Nov - Mar) 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM • Pick up map at Front gate MASKS REQUIRED • THANK YOU
Susan Thomas, A C T I V I T Y
DIRECTOR
603-396-2786 / fulltimers@earthlink.net
18
February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
DELICIOUS RECIPES
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com
ZESTY BITES
RECIPE CONNECTION
INSTANT MEALS
Looking for that amazing treat that will satisfy your craving! Each week we will offer you a variety of recipes that you can try from those who truly enjoy food and want to share! •
Entertaining at a Distance
This
APPETIZING DELIGHTS
• • • with Sandy Olson • • •
is a hearty dip, filled with good ingredients. An authentic Italian sausage is a must •
•••
The Border Cook
•••
Texas Low-Country Boil Submitted by Randy Hoelscher, The Border Cook
Des Moines Sausage Dip • 8 oz. fresh mushrooms, white-button or baby bellas • 8 oz. real sour cream, not low-fat • 1 small red onion, diced • 2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced • 1 small green bell pepper, diced • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened • 1 pound Italian sausage browned and drained • Garlic salt and onion powder, to taste Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and sauté the mushrooms, onion, and green pepper until tender but not brown. Mix the cooked vegetables with all of the other ingredients in a large bowl and taste for seasoning. Combine well but gently. Put everything into a small slow cooker and cook on LOW for at least 2 hours to let the flavors blend and soften the tomato pieces. Serve with tortilla chips. NOTE: Real Italian sausage always has fennel seed in it. Some sausage sold as Italian omits this ingredient, but you can add 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed to each pound of loose sausage to make it more flavorful. Do this the day before, if possible, and refrigerate to blend the flavors. •
I am calling this dish a Texas Boil because that is where we live. I do not think
Lifelong foodie, restaurant reviewer, cooking teacher, and summer Iowan, Sandy Olson spends the Winter-Texan season at Palm Shadows RV Park in Donna. This season, Sandy will be sharing recipes for appetizers you can serve your guests while entertaining and social distancing. You
can contact Sandy at midwestfoodie@gmail.com.
Some Like It Hot Sweet Potato Soufflé •••
•••
Submitted by The Junior League of McAllen, Inc.
Serves 6 • 3 cups mashed, cooked sweet • 2 eggs • ½ cup milk • 4 tablespoons butter • ½ cup sugar • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • ¼ teaspoon salt
potatoes • • • •
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed ½ cup self-rising flour ½ cup chopped pecans 4 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 8x8 casserole dish. Combine sweet potatoes, milk, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs; place in casserole dish. Mix brown sugar, flour, pecans, and butter; sprinkle on top. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. • The Junior League of McAllen, Inc. envisions significantly improving the quality of life of the children and youth of our community by preserving the innocence of childhood, encouraging responsibility, and promoting a safe environment. Cookbooks can be purchased through the Junior League website at www.juniorleaguemcallen.org, as well as at Barn White and Quips & Quotes in McAllen.
