2007 Mountainair Monties

For your consideration - the nominations for the 2007 Monties are...

Welcome Signs

Nominated under "best new idea followed through" but not a new idea. Winner in revised category: "It's about time!" or best OLD idea FINALLY followed through.

Cooperation and Collaboration

Welcome Signs - getting them made, paid for, assembled and put up involved a number of people and groups not always..Kristine Lauritsen, Celeste Simon, Dennis Fulfer, Phil Archuleta and P&M Plastics, Mountainair Chamber of Commerce, Town of Mountainair, State of NM, CNME Coop

Response to Ojo Peak Fire

• Individuals who cooked food, brought bedding, clothing, raised funds
• Town of Mountainair
• Mountainair Volunteer Fire Department
• Forest Service, Mountainair District, Cibola National Forest
• Shannon DeRemer (Rescue) and Tamesa Starr (Animal Control)

Christian Alliance - Mountainair's equivalent of a Council of Churches

Best NEW idea actually followed through (naked ideas abandoned on street corners to fend for themselves or be adopted by strangers don't count)

• Mountainair Movie Night - Jubilee Committee (Edythe Romero, Kathy Anglin, Rhonda Silva, et al.
• Fall Concert Series - Ray Terhorst, Anita Soluna, MMAC, supporting businesses
• Art, etc - painting group - Shirley Simmons, Addie Draper, Ruth Ballen et alia
• ShareFest - monthly gathering, sharing, open mic, covered dish and general good time at the Dr Saul Community Center. Organized by Kay Stillion. Presented by iCreate.Org and the Town of Mountainair
  

Promoting Mountainair

Organizations/ Groups

• Mustangs, State Championship
• Mountainair Gymkhana Rodeo Association
  
• Volunteer Fire Department, State Competitions
• Salinas Pueblo National Monument, District Office and Visitors Center, Mountnainair, NPS
• Team Mountainair at NM Senior Olympics

Individuals

• Wana Beth Fox - original ornament representing Salinas Pueblo National Monuments (NPS) on the White House Christmas tree; write-ups in area and out of state press
  
• Jude Mowris - original creations featured in Altered Couture
  
• Kristine Lauritsen - writing press releases for and promoting MMAC events; grant writing
  
• Kathleen Clute - music performances in the wider world beyong Mountainair; MMAC website (despite unfortunate appropriation of page title already identified with this one)
  
• Pamela Armas - frequently featuref in Doll Art Quarterly
  

Businesses Keeping Mountainair in the News

• P&M Plastics - Phil Archuleta
  
• Lame Beaver Teading Company - Michael & Kimmy Brooks
  
• Jackass Junction - Neil & Maureen Hamilton
  
• Shaffer Hotel (all too often in spite of itself)

Brave New Businesses (opening in 2007)

• Jackass Junction
• Coffee Cup Court
• Ruthie's Flowers & Gifts
  
• The Rock Motel

Online Promotion

All the Mountainair Wired whoever and wherever they are, whatever they do on line: MySpacers (count'em), Mountainair at home in the ether with over 50 web pages (that many can't all be mine and Dennis'), web pages new or resurrected in 2007 (not counting myspace, facebook or other distributed social networks but still more than you would imagine) and last but not least UpHi Net for jump starting getting Mountainair wired for the 21st century and providing years of public access computing. I hope that even critics are honest and big-spirited enough to recognize and appreciate the contribution..

Out of Town Boosters - mostly media this year:

• area weeklies, The MountainView Journal and The Independent
• NM Culture Net
• Albuquerque Arts Alliance

Events / Activities

Best Events

• Mountainair Movie Night, series
  
• Fall Concert Series, MMAC
• Summer at the Gazebo Series, MMAC
  
• ShareFest, monthly
  
• Firecracker Jubilee, annual
  
• Gymkhana Rodeos (summer series)
• Christmas Cantata, annual
  

Best Activities/ Features (part of an event but not the whole tamale)

• Chili Cook-off - Sunflower
• children's sunflower art
• Sunflower Poetry Writing Workshop
• Jubilee parade

Survivor Award (longest running - they take a lickin' but keep on tickin')

• Poets & Writers Picnic
• Firecracker Jubilee
• Sunflower (but up for the ax in 2008)
  
• Christmas Crafts Fair

Distinguished Service to the Community

Individuals (emphasis on long standing contributions - years of service)

• Evelyn Walker - library
  
• Dorothy Cole - 3 years as Chamber president
  
• Joan Page - Christmans Crafts Fair; teaching, GED program; booth lady for so many events over the year; keeping the library going
  
• Mary Schultz - Arts Council; Cibola Arts Cooperative
  
• Bert Herrman - Arts Council; Chamber
  
• Patty Mahoney - Mountainair Community Choir
  
• Shirley Jones - Nazarene food box/ cooperative grocery purchasing program; youth activity programs' community outreach
  

Groups

• Mountainair Senior Center group
  
• Mountainair Gymkhana Rodeo
• Mountainair Volunteer Fire Department
• Art, Etc.
• Christian Alliance - 5th Sunday Sing, coordinated outreach; Easter Sunrise Service
• Deer Canyon Homeowners Association
• Jubilee Committee (Edythe Romero, Rhonda Silva, Kathy Anglin - and slow moving family members) , bringing us Jubilee, Parade, Movie Night)
• Mountainair Gymkhana Rodeo
• ASPIRE After-school & Art in the Schools Program, Anne Ravenstone
  

Special Categories:

• Whack-a-Mole - Shaffer (still hanging in there to continued amazement of betting pool) and Chuckwagon (finally seems to have lost but it wouldn't be its first time to play possum and then reopen) are in the lead
  
• Golden Road Apple
  
• Chutzpah (GRA subcategory, aka Can you imagine the cheek!)