He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on November 5, 1911.  The building where he was born now houses the Riverfront Stadium, also known as Cinergy Field.  Later he and his parents lived on a houseboat for a few years.  Then solid land beckoned and his dad bought a farm.  Farms require long hours, hard work,  distance from neighbors, and schools.  But it agreed with Leonard.  He rode horseback to school since it was long before the days of school busing.

Home grown entertainment was about all there was.  Radio was in its infancy and it was many years before the advent of television and computers.  Leonard learned to play the mandolin and sing.  Neighbors would be invited for square dances and soon he became expert at calling them.

He also learned to yodel by playing over and over the recording of a Swiss yodeler.  His mother also yodeled and the story goes that they used it as a way of communicating on the farm.  One kind of yodel was to let him know it was lunch time; another kind to warn of a change in weather and yet another at the end of the day.

He dropped out of high school and worked in a factory but those kinds of jobs were difficult.  He moved to California with his parents and siblings, where he worked at all and any kind of job he could find, all the while singing and playing his guitar whenever he had free time.

His sister Mary convinced him to try out for a radio program featuring amateur talent. He did, singing, yodeling, and playing the guitar.  It was his entry into the world of public entertainment as he was asked to join a country music group called the Rocky Mountaineers.  In 1933 he joined a group called the O-Bar-O Cowboys and they toured Arizona and New Mexico and the Southwest.  As it was depression years they barely made enough for gas for the trip.

While in Roswell they were given air time to announce their appearance in town.  In addition to their singing and guitar playing they talked about being homesick and especially about their favorite foods. Leonard’s favorite was his mother’s lemon pie. 

A call came into the studio that if he would sing “The Swiss Yodel” the caller would bake him a lemon pie.

That evening someone knocked on their traveler’s cabin door and there was a young girl and her mother with two lemon pies. Her name was Arline Wilkins.  After he returned to California they corresponded and in 1936 they were married.  They had a daughter, a son and one adopted daughter.  Arlene died in 1945 from complications after the birth of their son.

Leonard starred in many movies with his horse, Trigger. “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” was the first.  He become part of a group known as The Sons of the Pioneers. In 1937 Republic Pictures changed his name.

Have you guessed who Leonard Slye was?  Does “Happy Trails” give you a clue?  Yes, all of the above is about Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys., who died July 6, 1998.

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Visitors flock to Carlsbad, New Mexico, for its caverns and bats. Less well known, but equally extraordinary, are two aboveground attractions: the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and its annual Mescal Roast, conducted by the Mescalero Apache people.

We drove south from Santa Fe in the predawn hours on a Thursday in early May. Blessed by heavy spring rains, the land was spectacularly colorful. Near Vaughn, a freight train was silhouetted against the rising sun. Nearby, antelope grazed on expanses purple with prairie verbena. Grasslands gave way to a harsher landscape, where white blossoms spiked upward from soaptree yucca (New Mexico’s state flower). It is easy to understand why the Spanish called this land the llano estacado, or “staked plains.”

    A little before 10 a.m., we swung into the gates of the Living Desert State Park. On either side, ocotillo snaked skyward, tipped with scarlet blossoms. The prickly pears were extravagantly decked out in pink buds and brilliant yellow flowers. We drove up a steep drive to the museum’s spectacular location on a ridge of the Ocotillo Hills, overlooking Carlsbad.

The Mescal Pit

    Friendly museum staff welcomed us to attend the ceremony with no charge. They directed us to the mescal pit outside. A large dirt mound, about 10-15 feet across, rose about five feet above the rocky desert. Dug into the flat-topped mound was a deep pit lined with rocks. A wood fire had burned for hours into white-hot coals. Next to the fire were neatly stacked about twenty heads of agave. About fifty observers and thirty Mescalero Apache, mostly teenagers, sat on small bleachers.

    As we waited for all participants to arrive, a retired park ranger named Mark Rosacker explained that the mescal roast is part of the girls’ coming-of-age ceremony. The rest of the ceremony will take place on tribal lands near Ruidoso in July. Mescal is one of five traditional foods that the girls prepare, along with piñon nuts, desert sumac berries, banana yucca, and honey mesquite pods.

