Sun-News report

Posted: 04/03/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

LAS CRUCES - The first of two annual open houses of Trinity Site, where the world's first atomic bomb was detonated, will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

But Monte Marlin, White Sands Missile Range spokeswoman, said people who want to attend the open house should be prepared for inclement weather.

"I've looked at the early forecast and it's supposed to be 63 degrees (Fahrenheit), windy and a 40 percent chance of rain," Marlin said. "I'd recommend that people check the weather before coming."

Yearly tours of the U.S. historical landmark are conducted in April and October. Trinity Site is at the northern end of White Sands Missile Range, about 150 miles north of Las Cruces.

The open house is free. At the site, visitors can take a quarter-mile walk to ground zero, where a small obelisk marks the exact spot where the bomb was exploded at 5:29:45 a.m. Mountain War Time on July 16, 1945. Historical photos are mounted on the fence surrounding Trinity Site.

At the site, visitors also can ride a free missile range shuttle bus to the Schmidt/McDonald ranch house. The ranch house is about two miles from ground zero, and was where scientists assembled the plutonium core of the bomb.

The easiest way to get to Trinity Site is through WSMR's Stallion Range Center gate. The entrance is five miles south of U.S. Highway 380, off of Interstate 25 at the San Antonio, N.M. exit.

From Las Cruces, take I-25 north and get off at the San Antonio exit. The exit is about 12 miles south of Socorro.

The Stallion gate is open for every Trinity Site open house. At the gate, visitors will receive literature about Trinity Site, and will be allowed to drive without military escort the final 17 miles to Trinity Site. The road is paved and will be marked.

Another way to attend is with a caravan that will form at the Tularosa High School football field parking lot at 8 a.m. Saturday. It is a 75-mile one-way trip to Trinity Site from Tularosa, and there are no gasoline stations along the route or at the site.

The caravan will be escorted by military police once it gets onto WSMR property. It is scheduled to return to Tularosa between 12:30 and 1 p.m. Saturday.

All adults should be prepared to show a photo identification card to military police. All vehicles are subject to search, and motorists should be ready to provide proof of vehicle insurance and vehicle registration documents.

Weapons of any kind are prohibited on WSMR land.

No formal ceremonies or speakers will be conducted at the site. Food and souvenirs will be sold.

If you go

•What: Trinity Site open house

•When: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

•Where: Access to Trinity Site is through the Stallion Range Center, at White Sands Missile Range, about 150 miles north of Las Cruces. Stallion gate is five miles south of U.S. Highway 380, off of the Interstate 25 exit at San Antonio, N.M.

•Cost: Free. However, food, drinks and souvenirs will be sold at the event.

•Information: WSMR Public Affairs Office, (575) 678-1134

You can also visit the Alamogordo Space Museum

Trinity Site Tour

Free showing of "Trinity: The Atomic Bomb Movie" at the Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Dome Theater at the NM Museum of Space History. Show begins at 7pm.

For more information contact Chamber of Commerce at (575) 437-6120

March 6th, 2009

Opening night a hit for Las Cruces theater By Lauren E. Toney Sun-News reporter
Posted: 03/06/2009 12:00:00 AM MST

LAS CRUCES - Allen Theatres will open the doors to its new 10-screen multiplex today at the Mesilla Valley Mall.

The city's second-largest theater, Cineport 10 will officially open for business with an 11:20 a.m. showing of the new release "Watchmen," an American superhero film based on a comic book series.

Russell Allen, vice president of operations, said he expects a packed house for opening day.

Construction on the 36,000-square-foot, $10 million multiplex began last year. The free-standing structure is located next to JCPenney at the mall, 700 S. Telshor Blvd.

After nine months of labor and preparation, Allen said, "Now we just want to show it off."

The theater's modern contemporary interior was designed with several neon and other lighting accents. The design also pays homage to movie houses of the past by "bringing back the colors from the early years of movie going," he said. "There's very high ceilings, a large lobby and lots of color."

The entire theater can seat about 1,800 with capacities for each screen ranging from 120 to 285 viewers.

"And the seats are very comfortable," Allen said.

Allen Theatre's third Las Cruces cinema, Cineport 10 will also feature an eatery and two additional rooms for conferences and parties.

