Vision Magazine January 19, 2017

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MAGAZINE

SPOTLIGHT: WAY WAY OFF BROADWAY

JANUARY 19, 2017

ALSO INSIDE: NEW RULES FOR SENIOR OLYMPICS, A LONG VOYAGE, ROSWELL IN THE MOVIES ‘2 YEARS OF LOVE,’ MATTHEW PALMER, GUITAR SOLO CONTEST, JOHN LIGGETT MEIGS, HAVE FAITH — GENERATION Z, HISTORY, LOOKING UP

Content

Roswell Daily Record’s

Spotlight: Way Way Off Broadway 2017-2027

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Art John Liggett Meigs

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Artist to Watch Matthew Palmer Calendar

8 6-7,10-11

Contest Guitar Solo Contest

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Culture A Long Voyage Valentine’s Day Mystery

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Have Faith - Generation Z A New Year is here

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History The Mystery Of Diamond Cave

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Movies Roswell In The Movies ‘2 Years Of Love’ Sport New Rules For The Senior Olympics

UFOlogy Looking Up

Thursday, January 19, 2017 Volume 22, Issue 1 Publisher: Barbara Beck Editor: Tom McDonald Vision Editor: Christina Stock Copy Editor: Vanessa Kahin Ad Design: Sandra Martinez Columnists: Donald Burleson, John LeMay, Faith Main Get in touch with us online Facebook: PecosVisionMagazine Twitter: twitter.com/PecosVision Pinterest: pinterest.com/VisionMagazine Email: vision@rdrnews.com www: rdrnews.com/wordpress/vision-magazin For advertising information, call 622-7710 Correspondence: Vision Magazine welcomes correspondence, constructive criticism and suggestions for future topics. Mail correspondence to Vision Magazine, P.O. Drawer 1897, Roswell, N.M. 88202-1897 or vision@rdrnews.com Submissions: Call 622-7710, ext. 309, for writers’ guidelines.

Vision Magazine is not responsible for loss or damage to unsolicited materials.

Vision Magazine is published once a month at 2301 N. Main St., Roswell, N.M. The contents of the publication are Copyright 2017 by the Roswell Daily Record and may not be reprinted in whole or part without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

One copy of each edition is provided to 13,000 weekday subscribers to the Roswell Daily Record in the third Thursday newspaper of each month.

An additional 3,000 to 5,000 copies are made available free of charge to county residents and visitors and select site newsstands, and direct mailed to non-subscribers in the retail trade zone.

Subscriptions are available by mail for $2 a month or free through subscription to the Roswell Daily Record. The Roswell Daily Record and Vision Magazine are represented nationally by Paper Companies Inc.

On The Cover

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3 16 Roswell Museum And Art Center Christina Stock Photo

Sport

New Rules For The Senior Olympics

By Christina Stock Vision Editor

T

he Chaves County Senior Olympics local games registration takes place Feb. 1 until March 18 at the Roswell Adult and Recreation Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave. There used to be a vast list of regulations to participate in the Senior Summer Olympics. That has changed.

“Seniors — for us seniors are ages 50 by Dec. 31, 2017 — don’t to have to qualify locally this year,” Sara Hall said. Hall is the recreation leader senior certified park and recreation professional for the Roswell Parks and Recreation Department.

“New Mexico Senior Olympics has opened it up, so not only do you not to have to qualify, but it is also open state, which means senior athletes from Texas, Arizona, Colorado can also participate,” Hall said.

2016 was a qualifying year. Years with even numbers are always the qualifying year for the national games while the national games themselves always are held in an odd year. “So, this year is just the regular state games,” Hall said. “Next year will be the qualifying year for the nationals in 2019 that will take place in Albuquerque.

“The non-qualifying year gives them (the organizers) the chance to work out any kinks, any problems they see,” Hall said. “Then the next year would be the qualifying year that hopefully will run nice and smooth so the athletes can qualify for the nationals.”

The Parks and Recreation Department usually does the qualifications of the Senior Olympics for Chaves County. “Since qualification is not required, we decided to host some of the events, like track and field, tennis events and a bunch of the different sports,” Hall said. “That is to expose athletes to sports they might not be familiar with, like huachas.” Huachas are similar to washers.

“We want to host some practice events to get athletes where they can try it out and say, ‘I like to do this at the state games,’ or say, ‘No, that’s not my thing,’” Hall said. “We schedule these events for a dollar per event to come in to play. The money raised from that goes to Chaves County Senior Olympics fund and with our funds we buy the athletes Chaves County shirts. We got gold golf polos that have Chaves County on them. It helps with scholarships. We have some athletes that are getting ready to go to Birmingham, Alabama, in June for the nationals they qualified for. Some will get scholarships which come from Chaves County Senior Olympics to help them defray the cost of travel expenses. If it is food, accommodation, in whichever way they use it, we do not want to limit that. We help out however we can.

“We will offer a bunch of the same events, sports that the state games offer,” Hall said. “There are some we won’t do, like the talent and dance competitions. Some of the sporting events we might do just to help out athletes. Number one is to get them moving, get them active and also possibly expose them to a sport they have not done before. Also to expose them to rules.”

The registration is open for anybody who turns 50 years old by Dec. 31, 2017. “If they have questions they can come see me at any point and I can help them out,” Hall said. “The registration for the state games has gone up to $60.

That’s why we do our mini-events to make scholarships possible to try to help offset that. The bowlers and golfers always have to pay more than that because they have lane fees, golf cart and green fees.

There will be more information coming in from the Senior Olympics State Office in the next weeks. “We will be giving an update to the newspaper (Roswell Daily Record) with the mini-events listed,” said Hall. “With the national games right in our backyard (Albuquerque 2019) our numbers should jump.”

For more information, call 575-624-6719.

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Vision Magazine |

Thursday, January 19, 2017

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Submitted Photo Stella Casuto Modiano is on the left. Her sister Lena is on the right.

Culture

A Long Voyage

The story of Stella Modiano

By Curtis Michaels Roswell Daily Record

S

tella Modiano, née Casuto, was born in Greece in 1931. Her father, Isaac, was a rabbi practicing his Jewish faith in Greece. Modiano remembers being a child during the Greco-Italian war and the following occupation by Nazi Germany before her family was able to emigrate to the United States. She now lives in Roswell.

At some point in life everyone is handed lemons. Modiano, whose maiden name is Casuto, has turned those lemons into some remarkable lemonade over the years.

“My childhood in Greece was excellent until the war (World War II) started,” Modiano said. “The war started in 1941, and I was born in 1931. For the Jewish people it was terrible.

We won the war with the Italians. Then the Germans took over and they came into Greece. I was

too young to remember how they got there.

Overnight our lives changed.”

The occupation of Greece by the Axis Powers (Greek: I Katochi, meaning “The Occupation”) began in April 1941 after Nazi Germany invaded Greece to assist its ally, fascist Italy, which had been at war with Greece since October 1940. Following the conquest of Crete, all of Greece was occupied by June 1941.

“Everybody was talking about the Germans coming and it was terrifying,” Mo diano said. “Especially for the Jews because their (the Nazi Germans) idea was to kill as many Jews as they could.”

“It was a Wednesday, and my mother said, ‘We have to leave the city.’ My father said, ‘Can’t we wait until after the shabbat?’ My mother said, ‘No. It would probably be too late.

We would never be able to get out of the city. We might be stuck here.

They would take us probably.’ We left Friday.”

The family had good friends and neighbors. “We went to a small town not too far away,” Modiano said. “ There was no antisemitism there. A friend of ours that lived across the street from us had a store where he sold men’s clothing. He said, ‘If anything happens, you come to my place.’

So we went and we survived.”

From there they were helped by Andartes (Guerrillas, the Greek resistance fighters).

The family’s belongings were packed onto donkeys and the Andartes told them to follow the donkeys because they knew where to go.

“We ended up going into a hiding place in the mountain,” Modiano said. “It was about two hours from the city when walking.” The goal for the family was to hide in one of the monasteries which were isolated.

“This monastery had

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two things,” Modiano said. “One was a well for us to drink water and the other was an oven. The oven was quite small. All the women knew when to be there with their dough to bake bread.”

The Casuto family was not the only one finding refuge in the monastery.

There were soon 18 families hiding out.

Monasteries in Greece were not only used to hide refugees but were also headquarters for the Greek resistance fighters, which was known by the Nazi German troops. The risk of being found was very real. During the massacre of Kalavyrta (Dec. 10, 1943) German troops killed all men of the town of Kalavyrta after 78 captured German Nazi soldiers had been executed by the guerrilla fighters. The Nazi German troops rounded up the village’s women and children and locked them in a church which they set on fire. Fortunately the women could free themselves. However, all male inhabitants over 12 years were marched to a hillside and gunned down. The following day the Nazi troops burned down the Agia Lavra monastery. Nearly 700 civilians were killed. Only 12 men survived the massacre.

