55th Annual Banquet

55th Annual Banquet - Man & Woman of the Year Awards
The McAllen Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce, the Chamber's celebrated 55th Annual Banquet, which will again include the prestigious Man & Woman of the Year Awards Program. The Man & Woman of the Year awards are presented to individuals who have gone above and beyond routine civic service activities to promote the McAllen community and its people. This year's honorees will be Karen Valdez and Jim Darling. The event will take place at the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) on Friday, November 6 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Annual Banquet Committee has been working tirelessly to create this special event with many new and exciting events planned for the entire evening. The theme this year is "Rock & Blues" Cajun Jamboree and will feature an open bar, seafood buffet of shrimp boil, jambalaya & fried fish. Let's not forget an array of exquisite items to be auctioned during the silent & live auction. For more information, contact Blanca at 682-2871.

HARMONY GREEN FAMILY

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce is getting ready to welcome a group of 90 Japanese member of the Harmony Green Family : the group will be in McAllen to attend work shops and meetings and will tour our area. The group visiting McAllen is an example of how the City of Palms is becoming more attractive to International groups.

Thank you,

Teo Rojas

Candlelight Posada Draws Near

It is almost Halloween and that means that we are getting close to McAllen's 27th annual Candlelight Posada. This years event promises to be a wonderful family event with more things for all members of the family. There is still time for non-profit organizations to get a Food Booth and for anyone to enter the Parade. For information on Vendor applications or for a Parade Packet, please contact Greg Schuller at 956-687-2787 or email me at gschuller@mcallencvb.com

We are looking forward to the McAllen Candlight Posada this coming December 4th and 5th. Saturday, the 5th is my favorite day because starting at 7:00 PM we have the Candlight Posada Procession with Joseph and Mary and a real donkey. We have shepherds and kings and angels all walking about eight blocks down main street to Archer Park. While we walk we sing traditional Christmas songs in both English and Spanish. Don't worry, the melodies of the Spanish songs are very catchy and we provide song books with the words for everybody. So you can dive right in to this unique cultural experience. We added a "new wrinkle" this year to the music. Thanks to Brenda Lee Huerta and Univision Radio we have all the songs and carols pre recorded in their studio so it will be twice as impressive as we sing "live" along with "ourselves."

The weather is usually mild and after we get to Archer Park we find waiting for us lots of food booths with turkey legs, funnel cake, and other great stuff. Come join us! For more information, call Jim Deuser at 956-682-2871 or email me at jdeuser@mcallencvb.com

My time with the Chamber and CVB has almost come to an end. My last day will be this Thursday, and I can honestly say I will miss this place. I have completed almost 400 hours during the time of my internship, and it all went by so quickly.

I have had the opportunity to work with great people during this time too, and I will forever be thankfully to them for the opportunity to work here. Aside from the people at work, I have also been able to meet people at all the mixers and events that the Chamber puts together. This has been great because it has given me an opportunity to come out of my shell and socialize more. I have made lots of new contacts such as Hidalgo County Judge, JD Salinas, who is also a fellow Aggie.

I got to be a part of a great event: the Green Living Festival. It's so good that McAllen is trying to be more 'green' and eco-friendly. It's also good that people learn the importance of taking care of our resources. While helping put together this event, I learned to work with others and how to organize it as a whole. I had to call lots of people and convince them to be a part of this. It was a lot of hard work, but in the end, it definitely paid off.

Working here has also made me rethink what I want to do with my future. Before, I was so sure I would be working at a hotel or resort. However, I have gotten to experience something different while being here. I am not sure what I will end up doing, but I am thankful that I got this chance.

Este es mi Mexico Art Exhibit at IMAS Until Nov. 15, 2009

Content from IMAS: http://www.imasonline.org/

Este es mi Mexico
This is my Mexico will be on exhibit at IMAS from October 1, 2009 - November 15, 2009

This exhibit is a collection of children’s art work from an the XII edition of the international children’s art competition sponsored by the Mexican Foreign Affairs Department and coordinated through the Mexican Consulate in different countries around the world. The opening reception will be on Thursday, October 1, 2009 from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. and is generously sponsored and hosted by the Mexican Consulate.

