Posted by Nancy Millar on Mon, May 13, 2013 @ 10:00 AM
McAllen Farmers Market at Fireman's Park
Saturday May 18, 2013 - 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Join the Grow n Growers Cooperative for an abundance of locally grown produce on the following Saturdays from 8:30 am - 11:30 am.
Fireman's Park is located on the corner of Business 83 & 1st St
McAllen Texas
For more information contact:
Barbara Storz
956-383-1026
Posted by Jeramie Heflin on Thu, Mar 28, 2013 @ 03:21 PM
Grow’n Growers
A Community Cooperative
Sponsored by: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
March 30, 2013 - Hidalgo County, Texas http://www.facebook.com/grow.n.growers
Editor: Barbara Storz, M.S., Horticulturist http://hidalgo.agrilife.org
This Week at Market – March 30th The cool weather we are experiencing has kept the lettuce and strawberries going. What a beautiful selection of lettuce and the strawberries are very sweet! This unusual weather pattern has extended harvest on beets, carrots, kohlrabi, fennel, and other fall crops. We will also have tomato, peppers, squash and a large variety of fresh herbs, honey, pastured beef, pecans, and sprouts to add to your favorite soup or salad. Do you need more eggs for the Easter hunt – we have those, as well. Join us on Saturday for the freshest items to add to Sunday’s Easter Dinner.
Juanita Has Pesto and Meat Rubs!
Juanita Ramos is harvesting herbs, especially basil, this week. She will have fresh pesto thisSaturday and herbal meat rubs – one for beef and one for chicken. These are just in time for your Easter cook-out, so don’t miss these. Juanita is also going to demonstrate pasta/pesto.
Small Acreage Business Planning, March 28th
To access loans and grants, producers need a business plan and need to know what kind of records will be required. We are holding a free workshop from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm at the Texas A&M Research andExtensionCenterand lunch is included. Reservations are a must, at (956) 383-1026.
Mexican Mint Marigold
Mexican mint marigold, Tagetes lucida, is also known as Spanish tarragon or Yerbis Anis. This perfect substitute for French tarragon, thrives in hot climates and, once established, is fairly drought tolerant. Mexican mint marigold is a native ofMexico and Guatemala.
To multiply a planting, divide these every couple of years and be sure to apply water until new roots are formed and the plants are established. Mexican mint marigold blooms in the fall and summer in south Texas offering nectar for bees and butterflies.
You can use the leaves to make an anise flavored tea, chop fresh leaves for salads, dressings, or season chicken and fish. It is best to add the Mexican mint marigold toward the end of the cooking to retain the full flavor.
Urban Farming Workshop – April 12th (Free!)
This program will give you a window on what you will need to start a small urban farming operation. This workshop is perfect for those who have been thinking about doing something with a small piece of land, but are not sure what would work best. Program will run from 9:00 am to 11:30 am with time for questions. Seating is limited. Call our office, 956/383-1026, to register.
Posted by Nancy Millar on Tue, Feb 19, 2013 @ 10:22 AM
BorderFest, South Texas' largest and oldest heritage and music festival, returns to celebrate the cultural treasures of Mexico from Thursday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 3, at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas. The event will showcase some of Mexico's most revered craftsmen and performing artists, such as the famed acrobats of the Flying Tribe of Papantla, along with several of the biggest names in popular music on both sides of the border.
Following in the footsteps of Demi Lovato, Janet Jackson and other superstars who have headlined BorderFest will be one of the hottest acts in country music, Zac Brown Band. Best known for catchy songs such as "Chicken Fried," "Toes" and "As She's Walking Away," the Atlantabased band most recently captured the prize for Best Country Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards held this month. Zac Brown Band will perform Friday, March 1, inside the arena.
Honoring the event as its 2013 International Ambassadors will be the prestigious musical troupe Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, known for more than 100 years as the definite sound of classic Mexican music, and Dra. Ana Maria Polo, the star of the smash court TV show, "Caso Cerrado.
