Month: November 2011

New Mexico Ski Season Off To A Fierce Start!!

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – From Red River and Taos south to the mountains around Ruidoso, the state’s ski areas are enjoying a stellar start to what many thought would be a questionable season given the dry conditions that have plagued New Mexico for the past year.

Red River’s slopes were dusted Friday with snow as a steady stream of skiers waited their turn for the chairlift.

At Taos Ski Valley, skiers and snowboarders were celebrating the best opening in years this holiday weekend and had the rare option of taking in the backside of the mountain so early in the season. Read more…

Sipapu was the first New Mexico ski resort to open, followed by Ruidoso’s Ski Apache.

Snow at Ski Apache, November 25, 2011

 

Want to see more? Click here for snow cams around the state!

Ready, Set, Schuss! Ski Apache Opening Thanksgiving Day

Annie on Top / Ski Apache

 

It’s an absolute go! Ski Apache will open  Thanksgiving Day. The skiing and snowboarding will come despite La Niña weather forecasts for below-par winter snows.

“I think it’s been positive,” Justin Rowland, Ski Apache’s director of operations, said recenctly from one of the ski mountain’s snow courses. “We have reservations coming in for Thanksgiving. We’re going to have a lot of folks in town for Thanksgiving time. I think the town and ourselves are going to be pleasantly busy.”

Rowland dispelled rumors that Ski Apache would be open only on weekends or holidays.

“We’re going to be operational per normal. You’ll see us seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

With just seven inches of snow from the heavens atop the mountain so far this season, snowmaking equipment has been going much of November.

“Man-made snow wise, we’re shaping up pretty good,” Rowland said Thursday. “We got some cold temperatures earlier in the month so we’re able to hammer out chairs three and five, our beginner area. And we’re working diligently right now on Deep Freeze, to have it open for Thanksgiving so we’ve got some expanded skiing for skiers.”

A lot of Deep Freeze’s course is covered, in many places with 18 to 24 inches of produced snow.

“You’re talking maybe a third of the mountain that will be open from the top of Capitan through Deep Freeze,” Rowland said. “Deep Freeze is a fairly popular run for the beginner and beginner/intermediate crowd so it should be a lot of fun.”

An array of new snowmaking equipment, installed in 2009, has greatly enhanced Ski Apache.

“The snowcats, when we have a fleet of those up here and once the snow’s in piles, the snowcats push it around, flatten it out and till it out so you can ski it.”

The additional equipment gives Ski Apache the ability to make snow along the popular run to the peak. It also can cover the entire lower half of the mountain for a total of about 250 acres.

“Once we get this beginner area and Capitan hashed out, we’ll start working our way to the top of the mountain,” Rowland said.

Snowmaking has taken place almost every night this month.

“We’ve had a couple of nights that have been too warm,” Rowland said. “And some really windy nights where it was cold but we chose not to make snow because that wind isn’t really going to help. It blows it all the way to Las Cruces.”

What would be “a lot fun,” Rowland said, would be some natural snow.

“We’re ready to go and get that ready. If you can get a nice foot to two feet of snow out there, we’ll get the groomers out there, get it knocked down, a base packed in so that when you’re skiing you’re not going all the way through that brand new snow to the ground. But it does take some preparation. I know that a lot of skiers and the snowboarders, after we get a snowstorm, sort of expect that some of this upper mountain terrain that wasn’t open is going to be open the next day. Depending on the snow, sometimes it is but sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it takes another day or two of prep for it to be safe for the skiers and snowboarders to traverse on.”

With any luck, Rowland said it will be chairs three, four and five for the opener.

“If you haven’t skied or snowboarded, try one or the other, now is the perfect time to come up. We’ll have these beginner areas open and you’ll have it to yourself and you can learn and get your foot in the door early in the season so you can have a strong foundation for the rest of the season.”

Lift tickets start at just $35! For more details visit http://www.skiapache.com/

Catron County Events Calendar November & December: C’mon Down!

Friday, November 18th  6 pm performance/ 4:30 pm dinner Quemado Senior Center  ‘All In, Down and Out: The Great Depression in Song and Story’  free Chautauqua performance starring Jane Voss and Hoyle Osborne.  Presented by the Roadrunner Arts Council. Call Anne Sullivan – 772 5509 for further information.

