Fall in NM: fairs, festivals, fiestas

Fall is a busy season - much gets scheduled for that limited window between between unpleasantly hot or cold for strolling about out of doors. Fairs, festivals, fiestas and the like.

Just past:

NM State Fair (results here). preceded by County Fairs throughout NM. Linda Johnson won a couple of 2nd place ribbons at the Torrance County Fair in Estancia with her framed ART TRADING CARDS (watercolor series of local churches)! By anybody's reckoning, that makes her Mountainair's premier ATC promoter.

Finishing up
Yeah, so I should have posted this last week but none were national secrets - schedules were available elsewhere. I'd like to follow up and review too, not just announce as though Mountainair Arts were just another event calendar. If you went to fair or arts festival or, please please email me a report to blog under your byline.

Go! Albuquerque Downtown Arts Festival, Gold Ave, Friday Sept 28-Sunday Sept 30 - over 100 artists & musicians fill Gold Ave for three days of outdoor festival

• Artist Guide
• Music Schedule
  

Aki Matsuri 2007 - Japanese Fall Festival, Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, Sunday September 30, 10 am - 6 pm - $3 admission. Sponsored by New Mexico Japanese-American Citizens League. Preview New Mexico Taiko coming to Mountainair in Novemeber - they perform this Sunday (today!) at the Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. They perform at 10:20 AM and again in the afternoon at 3:05 and 5:25 PM at the Japanese Fall Festival.

New Mexico Taiko performs at 2005 Japanese Fall Festival

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Ongoing

• Art, etc continues under gentle guidance of Shirley Simmons and Addie Draper, still meeting Thursdays at Methodist Church - and steadily attracting more participants
• Addie Draper Solo Show at Cibola Group Gallery, through Oct 15. My apologies to readers for not getting this information out in a timely manner or with the separate write up it deserved because no one from Cibola emailed me the information and images I requested. Don't let regrettable information gap keep you from catching this show and Addie's exciting and satisfying new work in oil, a relatively new medium for her.

Fall in the Bosque, oil by Addie Draper

• Mountainair Community Choir started practices for Annual Christmas Cantata, September 24 at the Mountainair Baptist Church. Check out flyer at B St Market and other places about town for practice schedule and times (I didn't write it down). $10 materials and sign-up fee to cover costs. You don't have to be able to read music to participate.
  

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Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 14 - splendidly covered online at the following and other sites (go surf!):

• Smithsonian
• National register of historic places
• Library of Congress Hispanic Heritage portal, with the following & more:
  

• Spanish Missions
• Juan de Oñate and the Founding of New Mexico
• Frontier - Parallel Histories Project: Spain, the US and the American Frontier (in English and Spanish)

How is Mountainair recognizing Spanish Heritage Month? Does the town have anything planned? St Alice? School District? If so, let's hear about it and support it. If not, why not?

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Coming Soon

Balloon Fiesta is just around the corner. Oct 6-14, 2007

• Fiesta Schedule
• Entertainment schedule
• Video clips
• Gallery of images from past fiestas

Coffee up while strolling around balloon park taking it all in. Judy Mowris' daughter Erin is a "premier espresso vendor" (whatever that means) at fiesta with "IryshMac," name of previous coffeehouse near the UNM campus. Reborn as "Desert Sunrise," Erin's coffeehouse is now in NW Albuquerque (Los Ranchos de Albuquerque). All booth tents are white; Erin's sports green & white banners.

Monthly Potluck - 5:30 (time approximate. guests start drifting in around 5 pm. Potlucks are by definition and inherent nature freeform and informal) , this month chez Melargno (Dee & Jerrry) in Deer Canyon, maps at Cibola.

Rendezvous

So what is a rendezvous (besides French for meeting)?

"In 1825, a profound change took place in the lives of everyone even remotely associated with the fur trade in the mountains. Gen. William Ashley improvised a method of trade when he met the trappers who had gathered from all over the country west of the continental divide at a place called Henry's Fork of the Green River. The trappers were so thrilled with the concept of a general gathering once a year to unload their furs and take on "fixins" for another year of mountain life that a pattern was immediately established. The trappers would meet each year for trade in an area established the previous year prior to the breakup of the gathering. They called this gathering: RENDEZVOUS."