Modiano remembered some of the other families they lived with at that time. “Most of the people that were there had stores in the city,” Modiano said. “They had their non-Jewish employees run their stores for them.”

Life was different for her family because of her father’s position as rabbi and leader of her community. “My father was a government employee so his

money was going to the bank and he couldn’t go get it.” Modiani said.

“Everybody knew him because we had eight parades every year, and the priest, the mayor of the city and my father led every parade.”

There was another distinction to being the child of a rabbi. The Casuto family had a very small but private room.

“Everybody but us slept in one very big room with a piece of carpet or a sheet or a blanket,” Modiano said. “It was our eating quarters, our sleeping quarters, our playing quarters.”

Resourcefulness was the gift most often called upon in those days. “It wasn’t long before everybody there was running out of money,” Modiano said.

“My mother had been a dressmaker before she got married. After she got married she only made dresses for her and the two of us, my sister and I.” Mother Casuto was blessed with the gifts of resourcefulness and pragmatism. “She dropped everything,” Modiano said. “She started sewing. To start sewing we had to go to the small town from the place where we were hiding, which was dangerous. My mother, father and I, every day four days a week, Monday through Thursday, we used to walk two hours in the morning and two hours at night and we were hoping that we would leave the town on time so it wouldn’t be too dark, so we could find our home.”

Money lost its value with the war escalating as it did throughout wartorn Europe. “We never got paid with money, we got paid with food.

We would get paid with

flour, oil or vegetables.”

The adults at Modiano’s monastery tried to protect her and the other children from the reality of the occupation and risk of being found out.

“We had so much fun not being in school,” Modiano said. “We kept saying, ‘we hope the war never ends’ so we could have fun forever. We stayed a year and a half in this monastery. The people who ran the monastery were not Jewish. (Monasteries in Greece were Christian Orthodox) They took very good care of us.” Fortunately, the children didn’t get their wish. The war did end.

“One day after a year and a half, my father said to us, ‘let’s go out of here,’” Modiano said. “‘Put your right foot on this step and we hope we’ll never see this place again.’ We went back to our city hoping that we would find our home.”

What they found called upon even more resourcefulness. “We got to the house and the door was locked,” Modiano said. “So we knocked at our window. This woman said, ‘What do you want?’ We said, ‘We live here.’ She said, ‘You can’t take our house.’ We were lucky, the landlord was home.

He told my mother, ‘Oh, Mrs. Casuto, don’t worry I’ll get you a room right away.’ We got a place.”

They were not to remain in Greece much longer. “My father had a sister in America,” Modiano said. “She came to America when she was 18 years old.”

The story of the Casuto family will be continued in the next edition, “Becoming American.”

Lisa Dunlap Photo One scene of the movie ‘2 Years Of Love’ took place on Main Street Roswell.

Movies

Roswell in the Movies ‘2 Years Of Love’

By Christina Stock Vision Editor

A

private showing of the movie “2 Years Of Love” took place on Jan. 11 evening at Allen Theaters Galaxy 8 at the Roswell Mall. It was the first Marvista Entertainment/Talmarc Film Production movie that was entirely produced and directed by Thadd and Cindy Turner in Roswell.

“We originally shot it last year in Roswell as ‘2 Years And 8 Days,’ Thadd Turner said. “The distributer, Marvista Entertainment, corrected the title to “2 Years Of Love,” which seems to have a little more market appeal.”

The story of the movie “2 Years Of Love” is about a couple who celebrates their second anniversary. It centers around John Grey, played by Ryan Merriman, who is a failing actor. His wife, Samantha, played by Kayla Ewell, is a successful radio advice-show host who wants to have a baby — as in right now.

Bad advice from a flighty best friend, a puppy, in-laws showing up in the midst of the crisis and the marriage seems to be doomed. Adding to the crisis is a mysterious French caller that might become Samantha’s new love interest — if she ever gets to meet him.

The film setting shows the magic of the movies. Supposedly it plays in Albuquerque, but Roswell locals will be able to see many well-known landmarks and fellow citizens as extras in coffee shops, on the sidewalk and in scenes showing downtown Roswell. One second the main actress is driving down North Richardson Avenue, next you see is Albuquerque’s skyline. The Roswell Community Little Theatre is used as an actor school where the husband finds refuge from his wife whose biological clock is ticking. “I lose myself in that place,” says his character about the actor school. The story is well thought through and highly entertaining. The cast of actors are authentic in their portrayal of their characters. Many young couples will be able to identify with the lead characters. Plenty of lighthearted bantering and comic relief keeps this story flowing naturally until the happy ending.

The audience was cheering and laughing when one of the extras got a longer scene or a favorite local location appeared for the first time. Despite having worked on the movie, actors and extras never know how a movie will look once it’s finished.

Actress Merritt C. Glover plays Samantha’s best friend, Kikki, who acts as comic relief. Glover was at the premiere taking time to talk to everybody.

“This brings back memories,” she said. Glover has a strong connection to Roswell, being born and raised here until she was 13 years old. During the making of the movie she stayed with her grandmother, Jean Glover, in town.

Jim Hollmann provided horses and tack for an outdoors scene. Unfortunately, this scene died on the cutting room floor, which he took with grace. “We had to cut the movie from 94 to 88 minutes,” Thadd Turner said after greeting everybody.

Hollmann lives on 40 acres of land south of Roswell. “I am going to provide horses for future movies,” he said. “I have been friends with Thadd for a long time and know Wyatt since he was little.” Wyatt Turner is Thadd and Cindy Turner’s son and was co-producer and production coordinator for the movie.

Father and son came in from New Orleans where they were working on a different production.

Adam Roe, o-owner of Pepper’s Grill and Bar, came to see the movie with his 12-year-old daughter, Ava who was cast as an extra in the movie. “We’ll probably just see the back of her head,” her father said with a laugh. One of the movie scenes takes place on the patio of Pepper’s Grill and Bar. This was the first time that Ava had experience on a movie set. “I’ll probably go to more movie casting calls in the future,” she said.

“It is our way of thanking the community,” Thadd Turner said in a phone interview. “We had such a great time in Roswell last year. The community really reached out to us. Local businesses and people were literally giving us their homes to film in. We could not have the movie look so good without those homeowners giving us their homes, letting us use their homes I should say.

They were right next to each other and one was across the street and we were able to use that. That was fantastic.

“Businesses we shot in included Stellar Coffee Company and Pepper’s Grill and Bar, the Variety Bar, there is also a yoga studio in town where we filmed a scene. We shot at Bill Davis’ Berkshire Hathaway Realestate across from the courthouse. We turned it into a therapist office. Also, Majestic radio let us use their station for scenes,” Thadd Turner said.

Turner’s favorite moment was riding in the elevator in the Wells Fargo building. “There was a woman who was going to the offices and she had two young, redheaded children with her,” Turner said. “In our story one couple is redheaded and we were looking for kids for them. I asked, ‘would your kids like to be in a movie?’ And the kids were, ‘Yeah, we want to be in a movie.’ So we have that wonderful scene with the kids in the window just being themselves.

She’s blowing bubbles against the glass, the boy is pulling on her pigtails,” Turner said with a laugh. “They were so natural it was so perfect. All the actors were working around them, cracking up. Those little kids were just wonderful.

That’s the kind of stuff that makes you want to come back and do it again and do more movies in your community.”

According to Turner, more than 30 New Mexico crew members were hired, including 12 from Roswell. “It is a New Mexico production, a New Mexico made film, Talmarc Film Production are the parent head-company that myself and my wife Cindy owns,” Turner said. “We were instrumental on putting it (’2 Years Of Love’) together. We had help from Roswell Studios who provided us a primary location for the production offices, just north of town at the current Roswell Studios warehouse building.

“We certainly want to thank Roswell Studios and then the City of Roswell, the mayor and his staff and Chaves County. They let us use the courthouse in the middle of town. Everybody was just very amiable and kind to us,” Thadd Turner said.

“We are in the movie database and we have a 15-year history of making movies,” he said. “Talmarc Productions is a separate company that does its own separate film productions. That is the company that Cindy and I own.

“Tulip is our partner in Roswell Studios and we are all trying to work together to get the rest of the investment together to build the sound studio and the Western town. Right now we are able to bring film productions to Roswell with the warehouse facility out at the studio site and with existing amenities that are available in Roswell.”

The next project is already in planning. The movie “Diamond Rose” is also a romantic comedy. “This one we have been planning for two years,” Thadd Turner said. “We put a script together two years ago. The story idea was my wife Cindy’s idea. We developed it together and I wrote the screensee Movies on page 6

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Calendar Ongoing Events Roswell Every first Wednesday of the month Pecos Valley Quilting Guild business meeting The meeting is at 10 a.m. at the Roswell Adult Center in room #22. For more information, call Sue Carter 575-624-1854.