Four girls were celebrating the rite of passage. Rosacker and one girl demonstrated how, the previous day, they had dug the mescal. It is a type of agave, or century plant, called agave neomexicana. They choose a plant that is 16 to 18 years old, just before it sends up the tall, flowering shoot by which the plant reproduces, and then dies. A stout oak stave, sharpened to a point at one end, was placed at an angle just under the plant. Traditionally, the Mescalero hit this with a rock; today, the girls use a sledgehammer. A few hard whacks pop the mescal out of the ground. The girls then chop off the leaves with a hatchet. The resulting head is 1-2 feet across and resembles a giant artichoke with its leaves lopped off.

By now, everyone had arrived. Rosacker requested that we put away cameras as prayers were offered in the four directions in Mescalero. Then each girl picked up a special mescal head marked with a red ribbon. They swung the heavy mescal four times over the pit to honor the four directions and threw it in. The leaders then invited the other Mescalero (teenage girls and boys and a few older men) to heave in the other mescal, and we were allowed to take photos.

Next they opened large bags of side oats grama, a native dryland grass collected for the ceremony. They dunked armfuls of the long, stringy grass in barrels of water, carried them up the hill, and laid them over the agave in the pit. They covered the grass with soggy burlap and then shoveled in three feet of dirt. They packed the dirt, mounded it up, and left it to roast until Sunday.

Living Desert’s Zoo and Gardens

We purchased tickets for the feast and dances on Friday and Saturday nights since they sometimes sell out. Then we were free to explore the park (after paying admission). Indoors, the museum offers displays on geology, culture, flora, and fauna, including a long table of antlers and artifacts to touch and feel (which children would love, and so did we). Outdoors, a path leads to a lily pond and a greenhouse displaying Succulents of the World, which include cacti. The trail then winds through several ecosystems native to the Chihuahuan Desert, which extends from Texas to Arizona and south into Mexico.

The ecosystems, from sand hills to piñon-juniper forest, feature not only native plants but also birds, animals, and reptiles. These are rehabilitated animals injured by cars, bullets, traps, and other human hazards. They remain in the zoo only if injuries prohibit their release back into the wild. We had close-up views of hawks, golden and bald eagles, owls, mountain lion, wildcat, javelina, black bear, antelope, Mexican gray wolves, and other animals.

Camping in Carlsbad

We checked into a friendly, well-appointed KOA campground, complete with cabins, pool, hot tub, delicious barbecue, and weekend pancakes. A roadrunner greeted us on the drive. Bird watching and a lovely desert sunset ended our day.

Friday we found our way to the Blue House Bakery and Café in Carlsbad. Located in a charming little house on Canyon Street, it features scrumptious homemade pastries, espresso, and lunch specialties served on the front porch or out under the trees. Our only disappointment was that it closed Saturday at noon for the weekend.

The Mescalero Apache

We returned to Living Desert at 2 for an information session with Rosacker and Apache representatives. The eldest, Silas Cochise (a direct descendant of the warrior Cochise) was Chiricahua (chee·ree·CA·wa) Apache; the others were Mescalero Apache. In addition to these two closely related groups, the Southwestern Apache also include Lipan, Jicarilla, and various Western Apache groups. Although related, the groups differ. Their Athapaskan languages are also related to those of the Navajo and of some tribes in Canada.

The Apache once ranged from Texas to Arizona and Colorado to Mexico. They fought hard to keep their rugged lands. In 1864 the Mescalero were imprisoned with the Navajo at Bosque Redondo. Many succumbed to starvation and illness; the survivors walked home, without permission, in 1865.

The Chiricahua also spent a long time “walking uphill,” as Cochise put it. They were imprisoned for 28 years in Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma. When finally released, the few hundred survivors were not even allowed a reservation. The Mescalero agreed to take in their Chiricahua, Lipan, and Warm Springs Apache cousins on their small reservation near Ruidoso.

Rosacker explained that, twenty years ago, Living Desert State Park had realized it lacked information on the area’s original people and their culture. Rosacker approached the Mescalero. Three women, the tribe’s traditional counselors, agreed to bring the mescal roast ceremony back to the park, part of their homeland. In fact, mescal does not grow well on their present-day reservation, high in the Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso.

The grandson of one of these women, Abraham Chee, explained to us that some tribal members did not want to perform the ceremony for outsiders. But others, such as his late father and grandmother, believed it was important to educate us. Many of us, to this day, know little of the Apache except that they were warriors. They were great warriors—defeated only by the repeating rifle—but, as we would learn, they are a much more complicated people.

