Texas Border Business
Now in its 5th year, the McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B, continues to find ways to connect to the community. That is why Budweiser has created a special promotion and commemorative token of the McAllen Holiday Parade to highlight the 5th anniversary of the award-winning event. Starting next week, Budweiser will host Pint Night at five locations throughout Mcallen leading up to the parade, where patrons will be able to enjoy a Budweiser and receive a special token of the McAllen Holiday Parade.
“L&F Distributors is so proud to sponsor the McAllen Holiday Parade because this event has come to define our community: celebrating McAllen’s, the Rio Grande Valley’s and South Texas’s culture, traditions, and beliefs with the world in a beautifully imaginative way,ˮ said Val La Mantia Piesen, Managing Partner of L&F Distributors. “L&F Distributor is a part of this community, this region, and this parade and the parade is a part of us.ˮ
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling echoed La Mantia’s comments, stating that L&F Distributors and Budweiser is a part of McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas and the celebrations, milestones and important moments that help bring families and friends together. He also cited the beer distributor‘s corporate responsibility throughout the region that positively impacts the community, supporting various important and beneficial causes.
ʺThis Bud’s for you, ˮ said Mayor Darling.
ʺWe are proud to create a special glass that unites Budweiser, the King of Beers with the McAllen Holiday Parade, the Best Parade in the World,“ said Bobby Casso, General Manager of L&F McAllen. ʺThese five Pint Nights will help get everyone in the spirit of the season, while also walking away with a beautiful and fun moment of the McAllen Holiday Parade.“
Pint Night by Budweiser will be celebrated at the following locals around McAllen:
- November 7: Wallbangers, 8024 N. 10th St., 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.;
- November 8: The Quarter, 100 E. Nolana Ave., 8:00 – 9:00 p.m;
- November 12: American Legion Post 37, (Veterans Day, observed), 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.;
- November 21: London’s Bar & Tavern, 129 E. Nolana Ave., 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.;
- November 30: Bourbon St. Grill, 4800 N. 10th St., 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Another reason to celebrate? Another Dallas Cowboys legend is coming to the McAllen Holiday Parade. True-blue fans will be delighted to know that Super Bowl Champion Tony Hill, former wide-receiver, #80, Dallas Cowboys, will be returning once again to charm and excite the fans during his time in McAllen. Hill is best remembered for his ʺImmaculate Catchʺ against the Miami Dolphins.
ʺI’m really excited to see Tony, ˮ continued Darling. ʺMany of us who are die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans remember players like Tony Hill and the other Super Bowl winning players who helped define them as America’s Team. I need to make sure to bring my helmet so Tony can sign it, ˮ he concluded.
Equally excited to be a part of the event again is Hill himself. ʺI had such a rewarding experience at last year’s McAllen Holiday Parade, not just in meeting so many die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans, but also and most especially, my time spent with the Capable Kids Organization was so fulfilling for me personally, I had to come back and get a chance to meet with them again,ˮ said the former four-time Pro-Bowler. ʺI also expect that the love that the Rio Grande Valley Dallas Cowboys fans have for the boys will be heard all the way from McAllen along the parade route and up to Dallas that will take them to the playoffs and beyond.“
Event organizers want to stress that attendees make appropriate plans to be able to get to all of the McAllen Holiday Parade festivities, stress-free and on-time, by being aware of traffic road closures around the parade route. Attendees should look to the event website, at www.McAllenHolidayParade.com and social media handles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for maps of ongoing road closures, as well as other timely parade information. Event organizers are still recruiting volunteers to help be a part of the magic of the parade, so anyone who wishes to sign up, aged 16 and up, please sign up at www.volunteersotx.org.
“On the day of the parade, over 260,000 are all trying to get to the same location, at the same time,ˮ said Joe Vera, Assistant City Manager for the McAllen Holiday Parade and brainchild of the event. ʺAttendees cannot get expect to leave their house at five o’clock and park next to the stadium or the parade route. Avoid the hassle of traffic and road closures, head to the South Texas College campus on Pecan Boulevard and take the free Park & Ride Polar Express. There is nothing easier.ˮ
“The McAllen Holiday Parade is the region’s foremost event of the holiday season. For such, the McAllen Police Department leads a multi-law enforcement agency effort to render the event safe,ˮ said McAllen Chief of Police Victor Rodriguez. ˮ “Over a dozen departments, including various federal, state, and county law enforcement agencies operate from a Joint Operation Command Center to oversee event safety. These agencies deploy assets and equipment beginning the week of the event. ˮ
According to Chief Rodriguez, the work of his hard-working police officers, as well as tips and cooperation from citizens, is what has helped to give McAllen its lowest crime rate in over 34 years. ʺThat cooperation and partnership will be just as important for the safety of the event as it is in the daily operations of the McAllen Police Department to keep the community safe.ˮ
The McAllen Holiday Parade, presented by H-E-B, has twice been named the Best Parade in the World and the Best Parade in Texas, the only parade in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas with these well-deserved recognitions.
