Archive for the ‘Local Events’ Category



Design + Nature + Community: Santa Fe’s Chavez Center

Leave it to Santa Fe to build a recreational center that is an icon to Santa Fe values.  The Genoveva Chavez Community Center (GCCC) is at once a art piece of exquisite design, a testament to environmental sensitivity, and a supporter and champion of community. The Center includes an aquatic complex, gymnasium, fitness center, track, skating rink, community, class and conference rooms. The space is vast, clean and slightly awe-inspiring.

The GCCC was designed by Mazria, Inc., an internationally respected leader in the field of environmental design. In keeping with Santa Fe’s commitment to resource conservation, the Mazria team incorporated passive solar heating, passive cooling, water conservation and water harvesting strategies into the building design.  Energy use is further reduced through Daylighting: placing windows, clerestories and skylights to make the most effective use of natural light and minimize the amount of artificial lighting needed.

The first time I took my daughter there to swim, some five years ago, I found the pool area dark.  Much as I dislike florescent lighting, I’m accustomed to its hard, bright illumination. But over the hour, I came to love the soft ambiance.

The Chavez Center design is a sturdy marriage of form and function, execution and intent. A multi-level atrium visually connect the Center’s major spaces –Aquatic Center, Gym and Ice Arena. The treadmills overlook the 50 meter pool; the elliptical machines are hard by the track, itself situated to capitalize on stunning shots of the Sangres. While other gyms have TVs poised above their machinery, I’ll take the unpredictable and ever-changing vista of real people any day. As I cycle my way up “hills” of resistance, I get sucked into the world on the ice rink: the graceful spins and leaps of figure skaters and the heart-charming earnestness of the Pee Wee Hockey team.  Nothing soars my heart and humor like a line of equipment-swathed squirts simultaneously hurling themselves onto the ice for practice falls.

Membership is a steal: $369.00 annually for an individual, $551.00 for a couple –less if you sign up during this month’s 20% off drive.  Carpe sanitas!

 

Collaborative Art Santa Fe: Part II

Interference, Wasteland Scene

If you caught Currents 2011, you likely remember the video installation Interference: a  rubble-strewn urban wasteland that shifted to lush forest when intersected with human presence. Interactives were a big draw at the Currents exhibition (I had particular fun playing with John Carpenter’s Dandelion Clock.) With Interference, cooperation yielded a greater payback: the more people clustered together, the more forest could be reclaimed.

That bonus-through-alliance was fitting for a piece that was itself a matrix of logistical, technical and professional harmony. The creation of three artists, Brian Bixby, Charles Buckingham and Mike Root, working cooperatively from three far-flung cities –Berlin, Portland, and Santa Fe—Interference is a monument to concord and methodical cooperation.  How the piece came together was nearly as fascinating to me as the result, so I pummeled Mike Root for answers he happily supplied.

What was your intention?

We wanted to make sure the interaction didn’t feel like a game. A lot of the best interactive work I’ve seen is basically a video game mechanic. I love video games but we didn’t want to create one. So we developed this concept of 3 layers in 3D space and began playing with the idea of allowing the audience to move around inside this augmented space of 3 dimensions. Our intention was to create an experience where the viewer’s presence immediately effected the scene, first mysteriously and abstractly, then as the viewer got closer the interaction became more concrete and a message emerged: “You effect your environment.”

How did you pick the team and choose your roles in the project?

The three of us share interests in similar digital art forms, musicians, film directors. We’ve known each other for about 10 years, in which time we’ve worked on video and music projects together, including collaborative work an online ambient video series (Snowflakes) as well as developing web applications, like the website for SITE Santa Fe’s 2010 Biennial, The Dissolve. To realize our idea for this piece was really a matter of matching what we know of each other’s strengths, both technically and creatively, to the tasks at hand.

Tell me about the mechanics of working together over a distance.  How did you communicate ideas and build the installation?

We held bi-monthly Skype meetings…during [which]…we critiqued each other’s work in the context of the direction of the overall piece. Much of the honing of the idea and execution happened during these exchanges… A great asset was the ability to share huge digital files via a shared server.  “Working” files in After Effects, Photoshop and Jitter were easy to view and “demo” once we each had the source footage and photography on our individual computers.

