50 THE COASTAL BEND MAGAZINE TheCoastalBend.com The World's Fair, recoined Hemisphere, was awarded to San Antonio in 1968 and was rightly seen by city leaders as a historic opportunity to tell the world about their wonderful and friendly, though largely sleepy, South Texas city—and the story had to at last be bigger than the Alamo. Corpus Christi’s HemisFair is a reprised Selena Festival that brings home the in- ternational Tejano family whom she led, and who is still admired by millions of fans across the Western Hemisphere. The biggest Latin stars in the U.S. and Mexico, like Corpus Christi native Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez (“J-Lo”), whose career was launched when she portrayed Selena, Cheech Marin, whose art has been celebrated in Corpus Christi, and George Lopez, who has performed here many times, should be brought to the Bayfront in celebration of Latin cul- ture, Selena and Tejano. It may not equal a Papal visit, but a new Selena Festival is an obvious, high-profile, annual event that could renew Corpus Christi’s iden- tity, nationally and internationally. If we think big like we used to, and run these major events to the benefit of the citizens and visitors only, then we can grow our tourism industry like Ole Bob Cronwell did for over 30 years. By giving our neigh- bors to the near-north more reasons to come to the Coastal Bend more frequently, in short order we'll revive The Sparkling City by the Sea for good. • Dreaming of Our Potential Maybe Corpus Christi's role as the late bloomer in the family of Texas cities can work to our advantage. In this age of technological advancement that is mea- sured not in decades or years, or even weeks, but in continuum, our stunted growth could be recovered by the fastest, safest, and most advanced means in human history! Our new Harbor Bridge, as painful as it was waiting an extra four years for it to be finished, is spectacular in every way—it's faster, safer, and it looks incredible! A newly formed Texas company is proposing the most advanced seawater desalination plant in the world, to be built in response to Corpus Christi's water emergency, which could become the biggest turnaround story in the U.S. and would stimulate growth and development on par with San Antonio in the 1990's or Austin in the 2010's. Even if that's not what you want, all that pesky growth and prosperity, the Coastal Bend is a big place! There are dozens of smaller, bedroom communities that will only get so-big and congested. If your hope for our home, however, is creating a place where we are op- timistic about the future, and not fearful, and where we trust that those we honor with our vote are there for us, and not them, then pride and hope will be re- stored to Corpus Christi.
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