Laredo's First Annual International Auto Show

Twenty years ago I organized a General Motors Auto Show for two years. Both were held at large logistics warehouses in Northwest Laredo, but the crowds exceeded all expectations! The first year, along with new GM vehicle models, we had the "Sun Racer"--the solar powered GM car that won a solar race across Australia. The second year we had a NASCAR replica of Tom Cruise's "Days of Thunder" movie racing car. I think we might have also had free beer--that probably helped attendance. Well, now in 2012, on Friday, 9-21, and Saturday, 9-22, will be a really exciting International Auto Show, free to the public, at the new Laredo Unitrade Stadium. No free beer this time, but free parking. New 2013 vehicles from 13 Manufacturers, representing 7 countries, will be on display! Food and refreshments will also be available from booths maned by volunteers from Habitat for Humanity of Laredo Webb County. The good folks from Habitat will have a share of the concession proceeds to help them provide decent affordable housing. Law enforcement agencies will also have their specialized vehicles on display. So a good time for all is about to happen--check the Laredo Morning Times and Guerra Communication stations Z93 and FM98 for details.

The DallasCowboy Cheerleaders and Laredo

This is an exciting week as Kelly Janelle Sherwood of Laredo is one of 30 newcomer finalists for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders! Kelly started the competition against over 800 contestants from several countries, as well as from all over the United States. The final selection will be made on Saturday, May 19, 2012 for the 2012 Cowboy Cheerleaders Camp. The Dallas Cowboys were once "America's Team", and their old stadium had a hole in the dome so that God could look down on his favorite players. Even though Houston is closer to Laredo, only Cowboy fans are allowed, to my knowledge, in Laredo. Football is the local sport, especially on Friday nights when the high schools play. You may think that 90+ degree temperatures would discourage the players and fans, but then you are probably not from Laredo. Good luck, Kelly, you are already our "Star"!

College Students at Habitat Laredo for Spring Break

We had a “2:00 am call” experience this weekend involving 25 Habitat for Humanity spring break college student volunteers from Mass. A drunk female driver collided with one of their rental 15 passenger vans on Highway 359. They were traveling to Habitat’s Office having been told to evacuate the Tierra Prometida Habitat subdivision because of a fire at a train derailment that was producing toxic smoke. (All 26 Habitat families at TP had also to evacuate). A few lessons re-learned—the van driver and front passenger were not critically hurt because they were wearing their seat belts when the front airbags deployed. Laredo has an excellent Fire Department/Paramedic response time—as fire equipment and ambulances arrived in minutes of the accident—as well as several Sheriff’s deputies. The drunk driver, a woman in her 30’s or early 40’s was handcuffed on the scene, and after being examined at the hospital (against her will) was taken to jail. Five of the college volunteers were transported to Laredo Medical Center’s Emergency Room—and later they reported having been treated promptly and with great professionalism by the Fire Department Paramedics and the LMC Emergency Room staff. The Habitat Laredo Staff also responded in the middle of the night to provide the unhurt students with temporary housing and meals. The Endicott College students and their two advisers have demonstrated their resiliency and dedication to serve, as they have stayed on to finish the week helping to build houses at Tierra Prometida, and in true “Texas style” have “gotten back on their horses” after the bad fall!

From February through April, Habitat for Humanity of Laredo hosts approximately 400 college student volunteers from the U.S. and Canada.

Washington's Birthday 2012

This year is the 115th year of celebrating founding father George Washington in Laredo, Texas. Yes, Laredo was in existence when Mr. Washington was leading our Revolution, having been founded as a city in 1755. (For those of you that might have missed most of your history classes, or texted your way through them, the American Revolution officially started in 1775 in Boston--Massachusetts. Laredo celebrates for over a month, with pageants, parades, shows, carnival rides, and a some-what famous Jalapeno Festival.

For kids of all ages, Laredo Community College held it's "Family Fun Fest" this past Saturday, 2-11-12. The place was jammed on a cool but sunny afternoon. The kids, of course, ignored most of the planned activities and just enjoyed running around the grass, sticking their hands into a fountain pond next to the Chapel, and jumping off assorted rocks and platforms! A big exception was the line for face painting. The smaller ones could also be seen on ponies with their proud parents holding on tight to them.

Today, Sunday, my favorite WBCA event was effectively grounded by rain and unusual cold--the very popular Air Show. First time in at least 15 years that the sky was not bright blue for watching the stunt pilots, Air Force Jets, and aircraft of all sizes and shapes. Very disappointing.

This coming Thursday is the Youth Night Parade, and Saturday the grand 4+ hour major parade. I've walked and rode in a few of the Saturday events--always watched in person by thousands of locals and visitors. I remember one that was so packed with spectators, that even the garbage dumpsters provided a place to sit--ugh!

So happy Washington's Birthday Laredo.

Lincoln Highway, Route 66, and the Pan Am Hwy

The first cross country designated continental road was the Lincoln Highway--starting on the east coast at 42nd Street in Manhattan. It crossed the Hudson River and became Route 27 in New Jersey, going right through the center of my home town, New Brunswick, on its way to Pennsylvania and the west. I was reminded of this bit of history by a recent Public Service TV Special named the "Lincoln Highway". A more well known road was Route 66--starting in Chicago and winding through the southwest, including the Texas panhandle, and ending in San Diego. Parts of Route 66 still exist, especially in New Mexico, and the road was featured in the movie "Cars".

Laredo can claim another iconic, though less well known, highway--the "Pan American". In these days, starting as IH35 at the Canadian border, and continuing south through Mexico and down to the tip of Chile. Vintage 50's cars have had annual road rallies from mid Mexico to Nuevo Laredo (before the unfortunate continuing violence shut the race down). On the Laredo side, the real life version of Burt Reynold's fictional movie race "Cannonball Run"--stopped to do laps at what was the Uniroyal track.

The Pan American Highway once ran down San Bernardo--Laredo's original "strip". Perhaps we will see a positive resurgent of this icon as a tourist destination with its growing Mexican curio shops. In any event, we are still defined as a city by the highway of "international trade".

It's 2011 in Laredo

Time flies, especially when life is full of memorable experiences. It is already June, 2011, and we are in a 90 plus day drought, reached a record of 112 degrees yesterday, and finally finished another City Council election. Last year we had our 2nd "100 year" flood in little more than a decade! This year we may still be saved from our terrible dryness by the hurricane season. As to the "hot" ---- from elections, I have already seen walls painted with campaign messages for the November 2012 city elections.

The Mayor said this week that Laredo is good and improving. Wish we could say the same for our sister city next door, Nuevo Laredo. The situation, especially in Northern Mexico, is really sad with many innocent lives continuing to be lost. Even so, trade from Mexico through the inland port of Laredo is growing, oil and natural gas drilling in our "Eagle Ford Shale" region is exploding, and Laredo Community College is continuing with it's five year renovation and expansion master plan.

Even with the really warm, even for Laredo, weather, the grills are fired up with carne asada, the pachangas come alive at the ranches, and Laredoans survive!

Christmas 2010 in Laredo, Texas

Beautiful blue skies with crisp temperatures. Reading about blizzards about to hit Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston while the temperature on Christmas night managed to only hit 32 degrees in Laredo. This sunny day, with flowers still alive, remind why living in South Texas is almost heaven--at least till summer!

Of course we ate tamales on Christmas eve, and Santa did make it for cookies and milk. Best wishes to all in the snow, be safe, and make some snowmen and some awesome snowballs.