What's Happening in June, plus: A Summer Preview

JUNE 5–8
POMPADOURS AND POODLE SKIRTS
Because of its astounding popularity in 2013, the second-ever Rockabilly on the Route classic-car show and music festival, held in and around Tucumcari, will last four days instead of two. Boasting 18 rockabilly, Americana, and honky-tonk bands that hail from as far away as Norway, the festival also includes a bowling event, gospel brunch, retro-style film matinee, beer garden, cruise along the Mother Road, and tiki pool party. Headliners include Oslo’s The Lucky Bullets; the Dorados Rockabilly Trio from Medellín, Colombia; and crooner Eddie Clendening, who played the part of Elvis Presley in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production of Million Dollar Quartet. “Our goal is to celebrate the unique heritage of America’s Mother Road in New Mexico, as well as the country’s definitive musical legacy,” says event co-organizer Ungelbah Davila. “The festival is also a fund-raiser for the
New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari, the western Route 66 gateway city.”
(310) 801-2727, (505) 795-0307; http://rockabillyontheroute.com

JUNE 7–29
EXTREME EVENTS
The course of the seventh annual Farmington Xterra Four Corners Off-Road Triathlon (June 7) includes a six-mile run, 17 miles of cycling, and a one-mile swim (505-326-7602; mynm.us/xterrafour). Pro riders participating in the USA Cycling National Championships gather just east of Gallup for the 24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest endurance race (June 14). Teams of competitors spell each other on a challenging 19.7-mile, singletrack course in the Zuni Mountains (505-863-4228; mynm.us/24nmride). For the second consecutive year, the Angel Fire Bike Park will host USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championships (June 20–22). Nearly 400 of America’s finest downhill and dual-slalom competitors will vie for just 30 stars-and-stripes jerseys on some of the best downhill mountainbiking terrain in the country (800-633-7463; angelfirebikepark.com). The
Angel Fire Endurance Run (June 21) covers 33 miles of trails and gravel roads in the mountains. Footrace categories include a 50K, 50-mile, 100-mile, and a half marathon (mynm.us/afendurance). During the Rough Riders 200 (June 28–29), a grueling road-cycling race through Angel Fire, Eagle Nest, Taos, and Vadito, riders compete on a two-day, 204-mile loop course to raise thousands of dollars for local charities. (575) 224-1595; roughriders200.com

JUNE 8–14
THE DANCE GOES ON
Every June, the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque oversees the world-class Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque. Last December, a fire destroyed the institute’s studios, but the New Mexico flamenco community never once considered canceling the event. The physical studio may still be a work in progress, but the 27th festival continues, with four touring companies, 30 beginner-to advanced workshops, a symposium, and six public performances relocated to various venues throughout the Duke City. (505) 242-7600; nationalinstituteofflamenco.org

JUNE 13–15
LOFTY PURSUITS
At the seventh annual San Juan River Balloon Rally, around 12 to 15 balloons, including a few special shapes, will take flight from the Bloomfield soccer fields and fly above the San Juan River, landing at various locations along this fishing mecca throughout the weekend. On Saturday, a mass ascension is followed later in the evening by a balloon glow in the soccer fields. (505) 632-0880; bloomfieldchamber.info

JUNE 14–15
TAKE THE BAIT
The Trout Derby in Clayton Lake State Park, in the northeast part of the state, has become the largest fishing derby in New Mexico. What began 10 years ago as a small celebration of the town of Clayton—a major stop along the historic Santa Fe Trail for traders, ranchers, and railroad pioneers—now attracts more than 5,000 visitors and diehard anglers from the United States and Canada. Trout is the main attraction, but bass, channel catfish, and walleye are ripe for the hooking as well. “You don’t have to fish to have a great time by the lake at this event,” says Clayton Lake State Park manager Charles Jordan. “There’s camping, bird-watching, a horseshoe-toss pit, hiking, and no shortage of dinosaur tracks to explore.” (575) 374-9253; claytonnm.org

JUNE 27–AUGUST 23
DIVA FEVER
Prep the tailgating dinnerware and chill the Champagne. The Santa Fe Opera’s 58th season begins on June 27 with Bizet’s Carmen, the French composer’s groundbreaking masterpiece of love and war, with an updated 20th century Mexico backdrop. The title role is shared by Argentinian mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack and soprano Ana María Martínez, of Puerto Rico. The 2014 season also includes Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale, the U.S. premiere of Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, and Beethoven’s only known operatic offering, Fidelio. Another option: Catch a double bill of two shorter works, Stravinsky’s Le Rossignol and Mozart’s The Impresario. (505) 986-5900; santafeopera.org

