Thursday, September 13, 2012

Mid-September Round Up

This is X, your Laredo CVB Interactive Media Coordinator, bringing you the latest on what is going on in the fair city of Laredo. Today City Hall had a friendly visit with the Galactic Empire. That’s right; Darth Vader made his presence known in downtown Laredo. It was all part of the press announcement for THE SOUTH TEXAS COLLECTORS EXPO being held at the Laredo Civic Center September 22nd – 23rd
Over 100 vendors for all around Texas will display and sale their wares. Sports Cards, memorabilia, comic books, toys, video games, anime, and other collectibles will be available on site. There will be celebrity appearances from Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Felix Silla (Ewok, Cousin Itt, Twiki), and football legends Dan Pastorini (Houston Oilers), and Ted Johnson (New England Pats).
Average Joe’s and Legacy Comics will hold an Artist Alley at the event featuring various comic artist and creators.
Click here for more information on this two day event. It is going to be a BIG SHOW
This Friday, September 14, the Laredo Civic Center will host a gala event where you can meet some of the best chefs in Laredo and sample their culinary masterpieces. The 3rd Annual Laredo Philharmonic Celebrity Chef Gala will have live music, both a silent and live auction, and one of a kind dishes prepared by Laredo’s very best. For tickets and reservations, check out the Laredo Philharmonic website or download the LPO smart phone app.
TAMIU will host El Grito, a night of celebration of the Mexican culture. Food, music, and games will be part of the festivities. Call 956.326.-2265 for more info or visit them on Facebook. The weekend of Sept. 15th and 16th promises to be filled with some intense competition… On Saturday, Laredo’s first ever 5K mud run, “No Mud! No Glory! One Tough Mud’r,” will offer competitors a variety of obstacles such as monkey bars, mud hill climbs, over and under logs, and more. This one looks like it’s going to get dirty, folks. On the 16th , the Fourth Annual International Cycling Circuit Race will test cyclists in a closed circuit race. Athletes from both sides of the border will compete in various divisions for a little over $2000 in Cash and prizes!
The Shrine Circus at the Laredo Energy Arena is sure to please fans young and old, Tickets are still available at the box office or here. …and finally:
Laredo Main Street invites you to join to Join them this and every third Saturday of every month for the Laredo Farmers Market. If you haven’t been to one yet, you are missing out on some of the best locally produced and grown goods. September’s Farmers Market will include a performance by Bel’s Dance Studio and a Spanish pop rock performance by Kaova. See you in Laredo,X For more information on events call us at:800-361-3360 or visit our website www.visitlaredo.com.For an archive of our older blog posts go to our blogspot!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Meet Brenda!




Today's Blog features Brenda, Project Coordinator extraordinaire!

Hola!!

Here’s a little 4-1-1 on my background here at the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as my transition from the Sun City to the Gateway City! In May of 2010, I packed my bags and just about every single item in my room as I left my morning reporter position in El Paso and took an anchor/reporter position at KGNS-TV in Laredo. Many people asked why I went from market 91 to a 150+ market (tv-wise). To date, some still question my decision but that answer was simple; I never saw it as taking a step back instead a leap forward in order to expedite my career goals.



While at Pro 8 News I had the opportunity to hone my anchoring skills and was given the ability to craft my own segments which was tons of fun! Aside from covering daily news, while anchoring both Pro 8 News Today and the CW I had the chance to be even more interactive with the daily guests we had on our show. I had the opportunity to launch my ‘Faces of Courage’ segment where we recognized the men and women in our community, interview and meet artists, pro wrestlers, beauty queens and the list goes on! I was also given the “difficult task” of checking out some of the best restaurants and latest fashion trends for the season.



Moving forward two years, I decided to take yet another leap of faith. Ever since I was a child I have always been self motivated and kept my eyes open for any door of opportunity. One of my main career goals had always been to anchor a morning show, which I fulfilled during my time at Pro 8 News and my other goal was to set my microphone aside and step in to the PR field. So in case you’re wondering, yep, that’s what drove me to the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau! It’s been an awesome experience to date!! My role here is to serve as an ambassador for Laredo while also planning and coordinating a number of different events throughout the year.


