Favorite Things Friday

With evening monsoons and nearly unbearable daytime temperatures, there’s nothing like a nice event to take your mind off August’s continually bizarre weather.  If you’re plan-less this weekend, choose a few of these events to pack your calendar!

Experience the bittersweet, inspiring story of a group of students at New York City’s High School for Performing Arts as they discover prejudice, issues with identity, and self worth, and learn how to survive being young.  FAME, The Musical is presented by Albuquerque Little Theatre and runs at various times Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Tickets are $15 for adults.

Expect the wonderful music of 2008 Best of the City winner, Le Chat Lunatique at the First Friday Patio Party at Plaza Sombra.  The old-style French café jazz group will entertain visitors from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. Enjoy the atmosphere of Old Town and take in the sights and sounds of this very-popular monthly party.

Head out to Expo New Mexico this weekend to see an incredible selection and variety of antiques at the 12^th annual Great Southwestern Antique Show.  More than 200 dealers will fill the Lujan Center with antiques, fine art, and treasures of every shape and size.  Admission is $8 and the show is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Try the delicious wines of New Mexico while viewing the talented work of area quilters at this year’s Quilt and Wine Fair in Corrales.  Expect quilting lectures, arts and crafts, wine lectures, and book signings.  Admission for adults is $15, and the festival takes place from noon to 6 p.m. at the Corrales Recreation Center.

Celebrate being a New Mexico State University Aggie with the Isotopes this Saturday night as the ‘Topes take on the Sacramento River Cats.  Bring friends and family decked out in NMSU crimson and white for a great game and delicious baseball-park food and a little shameless celebration of your Aggie heritage!

What are you up to this weekend?

Favorite Things Friday (Fourth of July Edition)

We’re definitely looking forward to the three-day Fourth of July weekend.  And, you know you are, too!  So crank up the patriotic music and toss some franks on the grill, and then head out and celebrate the Fourth at one of Albuquerque’s wonderful events!

If you’re hoping to celebrate the Fourth a couple days early this year, Isotopes Park has you covered.  BBoy McCoy present fireworks following the Isotopes v. Oklahoma City Redhawks game on July 2 and First Community Bank sponsors post-game fireworks on July 3.

I can very honestly say, the Corrales 4^th of July Parade is unlike any other.  It has all the staples of a typical Fourth parade, vintage cars, firetrucks, horses.  Unlike (well, I’m assuming) any other, however, the Corrales parade often features a Kazoo band, kids walking unusual animals, and well, expect the unexpected.  The parade begins at 10 a.m. on Corrales Road.  This gem of an event is about as New Mexico-American as a parade can get.

The more traditional Rio Rancho Fourth of July Parade beings at 10 a.m. on Southern Boulevard near Country Club Drive and will end at Pinetree Road, near the Esther Bone Memorial Library.  Try a unique spin on parade going by participating!  Take the kids and their decorated bikes over to Joe’s Pasta House restaurant parking lot at 9 a.m. to register to ride in the parade.  There will be prizes!

The best place to watch New Mexico’s biggest fireworks display?  Where it happens!  Freedom Fourth takes place at Balloon Fiesta Park from 4 to 10 p.m. The event will feature five bands, food vendors and kids activities galore. The event is free to enter, but parking is $10.  You can avoid that fee by using the Park and Ride shuttles, which will pick up and drop off at St. Pius High School and Coronado Center and only cost $1 per person.

The City of Rio Rancho will celebrate 234 years of America with a fireworks show at Rio Rancho High School.  The high school football stadium will provide seating for the show.  Live music begins at 8 p.m. and the fireworks start at 9:30 p.m.  The event is free, but parking is $5, with proceeds benefitting the Rio Rancho High School Booster Club.

What will you be doing for the Fourth of July holiday weekend?

Favorite Things for this HOT Friday

We’re all workin’ for the weekend, and oh-so-lucky for us, it’s almost here!  ATM looked far and wide for the coolest events this first hot June weekend.  Here’s what we found!

1.  It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend. There’s not going to be a nicer weekend to get outside and walk!  Instead of just walking for fun, check out the Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk, and do it for a cause!  Since 1989 the walk has raised more than $300 million. Registration begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, or preregister online!

2.  When it comes to music, Albuquerque artists are hard to beat.  As part of the “Buy Locally, Eat Locally, Celebrate Locally” initiative, Locally Grown Music will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 5, at Robinson Park.  Various Albuquerque groups will accompany all of the other wonderful locally grown products the Grower’s Markets always offer.

3.  In cooperation with Partners for Health, a Haitian medical group, Albuquerque artists have donated handmade bowls to generate emergency funds benefiting the earthquake-devastated country.  Bowls for Haiti takes place on Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Harwood Art Center, and the event is free.

4.  Grab the bleacher chairs and ‘Topes gear—our very favorite baseball team is back for June!  The Isotopes take on the Memphis Redbirds at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 5, at Isotopes Park and 1:35 p.m. Sunday, June 6.  Be sure to stay until the end—there will be lovely post-game fireworks!

5.  If all your garden is lacking is inspiration, the Corrales Garden Tour is certainly the best way to find it.  Nine Corrales gardens will welcome visitors on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Tickets are $10 and are available in advance at Village Mercantile, Frontier Mart and Oasis Coffee and Tea.  Tickets can also be purchased on Sunday at the event and information headquarters, Madeleine’s Place.

That’s what we’re doing with this weekend.  What are your plans?

Favorite Things Friday

The ATM offices have been abuzz this week with fun ABQ-related stuff. Check out some of the things that have kept us busy at the water cooler, then tell us: what are you loving today?

Saturday, July 18, is Papa John’s Customer Appreciation Day: get a large pepperoni, sausage, or cheese pizza for $5.99 (carry out only). Yum and yes, please! (Papa John’s does this every third Saturday of every month—yep, consider our calendars marked.)

Musical Theatre Southwest’s production of the award-winning Broadway musical, “The Producers.” It runs through next weekend and we can’t wait to see it.

The Isotopes are playing the New Orleans Zephyrs tomorrow, and apparently “The Famous Chicken” will make his Isotopes Park debut. We don’t know what this means, exactly, but you can bet we’ll be there.

The hysterical Pajama Men start a new show, “The Last Stand to Reason.” Tonight is opening night, which includes live music and refreshments.

Star Sightings—ABQ Style

When I lived in New York City, it was completely normal to run into movie stars on a daily basis: I’d stand in line for groceries behind them (Sarah Jessica Parker), take a body sculpting class with them (Brooke Shields), eat pasta at the table next to them (Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Emma Thompson—that time was a three-fer!). 

Because it was such a daily occurrence, it stopped being a big deal pretty quickly. You’d say you saw Paris Hilton at Bloomingdale’s with the same sort of tone you’d say there was a massively long line to get your bagel and shmear. Stars really just made tiny cameos in your day.

In Albuquerque, thanks to the ever-growing local film industry, there are celebs all around us. At least, this is what I hear, because everyone else apparently sees them all the time: George Clooney at QBar, Jason Bateman at an Isotopes game. But me? I haven’t seen anyone!

My hypothesis is that, here, I’m just not used to seeing famous people in my hometown, so I’m not looking. My celeb radar isn’t on, and besides, it’s creaky and dusty. It hasn’t been used in a long time.

I know that part of what stars like about Albuquerque is that it’s laid-back; no paparazzi here, thankyouverymuch. We let people be. And while I don’t want to out these stars’ local hangouts or anything like that, I admit I’m dying to know: which celebrities have you seen in Albuquerque?