Roswell Every first Thursday of the month Meeting of the Sand Diver Scuba Club Meeting is at 6:30 p.m.

The location changes.

For details, call the Scuba Shop at 575-973-8773 or visit scubashoproswell. com.

Roswell Every first Friday of the month Pecos Valley Steam Society Social Everybody is invited. No dress code. The meeting is usually at Stellar Coffee Co., 315 N Main St. at 6 p.m. For more information, follow them on Facebook.

Roswell Every first Friday of the month Downtown Market at Reischman Park Call for food trucks and

musicians to join the volunteer-driven, notfor-profit event which is sponsored by MainStreet Roswell among others.

The goal is to introduce Roswell residents to all downtown Roswell has to offer. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit mainstreetroswell.org.

Roswell Every third Tuesday of the month Sgt. Moses D. Rocha Marine Corps League Detachment 1287 Meeting Marine Corps League Meeting at 1506 E. 19th St. at 7 p.m. For more information, call 575-578-4689.

Roswell Every Wednesday — all season Men’s Senior Golf tournament The tournament takes place in the morning for Spring River Men’s Senior Golf at the Spring River Golf Course.Call the golf course at 575-622-9506 for additional information.

Roswell Every second Wednesday of the month Roswell Woman’s Club Meeting The Roswell Woman’s Club meets at Los Cerritos Restaurant, 2103

JOIN YOUR FRIENDS IN THE LOUNGE...

N. Main St. at noon. For more information about the club, “like” their new Facebook page or call Rhonda Borque Johnson at 505-917-1292.

Movies

Continued from Page 5

Roswell Every Week, Mon 8 Ball Pool League Roswell Ball Busters is Roswell’s own local BCA sanctioned 8 ball pool league. They play every Monday night at 7. Venues are Farleys, Variety, Fraternal Order of Eagles and Center City Bowling Alley. For more information, call 575-650-2591 or email ballbusters@outlook.com.

Roswell Every Week, Mon - Sat Lest We Forget: Roswell Army Airfield - The Early Years This Walker Aviation Museum exhibit features a short history of the base and many items from the WWII era, as well as information about the planes that flew at Roswell Army Airfield from 1941-1945.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 347-2464 or visit wafbmuseum.org.

Roswell Every Week, Mon - Sat Peace Through Strength This Walker Aviation Museum exhibit is a tribute to the 579th Strategic Missile Squadron assigned to Walker Air Force Base during the early 1960s.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, call 347-2464 or visit wafbmuseum.org.

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Christina Stock Photo From left: Actress Merritt C. Glover is visiting with Adam Roe and movie extra Ava Roe before the premier of ‘2 Years Of Love’ at Galaxy 8. play and will direct. We will produce it together with our team Turner, myself, Cindy and Wyatt and our production team.”

Production for “Diamond Rose” is planned for March/April of this year, according to Thadd Turner. “We hope to bring many of the cast and crew back to Roswell for this movie, including Kayla and Merriman.” Turner also hopes to be able to work with everybody from Roswell again.

In fall of this year the Turners are planning to shoot a Western movie called “Palominas.” The movie is set in the 1880s in the New Mexico desert. “It is going to be an old-fashioned Western,” Thadd Turner said. “Of course, we would love to shoot it in the Roswell area if we get the Western town built, which we have been working on in the last year and a half. It takes time, because there are a lot of working components.

“We actually had the chance to shoot that movie for a lower budget but we are trying to hold out for a little bit better budget,” Turner said. “It then can have a limited theatrical release. We got some real nice talent that is interested in the movie. We have a series of Western movies planned if we get ‘Palominas’ started. Right now, Westerns are popular again and filming in New Mexico.

“We will have a shoutout (on the new movies’ Facebook pages) and of course, we will use several local film sites in the community; Allen Trever at the school (Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell), Donovan Fulkerson, and we will put something in the newspaper, too.

“I can’t wait to get back to Roswell to shoot another movie,” Thadd Turner said.

The movie “2 Years of Love” has been released by Marvista online on Vimeo at vimeo.com/ondemand/2yearsoflove. It will also come out on iTunes at the end of January and there are plans to have it picked up by a domestic cable outlet for TV within the next 90 days, according to Thadd Turner.

All of Talmarc’s movies have a Facebook page for special announcements, including upcoming casting calls. For more information, visit talmarcproductions.com.

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Calendar Roswell Every Week, Wed Weekly Knockout The Roswell Fighting Game Community presents Weekly Knockout at The Unity Center located at 108 E. Bland St. every Wednesday from 7 p.m. midnight. All games are welcome. For more information, visit facebook. com/RoswellFGC. Roswell Every Week, Thu T-Tones at El Toro Bravo The T-Tones play at El Toro Bravo at 102 S. Main St. from 6 - 8 p.m. For more information, call El Toro Bravo at 622-9280.

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

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

Roswell Every Week, Thu, Sat Live music at Cattleman’s Kountry Kitchen Tom Blake performs at Cattleman’s Kountry Kitchen, 2010 S. Main St., 575-208-0543.

Roswell Every Week, Fri Tina at El Toro Bravo Tina Williams performs at El Toro Bravo at 102 S. Main St. from 6 - 8 p.m. For

more information, call El Toro Bravo at 622-9280.

Roswell Every Week, Fri The GIG “God Inspired Gathering” — The GIG happens every Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Courthouse.

For more information, find them on Facebook at gospel.music.jubilee.roswell.

Roswell Every Week, Sat Gospel Jubilee The public and musicians are invited to join in the Gospel jubilee at Tabernacle of David Church at 7 p.m. Live feed starts at 7:30 p.m. at 24-7christian. org/gospel.music.jubilee. This is for everybody.

The church is located at 424 E. Fifth St. at Shartell.

For more information, find them on Facebook at gospel.music.jubilee.roswell.

Roswell Ongoing until June 18, 2017 Duty, Honor, Art: The New Mexico Military Institute Collection While the New Mexico Military Institute has a long history of engaging the Roswell Museum and its holdings, NMMI also has its own significant collection of art and historical objects, including paintings, prints, and sculpture. Encompassing works created by both faculty and alumni, as well as prominent southwestern artists such as Laura Gilpin and Kenneth Miller Adams, this collection is an important facet of Roswell’s vast cultural heritage, and emphasizes the Institute’s ongoing interest and commitment to art as well as education.

In recognition of NMMI’s 125th anniversary, this exhibit will showcase the school’s art collection, and highlight the Insti-

tute’s interaction with the Roswell Museum. The exhibit opens at 5 p.m. at the Hunter Gallery of the Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W. 11th St. Roswell Ongoing throughout February Art classes at The Gallery at Main Street Arts The Gallery at Main Street Arts, 223 N. Main St., is offering various classes and activities throughout the month. Every Friday is Barbara Posuniak’s watercolor class for $25. For more information, call 575-625-5263 or 575-6233213.

acting skills, students will also learn the history of the music and shows they are rehearsing throughout the semester. Class size is limited to 20 students per age group. There is also a registration fee that must be paid by January 20th. More info on how to register can be found on its website. Classes begin January 28th through April 22nd (final performance). For more information or to register, visit

waywayoffbroadway.com.

Santa Fe Ongoing until March 15 New Mexico Girls Make Movies Grant and Tale Writers Scholastic Script Contest The New Mexico Film Foundation announced two new grant programs for New Mexico. The New Mexico Girls Make Movies Grant offers New Mexico girls and young women (ages twelve to

twenty-five) the opportunity to submit their original screenplays, shorts stories, comic books, poems, etc. for the chance to win a $1000 production budget and the support of a professional film crew to turn their story into a short film. All finalists will be invited to join the crew on the winning short film. For regulations

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Roswell Ongoing until January 20 Registration for Broadway Bound Kids Way Way Off-Broadway Theatre Company presents Broadway Bound Kids. BBK is an all-youth performing group for children ages 7-16. The children will learn singing, dancing and acting skills that will not only enhance their performance ability, but will build the confidence and discipline to be successful in any area of life. BBK classes will be held during the Spring and Fall Semesters. Members of Broadway Bound Kids will be split into two age groups - ages 7 to 11 and 12 to 16.

Students will work with BBK Instructors Summer Souza and Devon Bullock, along with WWOB alumni throughout the 12 weeks, as they prepare for a special performance at the end of the semester. Each semester will be themed.

