Message from our New Mexico Humanities Council. Call for Action.

FYI: NM Humanities Council is where libraries find Chautauqua performers for public programs.  A very important source for your public libraries!

NMHC Response to President's Proposed  FY19 Budget

1 Apr 2018

On February 12, President Trump released his FY 2019 budget request to Congress, which again calls for eliminating the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), along with other federal cultural agencies. As an ally and affiliate of NEH, we are disappointed that the president has once again targeted NEH and other key federal cultural agencies for elimination.  NEH ensures that Americans all across the country—including residents of New Mexico—have access to vital humanities and cultural programs, which reach veterans, rural families, K-12 students and teachers, and other under-served communities. The NEH is the only federal entity uniquely charged with preserving our nation’s history and cultural heritage, supporting scholarly research and collections, and making humanities resources, including our nation’s founding documents, accessible to current and future generations. NEH also funds the state humanities councils, which extend the reach of the humanities to all 56 states and territories and to nearly every congressional district. By leveraging $4 for every federal dollar they regrant, councils generate millions of dollars for humanities programming that are then invested in local communities across the country.

1965: LBJ signing the legislation creating
National Endowment for the Humanities AND
National Endowment for the Arts 

In New Mexico, NEH support has enabled libraries, museums, tribal organizations, cultural nonprofits, K-12 schools, universities, and colleges, among other entities, to carry out the important work of helping us learn about our past, think about the present, and imagine our future.  When you read a biography about your favorite author, watch a television documentary about a famous artist, or read a digitized version of a historical newspaper to learn more about one of your ancestors, you are likely benefiting from work conducted with NEH’s financial support.

And lest anyone forget, state humanities councils are an integral part of communities, helping residents to understand and appreciate history and local culture, promoting reading and literacy, assisting veterans and their families, supporting individual well-being and contributing to local economies through festivals, events and cultural tourism.  Our current programs—National History Day in New Mexico, federal regrants, the speakers bureau, and Democracy and the Informed Citizen—as well as our past programs, have been made available to New Mexicans thanks to the tremendous support of NEH.  We all benefit when our nation’s cultural agencies remain strong and vibrant.

What Can You Do?

• Call the Washington DC or local offices of your congressional delegation and tell them how important the humanities programs are to you and your community. Be specific.
• Attend a congressional town hall or other open meeting and talk about the value of cultural programming for you.
• Email the member if you are unable to place a call or attend a meeting.
• Remember that your best justifications are the benefits to your community. Tell your story.
• Please let the New Mexico Humanities Council know what actions you have taken and what you have learned.
• Coordinate with NMHC to invite your members and staff to a council program you believe they would enjoy.
• Visit the National Humanities Alliance website to call or send a message to your members of Congress.
• Provide NMHC with testimonials, articles and other materials that support council activities and can be incorporated into advocacy efforts.

Thank you for making a difference for the arts and humanities in your community. 

Sincerely,

Brandon Johnson, Executive Director

DRY Winter means better chance for fiery Spring & Summer. Get PREPARED

First Saturday in MARCH. Closing time change.

Well, we know March blew in like a lion.  Phew!  Waiting for the lamb part now.

 This Saturday, March 3, is $5 for a bag-of-books sale day and the library will be having a bake sale along with the book sale.  Library is open on Saturday 10 am to 2 pm.

by supporting it!

Beginning Tuesday, March 6 the library will remain open until 6 pm Tuesday - Thursday.

NO BURNING!

More about the Greer Garson performance at Sacred Grounds on March 4 at 3pm

High Tea with Greer Garson, a one-woman show

Ruidoso News Report

Celebrate Women's History Month by meeting a stage version of the state's most honored film actress, while enjoying a British-inspired light meal

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Garson was a New Mexico cattlewoman, settling on the Forked Lightning Ranch, now part of Pecos National Historic Park.

Ruidoso actress Kay Sebring-Roberts Kuhlmann will recreate an interlude with seven-time nominee for Best Actress Greer Garson March 4,  at Sacred Grounds Coffee and Tea House in Ruidoso.

