The Essence of Los Alamos & White Rock
volume 1 issue 6
Publication of
October - November 2008
Welcome to The Essence In this issue of The Essence the thought of “home” guided us to selecting the stories. We also connect the stories to the 40 Developmental Assets. These assets are what communities have in place to ensure an environment that is optimal for a young person to become a successful adult. Los Alamos and White Rock already have lots of the assets in place, but the more we learn about them the better we can make our community the best environment for our children to experience as they grow up. The Frolic navigates us to treasures all around the county and back home and teaches us a little about Orienteering and Geocaching. Both of these activities have a hint of hide and seek blended with exploration to prove to be a great way for your family and friends to discover the treasures in our county. In the Business Essence we learn about all the things going on and available at Otowi Station. Nieces and nephews love the presents we get them from Otowi. The gifts with a scientific twist are unique and always well received. Otowi Station, our home town, bookstore encourages reading for fun which is a valuable asset. In LA &WR Insight Christel Hanson takes us along as she explores shortcuts around the county. Her travelogue proves to be insightful as well as entertaining. Remember to always be careful if taking shortcuts; some are more well maintained more than others. Always take a cell phone or let somebody know where you are going.
Editor’s Note
Contents
The Frolic A County Full of Treasures by Angie Chipera Page 3
The Business Essence Our Hometown Bookstore by Marganne Glasser Page 5 & 18
LA & WR Insight Six Days of Shortcuts by Cristel Hanson Page 7 & 8
Essence Feature Essence Pictures Page 9 & 10
Arts & Culture Nurturing the Creative Spirit by Teralene Foxx Page 11
Essential Person Police Chief Feels at Home in the Mountains by Katy Korkos Page 13
Community Matters Asssets in Action Page 15
The Arts & Culture features the Art Center at Fuller Lodge. Teralene Foxx gives us some insight on the history of the Art Center. Along with being informative Teralene shows us the importance of having the Art Center available to nurture local artists on their creative journeys.
Cover Photo by Jeremy Varela
Our Essential Person is Police Chief Wayne Torpy. He is a very important figure in Los Alamos. Along with keeping our county safe, he is also empowering youth to have a voice in our community. Whether you are in favor of or against the skate park’s location, you have to see that there was good in providing a venue for youth to have an outlet for creativity. There was also good in letting the youth have a voice in the decision making. Thanks Chief, for making our home a better place for our youngsters to grow up. The Chamber of Commerce is in the process of determining the future of the Essence. Reader feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and has encouraged us to continue the publication. During the next month, we will be determining advertiser interest. Given sufficient advertiser interest, we’ll commit to publishing the Essence for another year. We do anticipate changing how the Essence is distributed though. We will rely more on distribution boxes placed throughout the community and distribution at local businesses. We are evaluating the feasability of continuing home delivery for readers who want that, and we would lke to hear from you if that is your preference.
Volume 1, Issue 6 Managing Editor * Jeremy Varela
jvarela@losalamos.org * 505.661.4844
Ads Coordinator * Claire Roybal claire@losalamos.org * 505.661.4836 Writer/Content Editor * Katy Korkos katyk@losalamos.org * 505.661.4816 Content Editor * Chelo Rojas chelo@losalamos.org * 505.661.4817
Essence Committee * Sharon Springer * Cindy Whiting The Essence is produced by Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and printed & distributed by Los Alamos Monitor
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Jeremy Varela Managing Editor Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce/LACDC
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The Frolic
A County Full of Treasures By Angie Chipera
Orienteering/Geocaching
Orienteering is a sport for all ages and all levels of are provided. 1970s while living on the East Coast. She lived in ability that exercises both the mind Courses typically contain 10-15 signals. Differing Los Alamos for a short time before starting the local and body. Equipped with a good levels of expertise are chapter of Orienteers in pair of running shoes, water, spaced differently. Elite the fall of 2002. She got a map, and a compass, courses are 7-12 km; money from USOF and orienteers follow a advanced courses range hired a Russian mapper to predetermined course to from 4-7 km, depending on make the first map. Judy find a series of orange and the age group; intermediate organized and officiated white flag markers called courses will run 3.5-4.5 km; the early events because controls. Some people advanced beginner courses she was the only one have likened it to hunting are 2-3km; and beginning who knew how to do it. for treasure. courses range between 1-2 Now, the group has 30-40 This sport originated km. Super seniors (over 90 members in Los Alamos, in Sweden in the early years of age) run a shorter Farmington, Las Lunas, 1900s as a military exercise. The course of 3-4 km on fairly Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Swedish government grew tired of level terrain with spotters and Amarillo. Information their soldiers getting lost so they to watch for seniors who about the local chapter invented orienteering to teach them might have a mishap. First time orienteers ready to start their search can be found at www. to navigate. Soldiers liked the sport Having participated in a nmorienteers.org. in Bayo Canyon. very much, and after leaving the class given for the youth Past events were held on military, they set up orienteering group of the First United Methodist Church, I their plotted courses in Bayo and Rendija Canyon. clubs and competed against each discovered that orienteering really starts in the Recently they made a new map on the DOE Transfer other. Gradually, other countries “classroom” with learning to read the contours and Land. Their next event will be held on October found out about it