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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Welcome to Clovis Sign.
Photo by David Burch

It’s my first night in Clovis, New Mexico, and there’s a storm brewing outside.  How appropriate, since there’s one brewing in my head as well.  My husband and my six-month old son and I have just arrived here, after driving from Las Vegas, Nevada.  I’m tired, cranky, and already beginning to panic, even though we have been in this town less than three hours.  But as the sun sets on this attractive, high-plains community of approximately 35,000, and the wind begins to blow, rustling the leaves on the old oak tree out front, I feel my spirits rise.  In my mind there is no problem that a good storm, particularly a thunderstorm, can’t cure.  And in Clovis, in the summer, thunderstorms can be a regular occurrence.

A storm my first night in Clovis.  I decide to take this as a good sign.

The opportunity to move to Clovis came at just the right time.  I had just had a baby, and my husband was under-employed.  We weren’t sure Clovis was what we were looking for, but there was an empty house waiting for us, a big back yard for my son, and the comfort of family close by.

The air was growing heavy, and lightning was flashing.  Thunder rumbled faintly to the east.  I inhaled deeply, filling my parched desert lungs with much needed moisture.  With that breath I could smell the thick, green, manicured lawns, the abundant trees, and the roses in full bloom.  I could smell the sweet smell of the country, a wonderfully foreign mixture of hay, livestock, and freshly tilled earth.  As I watched a particularly creative bolt of lightning dance across the night sky, I felt the last of my reservations vanish.

We stayed in Clovis six months.  During that time I learned how easy – and how difficult – life can be in a small town, often for the same reasons.  I admit that the straightforward friendliness was initially unsettling, but I became accustomed to it, and I gradually came to appreciate it.

Clovis BBQ.
Photo courtesy
Clovis Chamber of Commerce.

Our first week in Clovis we all went to the Curry County Fair, held annually.  It was a warm, August evening, with the acrid smell of livestock lingering in the air.  A soft breeze blew, just enough to be comfortable.  Young, fresh-faced girls stood in groups, giggling, as they assessed the lanky cowboys that strolled the grounds.  Young families with sleeping infants sat on blankets on the lawn, listening to music, or munching snacks.  Proud owners paraded their stubborn livestock around the arena for an appreciative crowd.  When I think of perfect moments, that night at the fair in Clovis, is near the top of the list.

Evenings in Clovis were my favorite.  I would sit on the front porch, staring at the expanse of stars upon stars.  More stars than I ever imagined existed.  I still miss  those evenings.

While in Clovis we spent a lot of time with family.  Family is very important in Clovis.  Much of the town is second and third generation.

Although young people often move away, either for more opportunity or to experience life in a larger city, many eventually return.  Some return after twenty years, others after just a few months.  There seems to be a force, a loyalty of sorts that pulls them back.  Perhaps that force is family, friends, and tradition.

Clovis F111 Monument.
Photo by David Burch

Although Clovis is primarily a farming and ranching community, the presence of Cannon Air Force Base boosts the economy.  Cannon is also a reminder of the strength of the population of Clovis.  When the government talked of closing bases around the country, Clovis sent a delegation to Washington D.C.  While many bases have closed around the country, Cannon remains open today.

Clovis does have one notable claim to fame.  In the late 50’s a young singer from Lubbock, Texas named Buddy Holly recorded a song at the Norman Petty Studios, on Seventh St. in Clovis.  The song was ‘Peggy Sue.’  Holly went on to record 18 more songs at the studio.  In recent years, young country star Leann Rimes recorded her first album at the tender age of eleven at the Norman Petty studio.  The studio continues to draw visitors from as far away as England who want to see the the spot where Buddy Holly recorded his hits.  Every summer, Clovis holds a music festival that pays tribute to the music of yesterday and today.

Our stay in Clovis ended in January when my husband received the job offer in Albuquerque we had been waiting for.  I was eager to embark on our new life there, but as I scrambled around the house to box up our belongings, I felt an unexpected tug of regret.  Ironically, our departure had been delayed a day due to a snowstorm that pounded the area with twelve inches of snow.  All roads into and out of Clovis were shut down.  So I had another day to reflect on our six months of life there.

Norman Petty Studio.
Photo by
David Burch

I had seen Clovis in the summer, with its hot, muggy days, late afternoon clouds, and refreshing evening thunderstorms.  I had seen it in the fall, when pumpkins grew large and round in the pumpkin patch, when cotton covered the roads like a soft blanket of snow, and the corn stalks stood taller than I.  And I had seen Clovis in winter, when a thick blanket of snow turned the town into a picture postcard, and neighbors chat while cheerfully shoveling snow.  As I closed the last box, I wondered what spring would be like in this small, high plains town.  I would miss spring in Clovis.  As I would miss the wide open spaces, the wide-open faces, and the fresh, country air.

