Vision Magazine August 18, 2016 by Roswell Daily Record

SPOTLIGHT:

BILLY SCHENCK’S WEST: A RETROSPECTIVE

ALSO INSIDE: ‘BEN-HUR,’ CODY BRYAN BAND IN CONCERT, HIT THE BALL FOR VETERANS, RED DIRT BLACK GOLD FESTIVAL, SUNNY SWEENEY IN CONCERT, HISTORY, LIFE AS AN ACTOR, LOOKING UP

Content THE BELLAMY BROTHERS & GENE WATSON AUGUST 21 | 8PM TICKETS FROM $25

Roswell Daily Record’s

Spotlight: Billy Schenk’s West: A Retrospective Calendar

6-7,10-11

Culture

LOCASH AUGUST 22 | 8PM TICKETS FROM $20

JUSTIN SHANDOR AUGUST 27 | 7PM TICKETS $50

Hit The Ball For Veterans

Second Annual Red Dirt Black Gold Festival

Life As An Actor

‘Red Hot Patriot — The Kick-ass Witt Of Molly Ivins’

History Ash Upson’s Letters From Roswell’s Past — Part II 15 Movies

FOREIGNER SEPTEMBER 2 | 8PM TICKETS FROM $35

For tickets visit InnoftheMountainGods.com or or call (575) 464-7053 Mescalero, NM | Minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Thursday, August 18, 2016 Volume 21, Issue 15 Publisher: Barbara Beck Editor: Tom McDonald Vision Editor: Christina Stock Copy Editor: Vanessa Kahin Ad Design: Sandra Martinez Columnists: Donald Burleson, John LeMay, J. H. Wood Get in touch with us online Facebook: PecosVisionMagazine Twitter: twitter.com/PecosVision Pinterest: pinterest.com/VisionMagazine Email: vision@rdrnews.com www: rdrnews.com/wordpress/vision-magazin For advertising information, call 622-7710 Correspondence: Vision Magazine welcomes correspondence, constructive criticism and suggestions for future topics. Mail correspondence to Vision Magazine, P.O. Drawer 1897, Roswell, N.M. 88202-1897 or vision@rdrnews.com Submissions: Call 622-7710, ext. 309, for writers’ guidelines. Vision Magazine is not responsible for loss or damage to unsolicited materials. Vision Magazine is published twice a month at 2301 N. Main St., Roswell, N.M. The contents of the publication are Copyright 2016 by the Roswell Daily Record and may not be reprinted in whole or part without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. One copy of each edition is provided to 13,000 weekday subscribers to the Roswell Daily Record in the first and third Thursday newspaper of each month. An additional 3,000 to 5,000 copies are made available free of charge to county residents and visitors and select site newsstands, and direct mailed to non-subscribers in the retail trade zone. Subscriptions are available by mail for $2 a month or free through subscription to the Roswell Daily Record. The Roswell Daily Record and Vision Magazine are represented nationally by Paper Companies Inc.

On The Cover

‘Ben-Hur’ Races Into The 21st Century 13

Billy Schenck

Music Sunny Sweeney

Cody Bryan Band UFOlogy

Looking Up

“Are You Really Going to Punch Some Cows, Cliff?, 2011 Roswell Museum and Art Center Christina Stock Photo

available at the Roswell Elks Lodge. “Last year, $39,000 was donated to the Wounded Warrior tournament. We hope to be able to donate at least $30,000,” Brown said. Due to the lower oil prices it is more challenging to find sponsors. “We are thankful for the longterm donations of executives such as Tom Krumland’s Roswell Toyota and the New Mexico Elks Association Veterans Service. We are hoping for additional sponsors for this tournament,” Brown said. Veterans who need help can contact Magil Duran at 575-626-7311. “He is our front end screener — she is great,” Brown said. “We check all if they are honorably discharged and if the needs are real.” More than 30 older veterans were helped last year alone. “These older veterans are suffering and are not able to find jobs to support themselves — some are taking care of their grandchildren.” Since the NM Elks WWP charity golf tournament started, more than 140 local veterans and their families with more than $110,000 have been assisted. “Our Springtime Elks for Vets tournament had donations of $44,000,” Brown said. All entries to play at the fifth annual Roswell Elks supporting NM WWP Charity Golf event need to be sent to the NMMI Golf Course Pro-Shop. For more information, call 575-622-6033 or 575-627-9255.

Submitted Photo

Culture

Hit The Ball For Veterans

Fifth annual Roswell Elks supporting New Mexico Wounded Warriors Charity Golf Tournament. By Christina Stock Vision Editor he fifth annual Roswell Elks Supporting New Mexico Wounded Warriors Charity Golf event will take place Sept. 10 with a four-person scramble shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. at the New Mexico Military Institute’s golf course, 201 W. 19th St. Breakfast, lunch, range balls and green fees are included in the entry fee of $75 per player or $300 per team. The tournament will conclude at the Roswell Elks Lodge, 1720 N. Montana Ave. “Due to the recent negative national news report of the Wounded Warrior Project, I want to clarify that the local Roswell Elks Lodge Charity Golf Tournament, which I am involved with, is not affiliated with this national program,” said chairperson Ralph Brown. “One hundert percent of the profit goes to the Wounded Warrior program in New Mexico, 95 percent stays in Chaves County.” There are sponsorships in different categories and prices available. One hundert percent of these sponsor donations go to the charity. “It’s all volunteer based,” said Brown. “I even use my own printer to make flyers. No overhead money is spent for the tournament.” Brown is himself a Vietnam veteran. “Knock on wood, my health is good and I need no support,” he said. Recently, an emergency occurred where WWP was contacted. A Roswell veteran’s air conditioning went out in the heat of the summer. WWP stepped in for repairs and to install a ceiling fan. “Many times these veterans have exhausted all other means of assistance and come to us as a last resort, and we give them light at the end of the tunnel,” Brown said. The organization also stepped in for a Roswell veteran who could no longer pay the electricity bill last winter and had to wash clothes in cold water. The organization also helps veterans who are stranded in Roswell and pay their gas and motel costs to get them to their destination. A complete list of assistance is

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Postal Annex

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Plains Park Beauty Shop Roswell Community Little Theater ICON Cinema Fitness For $10

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Submitted Photo

Culture

Second Annual Red Dirt Black Gold Festival Artesia celebrates its oilfield heritage with free concerts, cook-off and the Oilfield Olympics. By Christina Stock Vision Editor

n Aug. 27, Artesia is celebrating its second Red Dirt Black Gold Festival. It is a festival celebrating the oilfield heritage unique to the town and the area. The festival starts at 9 a.m. with the oilfield equipment parade on Main Street, from Bulldog Boulevard to Second Street. At 9:30 a.m. visitors can learn more about the equipment seen in the parade on Mahone Street, between Roselawn Avenue and Seventh Street. Check-in for teams is from 9 to 11 a.m. for the Oilfield Olympics at Eagle Draw, between Roselawn Avenue and Seventh Street. Team registration is $100 for men, women or coed. Each team has four participants with the option to have one alternative. The Oilfield Olympics is a fun way to test the people’s ability to handle the hustle and bustle of oilfield life. Challenges will include drill bit toss, Keiser sled drive, proper PPE (personal protective