and started their own clubs. special symbols on the map. I also received a crash 25th and 26th and will include participants from Orienteering found its way to the United States in course in compass reading. Then, in our walking Colorado, Tucson, Texas, and Kansas City, as well the 1940s and the U.S. Orienteering Federation gear, with water, map, and compass in tow, we as around New Mexico. All events are open to the (USOF) was organized in 1971. Events are held walked a course in Bayo Canyon set up by class public. Information is on the website. locally, nationally and internationally. Sweden instructor, Judy Opsahl. In three minute intervals, hosts a yearly five day she sent two people down Geocaching event called “Fem Tage,” the trail to find the controls, meaning five days, with the only mark on our paper Another hide-and-seek game played in Los Alamos thousands of orienteers log being our names and the County is known as Geocaching. This high-tech attending. time we started our search. game is played throughout the world using Global Participants don’t need to Sending us through the Positioning Satellite (GPS) devices to hunt for be able to communicate course in pairs is not typical treasure. Containers called geocaches are hidden in a common language by the way; orienteering outdoors in weatherproof containers. Seekers can in order to orienteer is an individual sport. We get information online about any cache any where together. Their clue started late in the day and in the world and then search for them using their sheets contain specially had to give everyone the GPS device. After they’ve found the cache they can designed, internationally chance to finish before share their experience on the website. known symbols, such as dark. As a person’s ability GPS technology was originally developed by a triangle representing to read the map and use the Department of Defense and was intended for a clump of boulders. A a compass increases, his military use. Therefore, signals were scrambled, mapper walks the course over all time to complete which limited the accuracy of civilian use to about Ann and her dog at control 7 beforehand and makes a the course improves. 100 meters. This scrambling, called Selective highly detailed map, showing not only elevation At each of the seven controls, we used the attached Availability, was removed at midnight on May 1, and terrain changes but land features such as cliffs, punch to mark the box on our log sheet that 2000, increasing the accuracy of locating objects earthbanks, gullies, marshes, and ponds. Everyone corresponded to the number of the control. Each from 100 meters to 10 meters. Just two days later, taking part in the event is issued the same map and punch marked the paper in a unique pattern so that Dave Ulmer planted the first geocache and challenged will then draw their course on the map. Choices no two looked alike. others online to search for it. Today there are well geared toward the participant’s level of experience Opsahl first got involved in orienteering in the over 800,000 geocaches registered throughout the
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world and on every continent, including Antarctica. When I opened the geocache, it truly felt like I Ulmer’s cache was a five gallon bucket containing was opening a present. Anxiously, I poured out toys and other objects. What kind of things are put the contents and looked through them. Nothing in a geocache? Caches are primarily well-sealing contained within was spectacular but, judging plastic containers ranging in size from a by the length of the log, hundreds film canister to a 5 gallon bucket and are of eyes had looked at some of filled with post-it notes, game tokens, these very objects before. I say hair ties. Stickers, coins, buttons. some of the contents because one Anything really, except for hazardous of the fun rules of geocaching is substances, food, and anything with a to take something and leave scent that would attract wild animals. something new. I wondered The only mandatory items are a briefly about the items before log and pencil so that the finders I tucked them all safely back can log in their name and the into the container and nestled date they found the cache. it back into its hiding place. Pencils are recommended Officially, I’d become part instead of pens because ink of an elite group of treasure sometimes freezes in the hunters. cooler temperatures and Some caches contain “travel renders the pen useless. bugs,” metallic devices that Like orienteering, move from one geocache geocaching starts in to another. If you open Things you typically find in a cache a classroom of sorts. a geocache and you find Geocacher Craig Martin, one, you don’t have to take a member since it, but if you do, you are 2001, took me obligated to place the on a tour through bug in another cache the geocaching somewhere in the world. website, www. The path of these travel geocaching.org. bugs are tracked through He explained that the internet website. not all caches are Some have been around traditional—some the world. are virtual, like According to Tia trees and gigantic Carmichael, age 15, Smoky the Bear geocaching is hiking with statues. Martin adventure. Her father Jeff searched for caches says kids of all ages need Learning to read a map and use a compass within 20 miles of to have a mission. Seeking his location, downtown a geocache is more than Los Alamos, and discovered that there were 172 something to do with friends; it gives a person a hidden caches in the search area. purpose to go into nature and work with technology. One, called “All Things Bright and Beautiful,” was And the views are great. only one half mile from our location. Craig then Although orienteering and geocaching have their took out his GPS and showed me how to read my similarities both are very different and both offer bearing and distance. A few minutes later, we were something different for the outdoorsman. With so searching. As we walked I watched my distance and many geocaches so close to Los Alamos this is bearing until the distance was zero. At that point I an easy family adventure for the weekend. Like knew we were within feet of the cache and we began solitude? Both are equipped to give you an adventure the most tedious part of our investigation—finding as you commune with nature. Perhaps I’ll see you the hidden treasure. there!
