Santa Fe Reporter, October 26, 2022

DELIVERIES

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EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

JULIE ANN GRIMM

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ROBYN DESJARDINS

ART DIRECTOR ANSON STEVENS-BOLLEN

CULTURE EDITOR ALEX DE VORE NEWS EDITOR JEFF PROCTOR

SENIOR CORRESPONDENT JULIA GOLDBERG

STAFF WRITER

ANDY LYMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER ANNABELLA FARMER

DIGITAL SERVICES MANAGER BRIANNA KIRKLAND

CIRCULATION MANAGER ANDY BRAMBLE OWNERSHIP CITY OF ROSES NEWSPAPER CO.

PRINTER

THE NEW MEXICAN

Cover

Anson Stevens-Bollen

VOTER HELPER TOOLS

LETTERS

Mail letters to PO Box 4910, Santa Fe, NM 87502; or email them to editor@sfreporter. com. Letters (no more than 200 words) should refer to specific articles in the Reporter. Letters will be edited for space and clarity.

COVER, OCT. 19:

“FULL INHERITANCE”

WE CAN ALL BENEFIT

The Oct. 19 issue is an all-time great edition of the Santa Fe Reporter. We’ll be keeping and framing the terrific cover art by Anson StevensBollen. The grandpa and child watering the earth tree with the continents in the leaves could not be more perfect for this article. Larry Rasmussen’s interview was fascinating reading —challenging, thoughtful and thought-provok ing. Thank you, Dr. Rasmussen. We can all benefit by reading this book, reconsidering our habits, and incorporating better environmental practices in our lives.

NANCY WITTER SANTA FE

MOVIES, OCT. 19: “SFIFF”

NO-MASCOT MOVEMENT

Appreciation to Julie Ann Grimm for such a lovely review of Imaging the Indian. I was delighted with her shout-out to my work on this issue. How I wish I could be back in Santa Fe (for any reason at any time) for this screen ing at the Santa Fe International Film Festival, but I am not able to travel at this time, alas.

My dear friend, Artist Mateo Romero (Cochiti Pueblo), a recent New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs “treasure,” joined the panel discussing the film at CCA. He was one of my co-plaintiffs in what became a quarter-century of litigation against the vile former name of the Washington [football] team. We, collectively, in the no-mascot movement of Native Peoples and Allies, changed a majority of the “Indian” names, images, symbols, mascots and behav

iors in over 2,000 educational and professional American sports. We have a long way to go, but we’ve already achieved the societal sea change, and the next half will not take the 60+ years that the first half did.

SUZAN SHOWN HARJO WASHINGTON, DC

NEWS, OCT. 19:

“HOUSING AGENDA”

VIOLATION OF TRUST

If Mike Loftin wanted to really address the housing crisis and wanted a quick resolution he would have just considered a piece of property for his development instead of an area desig nated as open space. This development has been delayed because there was a violation of public trust in selling this property that was purchased by the taxpayer. [Homewise] has not taken into consideration all the opposition to sacrificing this precious open space. Loftin claims to think about the community but does not listen to the feedback of the current resi dents. Save the open space! There are so many other pieces of property in this area to develop. It is a housing crisis not a property crisis.

KBL BRENING VIA FACEBOOK

MORNING WORD, OCT. 18:

“SFPD DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL OFFICERS TO CERRILLOS ROAD CORRIDOR”

WELCOME PATROLS

I was so glad to read about increased patrolling on Cerrillos Road. I live in that area behind Jackalope and the homeless shelter is a major contributor to issues in our area. Thank you SFPD!! We look forward to seeing you patrolling our neighborhood! We appreciate you!

DEBORAH DEWITT @DEBRAKDEWITT VIA TWITTER

WHY ARE YOU ACTING SO NERVOUS?

OPERATION CENTRALIZED AID IS UNDERWAY

Orwellian title for SFPD’s newly launched, preordained constitutional rights violation coming to a Cerrillos Road corridor near you.

IT’S ALMOST HALLOWEEN

Our take: People with drugs want to keep them and use them—not hand them out to your kids, hidden in chocolate bars.

THE FBI AND SANTA FE POLICE SEEK PUBLIC ASSISTANCE IN FINDING THE “SKINNY SWOOSH BANDIT”

The Bank Robber Naming Division has a few vacancies, too.

STATE RACING COMMISSION DENIES LICENSE TO WOULDBE TUCUMCARI CASINO, RACE TRACK

There’s already way too much to do in Tucumcari, anyway.

...LATER

STATE SEN. JACOB CANDELARIA STEPS DOWN AS PLANNED

Among other achievements, we’ll remember him for once waving a cannabis vape pen around on the Senate floor and promising to use it later, “maybe all of it.”

DOWNTOWN CARNITAS VENDOR ROQUE GARCIA RETIRES

Among the memories of great meals he’s served us, we’ll also remember him for standing up to a gun-toting Trump lover on the Plaza.

POTENTIAL LA CIENEGA CANNABIS GROW HOUSE WOULD REPORTEDLY BE “SMELL PROOF”

Just like that one backpack you had in college.

READ IT ON SFREPORTER.COM

WORDS WANTED

The deadline for our annual writing contest is midnight on Halloween. Find details and enter via sfreporter.com/contests

WE ARE WAY MORE THAN WEDNESDAY HERE ARE A COUPLE OF ONLINE EXCLUSIVES:

BACK II THE FUTURE

The Fork drank some weird new Coke product and traveled through time. True story. Read more at sfreporter.com/food

COMPLICATED ISSUE

I am a [short term rental] owner-operator here in Madrid. I am also an artist and have a gallery that sells my work, my partner’s work and friends’ work. I have lived here for 22 years. [We] have watched and participated in our village doing better and better through the years. We have gone from being renters to owners. Our town has been drawing more visitors and creating more jobs in town so people don’t have to drive to Santa Fe and Albuquerque to make a living. Many people eventually become self employed in some form or another by patchworking together income. STRs have definitely played a role in having more local economy. When tourists stay overnight, they eat more meals, stay for more music and buy more art and handmade goods over the course of a few days instead of only a day trip like in the past. We are a town that depends on tourism. It is our only signif icant economy...Our 10-15 STRs in the village do not cause the affordable housing crisis. And while I do believe in regulation I don’t think vilification of STR owners is right. We are major contributors to our communities, at least here in Madrid. The issue is too complex to address here but I sincerely hope that all of the tax dollars collected by the county be earmarked for affordable housing and how to do that creatively in our small communities. I would love to help.

People that have to use hyperbolic untruths to make a point usually don’t have the facts on their side to make an argument. A veteran was not “turned out on the street by people who claim to care about their communities” nor “evicted” entirely for starting an Airbnb...This kind of thing is very divisive. I would rather our communities come up with ways to address affordable housing without demonizing their community members...I hope your paper will recognize that those of us in the county are not “investors,” while the city of Santa Fe is a different story. STR owners I know are artists, cooks, waitresses, retirees and folks trying to patch together a living in a rural area, which is not the easiest of tasks.

KATHLEEN CASEY MADRID

DREAM HOME

We have huge concerns about what is going on with the commissioners and the STR ordi nance that they are currently considering. We purchased our future retirement home after my husband and I were both diagnosed with illness last year. Buying the property gave us hope and happiness knowing that we could help pay for the home until we can live there if the property was used as an STR. Our dream is to retire in Santa Fe, but we have three more

years until we can make this happen as fulltime working, tax-paying individuals. We love our property, and have a property manager that helps us maintain it from a distance...The ordinance brought on by the Santa Fe County commissioners is a huge burden for owners of property. This ordinance is government inter ference by persons that have no idea who even owns STRs. We are wondering if the hotel industry has their hand in this, and is feeling threatened by STR owners, and is twisting the arms of these commissioners.

The county plans on using an un-tested compliance company called Host Compliance by Granicus to invade our privacy, surveil our activities, and provide unverifiable data from questionable sources and/or by questionable methods...The people that stay in our property love it, and are families with young children or grandparents. They marvel over the beauty of the land, and respect the property immensely. They are not partiers or people that are going to destroy the neighborhood because there is no neighborhood, only forest. They come to hike, bike, and snowshoe, play card games, eat/shop in local businesses and cook meals together. It takes them back to a simpler time where communal family get-togethers were commonplace. It gives families an experience that is unique, and that they can’t find in a hotel...We are sad that it seems the commis sioners are not listening to the stories of those us that have an STR.

MELANIE STROUD MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA

CONDITION UNMET

My property is surrounded on three sides by four illegal short-term rentals in violation of the Madrid Landowners Association where “properties may be used…with use as resi dence of owner,” a condition unmet by any...Fire easement encroachment, inadequate on-site parking, illegal overflow parking, aggressive barking dogs or wailing when abandoned by guests, increased septic alarms all night and septic pumping noise/smells, daily slamming car doors by guests/cleaning staff, car alarms, car locking horn beeps, and use of antique wood stoves without internal baffles or spark arrestors are real problems. The “residence of owner” is necessary so that issues could be experienced directly by the owner to correct any problems. It’s the corporate model: privat ize the profits to owners and externalize the (intangible) costs to the public.

MARK BREMER MADRID

WHAT TRAVELERS PREFER

I am a 20-year resident of Santa Fe and the Madrid area. As a struggling entrepreneur who turned to Airbnb during COVID to survive and continues to use it to provide all of my income, I would like to inform people of the regulations

that threaten my livelihood. The county com missioners (of whom the most vocal represent areas like the privileged water-wasting Las Campanas) are trying to place punitive restric tions on people who rely on short-term rentals for their livelihood.

The hotels in Santa Fe (all owned by large corporations) are a wealthy lobby, pushing the county to effectively put us out of busi ness for their own benefit. I understand the concerns about housing shortages in our town and county and in the country in general. But short-term rentals are only one element of a complicated problem. Shutting them down and putting people out of jobs is not a solution. As an Airbnb host, we are required to pay lodg ing taxes to the county, providing millions of dollars in revenue (some of which is supposed to go to affordable housing, but none does). The county cannot even account for how this money is spent.

Today’s travelers often prefer short-term rentals because they are more affordable, often allow pets and provide more value (and because of Covid-safety) than a hotel. Blocks of Santa Fe were bought up by hotels and corpo rations to be run as Airbnbs (see Las Palomas) and nothing was done. Santa Fe STR owners are not even required to live in the city. Rural Santa Fe residents should not be subjected to a random, rushed ordinance...The meetings have been filled with lies and emotional feelings about some evil villain ruining the world with vacation rentals that simply are not true.

We are hard-working people just like you who are trying to maximize our ability to be self-sustaining, responsible humans and live the best life we can. We are collectively fine with some regulations and our lodging taxes have been and always will be taken out by Airbnb. And we pay a lot of income tax. We also bring in massive amounts of tourism from people who cannot afford the expense of a high-priced Santa Fe hotel room. Let’s find some common ground on this issue. We are your friends and neighbors.

TREY CORKERN SANTA FE

FAILED TO ADDRESS

Is it racism, classism or jealousy? What the heck is going on with short-term rentals (STRs) in Santa Fe County and the Board of County Commissioners? Have you watched or attend ed the recent meetings on short term-rental regulation in the county? I have.

I heard story after story of county residents from all ethnic and economic backgrounds, from all areas of the county testify about how much short-term rentals have saved their lives—literally. From paying for major health care needs, saving their homes while unem ployed during the pandemic, being able to keep a family home after the loss of a spouse, being able to send their child to college, to young people being able to stay near their families and raise their own families here in Santa Fe County. I gotta tell you, some of those stories had me in tears. The desperation I heard in people’s voic es. The sense of loss of control over their own lives and prosperity was visceral.

Then I heard what the county commission ers and staff were saying about STRs in Santa Fe County. Their main claim is that STRs take affordable housing from the county and all our resources and therefore must be heavily regu lated. Now this may hold true for urban areas, maybe even the City of Santa Fe, but it is not supported by any data for rural communities throughout the country. So why spread this lie?

Is it to deflect from the truth? The truth being that the county has failed, just like the City of Santa Fe and the state of New Mexico for that matter, to address and ensure affordable hous ing exists for those living and working in Santa Fe County, including the city?

ELIZABETH EMMENS SANTA FE COUNTY

Editors Note: Santa Fe County’s hearing on the proposed ordinance was just beginning at press time. Read the outcome at sfreporter.com/news.

SFR will correct factual errors online and in print. Please let us know if we make a mis take: editor@sfreporter.com or 988-7530.

SANTA FE EAVESDROPPER

Send your

in Santa Fe

“Do we need more eyeballs?”

—Overheard from boy to mom at Party City

am SOOOOO sorry you had to fly commercial.”

—Overheard during lunch at The Compound

Spreading the Word

JULIA GOLDBERG

BY JULIA GOLDBERG votergirl

As the Nov. 8 general election draws near, Dominion Voting Systems’ lawsuits against Fox Corporation, Newsmax Media Inc., One America News Network and various individuals for their roles in advancing voting conspiracies in the wake of the 2020 presidential election continue to wind their way through the justice system.

