Once again, the city of Brownsville is getting ready for Charro Days and UTRGV is part of the celebration.
At noon Thursday, the Mr. Amigo presentation will take place at the Texas Southmost College Arts Center.
The welcoming event is organized in collaboration with UTRGV, TSC and the Mr. Amigo Association.
This year, Mr. Amigo 2017 will be the famous Mexican singer, songwriter, actor and television host, Pedro Fernández.
Sergio Martinez, president of the nonprofit Mr. Amigo Association, said that during the last 54 years, the organization has recognized “an iconic individual from the country of Mexico [who] promotes brotherhood, camaraderie, spirit and essence of Mexico.”
“We have selected famous Mr. Amigos in the past, including Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Cantinflas, to more recently, Eduardo Yáñez, Itatí Cantoral, and this year, it is going to be Pedro Fernández,” Martinez said. “The purpose of the Mr. Amigo is to promote the culture along the border, to promote Mexican heritage and culture. And, since we are a nonprofit organization in the United States, it is a way to promote the relationship we have established with our neighboring country of Mexico.”
He said that every year the Mr. Amigo Association organizes a committee to decide who Mr. Amigo will be.
“Every year we work together through a committee through the Mr. Amigo Association, a committee of the seven past presidents,” Martinez said. “Usually, we review recommendations for selection from the president and then through that process we start inviting different people until we find one that is available and willing to participate in our events.”
Martinez said there are different events the Mr. Amigo Association will organize where people will be able to see Fernández.
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, the Mr. Amigo Walk of Fame Star Unveiling Ceremony will take place at Linear Park. During the event, a plaque honoring Fernández will be unveiled.
There will be performances, dancers and music. Admission is free.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, the Hands Across the Border ceremony will happen at Gateway International Bridge and is coordinated by the Mr. Amigo Association and Comité de Fiestas Mexicanas from Matamoros. In this event, besides other different activities, the mayors from both cities, Brownsville and Matamoros, as well as Mr. Amigo and Matamoros’ huésped distinguido, actor Ferdinando Valencia, will meet halfway on the bridge to commemorate the relationship between the sister cities.
Martinez said Mr. Amigo will also make an appearance in the Illuminated Night Parade at 7 p.m. Friday and in the Grand International Parade at 1 p.m. Saturday. Both parades will proceed down East Elizabeth Street through historic downtown Brownsville.
UTRGV and TSC will host a series of events leading up to the Mr. Amigo presentation.
At 6 p.m. Wednesday, UTRGV will commemorate Charro Days with the Charreada, which will take place on the Student Union lawn.
Cindy Mata-Vasquez, director of Student Activities, said that various student organizations have signed up to sell a variety of antojitos mexicanos, or snacks. She said Grupo Naval will provide live entertainment during the Charreada.
“It is going to be a very lively atmosphere,” Mata-Vasquez said. “We are going to have games. We are going to be giving out our annual mariachi T-shirts that we give out every year. We only have a limited quantity, so those are for students, first come, first serve.”
She said students need to have their IDs in order to receive a mariachi T-shirt.
The Charreada has been held every year since 2016 to commemorate Charro Days and engage students in the celebration, Mata-Vasquez said.
“We know that Charro Days has been a long-standing tradition at the Brownsville campus,” she said. “So, we … wanted to do something to commemorate that and make it more about our students. That way, our students have something to celebrate, as well as the Brownsville community.”
She said the idea of creating a Charreada came from Fiesta UTSA, which is a similar celebration organized at the University of Texas at San Antonio campus.
“Along with the students at the time, we came up with the idea of hosting a fair similar to what Fiesta in San Antonio is,” Mata-Vasquez said. “So, we took some inspiration from Fiesta UTSA … and we thought, ‘You know, let’s try it out.’ The event is open to the community, so we definitely hope that the Brownsville community is able to come out and enjoy some of what UTRGV has to offer.”
At 10:45 a.m. Thursday, a parade will take place from UTRGV PlainsCapital Bank El Gran Salón along the TSC Paseo. The parade will end at 11 a.m. at the TSC Arts Center.
Mata-Vasquez said the parade symbolizes the unity between UTRGV and TSC.
“The walking parade is our way of joining forces with our TSC partners,” she said, encouraging everyone to dress in traditional Mexican attire.
From 11 a.m. to noon mariachis and folkloric dancers will perform.
Then, Mr. Amigo 2017, Pedro Fernández, will be honored at the same location. The presentation will last one hour.
From noon to 2 p.m. there will be music, food booths and games at the TSC Oliveira Student Services Center parking lot.
Luis Barreda, a UTRGV biology sophomore, said that besides the food, one of his favorite parts of Charro Days is the time he gets to spend with his family.
“The music, the excitement of being around people,” Barreda said. “The time I get to be with my family. I mean, this Charro Days, we are all going to get together. This is the one thing that we all do together besides Christmas.”
He said he has seen Pedro Fernández in several telenovelas, or soap operas, and also has a few songs of Fernández in his phone.
José Martín Cuevas Cobos, better known by his artistic name, Pedro Fernández, was born on Sep. 28, 1969, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, but grew up in Villa Corona, Jalisco. He started his career as Pedrito Fernández at age 7 with his first album titled, “La de la Mochila Azul.” He has participated in different films including “La Niña de la Mochila Azul,” “Coqueta” and “Delincuente.” The singer has also starred in soap operas, such as “Hasta Que el Dinero Nos Separe” and “Hasta el Fin del Mundo.” Some of his most popular songs are “Aventurero,” “Yo No Fui,” “Amarte a la Antigua,” and most recently, “Hasta el Fin del Mundo.” The genres of his songs range from ranchera and mariachi to Latin pop and ballads.
“He is very fun to watch,” Barreda said. “He is also a world-famous singer. I mean, I have a couple of songs myself and I listen to them.”
He also said he plans to attend Sombrero Festival, the Charro Days Carnival and the Grand International Parade to see Fernández.
Martinez said Charro Days is important because it promotes peace.
“I think we all have problems and challenges, but I think that if we would work together in a professional, civil manner, we could overcome any challenge and have some fun at the same time,” he said.
Mata-Vasquez encourages students to attend the Charreada events and send any ideas about events or traditions they would like to see to involvement@utrgv.edu.
“We want them to feel like it is their event,” she said. “This event will always be growing with the ideas that students provide to us, so we definitely want them to feel like they belong here and that the university is also part of the community.”
For more information on the Charreada and the Mr. Amigo presentation, visit www.utrgv.edu/charreada.