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Business Essence
Our Hometown Bookstore by Marganne Glasser “The world walks through our doors” reads the world map behind Peggy Durbin, co-owner of Otowi Station bookstore with Michele Vochosky since 2005; and the push pins placed by visiting customers back this up. Japan, Africa and Eastern Europe are well-represented, for example; and at least one native each of New Guinea and Myanmar have stopped in. Durbin disclosed many secrets of keeping the Otowi Station thriving while independent bookstores across the country are becoming increasingly rare. First, tempting though it might be to someone so passionate about books, she does not get to spend her whole day reading. She does, however, know every book section, each toy and novelty, and all the upcoming special events. She characterizes her staff as “splendid! Everyone is very knowledgeable and has a long tenure with the store.” Otowi staff members strive to forge strong relationships with customers, the community and other local businesses. Trick or Treat Main Street is a Halloween favorite with both parents and kids as it offers free candy and the safety of trick or treating during daylight hours. Otowi Station has supplies for a thrillingly spooky Halloween like skeletons, spinning tops and glow-in-the dark fangs. Durbin takes special pride in the large selection of costume teeth and schnozzes, saying people are welcome to stop by and “pick their nose.” Many suspense and horror titles are on hand for all ages, including Vunce Upon a Time by J. Otto Siebold for the young crowd, about a vegetarian vampire who ventures out on Halloween and learns lessons in sensitivity. A guide to New Mexico ghost towns in available for adventurers seeking a game of phantom geo-caching and Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series about a young woman who has a relationship with a vampire and a werewolf is in the young adult section. Literary critics have spoken well of Meyer’s series as an appealing and safe way to explore issues of relationship and maturing. Another local favorite is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series,
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Jeff Kinney’s humorous take on a seventh grade self-described nerd. Otowi’s Young Adult section has been carefully planned to extend welcome to adolescents in the form of comfortable chairs and privacy to browse. It adjoins the science fiction and fantasy section, and the graphic novels. Not graphic as in explicit; graphic as in artistic rendering style, yet another literary innovation making inroads to expanding readership habits. Otowi frequently stages special book events. James P. Doss will visit on November 6th, ahead of Amazon’s release date, to sign his latest Charlie Moon mystery Snake Dreams. Ellen Klages’ White Sands, Red Menace is a sequel to her popular The Green Glass Sea, about a child in Los Alamos during the development of the bomb. She will be in town for school visits and book signings in early December. Otowi’s pre-holiday open house with toy demonstrations, badge making crafts, food samples from recipe books for sale and complimentary holiday suggestions was such a hit last year it will become a tradition. Look for Jacob Tucker, a young customer who shows up to pitch in, give store tours and make recommendations. Durbin looks forward to adding him to the Otowi team once he’s of age to hire. Among the many hats Durbin wears is the wizardry garb appropriate for that worldwide literary history-making event, the release of the final Harry Potter novel. When Durbin turned on the lights at midnight on July 21st, a cheer went up from the crowd that snaked around the building. Seven businesses in town sponsored a treasure hunt with one trivia question in each location. Prizes donated for the winners drawn from correct answers included a messenger bag, a movie poster and thematic t-shirts. Both kids and adults showed up dressed for the costume contest sponsored by Gordons’ Concerts. Otowi also serves cake on Richard Feynman’s birthday, June 11th; and pie on Einstein’s birthday, March 14th, also known as pi day, 3/14.
Otowi Station
Both scientists have entire sections devoted to them, and many a customer has been delighted to discover the complete works of Feynman in stock. Mutual admiration keeps the relationship strong between Otowi and locals. Durbin says many shoppers look up ISBN numbers on the web but place their orders through Otowi because they understand that their money gets recycled in the community. Local preferences instead of some anonymous corporate entity drive the merchandising decisions at Otowi. “Los Alamos reads,” says Durbin, “and we’ve got the weirdest best-seller list in the country.” This includes Los Alamos Trails by local Craig Martin; The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes and Foundations of Radiation and Hydrodynamics by Dimitri and Barbara Weibel Mihalas. “You can’t even find that in a chain store,” said Durbin. “We specialize in atomic history, the Manhattan project, and science and technology for laymen and scientists alike.” Publications of the Los Alamos Historical Society and Bradbury Museum related items are also popular. “We are the Historical Society’s best customer” she said. Bookstore special events are high on local’s radar and they turn out in droves for them. Anna Sofaer’s Chaco Astronomy is a series of scholarly papers on prehistoric cosmology. When Sofaer lectured at the Bradbury Museum, the event was so popular she was re-scheduled for another appearance the following week. “People brought their own notes, pictures and research and asked such probing questions, “said Durbin. Richard Rhodes also generated standing room only crowds when he visited in 2007 to promote Arsenals of Folly.