In fact, the girls’ coming-of-age ritual is the Mescalero’s most important ceremony. The ceremony recognizes that men may gain glory through brave deeds, but it is the women who were the heart of the Apache and who gave them strength as a people. Women raised the children, moved the home, fed and clothed the family, and created handicrafts. Like the Pueblo tribes, the Mescalero were matrilineal. There are reports of Apache women who served as warriors and shamans. Chee confided that his wife had left her hospital bed, where she was recovering from an operation, to come to the mescal roast.

The panel clarified that the mescal roast had nothing to do with mezcal, the Mexican liquor distilled from agave. Although Native Americans had created alcoholic beverages from corn, distillation arrived only with the Europeans. They explained that the mescal ceremony was a blessing for their people and for us.

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If you are planning a trip to Carlsbad, New Mexico, don’t miss the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. This gem in the rough offers a chance to get up close and personal with some fascinating creatures and plants. And it is all easily accessible from a short walk (or roll, for  those in wheelchairs or strollers).

We visited in May, when the desert was truly alive, especially once we turned into the park gates just off Highway 285 north of town. After driving through stark scrub desert to the north, we were greeted on the park road by tall, snaking ocotillo with fiery red tips and prickly pear cacti covered with large yellow blossoms and furled pink buds. Perhaps because of an unusually rainy spring, the blossoms were budding not only on the edges of the spiked pads but even in the centers of the  pads.

The road wound up to a low building on a ridge overlooking the Pecos River valley and town of Carlsbad. We would soon learn we were at 3,200 feet, atop the Ocotillo Hills, named for the bright cactus that had greeted us. Around the large parking lot were large soaptree yucca, also covered in enormous, spiky white blooms, and many species of agave, or century plant. These giants grow close to the ground, storing energy for about twenty years before sending up a single blossoming stalk to reproduce, after which the plants die. Those twenty years must have seemed like a century to whoever gave the agave their common name.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and the exhibits inside the building were well-designed and interesting, covering the geology, flora, fauna, and human cultures of the region. We especially enjoyed the long table with animal horns, antlers, fossils, rocks, and other items to touch and feel. We also learned that the Ocotillo Hills, like the Guadalupe Mountains to the west, were once limestone reefs in the Permian Basin, the ancient sea whose millions of tiny creatures were transformed into the deposits of oil and gas that have enriched West Texans.

The 1.3-mile paved trail winds through the various ecosystems of the Chihuahuan Desert. This desert stretches from southeast Arizona across southern New Mexico into Texas and far south into Mexico. The largest desert in North America, it covers 200,000 square miles.

The trail winds first through the Sand Dunes habitat, with sagebrush, prickly pear, mimosa, and mesquite. Next is the Riparian habitat, an area where a spring or other water makes it possible for trees to grow. (Riparian comes from the Latin ripa, “river bank.”) The trees here include pines,  junipers, oaks, and maples. The Riparian habitat, naturally, features  the bird aviary with owls, hawks, eagles, and turkeys. Like the other animal displays in the park, the aviary features natural habitat but allows you to get quite close to the birds. I never tire of seeing these magnificent creatures, such as the bald eagle, up close.

Next is the Gypsum Hills habitat–full of “gypsophiles,” or plants that love gypsum. The Desert Arroyo habitat features apache plume, desert willow, and mesquite. It also has an arroyo, or dry streambed, which is home to the zoo’s javelina, or collared peccaries. Wild cousins of the pig but native to the Americas, javelina have sharp tusks and feast on agave and prickly pear. They live in packs, and family members nestle together in cool, shaded mud during the heat of the day.

The Piñon-Juniper-Oak habitat is home to the bear and wolf exhibits and the nocturnal creatures exhibit (salamander, bats, ringtail cats, and kangaroo rats). The bear exhibit was under construction, so we did not get to see Maggie Oso, a black bear famous for her paintings. A volunteer inside described how they place the paints out in shallow containers, and she goes back and forth to different colors, then walks on the paper or swipes it. Apparently, they thought it would be therapeutic for the young bear, who lost her mother and sister.

All the animals at the zoo are native to the area and were orphaned or injured by traps, cars, or bullets. When possible, rehabilitated animals are returned to the wild. The Mexican gray wolves at Living Desert are part of an international effort to revive the endangered species in the Southwest.

Past the bear and wolf areas, a side trail leads downhill and out onto a ridge. My partner refused to enter the Reptile House, which features snakes, lizards, and a Gila monster. On the slopes below the trail we had a good view of the “hoofstock”—the bison, pronghorn, mule deer, and elk. This trail also leads to the waterfowl pond and prairie dog exhibit (fun to watch, especially for kids) as well as spectacular vistas of the Pecos River Valley.