equipment) race and a battery location obstacle course. Athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze trophies. A spirit award also will be presented to the team with the most spirit. At 1 p.m. the oilfield cook-off is set to start at the Heritage Plaza. This food challenge is a great way to feature some of the best cooks in the oil patch. Competitors will prepare plates for up to 100 people. Plates will be sold for $10 each with all proceeds benefitting Artesia Arts & Cultural District. The cook-off is a judged event with the public participating in the People’s Choice award. Awards include Greatest Grub, People’s Choice, Sexy On The Side (best side dish) and Hey Good Lookin’ for the best team spirit. At 2:30 p.m. the Oilfield Olympics award ceremony will take place on the stage at the Heritage Plaza. From 3 - 10 p.m. The NewMexiCan Brewfest will take place at the Western Bank Parking lot, corner of Texas and Roselawn avenues. There is a$10 entry fee and only those ages 21 and older may participate. The main event starts mid-afternoon with a free Red Dirt Country concert in the Heritage Plaza parking lot. The audience can bring their own folding chairs. Musical lineup: 3:30 p.m. Cody Bryan Band performs - for details about the band, see page 8. 5 p.m. John Baumann performs. Quietly circumventing the myriad of artists and bands in the modern day dissemination of country music, John Baumann is emerging as one of his generation’s next great true-blue songwriters. With a steadily building streak of positive responses from fans of good songwriting and a reputable live show, the trajectory of this up-and-comer speaks for itself. Having independently released projects in 2012 and 2014, Baumann’s evolution as a songwriter is in full swing. And with the upcoming release of his new EP ‘Departures,’ there are rumbles in some circles that this songwriter might be the next one to break out. For more information on the artist, visit johnbaumannmusic.com. 6:30 p.m. Sunny Sweeney performs - For details about the artist, see right box. 8 p.m. Southern Brothers perform, featuring Adam Hood and Jason Eady. The dynamic get-together of two great singers and songwriters will rock the stage. Hood has a John Denver grin and a mind full of Alabama attitude. He sings about the beautiful mess of blue-collar love. Visit the artist’s webpages for more information at adamhood.com and jasoneady.com. 10 p.m. Cody Canada and The Departed return for the second time to Artesia’s Red Dirt Black Gold Festival. Canada was the lead singer/songwriter of the Oklahoma-based, rock-country band Cross Canadian Ragweed from their inception in 1998 to their dissolution in 2010. In that time they sold over a million albums. Canada has returned to vintage Cross Canadian form, seizing the opportunity to take the lead of his four-piece band, The Departed, with a newly ener-

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gized inspiration to get back to his roots. For more information on the artist, visit thedepartedmusic. com. For more information on Artesia’s Red Dirt Black Gold Festival, visit artesiaacd.com or call 575-7461117.

In Concert

6:30 p.m.

Sunny Sweeney

Coming to Artesia’s Red Dirt Black Gold Festival: Sunny Sweeney. The uncompromising and seemingly fearless creative spirit that drives Sweeney’s newest release “Provoked” has been a constant throughout her musical life. The Houston-born, Longview-raised Texas native may not have always known she wanted to sing and write country music for a living, but she grew up listening to it with her parents. Throughout her college years, she began mixing her serious Merle Haggard addiction with a keen awareness of the booming regional Texas music scene. Sweeney graduated with a degree in public relations and spent the first few years of her early adulthood trying to find her place in the “regular” working world, only to one day chuck caution to the wind, pick up her first guitar and decide — literally as overnight as one can commit to such life-changing personal dares — to try her hand at performing and songwriting. From that fateful moment, it was just a quick hop, skip and 10 years of hard work before she found herself in the Top 10 on the national country music charts and nominated for Best New Female Vocalist at the 2013 Academy of Country Music Awards. Sweeney sings about marriage, divorce, dying, and for her, most importantly, living. “My biggest compliment is when someone says, ‘Man, I hate chick singers, but I love me some Sunny Sweeney,” she said . Sweeney’s concert is part of the free Red Dirt Black Gold concert that takes place at Artesia’s Heritage Plaza parking lot on Aug. 27 at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the event and the other artists, visit artesiaacd.com or call 575-746-2744.

Looking Into The Eyes Of Wolves Life As An Actor By J. H. Wood — Actor

ike water boiling on a stove my anger brews inside of me, waiting for the opportune time to explode. I try to keep my composure, smiling at the other actors in the waiting room. “Break a Leg” I tell one of them. He nods. Grabbing my water bottle I head for my safe house or, shall I say, safe car. The years I’ve spent acting are really paying off right now. Nobody suspects a thing. The water continues to boil with each passing step. My vehicle is just a few feet away. Breath in, breath out, I tell myself I can do this. With one little step and one huge sigh, I’ve made it. Reaching for the handle I hear my name in the distance. What have I done to deserve this turmoil? This evil? I stare at the handle like it’s two lovers gazing into each other’s eyes for the last time. I sigh. Turning, I see a fellow actor and great friend waving me over. The water continues to boil. “How did it go,” he asks. “Great,” I reply. Now this wasn’t the truth of course. Why would I lie you ask? I lied because he was about to go into the only room where stereotyping someone is the norm. Like peering eyes of wolves staring you down, mouth watering, just waiting to pounce and tear you to shreds, the peo-

ple in this room of horrors are gnawing at the bone to tell you how crappy you did. Yes, he was about to go into a “call back audition.” A “call back” is when you make it through the first round in the auditioning process and now have to read in front of the director. On a few occasions you will have several producers in the room, which doesn’t help the nerves. It’s also not as bad as I claim it to be but it sure can feel that way sometimes. Anyway, we say our goodbyes and I finally reach the safe haven of my car. I strap on my seatbelt and head out. The moment has come. The room of judgment is no longer seen in my rear view mirror. The water explodes out of the pot. I’m yelling my lines as loud as I can over and over again. Not one dropped line. Perfect every single time I yell them out. All four pages of dialogue, flawless, glorious, amazing every single time they come out of my mouth. I bang on my steering wheel, knowing it’s not its fault I bombed the audition. It’s not its fault I couldn’t remember one line of dialogue, much less the four pages of dialogue that the mush in my skull I call a brain has suddenly decided to remember. No, it was my fault. It was the horrible vice I’ve had my whole life. The vice

that made me sick to my stomach every first day of school, every time a girl looked at me, every time I wanted to do anything. Yes, the vice is a serious case of anxiety. Those nasty ninja butterflies that decide to fly around my insides tearing me apart with their sharpened swords right before I attempt anything in life. The pain is so unbearable that it often puts me to sleep. I’ve done over a thousand auditions and each time is just like the last, horrible. I hate auditions like a kid hates being forced to stare at a cake all day and not swipe a finger full of icing. It’s the worst thing I have to go through in my quest to becoming a working actor but like the thorns in a strawberry patch, it’s the only way to get to the sweetness. The drive home is dark and lonely. I question why I’m even pursuing this career path. The odds of becoming a professional baseball player are better than making it as a working actor. My inability to calm my anxiety has limited the number of roles I’ve booked. I find myself secluded from the world after this horrible audition. Numb to all my surroundings. Unhappy. Sad. An actor’s life is filled with ups and downs and when you decide to pursue this career path you have to be prepared to fail. It’s a world of disappointment. We have a saying in the acting world, “do the audition

and forget about it.” This is easier said than done of course but has to be done or you’ll drive yourself mad. Not every actor has anxiety like I do and some even love to audition. Wish I was one of them. I pull into my driveway and my beautiful wife greets me. She asks how it went but this time I don’t lie. She takes me by the hand and whispers, “it’s in God’s hands.” With those simple words, the clouds blow away and the sunlight hits my face. She’s right. No matter how much we try to control our lives, we never can. As she comforts me I feel a vibration in my pocket. It’s the phone in my pocket I always keep on silent

as I go into an audition. I pull it out and see it’s my agent. After a few seconds of deliberation, I decide to answer the call. There are two possibilities of why my agent is calling. She heard how bad my audition went and wants to chat with me about it or even worse, she has another audition for me. The anxiety is back. My insides are being torn apart by the ninja butterflies once again. Turning away from my wife I head towards my safe car. I begin to open the door when my agent tells me the most sacred combination of words. The words that make everything I’ve just been through disappear. The words that when put together turn

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Culture

the hate for the audition process into nothing but love. Three little words that gives me the power to do it all over again and again in a heartbeat. Yes my friends, my agent just called to tell me, “You booked it.”