Who did What?

Charles and videographer Eric Macey shot several days of HD footage in scenic spots around Oregon. Charles also did the sound design, which fades between idyllic natural river sounds and haunting urban soundscapes.

The piece exploits infrared data captured by an Xbox Kinect unit.  Charles spent many hours exploring how to best interpret and utilize this three dimensional data to make the installation react in “human” ways to the viewers. He configured a Mac computer to access and control the Xbox Kinect, then created a Jitter patch which took infrared data from the Kinect and used it to manipulate the audio and video components of the installation.

Brian shot high resolution photography of urban rubble and construction sites in Berlin, which he assembled into large scale seamless panoramas in Photoshop.… Through careful and tedious use of effects he transformed the images into a post-apocalyptic scene, eventually adding animation of smoke and rain along with 3D lighting.

I sorted through the extensive Oregon footage, eventually settling on a panorama of a forest, with river foreground. [I then] stitched together a giant-scale video composite from six high definition camera angles, [and] added 3D lighting to bring out certain areas of the scene. Brian and I collaborated on fine-tuning the rain and lighting of the Berlin rubble heap.

I also coordinated and interfaced with Currents curators Frank Ragano and Mariannah Amster who really “got” the piece and afforded a perfect space within the exhibition for the piece.

How did it feel when you saw the installation on site?

What was most gratifying was seeing the people who attended the Currents exhibition react in unexpectedly profound ways with our piece. We witnessed people go through an experiential envelope from curiosity to puzzlement to elation after spending a few minutes interacting with our piece. The “take away” from this experience was a spark of inspiration to re-envision the polluted decay of urban landscape as something you can affect and reclaim.

People commented on it and interpreted it in very positive and inspiring ways. One of the highlights was watching viewers grab other people nearby and create a human wall, which reclaimed the entire scene from ruins to pure nature.

New direction or never again?  

This piece was the first time for us to work on something interactive as a team, so the resulting work is something new and unexpected for all three of us. We’re applying to other exhibitions with this piece and hope to install it on a larger scale.  We’re curious to see how people in other places respond.

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Interference, River Scene

If you missed Currents 2011, or are nostalgic for a revisit, check out this video documentation. It’s no substitute for the full experience, but it’s a great commercial.

Changing Gallery Presents “Practical Nonsense”

a Mercantile of the Bizarre and Unusual in the Spirit of Dadaism and Mad Humor

Victorian Skateboard

On April 16th, from 4-8 PM, Changing Gallery hosts the Opening for “Practical Nonsense: a mercantile of the bizarre and unusual.” This solo exhibition by artist Esteban Bojorquez features “assemblage and readymades in the spirit of dadaism and mad humor.” Many pieces were crafted specifically to play off the special character of Changing Gallery’s current venue, The Palace Grocery Store.

Practical Nonsense is a Mom & Pop convenience store in the Twilight Zone, an emporium of delightful oddities and witty wonders. Look for the * Alien Space Helmet and Assorted Ray Guns * The Dutch Disco Shoe * Expired Goods –100% off! * Money Hungry Bank (with teeth!) * Golf Ball on the Moon (a victim of extraterrestrial forces) * The Do-it-Yourself Series, including * “You Can Be a Space Cowboy * the Vampire Kit (complete with mirror, mallet and silver tipped bullets.) * and an unforgettable freezer display, “Joe the Butcher and His Calvacade of Meat.” All this plus, The Frolic Room….

HOURS:

Saturday, April 16th, 4:00-8:00 PM

Sunday, April 17th, 1:00-4:00 PM

Saturdays, April 23rd and April 30th, 1:00-4:00 PM, and By Appointment.

As Changing Gallery, real estate agents Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes use their listings, where appropriate, to showcase the art, photography and music of local, independent and emerging creative talents. Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale.

Vampire Kit by Esteban Bojorquez

Check out this short Video of the Show

 

The Santa Fe V.I.P.: the Genie from the Jar of Memories

“I wanted to connect with people,” says Victor Romero, the force behind the Facebook Page You Know You’re “Old School Santa Fe” When… It was the furthest thing on my mind for it to be a success.”