Back up on the main trail is my personal favorite, the mountain lion and bobcat exhibit. The enclosures were small but well designed, so we were only a few feet from the big cats, yet they seemed less stressed than at many zoos. The mountain lion rolled lazily onto his (or her?) back, ignoring me and my camera.

After passing the mescal pit (see article on the annual Mescal Roast), the path leads up to a large greenhouse with Succulents of the World. This exhibit displays hundreds of succulents, many of which would not survive in the Chihuahuan desert environment. I learned that all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents include all plants that store water in their leaves, stems, or roots. The display included some of Arizona’s giant saguaros. The final exhibit is a lovely pond, complete with blooming water lilies, surrounded by native plants.

I highly recommend the Living Desert for all ages. It was considerably more interesting than we expected. Early morning and evening are good times for viewing the animals (and less hot for humans), and the park is open until 8 in the summer, so you can go there after the caverns close.

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CARLSBAD, NM – Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Parks in Carlsbad, New Mexico will celebrate its 21st annual “Mescal Roast and Mountain Spirit Dance” from May 10-13. This event, which celebrates the culture and history of the Mescalero Apache people, received a Dorothy Mullins Arts and Humanities Award from the National Recreation and Parks Association. The Mescal Roast is sponsored by the Friends of Living Desert.

“The Mescal Roast is truly a special event,” said Ken Britt, Park Superintendent. “The sharing by the Mescalero Apache people is a genuine gift that brings all participants closer together as well as closer to our natural surroundings.”

The Mescal Roast provides a better understanding of the Mescalero Apache people and the importance of protecting the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem upon which the Apache once totally depended.

The mescal plant, also known as agave, was a staple for the Apache who once populated the Pecos River Valley and Guadalupe Mountains of Southeastern New Mexico. Nearly all parts of the mescal plant could be utilized including the leaves, flower stalks, blossoms and seeds. The leaves and stalks were traditionally roasted in large cooking pits and eaten or pounded into cakes and dried in the sun for later consumption. Agave fibers were used to make bowstrings, brushes, sandals and rope.

The Mescalero Apache were eventually forced to relocate following the arrival of U.S. military expeditions and “Buffalo Soldiers” in the 1800’s.

The event commences on Thursday as spiritual leaders bless the roasting pit in which the mescal is placed to prepare for tasting the following Sunday. The ceremony is not a reenactment but an actual ritual observance.

Visitors will be treated to a feast dinner on Friday and Saturday, followed by an interpretive lecture and performance of traditional Apache War/Mountain Spirit dances both nights. The dinner is modeled after traditional feasts served during coming-of-age ceremonies for young women on the reservation. The Mescal Roast draws an average of 2,500 visitors annually.

A schedule of events is as follows:

Thursday, May 10

10:00 a.m. – Prayer ceremony and Mescal pit blessing

Friday, May 11 & Saturday, May 12

All Day – Sales of native American crafts
2:00 p.m. – Mescal Roast and interpretive presentation
6:00 p.m. – Feast dinner
7:00 p.m. – Apache War dance
8:30 p.m. – Mountain Spirit dance

Sunday, May 13

11:00 a.m. – Mescal Pit reopening, Mescal tasting, Closing ceremony and giveaway

Admittance to special daytime activities during the Mescal Roast, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., is free of charge with the park’s normal day-use/admission fee of $5 for adults, $3 for children between 7 and 12 years and free to children under 6 years.

Tickets for Mescal feast dinner on either Friday or Saturday are $15 each, and include all evening activities from 6:00 p.m. until closing. Advanced ticket purchase is recommended, as tickets are limited. Tickets are on sale at the park, by phone or mail.

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (LDZG) recently received accreditation from the association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)’s independent Accreditation Commission. LDZG is dedicated to the conservation of the plants and animals of Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The park conducts extensive public education programs and actively participates in species conservation efforts.

For more information on LDZG or to purchase tickets to the Mescal Roast, contact the park at (505) 887-5516. Visit State Parks website at www.nmparks.com.

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Santa Fe — Most of them are individually owned or family run out of love for a small-town tradition that has all but died in most New Mexico communities. Some are empty, but all remain crowning architectural landmarks of their downtowns and reminders of time when very little money bought a night of entertainment and camaraderie in small-town America.Six movie theaters built between 1916 and 1948 are the most recent historic properties in New Mexico to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the state Historic Preservation Division, Department of Cultural Affairs announced today. They represent architectural styles as disparate as El Raton theater’s Gothic-Revival style complete with atmospheric ceiling, to the stripped-down modernism of Lovington’s Lea Theater and its stand alone tile-and-glass ticket booth that still sparkles from a deeply recessed entrance.

