Kick-Off the Holiday Season at Pharr’s First-Ever Winter Wonderland Experience
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2023
Pharr, Texas – The City of Pharr is thrilled to announce its inaugural Winter Wonderland celebration, transforming Downtown Park into a festive holiday spectacle for the entire community.
This FREE event is scheduled for Friday, December 1, 2023, from 6 pm to 11 pm, at Downtown Park (118 S. Cage Blvd). Winter Wonderland will include the annual lighting of the Christmas tree with a countdown starting promptly at 7 pm.
“The City of Pharr is excited to celebrate the start of the holiday season with our first-ever Winter Wonderland experience, an event filled with holiday cheer, lights, and the transformation of our Downtown Park into the merriest main street in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D.
Other highlights include festive activities hosted by City of Pharr employees, live music, food and market vendors, photo opportunities, a carnival, snow sledding, Elf on the Shelf giveaways, and of course the arrival of Santa Claus!
The City of Pharr extends a warm invitation to the entire community and members of the media to join us for the official kick-off to the 2023 holiday season. Capture the joy, excitement, and festive atmosphere as we create unforgettable memories together.
All media and the public are invited to attend.
DETAILS
WHAT: Pharr to Host First-Ever Winter Wonderland Experience
WHEN: Friday, December 1, 2023 from 6 pm – 11 pm
WHERE: Downtown Park, Pharr, Texas (118 S. Cage Blvd.)
The Board of Commissioners of the City of Pharr met for a regular meeting on Monday, November 20, 2023, and considered an agenda that included the following highlights:
City Proclaims November 15th as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission approved a proclamation declaring November 15, 2023, as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day. It is a worldwide event that is dedicated to showing, teaching, and inspiring others about the importance of GIS and the role it plays in our lives. The City of Pharr GIS Division maintains updates and makes sure the city maps have the most current and accurate information for land development including zoning, utility lights (water, sewer, and storm drainage), roadways, properties, and and more. They also provide addressing services for the city which allow emergency services departments such as the fire department, police department, and EMS to locate addresses within the city when responding to an emergency. They also map geographical data analysis needed for the city such as TeamPharr.Net where they are able to count how many homes are connected. Ruben Alfaro, City Engineer, and his team including Miranda Garcia GIS Technician, and Jose Chavez, GIS Manager accepted the proclamation.
City Recognizes Pharr Leadership Development Program Graduates
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission recognized city employees who graduated from the Pharr Leadership Development Program. The program consists of employees from different departments in the city who aspire to be leaders and supervisors. Individuals participated in a 7-week program which consisted of courses including leadership, followership, leadership in crisis, media relations, and a presentation. “This is a new program we have created for our city employees,” said Interim City Manager Dr. Jonathan Flores. He added, “We are so proud of our first cohort and their commitment and dedication to the City of Pharr, Congratulations!”
City Recognizes Pharr EMS Staff for Clinical Excellence Commendation
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission recognized Pharr EMS staff for clinical excellence during a recent emergency case. Pharr EMS employees Oscar Lopez, EMT/Paramedic, and Mia Palacios, EMT were recognized with the Pink Stork Award and received a plaque for their heroic actions in safely delivering a 24-week-old baby while transporting a patient to the hospital. The baby remains in the NICU but is doing great. Mayor Hernandez, Commissioner Dr. Ramiro Caballero, and the city commission congratulated Lopez and Palacios, praising them for a healthy and safe delivery. This is yet another wonderful story of the great work Pharr EMS does every day to help save lives and respond to emergencies.
City of Pharr Office of City Communications and IT Departments Recognized for Winning State and National Awards
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission recognized the City Communications and IT Departments for winning awards at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Conference and at the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers (TATOA) Conference. The Pharr Media team earned 3 Government Programming Awards and the Pharr IT Department earned the 2023 Community Broadband and Digital Equity Award for Community Broadband Project of the Year at the NATOA Conference. At the TATOA Conference, the Pharr Media Department was a finalist in 9 categories and won 4 Programming Awards. Yuri Gonzalez, City of Pharr News Director/PIO, and Jose Pena, City of Pharr IT Director, and their staff were recognized by the city commission for their hard work and dedication.
Police Chief Juan Gonzalez Announces Pharr Crime is Down
In his presentation to Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission on Uniform Crime Reporting, Chief Gonzalez announced that the crime rate in Pharr is down. Presenting the statistics, he stated that the overall crime rate in 2020 was 19.6% in 2021 it was 18.9%, and in 2022 it was 17.9%. “We have steadily decreased at about 1% the last three years and we are proud to continue to lower the rate and strive to continue to meet this goal,” he added. “Our Pharr PD is dedicated to keeping our citizens and community safe,” said Chief Gonzalez. In his report, Chief Gonzalez also announced that Pharr PD expects to continue to see a 1-2% decrease in crime for 2023.