“Lies and misinformation have se verely damaged our company and di minished the credibility of US elections, subjecting hardworking public officials and Dominion employees to harass ment and death threats,” a statement on Dominion’s website reads. “Dominion is taking steps to right these wrongs through our judicial system.”

State officials have also had to rely on the judicial system to address mistrust in the voting system. After the Otero County Commission last spring refused to certify its primary election results, citing con cerns about Dominion Voting Systems, Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver went to court to compel them to do so (Indeed, under court order, the commis sion eventually voted 2-1 to certify the re sults; former County Commissioner Couy Griffin, who voted against doing so, was re moved from office last month for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection).

Now, with early voting underway and more than 106,000 ballots cast as of Oct. 25, officials are taking numerous mea sures to explain New Mexico’s voting pro cesses and debunk misinformation.

On Oct. 19, Toulouse Oliver, state Elections Director Mandy Vigil and a Dominion employee demonstrated the Dominion voting machines in action and walked reporters through the various se curity measures—keys, passwords and multi-factor authentication, to name a few—required to operate the machines.

(The Secretary of State’s Office asked the media not to identify the Dominion employee “because of personal safety concerns regarding Dominion employ ees,” SOS Communications Director Alex Curtas tells SFR via email. “Dominion reps have been subjected to threats and harassment stemming from the lies about the 2020 election and subsequent elec tions. So we’re just trying to keep every one safe.”)

To start, the state’s election officials follow federal and state law to certify New Mexico’s voting machines. The last test ing and certification process took place in 2021, via state statute, by a bipartisan Voting System Certification Committee. All voting systems approved by the fed eral Election Assistance Commission are currently certified to standards known as the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (a 2.0 version of those guidelines has been approved by the EAC but has not yet been implemented anywhere pending labora tory testing).

The state manages the election sys tem—the voter rolls and ballots, Vigil said. “All of the counties input all of the data to create their polling sites, to create the can

Election officials double down on efforts to counter voting misinformation as Nov. 8 election draws near

up—which are assigned to specific ma chines for specific locations.

One point of disinformation, Toulouse Oliver says, is the idea that the voting ma chines connect to the internet, making them vulnerable to hacking. They are not, officials say, because the state uses “airgapped counting machines,” meaning its vote tabulators, by law and process, can’t be joined to either a computer network or the Internet. “The physical separation of systems ensured by air-gapping makes it much more difficult for any bad actor to try and penetrate those systems,” the of fice’s “Rumor Vs. Reality” website notes.

didates, the districts, the precincts, all of that is set up in a system that is managed by our office. That data is then exported out to our Dominion partners…and they cannot create data outside of that. So they don’t create the system; they don’t create the election: We do.” All that information is programmed onto two cards—for back-

Expanded Early Voting Noon - 8 pm, Tues-Fri (Through Nov. 4) 10 am - 6 pm, Saturdays (Through Nov. 5)

In Santa Fe: Christian Life Church, 121 Siringo Road; Santa Fe County Fair Building, 3229 Rodeo Road; Southside Library, 6599 Jaguar Drive

Out of town: Max Coll Corridor Community Center, 16 Avenida Torreon, Eldorado; Pojoaque Satellite Office, 5 W. Gutierrez, Ste. 9; Plaza Abedon Lopez Comm. Center, 155 Camino De Quintana, Española; Town of Edgewood Administration Building, 171A NM-344, Edgewood

At the County Clerk’s Office: 102 Catron St., 8 am-5 pm, Mon-Fri; 10 am-6 pm, Sat, Nov. 5.

Additional safeguards include the use of paper ballots and a post-election can vas and audit of votes at both the county and state level. Vigil and the Dominion rep demonstrated how the machines han dle, for instance, blank ballots (a warn ing message that allows the voter to try again); over-voting (again, a warning); an emergency bin that stores ballots in the case of a power failure; and an end-ofelection tape—essentially a receipt—that reports on the election results from each machine.

On Oct. 13, Toulouse Oliver and Attorney General Hector Balderas re leased a voter information advisory that outlined the state and federal laws against election interference and voter intimida tion. Leading up to and on Election Day, Toulouse Oliver said her office will have a “virtual situation room” connecting elec tion officials with local, state and federal law enforcement.

“If a public safety issue were to arise, or an obstruction of the polling place issue were to arise, we have a very quick…rapid response system in place to be able to deal with those issues,” she said.

Toulouse Oliver—who has also re ceived threats for her role in countering election misinformation—says spreading the word about how the voting machines work and why they are secure is one way in which her office is trying to counter disinformation campaigns. The office also “rapidly responds” to misinformation on social media sites, working directly with the platforms to remove inaccurate information.

“The reality at the end of the day, though, is…this is a long term effort that needs to happen, sort of wholesale improvement of civic education and engagement on how our systems work,” she said. People casting doubt on the voting systems, she noted, “are a small group, but they have a very loud megaphone. So we need to try to combine forces so that our megaphone is just as loud, if not louder.”

Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver appears at a news conference with a Dominion voting machine to demonstrate security measures in the election system.

Dank

Deliveries Dank Deliveries

Little stands in the way of more drivers dropping off cannabis in Santa Fe, except for maybe the market itself

BY ANDY LYMAN andylyman@sfreporter.com

BenHarper’s brain seems to move fast er than his body or mouth. During a recent visit from SFR, the Santa Fe transplant darts around the small front room of his cannabis dispensary and de livery service headquarters, answering calls, grabbing a visitor pass for SFR and snagging the lock-box in which he stashes products for the road. Harper begins nearly every sentence with a backstory and he usually interrupts him self with, “What was your question?” or “What was I saying?”

Before he heads out the door with his phone and the black box, SFR asks how Harper man aged to fund the business, to which Harper matter-of-factly says he used to work in the music industry and he’ll get to that story in due time.

Harper’s business, Deep Sky Cannabis, is tucked away off Cerrillos Road, behind a brew ery and at the mouth of a residential neighbor hood in an old one-story duplex inhabited by his friendly Husky mix, Sadie, his staff and a gold record hanging on the wall.

Shortly after SFR arrives, Harper hops in his compact electric BMW and heads south, with one eye on the road and the other on his phone’s digital map. He arrives at a double-wide on Agua Fría Street and is up the steps with one gram of God’s Gift and another of Face on Fire #9 in tow. The transaction with a regular cus tomer takes about two minutes.

Harper says he rarely sees a day without any deliveries and estimates he’s done up to 12 in one shift. A legal cannabis delivery with the air of professionalism stands in stark contrast to the days of worrying about you or your socially awkward weed connection getting busted and sent to jail. But thanks to the state Cannabis Regulation Act, which went into effect this year, cannabis deliveries are not only legal now, but you don’t have to feel obligated to share any with the driver.

That doesn’t mean it’ll be easy to find one.

Deep Sky, with Harper as the only courier, is one of only a handful of cannabis delivery ser vices in New Mexico, and may be the only one in Santa Fe. Residents have several food and gro cery delivery options and, with the recent pas sage of another state law, can now add booze to the dropoff list. It’s unclear exactly how many

cannabis companies are delivering across the state, let alone in Santa Fe, partially be cause the state doesn’t track that informa tion. Industry veterans say the pickings are slim due to several factors: insurance, mar ket demand and cost—not to mention the complicated logistics of it all. But for those who depend on the plant as medicine, can nabis deliveries can be a life-saver.

Legal-drive it

New Mexico’s Cannabis Control Division, overseen by the Regulation and Licensing Department, has issued more than 1,500 cannabis business licenses of varying kinds. According to Andrew Vallejos, who is pull ing double duty as director of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Division and acting director of the CCD, 119 of those li censes are for vertically integrated busi nesses that can grow, manufacture, sell and deliver cannabis. Vallejos says another 145 integrated cannabis microbusinesses can also take part in all aspects of the industry, though those smaller operations can’t pro duce as many plants or buy wholesale canna bis from other businesses. There are also 34 “standalone courier licenses,” Vallejos says.

It’s hard to tell how many businesses that are allowed to make deliveries actually do.

A Google search shows mixed results: While a long list of local dispensaries pops up, clicking through to their websites shows many of the companies offer curb-side pick up or online orders, but not deliveries. A search on WeedMaps.com shows only Deep Sky delivering in the City Different.

Vallejos says the state’s geography and market demand are likely the driving factors behind the dearth of weed delivery options.

“In New Mexico, we’re sort of geograph ically the opposite of dense,” Vallejos says. “We don’t have the population density, and so you don’t necessarily have those built-in efficiencies for delivery in sort of sparsely

populated areas.”

Vallejos also speculates that cannabis consumers prefer to shop in person.

“I think, for the most part, the paradigm is mostly for people to walk in and shop,” he says. “Because a lot of times with cannabis, the products rotate. For some providers, they will have their set strain, but a lot of times the strains may vary.”

Third-party delivery services could the oretically get in the game, but those com panies would have to also obtain a courier

license from the CCD—and there are some complications with that as well.

Justin Greene, a Democratic nomi nee on the ballot for the Santa Fe County Commission, owns and operates Dashing Delivery, a Santa Fe-based service that pre dates the many new-aged delivery apps. Although he hasn’t seen a huge demand for cannabis delivery, Greene says he hasn’t ruled it out. But, he says, state law prohibits his business from holding licenses to deliver both booze and pot. Otherwise, his company “would probably be the best solution” for in creased cannabis deliveries.

“Because we’re in the alcohol delivery space, we’re told that we’re precluded from it,” Greene says.

Vallejos says the state law is a bit ambigu ous about that.

When the Legislature was crafting the Cannabis Regulation Act, lawmakers in cluded language that can be interpreted as a prohibition on having both a liquor license and a cannabis license. One section of the Cannabis Regulation Act states: “A licens ee may conduct any lawful activity or any combination of lawful activities at a licensed premises; provided that the licensee is not a licensee pursuant to the Liquor Control Act.” Another section reads: “Licensees are specifically allowed to conduct other li censed activities…except for sales of alcohol ic beverages.”

Lawmakers tried, but ultimately failed, to clarify that language during the last legisla tive session. Vallejos hopes for a fix next year.

More than just convenience

Just before Harper drives SFR out for a de livery, he takes a moment to describe his role in the music industry and plainly mentions

CONTINUED

ANDY LYMAN

Ben Harper, who owns and operates Deep Sky Cannabis, makes up to a dozen deliveries a day to patients and customers in Santa Fe.

Deep Sky Cannabis owner Ben Harper displays some of the store’s products in the lockbox he uses for deliveries, which gets secured inside his car.

ANDY LYMAN

We don’t have the population density, and so you don’t necessarily have those built-in efficiencies for delivery in sort of sparsely populated areas.

Andrew Vallejos, acting director, Cannabis Control Division

Dank Deliveries Dank Deliveries

something that would induce angsty and emotional flashbacks in ‘90s pop-punk fans of a certain age.

“I started a band called Yellowcard,” Harper says.

For those who need reminding—or those who were busy doing something other than hitting Warped Tour shows—Yellowcard hit it big with their 2003 single, “Ocean Avenue,” in which the narrator reminisc es about sleeping all day and staying up all “niiiggghhht.” For the uninformed, a quick internet search will likely result in at least an, “Oh, yeah, I’ve heard this song.”

The truncated version of Harper’s journey to delivering weed in Santa Fe started in Jacksonville, Florida, where members of Yellowcard met at a magnet high school. Shortly after the band found success, Harper parted ways and through a series of fortunate events, which in clude an unexpected chunk of back-roy alties, he started a cannabis delivery service in California. Around 2018 he be gan tracking the push to legalize in New Mexico. His father and stepmother were living near Pecos, and his growing love for Northern New Mexico spurred Harper to set up shop in Santa Fe.

Harper says his overall sales are about 30% medical, 70% adult-use, and most of his deliveries come from non-medi cal sales. But he’s quick to point out that some of his regular delivery customers use cannabis for ailments that aren’t on the state’s list of approved conditions for medical use. One customer is scared to leave the house after COVID-19, and another is bound to a walker while re covering from a car accident. For another customer, a nurse who works nights, con venience is key.

“She works so hard overnight as a nurse,” Harper says. “It’s just an extra errand she doesn’t have to run.”

But for many others who have debili

tating conditions, cannabis delivery means much more than convenience. Look no fur ther than Ann Johnson, a retired nurse and Albuquerque resident. Johnson worked at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center for more than 17 years before the agonizing pain of multiple scle rosis—a diagnosis she received in 2015— forced her to retire a few months after the pandemic began.

Johnson started using medical canna bis to combat the neuropathy caused by the incurable disease attacking her cen tral nervous system. The symptoms began, Johnson tells SFR, as “a little bit of numb ness,” but now she can’t stand for long, let alone walk without assistance.

Johnson refuses to take narcotic pain killers after years of observing the nega tive effects of drugs like oxycodone. She says cannabis “helps tremendously,” even though it’s not a pain-management panacea.