SUMMER PREVIEW

JUNE 26–30, JULY 3–5
ROSWELL FILMFEST AND COSMIC CON, AND UFO FESTIVAL
Alan Trevor, media arts program director at Eastern New Mexico University–Roswell, founded the annual Roswell Filmfest and Cosmic Con in 2011. The sci-fi/fantasy filmfest rolls out first (June 26–30). Films are shot as well as screened, fandom merging with “lights, camera, action.” During Cosmic Con, replicas of Star Wars characters R2D2 and Chewbacca materialize, as well as random light-saber tournaments. Who turns up? “Steampunk devotees, young Black Ops gamers competing for cash prizes, and baby boomers nostalgic for 1940s sci-fi novels and comic books,” to name a few, says coordinator Renée Roach. “We want to be the Sundance of sci-fi/fantasy films.” (575) 624-7045; roswellfilmcon.com The UFO Festival (July 3–5) celebrates Roswell’s status as the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash. It features three days of kid-friendly entertainment. Decorated floats and costumed revelers cruise down Main Street during day and evening parades, and people and their pets compete in costume contests. Festivalgoers can compete in 5K or 10K Alien Chase footraces before taking in Roswell’s spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display. Look for Toddzilla’s Mobile Cuisine’s UFO-adorned food truck and grab a Zilla Burger, with two patties, and two chiles rellenos on a cornbread bun. (925) 330-2364; ufofestivalroswell.com

JULY 11–13
SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MARKET
Every July, Museum Hill morphs into a global bazaar, drawing thousands of shoppers with conscience and a grasp of value. They leave with exotic art, exquisite scarves, finely wrought jewelry, hand-painted furniture, and other objets that make for a traveled, eclectic brand of style. Now in its 11th year, the world’s largest exhibition and sale of works by master folk artists has assisted thousands of communities across the globe through direct artist-toconsumer sales. “The artists know that if you do incredible work, there’s a market for it,” says Natalie Mundy, an American Peace Corps volunteer, who lives in a small weaving community in Madagascar called Sandrandahy. These artists used last year’s market sales to help bring basic water and electricity to the village. Art demonstrations and performances by international dance and music acts run all weekend long, and ethnic-food booths provide tasty sustenance. A free community celebration/artists’ procession in the Santa Fe Railyard kicks off the market. (505) 992-7600; folkartmarket.org

JULY 11–13
TAOS PUEBLO POW WOW
Taos Pueblo, a national historic landmark and UNESCO World Heritage site, may be the oldest continually inhabited community in the United States. Its residents have cultivated and practiced their traditions on Pueblo land for more than 1,000 years. At this annual gathering of tribes from across North America, the songs, customs, and language of Native people fill the air. Set in a pasture with Taos Mountain as the backdrop, the colorful regalia and rhythmic movements of the dancers are a feast for the eyes. The grand-entry celebrations will leave you spellbound. (575) 741-0181; taospueblopowwow.com

JULY 26–27
SANTA FE’S TRADITIONAL SPANISH MARKET & CONTEMPORARY HISPANIC MARKET
The Spanish Colonial Art Society’s Traditional Spanish Market is the oldest and largest Hispanic art market in the United States. Since 1926, it has showcased art created by artists and artisans who base their work on that of their ancestors in Spain and the Southwest. Spanish Colonial art in the United States ties Iberian artistic skills to those adopted by Spanish settlers upon their arrival to the New World in the late 15th century. “If you want to get to know the culture of the Spanish-speaking people in New Mexico,” says furniture maker and market mainstay Randy Trujillo, “just get to know their artwork. Everything there is to say about New Mexico— about family, struggle, history, and beauty—is carved into the work that we do.” Trujillo, his two sons, and approximately 200 other juried artists will display their work on the Plaza, while musicians entertain visitors at the Plaza bandstand. (505-982-222; spanishcolonialblog.org). The Contemporary Hispanic Market, which celebrates innovative, less circumscribed work created by 120 artists, runs concurrently on Lincoln Avenue just off the Plaza. (505) 331- 5162; contemporaryhispanicmarket.com