City of Pharr Announces it will Host the 2023 RGV Coastal Expo
City of Pharr Urban Ecologist, Hanna Marble announced during the city meeting that Pharr will be hosting the 2023 RGV Coastal Expo in December. RGV Coastal Expo is a field trip opportunity for children in grades 1 – 6 across the valley to come and learn about coastal ecology and outdoor adventure. This event is a partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. UTRGV students who are interested in environmental sciences, conservation, and wildlife biology could also use this as an opportunity to learn about the outreach that people with careers in these fields do. A variety of activities will be viable at this event for volunteers to assist with. These include small table programs with local nature sites to help someone learn how to catch a fish for the first time! For more information, please contact Hanna Marble at (956) 497-0715 or via email at [email protected].
Further details about the event are as follows:
Date(s) – Thursday, December 7th & Friday, December 8th
Featured Event: REMINDER – City of Pharr Presents Winter Wonderland – Friday, December 1, 2023, from 6 pm to 11 pm in Downtown Pharr
The City of Pharr’s Winter Wonderland is coming to Downtown Park Friday, December 1st! Kick off the holidays with us and witness the annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree!
We’ll have plenty of food, games, market vendors and more! Mark your calendars!
City of Pharr to Giveaway 200 Boxed Meals to Families Ahead of Thanksgiving
We’d like to emphasize that this giveaway is not open to the public. Families have been chosen through school counselors and have been given vouchers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2023
Pharr, Texas – In the spirit of gratitude and giving back to the community, the City of Pharr is excited to announce its Annual Thanksgiving Food Giveaway spearheaded by Pharr Fire Department, Pharr Police Department and Pharr EMS. This event aims to provide a full Thanksgiving meal to 200 families including a turkey, traditional sides, dessert, rolls, canned corn, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and more. These families have been pre-selected and given vouchers.
This event takes place Tuesday, November 21, 2023, from 10 am to 2 pm at Pharr EMS Headquarters (3000 N. Cage Blvd. Pharr, TX).
City of Pharr staff, including city administration, will be at the giveaway helping load food boxes into cars.
Media is invited to attend.
*Attached is the video from last year’s event that may be used as b-roll.
DETAILS
WHAT: City of Pharr Thanksgiving Food Giveaway
WHEN: Tuesday, November 21, 2023, from 10 AM – 2 PM
WHERE: Pharr EMS Headquarters (3000 N. Cage Blvd.)
The Board of Commissioners of the City of Pharr met for a regular meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023, and considered an agenda that included the following highlights:
City Proclaims November 6, 2023 as Romeo Robles Day
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission approved a proclamation declaring November 6, 2023, as Romeo Robles Day. A devout Pharr citizen, Mr. Robles was recognized for his many years of public service (24 years) in his capacity as a member of the City of Pharr Planning and Zoning Commission wherein he has helped shape and build Pharr over the past two decades. Mr. Robles worked as a special needs educator with PSJA ISD for 27 years and also served our county in the National Guard during the Berlin Crisis. A true Pharr treasure, he was recognized for his many accomplishments and service to our great city. He was joined by his children and family while accepting the proclamation and was acknowledged for his service to the City of Pharr by Kimberly Mendoza, Director of Development Services. Pharr city leaders acknowledged his long-lasting legacy of service to Pharr and its residents and thanked him for his decades of service.
City Declares November 11, 2023, as Honor Our Veterans Day
Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D., and the Pharr City Commission approved a proclamation declaring November 11, 2023, as Honor Our Veterans Day. In answering history’s call with honor, decency, and resolve, our Veterans have shown the power of liberty and earned the respect and admiration of a grateful Nation. The service of every man and woman is recognized and celebrated on Veterans Day as we honor their service to our country with respect and gratitude. Lucio Gaitan with local veterans with the American Legion of Pharr accepted the proclamation. The City of Pharr held its annual Salute to Veterans Parade and Fireworks event on Saturday, November 4, 2023, in Downtown Pharr. The City of Pharr extends our gratitude to all veterans for their service to our country! Ours is a country filled with promise for tomorrow — because ours is a history shaped by heroes like you. Wishing you a Happy Veterans Day!
Featured Event: City of Pharr Winter Wonderland- Friday, December 1, 2023, from 6 pm to 11 pm