For more information, please call IMAS at 956.682.1564

McAllen CVB assists in Crop Disease Conference in Nov 2009

Researchers and industry leaders will be flying in from California and Florida to attend a potato and citrus conference at the NEW McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas.

The conference is from November 16-18.

Anzalduas Bridges Press Conference

This week we had a press conference in our office in Casa McAllen, where our Mayor Richard Cortez, spoke about Anzalduas Bridge, were also presents: George Ramon, Bridge SuperIntendent; Joe Brown, Chariman of the McAllen Chamber; Steve Ahlenius, President of the McAllen Chamber; Joe Olmeda, Director of the BSN maquiladora, Victoria Hirschberg and Raph Garcia of the MEDC.

The conference was published in the television channel 2 (Televisa), 12 (Multimedios), Cablevision and the newspaper El Norte, El Porvenir, Milenio Excelsior.

The people of Monterrey has been calling our office to ask when will be the inauguration of the Bridge.

Holidays Season is Here

Here at the Incubator we have designed several workshops to fit in with the Holidays. Our Cultural Arts and Entertainment Series workshop schedule from now to the end of the year is
October 27 - Pumpkin Carving
November 10 - Green Gift Wrapping
November 24 - Napkin Folding
December 8 - Cookie Decorating
December 22 - Flower Arranging
All of these workshops are on Tuesdays at 7pm at the McAllen Creative Incubator located at 1001 S 16th St and all are FREE. So how can you go wrong. For more information on these workshops or to sign up for any of them, please contact Greg Schuller at 956-687-2787.

Today I met with Joe Rodriguez, the CEO of the Heart of the City of McAllen Improvement Corp. This is the economic development "engine" for the central core of McAllen that initiated and has driven the "Entertainment District" which has become so popular with over 20 venues along 17th and Austin Streets in downtown McAllen. The exciting news today concerns the second annual McAllen new Year's "Bash." This second celebration of New Years will be bigger and better and will include a VIP party on the top of the new parking garage right next to the ball drop. We are inviting hotels to create "packages" for out of town guests who can enjoy this unique celebration in comfort and elegance. For more information, call Jim Deuser at the Chamber at 956-682-2871.

Conferencia de Prensa en Casa McAllen

El dia de hoy tuvimos conferencia de prensa en Casa McAllen en la cual tuvimos la participacion de nuestro alcalde de McAllen, el Sr. Richard Cortez., el tema fue el promover el Puente Internacional Anzalduas el cual ya esta proximo a abrirse,, tambien tuvimos mucha asistencia por parte de los medios ya que los principales hicieron acto de presencia.

Dentro de las personalidades que asistieron a la conferencia, Steve Ahlenuis, Presidente de la Camara de Comercio de McAllen,, Joe Brown Presidente del Consejo de la Camara de Comercio de McAllen,, Luis Cantu Vice Presidente de Relaciones Interamericanas de la Camara de Comercio de Mcallen,, asi como el Sr. George Ramon Superintendente del Puente Internacional Hidalgo Reynosa.

Esperamos ver mañana los diferentes medios y ver la nota publicada de dicho evento!!!!

Saludos

It finally feels like Fall

This past weekend was a good one and the same goes for the week so far. The weather has been amazing. It is great to be able to go out and not start sweating almost immediately. It almost makes me want to go for a run, but then I remember I'm not much of a runner. Instead I enjoy driving around the car windows down. It's great to enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze as I am driving through McAllen.

The Green Living Festival at the McAllen Convention Center this past Saturday went great. There were no major problems and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. It was a great day out, so there was no reason for people not to come out and join us. The McAllen schools provided us with a lot of great art exhibits to look at and the rest of the exhibitor booths had a lot of useful information for all the attendees.

It is finally beginning to feel like Fall. The one thing that would only make it better would be to see the tree leafs change color. Other than that, nothing else says Fall quite like good weather and football season!

PIANO RECITAL

The newly formed South Texas Foundation for the Performing Arts is proud to present its first fall 2009 concert series Saturday October 24, at 7:00 p.m. at Valley Keyboard recital hall located at 900 Harvey In McAllen. The performance will feature Edison Quintana, Pianist. Mr. Quintana a native of Uruguay and accomplished pianist have performed in renowned theaters of the World. This will be a great performance you will enjoy.