Garson, who took home the Oscar in 1943 for the World War II movie, "Mrs. Miniver," was British-born and insisted on a rider in each of her movie contracts that shooting would pause for high tea.

The one-woman performance and high tea will run from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

In addition to 25 film roles, Garson was a New Mexico cattlewoman. She married Dallas oilman Buddy Fogleman in 1949, settling on the Forked Lightning Ranch, now part of Pecos National Historic Park in San Miguel and Santa Fe Counties.

Garson was an internationally-famous actress, whose career lasted into the 1960s.

"The audience will meet my version of Greer Garson in that setting, in the imagined ranch house that she called home for more than 30 years," Kuhlmann said. "She will serve you tea and some tasty food in keeping with the requirement she included in each of her film contracts.

"Many in the audience will be surprised by the accomplishments of this woman. She holds the record for the most consecutive Academy Award nominations, five years in a row, more than Meryl Streep. But her contributions to the world of film, and to the state of New Mexico, go beyond awards. We hope you'll join us to learn more about this remarkable women, who dies in 1994 at the age of 91."

Celebrate Women's History Month by meeting a stage version of the state's most honored film actress, while enjoying a British-inspired light meal. Cucumber martini or sherry will be available at a cash bar. Patrons can stay for the 4:30 p.m., red carpet parade of stars on a large screen television.

Kuhlmann has created more than a dozen solo stage characters in a 25-year theater career. Ruidoso audiences will be most familiar with her portrayals of western film and recording star Dale Evans, first ladies Mamie Eisenhower and Bess Truman, and Santa Fe diarist Marion Sloan Russell. Her 51 original plays have been seen in multiple performances nationally, including the National Archives Theater in Washington D.C. She is on the emerita faculty of New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, where she taught drama and was a college academic advisor.

The coffee house is at 2704 Sudderth Drive. Tickets are $17 and cover food and the performance. They are on sale at Sacred Grounds or text 575-317-4994 to order. The price is $20 at the door.

(NOTE: PLEASE write CAPITAN LIBRARY on the back of your purchased tickets. Our library will get $1 donation on CPL tickets sold or $5 donation on a table of 4. OR... if you purchase tickets from Sharon, 575.336.7752, CPL will get $2 per ticket.  Either way helps our library!) 

Performance: GREER GARSON at Sacred Grounds, March 4 @ 3 pm

(NOTE: PLEASE write CAPITAN LIBRARY on the back of your purchased tickets. Our library will get $1 donation on CPL tickets sold  or $5 donation on a table of 4.)

Greer Garson was nominated seven times as Best Actress, taking home the Oscar in 1943. The British actress became a New Mexican in 1949, settling on Forked Lightning Ranch with her new husband while still making Hollywood films.

Join the party for the 75th anniversary of her win, with Ruidoso actress Kay Sebring-Roberts portraying Greer in a visit with the audience. Your ticket includes the performance with a movie-set style hearty tea and, if you care to stay, a big-screen viewing of this year's Academy Awards Red Carpet beginning at 4:30.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Sacred Grounds Coffee & Tea House
2704 Sudderth in Ruidoso

3:00-4:15 pm

Tickets in advance: $17, includes food & tea 
Tickets at the door will be $20

Tickets available in advance at Sacred Grounds, or by texting 575-317-4994 with request. 

NOTE: PLEASE write CAPITAN LIBRARY on the back of your purchased tickets. Our library will get $1 donation on CPL tickets sold or $5 donation on a table of 4.

HOMESCHOOLERS - March 2 Class Acts at the Spencer Theater

There are a few tickets left to the 12:30 pm Class Acts show.  Class Acts are daytime one-hour shows for kids. School children come by the busload to see these shows.  So order tickets ($5) today for your child & yourself. If you wait till March 2, you may be seated if some children are sick/don't show up, therefore leaving an empty seat. OR, if you want to see the full evening show, there are tickets available $49 - $59.  At the evening show, Ruidoso Animal Shelter will have adoptable pets outside for you to possibly want to take home.  You just might fall in love with one!

