The South Texas Flavor column writer celebrated friend Laredo Jose’s birthday at Santa Fe Steakhouse & Cantina, located at 1918 S. 10th St. near La Plaza Mall in McAllen. The review notes a dress‑code atmosphere, a $5‑6 beer, a $12 watermelon paloma, and a 6‑ounce petite filet steak priced at $40 with mashed potatoes for $7. The author spent about $85.

Amanda Puryear El, a 43‑year‑old poet from Pharr, talks about her turbulent upbringing, gang involvement and three expulsions from PSJA North while teaching at Buell Central High School’s DAEP. She has published 11 books, delivered a TEDx talk and was reappointed as Pharr’s first poet laureate for another year, a point of local pride.

Owner Luis Foncerrada says El Hueso de Fraile, a live‑music bar in downtown Brownsville, now faces a $6,000 back‑rent bill and one month of operating costs and is seeking donations by November. The venue, which started Brownsville’s First Friday art walk, opened a GoFundMe that has raised about $1,600 toward the goal. Supporters hope the bar can stay open and become a nonprofit event space.

Nightmare on La Homa, a family‑oriented haunted house, opened in October in Mission, Texas, created by members of the Kali Productions boxing gym. The production blends theater with local Mexican and Hispanic folklore, featuring characters such as La Llorona and La Lechuza, and is led by the Caretaker played by poet laureate Gabriel Sanchez. Residents of the Rio Grande Valley can experience the interactive Halloween attraction at the Mission venue.

Laura Lamb, a PhD student at UT Austin and Rio Grande Valley native, released this month the final issue of her four‑part “Wasteland Zine” series on South Texas underground music from 1998‑2008. The McAllen‑based Libérate Ediciones funded the project, which includes over 300 flyers, photos and band memorabilia, and Lamb is now beginning an oral‑history interview series with 16 prominent scene figures.

The iconic Coconut Jacks Bar and Grill, built by Amy and Jack Salander and opened on March 23, 1990 on South Padre Island overlooking Laguna Madre Bay, has been demolished after more than three decades of operation. The concrete structure now sits empty as a national‑franchise‑styled seafood restaurant is slated to be built on the site, ending the beloved local surf‑community hangout.

Comedian Gary Owen is headlining the No Hard Feelings Tour at the McAllen Performing Arts Center on Sunday, marking his first show in the Rio Grande Valley. Owen, who has appeared in films such as “Back on the Strip” and “Ride Along,” said he is part Mexican, loves tortillas, and is excited to try the local Mexican food.

On Saturday before 10 a.m., Melissa Reséndez and several San Benito police officers gathered at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in San Benito for a Mass remembering Lt. Milton Reséndez, who was shot on Oct. 17, 2023. The court found 21‑year‑old Rogelio Martínez guilty on Thursday, Oct. 8, and prosecutors said Monday’s sentencing phase will pursue the death penalty, a key point for local residents.

Roy F. “R.J.” Mitte III, a 34‑year‑old former Los Angeles resident and actor who played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. on Breaking Bad, died in Brownsville on October 12. While living in the city he directed the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, which funded the Children’s Museum of Brownsville, a park beside the Cannery Public Market, and the Gladys Porter Zoo master plan. Residents will recall his impact on community projects.

Robert Vackar, board chair and chief performance officer of Bert Ogden Auto Group, was nominated for Time Magazine’s Dealer of the Year award in a press release on Wednesday. The nomination highlights Vackar’s tens‑of‑millions‑dollar donations that created a new program for University of Texas Rio Grande Valley students, and he will be honored at the National Automobile Dealers Association Show in Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 19, 2027.

Mayor Pro Tem Pepe Cabeza de Vaca and city officials unveiled the largest mural in deep South Texas on Tuesday morning at the downtown parking garage on Chicago Avenue and South 15th Street in McAllen. The 14,000‑square‑foot piece, painted on both sides, portrays many bird species that live in the Rio Grande Valley, a feature that residents say showcases the area’s natural heritage.

