Winter Texan Music Festival Rocks the Bay!

Winter Texans rock the bay at first annual Bayside Fiesta

Story and photos by Eryn Reddell Wingert

They were lining up outside Louie’s Backyard on South Padre Island well before doors opened at 10 a.m. Couples, singles, friends, all anticipating a day of live music with bayside views.

It was a sold-out event. Over 400 people attended the Bayside Fiesta Music Festival hosted by Welcome Home RGV January 26. The backdrop? The beautiful Laguna Madre Bay.

Soon, the bar was hopping and wait staff were hustling to serve draft and bottled beer, cocktails, soft drinks, and baskets piled high with fried fish or shrimp.

Rusty Rierson, a well-known entertainer in the Winter Texan community with a baby face that makes one question his age, took to the stage, kicking off the day’s entertainment as he played country medleys and a tongue-in-cheek song about a questionable fur coat.

Despite the chill of the morning and brief cloud cover, when Curt James the Entertainer asked from the stage if it still beat winter in the Midwest, the crowd responded in unison with a resounding, “Yes!”

As patrons continued to eat, drink, dance, and laugh, James, emcee for the morning portion of the event, introduced himself as the next performer with signature humor. He brought the crowd to their feet not with his rendition of “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly.”

Americana duo Winnie Brave took to the stage, adapting classic hits like “9 to 5” and “Bobby McGee,” with their unique style and suitcase-drum accompaniment.

By mid-day, the sun was out for good as Rick McEwen sang, played guitar, and garnered laughs from the crowd, with jokes about an encounter on the local nude beach. Later, Ron Mosher kept the partying going, working the keyboard and even the accordion, injecting a bit of polka into the mix.

Leslie Blasing’s set closed the show as she incorporated impromptu duets with McEwen and Mosher, taking to the audience, microphone in hand, allowing for a front-row experience for patrons in the back. Blasing packed the dance floor with hits like “Uptown Funk.”

As you might have guessed, it was a pretty spectacular way to spend a Wednesday in January.

Keep an eye on Welcome Home RGV’s events page, newspaper, weekly eBlast, and social sites as it plans to build on the success of the first Bayside Fiesta Music Festival for future events. (welcomehomergv.com) •

Story and photos by Eryn Reddell Wingert