The Carrizozo Chamber of Commerce Invites YOU to Celebrate New Mexico’s Centennial

Take a guided Tour of Lincoln County
Friday and Saturday, January 6 and 7, 2012
New Mexico’s Centennial Tour of Lincoln County

Friday, January 6, 2012, Carrizozo, Capitan and Alto’s Spencer Theater

Saturday, January 7, Ruidoso Downs’ Coe Ranch, Lincoln and Fort Stanton

Thursday and Sunday spend time touring Ruidoso sites and general area.

Friday, January 6, 2012
The tour bus will pick up participants at their Ruidoso hotel starting at 8:30 for the drive to Carrizozo. Lincoln County resident Dennis Dunnum will be your host as he explains some of the history of the area on our drive.

Our first stop will be at The Carrizozo Woman’s Club as the members host you with a 10 am brunch* in their registered state and national historic site building. At
the brunch 93-year-old Carrizozo historian Johnson Stearns will share with you some stories of the early times here from his own personal experiences.

Next will be a visit to the Carrizozo Heritage Museum to see exhibits of old-time ranch life and browse the unique gift store full of items of all kinds
for all ages. Formerly this building housed an old ice plant, so this structure is really considered to be a pretty cool place.

From the Museum we will drive down historic 12th Street with a stop at the 408 Gallery, home of the Burros of the Southwest, and enjoy original art available from folks in Town as well as the surrounding area.

 

Then it will be on to Roy’s Gift Gallery and Olde Time Ice Cream Parlour — the other registered state and national historic site in Town. Enjoy a sample of Roy’s goods from the original fountain built in 1908 and still in operation!
* The Woman’s Club brunch will be quite filling, so there is no planned stop for lunch — only refreshments at Roy’s and a snack before our last stop of the day.

As we leave Town on Highway 54/ Central Avenue, on your right is McDonald Park named in honor of the first Governor of New Mexico, William C. McDonald. Although the Gov is honored here, his resting place is in
White Oaks at the Cedarvale Cemetery.

Capitan’s visit will feature a stop at the Smokey Bear Museum and Park where
you can see a short film about the bear’s life-saving experience and
growth into a national fire fighter. Note: it’s Smokey Bear, not Smokey the Bear.
As we leave Capitan, we will drive by the planned renovation of the old Capitan train depot. The final stop on our way back to Ruidoso will be a guided tour of the
Spencer Theater. The Spencer family has been longtime ranchers in the Carrizozo area, and there are several structures in and around Town that are attributed directly to their generosity and desire to help the community as they lived and worked here.

Your return to your hotel will be around 5 p.m. when you can relax and enjoy dinner on your own.

Saturday, January 7, 2012
The tour bus will pick you up again from your hotel at 8:30. If the weather is inclement, the bus will drive you to each site where possible; otherwise, please wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers for what could be a chilly, but often sunny day in this Land of Enchantment.
After a short drive to the Coe Ranch on Highway 70 east, we will stop at this landmark and hear Lincoln Historian Drew Gomber explain the history of the Lincoln County area starting with this large ranch, which is an important part of this history.

From there, we will go to the historic Town of Lincoln for Drew’s tour of various places, including the Tunstall Store and Court House. This is really Billy the Kid Country, as you will hear. You should enjoy Drew as he has ‘a million’ tales about these former locale wild westerners he will share.
Then we will proceed to Fort Stanton for a true Mexican lunch, a presentation about the Fort and a guided tour of their sites. If the weather is inclement, we will be
able to see the main areas from inside the building where lunch will be served.

Anticipated return to Ruidoso will be around 5:30 p.m. as you enjoy the rest of your time in Ruidoso and Ruidoso Downs with Chambers of Commerce details on sights to enjoy.