The Mitte Cultural District will hold a vigil on Friday at 10 a.m. at The Mitte: Arts and Cultural Center, 600 E. Ringgold Street in Brownsville, to honor RJ Mitte, the actor and disability‑rights activist who died Monday in Brownsville. Known for his role as Walter White’s son with cerebral palsy on ‘Breaking Bad,’ Mitte also led the Mitte Foundation, and the community will remember his impact on local arts.

Sandcastle Days 2026 took place on South Padre Island from October 2‑4, where world‑class carvers built large hand‑carved sand sculptures that are now slowly eroding on the beach outside the island’s biggest bar. Organizer Lucinda “Sandy‑feet” Weirenga said rain forced a schedule shift but the artists, including her nephew Emerson Weirenga Schreiner, used spray‑glue and sealed work to protect pieces, keeping the event’s spirit alive.

On Sunday evening poets such as Chuck3Deesus, Diana Joe, Carolina Monsivais and former Texas Poet Laureate Jan Seale gathered at Bentsen‑Rio Grande Valley State Park for the ‘Celebration of the Land and the People of the Rio Grande Valley.’ Organized by the RGV Women’s Poet Society and Poets Against Walls, the event blended original readings with live bird song, featuring the only Valley poets ever named Texas Poet Laureate.

The Port of Brownsville will hold a free Grand Community Celebration on Saturday at its Brownsville Business Park, with doors opening at 7:30 a.m. and activities until 4 p.m. Port chairman Sergio Tito Lopez invites Rio Grande Valley residents to enjoy guided boat and bus tours, a Kids’ Port area, live entertainment, free food and exhibits; tour spots must be reserved on Eventbrite and adults need a government‑issued photo ID.

Country singer‑songwriter Kris Kristofferson returned to the Rio Grande Valley on October 5, 1997, when he visited Brownsville for the first time since 1952. He appeared at the Gladys Porter Zoo to help publicize a fundraiser for the Brownsville Junior Service League, the organization that later became the Junior League of Brownsville.

During the 1847 U.S.–Mexico War, Irish-born deserter John Riley fought for Mexico at Fort Brown, helped form the Batallón de San Patricio and was captured at the Battle of Churubusco on Aug. 20, 1847, receiving fifty lashes and a D brand. Over 160 years later, New York native Eric Ellman heard the San Patricios story on the Rio Grande in Brownsville from musician Adrian Foncerrada while promoting a kayaking grant, and they bonded over Irish music.

Bank and city officials announced Thursday that Lone Star National Bank and McAllen are extending their partnership to sponsor the Wild Brite South Pole Illuminated Festival and the McAllen Holiday Parade. The new LSNB Kids Free Days will let children under 12 enter the festival free on selected Wednesdays, aiming to draw more families to the holiday attractions.

The RGV Women’s Poet Society and Poets Against Walls are hosting a “Celebration of the Land and the People of the Rio Grande Valley” at Bentsen‑Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission on Sunday, featuring poet laureates and speakers such as tribal chair Juan B. Mancias. The program begins at 6 p.m., with organizers asking attendees to arrive at 5 p.m.; 40 guests receive free park entry, after which a $3 fee applies.

Brownsville songwriter and podcaster Lorenzo Lopez is preparing to launch The Lorenzini Show on tour, with about 40 original Tejano/Country songs ready for clubs across the Rio Grande Valley. The podcast, recorded near the Brownsville‑South Padre Island International Airport, has aired 16 episodes and targets a 20‑episode first season, hoping a streaming service will pick it up. He also secured a five‑year royalty deal with the Brownsville Independent School District for his song "Mi Passion".

The Advocacy Alliance Center of Texas (AACT NOW) launched its nonpartisan “Rally the Vote” campaign on Thursday morning at the Bert Ogden Arena, gathering leaders from Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr and Willacy counties to boost Rio Grande Valley voter turnout before early voting begins. Executive director Norma Flores Ruiz said the goal is to raise participation from 48.5 % to 55‑60 %, urging residents to verify their registration online or by phone, a detail especially relevant to local voters.

The Brownsville Public Utilities Board is hosting its second annual Big Public Utilities Bash, a free family event Friday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the BPUB headquarters, 1425 Robinhood Dr. Residents can meet utility employees, view trucks and equipment, enjoy free elotes and tostadas, and participate in hands‑on demonstrations and a raffle.