2015 Visitors Guide

VISITORS GUIDE
2015-2016
WELCOME TO
VA L E N C I A
COUNTY
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
Valencia Countys premier guide

for newcomers & visitors
Explore
History
Miracle on
Main Street
IC
OF
Belen Harvey House Museum
HU
HE
T
News-Bulletin
IT
VALENCIA
COUNTY
X
E
Experience
Community
NE W M
Bugg Lights Display
Belen Flight, Film

& Comic Con
Embrace
Tradition
Hispano Matanza
Belen Farmers Market
Rio Abajo Days
Call (505) 864-8091 or visit us on the web for information about Belen.
belenchamber.org | belenmainstreet.com | belen-nm.gov
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
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Financial options for

every phase of your life
Whether you want to save for the future, secure a personal loan, utilize exclusive online
and telephone banking services, or enjoy the convenience of our ATMs and many
locations, we are here for you. Call, click, or stop by and talk with a banker.
Belen 101 S. Main St. 505-864-5788
Bosque Farms 970 Bosque Farms Blvd. 505-869-2316
Los Lunas 1027 Main St. 505-248-9560
wellsfargo.com
All loans are subject to application, credit qualification, and income verification.
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WELCOME TO
3/20/14 9:04 AM
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
TABLE of CONTENTS
VP COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS
Editor
STAFF WRITERS
Rockford M. Hayes
Clara Garcia
Julia M.
Dendinger
Deborah Fox
Kenn Rodriguez
DIRECTOR OF SALES
ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS
Joe Mickelson
Sandra Nadeau
Bobbi Chandler
COVER & TEMPLATE DESIGN

COVER PHOTO
Byron Hughey
Clara Garcia
CONTACT US AT
1837 Camino del Llano
Belen, NM 87002
Telephone: 505.864.4472
Fax: 505.864.3549
vcnb@news-bulletin.com
www.news-bulletin.com
The Valencia County Visitors Guide

is a copyrighted publication of Valencia
County News-Bulletin, a part of
Number Nine Media, Inc.
Welcome to Valencia County
Plenty to do in Valencia County
12
Transportation in Valencia County
14
Los Lunas: Small Community, Big Possibilities
16
Continuing to build new traditions in Belen
18
Bosque Farms makes life look easy
20
Daring to be different in Rio Communities
22
A long history of farming and faith in Peralta
24
Raising families and farms in Valencia County
24
Moving into Valencia County
26
Annual community events
32
Celebrating who we are
34
Bugg Lights in Belen
38
Visiting Valencia County
40
Belen Schools create a path toward success
42
Students achieve success at Los Lunas Schools
44
Students soar at School of Dreams Academy
46
University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus
48
Los Lunas trails
50
Beautiful bosque
52
Farming is a way of life in Valencia County
54
Our language, our life
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Daring to Dream Building a Dream Living the Dream!
TuiTioN FREE CHARTER SCHooL
Rigorous Academics
Nationally Recognized Dance Curriculum
Nationally Ranked Robotics
Digital Art/Video Production
Science Technology Engineering Arts & Math School
BEMP/Horticulture
Award Winning Writing Program
EARLy CoLLEgE HigH SCHooL
What is it?
Early College is a national high school program that
allows students to earn college credits by completing
courses while still in high school. School of Dreams
Academy has partnered with UNM Valencia campus
to bring Early College to Valencia County.
How does it work?
High School students enrolled at School of Dreams
Academy are encouraged to apply for admission into
the Early College Program. Students who qualify for
the Early College program will work with advisory
personnel to select a sequence of high school and
college courses leading to the completion of UNM
Valencia requirements for an associate degree or a
technical certificate.
Why Early College?
Participating students and parents will recognize
significant tuition savings and be on the fast track to
a career and employment.
A well-educated work force supports the economic development

and quality of life throughout our community.
1800 Main Street , Los Lunas, NM 87031 www.sodacharter.net 505-866-7632

WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
V I S ITO R S G UI D E
2015-2016
Welcome to
Valencia County
A majestic place to live, play and visit
6
ouve heard the expression its

high praise. Folks use it when they
want to say something to epitomize
a concept that it literally defines. We think
that way, too.
Thats why when we think of words such
as wonderful, heritage, artistic, and,
perhaps, most of all, home, we say that you
could look them up in the dictionary and find
a picture of Valencia County.
And what a picture it would be the
lush, green Rio Grande Valley with the
purple Manzano Mountains to the east
and the sepia tones of the mesas and hills
to the west.
We see spectacular sunsets, pion burning
in a kiva fireplace, the gentle curves of adobe
homes, churches where centuries of worshippers have gathered, cottonwood trees, fields
of sunflowers and sweet-smelling alfalfa, red
chile ristras hanging from houses to dry.
And we see faces. We see people with
smiles, welcoming us, too.
We see them at work and at play,
learning at school and sharing golden
days at senior centers.
We see the growing community of artists

whose work range from the traditional carving of saints for worship to the creation of
pottery for everyday use.
We see scientists and teachers, priests and
police, homemakers and farmers. We see life.
If you visit once, youll want to live
here forever. Many out-of-staters are
surprised to learn that central New
Mexico enjoys the same four seasons that
other parts of the nation do. And they are
particularly beautiful here.
Spring is a magical time in the middle Rio
Grande Valley. The trees blossom quickly
here, starting with a haze of green that at first
seems almost imaginary.
March winds are intense in most parts of
the country, but in New Mexico, they can
be fierce, blowing dust across the beautiful
mesas and desert landscape.
The summer is a wonderful time to be in
Valencia County. The alfalfa fields are in full
blossom and the cattle and horses are kicking
up their heels in the pastures.
Summer days are long enough to give you
time to wander around just looking. While
Bienveniedos
the days are hot, the nights are refreshingly

cool, making sleep a pleasant experience by
just cracking the window.
The cottonwoods that make up the river
bosque forest in Spanish turn a bright
yellow in the fall that stands out against that
special azure sky in a way you just wont
believe. Huge Vs of sandhill cranes and other
wintering birds wing through the sky, heading south heading here!
Winter is the time when the snowbirds
arrive. They find the weather pleasant
sometimes you can go out without even
wearing a coat. Yes, it does snow, but thats
only a matter of an inch or two, likely clearing off by the afternoon.
The smell of pion fires perfume the air as
people gather around making their traditional
Christmas meals, including biscochitos, tamales and empanadas.
Come any time. Bienvenidos welcome. Nuestra casa es su casa our
house is your house.
In this Visitors Guide, we will try to
present the many faces and places of life
in our valley.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Follow the signs...
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2601 Main Street Los Lunas
Direct Line 505-866-4721
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WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
Plenty to do in
valencia county
Calendar of events: From music fests to matanzas
eople in Valencia County enjoy having a fiesta

and theres plenty to
do every year, no matter what
your interests.
May 2015
A Mothers Day Arts
and Crafts Fair will be held
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May
2, at the Bosque Farms Community Center.
Route 66 Rodders Swap
Meet will be held at the Los
Lunas Sports Complex on
N.M. 314 Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3.
The Tom Art Gallery
will be holding its Jewelry and
Personal Adornment show
from May 3-31. An opening
reception will be held from
2-4 p.m. on May 3.
The Tim Lardner Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament, presented by the Greater
Belen Chamber of Commerce,
will be held on Friday, May 8, at
Tierra del Sol Golf Club in Rio
Communities.
The Belen Harvey House

Museum will be hosting the
Belen Art League Sprint Art
Exhibit through May 8.
The Hub City Music
Fest and Carnival will be held
May 29-31 at the Heart of
Belen Plaza.
The Los Lunas Museum
of Heritage and Arts will hosting the Charles Bud Edmondson Art Show from May
through June.
at Heritage Park on Lambros

Loop in Los Lunas.
The Los Lunas American
Cancer Society Relay for Life
will be held at the Los Lunas
High School baseball fields on
June 26-27.
The Valencia County
Community Band patriotic performance and ice cream social
will be held from 1-3 p.m., June
June 2015
July 2015

Museum will be hosting a History of Aprons exhibit from June
20 to July 4. A presentation on
A History of Aprons will be
held at 1 p.m., June 20.
The annual Los Lunas
Chamber of Commerce Summerfest will be held June 26-28.
Activities will include a karaoke
contest, two movies one Friday and one Saturday night
live music and entertainment,
car show, volleyball tournament,
jumpers for the kids, and more
The annual Fourth of July

parade down Main Street to
N.M. 314 in Los Lunas will be
held at 9 a.m., Saturday, July 4.
There will be entertainment and
activities beginning at 4 p.m. at
Daniel Fernandez Park and a
fireworks display at dusk.
The Belen All American
Independence Day and Music
Fest will be held all day on
Friday, July 3. The event will
feature arts, crafts, vendor
booths, balloon bounce, contests
and fireworks at dusk, at Eagle
Valencia County
Park in Belen.
The Belen Art League
will hold its ART for Pets Sake
exhibit and adoption event to
benefit homeless pets from July
11-31. The opening reception
will be held July 11.
The Belen Harvey
House Museum will be
hosting A Montage of Color
exhibit by the Valencia Art
Center from July 11-25.
The Tom Art Gallery
will be holding its What I did
on my Summer Vacation Show,
featuring Valencia County art
teachers, July 12-Aug. 9. An
opening reception will be held
from 2-4 p.m., July 12.
will hold its Paint and Sip event
from 6-8 p.m., July 18. Come
and paint in the gallerys garden.
The Bosque Farms Community Fair will be held Friday
through Sunday, July 24-26,
at the Bosque Farms Rodeo
Association Arena. There will
be food, games, a parade, a
greased-pole climb competition,
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
toad racing, indoor exhibits, a rolling-pin

throwing contest, a car show and vendors.
The Los Lunas Museum of Heritage
and Arts will hosting a Billy the Kid Exhibit
from July through September.
August 2015
A Summer Arts and Crafts Fair will

be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 1, at the
Bosque Farms Community Center.
The Belen Harvey House Museum
will be hosting a Descansos exhibit by John
Taylor from Aug. 1 to Sept. 12. The exhibit
will feature a photo exhibit of descansos
around the county. A presentation and book
signing by John Taylor will be held at 2
p.m., Aug. 8.
The Valencia County Community
Expo will be held Saturday, Aug. 1, through
Sunday, Aug. 8, at the Valencia Y in Los
Lunas. The Valencia County Community
Expo is an annual event that provides a
venue for the youth of Valencia County to
exhibit their FFA and 4-H projects.
A National Night Out will be hosted
by the Los Lunas and Belen police departments and the Valencia County Sheriffs
Office on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The events will

include free barbecues, childrens events
and a chance to meet and talk with local law
enforcement.
The Belen Art League will hold its
Black and White Art Show from Aug.
8-15. A garden reception will be held at
6 p.m., Aug. 8.
Our Lady of Belen Fiestas, celebrating the 222nd annual fiestas, will be held
Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 13-16.
There will be a parade down Main Street
on Saturday, ending at Our Lady of Belen
Catholic Church, followed by entertainment, a carnival, food and dancing under the
tent at the church.
Viva La New Mexico Music Fest will
be held Aug. 21-23 at the Valencia County
Fair Grounds in Belen. There will be 20
live bands, karaoke contest, old west gun
fight reenactments, farmers market cowboy
competition, kids zone, live chain saw carving and more.
The annual Valencia County Fair
will be held from Saturday, Aug. 22 to
Sunday, Aug. 30, at the Valencia County
Fairgrounds. The Sheriffs Posse Rodeo is
on the last weekend of the fair.

The Valencia County Fair Parade will
be held on Saturday, Aug. 29, down Main
Street in Belen, ending at the fairgrounds.
September 2015
Viva New Mexico Chile Festival will

be held Sept. 4-6 at Wagner Farms, 1420
Desert Willow Road, in Los Lunas.
The Belen Art League will hold its Fall
Art Show from Sept. 9-27 at the Belen Harvey House Museum. An opening reception
will be held at 12:30 p.m., Sept. 12.
The annual 9/11 Memorial Ceremony is held at the 9/11 Memorial Park on
Church and Main streets in Belen on Sept.
11.
The Belen Harvey House Museum
will be hosting The Plaza Veija de Belen,
Belens Colonial History exhibit on Sept.
12. Join Samuel Sisneros at 2 p.m. as he
talks about the history of the area.
The Tom Art Gallery will be holding
its YArt Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13. There will be supplies, books,
Continued on page 10
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Continued from page 9
10
all things art and art swap meet.

