Pharr to hold nature festival

PHARR -- The city plans to host a nature festival for children Saturday featuring a fishing pond and wildlife exhibits.

The highlight of the event will be a 3,500-gallon fish tank stocked with catfish. The Gladys Porter Zoo and Texas State Aquarium will also have animals on display.

The event is in its fourth year, but this is the first time it's been geared toward youths, said Fabio Angell, manager of Pharr's Main Street program.

"Part of the idea is to teach kids that nature is a partner," Angell said. "Nature can be appreciated. It's not a resource to be exploited."

The event is also set to have a model of the Arroyo Colorado watershed that runs through the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at La Placita Open Air Event Center and the Pharr Market Place Shopping Center, two new downtown businesses on Cage Boulevard, across from City Hall.

Angell said he hopes the event will also generate interest in the downtown area, which the city is working to revitalize.

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Ryan Holeywell covers McAllen, PSJA, the Mid-Valley and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.