VALENTINE — The 12th annual Valentine’s in Valentine party will take place this Saturday, February 17, from noon to 10 p.m. at the Old Mercantile Building “rain or shine, snow or swelter,” according to organizers. Blues legend Jimmie Vaughan, brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, will headline the musical acts, and the town’s tiny school district will join in on the festivities.
Located on the north side of the railroad tracks, the historic adobe mercantile was built in 1907 and served as the town’s general store until the 1960s before being abandoned and then ultimately renovated in 2015. This year, the indoor-outdoor venue will host Vaughan — blues rock guitarist for the Fabulous Thunderbirds who most recently toured with Eric Clapton — along with singer-songwriter Matt Nestor, local favorites Primo y Beebe, Norteño group the Pecos River Band, southern rockers the Pulpit Ramblers and psychedelic outfit Sheverb.
Doors open at noon and Nestor performs first at 2 p.m., followed by Primo y Beebe at 3 p.m., Pecos River Band at 4:30 p.m., Vaughan at 6:30 p.m., Pulpit Ramblers at 8:30 p.m. and Sheverb at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets are $29 per person until noon Friday, February 16, at which time the price increases to $45. Children 12 and under can attend the event for free. Proceeds from the event will go towards compensation for musical acts, a donation to Valentine ISD and event costs.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Chateau Wright, Too Hot for TABC (the burger and sandwich food truck typically parked at Chateau Wright winery), Marfa Spirit Co., and the Gage Hotel Bar.
For the past few years, a portion of the proceeds from Valentine’s in Valentine have benefited the local school district — donations Superintendent Debbie Engle said are greatly appreciated and go towards student council and activity funds.
This year, the district — which has only 30 students enrolled for prekindergarten through 12th grade — will also celebrate its homecoming on Saturday, February 17. Engle said Valentine ISD’s homecoming has traditionally been centered around the alumni, who sponsor a parade and burger fundraiser as well as hold their annual meeting and a dance.
Larry John Porras, president of the Valentine ISD Ex-Student Association, said the dwindling 55-member alumni group decided to move homecoming festivities from the fall to coincide with Valentine’s in Valentine this year in order to attract more alumni to the events and re-engage them with the district.
This year, the homecoming parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the community center and make its way to the high school. The homecoming court will then be announced in the auditorium before everyone heads to Valentine’s in Valentine at noon.
Starting at noon, Valentine ISD Student Council will be selling hamburgers and event T-shirts, and the Exes will host a washers tournament. Porras said the festival-district collaboration speaks to the town’s character as small, yet mighty and encouraged everyone to come out for the celebration. On February 17, “We all become Pirates,” he said — the district’s mascot.
“Much of what we do is for the students,” Porras said. “Our goals as an organization include creating a plan enabling us to have this event far into the future. To do so, we aim to honor our history by celebrating our pueblito now as a West Texas community.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit valentineinvalentinetx.com/