(Rodgers and Hammerstein, Disney, movie musicals) Each semester will be a new theme to help expand children’s knowledge of theatre. Along with singing, dancing and

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Submitted Photo of Matthew Palmer

Artist

to

Watch

Matthew Palmer A New Voice In Blues And Folk

By Christina Stock Vision Editor n a time when most young people are playing internet games, 19-year-old Matthew Palmer is working on his art as a singer and guitarist.

Born and raised in Roswell, Palmer started playing guitar six years ago. “All my family members have played,” Palmer said. “My great-grandfather was a professional musician (country musician Bill Bradey). He, my grandmother and my mother were

I

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very pushy to have me learn an instrument, so I started learning guitar.”

Palmer’s voice caught attention at his church, the First Baptist Church, where he started to sing. “I eventually became a music major and was able to build up my vocal ability,” Palmer said.

Palmer’s favorite music style is blues and folk.

“It fits with how I play,” he said. “My style has changed into it.” Palmer has been performing in town. “I played several shows at Stellar Coffee Co., I played at the Unity Center, Reischman Park, Roswell’s got Talent at the civic center, Third Street Station, Atomic Recording and during the UFO Festival last year.” Just recently he opened for Secret Circus during their new album release.

“School (for the arts) did not work out for me,” Palmer said. “There were multiple reasons. I was never classically trained, I do not read sheet music.

All the music I play I learned by ear or by listening to it and picking it up. Going into the classical style works for people that understand and like the pinpointed areas of music, whereas learning by yourself you learn at your own pace. Both have pros and cons. You are able to have a little more creativity learning by yourself. It’s very hard to switch over to classical music. With classical music it is not that much creativity, but there is the pre-written wonderful music that is out there.”

8 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, January 19, 2017

Inspiration can hit Palmer at any time. “Sometimes I find inspiration at 2 a.m. when everyone is asleep in the house.” he said. “My music inspiration comes from a lot of the bigger name blues artists: BB King, Eric Clapton, I love Stevie Ray Vaughn. I really like the aspect that I am able to write a ballad, telling a story behind the song and not just having a catchy tune,” Palmer said.

“In high school they (the other students) knew I play guitar, they knew that I did this and that, but nobody ever expected me to go out and write my own music and then go play a show,” Palmer said.

“With all this happening right when I exited high school, only one of them knows that I have gotten this far.”

Palmer is working on his first album, which he plans to have ready on CD and mp3 in July. “I am halfway through the recording process,” he said. “I am hoping to go on tour next November.” Palmer’s tour will go through most of New Mexico and part of Texas.

Palmer’s mother, Carla Overmeir, is her son’s biggest fan. She is concerned about her son going on tour. “You worry about the bad aspects about it, but you just have to think that my mother and I raised him better than that.” she said. “You just have to trust. He definitely got the talent, he doesn’t need a piece of paper to tell you what kind of music it is. He just has more talent in his fingers than most folks.”

Palmer has just recently put up a Facebook page.

“It’s #guitarfeller and is the easiest way to find my page, because there are many Matthew Palmers out there,” he said.

For more information, email guitarfeller@yahoo. com.

CONTEST

Guitar Solo Contest

First of contests, Stellar Coffee Co. to hold a guitar solo contest.

By Christina Stock Vision Editor

S

tellar Coffee Co. is holding its first guitar solo contest Feb. 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at its location, 315 N. Main St. This guitar solo contest is the first contest in a series of three. “We are planning to do a drum one and also a bass solo contest,” said spokesperson for Stellar Coffee Co., Marie Manning. “It is free to enter, you don’t need to pay a fee to enter. Send us a three, maximum five minute video of you performing your own original guitar solo. The email is stellartalentteleporter@gmail.com. Somebody can’t just rip off another artist’s guitar solo, record it and send it to us. We want somebody to actually make up their own guitar solo to use a backtrack with no vocals.”

Stellar Coffee Co. needs the videos to have a headcount, so they can plan the event. “We are asking people to email to let us know,” Manning said. “We need also a little bit of background on the artist.” A call for artists has been sent to studios in Albuquerque also. “It is open for out-of-town artists.” Manning said.

At this time they do not have a limit for participating performers. “The only limit we have is on the time for the solo,” Manning said. “We are basically saying, ‘Come up with a five minute guitar solo and submit it. We are turning nobody away. We just want to get a headcount to see how many are actually interested in coming and doing this guitar solo contest. Nobody is going to be turned away.

Anybody who submits will be able to participate in the guitar solo contest.

“We are really excited and hope that it turns out – if we end up getting too many submissions and we don’t have enough time, we may have to extend it to another day. We just have to wait until the submissions are coming in,” Manning said. “Programs in school are getting cut, so this is a true chance for somebody who may have never played in public and is really good. They might be shy and then they get a chance to come out here and show what they got. The next thing you know there are all these musicians in one room and there can be something really awesome that happens.”

Recently, Stellar Coffee Co. hosted a book reading, another one is planned in March. “We do know that there’s a lot of people out there with other interests than music,” Manning said. “We are going to do the leave art, take art event again where people can take other people’s artwork. We are planning to have that in April.

“Roswell is hip for being a retirement town, there

is a lot going on,” Manning said. “You have lots of options. We even have Steampunk events. We also had a comic book release that was called ‘Clockwork Rejects.’ We also had a game designer from Roswell who presented three or four games.”

Sharing the news about the events is important for Manning. “Next thing you know we have a real group of collective people that are supporting each other, their music and their events,” she said.

“That’s really what it’s all about living in a small town. I genuinely love Roswell.

I also like the fact that we have so much stuff: The Anderson Museum, the Roswell Museum and Art Center, the Historical Society of Southeast New Mexico – I went and performed not too long over there at their open house,” Manning said. “If we are not going and visit them, making sure that people know about those events, eventually they won’t be there. We need to make sure that people do know that there is fun stuff going on in Roswell, whether it’s a guitar solo contest or open house for the Historic Society. It is always good to know more about your community and more about your town so you can really celebrate and embrace it. Most of the people that I’ve met that are in the arts community really love Roswell and know that it has a huge potential.”

For more information, visit stellarcoffeeco.com, find its Facebook page or call 575-623-3711.

Christina Stock Archive Photo

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For Week of Jan. 23 - Jan. 27

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MON

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WED

THURS

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Lunch

Cheesy Nachos Beans Seasonal Fruit

Chicken Nuggets, Mashed Potatoes, Whole Wheat Roll, Gravy, Mixed Fruit

Morning Roll, Juice 1/2C, Applesauce 1/2C

Hamburger/Cheeseburger, Lettuce/Tomato, Fresh Carrots/Broccoli, Peaches

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All meals are served with your choice of regular, low fat or chocolate milk. Menu subject to change.

Vision Magazine |

Thursday, January 19, 2017

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Mansion Foundation.

Calendar

and further details visit nmfilmfoundation.org or nmgirlsmakemovies.org.

Tale Writers Scholastic Script Contest encourages New Mexico high school and college students to further their screenwriting abilities.

Students submit a complete short film screenplay of ten pages or less with a theme of “New Mexico History.” Local professional screenwriters will judge the competition. Cash prizes will be provided by the Governor’s Mansion Foundation. Submissions may be made at talewriters.org/ script-contests.

The top three finalists of both grant competitions will receive an invitation to the New Mexico Film Foundation Gala at the Governor’s Mansion in April 2017 where their screenplays will be performed as staged readings. The staged readings are made possible through the support of the New Mexico Governor’s

LUXURY RECLINERS IN ALL THEATERS! 4501 N. Main Roswell, NM 88202 Movie Hotline (575) 623-1010

Hobbs Ongoing until March 18 New Mexico Junior College Art Faculty Exhibition and Student Art Show The show takes place at the Center for the Arts, 122 W. Broadway St., at 7:00 p.m. For more information, visit leacountyevents.com or call 575391-2900.

Roswell January 18 Emo Nite The Unity Center, 108 E. Bland St., is hosting Emo Nite featuring Icarus the Owl, Grace The Ocean, Angst, DJ Tequila, Mockingbird. Doors open at 6 p.m., entry is $6. For more information, visit their event page on Facebook.

Alamogordo January 20 Eighth Annual Prime Time Business Expo The Eight Annual Prime Time Business Expo takes place in the Sgt. Willie Estrada Memorial Civic Center, 800 E. First St. from 3 to 7 p.m. There will be demonstrations, music, a cash bar and door prizes. For more information, call the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce at 575-437-6120.

Roswell January 20 Open Mic Night Pecos Flavors Winery + Bistro, 412 W. Second St., is

Pro Active Hearing, LLC 214 W. First • Roswell, NM 88203 Serving SENM Roswell, Ruidoso, Artesia, Carlsbad, Lovington, Hobbs

Mon-Fri 8am-4pm Sat. by Appointment (575)622-0375 • 1-800-657-7657(In State Only)

Fax(575)622-0575 • Email: proactivehearing@outlook.com Website: proactivehearing.com

inviting everybody who is ready to step behind the MIC for their open mic night at 6 p.m. Interested participants should bring their own instrument and original material. For more information, visit pecosflavorswinery.com or call 575-627-6265.

