By Mary Torres , Special to the Star
It’s hard to believe how much things have changed in one year. The activities which we once traveled to participate in have either disappeared or are offered on a virtual platform.
In February 2020 I attended the Laredo Birding Festival and enjoyed their programs, field trips, and great hospitality. This year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 9th annual festival on Saturday, February 13, 2021, will be a virtual birding experience. Birders can expect an exciting virtual birding experience viewing high-quality birding videos at ranches and along the Rio Grande River and guest speaker presentations, an interactive workshop, an online bird art gallery, and more. Register now at bit.ly/lbfregister for just $25.00 or for more information email [email protected] or call 956-718-1063.
In late February 2020, right before the shutdowns in March due to the pandemic, I made the annual trek to do genealogy research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and to attend RootsTech, one of the largest genealogy conferences in the world with over 18,000 people in attendance and a few were wearing masks! In 2021, this exciting and interesting conference will be going virtual February 25-27 and will be free! Visit rootstech.org to register and experience all that it has to offer including a virtual expo hall.
The Valley Byliners, event, “The Hidden Power of Point-of-View,” a presentation by guest speaker Susan Holmes LeMiles will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, February 13, 2021, via Zoom at https://rgvbylinersocialme.wixsite.com/mysite-1/copy-of-valley-byliners-meetings-20. This presentation, being brought to you in conjunction with the Harlingen Public Library, will take the place of what would have been the annual Valley Byliners all-day Writing Workshop which, due to the pandemic, will not be held this year. The event is free and open to the public. Visit the Byliners Facebook page for more details.
Save The Date: The Annual Pioneer & Ranching Crafts Day at the Museum of South Texas History is going virtual this year! Museum staff will host a butter demonstration and more events on Facebook Live and YouTube Live Saturday, February 13. Visit the museum’s Facebook page for more details!
On Tuesday, February 16 the Texas Tropical Trail Region will present its 178th monthly Partner Event/7th virtual event via ZOOM. You’re invited to celebrate Black History Month as the San Benito Historical Society presents a program on the Callandret Black History Museum of South Texas in San Benito (Cameron County). This free event is open to the public but an RSVP is required; for more information contact Nancy at [email protected].
The Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum, 2425 Boxwood St., Harlingen, TX invites you to visit its newest exhibit, “New Quilts From an Old Favorite 2021, Wheel of Fortune.“ This exhibit from the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY, features the winning quilts from its annual contest. The exhibition is organized by the National Quilt Museum, Paducah, KY with support from MODA Fabrics and Janome America, Inc. Local support is provided by the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum and the RGV Museum Association. “Gallery Talks” by Pat Skye are available by reservation. For more information call 956-216-4901 or visit the museum’s Facebook page.
Genealogy Bargains is the best site to save money on genealogy and family history including DNA tests and more! This site, maintained by Thomas MacEntee, features the latest information on what is happening in the world of genealogy, the newest deals on genealogy software, hardware, memberships, and more. Plus it offers a ton of freebies you can download like “The Genealogy Do-Over Workbook for 2021,” genealogy cheat sheets and webinars. There is also a link to “The Archive Lady” whose blog gives you hints and tips for archiving and preserving your genealogy documents and treasures.
Stay safe!