After being laid off, Romero, who’d been working since he was 13, decided to create a job for himself. He liked the name “Santa Fe VIP” but wasn’t clear what sort of business it should represent. “I wanted to …focus on nightlife, to try and bring better music to Santa Fe.” While waiting for his idea to cohere, Romero decided to play around with a Facebook page where people could share their stories about growing up in Santa Fe.

“There’s a jar of memories that people always open up when they get together.  Remember this, remember that…. I tried to think of some things that, If you were going to prove that you were from Santa Fe New Mexico, you would know.  My first posts were about the expression “A la Ver…,” Frito Pies at Woolworth’s, Cinnamon Rolls at Dee’s, and buying Z. Cavaricci’s at Dunlap’s.

From its launch date in late January, 2010, the membership of “You Know You’re Old School Santa Fe When…” rose rapidly into the thousands. Today, it’s over 5,100. Clearly, Romero had tapped into a local hunger. But as a former concierge with years of experience in the hospitality business, Romero is good at giving people what they want. And it was that combination of deep local savvy and strong service ethic that gave final form to the business known as the Santa Fe V.I.P.

The Santa Fe V.I.P. is an atypical visitor’s guide serving “the world traveler, local explorer and young professional” alike. Capitalizing on his connections and insider info, Romero offers a range of ways to make the most of “The Santa Fe Experience.”  Daily blog “editorials” and the events calendar keep readers in the know. The V.I.P. site also archives dining tips, dating ideas and even hosts parties.

“It takes a special kind of person to be in the service industry,” says Romero, citing a combination of knowledge, passion and sensitivity as cornerstones of success.” Through The Santa Fe V.I.P., Romero lives to share the wealth of his beloved Santa Fe.

 

Wee OK: Documentary Photographs of New Orleans

Wee OK, by Grace Berge

Sprayed across the door and siding of a home abandoned after Katrina is the message, “Wee OK” plus three names and a phone number. The extra “e” is blurred, perhaps half erased, perhaps just a burp of the spraycan, an unconscious error and unwitting double entrendre. “Wee OK.” Not fully or grandly okay. Just a wee little bit okay, but enough. Don’t worry. Here’s our number. You can call.

Katrina remains New Orleans’ indelible shadow, the top note and backbeat to any discussion of the city. But New Orleans is a city of deep, rich, dimensional culture, and a wellspring of American music. Changing Gallery’s next exhibition offers two photographic perspectives on life in New Orleans: the dark destruction post Katrina and the enveloping joy of the music scene.

Grace Berge’s documentary photographs of post-Katrina devastation will be projected within an installation that mimics the environments in which they were shot.

Marc Malin, photographer, musician and long time contributor to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC), will show photographs of musicians and musical events in New Orleans. Malin describes his work as “impressionist documents:” uncontrived, “captured moments” shot documentary style, but using equipment and processing techniques that “[convey] the feeling; and or energy present.” Head to Main’s website to see the astounding gallery of musical talents– Dr. John, Buddy Guy, The Neville Brothers, Toni Bennett, Brownie McGhee and so many more– Malin has captured on film. A portion of proceeds from the sale of prints and cards will be donated to NOMC.

Social Aid & Pleasure Club Parade, by Marc Malin

Musicians Marc Malin, Mike Handler, Larry Diaz, Janice Mohr-Nelson, Vin Kelly and Arne Bey –The Country Blues Revue– will play a set. Read more about the band, on the bill for this summer’s Thirsty Ear Festival, at their Facebook page, Marc and Mike’s Country Blues Revue

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As Changing Gallery, real estate agents Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes use their listings, where appropriate, to showcase the art, photography and music of local, independent and emerging creative talents.  Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale.

 

 

Polymorphic Polymediac: Artist RosS Hamlin

things i’d love to do: …play kick-the-can with the pharcyde and pooh sticks with tom waits…. –RosS Hamlin on MySpace

When I approached RosS Hamlin, musician, artist and director of Little Wing Performance Space, to ask if he was game for an interview, his response came through Facebook mobile as four vertical quadrangles. I thought it might be an artist thing. Turns out, it was and it wasn’t. RosS wrote “game” upside down which flummoxed my App. But RosS isn’t a vanity artist, posturing obscurity to emphasize originality. Thoughtful, articulate, polite and professional, RosS knows that to get all that wild-minded, perspective-changing creative brilliance before the world, you have to be functional, albeit with a flourish.

