Archive for July, 2007

sixth award in seven years

by Chris Faivre

For the sixth time in seven years, Las Cruces has been recognized by Facilities & Destinations magazine as a Top Destination.

Las Cruces was among several US cities selected by the magazine’s readers to receive the 2006 award recognizing destinations for their ability to accommodate groups and conventions.

“This is a great honor for Las Cruces and the CVB; we are pleased to have been selected again by the readers of Facilities & Destinations to receive this year’s Top Destination award,” said Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) Executive Director Ken Mompellier.

Readers based their decision on such criteria as quality of meeting space, professionalism of staff, hotel accommodations, onsite management, special promotions and services, accessibility and the attractiveness of the destination.

“Together, the bureau and local hotel sales departments have taken an aggressive approach to promoting Las Cruces facilities to the meetings market while emphasizing the many great reasons to hold meetings in Las Cruces. Over the past few years we have established many great contacts and are looking forward to expanding the meetings and convention market in Las Cruces,” said Mompellier.

The Convention Sales Department is currently under the direction of Convention Sales Manager John Bulla who joined the CVB staff in 2006.

For more information, contact the Las Cruces CVB at (505) 541-2150 or by email at cfaivre@las-cruces.org

August 2.  Juegos para Chiquitines.
Ages 5-7- 9 a.m.-noon
Ages 7-9- 1-4 p.m.
Learn traditional New Mexico Songs and games in Spanish and English and enjoy the fun! Pre-registration is required. $15

August 7, 2-4 p.m. Harvest Cooking Class
Learn to prepare figs, blackberries, and kohlrabi in this hands-on class taught by Carol Koenig of Celebrations. Pre-registration is required. $20

Lecture Series: August 9, 7 p.m. “At the Navajo Trading Post”
Sallie Wagner and her family owned a trading post on the Navajo Reservation from 1938-1945. Film enthusiast, Jeff Berg, will show and discuss her fascinating home videos. Free

August 11, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. “Recording Cherished Voices”
A NM Centennial Oral History Workshop. In this one day workshop sponsored by the museum and the Southern New Mexico Centennial Committee, you will learn what oral history is, discuss how to research and then conduct an interview, and learn how to frame initial and good follow-up questions. Dr. Jon Hunner, the director of the Public History Program at NMSU, is our instructor.

Pre-registration is required. $25 for adults. $15 for students and seniors.

August 21, 11:00 a.m.- 1 p.m. Cooking with Class
Johnnie Giovengo from Ruby Tuesday is our guest chef for this special class. Summer grilling is the theme. Pre-registration is required. $30 Fall Schedule of Demonstrations. Please check with the receptionist for the daily schedule.

Dairy Demonstration: Daily 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.

Trolley Rides: Monday- Saturday 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sunday 1:30 p.m.

Parade of Breeds: Wednesday 10 a.m.

Sewing & Weaving: Wednesdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Gallery Talks: Wednesday 2 p.m.

Blacksmith: Thursday- Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Dowsing: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

Trolley Rides: Monday- Saturday 10 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sunday 1:30 p.m.

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

by Bianca L. Granado 

More than 80 teams will be competing in the Girls Fast Pitch Amateur Softball Association 10 and under and 12 and under Class B Western Nationals on Wednesday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 5 in Las Cruces.

Teams in the 10 and under category will compete at Maag Park, located at 1700 E. Hadley, while teams in the 12 and under category will compete at the Field of Dreams Softball Complex, located at 1601 Bruins St.

There will be an opening ceremony at 7 pm on Tuesday, July 31 at the Field of Dreams to introduce the teams, umpires and for the presentation of colors.

Of the 80 teams, almost 60 are from California.

Las Cruces is no stranger to ASA news and events. The Field of Dreams Softball Complex was chosen as the ASA 2006 Complex of the Year. Various other ASA tournaments and competitions have also been played in Las Cruces in the past.

Admission to the games is $20 for adults for a tournament pass or $5 for a daily pass. Children 10 and under are fee.

For more information, contact the Las Cruces Convention & Visitors Bureau at 505-541-2216, or by email at ecarnathan@las-cruces.org.

The 108th Army Band from Phoenix, Arizona will perform on the plaza in Mesilla Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 6-to-7 p.m. The concert, which is free to the public, is part of the band’s Fort Bliss Music Tour.

A National Guard unit, the 108th Army Band consists of members that are citizen soldiers. The band members are educators, businesspeople, mechanics, postal employees, students and many others. Unlike other National Guard units, the band’s primary responsibility is to promote morale and provide music for the troops. An additional peacetime mission of the band is serving as a public relations arm of the National Guard.

The 108th Army Band performs a mixture of traditional and contemporary music. The band performs for visiting state dignitaries and at numerous civic and state functions. During annual training, the band travels throughout the State of Arizona performing concerts and parades in many different communities.

