D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
August 2009
The To-Do List
Making the dog days bark.Tune in: Move over, Motown and Nashville. On August 8-9, Silver City's most tuneful folks will bring the "Sounds of Silver City LIVE!" to the Silco Theater in four combo concerts. The event will promote the new "Sounds of Silver City" CD, with many of the featured artists performing, as well as provide the raw material for a second, live CD to be recorded by Barefoot Recording Studio and released in late fall. The concerts as well as the CD sales will raise funds for Silver City's award-winning MainStreet Program.Saturday and Sunday each feature an afternoon and an evening concert, with Saturday night a folk/fusion/jazz theme and Sunday night focusing on world music. Tickets are $5 for each of the four concerts; advance tickets are on sale at Alotta Gelato and Curious Kumquat. For complete schedules, see events listings.The "Sounds of Silver City" CD compilation, released in June, features 13 local performers. It's available for $12 at: Alotta Gelato, Everything Under the Skye, JavaLina Coffeehouse, the Marketplace, Ol' West Gallery & Mercantile, Seedboat Gallery, Silver City Museum Gift Store, Silver City Visitor Center, Sun & Moon, and Tune Town.
Let it begin with me: That same weekend brings several opportunities to give peace a chance. Sunday, August 9, is the annual Hiroshima Peace Day Remembrance at 12:30 p.m. in Silver City's Gough Park. Sponsored by the Gila Friends Meeting (Quakers), the observance is open to people of all faiths.Also on August 9, at 4 p.m., three young Middle Eastern women will share their experiences in the Creativity for Peace program, speaking at Good Samaritan Auditorium in Las Cruces. The presentation comes to Silver City the next day, August 10, 4-6 p.m. at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship. The women — a Palestinian from the West Bank, a Palestinian from Israel, and a Jew from Israel — will talk about how the Creativity for Peace experience shatters stereotypes and transforms hatred and distrust into compassion and love.
Quacking up: Of course, if it's August, the ducks must be racing in Deming. The 30th Annual Great American Duck Race will make feathers fly August 20-23. To mark the event's 30th anniversary, this year's theme and logo look back to the era of rock and roll; both the Duck Race pageant and parade will be judged on how well contestants depict the "Rock N Roll" theme. Expect to see everyone from Chuck Berry to Elvis Presley. Most events are held at McKinley Duck Downs, known the rest of the year as the Luna County Courthouse Park. For daily schedule, see events listings.
Am I blue(grass)? If the end of this month happens to find you in the northern part of New Mexico, pick your way to the Santa Fe Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Festival. Held August 28-30 at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds (3229 Rodeo Road), the festival runs Friday beginning at 6 p.m., Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to mid-afternoon. Admission for the whole weekend is $45. For details, see www.southwestpickers.org