Thursday, August 18, 2016

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Calendar Ongoing Events Roswell Every first Wednesday of the month Pecos Valley Quilting Guild business meeting The meeting is at 10 a.m. at the Roswell Adult Center in room #22. For more information, call Sue Carter 575-624-1854. Roswell Every first Thursday of the month Meeting of the Sand Diver Scuba Club at 6:30 p.m. The location changes. For details, call the Scuba Shop at 575-973-8773 or visit scubashoproswell. com. Roswell Every first Friday of the month Pecos Valley Steam Society Social Everybody is invited. No dress code. The meeting is usually at Stellar Coffee Co., 315 N Main St. at 6 p.m. For more information, follow them on Facebook. Roswell Every third Tuesday of the month Sgt. Moses D. Rocha Marine Corps League Detachment 1287 Meeting Marine Corps League Meeting at 1506 E. 19th St. at 7 p.m. For more information, call 575-578-4689.

Roswell Every Wednesday — all season Men’s Senior Golf tournament The tournament takes place in the morning for Spring River Men’s Senior Golf at the Spring River Golf Course.Call the golf course at 575-622-9506 for additional information. Roswell Every second Wednesday of the month Roswell Woman’s Club Meeting The Roswell Woman’s Club meets at Los Cerritos Restaurant, 2103 N. Main St. at noon. For more information about the club, “like” their new Facebook page or call Rhonda Borque Johnson at 505-917-1292. Roswell Every Week, Mon 8 Ball Pool League Roswell Ball Busters is Roswell’s own local BCA sanctioned 8 ball pool league. They play every Monday night at 7. Venues are Farleys, Variety, Fraternal Order of Eagles and Center City bowling alley. For more information, call 575-650-2591 or email ballbusters@outlook.com. Roswell Every Week, Mon - Sat Lest We Forget: Roswell Army Airfield - The Early Years This Walker Aviation Museum exhibit features a

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short history of the base and many items from the WWII era, as well as information about the planes that flew at Roswell Army Airfield from 1941-1945. The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 347-2464 or visit wafbmuseum.org.

Roswell

Artesia

Every Week, Thu Bingo at the Elks Lodge Doors open at 5 p.m. for dinner service. Games start at 6:30 p.m. Open for the public. 1720 N. Montana Ave. 575-622-1560.

Every Week, Fri The GIG “God Inspired Gathering” — The GIG happens every Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Courthouse. For more information, find them on Facebook at gospel.music.jubilee.roswell.

Roswell

Every Week - Thu Dart Tournament at the Eagles Open for the public. 3201 S. Sunset Boulevard. For more information, call Mike and Donna Ramey at 575-910-5895 or Leigh Humble at 575-627-7350 or visit roswelldarts.com or email roswelldarts@ roswelldarts.com.

Ongoing until August 31 Underground of Enchantment Exhibit The Artesia Historical Museum and Art Center, 505 W. Richardson Ave., displays “Underground of Enchantment.” The exhibit features stunning photographic images of Lechuguilla cave and three dimensional versions. There is also a hands-on table with local rocks and minerals for visitors to explore. “Underground of Enchantment” allows visitors to view the formations in Lechuguilla cave without having to rappel 118 feet underground. Call 575.748.2390 for more information; tours and after-hours visits available by appointment.

Every Week, Mon - Sat Peace Through Strength This Walker Aviation Museum exhibit is a tribute to the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron assigned to Walker Air Force Base during the early 1960s. The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 347-2464 or visit wafbmuseum.org. Roswell Every Week, Tue, Wed, Thu Games at Pair-A-Dice Pair-A-Dice game shack, located at 309 N. Main St., holds weekly gaming events. For more information, call 575-623-4263 or visit their Facebook page. Roswell Every Week, Wed Weekly Knockout The Roswell Fighting Game Community presents Weekly Knockout at The Unity Center located at 108 E. Bland St. every Wednesday from 7 p.m. midnight. All games are welcome. For more information, visit facebook. com/RoswellFGC. Roswell Every Week, Thu T-Tones at El Toro Bravo The T-Tones play at El Toro Bravo at 102 S. Main St. from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, call El Toro Bravo at 622-9280.

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6 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, August 18, 2016

Roswell

Roswell Every Week - Thu Composer Workshop This workshop takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. and is for participants interested in composing original songs and covers topics such as lyrics, chord sequences, open tunings, cadences and trouble shooting current submissions. Participants are encouraged to bring their original material and instrument. $10 admission. All ages welcome. Location is at the Atomic Recording & Sound Studio, 4505 W. Second St. For more information, visit atomicrecordingsound.com or call 575-420-1301. Roswell Every Week, Thu, Sat Live music at Cattleman’s Kountry Kitchen Tom Blake performs at Cattleman’s Kountry Kitchen, 2010 S. Main St., 575-208-0543. Roswell Every Week, Fri Tina at El Toro Bravo Tina Williams performs at El Toro Bravo at 102 S. Main St. from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, call El Toro Bravo at 622-9280.

Roswell Every Week, Sat Gospel Jubilee The public and musicians are invited to join in the Gospel jubilee at Tabernacle of David Church at 7 p.m. Live feed starts at 7:30 p.m. at 24-7christian. org/gospel.music.jubilee. This is for everybody. The church is located at 424 E. Fifth St. at Shartell. For more information, find them on Facebook at gospel.music.jubilee.roswell. Roswell Ongoing throughout August Art classes at The Gallery at Main Street Arts The Gallery at Main Street Arts, 223 N. Main St., is offering various classes and activities throughout the month. For more information, call 575-625-5263 or 575-623-3213. Cloudcroft Ongoing throughout August Cloudcroft Art Workshops Make plans to come and join renown artists this summer for a time of artistic renewal. The goal of the organizers at the Cloudcroft Art Workshops is to provide the students with the best personalized and quality instruction possible. Workshops will be held from Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Old School House (Public Library) located at 90 Swallow Place. For more information, visit cloudcroftart.com.

Roswell Every Week until October 1, Sat The Farmers’ Market takes place on the Chaves County courthouse lawn from 7-11 a.m. For more information, contact Lester Peck at 575-627-2239 or Jessie Hansen at 575910-6687 or find them on Facebook.

Calendar Roswell August 18 Live music at Pecos Flavors Winery Lincoln Durham performs at Pecos Flavors Winery, 113 E. Third St. For more information or reservations, call 575-627-6265 or visit pecosflavorswinery. com. Roswell August 19 Nothing 2 Prove Release Party Free admission for the Nothing 2 Prove Release Party, featuring Mentality Music, Fame and Pikasso The Kid among others. There will be food and

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Roswell

Calendar The Kid among others. There will be food and merchandise. The doors open at 6 p.m. at The Unity Center, 108 E. Bland Street. For more information visit their event page on Facebook. Roswell August 19-20 The New Mexico Championship Ranch Rodeo The Chaves County Rodeo Association and Roswell Livestock and Farm Supply presents The New Mexico Championship Ranch Rodeo at the Bob Crosby Arena at the Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. with a special presentation. Each day the rodeo begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and children 12 and older, children under 6 years get in for free. For more information, email ccraroswell@yahoo.com, visit their Facebook page or webpage at chavescountyrodeoassociation.com. Roswell August 19-21 11th Annual Alien Open Darts Tournament The Pecos Valley Dart Association invites everybody to the 11th Annual Alien Open Darts Tournament at the Roswell Convention an Civic Center. There will be prizes up to $10,00 incl. cash. The event begins at noon on Aug. 19. Registration begins at 11 a.m. and cost $110 per person. For more information visit roswelldarts.com or email roswelldarts@roswelldarts. com.