“It doesn’t really take the pain away, but I’m really able to function better,” Johnson says. “I can move around a lot better.”

Shortly after the MS diagnosis, Johnson was still able to pick up her herbal medi cine, but since she can’t drive anymore and she would likely have to wait in line at a dis pensary, she often relies on her daughter, Tiffany Johnson.

“It’s impossible for me to do it at this point,” Ann Johnson says of getting to a dispensary.

Tiffany Johnson, who also has a pro fessional background in health care, is her mother’s medical cannabis caregiver, a des ignation that allows her to legally buy medi cal cannabis for her mom. But Ann Johnson says there were times when her daughter couldn’t get to a dispensary before closing time. On those days, she went without can nabis for a day or more. When her supply is depleted, and with pharmaceuticals out of the question, she resorts to over-thecounter pain relievers, meditation, prayer,

CANNABIS LICENSE LABYRINTH

The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division doesn’t track which licensed cannabis companies are actually open for business. So, in terms of deliveries, we can’t say for sure who’s doing them and who isn’t. What we do know, however, is how many licenses and what types the state has approved and issued. The CCD provided SFR with some statewide numbers; we also searched the state’s cannabis database for Santa Fe-specific figures.

License types can be broken down in a number of ways, but here are the basics: Manufacturing licenses are for making extracts, distillates, edibles and other products. Retail licenses allow only for sales, not growing or manufacturing. Production licenses, whether for a microbusiness or a larger operation, are for grow ing and cultivating. About 264 production licenses are “vertically integrated,” which allow for all activities, including deliveries.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS

SANTA FE COUNTY NUMBERS

issued:

licenses issued:

THE WO POVI DIFFERENCE!

FIND US ON:

licenses issued:

music, or anything that helps her “focus on something other than the symptoms” that are now part of her life.

The lack of options for her mother pushed Tiffany Johnson to start her own cannabis delivery business, Spliff Quick, which is li censed and mostly ready to launch, she says. The next step is “solidifying some contract letters of intent,” and her plan is to prioritize deliveries for patients like her mother.

“I’m just kind of right there on the cusp of tying up all my loose ends,” Johnson says.

Spliff Quick has been in the works for months, but Johnson is at a loss for why New Mexico hasn’t seen an uptick in canna bis deliveries since state regulators started approving licenses last year, especially giv en the plentiful choices in other states that legalized adult-use cannabis before New Mexico.

“If you look in other states, like Oregon and California, everybody is turning to de livery,” she says.

But those in charge of larger New Mexico cannabis companies that have been around since the state had only a medical program say the delivery game is full of complications.

On demand not in demand

Until recently, a regional logistics compa ny was doing wholesale business-to-busi ness cannabis deliveries and moving samples from producers to one of the two cannabis testing labs in the state. Pete Rallis, president of Hot Shot Services, says he was even in early talks about home delivery until the federal government

tossed cold water on that idea after the company received COVID-19 pandemic relief money.

“We got that [Paycheck Protection Program] money and a [Small Business Administration] loan for our building,” Rallis says. “The federal government saw that when we submitted our financials, and they sent us an immediate cease and desist order on that whole division.”

Rallis says he doesn’t take abandoning deliveries lightly.

“I felt bad about what happened,” Rallis says. “I know a lot of people were very, very upset when we made that decision. But it was really out of my hands. We couldn’t jeopardize what we’re doing with the gov ernment and our SBA loans.”

Federal restrictions on cannabis may not play much into home deliveries, or lack thereof, but insurance, cost and safety do for many companies.

Trishelle Kirk, CEO of Everest Cannabis Company, describes several hurdles and

sums up the potential launch of a delivery service this way: “It’s hard.”

Kirk says Everest delivers to the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho areas, but not just yet in Santa Fe. She’s concerned for drivers, considering that “cannabis has a lot of street value.” Then, there are the logistics. Instead of requiring drivers to use their own cars, Everest owns a fleet of vehicles equipped with GPS and a secure spot for products. Everest drivers do not carry cash, which raises another issue: Dispensaries have just recently begun accepting credit cards because of a longstanding refusal from many banks to take money from cannabis businesses. Some banks have reversed course in recent years, but not all.

She says buyers don’t like surprises.

“I think there’s a part of it where the market in general just isn’t really com fortable with having cannabis delivered,” Kirk says. “A lot of people want to go look at their cannabis, they want that experi ence of talking to the budtender, of being advised, especially if they’re a flower con sumer, they want to look at their flower.”

Duke Rodriguez, president and CEO of cannabis producer Ultra Health—which does not offer delivery—says liability and cost is sues hinder getting weed to your doorstep, but the biggest factor is a lack of demand.

“The number one issue is the mar ket is impacted by the cost of delivery,” Rodriguez says. “Meaning, most places charge for delivery no different than if you use Instacart or anything else. And gen erally, New Mexico people do not want to pay the delivery charge.”

Plus, Rodriguez says, even though Albuquerque and Santa Fe may feel like large urban areas to locals, they don’t com pare to cities with population numbers that rival the entire state of New Mexico.

“Keep in mind, delivery has been suc cessful in very large, urban, metropolitan areas like LA County, Orange County, Maricopa County, not in states like New Mexico, or Montana, where it’s a lot of ge ography with very few people in any par ticular market,” Rodriguez says.

Red Barn Growers and R. Greenleaf, two production companies with locations in Santa Fe, are flirting with the idea of starting deliveries, representatives tell SFR, but neither has immediate plans to literally roll the weed out.

For now, unless cannabis users are in the service areas of the few companies that deliver, or they want to go the old-fash ioned—and very much illegal—route of seeing if that old dealer still makes house calls, they’ll probably have to keep shop ping in person.

Ann Johnson (left, with her dog, Bentley) relies on her daughter Tiffany Johnson (right) to pick up the cannabis that provides relief from multiple sclerosis symptoms.

ANDY LYMAN

Everest Cannabis Co., which has a location in Santa Fe, only delivers to the Rio Rancho and Albuquerque areas.

ANDY LYMAN

OUT OF YOUR GOURD

If you’re anything like some SFR staffers, you’ve been embroiled in “Should we get a pumpkin for Halloween?” conversations for the last few weeks. Time, though, is running out, and the folks at the El Rey Court have a pretty good compromise for the pumpkin-shy. The hotel’s upcoming Pumpkin Patch evening events will not only allow visitors to check out cool carvings, snap a few shots for Insta and maybe even grab a drink at the Le Reina bar, they’ll offer up entertainment, pizza from Tender Fire Kitchen and all that other good fall stuff. Since most of what humans do now is for the social media posts anyway, think of it like a way to prove you’re interesting without having to commit to buying a pumpkin. Sold! (ADV)

El Rey Court Pumpkin Patch: 6-9 pm Thursday, Oct. 27-Saturday, Oct. 29. Free El Rey Court, 1862 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-1931

THEATER

CIRCUS MAXIMUS

Fresh off its production of Spring Awakening, and Santa Fe theater company Tri-M Productions has chosen to go the more light-hearted route with Stephen Sond heim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum In A Funny Thing, the clever (yet enslaved) Pseudolus concocts a plan to get his master, Hero, a babe in exchange for his freedom. Hilarity ensues, and anyone who’s anyone when it comes to theater will tell you the same: It’s a damn classic. Of course, there’s plenty of nuance and yuks for just about any taste, and Sond heim’s homage to classic arts like Vaudeville seal the deal across universal themes. There’s a reason stories like this have been told since the dawn of time. You laugh so you don’t cry. (ADV)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: 7 pm Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 2 pm Saturday Oct. 29 and Sunday, Oct. 30. $15-$50 Santa Fe Playhouse, 14 E De Vargas St., (505) 982-4262

FILM MON/31

WHY NOT BOTH?

‘Tis the season for creepy-ass movies, and since Santa Fe is home to more theaters per capita than even seems reasonable (which is a good thing—a great thing, even), you’ll have opportunities to see some great ones. In this instance, we recommend you pop by the Jean Cocteau for the 2007 popcorn horror flick Trick ‘r Treat. Oh, it’s a veritable joy of anthologically-told pseudo-scares that don’t even amount to a full 90 minutes, which checks all the right cheese boxes; but more interesting, almost, is its cast, which includes real actors like Anna Paquin (she has a fucking Oscar) and Brian Cox (your mom probably loves Succession). The horror anthology movie has a long and proud tradition (even if Creepshow 2 is still the best one)—shouldn’t you know why? (ADV) Trick ’r Treat: 6 pm and 9 pm Monday, Oct. 30. $13-$26 Jean Cocteau Cinema, 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

COURTESY BABY WEEKEND

MUSIC SAT

Nice Baby, Baby

Baby Weekend continues its quest for hip-hop glory

At this point in his hip-hop career, Santa Fe’s Billy Juan—founder of collective type group Baby Weekend—is mostly into collabora tions. That’s the ethos behind the first Baby Weekend release, Stuck in tha Crib Vol. 1, and it’s how he’s putting together the second album as we speak. The major difference, however, between a Baby Weekend collabo ration and any other hip-hop coming togeth er, is in the diversity of musicians. Rather than simply bringing a bunch of MCs and DJs onboard, which he most certainly does with members of Santa Fe’s Outstanding Citizens crew, Billy Juan culls from his jazz ier experience as a member of Balkan brass group Korvin Orkestar; he’s working with Lone Piñon violinist Jordan Wax. He’s try ing to refine a sound that doesn’t quite exist yet, and Baby Weekend will prove it live this weekend when Billy Juan and his pals per form at the Honeymoon Brewery.

“Normally I’d have my tracks, I’d sing, play trumpet and rap, but this is going to be a live show with the brass band,” he explains. “I had the band learn about four tunes from the record, so it’s like a gumbo of a perfor mance...and it brings out a lot more.”

And it’s just the beginning, Billy Juan says. He’s previously worked with guitarist Matt Ruder and bassist Paul Brown, both of whom he’d like to bring back and both of whom, he says, alter the sound in their own ways. Or take Wax from Lone Piñon, a traditional string-based Norteño style band—how might his style affect hip-hop

with nerdy influences like MF Doom and Balkan underpinnings? The sky’s the limit, according to Billy Juan, and the chopped and screwed production values, achieved, in part, with California collaborator Diego Hodge, can make it anything.

“Sometimes hip-hop can be very polar ized, and you’re just talking about...y’know, there’s the murdercore stuff, or contempo rary stuff only talking about drip and bling or indie stuff that spends its time talking about how it’s elevated,” Billy Juan tells SFR. “I feel like there’s this space in between for all of that; this cathartic healing process that can happen through hip-hop.”

Indeed it can, and it’s refreshing to hear the man say, “I’ve been figuring it out as I’ve gone along.”

Given upcoming appearances from local MCs like OG Willikers and Prismatic Soul, Billy Juan’s in good company and another feather for our local hip-hop cap. If noth ing else, he’s a bit of a weirdo and the mu sic leans into so many disparate territories, even the most immovable genre snob will likely find something to love.

Or, to put it another way, you’ve got noth ing to lose by catching the show this week end. (Alex De Vore)

BABY WEEKEND WITH KORVIN ORKESTAR AND MC SLADER 6:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 29. Free Honeymoon Brewery 907 W Alameda St. Unit B (505) 303-3139

COURTESY

COMMONS

NORMAN DOGGETT

COURTESY

WARNER

VIDEO

SFREPORTER.COM/ARTS/

THE CALENDAR

Want to see your event listed here?

ONGOING

ART OPENINGS

A NEW MEXICAN BURIAL No Name Cinema 2013 Pinon St. nonamecinema.org

Photogaphs of cemeteries. During events or by appt., free

ALISON HIXON

Susan Eddings Pérez Galley 717 Canyon Road (505) 477-4ART

Surrealism. 10 am-5 pm, free

ALL ART IS VIRTUAL Art Vault 540 S Guadalupe St. (505) 428-0681

A free show of digital art. 10 am-5 pm, free CIPX: CRITICAL INDIGENOUS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXCHANGE

Foto Forum Santa Fe 1714 Paseo de Peralta (505) 470-2582

Oct. 26 is your final chance to catch photog Will Wilson. 12:30-5 pm, Thurs, free

CAMILLE HOFFMAN: MOTHERLANDS form & concept

435 S Guadalupe St. (505) 216-1256

Romanticized landscapes into sacred and experiences. 10 am-5 pm, Saturday; Noon-5 pm Thurs-Fri, free

CHRISTA STEPHENS: PERCEPTUAL ABSTRACTIONS

Aurelia Gallery 414 Canyon Road, (505) 501-2915

Abstract geometry with bold, beautiful colors 11 am-5 pm, free

FRITZ SCHOLDER: 85TH BIRTHDAY COMMEMORATIVE EXHIBITION

LewAllen Galleries 1613 Paseo de Peralta (505) 988-3250

A retrospective celebates the legendary artist 10 am–6 pm, Mon–Fri; 10 am–5 pm, Sat, free

JACKS MCNAMARA: ANCESTRAL IMAGINATION form & concept

435 S Guadalupe St. (505) 216-1256

Santa Fe-based artist McNamara drops a series of cosmic and meditative works on wood discs. The show has been quite popular 10 am-5 pm, free

JOOMI CHUNG, (IN)VISIBLE Strata Gallery

418 Cerrillos Road, Ste. 1C (505) 780-5403

Video meets gouache paintings.