Attendees are encouraged to bring folding chairs for their convenience. Pets, alcohol or smoking are not permitted on the plaza. Parking is available at the Mesilla Town Hall parking lot on Avenida de Mesilla and at the parking lot on Calle de Medanos.

For more information, call the Town of Mesilla at (505) 524-3262 or the 108th Army Band at (602) 267-2876.

by Bianca L. Granado  

Most audiences know him as the flamboyant musical director of “The Tonight Show.” Some know him as one of the most accomplished trumpeters of his time. And others simply know him as “Doc.”

Intertwining two different genres of music, Grammy Award winning trumpeter Doc Severinsen will perform with Mariachi Cobre and the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 25 at the Pan American Center located at the corner of University Avenue and Payne Street.

For three decades alongside Johnny Carson, Severinsen served as the bandleader to one of the most recognized television shows in the world. However, when “The Tonight Show” ended in 1992, Severinsen continued to dazzle audiences with his talents as he continued to play to sold-out audiences. He recently launched his own line of trumpets and continues to record albums.

Formed in 1971, Mariachi Cobre recently celebrated its 35th anniversary as a group. They have performed with international artists such as Linda Ronsdadt, Julio Iglesias, and Ana Gabriel. They also regularly attend the Las Cruces Annual International Mariachi Conference.

The concert also features Maestro Lonnie Klein, who has been with the Las Cruces Symphony Orchestra for nine years, and enjoys a distinguished career as conductor, music director, orchestra builder and teacher.

The one-night performance is presented by the Diocese of Las Cruces Foundation, Inc.

Tickets are $40 dollars for the lower bowl seats and $20 dollars for general admission. They can be purchased by calling the Pan American Center Ticket Office at 505-646-1420, or by calling Ticketmaster at 915-544-8444 or by visiting the web at www.ticketmaster.com.

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

by Bianca L. Granado 

No one will ever be able to complain that there is nothing to do in Las Cruces, at least not anymore. The Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau recently released the Official 2007-2008 Las Cruces Visitors Guide, a 64-page magazine highlighting area attractions, history, shopping and accommodations as well as other things to do in the area.

Every year the CVB releases a new edition of the Visitors Guide, and this year’s edition featured an increase in size from a smaller 6×9 pocket guide to an 8.5 x 11 magazine as well as a design that reflected the bureau’s print advertising campaign. The guide also features a calendar of events, information about attraction, accommodations, dining, recreation and area day trips.

“It has been a goal of ours to take the visitors guide to the next level and increase the size, this year we were able to do it,” said Chris Faivre, Media Publications Manager for the CVB. “The larger format should make it a more user friendly piece and the expanded content will give visitors a wonderful head start on all the great things to see and do in the area.”

The cover of the guide reflects the culture of Las Cruces. A vibrant photo of folklorico dancers participating in a Mesilla festival was taken by local photographer Ron Cooper. Over 100,000 copies of the guide will help showcase Cooper’s talent.

“I am very excited the CVB chose my image for the cover of this year’s guide, this has always been one of my favorite images,” said Las Cruces photographer Ron Cooper. “I think it was wonderful the bureau gave a local photographer a chance to showcase their work on the cover of a publication that reaches so many people.”

Copies of the 2007-2008 Visitors Guide are available at the Las Cruces CVB, located at 211 N. Water. Visitors can also request a guide online at www.lascrucescvb.org or by calling (505) 541-2444.

by Bianca L. Granado 

Art and literary enthusiasts in the Southwest have the rare opportunity to see a literary masterpiece illustrated by one of the most famous and recognized surrealist painters of his time as Salvador Dalí’s Divine Comedy will be on display at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, located at 490 N. Water St. in the Downtown Mall, from Friday, Sept. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 24.

“Salvador Dali is probably one of the most well known of the surrealists artists,” said Lisa Pugh, Manager of the Las Cruces Museum of Art. “He really concentrated on depicting the unconscious and subconscious mind.”

Dali labored for nine years to produce a series of 100 watercolors as illustrations to the classic epic The Divine Comedy written by poet Dante Alighieri. The literary masterpiece details Dante’s epic journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.

Dali’s paintings were to be reproduced as wood engravings and released as a limited edition print suite in honor of the 700th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s birth.

“This the first time the entire suite has been shown locally to our knowledge. It is on loan to us from a private collector here in Las Cruces,” said Pugh.

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

There is nothing like enjoying ice cream on a hot Sunday afternoon in July.

The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces hosts its fourth-annual Ice Cream Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. on July 15. Sponsors for the event are Price’s Creameries and Villa Crema.

Museum staff members and volunteers will be doing ice cream making demonstrations and children can learn to make their own ice cream by rolling coffee cans. Visitors can enjoy free samples all afternoon long.

The popular event also features an ice cream sandwich eating contest. The competitors are divided into several different age groups and prizes will be awarded.

Regular museum admission applies — $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2 for children ages 5 to 17. Children 4 and under are admitted free. For more information, please call (505) 522-4100.