What makes people love this town so?  I asked myself that question over and over again throughout the six months I spent there.  As we headed to Albuquerque, I still had no answer.  But as I took one final look at Clovis, I thought that maybe I was just a little closer to finding the answer.

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Town Hall in Elida. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks

These six settlements lie within a 100 mile area, although few and far between. The Llano Estacado, the Staked Plains, beckoned many people to come west and homestead in the early years of the 20th century.

Little remains of Field, created by the consolidation of three rural schools. Located at the junction of NM 288 and 224, it isn’t even indicated on the most recent map of New Mexico. The post office existed until 1924, but the mail now goes to Melrose.

Ranchvale is isolated on NM 311, six miles north of US 60 and Cannon Air Force Base. The post office existed in 1916-1917, but the mail now goes to Clovis. Rainfall was so little that grain cultivation wasn’t feasible, causing many homesteaders to leave without proving up (staying five years, or three years with some payment). Large acreages reverted to grazing land. Some settlers did stay, and diversified with dairying, livestock raising and a mixture of irrigated and dry farming. Later, water from the Ogallala Aquifier enabled the farmers to sow grains, soybeans and cotton. Ranchvale has the honor of building, in 1919, the first consolidated school in New Mexico.

Floyd is still a ranching community on NM 267, 16 miles west of Portales. Its post office, which still exists, was established in 1903, and was named for a pioneer of the area, Floyd Wharton. It is also a ranching community, as is almost all in this part of the state. Many of the same situations apply to Floyd, Ranchvale, and other communities in the area.. Those who stayed and toughed out the hard times were able to continue ranching.

Elida, at a junction of NM 114 and 330 and US 70, was a trading center for ranchers before Portales was settled.. The post office was established in 1902 and continues. It is more of a community than the others in this profile, probably because of its location on a US highway.

Ranching lands surround it. A city hall and a convenience store still stand, but some buildings are empty. A larger population inhabited Elida at one time, but a grasshopper infestation in 1913 caused many settlers to leave. It is said there were so many grasshoppers on the rails, trains could not run.

Kenna, ten miles southwest of Elida on US 70, was established as Kenna in 1902-1906, but changed to Urton in 1906-1907, then back to Kenna in 1907. The Urton brothers, W. G. and George, ranchers from Missouri, were the reason for that name. It was known as Kenna’s Camp prior to building the railroad. Stages had stopped there to transfer mail and passengers.

Supposedly there were actually two settlements, Urton and Kenna, but when the post office application was made, Kenna was the name chosen. There are differing opinions on how that that name was chosen, but the fact that the vice-president of the Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was named E. D. Kenna seems the logical one. Ranches surround this area also.

Elkins, 19 miles from Kenna, southwest on US 70, has only an abandoned schoolhouse to mark its existence. There was a post office from 1907 to 1943, and again from 1945 to 1972. The mail now goes to Clovis. Stephen B. Elkins was territorial delegate to Congress from 1873-1877, and an ardent advocate of statehood. It is possible the small community was named in his honor.

Ranches exist in the area, and since it is only 32 miles northeast of Roswell, no doubt in this era of good highways and fast automobiles such a small community locale was unnecessary.

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Along Highway 60 in Texico. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks.

Melrose, at 4,599 elevation and a population of 877, is a viable town, 18 miles east of Tolar. However, it was known as Brownhorn in 1882 because it was located between the Brown and Horn ranches. When repair shops were built for the Santa Fe Railroad, its officials named the town Melrose – supposedly after Melrose, Ohio.

Ranching is the economic mainstay of this region, with its sprinkler farming and livestock grazing. Cannon Air Force Base, 21 miles to the east, uses the Melrose Bombing Range for practice bombing and strafing. St. Vrain is eight miles further along Route 60, and came into being in 1907. The community, though small, believes the town was named for the early guide and explorer Ceran St. Vrain. He was also a Colonel in the First New Mexico Volunteer Infantry. All that remains of Grier, five miles from St. Vrain, is a grain elevator and a few houses. Another of the farming communities that sprang up overnight when the railroad was being constructed, it had a post office from 1921 to 1956.

Portair, five more miles from Grier, a settlement that began as Blacktower because of a black water tank that could be seen for miles over the flat country side, seems to have constantly had name changes. After Blacktower, it was known as Maize for the sorghum grain grown there, and now it is Portair because of Cannon Air Force Base.

All these settlements that are still on maps remind people of the difficult time pioneers had taming the land in this part of the world.