Thank you,

Teo

Green Living Speaker Series

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to join us and Rick Rodriguez as he speaks about City Ordinances today from 5:30 to 6:30 pm here at the chamber as part of the Green Living Speaker Series. This is free & open to the public!

My new adventure with the Wonderful McAllen Chamber of Commerce CVB

Where can I start, well my first week of adventures with the McAllen Chamber Chamber CVB has been quite amazing. I have met many amazing hard working people that have been oh so nice and passionate for what they do here in the Chamber. It has been fast paced and loving it, met with the President of the Performing Arts Foundation, Victor Chow, and renowned pianist and VP of RGV Foundation, Dr.Francisco Rocafuerte; I have already conducted a Press Conference for the Rio Grande Foundation for the Performing Arts. MCN12 arrived and covered the press conference so a Big thank you to them! Mind you this was on my second day on the PR job. :) Set up a Media Advisory for media outlets to attend, and I'm sure at the next one all will strive to come and support our performing arts. Currently have met with Greg Schuller, Director of Cultural Arts who can be found at the McAllen Chamber's Creative Incubator; a sanctuary place where imagination runs wild for those who come join in the eclectic classes it offers and festivities. Speaking of grand festivities, I will also be helping with our annual "Candlelight Posada," for the Christmas Holiday extravaganza!!! I know it will be magical with the spirit of love and happiness for our community. =) But we musn't forget to mention the anticipation of our "Green Living Festival" that the wonderful people of the Chamber have been diligently working on held this Friday and Saturday at the McAllen Convention Center! I'm excited to see, stay green Valley!!! Until then RGV, peace, love and let the festivities and arts live on!

Melisa-

Upcoming events, historical info, what else?

The McAllen CVB staff has been writing about all sorts of things the last few months- conventions coming to town, special events, our wonderful nature and historical sites, and more.
What are we forgetting? What would you like to know about that we haven't mentioned? Let us know and we'll do our best to add it in.

Santa Fe Wine Classic

Oct 09 2009
Please join us tonight for the Santa Fe Wine Classic

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce will present the 1st annual Santa Fe Wine Classic on Friday, October 9 at historical Quinta Mazatlan, 600 Sunset Dr. in McAllen, TX. This one-day event will showcase over 300 wines from the world's most renowned winery regions. There will be something for everyone to enjoy - even the most inexperienced wine enthusiasts will enjoy the evening. The event will also feature some appetizers from some of the most popular restaurants in town. Santa Fe Steakhouse, Osuka, Barcelona and House Wine will offer delicious hors d'oeuvres from their menus. Entertainment will be provided by the Valley's very own premier guitarists Jake Cortez and Mario Aleman. The event will also include a silent auction with large format bottles of wine and wine related gift items.The Santa Fe Wine Classic will benefit the McAllen Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Scholarship Program, which awards a $1,000.00 scholarship to each of the top 25 graduating students from each of the three McAllen high schools. Tickets are $45.00 per person and reserved tables are also available. Tickets will be available at the McAllen Chamber, Santa Fe Steakhouse, The Republic of the Rio Grande, Osuka and House Wine. For more information or tickets, please call Gerry Garcia at 956-682-2871.

McALLEN'S GREEN LIVING FESTIVAL

The public is invited to the Green Living Festival to be held Saturday October 17th in the Convention center 9:30-6:00 p.m. Come and learn about home design & construction, energy, landscaping/urban forestry, water quality& conservation, transportation(issues & alternatives, health, food/gardening, home furnishings & green living, air quality, reduce, reuse, recycle and organic pet care.

We will see you Saturday October 17th !

Teo Rojas

Know It All!

If you want to know about events going on in McAllen, there are so many sites you can visit!