August 20 Second Annual General Jerry Childress Golf Tournament The Salvation Army invites everybody to join in the 2nd annual Gen. Jerry Childress Golf Tournament at the New Mexico Military Institute Golf Course. For more information visit the NMMI Golf Pro Shop, 201 W. 19th St. or call 575-622-6033. Roswell August 20 Live music at Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub Jonny and The Crashers perform at 6 p.m. on the patio. Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub is located at 1315 N. Main St. For more information, call 575-627-1100. Roswell August 20 Classic Country Music Dwain and Jill will be performing from 6-9 p.m. at the Roswell Recreation Center (Roswell Adult Center), 807 N. Missouri Ave. Cost is %5 per person and coffee, tea, punch will be provided. For more information, call the RRC at 575-624-6718 or Carla Cobb at 575-627-3400. Roswell August 20 Back 2 Skool Bash Live Music Duke City Righ on, Kid! Pop Punk, The Countdown, Examiner, Ruben Baca, Accidental Approval will be at The Unity Center, 108 Bland St. at 6 p.m. All ages welcome. Tickets are $8 at the door. For more information, visit their Facebook page. Ruidoso/Alto

August 20 Rich Little — Little By Little Experience the incomparable comedic talent of Rich Little in his new stage show of spot-on im-

personations and loving skewering of Bush, Reagan, Obama, Johnny Carson, John Wayne, George Burns, Nixon, Clinton, Sinatra, Bogart, Eastwood and other larger-than-life luminaries. This will be a trip down memory lane, an evening packed with reverence and gut-busting laughter with the great impersonator. For more information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-336-4800 or 888818-7872. Tickets start at $39. The concert starts at 8 p.m. The Spencer Theater is located at 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220 in Alto. For more information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-3364800 or 888-818-7872. Roswell August 22-25 Roswell Folklorico Registration Registration for Roswell Folklorico will take place each day from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Roswell Recreation Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave. This registration is only for those who did not dance in the 2015 dance recital in May. Class days and times will be given at the time of registration. This will be determined by age and experience. For more information, contact director Frank Hererra at 575-624-2724. Roswell Aug. 23 - Nov. 15 Theater is magic acting class - of course you can act The acting class has a few openings remaining for beginners to intermediate. 13 weeks, 7 - 8:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Office (school building), 111 E. Deming St. Organizer and teacher Monica P. Desjardins promises fun stressfree learning. Cost is $235 in total. Deposit $40 with three payments of $65 or $15 a week. There is a discount available for students over 60 years, as well as three scholarships

(First is 100% for students 60 and over, one 50% for adult students all ages and one for 25% for adults of all ages). Cost includes ads for play or skits, facility, supplies and royalties. Finale is a short play for friends and family on Nov. 15. For more information call 575-626-0674. Roswell August 24 Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell hosts Fall Back-toSchool Bash The Student Services Center at ENMU-Roswell is hosting a Back-toSchool Bash from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. New and continuing students are invited to the student services center. There will be free food, information and prizes. There will also be an airbrush artist at the event where students can receive a free personalized airbrushed pillowcase, pennant, or hat while supplies last. Students can also meet staff from different campus departments to get more information about ENMU-Roswell programs. For more information, call 575-624-7012. Roswell August 25 Rehearsal Kick-off for the Roswell Children’s Community Choir Students in grades 5 through 8 may participate with no audition or experience necessary. Rehearsals will run from 4 until 6 p.m. on Thursday afternoons at 505 N. Pennsylvania Ave, next to the post office. For more information, visit roswellkaps. org/programs/choir.

call 575-627-6265 or visit pecosflavorswinery.com. Roswell August 26 Live music at Peppers Grill & Bar Cibolo Springs is going to perform on the patio at Peppers Grill & Bar, 500 N. Main St. For more information, call 575-623-1700 or visit peppers-grill.com. Ruidoso/Alto August 26 Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jóse Hernàndez Unprecedented and unrivaled, Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jóse Hernàndez is a multiple Grammy Award winning group loved for its charismatic mariachi arrangements with signature trumpeting, strings and choral folk vocals. This culturally rich group has sold out concert halls from New York’s Lincoln Center to Beijing, China. For more information, visit spencertheater. com or call 575-336-4800 or 888-818-7872. Tickets start at $39. The concert starts at 8 p.m. The Spencer Theater is located at 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220 in Alto. For more information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-336-4800 or 888818-7872.

Artesia August 27 Second Red Dirt Black Gold Festival The festival plays homage to the oilfield and it’s history and includes a parade, the Oilfield Olympics, cook-off competition, music and NewMexiCan Brewfest. Live music begins at 3:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, visit artesiaacd. com. Roswell August 27 Free Billy Schenk Lecture Renown Western pop artist Billy Schenck will discuss his influences and his paintings and challenges as an artist. This unique event is in conjunction with the exhibit “Billy Schenk’s West: A Retrospective,” at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W. 11th St. The lecture takes place at 5:30 p.m. at the Bassett Auditorium. Roswell August 27 Live music at Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub Jones & Miles perform at 6 p.m. on the patio. Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub is located at 1315 N. Main St. For more information, call 575-627-1100.

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Roswell August 26 Live music at Pecos Flavors Winery Courtney Patton with Jason Eady perform at Pecos Flavors Winery, 113 E. Third St. For more information or reservations,

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Submitted Photo of the Cody Bryan Band.

Music

Red Dirt Country Band Cody Bryan The new up-and-coming country band of Cody Bryan will perform at Artesia’s Red Dirt Black Gold Festival. By Christina Stock Vision Editor

udiences at the second annual Red Dirt Black Gold Festival in Artesia are in for a special musical experience during the free concert that kicks off with the new, up-and-coming Texas Red Dirt country band Cody Bryan, Aug. 27

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at 3:30 p.m. at Artesia’s Heritage Plaza parking lot. The band consists of Cody Bryan on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Zach Lynch on lead guitar and fiddle, Miles Barker on bass and Pedro Corsetti on drums. The band caught the attention of Millennial country fans when the band appeared on the country scene a couple years ago. They were performing at the famous Austin, Texas, listening room The Saxon Pub. Soon, the band was performing with artists such as Roger Creager, Granger Smith, Casey Donahew, Bart Crow and Nashville mainstay Will Hoge. The smooth, unique Texan voice of lead singer Bryan is easy to listen to. It has a subtle hint of twang and a pinch of boot-tapping rock sound with just enough of 90s alternative rock style to feel familiar, but with a new, fresh edge and message. One sample of their style is their newest title track, “Small Town Noise.” The song came to be when a friend sent Bryan a clip of a young woman in a bar in the small town of Kyle, Texas, who was bashing the band. Bryan grew up in that town. The band thought it funny and the members could not resist writing a song about what it means to try to grow out of a small town community. After the album came out, the same

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girl that was the inspiration behind the song was reported promoting the song on social media, as the band described in an interview on YouTube. Another song of the band that stands out from the other young new talents in Austin is the song “When We Were Made.” It’s an unusual love song with surprising depth that tips its hat to the classics. In a phone interview with Vision Magazine, Bryan explains his background. “My dad brought home a guitar from a pawnshop. I was probably 7 years old,” he said. However, Bryan did not get serious learning to play the instrument until his freshman year in high school in Buda, Texas. “That is when I picked up the guitar and I started playing around campfires with some buddies. I was kind of shy to sing at first so I didn’t sing a lot but I played guitar. In my senior year in high school I was asked to play at our pep rally,” Bryan said. “It has been a long ride since I first started playing music.” Asked how Bryan found his bandmates, he said, “Basically it was kind of a friend meeting friend, due to all of the musicians I met. I met Miles first out of all the guys. We were looking for a new bass player. My dad had played bass initially and it was time to move on. He was OK. But we were looking for something a little bit more. I found Miles through my old drummer, Casey. Miles had already played in a band with him. And so through Casey we met Miles.” “My dad is a dentist,” Bryan said. “He actually had been telling his patients that we needed a lead guitarist. One of his patients knew Zach and told him that the Cody Bryan band was looking for a guitarist. We already tried out three or four guitarists and none of them worked out. From the first go, we knew that Zach was the guy. “Our drummer Pedro was the last addition to the band. We met him about a year ago. He is Venezuelan and Italian and he rocks the drum group for us. We tried him out and immediately knew that he was a good all-around fit. He is great.” The band’s music style is influenced by 90s music. “A lot of it has to do with the fact that was kind of my growing-up years, when I was a kid in the 90s,” said Bryan. “I have a lot of good memories all around including the music I was listening to.” Bryan considers their band’s style fresh country rock and the audience in Artesia will be able to hear a wide variety, including new songs. “We love interacting with the crowd,” Bryant said. “Hopefully there will be a lot of people hanging out with us. Just having a good time and as I said, connecting with the crowd is important for us.” The band members invite the audience to visit with them after the show at their merchandise booth where they will have fan memorabilia and their newest music available for purchase. “Let’s have a good time at the show. Come and chat with us,” Bryan said. Those who miss out on the performance in Artesia have two more chances to see them in southeast New Mexico: On Aug. 25 and 26 they will perform at Ruidoso’s Grace O’Malley’s at 8:15 p.m. For more information, visit codybryanmusic.com and follow them on Twitter.