Contemporary Mountain Man Living History buffs continue this tradition - and not just west of the Continental Divide - right here in NM:

submitted by Kim Brooks:

I forgot to mention in my last e-mail that I wasn't able to go to the rendezvous in Edgewood weekend before last. But my daughter Shyla and I did go up Sunday morning. It was a nice rendezvous because it is one of the Southwest's oldest, continuous rdvz's. The weather was very favorable.

Quoting Mike..."There was much good comraderie, whiskey and mmm white women." hahaha. [He stole that from the movie 'The Mountain Men"] One of the things that Mike enjoyed most was the night-time music around the campfire, which featured a 14 yr old young man singing and playing the guitar. And when he needed a break, Mike and another young man entertained by playing the Indian Love Flutes. This rdvz was well supported with a trader from AZ and rdvz'ers from Texas, Colorado, AZ & NM. There were 64 registered muzzleloader shooters, a large amount for the Southwest. The Mt View Telegraph newspaper had a picture of the rendezvous on the front page of their Sept 20th edition.

Mike took first place in the rifle shoot and 3rd in the archery shoot. We have also began making plans to host our OWN rendezvous the first week of October in 2008.

World Music for Mountainair

It's been a much expanded music year for Mountainair with more to come before the fat lady sings. Local and visiting musicians performed at spring, summer & events from festivals to business openings & groundbreakings. Manzano Mountain Arts Council (MMAC) sponsored its traditional summer concert series, two September music events (de profundis at Quarai & this Sunday's piano concert chez Clute), a newly introduced Fall Concert Series, and finally the Mountainair Community Choir's traditional Christmas Cantata in December.

You no doubt (I hope) noticed the announcement for the fall series at the end of the recently posted reminder about the 9/30 piano concert. Here's more from organizer (on behalf & at bequest of MMAC) Ray Terhorst about the fall series, which this blogger will be writing more about as we approach individual concert dates. I've already started researching groups, their musical genres & cultural context, as well as the thoroughly fascinating topic of World Fusion Music, which Mountainair too is part of.

Submitted by Ray Terhorst:

The Fall Concert Series is a presentation by the Manzano Mountain Arts Council. Additional sponsors include Deer Canyon Preserve, B Street Market, My Bank (formerly Bank of Belen), P & M Plastics, Turner Inn and the Town of Mountainair.

I put the series together in an effort to bring some cultural diversity to Mountainair. All concerts will be held in the auditorium at the campground on the west end of town on 3 Sunday afternoons at 2 PM. They will last about 2 hours.

The first on October 21 will be an Ecudorian group. These amazing performers play not only Andean folk music but also a fantastic mix of contemporary music and popular favorites, including selections from the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkle, and others 70's favorites.

On November 4th is a real treat with the first half of the concert featuring a Marimba Band playing an extensive selection of Mexican and American music, with an emphasis on audience participation. The second half presents a Mariachi group that will have your toes tapping. This will be their third return to Mountainair.

On November 18th we have New Mexico Taiko. These Japanese drummers bring a contagious energy to their performance. Audience participation will be encouraged. If you have not experienced this drumming style, you are in for a real treat.

It is my hope that a cross section of our community will attend these events and that this might be a beginning for those of us in Mountaiinair to experience the variety of cultures in our community.

In another email responding to my question about how he came across these groups, Ray adds:

I was already familiar with the first group and had heard them perform several times before. The last group, the Japanese drummers, was recommended to me by a lady whose brother played in the group. Our goal was to bring some new flavors to Mountainair. We hope the Mariachi and Marimba groups will appeal to and invite Hispanic attendance. The Taiko drumming group bring a new dimension to town. I am very familiar with Taiko drumming as we were exposed to this in the Los Angeles area on a regular basis. I hope future events will include Samoan, Hawaiian, strings, vocal, country and more. Additionally, I found a theatrical group that I am working with about bringing their plays to Mountainair.