Friday, November 18th, Magdalena-Bake Sale sponsored by Friends for Animals. All proceeds go to help the animals.  Time 9-12pm. Hwy 60 and Main Street. Magdalena.

Saturday, November 19th -Magdalena-November 19th Christmas Bazaar and “White Elephant Sale”. Magdalena Community Church, South Main street. Limited tables available for vendors ($10.00 per table). Call Ann Bending: 575-854-3394.

DECEMBER

Wednesday Dec. 7, Quemado Christmas Tree Lighting. Starts at 4:30pm with bonfire, and free hotdogs are served. Tree lights at 5:30pm and Santa shows up shortly afterwards

Sunday, December 18, 6:00PM Christmas Cantata performed by Quemado Community Choir at the Quemado Baptist Church. Hope to see a great many there for this wonderful musical event!

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICES –

If you have a local business or service you would like me to list – please send me the details.  Keep those accurate events coming my way, I will get them out! (email: Ann Fillion at booklady@gilanet.com)

New store opening up in Quemado – Kim’s Korner – local art and craft items plus I believe Kim will have a hair stylist on Saturdays and Sundays.  Exact day and date of opening plus contact information – coming soon!  I believe the opening is projected to be the end of the first week of November.

The Catron Food Pantries is selling 2012 calendars with scenic views of Catron County for only $5 each. All proceeds from calendar sales go towards the purchase of food for low income families in Catron County. Calendars can be purchased at many local businesses around northern Catron County including the Datil Feed Store, The Pie Town Cafe, Top of the World Store, J&Y Automotive, Quemado , and The Country Store in Quemado. We will be selling calendars through the end of the year at  food distributions in Datil, Horse Mountain, Pie Town, Quemado and Luna and also at the Datil Halloween Carnival and the Datil Extension Club’s Annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair in November and many other local events. The calendars were photographed, printed, assembled, and bound right here in Catron County and will make lovely holiday gifts for friends and family in and out of our county!  For more information on buying or selling calendars please contact Terri Brown, Catron Food Pantries Secretary at 575-772-5646.

DATIL FEED, located next to the post office carries all your animal needs – feed, hay, & Vet supplies for dogs, cats, horses, cattle, chickens, and all other livestock or pets.  Lora says that if they don’t have it, they’ll try to get it for you. Hours of operation TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 9am-5pm.
CLOSED ON SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY.   575-772-5177

DACAB, the Datil Area Community Advisory Board, is working hard to bring healthcare to northern Catron County.  They are currently searching for land on which to build a clinic.  DACAB is a 501(c)3 charitable organization registered with the New Mexico Charitable Organization Regristry.  For more information, call Keith Spiller at 575-547-2868, email keith@dacab.org, or see the web site www.dacab.org.  Mail can be sent to DACAB, PO Box 221, Datil, NM 87821

DATIL VETERINARIAN
Jack Duncan, DVM now lives and works in Datil.  Jack has a mobile vet office and is in Reserve 1st and 3rd Thursdays each month, 2nd Thursday in Quemado,  Every WEDNESDAY – Office in Datil is open – by appointment.  Friday as needed.  575-772-5150 office.  bigcountryvet@gmail.com   Jack’s office and home are located off Route 12 about 2 miles South of Hwy 60.  Please call for appointment.
It is so wonderful to have a local vet!

Have you heard of HUNGRY HOUNDS (AND CATS TOO)?  A Datil group that can help those in need of assistance with:  DOG OR CAT FOOD, Pet Medications, Spay/Neuter costs.  Call to apply or donate – Pat 575-772-5106 or Fran 843-509-4219.  Email:  hungryhounds@aol.com  Donations are greatly appreciated.

Fur and Feather Animal Assistance, Inc– Permanent Residential Facility for Dogs and Cats  Adoptions and Limited Intake for Lost and Abandoned Animals  Laurie Beauchamp, Pie Town, NM, 575-772-2661.

COMPUTER SERVICES
Serving Northern Catron County  – Computer training, setup & repair, Jack will come to you or bring it to him. Call Jack Koerber @ 575-772-5293. 30+ years experience on a wide range of software (inc. MS-Office & various graphic programs) and hardware with 10 years servicing Datil, Pie Town & Quemado and the rest of northern Catron County.

