La Cienega Valley Association

Protecting and preserving our acequia culture and agricultural traditions…



 Entries are closed for the 2nd Annual Photo Contest 
Click/Tap Here on October 20 to see Finalists and vote for Community Choice!

LCVA News – October 2, 2015 (October Activities)



Join in on all of the October activities and opportunities our community has to offer!

Second Annual La Cienega Photo Contest
Deadline, Midnight, October 7

Please go to lcva-nm.org for complete contest details and how to submit your photos.

Prizes include a minimum of $50 per category, with the Community Choice winner receiving a family membership to El Rancho de las Golondrinas and the Grand Prize winner gets a 2-night stay at Buffalo Thunder.

Here are the contest categories.
What to enter:
Five contest categories are drawn from subjects of special interest to LCVA:
· LC² Experience: Events, objects and activities connecting residents to LC²’s history, tell what it means to be a resident and provide a sense of what it is like to live in LC².
· LC² Living Off The Land: Events and activities associated with LC² acequia, farming and ranching traditions.
· LC² Natural World: Animals, plants, landscapes, geological, climatological features or scientific processes and endeavors within LC².
· LC² People: Individuals from all walks of life within LC².
· LC² Altered Images: Photos within LC² manipulated for artistic purposes by applying digital and/or traditional special effects (i.e. colorizing, toning, collage, photo composites, panoramas, HDR, etc.).

Fall Festival

It starts big this weekend with the El Rancho de las Golondrinas’ Fall Festival. The most beautiful living museum in the Southwest, a step back into another time recognizing the history and traditions of our community is celebrating its fall harvest.

Below are just a couple of reasons to take the family to this very special place,

1:00 – 2:00 Los Matachines de San Lorenzo, near information booth (Moorish influenced male dance group)

EDUCATION CENTER 12:00 Storytelling with master storyteller Paulette Atencio

CRAFTS FOR KIDS
11:30 – 12:30 Make a corn husk doll near information booth
12:00 – 2:00 Create a harvest wreath near information booth
1:30 – 3:30 Tin stamping – make and take home chile ornament.
All crafts under portal #15

ONGOING ACTIVITIES
Buy traditional Fiber Arts and New Mexico crafts straight from the artists!
Espanola Valley Fiber Arts Center tent located near main entrance
Ristra stringing with the Archuleta family, Golondrinas Placita
Corn husking and grinding, Shepherd’s Kitchen
Wool carding & spinning, and colcha embroidery, Golondrinas Placita
Tortilla making (and eating!) and chile roasting, Baca Plaza
Learn the early American history of carving vegetables Baca Plaza
Buying and bartering in the Country Store
See burros crush sorghum, and taste fresh simmered molasses, at the Molasses Mill
Blacksmithing
Milling on a horizontal/”hispano” mill, Barela Mill from Truchas
Wool dying in the Dye Shed
Cider making (and sampling!), on road to Winery
Crushing grapes for wine by foot at the Winery
Tradional alabados (hymns) with Dexter Trujillo, Penitente Morada
Hot chocolate and biscochitos for sale by the Sociedad Folklorica, Madrid House
Milling in a vertical mill from Sapello our Molino Grande
Willow weaving, by Big Mill
Hide Tanning
Meet the adorable mini horses from “Horsetalk” at the Hide Tanning Area
Visit with Albuquerque Alpacas behind Blacksmith Shop

Admission: Adults $8 – Seniors (over 62) and Teens $6 – Children 12 and under free.
Individual memberships $35, Family Membership $55

Museum Sale
8a.m. to noon
Saturday, October 10
El Rancho de las Golondrinas Parking Lot

In addition to celebrating the season the folks at the museum have been cleaning. The closets emptied, the storage areas organized and there is a lot of left over stuff to sell. Included in the museum sale are furniture, electronics, office supplies and household goods, a little bit of everything.

Check out the deals and quality goods but make sure you leave time to get to the Community Party and Potluck.

Community Party and Potluck
Noon to 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 10
The Infield at the Downs

The LCVA in collaboration with Southwest Reserve Wildlife Conservation and Big Sky Build It! are bringing you some fall fun. We are finalizing the details of the Community Party and Potluck so look for flyers soon on the music, activities, demonstrations and how you can contribute to the festivities.

The Southwest Reserve Wildlife Conservation is a local non-profit started by resident Bonnie McGahee. Bonnie’s group’s goal is to simply acquire lands to maintain then as “wild” and avoid the politicizing of protecting these areas.

Big Sky Build It! has been around for almost 20 years and their summer programs provide innovative, hands-on mathematics, science and art activities for kids aged 5 to 18. Michael Sheppard, the executive director will be performing, providing the sound system and coordinating the music which will include a performance by the Salt and Pepper Shakers a local La Cienega teenage music group.

Big Sky Build It! mentors, graduates of the program, who become program instructors, will serve as volunteers to make sure everything runs smoothly.

There is green grass but little shade so make sure your picnic experience includes shade, umbrellas etc., sun protection and plenty of water.

If you have an E-Z Up we can use it. Please contact us if you have one we can borrow for the afternoon.

In addition to your food item please consider dropping off a $5-20 flea market item at the LCVA table. Donated items will be available to purchase to help cover the expenses of the party

Palliative Care
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, October 17
La Cienega Community Center
Lunch Provided

This is a great opportunity.

The folks with Clinica La Cienega (who are working to bring a clinic to La Cienega) want to let you know about a free palliative care training they have arranged for folks who want to learn how to keep elders in their homes…. it’s the step before hospice.

It is a one-day training on October 17, Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM at the La Cienega Community Center. Janet Smith, RN of Palliative Care of Santa Fe, an expert in the field, has volunteered to provide the no cost training.

Lunch will be provided.

Please call Elaine at (505) 238-4859 to RSVP as soon as possible.

Halloween Reminder
La Cienega/Cieneguilla Halloween Carnival 2015!!!
Saturday, October 31
1-4 P.M.
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
By the Education Center/Gift Shop Portal

Mark your calendar- the annual Halloween Carnival will be held, Saturday, October 31. Hopefully the weather will be as gorgeous as last year! Games, cake walk, costume parade, story-telling, fire truck, face painting, frito pies and more, all FREE!

We need volunteers to help with set-up/decorating on the 31st at 10AM for an hour or two. Also need volunteers to serve frito pies (1 hour shift) and with help in cleaning up at 4 (1 hour max). Prior to the event, we need help putting up flyers around your neighborhood, talking to people with kids, spreading the word!

This is a La Cienega/Cieneguilla event – flyers on fences and word of mouth will help make sure everyone knows about it. Last year we had 250 + people attend! We also need a someone to host an information table about La Cienega valley/LCVA.

We will accept cash donations before and during the event to help pay for food and as seed money for next year’s event dedicated to the edupartners.cc affiliate program foundation. Make checks payable to LCVA and send to Paul Murray (LCVA treasurer) at 137 Las Estrellas Rd. Santa Fe, NM 87507 Donation boxes will be on site at the event as well.

If you have an event you would like to host that would be appropriate for the carnival let the Halloween committee know- contact [email protected] about this or if you have any questions.