The city of Rio Communities will hold its second
annual Pioneer Days Parade,
to celebrate those who helped
form the city, on Saturday, Sept.
19, from the Tierra del Sol Golf
Club to Rio Communities Boulevard to the Valley Plaza.
The Rio Abajo Becker
Street Festival will be held on
Saturday, Sept. 26, in Belen.
The event this year will include
a new childrens carnival, arm
wrestling tournament, a toughman contest, hot air balloon
glow, six live bands, green chile
cook-off, car show, poker bike
run, blacksmithing contest,
food, crafts and community
vendors all day long.
The Belen Harvey
House Museum will be hosting Women Marked for History on Sept. 26. At 1 p.m.,
authors Phil Archuleta and
Rosanne Roberts-Archuleta
will present their book, which
celebrates New Mexicos
history-making women.
The 36th annual New
Mexico Council of Car Clubs
Swap Meet will be held Sept.
25-27 in Los Lunas
October 2015
A Fun Run and Walk will
be held at Eagle Park in Belen.
of Heritage and Arts will hosting the Camino Real 8 Art
Exhibit.
The annual Capt. Tamara
Long-Archuleta Memorial Open
Karate Championships will be
held Oct. 17 at Belen High
School gymnasium.
The Valencia County
Cooperative Extension Office
will hold its annual Fall Fest
at the New Mexico State
University Science Center

in Los Lunas. The event
includes a huge pumpkin
patch, pumpkin decorating,
hay rides, horse rides, milk
cow demonstrations, games,
activities and much more.
The Fiesta Cluster Dog
Show will be held at Heritage
Park in Los Lunas.
La Vida Felicidad Dash on
the Ditch will be held at Heritage Park in Los Lunas.
The Tom Art Gallery will
be holding its Day of the Dead
Show from Oct. 18 to Nov. 8.
The opening reception will be
held from noon to 3 p.m. A
costume contest will be held at
2:30 p.m.
St. Marys Catholic School
in Belen will be holding its annual Fall Festival on Oct. 24.
Museum will be hosting Ernie
Pyle by local historian B.G.
Burr at 2 p.m., Oct. 26.
The Valencia County
Community Band Fall Dance
will be held from 7 - 9 p.m.,

Oct. 17, at the Bosque Farms
Community Center.
Museum will be hosting the
Harvey House Paranormal
Investigation Tour with Path of
Souls Paranormal on Oct. 30.
A Halloween Extravaganza, including a haunted
house, will be held from 5 - 8
p.m., Oct. 29-30, and from 5 10 p.m., Oct. 31, at the Daniel
Fernandez Recreation Center
in Los Lunas.
The annual Fishing

Derby will be held from 10
a.m. - 2 p.m., Nov. 21, at the
Los Lunas River Park.
A Christmas Arts and
Crafts Fair will be held from
9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 21, and
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov.
The Belen annual Christmas Festival will be held Saturday, Nov. 28. Arts and crafts,
food, Snow Queen contest, light
display, the Miracle on Main
Street Electric Light Parade and
a hot air balloon glow will be
held. All the events will take
place in the Heart of Belen.
The Belen Harvey
House Museum will be
hosting the Bugg Lights in
Belen from Nov. 28 to Dec.
31, with more than 300,000
lights, vintage and homemade
Christmas decorations, 50
Christmas trees and more.
The Tom Art Gallery will
be holding its Shop Local event
from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31. An
open house will be held from
2-4 p.m., Nov. 28.
The Belen Art League will
hold its Holiday Open House
in conjunction with the city of
Belens Electric Light Parade
and opening of the Bugg Lights
in Belen display.
November 2015
December 2015

of Heritage and Arts will host its
annual Adult Juried Art Show
from November to Dec. 3.
will hold its Veterans Photo
Show on Nov. 7.
Our Lady of Belen
Catholic Daughters of the
Americas annual bazaar, Berlies Christmas Bazaar, will be
held Nov. 13-14.
Valencia County
The annual Winter Ball,

sponsored by the Los Lunas
Police Departments Cops
and Kids Program will be
held at 6 p.m., Friday, Dec.
4, at Daniel Fernandez Recreation Center in Los Lunas.
The Los Lunas Christmas
Electric Light Parade will be
held at 6:30 p.m., Saturday,
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Dec. 5, down Main Street.

The annual Santa in the Park will
be held at 6 p.m, Saturday, Dec. 12, at
Daniel Fernandez Park in Los Lunas.
Follow the Star, a procession following
the days leading up to the birth of Jesus
Christ, will be held at Eagle Park in Belen,
beginning at 4:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12.
A community Christmas party will be
held from 2 - 5 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 12, at
the Bosque Farms Community Center.
New Years Eve with Plumb Adequate Band will be held from 7 - 9:30 p.m.,
Dec. 31, at the Bosque Farms Community
Center.
January 2016
The 21st annual Dr. Martin Luther

King Candlelight Vigil will be held on Monday, Jan. 19, at the Heart of Belen Plaza.
The 16th annual Valencia County
Hispano Chamber of Commerce Matanza
will be held on Saturday, Jan. 30, at
Eagle Park in Belen. The day-long event
includes a matanza competition, tortilla,
biscochitos and red chile contest, chil-
drens activities, an art center and live

bands throughout the day.
and Arts will hosting its Dust, Drought and
Dreams Gone Dry exhibit from January
through February.
February 2016
Tom Art Gallerys annual Soup-RBowl event will be held from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 7, to benefit scholarships at UNM-VC. Buy a bowl and fill it
with soup, breads and dessert, all for $10.
The event will be held at the University of
New Mexico-Valencia Campus.
Belen Art Leagues annual Valentine
Tea will be held at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30
p.m. on Feb. 7. This annual event is a
fundraiser for scholarships given to a
deserving Belen area high school senior,
including home-school students. Sandwiches, desserts and tea of course will be
served. The cost is $8.
March 2016
The 32nd annual St. Patricks Day

Balloon Rallye will be held on Friday
through Sunday, March 13-15, at Eagle

Park in Belen. The annual rally features
dozens of hot air balloons taking off at
dawn to fly the county skies. There will
also be the annual Film Festival at the
Belen Public Library and Comic Con at the
Belen Community Center.
and Arts will host its annual Student Art
show from March through May.
The Valencia County Community
Band Spring Dance will be held from 7 - 9
p.m., Saturday, March 19.
The annual Good Friday pilgrimage
to Tom Hill will be held on Friday, March
25. The traditional walk begins at sunrise
and continues throughout the day to the
three crosses placed on the sacred hill by
the late Edwin Berry.
April 2016
The village of Los Lunas will sponsor
Easter egg hunts for area children. The
events usually happen at local parks.
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
11
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
Transportation in valencia county
Trains
Belen is a longtime major hub in the

BNSF Railroad system. While its mainly a
fueling facility, Belen serves as the operating
division headquarters for the railroad in
New Mexico and Arizona.
More than 150 trains run through Belen
each day, providing an occupation that
employs about 1,500 people statewide.
Amtrak passenger service is available in
Albuquerque. The Albuquerque station is
located at 320 First St. SW, Albuquerque,
NM, 87102, 505-842-9650. Information at
www.amtrak.com.
Rail Runner Express
12
The New Mexico Rail Runner Express

commuter train was introduced in 2006
and has recently expanded its service as
far north as Santa Fe.
The commuter train carried its 2 millionth rider in 2012.
The Belen station is located at Reinken
Avenue and Wisconsin Street.

The Los Lunas station is located at
751 Juan Perea Road, next to the Los
Lunas Transportation Center and adjacent to N.M. 314.
There are 11 other stations along the
route to Santa Fe, most with commuter bus
connections, and the train offers free WiFi.
Details at www.nmrailrunner.com.
aviation businesses. A new privately-owned

hangar was added in the last few years.
Fixed-base operator is Alexander Aero,
505-864-4500. Full-service fuel and repair
services, hangars and tie-downs available.
Airport manager, 505-966-2650. For
information, go to www.belen-nm.gov/
departments/alex_mun_airport/alexMunicipalAirport.htm
Belen Municipal Airport
Mid Valley Airpark
The Belen Alexander Municipal Airport, FAA Identifier E80, is on the mesa
west of Belen, about 30 miles from Albuquerque and two miles from Interstate 25.
The airport was named for former Belen
mayor Neil Alexander.
In addition to the current runway, a new
one-mile crosswind runway is expected to
be completed within the next few years, and
construction is planned to begin this year.
The airport is home to more than 50
aircraft, a skydive club, a propeller overhaul
facility, aerial photographer and other small
Mid Valley Airpark, FAA Identifier E98,

is a resident-owned airport located about
three miles south of Los Lunas.
The 4,340-foot asphalt runway is open
to the public. There is no fixed-base operator, but there is a full-time manager.
The airpark offers self-service fuel, some
repair services, and tie-downs. No transportation is available from the airport.
Details are available at www.airnav.com.
For information, call 505-610-3676.
Lower Tuition
Higher Education
280 LA ENTRADA RD. LOS LUNAS, N.M. 87031
VC.UNM.EDU
505.925.8560
FACEBOOK.COM/UNMVC
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Rio Metro
The Rio Metro Regional Transit District

is an agency that provides economical transportation alternatives for the residents of the
Albuquerque Metro Area, which includes
Belen and Los Lunas.
Route 206, a fixed route in Belen, takes
passengers from the Belen Rail Runner
station to stops along Reinken Avenue, 10th
Street, Ross Avenue, 11th Street, West
Aragon, Mesa Road and Camino del Llano.
Route 207, a fixed route in Los Lunas,
takes passengers from the Los Lunas Rail
Runner station to stops along N.M. 314,
Main Street, Canal Boulevard, Crestview
Drive, Camelot Boulevard, Huning Ranch
Loop and Lonestar Street.
Full, one-way fare for Route 206 and
207 is $1. One-way reduced fares are 50
cents for youth ages 10-17, students with
a valid I.D., seniors age 62 and over and
people with disabilities with certain cards
or letters of notification. For the full list,
go to www.riometro.org.
Rail Runner Express riders can also ride
any Rio Metro bus for free by showing a

valid printed or mobile ticket.
A Dial-A-Ride program is also available
in Los Lunas and Belen each weekday. The
services is a curb-to-curb transportation services available to anyone traveling in Belen
or Los Lunas for $1 each way. Rides must
be reserved 24-hours in advance. To make
reservations, call 505-352-3595.
Information on routes, rates, etc. is available at riometro.org.
Albuquerque Sunport
Albuquerques international airport is

an easy connection to get anywhere around
the world. About 20 miles north of Valencia
County just off Interstate 25, the airport
is served by nine carriers: Alaska Airlines,
American Airlines, Boutique Air, Delta Air
Lines JetBlue Airways, New Mexico Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines
and US Airways.
Freight service is provided by DHL
Express, Federal Express and United
Parcel Service.
General aviation services also available. The
Sunport information line is 505-244-7700.

For information, such as real time
flight info, arrivals and departures, go to
www.abqsunport.com.
Freeways
Belen has three convenient freeway

entrances onto Interstate 25, the major
north-south route in the state, and is an easy
30 miles south of Interstate 40, the major
east-west roadway in New Mexico.
The northern exit leads to N.M. 314
and Main Street, going past the citys
Walmart Supercenter and the Valencia
County Fairgrounds.
The middle exit leads motorists onto
historic Camino del Llano past the Valencia
County News-Bulletin and onto Main Street.
The southern exit leads motorists directly onto Main Street and to the businesses on
the citys south side.
There is one Los Lunas exit, onto Main
Street in the village.
There are two exits to Isleta Pueblo, one
on the west side of the Rio Grande and the
other east of the river.
The Town Of Peralta

Preserving the past for future generations.
Town Hall 505-869-2050 www.townofperalta.org Peralta Court 505-869-2205
Town Hall Hours of Operation:
Court Hours of Operation:
MondayFriday: 8 AM5 PM
Monday and Wednesday 9 AM11 AM
Council Meetings:
Tuesday and Thursday 3 PM5 PM
2nd and 4th Wednesday of every

month at 6 PM at the Town Hall
Closed Wednesday.
Court is Tuesday &Thursday 3 PM5 PM
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
13
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
14
small community
big possibilities
Los Lunas
Mayor: Charles Griego
Council: Paulette MontoyaSanchez, Amanda Perea, Gino
Romero and Gerard Saiz
Judge: Avilio Chavez
Administrator: Gregory Martin
Police Chief: Naithan Gurule
Fire Chief: John Gabaldon
Los Lunas Administration
660 Main St.
Los Lunas, N.M., 87002
505-839-3840
www.loslunasnm.gov
The village of Los Lunas: Where the Lunas live
he village of Los Lunas is the second

fastest growing city in the state of New
Mexico, yet it retains its pastoral grace
and offers residents a slower pace.
Commercial and residential growth have
begun to pick up again, and it is guided by
the village comprehensive plan to preserve
the rural charm.
Its a difficult balance protecting the
agricultural character while also permitting growth, said Christina Ainsworth,
community development director. Were
managing that by designating areas where
density is appropriate.
With a population of 14,835 people,
Los Lunas is a unique combination of

city and solitude.
It is buffered from Albuquerques urban
sprawl by Isleta Indian Reservation to the
north, yet also has plenty of room to grow on
the west side of Interstate 25. To the south
of the village lay small, bucolic towns, and to
the east rise the Manzano Mountains.
Residents can venture about 20 minutes
north to New Mexicos largest city and enjoy
the many shops, restaurants and businesses
Albuquerque offers, or continue driving for
another hour to Santa Fe, the state capital
and a city rich in culture and art.
Many villagers take advantage of commutLos Lunas
ing by train to work or to play in the cities

to the north, on the Rail Runner Express
located on N.M. 314 and Courthouse Road.
What began as a small rural farming and
ranching community has blossomed into a
busy village amid small farms and scenic open
spaces. The village is a place where people
share friendly neighborhood values.
Los Lunas, which translates to where the
Lunas live, was named after the prominent
and politically influential Luna family.
The first Luna to set foot in Valencia
County was Domingo de Luna, from
Spain, in 1692.
The beautiful and historical Luna Man-
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
sion, built in 1880, still stands

today and is listed on the New
Mexico Historical roster.
The Luna Mansion is architecturally unique because it is
designed in a southern colonial
style typically unseen in New
Mexico. However, its basic
construction material is adobe,
a traditional material used for
making houses in the state.
Los Lunas is great place
to live because it has a wide
variety of amenities for all its
residents, including recreation,
shopping, housing and job
opportunities, said Mayor
Charles Griego. In addition,
there are beautiful vistas,
continuing rural traditions,
modern conveniences, and
friendly, helpful people. Visitors are always welcome.
The village of Los Lunas is
the seat of Valencia County
and lies primarily on the west
bank of the Rio Grande.

