Chautauqua at Old Town, Albuquerque!

Last weekend, Old Town, Albuquerque offered a program called Chautauqua on the Plaza, sponsored by the New Mexico Humanties Council.

These events were billed as a "Celebrations of New Mexico History and Cultures on the Old Town Plaza" in honor of our upcoming Centennial as a state.

I spent part of last Sunday checking this out, and found it a great experience for natives and tourists alike. Old Town in Albuquerque, New Mexico is always a great place to visit, with loads of shops featuring great Native American jewelry, pottery, basketry, and other arts and crafts, plus wonderful New Mexican restaurants and the charming San Felipe Church, and the picturesque sidewalk vendors of jewelry along the Plaza.

The "Chautauqua on the Plaza" concept added unique Native American Dancers, music, storytellers, demonstrations and reenactments to the mix as well.

Friday's events included actor David G. Jackson as emcee "Clyde Tingley," the former NM Governor, and Dona Tules (as portrayed by VanAnn Moore) telling about her life as philanthropist and owne of a gambling establishment. At 10 a.m., Chuy Martinez and harpist Oti Ruiz presented "Latin American Ballads, Cumbia and Nueva Cancion," and at noon Cipriano Vigil offered "Ritual and Traditional Folk Music of Northern New Mexico."

While I was there, I was able to enjoy authentic Indian dances, a demonstration of drum-making techniques by Arnold Herrera, a Cochiti drum-maker, and a talk by "Sheriff Pat Garrett" (a.k.a. actor Ron Grimes) about the "old days" in New Mexico.

There were even free "horsey rides" for the kids, and best of all, everything was free!

Organizers tell me that further ongoing events will be scheduled as we approach the centennial, so watch for them! I'll try to blog in advance next time-- this time I didn't hear about the event myself until the weekend...

Take a Virtual Tour of Old Town Albuquerque here.

For information about Albuquerque, NM, or the Albuquerque Real Estate market, just give me a call at 505-239-4796, or visit www.LauraWarden.com. For those interested in historic homes, Albuquerque's Old Town is a great place to check out! While they come on the market only occasionally, the oldest and most historic properties in Albuquerque are located here in Old Town!