Continued on Page 18
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LA & WR Insight
Six Days of Shortcuts!! By Cristel Hanson
As children, we meander down back trails and little-worn paths in our quest for lizards or for a quicker way to school. As adults, we believe that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Whether our motivation is discovery or efficiency, everybody loves a shortcut. While discovering some of the myriad shortcuts in Los Alamos and White Rock, I compiled the following travelogue. I narrowed my search by following two rules: 1) no trespassing allowed, and 2) if the shortcut is a trail, it must begin and end in town. This list of shortcuts is not exhaustive; I guarantee one of your favorite paths is missing because there are at least kajillion of them. Armed only with trail-expert Craig Martin’s book, “Los Alamos Trails,” word of mouth, and some walking shoes, here’s what I found: Monday, Los Alamos: Northern Area. I have it on good authority that there is a shortcut that passes through the neighborhoods to Mountain School, so that’s where I head first. Parking in the small lot across from the school, the shortcut is easy to spot. It’s yet another cement path; however, it is the most pleasant path I’ve found so far. Lined by Ponderosa Pines, it’s made additionally scenic by landscaped backyards, cheery birdfeeders, and vine-draped fences. The path dumps me out on White Street, but continues across the street all the way up to 48th Street. Taking 48th to get back to the school, I pass a welltraveled path heading into the foothills of LA Mountain. I’ve walked some of the trails there, but as in many places, there are too many to count. Inspired by my easy success, I circle Urban Park looking for direct shortcuts to the park. On my way around, I see what looks like a gap through a fence. Sure enough, there’s a passageway between two fenced properties on 42nd Street. It’s overgrown with knee-high weeds and some industrious gophers are clearly at work. Curious, I follow the path down around a corner, and around another corner, fighting brambles and vines. Dogs—shocked by my presence—race to the fence line, encouraging me to pick up the pace. At last I emerge, breathless . . . in someone’s front yard. I run, don’t walk, to the nearest sidewalk hoping no one has seen me breaking my own rule. My newfound shortcut is actually an alley that runs behind a quad. My rejoicing at finding an unknown path is cut short—it’s unused because it doesn’t go anywhere. Lesson learned: if nobody uses it, it’s probably not a shortcut. Tuesday, White Rock. “We used to cut the corner between Sherwood and Longview, but now the post office and Longview Self Storage have paved paradise,” says Kyle Christensen, who grew up exploring White Rock and is a fount of shortcut information. My goal for today is to see if I can avoid the road (not counting where I must cross it) from one end of White Rock to the other. Starting on the paved path along State Road 4 near Monte Rey South, I follow it all the way to White Rock Baptist Church, where I take a shortcut from the corner of the church parking lot along an arroyo leading to Pinon Park. “Another good shortcut was one between the tennis courts and Rocket [Pinon] Park. It too has been paved, but it used to have a sweet jump right next to the tall Ponderosa Pine,” says Christensen. According to Christensen, there is also a trail running the length of the houses on Aztec, between Sherwood and Rover. Taking Christensen’s trail, I make it all the way to the White Rock Library and Community Center. I walk behind them and discover a well-maintained horseshoe pit. From there I can cross Rover to get to the Canada del Buey Trail,
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Shortcuts
a paved path winding between neighborhoods. Along the path, shortcuts lead to Chamisa School and nearby neighborhoods. The trail ends on Meadow Lane, across from Overlook Park. If I’m a stickler for bypassing the road, I can progress behind the fields and the recycling center on dirt trails all the way to Overlook. I have successfully walked the entire length of White Rock, without taking any roads. Wednesday, Los Alamos: Eastern Area. My first find in Eastern Area is at the end of 6th Street on Quartz, where a footpath leads to a dilapidated basketball court; a shortcut runs between it and a sunny playground with an entrance on Pine, where parents with small children can park. Trails run like rivulets away from the playground, down into the canyon. Mesa Meadows Pool Next my search uncovers the first of many “cut-throughs,” sidewalks between homes that connect streets—in other words, planned shortcuts. This form of shortcut is common in parts of both Los Alamos and White Rock, especially near schools and parks. Avoiding the area near student housing and the apartment complexes, where any piece of non-residentially-owned land is subject to a stream of pedestrians, I continue east. I stumble on a parking area off Nambe Place, with a paved path called Los Alamos Mesa Trail leading off to the west. “We used to walk on it all the time even before it was paved,” says Nicole Gentry, who walks the trail regularly with her extended family. Mesa Trail offers superb views of the canyon rim across the way, homes clinging to the side. Life Trail fitness stations dot the path for those wishing to increase the benefits of their walk, run, or bike ride. The trail ends at Aspen Ridge, as does my investigating for the day. Thursday, Los Alamos: Western Area. Starting at Western Area Park, I immediately find seven cut-through entrances from surrounding streets to the park. Today is the first day in my travels I have found fellow shortcut users. Two moms with strollers pass by me and a man on a bike hurtles down toward the tennis courts. Fellow Shortcutters In addition to the myriad paths leading to and from the park, I find a dirt shortcut from the main path to a path with a little bridge near the tennis courts. Here cement paths and dirt trails connect to a cut-through in a little maze. Exploring along the edge of the park, risking the suspicion of the county vehicle cruising up and down the main path, I stumble upon Mesa Meadows pool, a
