.....Advertisement.....
.....Advertisement.....

Features

  •
    Local scout leader earns the silver...

    The Great Southwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored local resident Sandy Jennings with the council-level distinguish service award, the Silver Beaver, at the annual recognition event held Feb. 21 in Albuquerque.

    The Silver Beaver is the highest award that can be presented by a local council for noteworthy service of an exceptional character to youth within the council.

  • Building up speaking skills

    During the Los Alamos County Speech Contest, students needed to be quick with their words and smooth with their talk. The most skilled speakers proved to be Piñon Elementary School fifth-graders Derek Selvage and John Valdiviez.

    Selvege earned first place in the serious speech competition and Valdiviez earned first place in the humorous competition.

    The title of Selvege’s speech was, “Are you going to help me?” by Mark Hansen. Valdiviez presented a speech titled, “Librarian from the Black Lagoon,” by Mike Thaler.

  • Roundhouse: A kaleidoscope of art

    There is something special about the Capitol Building in Santa Fe. As the saying goes, there is more to it than what meets the eye. The building is significant for more reasons than just its appearance; it is the only round capitol building in the U.S. It is what the building contains inside that makes it invaluable.

    Walking down corridors, climbing up stairs and entering offices, the evidence of the Capitol’s significance is everywhere. It is like viewing a collage, or spinning kaleidoscope of the art world in New Mexico.

  • American Legion celebrates 90 years

    The American Legion will observe its founding today.

    While the celebration will be simple, a few blue and gold balloons will hang from the local post’s marquee and a sign recognizing the legion turning 90 will be displayed, it will honor a very long and successful history of helping veterans and the community.

    Since its founding in 1919, more than 15,000 American Legion Posts have sprung up throughout the United States to serve veterans, their families and children in local communities.

  • Honoring scouts and raising funds

    The work of the Boy Scouts of America never ends and their fundraising efforts continue with their annual giving campaign, called Friends of Scouting.

    Paul Rhien, Northern New Mexico district executive, said many exciting things are happening in the district.

    “We are more and more able to expand our program and include more and more youth from the Española and Taos communities,“ he said.

  •
    Pianist dazzles the world, Los...

    The next performer to grace the stage at Duane Smith Auditorium in the Los Alamos Concert Association’s “Jewel of a Season” will be pianist Jie Chen. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. March 21. Chen will also present a master class on March 22.

  •
    ‘The Sound of Music&...

    When my sister and I were kids, we watched the movie, “The Sound of Music,” constantly. We loved it when Maria (Julie Andrews) sang about having confidence in herself and when the oldest Von Trapp daughter shares a dance and a kiss with her beau.

    Apparently, we were not the only fans of this musical.

    When the Monitor editorial staff found out that the Los Alamos Light Opera would perform the musical on the stage, a group of them, all men no less, broke out in an impressive rendition of “Do-Re-Mi.”

  • PEN&INKee^POSSIBILITIES:ee^...

    I am not a big fan of winter. The constant grey days, the daily sheet of ice on my car windshield and the cold that nips no matter how many layers of fleece or wool you wear are not appealing.

    I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Garrison Keillor, in his radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion,” has a whole story about the effect the winter blues have on people.

  • New art gallery to open Friday

    Karen Wray Fine Art, Studio and Gallery will celebrate its grand opening with an open house on Friday at 2101 Trinity Drive. The Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce will be on hand with giant scissors to help Wray cut the ribbon and the public is invited to attend from 4-6 p.m.

    “Everybody was saying ‘You should open a gallery,’” Wray said Wednesday. After developing her style and body of work for many years, the time was right for Wray to take their advice.

  • The power of play

    What is the value of play in young children’s lives?  Is play essential for developmental growth and school readiness? These are questions that are being asked as the pre-school years receive national attention from parents, educators and the government.

  •
    Having fun while learning in the...

    Barranca Mesa Elementary School PE teacher Lynne Higdon was awarded $1,000 last school year by the LAPS Foundation for the purchase of snowshoe equipment for students in grades four, five and six.

    When the flakes were flying earlier this winter, 180 students enjoyed the new snowshoes.