“Santa Fe’s newest and most open-minded music and art space,” Little Wing is a bonanza for emerging and independent artists and musicians.  We hear nothing but love for this place and much of that because of the man behind the shows. When I asked RosS how he attracts those who want to use the space, he said, “I don’t have a set criteria. Bands of every genre are welcome here, as are any workshops, clinics or classes that want to rent the space out. If they have the money, they can do whatever they want here,” citing just one incident where he’s turned away a potential renter and speaking with charity about a single workshop that bombed. “We’re all learning.”

We met RosS at a meeting of the After Hours Alliance, “founded in 2010 by a group of music and arts promoters under the mission of connecting the younger people of Santa Fe to meaningful and relevant after-hours events.” (I spoke about AHA in an earlier post, The Care and Feeding of Santa Fe’s Creative Class.) Hamlin’s participation in the all-volunteer organization is emblematic of his generosity. That generosity extends to his financial arrangement with acts who book Little Wing (60/40 split in favor of performers; 70/30 split in favor of gallery artists) and his efforts to make the venue accessible. Indeed, this is a guy spinning with talent –musical, visual and verbal.  He could probably keep the place booked showcasing his own work and personal picks.  But that’s not his way.

Drop in on Hamlin’s website to check out his round robin of abilities, affiliations and inspiration. In addition to arting, composing and music-making, he is also a guitar, electric bass, voice, composition, and music theory teacher through his school, Full Circle Guitar. When he claims that his approach “emphasizes full-brain creativity [and his] style is patient, detailed, innovative and most importantly, fun,” I believe him.  Hamlin’s sincerity and humility are solid and palpable.

Be sure to savor a few tracks on Hamlin’s site on Reverbnation.  I admit to a pedestrian resistant to present day Jazz, which “The Mustache who loved Me” –an engaging fusion of jazz and funk– quickly set straight. Or better yet, treat yourself to an evening’s entertainment at Little Wing Performance Space. Hamlin’s ever-evolving artistic intelligence and expansive inclusivity –a recent event united the potent forces of Meow Wolf and Red Cell’s The Process with out-of-town talent –ensure a bounty of cultural experience that is truly the wellspring of Santa Fe’s “robust art scene,” to quote the New York Times. All Hamlin asks is that you pay your pittance and pull up a chair.

Watch Joshua Maes video of our visit to Little Wing

Fresh Goods & Staples: A Multi-Media Art Show

The Water is Fine: Prime Soaks in and around Santa Fe

Santa Fe’s the #2 Relaxation & Spa destination in the US, according to TripAdvisor’s annual Travelers’ Choice Awards 2010 poll. Indeed, the City Different abounds with excellent avenues for shedding stress, from recreational to therapeutic. One of our favorite ways to decompress and counterbalance the effects of  dry desert air is through warm water soaks.  Ten Thousand Waves, tuned to fine perfection over its 30 years of operation, is an exquisite escape just ten minutes from The Plaza. We love the super-premium private tubs, Ichiban and New Ofuro. Each offers low key luxury in a distinctive setting plus longer soaking times for an exceptional spa experience.  But The Waves’ carefully crafted and beautifully tended atmosphere ensures a quality experience for all visitors.  The Communal Tub is a comparative bargain at under $19.00 for unlimited soaking. Note that clothing is optional before 8:15 pm; the clothing-optional Women’s Tub is available daily until 8:15 pm.

About an hour north of Santa Fe, the Mineral Springs Resort and Spa of Ojo Caliente provides a disarming cocktail of physical removal, rustic charm and relaxing, hot mineral baths. We spent a voluptuous 4 hours there a few Sundays ago, breaking up our drive with a lunch of green chile lamb enchiladas at Angelina’s in Española. This local institution is relaxed, reasonably-priced, tasty and well worth a detour. Tel: 505. 753.8543 For a loving, yet accurate review of Angelina’s restaurant, check out Gil’s Thrilling (And Filling) Blogpost.

