Volunteers Make Charro Days a Success

It may seem magical, but it takes more than “abracadabra” to make Charro Days happen each year. Thousands of volunteers, in dozens of organizations large and small, work tirelessly to create the internationally famous festival of culture and history that Charro Days has become. Each year, those volunteers man the ticket booths, hang the pinatas, grill the spicy fajitas, even set out chairs along the parade routes to make sure the community enjoys itself. Read more...

 
President Selected as Parade Marshal

A Brownsville native who rose in the ranks of academia to lead The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College during periods of incredible growth and development is this year’s Charro Days Parade Marshal. “Charro Days is proud to honor UTB/TSC President Dr. Juliet V. Garcia as our 2008 Parade Marshal,” said Charro Days executive board member and past president Oran Neck. “She’s an exceptionally talented educator and administrator and is an asset to our community.” Read more...


 Parades & Dances Highlight 71st Fiesta

Parades and pageantry, costumes balls and street dances, food, music and fun for the whole family pack the 71st annual Charro Days Fiesta and its week-long schedule. Traditional events and new additions take the festival to downtown Brownsville, Washington Park and many other corners of the city -- and across the border into Matamoros as well. Read more...

Baile del Sol to Kickoff  71st Charro Days

The 71st annual Charro Days takes place February 24-March 1 and starts with Baile del Sol, the first event of the weeklong festivities. Now in its 10th year, Baile del Sol will take place Sunday, February 24 at the Charro Days headquarters at 4th and East Elizabeth Street. Read more...

Angelica Vale This Year's Mr. Amigo

An actress, singer and comedienne who set television records in two countries with her ugly-duckling-turned-swan portrayal of “La Fea Mas Bella, visits Brownsville in February as this year’s Mr. Amigo.

Angelica Vale, one of Mexico’s most recognizable telenovela stars, will be honored during Charro Days, the annual festival that celebrates friendship between the United States and Mexico, Brownsville and Matamoros.

“Angelica Vale is very charismatic, very well liked and perfectly fits the mold for a Mr. Amigo designation,” said Jorge Flores, president of the Mr. Amigo Association. “She is very bubbly, and just the kind of person to bring a positive message and build bridges of friendship between both countries.”

Vale will be featured in various Charro Days events, including the President’s Costume Ball, the Illuminated Parade and the Awards Banquet, where she will be presented with her official Mr. Amigo medallion. One of her first appearances will be at the “Hands Across the Border” ceremony, where school children bearing colorful flags and officials from both Brownsville and Matamoros will meet on the International Bridge to exchange greetings.

An important part of Charro Days since 1967, the Mr. Amigo award was first given in 1964 to an outstanding Mexican citizen who contributes to international friendship and respect between the U.S. and Mexico. Past honorees include philanthropists, politicians, business leaders, folk artists and matadors. Angelica Vale joins a distinguished list– from "Cantinflas” and Sergio Bustamante to Lola Beltran and Lucero – in serving as Mr. Amigo.

Born Angélica Maria Vale Hartman in Mexico City in 1976, Vale is the daughter of a former Mr. Amigo, the movie actress and singer Angelica Maria, and the comedian Raul Vale. Angelica Vale has appeared in several telenovelas, televisions series and movies.

Vale is best known, however, as Leticia Padilla Solís, or “Lety” on the Televisa telenovela “La Fea Mas Bella” (The Prettiest Ugly Girl). The show’s finale was one of the most-watched Spanish programs in U.S. television history.

A hit program on Univision, “La Fea Mas Bella” also won the TV y Novelas award for best telenovela of the year (2007). The show spawned a popular English-language version, “Ugly Betty,” which featured Vale as a guest actress in 2007.

In 2007, Vale was honored on the cover of People en Español's "Los 50 Más Bellos" annual issue.

Vale is also known for her appearances in the televisions series “El Privilegio de Mandar” (The Privilege to Command), and for multiple appearances on the show “El Parodia,” where she performed vocal impersonations of singers such as Shakira. 

Mr. Amigo’s schedule this year includes a reception on The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College campus, visits to the Children’s Parade and Sombrero Festival, recognition at the President’s Costume Ball and a ride in the Illuminated Parade before attending the Awards Banquet.

Mr. Amigo is selected each year by a committee of current and past presidents of the Mr. Amigo Association. The selection committee “seeks to designate an individual who promotes the improvement of the quality of life in the Hispanic community and who also serves as a role model for the community.”

The recipient must also be “a Mexican citizen who has contributed to the friendship and understanding of the United States and Mexico, and has excelled in their profession, exemplifying the highest standards in their personal and professional life.”

Flores said Vale takes her responsibilities as an “ambassador of friendship” between the two countries and two cities very seriously. “She’s a natural! The Mr. Amigo Association is proud and excited to bring her to Brownsville.”