10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sat, free

JUN KANEKO: SOLO EXHIBITION

Gerald Peters Contemporary 1011 Paseo de Peralta (505) 954-5700

Muted tones and geometric compositions

10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sat, free

LINDA STOJAK: AS OF NOW LewAllen Galleries 1613 Paseo de Peralta (505) 988-3250

Nuanced, evocative representation of the female figure.

10 am–6 pm, free

MAX COLE: ENDLESS JOURNEY SITE Santa Fe 1606 Paseo de Peralta (505) 989-1199

Paintings spanning 50 years. 10 am-5pm, Thurs-Mon, free MICHAEL DIAZ DRESSED IN WATER.

5. Gallery 2351 Fox Road, Ste. 700 5pointgallery.com New drawings. Noon-5 pm, Thurs-Sat, free MILAGRO PAINTERS PAINTED STORIES SHOW Abiquiú Inn 21120 Hwy. 84, Abiquiú (505) 685-4378

Plein aire painters. All Day, free

RASHOD TAYLOR: MY AMERICA Obscura Gallery 1405 Paseo de Peralta (505) 577-6708

Solo photography show addressing themes of family, culture, legacy and the Black experience.

11 am-5 pm, Tues-Sat, free

SELF-DETERMINED: A CONTEMPORARY SURVEY OF NATIVE AND INDIGENOUS ARTISTS

Center For Contemporary Arts 1050 Old Pecos Trail (505) 982-1338

New work from Native artists including Anna Hoover, Hoka Skenadore and more.

11 am-6 pm, Fri-Sat; 11 am-5 pm, Sun, $3-$10

SHIRIN NESHAT: LAND OF DREAMS SITE Santa Fe 1606 Paseo de Peralta (505) 989-1199

A multidisciplinary series featuring over 100 photographs, plus three short films that draw inspiration from the artist’s own recurring dreams.

10am-5pm, Thurs-Mon, free

TODD WHITE: DESERT SOLITAIRE

Hecho Gallery 129 W Palace Ave. (505) 455-6882

White gets back to basics with a new series of watercolor works created during the pandemic and representing the desert.

10 am-5 pm, Wed-Sun, free

New Mexico’s Premier Cannabis Dispensary

From Robin Jones’ You Were Born With Wings at Blue Rain Gallery” “The Warrior Whispers Back, ‘I AM the Storm.’”

COURTESY BLUE RAIN GALLERY

Want to see your event listed here?

via email to calendar@sfreporter.com.

GRAZE DAYS AT RAILYARD PARK Railyard Park 740 Cerrillos Road (505) 316-3596

Goats clean up the park. 10am-4pm, free

HOTLINE B(L)INGO

Desert Dogs Brewery and Cidery 112 W San Francisco St. (505) 983-0134

Hot bingo action at $2/round! 7 pm, $2

MUSIC

KARAOKE NIGHT Boxcar

530 S Guadalupe St. (505) 988-7222

PAINT, SIP, CHILL: DAY OF THE DEAD CHOMP

505 Cerrillos Road (505) 470-8118

An art class/chance to sample the food and drink at CHOMP. 6 pm, $30

PUMPKIN PATCH El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931

Pumpkin stuff! (See SFR Picks, page 17) 6-9 pm, free

QUEER NIGHT Reunity Farms 1829 San Ysidro Crossing (505) 939-1196

Submission doesn’t guarantee inclusion.

WILD PIGMENT PROJECT: A GROUP EXHIBITION

CURATED BY TILKE ELKINS form & concept 435 S Guadalupe St. (505) 216-1256

20+ artists working with foraged pigments. 10 am-5 pm, free

WED/26

ART ART JAM WEDNESDAYS

Alas de Agua 1520 Center Drive #2 alasdeagua.com

Make art with art friends. 5:30 pm, free

BOOKS/LECTURES

OFF THE TRACK: RESCUING THOROUGHBRED HORSES

Pecos Trail Cafe 2239 Old Pecos Trail (505) 982-9444

Learn how Erin Swinney trains and places horses into new homes. RSVP to Joyce Davis at bjmrkitty@gmail.com. 7 pm, free

DANCE

TWO-STEP WEDNESDAYS

Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fría St. (505) 303-3808

Time to two-step, duh. 7-10 pm, $10

EVENTS

BINGO!

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

Raise medical bucks for a beloved community member. 7 pm, free

GOVERNOR'S MANSION TOUR

New Mexico Governor's Mansion One Mansion Drive (301) 318-0940

Explore that mansion. Noon-3 pm, free

Classic karaoke. 10 pm, free

RADIO RANCH

El Rey Court

1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931 Folk and Western. 7-9 pm, free

VINYL NIGHTS AT NEW MEXICO HARD CIDER TAPROOM

New Mexico Hard Cider Taproom 505 Cerrillos Road, Ste. A105 (505) 231-0632

DJ Yosem. 8 pm, free

ZACH BELLAS Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565 Baltimore-based rock trio. 4-6 pm, free

WORKSHOP

ART JAM WEDNESDAYS

Alas de Agua Art Collective 1520 Center Drive, Ste. 2 Weekly arts workshop. 5:30 pm, free

METALSHOP MIG WELDING BADGE

MAKE Santa Fe 2879 All Trades Road (505) 819-3502

Learn to create with metal. Noon, $180

THU/27

ART OPENINGS

SANTA FE ART INSTITUTE: PROJECTING REVOLUTION

The Santa Fe Art Institute 1600 St. Michael’s Drive (505) 424-5050

Veronica Jackson unveils a new site-specific work. 6:30 pm, free

EVENTS

ALL FIERCE COMEDY SHOW Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Local comedy show hosted by Graviel La Plaga—which is kind of like the alter-ego of one Carlos Medina, a popular local comic and mariachi whom you might know from the “What are you doin’?” YouTube videos. 7-9 pm, $10-$30

Open Mic Night, dance party. 6-10 pm, $0-$10

FILM

NOSTALGIA MOVIE NIGHTS: THE PRINCESS BRIDE La Farge Library 1730 Llano St. (505) 820-0292

1980s attire encouraged! 5 pm, free

MUSIC

BOB MAUS Cava Lounge@ Eldorado Hotel, 309 W San Francisco St. (505) 988-4455

Classic singer/songwriter tunes. 7-10 pm, free

MARION CARILLO Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

Singer-songwriter. 4-6 pm, free

OPEN MIC WITH STEPHEN Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

Show your stuff. Like, that stuff you write in the bedroom. Show it to people. Sing it. Do it. 6 pm, free

WHISKEY FLOWER Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

Singer-songwriter duo. 4 pm, free

THEATER

THEATER OF DEATH: VIRUS!!!

Beer Creek Brewing Company 3810 Hwy. 14 (505) 471-9271

Theater/music for terror and titillation. Not for kids under 12, so good news, 13-year-olds! 7-9 pm, $25

FRI/28

ART OPENINGS

JUANA ESTRADA HERNÁNDEZ: NEW WORKS Hecho a Mano 830 Canyon Road (505) 916-1341

Estrada Hernández pays homage to her Mexican culture, 5-7 pm, free

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

We’ve all heard of chambers of commerce, whether it’s a small-town welcoming committee or a massive coalition of cap italistic-minded business owners we only hear from when ordinances and legislation are not “business friendly.” But with all things cannabis these days, there’s a weed counterpart.

The New Mexico Cannabis Chamber of Commerce definitely fits the bill of a business friendly group, and one that has felt the ire of medical cannabis patients several times. A striking difference between the cannabis chamber and its more traditional counterparts, though, is that the group of businesses, which span from weed growers to lawyers and money experts, are still trying to prove their worth to the rest of the business world.

Ben Lewinger has been director of the chamber since April 2019—just months after the its genesis. Lewinger, who’s worked in the nonprofit and public relations spheres for years, can often be seen—or heard, since COVID has forced everyone to the remote world—at public hearings, advocating for cannabis law changes. One of the biggest changes to state law was, of course, the Cannabis Regulation Act, which gives the green light for all you jokers, smokers and midnight tokers to buy, possess and smoke cannabis.

Lewinger was in the trenches for a handful of sessions leading up to the CRA, amplifying the voices of cannabis businesses. The New Mexico Legislature is expected to make some tweaks to the CRA next year, which could very possibly include a fix for delivery drivers. And you can bet your rolling papers Lewinger will be there, or at least on Zoom, next year doing his thing. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. (Andy Lyman)

It was only a few years ago that the idea of a cannabis chamber of commerce would have received more than a few laughs. Now that New Mexico is knee-deep in legalized cannabis, what has changed in terms of public perception of cannabis? I think a lot has changed in terms of

people understanding that people who use cannabis on a regular basis are high functioning, highly contributing members of society, both on a personal level and on the industry level. People understand that this is an industry that can support individuals and families, while also creating tax revenue that can help push New Mexico forward.

You’ve been around the public relations block a number of times, but how is this job different—what have been the primary challenges now that you’re advocating on behalf of this fledgling, formerly stigmatized industry?

I think it’s similar in the sense that the task of the cannabis chamber is to build a coalition of folks who are good spokespeople for the plant, and who are good spokespeople for the industry, and to keep everybody moving in the same direction. That’s the same as everything else I’ve done, whether it’s a coalition of educators or a coalition of family members who have lost loved ones, because of substance use, because of DWI. The way it’s different is, from the beginning, and even until now, there’s an extra level of having to prove ourselves as an industry, to prove that the industry is legitimate, that it’s not just a flash in the pan and it’s going to have lasting power to support New Mexicans and the New Mexico economy.

We’re still a few months away from the legislative session, where cannabis is guaranteed to be discussed, even if it’s not the primary focus. What are the top three issues surrounding the cannabis landscape, be they related to the CRA or otherwise, lawmakers need to address?

I’m looking at it in terms of three buckets: The first bucket is making adjustments and fixes to the CRA, knowing now what we didn’t know then. The second bucket is improving policy to curb the illicit market. And the third bucket is to create opportunities for homegrown microproducers and small- to mediumsized cannabis businesses, so they can be successful in New Mexico.

For the first bucket, the intention was to not co-locate alcohol and cannabis. The way the law was written is that anybody with a liquor license can’t also have a cannabis license. So that’s an example of something that was written that kind of had unintended consequences. I think the plant count for microlicenses needs to be taken out of statute and put in regs, just like the plant count for commercial producers. For the third bucket of curbing the illicit market, things like a more in-depth financial review and having a true seed-to-sale tracking, so there isn’t a way for plants that aren’t grown in New Mexico to be introduced into our traceability software.

With the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce’s Ben Lewinger

FOUR SEAS CANNABIS

MEGAN BENT: PATIENT/ BELONGINGS (OPENING) form & concept

435 S Guadalupe St. (505) 216-1256

Photographic meditations. 5-7 pm, free

NICHOLAS HERRERA: EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS (OPENING)

Evoke Contemporary 550 S. Guadalupe St. (505) 995-9902

Herrera celebrates life and death with santos and retablos. 5-7 pm, free

PETER BUREGA: CHANGING LIGHT (OPENING)

LewAllen Galleries 1613 Paseo de Peralta (505) 988-3250

Sophisticated oil paintings. 5-7 pm, free

ROBIN JONES: YOU WERE BORN WITH WINGS (OPENING)

Blue Rain Gallery 544 S Guadalupe St. (505) 954-9902

New paintings celebrate youth and the planet.

5-7 pm, free

BOOKS/LECTURES

BILINGUAL BOOKS & BABIES

Santa Fe Public Library

Main Branch 145 Washington Ave. (505) 955-6780

Books for babies and toddlers. 10 am, free

DANCE

EARTH DANCE BODY

333 West Cordova Road (415) 265-0299

Immersive dance party. 7-8:30 pm, free

EVENTS

ATC HALLOWEEN SPECTACULAR Academy for Technology and the Classics 74 A Van Nu Po Road (505) 473-4282

Film, food, Halloween stuff and more. 4:30 pm, free

DIA DE MUERTOS Santa Fe Plaza 100 Old Santa Fe Trail santafenm.gov

The holiday hits the Plaza with mariachi, food and more. 4-10 pm, free

FREAKY FRIDAY 80S VS 90S HALLOWEEN DANCE PARTY CHOMP

505 Cerrillos Road (505) 470-8118

Cash prize costume contest. 9 pm, $10

HRA PRESENTS: AN EVENING AT THE MOULIN ROUGE

Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fría St. (505) 303-3808

A costume contest and more— plus that French nightclub feel. 8:30 pm, $25-$35

THE CALENDAR

HALLOWEEN IMPROV SHOW

Santa Fe Improv 1202 Parkway Drive santafeimprov.com

Improv team Sibling Rivalry performs. 7 pm, $15

NAMAH FE

Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Day 1 of the three-day fest celebrating the Indian holiday of Diwali. 6 pm, $10-$30

PUMPKIN PATCH

El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931

A bit of the ol’ pumpkin patch for all ages., including food, music, Insta opps and other all-ages fun. (See SFR Picks, page 17) 6-9 pm, free

FILM

BODY MELT

No Name Cinema 2013 Pinon St. nonamecinema.org

Phillip Brophy’s 1981 body horror flick is so cool and gross, and the timing feels right because of, like, Halloween and stuff. The name really says it all. 7 pm, free

FOOD

PLANTITA VEGAN BAKERY PIZZA NIGHT

Plantita Vegan Bakery 1704 Lena St. Unit B4 (505) 603-0897

Vegan pizza pop-up action that’ll make you forget all about real cheese. Naw, just kididng, but it’s good, though, and you’ll probably feel better about eating it.