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Shortcuts (Continued) fenced community pool on the Perfect. I’m planning edge of the park. I’ve visited to explore the area this park dozens of times over behind the Larry the years and never noticed it; R. Walkup Aquatic a footpath leads past it to 42nd Center anyway, Street. having heard rumors I find more cut-throughs in that there is a bridge the adjacent neighborhoods, too behind it. Arriving numerous to count. On Ridgeway, at the pool, I find a I find stairs on the edge of a yard well-marked trailhead with a small sign that reads, for Kinnikinnik Park, “Entrance to Perimeter Trail.” one of a network However, it’s beginning to rain of trails within the on me (and I’m unprepared to Central Canyon area suffer for my art,) so I decline to (including Pueblo Kinnikinnik Bridge explore the trail further today. Canyon, Acid Canyon, Friday, White Rock: Canyon Rim School Canyon, and Trail. Walnut Canyon). From the parking lot, I can see a bridge that could be “the My shortcut adventure starts bridge” of the rumors. Sure enough, the map shows that I could get to the Golf today on the Canyon Rim Trail, Course from the Aquatic Center. Western Area Park which begins on Sherwood Lane Feeling intrepid, I follow switchbacks leading me into the cool canyon, where and ends at Overlook Park. The main trail is rutted from travelers; still, many fall is already arriving. Green is turning into gold, and gold into red. residents of White Rock do not know where it is. Along the way I cross a couple footbridges, and about ten minutes into my walk, More of a bypass than a shortcut, the trail runs beyond the outskirts of White at the bottom of the canyon, I find another bridge that could be “the bridge,” of Rock along the canyon rim (thus the name). Beginning the trail from Sherwood, the same sturdy construction. The water-cut boulders below are dry. I find a well-hidden playground with its very own shortcut from the end of I work my way up the other side of the canyon in hopes of catching a glimpse Shirlane. of the old Peggy Sue Bridge, which was a catwalk above a gas line, suspended From there it takes me about 15 minutes to reach the end of Kimberly, where a over the canyon. My parents used to cross it as children, but although the large cul-de-sac is available for parking. It’s a perfect spot for people exercising pipeline remains, the bridge is gone. their dogs or climbers frequenting nearby cliffs. Proceeding straight out from Hoping to see Peggy Sue from atop some boulders, I’m disappointed. Craig the end of Kimberly reveals a spectacular view of the canyon and the Rio Martin’s book contains detailed information on the trails, and I’m wishing I Grande below. hadn’t forgotten it at home. However, turning Continuing along the rim, the path leads what I around, I find a chain link fence and a little gate. estimate to be close to three miles until I reach I’ve found the park to which Yeamans referred; it’s Overlook Park. Trails crisscross like veins another tiny playground nestled behind houses at throughout the wilderness and depending on my the end of Orange Street, reached from the street choice, I can end up at the entrance to the Park by a cut-through. or down almost to the Overlook itself. It’s more Twenty minutes (including lollygagging) brought efficient to drive, but there’s so much beauty to me from the pool to the park in picturesque scenery, discover taking the back road. saving me what I estimate to be ten or twenty Saturday, Los Alamos: Kinnikinnik Trail. minutes if taking the road. Beat that, sidewalk. “I think there’s a trail from the Golf course to the Due to the immense amount of shortcuts, cuthigh school,” suggests Scott McCalla, a former throughs, and trails, and limited space for this Los Alamos high school student. “[A friend] article, I have had to entirely leave out Barranca and I used to run down there last year,” confirms and North Mesas, La Senda and Pajarito Acres, Orange Street Park Sarah Worland, a current LAHS student. Quemazon and other portions of town. Another interviewee, White Rock resident Pat Yeamans, offers advice on where I can’t even mention everything I found, much less explore all that I planned to to find an entrance to the trails: “You know that park, kind of by Aspen school . or wanted to see. However, I highly recommend a shortcut search of your own: . . gosh, where is that? There’s a park where there’s a gate to the trail.” it’s the most fun I’ve had exploring town . . . and you just might find the shortest Where does it end up? “I think over by the [Jewish Center] or back behind the way from here to there! Aquatic Center,” says Yeamans.