REGISTRATION for the Guided Tour of Lincoln County
Friday, January 6, and Saturday, January 7, 2012

In Celebration of New Mexico’s Centennial Per Person Covering:

  • Bus Transportation $48 To and from hotel both days
  • Tour Guide $10 Local Carrizozoan Dennis Dunnum
  • Woman’s Club brunch $22 Full and tasty food at historic site
  • Carrizozo Museum $10 Historical presentation of ranch life
  • Roy’s Ice Cream Parlour $10 Tasty treat at second historic site
  • Smokey Bear Museum $12 Historical movie of Smokey’s life
  • Snack before Spencer $ 5 Munch on bus; sodas at Theater
  • Coe Ranch $12 Old ranch with lots of area’s history
  • Tour of Lincoln $19 Lincoln County War and Billy the Kid
  • Fort Stanton $22 Tour and lunch
  • Total Cost $170 Per Person (less hotels)

The Lodge at Sierra Blanca is offering a special room rate of
$69.00 + tax Suites $79.00 + tax Phone: (575) 258-5500
Web site: http://www.lodgeatsierrablanca.com
More information re this Chamber Tour? Call 575-973-1607 or visit http://www.ruidosonow.com/festival-of-lights/ to register today! (scroll down to Jan 6 event for form)

 

Governor Susana Martinez Unveils New Funding Formula For New Mexico’s Colleges And Universities

NM Flag

Institutions will be rewarded for graduating more students, as opposed to constructing buildings

SANTA FE – Governor Susana Martinez recently met with a large group of regents, governing board members and post-secondary institution presidents in Socorro to discuss the state’s new higher education funding formula.

The new formula will reward New Mexico’s higher learning institutions based on outcome measures that reflect student achievement and preparedness for New Mexico’s workforce, as opposed to basing the allocation of funding on measurements like the size (square footage) of each institution. In addition, while the current formula funds colleges and universities based on courses and degree programs started, the new formula would be based on courses and degree
programs completed.

“The central goal of New Mexico’s higher education institutions should be to graduate the students New Mexico’s economy will depend on for decades,” said Governor Martinez. “In an increasingly competitive global economy, this formula will help us deliver the graduates we need for the jobs of tomorrow, and it serves to intently focus our attention on the achievement of our students.”

Under the formula, institutions would receive funding for graduating students in so called “STEHM” (Science, Technology, Engineering, Health Care and Mathematics) fields. A recent study disclosed that New Mexico’s economy will require nearly 50,000 employees with STEHM degrees by 2018 and nearly 95% of those jobs will require post-secondary education and training.

“For the first time in the history of New Mexico, the younger generation is less educated than the generations before,” said Higher Education Secretary Jose Garcia. “This new formula is our opportunity to make sure today’s students are tomorrow’s successful employees.” For decades, the New Mexico higher education funding formula rewarded measure such as student enrollment and square footage. This created a system where New Mexico taxpayers paid over $53,000 per completed degree, compared to neighboring Arizona, which pays $39,000.

Last year, in an event that was also held at New Mexico Tech, the Martinez administration announced that an agreement had been struck with the state’s colleges and universities to impose a two-year moratorium on the construction of new buildings, in an effort to curb the proliferation of new construction that had been occurring, at least in part, due to the incentive for increasing square footage that was built into the state’s current higher education funding formula.

 

Ski Apache runs 100 percent open

By: Jim Kalvelage jkalvelage@ruidosonews.com

Ski Apache is at 100 percent. All runs are open. All lifts and the gondola are operating. So far this winter the ski mountain has received 63 inches of snow despite a La Niña forecast for below-average winter precipitation.

“You never trust a weatherman,” Justin Rowland, Ski Apache’s director of operations, said Thursday. “The only people that predict the weather are magicians and fools. I never listen to the weatherman. They tell us, ‘It’s a great year,’ and it’s bad. And they tell us, ‘It’s just OK,’ and it’s stellar. They don’t know. They can tell you if it’s going to snow tomorrow or the next day, but that long-range stuff I don’t trust yet.”