Soon after I settled in to my office in late May, my boss approached me with my first assignment. Keep in mind it was my first time organizing an event that didn’t involve tons of family and friends but some of the top key players both on a national and local level, to include the U.S. Department Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Michael Camuñez and his delegation. My task was to format a guest list for three events, invitations, select menu items/venue locations, gifts and assist in a border facilities tour. From start to finish, I was elated with my first assignment. We were in charge of coordinating an awards reception, breakfast and a roundtable luncheon. I must admit it went quite smoothly despite the many changes Mother Nature forced us to make one hour prior to the welcome reception! As in the news biz, you must always be prepared for any and all curve balls and be quick on your feet. Things most definitely change from one minute to the next! So that’s my work in a nut shell… well kinda. Yikes, our social media guru only asked for a few sentences and here I am three paragraphs later.. woops! Anyhow, if I can help you in any way plan your next conference, group event or etc. here in Laredo please don’t hesitate to contact me. Talk to you soon!!!

SEE YOU IN LAREDO!

For more information on meetings and eventscall us at: 800-361-3360 or visit our website www.visitlaredo.com.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Friday 13th Fun

Today's blogger is LaredoCVB intern, Adriana Gutierrez Just picture it: It’s Friday the 13th, close to midnight and the Laredo Paranormal Research Society are by your side giving you a quick tutorial over their trinkets and gadgets. That’s exactly what was happening in the CVB office just a few weeks ago! I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I was! It was just like on TV. Speaking of which, we happened to have the EnBackstage.TV crew with us to add a bit more, let us say, Hollywood feel to the investigation. Having cameras follow us around really was the icing on top of this exciting night!
To further add to our adventure, the Laredo Paranormal Research Society squad lent us their thermal camera, which made me feel like a certified ghost hunter. Give a girl a heat detector, and she thinks herself a pro, right?
I was really pleased by how polite and professional the guys from Laredo Paranormal Research Society were. They really went step by step on everything and explained what we might and might not see.
Alrighty, now to the good stuff ya’ll probably are wondering: Did I find anything? Why, yes, my dear reader! We did! And let me tell ya’ it was such a surprise that I didn’t even realize it until a few minutes after the event. What we did, was listen to a device the LPA guys had with them that was used to communicate with any spirits present. We were asking away when we asked if any of the spirits could name one of the workers here at the office. Surprise, surprise, we got an answer!
At first, nobody really reacted until it really sunk in. Someone had said the name of one of my supervisors, who wasn’t even there during the investigation for any of the LPA guys to know… It really blew my mind away! After the end of the night, I wasn’t sure where we stood with our fellow spirits. Apparently they liked it here in the office! Well, as long as they’re happy we should be too…right??
Join us on our next adventure…

See you in Laredo!

For more information on special attractions in Laredo call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/.
For an archive of our older blog posts go to our blogspot!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Let’s Play Ball!

Hi guys! It’s me, Selina. I’ve recently picked up a new favorite hobby. Baseball! I know I’m shocked too. There’s a new team in town; the Laredo Lemurs! I’m still with you in that I totally don’t get the Laredo and Lemurs correlation, but whatevs, I’m not about to lose another hometown team (i.e. Laredo Bucks R.I.P.), so I decided to surprise my parentals with season tickets. These two totally cool, amazing and oh so very supportive peeps are my mom and pops picking up their season ticket holders packets.

I don’t really know all that much about baseball, but I get the gist of it. Someone throws a ball, someone hits the ball and runs bases to score homeruns. I think that’s pretty easy for me to follow. Before anyone reminds me, I know the stadium isn’t 100% complete. It’s getting done and will eventually be totally completed but for now I just wanna have some fun. And let me tell you, my date, my nephew and godson, Gabriel had the time of his life. This was him for the entire game:

I was surprised that he stood still the entire time. He asked questions about the game and stuff, but not in like the annoying way. My battery had died by the end of the game so I didn’t manage to get a pic of him in his Lemurs swag. The kid made out like a bandit with a cap, a bat and a ball. This is your warning, you will come out with a couple less dollars in your wallet after leaving the souvenir shop. Before the game begins some of the players can be found right outside of the souvenir shop. They’ll be more than glad to take a picture with you or give you an autograph.

