The Texas Butterfly Festival turns 30 this year, and its Community Day is free and open to everyone on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Butterfly Center, 3333 Butterfly Park Drive in Mission.

Kids can play the Monarch Migration Game, get close to the reptiles, make seed bombs and climb all over the "Hungry Caterpillar" playscape. There's also a Hackberry Trail hunt and arts and crafts. Registration for the festival's paid field trips has closed, so Saturday is the day for everyone else. The festival hasn't posted parking details.

See the Community Day page

🗳️ Today Is Election Day

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Hidalgo County, and you can vote at any polling location in the county. Cameron County lists 59 vote centers and notes that locations can change. Its list doesn't print hours, so call the elections office before you go.

Hidalgo County elections, (956) 318-2570 · Cameron County vote centers, (956) 544-0809

🎭 Also This Week

Fri., Nov. 6, Edinburg: UTRGV dance students present "Mosaic," their senior project concert, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Drive. Tickets are $5-$15. Get tickets

Sat., Nov. 7, Harlingen: Downtown Market Days runs the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Jackson Avenue and at Centennial Park. The city hasn't posted a November listing yet, so check before you go. See the city's page

🌮 Eat Local: Koko's in McAllen

As Koko's tells it, Jorge Suarez made his mother a promise as a boy, and he kept it years later by opening a restaurant with his brother Albert, Jorge in the kitchen and Albert waiting tables. Today Koko's is at 6100 N. 10th St. in McAllen, known for its molcajetes and its enchiladas on handmade tortillas. It's open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and it's closed Sunday.

See Koko's in our directory

😄 Smile for the Road

This week's forecast for Mission: scattered butterflies, with a strong chance of somebody's uncle explaining the monarch migration to total strangers.

📅 Plan Ahead

Mon., Nov. 9, Edinburg: The UTRGV Guitar Orchestra plays from 7 to 8 p.m. at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex, 1201 W. University Drive. Admission is free. See the event page

Tue., Nov. 24: Our Valley Gift Guide arrives in your inbox, gifts from local shops you can drive to, right before Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28.

💬 Quote of the Week

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV

🏪 From The 956 Rundown, for Valley Business Owners

We asked Google's AI 12 times where to get a haircut in Harlingen. It never named one local barbershop we were checking. Every answer sent people to other shops.

If you own a business, The 956 Rundown can put your name in front of Valley families every Tuesday. Banner Partner founding rates start at $65 a week and stay yours as long as you renew. Full Founding Partners ($450 a month, three spots) also get a feature story and a quarterly email to our list carrying their own coupon code, so they can count who comes in. Banner and Full Founding Partners get an AI Visibility Snapshot (valued at $500).

See the three founding spots

📖 Sunday Word

Pastor Reyes on hunger in the Valley heading into Thanksgiving, and Isaiah 58:10. Read the Sunday Word

📨 Pass It On

Forward this to one person in the Valley who's always looking for something to do. It's free for them too, and they can sign up here.

See you Thursday with the weekend picks.

Reyes

P.S. Community Day at the National Butterfly Center is free this Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. See what's planned

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