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Editor's Note: Amauta plays a mixture of traditional Andean music and adaptions of other music - aka world fusion music. Here are sound clip examples to whet your listening appetites:

• Selected tracks from Amauta CD http://cdbaby.com/cd/amauta
  
• Amauta bio and music clips http://www.bluejaylivemusic.com/Amauta/amauta.html

Ever mindful of the need for reminders, I'll be revisiting the fall concert series with not just reminders but more about the groups - bios, sound clips, images, peculiarosities and more. Something on World Music (aka folk music) and World Fusion Music.

Plus more about local music, performances by local musicians (groups, bands, choirs, jam sessions, strolling troubadours, alternative & traditional stylists, etc) and perhaps a few unsubtle hints about involving local musicians more - even, like yours truly, they are not mmac members.

Mountainair Arts = all the arts in Mountainair and environs
Mountainair Arts =/= just arts sponsored by or affiliated with arts councils.

más vaivén - welcome Lame Beaver Trading Co

Dennis Fulfer sent me this information about new chamber member (& relatively new member of the Mountainair community) for me to update the Membership on the Mountainair Chamber of Commerce website

Michael & Kim Brooks
Lame Beaver Trading Co.
HC 66 Box 192Mountainair, NM 87036
tel# 505-847-2694
Located on NM Highway 55 (Manzano) #7545, between mile markers 73 & 74
website: http://www.lamebeavertradingco.com/
email: kimmybrooks@peoplepc.com

Lame Beaver Trading Company, open Fri, Sat, Sun + some holidays, is a "Historical Living Store" selling homemade arts and crafts, 1700's and 1800's style clothing, knives, longbows, muzzleloading supplies. Lame Beaver Trading Company also listed on the NMfilm.com website for movie props.

What a fascinating addition to local enterprise. Mountainair is developing decidedly quirky and original entrepreneurial trends right in keeping with town character. "Southern Esposure" lives! Lame Beaver fits right in with Jackass Junction, Olde Tyme Shoppe, Uncle Walter's, Cowboy's & Rose's, American West Trading Company and possibly others such as Treasures of the Gypsy fitting in this yet-to-be-named (but definitely needing to be) category. And doesn't that suggest a kickass cooperative advertising campaign as well?

Meds & More, Shaffer Hotel and Gustin's Hardware don't fit nature of business but should get honorable mention for decor features. Who else? Nominations please!

By the way, I asked C&R and AmWestTrCo for material to blog but have yet to hear from them. Putting in research time promoting businesses of those either e-challenged or uncooperative is not my in my self-written job description. Thus their silence means either zip about them gets blogged. There are reasons some get more blog coverage and linking than others... it's called cooperation.

Anyway, I wrote Kim & Michael (who was at the rendervous in Tajique last weekenf, asking them tell me more for the blog.

Thank you so much...if there is anything we can do to help you let us know. Our website http://www.lamebeavertradingco.com/ has pretty much all of our info, pictures, blog's etc on it. We are also trying to get the NM state Knife & Hawk championship out here at our place in April, and we would definitely let the Chamber know and advertise that. So we will let you know if that comes about.

And in reply to my reply:

Great! I checked out the website links you sent the other day. Very cool. This is all very new to us and we've been having a great time, talking to people and getting into the history part of it. We also met a neighbor here in Manzano, that her ancestors were the original fur-trappers in the Manzanos.

As soon as we know whether or not we will have the privlege of hosting the state championships I will let you know and I will get it listed on our website.

The 'about us' page on our website is about the only thing I have as far as a blog right now. I'm a little behind with all of my projects and business end of it....we've been selling so much that it is difficult keeping up with our inventory since 95% of our items are made by us personally and now, we're getting special orders.thanks for everything

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The Brooks are committed to preserving mountain man and rendezvous traditions, a fascinating subject in its own right and definitely in keeping with local interest in Mountainair historicity & heritage preservation. Maybe even a boost and shot in the arm for seemingly stalled Mountainair Heritage Foundation oral history project.