FOR tickets, call the Spencer Box Office at 575.336.4800

See preview of show at:

Las Vegas “Entertainer of the Year” and big top tent star Gregory Popovich and his amazing cast of rescue pets bring us The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater, a family-oriented blend of circus-styled comedy and juggling, and the amazing talents of Popovich’s furry friends. There are more than 30 pets in the show, each one – cats, dogs, birds, and other four-legged friends – were rescued by Popovich from animal shelters and given a new leash on life. Dolled up in colorful costumes and armed with props, the cast performs unexpected skills that have won fans at theaters across the country and with late night stars like Jay Leno and David Letterman. Popovich, called a “cat whisperer” and a “gregarious Dr. Doolittle from Moscow,” by the New York Times, is a life-long circus performer who honed his skills with pets from his parents, both animal trainers in the former Soviet Union. He has been traveling around the United States for 20 years with his show, gaining thousands of fans along the way. He has also rescued hundreds of unwanted shelter animals and provided them love and fame in bright lights from New York to L.A. It’s all fun and it’s all inspiring: bets are you’ll leave the hall with a new shelter dog or cat in mind. Who knows, you might just finally get Sparky to sit and stay.

Friday, March 2 at 7pm Roasted Red Chile Turkey Buffet at 5pm, $20

Mark Stambaugh, Photographer Extraordinaire

Watching the "likes" to the photos posted on Mark Stambaugh's Facebook page is a testament to his extraordinary "eye" for taking awe-inspiring photos.

There is a certain artistic talent necessary to capture breathe-taking photos. Sometimes you learned it in classes, but sometimes it is just an innate ability to frame the perfect shot through the lens.

Originally from Plainview, TX, Stambaugh is a graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in business and worked for Gulf Oil Corp in W. Texas.  He moved to the Alto area in 1987, which solidified Stambaugh's love for New Mexico and the Ruidoso area.  It is evident in the many of the local landscapes shown in his work.  From snow covered shots of Sierra Blanca, to sunsets over Bonito Lake, his photos adduce the wealth of beautiful scenery to be found in Lincoln County.

A collection of Stambaugh's stretched canvas photographs are currently at the Capitan Public Library for the public to view until the end of March.

Other locations where Mark Stambaugh Photography can be seen are:  Weaver Real Estate, located in River Crossing on Sudderth Dr. in Ruidoso; Cornerstone Bakery; on Stambaugh's Facebook page and at www.RuidosoPhotos.com. 

Stambaugh began working as a real estate photographer in 2006.  He recently opened Alto Storage Buildings on Highway 48, where you can traipse around various models of Graceland Portable Building.  

Next to the storage buildings is the wood yard that Mark and his brother, Coy, started  providing wood by the cord and specialty items like Chimineas with pinon wood (people in the Eastern U.S. particularly liked these items).  Coy still runs the wood yard, while Mark branched off into photography, real estate and portable buildings.

Mark Stambaugh will be in the Alto Artist Studio Tour the first weekend in August, August 3,4 and 5, with a preview reception at the Spencer Theater on Thursday, August 2.  His studio location on the tour will be at his Alto Storage Buildings.

To delve further into the making of these fantastic photos, I asked some questions to Mark.

How early do you rise to take photos? (boy, is that a dumb question or what? Obviously BEFORE sunrise.) 

Mark: For sunrise photos, I'm often up by 5:30 am. 
Favorite location for sunrises:

Ski Run Rd., at least 5 miles up to locations like
Oak Grove or Windy Point. I try to find high elevation
 points, with long views which have few objects

 like houses, power lines,etc.

 Do you find locations and go back?

Mark: Yes, I go back to these same areas often.

Preferred camera and lens?

Mark: A Nikon D810 camera, often using a Nikkor 200-500 mm telephoto lens for wildlife, and a Nikon 24-120 mm  "walk about" lens for general shots, while using
 a wide-angle lens for landscapes. 

Do you manipulate your prints digitally? Or is what
 you see through the lens, what we see in your art?

