www.welcomehomergv.com • • • Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN • • • March 16, 2022
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We’re justWINTER connecting the dots. www.welcomehomergv.com•••••••Welcome Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN•••••• March 16,2022 2022 www.welcomehomergv.com Home TEXAN •••March 16, www.welcomehomergv.com Welcome Home WINTER TEXAN March 16, 2022
VOLUME 9 • ISSUE • February 7, 2024 16, 2022 VOLUME 7 • 17 ISSUE 22 • March
VOLUME777•••ISSUE ISSUE22 22•••March March16, 16,•2022 2022 VOLUME VOLUME ISSUE 22 March 16, 2022 • • your official connection to the rio grande valley • • • yourofficial officialconnection connectionto tothe therio riogrande grandevalley valley••••••••• ••••••••• your your official connection to the rio grande valley
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nd just like that,A this the A ndisjust just last likeWelcome Home nd like nd just like Winter Texan of the season! It has that, this is the last Welcome Home that, this is the last Welcome that, this is the last Welcome Home ebruary is my favorite month ofHome been a wonderful winter, and we Winter Texan of the season! It has Winter Texan of the season! It Winter Texan of the season! It has the Winter Texan season for sev- has have enjoyed sharing it with you! been a wonderful winter, and we been a wonderful winter, and a wonderful winter, and we we eralbeen reasons. First, I can breathe have enjoyed sharing it with you! have enjoyed sharing it with you! have enjoyed sharing it with you! after hosting thethis Entertainer I’d like to take opportunity to Showcase, the Winter Texan expos inviteI’d you toto stick around, to extendto I’d like to take thisopportunity opportunity like take this I’d like to take this opportunity toto in McAllen and few Brownsville, your stayyou forto days, to weeks, invite you stickaround, around, toextend extend invite stick invite you totoa stick around, to extend and our stay annual Fiestaweeks, months... or for even The your stay forBayside few days, days, weeks, your aaaindefinitely! few your stay for few days, weeks, on South Padre Island. That funmonths... keeps coming; weindefinitely! keep dancing, months... even indefinitely! The or The months... oror even even indefinitely! The is, of in addition to summer our funcourse, keeps coming; wekeep keep dancing, fun keeps we dancing, dining, and coming; having fun all fun keeps coming; we keep dancing, day-to-day tasks of publishing this dining, and having having fun all all summer dining, and summer dining, and having fun all summer long, and we’d love to fun have you join newspaper…and whole lot you of long,and andwe’d we’dalove love have youjoin join to long, and we’d love totohave have you join us.long, other things! us. us. us. February also mygo, favorite If you feelisyou must I’d like to youto feel you must go,the I’dword liketo you feel you must I’d like IfIfyou you feel you must go, I’d like toto month because we kick it go, off with inviteIf help us spread invite you help usKristi, spread theyou word invite you to help us spread the word invite you toto help us spread the word our annual Cruise with this about South Texas to everyone about South Texas everyone you about South Texas everyone you about South Texas toto everyone you year with over Winter Texans meet along the300 way andto those you see meet along the way and those youto see meet the and you see meet along the way and those you see Photos for cover and inside spread by Eryn Reddell Wingert (McAllen) and Anne Marie Martin (Brownsville) in tow! I along still find itway hard to those believe every day back home. Invite them every day back home. Invite them every day back home. Invite them to every day back home. Invite them toto join you next season! We would love that a simple idea eight years ago join you next season! Wemore wouldthe love you next season! We would love join you next season! We would love to join have them join us. has turned into such an The incredible have themjoin joinus. us.The Themore morethe the to them totohave have them join us. The more the merrier! annual event. merrier! merrier! merrier! The timing couldn’t be more This September, weofwill host our perfect, after the rush This September, weJanuary. willhost host our This September, we will our This September, we will host our second, not so annual (thanks to the We are all ready for a little rest second,not not soannual annual (thanks the second, so (thanks to second, not so annual (thanks totothe the pandemic), Winter Texan Reunion andpandemic), relaxation. And thenTexan there are pandemic), Winter Texan Reunion Winter Reunion pandemic), Winter Texan Reunion Tour, so so we’d also to invite you the added benefits oflike no cooking, Tour, so we’d also like invite you Tour, we’d also like to you Tour, so we’d also like totoinvite invite you to join us at one of our stops. Stay cleaning, or running errands for Stay joinus usat oneof ourstops. stops. Stay to our totojoin join us atatone one ofof our stops. Stay tuned asweek! wewe announce our travel an entire tuned as we announce our travel tuned as announce our travel tuned as we announce our travel Story by Chris Ardis, plans. Special totoWelcome Welcome Home RGV In all seriousness, I really do plans. plans. plans. Specialto WelcomeHome HomeRGV RGV Special Special to Welcome Home RGV h, what a year for the Winter Texan Expo (WTE)! Let’s talk tried-and-true Welcome Home RGV volunteers. You are take this time to rest and reflect. It has been a real pleasure to serve seems like only yesterday we about the “firsts.” The thirty-FIRST WTE in McAllen, hasbeen beenaaso areal real pleasure serve essential memberswe of our team, and we recognize the It pleasure to ItIthas has been real pleasure totoserve serve I clear my mind I come home seemslike like onlyyesterday yesterday we IIttthe seems only ttJanuary seems like only yesterday we youyou this year. WeWe will work throughout you this year. We will work throughout year. will work throughout 16 and 17, brought more than 7000 attendeeswere in doors you this year. We will work throughout impact you make to put on a production of this size. The celebrating the long-awaited with a this clear mind, ready to start werecelebrating celebratingthe thelong-awaited long-awaited were were celebrating the long-awaited thethe summer months onon allall ofof our the summer months on all our summer our the summer months on all ofof our of the McAllen Convention Center. They visitedreturn 130 vendor great entertainment happens thanks to Fran Adams, who planning our nextmonths adventure. of so many of our friends. returnof ofso somany manyof ofour ourfriends. friends. return return of so many of our friends. programming soso next season will bebe programming sonext next season will be season will programming so next season will be booths and sang along with our fantastic WTE entertainers. selects and organizesyou the lineup and then greets and assists We’re just connecting the ~programming Now, here we are bidding Now, here here we are bidding bidding youarrive. Now, are you even better than this one! Now, here we are bidding you even better than this one! even than this one! even better than this one! Welcome Home RGV recognizes that we couldn’t put we entertainers when they dots. • better farewell and safe travels. All of farewell and safe travels. All and safe travels. All of farewell and safe travels. All of this event on without our major sponsors, including the The other first for 2024—January 18, we held the Safe travels, Y’all! • ••• Safe travels, Y’all! us at Welcome Home RGV look Safe travels, Y’all! Safe travels, Y’all! us at Welcome Home RGV Welcome Home RGV look us at Home RGV look City of McAllen, Visit Corpus Christi, Oklahoma Tourism & FIRST-ever WTE in Brownsville and were thrilled that forward your return. Plans are forwardto toyour yourreturn. return. Plans Plansare forward to return. Plans are We’re just connecting the dots, We’re just connecting the dots, Recreation, AIM Media, Texas Osteoporosis Foundation, 700 attendees showed up to visit the 60 vendors, forever We’re just connecting the dots, We’re just connecting the dots, South Padre Island, The Infinitus Group, SMP Senior holding the title of “founding vendors of WTE Brownsville.” FAREWELL WINTER TEXAN SEASON FAREWELLWINTER WINTERTEXAN TEXANSEASON SEASON FAREWELL FAREWELL WINTER TEXAN SEASON Medicare Patrol, and Visit Harlingen. We also needed our CONTINUED CONTINUED ON PAGE >> CONTINUEDON ONPAGE PAGE4444>> CONTINUED ON PAGE >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 >>
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THANK YOU TO OUR THANK YOU TO OUR THANK YOU TO OUR THANK YOU OUR THANK YOU TOTO OUR 22023-2024 00 220 222 111 - -2-22000222222 2023-2024 S E A S O N PO ON NSO SOR ORSRSS S E A S O N SSP SEASON S E A S O NSPONSORS SP O N S SEASON SPONSORS
Winter Texan Expo 2024 We couldn’t do it without you I