“These listings recognize ongoing efforts to preserve the architectural character of the theaters and the roles they have played as community centers and sources of community pride,” said State Historic Preservation Officer Katherine Slick.

The Keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service listed the theaters this year following the decision in 2006 by the state Cultural Properties Review Committee to list the buildings in Clayton, Clovis, Raton, Tucumcari and Lovington to the State Register of Cultural Properties.

Clayton

In winter months, Roy Leighton fires up the old boiler hours before opening the Luna Theater in Clayton so its clanging doesn’t drown out the movie’s sound for his audience.

He owns the Luna with his wife Nancy, and holds the titles projectionist, ticket man and janitor. He has been known to open the theater on demand, but shows regular features on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Passersby still stop to photograph the Luna’s distinctive lunar-themed neon sign.

“We could show a movie cost-efficiently for 10 people,” he said of his 375-seat theater. That’s half a row of seats.”

His barrel-roofed, two-story theater with its Mission Revival façade and parapet is considered the best example of a former nickelodeon in the state. It boasted a wood-floor ballroom in the basement until a 1990 flood caused by nearby roadwork severely damaged it.

Originally opened as the Mission Theater in 1916 by the Morris Herztein family after their mercantile store on the same spot burned to the ground, the Luna became a town gathering place and even showed features for free to farm kids. It was purchased in 1935 by Gibralter Enterprises, a group of theater owners in the Rocky Mountain states.

The company updated the theater with new seats and Art Deco fixtures. Opening-night crowds were so large many had to be turned away from Clayton’s premiere of Shirley Temple’s “The Little Colonel.” The Gibralter group sponsored a contest during the opening where local girls received a month of free passes for winning a writing contest.

Consulting architectural historian David Kammer, who wrote the six nominations, said the Luna provides an “excellent example” of how theater operators responded to changing tastes and expectations in theater appearances and amenities.

Raton

El Raton has been closed a year-and-a-half, but owner Fran Eigenberg said she is hoping publicity surrounding the listing of the 1930 Late Gothic Revival-style theater will renew interest in her economically-challenged town.

“We are so pleased, I am so happy, and I think Raton will be as pleased as I am,” she said.

El Raton resembles the Moorish-influenced theaters found in much larger cities with its castle towers, crenellated parapet and stage flanked by interior castellated towers and a series of arched, blind arcades across the top of the proscenium.

Eigenberg upgraded the theater with Dolby digital sound, new bathrooms and other amenities for what is the only motion picture theater in town. Never succumbing to corporate ownership, El Raton has always been owned by the Thomas Murphy family, with daughter Fran now at the helm.

“We could open it tonight,” she said almost wistfully.

Clovis

At one time a vaudeville house, the Lyceum in Clovis was built in 1919 and 1920, and like the Luna and El Raton has space for commercial businesses on either side of its theater entrance. Its stage now extends forward from the proscenium, covering the former orchestra pit. A fly-tower holds the theater’s original stage curtain.

During its peak years of 1920-1940, the Lyceum provided the best show in town. Tom Mix, Will Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Philip Sousa and his band performed on its stage. Its owners, Eugene Hardwick and his sons Russell and Charles chose the Kansas City architectural firm of Boller Brothers, well-known theater designers in the Midwest. They appear to have taken their inspiration for the Lyceum from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads depots and Fred Harvey’s “Harvey House” hotels in their design. It featured an air-cooling system, 600 seats and its interior design largely is intact.

The Hardwicks contracted with Paramount Pictures to show films and maintained a tradition from an earlier Lyceum of using the theater for community events. The local MainStreet program and the city took ownership in 1982, remounting the restored marquee, and began holding community events.

Listing the theaters in the State and National registers will draw renewed attention to them, according to HPD. The attention, when coupled with active MainStreet programs and other downtown revitalization plans, could help spur new economic activity downtown and renew interest in these small-town movie palaces.

“Movie theaters were the heart and pride of small-town New Mexico,” said John Murphey, HPD Register coordinator. “Their slow demises as downtowns emptied only accentuated the ghost-town feel many communities took on, leaving few reasons for area residents to stroll their once-busy main streets at night.”