Texan politicians, Ivins did also have New Mexico in her target. In 1980, after she wrote for The New York Times about a “community chicken-killing festival” in New Mexico and called it a “gang-pluck,” she was recalled to New York as punishment. When Abe Rosenthal, editor of the Times, accused her of trying to inspire readers to think “dirty thoughts” with these words, her response was, “Damn if I could fool you, Mr. Rosenthal.” Generally, her more colorful writing style clashed with the editors’ expectations which did not stop her. Ivins wrote for the Minneapolis Tribune, the Texas Observer, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Dallas Times Herald and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize twice. Her freelance work and speaking engagements brought her a wide range of friends and foes alike. In 1999, Ivins was diagnosed with stage III inflammatory breast cancer that returned in 2003 and 2006. Ivins died at her Austin, Texas, home on January 31, 2007 at age 62. Her humor and witty view of politics and the world show in the many quotes she left behind, such as: “During a recent panel on the numerous failures of American journalism, I proposed that almost all stories about government should begin: ‘Look out! They’re about to smack you around again!’” “When Ivins writes, there has to be a jalapeño in every line,” said critic James Thurman on Ivins. The play contains adult language and topics. A 15 years and older audience is recommended.

Submitted photo of Kathleen Turner as the iconic Molly Ivins.

Culture

‘Red Hot Patriot — The Kick-ass Wit Of Molly Ivins’ Ruidoso’s Sacred Grounds Coffee Shop and The Old Dowlin Mill bring the newspaper icon, Journalist and larger-than-life persona of Molly Ivins to stage in a one-woman show. By Christina Stock Vision Editor

t Play Productions and the Old Mill Preservation Corporation presents “Red Hot Patriot – The Kick-ass Wit of Molly Ivins” by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel. The world premiere was in 2010 with Kathleen Turner in the role of Ivins and produced by the Philadelphia Theatre Co. with directors Sara Garonzik and Diane Claussen. Performances will be held on Aug.17 and 18, 7 p.m. at Sacred Grounds, 2415 Sudderth Drive, Ruidoso and on Aug. 26, 27 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. at The Old Dowlin Mill, 641 Sudderth Drive. Tickets are $15 and available at the door. The play celebrates the life of Molly Ivins, the famously sharp-tongued newspaper columnist and bestselling author. Mary Maxson, who is part of the Lincoln County Community Theatre, steps into the boots of the fearless Ivins. A Texas original, Ivins skewered the “good old boys” and the political establishment with her acerbic wit, humor and wisdom. Targeting not only the higher-uppers in Washington D.C. or skewering the small-mindedness of

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Roswell August 27 Country and Rock and Roll Cibolo Springs will be performing from 6-9 p.m. at the Roswell Recreation Center (Roswell Adult Center), 807 N. Missouri Ave. Cost is %5 per person and coffee, tea, punch will be provided. For more information, call the RRC at 575-624-6718, Bob Power at 575-420-6394 or Carla Cobb at 575-627-3400. Cloudcroft August 29 Iron Horses and Mountain Railroads As part of the free summer lecture series, railroad enthusiast, Harry Phillips, does a presentation on the steam locomotives that were used by the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad. The

Lecture takes place at 6 p.m. at the Sacramento Mountains Historical Museum and Pioneer Village. The audience can bring their own lawn chairs. For more information, call the SMHS Museum at 575682-2932. Roswell August 30 35th annual Historical Society Heritage Award Dinner The 35th annual Historical Society Heritage Award Dinner will honor the 1956 Lions Hondo Little League World Series Championship Baseball Team at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, 912 N. Main St. Tickets are $70 per person, $500 per table and include a steak dinner catered by Pepper’s Grill & Bar. Reservations are accepted by Aug. 9. For more information, visit roswellnmhistory.org or call 575-622-8333.

Roswell

Alamogordo

August 31 Celebrate Oil & Gas in New Mexico The event is in the light of the Bureau of Land Management’s lease sale. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Roswell Convention & Civic Center, 912 N. Main St.There will be guest speakers, food and ice cream. For more information, visit their Facebook event page.

September 2 - 4 26th Annual Cottonwood Festival The festival takes place at Alameda Park on White Sands Boulevard during the Labor Day Weekend. There will be live entertainment, an expanded beer garden, food and arts and crafts. For more information, call the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce at 575-4376120.

Roswell September 2 First Friday Downtown Market Call for food trucks and musicians to join the volunteer-driven, notfor-profit event which is sponsored by MainStreet Roswell among others. The goal is to introduce Roswell residents to all downtown Roswell has to offer. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit mainstreetroswell.org. Roswell September 2 Flutes in the air The Roswell Flute Ensemble and a special guest performs at Stellar Coffee Co., 315 N. Main St. at 7 p.m. For more information, call 575-623-3711. Ruidoso/Mescalero September 2 Foreigner in concert Legendary hard rock band Foreigner will perform at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, 287 Carrizozo Canyon Rd. Tickets start at $35. For more information or tickets, visit innofthemountaingods. com or call 1-800-5459011.

Roswell September 2-4, 9-11, 1618 “Annie” The Musical Roswell Community Little Theatre presents the musical “Annie.” Performances will be in the evening at 7:30 p.m. with matinees Sundays at 2 p.m. For details or tickets, visit roswelltheatre.com or call 575-622-1982. Roswell September 3 32nd Annual Turtle Marathon and 5K The marathon is benefitting for the MS Society. Packet pickup is at the Cahoon Park from 4:30 to 5:15 a.m. (Marathon and Half Marathon), 4:30 to 7:30 a.m. for the 5K. The Marathon starts at 5:30 a.m. sharp. The 5K event starts at 8 a.m. sharp. For more information or to register, visit active.com. Roswell September 3 Live music at Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub Home Grown Boyz perform at 6 p.m. on the patio. Farley’s Food, Fun and Pub is located at 1315 N. Main St. For more information, call 575-627-1100. Ruidoso/Alto September 3 The Fab Four — The Ultimate Tribute Featuring four stellar musicians performing as

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John, Paul, George and Ringo, The Fab Four is elevated far above every other Beatles tribute due to their precise attention to detail. With uncanny, note-for-note, look-alike and sound-alike renditions of Beatles’ songs – plus three major costume changes and a masterful Ed Sullivan hosting the night – The Fab Four fully recreates the inspiring soundtracks of our lives. For more information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-336-4800 or 888818-7872. Tickets start at $39. The concert starts at 8 p.m. The Spencer Theater is located at 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220 in Alto. For more information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-3364800 or 888-818-7872. Roswell September 3-4 “Majic Men” Conference Sponsored by The International UFO Museum and Research Center, the conference will present films, documentaries and presentations by the preeminent Roswell Incident researchers Stanton friedman and Donald Schmitt. The two internationally-known authors will discuss evidence supporting their conclusions that an actual flying saucer crashed outside of roswell in July of 1947. There will be also a presenting information on the next Roswell movie entitled “Majic Men” about the two researchers and authors. The event starts each day at 10 a.m. and last until 4:30 p.m. in the north library at The International UFO Museum and Research Center, 114 N. Main St. For details or information, call Karen or Cat at 575-625-9495.

