Archive for September, 2007

by Bianca L. Granado

Traditional song, dance, arts, and crafts, will highlight “Preserving the Past for the Future” the 3rd Annual Rio Grande Pow Wow hosted by the Las Cruces Native American community and New Mexico State University.

The non-profit community event will be from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12 and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct.13 at the NMSU practice football field. Admission is $4.

Highlighting the event will also be the groundbreaking of the Native American Cultural Center at NMSU. and will feature traditional inter-tribal performances.

“We, the indigenous people come together in dance, song, honor, telling stories, presenting the beautiful art work done by our people, sharing and providing a taste of what use to be and what still exists,” said Suky Ramos, who is involved with the event.

The gathering promotes awareness and understanding of the importance of Native American culture in New Mexico.

“It is important to have the Inter-Tribal Gathering to bring awareness about our existence and culture,” said Ramos. “To make sure that we let our City and surrounding neighbors if not the whole world, that even though our ancestors went through the worst, we still survived and are still very well and alive.”

The gathering also helps revive and preserve the Native American culture and history, as well as establishes a Native American arts and culture market within the Southern New Mexico region.

For more information contact John Yazzie at 505-541-1760 or Matt Runsabove at 505-522-0515.

by Bianca L. Granado  

Spend an afternoon enjoying wine and entertainment at one of southern New Mexico’s premiere wineries at the annual La Viña Winery Harvest Festival from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21 at La Viña Winery.

“This is La Viña’s 30th anniversary and 25th Harvest Festival,” said Denise Stark, owner of La Viña Winery. “Winery tours will be available.”

This year’s harvest produced over 150 tons of grapes to produce La Viña estate bottled wines. Over 20 wines will be available for tasting and purchase. The outdoor event will feature local and regional entertainers as well as food, and arts and crafts.

Entertainers for the festival include PT and the Cruisers, Frank Zona and Urban Edge, Guitar Slim and Buzz and the Soul Senders, among others. Tents, tables and chairs are provided. No picnic baskets, pets or outside beverages are allowed.

Admission is $10 for adults and includes a complimentary wine glass and up to six tastes of wine or one glass of wine. Admission is $5 for ages 12-20, and 12 and under are free. La Vina Winery is located at, 4201 Highway 28, La Union.

For more information, contact Stark at 505-822-7632 or visit www.lavinawinery.com

by Bianca L. Granado  

Jazz and wine make the perfect combination as they swing their way into the 6th Annual Mesilla Valley Jazz Happening from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 and from noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7.

A wine and garden tent hosted by DH Lescombes, St. Clair Winery, Blue Teal winery and Luna Rossa winery will be available for a $10 fee that includes a collector’s glass and wine tasting. There will be small snacks available to enjoy with the wine. There is no fee for the entertainment.

Popular New Mexico band Nosotros will perform a free concert on Saturday night on the plaza. Other restaurants and shops will host live music at their locations in addition to what is playing at the plaza.

There will even be a “passport program” where those who play can win prizes.

“Folks take the passport around to the participating businesses and get it stamped,” said Dawn Starostka, event coordinator. “If they return with all of the locations stamped, they get a free t-shirt. If they return half, they get a free poster.”

Parking is available around the plaza. People can also take a horse drawn carriage to visit other venues in Mesilla, such as the Mercado and the Caballero Plaza.

For more information, contact Starostka at 505-522-1232.

The City of Las Cruces will offer a free lecture on “Dante Alighieri and the Writing of the Divine Comedy,” at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main.

Medieval scholar Elizabeth Schirmer, PhD., New Mexico State University English Department, will deliver the lecture. The event is one in a series of lectures supporting the “Dali Illustrates Dante’s Divine Comedy” exhibition at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, which runs through Sunday, Nov. 25th.

Dr. Schirmer received a PhD in English from the University of California, Berkeley and also holds an AB in English and French Literatures from Stanford University. She has been a faculty member at NMSU since 1993. There is a $5 admission fee for visitors over the age of 18 to the “Dali Illustrates Dante’s Divine Comedy” exhibition at the Las Cruces Museum of Art. For more information about the exhibit, call 505/541-2137 or visit the website, www.dalilc.org

For more information contact Joy Miller, Exhibition Curator at 505/541-2221. The TTY number is 505/541-2182.

Harvest Cooking Class

October 2, 2-4 p.m.

Enjoy learning new ways of using seasonal herbs, pumpkins and pinto beans for your fall recipes. Our creative chef is Carol Koenig. Pre-registration is required. $20.

Fall Lecture Series

October 11, 7 p.m.

Max Evans, an acclaimed western author and a longtime supporter of the Museum, will be here to talk about his new book, “For the Love of a Horse.” You won’t want to miss this lively presentation and book signing. Free.

National History Day Teacher’s Workshop

October 12, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Make history come alive for your students! Secondary teachers are invited to this workshop to learn how to incorporate this program into their classrooms. Trevor Carter from the Humanities Council is the presenter. Stipends are offered to teachers who have students that participate in the regional contest. Register early as space is limited. Free.

Traditional Southwest Cooking

October 13, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Dr. Jo Tice Bloom will teach us how to prepare traditional Southwest dishes like guacamole, red enchiladas, capirotada, and temole de chile verde. The recipes are from Erna Fergusson’s book written in 1934, Mexican Cookbook. Pre-registration is required. $25.

Cooking with Class

October 16, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Spend your lunchtime with Jerry Harrell, an accomplished chef and the general manager of the Double Eagle Restaurant in Mesilla. Mr. Harrell was the 2006 Restaurateur of the Year. Pre-registration is required. $30.

Bridge Celebration

October 20, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Come join us as we celebrate the opening of our newest structure, the Historic Green Bridge. The afternoon will feature a special ceremony, a very unusual ribbon-cutting, panel discussion on historic bridges in the state, vintage cars on display and refreshments. Admission is free during the afternoon events.

Pumpkin Carving Family Workshop

October 27, 9-11 a.m.

Time to carve the pumpkins! Bring the family to a workshop and design and carve your own creation. Pre-registration is required. $5 per family of four.

A Spooktacular Evening!

October 27, 7 p.m.

Tales of buried treasures, the devil, the evil eye, the bogeyman, and natural phenomena were once the keystone of family entertainment in Hispanic villages of Northern New Mexico. Join Nasario Garcia as he shares these fascinating tales. 7 p.m. Free. This presentation is sponsored by the NMSU Library as part of the “Big Read Celebration.”

 For more information, or to register for a workshop, please call (505) 522-4100.

by Bianca L. Granado  

A chamber music ensemble committed to the Central European tradition of light and entertaining music, the Thuringer Salonquintett, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 at the Oñate High School Performing Arts Center.

The group’s performance marks the first concert of the season for the Las Cruces Civic Concert Association.

The repertoire ranges from Viennese Classics of the mid 1700’s to the beautiful waltzes, gallops, and fantasies of the 19th century, to the film music of the first half of the 20th century on to modern commissions by leading composers in current idioms.

The Thüringer Salonquintett was founded in 1973 as the Salonorchester Voigt by concertmaster Herbert Voigt. When Herbert Voigt retired, the ensemble found a fitting successor in Andreas Hartmann, one of Germany’s leading violinists. The group was renamed the Thüringer Salonquintett. Their recordings have brought them international acclaim.

Admission is $25 dollars for adults and $10 dollars for students. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the LCCA at 505-541-4051