Down the street from the Lyceum, the Hardwicks opened the State in 1940. It is considered the most striking example of modernism found in any New Mexico theatre. A circular glass-block tower rises from above the marquee and reaches higher than the curved parapet that masks a barrel roof. Its modern air-conditioning system and fresh style inspired the Hardwicks to restyle the Lyceum’s exterior, giving it a molded stucco façade in the Moderne style. The Hardwicks kept up to date and retained a competitive edge over theater chains that started to move into Clovis at the time.

Tucumcari

West of Clovis is Tucumcari where the Odeon opened in 1936. The facade’s glass block, decorative geometrical molding and large fluted vertical column supporting an Art Deco-style neon sign announced Hollywood had come to Tucumcari.

As with all six of the historic theaters, the Odeon began as a family business run by the Hurley family with partner Gene Hawkins. The chose the name “Odeon, ” a popular theater name in France at the time, but townsfolk just called it “the new theatre.” The Hurleys received congratulatory telegrams from movie greats Frank Capra and Mary Astor when it opened in May of 1936.

Lovington

Further south, Lovington welcomed the opening of the Lea Theater with a parade that ended with live performances and speeches given from the new theater’s stage. Although the town had several small theaters dating from as early in 1910, its boom and bust economy had stagnated until oil fields were developed nearby in the 1940s.

The Lea Theater opened in 1948 as “one of the finest, small-city movie houses in the United States” its boosters proclaimed. In stark contrast to the surrounding buildings that line the courthouse square, the Lea’s modern touches made it a stand-out.

Built by the R.E. Griffith Theaters, Inc., a regional theater chain based in Dallas, business boomed at the Lea through the 1950s. The town’s population nearly doubled after the discovery of oil nearby at the South Lovinginton Pool. The Lea, like many of New Mexico’s theaters, hosted numerous civic events and even a Mrs. America contest where women were judged on appearance, homemaking abilities and poise.

The theater changed hands in the 1960s and went dark in the late 1980s . Reopened after an extensive restoration in 1991 by the Joy family, it won the New Mexico MainStreet “Best Building” award in 1997. The Lea County Museum, which operates from a hotel listed in the State Register, shows old films at the Lea.

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The Cultural Arts Series at Clovis Community College in Clovis, New Mexico begins its sixth year of “Bringing the World to You.” This year’s theme, “Connections” focuses on our desire to connect audiences with the arts through world class performances and important educational outreach

Sophie Milman
Saturday, September 30
The Lyceum Theatre, 8 pm
General Admission $20, Senior/Military/Student $15

Named the Canadian Breakthrough Jazz Artist of the Year, Sophie Milman is on her way to becoming an international Jazz sensation. Her self-titled debut album was nominated for a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Best Jazz Vocal Album. This concert is held in partnership with Clovis Mainstreet. Their Annual Wine and Cheese Gala precedes the concert and is a favorite of residents of the region. Guests will enjoy a sampling New Mexico wines, hor d’ouerves, and the ever popular chocolate fountain. Tickets for the Gala are $25 and may be purchased from any Clovis MainStreet Board Member, at the Clovis MainStreet Office at 215 N. Main, the Chamber of Commerce at 105 E. Grand or at the CCC Cashier’s windows. sophiemilman.com

The Lovell Sisters
Saturday, October 14
Marshall Auditorium, 7 pm
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

The Lovell Sisters feature tight vocal harmonies with an innovative fusion of folk, country and contemporary acoustic music. Most often compared to Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek and The Dixie Chicks, the sisters won the 2005 NPR National Talent Competition. www.myspace.com/thelovellsisters

Davide Cabassi
Thursday, October 19
Marshall Auditorium, 7 pm
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

As a top prizewinner of the Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, this charismatic Italian wins the hearts of audiences of all ages. He made his debut at the age of 13 and has since toured with orchestras throughout the world. davidecabassi.com

Dervish
Thursday, November 16, 7 pm
Lyceum Theatre
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

One of the world’s top Irish bands, Dervish is well known for its strong vocals and soaring, plunging instrumentals. Front woman Karan Casey was dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as “one of the true glories of Irish music.” dervish.ie/

Pueblo Christmas with Robert Mirabal
Sunday, November 26, 4 pm
Town Hall
General Admission $20, Senior/Military/Student $15

A 2006 Grammy award winner, Robert Mirabal fuses a spectacular fantasia of traditional Southwestern Native American tribal music and modern beats to bring to life his magical vision of hope, strength and transcendence in this special holiday performance. mirabal.com

Christmas from Dublin
Wednesday, December 6
Marshall Auditorium, 7 pm
General Admission $20, Senior/Military/Student $15

Celebrate the holidays in true Irish style in a special holiday performance featuring The Three Irish Tenors, Irish Divas and an eight-piece orchestra. Direct from the Emerald Isle, this performance is captivating and has charmed audiences around the world.