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Arts & Culture
Nurturing the Creative Spirit By Teralene Foxx
When I think of the word “home,” I think of a sense of Place, a house or community, a Place comfortable for body, mind, and spirit. Home is where quality of life includes ways to enhance a healthy balance between work and play. From the early years of the development of Los Alamos, this need for balance was recognized. As early as 1946, the arts were an important part of this Place we call Los Alamos. Music, dance, theater and visual arts were nurtured in the lives of the inhabitants. In these early years, a place to display visual arts was begun and that place has since evolved into the present day Art Center at Fuller Lodge, a nonprofit organization, housed in the historic Fuller Lodge. The Art Center’s mission statement is to “Enrich the quality of life by nurturing and supporting the human creative spirit through visual arts.” This is done through increasing the community’s awareness and understanding of art and providing an avenue where artists can develop skills and show their work. The Art Center is supported by the County through providing space and some financial support but otherwise the Art Center is self supporting through sales from the gift shop, gallery and individual memberships. The Center sponsors eight different Gallery exhibitions and two Arts and Crafts Fairs a year. As an artist, the Art Center has been important in my creative journey. I have found that the creative spirit undergoes an evolution. Somewhere along the journey one is compelled to step out and try something new. If that desire to create is nurtured, the journey continues. If barriers of criticism or discouragement are thrown up the journey stops until one can step beyond that barrier. At first when creative spirit wells up and flows forth, there is a sense of awe that you have actually created. You just want to hang on to your creation, loving it for what it freed in you. But eventually you come to a place where you want to share it with others. The next step is letting others share your joy and finally being able to let it go to someone else who “loves as much as you love it.” When one comes to the place of wanting to share visual arts the Art Center is important part of this Community. For the new and emerging artist the Art Center provides a friendly and encouraging place to experience the steps of sharing and letting go of visual creations. At the recent opening of one of the eight juried shows at the Art Center, I asked several artists why they like and support the Art Center. All indicated that it provided a place where they found encouragement, helpful critiques, and a variety of ways to share creativity. There was excitement when they were juried into a show and a sense of “wow” when they sold. Each found their self-esteem was given a boost. For some it was a place where emerging art
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The Art Center @ Fuller Lodge forms such as fiber art or colored pencil were given legitimacy. The encouragement of the Art Center has spurred some artists to display in regional, national and international venues. But even if they have moved beyond the local area, they still find displaying their creations within this place they call “home” is important because it nurtures their self esteem and creative spirit. A very important role the Art Center provides in the community is the nurturing of the self esteem and creative spirit of children. For six weeks of each summer the Kids exploring their creative ideas at Art Camp Center provides an Art Camp for children from the first to sixth grade. Wonderfully talented and patient teachers teach over 400 students to love art and to experiment with drawing, clay, wood, and other media. When my granddaughter comes for a visit every summer, she wants to go to Art Camp. The smile on her face and the joy she has when she shares her creations with us her creations is precious. Throughout the school year that creative spirit continues to be nurtured through classes taught by teachers like Thelma Hahn, Geraldine Fiskus, and Jay Zeiger. Volunteers who sit at the desk of the Art Center are important to its success. One volunteer, Susan Benjamin, said she volunteered because she liked being around beautiful things, it was calming and peaceful, and she loves meeting people from other places that enter into the Center to look for souvenirs. The Gallery Shop displays works art and fine crafts by 87 local and regional artisans and provides a unique shopping opportunity in Los Alamos. As the holiday season approaches, the Art Center provides a place to shop locally and to encourage and support artists. The Fall Arts and Crafts Fair at Los Alamos Middle School on October 25 Teralene Foxx poses with her provides a venue to see and purchase works of expressions of art various regional and local artisans. “Affordable Art” in the Gallery Shop, from November 28 to January 3, is a wonderful place to find jewelry, pottery, and many unique gifts, all at an affordable price. In addition to the Gallery shop and exhibits, Art Center provides classes, workshops, and gallery talks. Go to the website www.artfulnm.org to see the variety of learning opportunities for adults, upcoming exhibitions, and opportunities for artists.