The land was originally
part of the San Clemente
Land Grant, granted to Don
Felix Candelaria in 1716.
Historically, this area had
been a small farming community, but since the 1960s,
the village has become a
growing business center.
Los Lunas has annexed
land on the east side of the
Rio Grande, but most of
the growth has been in the
western direction.
Interstate 25 passes along
the west side of the village and
provides excellent north and
south access to the state.
The Los Lunas area began
growing rapidly in the 1980s
with the expansion of the Albuquerque metropolitan area
and the arrival of the Walmart
Distribution Center.
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110 Main St. Los Lunas, NM

505-865-7333 lunamansion.com
A Torres Family Restaurant
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15
Charming Ambience & Authentic New Mexican

Cuisine Since 1985 at the Historic Wittwer House
Pearl Room is perfect for any large gatherings.
Beer & Wine Available
Dine In or Take Home
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Sunday Breakfast 9am-1pm Sunday 9am-7pm
Tuesday-Thursday 11am-8:00pm
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144 Main Los Lunas, NM
teofilos.com
505-865-5511
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
16
Continuing to build
new traditions in Belen
City of Belen
Mayor: Jerah Cordova
Council: Darleen Aragon, David
Carter, Wayne Gallegos and
Frank Ortega
Judge: Kathy Savilla
City Manager: Jay Ruybalid
Police Chief: Dan Robb
Fire Chief: Manny Garcia
Belen City Hall
100 S. Main St.
Belen, N.M., 87002
505-966-2730
www.belen-nm.gov
The Hub City celebrates culture and charm
estled on the western bank of the

Rio Grande, the city of Belen is rich
in history and culture, and although
progressing, the city strives to maintain its
charm and celebrate the traditions on which
it was established.
Founded in 1740 by Don Diego Torres
and Antonio Salazar, the quiet community
was named using the Spanish word for Bethlehem, and today still holds tight to traditions
from hundreds of years ago.
The small community of about 40
families first worked the land, but by the
19th century, the ever-growing community
expanded into sheepherding.
First known as Nuesta Seora de Belen

(Our Lady of Bethlehem), Belen continues
to celebrate its bond to the Christ childs
birthplace and the deeply religious traditions that the city was based on. As part
of its devotion, the city annually presents
Los Pastores the shepherds a
Christmas pageant in folk song whose
origins are lost to the ages.
Belen was incorporated in 1918 and
passed the first village ordinance on July
1, 1919. That was the foundation for
implementing fire and police protection as
well as official government positions and
taxes. Belen officially became a town in
Belen
1940 and a city in 1966.

Located near the center of the state,
Belen was nicknamed the Hub City, partly
because it was the hub of the old Santa
Fe Railway system that arrived in 1880.
Today, about 170 trains a day pass through
the city since the addition of a double
track through Abo Canyon that was part
of a BNSF track expansion of a five-mile
stretch through the area.
With the increase in activity on the railroad, a Harvey House was opened in 1910,
and for 29 years it bustled with business

from railroaders. Although it was reopened
for a short time during World War II,
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
today the Belen Harvey House

Museum stands as it was, filled
with Harvey Girls and railroad
memorabilia that tells the story of
days gone by.
Becker Avenue, named after the
legendary John Becker, who arrived
in Belen during the second half of
the 19th century, runs through the
heart of Belen, and its renovation is
near completion. The avenue has a
quiet charm to it where pedestrians
can stroll, and diagonal parking, that
signature of the old days, makes it
easy to get in and out.
The old-town feel that Belen exuberates has caught the attention of
movie makers and been captured in
a number of movies and television
series, including The Last Stand,
a modern-day Western, starring
former California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Other films and
television series shot in the Hub
City include Transcendence,
In Plain Sight, As Cool As I
Am, Swing Vote, Living Hell,

West Texas Childrens Story and
Gas-s-s-s.
A large arch, with an iron nativity scene in front of it, is the gateway
to this quaint part of town. Summer
and fall festivals are held beneath
the pavilion, with the streets closed
off for the community to celebrate,
dance and enjoy live entertainment.
Further down Becker Avenue,
residents and visitors alike can
visit the Belen Art League Gallery,
which is filled with creations by
local artists.
Next along the street is worldrenowned artist Judy Chicago, who
has renovated the old Belen Hotel
as her home and studio.
While the traditions and small
town feel remains, the progressive
works of the city council and chamber of commerce are moving the
city forward and readying it for the
growth thats coming.
17
Think no one is lending?

THINK AGAIN.
Belen Los Lunas Albuquerque Mountainair Rio Communities
mybanknm.com
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
18
Bosque Farms makes

life look easy
Bosque Farms
Mayor: Bob Knowlton
Council: Wayne Ake, Bill Kennedy, Russ Walkup and Dolly
Wallace
Judge: R. Lar Thomas
Clerk: Gayle Jones
Police Chief: Greg Jones
Fire Chief: Spencer Wood
Bosque Farms Village Hall
1455 W. Bosque Loop
Bosque Farms, N.M., 87068
505-869-2357
www.bosquefarmsnm.gov
Beautiful and bright in Bosque Farms
he village of Bosque Farms is the

northernmost municipality in
Valencia County. Nestled on the
east bank of the Rio Grande, Bosque
Farms is a well-known dairy and farming community.
The first known inhabitants of the
area were the sedentary Tiwa Indians,
who lived in small pueblos along the
Rio Grande from Taos Pueblo to
Mexico. Following a period of Spanish exploration and settlement, the
Bosque Farms area later became part
of a land grant.
The Depression years saw much

of the grant land repossessed and
administered through the federal
government. The drains, canals and
levees were constructed to improve
soils and irrigation for agriculture,
and also to help prevent flooding
from the river. This land was divided
into 44 farms by the federal government, ranging in size from 40 to 80
acres each and farmers were moved
onto the land.
It wasnt until the 1960s that
developers began to subdivide the land
Bosque Farms
in Bosque Farms into lots of one acre

or less. Residents were able to enjoy a
rural atmosphere, and keep horses and
other livestock on their property.
In the early 70s, several residents
began to complain about the lack of
law enforcement in the village. As a
response to their dilemma, a citizens
patrol was formed. Night after night,
the Eastern Valencia County Citizens
Patrol patrolled the roads and ditches
looking for suspicious activity.
From the citizens patrol evolved
the idea that Bosque Farms really
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
needed its own police officers and was in need of

becoming its own town. Instead of counting on the
county for all its support, residents started circulating petitions calling for a special election to become
an incorporated village.
Residents realized the advantages of incorporation, of course, were the collection of the
gross receipts taxes from the businesses along
N.M. 47 to purchase their own police cars
instead of depending on others. Another reason
for incorporation was zoning.
People were starting to come to Valencia
County in droves from the city. The zoning, or
the lack of it, in Valencia County wasnt good, and
people who owned land in Bosque Farms didnt
want it to look like that, said former mayor Sharon
Eastman. We thought if we incorporated and had
proper zoning, we could protect our property values
and guide development.
The village of Bosque Farms was finally
incorporated on Saturday, June 1, 1974. The
incorporation was ratified by 75 percent of the
voters in a special election.
An unexpectedly high 86 percent of the 752
eligible voters living in the village turned out to vote
in the single-issue election.
19
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Where Your Health Comes First
Dr. Zhong Liu
Dr. Magdelena Sanchez
Frances Garcia
Reception
Dr. Lorella Tapia-Reyes

Owner/Medical Director
Raquel Trujillo
Office Manager
drsabq@gmail.com
Los Lunas
427 Main St.
Los Lunas, NM 87031
565-4900
Westside/Rio Rancho
9131 High Assets Way NW
Albuquerque, NM 87120
792-4423
aLbuqueRque
2901 Juan Tabo Blvd. NE, Ste. 117
275-9602
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
20
Daring to be different
in rio communities
Rio Communities
residents have
desire to shape
their own destiny
Rio Communities
Mayor: Mark Gwinn
Council: Frank Stasi, Mary Lee
Serna, Peggy Gutjahr and Robert
Chavez
Judge: Heather Benavidez
City Manager: Bob Skerry
Acting clerk: Marilyn Winters
Fire Chief: Jason Gonzales
he big blue skies, an

abundant amount of sunshine and a clear view of
both the Manzano Mountains
and West Mesa present plenty
of opportunities to explore
the splendor that is the city of
Rio Communities.
Its golf course is open year
round and allows duffers to
tee off against spectacular
backdrops of desert grandeur,
the lush river valley and spectacular mountain peaks.
Rio Communities might be
the newest municipality in Valencia County but its history
of looking toward the future is
what makes this city unique.
Rio Communities, once
known as Rio Grande
Estates, was established in
the early 1960s by Horizon
Land Corporation, a development company that tempted
those fed up with congested
freeways, crowded cities
and light-polluted skies into
buying the dream the
wide open expanses of the
American Southwest.
A vision of tract homes
under clear blue skies was that
of Horizons chairman of the
Rio Communities City Hall

373 Rio Communities Blvd.
Rio Communities, N.M., 87002
505-864-6803
www.riocommunities.net
board, Joseph Timan; completion of that vision involved

taking a vast land mass and
thoroughly planning its use
everything from single-family
homes and multi-family dwellings to schools, parks and even
hospitals. It was all there, laid
out on paper.
Residents and investors
alike began to wonder, in time,
if all the promises Horizon
made were ever going to

come to fruition. Multiple
lawsuits were filed, claiming
the companys representatives
exaggerated the potential and
omitted material facts.
In the end, the Federal
Trade Commission ordered
Horizon to spend $45 million
on promised improvements,
return $14.5 million to
investors and allow others a
Rio Communities
cooling-off period, during

which they could back out of
deals with the company. In
the early 1980s, that Valley
Improvement Association was
formed to try and bring some
kind of order to what Horizon
had left behind.
Many who bought into
that initial dream and built
their homes and lives in Rio
Communities are still there
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
still hoping and fighting for that vision to

become a reality.
Mark Gwinn and his family were one
of the first eight to move to the area. His
parents, who built their home on Estrella
when he was in the sixth grade, were in
the market for more land and more space
to raise their children and to garden.
I thought it was the best place in the
world, said Gwinn, who was elected as
the citys first mayor in 2013. I could
go hiking, biking and fishing anytime I
wanted. I could run all over the place.
Gwinn remembers the days when he
would work washing out the soda bottles
for the local butcher or washing the golf
balls for the golf pro for a few extra bucks.
He recalls the days when the Rainbow
Bus would pick up the local children and
drive them across the river for school.
It was a time, Gwinn says, when the
area was bustling with new people and
new opportunities. Along with a new golf
course and country club, economic development in Rio Communities was soaring.
There was a new plaza with businesses
from a pizza parlor to boutiques.

