This October, the Silver City Museum combines literature, culture and entertainment to present a series of bilingual virtual readings—perfect to capture the imaginations of all ages with important lessons on diverse cultures and traditions.
 
Events kick off on Sunday, October 4 at 7pm with a reading of Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del Otro Lado in both English and Spanish by Cindy Provencio and Frances Vasquez of League of United Latin American Citizens (among their many individual pursuits). Writer Gloria Anzaldúa is a major Mexican American literary voice. Illustrator Consuelo Méndez is a noted Latin American artist. Both grew up in South Texas. In this, their first collaboration, they have captured not only the hardship of daily life on the border, but also the beauty of the landscape and the dignity and generosity of spirit that the Mexican Americans and the Mexican immigrants share. To register and attend, visit : https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8cCbkhDxSiG-dAO0IBcmTw or use Zoom meeting ID 893 1142 6928.
 
On Sunday, October 18 at 7pm, enjoy a reading of Bowwow Powwow in English and Spanish by Nena Benavidez, noted psychic investigator, and Kim Klassen, local pizzeria owner. Through the story, join Windy Girl, who is blessed with a vivid imagination. From Uncle, she gathers stories of long-ago traditions about dances and sharing and gratitude. Windy can tell such stories herself—about her dog, Itchy Boy, and the way he dances to request a treat and how he wriggles with joy in response to, well, just about everything. This playful story by Brenda Child is accompanied by a companion retelling in Ojibwe by Gordon Jourdain and brought to life by Jonathan Thunder's vibrant dreamscapes. The result is a powwow tale for the ages. To register and attend, visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN_ksvouKZ_Tjid9pKt8o1-Tw or use Zoom meeting ID 862 4365 8751.
 
For more information on museum programs, go to www.silvercitymuseum.org.

Attend the International Folk Art Market virtual gala, see Lakota John in concert, snuggle up with a Rudolfo Anaya story, listen to Music in the Park, and do art with the kids.

​Grab your favorite blanket and the best corner of the couch. Every other Sunday during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Silver City Museum hosts virtual bilingual story time. The one-hour live reading is recorded from a studio inside the museum and features a different New Mexico-related book read in both Spanish and English by members of the community. 

Read the rest at newmexico.org

​Comforting bedtime stories that highlight the landscapes, culture, and history of the Southwest are showcased as part of the Silver City Museum’s bilingual bedtime story series.

Read the rest at the Albuquerque Journal

Silver City MainStreet/Arts & Culture District has been designated as a 2020 Accredited Main Street America™ program.  Accredited status is Main Street America’s top tier of recognition and signifies a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive commercial district revitalization and proven track record of successfully applying the Main Street Approach™. 
 
“We are proud to recognize this year’s 860 Nationally Accredited Main Street America programs that have dedicated themselves to strengthening their communities,” said Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “These Accredited Main Street programs have proven to be powerful engines for revitalization by sparking impressive economic returns and preserving the character of their communities. During these challenging times, these Main Street programs will be key to bringing economic vitality back to commercial districts and improving quality of life during the recovery process.”
 
In 2019 alone, $6.45 billion of public and private reinvestment was generated, 6,466 net new businesses were opened, 32,316 net new were jobs created, and 10,412 buildings were rehabilitated in Main Street America communities.
 
The Silver City MainStreet Project’s performance is annually evaluated by New Mexico MainStreet, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten national performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, documenting programmatic progress, and actively preserving historic buildings.
 
In the past 12 months alone, Silver City MainStreet has completed the Main Street Plaza, The Kelly Street project, installed wayfinding signs, street light banners, and promoted downtown to our community with Love Local promotions, the Urban Challenge Fun Run, Lighted Christmas Parade, and Shop Small and continue engaging merchants with the Merchant Mingles and communication about events they can participate in. We continue to publish the Downtown Guide and Map and maintain the brochure rack program. These are just some of our ongoing projects and programs.
 
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been a vital clearing house of information for merchants to connect them to resources. We ran a gift certificate promotion to encourage take out dining, run promotional radio ads, promoted state programs that help merchants, provided a forgivable loan program, a GoFundLocal program, and had NM MainStreet Revitalization Specialists help merchants get websites and facebook pages so they could stay connected to customers.
 
Silver City MainStreet celebrates 35 years of service this year and is one of the states oldest and most successful programs in the state, winning a Great American MainStreet Award in 2011, the only NM MainStreet program to win the award.  Only three MainStreet programs from across the country are awarded this honor each year.
 
About Main Street America
Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for 40 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $85.43 billion in new public and private investment, generated 672,333 net new jobs and 150,079 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 295,348 buildings. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
 
The mission of Silver City MainStreet is "To encourage a vibrant, historic downtown Silver City which is recognized as the heart of our diverse community." Please visit our website, www.silvercitymainstreet.com to learn more.

Family-friendly festival offers a weekend full of events celebrating Latin culture

Western New Mexico University (WNMU) will once again host Fiesta Latina, WNMU’s signature event offering people the chance to explore Latin culture, rhythms, flavors and artisan crafts. Held on the campus of WNMU, this three-day festival features the Artisan Mercado where attendees can view the creations of 40 traditional master artisans who travel to Silver City from Mexico. The 2020 event will highlight artists from Michoacán. The headline show Saturday night features a tequila tasting and Elida and Lucky Joe live in concert.

Artists for the Mercado are chosen through a juried selection process.

• Art must be completely handmade by the artist;
• The use of multi-generational traditions is mandatory;
• The use of “natural” pigments/materials is mandatory;
• Overall quality.

In addition, there is a section dedicated to contemporary work created with traditional practices. The artists will display a variety of work including textiles, jewelry, pottery, bead work, and copper.

Free events during Fiesta Latina include live music on stage kicking off with Northern New Mexico’s Cuarenta y Cinco playing a free Friday night opening concert. Other acts throughout the weekend include Ballet Folklorico Alfaro from El Paso, Mariachi Plata, Paseo del Norte Folklorico dancers, Sonido Cachimbo from Juarez, plus more acts to be announced.

Light Hall Theater will be home to the Transcending Borders Film/Discussion series featuring documentaries on traditional Mexican crafts and techniques interspersed with discussions hosted by visiting artisans.

The Castro Family from Las Cruces will offer a Charro performance on Sunday afternoon.

Attendees will also find a dedicated tent for children’s crafting activities and artisans demonstrating their traditional crafts at their booths throughout the event.

To complement the event, Mexican food trucks will be offering a variety of fare. The Stadium Bar will also be open throughout the weekend.

For more information on all there is to see and do in Silver City, or to plan your visit, go to www.visitsilvercity.org. For tickets and more information on Fiesta Latina, visit http://fiestalatina.org