The average full season at Ski Apache sees 180 inches of snow, both natural and manmade. A year ago at this time there were 52 inches of snow on the trails north of Sierra Blanca peak.

The pre-Christmas snowstorm was tops for the mountains, with Ski Apache graced with 24 inches of snow. Three other storms in preceding weeks also weighed in.

“We’re better just in a month,” Rowland said of December.

Rowland said the crowds have been big and skiers and snowboarders have been having a great time.

“We’re 100 percent open and we’re rocking,” Rowland said. “Skiing has been exceptional. The amount, the quality (of snow), the grooming that’s been done on it. We’re able to get on it and make sure it’s groomed out. The weather’s just beautiful. We’ve been busy, really busy. It’s been crowded up there but we’ve been able to get to everybody and take care of them,” Rowland said of the past two weeks.

The pace at Ski Apache is being duplicated the business community.

“It’s unbelievable how many people are up there and how many people are in town,” said Gina Kelley, Ruidoso’s tourism director. “The sidewalks are jammed. I see lots of big families. I see a lot of people carrying a lot of bags. Hopefully our Midtown merchants are seeing the kind of success that it looks like.”

Kelley said people are asking about other things to do in the Ruidoso area, such as snow tubing at Ruidoso Winter Park.

“We’re always a popular Christmas destination but I think that these kinds of conditions we have up at Ski Apache, all it can do is help. I think that’s why we’re seeing so many last-minute people because a lot of people are calling saying the conditions are so perfect.”

Kelley said the feeling from lodgers and Ski Apache is that this Christmas has turned out to be better than a year ago.

Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marla Lewis agreed. She noted there are a plenty of people in town and more continue to come in.

“From talking with merchants, they’re saying people not only are shopping but they’re also purchasing,” Lewis said. “It could be, from the indications, that there’s an up-tick in the economy and people are starting to feel a little more like spending more money now.”

The lodging sector also has seen a great week.

“The Visitors Center (located in the chamber) has had an incredible amount of phone calls for lodging,” Lewis said Thursday. “By this afternoon, the lodgers will probably be full except for a few that are small condos. We’ve had requests for a number of large parties. They just keep coming in.”

Woooohoooo!!!!! Click here for a current snow report…

The Spencer Theater: Winter Season 2012

Ruidoso‘s Spencer Theater has a fantastic lineup planned throughout the entire winter season. Coming up in January: get your disco pants on and dance!!!

Stayin’ Alive! The world’s number one Bee Gees tribute band!

Saturday January 28, 2012 @ 7PM
Buy a $69 ticket; buy a $66 ticket.
Disco Buffet in the lobby @5, buy a $20 ticket.

The Bee Gees have been captivating audiences for more than five decades with their unique vocal sound, while remaining current through all the eras of contemporary music. They’ve thrived on the international music scene longer than any group in pop history, attesting to their extraordinary talent and tenacious adaptability. Because of their distinct and blended harmonies, the brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb fashioned an impossible challenge to those who would pay them homage… until now.

STAYIN’ ALIVE is the world’s #1 tribute to the great Gibbs, an intimate, immediate experience of the brothers live in concert with matching vocals, swirling lights and sexy moves.

DISCO BUFFET MENU (5PM IN THE THEATER’S LOBBY, $20): Green Goddess Salad, Swedish Meatballs & Pasta, Green Bean Almondine, Sourdough Bread, Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

About The Spencer Theater

The Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts opened in October of 1997, creating a year-round venue for world-class performances in theater, music and dance. An aristocrat among theaters, the $22-million structure is splendid and elegant, yet intimate and welcoming. At the heart of the Spencer, in its 514-seat hall, you’ll encounter a powerful experience of the performing arts — outstanding acoustics, intimate seating, and artistry of the highest caliber.

The Box Office is open 9-5 Monday through Friday and on show dates until intermission.

