View from the Innside

Great door prizes from Old Town at the NM Wedding Expo 2010

All the door prizes are packed and ready to take to the NM Wedding Expo 2010 early tomorrow morning.  We have everything from dining gift certificates to jewelry, Native American pottery to yard sculpture, onyx candle holder to museum tickets, and even a wedding dress and a honeymoon package!

In all, 50 merchants donated nearly 100 door prizes totaling over $3,300.  We're ready to show all of the brides, their friends and families a generous sample of what Old Town has to offer--and to give it away!

Old Town Holiday Stroll--join the party!

The Old Town Holiday Stroll is the largest Christmas party in Albuquerque.  Join us tomorrow, Friday, December 4th, from about 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 

Activities kick off around 5:45 with the blessing of the giant Christmas tree at Plaza Don Luis on Romero Street in Old Town.  The Albuquerque Fire Department performs the colors ceremony at the gazebo, along with the national anthem. 

Our new Mayor, Richard Berry, will be giving a short address, then turning the festivities over to Santa Claus, who will lead a children's parade around the Plaza.  Santa will take his seat at the south end of San Felipe Street to hear children's Christmas wishes for the rest of the evening. 

Old Town will be filled with songs, music, luminarias, shopping, food and entertainment of all kinds throughout the evening.

A word of advice--take the bus or park a significant distance away and be prepared to walk to Old Town, because about 10,000 people attend this event every year.  Parking spaces are pretty much all taken by mid- to late afternoon, and traffic can back up around Old Town for the entire evening.

It's a real community event, with friends and neighbors meeting and greeting all evening.  If you need a party with lots of lights, music and food to get you in the Christmas mood, the Old Town Holiday Stroll is the place to get it.

Tour of Old Town--J. Wayne Gallery/Antonio Vigil House

J. Wayne Gallery has recently moved into the space which used to be Shiprock Trading in Old Town Albuquerque.  We stopped in one day to say hello and found ourselves in a lovely space with J. Wayne's gorgeous paintings meticulously displayed.  While he carries other items as well, his focus is on the paintings. 

I hadn't been in that space for a while.  Wayne has done a wonderful job on the lighting, and the floor is whitewashed brick.  On the chilly day we visited, he had a cheerful fire crackling in the fireplaces.

The gallery is in the historic Antonio Vigil House at 413 Romero Street NW in Old Town Albuquerque.  The information on the house is taken from a small plaque he has hanging inside:

 "The Antonio Vigil House is a single-story Territorial Style home, built in 1879 as rental property during the pre-railroad boom.  It was constructed of terrones (dried sod bricks) by Santiago Baca, a rancher, businessman and politician."

Stop by and visit Wayne in the gallery.  You may find a painting that you just have to have hanging on your own wall.

J. Wayne Gallery

413 Romero Street NW

Albuquerque, NM   87104

(505) 903-3656

www.jwayneart.com

 

8th Annual Santero Market in Old Town Albuquerque October 3-4, 2009

The 8th Annual Santero Market will be held in Albuquerque this weekend, October 3rd and 4th.  The hours on Saturday are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and on Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

If you're looking for uniquely New Mexican art, this is it!  Wikipedia has a nice but short article on santos, which is the name for the statues themselves.  The artists who carve the santos are called santeros, so the Santero Market is where the santeros will display and sell their work. 

One very well-known santero is Charlie Carrillo, who will be at the Santero Market.  There will be 41 santeros, so you can bet that the booths will be all over Old Town.

Think of this as a big party, with music, food, dance and children's activities in addition to the market.  Some of the performers include La Rondalla de Albuquerque, the New Mexico Marimba Band, and Mariachi Nuevo Mexico.  I've heard all of these groups perform, and they're really good.  The entertainment generally starts around noon and goes all afternoon and into the evening on both days.

Here's a little history about santos from the flyer:

"In the late 17th and 18th centuries a unique form of folk art developed in the American southwest in the region that is now northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.  The "Santero" tradition evolved as the need for religious images increased and imported images dwindled.  To make do, untrained artists created their own folk art style images based on traditional Spanish examples.  It is this legacy that today's santeros strive to continue."

See you at this year's Santero Market!

participating in retreat with the Navajo

September 26th was Native American Day in Old Town Albuquerque, filled with songs, drumming and dancing on the Plaza.  The pow-wow was still going on when we went to the Plaza around 8:30 that evening.  The dancers ranged in age from the tiniest two-year-olds to elderly grandmothers.

After watching the dancing for a time, Steve decided to go home while I stayed and chatted with a neighbor.  Eventually the party wound down with the dancers, Navajo tribal members, a few tourists and some locals like me staying until the end.

The MC announced that they would perform the inter-tribal retreat, which I wasn't sure meant the same thing as the retreat--retiring the United States flag--that I was used to in the Army.  Sure enough, at the main canopy, they had three flags--U.S. flag, New Mexico flag, and POW/MIA flag--as well as a Navajo tribal totem.  It wasn't a flag as much as feathers and streamers on a pole, but it was definitely a tribal symbol.

They called for volunteers who were veterans to participate in the retreat ceremony.  For a couple of minutes they had three of the four needed and kept calling for a fourth veteran to carry the POW/MIA flag.  When I stepped forward, they were surprised and pleased to have a woman veteran join them.