Mark: My photos are shot in a RAW format and must be
developed.  I use Adobe Lightroom, to process them and 
enhance clarity and sharpness, adjust highlights, and
adjust light conditions, which are  often too dark.

Mark with wife, Mary Weaver, and Allie Jo

Sometimes, it is all about being at the right place, at the right time

Alto Lake

AARP FREE tax preperation

tax prep information - the date changed, so AARP will be at Capitan Library on Monday, Feb. 19 and Monday, March 19. Call for an appointment and bring all important papers including your driver's license or photo ID and SS card.  There are still a few appointments available for both dates.

Creative aging next week

Creative Aging is creating a free-ride program for home-bound people who have no way to get to their health care appointments.

 Drivers needed to provide free rides to the doctor

Creative Aging is looking for volunteer drivers for a free ride service for people who can’t drive to doctors and other health care appointments and don’t have any other way to get there.

“We’re told there are many people with no family or friends living nearby and without Medicaid coverage or other resources to get them to their appointments,” said Clara Farah, who directs the ENMU-based non-profit. “Creative Aging wants to fill that gap, but we need more people willing to drive.”

The driver program is based on a similar volunteer service that has operated since the 1980s in Los Alamos. 

People who need a non-emergency ride to a health care appointment will call a phone number and give the details to the program coordinator. The coordinator then calls drivers until one of them can accept the assignment. The coordinator calls the rider back with the driver’s name and phone number so the two can get in direct touch and arrange the pickup.

About 10 people so far have expressed interest in providing the same service here, according to Creative Aging program coordinator Dave Tomlin. He said he’d like to find at least 10 more to have enough drivers so at least one can always be found who can take an assignment.

“Based on the Los Alamos program, the number of rides is not huge, and no individual driver is asked to take more than a few rides a month if they don’t want to,” Tomlin said. “And a volunteer can always decline to accept a ride appointment for any reason.”

Interested drivers will be asked to provide copies of their driver’s license and auto insurance certificates, and to authorize a basic background check.”It’s based on Social Security numbers,” Tomlin said, “no fingerprints required.”

Tomlin said plans call for supplemental driver liability insurance through CIMA, a carrier that specializes in coverage of non-profit volunteers. He said he hoped the program would be ready to begin taking ride requests by late March.

Anyone interested in hearing more about becoming a driver can call Tomlin at 917-834-8133 or email him at dave.tomlin74@gmail.com.

What’s the purpose of the program?

We believe there are many in Lincoln County who need to get to health care appointments but can’t drive, have no friends or family available nearby, and don’t have Medicaid or other resources to pay for a ride. We want them to be able to call us for a lift.

Where will the program take them?

We’ll provide rides to doctor, dentist, eye or ear care, physical therapy or other health-related appointments within Lincoln County or in Alamogordo or Roswell if we can find a driver with time to go that far.

How does a rider qualify for help from the program?

We don’t plan to interrogate riders rigorously or require documentation of need or age. We’ll certainly let them know that we want as much as possible to be a last resort for those who don’t have other options. 

Will drivers have to lift wheelchairs or riders who can’t walk?

No. We can only provide our service to riders who can walk to our vehicles and get in and out without much assistance. We won’t take wheelchairs. Walkers are okay.

Will drivers attend doctor visits along with riders?

No. Our service is door to door. If a rider needs help at the medical office with note taking or questions for the care provider, we will take a friend or relative along for that purpose.

How will the service work?

It’s very simple. We will have a list of drivers and a coordinator with a phone number. Riders will call the coordinator to make an appointment for a ride. The coordinator will look on the list for drivers who might be available and call them one by one until someone can accept the ride request. The coordinator will then call the rider back and give him or her the driver’s name and phone number. It will then be up to the rider to contact the driver directly to work out details of the pickup.

How do I become a driver?

We will ask you for the following: 1) A copy of your current and valid driver’s license, 2) A copy of your current and valid insurance certificate, 3) your Social Security number with permission to use it for a basic background check (no fingerprints required), 4) a short note telling us the days and times of day you prefer to drive, when you will NOT be available to drive, and whether you are willing to drive to Roswell and/or Alamogordo, just within Lincoln County, or just within your own community.

