WESLACO — If a relaxed atmosphere is what the organizers of Acoustic Night on the Lawn were aiming for, then mission accomplished.
Tuesday’s event at the Frontera Audubon Society in Weslaco launched monthly festivities planned at the nature preserve, where attendees were encouraged to bring lawn chairs and refreshments for an evening of music. This was the scene at Frontera where four groups performed to an enthusiastic crowd who made themselves comfortable behind the old Skaggs House — a stucco home once owned by a pioneering Weslaco family that now serves as the facility’s administrative headquarters and museum.
The house’s lawn provided cozy accommodations where many set up picnic blankets and enjoyed a couple of cold ones; snacks were also available for purchase at the event. Behind them were a trail and thicket rich in Rio Grande Valley flora and fauna all located on 15 acres, where other amenities and natural features include wetlands, ponds, feeding stations, butterfly gardens, Sabal palm grove and Tamaulipan thornscrub.
Frontera is also quite the birding destination, attracting many for glimpses of rare birds such as the blue bunting and crimson-collared grosbeak. Even turkey vultures are known to nest in the area.
Sightseers who attended Tuesday’s concert took advantage of the intermissions to tour the preserve. This, according to Frontera executive director Sarah Williams-Salazar, is exactly what organizers hope for when planning festivities on the grounds.
“I really love to see families come out to Frontera, and I think that’s the goal here is to have a family-friendly event where people feel comfortable to kick their shoes off and enjoy good music, but to also be exposed to a place they’ve never been before and want to come back to check out the park and the trails,” she said. “It’s two-fold — having a nice, fun event for families and encouraging them to come and enjoy nature as well.”
Performing at the event were Weslaco area groups In Shades and The Last Living Computer AKA Mark Lagunez; Ruben Farias of McAllen and Esther Martinez of Fantastico of Mercedes. Dispirit, of Brownsville, were also on-hand.
Salazar said an acoustic set was preferred to help set the mood. For Martinez, the venue and atmosphere was the perfect environment to share her music.
There was a $5 entry for Acoustic Night on the Lawn, which was held from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Times may vary during the fall. For more information about future events, call (956) 968-3275.
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