George Winston
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Marshall Auditorium, 7 pm
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

Grammy winner George Winston, best known for his seasonally themed recordings including DECEMBER, AUTUMN, WINTER INTO SPRING and SUMMER, plays a variety of styles, including melodic folk, New Orleans R&B and stride piano. Winston has seven gold, platinum and multi-platinum records. Please join us in support of our local food bank by bringing a donation of canned food to the concert. georgewinston.com

Viver Brasil Dance Company
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Marshall Auditorium, 4 pm
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

This multi-award-wining dance company creates riveting and passionate Brazilian dance that explores ancient and contemporary art forms and the spiritual strength of Brazilian culture. The performance fuses passionate Afro-Brazilian dance, stunning costumes, and exuberant live percussion and vocals. viverbrasil.com

Glenn Miller Orchestra
Saturday, March 10, 2007
TBA, 7 pm
General Admission $25, Senior/Military/Student $20

Displaying the authentic Miller sound coupled with superb musicianship and great showmanship, these musicians deliver a fast-paced evening of jazz, swing, timeless classics and traditional big band numbers. Enjoy hor ‘doeurves and dancing during this special evening of musical entertainment. glennmillerorchestra.com

The Spencers – Theatre of Illusion
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Marshall Auditorium, 7 pm
General Admission $15, Senior/Military/Student $10

Get ready for an unforgettable and powerful theatrical experience! The Spencers combine original theatrical elements with cutting-edge illusions, audience interaction, dramatic lighting, special effects, music, movement and amazing stage magic! http://www.SpencersMagic.com

Santa Fe Opera Performers
Friday, April 20
Town Hall, 7 pm
Free Admission

Back by popular demand, the Santa Fe Opera Performers present joyous music, heart wrenching melodies and show stopping arias during their spring tour throughout New Mexico. santafeopera.org

Cinco de Mayo
Saturday, May 5
American Legion Post 26, 6 pm
General Admission/Senior/Military/Student $10

Enjoy dinner, music, dancing, pi?atas for the children, fabulous prizes and a few surprises!

For more information, contact…

Stephanie Spencer
Director of Resource Development
stephanie.spencer@clovis.edu
505.769.4956

Christy Mendoza
Cultural Arts Director
christy.mendoza@clovis.edu
505.769.4950

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You say you’re bored, the kids are restless, nothing to do! Well, how about spending a day discovering some of New Mexico’s great history? This scenic drive will take you to three ancient Indian pueblos and the ruins of three awe-inspiring Spanish mission churches that are some of the most beautiful to be found anywhere in the United States. Along this route you can also hike and play in the Cibola National Forest, bike, camp or fish among the pine, aspen, and maple forests of the Manzano Mountains at Manzano Mountains State Park.

The Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway is one of 24 state designated Scenic and Historic Byways and six of these are National Scenic Byways. The Salt Missions Trail is approximately 140 miles long and roughly follows NM 333, NM 41, US 60, NM 513, NM 55, NM 337 and NM 131. A good map can be found online at http://www.heartnm.com/english/trip4_saltmission_lgmap.html.

Start the tour by visiting the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Visitors Center at the headquarters in Mountainair. This is located one block west of the U.S. 60 and N M. 55 junction. The Visitors Center is open 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily. Phone: 505- 847-2585. Once you are finished at the Visitors Center and have armed yourself with maps and information, head nine miles west of Mountainair on US 60 and one-half mile north on N.M. 513 to Abo.

Abó

The late afternoon sun illuminates the ruins of Mission San Gregorio de Abó. Photo by Jim Hunter.

The unexcavated pueblo ruins at Abo date back to the 1300s though there is evidence that Mogollon pit house builders had occupied the area beginning around 1150 AD. Located in a pass that opens to the Rio Grande Valley, this was a major trading center for the area.

Fray Francisco Fonte built a small church at Abo beginning in about 1622. Then in 1629, Francisco de Acevedo, who was assigned to the Salinas district by officials in Santa Fe, enlarged the Mission of San Gregorio de Abo to reflect its importance as the headquarters church of the Salinas district.

This church, which was completed in 1659, employs buttresses on the 40-foot high walls. It is one of the few remaining examples of medieval architecture in the United States.

