Presidio
The Tourism Board meeting in Presidio was open to public comment, but the public declined to show up. Manuela Avila, Elvira Hermosillo and Mayor John Ferguson presided over decisions around the new Presidio tourist center and a potential arts festival among themselves.
The board is working to increase interest in Presidio, which has a less robust tourism base than nearby Marfa and Terlingua despite its proximity to the state park and Mexico. The new tourism center downtown has been plagued with delays and has yet to open while a bid to replace its windows makes its way back to the City Council.
“At this point it has to be done, but I’m not too happy with it,” said Manuela Avila as she passed the motion to accept the repair bid. The windows will cost nearly $8,000 which will come out of hotel occupancy tax funds.
A new brochure about the town has been commissioned, and the board spoke with a Travel Texas representative to be added back to their website. “This would give us an online presence,” Hermosillo said. “Our website is not up to date.”
Lauren Cecil of the Rio Bravo Ranch called in to provide a detailed update on the impact that the Rio Bravo Songs festival had on the town in February. It brought in 75 people, the majority of whom stayed in Presidio. “It was cool to see people from the festival walking around downtown with shopping bags, and they were loving it,” said Cecil, who thanked the board for their support.
Other festivals are in the works in an attempt to draw crowds. The Memorial Day Weekend Run festival will be held again this year at the former Trading Post, featuring music, races and a car show. Viva Big Bend 2026 will be held at Casa Agave, with a lineup of musicians to be published soon. An arts festival has been proposed for spring of 2027, and a committee will be formed to organize music, artists and events.