Rain threatens Easter egg sales across Hidalgo County as vendors take precautions
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For Chanelle Mireles and her family, selling handmade Easter eggs is more than a business — it's a tradition.
"My mother started before I was born. She loves painting these eggs," Mireles said. "I was very little, so I would help her out with the clients."
This weekend, vendors are set up in several spots across Hidalgo County, including a location in Weslaco.
"Two months before we started painting, we start putting confetti, we started doing piñatas, everything, preparing for Easter, so people can buy," Mireles said.
Months of work all lead up to one weekend. Sales help support her mom and even go toward donations to local churches.
But last year, rain cut their sales in half. This year it could happen again after a cold front brought showers across the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday.
"Until the rain stops, we don't sell because the plastic on top of it falls to the side, so all the rain gets into the eggs," Mireles said.
Customers like Perla Mendez say they're watching the weather too.
"We're just gonna wait until the weather gets better, like in the afternoon, hopefully; if not we're gonna have to go and look for somewhere else to do it," Mendez said.
Mendez has already spent about $200 on Easter eggs and a piñata for her celebration.
"It’s all for the kids, so I'm happy to do it,” Mendez said.
Other vendors, like Adrian Del Angel, are pushing forward rain or shine. He says they'll keep their products covered just like last year.
"I was able to sell, it's just that a lot of people canceled their Easter things and all that, and so we didn't get to sell as much as we used to," del Angel said.
Del Angel started selling early this year along International Avenue near Mile 10 outside Weslaco city limits.
So far that strategy is paying off. He says they've made close to $3,000.
"This Friday was our biggest sale. We got [over $1,000] and we were happy because we got a lot of money," del Angel said.
Whatever doesn't sell this weekend won't go to waste.
"We're gonna keep as a family keep selling Easter eggs," Mireles said.
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