Located on Airport Highway 220 in Alto, you can order tickets by phone toll free at (888) 818-7872 or at (575) 336-4800. First time visitors can googlemap “Spencer Theater, Alto, NM” to get directions. Most automotive navigation systems do not map in rural areas (and cell phone service is spotty).

Orders can be placed online 24/7. A printable online order form (.pdf) is also available and can be faxed to (575) 336-0055. The Box Office can also fax an order form to you.

NM Centennial Foundation to provide grants to support school and community garden projects in NM in 2012

New Mexico Centennial Garden Program

Applications due January 13, 2012

The New Mexico Centennial Garden Program is an initiative of the New Mexico Centennial Foundation, working in partnership with state agencies and private partners. Thanks to the generosity of the Coca Cola Foundation, the NM Centennial Foundation is able to provide grants to support school and community garden projects in New Mexico in 2012. Grants will be available at levels of $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000.

To be eligible for a Centennial Garden grant, applicants must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or nonprofit K-12 school that is developing or currently maintaining a garden project that will help communities engage with fresh fruits and vegetables. Garden projects may be at any stage of development; planning, construction or operation. In selecting grant recipients, priority will be given to both limited-resource communities and to projects that demonstrate strong collaborations and community support. Relationships with food banks or other outlets to distribute food to New Mexicans in need are a plus.

Full guidelines and application are available here: NM Centennial Garden Application

Honey, It’s Cold Outside!

Brrrr!!! New Mexico temps are down, but it never stays gray for long. Blue skies over pure white snow is the norm. Looks like there’s more snow on the way, so get ready to break out the snowshoes and the snowmobiles!

Here’s a look at a fresh fall at Swingle Canyon… (Photo courtesy of Kelly Gatlin / La Luz Photography)

New Mexico Voters Strongly Support Creation of Tax-credit Scholarships for Students

Survey results show large majorities in favor of creating programs that would allow children to attend schools of their parents’ choice

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.,  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — New Mexico voters strongly support tax-credit scholarships for students to attend the school of their choice, including private schools, parochial schools, and public schools, according to a survey sponsored by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and conducted by Braun Research, Inc.

The American Federation for Children—the nation’s voice for school choice—praised the survey, in which registered voters were asked about a legislative proposal to allow individuals and corporations to receive tax credits for donating to scholarship funds for New Mexico students.  The scholarship funds would then create scholarships for students who want to go to schools better suited to their needs.

Supporters of the tax-credit scholarship bills have advocated on behalf of special needs students and low income students, in the hope that the scholarships will help them find schools better suited to their individual challenges. Last year, over 120,000 students were enrolled in nine different scholarship tax credit programs nationwide.

“These programs help reduce the dropout rate by getting kids out of failing situations and into schools that can help them succeed and, ultimately, graduate in higher numbers,” said Malcom Glenn, the National Communications Director at the American Federation for Children. “The voters of New Mexico have made clear that they’re staunchly behind creating a scholarship tax credit program to give children the opportunities they deserve.”

In addition, special needs students could use the scholarships to attend schools that better suit their needs. A total of 77 percent of New Mexico voters support a tax-credit scholarship system for special needs students (48 percent strongly favorable, 29 percent somewhat favorable). One such program has existed in Arizona since 2009.

On the question of creating a scholarship fund using tax credits for low- and middle-income students, 62 percent of registered voters either strongly favor (23 percent) or somewhat favor (39 percent) a tax-credit scholarship program for New Mexico students.

Two scholarship tax credit bills were introduced in the Senate last session. Both the Equal Opportunity Scholarship Act and the Special Needs Student Scholarship Act failed to emerge from the Senate and House Education Committee. Similar bills will be presented in early 2012 at the start of the next session.

The poll, conducted September 12-18, 2011, surveyed 808 registered voters via telephone.

SOURCE American Federation for Children

Web Site: http://www.FederationForChildren.org