By ALBERT VILLEGAS
Special to the NEWS
Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame & Museum officials announced last week that it will host an inaugural two-day Music Festival in November.
During a budget workshop hosted by San Benito Commissioners, they once again requested the City of San Benito’s help in paying for upgrades to the Azteca Building, where hundreds of items related to the genre are housed and displayed.
Joe Avila, museum executive director, and Peter Avila, assistant museum executive director and curator, both spoke at the July 28 budget workshop held at the San Benito Community Building on Heywood Street, detailing how the festival has the potential of being an economic boon for the Resaca City.
Fans of Conjunto, Tejano, and Norteno music would be able to tour the museum located not too far from Stookey Park, where the festival will be held on November 20-21.
“There was a Conjunto festival in San Benito years ago, but it moved elsewhere, and the city was no longer part of it,” Joe Avila said. “This year, we want to plan our inaugural Conjunto festival; we’re hoping to attract 3,000 to 5,000 people for a two-day event.”
Joe Avila didn’t provide specifics but asked city leaders whether they would lead the charge to have the City of San Benito provide financial assistance.
Elected officials at a regular or special meeting would need to give the green light for city staff to proceed with any assistance, including emergency services.
Organizers said a lineup will be announced soon and that sponsorship packets are ready to promote a business in the festival’s official program book.
Organizers have used social media to announce bronze, silver, and platinum bracket sponsorships, as well as Circle of Friends sponsorships.
Just days after speaking with commissioners, almost half a dozen have already committed funds to the festival. In order of announcements, they are Austin P. Kornegay (bronze), J&J Tire & Auto (silver), Sun Valley Dusting Company (bronze), Humanities Texas (platinum), and Ernie & Fran Hopcus (circle of friends).
On the museum’s Facebook page on July 29, there were more than 200 likes and 30 comments in response to the “grand announcement.”
Joe Avila said inductions into the museum’s Hall of Fame is being held on the first day, with music to follow. Saturday is being dedicated solely to music.
“One of the key benefits would be economic growth and the economic impact this festival would have; people from throughout the state, the nation, and the Valley would come and shop here,” Joe Avila said. The second benefit is becoming a tourism destination. We are already seeing people from throughout the nation and the state visit the museum. The third benefit is increased hotel occupancy when people visit.”
For sponsorship opportunities, call the museum’s Executive Director, Patricia Avila, at 956-245-5005 or email texasconjuntomusicmuseum@gmail.com.
Patricia Avila said they are working with City of San Benito’s Public Relations Officer, Cristina M. Garcia, on a Memorandum of Understanding for the festival. She anticipates commissioners will decide on the MOU later this month.
AZTEC BUILDING
Peter Avila spoke to commissioners about the building that houses all the displays and memorabilia.
The Aztec Building, located at 402 West Robertson, only utilizes the first floor, but after more than three years of use, they need more space.
The building has a second and a third floor.
“In the long term, we want to ask the city to help with building improvements such as lighting, painting, and general maintenance; we also want to begin using the second floor,” Peter Avila said during the workshop. “We have outgrown the first-floor space, and there have already been discussions with commissioners about this.”
He said that ideally, the administrative offices should be located on the second floor, where an archive room should be constructed.
“We are receiving all kinds of archival materials from historians across the state and the nation. They are literally dropping them off, and we have run out of space,” Peter Avila said. “We want to make it feasible for students who want to come and study the history of Conjunto, Tejano, and Norteno music.”
He has worked for a month alongside two student interns from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, organizing their archives.
On Tuesday, Patricia Avila said the museum has 109 people inducted into the museum’s Hall of Fame. On the museum side, there are more than 300 artifacts on display. She said there are still two more rooms filled with artifacts that will eventually be on display once there is more access to the rest of the Aztec Building.
Peter Avila told commissioners that classroom space is also needed.
“Tonight we have classes, and we’re out of space,” he said. “We’d like to have classes on the second floor.”
The future plan is to eventually reach the third floor and have a music venue, Peter Avila said.
“I know there is a lot of discussion about self-sustainability,” he said to commissioners. “We would be able to host music Thursday, Friday, Saturday, even Sundays, and generate the income to be self-sustaining.”