GOLF ANYONE?
Tee Time in the RGV features Cottonwood Country Club & Golf Course!
UPCOMING EVENTS!
RECIPE CONNECTION!
Check out our weekly listings of what’s happening in the RGV!
Executive Chef Bettina Tolin shares another delicious recipe!
Welcome Home See review on page 27.
See calendar on page 5.
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 9 • December 16, 2015
Try her recipe on page 35.
®
WINTER TEXAN
• • • your official connection to the rio grande valley • • •
Orphan Train Riders Program to be Presented in Early 2016 at Fiesta Village in Mission Special to Welcome Home RGV
It
seems like this time of year is also the time we take to tidy up and fix what’s broken, or often times, even what’s not. As I drive through RV resorts across the Valley, I see service repair trucks and vans, furniture delivery trucks, and painters on scaffolds just about everywhere. Whether you’re just moving in for the first time or moving back in after taking the summer off, it’s nice to start the season off right. Nice and tidy. My house is just the same. I can’t go into the crazy busy month of January with a messy house; I like order. (I wish the people who lived with me shared that philosophy!). Sometimes I wonder if moving might be the only way to get both my ‘kids’ (my 17-year-old daughter and my 47-year-old husband) to go through their belongings and decide what to keep and what to hand down to someone less fortunate. Well, I’m not interested in moving just yet, so rather than move, I decided to re-carpet my bedroom... which led to tiling my living room... which led to to sorting through all the ‘stuff’ we’ve accumulated in the 15 years we’ve been in this house. Mission accomplished! As we draw closer to a new year, I hope you find this week productive.... and fun! • We’re just connecting the dots,
Kristi
Fiesta
Village Park will host Orphan Train Riders by Dorothy A. Lund Nelson Tuesday, January 12, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. The doors of the Recreation Hall will open at 1:00 p.m. The ticket to “ride the train” costs $5.00. Fiesta Village is located at 205 S. Stewart Road in Mission. This is open to the public and people of all ages are welcome. Because of the popularity of this event, the park will have Dorothy repeat the program Tuesday, February 16, 2016. For over 30 years, Dorothy has continued to share with children and adults the amazing story of over 200,000 children being “placed out” across the United States, by train. Though this is a great American story, it is not in history books. Only recently have novels been written about these children. Expect a lively, interactive presentation. Dorothy, a former teacher and activities director for long-term care, has a unique way for all to experience the adoption or indenture process during the period of 1854-1929. The National Headquarters for Orphan Train information is located in Concordia, Kansas. At their 2011 national meeting, Dorothy was presented with the “Volunteer Lifetime Award” for “someone who has been involved for 15 years or more and continuously supports the work of the National Orphan Train Complex and Museum.” Since then, she has continued to tell the story in many states, and the Valley is no exception. Dorothy will be featured
Dorothy during an Orphan Train presentation at Lake Region Heritage Center in Devils Lake, North Dakota, April 28, 2015.
at least seven times in January and February of 2016 before she and her husband, Albert Nelson, return to their other home in Rochester,
Minnesota. If you would like to contact Dorothy, she can be reached at 507-273-8208. •
Suzanna Campbell and Ernest Schanilec:
A Creative Couple
Photos and Story by DeWayne Johnston, Chimney RV Park, Mission
Suzanna
Campbell and Ernest Schanilec are a creative couple who you will find at craft shows throughout the RGV. Suzanna combines her colorful nature photos and beautiful poetry into lovely greeting cards. Ernest has written three historical novels and nine mystery novels. One of Ernest’s novels, Rio Grande Identity, is set in the RGV. It’s about a Winter Texan lady who is scammed into an investment scheme. Her friend, Detective Tom Hastings, goes after the scammers with the help of two Border Patrol
agents. Suzanna and Ernest live in Vergas, Minnesota and winter at Victoria Palms RV Resort in Donna. Information on products and show schedules can be found at www. hastingsnovels.com. •
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR 2015-2016 SEASON SPONSORS