Roswell September 5 Free Labor Day Concert The concert starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Spring River Park and Zoo with the Pearson Auditorium as the rain site. This year the Roswell Fine Arts League will be joining them with some art in the park. The event will include the musical petting zoo starting at 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit roswellsymphony.org. Roswell September 8 Recovery is possible Join Roswell’s Rally for Recovery in bringing awareness to the community about treatment and recovery for mental health and substance use problems and to celebrate all the community-based services and resources available in Chaves County. The event takes place from noon to 5 p.m. at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center, 912 N. Main St. Next to educational presentations there will be informational booths, treatment and resource providers, door prizes and food available. For more information, call 575-755-2272 or find them on Facebook. Artesia September 10 Buddy & Beyond See Johnny Rogers presenting the history of Rock & Roll at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center, 310 W. Main St. at 7 p.m. VIP reception 6 to 6:30 p.m. There will be a meet and greet after the show. The show features the music of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Ritchie Valens, Big Bopper, Rickie Nelson, Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins,

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Chuck Berry and a splash of “Purple” — honoring the late Prince. For more information and tickets, call 866-967-8167 or visit showtix4U.com. Roswell September 10 Fifth Annual Roswell Charity Golf Tournament The Fifth Annual Roswell Elks Charity Golf Tournament supports the New Mexico Wounded Warriors (it is not affiliated with the national program). All donations support local veterans. The tournament take place at the New Mexico Military Golf Course. For more information, call Ralph Brown at 575-627-9255. Roswell September 10 Second Saturday at the Roswell Museum and Art Center Miranda and Elaine Howe will combine drawing and painting techniques for an action-packed session. The session is for for children from 3rd grade (8 years) through High School. The program starts at 10 a.m. until noon. To reserve a spot call 575-624-6744, ext. 10. The RMAC is located at 100 W. 11th St. Roswell September 10 Xcel Energy’s Sixth annual Tour de Ocho Millas The eight-mile route circles Bottomless Lakes State Park. Riders can choose one to eight laps on this impressive course, completing from eight to 64 miles. This sixth annual cycling event benefits Reflections Ministries, a local non-profit organization helping people live free from addiction through 12-step pro-

grams, jail ministry and residential women’s recovery programs. Registration can be completed at Facebook.com/TourdeOchoMillas or TourdeOchoMillas.com. For more information, call Patricia Grassie at 575-626-1262. Roswell September 10-11 Dragonfly Festival There will by dragonfly, birding and refuge wildlife tours with professional experts and biologists. Other events include children’s fishing pool, a photography workshop, live wildlife exhibits, arts and crafts and guest speakers. Reservations are recommended at fws.gov/ refuge/bitter_lake or by calling 575-625-4011. Artesia September 16-17 Eighth Annual Clays Crusher Fun Shoot There will be lunch, gifts and prize drawings after each rotation. Participants must be present to win. Sponsors are still accepted. The event is held at the Eddy County Shooting Range, 131 N. Firehouse Rd. The fee is $150 per shooter for one roatation with five man teams. On Friday night it is pay-asyou-play for $20 a game (flurries). For more information, call the Artesia Chamber at 575-746-2744 or email events@artesiachamber.com. Roswell September 16-17 Pecos Valley Quilters “Galaxy of Stars” Quilt Show There will be classes and events held on both days at the Roswell Convention & Civic Center and the Roswell Museum and Art Center, 912 N. Main St. More than 200 quilts will be on display, there will be a merchant’s mall with free demonstrations, a quilt shoppe, silent auc-

tion and door prizes. Featured Quilt Artist exhibit is Carol Meyer. Admission is $5, children under 6 can enter for free. Proceeds of the drawing on Sept. 17, 3 p.m. of an 88” x 92” original quilt designed by J. Michelle Watts, quilted by Joy McCulloch will benefit the Loaves & Fishes and Good Samaritan Food Pantries. Tickets are available online or from guild members for $1 each. For more information, visit pecosvalleyquilters.com. White Oaks September 16-18 Bike Rally Celebration On Friday the Cowboy Mafia band will perform from 1-5 p.m. On Saturday the Rowdy Johnson band performs from 1-5 p.m., followed by a bikini contest at 5 p.m. The Cowboy Mafia band takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. The celebration takes place at the historic No Scum Allowed Saloon, 933 White Oaks Ave. For more information, visit their Facebook page or call 575-648-5583. Roswell September 17 14th United Way of Chaves County Annual Charity Golf Tournament Sponsorships are available for product sponsors up to platinum sponsors. For more information call 575-622-4150. Roswell September 17 Take Me Home: A Musical Tribute to Roswell Native John Denver Starring Jim Curry and his band brings the best of John Denver to stage. The event benefits the Walker Aviation Museum Foundation and takes place at the Pueblo Auditorium on the New Mexico Military Institute grounds at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25, children 10 and under get in free. Tickets are available at

the Walter Aviation Museum, at the Roswell Chamber of Commerce, 131 W. Second St. or online at wafbmuseum.org. Hobbs September 18 Dwight Yoakam in concert With over 25 million albums sold worldwide, 21 nominations and multiple Grammy wins, legendary country star Dwight Yoakam comes to the Lea County Event Center. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are now available starting at $31 and can be purchased at the Lea County Event Center Box Office or the Lea County Fairground Box Office in Lovington or online at leacountyevents.com. For more information, call 575-391-2900. Roswell September 19 Comfort Keepers 6th Annual Walk to End Alzheimer’s Fundraiser The Enchilada lunch includes red enchiladas, rice, beans and a cookie. Cost is $10 per plate for dine in or take-out. $11 per plate for delivery of six or more plates. Delivery takes place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Dine-in and take-out is from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Roswell Elks Lodge, 1720 N. Montana. For tickets and more information, call or stop by Comfort Keepers at 1410 S. Main St., 575-6249999.

Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The play is the winner of the 2012 Cordell green Playwriting Festival and produced in April 2013 in Lubbock, Texas. It is about small-town raised Virginia Archer and how a handsome man in blackframed glasses changed her life. The audience follows one woman’s life, her impact on the people around her and a legacy that crosses generations. It is based on the life of Roswell-native Pat Marie Hobbs-Bullock. The play is rated PG. For tickets and more information, visit waywayoffbroadway.com.

Cloudcroft October 15-16 High Rolls Apple Festival The growers are having a good harvest. Vendor applications go online Sept. 1. High Rolls is located between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo. For more information, visit highrollsfestivals.com. If you would like your event listed on the entertainment calendar, please email vision@rdrnews. com or call 622-7710 ext. 309.

Roswell October 12 Rend Collective As Family We Go — USA Tour The Rend Collective As Family We Go is touring together with Urban Rescue. The performance will be at Pearson Auditorium at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale at ticketfly.com.

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Submitted Photo of Billy Schenck at his studio in Santa Fe.

Spotlight

a major influence on my work, as well as Sergio Leone, the Italian Spaghetti Western filmmaker. That was the whole reason I was beginning the Western imagery. I like to think of what I came up with as a marriage between Sergio Leone and Warhol. “There was a skewed sense of morality. There was no definition either of good guys or bad guys. Everything was morally ambiguous. And I thought that was highly reflective of that era, of the time we were living in. For me it struck an emotional cord on lots of different levels,” Schenck said. Throughout Schenck’s career he struggled living in two worlds. “The contemporary art world never quite trusted what I was doing because it had a narrative topic matter and real people in it and abstract — not that contemporary had to be abstract,” Schenck said. “On the other hand, the more traditional Western artist distrusted what I did because it wasn’t like anything they had ever done or thought of doing. My ironic tongue-in-cheek implication in some of the work undermined some of the romantic aspects of the more traditional Western world. Altogether I always considered myself a contemporary artist who happened to deal in Western subject matter or Western genre. So I’ve been tossed back and forth and have doors shut in my face on both sides of the fence and it continues on. “That being said, I still had enough opportunities. My career has been able to flourish — at least to some extent. And there has always been a portion of the art market who got what I was doing and embraced what I was doing. What I am doing is representing really literally every political position whether it be left wing, right wing,” Schenck said. “I just wanted to raise questions. I wanted the viewer to walk away with a skewed, new idea about what Western art could be. I think I tried to expand its boundaries way beyond of what it was known before doing this work.” For more information, visit billyschenck.com or call RMAC at 575-624-6744.