BorderFest will host an array of tejano, norteno, country and Latin pop/rock hitmakers at this year's event, including Pesado, Los Palominos, Los Herederos de Nuevo Leon, Los Igualados, La Ley and John Conlee. Also appearing will be cover bands Revolucion de Amor, Ramble On and Mysterious Ways, who will pay tribute to the songbooks of Mana, Led Zeppelin and U2, respectively.
The attractions fans have come to expect at BorderFest will be back and better than ever, including the Budweiser Grand Parade, the Action 4 Illuminated Evening Parades, the Stripes Treasures of Mexico, the Bert Ogden auto exhibit, the HEB Health and Wellness Pavilion and other popular exhibits. Plus, attendees can watch a brandnew fireworks extravaganza after sunset on the evenings of Saturday, March 2, and Sunday, March 3.
The public may purchase twoday advance tickets at any Stripes convenience store locations within Hidalgo County for only $13.
BorderFest 2013 is proudly presented by Kraft and many other generous sponsors. Tickets to the Zac Brown Band concert can be purchased at the State Farm Arena box office or online at ticketmaster.com <http://ticketmaster.com/> . For more information on BorderFest, call (956) 8432286 or (956) 8432734, or visit www.myborderfest.com <http://www.myborderfest.com/> .
______________________________
BORDERFEST 2013 COMIENZA EL JUEVES, 28 DE FEBRERO
BorderFest, el festival más grande y con la más grande herencia cultural en el sur de Texas, regresa para celebrar los tesoros culturales de México, del Jueves 28 de Febrero al Domingo, 3 de Marzo, en el State Farm Arena en Hidalgo, Texas. El evento presentará algunos de los más grandes artesanos mexicanos y artistas, como los aclamados Voladores de Papantla, junto con artistas musicales reconocidos en ambos lados de la frontera.
Siguiendo los pasos de Demi Lovato, Janet Jackson y otras estrellas musicales que han encabezado BorderFest, la banda Zac Brown Band será uno de los actos más esperados. Mejor conocidos por sus canciones como "Chicken Fried", "Toes" y "As She's Walking Away", la banda originaria de Atlanta ganó recientemente el premio al Mejor Album Country en los Grammys 2013. Zac Brown Band se presentará el Viernes, 1 de Marzo dentro de la arena.
Honrando el evento como el Embasador Internacional 2013, el prestigioso grupo Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, conocido por más de 100 años por su clásica música mexicana, y la Dra. Ana María Polo, protagonista del show de Television "Caso Cerrado".
BorderFest será anfitrión de una variedad de artistas de música tejana, norteña, country y Pop/Rock Latino este año, incluyendo en su lista a Pesado, Los Palominos, Los Herederos de Nuevo Leon, Los Igualados, La Ley y John Lee Conlee. También se presentarán las bandas Revolución de Amor y Mysterious Ways, haciendo tributo a los grupos Mana y U2.
Las atracciones que los fans de BorderFest esperan han regresado, y mejor que nunca, incluyendo el Gran Desfile Budweiser, el desfile iluminado de Action 4, los Tesoros de México presentados por Stripes, la exhibición de Bert Ogden, el Pabellón de Salud y Bienestar de HEB y otras exhibiciones populares. Además, los espectadores podrán admirar nuestros extravagantes fuegos artificiales en la noche del Sábado, 2 de Marzo y Domingo, 3 de Marzo.
BorderFest 2013 es orgullosamente presentado por Kraft y otros generosos patrocinadores. Boletos para el concierto de Zac Brown Band pueden ser adquiridos en las taquillas de State Farm Arena o en línea en ticketmaster.com <http://ticketmaster.com/> . Para más información sobre BorderFest, favor de llamar al (956) 8432286 o al (956)8432734 o visíte www.myborderfest.com <http://www.myborderfest.com/> .
Posted by Nancy Millar on Thu, Dec 13, 2012 @ 04:17 PM
The community is invited to a farmers market, this Saturday, December 15, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am, at Firemen's Park, in McAllen. See attached flyer with additional information.
The Colibri Children’s Choir, of McAllen, will serenade shoppers with Christmas carols this Saturday morning starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Grow'n Growers Market. Based at the McAllen Creative Incubator, Colibri is a small community children’s choir that started just over a year ago. Their director is Carol J. Brown a McAllen music educator and member of the Grow’n Growers. Come to the market and enjoy the sounds of the season!