Read What to Know Before You Go on Ojo’s website for the full low-down on pricing and what to bring. During late Fall and Winter, we recommend taking along two extra towels (one is included with admission) and either a warm robe or sweater for cold weather transit between the pools. Although lockers are available (bring your own lock), they are small. You may want a pack or bag to carry personal items around the grounds.

There are seven public pools: the iron, arsenic, two iron-arsenic combos and soda are open year ’round; the mud pool and large pool are seasonal. At this writing, the entry fee is $24/person. A few private tubs are available for $40/hour–each with a kiva fireplace that can be lit for an additional $10. With a one hour private tub rental, the admission fee is required. Rent a tub for two hours (actual tub time = one hour & 50 minutes), and admission is included: the bargain we chose.

Ojo lacks the polish of Ten Thousand Waves.  The floor of the coed steam room was gritty and cold air blasted away the sauna’s heat every time the door–unfortunately situated directly opposite the building’s exterior door–was opened. Circulating “Shushers” with paddles admonishing clients to whisper were well-meaning, but made us all feel a bit like misbehaving kids. But as the friendly and helpful front desk staff asserted, “the owners are always looking for ways to make the place better” and it shows.  After an hour in the tub, watching the erratic tracings of geese cross the brilliant New Mexico sky, I got where I wanted to go: empty in mind, full in spirit.

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UPDATE:

Vote for your favorites at Spa Magazine’s Fifth Annual Silver Sage Reader’s Choice Awards. Voting ends on June 29th, 2011, so act soon.

LocalMotion: Northern New Mexico’s November Art & Studio Tours

Painted fish swim across a ceramic celandon sea.  The spout has a jaunty arc and the clever lid has recessed wells for easy grasping.  It’s a marvelous teapot, bought over 25 years ago: a happy reminder of the rich vein of artistic talent that lies along and near the High Road from Santa Fe to Taos.  The teapot’s creator is ceramicist Nausika Richardson, founder of the annual Dixon Studio Tour.

Nausika Richardson, Square Ceramic Bowl

For 29 years, on the first full weekend of November, the artists, artisans and farmers of Dixon have been hosting one of the oldest and best known of New Mexico’s studio tours.  Locals and tourists alike flock annually to this tiny pastoral town, seated at the confluence of the Embudo River and the Rio Grande.  Dixon is rich in historic tradition, creative culture and easy charm, worth a visit for its physical beauty alone. The studio tour is an amiable opportunity to savor the town’s appeal, support local talents and get a jump on holiday shopping where the purchase process is itself a gift.

For one resident’s view of community life, check out the memoirs of Stanley G. Crawford– A Garlic Testament: Seasons on a Small Farm in New Mexico, and Mayordomo: Chronicle of an Acequia in Northern New Mexico. (Crawford’s books and garlic arrangements will be on sale during the tour.) Grab lunch or an early dinner at acclaimed restaurant Embudo Station off Highway 68 between Dixon and Velarde. (T: 505.852.4707.) Dixon is located about 50 miles northeast of Santa Fe, 25 miles southwest of Taos. For map, schedule and artist info, visit the tour’s website or follow Dixon Studio Tour on Facebook.

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In downtown Santa Fe, independent artist Mark Frossard moves his Cafe Tour to The Station Cafe in the Railyard District.  The exhibition, entitled “Pit Stops,” features 5 brand new paintings and several never-before-displayed older works, centered on the theme of transportation, relocation and expansion. Frossard shares his keen observation of human quirks and vulnerabilities with a cartoonist’s economy of line. In his subtle humor and depth of insight, he reminds me  a trace of author and illustrator James Thurber.  Opening reception takes place Friday, November 5th, from 5:00 – 7:00pm. The Station Cafe is located near the Santa Fe Train Depot at 530 S. Guadalupe. If you can’t make the opening, go back for breakfast.  The espresso drinks, made with illy coffee, are top-notch.

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Next weekend, November 13-14th, head out to Eldorado for annual Fall Show put on by The Eldorado Arts and Crafts Association. And be sure not to miss the 12th annual Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival (see Art + Green on the Santa Fe Creative Scene.)

