The balmy temperatures of late summer in Ruidoso are an invitation to c’mon up and stay a while! There’s plenty to do and see year round, and these latest events will give you one more reason to think about owning your own piece of the pie: just take a look at Vera Cruz Mountain Ranch, where you can take your pick of pristine views to enjoy from your balcony and still be just a short drive away from town.

August 1 to 3, 2008

Old Lincoln Days – Lincoln, NM – Street vendors, food, parade and mountain man camp. Don’t miss the “Last Escape of Billy the Kid” pageant. 575-653-4025.

August 30 & 31, 2008

18th annual All-American Gun & Western Collectible Show: Ruidoso Convention Center, 9-5. Everything that relates to guns as well hunting equipment, knives, cowboy gear, saddles, blankets, spurs, western relics, Indian artifacts, jewelry, coins and much, much more. Admission $5 adults, kids 12 & under free. Under age 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian. Info: Jackie, 575-257-6171.
http://trekwest.com/gunshow/

September 1, 2008

All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs Race Track & Casino: Each year, the racing season comes to an end with the running of the World’s Richest Quarter Horse Race, the Grade I All American Futurity. For information 575-378-4431.

September 17 to 21, 2008

39th Annual Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally: Ruidoso Downs Sports Theater Complex, 3/4 miles east of the racetrack entrance. The motorcycles come back for glorious fall weather and an exceptional trade show, live entertainment and more. For information call 800-452-8045.
http://www.motorcyclerally.com/

October 4 & 5, 2008

Aspenfest Weekend – It’s our annual fall celebration complete with a parade through midtown (Sat, 10am, from the corner of Sudderth & Mechem to 700 block of Sudderth), Arts & Crafts at Schoolhouse Park on Sudderth (Sat 9-5:30, Sun 9-5, admission $1 adults, free to kids under 12), & a Rod Run Car Show at the racetrack (Sat, 8-4, free admission). Bonnie Richardson (Arts & Crafts) 378-4661, Ron Duscha (Car Show) 915-598-0621,& Rachel Weber (Parade) 575-257-7395.
http://www.ruidosonow.com/aspenfest/

October 10, 11 & 12, 2008

19th Annual Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium:
This annual celebration is held at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, and features cowboy poets, musicians, chuckwagon cooks/craftsmen plus This year will feature Johnny Bush & The Bandoleros plus Red Steagall and Lynn Anderson performing a special tribute to Cindy Walker. For information call the museum at 575-378-4142.
http://www.cowboysymposium.org/

For more details and an online copy of the The Ruidoso Visitor Guide, visit the Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce at www.ruidosonow.com.

Gasoline prices in New Mexico continue to fall, dropping nearly another nickel and in particular, drivers in Las Cruces saw the cost of gasoline tumble by 13 cents per gallon. Albuquerque and Santa Fe saw much smaller declines of four and three cents, respectively.

New Mexico drivers are now paying $3.75 a gallon, that’s six cents higher than the national average of $3.69. Prices in New Mexico have fallen statewide between 30 and 35 cents in 5 weeks, since reaching a peak of $4.08 on July 17th. Still, the price of a gallon of gasoline is 85 cents more today than it was one year ago.

Las Cruces now has the least expensive gas at $3.59 a gallon, 15 cents below the statewide average and 10 cents below the national average. Santa Fe, which has had the most expensive gas in the state this summer, continues to do so, now motorists are paying $3.75 a gallon.

“While crude oil prices this week have been flat or trading slightly upwards on world markets, the price of oil is still substantially below the all-time high of $147 a barrel reached on July 17th and that decline is still being reflected at the gasoline pump. That means consumers have seen prices drop by more than 10 percent in New Mexico and nationally as well,” says AAA-New Mexico Corporate Communications Manager Dan Ronan.

“In New Mexico, the three largest metropolitan areas are seeing gas prices fall steadily; however, in the more rural areas of the state, prices remain noticeably higher than the national and statewide average. It’s Economics 101 and the rule of the marketplace, because there are more gas stations in the cities, they have to be more competitive. Drivers have more choices. In rural areas, where there are fewer stations, there’s less competition and owners can sell gas for a higher price even when prices fall,” Ronan added.

 

Clear your calendar: from September 5 through 21, the New Mexico State Fair will celebrate its 70th anniversary, and will once again play host to a hand-picked roster of some of country music’s most popular and celebrated entertainers. From raw country talent to young television superstars and established world-class bands and solo artists, Tingley Coliseum will feature them all as part of the combined PRCA rodeo and concert lineup.