5-7 pm, free

MUSIC

BOB MAUS BLUES & SOUL Cava Lounge (Eldorado Hotel) 309 W San Francisco St. (505) 988-4455

Blues and soul, man, for fans of Van Morrison and folks like that. 7 pm, free

BOXCAR GOES CLUBCAR FEATURING LEKURONEKO Boxcar 530 S Guadalupe St. (505) 988-7222

A night of super-hot dance jams and DJ stuff benefitting The Food Depot. 10 pm, free

ED PETERSEN Club Legato (La Casa Sena) 125 E Palace Ave. (505) 988-9232 Tenor sax. 7 pm, $25

LITTLE LEROY AND HIS PACK OF LIES Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

R&B jamz and cool hats. 8 pm, free

NIGHTMARE ON RUFINA STREET

Second Street Brewery (Rufina) 2920 Rufina St. (505) 954-1068

Cover bands pay homage to The Cure Siouxsie, Madonna, Weezer and Dead Moon.

7 pm, free

RADIO RANCH

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

Americana, traditional country. 5 pm, free

ST. RANGE

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

Desert rock. 8 pm, free

THEATER

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E. De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262

The Sondheim classic. (See SFR Picks, page TK) 7 pm, $15-$50

THEATER OF DEATH: VIRUS!!!

Beer Creek Brewing Company 3810 Hwy. 14 471-9271

Theater, music. 7-9 pm, $25

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

The Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W San Francisco St. (505) 988-1234

The operatic story of Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. 7-8:30 pm, $25

WORKSHOP

MAKE SANTA FE TOUR

MAKE Santa Fe 2879 All Trades Road (505) 819-3502

Tour the makerspace and ask ‘em how you can start making. 6 pm, free

SAT/29

ART

CONTAINER GRAND OPENING, WITH SWOON EXHIBITION AND BOOK SIGNING

CONTAINER

1226 Flagman Way (505) 995-0012

Turner Carroll Gallery opens its new art institution meets commercial gallery meets private collection space with new work from artist Swoon.

3-6 pm, free

HALLOWEEN COSTUME GALA & ART EVENT

Eye on the Mountain Art Gallery 222 Delgado Street (928) 308-0319

A Halloween costume gala and art event featuring new work by illustrator/painter Lindsay Payton. 5-8 pm, free

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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We’d love to hear from you. Send notices via email to calendar@sfreporter.com.

Make sure you include all the pertinent details such as location, time, price and so forth. It helps us out greatly.

Submission doesn’t guarantee inclusion.

A PEOPLE’S HISOTRY OF SANTA FE WITH CITY CUSTODIAN VALERIE RANGEL La Farge Library 1730 Llano St. (505) 820-0292

Rangel digs into the kind of local history that textbooks don’t often tell us as part of the NEA’s Big Read program. 5 pm, free

EVENTS

16TH ANNUAL DAVID COPHER’S HALLOWEEN Hilton Santa Fe 100 Sandoval St. (505) 982-2811

JJ and the Hooligans get rocky alongside David Copher Gallery for a Halloween party/fundraiser for St. Elizabeth Shelter. 7 pm, $40

NAMAH FE

Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Day 2 of the three-day fest celebrating the Indian holiday of Diwali features food, film, astrology, dance and more.

6 pm, $20-$50

PUMPKIN PATCH

El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road (505) 982-1931

Pumpkins, pizza and more—plus Instagram opportunities. (See SFR Picks, page 17) 6-9 pm, free

SANTA FE STAND UP COMEDY CONTEST

Hidden Mountain Brewery 4056 Cerrillos Road (505) 438-1800

MUSIC

BOOMROOTS COLLECTIVE HALLOWEEN PARTY

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

The local reggae/rock band gives Madrid a Halloween party of epic proportions.

8 pm, free

DUCKWRTH, ELUJAY Meow Wolf 1352 Rufina Circle (505) 395-6369

Contempo-R&B meets hip-hop and more. We hear tickets are few at this point but, as always, keep an eye online to see if anything pops up. 9 pm, $25

FELIX Y LOS GATOS Cowgirl

KORVIN ORKESTAR HALLOWEEN BALKAN BOUNCE AND BOOM BAP BASH FEAT. BABY WEEKEND AND MC SLADER!

Honeymoon Brewery 907 W Alameda St., Ste. B (505) 303-3139

A night of freeeeee Balkan Brass tunes and hip-hop with Korvin Orkestar, Baby Weekend and MC Slader (We pray this is a Mario Lopez thing). (See SFR Picks, page 17) 6:30 pm, free

LOOSE ENDS CHOMP 505 Cerrillos Road (505) 470-8118 Blues, R&B and classic rock. 8 pm, free

THE HALLUCI NATION

AN ILIAD La Casa Sena 125 E Palace Ave. (505) 988-9232

In the midst of dinner, a wandering bard strolls into the restaurant to tell a wondrous story of war. 7 pm, $25

CIRCUS OF THE DAMNED: HOUSE OF WHORRORS Wise Fool New Mexico 1131 Siler Road, Ste. B (505) 992-2588

The queer neo-burlesque production of your nightmares. 6:30 pm, free

THEATER OF DEATH: VIRUS!!! Beer Creek Brewing Company 3810 Hwy. 14 (505) 471-9271

INCOGNITO—DISCOVERING

HER: AN EXHIBITION OF FOUND ART CURATED BY ANDREA CYPRESS AND SALLY BLAKEMORE

Railyard Shade Structure Cerrillos Road and Paseo de Peralta axleart.com

Santa Fe’s mobile art space Axle Contemporary presents a show culled from a massive selection of photos found in an Arizona Goodwill.

9 am-2 pm, free

SANTA FE ARTISTS MARKET

In the West Casitas, north of the water tower

Weekly Railyard art market. 9 am-2 pm, free

BOOKS/LECTURES

A CONVERSATION BETWEEN JACQUELINE HAMER FLAKES AND LATOYA RATLIEFF

St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art 107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5072

A convo between Jacqueline Hamer Flakes and LaToya Ratlieff, daughter and grandniece of Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. 4-5 pm, free

CARLOS GILBERT HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL Carlos Gilbert Elementary 300 Griffin St. (505) 467-4700

Games, prizes, DJ Melanie Moore, food trucks and more. And it all benefits the school, which is cool. 12-5 pm, free

DESERT MONTESSORI SCHOOL'S FALL FESTIVAL Desert Montessori School 316 Camino Delora (505) 983-8212

Activities, costume contest and more. Adults/guardians are free, but you must purchase $25 wristbands for children. Noon-4 pm, $0-$25

DIA DE MUERTOS Santa Fe Plaza 100 Old Santa Fe Trail santafenm.gov

The holiday hits the Plaza with mariachi, food and more. We’re hoping for some warm drinks and treats, so make that happen, someone.

10 am-10 pm, free HARVEST PARTY La Farge Library 1730 Llano St. (505) 820-0292

Check out the new children’s garden and maybe help ‘em harvest. 3 pm, free

Ten comics vie for cash and glory, and the audience calls the shots.

7 pm, free

SPOO-KIKI HALLOWEEN BALL

Second Street Brewery (Rufina) 2920 Rufina St. (505) 954-1068

An evening of dance, costumes and more, plus we hear there will be all kinds of treats, live music from Nocture Spark and “voracious visuals,” whatever that means.

7 pm, free

FOOD

COOKING CLASS: JAPANESE CUISINE

Open Kitchen 227 Don Gaspar Ave. (202) 285-9840

Learn Japanese cuisine from Open Kitchen’s Chef de Cuisine—incluing okonomiyaki, which is so good.

10 am-1 pm, $115

PLANTITA VEGAN BAKERY POP-UP

Reunity Resources Farm 1829 San Ysidro Crossing (505) 393-1196

Vegan treats from Santa Fe’s most popular vegan bakery. We’ve tried all kinds of stuff, like cookies and bagels, for example, and we vouch for ‘em. We vouch so hard.

9 am-12 pm, free

319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

A famously popular blend of Tejano, zydeco, blues and more—with shredding guitar, btw—from the local champs. 8 pm, free

GATHERING OF SPIRITS: HALLOWEEN PARTY AT ALTAR Altar Spirits 545 Camino de la Familia (505) 916-8596

Darkwave from DJ La Ruda and post-punk/new-wave with Luz Skylarker (post punk/ new wave). Plus, a costume contest, specialty cocktails and dancing. 8-11 pm, free

GREGG TURNER FRIGHTMARE MASSACRE & VINYL RELEASE PARTY Ghost

2899 Trades West Road

Lost Padre Records presents the punk legend’s solo jamz. 7 pm, free

HALF PINT & THE GROWLERS Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565 New Orleans-inspired swing. 1-3 pm, free JAMES EMERY NEO TRIO GiG Performance Space 1808 Second Street gigsantafe.com Jazz guitar. 7:30 pm, $22

Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fría St. (505) 303-3808 Dance and electronica.

7:30 pm, $22-$27

THE JAKES

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743 Rock. And we’re not sure, but every member might be named Jake? Just kidding.

3 pm, free

VINYL NIGHTS AT NEW MEXICO HARD CIDER TAPROOM

New Mexico Hard Cider Taproom 505 Cerrillos Road, Ste. A105 (505) 231-0632

Join DJ Yosem and rotating special guest DJs on Saturday nights for musical journeys into a range of vinyl. No cover. Lots of fun. 8 pm, free

THEATER

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E. De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262

Tri-M Productions presents Stephen Sondheim's first (and perhaps funniest) musical wherein the enslaved Pseudolus schemes his way to freedom. (See SFR Picks, page 17) 2 pm and 7 pm, $15-$50

Joe West invites audiences to experience terror, taboo and titillation! Hot. It’s theater and music, and you should definitely not take anyone under 12. 3 pm and 7 pm $25

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE The Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W San Francisco St. (505) 988-1234

The opera version of the story of Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, who rose from sharecropper to one of the most notable people in history. Don’t believe us? Look it up. 7 pm, $25

WORKSHOP

COMMUNITY CYANOTYPE DAY Foto Forum Santa Fe 1714 Paseo de Peralta (505) 470-2582

Learn to cyanotype. That’s a photo thing and a pretty cool process, actually. 11 am-1 pm, $20

VOLUNTEERS WANTED TO WALK THROUGH HISTORY Online

Zoom your way to a volunteer museum docent position through the New Mexico History Museum. Why, if you learn how to docent, the sky’s the limit. Just make sure you fire an email to wthdsfmanager@gmail.com to register and get details. 11 am, free

SUN/30

EVENTS

DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS 20TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

Museum of International Folk Art 706 Camino Lejo (505) 476-1200

Decorate sugar skulls, catch dance performances and sample traditional Pan de Muerto and the Museum Hill institution’s annual event.

1-4 pm, free

HEAVY METAL YOGA

Santa Fe Community Yoga 826 Camino de Monte Rey, Ste. B (505) 820-9363

Meridian flow set to metal.

6 pm, $15

NAMAH FE

Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

The final day of the three-day fest celebrating the Indian holiday of Diwali features dance and film.

6 pm, $15-$36

TRUNK OR TREAT Santa Fe Place Mall 4250 Cerrillos Road (505) 473-4253

Sins’ Events & Top Shelf Entertainment present the Fourth Annual Trunk or Treat Car Show and canned food donation drive. Find music, a costume contest, vendors, games, prizes and more.

12-4 pm, free

MUSIC

BILL HEARNE @ LA FONDA HOTEL

La Fonda on the Plaza 100 E San Francisco St. (505) 982-5511

Country and such from a guy who is truly worth meeting. Say hi to Hearne. Dare you. 7-9 pm, free ESCHER STRING QUARTET St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art 107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5072

New York City-based string ensemble, with soprano Susanna Phillips; music of Haydn, Schoenberg, and Respighi. 3 pm, $33-$98

KEY FRANCES

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

This guy's chops are killer, by which we mean he shreds the blues guitar.