For more information on November Art Openings and Events in and around Santa Fe, consult the Calendar at Santa Fe Convention and Visitor’s Bureau’s excellent website or check out the offerings at the Santa Fe Gallery Association.

Real estate agents Malissa Kullberg and Joshua Maes, AKA Changing Gallery, use their listings, where appropriate, to showcase the art, photography, sculpture and other creations of emerging and independent talents. Artists receive 100% of the proceeds from any sale. For up-to-date market info and full access to the MLS, visit: Santa Fe Real Estate Downtown.

Dia de Los Muertos & HalloWeekend in Santa Fe

From "Papel Picado": Axle Contemporary's Show of work by Catalina Delgado Trunk

Día de Los Muertos has nothing to do with Halloween, despite their proximate dates and common focus on death. The Meso-American festival was over 3,000 years old when the Spanish Conquistadors encountered it in what is now Mexico.  The celebration honored family members who had passed onto the other side of existence and reflected the belief that life was a dream, death, the time of awakening, a passage to be celebrated. The piled offerings on the colorful altars you’ll see represent the four elements. Food is earth, to attract and feed departed souls; water is provided to quench their thirst.  The tissue paper cutouts symbolize the wind (air); and candles, fire.

Halloween, on the other hand, is thought to have evolved from an old Gaelic festival known as “Samhain,” or Summer’s End, held between the 31st of October and November 1st. Samhain was a harvest festival rooted in Celtic polytheism. In this season of diminishing light and dying crops, the Gaels believed that the portal between the natural and the supernatural worlds was temporarily removed and the dead could walk freely among the living.  Masks and costumes were worn to impersonate or appease roaming spirits. The Romans eventually grafted their festivals of Feralia, commemorating the passage of the dead, and Pomona, honoring the goddess of fruit and trees, onto the Celtic celebrations. Halloween today is a pastiche of these past influences: acknowledging the terror of walking amongst the dead and exalting the harvest.

I’m a sucker for Halloween. As a kid, it was all about candy, filling a pillowcase, sorting and trading the spoils, then eating the bounty for days until the very thought of one more Sugar Baby made me slightly ill.  From my college years forward, it’s been about the costumes and the creativity: crafting my own and looking out for the clever interpretations of current events and wild bursts of extroverted identity play.  But whether by costumes and candy or altars and offerings, both holidays offer outlets for creative expression and celebration that make this weekend a great time to be in circulation.

Tonight, Friday, October 19th, head over to El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de la Familia, downtown in the Railyard district. From  6-10 pm, enjoy an all-ages celebration of Dia de Los Muertos with food, sugar skull face painting, fire dancing, music and sundry delights. While you’re there, don’t miss Papel Picado the work of Catalina Delgado Trunk and Christopher Gibson in Axle Contemporary’s gallery on wheels. Watch Delgado Trunk share the story behind one piece in this brief, charming YouTube by Axle Contemporary.

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“..grotesque and messily visceral, purposefully perverse and imbued with a gruesome wit,” Katherine Lee’s exhibit, Animal Violence and Topless Women Eating Jam opens Friday at Eight Modern, 231 Delgado Street. Reception from 5-7 pm.  Don’t miss Inner Demons II “a group art show celebrating the macabre, the disconcordant and the uncanny” at Alahenia Studios, 1422 Second Street.

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On Saturday, whether your taste runs to dressing-up or just watching the show, there are plenty of venues for savoring the creative spirit of the holiday.  The Santa Fe Reporter hosts its 2010 Halloween Party at Milagro, with a raffle, music, and costume contest.  Donation proceeds benefit Esperanza Shelter for Battered Families.  Baca Street Studios hosts the Second Annual Halloween Hooha, from 6-12 pm at 926 Baca Street. Shops and Studios will be open late. You’ll have another chance to check out Axle Contemporary’s Papel Picado exhibit.  Plus “Music with RosS Hamlin and DJDirtgirl!, Fires and Fire dancer!s, Possible sighting of the White Dragon Noodle Bar! Bring a wish (or trouble) to burn in the Giant Cauldron!” Rumor has it that the Big Gay Halloween Party at RainbowVision’s Silver Starlight Lounge, 500 Rodeo Road, is the best costume party in town. A benefit for Santa Fe Pride.

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