Category: South Padre Parade

Mars-bound and down: Aboard the “Anne” with the Mars Ocean Analogs

  By Gaige Davila Special to the PRESS  Port Isabel is no stranger to sailors, but the depths of one group of sailors’ mission could not be more stranger. The schooner Anne and its crew–Andrew West, Gwen Whitney, John Wolfe, Reid Stowe, Kate Wicks, Oliver Parody, and Eric Goss–sailed from Miami, Florida, to Port Isabel …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/05/11/mars-bound-and-down-aboard-the-anne-and-the-mars-ocean-analogs/

The Great Padre Island Coyote Hunt

By Steve Hathcock Special to the PARADE Editor’s note: This article appeared in the May 2021 edition of the South Padre Parade.  The time was 1931: Al Capone controlled Chicago and Will Rogers had yet to “meet a man (he) didn’t like.” Padre Island was a lonely, desolated place in the early 1930s, with only …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/05/11/the-great-padre-island-coyote-hunt/

Wise’s “Fishing for Photographs” gives a new lens to South Texas angling

    By Gaige Davila “I never wanted to be a photographer,” Capt. Danno Wise said, during a signing event for his book, “Fishing for Photographs” at Laguna Bobs on the Island. But with the success of this book, the captain, Port Isabel High School history teacher, and freelance writer is, inadvertently, now a photographer.   …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/04/05/wises-fishing-for-photographs-gives-a-new-lens-to-south-texas-angling/

WillieDean Bagels brings New York delicacy to SPI

By Gaige Davila At WillieDean Bagels, you can find a part of Broadway on Padre.  Ernie Lopez and his sister, Bella, own and operate WillieDean Bagels on South Padre Island. Since 2019, the shop has served bagels with made-in-house cream cheeses or into breakfast and lunch sandwiches. WillieDean Bages is one of only two bagel …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/04/05/williedean-bagels-brings-new-york-delicacy-to-spi/

Rio Grande Distillery brings moonshine to the RGV

By Gaige Davila Los Fresnos, Texas, may be the last place anyone would expect to find moonshine, but it’s there, and it’s presence is becoming more known.  Jerrod Leon Henry, owner and master distiller of Rio Grande Distillery, makes Magic Valley Moonshine from his storefront on Highway 100 in between Laguna Vista and Los Fresnos …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/03/01/rio-grande-distillery-brings-moonshine-to-the-rgv/

Rio History: Moments in Time

Curated by Steve Hathcock Editor’s note: These articles appeared in the Port Isabel-South Padre Island PRESS on January 8, 1976.   Cable TV Comes to the Laguna Madre  At a meeting of the South Padre Island town council, Tom Russell, a representative of the Laguna Madre Cable Company told the council about his companies’ proposal to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/01/29/rio-history-moments-in-time-2/

Exploring chainmaille artistry at Alchemaille Exploratorium

Words and Photos by Gaige Davila The Port Isabel Lighthouse, though built in 1852, is not the oldest piece of history in Port Isabel’s Market Square. Down the hill of the lighthouse sits Alchemaille Exploratorium, the workspace and store of Michael DeVeny, Port Isabel’s only chainmaille artist.  “I saw a chainmaille shirt sitting over a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/01/15/exploring-chainmaille-artistry-at-alchemaille-exploratorium/

Daiquiris to-go comes to South Padre

Photos and Words By Gaige Davila South Padre Parade Louisiana has made its mark on South Padre Island, in the form of a familiar drink served in an unfamiliar way, served to-go.  Island Daiquiris 2 Go is now serving frozen cocktails just off South Padre Island’s entertainment district, with old favorites and new flavors for …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2021/01/08/daiquiris-to-go-comes-to-south-padre/

ABI continues creating amid pandemic

By Gaige Davila Editor’s note: This feature appeared in the November 2020 issue of the Parade magazine. All photos are courtesy of ABISPI.  A global, viral pandemic did nothing to stop South Padre Island’s art scene from flourishing, almost a year after South Padre Island’s Art Business Incubator (ABI-SPI, pronounced “abbey”) opened its doors. The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2020/11/13/abi-continues-creating-amid-pandemic/

European technique meets local flavor at F&B

Photos and Words by Gaige Davila editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com Editor’s note: This feature is from the Parade’s November 2020 issue.  If any word should come to mind when discussing F&B, it should be “intent.” There’s intent behind every facet of F&B (for “Food and Beverage”), a joint venture between owners Walter Greenwood, executive chef, Brandi Hackett, general …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.portisabelsouthpadre.com/2020/11/06/european-technique-meets-local-flavor-at-fb/