Can I refuse to drive when the coordinator calls me?

Absolutely yes. You should never feel pressured to take a ride request when it’s inconvenient or involves pickup or delivery locations you’re not comforting driving to.

What about insurance?

Drivers’ personal auto insurance policies should cover normal situations. We will insure volunteer drivers who have registered with the program for risks arising during their volunteer driving that aren’t covered by their own policies. The carrier is CIMA, a national company that specializes in insurance of volunteers with non-profit organizations.

When do we start?

We hope to be up and running by the end of March. There’s still a lot to do. We want to have at least 20 drivers registered with all their documents in hand. We need to obtain the background checks from IntelliCorp, an online company that provides various levels of security checks for businesses and other organizations. We need to get the word out to the people who might need our help. And Creative Aging, our sponsoring organization, needs to give the final go-ahead for us to start.

FYI: Organics in Smokeys.

Chuck Gurvitz is the new Produce Manager at Smokeys Country Market in Capitan, and he now has half of the produce department filled with ORGANIC items. Check it out!

Feb 20th FREE Ancestry.com Class

Free Ancestry.com Class
Tuesday, February 20 6:00-8:00 pm at the Library

To get started, all you need is the name and approximate date of birth or death of two ancestors.

Start reading the March book for Capitan Library's book club

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Book club meets First Thursday of the month at 10 am.  So that means March 1 this time!

Join us for a SUNDAY PROGRAM February 11 @ 2 pm

Herb Marsh presents 
Nora True Henn's 
Lincoln County and
 its Wars 

Herb Marsh is the head of the Nora Johnson Henn Foundation and past president of the Lincoln County Historical Society

Nora True Henn was a forty-year resident of Lincoln,NM, and was known as the first lady of Lincoln County history.  Authors who wrote about Billy the Kidd or the Lincoln County War would always come first to Lincoln and visit with Nora.  The breadth and depth of her knowledge of Lincoln's turbulent past was unequal.  There wasn't anything about the subject she had not researched with ultimate effort and committed to memory or writing.  

Henn accumulated an extensive archive of Lincoln County history that was the envy of all.   Before her death in 2011, she created the Henn Johnson Library and Local History Archives Foundation to care for her archives located in Lincoln. It is a research facility for serious research of Lincoln County history.  She penned this manuscript from her own life-long research. 

Our presenter, Herb Marsh, is a former El Paso attorney and district judge.  He attended law school at University of Texas.  An avid historian, he now lives in Lincoln. He is currently the president of the Nora Johnson Henn Foundation and past president of the Lincoln County Historical Society. (Plus he's been seen out playing drums with the ENMU-Ruidoso choir and Top Brass.)

Refreshments will follow the program.

First Saturday (FEB 3) $5 for a bag of books PLUS bake sale

Bag of books $5

NEW on First Saturday:
Bake goods for sale.
Come stock up books & eats!

Saturday hours:  10 am to 2 pm

Book Club, Feb 1 at 10 am

Join the book club on February 1st at 10:00am to discuss "Sin Killer", the first book of the Berrybender Narratives, by Larry McMurtry. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, Jan 28 at 2 pm program at the Capitan Library

Capitan program looks at challenges of bringing education to the frontier

Ruidoso News Report

Owen has deep roots in Lincoln County

Playing the role of a school teacher, Tiffanie Owen will show some of the challenges facing those who brought eductaion to the frontier.

(Photo: Courtesy Photo)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Refreshments will be provided

A program Jan. 28, at the Capitan Public Library will look at the challenges faced by those who brought education to the frontier.

At 2 pm, Tiffanie Owen, Instructional Coordinator for Lincoln and Fort Stanton Historic Sites, will present "Going Old School in Lincoln." Owen has deep roots in Lincoln County. Her great-great grandfather, John Owen, was Sheriff of Lincoln from 1902-1907.  Some of her relatives attended one of the first schools in Lincoln, one now the Lincoln Community Church. That association, combined with being a third-generation teacher, inspired Owen to create her schoolmarm persona. 