3 pm, free

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS FEATURING SAINTS BALL, MEGAB4T

Meow Wolf 1352 Rufina Circle, (505) 395-6369

The Albuquerque drag troupe performs the musical classic and megab4t throws a dance party before and after the show. It’s sold out, but you never know who might sell tickets online. 8 pm, $25

MATS REINIUSSON: GRAVITY Ellsworth Gallery 215 E Palace Ave. (505) 989-7900

Composer and musician Mats Reiniusson explores themes of pathways, stillness and listening. 5 pm, free

SANTA FE PRO MUSICA PRESENTS STRING WORKS SERIES: ESCHER STRING QUARTET

St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art 107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5072

New York's Escher String Quartet comes in hot with works by Haydn, Schoenberg, Respighi, Handel and Dvorak. You know those names, right? 3 pm, $33-$98

THE SANTA FE SYMPHONY CHORUS: CHORAL MASTERWORKS Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi 131 Cathedral Place (505) 982-5619

The Santa Fe Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Carmen Flórez-Mansi, performs choral favorites. You don’t need a ticket—this one’s free. 3 pm, free

THE VOID BY GOLD TIDES Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Local rock at Gold Tides screens their new film, The Void. Then they include a live music set, and celebrate the release of their fresh EP, Mereas de Oro 6-8:30 pm, $18-$44

THE WESTERNHERS Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

Lady-led country tunes that oughta make you feel something. And isn’t that why any of us do anything? Noon, free

THEATER

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM Santa Fe Playhouse 142 E. De Vargas St. (505) 988-4262

Tri-M Productions presents Stephen Sondheim's first (and perhaps funniest) musical wherein the enslaved Pseudolus schemes his way to freedom. 2 pm, $15-$50

THEATER OF DEATH: VIRUS!!! Beer Creek Brewing Company 3810 Hwy. 14 (505) 471-9271

Joe West invites audiences to experience terror, taboo and titillation! Staged in a circus tent next to the Beer Creek Brewing seating is limited. Get your tickets in advance. Not recommended for children under 12. 3 pm and 7 pm, $25

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE The Lensic Performing Arts Center 211 W San Francisco St. (505) 988-1234

An operatic tribute to Civil Rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. 2 pm, $25

MON/31

DANCE

SANTA FE SWING Odd Fellows Hall 1125 Cerrillos Road (505) 690-4165

Old fashioned swing to big band and blues DJs. $8 for the class and for the dance, $3 for just the open dance (which starts at 8 pm). 7 pm, $3-$8

EVENTS

GEEKS WHO DRINK Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Gather your team and prove you’re smart at this pub quiz. 7pm, free

MEOW-LOWEEN Meow Wolf 1352 Rufina Circle (505) 395-6369

Meow Wolf's very own Halloween event, and you know what that means— weird shit! 3 pm, $20-$35

FILM

TRICK 'R TREAT Jean Cocteau Cinema 418 Montezuma Ave. (505) 466-5528

Interwoven stories demon strate that some traditions are best not forgotten as residents Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Dylan Baker face real ghosts and goblins on Halloween in this creepyass movie. (See SFR Picks, page 17) 6 pm, $13-$26

MUSIC

BILL HEARNE Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

If you've never heard Bill Hearne sing, you're missing out, friends. Country, flatpickin', honky-tonk and a lot of love and feelings. Also, it's Halloween, so getting wrecked and checking tunes sounds sweet as hell. 4-6 pm, free

FELIX Y LOS GATOS Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

As new mexico as a zydeco blues band can get. Way we hear it there’s slide guitar. 8 pm, free

QUEER NIGHT: HALLOWEEN PARTY El Rey Court 1862 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-1931

Show up and show out in your costume finery to com pete in this Halloween con test featuring a local “celeb rity” panel. We don’t know who’s on that voyage of the damned, but we like it. 5-11 pm, free

WILL CLARKE, DJ

VETTALUV Meow Wolf 1352 Rufina Circle (505) 395-6369

Halloween night is set with a dance and electronic master. You should party. 8 pm, $28

TUE/1

FOOD

FARMERS MARKET TOUR

Santa Fe Farmers Market Pavilion 1607 Paseo De Peralta (505) 983-4098

A behind the scenes look at the market. Just know that groups are limited to 10 folks at a time, so plan ahead and book your spot. 9 am, free

MUSIC

JONATHAN FOSTER

Mine Shaft Tavern 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid (505) 473-0743

A solid country and folk singer. 5 pm, free

MUSEUMS

IAIA MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY NATIVE ARTS 108 Cathedral Place (505) 983-8900

Athena LaTocha: Mesabi Redux. Matrilineal: Legacies of Our Mothers. Art of Indigenous Fashion.

10 am-4 pm, Wed-Sat, Mon

11 am-4 pm, Sun, $5-$10

MUSEUM OF ENCAUSTIC ART 18 County Road 55A (505) 424-6487

Global Warming is Real Juried Exhibition.

11 am-4 pm, Fri-Sun, $10 (18 and under free)

MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE

706 Camino Lejo (505) 476-1200

Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery. ReVOlution. Here, Now and Always. Painted Reflections.

10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $3-$9

MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART

706 Camino Lejo (505) 476-1200

Dressing with Purpose: Belonging and Resistance in Scandinavia. Fashioning Identities. Yokai: Ghosts & Demons of Japan.

10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $3-$12

NEW MEXICO HISTORY

MUSEUM

113 Lincoln Ave. (505) 476-5200

Setting the Standard. The First World War. WORDS on the Edge. The Palace Seen and Unseen; Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and WWII.

10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $7-$12, NM residents free 5-7 pm first Fri of the month

MONTROSE TRIO St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art 107 W Palace Ave. 476-5072

Chamber music. 7:30 pm, $20-$95

OSCAR BUTLER Cowgirl 319 S Guadalupe St. (505) 982-2565

A smoooooooth singer-songwriter with guitar chops and the kind of voice that makes you go, "Oooh!" We know that sounds jokey, but Butler has the goods, promise. 4-6 pm, free

THEATER

AN ILIAD

Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery 2791 Agua Fría St. (505) 303-3808

Drink and eat up while some dude tells The Iliad, being Homer’s classic tale of the Trojan War. In your face, Odysseus—ya Johnny-comeLately ship mast stick-to-er! Hahaha! Boom. Odysseus jokes. 7 pm, $25

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Make sure you include all the pertinent details such as location, time, price and so forth. It helps us out greatly.

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EL RANCHO DE LAS GOLONDRINAS

334 Los Pinos Road (505) 471-2261

Colonial living history ranch.

10 am-4 pm, Wed-Sun, $4-$6

MUSEUM OF SPANISH COLONIAL ART

750 Camino Lejo (505) 982-2226

Pueblo-Spanish Revival Style: The Director’s Residence. Trails, Rails, and Highways.

1-4 pm, Wed-Fri, $5-$12

NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF ART

107 W Palace Ave. (505) 476-5063

Selections from the 20th Century Collection. Western Eyes. Transgressions and

Amplifications: Mixed Media

Photographs of the ’60s, ’70s. 10 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $7-12

POEH CULTURAL CENTER

78 Cities of Gold Road (505) 455-5041

Di Wae Powa. Nah Poeh Meng: The Continuous Path.

9 am-5 pm, Tues-Sun, $7-$10

WHEELWRIGHT MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

704 Camino Lejo (505) 982-4636

Center for the Study of Southwestern Jewelry. Abeyta | To’Hajiilee K’é. The Mary Morez Style.

10 am-4 pm, Tues-Sat, $8

The Smithsonian traveling exhibition at the New Mexico History Museum examines the complex history of WWII Japanese American incarceration camps. “Pledging allegiance to the flag at Raphael Weill Public School in San Francisco, 1942.”

DOROTHEA LANGE, COURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES.

The Symphony’s acclaimed SFS Strata series continues with an innovative presentation of Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Four Winds, Hypnosis for Flute and Piano by Ian Clarke, and Night Psalm by Eve Beglarian in the historic theatre. After a FREE champagne toast at intermission, complemented by savory hors d’oeuvres, this progressive chamber music experience continues in the ballroom for an up close and personal performance “in the round” with Valerie Coleman’s Umoja: Anthem of Unity for Woodwind Quintet and Amanda Harberg’s Suite for Woodwind Quintet.

Luke Gullickson, PianoJeffrey Rogers, Horn

Elaine Heltman, OboeLaura Dwyer, Flute

Lori Lovato, ClarinetStefanie Przybylska, Bassoon

BY ANNABELLA FARMER author@sfreporter.com

Most mysteries begin with finger prints, a locked room, a secret. This one begins with a DNA test.

Writer and animal advocate Carlyn Montes De Oca lived 57 years before she found out she’d been adopted. But almost as soon as she did, she knew she had to metabolize that experience through writ ing. So began a forensic investigation into her own past, an unraveling of clues—in terviews with siblings and cousins (all of whom seemed to know more about her than she knew about herself), old photographs and the delusive evidence of memory. The result was Montes De Oca’s new book, Junkyard Girl: A Memoir of Ancestry, Family Secrets and Second Chances (Goose Hill Press, Nov. 2).

One of four books from the author, Junkyard Girl tells the story of a seismic shift in Montes De Oca’s identity. She’d spent her life believing she belonged to a family of six—her parents were Mexican immigrants, and her sister and brothers were first-generation American citizens— who lived in Carpenteria, California. Still, though she always believed she was tied to the family by blood, she had the sense something was missing. Something about her was different, and it kept her at a distance. When a DNA test revealed she shared scant genetic material with her presumptive family, her sister decided to break the promise she’d made to her par ents to keep Montes De Oca’s adoption a secret.

The process of unspooling the mystery and getting it on the page was painful, Montes De Oca tells SFR.

“It’s like a wrecking ball hitting the foundation of your identity,” she says.

“But the way I understand the world is through writing, and I knew I had to somehow put it into words to make sense of it all.”

Her craft shines in her descriptions of family—astute, glow ing renderings of their complex relationships bring to life the con flict she felt when she learned they weren’t related by blood. She illustrates her mother particularly vividly: the details of her beautician’s uniform, her terse, com manding patterns of speech. Yet those parts were the most difficult to write, Montes De Oca says.

“I loved her and I had great respect for her, but I didn’t really understand her when I was growing up,” she says. “This book allowed me to understand her in a new way.”

That understanding is one of many revelations Montes De Oca experi enced while writing the book. Another was gaining a new sense of community.

“For two years I pretty much dealt with this topic by myself,” she explains. “I didn’t realize that there are a lot of other people who have gone through a similar situation—taking a DNA test for fun and suddenly discovering, ‘Holy cow, I’m adopted. I have a sister, I have a brother. This isn’t my parent.’”

The experience is relatively rare— only 3% of adopted children in the US aren’t told they’re adopted, a study by the Federal Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation finds. Montes De Oca hopes Junkyard Girl helps others in that situation find their own communities more easily than she did.

“It’s like a baby deer being born,” she says, “and suddenly they can’t stand on

their legs—wobbling everywhere, trying to figure it out.”

While Montes De Oca’s experience is unusual, the insights she gains about what makes a family have more universal appli cations. When she learned she was adopt ed, she says, she was faced with a choice:

“The tethers that bound me to my

family, the family I grew up with, in some ways were cut,” she says. “There was a sadness with that, a loss—but also a free dom. It allowed me to stand on my own and to choose what family means to me.”

Junkyard Girl opens with an epigraph: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” This, Montes De Oca says, is the actual rendering of a com monly misinterpreted aphorism, “blood is thicker than water.” Usually taken to mean birth family is the strongest tie, the ultimate responsibility, Montes De Oca gleans something differ ent from the full proverb. She did meet her birth sister, aunt and mother, but hasn’t maintained a strong relationship with her bio family.

“For me, it was the family that was not re ally mine by birth—the water of the womb— but the family I spent my life, my culture, my experiences and love with,” she tells SFR. “That’s the blood of the covenant.”

By that logic, we choose our families through what we share with them, even if it isn’t blood.

“There’s so much division in families with the state of our world, and in some ways it allows all of us to choose what family is,” Montes De Oca says. “I love the expansiveness of being able to choose your family.”

For her, it’s the family she grew up with, her close friends, her hus band,and the animals she chooses to spend her life with. In this, she finds a parallel with her life’s work. Montes De Oca now lives outside Santa Fe with her husband and res cue dog, Grace, where she works as an animal advocate. She’s also the founder of The Animal-Human Health Connection, which highlights the health imapacts of having pets at home.

“As an animal advocate, here I am al ways telling people, ‘Adopt, adopt.’ Then suddenly, I realize I’m adopted.”