After Horizon left and VIA took
over, the amenities and services in the
area began to dwindle by the late 1980s.
Residents thought about asking nearby
Belen to annex the unincorporated area,
but Gwinn said that notion just didnt
seem right.
By the 1990s, residents became more
and more unhappy with the lack of
services and attention the county was providing the area, such as police protection.
In an effort to take destiny into their
own hands, a group of residents decided
they would research what it would take
to incorporate Rio Communities. Four
different times over a period of about 10
years, residents voted down the idea.
The last effort began in 2012 when
another group, headed by Gwinn, decided
enough was enough and started the process all over again. A special election was
called for January 2013. Of the 1,063
ballots cast, voters opted to incorporate
with 672 in favor and 391 against an
overwhelming majority.
We were ecstatic, Gwinn said of

the election. It was something that
we had worked on for a long time and
we finally were able to take hold of
our community.
The first municipal election was held
in June 2013.
Its been a challenge, Gwinn admits
of running a new municipality. Its new
for all of us and were working hard.
Every one of us are volunteers were
not doing this for the money, were doing
this for our community.
The citys immediate priorities are
economic development, building its
own police department, establishing its
planning and zoning and moving the
community forward. The city is currently
renovating a 20,000-square-foot building,
once owned by VIA, to transform into a
city hall and multi-purpose center.
This is a great place to live and visit,
Gwinn said. We have great sunrises,
great golf and great people. We have the
best people in the world.
Tax and financial solutions
Accurate and affordable service year-round
Experienced, trained tax professionals
Convenient evening and weekend hours
Bookkeeping Services
Bosque Farms Office

795 Bosque Farms Blvd
505-869-9181
Belen Office
600 C West Reinken
505-864-6166
Los Lunas Office

1400 Main Street Suite G
505-865-2944
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
21
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
22
A long history of farming

and faith in Peralta
El Camino Rael
runs through
historic farming
community
Peralta
Mayor: Bryan Olguin
Council: Tracy Aragon, Michael
Leon Otero, Joseph Romero and
Kori Taylor
Judge: David Young
Administrator: Julie Pluemer
Police Chief: Greg Jones
Fire Chief: John Dear
eralta was only incorporated as a town in 2007,

but its history stretches
back hundreds of years.
The town was named for
Andres and Manuel de Peralta
sometime before 1680, says
Mayor Bryan Olguin.
Its much older than that,
but that is the first records they
had, Olguin said.
He said El Camino Real
runs right through the area.
El Camino Real, Spanish for
The Royal Road, is the
historic trade route running
from Mexico City all the way
to Santa Fe.
According to historian
Robert Julyan, the town is
also named for Pedro de Peralta, a native of Valladolid in
New Spain, who was among
those returning to New
Mexico after the reconquest
in 1692. His descendants still
live in the area.
Locally, the community
has been known as Los Placeres, the placers, for
reasons unknown.
All of Peralta was basically
the Lo de Padilla land grant,
Olguin said. Many of the heirs
Peralta Town Hall

90-A Molina Road
Peralta, N.M., 87042
505-869-2050
www.townofperalta.org
of the Spanish land grant owners still live here.

Julyan wrote that in 1862,
Confederate and Union
troops battled near the town.
A battle with similar characteristics is featured in the Sergio Leone film The Good,
the Bad, and the Ugly.
It ended in a Union victory
and the Confederate army
retreated through Los Lunas.
The Confederates basically
got spanked here and driven
back to Texas, Olguin said.
In 1863, Col. Kit Carson
mobilized his forces in
Peralta prior to the campaign
against the Navajos, accord-
ing to Julyan.
Olguin said the first post
office was established in 1861.
Julyan writes that in 1865, the
post offices name was changed
to Los Pinos, the pines, or
perhaps a family name, but in
1866 it reverted to Peralta.
He said Peralta is the site
of an early Methodist church,
and a Catholic church. It is also
home of the historic church,
Our Lady of Guadalupe, which
is more than 150 years old. It
recently went through a major
renovation and stands on the
corner of N.M. 47 and Gurule
Road. The town is full of
historical buildings.
Peralta
Olguin said the town was

largely agricultural, the major
industry being sheep shearing.
There are still some farmers around here, he said.
N.M. 47, the main street
running through the center
of Peralta, has been expanded
from a dirt road to a two-lane
highway. This year, the state
Department of Transportation will rebuild it and in
tandem, the town is installing
the major trunk line of a new
waste water system.
The town has been through
four city councils and two
mayors since its incorporation
in 2007.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
23
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
24
Raising families and farms

in Valencia County
Valencia County
County Commission: Alicia
Aguilar, Jhonathan Aragon,
Charles Eaton and David Hyder
Manager: Jeff Condrey
Sheriff: Louis Burkhard
Clerk: Peggy Carabajal
Treasurer: Dorothy Lovato
Assessor: Michelle Garcia
Administrative offices
444 Luna Ave.
505-866-2014
www.co.valencia.nm.us
Valencia County continues to treasure its heritage and history
alencia County is part of the

Rio Abajo, an area of the
Middle Rio Grande Valley of
New Mexico that stretches from the
Espaola Valley in northern New
Mexico, to Sabinal in the south.
The Spaniards settled this area as early
as 1598 after the first colony was founded
by Gov. Juan De Oate in the Native
American village of Ohke on the upper
East Bank of the Rio Grande.
The Espaola Valley was called the
Ro Arriba the Upper River while
the area just below La Bajada Hill was
called the Ro Abajo the Lower

River valley.
New settlements were always found
near Indian Pueblos. The Pueblo
people were friendly and insisted that
the new colonists build their homes
near the Rio Grande.
The river had a lot to offer to both the
indigenous peoples and the colonists in the
way of sustenance to both man and beasts.
The county comprises 1,458 square
miles in central New Mexico, bordering
Socorro County directly to the south,
Cibola County to the west, BernaValencia County
lillo County to the north and Torrance

County to the east.
The county seat is in the village of Los
Lunas, 20 miles south of the states largest
city, Albuquerque.
The quality of life in the county can be
characterized by a strong sense of community that is enhanced by a rural lifestyle.
Residents of the area have identified
peace and quiet, friendliness of the
people, and terrific weather as benefits
that make this rural setting a wonderful
place to visit and live.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Moving into Valencia County

Electricity
Public Service Co. of New

Mexico (PNM)
Customer Service: 888-342-5766
Nearest office: 414 Silver
Ave. SW, Albuquerque (best
time to call: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Tuesday-Thursday.)
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Monday-Friday
Website: www.pnm.com
Natural Gas
New Mexico Gas Co.

Customer Service: 888664-2726; 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.,
Monday-Friday; or customerservice@nmgco.com
Emergencies: 888-664-2726
Los Lunas office: 2431
Main St. SE
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday-Friday
Website: nmgco.com
Telephone Service
CenturyLink
New service: 866-642-0444
Billing and general customer
service: 800-491-0118
Tech support: 877-348-9007
Website:
www.centurylink.com
Water and Sewer
Belen: City Hall,

100 S. Main, 505-966-2730
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Website: www.belen-nm.gov
Bosque Farms: Village Hall,
1455 West Bosque Loop, 505869-2357
Hours: 8 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday-Friday.
Website:
www.bosquefarmsnm.gov
Los Lunas: Village Hall,
660 Main St. SW, 839-3841
(after hours 505-865-9130)

Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Monday-Friday.
Website:
www.loslunasnm.gov
Rio Communities, Meadow
Lake, Pasitos del Cielo, Las
Maravillas, Cypress Gardens:
New Mexico Water Service,
401 Horner, Rio Communities,
505-864-2218 (after hours,
505-864-2218)
Hours: 8 a.m.-12 p.m.; 1
p.m. to 5 p.m.
Website:
www.newmexicowater.com
Solid Waste
AC Disposal Services
22 Maestas Rd., Belen, NM,
87002
505-866-1010
Email: acdisposalinc@gmail.com
Valley Disposal Services

618 Dalies Ave, Belen, NM
87002
505-864-6693
Waste Management
505-892-1200
Monday-Friday
Email: csnewmexico@
wm.com
Website: www.wm.com
Cable TV
Comcast
Customer Service: 3440690; 800-266-2278
Nearest office: 4800 Cutler
Ave. NE, Albuquerque
Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4
p.m., Sunday
Website: www.comcast.com
877-5777
Quality Matters Here!
- Supplying concrete from a state of the art concrete plant
conveniently located on Highway 6 in Los Lunas.
- Locally owned and operated keeping your money in your community.
- Providing the best QUALITY products available along
with the BEST associated service.
Duke City Redi-Mix is proud to be

a part of Valencia County,
supplying concrete and aggregate to
Los Lunas, Belen and beyond.
www.DUkECITYREDIMIx.CoM
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
25
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
26
annual community events bring

county closer together
Festivities of all types bring locals and
visitors alike to Valencia County
rom fairs, festivals and

fiestas to art shows, car
shows and dog shows and
from museums and galleries to
hiking trails and historic locations, Valencia County is full of
attractions and events that lure
tourists to the area.
From January to December, there is a plethora of
locally-organized events that
brings thousands of visitors
to the Middle Rio Grande
Valley to not only enjoy the
festivities, but the culture
were proud to share.
Some of the most long treasured events bring thousands
of people to Valencia County,
not only enjoy the festivities,
but to dine at our local eateries, shop at our stores and visit
other local attractions.
Our Lady of Belen Fiestas
For more than 220 years,

Our Lady of Belen Catholic
Church has celebrated its faith
with an annual fiesta, which
brings thousands from around
e
r Broker
the state to the Hub City.
ealtor
The Fiestas is Valencia Countys
oldest and could be the most
8784
anticipated event of the year.
m
ner.com
The three-day celebration of
hanted
es
y
Realty
the Blessed Virgin Mary brings
not only Catholics together, but
y NE
22
NM
87122
the community
at large. People
also come from other areas from

around the state and beyond to
attend the largest church fiesta
in the state.
Bryan Mascarena, who has
volunteered on the Fiesta committee for 20 years, says on a
good year, nearly 30,000 people
will attend the Fiestas, but on
average, the crowds will reach
between 15,000 to 20,000.
The Fiestas at Our Lady of
Belen Catholic Church began
221 years ago and is held on the
weekend of Aug. 15. The evening before the first day of the
Fiestas, the church celebrates
vespers, a service traditionally
held at sunset.
Mascarena says. They will
The Feast Day celebration in- County. In the early 20th
cludes a secular element as well, Century, the entire city of Belen plan their vacation around the
was involved in the Fiestas, with Fiestas because they know
a carnival that begins on Friday
what kind of event it is.
many of the festivities taking
night and lasts into Sunday
One of the big draws to the
place up and down Main Street.
on the church grounds. Bands
But as the years went by, the an- Fiestas is the musical entertainfrom around the state provide
nual event has become smaller
ment, said Mascarena, who is
the musical entertainment, and
and is now only held on the
in charge of booking the bands
the many visitors have ample
who perform. He said in the
opportunity to enjoy the famous church grounds.
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past, he would book one biggreen chile cheeseburgers (FiIN
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band and the
others would
esta burgers), funnel cakes
and
Mascarena says a lot of people
be less popular.
roasted corn.
from out of town make their
By all accounts, the Fiestas
BF Community Fair
way to Belen specifically to
are a joyous celebration, and is
attend the Fiestas.
one of many Catholic traditions
Its been 76 years of awesome
There are a lot of former
that over the centuriesMULTI-MILLION
have
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Belenites who remember the
been passed down from Spain
coming at the annual Bosque
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Fiestas growing up and they
through Mexico to believers
Farms Community Fair. Held in
in New Mexico and Valencia
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2015-2016
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Continued from page 26
30
late July this year, fairgoers

can experience everything
under the sun that says
good-ol fashioned fun at
the longest running community fair in the nation.
Theres the rolling pin toss,
a greased-pole climb, the horseshoe pitching contest, a cake
walk, pet parade and the annual
Just for Fun car show.
One fair highlight is the
toad races which are open to
anyone wishing to enter thanks
to loaner toads available for
those without an amphibian.
Theres the traditional parade
first thing Saturday morning,
complete with kids on bikes,
pets, horses and tractors.
After the parade, visitors
can stop by the car show, dig
around in the money pit or
chuck a rolling pin while you
wait for the live auction.
The Just For Fun annual
car show is always free and always fun from slicked up hot
rods to tricked out tractors, this
show has is all and then some.
Mary Ann Keller, who
organizes the show with her
husband, Ron, said one of the
best categories is the Peoples
Choice Awards.
Its the peoples favorite, not
necessarily the best, Mary Ann
said. There are a lot of trophy
cars that dont win at our show.
Ron said the car owners enjoy
the camaraderie of the show,
talking camshafts and gear boxes
out on the field.
The Bosque Farms Rodeo
Association usually hosts barrel
racing and other rodeo events
on the closing day of the fair.
Just about everything at the
fair is free, said board secretary
Cathy Sifford, and in some
cases, the fair will pay you. A
bit of exploring in the money
pit or a successful climb up the
The city of Belen added a film

festival and Comic Con, which
were huge draws to visitors, this
past year to coincide with the St.
Patricks Day Balloon Rallye
Valencia County Matanza
greased pole can net a lucky

someone some cash.
You can do the fair without
any money, Sifford said.
Fair board member Amy
Thoms said the fair is a comfortable family environment.
You can bring grandma and
the littlest kids without worrying about something untoward,
Thoms said.
Balloon Rallye
For more than 30 years, the
bright and beautiful colors of
hot air balloons have filled the
skies over Valencia County
every March with the annual St.
Patricks Day Balloon Rallye.
The rally, which is purposefully spelled wrong, has enticed
thousands of tourists to both
Los Lunas and Belen in the

three decades since the events
inception.
Grant Crawford, president
of the Valencia Flying and
Retrieval Society, the group
in charge of the event, says
because New Mexico is the hot
air balloon capitol of the world,
the local balloon rally benefits
from that recognition.
Not only do we bring in
about 300 people with the
pilots, their crews and the sponsors, but we bring in at least
1,500 to 2,000 people from
the outlying communities and
across the state, Crawford said.
They are not only local people
who come to the rally, but we
have people from Albuquerque,
Santa Fe and Los Lunas.
Touted as the largest one-day

