The Port of Brownsville turns 90 with a community celebration this Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Port of Brownsville Business Park, 1000 Foust Road. You'll find live music, food and a Kids Port, plus free boat and bus tours for registered passengers.

The tours take advance registration, and only registered passengers can board. Sign-up may be closed by the time you read this, so check before you count on a seat. Every adult needs a government-issued photo ID to get through the gate.

Get the details and check tour registration

⚽ ¡Vive tu Vida! at the Gladys Porter Zoo, Saturday, Oct. 17

¡Vive tu Vida! Get Up! Get Moving! comes to the Gladys Porter Zoo, 500 E. Ringgold St., Brownsville, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cameron County's listing promises free fitness activities and wellness resources as you explore the zoo.

The listing doesn't say whether zoo admission is covered, and the official flyer hasn't been posted yet. Before you load up the car, call the organizer, New Horizon Health Center, at (956) 548-7400.

See Cameron County's event page

🚓 Run with the Heroes in Harlingen, Sunday, Oct. 18

The Harlingen Police Department's Run with the Heroes is on the city's 2026 event calendar for Arroyo Park, 8 to 10 a.m. The calendar marks it tentative, so confirm with the city before you lace up.

See the City of Harlingen event calendar

🍽️ New: Where to Eat Local in Harlingen and McAllen

Two new guides are on the site: 15 local places to eat in Harlingen and 20 in McAllen, each town on one page.

Harlingen restaurants · McAllen restaurants

For a slow Saturday morning, here are five McAllen brunch spots.

🦅 Valley Courage: The Crew That Went In for Bella

On Monday, July 27, an apartment caught fire on the 1600 block of West Tamarack in McAllen. McAllen firefighters were on scene within three minutes. Nobody was home, and a neighbor told the crew a dog was still inside.

Two firefighters went in and brought out Bella, a 10-year-old beagle mix, then gave her oxygen through a mask made for pets. Her owners had rescued Bella five years earlier, from the side of the expressway. One of them, Michael Montoya, thanked the crew publicly.

That neighbor belongs in this story too. One sentence to a firefighter is the reason anyone knew to look for her.

One thing you can do this week: the American Red Cross suggests keeping pets near an entrance when you're away, with collars on and leashes at the ready, and putting a pet alert cling on a front window so crews know an animal is inside.

Reported by Alexandrea Bailey for The Monitor. Read the original story

Know a Valley neighbor who did something brave? A caregiver, a teacher, a first responder, a business owner who reopened after losing everything. Furry friends count too. Hit reply and tell us who they are and what they did, or post it in our Facebook group.

By sending a story, you confirm it's true and that it's yours to share, or that the person in it (or their family) is okay with it. It may appear in our newsletter, on our website and on our social media. We may edit for length, and we'll leave out anything private. See our Terms

🌮 956 Readers' Choice: Best Tacos

Our first Readers' Choice category is best tacos in the Valley, and we're taking names now. Hit reply with your spot and the town it's in, or add it in our Facebook group. The most-named places go on the ballot, and everyone votes from there.

😄 Smile for the Road

The Port of Brownsville is turning 90 with a party that starts at 8 a.m. That's the most 90-year-old thing I've heard all week.

📅 Plan Ahead: Next Weekend

Sat., Oct. 24, McAllen: The South Texas International Book Festival brings author sessions, book signings and book sales for all ages to the McAllen Main Library, 4001 N. 23rd St., from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Author talks begin at noon, and the last one starts at 3:30 p.m. Free, and so is the parking.

See the festival's page

📨 Pass It On

Forward this email to a neighbor who'd use it, or send them to the956rundown.com/signup. It's free.

And come hang out with your Valley neighbors in our free Facebook group. That's where the weekend picks land first, every Thursday morning.

💬 Quote of the Week

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9, ESV

🏪 For Valley Business Owners: Three Founding Spots

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 $40 a week and stay yours as long as you renew. Full Founding Partners ($250 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

If sponsoring isn't for you yet, add your business to our directory free.

We also post one free tip for Valley businesses each week. This week's is to answer every Google review, including the good ones. Read the tip

🙏 The Sunday Word

Early October brought rain, and it helped. The National Weather Service office in Brownsville says it improved the long drought, and that severe to extreme dry conditions remain in some parts of the Valley. Jeremiah wrote about a dry year too.

"He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:8, ESV)

Read the full Sunday Word and pray for the Valley with Pastor Reyes Castillo

More from Pastor Reyes: his books, including Called by Name and Freedom Code, are at thewayofthewarrior.org/books. Tap a cover to hear a one-minute message about why each one was written.

See you Thursday with the weekend picks.

Reyes

P.S. Your taco pick takes one line. Hit reply with the spot and the town, and it goes on the list for the ballot.