Alamogordo NM
7-16-2023 9:39am

Saturday in Alamogordo Community Snapshots and Insight

Alamogordo’s citizens were able to be engaged in community service, enjoy wonderful foods and street shopping at Foodies Paradise, learn history and the legends of from New York Avenue and zip to Las Cruces for the evening in remembrance of the Trinity Downwinders.

The day of service opportunities began at 7 am with a plethora of volunteers out bright and early to tackle the annual Alamogordo District 5 cleanup hosted by City Commissioner, Sharon McDonald. This event saw a cross section of diversity in volunteers from multiple nonprofits, general citizens, and religious leaders come out and support community cleanup and pride. Reverend Warren L Robinson led a group of volunteers in one direction, and other community volunteers headed off in another direction each assigned properties for cleanup. Community members came out and dumped waste, shredded documents, weeded, picked up and laughed along the way. The head did not stop the enthusiasm nor the community pride of display.

For those new to Alamogordo, District 5 is the largest district by land mass of the city commissioners districts. It includes the infamous local Hispanic Community center and the spiritual center of the Black Community of Alamogordo originally known as Chihuahua, also referred to as Chihuahuita. This neighborhood was the historical primary Mexican/Latin American enclave and has a reputation by some as an area in decline. What is forgotten however is the state streets were the original inhabitants of the city.

The neighborhood was once a thriving community of small stores, restaurants, homes and generations of families. The growth of Alamogordo over the decades was funded by the property taxes, sale tax collections and labors of those living in this historic neighborhood.

The neighborhood and the district is rich in history, the annual cleanup hosted by Commissioner Sharon McDonald is one of many efforts to rebuild community pride and awareness of the importance of this historic neighborhood, and of the district in whole. The community rehabilitation of the Dudley School into a Community Center is another effort again volunteer led and championed by Mrs. McDonald and a group of volunteers undertaking community service and building community pride.

District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald
District 5 Cleanup 2023 hosted by Sharon McDonald

During the afternoon, after volunteering for the community cleanup, many locals then proceeded to the nearby 10th Street and New York Avenue, also within Ms McDonald’s District 5 and within Chihuahuita to celebrate the street vendors and participate in Maggie Nowell and Blush Salons big annual event “Foodie Paradise.” Each year Maggie and her team puts on a variety of special street side events that bring out artisans, food vendors and live musical performers. Yesterdays event was another success. Despite the hot temperatures and then a wind gust the vendors and community came together to celebrate in an atmosphere of fun and laughter.

Foodies Paradise hosted by Blush Salon
Foodies Paradise hosted by Blush Salon

Also as a continuation of education and entertainment the monthly New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour was conducted beginning at 10th and New York at the Roadrunner Galleria also located in the historic Chihuahuita district of Sharon McDonald’s District 5. This particular tour was one of the most special that’s been conducted. Since the tour began over 400 participants have learned the history and the legends of the district. This Saturday’s tour included showcasing businesses with the district, telling the legends about a few of the haunted places and spirits roaming the district and a behind the scenes view of the district. It was such a joy for to host on behalf of Roadrunner Galleria Featuring the Local Bodega a group of very engaged and enthusiastic individuals from Otero County Advocates for Developmental Disabilities - OCADD. To date the tour has hosted over 400 individuals but Saturday’s “was one of the most memorable and special. So many good questions, great dialog and amazing smiles and engagement, according to your leaders. 

Great job to the  partners at Roadrunner Galleria, Otero Arts Inc, Donna at the Flickinger Center for Performing Arts and Debbie at the Tularosa Basin Museum for making it another educational experience.

New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Flickinger Center with FC Volunteer host Donna Sennet
New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Roadrunner Galleria
New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Flickinger Center with FC Volunteer host Donna Sennet
History Tour hosted by Otero Arts
New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Tularosa Basin Museum
New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Tularosa Basin Museum
New York Avenue Ghost and History Tour at Tularosa Basin Museum

And then finally several locals strolled outside Alamogordo and District 5 to Las Cruces to remember the plight of the Downwinders of the Tularosa Basin via art and via a candlelight vigil.

Branigan Cultural Center (BCC) opened an exhibit titled “Trinity: Legacies of Nuclear Testing - A People’s Perspective” Saturday, July 15th.

With collaboration from the Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium (TBDC) and 17 juried artists, the exhibit exposes the long-term effects and ramifications of nuclear testing in New Mexico. The exhibition continues through Sept. 23 at BCC, 501 N. Main St. downtown.

The exhibit’s opening reception was 11 a.m.-1 p.m. July 15 at BCC. It included musical performances, food and a presentation by TBDC Co-Founder Tina Cordova. TBDC was formed “to bring attention to the negative health effects that plague the communities surrounding the Trinity Test on July 16, 1945.”

Artists featured in the exhibit “shed light on the environmental injustices placed on New Mexico downwinder communities – described as persons who live downwind from a nuclear test site. The exhibit covers the period from the first use of an atomic bomb, at Trinity Test (on White Sands Missile Range) in 1945, to present day.”

The exhibit offers perspectives, insights and responses of local artists and photojournalists to the effects of nuclear testing, nuclear accidents and uranium mining on the people, animals and environment of New Mexico through a range of media including paintings, sculptures, photography, digital media, and mixed media pieces.

The goal of the exhibit is to educate the public about the need for New Mexico to be included in the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to bring much needed help to those people of New Mexico who are suffering with the health effects from being overexposed to radiation or who’ve lost their lives as a result

BCC is opened 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday. The museum is accessible from RoadRUNNER Transit Route 1 Stop 1.

For more information, call 575-541-2155. Visit www.lascruces.gov/Museums.

Branigan Cultural Center (BCC) opened an exhibit titled “Trinity: Legacies of Nuclear Testing - A People’s Perspective”

and then the night concluded with a candlelight vigil and a reading of the names lost as a result of the radiation and fallout of Trinity. The evening concluded for many in remembrance

Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium Remembers

Lots of activities for a diverse Alamogordo community of fun, education, service and remembrance was in store this Saturday as a part of the weekend. To those who suggest there is nothing going on in Alamogordo check out our Calendar of Events and the calendar at the Alamogordo Center of Commerce to stay informed and join your neighbors and friends as a community in action at:

https://business.alamogordo.com/events/calendar

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