JULY 30–AUGUST 3
SILVER CITY CLAY FESTIVAL
Whether you’re a home-improver looking for modern, locally made tile for your kitchen, a novice wanting to throw your first pot, or an admirer of local traditional clay vessels, head down to the Silver City Clay Festival. Bringing together established and emerging artists for a series of lectures, workshops, juried exhibitions, and hands-on demonstrations, the festival features numerous traditional and contemporary ceramic styles. The kids will enjoy the mini claymation-film festival and adobe-making classes. (575) 538-5560; clayfestival.com

AUGUST 1–3
OLD LINCOLN DAYS
The most famous outlaw in the Southwest and his dastardly deeds are remembered during Old Lincoln Days. Held at the Lincoln Historic Site, the 74-year-old tradition is marked by mock gunfights, blacksmithing demonstrations, a parade, chuck-wagon grub, and the Billy the Kid folk pageant—a re-creation of the Kid’s most famous escape from the Lincoln County Courthouse. Year after year, descendants of the original pageant-players continue to participate. (575) 653-4372; billythekidpageant.org

AUGUST 6–10
GALLUP INTER-TRIBAL INDIAN CEREMONIAL
One of the nation’s largest and longest-running gatherings of tribes, the ceremonial includes a rodeo, competitive powwow, an arts-and-crafts expo, and the Miss Indian Ceremonial Queen Coronation. “One of the highlights is going to the parade that runs down the main drag in downtown Gallup before the big ceremonial event at Red Rock State Park,” says longtime Gallup resident Dolores Martinez. “You can shop at the trading posts and buy freshly made fry bread on the street from some of the local dancers’ families.” (505) 722-3466; gallupceremonial.com

AUGUST 14–16
RED RIVER’S HOT CHILI DAYS, COOL MOUNTAIN NIGHTS
The 18th annual festival in Red River showcases the town’s spectacular roots-music scene while getting down to serious culinary business. Big flavor permeates this small mountain community with the inclusion of the Chili Appreciation Society International’s Red River Red Chili Cookoff, a Lone Star BBQ Society competition, and the New Mexico State Green Chile Championship. (575) 754-1708, (877) 885-3885; redriver.org

AUGUST 18–24
SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET
The Southwest Association for Indian Arts celebrates its 93rd Santa Fe Indian Market, which presents the juried work of more than 1,000 Native artists representing more than 130 tribes from across the United States and Canada. The state’s largest annual cultural event, Indian Market, draws more than 150,000 visitors from around the world to the City Different every August. Besides the two day market on the Santa Fe Plaza, attendees can take in a film at the 14th annual Native American Cinema Showcase, enjoy a Native fashion show and traditional regalia contest, and attend the fifth annual State of Native Arts Symposium. A concert series on the Plaza includes music and dance performances by internationally known indigenous acts, and a children’s activity tent offers kids a chance to learn pottery and basket-making, among other creative skills. (505) 983-5220; swaia.org

AUGUST 22–24
DEMING’S GREAT AMERICAN DUCK RACE
More than 15,000 people gather at this annual event in southern New Mexico to pit web-footed quackers against one another and enjoy some fun in the sun. The Tournament of Ducks Parade precedes a weekend of wet-track and dry-track duck races. There’s even a $1,000 payout for the pluckiest racing bird. Other events include live music, a hot-air-balloon mass ascension, a tortilla toss, and a carnival. (575) 544-0469; demingduckrace.com

AUGUST 29–SEPTEMBER 7
LAS FIESTAS DE SANTA FE
Starting Labor Day weekend, Santa Fe is abuzz with the sounds of mariachi bands and filled with the aromas of Navajo tacos and roasted corn, as Fiestas de Santa Fe unfold. A tradition that began in 1712 to commemorate Don Diego de Vargas’s reoccupation of Santa Fe after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, Fiestas combines solemn religious observance with copious amounts of secular fun. Special masses and processions honor the deep-seated Catholic traditions of the city, while the burning of Will Shuster’s Zozobra, a 50-foot-high marionette, takes a thrilling approach to shrugging off the gloom of the past year (August 29). Colorful parades—one for people, and one for pets—wind through downtown. Revelry and dancing on the historic Plaza are common sights all summer long, but during Fiestas, the air of excitement among locals and visitors is especially palpable. (505) 913-1517; santafefiesta.org