Ruidoso/Mescalero January 20 Foghat in Concert Foghat will perform at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, 287 Carrizozo Canyon Road, at 8 p.m. The band began its career in 1971 as a bunch of rather unpretentious young Brits with an affection for American blues and ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll. By the middle of the decade, they had evolved into a major touring and recording act, playing a pumpedup brand of boogie-rock to arena-size audiences.

Their looks grew flashier, their sound fattened and filled out, yet the rootsrock core of the band remained ever-present under the surface. Despite a staggering amount of personnel changes, the band’s subsequent nine albums managed to retain Foghat’s signature blues-infused hard rock and harmonious slide guitars, most notably on the 2010 album “Last Train Home” which paid tribute to departed lead singer and Foghat founder Dave Peverrett. The band has achieved 8 gold records, one platinum and one double platinum record, and despite several lineup changes, continues to record and perform to the present day. Tickets for Foghat start at $20. For more information, visit innofthemountaingods.com or call 1-800-426-2537.

Ask about the new A3i, iPhone compatible Hearing Aid Always Free Cleaning & Hearing Evaluation

10 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, January 19, 2017

Hobbs/Lovington January 21 Tuff Hedeman Championship Bull Riding Tuff Hedeman Championship Bull Riding starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Lea County Event Center & Fairgrounds. Tickets start at $25 and are available at ev3.evenue.net. For more information, call 575-3912900 or 575-396-8686.

Roswell January 21 The Friends of Bitter Lake Winter meeting The Friends of Bitter Lake Winter meeting will be held at noon at the Bitter Lake Visitor Center. The meeting starts with a potluck lunch. After the lunch there will be a short business meeting. Activities will be provided for the children during the meeting. At the conclusion of the business meeting, there will be a tour of the sink hole area conducted

by Jim Montgomery and Steve Alvarez. The tour will last approximately 1 1/2 hours. Reservations are required at the Visitor center desk by calling 575-625-4011.

Roswell January 21 Live music at The Liberty Club The private club The Liberty, 312 N. Virginia Ave., is hosting the Red River Songwriters. This event is for members and their guests only. Doors open at 6 p.m., the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit thelibertyinc.com or email hillary@ thelibertyinc.com.

Roswell January 24 Acting Class Way Way Off-Broadway Theatre Company offers its first public class: “Acting: Get Real!” taught

by Robin Haynes at the

Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W. 11th St. at 5:30 p.m. The class takes eight weeks, every Tuesday evening and is for interested actors from 16 through adult (novice through the seasoned actor). Limited to 12 students. For more information and to register, visit waywayoffbroadway.com and use the Contact Us page.

Facebook.

Hobbs January 26 Rap VS Metal Rap VS Metal takes place at Diamond Lils, 2600 N. Dal Paso. Doors open at 8 p.m. $10 cover fee. More than eight performers including Crafting The Conspiracy and B.B.M.G. This event is for adults 21 and older. Fior more information, visit their event page.

Roswell January 27 Jazz Night The Highland Jazz and Blues band are performing at Stellar Coffee Co., 315 N. Main St. at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $5 at the door.

For more information, visit stellarcoffeeco.com or call 575-623-3711.

Roswell January 26 Paint Party at The Gallery at Main Street Arts The Gallery at Main Street Arts, 223 N. Main St., is having a Paint Party with Peggy Krantz. For more information, call 575-6255263 or 575-623-3213.

Hobbs January 26 RAP vs Metal Four heavy metal bands and six rappers will take the stage with jaw dropping performances that are sure to make this night unforgettable.

Doors open at 8 p.m. at Diamond Lils, 2600 N. Dal Paso. This event is for guests 21 years and older. Security will be strictly enforced. Performing will be D.O.G Texxx Pesci, NICC D, B.B.M.G, Money Side Musica, Crafting The Conspiracy, Cinematica, Entity and Destiny Awaits.

Entry is $10. For more information, visit their event page on Facebook or MoneySide Studios on

Roswell January 27 Paint Party at The Gallery at Main Street Arts Paint Party by Sieglinda Shiew “Cherokee Gold” at 6 p.m. at The Gallery at Main Street Arts, 223 N. Main St. Cost is $35. Seating is limited. For more information, call 575-6255263 or 575-623-3213.

Roswell January 28 Live music at The Liberty Club Roger Creager performs at the private club The Liberty, 312 N. Virginia Ave. This event is for members and their guests, 21 years and older, only. Doors open at 5 p.m., the concert starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit thelibertyinc. com or email hillary@thelibertyinc.com.

Roswell January 28 Free Family Movie Night St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 505 N. Pennsylvania Ave., hosts its free family movie night at 6 p.m.

All ages are welcome.

Free admission — snacks and drinks, too. The movie is “Finding Dory” (rated PG). Continuing her colorful adventures in Nemo’s animated underwater universe, Dory sets out to unravel the mysteries of a past she’s completely

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forgotten, accompanied on her quest by aquatic pals Marlin and Nemo.

For more information, visit standrewsroswell.com or its Facebook page.

Roswell January 28 Saturday Night Dance The Roswell Adult & Recreation Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave., is having their Saturday Night Dace at 6 p.m. $5 per person at the door. For more information, call 575-624-6718.

Ruidoso/Mescalero January 28 Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie in Concert Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie will perform at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, 287 Carrizozo Canyon Road, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $25 For more information, visit innofthemountaingods.com or call 1-800-426-2537.

Alto/Ruidoso January 29 Pavlo in Concert Mediterranean guitar sensation Pavlo performs at the Spencer Theater at 2 p.m. The Spencer Theater is located at 108 Spencer Road, Airport Highway 220. For tickets or information, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-336-4800.

Roswell January 31 Paint Party Hippie Chicks, 802 S. Main St. is having a Paint Party at 6 p.m. with Peggy Krantz of The Gallery.

For more information or to sign up, visit Hippie Chicks or call 575-6273868.

Artesia January 31 - February 3 Artesia Arts Council Ed-

ucation Class Registration Registration for all of Artesia Arts Council Education spring classes begins. Don’t miss out on registration for theater classes, music lessons, arts classes, yoga classes, and a Leadership Seminar that AAC will be offering in spring. For more information, visit artesiaartscouncil.com.

Carlsbad February 1 Live Music at Milton’s Brewing Blue Rose Revival and Captain Klås perform at 6 p.m. at Milton’s Brewing, 108 E. Mermod St. Entry is $8. For more information, call 575-689-1026.

Roswell February 1 - March 18 Chaves County Senior Olympics Local Games Registration The registration starts for Chaves County Senior Olympics at the Roswell Adult & Recreation Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave. $10 per person. The games take place from March 21 until May 14.

For more information, call Sara Hall at 575-624-6719.

Roswell February 4 Eric Lau in Concert The Roswell Symphony Orchestra is presenting Eric Lau on alto saxophone at the Pearson Auditorium on the New Mexico Military Grounds.

Students 8 years or older and accompanying adults get in free. For more information, visit roswellsymphony.org or call 575-6235882.

Roswell February 4 Daniel Hsu in Concert The Roswell Symphony Orchestra is presenting Daniel Hsu on piano at the

Pearson Auditorium on the New Mexico Military Grounds. Students 8 years or older and accompanying adults get in free. For more information, visit roswellsymphony.org or call 575-623-5882.

Roswell February 4 Mardi Gras Dinner The 23rd annual Mardi Gras dinner and dance will take place at the Roswell Convention and Civic Center from 6 to 11 p.m.

The event benefits the All Saints Catholic School.

Catering and a cash bar will be provided by Peppers grill and Bar. Music is provided by Louis Najar.

There will be also a silent auction and door prizes.

Limited child care available. The organizers are still looking for level gold, silver or bronze sponsors.

Tickets are $40 per person. For more information, visit allsaintsmardigras. com or call 575-627-5744.

Albuquerque February 6 National Design Competition “Shakespeare on the Plaza-2017” The Albuquerque Arts Board in collaboration with the “Shakespeare on the Plaza” event produced by the Vortex Theatre, the City of Albuquerque Community Events Division, Cultural Services and the Albuquerque Convention Center Management, SMG is sponsoring TAKE THE STAGE, a national design competition for a public, interactive art installation on Civic Plaza, which will also serve as the setting for “Shakespeare on the Plaza’s” summer repertory of plays. Deadline for submission is Feb. 6, 2017, 4 p.m. local Albuquerque time (MT). For more information, visit cabq.gov/ culturalser vices/pub-

lic-art/for-artists/opportunities-for-artists.

