Archive for April, 2009

Who:National Hispanic Cultural Center
What: Cinco de Mayo with Texas-Mexican conjunto music star Santiago Jiménez, Jr.
When: Saturday, May 2 at 8 pm
Where:NHCC’s Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts, located on the south west corner of Avenida César Chávez and 4th Street
Contact: (505) 246-2261, www.nhccnm.org

The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with an evening concert by Texas-Mexican conjunto music star Santiago Jiménez, Jr. on Saturday, May 2 at 8 pm in the NHCC’s Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts.  This is annual celebration of the NHCC.  Tickets are $15, $20, $25 with a $5 NHCC member discount and can be purchased at Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com and in person at the NHCC Box Office.  The NHCC is located on the south west corner of Avenida César Chávez and 4th Street.

Santiago Jiménez, Jr., born in 1944, was heir to a rich family tradition of button accordion playing.  His grandfather Patricio Jiménez played the accordion, and he would take his son Santiago to hear German polka bands in New Braunfels.  Santiago, Sr. became one of the seminal figures in the rise of the conjunto, being one of the first accordionists to add the string bass (tololoche), make phonograph recordings, and appear on the radio in the 1930s.  Santiago, Jr.’s brother, Leonardo “Flaco” Jiménez, through his success in performing with country and western stars and popular music crossover groups, has become one of them most widely known Tejano accordionists.

Santiago Jiménez, Jr. has long preferred to model himself more closely on his father’s lively melodic style, a style that is identified with the roots of the tradition.  Also in this spirit, he continues to use the acoustic tololoche, as opposed to the electric bass typical of most contemporary conjuntos, and he rarely incorporates the drum set as do most Texan conjuntos.  At age fifteen, he began performing professionally at weddings, clubs, and quinceañeras (“debutante” celebrations for fifteen year-old girls), traditional community settings for conjunto music.  While closely following his father’s example, he has taken the tradition both forward in terms of creativity, and outward in terms of the wide audiences reached.  He has produced over 60 recordings of more than 700 pieces on regional labels such as Disco Grande, Disco Sombrero, and Disco Corona, and on the national labels Arhoolie, Rounder, and Watermelon.  In recent decades, Santiago Jiménez, Jr. has toured widely throughout the U.S. and to Europe and the Americas – including Russia, Great Britain, Spain, France, and Mexico.  In the contemporary world of Tejano music, Santiago Jiménez, Jr. is seen as a standard bearer to deep conjunto tradition, a lively performer, and a man of great humor and wit.

For more New Mexico information visit www.new-mexico-visitor.com

Who: New Mexico History Museum
What: Walking tours of downtown Santa Fe, NM
When: April -October, every Monday-Saturday at 10:15 a.m.,
Where: Starting at the blue gate on the Lincoln Avenue side of the Palace of the Governors, 105 W. Palace Ave.
Contact: (505) 476-5100, www.palaceofthegovernors.org

From first-time visitors to longtime residents, Santa Fe’s rich history continues to unfold. Hear about the stories and the culture of the nation’s oldest capital on a Downtown Walking Tour with museum-trained volunteers for the New Mexico History Museum.

Santa Fe, which celebrates its 400th anniversary this year, has been home to Native Americans, Spanish explorers, rugged frontiersmen, the Santa Fe Trail, a bordello or two, and many artists and writers. The downtown area is anchored by the Plaza; the 400-year-old Palace of the Governors, the nation’s oldest public building; and the Cathedral of St. Francis, built under the direction of Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy and completed in 1886.

Walking tours run annually from April through October, every Monday-Saturday at 10:15 a.m., starting at the blue gate on the Lincoln Avenue side of the Palace of the Governors, 105 W. Palace Ave. Cost is $10; children under 17 are free when accompanied by an adult. Tour guides do not accept tips.

Each two-hour walk covers the most renowned sights of the downtown area and includes fascinating stories of the people and events that have made Santa Fe a world-class tourist destination for decades. Los Compadres del Palacio, one of the key support groups of the New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors, operates the program.

Special group tours can be arranged by calling (505) 476-5100.  For more information, log onto www.palaceofthegovernors.org.
For more New Mexico information visit www.new-mexico-visitor.com

Who: Las Cruces Railroad Museum
What: Railroad Days
When: May 7-9, 2009
Where: Las Cruces Railroad Museum, 351 N. Mesilla St. Las Cruces, NM
Contact: (575) 647-4480

Please join us for our second annual Railroad Days, May 7 through May 9, 2009 (10-4pm each day). All festivities celebrate Las Cruces’ railroading past, present, and future. Throughout the three-day event, the Dona Ana Modular Railroad Club will have their model train layouts running at stations throughout the museum.

Of particular interest will be the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter train and a modern Burlington Northern Santa Fe diesel engine will return to the Depot and be available for tours (no rides) on Saturday, May 9.

On Saturday May 9, events will start with Sierra Middle School’s “Sierra Soundsations” performing followed by the Welcome Ceremony at 10am. The speakers to date include Mayor Ken Miyagashima, City Manager Terrance Moore, District 1 Councillor Miguel Silva, and the Rail Runner’s Lawrence Rael. Inside the museum, we will have Harvey Girl reenactors from the Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso and model trains running. Outside we will have the “Van of Enchantment”, railroad related musical entertainment, and of course the NM Rail Runner Express will be available throughout the day.

Prior to Saturday’s big events, Thursday, May 7, is Senior Appreciation Day. Friday, May 8, is Students’ Day, special tours by appointment for large groups and activities for the kids throughout the day.

The Museum is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The Railroad Museum is located at 351 N. Mesilla Street (at Las Cruces Ave.). For information, please see http://museums.las-cruces.org or call 575-647-4480.