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...

 
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...

 
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. 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...

President Selected As Parade Marshall

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.”

Each year, Charro Days recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the Brownsville community. As Parade Marshal, Garcia will have a place of honor at the head of both the Illuminated Parade at 6 p.m. Friday, February 29, and the Grand International Parade at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 1.

Neck said Dr. Garcia was an easy choice for this year’s honoree.

“She’s done so much for the community. The University of Texas at Brownsville together with TSC is a huge endeavor and has just blossomed beyond belief under her leadership. It’s phenomenal, the huge growth of that college and university, and what it means to the area. It’s a tremendous achievement.”

Garcia said she has enjoyed Charro Days and its colorful parades since she was a girl, and is proud to lead them this year.

Dr. Garcia became president of UT-Brownsville when it was created in 1992, after serving as president of TSC for six years. During her tenure the campus, its enrollment and degree offerings have significantly expanded. New campus buildings, scholarship funds and a first-ever doctoral degree program are among milestones of her leadership over this unique partnership.

Accolades aplenty have come to Garcia in recent years. She was honored last fall as a Distinguished Alumni of The University of Texas at Austin.

Garcia was a 2006 Hispanic Heritage Awards Honoree. She is a member of the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame and has also been recognized as the first Mexican-American woman in the nation to become president of a college or university. She also serves on the board of the prestigious Ford Foundation.

Garcia earned her Ph.D. in Communication and Linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. and B.A. in Speech and English from The University of Houston. Married to Oscar E. García, she is the mother of two grown children and four grandchildren.