Posted by McAllen CVB on Thu, Jun 14, 2012 @ 03:07 PM
Farmers market heads to Firemen's Park from San Juan
The Monitor
McALLEN — Texas A&M University plans to move a weekly farmers market from San Juan to McAllen in November.
The market started four years ago at North San Juan Park as a partnership between the university’s AgriLife Extension Service and Hidalgo County Precinct 2, said Extension Agent Barbara Storz, who organizes the weekly market. In November, it will move to Town Lake at Firemen’s Park, 201 N. 1st Street.
“We’re not going to abandon San Juan, we’re just going to change the hours,” Storz said. AgriLife will continue holding classes and tending a demonstration garden in San Juan, but move the Saturday farmers market to McAllen.
Members of the AgriLife Extension’s Grow’n Growers Cooperative sell about 30 kinds of vegetables, some fruit and other items requested by regular customers. It’s one of several markets that have popped up across Hidalgo County, responding to demand for local, organic produce.
In Mission, a four-month-old market organized by the Chamber of Commerce held a well-attended cooking demonstration last week, while vendors sold organic tomatoes, honey and herbs. Weslaco also holds a regular farmers market, which overlaps with the Economic Development Corp.’s popular Alfresco Weslaco event. And the Good Samaritan Church in Pharr has a market and education program in the works.
At Firemen’s Park, the Grow’n Growers market will go head-to-head with Alhambra, which started a farmers market two years ago. They’ll both operate on Saturday mornings.
Alhambra’s market helped spark the new market in Mission, and Alhambra Executive Chef James Canter helps coordinate the Weslaco market.
“It started out really shaky,” Canter said. “It was up and down and all around.”
Before moving to the Rio Grande Valley to help open Alhambra, Canter worked as a buyer for several San Francisco restaurants. Farmers markets provided inexpensive fresh food and a personal connection with the seller.
“You are speaking one-on-one with the person that has cultivated your food from seed to when you purchase it,” Canter said.
Eventually, the market helped Alhambra’s restaurant purchase 75 percent of the food served from local farmers and ranchers. The restaurant closed, but continues catering and organizing special events. Canter helped form a nonprofit called the RGV Farmers Market Alliance, which aims to consolidate the region’s markets.
Having fewer markets would eliminate confusion among customers and draw larger crowds, which would benefit vendors and customers, Canter said.
“That’s the downside of the farmers market boom,” Canter said.
--
Dave Hendricks covers McAllen and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at dhendricks@themonitor.com and (956) 683-4452.
Posted by Nancy Millar on Thu, Sep 29, 2011 @ 05:23 PM
Another group says “Let’s Meet in McAllen” by signing a Letter of Intent with the McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Texas Association of Sports Officials has committed to holding their Football Division Annual State Meeting in July of 2012 at the magnificent McAllen Convention Center.
This event will gather about 700 football officials for about 3 and half days, generating an estimated benefit of $294,000 to the area. Fiscal Year to date 2010-2011 convention sales are at 17 convention center events, and 27 events taking place at hotels or other locations, but generating 8,968 total hotel room nights with an estimated economic benefit of $7,513,960.
From left to right: Andy Scott (TASO Local Chapter), Tom Weakly (TASO and Team McAllen member), Julian Alvarez (TASO Board Member); and Teo Rojas and Victor Castillo with McAllen CVB.
Andy Scott, chairman of the TASO Local Chapter, says he’s excited to be able to plan and organize another event in the Rio Grande Valley. “Now it’s time to plan and work on all the details to make it an unforgettable event.”
Team McAllen
Tom Weakley who has been instrumental in bringing both the American Legion State Convention and the Texas Association of Sports Officials’ Football Division Annual State Meeting back in 2009, is also a Team McAllen Award recipient. Weakley worked hard with Julian Alvarez, a TASO board member, and Victor Castillo, Convention Sales Director, in order to bring TASO’s football officials back to the “City of Palms” once again after a successful event in ’09.