• Mountain Man (Wikipedia)
• Museum of the Mountain Man (Wyoming)
• Mountain Men and the Fur Trade - history of the fur trade in the Rocky Mountain West from 1800 to 1850.
• Mountain Men: Lifestyle
• A Glossary of American Mountain Men Terms, Words & Expressions
• Rendezvous - name used for the annual meeting of mountain men and fur buyers during the Western fur trade era, where trappers would exchange beaver skins for supplies and goods they wanted. These events occurred between the early 1820s and the 1840s, coming to an end when the price of beaver skins fell due to changes in fashion. It is now used for any gathering in the buckskinning historical re-enactment hobby.

Music Reminders: Keith Snell piano concert 9-30 & more

submitted by Kathleen Clute

Just to remind you: Keith Snell will be giving a concert of left-hand alone solo piano repertory, next Sunday, September 30th, at 3 pm. The concert is at my home, 2443 Jumano Trail, Deer Canyon. Sponsored by the Manzano Mountain Art Council, the concert is open to the public, and free of charge. However, as you may know, the seating & parking here are limited. To help us plan for seating, do call at 847-0306 to let us know you are planning to attend. If you need directions, I'll give them to you then. Also, carpool if at all possible.

I was originally planning to perform also. However, Keith's repertory is so complete that I really feel my playing would be superfluous. On the other hand, the second section of Keith's performance is music composed by me for him. It's a work in progress (that is, there will be more pieces added to the set during the next few months).

Keith will be playing 7 selections from a set of preludes called Verbs. Each prelude is titled and inspired by a different verb. Next Sunday he'll play Wait, Begin, Fling, Accuse, Push, Soothe, Close. This is the first time I have composed musically specifically for another pianist to perform, and I'm really liking the set so far. (Well, I'd better! I mean, if I don't like it, I have no business writing it that way!) So I will be well-represented on the concert.

Please remember to RSVP!

Kathleen

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[ED. NOTES: Thanks Kathleen not just for submitting but sending copy ready to post. The last alone could net you a 2007 Mountainair Monty. Not to mention being cited as a model for other announcement postings...

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MMAC is expanding its music calendar. This concerts follows the perennially popular mid-September Quarai concert and precedes a much expanded fall concert calendar. Briefly but to be written up in more detail later

• Sunday, October 21, 2pm - Amauta Ecauadorian Band, Seattle based ensemble
• Sunday, November 4, 2 pm - Marimba Band & Mariachi Nacional
• Sunday, November 18, 2 pm - New Mexico Taiko, group of Japanese Drummers

All concerts in the MMAC fall series to be held at the Campgrounds auditorium., aka Mountainair Auditorium, aka Joe J Brazil Auditorium, aka Campgrounds Chapel - from Assembly of God tenure]

Alternative Fuel Conversion Workshop

Have you been thinking about your car's effect on the environment? Here is an opportunity to get information you need to start learning about how to change your vehicles to sustainable fuel.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL CONVERSION WORKSHOP

Saturday, October 13, 2007
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
UNM Continuing Education
1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque

Charles Anderson, President of Golden Fuels Systems will present and show how to transform diesel engines to renewable fuel.

To attend is $30 and includes a chance to win $500 towards engine conversion. You can reserve a place in the workshop online at http://dce.unm.edu or by calling 277-0077. For additional information, call 275-0597

Supported by UNM Sustainability Studies Program

Sponsored by World Voices Newspaper

Blog Challenge: Write a Six-Word Memoir

Write Your Memoir in Six Words

Proposed by the online storytelling magazine, SMITH, writing a six-word memoir is a creative challenge. Try it and share your 6 word memoir by posting it (under the name of your choice) as a comment to this blog challenge:

"Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in six words. The result was "For sale: baby shoes, never used."

Since SMITH celebrates the personal side of storytelling, our twist on this classic concept is the six-word memoir--the short, short true story of your life.