event in Valencia County, the
Hispano Chamber of Valencia
County Matanza brings in
thousands of both local and outof-town visitors to the annual
event held in January.
The day-long festivity celebrating central New Mexicos
traditions brings young and old
together to celebrate the culture
and to give back to the community at the same time.
For more than 15 years,
teams of friends, families and
coworkers compete to cook
the best pigs in whats said to
be the worlds largest matanza
(a patent is pending on the
official name). The matanza is a
centuries-old tradition brought
to the New World by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th
Century and is possibly the
oldest European tradition still
practiced in the Americas.
While local families have
been holding matanzas on their
farms and in their backyards
for generations, the chamber reintroduces the tradition to community members each year as a
way of recognizing and honoring
this Hispanic tradition.
Shireen McDonald, president of the Hispano Chamber
of Commerce, said even
though it costs the chamber
hundreds of thousands of dollars to put on the Matanza, all
the proceeds raised each year
provide college scholarships to
Valencia County students.
We give all the money

away in the form of scholarships, McDonald says. I
think thats a big reason
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
that the Matanza is a such a

success every year, because
people know what were
doing and they want to support our cause.
While a lot of people attend
the Matanza to help give back
to the community, McDonald
knows the lure of all-you-can
eat pork and other traditional
foods for $10 is another reason why thousands show up
each year.
With a steady stream of
15,000 people attending the
event each year, McDonald
says most of the events advertisement comes from word of
mouth.
I think its still a local
favorite, but the word has
gotten out, she says. Its all
about the traditions of Valencia Countys culture. People
come who are intrigued, in
some way or form, and they
want to see what our culture
is about and maybe how it
compares to their (culture).
As a tourist attraction, McDonald says the Matanza is an
event that brings all cultures
together to celebrate the tradition. In fact, other chambers
of commerce from around
the state have contacted them
about how to go about holding
their own matanza.
Becker Street Festival

One of the larger festivals in
Valencia County might have
downsized from a three-day
event several years ago to only
one day, but the Rio Abajo
Becker Street Festival, held
the last weekend in September,
brings in thousands of people
to the Hub City every year.
Rhona Baca Espinoza,
the executive director of
the Greater Belen Chamber of Commerce, says the
diversity of activities offered is what draws tourists

to the annual event.
For the past 11 years, the
Rio Abajo Becker Street
Festival, which was initially
named Rio Abajo Days, is
a celebration of the people,
culture and traditions of the
Rio Abajo area.
Baca Espinoza says while
a lot of locals do come to the
festival each year, shes seeing
more and more visitors from
out of the county coming to
enjoy the festivities.
We get a lot of people, she
said. Our events are diverse
and unique, which draws
people from all over the state.
The chamber has reinvented
the event, making it a true
street festival, and the whole
energy that comes from that.
The crowds that attend
to the Rio Abajo Becker
Street Festival come for a
variety of reasons, whether
it be just to enjoy the day
and the entertainment or to
participate in the car show,
the poker bike run or in the
arm wrestling tournament.
Baca Espinoza said the arm
wrestling tournament alone
brought in more than 100
people, from participants to
referees from at least five different states.
Not only do we have a
lot of events within the one
event, theyre all different, all
unique, she said. Our car
show had people competing
from Clovis, Gallup, Socorro,
Mountainair and Farmington.
Theres a lot of car shows
around the state, but ours is
standing out and we have a lot
of offerings.
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LIFE AND LEISURE
32
Celebrating who we are

with new, different events
Cherishing our faith with churches and other organizations
hile it can be said that the power

of tradition can never be underestimated, it is also equally true
that the only constant in life is change.
Local organizations and cities are looking for ways to not only make traditional
and beloved events bigger and better, but
they are also trying out some new things.
The hope is, these changes and additions
will bring more visitors to the area.
A Belen nonprofit, Celebrate Belen, is
working to revitalize the citys economy by
making it a destination, said the organizations treasurer Jan Johnson.
We want to bring back what is here,
not replace it, and we will approach that
any way we can, Johnson said.
Since it is a private organization , Cel-
ebrate Belen can partner and work with

many different types of groups from the
city to local churches, Johnson said.
We are kind of an umbrella organization to help promote already established
events and bring in new things, she said.
New events can be hard to get off
the ground, a lesson the organization
learned last year with the Country
Americana Music Festival.
It was a great event, except for the
attendance. We did not get as many people
as we hoped; we werent able to promote it
as much as we wanted, she said.
One idea the Celebrate Belen board has
kicked around is the possibility of starting
a Christian and Gospel Music Festival,
Johnson said, mentioning that there used
Valencia County
to be one in Albuquerque.
I think that would be a big event that
would bring people here and could really
build on the character of Belen, she said.
One new event that has been successful is Follow the Star to Bethlehem,
which drew in nearly 1,500 people the
first year and about 1,000 last year. Visitors walked along Becker Street, from
Main Street east to First Street, while
members of local churches presented the
story of the birth of Jesus Christ with
live characters and music.
The event conveniently ties into the
67-foot-high, 35-foot-wide star erected
in 2008 on the citys water tower, highlighting the fact that Belen is Spanish
for Bethlehem.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Johnson said that while people came and

spent money in local stores and restaurants
during Follow the Star, it isnt a commercial venture geared to make money so
much as an opportunity to expose people
to the charm of Belen, to change the
outside perception of Belen.
Belen has deep roots, strong culture
that people can build on. Twenty years
ago, I fell in love with Belen, the people of
Belen, Johnson said. They are warm,
friendly, amazing people.
In Los Lunas, Library Director Cynthia
Shetter is working to use local history to
bring in visitors and showcasing an old tradition that is making a comeback. She feels
the valleys plethora of historic churches
will draw in people.
With more than a half dozen in a five
to 10 mile radius, Shetter has set up two
church tours this year, called the Saints
and Sinners Tour, that showcases three
local historic churches and ends at a local
winery, the Camino Real Winery in Tom.
The tours filled up quickly this year, and
Shetter said even though the October tour
is already full, if she gets enough interest,

she will try to schedule a third tour.
Theres just so much here, Shetter
said. The history, the art its all
around us.
While the churches are old and the
winery is new, the art of making wine is an
old one. In the last few years, it has started
making a come back in the area.
The history of wine making in the
Central Rio Grande Valley is long,
beginning with the Franciscans and Juan
de Oate in 1598.
The history of wine in the Tom area
is said to have begun with vines imported
by Father Jean Baptiste Ralliere in 1858
when he arrived in Tom from France.
And, according to Henry K. Street,
author of The History of Wine in New
Mexico: 400 Years of Struggle, vineyards
in the Rio Grande Valley were exporting
908,000 gallons of wine by 1880.
Nearly two years ago, wine maker and
owner Jonathan Chavez opened Valencia
Countys only wine tasting room at the
Camino Rael Winery. In that time, he has
gotten visitors from Canada, Kentucky,

Florida and Hawaii.
A lot of it is people visiting relatives
and they will bring them by. This is something different, Chavez said.
He also gets visitors who come south
from Albuquerque looking for something
to do and see in October, after the early
morning events of the Balloon Fiesta
are done. Chavez said he has also gets
frequent business travelers from Texas
and Nevada, who will make the winery a
regular stop, often buying a case of wine
to be shipped home.
Chavez said he would like to try
something new beyond the tasting room
at the winery and try an enterprise in
Valencia County similar to one he just
launched in Albuquerque called Painting
Party Plus. The plus is the wine. The
idea is to allow people to paint and create
while sampling wines.
We had a great location in Los
Lunas, but it was too close to a school,
he said. There was just no way, but
were still looking.
Nicolette
Panagopoulos
Principal
renters > homeowners > auto > life > health
511 West Reinken Avenue
Belen, New Mexico 87002
2500 Louisiana Blvd NE #102

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505-828-4068 office
505-620-8367 cell
505-861-3017 fax
npanagopoulos@comcast.net
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INSURANCE AGENCY
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
33
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
34
Bugg Lights in Belen

Holiday magic
at Belen Harvey
House Museum
fter more than 40

years, the Bugg Lights
display continue to
attract thousands and thousands
of holiday revelers throughout
New Mexico now in Belen.
This festive display of light
represents myriad memories for
multiple generations, but most
of all, it is a much-anticipated
Christmas tradition.
The Bugg Lights took
center stage in a month-long
exhibit at the Belen Harvey
House Museum for the first
time last year after being
on display at the home of
Norman and Joyce Bugg in
Albuquerque for many years
and several other locations.
The display features 33
nights of sparkling holiday
wonderland; with 200,000
individual lights, 50 Christmas
trees, a 35-foot Christmas
tree, a Butterfly Emporium,
an Alien Noel and several
Nativity scenes.
The enormity of the Bugg
Lights transforms a typical
holiday display into a dazzling
exhibit with dozens of perky
penguins, plump polar bears,
carefree carousels, Santas
sleigh and all the holiday
cheer imaginable.
Ronnie Torres, the museums technician, was elated
when he was asked if the
city would be interested in

the display.
I couldnt believe it when
they actually called, Torres
said. I told them, Id love to!
Torres, who had started the
citys Miracle on Main Street
Electric Light Parade nearly
three decades ago and the Festival of Trees six years ago, says
the display is a great addition to
the citys holiday celebration.
More than 10,000 people
visited the display in 2014.
Volunteers painted the
penguins and put on new eyes.
Several volunteers also crocheted new, colorful scarfs and
hats for the arctic birds. Torres
will be the first to tell you that
he couldnt have done this by
himself. He, along with at least
35 volunteers, have worked
tirelessly in making sure everything is just right.

A lot of them came over
and over again, some coming
several times a week, Torres
said of the many volunteers.
They all wanted to be part of
it, they wanted to help, they
wanted to do what they could
do. Its great that the community is donating any talent they
have to make sure this exhibit is
the best it can be.
Norman and Joyce Bugg
are delighted to see the
display at the Belen Harvey
House Museum.
I am so impressed with
what theyve done here, said
Norman Bugg of the exhibit. I
thought (the display) was ready
for the trash can. We didnt
expect what weve seen today.
Belen
It takes a lot of work keeping

this stuff going. Theyve done a
wonderful job cleaning it up.
Its beautiful everything looks new, Joyce Bugg
said. The penguins all look
great, and its wonderful to
see how everything has come
back to life.
Now that its in Belen, the
practice of giving back to the
community continues with several local charities and organizations raising money on different
nights of the display.
Along with the Bugg
Lights exhibit, the Belen
Harvey House Museum
displays pictorial history as
well as a 10-minute video
that runs continuously in the
media room about the historic
Christmas tradition.
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News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
36
People from all over the world

visit valencia county
Tourists come
to eat, shop and
learn about
Valencia County
ourists come from all over

the world to visit Valencia
County for its rich cultural
heritage and bucolic charm.
People have come from
Russia, Switzerland, Japan,
France, Germany, England and
Canada. Many others come
from neighboring states, but also
from as far north as Minnesota
and Montana, as well as Alaska,
and as far west as Oregon and
Washington and as far east from
New York and Pennsylvania.
The county offers some of
the finest art galleries, museums
and historic sites, such as Tom
Hill and the Luna Mansion.
There are signature events that
bring guests year after year
and the rich countryside offers
scenic splendor.
Harvey House Museum

One of the biggest draws to
Valencia County is the original
Harvey House in Belen built
in 1910. It is one of the only
Harvey Houses left in existence
that is open to the public and
pulls in upwards of 500 visitors
each month.
Annually, the museum
receives about 8,000 to 9,000
visitors. People come from

Denmark, the Netherlands,
Germany, Puerto Rico from
most continents and almost
every state in the union.
Visitors come to the Belen
Harvey House Museum because
they had a family member who
was once a Harvey Girl, a chef
or in other positions in the Fred
Harvey Industry, said museum
tech Ronnie Torres.
The museum has files in
their archives on people who
once worked for the railroad
restaurant and motel. They add
information as staff are informed
by visiting family members.
We tell them their history will live on here, Torres
said. We try to keep track of
everybody that we know that
has worked in the Harvey

system because theres not a
true record. We cant find one
anywhere that we know of ... so
were starting our own here.
This past year, the Belen
Harvey House Museum had a
month-long exhibit of the Bugg
Lights in Belen Christmas-time
display, which attracted more
than 10,000 people.
There are more than
300,000 lights, plus the
museum is adding their own
Christmas lights and among the
displays are an Alien Noel and
an Under the Sea exhibit.
Every year, the Harvey
House hosts several annual
events, such as the matanza
exhibit in January, Postcards of
the Southwest, fiber arts exhibit
Valencia County
and sale, Paws and Stripes Pilot