Billy Schenk’s West: A Retrospective By Christina Stock Vision Editor

oin artist Billy Schenck on Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W. 11th St., in the Bassett Auditorium. The free lecture is in conjunction with the exhibit Billy Schenk’s West: A Retrospective.

Schenck is a contemporary artist with work in over 40 museum collections and corporate collections that include Sony, IBM, Saatchi and Saatchi and American Airlines to name a few. Schenck’s subject matter spans genres and decades. Schenck is considered a grandfather of Western pop, being one of the first American painters who incorporated techniques from photorealism on canvas. His art ranges from pop art romantic landscapes and iconic portraits of Native Americans to poking fun at images of Hollywood Western movies. He has been exhibited widely in the United States and Europe and his work is found in the most renowned collections, such as the Smithsonian Institution, Phoenix Art Museum, Yellowstone Art Center and the Scottsdale Center for the Arts to name a few. Fans of his art who purchased his work for their private collections are the late The New Yorker cartoonist and illustrator Saul Steinberg, movie actor Sylvester Stallone, Senator Allen Simpson and Lawrence Rockefeller. Schenck is a World Champion Ranch Sorting winner and the proprietor of the Double Standard Ranch in Santa Fe, his home for the past two decades. In a phone interview Schenck talked about his upcoming lecture at RMAC. “It’s a retrospective of my career as an artist,” he said. “There are, I think, 50 paintings and prints in the show. They pretty much represent every genre of the work I have been doing for the last 46 years. “When I first started doing the Western imagery I was using as a point of departure black and white movie stills. That was my original reference, my original source of influence. Projecting those images and then outlining all the objects and scenery and then putting them into a flat, in a stylized version of the imagery — it was very Warholian,” Schenck said. “He was definitely

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Long Rock Mesa, 2012, oil on canvas, Billy Schenck.

Toby Kebbell plays Messala Severus and Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur in “Ben-Hur” from Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.

Movies

‘Ben Hur’ Races Into The 21st Century

The remake of the iconic story is hitting the silver screen.

By Christina Stock Vision Editor

n Aug. 19 one of the most iconic stories is coming back to life on screen: “Ben-Hur.” The movie is based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 book “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.” The film returns to the heart of Wallace’s epic novel focusing on the nature of faith. It is a towering story of love, of suffering, of the struggle of good against evil — evil that corrupts the perpetrator just as much as the victim, and finally of triumph. Paramount Pictures w e n t a l l o u t a n d th e cast fits to the daring remake. In the leading role of Judah Ben-Hur,

a Hollywood royalty stepped in: Jack Huston, great-grandson of legendary actor Walter Huston (he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for the 1948 film “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”), grandson of Hollywood titan, director John Huston and nephew to award-winning actress Anjelica Huston. Jack Huston is best known for his performances in “The Longest Ride” (2015), “American Hustle” (2013) and “Outlander” (2008). Playing character roles seems to come natural for Huston and the audience can expect to see his acting range in

the new movie that centers around the Jewish Prince, Ben-Hur. BenHur is falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala, played by Toby Kebbell, an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves, played by Nazanin Boniadi, Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge with the help of his friend, the Arab Sheik Ilderim, played by Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman. Huston’s love for authenticity in the characters he portrays is well-known. “The old

movie stars like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, James Stewart, they weren’t this gorgeous, striking six-foot man who’s rippled with muscles. They just really had character in their face and they drank and they smoked and I love that shit,” said Huston in a recent interview. “These were the real actors. They really lived, and you could see the lines on their faces, the lines of the years that they lived. You just believed them. I loved that.” Outside of New Mexico the name Lew Wallace is only known for his novel “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ” and that he was the son of the 6th governor of Indiana, David Wallace. History fans in New Mexico know Wallace because of his connection to the Lincoln County War, when he was governor of the New Mexico Territory. Indiana-native Wallace was a colorful character and considered himself a Renaissance man. “He tried different things,” said Larry Paarlberg, director of the Lew Wallace Study and Museum in Crawfordsville, Indiana. “He loved to paint, he loved to write, he loved to do creative things, he loved the military,” he explained. “He became a prosecuting attorney; he was in the legislature for a term.” Wallace showed a talent for writing early in life. He learned about the Bible from his favorite teacher. And while he didn’t care for church, the story of the three wise men fascinated him. As Wallace later wrote in his autobiography, “Little did I dream then what those few verses were to bring me — that out of them Ben-

Hur was one day to be evoked.” <z186667>Wallace got the idea of “Ben-Hur” in 1873. The story reflects his experiences in the military, during the American Civil War and his own struggles with faith. Still, Wallace had much to learn about Christianity — as he found out in a chance encounter with a wellknown atheist named Robert Ingersoll. “Robert Ingersoll knew far more about the Bible,” Paarlberg said.”You don’t preach against something unless you know it. And so he just filleted Lew.” Walking alone to his hotel that night, Wallace realized the time had come to form his own opinion on the subject of religion. “My ignorance of it

was painfully a spot of deeper darkness in the darkness,” he wrote. “I was ashamed of myself.” Paarlberg sees this as a pivotal moment in Wallace’s life. “He realized at that point, ‘I have no business submitting this story for publication. I don’t know what I was talking about. I need to do the research; I need to learn the Bible; I need to learn the story,’” he said. Early in his research, Wallace created the fictional character of Judah Ben-Hur, a witness to the biblical events leading up to the death and resurrection of Christ. In the spring and early summer of 1878, the federal government investigated possible corruption in the New Mexisee

Movies on page 14

Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur and Nazanin Boniadi plays Esther in “Ben-Hur” from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

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Movies

Continued from Page 13 edent for future book-to-movie copyright cases. Eventually, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the rights and produced the first legitimate adaptation in 1925. The movie made film-history because of the live stunts and the setting of a ship on fire. When the audience saw the chariot race-scene on the screen, it was said to be so realistic, many fled the theatre in panic, according to news reports of that time, though this could be an early publicity stunt. In 1959, William Wyler directed a second Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production of the book, this time with sound, in Technicolor with Charlton Heston in the lead. The movie made top box office for that year, earning Heston an Oscar. Wallace spent his golden years in Crawfordsville, writing every day until his death in 1905. None of his other works reached the success of “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.” His grave marker is inscribed with a quote from “Ben-Hur,” by one of his beloved wise men: “I would not give one hour of life as a Soul for a thousand years of life as a man.”

Jack Huston plays Judah Ben-Hur and Morgan Freeman plays Ilderim in “Ben-Hur” from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Paramount Pictures. co Territory, with a special focus on Gov. Samuel Axtell. President Rutherford owed Wallace a favor and, as he disliked him and considered him a troublemaker, he sent him to Santa Fe to clean up the territory. Wallace arrived in Santa Fe Sept. 30, 1878. The Lincoln County War had already happened — the murder of John Tunstall, assassination of Sheriff William Brady, the Blazer’s Mill gunfight and the Battle of Lincoln. Arriving in Santa Fe, Wallace concentrated on keeping the peace. He issued proclamations and forced the territory’s legal system to go against outlaws on both sides in the war. By mid-November, Wallace was sending the message that the mission was accomplished. During all this time, he had to appease his homesick wife, Sue, who despised Santa Fe. The next months were quiet and Wallace continued his work on “Ben-Hur.” Another killing in Lincoln shattered the peace for Wallace. Wallace spent the next six weeks with his wife in Fort Stanton — which she despised even more than Santa Fe according to her letters back home. Wallace ordered the grand jury indictments and arrests on both sides. He met with Billy the Kid, setting up a deal in which the Kid would testify in several court proceedings in exchange for a full pardon. Wallace also tried to get the corrupt Fort Stanton commandant, Nathan Dudley, punished for his role in the war. The Military Court of Inquiry found insufficient cause to proceed to trial on April 21, 1879. The Kid walked out of his agreement with Wallace when it appeared the pardon wouldn’t stand,

