FREER, Texas — 3News Anchor Leslie Adami's family lives in Sinton, Texas. It's where her family lives, where she went to school, but there is another small South Texas town that played a big role in her childhood: Freer Texas, in Duval County.
Why’s that? Well, just over minutes outside of Freer, in Webb County, is her family’s ranch: 5A Ranch. It's a great place to unwind and getaway, but there’s also a lot of hard work that goes into making it a place both the family and the wildlife can enjoy.
Back in Freer, a stop at the historic Muy Grande is always a must for ranchers and hunters from all over, and has been for quite some time. It’s home to the very first deer contest in the U.S., which was founded in 1965 by owner, Leonel Garza. He shared he moved from Benavidez to run what began as a service station in Freer. One day, a man, who turned out to be a reporter from Victoria, became stranded. Garza helped the man, and later found out, the man had written a piece about Garza, referring to him as “a hunter’s friend.”
Muy Grande has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a gas station to now become a hunter's ultimate paradise. They said community support and a firm hold on their faith has made all the difference.
"That's what's helped us more than anything, was just an act of God," Garza said.
The business even wrangles in some big-name pageant queens, musicians, athletes and artists like Earl Campbell and George Strait.
"You never know who quite will walk through that door, filling up their gas," Kenneth Sharber, co-owner of Muy Grande, said. "One day I hear outside Earl Campbell yelling out there with Garza filling up. You never know, and you never know what kid is going to come in with his first deer and hear the stories. Then it becomes more than a business, it becomes a family.”
Down the street there's another family tradition -- the Liberty Cafe.
Martha Delay's parents opened the Liberty Cafe back in 1980. They had a restaurant in Benavidez in the 1920s, and her mother wanted to open up her own business, Delay said it then became her ‘dream.’ Delay now works alongside her siblings to continue serving up delicious food like their legendary cheeseburgers and chicken fried steaks to hungry customers.
“It wouldn’t be the same without my family, my brothers and my sisters,” Delay said. “We play a big role [Notes:in Freer] because of what my parents instilled in us.”
Even a fire back in 2011 couldn't slow them down. Six months later, the family was back up and running.
It's these kinds of local businesses that keep the Freer Chamber of Commerce busy every day. The Freer Chamber was established in 1966 and is among the most visited in the state, conveniently located behind a big reminder that Freer is also home to the annual Rattlesnake Roundup.
"We get so many visitors with that snake," said Pamela Garza of the Freer Chamber of Commerce. "It's the world's largest snake, so we have visitors every day. And when I'm there at the office, I'm out there talking to people. People stop by and they come back!"
The Rattlesnake Roundup is major project for the Chamber that has been going on 50+ years. It is always held the last weekend of April. The money raised goes back into the community for high school seniors.
Freer is a great spot to eat, a place for hunters to lay their heads, and a hub for oil and gas; but as City Clerk Angela Garcia says, it's the people that keep visitors coming to Freer.
"When someone is in crisis, they all come together," Garcia said. "Community in unity. I don't know what else. This city picks up where somebody can't."
The city also works to put on events for the community, happening later this month, October 26, they will have the City of Freer Fall Festival with a number of non-profits participating.
It is that exact reason that Leslie is proud to have so many personal stories from Freer, Texas, and is looking ahead to sharing more with Channel 3 viewers.
If you have a story idea for Leslie, you can reach her at: ladami@kiiitv.com
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