The building of a school in a frontier town signified that the "Wild West" was becoming a little less wild. Owen's slideshow presentation introduces the audience to the challenges of bringing education to the American frontier. Schoolmarm Owen will share the trials and tribulations of both teachers and students in these early days of education. It's hard to say whether these stories will make the audience grateful for the conveniences of schools today or long for the educational techniques of days gone by.

Owen also is the Volunteer Coordinator for Lincoln and Fort Stanton Historic Sites. For information on becoming a volunteer or scheduling a tour or a classroom visit, email her at Tiffanie.Owen@state.nm.us or call 575-653-4025.

Refreshments will be provided after the presentation. For more information call Capitan Public Library at 575-354-3035. The library is at 101 E. Second St. in Capitan. Library hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday and Saturday, closed on Sunday and Monday. .

Creative Aging Jan 26

Behavioral and financial concerns. Clara Farah and Karen Rounds. Guests include Priscilla Lujan, Alzheimer's Foundation, and Elizabeth Sanchez, Aging and Long Term Department, on insurance changes.

A sobering subject,albeit necessary. And possibly, with proper planning, something we can begin to deal with now with information and dialogue. Please plan to attend and bring your questions.

Thank you Otero County Electric Co-op!

Proud to be associated with the good people at Capitan Library

Names are flipped. L-R: Pat, James and Lynda

Jan 22 Music in C'zozo

Carrizozo Music, Inc. presents nationally-renown Portland Cello Project in a free concert at 6 PM on Monday, January 22 at the Carrizozo School Old Gym.  The cellists will play a wide variety of music by many different composers from many different points in history, which they will announce and explain from the stage. They will build a unique show for the audience drawing from their repertoire of over 1,000 pieces of music, which means you can expect a performance similar to the Oregon weather: it is likely that whatever is happening at one moment will be completely different just a few minutes later. 

In the fall of 2006 a group of 10 cellists got on stage at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge to perform western classical music in an informal setting.  Many of the cellists that night thought it would only happen once.  But slowly that one-off event became a second, and a third, playing Portland's most popular clubs (Holocene, Mississippi Studios), and by 2009 the group had evolved into a nationally recognized performance and educational group with a revolving cast of cellists, releasing full-length albums, performing everywhere from punk rock clubs to, loading dock street parties, to exclusive private events, and symphony halls all over North America, spending more than a quarter of the year touring, and featuring a diverse repertoire of well over 1,000 pieces of music.

While the group changed and evolved in a hundred different ways over the last decade, the one consistent focus has always been building bridges between different musical communities through collaboration with myriad artists to educational and community outreach at schools and universities around the country.  Coming on the New Mexico tour will be all-star cellists Diane Chaplin, Kevin Jackson, Skip vonKuske, Collin Oldham and Lauren McShane.    The concert will be followed by a reception and opportunity to meet the musicians. 

A school outreach concert will take place at 3 PM, January 22, at the Carrizozo School Old Gym.  Both concerts are free and open to the public.

From 4-6 PM,   there will be a fundraising dinner to benefit the Culinary Arts Program and the Junior Class Prom Project.  The meal will include a choice of posole or vegetarian chili, corn bread, biscochitos, and tea, water or coffee.   Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.   Please call Carol Wilson at 575-799-8707 for tickets and information.  The meal will be served in the school cafeteria, across the courtyard from the Old Gym.  Take-out available.

For information about Carrizozo Music, the 2018 season schedule and concert updates please check www.carrizozomusic.org, email carrizozomusic@gmail.com or call Elaine at 575-648-2757.  Carrizozo Music sponsors a series of classical concerts, summer Portico Concerts and school outreach performances and workshops with a commitment to providing free quality music to the residents of Lincoln County and the surrounding area.

 Carrizozo School Old Gym is located at 800 D Ave, on the corner of D Avenue and 10^th