At Abó and at Quarai, kivas or underground ceremonial chambers were built in the patios of the conventos. The presence of both Christian and Pueblo sacred buildings and symbols indicates that both belief systems were being maintained at these sites.

Quari

Sitting in a grassy meadow in the shadow of 10,000-foot high Manzano Peak are the ruins of the Mission La Purísima Concepción de Cuarac (Quari).
Photo by Jim Hunter.

Quari is located eight miles north of Mountainair near the village of Punta de Aqua on N.M. 55.

Sitting in a grassy meadow in the shadow of 10,000-foot high Manzano Peak are the ruins of the Mission La Purísima Concepción de Cuarac (Quari). The magnificent red sandstone ruins of the mission at Quari have walls five feet thick and 40 feet high. Quari is smallest of the three ruins but the church here is the most complete.

In 1630, Fray Estevan de Perea who was one of the most influential figures in the colonial New Mexican church directed the construction of the mission. The cruciform church was 50 by 104 feet. The adjoining convent and pueblo enclosed three plazas and a number of kivas or underground ceremonial rooms used by the Indians of the pueblo.

Gran Quivera

Ruins at Gran Quivera — Matates and manos were used to grind corn and other grains. Photo by Jim Hunter

Gran Quivera lies 25 miles south of Mountainair on N.M. 55.

At Gran Quivera, two missions were constructed high on a barren, wind-swept hill along side the Pueblo de las Humanas. The first church was called San Isidro and was built in 1629 by Fray Juan Letrado and thirty years later a much larger and more imposing mission was built by Fray Diego de Santander. This church, which was called San Buenaventura, was never finished.

Unlike the missions at Abo and Quari that were constructed of red sandstone, the pueblo and missions at Gran Quivera were built using thousands of pieces of carefully fitted limestone bound together with adobe mortar.

Prior to the coming of the Spaniards the Pueblo de las Humanas was an important trade center and the largest of the Salinas Pueblos and the only one that has been excavated.

All three units of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument are open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. There are no entrance fees. Picnic facilities are available but there is no camping within any of the units. More information about the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument can be found on their home page at http://www.heartnm.com/english/trip4_saltmission_lgmap.html.

Manzano Mountains State Park and the Cibola National Forest

Located just south of the town of Manzano and approximately 13 miles northwest of Mountainair, Manzano Mountains State Park and Manzano Lake is a beautiful place to enjoy a picnic or go hiking, bird watching, fishing or enjoy a week-end camping trip. The park is open from April to October and has 45 developed campsites, eight of which have electricity. There is also an RV dump station as well as restrooms.

The Manzano Mountains also serve as an important flyway for migrating raptors. Each year from August 15 through November 5, Hawkwatch International sets up a monitoring site and banding operation at Capilla Peak. To reach this site, go north on NM 55 to the town of Manzano. Turn east on the dirt road directly across from the church. Follow the signs to Capilla Peak Campground where the road will end just below a Fire Tower. Park off the road and follow the unmarked forest trail west approximately ¾ of a mile to the site. Visitors are always welcome at the site and here the ecology and conservation needs of raptors can be learned from full-time volunteer educators. For more information about Hawkwatch International you can visit their web site at http://www.hawkwatch.org/.

Much of the Manzano Mountains are within the boundaries of the Mountainair Ranger District of the Cibola National Forest which has six developed campgrounds and 100 miles of hiking and horseback trails, it also includes the Manzano Mountain Wilderness Area.

In the fall, a beautiful loop drive can be made through Cañon deTorreon and Cañon deTajique. Take NM 55 north to the town of Torreon then turn west on to Forest Road 55. This road makes a loop and you will come out at the town of Tajique just north of Torreon. Here you will find bright yellow aspens and stunning Rocky Mountain and Big-tooth Maples. At the upper end of Cañon de Tajique is the Fourth of July Campground. The campground has 25 camping sites, 4 picnicking sites with tables and grills. There is also drinking water available as well as vault toilets. There is also a four-mile long loop trail here where you can take a beautiful hike through the Cibola National Forest.

The Salt Missions Trail is a wonderful way to spend a day discovering some of New Mexico’s incredible history as well as some of the most beautiful scenery in the Southwest. So take a day, or maybe two, and discover some of the many gifts that New Mexico has to offer. Enjoy!

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Mimbres-Paquime Connection

Map by SouthernNewMexico.com
 
For informational purposes only.
Consult a good atlas or road map
for driving instructions.

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Gadsden Purchase Territory

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