Heritage Festival brings our past to life

On Saturday, June 28, the Harlingen Historical Preservation Society and the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum Association once again partnered to bring you the Fifth Annual Harlingen Heritage Festival, "Ranching & Agriculture in the Valley: The Land and the People." This family-friendly event was a success, attracting more than 600 people who came despite of a brief rain shower to view the exhibits, attend lectures and participate in arts and crafts activities.

Vanessa Hinojosa sang the National Anthem on the steps of the Lon C. Hill Home to open the festival.

Leo Lopez and the Bear Clan of Edinburg, a group of Native Americans who appeared at last year's festival, returned and were once again a hit with the crowd. Their teepee, display of tools and demonstrations gave a historical account of early life in the Valley.

David A. Champion and The Tejano Cookers brought their authentic chuckwagon, cooked pan de campo and delicious chili con carne and talked about ranch life.

Ruben Cordova and Anabeth Molina-Cordova, with the Texas Apache Nation, part of the Wild Horse Brigade, displayed traditional leather goods and tools and explained how the different items were made and used.

Sandra Grawunder of Mini Miracles returned for the second year with two of her registered American miniature horses. These tiny, personable horses, which are used in providing pet-assisted therapy programs to nursing homes, pediatrics units, children's advocacy centers and other institutions, attracted a great deal of attention from both children and adults.

Several lectures were presented during the festival. These included Norman Rozeff on sugar cane; Elizandro Muñoz, ranching; John Norman, cotton; and Ray Prewitt, citrus. A display of early farming and ranching tools created by Pat Bearden was on exhibit and the Texas A&M Agricultural Extension Service had a booth to distribute information on the citrus industry.

Museum volunteers conducted tours of the historic homes and held the ever-popular Heritage Cake Walk. The Hispanic Genealogy Group of the Tip O' Texas Genealogical Society displayed information on the Harlingen City Cemetery project.

Volunteers with the historical society were in charge of the arts and crafts area and it was heartwarming to see the number of young children who enjoyed making bead bracelets, crowns, kites and Eye of God ornaments. The Kiwanis of Harlingen, HHPS and the museum sponsored food booths. For the fifth year in a row Blue Bell Creameries provided free ice cream for the festival.

HHPS and the Museum Association would like to thank the following organizations and individuals for helping to make the festival a success: all of the presenters, H-E-B, Blue Bell Creameries, Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities; youth volunteers Andrea Cercedo, Nadine Decilos, Michael Decilos, Matthew Torres, Emily Fierro and Javier Marin, and, last but certainly not least, the many museum, historical society and community volunteers who helped to bring "history to life."