Bus Trip To The Hidalgo Lights and Dinner

The Winter Ranch Bus headed out at 4:30 PM for Hidalgo.  Tonight the bus trip to the Hidalgo Festival of Lights includes a roast beef dinner at City Hall.  We shared the bus with Trophy Gardens tonight so 22 of us from Winter Ranch headed to Hidalgo with Jack as our driver.


It was kind of a miserable evening weather-wise.  We ate our dinners on the porch of the City Hall so we did have a roof but it was still open air and the temperature was in the high-40's.  Luckily, it looked like most of us dressed for the weather.  The dinner was roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn and a roll.  They also had snack packs that they handed out as well as iced tea and coffee.

City Hall Porch Where Dinner Was Served

Some of our group at City Hall

Richard Beall and Lee Benfield

Terri Thurston, Miriam Hight and Mary Benfield

Al Hight and Dave Thurston

Pat and Beth Bishop

Tom and Pat Whitaker

Mary Benfield and Donna Jenkins

After dinner most of us headed over to the tram and rode around town looking at the lights.  They were fantastic, as usual.  This year they spread them out a little more around town and they weren't so crowded together.  It really made the lighted displays stand out a lot better.  The tram tour took around 40 minutes and then we returned to City Hall Square.  There was time to wander around and look at some of the lights.  

Turtle

Waiting for the Tram

Hint:  Sit on the right hand side of the tram because most of the lights will be on that side.  At least that was the way it was for us on this trip and we think they all follow the same route!

Myan Ruins

An English Double Decker Bus

London Bridge

Myan Ruins

Myan Sculpture

The Area Where The Entertainers Perform

Some of us took time to view Ramon Ayala's home which would definitely win "The Clark Griswold Award" for the most lights!  This year he not only had a ton of lights.  He also had the lights synchronized to music.  About every 15 minutes the music would start up and the lights would start flashing.  We saw a part of one section with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and then watched the whole section of "The Chipmunk Song" with Alvin and the Chipmunks.  What fun!
 

Ramon Ayala's three properties on this block

Ramon Ayala's home

Ramon Ayala Lighted Sign

Trans-Siberean Orchestra

Chipmunk Song

Then it was time to watch the entertainment.  On stage tonight was Estudiantina Guadalupana, a Boy's Singing Group out of Mexico.  This group has performed many times before at the festival and they are excellent.  Tonight one little boy just stole the show when he performed.  Such a cutie with a great voice for a little one and tons of energy!  

The entertainment was great but the seats were wet with mist and it kept coming down the whole time they played and sang.  We were all pretty wet and ready to get back on the bus to dry off when it was over.  We took this picture of our bus driver, Jack Hulsey, in front of the big red bus!