JUNKYARD GIRL RELEASE AND CONVERSATION: 1 pm Saturday, Nov. 5. Free. The Agora 7 Avenida Vista Grande, Eldorado (505) 466-2602

She just took a DNA test, turns out, she’s 100%... adopted

MICHAEL

FRIEL

Jesse Allen Stephen Apodaca Gini Barrett Gayla Bechtol Jonathan Blakey & Nanci Cartwright

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Thank You

RECURRING GIFTS

Sheila Hyde Megan Kamerick Heather Karlson & Bill Leeson Diane Karp The Reverend Canon Ted Karpf Katie & Andrew Nicholas King Photography Laurie Knight Karen Ann Koestner Ruth & Paul Kovnat Joseph Lacayo Laurel Ladwig & Trina Altman Melanie Lamb Faithful Guido Lambelet David LaPlantz Catherine & Britt Leach

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Interwoven

BY ALEX DE VORE alex@sfreporter.com

Something that comes up a lot in my conversations with artists is the pejo rative nature of over-intellectualizing or academicizing how art is made and how we talk about the arts. Some artists fear they’re not educated enough; others fear they can’t explain their work using enough big words. Some start to doubt themselves. I hate that.

For Santa Fe-based weaver and textiles artist Rhiannon Griego (Tohono O’odham; rhiannongriego.com), though, that’s not an issue. Rather than worrying about lending validity to her work, she’s confident: Many of her pieces fall under the fine art category, and though she makes functional items, like clothing, her art is easily hangable alongside paintings, displayable in the way one might revere sculpture. Besides, she says, weaving isn’t such a huge jump from her previous practice of beadwork or jewelry, nor does it differ all that much from her ancestors’ bas ketry. In many cases, Griego tells SFR, she creates in a way reminiscent of the underside of Tohono O’odham baskets—the structural point of power represented with raw hemp and/or churro wool and other materials, hand-dyed in most cases, sometimes with for aged pigments from Abiquiu and elsewhere.

“The way I refer to it is, the Tohono O’odham are basket weavers, and I feel that very much in the work I’ve been exploring— that it’s the link to that element of my people,” Griego explains. “My father’s family were spinners and weavers here in New Mexico, too, and that influences my work through the voice of ancestry.”

Griego’s a relative newcomer to Santa Fe, though. Previously, she lived in Oakland, California, and studied weaving techniques in Berkeley (more on that in a sec); she grew up in Orange County. But a recurring dream called her to the Southwest a couple years back for an extended road trip with a friend. Not only did she encounter a Griego Road, which she considered a sign, but the Continental Divide proved to be the place represented in her dreams.

“The dream was of red earth,” she says. “Visions of red earth, and the places I associ ate with it.”

The switch to textiles as fine art came even later, and Griego estimates she’s been weav ing with an emphasis on form over function for roughly three years. Of course, it’s the type of artistry that doesn’t come easy. One must weave for at least 40 years before they can claim the mantle of master, Griego says, adding that she’s obviously not there yet. Still, through a combination of self-taught practices and a mentorship with Berkeleybased weaver Lynn Harris—a proponent and purveyor of Saori-style weaving, the Japanese-born school of thought that em braces experimentation and imperfection through free expression—she’s well on her way. Beyond that, she’s about feel.

“It’s all tactile,” she says during a recent studio visit, pulling pieces out to show their different wefts and weaves, even sitting at one of her looms to demonstrate how she works. Across from her equipment lie count less spools and skeins arranged by color. It appears Griego has several pieces in-prog ress, many of which will make their way to a one-off show early next month at the Bishop’s

Lodge hotel. It’s Griego’s biggest collection to date, and one, she says, that pulls primarily from her biggest inspiration: the land.

“[These pieces] remind me of being out doors,” she says, gesturing to a wall hanging composed of simple square patterns overlaid atop one another. “Working like this, I feel like I’m outdoors. This deeply connects me to the land—it translates to yucca and bear grass, and I’m working with churro wool, which has a long standing history in New Mexico.”

Griego sources that churro wool from the Shepherd’s Lamb company in Chama. That it’s local is important to her, and the same goes for almost everything she uses. If she can source it regionally, Griego says, she will.

“And it’s not just the visual,” she notes of her upcoming show, explaining that she also drew inspiration from the five senses. “I’ll be burning incense and projecting images of the landscapes that inspire me to weave, I’m creating a playlist that has been inspiring me. And textiles themselves are meant to be touched, which is interesting in a fine art ca pacity—when you go to museums you can’t touch things.”

You’ll want to touch Griego’s work if given the chance. The textures leap out of the piec es and phase from soft to coarse and points between. That drive to de-stigmatize how we interact with textile art is subtly huge, too. Often, textiles, weaving or basketry are relegated to a place in the artistic panthe on best described as craftwork. Within that, you’ll find a labyrinth of misogyny relegating women creators to specific types of output. As the delineation between artifact and ar tifice blurs, however, artists like Griego help defuse much of the inaccessible language and presentation surrounding the arts. You can wear a Griego should you so choose—you can hang one up on your wall beside your favorite prints and paintings.

“Being a weaver and being part of this re surgence in weaving?” Griego concludes. “It’s part of this new narrative of people redefin ing textiles. It’s not just decor—and it’s a little bit of an uphill battle, but we’re beginning to transform it.”

RHIANNON GRIEGO

Textile artist Rhiannon Griego’s upcoming show at Bishop’s Lodge is a quick one-and-done affair. In short, you’ll only have four hours to check it out—and it’s worth checking out.

ALEX DE VORE

Rhiannon Griego wants to change how you think about textiles

RATINGS

Raymond & Ray Review Brotherly...something

BY ALEX DE VORE alex@sfreporter.com

In his 1886 short story, “How Much Land Does a Man Need,” Russian writer Leo Tolstoy posits that all anyone truly requires when it comes down to it is the space in which they’ll be buried. In filmmak er Rodrigo Garcia’s new tale, Raymond & Ray, that concept becomes true enough, though what Tolstoy might have glossed over is those we leave behind and the neuroses to which we might have contributed in life. Perhaps we only need those 6 feet deep, 3 feet wide holes when all is said and done, but to contain our impact is another story altogether.

Out now via Apple TV+, Garcia’s new film, which he also wrote, finds two brothers with the same name, same father—different mothers—coming together after their dad dies. At first, we’re unsure why Raymond (Ewan McGregor) and Ray (Ethan Hawke) seem so blasé about their father’s passing, but with skillful writing revealing more of their backstory throughout the film, we come to under stand their positions. Raymond’s wife recently left him, and he struggles to find compassion while contending with the things his dad did while he was

alive. Ray is less confused—he hated the man, and not just for his own sake, but for the things that hap pened to his mother, his brother. Ray’s vocal about that. He’s maybe glad his dad died.

Weird, then, that the dad’s lawyer, pastor and nurse have an endless string of kind things to say, though people perhaps tend to revere the deceased in bizarre ways. Stranger still, then, that dear old dad’s final wish was for his estranged sons to dig his grave. What follows is an ultimately small and con tained story built around conversations about life, death, love, parenthood and so on. A lesser writer might have dug up only boredom, but Garcia’s knack for dialogue fosters just the opposite. As previous ly unknown siblings pop up and the father’s much younger wife hangs around, the Rays find something that looks like empathy—they try to break the cycles

begun by their father. Generational trauma is so real, but there comes a time for healing. Maybe we can get addicted to sadness, maybe it’s some amor phous concept on which to pin our failures. But we’ve gotta grow.

McGregor does just fine as the buttoned-down Raymond, a repressed little man whose rage seems ready to boil over. Hawke, however, represents the film’s best as Ray. He was a musician once, and may be he will be again. He just needs to let go. Maybe the best thing some people can do for the world is to die. That’s dark, sure, but sometimes it’s just the damn truth.

RAYMOND & RAY Directed by Garcia With McGregor and Hawke Apple TV+, R, 105 min.

AMSTERDAM

+ FUN AND FAST-PACED; CENTRAL CAST DELIGHTFUL TOGETHER HAMMY MOMENTS

7Whereas Amsterdam, the newest from director/writer David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle), begins its madcap dash through subterfuge, love and a bit of real-life American history feeling a bit like Wes Anderson-meets-Jean-Pierre Jeunet by way of the Coen Brothers, it does manage to eke out its own identity by the time the credits roll. And it’s a fun one, with its star-studded cast clearly having a fantas tic time working together and its messaging landing soundly when it all comes together.

Amsterdam tells the tale of Burt Berendsen (Christian Bale), a doctor from meager beginnings whose very wealthy in-laws arranged for him to fight during World War I in an apparent bid to cancel out his being half-Jewish for their society friends. Burt escapes the front by losing an eye and, along the way, becomes lifelong friends with a fellow soldier named Harold (John David Washington). Together, they take up with a mysterious American artist (Margot Robbie) in Amsterdam after they’re discharged, and here Russell’s script shines in a utopian orgy of sing ing, dancing, arts and kinship. Blissful, warm lighting highlights the unearthly delights of living for love and art; here, we come to empathize with Burt’s plight, particularly that of his socialite wife and her muckymuck family.

But all good things must end, and some years after the war and Amsterdam, Burt and Harold—who becomes an attorney post-war—find themselves back in America, hired by the daughter (Taylor Swift)

of their old commanding general to investigate her father’s death. Something suspicious is going down in New York City, and it smells a lot like fascism. Finding themselves accused of murder and on the run, Burt and Harold must delve into the conflicting worlds of money, industry, the military and society to clear their names.

Bale, as always, stretches into his role with aplomb, though he’s much funnier here than he usually gets to play. It works well against Washington’s more straightman approach, though the latter actor gets laughs, too. When Robbie joins the fray, it’s a master class in chem istry, though she seems to have that with everyone.

Russell, meanwhile, gets points for pulling the underlying conundrum of the film from a terrifying chapter of real history that went down in the leadup to World War II (no spoilers, but yes, the thing really happened), but he does lean pretty heavily into white savior tropes he could easily have sidestepped.

Instead of consistently reminding us Burt’s a good guy because he’s the kind of doctor who’ll treat Black vet erans and says things like, “How could I not?” maybe he could have let those actions speak for themselves?

It’s too bad, too, that Chris Rock joins the cast to spout off throwaway joke lines when he’s proven he can truly act over and over; there’s even a tacked-on love story between Bale and Zoe Saldaña that feels...half-baked at best. Same goes for appearances from Michael Shannon and, for some reason, Mike Myers.

All the same, Amsterdam does find its footing by its final funny moments, and small roles filled by Rami Malek and Robert DeNiro just plain work. And the film sticks it to the rich, which is always fun. (ADV)

Violet Crown, Regal, R, 134 min.

NOTHING COMPARES

7

+ EMOTIONAL AND INSPIRING; GREAT MUSIC A LOT LEFT UNSAID

Most people of a certain age remember where they were during the aftermath of Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor’s infamous 1992 performance on Saturday Night Live. You know the one—when she ripped up a picture of then-Pope John Paul II while performing a cover of Bob Marley’s “War,” itself derived from a 1963 Haile Selassie speech to the United Nations.

“Fight the real enemy,” she said directly into the camera as she tore the photo to bits. Today it seems tame as far as protests go—not to mention how right she was insofar as the Catholic church totally was covering up child abuse. But back then, O’Connor became an early example of what we now refer to as cancel culture. Who can say whether her career ever fully recovered?

The SNL thing isn’t the bedrock of the new Showtime documentary about O’Connor, Nothing Compares, but it does make it worth signing up for the streaming service (even on a trial basis) and further represents a turning point in what is otherwise a film about the singer’s meteoric rise and sudden drop-off. In a phrase, O’Connor was (and actually continues to be) punk as fuck, a trailblazingly smart songwriter and force who escaped the clutches of an abusive mother as a child and turned her heart-wrenching experiences into the sort of songs that connect people. In filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson’s vision of O’Connor, she’s downright heroic, from her toying with gender norms and

confronting feminine hairstyle ridiculousness to her careening and powerful caterwauling on pretty much every album since 1987’s The Lion and the Cobra. The live footage is intense, too!

Ferguson takes us through O’Connor’s early days and band heights, through television and private footage, to showcase a more intimate portrait of the notoriously reclusive singer than we’ve ever seen. This is the woman who dyed a Public Enemy logo into the side of her head for a performance at the Grammys the year the historic hip-hop group boycotted the awards over the lack of a rap category; the woman who declined to have the American national anthem play before a festival appearance. This is the woman who stood steadfast in the face of tens of thousands of booing audience members at Madison Square Garden in ’92 and repeated those words from the same Selassie speech she performed on SNL

Sadly, the doc glosses over some key happenings, such as O’Connor’s son’s 2022 death. Sure, the film might have been in the can before that happened, but it only released now, toward the end of the year, and its absence is noteworthy. We also don’t get much of a sense of what happened in O’Connor’s personal relationships outside of that with her mother—and it’s a tough pill to swallow that the Prince estate denied the film the rights to play O’Connor’s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” clearly her biggest hit, a landmark music video and, frankly, a killer tune.

No matter, though, because the song remains the same: We don’t often get a talent of O’Connor’s magnitude. (ADV) Showtime, NR, 97 min.