It could be the title of your autobiography, or maybe your epitaph. Shorter than haiku and meatier that a one-liner, it truly makes you take stock of who you are. Try it." http://smithmag.net/sixwords/

 
 

ATCs here & there

From Raine at the Albuquerque ATC meetup - I'm late getting to it as I don't yet have the habit of checking the mountainairarts@yahoo.com account as often as I ought to:

Raine writes:

Just wanted to let you know that we've decided to consolidate this group over at Yahoo Groups. The web address is - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/abq_arttradingcards/

We have been using Meetup to find new members - but it is too expensive to continue. We've been going strong for over 2 1/2 years and have been averaging about 20 people a month at meetings and seem to be growing every month. Hope to see you at the next one!

Email me is you have any questions.

Raine

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We've been cultivating ATCs & harbor more than a few makers right here in Mountainair too - granted, fewer numbers, not to mention unfortunate misunderstandings and other up & downs - but most aren't ready to throw in the towel just yet. Judy Mowris & Linda Johnson traded cards at Sunflower with visitors from Magdalena. Judy & Wana Beth traded cards at the Arts Tour, and Judy had her big ATC display out at both for visitors to look at. The Mountainair Arts Tour had an ATC table with handouts and cards by Meg Chobanian, Dennis Chobanian and Terri Grate, not repeated at Sunflower as had been planned.

The future remains to be seen but is not necessarily bleak. Trekking to abqq seems unlikely. Getting abqq ATC artists here has had uneven outcames - consistently inconsistent. Yet the beauty and appeal of making and trading cards here remains. Originally an offshoot of postal art, ATCs can be traded by mail - with artists anywhere and everywhere. The practice suits and is suited to our out-of-the-way-ness. Judy Mowris, for one, has been trading ATCs across great distances right from the isolated comfort of her home.

Take a look at some ATCs & pages & information - maybe it will inspire you to start making them. Even if you don't want to go abqq for an ATC swap, stay in touch by joining the group. Please note that the group does not do mail trades - there are plenty of other groups that do.

http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/index.html

http://www.cedarseed.com/air/atc.html

http://www.atcards.com/

"Artist Trading Cards" community on LiveJournal (641 members)

http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=artist_cards

art is everywhere

Examples of functional (very) or "house folk art" (to coin a genre)

It's true... art is everywhere.


I didn't get it right off but maybe you will. I'd say more about symbolism and throw in uselessly erudite references but why give away clues.


If it's OK with the artist, credits can wait until we have a few good guesses on the table... and, no, it's not a tombstone...

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I changed the image for "Mountainair Scenes" - from Ray Terhorst's picture of the P&M groundbreaking to a picture of Rancho Bonito - but left the Jon Phipp's (Clix'n'Pix) picture of the mural up.

Motley update - final note on sunflower wrap, new folk around & outside town, permaculture, eco-beat, chamber, businesses, the perils (& folly) of mixing politics & naming (no, I don't mean name calling, although it has been known to come to that), communication gaps at the hands of communication providers, skule daze, Christmas Fair update - and sundry grice can wait. Arts council update might be appropriate but I don't have one yet.

Music in the Manzanos

woodcut by Lezle Williams

Laughing Crow Studio

September 16 — de Profundis. Quarai Ruins, Punta de Agua. 3 pm. A capella men’s ensemble of Albuquerque. Bring chairs! Sponsored by Manzano Mountain Arts Council.

I had this listed for 2 pm on the Chamber of Commerce Calendar. If you do come early, you'll experience the dubious delights of an MMAC general meeting. I can't speak for your personal Baron von Masoch inclinationsm but should you that even Board members try to avoid meetings whenever possible. However, if you want to become more involved in the local arts community, then do contact an MMA Board member and plan to come early for the meeting. Caution: you could end up on the board or chairing a major event if you are not careful and extremely firm.

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September 30 — Keith Snell & Kathleen Ryan, pianists. 3 pm. 2443 Jumano Trail, Deer Canyon Preserve, Mountainair. Call 847-0306 for directions.