Texico, nine miles east of Clovis, is the oldest town in Curry County, first settled around 1900. A siding was built there in 1902 by the Pecos Valley and Northeastern Railroad, and the town grew until the railroad moved its division point to Clovis. In the old days, it was a typical Wild West town. Now it’s a border entry to New Mexico and graciously distributes literature and information to entice tourists to see more of New Mexico.

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Pleasant Hill. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks.

Though it has a small sign to indicate its location, Pleasant Hill no longer has a post office.

Located on NM 77, only one mile from the Texas border in Curry County, it was organized in 1910. Originally it was a part of two ranches, the Brown and Shenault. Lee Barnes was fond of Pleasant Hill, Texas, and suggested that name at a meeting of local residents. During the early part of the 20^th Century, this section of New Mexico was settled with hopeful homesteaders who sometimes paid only 10 cents an acre for land. Ranching is still the economic base.

Bellview is 24 miles north of Pleasant Hill at the crossroads of NM 93 and 241. Settled about 1905, the post office dates from 1912 to the present. However, other post offices had been established in the area at places like Legansville and Preston. Originally called Rosedale, Bellview was finally the name decided upon in 1918, inspired perhaps by the name of the school, Liberty Bell. The name Rosedale is not completely lost because of the Rosedale Baptist Church. When a post office still exists it indicates there is a community, although there are little vestiges to corroborate that fact.

Broadview is not at a crossroads, but at a junction of three NM highways:   209, 241 and 275. Although founded in 1925 as Boney Curve, the post office was established in 1931 as Broadview. Residents now receive their mail via Bellview. The reason given for the name Boney Curve was a decided curve in the straight-as-an arrow highway. An addition to the name was a family called Boney. History of this area indicates that people lived in dugouts when they first arrived. The land lends itself well to agriculture, and the ranches in the locale indicate the tilling of the soil is continuing.

Grady is six miles west of Broadview on NM 209, another ranching community. Mrs. Pearl B. Grady was the first postmistress, as well as owner of much of the land in the area. There is a difference of opinion as to who named it, Mrs. Grady or Elizabeth Grady, an early settler in the area. The post office was established in 1907 and continues. The Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad was to build a hub in Grady around 1906, but it did not materialize. Again, ranching and agriculture have provided the community’s continuance.

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"Clovis Man" sculpture at Clovis Community College. Photo by Phyllis Eileen Banks.

The city’s history goes back thousands of years earlier to the "Clovis Culture." In 1932, A. W. Anderson of Clovis first discovered evidence of human occupation about 11,000 years ago at the Blackwater Draw site. Now the Blackwater Draw Museum presents evidence of the remarkable "fluted" points (a New World invention) and other stone and bone weapons. They occur in association with extinct Pleistocene age megafauna such as mammoth, ancient bison, horse and large turtles. Recovered bones of these mastodon are also on display. A state museum, it is under the direction of Eastern New Mexico University at Portales and is located 12 miles southwest of Clovis on U. S. Highway 70.

Clovis is at the crossroads of U. S. Highways 70, 60 and 84 on the high plains of eastern New Mexico at an elevation of 4,200 feet. An annual rainfall of 17 inches with a mean temperature of 57 degrees and 335 days of sunshine makes pleasant days and cool nights for the 37,000 people who live there.

Cannon Air Force Base, eight miles to the West, adds to the community’s economy and available work force. The cultivated cropland produces corn, wheat, sorghum, cotton, hay, potatoes and other vegetables. The range land and climate make Clovis an ideal location for its nine dairies with average herds of 1,500. Other dairy related industries include implement dealers, feed mills, commodity brokers, trucking firms, weekly livestock auctions and construction companies with dairy building experience.

Clovis boasts many area attractions. Among them is the Norman Petty Studios, known worldwide as the place where Buddy Holly recorded the smash hit, "Peggy Sue," as well as 18 other hits. The Clovis Model Train Museum is in the old Clovis Santa Fe Passenger Depot, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Hillcrest Park Zoo adjacent to Hillcrest Park houses 500 animals. Most are exhibited in their natural habitat.

Ned Houk Memorial Park is 6 1/2 miles north of Clovis on State Highway 209. Covering 3,320 acres, it has large shade trees and 400 acres of mowed and irrigated grass around four stocked fish ponds. The Old Homestead Museum, created by and dedicated to H. A. "Pappy" Thornton, is also located in the park. There is a farming equipment display made prior to 1926, two typical old farm dwellings and a Model T Ford truck. The Ned Houk Motor Sports Complex is located on the Southwest corner of the park, and offers stock car (dirt) racing Saturday nights from May to late October.

Many activities keep the folks at home. There is the Curry County Fair, Pioneer Days, the Old Lyceum Theatre and its productions, Pioneer Days Rodeo and the Clovis Community Band. Clovis Community College satisfies those with a lifelong pursuit of learning.

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