anyone can really claim to own the concept of a seafood boil; it is prepared almost everywhere there is a seacoast nearby. Virtually all of the recipes I researched contained these five items: shrimp, crab, sausage, potatoes, and corn on the cob. The proportions of these items varied widely, so I had to be inventive when deciding how much of each to use to serve our guests. Seasoning for the Boil varied widely, as well, with a strong representation from Old Bay and Zatarain’s. I decided to try a 3-ounce boil-in-bag of Louisiana Fish Fry Products Crawfish, Shrimp, and Crab Boil. I would have preferred a slightly spicier mix. I ignored the recipes calling for onions and one that called for 30 cloves of garlic! As presented, this recipe was designed to serve 6 people. • 3 lbs. of raw jumbo gulf shrimp – peeled and deveined with tails left intact • 1 – 14 oz. package of smoked sausage – cut into one-inch pieces • 1½ - 2 lb. baby red potatoes • 3 clusters of snow crab legs – thawed and divided into 6 portions • 1 - 32 oz. package of thawed blue crabs (Gumbo Crabs) • 6 ears of fresh or thawed frozen corn on the cob – each ear cut into 3 pieces • Shrimp boil seasoning – such as Zatarain’s, Old Bay, or the Louisiana Fish Fry one mentioned above • 2 lemons – quartered • Salt For serving, make the following: Butter sauce: Melt 1½ sticks salted butter and stir in 4 Tbsp (or to taste) fresh lemon juice. Shrimp cocktail sauce: Use about a cup of ketchup and add a Tbsp. or more of prepared horseradish and a teaspoon or more of Worcestershire Sauce, to taste. For the Boil, fill a large stock pot with enough water to cover the other ingredients. Add a couple tablespoons of salt, your chosen seasoning, and two quartered lemons to the water and bring to a boil. Add the other ingredients in the following order. Add the potatoes and sausage and return to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes. Add the corn and crab; boil for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Add the shrimp and boil for about 3 - 4 minutes until shrimp shells are pink. Remove from the heat. Scoop out the cooked ingredients; drain and serve. The Boil is often served on a bed of newspapers. We used a plastic tablecloth and paper towels. Cook’s Note: You may wish to serve with crusty bread or hushpuppies. • Randy Hoelscher is a transplanted Texan living in the Rio Grande Valley. He enjoys being “The Border Cook,” spreading the word about Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine on his website, TheBorderCook.com, as well as on Facebook: The Border Cook.
www.welcomehomergv.com
•••
Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • February 17, 2021 19
bon appetit! with
Executive Chef Bettina
Tolin
Comforting Classic Beef Stew
Jazz Breakfast Sunday 9:00am to 1:00pm
Daily Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Specials
956-761-PIER (7437) www.Pier19.us 1 Padre Blvd. South Padre Island
From Causeway, turn right on Padre Blvd. You’ll see our sign one block on the right.
With this frigid overcast weather, we look to dishes that are warm and comforting. Here is a classic dish that will lift your spirits and warm you from the inside out. Admittedly, it does involve a longer list of ingredients but it isn’t difficult to make at all. The flavors build starting with the red wine and the fresh herbs and through the braising process the inexpensive meat becomes tender and delicious. Go ahead try it. I promise it will be worth the effort! Bon Appétit! • • 1/4 cup pure olive oil • 3 tablespoons butter • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 to 3 lbs beef chuck shoulder roast, cut into • 2-inch pieces (this cut may also be called boneless chuck roast) • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 1 bottle good quality dry red wine (recommended: Burgundy or Merlot) • 8 fresh thyme sprigs • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves • 2 bay leaves • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, low or no sodium • 9 small new potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut in 1/2 • 1/2 pound carrots, peeled and sliced thick • 2 cups frozen pearl onions • 1 pound white mushrooms, cut in ½ • Sugar • Extra Virgin Olive oil • Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
• • •
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat with the oil and butter. While the pan is heating, arrange the flour on a large dish. Season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and then toss in the flour to coat. Shake off the excess flour and add the beef pieces in a single layer to the hot pan. Do this in batches so as not to over crowd the pan. Be sure to brown all of the pieces on all sides and then remove them to a plate and set aside. Add the wine to the pan over high heat and bring up to a simmer while you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon being sure to loosen up all those delicious bits. Once the wine is hot, add the browned meat, thyme, smashed garlic, ground cloves, freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered until the liquids start to thicken, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours. After 2 hours add potatoes, carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms, as well as a pinch of sugar, which will balance the acid from the red wine. Turn the heat up slightly and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes more, until the vegetables and meat are tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. To serve, place the stew in a soup bowl, garnish with parsley, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with a piece of crusty bread. •
• • • • • • •
Bettina Tolin is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin Texas. She has cooked in the kitchens of the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, Florida. She is currently the Executive Chef and owner of Marcello’s Ocean Grille & Spirits overlooking the historic lighthouse in Port Isabel, Texas. Marcello’s Ocean Grille & Spirits was recently written up in Texas Monthly magazine as the new trending restaurant for dinner and brunch in the South Padre Island area.
This Week’s Recipe is Brought to You By: Pier 19 Restaurant and Bar
20
February 17, 2021 • • • Welcome
Home WINTER TEXAN • • • www.welcomehomergv.com