either. Wallace returned to Santa Fe and turned his attention to the Mescalero Apaches, who were stealing livestock. Wallace’s single best work in the territory — next to finishing his second draft of “Ben-Hur” in 1880 — was recovering, restoring, cataloguing and archiving New Mexico’s important records and documents. His wife, however, had had enough of New Mexico and returned to her family in Indiana. Wallace soon followed. Six hundred and fifty pages, hand-written in purple ink (he used purple because of the color’s significance in the Bible, which was sacred royalty), were delivered to New York City-based Harper & Brothers in 1880 by Wallace himself. Nobody, especially not Wallace, could guess it would make publishing history. The book became the first best-selling novel of the 19th century. Today it has been translated into more than 40 languages. It has never been out of print. The original manuscript of “Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ” is kept at The Lilly Library on the campus of Indiana University. One of Wallace’s biggest fans was President James Garfield. Garfield was so impressed by “Ben-Hur” that he appointed Wallace as U.S. Minister to the Ottoman Empire, based in Constantinople, Turkey. Wallace served in this diplomatic post from 1881 to 1885. Wallace’s book was made into a theater play before being adapted into a movie. The first film version of Ben-Hur was pirated in 1907, and ran for 15-minutes. This led to a lawsuit that set the prec-

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Archive Photo of Lew Wallace in his uniform as a Union General, ca. 1862-1865. His experiences at the Battle of Shiloh inspired him to write “BenHur: A Tale of the Christ.”

History

Ash Upson’s Letters From Roswell’s Past — Part II

Continued from July 19, 2016 By John Le May

n our last column we explored the details of Roswell’s founding and early days via a letter written in 1876 by Ash Upson, best known as Pat Garrett’s ghostwriter on “The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid.” In the lengthy letter Upson, also an early postmaster and justice of the peace in Roswell, details his life in the new hamlet of Roswell. Here is the second half of the letter — which I edited for space — beginning with details on Roswell’s founder Van Smith: “Well sometime in 1870, I think, Van took it into his head to play the role of the reformed gambler. He had some thousands in the bank. He purchased this ground and built upon it. I never saw a more beautiful, uncultivated place. It is on the Rio Hondo, the same river that Mrs. Casey’s ranch is on, and just about fifty miles southeast of there. The Hondo is south of the houses: northwest of the houses is the North Spring River about 1,000 yards distant. The river is about as transparent as crystal and 40 feet wide. The house is only two miles from the rise in the river and it

is only 4 miles from the house to the mouth — it empties into the Pecos. The Pecos is fully as large as the Rio Grande, although the Rio Grande is several hundred miles longer, the Pecos rising only some thirty miles from Santa Fe, while the Rio Grande rises in Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains. “Van Smith put up two good buildings — adobe of course. One, a dwelling — one and one half stories high — square — four rooms below and one above. The other larger — square — one half for a store, and the back divided into two rooms and a half story above. He built also a blacksmith shop, stables, chicken house, two very large corrals — one for horses — and one for cattle; he set out trees all about the houses, brought water from North Spring River by acequias (an acequia or séquia is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation) in front and behind the houses; built three farm houses on the Hondo within a quarter to a half mile distant; stocked

his store with the best assortment of goods ever brought to the country; furnished his house splendidly; and went to accumulating stock and cultivating the ground. “The misfortune was that he would have nothing but fast race horses, full-blooded cattle, game chickens and bull dogs. He was a constitutional gambler. He next built a cockpit and race track with judges stands, etc. His gambling friends would come 250 miles from Santa Fe and Las Vegas and spend a few weeks horse racing, dog fighting, chicken fighting and poker. No merchant, farmer or stockman ever succeeded in business while his best time was spent in gambling. Van had named his place Roswell, this being the name of his father. He had succeeded in getting a post office established, and there was no reason why he should not have had thousands of cattle, horses, sheep, hogs, etc., roaming over miles and miles of inexhaustible pastures (in winter as in summer) except that he could not refrain from gambling, nor stay away from the cities

where he could indulge his passion. “He went to Santa Fe and established what is called a first class billiard and gambling saloon, where he now is, having shared the smiles and frowns of fortune at intervals, but no better off really than when he left here. He has not been here in more than a year, but has payed someone to stay and attend the post office and look out for his small amount of stock and other property here. There is in the store the remnant of his old stock, worth $200 or $300, with all the fixtures, counters, shelving, scales, etc., etc.— enough to do a first class business in New Haven. “And now let me tell you what I propose to do, always supposing I stay here. A farmer, well-to-do, who lives three miles below here (A.H. Smith by name, but no relation to Van) has just come into a sum of money $7,000, by the death of his mother in Lancaster, Pa. He is daily expecting it. He also just contracted to carry the mail from Las Vegas to this place, making this the southern terminus of his

Gunnor Petersen Illustration of Roswell’s Founder Van Smith route. He proposes to write to his friend Van Smith, by this mail, proposing to keep his stock here, and to move his wife and son here also. This is a U.S. Government agency, the duties of which will dissolve upon me. I will have the post office, store, government agency, and the stage business to attend to besides looking out for Van’s prop-

Vision Magazine |

erty. Better than the idle life I led at Mrs. Casey’s, and a chance to make a start, always assuming we get the consent of Van, of which I have no doubt. “Give my love to everybody — and some hundreds of kisses for mother. “Ash”

Thursday, August 18, 2016

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UFOlogy

Space Spiders And The Temptations Of Wishful Thinking

Looking Up

’m skeptical about most claims of alien abduction, but a few cases are well attested, like the famous Betty and Barney Hill account from 1961, in upstate New Hampshire. Betty and Barney were driving south on a lonely stretch of Route 3 the night of Sept. 19 when they noticed a disk-shaped craft pacing them in the sky. They saw it several times, and at some point it hovered over a clearing and they were able to draw close enough to it to see a bank of portholes and a number of small gray-skinned human-

By Donald Burleson

oids moving about inside the craft. The details of the event are problematical, because Betty and Barney experienced lost time, not being able to clearly account for all of their evening after they got home. Half-eclipsed memories of the occasion would come to haunt them, and in time they would undergo hypnotic regression to try to clarify what had happened to them, a sequence of experiences that took on all the aspects of what we would now call a classic abduction case (a term and a concept essentially unknown

in 1961). Increasingly Betty and Barney became aware that they had been taken aboard the strange craft, escorted to separate rooms, and made to submit to examinations. The real clincher to this case is the fact that after regressive hypnosis, Betty was able to sketch a star map that reproduced one she had been shown while on board the UFO. At the time when she drew it, the map didn’t make much sense, but it did come to make sense later when a more sophisticated mapping of the relatively nearby part of

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the galaxy matched the star patterns on Betty’s sketch and suggested the craft may have originated in the Zeta Reticuli system, only about 39 light-years away. This case came home to me during the recent Roswell UFO Festival when Kathy Marden came up to my vendor table at the UFO Museum. Kathy, who co-authored a book about Betty and Barney Hill and whom I had not met before, is the niece of the late Betty Hill. Knowing of my interest in genetics, Kathy mentioned to me that when investigators examined the dress

Betty had worn on the night of the encounter, they found spider DNA on it. For a few giddy moments there, the instinct for wishful thinking took over and my imagination ran amok. I had visions of Betty’s having had an encounter that night with some large arachnid creature (notwithstanding Betty’s and Barney’s describing the aliens as basically humanoid), and envisioned geneticists’ being able to compare “space spider” DNA with that of terrestrial spiders. But the more mundane and more prob-

able explanation soon came to mind. I asked Kathy where Betty’s dress had been kept up to the time it was examined, and she said, “In Betty’s closet.” Even in the best-kept houses, our eight-legged friends are common critters. So I said (and Kathy agreed) in all likelihood it was ordinary spider DNA.