Roswell February 10 Daddy / Daughter Dance For girls and their special father figure, join in the first Daddy / Daughter Dance at the Roswell Adult & Recreation Center, 807 N. Missouri Ave. at 6 p.m. Entry is $5 each for father and daughter.

Additional daughters get in for $3 each. There will be music, photographs, a dessert bar and dancing. All ages welcome.

For more information, call 575-624-6718.

Artesia February 11 Gregory Page in Concert The Artesia Arts Council presents Irish/American musician Gregory Page for its Valentine’s special at the Ocotillo Performing Arts Center, 310 W. Main St. Couples receive a gift. There will be light refreshments. The concert starts at 7 p.m. The tickets are $25. For more information and reservations, visit artesiaartscouncil.com or call 575-746-4212.

Roswell February 11 and 14 Mystery At The Museum Mystery at the Museum begin on both days at 6 p.m. at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W. 11th St. There are only 56 available for each evening. Ticket is $100 and includes dinner by Pecos Flavors Winery, drinks and a mystery. There will be prizes, a jewelry auction and gift bags. This event is a 21 years and over event. The event is organized by the RMAC Foundation. For more information, email rmacfound@qwestoffice.net or

call 575-627-0918.

Alto/Ruidoso February 11 The Carpenters Tribute The Carpenters Tribute featuring Michelle Whited concert takes place at the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts, 108 Spencer Road. The performance starts at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $39.

For more information or reservation, visit spencertheater.com or call 575-336-4800.

Ruidoso February 11-12 Vines in the Pines 2017 Guests will be able to sample wine from more than 12 New Mexico winery’s.

Tickets are $20 per day in advance at eventbrite. com and $25 at the door.

Weekend passes will also be available for $30 in advance and $35 at the door.

The event will take place at the Ruidoso Convention Center, 111 Sierra Blanca Dr.. For more information, visit ruidosonow.com or call the Ruidoso Chamber of Commerce at 575-2577395.

by the Community Volunteer Program. For more information, call or write to Community Volunteer Program, Johnny Gonzales, P.O. box 2790, Roswell, NM 88202, 575-624-7579 or email gonzalesjohnny@hotmail.com. You can also drop off items at 1101 Caminisito.

If you would like your event listed on the entertainment calendar, please email vision@rdrnews. com or call 622-7710 ext.

309.

Roswell Valentine’s Party Volunteers are needed for the Valentine’s Party (location and date to be announced), organized

Vision Magazine |

Thursday, January 19, 2017

| 11

Spotlight

Way Way Off Broadway 2017-2027 Way Way Off Broadway Theatre is planning for a bright future.

By Christina Stock Vision Editor n Dec. 8 last year the news broke that Way Way Off Broadway Theatre is looking for a new home during its gala evening at The HQ Venue.

The event was not only to celebrate the productions’ second year being in the black numbers, according to board member Kyle Bullock, but also to present a vision of the future plans for the company. WWOB is known for bringing elaborate, professional grade Broadway musicals to the stage of the Eastern New Mexico University-Performing Arts Center.

We recently sat down with WWOB’s president Summer Souza to learn about the short and long-term plans in detail.

New this year are theater specific classes that are going to educate adults and children about different aspects of working on or off-stage.

“The first adult class we offer is an acting class with Robin Haynes,” Souza said. “He wants to offer this class to a smaller group of people, to be able to focus on each individually. Really one-on-one time with them. That is why the class is limited to 11 or 12 participants. That way they can really focus on technique and their abilities and he can bring some of that out and really help them to develop.”

This first class is called “Acting: Get Real!” and will take place on Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the Roswell Museum and Art Center. The class costs $50 per person.

Another class will be taught by Tony Souza, Summer Souza’s husband, and will cover theater production.

“We want to cover in this class a lot of behind the scene stuff,” Summer Souza said. “We get a lot of questions. He (Tony Souza) is brilliant at set design and I may be a little bias, but he really is,” she said and laughed. A prime example of Tony Souza’s abilities is the set he designed for WWOB’s performance of “Mary Poppins.” Tony Souza designed a house that folded in itself, was movable and collapsable into outdoors, kitchen, living room, children’s room and roof top.

“Set design and building is a lot different than building a house,” Summer Souza said. “It doesn’t always have to be specifically to code. Sometimes people do not understand that.

“That is what he (Tony Souza) did back in California at Good Company Players in Fresno. We met there doing shows, he was the set designer. He learned so much from some of the best over there. He was at an advantage when we moved here (Roswell), because it was a dinner theater that we performed at,” Summer Souza said. The challenges of limited space are very similar with dinner theater and using the facilities in Roswell that are available for productions.

“With this class he is going to talk about set design and set building,” Summer Souza said. “We will have a day where we bring in Jan Smith, our custome designer and talk about how she designs costumes and where she gets her ideas from. Tarra Morgan is amazing in makeup. She will come in and talk about it. You get a little bit of everything in that class.” Time and location for this class are still pending at time of publication.

There will be certificates of completion and recommendations for participating students. “Also, it is a community service because we are a non-for-profit company,” Summer Souza said.

Summer Souza is used to theater on a professional level which includes being prepared for auditions. “There are certain things that are expected, we are working on an audition workshop,” she said. “We want to change the way we run our auditions eventually, but I didn’t just want to change them and have people be surprised.” Part of those auditions is also dancing, even if one is not a dancer. “It’s to see if one can pick up on something quickly; if you are atten-

O

12 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, January 19, 2017

tive and listen,” Summer Souza said.

“A lot of it is life skills you learn. For me, growing up, it’s discipline you learn. You had to sit in the theater and watch a show. You couldn’t just get up and run around. It is very hard for a child. I was very thankful for learning the things I did in the theater. Because it taught me so much that I didn’t get in school,” Summer Souza said.

The classes will not only benefit local productions. “We want also to train the future generation of people who want to do this for a living and help them out,” Summer Souza said. “We get a lot of high schoolers who are coming to our shows. A lot of them want to do this for a living. They want to go off to college, the University of California at Los Angeles, to all these different places for directing or performing. If we can help them out in some way to get ahead in a town that doesn’t offer as much, then absolutely we are going to do it.”

WWOB has been growing steadily. “We couldn’t just walk in and start a theater company,” Summer Souza said. “We weren’t known. So we kind of had to get ourselves established in the community.” The Souzas have been part of the community for 10 years. Their main goal was to offer productions that would attract locals and visitors from outside. This has been achieved by WWOB over the last few years.

“We want to stay connected with the community,” Summer Souza said. “It is a part of who we are. The community has been such a huge support for us, we are just so thankful for that. That is why we do our bonus show every year. It is our way to give back.”

WWOB is hoping to work with Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell and eventually with Portales. “If ENMU-Portales wants to do an internship program and they want to come and work with us for one summer we could provide it,” said Summer Souza. “Students get to know the backstage site of things. Those are some things we are working on.

The biggest announcement was that WWOB is looking to build a performing arts center. “It is a longterm plan, 10-15 years,” Summer Souza said. “It is really a performing arts center for Roswell, not just us. It is planned as an overall PAC for the town, for the dance studios, to show movies.

“ENMU-R has been wonderful to us, and we love working with them and the space. But we wanted a space of our own with a little bit of bigger space with a better sound system,” Summer Souza said. “We would also like to bring in events from outside of town, touring shows and concerts.”

In the new year WWOB’s new outreach coordinator is going to look for sponsors. “Michelle Macey has been working non-stop,” Summer Souza said. “We have meetings set up in the new year to talk to people.”

Also new is Devon Bullock as music coordinator. She will train music directors on their new computer program that helps to fill out the live orchestra with missing instruments. “That way it sounds like a full orchestra,” Summer Souza said. “We used that the first time for ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ and recently for our ‘Mary Poppins.’”

Also new is Cydni Vandiver as education coordinator. “She is going to help me form the classes, coordinate schedules and get the teachers set up,” Summer Souza said. “She won’t necessarily be teaching the classes, just oversees them.”

Summer Souza and Devon Bullock are working on their summer program “Broadway Bound Kids.” The BBK junior production coincides with WWOB’s Broadway version of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” in June. “That may not always happen, but it does this time,” Summer Souza said. “The kids will get to do their performance in the week between performances. Then they get to interact with and do a one-on-one with the characters on the main stage show and get training from them. For high school students who’d rather work on the production team there will be training in music, directing, stage managing and choreography. The students will get experience at different events in town, at the fair, the Christmas Railway and other events around town to get performance experience. Right now it is on a sign-up basis. It is a first-come-firstserve. We are splitting up the ages from 7-11 and 12-16. We are taking the first 20 of each age group, so we don’t lose anybody in the crowd. The cost is $100 as registration fee.

