PRESIDIO — Spring break in the Big Bend is officially underway, bringing big crowds and long lines to popular destinations across the region. But while people wait hours for tables in towns like Marfa and Terlingua, the gusty March winds don’t seem to blow many folks over to Presidio and Ojinaga.
This year, a binational tourism development group is working together to promote the sister cities on the river as a spring break destination. “¡Celebremos la frontera!” — Let’s celebrate the border! — is the motto this week, which they hope will grow local businesses and smash stereotypes about the vibrant communities where the Río Conchos and Rio Grande meet.
Presidio Mayor John Ferguson has kept an eye on local tourism trends for decades but felt called to act after learning that the Chisos Basin — one of the most popular parts of Big Bend National Park — would be closed off for construction for the next two years, starting in June. He’s framing it as an opportunity for visitors to shake up their routine rather than avoiding the area altogether. “Instead of people saying ‘Well, I guess we’re not going to Big Bend anytime soon,’ hopefully we can get the word out that there are other places you might want to try for the first time, including Presidio,” he said.
Ferguson met up with Ojinaga’s mayor, Presidenta Municipal Lucy Marrufo Acosta, and a small crew of likeminded officials and business owners, to draft a full week of events. The official program kicked off on Monday night with a friendly basketball game between the two cities at the Presidio Activities Center. Parks and Recreation Director Elvis Medina helped pick the home team lineup, which emerged victorious over Ojinaga 82 to 74.
On Tuesday morning, he took a small crew of visitors from Marfa and Terlingua on a bike ride to Ojinaga, watched a local cobbler make a pair of boots and grabbed sweet treats at a bakery. Ferguson says he occasionally gets criticism for encouraging tourism to a different city, but insists that the two communities are so tied that what benefits one inevitably boosts the other. “There’s a lot to see and do over there,” he said. “As you’re promoting Ojinaga, you’re bringing people to Presidio.”
On Wednesday, the programming shifted to focus on arts and culture, with musical performances at restaurants across town. Ferguson recruited Yosdy Valdivia, owner of Galería Raices, to help put together an evening celebration that also features the new Dreamers Gallery and Presidio Pour Over Coffee Company.
With the help of her neighbors, Valdivia put together a lineup of events on O’Reilly Street Wednesday evening celebrating the food and art that make the two cities special. “It’s about teamwork — it’s about working with other businesses rather than seeing them as competition,” she said.
On Friday, Ferguson will host a special ride through Ojinaga aboard the “trenecito,” which is a special trailer designed to look like an open-air train car. Over the years, he’s watched cross-border tourism between Terlingua and Boquillas grow, but hasn’t seen the same growth in guided tours of Ojinaga, which boasts its own natural wonders. “[Terlingua] really maximizes what happens with tourism,” he said. “It’s not a competition thing — it’s about taking better advantage of the resources that are here.”
With the border being the subject of a lot of fear and controversy on a national scale, the organizers of “¡Celebremos la frontera!” would like to make visitors’ first experiences with border communities friendly and approachable. “There’s still inhibition,” Ferguson said. “I think if we can break through the ice on that, I think the economic impact is going to be felt on both sides of the river.”
For now, the binational working group is not an official governmental entity — it’s just a place for people to brainstorm strategies to grow the tourism economy of both Presidio and Ojinaga. “I think that we’re on to something here,” Ferguson said.
Upcoming Events
WEDNESDAY
11:30 a.m – 1:00 p.m. Enjoy lunch at participating downtown restaurants (and the Oasis at Three Palms) set to live music.
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Galería Raices (800 W O’Reilly) will be showing Expresion Feminina to live music by Los Bananaz while the Dreamers Gallery (702 W O’Reilly) will feature It was the desert who caught me with music by Marc Utter and Doug Scharnberg. Starting at 6 p.m., Presidio Pour Over Coffee Co (600 W O’Reilly) will have beats by DJ Denisse Ayay. Treats will be available from Pink Pineapple Bakery and Mayahuel Ojinaga.
THURSDAY
3 p.m. Tour of Fort Leaton and dutch oven cooking demonstration. (16953 FM 170, Presidio).
7 p.m. Cultural music and dance performance at Auditorio Municipal (Lomas CTM, Ojinaga).
FRIDAY
9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Trenecito ride through OJ led by Mayor Ferguson. Meet at the parking lot of Poncho’s Pizza (114 Puerto Rico Street) for either tour, which will last about two hours.
9 p.m. Bluebonnet Music Series at Casa Agave (101 W O’Reilly) featuring Marijuana Sweet Tooth Family Band.
SATURDAY
4 p.m. Car parade leaving the Poliforo Ojinaga (Avenida Camargo).
7 p.m. Market and music beneath the Presidio International Bridge (Mexican side.)
For more details, visit the official Gobierno Municipal de Ojinaga and City of Presidio Facebook pages.