The team mascot’s name is Pancho! Pancho El Lemur! Isn’t that hilarious! Well, Pancho and my nephew aren’t friends. My nephew is terrified of Pancho. Seems that he’s the only one who will run like the wind whenever he sees Pancho. Fortunately I stumbled upon two good friends who were so kind and posed for a picture with Pancho.

The Lemurs still have plenty of games to go in their inaugural season. Tickets are very affordable, and the stadium has great promotions. On Tuesdays, tickets are 2 for 1. Two tickets for the price of one ticket. Thursdays are Thirsty Thursday with $1 drinks. And if you make it out to a game on a Friday, there’s a fireworks display post game. You can check out the full schedule over at www.laredolemurs.com. Games begin at 7:30pm which I think is perfect because the sun is going down and by that time all seats are in the shade. Walk right up to the ticket window and treat the whole family to a ball game with plenty of good eats and fun to be had. Go out, make memories and enjoy!

Join us on our next adventure…

See you in Laredo!

For more information on art shows call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website www.visitlaredo.com.
For an archive of our older blog posts go to our blogspot!
 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Car show stroll- An Entertaining and Free Weekend Activity

By Blasita J. Lopez
Join us on our next adventure…
See you in Laredo!
For more information on Arena Events call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/

Laredo Pizza Factory has Grandly Opened

By Monica Andrade
If you find yourself on the northside of town, stop by. They’re located at 9652 McPherson Rd. at Ste. #4 (next to Average Joe’s) or visit them on Facebook. I had a great meal and I’m sure you will too.
Join us on our next adventure…
See you in Laredo!
For more information on Food & Fun call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Books, books & books

Hi, my name is Aileen and I am the resident book worm at the CVB, I love reading!
For some years now I’ve been on a quest to read 12 books in 12 months, so far the closest I’ve been was in 2010 with 11, but I don’t lose my faith ;)



Now, if you are an avid reader like me, you know that reading is a lot of fun, but you have even more fun when you are able to comment about it with someone, it’s like the “guys” talking about last night’s game; so given that I moved to Laredo a couple of years ago and most of my friends & family are back in my hometown I was looking for a group of people that shared my interest, I was looking for a book club!
And one day checking the Laredo Public Library website I found out they have, not one but two that meet once a month! (www.laredolibrary.org)




So for May I went on and picked the Gateway City Book Lover’s Club book, The Coldest Night by Robert Olmstead.  They were very helpful at the Library, almost every copy was checked out but they found one for me, then, book in hand I left the building confident I was going to finish reading on time!



I almost didn’t make it! You may ask yourselves, why?! If she had a whole month! Well let me share a little secret with y’all... I’m a bookaholic! I have to be careful not to walk too close to a bookstore or any other store where you can find this particular item because I know I will find one to buy and take home; which means: I attempt to read several books at a time or I pick the one I like the most, continue reading and forget about the others in line.

But going back to the book club… It usually takes place at the Library on the corner of Calton Rd. and McPhearson Ave. but every once in a while they move it to a different location (be sure to check the website before you go). In May they had it at Scholar’s Caffe Barista (1701 Peaceful Meadows Court) that by the way has an excellent hot chocolate and a delicious selection of bagels.
So armed with my book and a bagel I went in to the little library in the back of the coffee shop; Ms. Pam Burrell (the mind behind the book club) was there and a few other ladies, they were discussing the “Mystery” book and even though I didn’t read that one, the conversation was really interesting!


A couple of more people came in as we started discussing the second book, different people and backgrounds made for a really interesting conversation; Ms. Burrell guided the conversation with a few questions and allowed each participant to voice our opinion regarding the book and the author.
I had a great time!