Magdalena MagTech Computer Service-Magdalena. Computer repair,set-up and instruction from Ted Bending who has over 30 years experience. Call: 575-854-3394. Will service Magdalena and surrounding areas. If you have a question-he has the answer!

RECYCLING
Catron County Commission Economic Development website is being developed at www.CatronED.net.  The County’s ED Advisory Board has been filled (info will be on the website soon) and will start working on developing an economic plan for the county.  Additionally, a network will besetup for getting info out about economic opportunities, particularly in the areas of timber/logging/fire prevention and arts/crafts.  Finally, you can subscribe to the website’s blog at http://catroncounty.blogspot.com for notices so you’ll never miss anything.

ROUTE 60 RECYCLING – New email: route60recycling@gmail.com and website: https://sites.google.com/site/route60recycling/  David will continue to set up on Saturday mornings from 9:30-noon throughout the fall and winter months (except for severe weather conditions). He will set up in the parking lot of the Datil Elem/Presbyterian church to collect recycling.   We are a Non-profit and are seeking volunteers to help with some of the processing. Please see the attached updated newsletter. The phone number for questions or to volunteer is 772-5646 or 575-518-8129.

PIE Town Library
NEW FALL/WINTER PIE TOWN LIBRARY HOURS
Starting November 3rd., we will be open every other Thursday.  From 1:00 P.M. until 3:00 P.M.Come see us at the Pie Town Community Center.  We have lots of good books, and we also would like to visit with you. See you there,   Ruth Hanrahan and Joanie Williams

Free Admission to Some Recreation Areas For Veterans This Weekend

Veteran's Day Poster

 

State museums and monuments are offering free admission on Veterans Day to New Mexico’s active duty military personnel, veterans, their spouses and dependent children.

Cultural Affairs Secretary Veronica Gonzales said the free admission is available Friday at the eight museums and six monuments operated by the Cultural Affairs Department. That includes the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces and the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

The New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe has an exhibit on World War II, including the Bataan Death March, Navajo Code Talkers and the Manhattan Project

Veterans and members of the military will be asked to show identification cards to get the free admission.

Mary Mac’s: IT’S BACK!

Welcome back!

Good news for those who loved Mary Mac’s in Datil and were very sad to see it go… Here’s a “welcome back” letter from Ann and Parker:

I have been looking for a place to relocate Mary Mac’s Cafe since we closed in April.  And because “Good things come to those who wait….” – we have a new location for the restaurant!

As of November 1st – Mary Mac’s Cafe will be at the High Country Lodge in Magdalena.  We will offer a similar menu (almost the same) as our original menu and will include the best selling Parker omelet, quiche of the day, soup of the day, green chile philly sandwich, gluten free items, and CARAMEL BREAD PUDDING – our specialty!

New additions will include french fries, whole pizzas (we have a full size double pizza oven), steaks, prime rib, and DINNER specials. Hours of operation will be 7am-7pm daily except Sunday which will be 9am-5pm.  (Restaurant will be open at 8:30 am for coffee on Sunday and start serving at 9am)

We will continue to serve breakfast all day.  We will have awesome baked goods – muffins, pies and cakes.

We will add specials and try items requested by faithful customers and new Magdalena area customers, adding  to the menu items that are popular with our new customer base.

Dinner will be served 5pm-7pm.   Last order taken at 7pm.

A seven day a week venture with the long hours of operation will be quite a challenge but easier than we had to deal with in our previous location.  The casual dining room is larger, the kitchen is large and efficient and there is a very large dining room/meeting/banquet room with a fireplace and stage.  Dinner will be served in this room.

At this time I have a few openings for positions at the restaurant.  If you know of anyone interested in cook or wait staff positions,  please forward this email to them and have them email me a brief couple of paragraphs listing their qualifications and hours available to work.

More information coming.  Events calendar will include information on our “soft opening”.  If you are passing through Magdalena hope to see you!

Ann and Parker

 

Need we say more?

 

All pics courtesy of Kelly Gatlin, La Luz Photography – thanks, Kelly!!