Belen Fine Art Show

This from the NM Department of Tourism calendar (a tool our own arts council divas have yet to master) came via Google alerts, more reliable than the Belen Art League for event notices.

In a spirit of reciprocity and enlightened self-interest (pace Adam Smith), supporting one another's events makes sense as we sail (or drift) down the river of quid pro quo. We do not consistently support or even help spread the word about one another's art events but should. Nor do we need to wait for Valencia county artists and art to make the first move. Hence this post & mercifully brief soapbox interlude. If the MMAC does not have web sites for Valencia County arts on its links page, it should. Feel free to remind them. I'll be adding Valencia art sites my links lists - and with apologies for not having done so sooner.

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Belen Fine Art Show

Tuesday, September 11th - Wednesday, October 10th, 12:30 - 3:30

(the listing includes a confusinging "Sept 22- Oct 22." I can't explain it. Call BAL if you must satisfy your curiosity)

Described as "A wonderful display of all mediums at resonable prices. Affordable Art for the public in the Historic Harvey House Museum. Oil, watercolors, metal art, gourd art & some crafts."

Cost: Free. Location & Directions: I-25 to Belen. Down main street to Becker Ave. Drive down Becker Ave. passing a started mural, 1st street to the Harvey House.

For more information, call 861-0217, Belen Art League at the Belen Harvey House at 1st Street & Becker Ave. Belen, NM 87002. Email: cathcano26@aol.com

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Other Valencia County art locations/centers / institutions. Drop by sometime - check them out and invite whoever's there to come to Mountainair for an event, a performance or just to visit...

• Rt 66 Society for the Arts (website currently unavailable - maybe you'll have more luck than I did)

  Fine Arts Department, UNM Valencia

  Through the Flower

  Tomé Art Gallery

There was another Valencia County art group, but my last computer mishap lost their information and I have not heard from them in some time.

¡GLOBALQUERQUE! - September 21 & 22

from NM Culture Net - this sounds like great fun, with something for everyone from kultur vultures to music groupies to foodies.

¡Globalquerque!

New Mexico's 3rd Annual Celebration of World Music and Culture, September 21 and 22 2007 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center

Tickets are on sale now at the NHCC box office and all Ticketmaster locations (ticketmaster.com)

18 ACTS from 5 CONTINENTS on 3 STAGES plus, workshops, instrument building for kids, dance lessons, the Global Village and more over the two days.

The Global Village of Craft Culture and Cuisine will have a plethora of vendors this year, with an amazing variety of goods, food and information. Be sure
to plan to spend some time visiting them. The NHCC grounds will open at 4 both nights so you can check out the village before (and during!) the music or you can stop by during the free day programming on Saturday.

Info on all the vendors, free day programming, schedules, artist bio's and just about anything ¡Globalquerque! related can be found at www.globalquerque.com.

¡Globalquerque! is the official New Mexico event for the 25th Anniversary of National Endowment for The Arts National Heritage Fellowship

Artists Appearing as part of ¡Globalquerque! 2007:

• Global Drum Project, featuring Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Giovanni Hidalgo and Sikiru Adepoju (USA/India/Puerto Rico/Nigeria)
  
• Koko Taylor & Her Blues Machine (USA)
  
• aneXo al Norte (New Mexico, USA)
  
• Anjani's Kathak Dance of India
• Baka Beyond (UK/Cameroon)
• Lankandia Cissoko (Senegal)
• Dragon Art Studio (China)
• Fiamma Fumana (Italy)
• Marta Gómez (Colombia)
• Hassan Hakmoun (Morocco)
• Iļģi (Latvia)
• Assane Kouyate (Senegal)
• La Familia Vigil (New Mexico, USA)
• Yungchen Lhamo (Tibet)
• Kevin Locke (Lakota/Anishinabe Nations, USA)
• Shelley Morningsong (Northern Cheyenne, USA)
• Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic)
• Chango Spasiuk (Argentina)

¡GLOBALQUERQUE! related events:

• Sept 17: Los Zafiros special on KUNM, 8:00 pm
• Sept 18 - 20: ¡Globalquerque! at the Guild
• Sept 19: Koko Taylor special on KUNM's Blues Show (7to 10 pm)
• Sept 21: Baka Beyond - video presentation/Q&A at the Downtown Library, 10:30 am
• Sept 21: Live broadcast on KUNM, 6 to 11 pm.
• Sept 22: Preview of day programming, KUNM's Children's Hour, 9:00 am
• Sept 21 & 22 - ¡Globalquerque! - National Hispanic Cultural Center
  
  www.globalquerque.com
  
  

incubating local development

Dennis Fulfer, not just musician and Chamber of Commerce treasurer (not the juxtaposition of the two is not more than a little off beat), is also a graduate student at UNM, springboarding from his undergrad business degree into a double Master's in planning and development. Everything covered applies to and ultimately benefits Mountainair. Here's what he wrote about a recent field trip:

I had a very interesting field trip to the South Valley
Economic Development Center yesterday. It's basically a business incubator that rents space and facilities at cost. The kitchen is a state of the art facility that can house 4 businesses at any given time. Prices are as low as $14/hour so as to make it affordable to the single mother who sells burritos or donuts to make ends meet. Additionally, there's office space available for start-ups who find the costs of maintaining high office rents, office machine leases and phone systems cost prohibitive. It's basically all included in the price of the rent, which is minimal (again, their goal is to break even.) They have conference rooms as well as a coffee house. Ultimately it's becoming somewhat of a cultural center for the South Valley denizens. They have plans for expanding their facilities to include light industrial business.

This got me thinking about the Campgrounds. The facilities are there, why not utilize it in a similar fashion? We probably don't need another restaurant here in town but breakfast/lunch burritos are always appreciated when to come to the job site or office. Office space is extremely scarce in Mtnair. Where can I open up my brokerage affordably? There isn't any place I know of.

School is going good. Time consuming! But I'm so inspired.

If Dennis' comments and observation have you thinking - as well they should - about "incubating" development on multiple levels right here, here are more resources for you to chew. Dennis does not have to be the only one with "homework."

National Business Incubation Association (http://www.nbia.org/)

New Mexico Economic Development Dept (http://www.edd.state.nm.us/index.php)

According to the NM economic development site, Mountainair actually has passed a local economic development act (which was news to me. What are they actually doing to develop the local economy?) but did not apply for matching coop advertising

According to NM Economic Development dept: If you are developing a business incubator that you would like to have certified you must include a market feasibility study with your certification application. To apply for matching grant monies for conducting a feasibility study, download an application.

Four business incubators have been certified in New Mexico to-date. They are two start-up incubators: South Valley Economic Development Center and the WESST Corp Enterprise Center; and two existing business incubators: Santa Fe Business Incubator and the Quality Center for Business at San Juan College.

NM Economic Development Dept. currently has capital outlay funds available for certified business incubators, e.g. no certification, no funding...

el vaivén

Definition of "vaivén" (m. noun, Spanish)

(entre dos puntos) oscillation, back-and-forth motion
(balanceo) swinging, swaying
figurative (cambio) fluctuation, change
maritime, nautical three-stranded cable

The meaning in this post's title is figurative, refering to changes - comings & goings (or, more literally translated, goings & comings). People moving away from or to Mountainair, enterprises (businesses, organizations, bands, whatever) starting or ending. Probably not much call around her for nautical three-stranded cables. Some will be more up-to-date than others, time not running quite the same here as in other parts.

Comings & Goings (el vaivén)

New & not so new arrivals, businesses and/or local enterprises include American West Trading Company (Broadway, next to Cliff's Barbershop), Clix 'n Pix / EVCIA (respectively, photo nature prints & computer instruction - same proprietors, Phipps family), Ruthie's Gifts (3rd & Forest), and Jackass Junction. Both Maureen Hamilton and Lynette Phipps have sent information for blogging. I've done Maureen & Neil's (Jackass Junction) and will get to Lynette's. The same goes for the others and any I've left out.