The “Scene of the Crime: Mystery Book Club” meets first from 6 to 7, and then comes the Gateway City Book Lover’s Club from 7 to 8, you can choose one or both. The interesting thing about book clubs is that you get to read books you would never pick by yourself, Ms. Pam Burrell does a great job choosing the books (members of the club can also give suggestions).

Next session will take place at the Library (1120 E. Calton Rd.)on June 20, 2012

For more information contact:
Pam Burrell at 956.795.2400 ext. 2268


Join us on our next adventure...
See you in Laredo!
For more information call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/


Friday, May 18, 2012

Kids wanted! Spend the 1st Saturday of the month at The Home Depot.

Well hello there, it’s Monica again. Monday through Friday it’s mainly work, work, work.
 Ideally, Saturdays are for sleeping in – that is, until the phone rings…
May 5, 2012, the phone rings and it’s my husband’s coworker on the line telling us there’s something going on at The Home Depot for kids. Sleeping time is over and it’s time to go investigate.  
We arrive and walk in. Upon entering, you’re greeted by some smiling faces staffing a table covered with an orange table throw that indicates The Home Depot hosts Free Kids Workshops the first Saturday of each month.


Here’s what you do: Sign your kids in at the welcome table and receive a project packet for each child. Next, find yourself a spot at the work tables and get to work.

 Today’s project, assemble a Planter Box. The supplies are spread out on the tables: hammers, paint, letters for decorating, flowers and soil. My husband and son got straight to work.


After assembling the planter box, it was my turn to help with the painting. In case I didn’t mention it, my 13 month old daughter also received a planter to work on, find her at the bottom right hand corner peeking through the stroller handles…


Looking around, everyone appeared to be having a good time. I thought they had a pretty good turn out. Once the paint was dry, the staff provided you with flowers to plant along with the necessary soil. When finished, you take your completed project back to the greeters with the smiling faces. They then present each child with a Certificate of Achievement.


Their next workshop will take place June 2. Next project: Construct an organizer.


Visit their website for more information on the FREE Kids Workshops. Make a trip out there… maybe we’ll see you there!
Join us on our next adventure…
See you in Laredo!
For more information on Weekend Activities call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/

Monday, May 14, 2012

Monsters in Laredo?

Hello. Allow me to introduce myself… I’m Monica!
It often seems that there are not many things that call my attention, that is – unless it’s something I really like.

Back ground: when I was little, my Dad took the family out to mud races, monster truck shows and had us watch NASCAR. Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam came to Laredo Spring 2011. My Dad called telling me he was taking all the grandkids out there and my son, Alex, went along for the ride. Fast forward to 2012, my Dad called telling me Monster Jam was coming and I was invited!

We bought our tickets. The Friday before the weekend shows, the Monster Jam trucks were parked at various Advance Auto Parts locations throughout Laredo, but they were only going to be there until 6 p.m.! I clocked out at 5, picked up Alex, picked up my baby girl and we took off in hot pursuit for a sneak peek of some trucks.

First stop, store location on Guadalupe Street to see Superman. There were quite a few Laredoans stopping by to see the truck and to take pictures. Me being one of them of course… Next stop, store location on Calton Road to see Grave Digger.
Unfortunately, it was almost 6 p.m. and they were getting ready to transport the truck back to the Laredo Energy Arena (Monster Jam event location) to be there on time for the Friday night show. I was able to hang around long enough to see the tire changing to see how they load the Monster Truck into this other giant truck – look at the tires!
Well, that was the end of our sneak peek. There wasn’t enough time to make it to another location. But at the show, we were able to see King Krunch and El Toro Loco.  
 
The finale? Grave Digger, driven by Mr. Pablo Huffaker, ended up stuck on top of another vehicle – it was awesome! Take a look:  
According to the Monster Jam website, they’re coming back to Laredo March 8-10, 2013… and we’ll be there with our Monster Jam Tire Ear Muffs! http://www.monsterjam.com/  

Join us on our next adventure…

See you in Laredo!

For more information on Arena Events call us at:
800-361-3360 or visit our website http://www.visitlaredo.com/