You can go to the McAllen Facebook page where you can interact with other residents of the city. You can post pictures of your favorite spots in the city, links about events going on, start discussions about new restaurants or bars, or just leave comments. Anything you chose, it's a great way to get your thoughts out there and see what others think.
Follow the link and become a fan now!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/McAllen-TX/McAllen-The-City-of-Palms/108703560126

There is also a Twitter page that you can follow that allows you to keep up with everything that is going on. We post various events that are currently taking place.
So stay in the loop, follow the link, and Follow us on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/mcallencvb

You can always just come back to this page and keep reading what our CVB staff is up to. We blog everyday about what we are doing and what is going on around us. It is just a bit of light reading to keep you informed and entertained.
Follow the link and read our blogs!
http://mcallenchamber.blogspot.com/

Music After Hours Friday

Music After Hours kicks off it's 3rd season of Free Outdoor Concerts this coming Friday, October 9th at 7pm at Archer Park in McAllen. This show will feature The Go-Getter at 7pm, Adam Wratten performing with a full band at 8pm and Something Solar at 9pm to close the show. This is going to be an awesome season as we continue to bring in bigger and better musicians and our audiences continue to grow. While limited seating will be available, everyone is encouraged to bring their blankets and coolers as they relax and enjoy the music. I hope to see you there.

Useful Websites "Things to do in McAllen..."

Here are some websites that may help you get information about mcallen, especially on events and local attractions. calendar of events and so forth:

http://www.mcallen.org/For-Visitors
http://www.mcallenconventioncenter.net/
http://www.valleychamber.com/

Palmfest

Spent a couple of hours at PalmFest Sunday afternoon. This was the first time I had attended since they moved it out to the convention center. There were a lot of interesting exhibits, both inside and out. I was a bit disappointed with the inside stage though, everybody was crowded around and people like me, standing in the back really couldn't see all that well. I did get to see the South Texas Indian dancers perform on one of the outdoor stages. It was entertaining as well as informative because they related the history of the dances and the costumes along with the dance. There were additional displays and plenty of food booths around the reflecting pool there at the convention center. After checking everything out, I decided it was time to try one of the food booths and down at the end of one line of booths, I found "Doggies" a hot dog stand that served a very interesting hotdog. It is what they list on their menu as the Premium Hot Dog. The weiner is bacon wrapped and then it is topped with diced tomato, avocado and mayo. Can anyone say Yummo! I picked up a copy of their menu and they have some pretty good selections at what I think are reasonable prices. The restaurant is located at 104 Bicentennial and I think the next time I'm in the vacinity I might just drop in and sample some other doggie. The south Texas heat and humidity eventually got to me and I headed home to enjoy my AC, but only after I had enjoyed myself at PalmFest.

It must be fall

The weather is officially moderate, perfect for outdoor activities. I see people walking, skateboarding, jogging, roller blading, golfing, playing tennis, birding,swimming, you name it. Just being outside, feeling the breeze and breathing in fresh air is a pleasure.

Green Living Festival

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce’s Green Living Committee and Shell Oil and Exploration invite you to attend McAllen’s second annual Green Living Festival. The festival will take place on Saturday, October 17th from 9:30am to 6:00pm at the McAllen Convention Center.
The Green Living Festival will teach participants why and how to live greener, more sustainable lives, and will feature seminars which will include topics on water and energy conservation, home construction, landscaping, transportation issues and alternatives, food and gardening, healthier living, alternative energy sources, green home furnishings, air quality, and how to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Additionally, there will be “green” activities to provide fun and educational information for the entire family. This is a free event open to the public.

GROUPS VISITING McALLEN

The McAllen Chamber of Commerce is getting ready to welcome three different groups coming to McAllen. The Harmony Green Group, a laboratory from Japan will be in town for a workshop in October 29th for two days, Expo International de Ductos a company that supplies Pemex will be in for a shopping trip and Congreso Internacional de Urologia will be in McAllen with a group of 300 people on a shopping trip. The many groups coming to McAllen is as a result of the McAllen Chamber sales efforts in Mexico.

Thank you,

Teo Rojas

Cultural Arts & Entertainment Series

We just started a new year of our Cultural Arts & Entertainment Series workshops. They are a series of workshops and seminars designed to educate, raise awareness and stimulate learning about different types of art and culture that exist in our country. All of these workshops are /FREE and open to the public so make it a point to go to www.mcallenart.com and see what is coming up. If something catches your interest, contact Greg Schuller at 687-2787 and reserve your seat early.