Features

Scholastic books are for sale at The Family YMCA from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, through Thursday. The public is welcome to come to the Y and shop. A variety of picture books to young adult novels are available.
Partial proceeds will benefit the Y’s annual campaign that supports scholarships for those needing financial assistance.

The Village of Jemez Springs will officially kick off the holiday season with a series of events and festivities around town on Saturday.
The day begins at 3 p.m. with the traditional performance by the Albuquerque Boys Choir, at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, across from the state monument. Elliot Higgins and the Hummingbird music camp facilitate the annual event. Admission is free.
The community Holiday festivities in the park start at 4:30 p.m. with music performed by local kids and an opportunity for families to help decorate the Christmas tree. Musicians include Sage Mijares with her young Suzuki violin students. Mijares will also perform with her siblings, Noah and Isabella. Music students from Jemez Valley public schools will also perform.
Santa will arrive at the gazebo at 5 p.m., followed by the annual Christmas tree lighting and caroling at 5:30 p.m. Friends of the Library will offer baked goods and free warm drinks, in the conference room, next to the library.
From 5-9 p.m., the state monument hosts the annual luminaria event among the ruins of the old Gisewa pueblo and San Jose de los Jemez Mission Church. The event is free and includes hundreds of traditional luminarias, Native American flute music and Jemez pueblo dancers.

Most artists will say that sharing their talent with others is what drives them to create art. Española resident and artist Monica Duran is no different. She feeds her creative need by making contemporary art pieces, using mixed media — and for the second time, she will share her artwork with the public in a show.
 This time, it will be on exhibit at the Bond House Museum in Española. The show opens with a reception from 6-9 p.m. Friday and will be on display through Jan. 3.
Despite the fact that she enjoys making art, she’s not able to devote as much time as she’d like to create her pieces because she’s battling terminal cancer. The proceeds from selling her art will go toward her cancer foundation. She is in need of surgery that could save her life.
“I decided to show it (my art) because I felt in my spirit that it was time. I wanted other women to read my story and not give in to the illness,” Duran said. “I know first-hand that this can either make you or break you and I choose to fight to make it. Art is my passion and I love to create wonderful and beautiful things.”

The Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos wishes to thank all those who helped to make last Saturday’s Breakfast with Santa successful. Our thanks go to Del Norte Credit Union for their continued support of our event.
We are also appreciative of the many attendees who came to see Santa and to donate food to LA Cares and money for the Foster Children program at Christmas. Thank you for reminding us that the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Los Alamos.

Ann Hayes
Breakfast Chairperson

This month of focus for our assets category is positive identity and includes assets 26 through 31.
We will spend December and January looking at the category, but individually they include caring, equality and social justice, integrity, honesty, responsibility and a healthy lifestyle.
The next few weeks are conducive to the first of our assets in the caring category.
This month, we would like you to “Take A Second, Make A Difference,” in the life of one of our own.
A plan is underway to collect get-well cards for a local young lady, recently in a car accident, prior to Thanksgiving.
As Divine continues to heal, this is our chance, as a community, to let her know that we care about her and wish her well during her recovery.
It doesn’t matter if you know her or not. Drop a note, make her laugh and let her know to hang in there.
The teen years are a very social time for youth and missing your friends, trying to recover and being out of your daily habits can be hard for anyone, but even more so for a young person that has encountered great strife.
Your cards can be dropped off at one of three community locations, which include the Betty Ehart Senior Center, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce and with the Chamisa Elementary Student Council, in care of Valerie Adams.  

The Los Alamos Animal Shelter, 226 East Road, 662-8179, has a great selection of onsite adoptable pets waiting for their forever home.
Come find a companion that will give you unconditional love. Be sure to visit lafos.org, where you can get more information about volunteering, adopting and donating.
All adoptable pets are spayed or neutered, have their shots and are micro chipped. Visitor guides: Between 4-6 p.m. Friday, volunteers will be at the shelter to give potential adopters personal introductions to the adoptable animals.
Thank you, Los Alamos. The past couple weeks have seen numerous adoptions — hopefully this trend will continue and all the shelter pets will find homes for the holidays.
DOGS
Axle — Don’t let those sad-looking eyes fool you. Axle is a playful and affectionate neutered male. The shelter temperament testers describe this Pit-mix as a “total sweetheart.” He would love a family that appreciates big, sloppy dog kisses.  
Bagel — Very busy female Border Collie found on the Rim Trail, near Rover. She will need an active family to keep her happy.
Ciera — Spayed female Shepherd-cross who likes to get to know her human associates before she shares her story with them.

Marcus Gutierrez, a senior at Los Alamos High School, was honored as Rotary Student of the Month for October.  Gutierrez is the son of Melinda and Joaquin Gutierrez and brother of Deanna and James.
   The Rotary Club of Los Alamos selects one student each month of the school year to honor as a Student of the Month.  In addition to high school seniors, high school juniors are now eligible for the recognition. Students are nominated by their teachers and chosen on the basis of their academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, and in particular, their service to the community.
   Community service has been an important part of Gutierrez’s academic life. For the past two summers, he has volunteered at the medical offices of Dr. James Ziomek, assisting with office work and minor procedures, as part of a physician-shadowing opportunity. Service trips to orphanages in Honduras and Colorado inspired him to coordinate a school-wide toy and school supplies drive at LAHS, to benefit these children and resulted in the collection of donations large enough to fill seven suitcases.

The following restaurant inspection reports were provided by the New Mexico Environment Department.

Española

Pig Boy Willy
Date inspected: Nov. 17
Violations: None
Status of establishment: Approved, no follow-up required.

Santa Fe

Andiamo, 322 Garfield St.
Date inspected: Nov. 16
Violations: One moderate-risk violation for contaminated equipment — dishwasher solution is not dispensing into the dishwasher. Temperature, 149 degrees, not adequate for hot water sanitizing. Three low-risk violations, two for floors/walls/ceilings — carpeting is used in the bread cutting area. Few tiles by the hand sink wall are missing. Seal. Remove carpeting around this area of dining room, where loaves of bread are sliced. Remove within three months. One violation for ventilation/lighting — light bulb in walk-in cooler does not have cover. Corrected during inspection.
Status of establishment: Approved

Casa Real, 1650 Galisteo St.
Date inspected: Nov. 19, opening

Join Pajarito Environmental Education Center from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday for a winter hike to Ancho Rapids and the Red Dot Trail in White Rock. Paul Arendt, local hiker and outdoor enthusiast, will lead this moderately difficult day hike.
This one-way hike can be a perfect outing for a winter day, since in the summer, the trails are often too hot.  
In order to have a shuttle from the end point back to the beginning, hikers will meet at the bottom of Piedra Loop, at the parking area for the Red Dot Trail, then carpool to a parking area about three miles south of White Rock. From this second parking area, the hike will proceed eastward, eventually dropping in to Ancho Canyon.  
Ancho Canyon terminates at Ancho Rapids in the Rio Grande, where there are some rock formations to observe.
Hikers will rest and eat an early lunch at the rapids before continuing north along the route, which parallels the rio. They’ll be able to enjoy another rest stop at the waterfall near the bottom of the Red Dot Trail. To finish, hikers will proceed up the Red Dot Trail to the cars parked at the trailhead. The total hike time and length are estimated at five-and-a-half hours and seven miles.