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The Essential Person
Police Chief Feels at Home in the Mountains By Katy Korkos From the flat and humid land of Florida to the high and dry New Mexico plateaus would seem like a radical shift to some, but not to Police Chief Wayne Torpy, who has found a home that suits his spirit here in Los Alamos. Torpy had a full career in the high-heat, high-humidity atmosphere of Florida’s Space Coast, but spent many of his vacations in the Rockies, skiing or motorcycling. After he retired from his position with the police department in Melbourne, Florida, he was looking for a challenge in a part of the country he had always loved. He had already interviewed and been offered the job of police chief in Fountain, Colorado, when the Los Alamos chief’s spot was advertised. He told the city manager in Colorado that he wanted to look at one more option before he accepted the job, and on a cold and snowy December day, drove south to have a look at Los Alamos. “Once I turned off the highway and started heading towards the mountains, once I started up that front hill road, my mind was made up. I turned down a perfectly good job for a gamble,” Torpy said, and added that he feels very fortunate to be here. Torpy has been in the thick of the controversy over the location of Los Alamos’ new skate park, between the Tot Lot and the library. When he first interviewed for the Chief of Police position in Los Alamos, he was asked about how he would handle the issue of skaters skating on the local streets and sidewalks. “You don’t ask people not to do something without an alternative,” Torpy said at the time, and after he accepted the job and came to Los Alamos, the whole police department took the skate park on as a project. “Once I got here, I’d go for a walk and talk to the kids who were skating on the street. They said, ‘If we just had a skate park, we would skate there instead.’” After Torpy found that the Council had already approved funds for the park, that sites had already been assessed, and that there was an enthusiastic group of kids, businesspeople, Moms and Dads willing to keep the ball rolling, it became a goal Wayne Torpy of the police department to see the skate park become a reality. “One of the most fulfilling parts of this project was to watch some of the kids really grow. I was proud of them for sticking with it. It points to the importance of young people really getting involved. From a civic standpoint, whether these
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Wayne Torpy
young folks perceive the situation as good or bad, they now know the mechanism for accomplishing things.” “The story starts with how I became a police officer,” Torpy said. He credits a deputy sheriff named Charlie Moore with being the first adult, other than his parents, who took an interest in him. Torpy’s father ran a grocery store, and if law enforcement had not been modeled for him, he could have followed in his father’s footsteps and become a meat cutter or grocer, or have followed someone whose motives were not so pure. “That was a real turning point for me -- it could just as easily have been a thug who took an interest in me. Charlie had the idea to start a Sheriff’s Cadets group. He took my brothers and me to the YMCA, he helped us get certified in Scuba, he personified the whole concept of mentorship.” Torpy himself went on to establish two Police Explorer posts, and takes pride in the fact that two of his young Explorers went on to work for him in his old police department. “I’ve focused my mentorship on young people,” Torpy said. He has served on the Florida board of Big Brothers Big Sisters and is active in the local Leadership Los Alamos program. Torpy has a vision for the Los Alamos Police Department where someone from within the department can be promoted to the position of Chief (when he decides to retire again). He has been influential in creating a structure where police officers can rise up through the ranks, and instrumental in ensuring that training and testing is always available to the police force. “My objective is to leave this department where someone inside the department can carry on. Local knowledge is an important thing.”
Editor’s Note: Chief Torpy is a great example of how the 40 Developmental Assets are alive in Los Alamos. As you have read from a young age the Assets guided Chief in the form of an adult taking interest in him. He now leads by example and shows mentorship to our youth. He is building on the Assets of the youth as well as his officers.
Do you know somebody from Los Alamos or White Rock that has a great story? They could be featured as The Essential Person. Contact Jeremy Varela 505.661.4844 jvarela@losalamos.org
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CommunityMatters Youth Benefit From the Assets in Our Community By Jeremy Varela
Someone once said that “It takes a Village” to raise a child. In learning about the 40 Developmental Assets I have come to the conclusion that it does take a community to raise a child. The environment that a child grows up in influences their thinking as they mature. Los Alamos has been practicing these 40 Developmental Assets since its conception. Early on when it was a boy’s ranch curriculums were developed that would have today met all the 40 positive experiences and qualities. Today Los Alamos still embodies these qualities in different areas. Many people are already modeling the 40 Developmental Assets without knowledge of the program. For example, LACDC has started incorporating a youth element in all of the public events that we organize. We knew it was important to involve the youth in our events but the 40 Developmental Assets has taught us why it is important. We have also learned of more assets that we could incorporate into our events. Organizations that meet all of the key elements of 40 Developmental Assets were featured in past issues The Essence. In our first issue we featured Dance Arts Los Alamos. They embodied all of the elements. They support youth by fostering relationships and let youth feel welcomed and accepted. DALA also serves as a “Positive Identity.” DALA nurtures a sense of purpose, worth and possibilities for the future.
