HARLINGEN — Enlightenment and entertainment are the guiding principles behind the 5th Annual Harlingen Heritage Festival.
“Why travel somewhere to learn about somebody else’s history before you know about your own,” said Tim Reynolds, president of the Harlingen Historical Preservation Society and one of the organizers of the event.
The festival is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum and is being put on by the Harlingen Historical Preservation Society in partnership with the HAHM.
This year the festival will be celebrating the local history of ranching and agriculture starting during the 1920s.
The Tejano Cookers will prepare their one-of-a-kind chili and pan de campo. Reynolds said samples are available for only $1.
“Unfortunately we can’t feed everybody for free,” he said. “But everything else is free.”
The Bear Clan will demonstrate various Native American crafts including toolmaking. As part of teaching about their culture they will set up a teepee.
“That was one of the big hits last year and we’re so glad they’re bringing it back,” Reynolds said.
The Texas Wild Horse Desert Brigade celebrates the military history of this region from the Texas Revolution to the Mexican American War. The re-enactors will set up a camp in the museum’s courtyard.
Reynolds said the Mini Miracles Mini Horses will make an appearance. “They’re too small to ride but people can have their picture taken with them,” Reynolds said.
Historical talks inside the museum will center on the history of various crops such as cotton and sugar in this region.
One of the museum’s galleries will be filled with photographs and machinery from the 1920’s to 1940s.
At 1 p.m. the Heritage Cake Walk will give festival-goers a chance to take home something sweet.
Reynolds said the free event was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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THE 5TH ANNUAL HARLINGEN HERITAGE FESTIVAL will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum (Off Loop 499 across from TSTC). This year’s event celebrates ranching and agriculture and features Native American crafts, the Wild Horse Desert Brigade, a cake walk, arts and crafts for the kids and speeches on the history of the Valley. Admission is free