Doesn't this seem like a lot of new endeavors? And that's not counting either established ones that have changed hands or management (possibly a whole 'nother category) or ones still in concept mode (yet another).

In particular, the last sorely tempts the parody impulse... could even inspire a contest: imagined Mountainair businesses.

Dave, Megan & Seamus Lemcke finished their very last bit moving last Sunday and are now more or less esconced in Deming NM (settling in takes time too). Megan taught art in the afterschool program and in the Art in Schools Program, where she was the primary art teacher. She is now teaching full time at two Deming middle schools. Our loss, their gain. Seamus, 2 1/2 going on 3 or or perhaps 18, traded thumbs up with me, dubbed me Anesta and was a most welcome grandson stand-in. I am going to miss all of them. Megan's parting gift - a long coveted oil (recently appearing here on the Mountainair Art feature) - cannot fill the gap.



Patsy's Flowers & Gifts, on Broadway next to Gustin's, has closed. Joan Page tells me the store, leased from the Gustins, was open for 10 years. Patsy's sold gifts and flowers, suppling cut flowers and helium balloons for school events and local celebrations.

The topic puts me in mind of comings and goings not in the immediate past - a remember when & whatever happened to... trip.

112 Shopping Days until Christmas

How many shopping days until Christmas? Keep track down to the second - if you can bear the excitement - with this online counter.

Why such early mention?

Because Joan Page (chocolateer, GED instructor at UpHi Net, teacher at Mountainair Elementary, proprieter of Olde Tyme Shoppe on Hwy 55 N, Master's candidate at NMT) resumes taking charge of the Christmas Crafts Fair. She is already at it - contacting vendors, getting the word out, coordinating dates with other area events. Starting early and planning ahead, now there's a concept. If you didn't know that the was her project, whether under auspices of town, chamber or arts council, then you're not as much of an "old Mountainair hand" as you think.

How many days to the Mountainair Christmas Fair?

Joan writes,

I started calling vendors for the Christmas Crafts Fair this morning. I was wondering if you could put out a blurb about it on the blog. I don't have the actual date yet. I hope Estancia has their date together so I can plan around their Christmas event. Vendors can email me at zieggos@yahoo.com or contact me at my phone # 847 - 2450.

Fees are $10.00 for a 10 x 10 space in the Community Bldg/ $5.00 extra for electricity use.

Sunflowering, Dr Saul Community Center

Food, music and and dressing to a theme are basic ingredients for any popular event.

The chili cook-off was a hit, espcially with taster-judges. A perennial Southwest & Western favorite, it is a new Sunflower event, making its debut (but hopefully not curtain call) at this year's sunflowering event. Being in NM, there were two categories: red & green. 6-7 entries (doubling last year's turn-out for Sunflower recipe contest) but an overwhelming multitude of tasters sampling and filling out judging cards.


Ten Cats Laughing, bluegrass, folk & self-described "twisted acoustic" duo from Los Lunas covered the music end. Guy and Lisa Dicharry use the name "Ten Cats Laughing" because Guy's francophone grandfather told the family that "Dicharry" means "Ten Laughing Cats." Close: Dix chats rient (approximate pronunciation, di-cha-ri) = 10 cats laugh or are laughing. Ten laughing cats = dix chats riants (dee sha ree-on)

Sunflower Hat Contest: a gathering of the hat people, contestants and Judge Ruth. Sunflower hats, along with sundry sunflower shirts - souvenir editions & home embellished, fill the theme dressing up requirement

New at Country Chronicles

George Hewitt has been busy. With eight new articles, Country Chronicles/ Mountainair News & Information is chock full of community information and announcements. Bookmark or subscribe to email updates from Feedblitz

I've asked and asked Town Hall to keep me posted - email updates and announcements. All to no avail. But now I can stop worrying and qvetching about information gaps, And you, dear readers, can stay up to date. George and Country Chronicles have the best line on Town of Mountainair news & announcements.

However, I should shake a metaphorical finger at the Chamber of Commerce for not zapping me an e about the change in September meeting date. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Schade, que verguenza, quel domage, and so on...

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