    Higdon said, “My goal was to introduce students to an outdoor exercise in hopes that they will choose to get out in the winter to play.”  

  • Historical landmarks right in our...

    Sure, you can learn about the Manhattan Project through countless books, photographs and articles, but there is another way to be exposed to this significant period of time. There are actual physical artifacts, right here in Los Alamos, which can transport you back through history and into the era of the atom bomb.

    Ellen McGehee, an archaeologist and historian with Los Alamos National Laboratory, will discuss these artifacts, these historic buildings, during the Los Alamos Historical Society’s lecture series at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Pajarito Room in Fuller Lodge.

  •
    Concluding this year’s...

    Pajarito Mountain Ski Area is closing for the ski season today, but there is still one last bash to be held Saturday.

    Skiesta will start with the Second Annual Pajarito Pinhead Challenge. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the race will start at 9 a.m. in the lodge.

    “We have good spring conditions,” said Jean Dewart, member of the Pajarito Mountain Ski Area board.

    However, in the past few weeks there has been less snow in some places so “we might have to modify a few events,” Dewart said.

  • Serving up soup and support

    A beneficial bevy of bowls are gracing store windows this week as the annual Empty Bowls Project to benefit Self Help Inc., which will be held Saturday, approaches.

    The 16th annual event will feature hand -painted masterpieces currently on display at The Coffee Booth Café, Mesa Public Library, CB Fox, Village Arts, Ruby K’s and the KRSN AM 1490 studios. The hand-painted bowls, cups, plates and mugs will be available for purchase next weekend at the Betty Ehart Senior Center from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

  • The spring break trip of a lifetime

    The United Church opens a mini mall Sunday with its annual Mexico Mission auction. The silent and live auction is a large community event to raise funds to send a home-building crew to Mexico during spring break.

    Many local youth and adults find spring break as a time to recharge  the batteries as the school session heads into the final stretch. The United Church members and other community residents also find it a time to refill the spiritual well by providing services to others.

  •
    Friends will be helping friends...

    White Rock Presbyterian Church will host a yard sale and Navajo Taco sale March 14 to support the church’s Navajo Mission Project. The event begins at 9 a.m. at Presbyterian Church’s Memorial Hall located at                     310 Rover Blvd.

    The yard sale will feature clothing for all sizes, household items, appliances and tools.

  • FSN to provide gift to the community

    The community is receiving a gift Saturday. This present is for all ages and costs just a buck. All that is required is for people to show up.

    The gift, the Family Fun Festival, is hosted by the Family Strengths Network and will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Fuller Lodge.  The admission fee is $1 for persons age 3 and older.

  •
    The music from the hills arrives at...

    A treat for tough times, Los Alamos Light Opera’s production of “The Sound of Music” is wholesome family entertainment with the uplifting music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II not to mention the cutest kids in town.

    Director Laurie Tomlinson said, “Musical Director Gretchen Amstutz and I chose this musical because of its universal appeal and the cast requirements. The seven Von Trapp children and an abbey full of nuns gave members of the community a great opportunity to participate.”

  • PEN&INKee^POSSIBILITIES: Seeing...

    I’ll probably never learn to master any type of visual art. Those people who claim they can only draw stick figures? Yep, I am one of them. However, my artistic handicap does not stop me from appreciating what others can do. There has been a lot of ground covered to gain this appreciation.

    I’ve toured the Vatican, the Louvre, the Tate, the Museo Reina Sofia; I’ve watched artists mold figurines from soft, palpable glass in Venice and I’ve observed artists painting peonies at the Denver Botanical Gardens.

  • ‘Santa Fe Trail&rsquo...

    This season, Mesa Public Library celebrates not only 60 years of filmmaking in New Mexico, but 60 years of sweeping change.

    The line-up begins Thursday with “Santa Fe Trail” (1940), a politically incorrect film that could never be made today and continues to offend many people.

    Nevertheless, it’s well worth watching because it offers a compelling case that America, for all its faults, has come a remarkably long way.  

    It’s also pure Hollywood and therefore funny, sweet and even a little endearing.