All Things 505

Baila! Baila!

June brings the start of fantastic Summer events in the 505.  We love June. 

This weekend you can enjoy the family oriented fundraising events at the San Felipe de Neri Parish's annual Fiesta!  Rides for kids, good food (yesterday the air smelled like my Abuela's kitchen - thick with the aroma of beans and green chile,) and lots of talent in the gazebo on the plaza. 

Baila! Baila! of Albuquerque performed while we ambled around checking out the crowd.  This group was fantastic.  From little ones to young adults, they were dressed in every color imaginable.  They swirled, stomped, and moved like fluid art, around the center of the plaza.  What a treat.

Here they are.

 

New Mexico State Fair Parade 2015

New Mexico Septembers are wonderful - roasting green chile scent wafts through the air, hot air balloons dot the morning skies, and, the New Mexico State Fair begins. And, with the State Fair comes the State Fair parade - it went down today.  The parade traveled east, from the intersection of Louisiana and Central, towards Eubank and Central.  This year's parade was rich - full of colorful floats and people - just the way we like our parades in the Land of Enchantment.

Here you go, Burqueños.  The 2015 parade participants.

San Miguel County Sheriff's Posse.

It would not be a New Mexican parade without a Paleta guy.

Vietnamese American Association represented.

Los tres

Baila!  Baila!

Colfax County young Marines.

Musica!

Las Vegas Dons High School marching band. 

It just isn't a state fair parade without a John Deere tractor.

Squee!  Excited about candy falling from the sky.

Running for the finish line.

Brute force boxing.

Soon on a highway...

Raider on the hood

Three wheels

Sharp

Hopping

They call him mellow yellow

And, last but not least, the first female motorcycle officer in the State of New Mexico, Officer Vanessa Martinez.  You go, girl!

Time to head to the fair - pie is waiting.

The People of San Felipe de Neri Fiestas

While the roots of the fiestas are religious in origin, they have a much larger meaning. They are about culture, community, and, bringing people together.  The Fiestas de San Felipe de Neri went down this past weekend.

We enjoyed watching the people who came to enjoy the fiestas in Old Town.  Here they are.

El Santo

Señor Pedro Rivera and his spouse. Wearing a beautiful belt buckle in the courtyard of the church.  We were flattered that he posed for us.  He bought the belt buckle in Juarez and embellished it himself. 
We met the Brothers of the Franciscan Friars of Renewal San Juan Diego Friary.  From left to right - Brothers Isaiah, Joachim and Maximillian. 

A hard working vendor.  With a smile.

Black Pearl was jamming in the gazebo.

You are never too young, or old, to dance.  Jumping for joy.

An Albuquerque institution, and, one of the most principled people around.  Don.

These were the best dancers - in our opinion.
Groovin'.

 The formal Procession around the square.

The conclusion of Saturday's festivities.

Alburquerque is 308 years old!

Founders Day was celebrated this past Saturday at Old Town.  Our city is 308 years old.  The plaza was full of birthday revelers.  They listened to music, danced, and enjoyed the day under a beautiful New Mexico sky.  Elm seeds, along with a handful of raindrops, fell from the sky. 

Founders Day has changed over the years.  The formal procession isn't as long, or colorful, as it used to be.  The formal procession of old showcased founding families,  impressive native dancers (as they twirled in their extravagant, beautiful costumes,) and, large puppets that would sway as they were walked around the plaza.  The birthday cake has disappeared leaving participants craving that old school party feel.

But it was still a good party.  Pinatas were represented.

The congregation at San Felipe de Neri Church had food for sale.

We were treated to lively music, local artisans and vendors, and, traditional dance from Ballet Folklorico Fiesta Mexicana.

And period dressed characters.

Old Town Plaza is the heart of Albuquerque, and, during the year is host to family oriented events that are free.  The man behind these events is Chuy Martinez - our favorite City employee who is also the best dressed.  He does an admirable job at all of these functions.

Happy Birthday, Alburquerque! 

Happy 40th Anniversary, Tijeras!

The Village of Tijeras (east of Albuquerque and off of I-40) had their 40th anniversary celebration yesterday. 

We had a really good time on a beautiful New Mexico day.

We saw cool cars, an old firetruck, local vendors peddling their wares, a food truck, muscle law enforcement vehicles, a silent auction in a beautifully restored church, and, lots of families enjoying themselves. 

The car show.

Our very favorite car show entry.

A special shout out to the keeper of the car show trophies, Joe Klaus.  He told us about the festivities.

A band played under the gazebo.

Local law enforcement was represented.

A silent auction in the Santo Nino church.

The New Mexico Territorial Brass Band played some big, bold foot tapping tunes (and they had on great costumes.)

A little slice of Americana in our beautiful east mountains. 

Last, but certainly not least, we were treated to free ice cream cones at the Senior Center.  What a great day.  :-)

Main Street Showdown - Española, New Mexico.

Summer gives us the oppportunity to hit the road and see different parts of our fabulous state.  We love going north and Cultura Promotions gave us a great reason to head to the beautiful Española valley yesterday - a lowrider show. 

The Main Street Showdown didn't disappoint us.  They had lowriders of every hue and shine.  We saw hand crafted lowrider bicyles.  We watched cars hop.  To say that the experience was fascinating wouldn't adequately describe it.  It was a cultural phenomenon.

This is what a lowrider car hop looks like.

While New Mexico clubs made up the majority of exhibitors, California, Southern Colorado, and Texas were also represented.

We are not authorities on lowriding and certainly don't profess to be.  One can't help but notice that these cars are a labor of love and that the car owners express what is most precious to them via their cars.  It is an underappreciated artform.

Lowriding is a religious experience.  Hand crafted rosaries and crosses.

Our Lady of Guadalupe portrayed at the beach and on a trunk lid.

A statuary Christ sits next to awards.

We ran into Mike Martinez, of the Dukes Car Club, proudly displaying his mint condition 1948 Stylemaster.

The Dukes Car Club was represented in style.

Car show bling.

To our delight, we met some All Things 505 fans in person.

The struggle between good and evil are carefully exhibited on hoods, fenders and on door jams. 

 A homage to homies.

Before the crowds arrived.

Some bikes.

While walking around the show we were approached by a very nice young man.  He handed us a CD with his newest single on it.  Meet Jimmy MC, a very talented rising star in the New Mexico music world.

A satisfying day in a beautiful locale.  We hope this show returns to the Española valley next year.

Weekend kicks on Route 66.

Some of the stuff happening in Albuquerque this weekend.  This is what we find interesting.

Lots of events sponsored by Albuquerque Pride this week.  The parade is Saturday, June the 30th.  Route begins at Central and Girard, traveling to Expo New Mexico.  Start time is 10:00 a.m.

Support local growers at our incredible Growers Markets.  From downtown Albuquerque take your taste buds along the Middle Rio Grande Valley from Belen through Los Ranchos, towards Corrales and into Bernalillo.  The New Mexico Farmers Markets site has a nice list of markets, locations and times.

The City of Albuquerque is sponsoring a daily bike tour of the Bosque that begins July 1st and runs through 2013.  For cooler fare, listen to Latin Jazz under the stars at the Museum on Saturday, June 30th.

More in a mood for a multimedia performance? Check out Río de Lágrimas (River of Tears) at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, based on the legend of La Llorona it opens Friday June 29.

We have wonderful signs in Albuquerque.  For you sign geeks and wonks, this sign workshop looks really interesting.