Harlingen Happenings

By Mary Torres, Special to the Star

March 2021 is Women’s History Month, a month-long celebration to acknowledge women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. On March 1, 2021, President Biden issued the following proclamation “NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of The United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2021 as Women’s History Month.  I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.  I also invite all Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the vital contribution of women to our Nation’s history.”

The theme for 2021 is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” International Women’s Day is observed on March 8, 2021. This global day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievement of women. The day also marks a call for action to accelerating women’s equality. For more information visit  https://www.internationalwomensday.com/.

Don’t miss CHAPS (The Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools) Manager and UTRGV Professor of History and Anthropology Roseann Bacha-Garza give a Facebook live presentation on the US Colored Troops and Confederate Soldiers of Color in the Rio Grande Valley during the Civil War activity in the RGV. The presentation will be hosted by the McAllen Public Library on Monday March 8, 2021 from 6:00pm-7:00pm. at www.facebook.com/mcallenlibrary.

The Valley Byliners, a local writer’s support group, in collaboration with the Harlingen Public Library invites you to its monthly meeting via Zoom at 1:30 p.m., March 13, 2021. This meeting is open to the public and you’re invited to join the session and hone your writing skills. Membership fees have been waived until the organization can resume live meetings. Join the Zoom Meeting at: https://zoom.us/j/99678692109?pwd=M1ZIeXpRaVJHQmNFQ1dMWHZPY3E0UT09

Meeting ID: 996 7869 2109 Passcode: 322652 or visit the Valley Byliners Facebook page for more information.

Due to the inclement weather and the power outages we recently experienced, the Texas Tropical Trail Region postponed its virtual program scheduled for February 16. The 178th monthly Partner Event/7th virtual event via ZOOM will now be presented on Tuesday, March 16 from 10 am – 11 a.m. Featured at the event will be:

  • Callandret Black History Museum of South Texas in San Benito – Sandra Tumberlinson, San Benito Historical Society
  • Relocating and Saving History – RAM House Movers – Lilly Wilkinson, RAM House Movers of Sinton
  • Laureles Ranch House Museum in Brownsville – Tara Putegnat, Brownsville Historical Association
  • The Story of Rio Grande City – Sara Michelle Hernandez, City of Rio Grande City

For more information on this free event, visit the Trail’s Facebook page or contact Nancy Deviney at [email protected].

Have you ever wanted to do family history but didn’t know where to start? FamilySearch recently launched a beginner-friendly page to help! The new Getting Started page provides a variety of simple family history activities and FamilySearch resources that both beginners and genealogy veterans can appreciate. These pages also show how family history is any activity that connects us to our family stories.

Whether you want to learn what FamilySearch knows already knows about your family, how to preserve family memories, or how to build your family tree or search records, the Getting Started page makes it easy to begin exploring your family story. You can find the Getting Started page by going to the FamilySearch.org homepage and clicking on the question mark icon in the top right corner of the page, and selecting Getting Started in the drop-down menu.

Stay safe!