“This lineup in one of the strongest I’ve seen in terms of new horizon country stars, and we’re bringing back Ronnie Milsap, to boot,” said State Fair Commission Chairman Luke Otero, who also heads the entertainment committee for the fair. “We’ve worked hard to book and confirm our entertainers early, and at this point we’re just about ready to sell tickets,” Otero continued.

As a slight detour from the expected spate of top country music artists, two of the most popular teen TV stars in the United States – Vanessa Hudgens and Corbin Bleu, who performed together in the Disney Channel original movie “High School Musical” – will headline Tingley Coliseum on Saturday, September 6.

In keeping with The New Mexico State Fair’s long history of family-friendly pricing, this year’s rodeo/concert series and concert-only tickets are still the bestdeals in town for premier entertainment. Rodeo/concert series tickets are priced at $12, $20 and $31. Season box tickets are $28 each for all eight rodeo events. Concert-only ticket prices are $25, $36, $42 and $48.

For more information, visit the New Mexico State Fair webpage.

Get ready for the hottest festival in New Mexico! The 36th Annual Hatch Chile Festival runs from August 30-31st.

Saturday: Parade 10:00, Wreath & Arrangement Contest 11:00, Welcome 12:00, Clay Mac Band 12:30, Contests 2:30, Queen’s Auction 3:00, and Diluvio Norteno Band 8:30-12:30

Sunday: Clay Mac band 12:00, Contests 2:00, Diamante de las Cruces Mariachis 2:30. Festival Auction 4:00, Contests 4:30, Spur Ride Band 5:00. Quilt & Pillow Raffle Award.

All weekend: Chile Toss, Chile Eating, Watermelon Eating contests, . . . Chile Quilt and Pillow raffle, . . . Horseshoe Tournament (Register @ 11:00) . . Chile foods, ristra tying and ristra painting demostrations

Location: Hatch Municipal Airport – 1 mile west on Highway 26.
On the web: www.HatchChileFest.com
Call for information: 575-267-5050.

Parents: take a break! A tax break, that is. Starting today August 1 through Sunday August 3, there will be zero tax charged on purchases of clothing and shoes costing less than $100. School supplies costing less than $15 also are tax-free, as well as computers that cost less than $1,000 and computer equipment costing less than $500. And take note: the price limits are per item, not on the total amount spent for purchases. In other words, if you have three kids, you can purchase three computers tax-free as long as each individual computer doesn’t exceed the $1,000 limit.

The statewide break—the fourth such annual holiday—is expected to give parents a $4.6 million dollar relief. According to a national survey, an average family can spend up to $594 on back-to-school purchases: the breaks could save them $42.

Shop on!

Did you know that the New Mexico red chile and it’s brother the green chile are one and the same? The only difference is whether they’re picked when ripe or not! Some particular strains, though, are bred for intended use as red or green chile, but it’s basically the same plant.

Now this staple of New Mexican cooking is making headlines, announcing its intent to spice up the dishes from one end of the country to the other.

Read “New Mexico hopes to get nation hooked on green chile” Just keep a glass of water handy!

Take a tour down memory lane watching New Mexico PBS station KNME’s “Route 66 in New Mexico”. This seven-part series totals about 55 minutes—well worth every second. Interviews, vintage photos, great cinematography… It’s a great way to get your kicks on Route 66!

A Bit of Background

Founded in 2006, the New Mexico Jazz Festival followed on the work of the Open Arts Foundation’s Santa Fe Jazz and International Music Festival (2000-2005) which produced hundreds of concerts and brought an unprecedented wealth of high quality jazz to Santa Fe.

In 2006, our inaugural effort presented McCoy Tyner, Branford Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, the Newport Jazz Allstars, and more. In 2007 we expanded our efforts and presented more concerts in both cities including performances by the legendary Sonny Rollins in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. We also inaugurated a partnership with the City of Albuquerque’s Summerfest by offering 5 hours of music on Civic Plaza— an evening which was free and open to the public and which was capped by a performance by Toumani Diabaté’s Symmetric Orchestra.

