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welcome to the Texas bucket list the show dedicated to everything there is to
see to an experience right here in the Lone Star State
my name is Shane McAuliffe and it's a wide known fact I like to cut a rug on
the dance floor two-step is my forte but when we were down in the valley we heard
about a music hall ran by a Tejano legend so we decided to bailar on in and
check out la Lomita park over in North McDowell just west of Edinburgh you'll
find an interesting assortment of buildings in what looks like a regular
old residential neighborhood this stop is a popular place for weddings
quinceañera and any sort of private party but every Sunday it suddenly
becomes something of bit saltier party my name is captain Maldonado and we're
in Alameda Park in McAllen Texas pepe Maldonado is the persona who has the
persona to make La La Mina Park what it is we have our own dances every Sunday
every Sunday every Sunday we have come to music this peculiar dancehall is darn
popular on Domingo you see it's been open every single Sunday since that they
built it back in 2000 but what makes this stance all different from the rest
is the type of tune you'll get sit naked we specialize in your originals that
handle traffic cones so when the music's got a different big than the original
Tejano or north in your music which they basically use the same instrument we do
but it's a different lead and different kind of music you listen to
but it sounds very different the sound of South Texas resonates off the walls
of La La Mina as Pepe keeps a watchful eye on the reception of the serenade
Irma his wife of 54 years takes the fee at the door while his son Joe does what
he can to keep his dad's dream adrift if you build it they will come that's what
he said he built this people started coming now
Pepe is no stranger to this particular kind of music he's actually sort of a
legend they're about 60 years of a hard work really how do you recognize it
because the last name and I recorded that at the end about 20 albums really
LPS anyway like listen we've done these 1968 and this one here this was one of
my biggest hit on that one he sold I don't know latter because there was the
biggest feat I ever had and people kill requested I get up station organized
with a song again with the people Yemeni of Alameda on occasion Pepe will clear
the pipes and sing with other South Texas artists like Gilberto Perez
I'll say one day after great man I feel good thank you
I got to get out there and seeing him from you know what I used to do 4050
years ago I just don't do it you can jump up high. Pepe was a popular conjunto
star in the 60s 70s and 80s and his star power still pulls in the people. "And you
do this with your whole family you have a whole family involved? "Yes, the whole
they help me out you, as you can see you're surrounded by some kids."
His daughter Diana makes some the best darn enchiladas we've ever had,
while Rosie gives a few gringos like me a few lessons on how to cut a rug to
conjunot. "Is thatI kinda of what this place comes down to is family?" "Family, yes comes down to
family." Pepe was born and raised in the valley his family labored
as migrant workers they never knew that one day
Pepe would play the White House lawn. "All we had was field work. Pick tomatoes, pick cotton
and duties. I said, this stuff is not for me. I'm all
done to do something better so I did praising Lord that I made it. I'm happy
yeah I want to hurt the flavor I was picking cotton and I went to write out
so what exactly is conjunto music can you give us an example right let's play
a song thank you so much I see go forth let's go to looking back that's
not what I'm using if you say country country classic country we'll go back to
Hank Williams Merle Haggard's and all these people and not right now is a very
different deal and the accordion music or compose the music is the same thing
this mixture of music with Mexican roots is blended in a
melting pot method with sprinkles of Italian Czech German african-american
just about everything that's gone into making South Texas what it is today this
is our looking box let me the fuck is er yeah it's ours it's been said that
dancing is a way to find yourself and lose yourself well at La Lomita Park
you'll definitely lose yourself to the music but you'll also find yourself in
the friendly faces fixated on continuing a family tradition that happens to be a
terrific part of Texas culture I'm very happy but I've been through my life and
I've done something good this is his passion this is his music and he likes
people to hear it come out and dance to have a good time every Sunday this is
his life not bad for a kid from the Rio Grande Valley bringing here 40 born real
poor that we made it way the Lord praise the Lord
the gray matter is reaiiy her distinguished