As Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department, I welcome you to New Mexico, a truly diverse destination. Spring will soon be upon us. Come celebrate a season like no other in a place like no other: New Mexico, your Land of Enchantment.
Michael Cerletti
2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the film"Easy Rider" and Taos will celebrate this anniversary with a series of special events.
Directed by then-Taos resident Dennis Hopper, who also played Billy in the film, much of "Easy Rider" was shot in Taos and edited at Hopper’s home – the original, early 1900s adobe of the famous international salon organizer Mabel Dodge Luhan.
"Easy Rider"marked a new direction for film – and then, as now, mirrors not only the beauty of Taos, but its spirit. Taos has been a draw for travelers for more than 1,000 years, and today sees nearly two million visitors annually.
Enter now to win a fantastic weekend get away for two. The sweepstakes is sponsored by the newly refurbished Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, La Bella Spa and the UNM Champion ship Golf course.
The package includes
This sweepstakes end April 15 2009 at 2:00pm MST. The Package Giveaway is valid for one year from the date of issue.
Paintings, drawings and photographs presenting multiple views of neighborhood life by New Mexico artists will be on display in Santa Fe at the Governor’s Gallery in the New Mexico State Capitol April 3 to June 14, 2009.
"Canvassing the Neighborhood" highlights works by Teal McKibben, Tim Prythero, Carlotta Boettcher, and Alex Harris, with works that range from the surreal to the abstract.
The exhibition opens April 3, 2009, with a reception 4- 6 p.m., hosted by the Women’s Board of the Museum of New Mexico. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free.
Many Santa Feans knew Teal McKibben as part of the Canyon Road community of artists and shopkeepers, but few of her customers knew her as an artist. McKibben specialized in the region’s indigenous arts that also filled her apartment behind the store. This private, solitary artist wove figurative textiles and drew large pastels of her collections. However, McKibben rarely revealed her spellbinding works to outsiders.
The second annual Quilt and Wine Fair in Corrales, May 9-10, 2009, is a treat for the senses.
The fair is noon-6 p.m. each day at the Corrales Recreation Center East Soccer Fields, off Corrales Road.
Peruse the beautiful quilt work of local quilters. Sample the delightful wines from New Mexico Wine Country vintners. Come to the Village of Corrales, named 19th Best Place to Live in Money Magazine for 2007.
More than 60 quilters will not only display their creations in the juried quilt competition, but will sell them as well. To enter the competition visit www.quiltwinecorrales.com. A quilting demonstration will be held throughout the two-day event to provide advice and guidance during your quilt-making process.
Get a hands-on, seat-in-the-saddle look at New Mexico’s Western heritage with the folks in Lincoln, NM when they celebrate completion of the seventh annual Billy the Kid Trail Ride May 16, 2009.
Get your kicks on Route 66 Friday, April 17-April 20, 2009, with the nation's largest RV Rally, featuring the latest in recreational vehicles and accessories, live entertainment, family activities and educational seminars.
The Rally 2009, at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, is hosted by Affinity, the nation's largest provider of outdoor recreation clubs, media and events, and is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
The American cowboy – an independent soul, with a rough and ready nature, driving cattle across the wide-open plains - is alive and well and heading to Carrizozo this June for the annual Cowboy Days.
What began as a one-day celebration now fills three days (June 12-14, 2009) with music, heritage, vittles and, of course, cowboys, horses and cattle. Events and activities are being scheduled to entertain youth and seniors alike. Top entertainers in the Western music field are being booked and facilities remodeled in anticipation of the large crowds that are expected.
Even experienced birders toting binoculars and spotting scopes with checklists a mile long find fauna-filled New Mexico exciting, offering some of the finest bird-watching spots in the world, featuring hundreds of resident and migrating species.
No species is as popular in the Land of Enchantment, however, than the bird world’s smallest, featured at the annual Hummingbird Festival in Lake Roberts July 25-26, 2009, sponsored by Hummingbirds of New Mexico, a non-profit organization.
"Hummingbirds are pretty special," said Lake Roberts’ Joan Day-Martin. "Most people don’t think of them as a pollinator, but they are very important in New Mexico during migration and breeding season. A great deal of the state’s wildflower population is dependent on hummingbirds. In fact, some are only pollinated by hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are profoundly important to New Mexico wildlife."
Upcoming Events Statewide
Don’t forget to mark your calendar:
April 2009 Events
1 Tinkertown Museum Opens, Sandia Park – www.tinkertown.com
4 Tour of Trinity Site, Alamogordo – 575-437-6120
5 Apple Blossom Contest Pow Wow, Farmington 800-448-1240
18-19 Roswell Spring Arts and Crafts Fair – 575-622-6298
19-20 Frontier Days, Las Cruces – 575-526-8911
23–25 Gathering of Nations, Albuquerque – 505-836-2810
24 Arbor Day – Keep Roswell Beautiful – 575-637-6212
25 & 26 La Vina Blues & Jazz Festival, Las Cruces – 575-882-7632
26-27 Shakespeare Ghost Town Reenactments -www.shakespeareghosttown.com
May 2009 Events
1-2 Smokey Bear Days, Capitan – 575-354-2273
1-3 La Fiesta de Colores, Grants
T or C Ralph Edwards Fiesta – torcfiesta.com
14-17 Mescal Roast, Carlsbad – carlsbadchamber.com
15-16 Bloomfield Days – 505-632-0880
16 Heritage Day, Corrales – corraleshistory.org
16-17 Aspencash Motorcycle Run, Ruidoso – 575-257-8696
22-24 Riverfest, Farmington – 800-448-1240
Hike It and Spike It, Roswell – 575-623-5695
22-25 Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally, Red River – redriver.org
23 Ruidoso Downs Racetrack opens – www.ruidownsracing.com
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad opens, Chama – 888-286-2737