This Weekend

July 19, Saturday, 7pm
New Mexico Jazz Workshop presents Blues Under the Stars
Pleasure Pilots • The Memphis PTails • Alex Maryol
Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater

July 19, Saturday, 6-10:30pm
Albuquerque Summerfest
Allen Toussaint Quintet
plus Hillary Smith’s Hip Pocket • Paul Rivers Bailey
Laryea Addy • Concepto Tambor
Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza

July 20, Sunday, 7:30pm
Bert Dalton Trio Honoring Chris Calloway
Straight Up Honoring Arlen Asher
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

Week Two
July 22, Tuesday, 6-8:30pm
Perceptions: Kanoa Kaluhiwa’s AfriLatin Jazz Ensemble
Le Chat Lunatique
Santa Fe Plaza

July 23, Wednesday, 7-9:00pm
Jazz in the Evening
Cathryn McGill Quartet
Old Town Plaza Albuquerque

July 23 & 24, Wednesday & Thursday, 7:30pm
Kenny Garrett Quartet
Outpost Performance Space

July 25 & 26, 7pm
New Mexico Jazz Workshop presens Women’s Voices
Friday (25th) Charmed; Dianna Hughes; Patti Littlefield;
Kari Simmons;Hillary Smith
Saturday (26th) The Buckarettes; Jenny Marlow;
Busy McCarroll; Madi Sato; Susan Clark
Albuquerque Museum Amphitheater

July 25, Friday, 7:30pm
Habib Koité & Bamada
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 26, Saturday, 7:30pm
Cassandra Wilson
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 27, Sunday, 4:30pm
A.B. Spellman & Paquito D’Rivera: Meet the artist
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 28, Monday, 2pm
A.B. Spellman: Reading
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 27, Sunday, 7:30pm
Paquito D’Rivera’s Funk Tango Quintet
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

July 28, Monday, 7:30pm
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Lensic Performing Arts Center

August in New Mexico is a great time to come visit: the rainy season is in full swing and the land is lush, green and absolutely beautiful! Here’s a list of some ongoing happenings throughout the state. For a great detailed calendar of events, visit our friends at Forever Frontier.

Socorro Farmer’s Market
Main Plaza, Socorro, NM
Each Saturday morning, June to October
575-835-8927

Monte Cristo Gift Shop & Gallery
Chloride, NM, just 35 miles west of Truth or Consequences via Hwy 52.
Open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM
505-743-0493 or montecristo@zianet.com

Las Cruces Farmers Market, downtown mall
Every Wednesday & Saturday
Growers and vendors selling locally grown produce and homemade crafts. www.lascrucescvb.org

Mesilla Mercado
Every Thursday & Sunday
Old Mesilla Plaza, Mesilla, NM.
Growers and vendors selling locally grown produce and homemade crafts. www.lascrucescvb.org

New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
Las Cruces, NM
Explore farming, ranching, and rural life in New Mexico!
Museum Tours, Seminars and Exhibits.
www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org
575-522-4100

Deming Livestock Auction
Every Wednesday, 9:30 am
575-546-8851

Summer Chairlift Rides
Taos Ski Valley
From late June through September, enjoy the majestic views of Taos Ski Valley from our lift #1. Once you arrive at the top off load and hike around. Ride the lift or hike down to the base area.
$10 for adults and $6 for juniors. Group rates available. If you have a Taos season pass from last season or for the upcoming season there’s no charge. (You must present pass).
Hours 10am – 4:30pm, Thursdays through Mondays until September 1st, then Saturdays and Sundays from September 6-28, 2008.
Taos, NM
www.taosskivalley.com

Crownpoint Rug Auction
Crownpoint,, NM (east of Gallup)
300-400 hand woven Navajo rugs are auctioned off each month; sponsored by Crownpoint Rug Weavers Association. Rug viewing begins at 4:00 pm and runs until 6:00 pm. Auction begins at 7:00 pm.
Crownpoint Elementary School, 72 miles south of Farmington on Hwy. 371, Call for dates: 505-786-5302, 505-786-7386 www.crownpointrugauction.com

Hiking Season in Taos Ski Valley
May through October are ideal months to hike our surrounding trails. Trail maps available at the Visitor Center or on-line at www.taosskivalley.com
Call for more information (575) 776-1413 or 800-517-9817.
Taos, NM.

Thanks to high prices for oil and natural gas, New Mexico could be looking at a big revenue windfall for 2009, according to economists in Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration and the Legislature. The money could go to spending increases or offset permanent tax cuts. The Legislature will convene in January for a 60-day session.

For more details, click here

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