Archive for April, 2007

May 1, 2-4 p.m. Harvest Cooking. Learn new recipes using onions, tomatillos and apricots in this class taught by Carol Koenig of Celebrations. Pre-registration is required. $20.

May 10, 7 p.m. Lecture Series. Pat Garrett, the famous lawman, will be the subject of this Chautauqua presented by Ed Kriegel. Garrett, best-known for killing Billy the Kid while sheriff of Lincoln County, later became sheriff of Dona Ana County and also was appointed U.S. Collector of Customs in El Paso by President Theodore Roosevelt. Kriegel brings this controversial man to life and will answer questions from the audience. Admission is free.

May 15, 6-8 p.m. Cooking with Class. Rick Webb, Culinary Arts instructor for El Paso Community College, is our guest chef. Enjoy dinner and learn new techniques for preparing favorite foods. Pre-registration is required. $30.

May 19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. La Fiesta de San Ysidro. The eighth-annual fiesta is the Museum’s way of paying tribute to the state’s farming traditions. The colorful event includes mariachi music, flamenco and folklorico dancing, food demonstrations, antique tractors and activities for children. Regular admission applies.

For more information, please contact Craig Massey at (505) 522-4100.

by Bianca L. Granado

Helping bridge borders is what the Border Book Festival has been doing since its foundation in 1995. New Mexico’s oldest book festival, offers a time of reflection and celebration as it encourages people to remember their roles as global citizens.

“The Border Book Festival, Inc. believes that literature and the arts can bridge the many boundaries racial, ethnic, generational, cultural, socio-economic and gender biased”that divide our community,” said Denise Chavez, Director of the Festival and Cultural Center of Mesilla.

This year the festival’s theme is “Remembering Who We Are” and will take place on Friday, April 20 through Sunday, April 22 in the Town of Mesilla.

Featuring a Trade Show, readings, panels and workshops, the Border Book Festival is for people of all ages. One of the highlights of the festival is “Poets Against War,” a reading on Friday that features the work of poets like Martin Espada, Sherwin Bitsui and Richard Selton.

The second annual children’s parade will take place Saturday morning. All children who participate in the parade will receive a free book. Other children’s activities include the Tent of Wonders, a family and children’s storytelling tent and activity area. Invited children’s authors include Mali­n Alegria, author of Estrella’s Quinceanera, Rene Colato Lai­nez, author of Loteria, and Monica Brown, author of My name is Celia, about the famous Celia Cruz.

Acclaimed author Sandra Cisneros will be featured at the Premio Fronterizo Gala on Saturday night. The Gala will also feature a concert by Perla Batalla following the reading. Tickets can be purchased for $75 per person or $125 a couple and includes a gourmet Gala dinner. Dress is formal.

Other featured writers include Reyna Grande, author of Across a Hundred Mountains, Sherwin Bistui, Navajo poet and recent winner of the Whiting Poetry award, Mexican poet Osvaldo Ogaz, and poet Selfa Chew, among others.

Writers Steve Breisner and Melinda Palacio will offer “Remembering Who We Are,” a family story writing workshop.

Fore more information about the festival or gala, contact the Cultural Center of Mesilla at 505-523-3988 or by email at bbf@zianet.com.

by Bianca L. Granado

Travel back to a time when there were no cells phones, cars or televisions. It was a different kind of life where a fort had to be built just to keep people in the Mesilla Valley safe from the bad guys. Travel to a celebration of Old West history at Fort Selden’s 19th Annual Frontier Days, Saturday April 21 and Sunday, April 22, located 13 miles North of Las Cruces on 1-25, Radium Springs exit 19.

This year’s Annual Frontier Days will focus on the Civil War Out West and the Confederate Occupation. Jeff Wooten, Monument Ranger, said prior to building the fort it was the site of Camp Robledo, a confederate army headquarters and that Confederate Occupation seemed like an appropriate theme for the events.

Every year, Fort Selden staff dress up and recreate life during the historic time. This year they honor the Buffalo Soldiers, an all black cavalry sent to Fort Selden to protect settlers from the Apache raids after the Civil War. There will be infantry, cavalry and artillery demonstrations. Food, games and dancing make the Frontier Days enjoyable for adults and children.

“We want to make people aware of what was going in the late 1800′s before and after the Civil War,” said Wooten.

What was going on were raids by desperados, apaches and bandits said Wooten. Fort Selden was built in 1865 to help qualm these raid and was decommissioned after 25 years.

“There is a lot of history here. Hopefully, people become aware of this history with Frontier Days,” said Wooten.

For more information, contact the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau at 505-541-2150, or by email at cfaivre@las-cruces.org.