“My job was to oversee the company to make sure that we are on the right path. It was never to direct every single show, because you get burned out,” Summer Souza said. WWOB trains future directors and music directors. Kyle see WWOB on page 13

Christina Stock Photo From left: Robin Folse, Josh Ragsdale and Michelle Pruitt in front of John Meigs’ painting of his Lincoln-themed panel painting at Pecos Flavors Winery.

Art

John Liggett Meigs

A new biography reveals a mystery.

By Christina Stock Vision Editor he book review “Never A Dull Moment — The Life Of John Liggett Meigs” by Mark S. Fuller captures the life of an extraordinary person and it revealed a local mystery.

A couple days after running the book review about the artist John Liggett Meigs in the newspaper I got contacted by the Ragsdale family who own Pecos Flavors Winery, 412 W. Second St. They told me that they have an original Meigs painting. According to Cindy Ragsdale, the painting belongs to Kimberly Barnett.

“Kimberley’s grandmother told her that it used to be displayed at

T

an old bank or hotel,” Ragsdale said. “It was part of four large panels, ours has Lincoln and Billy the Kid on it, another had an oilfield motif.”

The family does not know what the other paintings displayed and nobody knows where the other three large panels ended up.

Barnett brought Meigs’ Lincoln painting to the old location of Pecos Flavors Winery on Main Street in 2005. “Unfortunately, the large painting was slightly damaged when the roof caved during the winter storm Goliath,” said Josh Ragsdale, Cindy Ragsdale’s son. He has been looking into finding an expert to repair the damage.

Anybody interested in seeing the painting can see it behind the bar of Pecos Flavors Winery.

If you know where the other three panels are, contact Christina Stock at vision@rdrnews.com or call 575-622-7710, ext. 309 for a follow-up story.

It is not surprising that Meigs life still has many mysteries to reveal, after all his life was an amazing one and I highly recommend reading Fuller’s biography of him.

When I started reading the book, the first thought that crossed my mind was, how could this be true? I started my own research and yes, Meigs’ life was indeed as fascinating as Fuller’s description of

him.

Meigs’ life started out by being kidnapped by his father, never to see his mother again. He was a reporter in 1936 and worked in Hawaii, where he first encountered the world of art.

He became one of the first original designers of the Hawaiian aloha shirts, creating more than 300 designs.

Meigs encountered many famous people including Gen. Sam Houston’s last surviving daughter. He was the boyfriend — though admittedly only for a short time — to Porta Porter de Prieto. Porter de Prieto was one of the first female bullfighters in the early 20th century.

The book continues with vivid descriptions of Meigs’ adventurous life and career in the Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor, such as when a friend pulls a stunt flying between chimneys of a U.S. destroyer, participating in combat operations in the Pacific, encountering a Japanese U-Boot and, far away from home, receiving the news of his foster mother’s death.

After Japan surrenders, Meigs immediately leaves the Navy to concentrate on his art.

He meets Peter Hurd in Hawaii. That encounter brings Meigs to New Mexico, where he meets other artists, including painters Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O’Keeffe, poet Witter Bynner, oilman and cattleman Robert O. Anderson and actor Vincent Price.

Meigs settled in San Patricio after being invited by Hurd. They became lifelong friends.

Meigs worked in a variety of mediums, starting with a mural that he

WWOB

Continued from Page 12 Bullock will direct the next performance of “Music Man,” which will be on stage in March. The bonus production of 2017 will be “Into the Woods” in August. The company plans to add a straight play for actors who don’t want to sing but act. “We want to give them an opportunity,” Summer Souza said.

“It’s baby steps. We will see what works or go back to the drawing board.”

Summer Souza selects the shows but looks forward to hearing from the audience on Facebook to help her select musicals and shows. WWOB’s goal is to have something for everybody. A show for children, one for families and also one for adults.

“This year we are working on musical cabarets,” Summer Souza said. “Those are in the works. They are more of a lounge type setting: drink a glass of wine and listen to some show tunes. Just a fun night for people to relax, hang out and mingle.”

WWOB is run off of ticket sales and sponsors, they are also needing volunteers. For more information and to sign up, visit waywayoffbroadway. com or find their page on Facebook.

worked on with Hurd in Texas. He also worked in oil, watercolor, ink and was an avid photographer. Meigs had more than 50 exhibitions in New Mexico, New York City, Texas and Hawaii.

In November 1993, a decade before his death in August 2003, Meigs received The Governor’s Award for excellence and Achievement in the Arts from the state of New Mexico.

In 1997, the Honolulu Academy of Arts hosted an exhibit of aloha shirts with Meigs designs from the late ‘30s and ‘40s. His art, including his aloha shirts, graphic designs and paintings, are in private, corporate and academic collections around the world.

Fuller manages to write in a fast and entertaining style, capturing the witty sense of humor of Meigs. He corrects some of the memories of Meigs with an accurate timeline that is backed up in depth in his notes with links in the back of the book, as well as

Vision Magazine |

comments from friends who were witnesses to Meigs’ life.

This book is Fuller’s first biography, an account of the fascinating life of his deceased friend, Meigs, whom he met later in life. Fuller’s book was accepted in the Amon Carter Museum of American Art Research Library in July 2016 and the Adobe Gallery Art of the Southwest Indian in August 2016. This book is for anybody who is interested in history and it gives an insight into an era of revolutionary artists who changed the way we see the world.

The biography “Never A Dull Moment — The Life Of John Liggett Meigs” was published by Sunstone Press out of Santa Fe and is available for purchase for $28.95 at sunstonepress.com or by calling 1-800-243-5644.

It is also available as eBook for $22.99.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

| 13

Culture

Celebrate Valentine’s Day With A Mystery

By Cindy Torrez Executive Director of the Roswell Museum and Art Center

T

he Roswell Museum and Art Center Foundation is hosting a Valentine’s Day “Fun” Raiser Feb. 11 and 14 at the Roswell Museum and Art Center, located at 100 West 11th St., next to the Roswell Convention and Civic Center.

All proceeds from the event will go towards an equipment upgrade and renovation of the Robert H. Goddard Planetarium.

The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium at the RMAC is dedicated to the appreciation of space science and its impact on our lives, stimulating understand-

ing of the wonder and diversity of our cosmos.

Built in 1969, this facility has provided programming to children and adults from around the world for the past 47 years.

The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium is a unique scientific and educational resource for rural, southeastern New Mexico. Yet, it still relies on analog technology; a vintage Spitz A4 star ball and attendant Kodak slide projectors.

The RMAC Foundation is seeking funding to install a Digistar 6 planetarium system. Digistar includes a full dome

experience and an always-on connection to a cloud library where users can share videos, audio, models, images and other great content.

Changing from antiquated analog technology to state-of-the-art digital technology will allow the planetarium to fully realize its mission to foster an appreciation of space science and its impact on our lives, remain relevant to 21st century audiences, serve as a catalyst for space science education, and usher in new STEM and STEAM programming for area schools.

STEM is an acronym

for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The “A” in STEAM adds art to the fields of education.

Be a part of this proje ct by ch o osin g th e night that works best for you, either Feb. 11 or Feb. 14. The night will include a lavish, threecourse dinner prepared by gourmet chefs from Pecos Flavors Winery, an open bar where you are sure to find your favorite beverage, and a goody bag for all guests.

The event will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. sharp in the Patricia Lubben Bassett Auditorium. At approximate-

ly 6:13 p.m., the guests will be escorted into the Robert H. Goddard Planetarium and the “mystery” will begin.

We are grateful to the Neverland Theatre Company, which will portray the main cast of characters. Guests will enjoy the challenge of solving the crime and testing their powers of deduction.

Tickets to the event are $100 per person and can be purchased from any RMAC Foundation board member, the museum store or the foundation office.

Table sponsorships are available should you like to reserve a table

for eight. For reservations or further information, call the RMAC Foundation office at 575-627-0918 or speak to a RMAC Foundation board member.

Come have a lovely sleuthing night!

The Roswell Museum and Art Center Foundation is an IRS 501(c) 3 exempt corporation. Any gifts could be deducted from your taxes. Consult your tax adviser regarding the charitable nature of any donation or gift.

A New Year Is Here

Have Faith — Roswell’s Generation Z

H

ere it is. 2017 is finally here. As a youth of our society it’s a relief that it’s here.

Most teenagers are posting on various websites that 2016 is old news and we should just forget about it considering these teenagers are believing it’s the worst year of their lives. This could be true, but are they just saying it for the trend of hating 2016 or are they really thinking that 2016 was the cause of so many celebrity deaths, of our newly elected president, and the cause of their life problems? It’s one big

By Faith Main

mystery.

The older side of society, including the seniors and older adults, say that their grandchildren and children are just overreacting. Maybe, but some of our youth still have amazing dreams and qualities that they’ve taken with them into the New Year. To understand that is to know the mind of a teenager.