+ HAWKE NAILS

IT; STRONG WRITING AND PREMISE CAN FEEL TEDIOUS MOMENT TO MOMENT

Rob Brezsny Week of October 26th

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Of all the rich philanthropists in the world, Aries author MacKenzie Scott is the most generous. During a recent 12-month period, she gave away $8.5 billion. Her focus is on crucial issues: racial equality, LGBTQ+ rights, pandemic relief, upholding and promoting democracy, and addressing the climate emergency. She disburses her donations quickly and without strings attached, and prefers to avoid hoopla and ego aggrandizement. I suggest we make her your inspirational role model in the coming weeks. May she motivate you to gleefully share your unique gifts and blessings. I think you will reap selfish benefits by exploring the perks of generosity. Halloween costume suggestion: philanthropist, Santa Claus, compassion freak.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): What animal best represents your soul? Which species do you love the most? Now would be a good time to try this imaginative exercise. You’re in a phase when you’ll thrive by nurturing your inner wild thing. You will give yourself blessings by stoking your creature intelligence. All of us are part-beast, and this is your special time to foster the beauty of your beast. Halloween costume suggestion: your favorite animal or the animal that symbolizes your soul.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): During the tyrannical reign of Spain’s fascist government in the 1930s, Gemini poet Federico García Lorca creatively resisted and revolted with great courage. One critic said Lorca “was all freedom inside, abandon and wildness. A tulip, growing at the foot of a concrete bulwark.” I invite you to be inspired by Lorca’s untamed, heartfelt beauty in the coming weeks, Gemini. It’s a favorable time to rebel with exuberance against the thing that bothers you most, whether that’s bigotry, injustice, misogyny, creeping authoritarianism, or anything else. Halloween costume suggestion: a high-spirited protestor.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If the trickster god Mercury gave you permission to do one mischievous thing today and a naughty thing tomorrow and a rascally thing two days from now, what would you choose? Now is the perfect time for you Cancerians to engage in roguish, playful, puckish actions. You are especially likely to get away with them, karma-free—and probably even benefit from them—especially if they are motivated by love. Are you interested in taking advantage of this weird grace period? Halloween costume suggestion: prankster, joker, fairy, elf.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Everyone’s mind constantly chatters with agitated fervor—what I call the ever-flickering flux. We might as well accept this as a fundamental element of being human. It’s a main feature, not a bug. Yet there are ways to tone down the inner commotion. Meditation can help. Communing with nature often works. Doing housework sometimes quells the clamor for me. The good news for you, Leo, is that you’re in a phase when it should be easier than usual to cultivate mental calm. Halloween costume suggestion: meditation champion; tranquility superstar; gold medalist in the relaxation tournament.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Education is an admirable thing,” said author Oscar Wilde. “But it is well to remember that nothing worth knowing can be taught.” What?! That’s an exasperating theory. I don’t like it. In fact, I protest it. I reject it. I am especially opposed to it right now as I contemplate your enhanced power to learn amazing lessons and useful knowledge and life-changing wisdom. So here’s my message for you, Virgo: What Oscar Wilde said DOES NOT APPLY to you these days. Now get out there and soak up all the inspiring teachings that are available to you. Halloween costume suggestion: top student.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): To celebrate Halloween, I suggest you costume yourself as a character you were in a past life. A jeweler in first-century Rome? A midwife in 11th-century China? A salt trader in 14th-century Timbuktu? If you don’t have any intuitions about your

past lives, be playful and invent one. Who knows? You might make an accurate guess. Why am I inviting you to try this fun exercise? Because now is an excellent time to re-access resources and powers and potentials you possessed long ago—even as far back as your previous incarnations.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I guess it would be difficult to create a practical snake costume for Halloween. How would you move around? You’d have to slither across the floor and the ground everywhere you go. So maybe instead you could be a snake priest or snake priestess—a magic conjurer wearing snake-themed jewelry and clothes and crown. Maybe your wand could be a caduceus. I’m nudging you in this direction is because I think you will benefit from embodying the mythic attributes of a snake. As you know, the creature sheds its old skin to let new skin emerge. That’s a perfect symbol for rebirth, fertility, transformation, and healing. I’d love those themes to be your specialties in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “I need my sleep,” proclaimed Sagittarian comedian Bill Hicks. “I need about eight hours a day and about ten at night.” I don’t think you will need as much slumber as Hicks in the coming nights, Sagittarius. On the other hand, I hope you won’t scrimp on your travels in the land of dreams. Your decisions in the waking world will improve as you give yourself maximum rest. The teachings you will be given while dreaming will make you extra smart and responsive to the transformations unfolding in your waking life. Halloween costume suggestion: dancing sleepwalker; snoozing genius; angel banishing a nightmare; fantastic dream creature.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Recently, my mom told me my dad only spoke the Slovakian language, never English, until he started first grade in a school near Detroit, Michigan. Both of his parents had grown up in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but immigrated to the United States in their youth. When I related this story to my Slovakian cousin Robert Brežny, he assured me it’s not true. He met my dad’s mother several times, and he says she could not speak Slovakian. He thinks she was Hungarian, in fact. So it’s unlikely my dad spoke Slovakian as a child. I guess all families have odd secrets and mysteries and illusions, and this is one of mine. How about you, Capricorn? I’m happy to say that the coming months will be a favorable time to dig down to the roots of your family’s secrets and mysteries and illusions. Get started! Halloween costume suggestion: your most fascinating ancestor.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My Aquarian friend Allie told me, “If a demon turned me into a monster who had to devour human beings to get my necessary protein, I would only eat evil billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.” What about you, Aquarius? If you woke up one morning and found you had transformed into a giant wolf-dragon that ate people, who would you put on your menu? I think it’s a good time to meditate on this hypothetical question. You’re primed to activate more ferocity as you decide how you want to fight the world’s evil in the months and years to come. Halloween costume suggestion: a giant wolf-dragon that eats bad people.me to track down groovier overtones.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do you value the feeling of wildness? Is that an experience you seek and cultivate? If so, what conditions rouse it? How does it feel? When it visits you, does it have a healthy impact? Are you motivated by your pleasurable brushes with wildness to reconfigure the unsatisfying and unwild parts of your life? These are questions I hope you will contemplate in the coming weeks. The astrological omens suggest you have more power than usual to access wildness.

Halloween costume suggestion: whatever makes you feel wild.

Homework: Here’s another Halloween costume suggestion: Be the opposite of yourself. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

PSYCHIC/TAROT READINGS & SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

“We saw you around this time last year and you were so accurate. We were hoping to schedule another session” S. W. , Santa Fe. For more information call 505-982-8327 or visit www.alexofavalon.com.

Chief Yeye Olomo Osara of Ile-Ife, Nigeria has recently relocated to New Mexico to assist you with the mysteries of life.

Now accepting appointments for the month of November. Call (505) 810-3018 to schedule a psychic reading

CHIMNEY SWEEPING

CASEY’S TOP HAT CHIMNEY SWEEP

Thank you Santa Fe for voting us BEST of Santa Fe! Spring is the perfect time for cleaning your chimney. With this coupon save $20.00 on your Spring Chimney Cleaning during the month of October 2022. Call today: 989-5775

Present this for $20.00 off your fireplace or wood stove cleaning.

BECOME AN ESL TUTOR. Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe’s 12-hour training workshop prepares volunteers to tutor adults in English as a Second Language. The orientation will be held on Thursday, November 10th from 4 to 6 pm, and the training will be on Friday & Saturday, November 11th and 12th from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. (There will also be a 2-hour follow-up workshop.) For more information, please call 428-1174, or visit www.lvsf.org to apply to be a tutor.

EMPLOYMENT

LEGALS

STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT Case No. D-101-PB-2022-00213 IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF Bertrea Margaret Bratcher, Deceased.

NOW HIRING ADVERTISING REP

The SF Reporter is seeking a new member for our advertising team. We are fiercely local and we’re looking for an individual to help connect local businesses to people who live and visit Santa Fe. This is a part time position, 20 hours per week and Monday through Friday. Compensation includes a base salary plus commission. Candidate must possess strong verbal skills, vehicle and valid license and insurance.

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Jane Chavez and Fabian Chavez, whose address is c/o The Wirth Law Firm, P.C., 708 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New MExico 87501, have been appointed as Co-Personal Representatives of the Estate of Bertrea Margaret Bratcher, deceased. Creditors of the estate must present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this notice or within sixty (60) days after mailing or other delivery, whichever is later, or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented to the Co-Personal Representatives, Jane Chavez and Fabian Chavez, in care of The Wirth Law Firm, P.C., 708 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501, or filed with the First Judicial District Court of Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Dated October 3, 2022 Respectfully Submitted, The Wirth Law Firm, P.C. Attorneys for the Estate of Bertrea Margaret Bratcher 708 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 (505) 98801668 ext. 103 By /s/ Carol Romero-Wirth Carol RomeroWirth

STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

IN THE MATTER OF A PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF KIERAN COLE VOLLMAR Case No.: D-101-CV-2022-01886

NOTICE OF CHANGE OF NAME TAKE NOTICE that in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 40-8-1 through Sec. 40-8-3 NMSA 1978, et seq. The Petitioner Kieran Cole Vollmar will apply to the Honorable Matthew J. Wilson, District Judge of the First Judicial District at the Santa Fe Judicial Complex, 225 Montezuma Ave., in Santa FE, New MExico, at 9:00 a.m. on the 10th day of January, 2023 for an ORDER FOR CHANGE OF NAME from Kieran Cole Vollmar to Kieran COle HolsappleVollmar.

KATHLEEN VIGIL, District Court Clerk

By: Bernadette Hernandez Deputy Court Clerk

Submitted by: Kieran Cole Vollmar Petitioner, Pro Se

STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN THE PROBATE COURT COUNTY OF SANTA FE No. 2022-0132

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF DONALD ORTIZ, DECEASED.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

IN THE MATTER OF A PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF DANIEL ROBERT CRON Case No.: D-101-CV-2022-01832

NOTICE OF CHANGE OF NAME TAKE NOTICE that in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 40-8-1 through Sec. 40-8-2 NMSA 1978, et seq. The Petitioner Daniel Robert Cron will apply to the Honorable Kathleen McGarry Ellenwood, District Judge of the First Judicial District at the Santa Fe JUdicial Complex, 225 Montezuma Ave., in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at 9:00 a.m. on the 7 day of December, 2022 for an ORDER FOR CHANGE OF NAME from Daniel Robert Cron to Dan Cron.

KATHLEEN VIGIL, District Court Clerk

By: Marquel Gonzales-Aragon Deputy Court Clerk

Submitted by: Daniel Cron Petitioner, Pro Se

WANTED: HISTORY BUFFS TO WALK THE TALK — Now recruiting docents to lead the NM History Museum’s Walking Tours of Historic Downtown Santa Fe. Learn more about our city’s fascinating past and share your knowledge with visitors. Free info sessions via Zoom for volunteers: October 26 at 3:30 p.m. or October 29 at 11:00 a.m. To register, email your name and preferred date to: wthdsfmanager@gmail.com.

Training takes place in November for the 2023 tour season starting in April. 505-231-8293. friendsofhistorynm.org

Works ManagerFull time with benefits

The Santa Fe Art Institute is looking for a Works Manager to join our dynamic team by supporting administrative and financial operations, facilities and rentals, and to maintain an effective work environment. Learn more and apply at: https://sfai.org/works-manager/ Open until filled!

Too much junk in the trunk?

it here in the

STATE OF NEW MEXICO COUNTY OF SANTA FE FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT IN THE MATTER OF A PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME OF BELLA JULIETTE ORTIZ, A CHILD. Case No.: D-101-CV-2022-01867

NOTICE OF CHANGE OF NAME TAKE NOTICE that in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 40-8-1 through Sec. 40-8-3 NMSA 1978, et seq. The Petitioner Rocio A. Rodriguez V, will apply to the Honorable Maria Sanchez-Gagne, District Judge of the First Judicial District at the Rio Arriba County Courthouse, 7 Mainstreet, in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico at 9:45 a.m. on the 23 day of November, 2022 for an ORDER FOR CHANGE OF NAME of the child from Bella Juliette Ortiz to Bella Juliette Ortiz Rodriguez.

KATHLEEN VIGIL, District Court Clerk

By: Edith Suarez-Munoz Deputy Court Clerk

Submitted by: Rocio A. Rodriguez Vargas Petitioner, Pro Se

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of this Estate. All persons having claims against this estate are required to present their claims within two (2) months after the date of the first publication of this notice, or the claims will be forever barred. Claims must be presented either to the undersigned attorney for Personal Representative at the addresses listed below, or filed with the Probate Court of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, located at the following address: Santa Fe County Probate Attn: Probate Judge P.O. Box 1985

Santa Fe, NM 87504

Dated: October 17, 2022

Respectfully Submitted, ESQUIVEL & HOWINGTON, LLC

By:/s/ Martin R. Esquivel

Martin R. Esquivel Attorney for Personal Representative 111 Lomas Blvd. NW, Ste. 203 Albuquerque, NM 87102

T: (505) 933-6880

E: mesquivel@esqlawnm.com

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