The bistro-style cafe will serve lunch and dinner items, including sandwiches, burgers and salads.
"It's something new for us," Allen said.

Birthday parties or other small celebrations can be held in one of the Cineport's party rooms with reserved seating in the theater. "Our assistants will be able to refill drinks (among other tasks) so mom and dad can just enjoy the party too," Allen said.

Each theater has also been equipped to allow laptop connections for conferences needing a larger space. PowerPoint presentations can be shown from the theater and desk tops can be fit into cup holders to allow for note-taking.

Fifty additional staff members were hired prior to the grand opening.

Allen said, with a laugh, that while Las Cruces was in need of additional screens, "I don't know if we needed this many more."

"It's always good to make the investment now, though, and plan for the future," he said. "I hope it'll be a good thing for everyone involved - that we'll attract people to the mall and the mall will attract people to our theater."

The company on Sunday closed its four-screen theater at the mall.

A private ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand-opening celebration was held Thursday evening at Cineport 10. About 500 local officials were invited to attend the event where hors d'ouvres prepared by the theater's restaurant were served, guests were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and a movie was shown.

According to the company's Web site, Allen Theatres began providing entertainment to New Mexico in 1912 when it opened the Allen Opera House in Farmington.

Allen Theatres also has two additional multiplexes in Las Cruces - the Telshor 12, 2811 N. Telshor Blvd., and Video 4 at 1005 El Paseo Road.

Whether you are among the "Baby Boomer" generation or not, the quality of life in Las Cruces is something to be proud of.  To have others recognize it from afar is even better!

BestBoomerTowns - a website aimed at baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964), named Las Cruces among the 21 "best places to spend the rest of your life."  Now, before you start getting images of the town being overrun by people waiting to die, take a look at some of the key criteria:  availability of university, social & cultural activities, variety of housing costs, etc. 

We've always known that Las Cruces had good weather and is a great place to live - it is validated by outside sources yet again!

Well...maybe not real alien ships, but these things sort of look like something from a sci-fi movie, don't they?

What are they? They're filtration units used for drip irrigation. Quite a bit bigger than anything you might need for your yard, but then, unless you're growing 50 acres of cabbage or onions in your yard, you don't need anything quite like this. When using a drip system on a large scale, a little sediment in the drip lines can make for a really long day!

These are being used northwest of Las Cruces, New Mexico - about 3 1/2 miles north of Fairacres by a farmer named Steve Lyles. He is one of the most progressive and innovative farmers in the Mesilla Valley, incorporating drip irrigation for quite a bit of his vegetable production.

In real estate & farming alike we need to conserve our resources, be innovative and strategically implement new ideas where prudent...and always be vigilant with the details, the grains of sediment that can clog up the works, especially when the tendency is to focus on the bigger picture.

Here's another view including the pump so you'll sleep better, knowing that there aren't really aliens invading the southwest.

I love Mike Jones - he is a dear person, friend, photo & blogging guru and a great professional to send clients needing loans to. 

It all started when he drove through Las Cruces, New Mexico (my hometown) and was impressed with a sculpture of a roadrunner at the rest area off of I-10, west of town.  Being the consummate shutterbug and blogger that he is, Mike wrote a great blog post about the roadrunner made of spare parts and junk, relating it to his business and providing inspirational thoughts for us all.  Here is his post:  It's Not What You Have...It's What You DO With What You Have... 

Great Post!  I especially like that he found something truly unique in my hometown, and saw inspiration in it.  Isn't that Roadrunner great?  Here's a photo that shows the artwork as seen going west on I-10:  You can see the roadrunner highlighted in the red circle.

As wonderful as Mike is, I have to question his judgement (although I can understand how his awe at the craftsmanship and creativity that went into the roadrunner).

He completely missed the best part of that vantage point...the view of Las Cruces & the Mesilla Valley that unfolds as you head east into town off of the mesa:

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As incredible as the roadrunner is, I can't believe MikeInTucson missed this photo!  Those are the Organ Mountains to the east, and Las Cruces is the city unfolding before them.  You can see pecan groves in the foreground.

Oh, by the way...that roadrunner?  It was approximately 5 feet to my left when taking this picture.  Better luck next time, Mike.  Perhaps he was just letting me have the opportunity to show a little of the Mesilla Valley's beauty, after all it is my hometown!  LOL