Club fundraiser, historic familyowned business artifacts and
photo exhibit, a veterans memorial tribute, paranormal tours
and the Belen Art League spring
and fall art shows and others.
One of the events we find
to be the most popular is La
Familia exhibit about the people
of Belen, Torres said.
The modern railroad also
does an annual exhibit and
railroad history is popular
among tourists.
Museum, 104 N. First St., is
open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
every Tuesday, and from 12:30
to 4 p.m., Wednesday through
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2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
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37
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
Continued FROM page 36
Saturday, and is closed Sundays

and Mondays. The museum can
be reached at 505- 861-0581,
or visit www.belen-nm.gov/
Community/HarveyHouseBelen.htm.
Belen Art League Gallery
38
Not far from the Belen Harvey House Museum is the Belen
Art League Gallery on historic
Becker Avenue. This quaint
little gallery has an enormous
collection of artwork, jewelry,
fiber art, photography, 3-D
art, a childrens arts and crafts
program and art classes.
Christmas and summer are
the busiest times of year. People
come from northern New
Mexico by the Rail Runner to
see the southern reaches of the
commuter rail service, and others come while visiting relatives.
The majority come for the art
shows and special events, said
artist Cecilia CeCe Aragon, a
member of the league.
Many visit from Chicago,
Washington, D.C., Vermont,
all over New Mexico and many
countries in Europe.
When theyre here,
theyre impressed that we have
a nice place to show artwork,
whether it be photography
or the flat art or pottery, the
3-Ds, Aragon said.
The backyard of the gallery building is a garden and
patio, where special art shows,
poetry readings and live music
is performed. One of the gallerys signature events is its
Valentines Tea. Last year, they
added a fashion show to the
event, and its a nice event to
dress up to attend.
We have a Best Hat
Contest, so you see some really
amazing hats that are probably
vintage, Aragon said.
The Belen Art Gallery,

509 Becker Ave., is open
noon to 4 p.m., Wednesday
through Saturday, The gallery
can be reached at 505-8610217, or visit www.belenartleaguegalleryandgifts.com.
Tom Art Gallery

The galleries of Valencia
County support each other and
each offers incredibly unique
gifts and collectables well worth
the extra distance.
The Tom Art Gallery is on
N.M. 47, about 12 miles north
of Belen. It is along the Trails
and Rails tour through lush
countryside and winding roads.
The gallery gains most of
its popularity through wordof-mouth because one visit
creates a lasting impression.
About 4,000 visitors come
annually, and the gallerys
Facebook page receives an
average of 500 hits a month.
The busiest time of year is
Christmas, but business starts to
increase starting in October.
Locals and visitors buy many
of their Christmas presents from

the gallerys wide variety of fine
art, fiber art, wood art, sculptures, pottery, beeswax candles,
hand-spun yarn, greeting cards
and jewelry.
We have a core group who
shop here regularly for their
gifts, said potter Jan Pacifico.
They come here for birthday
gifts, wedding gifts.
Annual events include a Day
of the Dead exhibit, a Santero
show, a jewelry show, kitchen
show, demonstration shows
and the popular Soup-R-Bowl,
which offers more than 60 different soups and stews served in
bowls made by gallery artists.
We always have good food
and favors, said Pacifico.
Tom Art Gallery has a
large assortment of pottery
made from highly skilled potters in fantastic designs and
colors. The potters offer classes
and the gallery has classes in
basket making, punched tin,
fused glass, Shrinky-Dink jewelry, outdoor flower-watering
ollas and others.
Tom Art Gallery, 2930

N.M. 47, is open from 10 a.m.
to 5 p.m., every day. You can
reach the gallery by calling
505-565-0556, or visit www.
tomegallery.net.
The Luna Mansion

In the village of Los Lunas,
two historic restaurants, Teofilos Restaurante and the Luna
Mansion Landmark Steakhouse,
offer some of the best fine dining in the county.
The dining establishments
are owned by the Torres family,
sons and daughters and grandchildren of the late Pete and
Eligia Torres, founders of Petes
Cafe in Belen.
The two restaurants sit
across from each other on opposite sides of Main Street, just
west of N.M. 314. Both are
historic buildings.
Teofilos is in the house built
for Dr. Earl Wittwer in 1913 on
land purchased from the Solomon Luna estate, and the Luna
Mansion was built in 1881.
There is drama and a rich
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
history encased in the old Victorian style

mansion. Maximilliano Luna was a captain in Theodore Roosevelts Rough Riders, and Roosevelt was also the godfather
of his namesake, Ted Otero.
Notable visitors who have dined at the
mansion include former Gov. Bill Richardson, Gov. Susana Martinez, and actors,
Harrison Ford and Keifer Sutherland.
The restaurant easily sees 100 diners
each day and has special events, including
dinner theater with the Mansion Players,
a community theater group.
The elegant old mansion is decorated
in historic style and many of the paintings are original oils by Josefita Pepe
Manderfield Otero, who gave the mansion
a Southern plantation style by adding the
front portico and iron fence.
There is a history of benevolent ghosts
and the place has an ambiance of a living
museum. It is designated a cultural treasure by the state, and is one of the oldest
family-owned restaurants in New Mexico.
Both restaurants are known for
their excellent chile, rellenos, carne
adovada and home-made natillas, a
traditional New Mexican layer cake.

The Luna Mansion, 110 W. Main
St., Los Lunas, is open from 4 to 9
p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, 11
a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. To reach
the Luna Mansion, call 865-7333, or
visit lunamansion.com.
Teofilos Restaurante, 144 Main St,
Los Lunas, is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30
p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9
p.m., Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 7
p.m. on Sundays. They can be reached at
865-5522, or visit teofilos.com.
LL Museum of Heritage and Arts
Not far east of the two restaurants on

Main Street is the Los Lunas Museum
of Heritage and Arts. It has an extensive
archive of the rich history of the old Luna
and Otero families as well as other families
with historic significance. The museum
also has a database of Valencia County
Historical Society photographs.
There are changing exhibits throughout the year, and some of the most popular
are the Civil War, Route 66, train exhibits
and the Mystery Stone, an ancient stone
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There are many educational presentations, book-signing events, a book
and gift store and extensive genealogy
materials including military records
and immigrant history.
We started with local records and
have been expanding out because of the
reach of the families, said Cynthia Shetter, the director of the Los Lunas Library
and museum.
Many people come to the museum
for the genealogy workshop and to
undertake research.
More out-of-state people come in the
winter months, said Andrea Chavez,
museum specialist. Snow birds and
holidays. Others come to the museum to
retrace their roots and find old relatives, or
re-trace the Confederate route.
The Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts, 251 Main St. SE, Los
Lunas, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Tuesday through Saturday, and closed
on Sunday and Monday. The museum
can be reacted at 505-352-7720, or
visit www.loslunasnm.
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Rio Communities, New Mexico 87002
505-864-2218
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
39
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
40
Belen Schools create a path

toward success
he Belen Consolidated
School District is destined to continue the
path toward academic success
with its driven students and
innovative programs.
About 4,113 students attend Belens seven elementary
schools, middle school, high
school and alternative high
school in a district that is striving to excel.
The Belen district uses programs, such as the Belen High
Schools Career Academy, as a
benchmark to encourage students to be the best they can be.
BHS has made several additions to its Career Academy,
including a pre-engineering program and a health-technologybased program. The academy
includes nursing and emergency
medical technician training.
The academy also has career
pathways in agriculture, digital
media, family and consumer science, business and culinary arts.
There are many courses
in the program that have dual
credit with the University of
New Mexico-Valencia Campus
and Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque.
The district, the 16th largest
in the state, has about 700 employees and 30 administrators
and has implemented programs
from bilingual education to
computer-aided drafting.
Voters approved a $23.75
million bond issue in 2011 that
Belen Schools
Board of Education: Max
Cordova, Larry Garley, Larry
Lindberg, Dolores Lola Quintana
ant Tom Wisneski
Acting Superintendent:
Jennifer Brown
Administrative Offices
520 N. Main St.
Belen, N.M., 87002
505-966-1000
www.beleneagles.org
will bring additional classroom

space and a new indoor community pool to Belen High School,
and a new building for Belens
Family School.
The majority of the bond
money will go to new buildings for a district that needs
additional wings at several of
its sites due to expanding class
sizes and a need to improve
older structures.
Projects, such as Infinity
High School and the football
and baseball field houses, have
kept Belen up to par with the
other school districts in the

state. The district also recently
completed a state-of-the-art tennis complex with eight courts.
Belen Schools also puts a
premium on technology.
The district has installed
microwave towers at each of its
schools to improve bandwidth
speeds for students and teachers
to effortlessly stream content via
the Internet.
In 2010, solar panels were
installed at the high schools
career academy as part of a statewide $4.5 million grant. The
Belen
50-kilowatt solar photovoltaic

system will help offset energy
costs and provide students with
learning opportunities.
High Schools
Belen High School
1619 West Delgado Ave.
Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-1300
Principal: Rodney Wright
Assistant Principals:
Joanne Silva,
Jamie Jones
Students: 1,047
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Infinity High School
221 S. Fourth St.

Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-1500
Dean of Students: Mary Batista
Students: 80
Middle School
Central Elementary
Principal: Katherine Trujillo

Students: 387
600 Picard Ave.

Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-1200
Principal: Emily Sisk-Layman
Students: 211
La Merced Elementary
301 Alame Loop

Rio Communities, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-2100
Principal: Valeryia Gauthier
Assistant principal: Denise Gutierrez
Students: 506
Dennis Chavez Elementary
Belen Middle School
314 South Fourth St.

Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-1600
Principal: Kim Ortiz
Assistant principal: Richard Tafoya
Students: 589
Elementary Schools
Belen Family School
221 S. Fourth St.

Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-2270
Dean of Students: Mary Batista
Students: 116
19670 N.M. 314

Los Chavez, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-1800
Principal: Kelli Williams-Page
Students: 370
La Promesa Elementary
898 N.M. 304

Las Nutrias, N.M., 87062
Phone: 505-966-2400
Principal: Sheila D. Armijo
Students: 213
Gil Sanchez Elementary
362 Jarales Road

Jarales, N.M., 87023
Phone: 505-966-1900
Principal: E. Renee Sanchez
Students: 266
Rio Grande Elementary
H.T. Jaramillo Community School

900 Esperanza Drive
Belen, N.M., 87002
Phone: 505-966-2000
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15 East Side School Road

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Phone: 505-966-2200
Principal: Margaret Manning
Students: 301
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WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
42
Student achievement, success at

Los Lunas Schools
rom pre-kinder all
the way through upperclassman, Los Lunas

Schools consistently provides students with quality
education, an enthusiasm
for knowledge and a drive
to succeed.
Los Lunas Schools is one
of 63 school districts out
of 27,000 nationwide that
was accredited by the North
Central Association Commission on Accreditation
and School Improvement
and achieved the distinguished classification of
district accreditation.
The district is comprised
of roughly 8,500 students
in 16 schools, including 10
elementary schools, two
middle schools, two high
schools and one alternative
high school.
Every school in the
district is enhanced by
the Jostens Renaissance
program, the only national program created to
recognize and reward the
academic achievements of
students from elementary
school through college.
The goals are to increase
student performance and
teacher enthusiasm, and
enhance school community participation.
The old and the new mix
together with Bosque Farms
Elementary as one of the
Los Lunas Schools

Board of Education: Georgia
Otero-Kirkham, Sonya CMoya,
Bryan Smith, Robert Archuletta
and Frank Otero
Superintendent: Dana Sanders
Los Lunas Central Office
119 Luna Ave.
505-865-9636
www.llschools.net
districts oldest schools, built

in 1936, and Sundance Elementary, the newest school,
completed in January 2009.
This year, the reconstruction of Los Lunas High
School is completed and
landscaping will be done this
summer. The new school facility is designed around the
concept of Smaller Learning
Communities, and reflect
state-of-the-art technology.
The high school also
has a 50 kW photovoltaic
solar power system and
students monitor the
system to evaluate daily
energy production, giving

them hands on technical
experience using math,
engineering and the
computerized monitoring
software.
It was the schools Project
Lead the Way pre-engineering students who a few years
ago, brainstormed the initial
architectural design and
optimal location site for the
solar energy system.
The students were also
instrumental in winning a
$600,000 solar energy grant
for the project.
Project Lead the Way
Los Lunas
is a four-year sequence of
courses that introduces
students to the scope, rigor
and discipline of engineering prior to entering college.
Courses offered include
digital electronics and aerospace engineering.
Regardless of which
elementary, middle or high
school any given student
attends, the curriculum standard to which they perform
and academic expectations
remain the same.
All of the high schools
are equipped with computerized E2020 courses
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
and offer dual-enrollment

classes so students can advance at their own speed.
Between curriculum, innovative programs and a rich
history, Los Lunas students
are reaping the benefits of a
multidimensional school district that prepares them for
tomorrow, while instilling a
sense of community.
High Schools
Los Lunas High School
1776 Emilio Lopez Rd.
Phone: 865-4646
Principal: Dan Padilla
Staff: 116, Certified 69
Students: 1,202
Valencia High School
310 Bonita Vista Blvd.

Phone: 565-8755
Principal: Darian Jaramillo
Students: 1,030
Century High School
320 Bonita Vista Blvd.

