Antique Automobile Club of America set to tour Conjunto Hall of Fame and Museum

By PETE BANDA
Special to the NEWS

While the City of San Benito has several claims to fame, including being the hometown of both an Olympic gold medalist and a member of the Texas Music Walk of Fame, perhaps the most notoriety comes from being the birthplace of Conjunto Music. In fact, the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and museum has developed such a reputation, it has drawn the attention of one of the most selective car clubs in America.

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) has zeroed in on the Rio Grande Valley for its yearly tour of a Texas region. Specifically, the club will spend the morning of Friday, April 1 at the Conjunto Museum where it will enjoy a presentation on the history of Conjunto music from artist Frutty Villareal. While the club is expected to spend only a few hours in San Benito, the club has been anxious to make the trip to South Texas for several months.

“This is something everyone in the club is excited for and looking forward to,” said Dr. Ben Fry, who is a San Benito native and has been a member of the club for over five years. “The RGV chapter of AACA volunteered for our region to be toured this year and the members all agreed that it was the best choice.”

Fry, who is the owner of Fry’s Pharmacy in San Benito, had several antique cars in his collection before joining the club over five years ago.

While Fry was an advocate for the region being chosen, the process was long and tedious, he said. In addition to getting clearance to visit the Conjunto Museum, the club had to arrange visits to the Iwo Jima Monument in Harlingen as well as a trip to South Padre Island.

According to Vice President of the Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Peter Avila, the work to secure the museum as a stop on the tour will be well worth it.

“We’re expecting anywhere from 35 to 50 cars and we have a fun event lined up for them,” said Avila. “Frutty Villareal is going to do a homage to original conjunto music pioneers and go through the history of conjunto music. Hopefully we can give them a nice tour of the museum as well. It’s a great chance to show off the history of conjunto music and our great city.”

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