Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas — Imagine if you could touch history and feel the rhythm of culture? Back for its 30th year, Pioneer and Ranching Crafts Day returns Saturday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. to celebrate and showcase the heritage of South Texas and northeastern Mexico through music, food and hands-on activities.
Edinburg North High School Mariachi Oro will commence the festivities with their whimsical horns, strings, and voices. The talented students have impressed the crowds with Mexican ballads at the museum for many years. Local folklórico groups, such as Conceptos Entidad DancÃstica, RGV Folklórico, and Grupo Juvenil de Palmview, will paint the stage with their brightly colored skirts and outfits and interpret the dances of the borderlands and Mexico.
Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez will perform live Conjunto music during their debut performance at the museum. Rodney Rodriguez began his 20-year accordion career at the age of 16 and made his professional start with Los Fantasmas del Valle. In 2017, Rodriguez created Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez, which features bajo sexto player Siji Perez, bass player Beto Perez, and percussionist Javier Perez.
Pioneer and Ranching Crafts Day is a family-friendly event that makes history come to life with hands-on activities. Children will have the chance to stamp metal at a jeweler’s bench and take home their free creations. CHAPS UTRGV will provide historical Civil War uniforms for adults and children to try on. The UTRGV Anthropology Club will station a free petroglyph activity, giving children a chance to learn about engravings on rocks. In the museum’s Will Looney Legacy Park, the Texas Master Naturalists will present on the history and nurturing of native plants, and the Gladys Porter Zoo will showcase native animals and reptiles such as turtles.
Try the basket weaving activity—it’s not as easy as it looks. Test butter churning station and then taste the homemade butter on a piece of bread. Other homestead skills include knitting, leatherwork, cro-hooking, wood carving, wood burning, soap making, weaving and more. The world-class Rio Grande Legacy Exhibition will be open during the event, and gallery hosts will dress in historical interpretative costumes and asking passersby to examine authentic artifacts and the sophisticated dioramas.
There is no need to leave the event because there will be a variety of regional food and beverages to choose from. You might want to enjoy barbecue from Q’in It Up BBQ, a local food truck. If you want to enjoy something small, try a snack or a roasted elote prepared by E&B Elotes. Other regional favorites include tacos de guisados en olla de barro, pan dulce, nieve Mexicana, aguas frescas and sodas. Not sure if you will have time to visit the ATM before the event? Don’t worry because Lone Star National Bank’s mobile ATM unit will be available on the museum grounds.
Pioneer and Ranching Crafts Day is included in the regular museum admission: $9 adults (ages 18+); $6 seniors with ID (ages 62+), students with ID (ages 13+), and active military; $5 for children (ages 4 to 12); free for children ages 3 and younger. Since we are celebrating the 50thanniversary this year, you can take advantage of the one-time admission deal: Purchase one Adult or Senior admission at the door, and you will receive one FREE admission for children ages 4 to 12. FRIENDS of the MOSTHistory are admitted free as a benefit of FRIENDships and must bring their FRIENDship card. For more information on the event or becoming a FRIEND, please call +1-956-383-6911.