Participating in the inter-tribal retreat with the Navajos has to be one of the most interesting things I've ever done.  The man in full Navajo ceremonial dance dress carried the Navajo totem in front, and the three of us carried the other three flags behind him.  This is quite a change from the military retreat, where the U.S. flag is always first and always held higher than any other flags.  The Navajo nation is a sovereign nation, and in ceremonies the Navajo flag or totem takes precedence over the United States flag.

The music was a Navajo chant and dance rather than the standard U.S. military retreat tune.  It was accompanied by the drummers pounding out the beat.  Navajo ceremonial dances are based on a left-left-right-right dance step.  Believe me, it's much harder than it looks.  Try it sometime, carrying a flag.

The leader took us to the west side of the gazebo, around the grass on the Plaza, back in front of the canopy, and around to the east side of the gazebo.  We then lined up, and all of the ceremonial dancers in costume came by.

"You have to shake everyone's hand," the leader leaned over to say to me.

And shake everyone's hand I did, from the tiny two-year-old to the elderly grandmothers.  I even received a Navajo cheek-to-cheek greeting and "thank you" from one of the women.

Sometimes it's good to be a woman veteran.  You just never know what opportunities will come your way.

a great performance by The Next Wave

Tonight we attended a concert by The Next Wave, the U.S. Naval Academy Band.  Fabulous!

They're on a recruiting tour in New Mexico for the Naval Academy, visiting a number of high schools to promote the Naval Academy.  It seems New Mexico is under-represented at the Academy.  We don't have a big seafaring tradition here. 

Tonight they mostly played big band-style jazz, and several numbers featured a great female singer, swinging to the beat.  I told a friend "that's the only time you'll see those kinds of moves in a Navy uniform!"

They'll be performing at the Gazebo in Old Town again on Saturday, September 12th, 6-8:00 p.m., and I heard they'll have a few Latin and salsa numbers in the program. 

See you there!

Tour of Old Town: Old Town Pizza Parlor

This building was the DiBlasi House prior to 1935, when it was purchased by the Apodaca family.  John and Frances Apodaca operated the Old Town Chili Parlor in this building for many years.  Their daughter Barbara told me that during World War II, the "society hall" was right across Rio Grande Blvd. and used to hold dances for the soldiers and sailors on leave or passing through Albuquerque, and the Chili Parlor would often be open until 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. as people would come over after the dance to get something to eat.

It's now home to the Old Town Pizza Parlor.  They have great pizzas, pastas and salads at good prices.  If you're a fan of beer, every Monday night is "Marble Monday" with Marble beer on tap at half price.  The zoning in Old Town requires that food has to be purchased and served with any alcohol, so enjoy a pizza with that beer.  You know you want to...  they even had a live bluegrass band in the courtyard out back on the Monday we were there a few weeks ago.

Owner Mike Tafoya has also created a lovely courtyard in the back with tables and chairs, lots of plants, awnings and lights--really delightful.

And on the wall inside is one of my all-time favorite signs:  "There will be a $5 charge for whining."

Old Town Pizza Parlor
108 Rio Grande Blvd. NW
Albuquerque, NM   87104
(505) 999-1949

www.oldtownpizzaparlor.com

a new trend in wedding attire

We see a lot of weddings at the gazebo in Old Town, and there was another one on Saturday as we were taking a stroll.

The bride was in a beautiful white gown, the bridesmaids were in classy black dresses, and the groom and ushers were in black tuxes complete with black and white high-top sneakers!

Folk Night block party on August 21st in Old Town Albuquerque

Come on down to Old Town on Friday night, August 21st, at Patio Market (206 San Felipe Street NW).

First up is Sandia Hots from 6:00 to 7:15, followed by Flagpole Salad from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.  With names like those, don't you just have to come and see what they sing?

Gerald Pinto exhibit at Nativa Gallery

Last Friday we went to an exhibit and artist demonstration by Gerald Pinto at Nativa Gallery in Old Town.  He combines traditional Navajo pottery techniques and materials with Japanese Raku methods and some experimentation to create contemporary pieces. 

While we were there, he had a piece of "greenware" on the wheel and demonstrated how he polished the surface and then cut the design into the pot. 

His new line, called "Equinox," are the black and white pieces shown in this photo.  He uses both glossy and matte glazes, copper wire and turquoise stone accents.  Here's what Gerald says about "Equinox":

"Equinox" is my new series for spring/summer 2007 and is still in its experimental stage.  Equinox represents the balance between light and darkness or day and night.  It's the time of year when the sun crosses the equator making our day and night equal time lengths.  Whether it's the autumnal or spring equinox, it represents a change of the seasons and eternal balance. 

Working with these glazes has been new to me, but has been very interesting.  These are kiln fired pieces, but are taken out while still hot.  This produces the crackle over the entire surface, which is later enhanced with a second firing, using carbon heavy fuels, such as cow and horse manure and pine wood chips.  This is quickly extinguished at its peak and this reduction is what fills in the non-glazed surface, creating a matte black color.  Trying new shapes and colors as I progress will be fun and exciting.  Using this double firing technique is risky and time consuming, but well worth the risk.  Each piece is finished with Kingman green turquoise and copper wire inlay."

I was particularly taken by his earlier pieces, which are a brown-gray color and smell heavenly--when he fires them, he uses dried juniper twigs.

Nativa Gallery

2104 Charlevoix Street

Albuquerque, NM

(505) 247-0399