Thousands attend Palmfest
McALLEN — Diana Garza and her family sought refuge under some trees outside the McAllen Convention Center Sunday after showing their white 1980 Pontiac Trans-Am in which they recently drove back from Brooklyn, N.Y.
The Garzas participated in a car show that was a part of McAllen’s fourth-annual Palmfest International Folklife Celebration, which ran from Saturday through Sunday at the convention center off Ware Road and Expressway 83.
While she and her family enjoyed the festivities, they did find the heat a bit much. Temperatures reached 96 degrees by the McAllen International Airport in the afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
"We need to talk to God about the weather," Garza said.
Thousands of people attended the weekend-long festival, which included horse and carriage rides, re-enactments, games, music and plenty of food. The RGV Fajita Cookoff and the RGV Rocket Launch dovetailed with the festival.
Even though his VIP passes were misplaced, Erik Garza was not going to give up meeting members of his favorite basketball team Sunday.
Garza, 18, from Mission, was among more than 1,000 people waiting in line to meet the Houston Rockets at the convention Center and see them practice during the team’s training camp.
Having the Rockets’ development team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, in the Valley is an added plus for Garza.
"It’s actually an awesome feeling. These guys are coming down here because of this. This is good," he said.
The Mission teen said he hoped to get an autograph from his favorite player, Shane Battier.
McAllen resident Maury Yates and his daughter Krystal enjoyed the air conditioning inside the center, as well as model trains set out by Rio Grande Valley Rails, a model train club.
"(I like) the one that has Elmo," Krystal said, pointing to the red, blue and yellow train carrying Elmo and his fellow Muppets fro m Sesame Street.
The model train display received many admirers of all ages.
Dewey Jones III, one of the club’s founding members, said he’s been collecting trains since he was a child.
"It’s stress relief," Jones said. "The style, working on it, figuring out things electrically, it’s an accumulation of items … It’s basically letting your imagination get a hold of you."
Other activities included martial arts demonstrations, Al Ragusin and His Dancing Horses, and photo opportunities with volunteers dressed as the Care Bears.