Phone: 866-2153
Principal: Eliseo Aguirre
Students: 135
Middle Schools
Los Lunas Middle School
220 Luna Ave.
Phone: 865-7273
Principal: Susana Stanojevic
Staff: 68 Certified 40
Students: 680
Valencia Middle School
Katherine Gallegos
Tom Elementary
Elementary Schools
Los Lunas Elementary
Valencia Elementary
Peralta Elementary
Sundance Elementary
22 Marlink Road
Phone: 865-1750
Principal: Yvonne Tabet
Students 545
Los Lunas Family School

32 Sun Valley Rd.
Phone: 865-6223
Principal: Victoria Baca
Students: 34
Desert View Elementary

49 Camino La Canada
Phone: 866-2488
Principal: Diedra Martinez
Students: 460
236 Don Pasqual Road

Phone: 865-6223
Principal: Victoria Baca
Students: 559
800 Coronado Road

Phone: 865-9313
Principal: Denise Cannon
Students: 550
3645 N.M. 47
Peralta, N.M., 87042
Phone: 869-2679
Principal: Monica Arguello
Students: 345
46 Chacon Road
Tome, N.M., 87066
Phone: 865-1102
Principal: Casey Ahner
Students: 503
111 Monica Road

Phone: 865-3017
Principal: Julie Crum
Students: 452
3701 Sundance Road

Los Lunas, NM 87031
Phone: 866-0185
Principal: Mildred M. Chavez
Students: 600
43
Raymond Gabaldon
454 Coronado
Phone: 866-0456
Principal: Barbara Carrillo
Students: 450
Ann Parish Elementary
112 Meadow Lake

Phone: 865-9652
Principal: Mary McGowan
Students: 445
Bosque Farms
1390 W. Bosque Loop

Bosque Farms, N.M., 87066
Phone: 869-2646
Principal: Cindy Philips
Students: 551
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213 S. Main St. Belen, NM
864-6722
Tuesday-Friday 10am-4pm Saturday 10am-12pm

WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
44
Students soar at
School of Dreams academy
he School of Dreams
Academy, the only public
charter school in Valencia
County, offers an alternative to
the traditional education format
by specializing in digital arts,
performing arts, engineering
and robotics. The academys
central focus is an integration of
STEAM; Science Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Math.
It is a national and international accredited charter school
through AdvancED.
There are four core areas of
curriculum: math, social studies,
science and language arts that
are taught online. Students wear
headphones to listen to instruction in E2020 computer classes,
yet also have on hand assistance
from their classroom teacher.
A community service
component helps students
develop into well-rounded
individuals and citizens. They
receive hands-on ecological
education through environmental community service,
and develop projects to engage
with senior citizens. There are
other interactive community
activities, and the robotics
department won a $41,000
award last year, to mentor
elementary school robotics
teams from other schools.
SODA opened its doors in
August 2009 with grades seven
through nine, adding a grade
level each year. This year, the
school has its third graduating
School of Dreams
Academy
Governing Council: Kathy
Chavez, Juanita Sena, Dr. David
Schneider, Kenneth Griego, Gene
Carabajal and Teresa A. Ogas
Principal: Mike Ogas
SODA offices
1800 Main St., SE,
505-866-7632
www.sodacharter.org
Students: 376
class and several of the students

have been awarded scholarships
through recognition for their
outstanding performance in
robotics and dance.
Students are encouraged
to learn at their own pace,
and some students graduate
early because the school offers
dual and concurrent college
enrollment, which is a rapidly
expanding program.
Classes are available on
the SODA campus and at the
University of New MexicoValencia Campus.
Weve been doing really
good in our dual-enrollment
numbers the last couple of

years, but for some of our
older kids this could begin to
look more like a community
college setting, said Principal Mike Ogas.
This year, the school
partnered with UNM-VC in
an Early College High School
program, which will enable dual
credit students to earn their associate degrees by the time they
graduate from high school.
The ECHS program offers
students a path to associate degrees and job-ready certification.
The School of Dreams Education Foundation, a separate
Los Lunas
entity, is in the process of securing a loan to purchase land and

build a new school to accommodate the schools growth.
The students have attracted
a lot of attention, which has
brought them opportunities for
internships and scholarships.
Last summer, a team won
a chance to compete in the
MIT 2013-14 Lemelson-MIT
InvenTeams competition. The
SODA team was selected from
30 national applicants, and
won an $8,600 grant to build a
prototype of their invention; a
remote sensing protection device
for stationary police vehicles.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
First Baptist
Church of
Bosque Farms
www.fbcbf.com
505.869.2759
Sunday
Bible Study 9:15
Worship Service 10:30
Wednesday
Midweek service 6pm
Children and Youth
activities 6pm
45
Nursery is available for all services
Bosque Farms
Church of Christ
...a place to grow, to serve and get connected with Jesus!

Sunday
9:30 am
10:30 am
11:45-12:30pm
12:45-1:30pm
Wednesday
Bible Study
Worship
Lunch Served
Early Afternoon Worship
6:30 am Bible Study
1635 Bosque Farms Blvd.

Bosque Farms, NM
www.bfcofc.org
505-869-3588
A place to belong
75 Manzano Expressway Rio Communities

864-6095 www.firstumcbelen.org
First United Methodist Church

Home of Watch Me Grow Preschool
9am Contemporary Worship 11am Traditional Worship
9am Childrens Church
6pm Wednesday Fellowship Dinner
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
46
legacy of education and

excellence at UNM-Valencia Campus
UNM-VC
Advisory Board: Russell Griego,
Paul Luna, Belinda Martinez and
Eloisa Tabet
Executive director: Dr. Alice
Letteny
UNM-VC Administration
280 La Entrada Road
505-925-8500
www.vc.unm.edu
Local community college bursting with opportunities
ike the fountain in the center of

campus, students spring forth from academic buildings across the University of
New Mexico-Valencia Campus, hurrying on
their way to their next learning experience.
For more than three decades, the
UNM branch campus, nestled in Tom,
has been the home of higher education in
Valencia County.
The University of New Mexico began
serving the educational needs of Valencia
County when the Eastern Valencia County
Satellite Center opened its doors at the Valley Community Center in Rio Communities. A total of $93,000 in seed money was
raised to help open the facility.

A formal proposal to establish the branch
was accepted by UNM in March 1981, and
classes began in August of that year. Technical certificates and associate degrees could
now be completed locally for the first time in
Valencia Countys history.
Continued growth in enrollment and
program offerings soon created a need for
additional space and new facilities. A new
campus at the present 150-acre site was
built in response to this need.
The four-building campus, consisting of
an administration building, two classroom
halls and a cafeteria-student center, opened
Tom
its doors in the summer of 1986. The campus currently utilizes just under 26 acres, so
there is plenty of room for expansion.
During the years, additional classrooms
and space for services have been added,
including a library and learning resource
center in 1994, student-community center,
wellness center and bookstore in 2000 and
health science building in 2004.
The health science building consists
of a cadaver lab, science labs, classrooms
and offices.
In the fall of 2005, the Vocational/
Career Technical Center was built, containing classrooms, computer labs, and the
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
TRiO program offices, computer lab and

conference rooms.
The Health Sciences building also
houses UNM-VCs nursing program. In
2009, the school received a $1.38 million
Department of Labor grant to establish the
two-year associates degree program.
The vision of the program is to develop professional nurses with abilities to
promote, restore and maintain health for
individuals, families and groups within
our rural community.
Each course is designed to prepare students for state or national certification.
Dr. Alice Letteney, the campuss
executive director since 1995, said when
the campus opened in 1981, UNM-VC
had a head count of 320 students. This
spring, it boasted a head count of more
than 2,400, a number that includes the
700-plus students enrolled in dual credit
courses through the campus.
Since the driving goal of the campus
has been to bring higher education to the
community, UNM-VC has always been an
active partner with local high schools, offering dual credit opportunities.
Recently, the campus has joined the
countys only charter school, the School
of Dreams Academy, in offering an Early
College High School program, which will
enable dual credit students to earn their
associate degrees by the time they graduate
from high school.
The ECHS program will offer SODA
students a path to associate degrees and
job-ready certification in auto mechanics,
business administration, computer-aided
drafting, digital media arts, game design and
simulation, information technology, office
and business technology, studio art, sustainable building, construction technology,
liberal arts, emergency medicine, general
science, health education, nursing and preengineering.
The campuss own dual credit program
is booming, and has increased enrollment
every semester for the last three years.
In her years as executive director of
the campus, Letteney said many programs
have been implemented that have furthered

educational opportunities.
Letteney said interest in STEM science, technology, engineering and math
programs have exploded. The school
continues to offer new programs, such as its
video game design and simulation program,
3-D printing and new courses in chemistry
and engineering.
As the campus approaches its 40th
anniversary in 2018, there is also the
understanding that keeping students physically comfortable helps them achieve their
educational goals improvements such as
this years upgrades to the schools heating
and cooling system are done regularly.
The University of New MexicoValencia Campus is located in Tom, halfway between the city of Belen and village
of Los Lunas, the two main population
centers of Valencia County. The campus
occupies 150 acres of rural land overlooking the Rio Grande Valley, the Manzano
Mountains and Tom Hill.
Adult & Senior Mobile HoMe CoMMunity
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
47
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
48
Los Lunas trails are

fun for the entire family
Los Lunas has miles of trails to walk, run and hike
or many in Los Lunas and

Valencia County, the hiking trails
within the village of Los Lunas are
a largely unknown gem in the middle
of central New Mexico.
The six total miles of bosque trails to
the north and south of Riverside Park
along the Rio Grande are well known
among area residents, and well used,
according to Michael Jaramillo, community services director for the village
of Los Lunas.
The village also recently opened
the trails at the El Cerro de Los lunas
Preserve to the public. The three main
trails at the El Cerro Preserve, which

was developed five years before the
grand opening of the space in October
2013, total about 18 miles all told.
The Overlook Trail, Bowl Trail and
Trailhead are what Jaramillo calls goat
trails, narrow and somewhat rugged.
Basically, the trails in Los Lunas
are two types of ecological environments, Jaramillo said. The bosque
is a very beautiful cottonwood
forest (and) people who walk there
sometimes cant believe theyre in
an arid desert area. They feel like
theyre in a forest.
Los Lunas
Jaramillo said the wider, open valley trails of the bosque are popular
among walkers and runners, as well
as those with horses.
There are a lot of horse groups
that are riding the bosque trails, as
well as the trails at El Cerro, he said.
The bosque trails are getting a lot
more usage and were seeing a lot of
positive use.
The bosque trails in the center of
Los Lunas hosted a high school cross
country meet and fun run in the fall
and are likely to host similar events
in the future.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Right now, what people

are looking for are recreational opportunities like hiking, walking and jogging, for
the health aspects, Jaramillo
said. The trails offer that
and its an affordable way to
stay healthy.
Mountain bikers are also
a group that use the bosque
trails. Unfortunately, the trails
at El Cerro are off limits to
pedal bikes for now, though
that could change in the
future. Jaramillo said in their
current configuration, the
trails at El Cerro are probably
a little to rugged for any but
the most experienced and
adventurous mountain bikers.
Other restrictions on
the El Cerro Preserve
include all motorized
vehicles and motorized
off-road terrain vehicles.
Jaramillo said the El Cerro
Preserve has proven popular
since the opening , getting
high marks from both locals
and visitors alike. The village
recently hosted its first largescale event, the King of the
Hill 5K race on the trails
with plans for similar events
in the future.
Weve seen a lot of foot
traffic on the trails and
received numerous compliments from people who have
come to visit, he said. A lot
of folks have said its exciting
to have trails like these in
their backyard.
In addition to the trail
head, which is situated off
N.M. 6, a second trail head
is slated to be built on the
east side of El Cerro near the
Huning Ranch subdivision.
The village is currently put-
49
ting together the funding for

that phase two project.
As for the bosque trails,
Jaramillo said the Open Space
Division would be spending
time this summer making
improvements to the north
bosque trails as well as their
usual upkeep of that trail and
the Riverside Park trails.
He also said that if and
when a second river crossing
is established, that the village
plans to build a trail head
next to that, though that is
several years in the future.
Thats something the village is prepared for, Jaramillo
said. For now, were looking
to keep the existing trails
well maintained so people
can continue to use them and
enjoy them as much as they
are now.
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
50
Quality of Life includes

our beautiful bosque
Middle Rio Grande Valley alive with life and nature
n the midst of the lazy, winding waterway

of the Rio Grande lies an ecological
system that a lot of people have come to
know as a place for a peaceful stroll or a
quiet horseback ride.
But the Rio Grande bosque, which runs
through the heart of Valencia County, holds
much more importance than that.
The bosque is defined as the forested area
from the rivers edge to the ditchbanks. At
points, it can be a quarter-mile wide. At
other points, it is only a few hundred yards.
The bosque is the largest such ecosystem
in the world, stretching 200 miles from
Cochiti Lake to the northern edge of the
Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge near
Socorro. The bosque has international
recognition as the longest continuous cottonwood forest in the world.