Center. He promotes “Social Competencies” that help youth build relationships and help develop skills to make the right choices. He also gives youth a venue that encourages curiosity, learning, and discovery all year long and especially in the summer. In our last issue we featured our High School Athletes. Topper Sports gives youth “Empowerment” by giving them the opportunity to serve and lead. Topper Sports also articulates, teaches, and reinforces values like honesty, responsibility, and integrity. In researching for this issue of the Essence, we have found that there are great programs that address most of the Assets, but in many cases we don’t empower youth as fully as we could. Letting young people take the lead, rather than telling them what to do every step of the way, will build the character of our youth. We can all work on this, and remember to acknowledge the vital role they play in our community. A simple “Hello” or greeting kids by name can go a long way to making them feel valued by their home town. How does your program stack up to the 40 Developmental Assets? Find out at www.losalamosjjab.com/40-developmentalassets or call 505.661.4846
These are just a couple of examples of how our Los Alamos County Parks and Recreation was community is has been and will be a great place another program that hit all elements of the for a child to grow up. Assets. They provide a “Constructive Use of Time” by utilizing young people’s time for enrichment and personal growth. LA Parks and Recreation also embodies “Boundaries and Expectations” by supporting rules for behavior and challenges to do and be their best. Paul Martinez was featured as an “Essential Person” in the June/July issue. Mr. Martinez met all of the elements for his work at the Activity
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Otowi Station(Continued) “We sold hundreds of books in thirty minutes,” said Durbin, “he smashed J.K. Rowling’s record for books sold per hour here.” Other popular titles on atomic history include American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin; 109 East Palace by Jennet Conant; Klages’ The Green Glass Sea; and Los Alamos Beginning of an Era: 1943-1945 published by the Lab’s public relations office. Local authors are on prominent display at Otowi and the staff enjoys honoring and promoting them with guest signing events. The Staff Picks section offers custom book reviews and the Southwest section offers an inviting array of titles. The Current Fiction in Translation section offers international selections not always easily acquired elsewhere. Popular titles include The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, and What I talk about When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. Durbin and staff are happy to work with book clubs. Registration and purchase of five or more copies entitle them to a 20% discount for members. Treats like toxic waste candy, fizzies and other novelties await eager browsers. “Rocks are best sellers,” says Durbin, and keeping mineral hounds supplied requires constant vigilance. “A $10.00 purchase of scientific stuff gets a free calculator while supplies last.” Staffer Terry Hatch designed a trendy t-shirt with pictures of pictogram people in Stone Age settings doing scientific work. She also visits the Consumer Products Safety website daily to make sure Otowi toys are in compliance. “The Rubik’s cube is making a huge comeback,” said Durbin, holding up a 5”x5” one, “this one is evil incarnate.” The kids toy, book and crafts section has selections for littles, middles and bigs including cuddlies and board books for infants and toddlers. Budding explorers who like the gross, icky side of science won’t be disappointed. A complete dinosaur section awaits amateur paleontologists and a plush five foot tall giraffe will make someone very happy. Lego fans will find a plethora of sets. Keeping up with the demand for 5 Crowns and Quiddler, card games designed by a local, requires constant attention. “2009 calendars are here and flying out the door,” said Durbin who recommends getting one ‘before only Molds of the World” is left in stock. Anticipating customer needs is part of what keeps Otowi such a hopping place. Staffers take pride in custom picks for shoppers with quirky tastes in mysteries, biographies or fiction. “We’ve hand sold at least 60 copies of Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, written in the 30’s and one of the best reads ever,” she said. The bookstore was originally Ojo de Dios Books, located where Casa Mesita is now, and founded in the 1970’s by Harold Burnett who retired in 1990. Colleen Olinger then bought it and changed the name to Otowi. Olinger moved the store to its current location when the Bradbury Museum opened in 1990. Durbin and Vochosky bought it in 2005; Durbin retired from the Lab in May of 2006 after working as a technical writer and editor and a prior incarnation as an English teacher. Don’t expect to see espresso machines in Otowi. Durbin and Vochosky had opportunity to expand into the storefront space next door but expansion is costly and can disrupt the careful balance of sustainability. The team took a lesson from the closing of landmark bookstore Cody’s in Berkeley and decided to continue playing to existing strengths and not take on more than would be manageable. In world of pressure and continual changes, the pleasures of a good read and companionable chat remain a constant.
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Scarecrow Contest October 26th - November 1st 2008
Presented by Los Alamos Arts Council Registration Deadline is Oct. 20 call Marlane for more info 663.0477
Friday, October 31st 2008 Trick or Treat on MainStreet 5 pm to 7 pm
Experience the Haunting on MainStreet at the corner of MainStreet & Central 6 pm
Saturday, November 1st 2008 Pumpkin Glow
Presented by Los Alamos Arts Council Fuller Lodge 6 pm to 9 pm
The Nomads Concert & MainStreet’s Costume Contest Come dance the night away in your best costume and win PRIZES at this FREE concert Fuller Lodge
7 pm to 10 pm
For a full list of activities please visit LAmainstreet.com