Teens today are very dramatic. Even so, they still dream, they feel, they’re human. Even if what they stand for is completely silly.

I asked Harlena Johanson, who is a 15-year-

old freshman at Goddard High School, who she looks up to.

“Someone I look up to — well, the first person who pops into my head would be Beyoncé, simply because she’s, well, Beyoncé,” Johanson said. “She’s the top woman in the game and she knows it. She’s fearless, beautiful, and sings like an angel. Not only an angel, but as an angel who has felt the pain of the world, you know, like she’s been exposed to the reality that actually isn’t all as glamorous as some would try to convince you it was. She’s com-

14 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, January 19, 2017

pletely open and understands the struggle of not only the woman but of the black woman, one of the most disrespected people in the world.

She’s feminine, in the way that would completely overwhelm your senses with a presence.

A presence of beauty but also heart, mind, and soul. She would walk into a room humbly but with a carried fashion, as if she lifted those around her with the spirit of music.”

Who could argue with that? A role model that carries reason and hope. Johanson is passionate about hope,

which she delivered from 2016 to 2017, hoping this is going to be a better year than the prior year.

Johanson explains what new things she’s excited about in the year 2017.

“OK, so what am I looking forward to in 2017? Honestly? The makeup, the movies, my future, you name it. I’m looking forward to a better year than 2016, because really?

That was the most horrendous year of my life and I’m only 15. I am looking forward to bigger and better things, such as new trends in

the beauty department, new technology, and most importantly, my life experiences. Man, I say this every year, but 2017 will be my year.”

Another15-year-old freshman at Goddard High School is Ryan Roberts. He also tells me why he is ready for 2017. “I’m looking forward to making new artwork and working on a comic book with my friends and looking forward to see how America does with Trump as president. 2016 was one of the worst years, I feel like people are hoping 2017 is better so I feel see

Faith

on page

15

History

The Mystery Of Diamond Cave

By John LeMay

A

mong the many interesting documents within the Historical Society of Southeast New Mexico Archives, 208 N. Lea Ave., are intriguing snippets regarding a place north of town known as Diamond Cave. A handwritten document by Maurice G. Fulton, noted Lincoln County War historian, dated Nov. 29, 1936, says this: “This cave is the subject of various treasures and romance. One such story has it that in the early days some real diamonds were found in the mouth of the cave.

Another story is that a Mexican was murdered for wages which had been paid to him and the money hidden in the cave. Still another says an Indian hid valuables and other things in this

cave. And some say there are red (blood) hand prints on some of the rocks in the cave.

“After all this story-telling I have heard of several people going into the cave but have not been able to find them to talk to them.

Without the stories and legends it is an interesting place. It is a gypsum sink which abounds in the county around for a long ways. It is roughly circular about 200 yards across and about 150 feet deep, tapering toward the bottom to a hole just large enough to crawl into.”

Assorted newspaper clippings from Roswell in the mid-1930s offer more information on the cave: For years we have heard rumors of a diamond cave about 40 or 50 miles north of Ros-

well. The stories have it that some diamonds were actually found in the cave and were taken to Dallas and sold to jewelers there and were pronounced real diamonds. As to the truth of the stories we cannot say, but we did get some firsthand information from Mr. Earickson on the cave, for at one time years ago he had actually been in it. He was one of a small party entering the cave. One of the party was a government mineral expert.

They made their way inside through a small entrance barely large enough to admit a large man but found large cavities within. They were gone for hours and believed they had gone down probably 2,000 feet. It required an hour and a half to make the return trip.

They had to use ropes in many places to ascend or descend. The air near the bottom was found to be quite bad and often extinguished the lights of their lanterns. The mineral expert said he saw no indications of diamonds, but declared there was an immense amount of pure Plaster of Paris within the cave. Some chambers were found that were large enough to hold a large building. Another story about this cave that seems to be rumor is that one man found the diamonds there and actually had them pronounced to be diamonds and sold them as such.

Anyway, it is evident that there is a big cave up north of Roswell, whether it is of value or not.

Another article relates

Archive Photo A typical gypsum cave in the high desert of New Mexico. that Diamond Cave was located “somewhere in the barren terrain of the Halfway House country, in a split distance between Roswell and Torrance.” The article goes on to tell a tale about a group of cowhands out on the trail, the cook of which finds a piece of “pretty glass” he later takes to

San Antonio, where it is appraised as a “true diamond.”

Today, Diamond Cave, wherever it may be hidden, is largely forgotten.

Faith

Continued from Page 14 like it will be.”

2017 is claimed by us youth as the “Hope Year.” We, the youth believe that the Hope Year will bring back joy and happiness; while 2016 leaves tainted memories in our brain. Though, should we really shove the past year in the back of our brains? There must have been good memories too. Yes, a gorilla died in the Cincinnati Zoo and teens went crazy over it. Yeah, we’ve said goodbye to many great singers, animators and actors. 2016 was not a good year for people but neither was the prior years before 2016 for others. A year will always be bad. A year will always be great. We will simultaneously gain joy and lose joy. That isn’t necessarily the year’s fault. It’s just life. As kids, or younger adults, we must blame something to get it off our back but the year will always be there. No matter how hard we try to get rid of it. Teens are of course just learning this. That this is just how life is going to be. Great things are ahead, maybe they lie in 2017. As humans, we may never know. It’s a wondrous mystery that will only be solved next year.

Seeing that all these teens have dreams, role models and plans makes everything feel alright. That this Hope Year is going to be great. 2017 is just the beginning and every year is a new start for all of us. To make our lives better with the slightest changes; with just a simple smile or a simple task. Making the world great lies on the shoulders of the youth. If teenagers hang on to their hopes and dreams, the future doesn’t stand a chance against them. If they

keep standing for what they believe and if they truly believe in peace, then our youth will conquer the future and lead with greatness. They will change the future — physically and mentally. Goals are always achieved if you keep believing. Anyone can be a good person if they tried, anyone can do anything as long as they try. The youth, the teenagers know that. All they need to do now is actually do something with it.

Faith Main is a freshman at Goddard High School. Let her know what you think about her column by emailing vision@rdrnews.com.

Vision Magazine |

Thursday, January 19, 2017

| 15

UFOlogy

Alien Implants: More Possible DNA Analysis?

Looking Up

I

By Donald Burleson

’ve always been one of the “hard science” guys in the UFO field. That is, I think the subject of UFO studies should be pursued on a rigorous scientific basis, and I hesitate to believe the more extravagant claims one hears about UFOs without reasonably reliable evidence, which unfortunately in some instances is lacking.

To be sure, there are extremely well attested cases that I readily acknowledge to be valid, but one always needs to distinguish carefully between fact and fancy.

In particular, I tend to be skeptical about many

stories concerning people being abducted by aliens. This is not to deny that there are well supported abduction cases, such as the famous Betty and Barney Hill episode. However, many times one suspects that witnesses who claim to have been abducted are simply mistaken, taking, for example, an especially vivid dream to be an actual occurrence. And some witness accounts may amount to “wannabe” cases, related by people who wish they had been abducted.

The supporting evidence for claimed abduction or encounter episodes is often miss-

ing, but not always.

There are a few instances, in fact, in which evidence does exist as a physical reality in the form of implants. These are tiny objects, strange in composition and of unknown function, left in the body tissues of the subject.

Many people who have heard of such implants may not be aware that in some cases these peculiar objects have been surgically removed and scientifically studied, both biologically and metallurgically.

The late Dr. Roger Leir was a surgeon notable for performing these extractions.

In one particularly intriguing case he removed a partly crystalline, partly metallic object about the size of an aspirin from a man’s arm and had the extracted object and the subject himself tested. Besides unusual metal isotopic ratios, three biological oddities immediately appeared. One was that the subject’s surrounding tissues showed no inflammation reaction, of the sort that for example one commonly gets with a splinter. Another was that there was no entry wound or mark, as if the object had been implanted by way of some unknown surgical

or other technique. And the other was the presence of an anatomically abnormal number of nerve cells in the vicinity of the implant.

But to me the most interesting aspect of this case was that the implanted object was surrounded by a tough, grayish organic membrane of a sort Dr. Leir had never seen in a human body, except around other such extracted implants.

The first thing that occurred to me when I learned of this gray membrane was that someone needs to be doing DNA extraction and gene sequencing on it. There could be

no “ho-hum” results for research like that, because anything it could reveal would be stupendously important. Either the organic membrane is something non-terrestrial that came along with the implant, or it’s something the implant somehow caused the human body to produce, for some unknown purpose.

Either way, the DNA would tell a remarkable story.

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16 | V i s i o n M a g a z i n e | Thursday, January 19, 2017