𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗠𝗥. 𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗚𝗢 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗛𝗔𝗦𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗕𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗦𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗢𝗦

 Photos courtesy of Jerry Danache

L to R, Mrs. Granados,(sister-in-law of Beto Granados), Mr. Amigo, Jose Cantoral, Presidente Municipal, Beto Granados 

Local businessman Zeke Silva agreed with me that Monday's Mr. Amigo announcement event was more heavily attended than similar functions in the past.

"I think it's because this time the name of the nominee was not leaked out beforehand as in the past," Mr. Silva told me.

Indeed, there were perhaps twice as many people as chairs in the beautiful lobby of TSC's ITEC Center, with even some listeners spread out on permanent seating in an adjacent hallway.

County Judge Eddie Trevino, Jr., in his remarks, emphasized that the relationship between Brownsville and Matamoros was "familial" and got a chuckle when he said both cities were situated along the Gulf of MEXICO, a body of water our recently-inaugurated President wants to rename.

Folks are surprised, when, in my travels, I tell them where I live and that we don't feel a "border crisis" at all, but enjoy a great relationship with our friends across the border.  Certainly, our country needs a comprehensive immigration policy, but that's long overdue and the last bipartisan effort was squelched by the current President for political reasons.

This 2023 statement from City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos captures the spirit of the Mr. Amigo event:  "And ultimately the spirit of what Mr. Amigo represents, transcends the individual who is selected for the honor. The Charro Days spirit is about a sense of community, and friendship, and the goodwill between our two nations. The rich culture you find along the border, on both sides of the Rio Grande, is the best representation of that."

Reflecting that spirit, the respective mayors of the two cities, John Cowen and Beto Granados, sat together facing the audience.  Cowen, in his brief remarks, mentioned his close friendships on both sides of the border, adding that several employees in The Cowen Group are from Mexico, "legally," he added.

The President of the Mr. Amigo Association, Maria Irma Villarreal, with the considerable fanfare of a mariachi group, unveiled the portrait of the 2025 Mr. Amigo, Jose Cantoral, while summoning the singer to the podium.

"Do you know this young man?" I asked David Barraza, who was standing next to me.

"Not so much," said Mr. Barraza, "but I know his father who was also a singer."

After the event, several of us holding cameras went up to the portrait of the 2025 Mr. Amigo, set on a tripod, to get a better closeup photo.  A police officer working security suggested we "just take a quick picture because all of this has to be taken down," but no one seemed in a hurry.