The vast ecosystem that contains two
endangered species, large wildlife habitats
and recreational opportunities for visitors,
the management of the bosque comes
under the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy
District in whole or in conjunction with
several other agencies.
Endangered species
The most famous endangered species in
the Rio Grande system, the silvery minnow,
is responding to conservation efforts to
restore its habitat.
The recovery of the minnow is going well.
The bosque is noted as a natural flyway for
Valencia County
migratory birds that range from sandhill

cranes to various hawks and vultures.
Carved out of the bosque are various refuge areas, including Whitfields
Wildlife Conservation Area north of
Rio Communities.
The Southwest willow flycatcher, a
small insect-eating bird that is olive-gray
in color, has been on the endangered
species list since 1995.
Restoring habitat
An old dairy, donated by the Whitfield
family, now serves as a habitat for birds and
native wildlife of all types that is home to
more than 200 species of birds, or about half
of the known species in New Mexico.
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
Although mostly sawgrass

meadow, the wildlife area is
attached to the bosque and
its boundaries even extend to
the river. Wildlife that needs
wooded areas are seen at the
Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area often, such as the
Swainsons hawk that nests in
the trees of the bosque and feed
in the sawgrass.
Fire danger
For the past several years,

wild fires have damaged and
destroyed hundreds of acres of
bosque. The dry and sometimes
dangerous brush is a hazard
that has ignited flames and fear
in the area.
With the introduction of
the levee system to the Rio
Grande in the mid-1930s, any
drought becomes dangerous for
potential fires.
One of the most important
issues facing the bosque management is fire prevention and
controlling the fuel that not
only burns very hot and fast,
but limits access for fire teams
to battle the blazes.
The MRGCD accepts input
from the towns, counties and
cities as to how wooded they
want their area of bosque. He
also said area fire departments
are the ones that fight blazes
within the bosque.
As part of that effort,
the Los Lunas Open Space
Division reported that fire
has been a significant issue in
that part of the bosque in the
past several years.
While some small fires
have been quickly extinguished by local firefighters,
evidence of bonfires and
campfires has been found in
the Los Lunas area.
Recreation in the bosque
The bosque provides an oasis

for an otherwise arid region.
The protection that it gives for
wildlife makes it a natural habitat for hunting and fishing.
But the sensitive ecosystem
is guarded by some restrictions
of activity that can happen
within the bosque.
The enjoyment of the
bosque can be experienced by
hiking, biking and horseback
riding. Most of the trails are
along the ditchbanks within
the bosque.
No motorized vehicles,
including four-wheelers and
off-road vehicles are allowed in
the bosque.
Several walking trail has
been added at the Los Lunas
River Park.
a playground and a refuge that

is worth preserving.
Special interest groups, such
as the Friends of the Bosque
and the Ditch Bank Bandits,
provide invaluable help in
maintaining the bosque.
New Mexico Tech
PERFORMING ARTS SERIES
Performing Arts Series

at Socorros
Macey Center
Family
Theater
Dance
It takes everyone
According to officials at
MRGCD, more than 150
agencies and governments
have a stake in the wooded
river-fed ecology.
From national agencies to
the New Mexico Game and
Fish Department to villages,
towns and cities, the bosque is
The Ditch Bank Bandits

regularly have cleanups in the
bosque to keep the natural resource alive for future generations, as well as fishing derbies
to show residents and visitors
the uniqueness of the bosque.
World
nmtpas.org
facebook.com/NMTPAS
(575)835-5688
WELCOME TO
Valencia County
51
VALENCIA
COUNTY
News-Bulletin
LIFE AND LEISURE
52
Farming is a way of life

in Valencia County
Our greenbelt makes life worth living
ractors rattle down main streets and

country roads, verdant fields glow in
the pale morning light and fat bellied
goats bleat cheerfully.
Signs that Valencia County is a community rooted deeply in agriculture are evident
at every turn. From the alfalfa, chile and
pecan farmers to the ranchers, bee keepers
and master gardeners, the valley is a vibrant
greenbelt, teeming with life.
This rural setting is a prized and fragile
commodity, performing a delicate balancing act between conserving its agricultural resources and the inevitable need to
grow commercially and residentially.

I think you have so many demands
on our agricultural land today, says
farmer and land developer Mike Mechenbier. It really needs to become a more
concerted effort to preserve it. Youve got
demands on the water; every municipality wants this water that were using.
Youve got urban demands, people come
in and see the pretty green and they want
to chop it up and live on it.
Its a resource that we dont put
enough value on, this greenbelt, and there
needs to be an emphasis to preserve it.
Valencia County
Because once its gone, its gone forever,

its never going to go back to agriculture at
a later date.
On a sunny autumn morning on Mechenbiers pecan farm south of Belen, light
filters through the leaves of the young
trees and bounces off the dew collected on
the grass and rogue corn plants carpeting
the orchard floor.
To the east lays the lush Rio Grande
Valley. Beyond that, the majestic Manzano Mountains reach skyward, and
to the west the comparatively barren
mesa lays in stark contrast, dotted with
2015-2016
VISITORS GUIDE
prickly pear and rabbit brush.

Mechenbier waves his hand westward,
Look at all this land that isnt farmland,
he says. You move that development out of
the valley, keep it off the agricultural land.
Once you build a house on a piece of
this agricultural land, youll change the
nature of it in perpetuity. Its never coming
back. Its never agricultural land again.
The average age of farmers in the county,
he says, is pushing 60, and their land is
their retirement, which is one reason many
farms are being sold and subdivided. In
many instances, subdividing is their most
economical decision.
They dont have enough money for
retirement and so they have to look at their
land and say this is my only asset and how
do I maximize the value of this asset, and its
subdividing it, said Harvey Crowley, farm
manager at Mechenbiers farm.
Both men agree the solution lays in farmers finding new ways to utilize their land by
moving toward more high value crops, such
as raspberries, chile, wine grapes and pecans.
I think the only way youll preserve
the greenbelt here in Valencia County, or

anywhere on this river bottom, is agriculture
needs to change, says Mechenbier. It
needs to become economical and sustainable.
Youre seeing higher dollar crops go in ...
Agriculture needs to economically compete
against other development uses for this land
for it to survive.
Another side effect of subdivision,
said Crowley, is the loss of water rights.
If you have a 10-acre farm and sell one
acre, thats an acre of water you cant get
back, as an individual, but sometimes
also as a community.
If we dont use (that water) here, it goes
to Texas, he said.
Valencia County Planning and Zoning
Community Services Director Jacobo
Martinez agrees with the need for agriculture to diversify in order to survive in the
county, citing wine making as a product
that has a history in the valley and is now
making a resurgence as a high value
crop and product.
I think theres a definite culture thats
built around agriculture in Valencia
County, says Martinez. Its been here

for generations its been here for years
and people feel it in their hearts. Were an
agricultural community. We hold that type
of country value in a lot of ways and its
kind of ingrained in the DNA, its ingrained
in the built environment with the acequia
system and its ingrained with the type of
flood irrigation that we do for alfalfa.
All over the county, Martinez says individuals and communities are finding creative
ways to prevent further subdivision and
preserve existing agricultural lands.
He gives the example of the community
association of San Clemente, which is working to establish the San Clemente Rangeland
Trust, a conservation trust that would
legally protect the designated rangeland from
subdivision forever.
Theyre actually working on creating
an agricultural land trust where they want
to make a greenbelt easement for cattle
and cattle grazing, and using that cattle
for local markets and trying to get local
restaurants to buy into the local market of
cattle, says Martinez.
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VALENCIA
COUNTY
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LIFE AND LEISURE
54
Our language,
our life
ere are some basic Spanish terms that might

come in handy when
youre talking to folks in Valencia County:
Acequias: Irrigation
ditches.
Biscochitos: A traditional
sugar cookie baked with anise,
most often served at Christmas
time. If you dont think New
Mexicans take food seriously,
then remember that the State
Legislature debated the words
spelling for hours when making
it the official state cookie.
Bosque: Forest. Its most
often used to describe the cottonwood stand along the Rio
Grande. (Pronounced: bos-kay.)
Bueno: Good.
Cerro: Hill. We have El
Cerro de Tom Tom Hill;
El Cerro de Los Lunas and a
community named El Cerro.
Chicharrones: Fried pork
skin. Southerners called them
chitlins. Theyre cooked fresh
at a matanza.
Chile: This is the correct
Spanish spelling of the states
official fruit. Chili comes from
Texas or out of a can con carne.
El Camino Real: The royal
road that stretched from Mexico
City all the way to Santa Fe
through the heart of Valencia
County. It was the main route
along which trade was moved in
colonial days.
El Rio Abajo: The lower
river, the area surrounding the
Rio Grande down to the Las
Cruces area.
Fiesta: A party; more
commonly used to designate

the days-long celebrations held
by Catholic churches in New
Mexico to mark their saint days.
Frijoles: Pinto beans, the
states official vegetable.
La Llarona: The Weeping
Woman. A classic Southwestern
and Mexican ghost story about a
woman who murdered her children. Shes also called the Ditch
Witch and is used to frighten
children (and make them stay
away from the fast-running
irrigation water.)
Luminarias: A Christmas
decoration created by placing a
candle in sand at the bottom of
a small paper bag. Theyre set
along sidewalks and the roofs
of houses. In northern New
Mexico, theyre called farolitos;
luminarias there are small bonfires. Its all very confusing. Just
go with the flow and enjoy.
Manzano: The mountains
at the eastern edge of the
county, named for the apples
whose rosy color they glow with
at some times of the day.
Matanza: A barbecue at
which a pig or goat is butchered and prepared outside.
Very good eating.
Mesa: The flat-topped hills
seen throughout the Southwest.
A perfect example can be seen
at the western edge of Belen.
Mijito or mijita: The
shortened version of Mi hijito
(little son) or Mi hijita (little
daughter); usually used fondly
by a parent when addressing or
talking about their child.
Pion: Pine nut
A g i n g i s pa r t o f
A g e l e s s n es s i s a w a y
gardengatedayspa
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l i f e,
of living
nmagelessliving
Open to the Public for spa and salon services

& bistro dining experience.
Wed love you to join our community
Striving for Excellence in
EDUCATION
What We Offer:
Highly competitive salaries
Excellent benefits
Great small town values
Family-friendly workplace
Professional development training
What We Do:
Provide outstanding instructional leadership
Implement Common Core State Standards
Encourage excellence in education
Offer a safe learning environment
Foster academic, social & emotional growth
District Mission Statement

To help students acquire the knowledge, skills and character to become productive
adults, deal effectivelywith change, and have a positive impact on their community.
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What We Have:
Outstanding academic programs
State-of-the art technology
School Reach Communication System
Truancy prevention strategies
Anti-Bullying Program
55
Informative web site
Extra-curricular activities
9th Grade Academy & Career Academy
Teacher Resource Center
Alternative learning environments
belen consolidated schools

WELCOME TO
For more information, call 505-966-1000 or visit us at http://beleneagles.org

Valencia County
VALENCIA
COUNTY
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VISITORS GUIDE

Valencia Countys premier guide

Belen Harvey House Museum

Bugg Lights Display

Belen Flight, Film

Belen Farmers Market

Rio Abajo Days

Financial options for

COVER & TEMPLATE DESIGN

The Valencia County Visitors Guide

Welcome to Valencia County

Plenty to do in Valencia County

Transportation in Valencia County

Los Lunas: Small Community, Big Possibilities

Continuing to build new traditions in Belen

Bosque Farms makes life look easy

Daring to be different in Rio Communities

A long history of farming and faith in Peralta

Raising families and farms in Valencia County

Moving into Valencia County

Annual community events

Celebrating who we are

Bugg Lights in Belen

Visiting Valencia County

Belen Schools create a path toward success

Students achieve success at Los Lunas Schools

Students soar at School of Dreams Academy

University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus

Los Lunas trails

Farming is a way of life in Valencia County

Our language, our life

Daring to Dream Building a Dream Living the Dream!

TuiTioN FREE CHARTER SCHooL

EARLy CoLLEgE HigH SCHooL

A well-educated work force supports the economic development

1800 Main Street , Los Lunas, NM 87031 www.sodacharter.net 505-866-7632

ouve heard the expression its

We see the growing community of artists

the days are hot, the nights are refreshingly

Follow the signs...

to an easier home buying

CENTURY 21: The Gold Standard.

Calendar of events: From music fests to matanzas

eople in Valencia County enjoy having a fiesta

The Belen Harvey House

at Heritage Park on Lambros

The Belen Harvey House

The annual Fourth of July

toad racing, indoor exhibits, a rolling-pin

A Summer Arts and Crafts Fair will

Office on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The events will

on the last weekend of the fair.

Viva New Mexico Chile Festival will

AMB Valencia Visitors Guide 7.25x4.333 2.indd 1

Continued from page 9

all things art and art swap meet.

University Science Center

will be held from 7 - 9 p.m.,

The annual Fishing

The Los Lunas Museum

The annual Winter Ball,

Dec. 5, down Main Street.

The 21st annual Dr. Martin Luther

drens activities, an art center and live