focus on carlsbad spring 2015

SPRI

NG

2015

Blue House “Tree of Life”Carlsbad’s Edward Scissorhands

Carlsbad Goes WikipediaArtist Robert Keyes

Camp Washington RanchChamber News & More!SECOND LOOK

Let’s Take a

Experience Chapman’sD E L I C I O U S S T E A K S , S E A F O O D & M O R E !

Amazing Food & Friendly Folks!

O P E N T H U R S 5 - 9 • F R I 5 - 9 • S AT 5 - 9 • S U N 1 2 - 9 • M O N 5 - 91 0 6 W E S T B O N B R I G H T • C A R L S B A D , N E W M E X I C O • ( 5 7 5 ) 8 8 5 - 0 2 7 1

C AT E R I N G AVA I L A B L E U P O N R E Q U E S T

FROM THE EDITOR

FOCUS ON LIFEBLUE HOUSE “TREE OF LIFE”

FOCUS ON A LIFETIME DREAMCARLSBAD’S EDWARD SCISSORHANDS

FOCUS ON A LANDMARKFROM ARMORY TO EVENTS CENTER

PHOTOS IN FOCUSFOCUS ONLINECARLSBAD GOES WIKIPEDIA

FOCUS ON MAINSTREETMAINSTREET WORK PLAN

FOCUS ON THE GARDENCOMING SOON TO THE COURTHOUSE LAWN

FOCUS ON BATSBAT PAD STILL LOOKING FOR TENANTS

FOCUS ON HISTORYTRAIN STATION LEGACY

LET’S EAT: RECIPESFOCUS ON AN ARTISTVEEP HAS AN ARTISTIC SIDE

FOCUS ON AN EDDY CO LEGACYCAMP WASHINGTON RANCH

FOCUS ON FOODBUILDING BETTER BEEF JERKY

FOCUS BUSINESS BRIEFSCMC INTROS TWO NEW OB/GYNS

FOCUS ON THE CHAMBERBUSINESS DIRECTORY

F O C U S O N C A R L S B A D I S P U B L I S H E D Q U A R T E R L Y B Y A D V E N T U R E M A R K E T I N GAd Venture Marketing, Ltd. Co. • 866.207.0821 • ad-venturemarketing.comAll rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information provided.The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for errors, changes or omissions.

Kyle Marksteiner, Editorial Director - Rachel Hughes, AdvertisingPhotography by Kyle Marksteiner, Brand Eye Photography & submitted.

Special Contributors: Staci Guy, Stella Davis, Amanda Melvin, Margaret Barry,Sharon McIntire & The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

A B O U T T H E C O V E R Sadie Lynn Bryant poses at the mulberry tree located at the Carlsbad Blue House Bakery and Café. The tree is one of many Carlsbad landmarks worth a second look.

Photo by Brand Eye Photography; clothes from the Shade Tree. See the story on page 6 >>>

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STANDPIPE ROAD HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY FAVORITE STREET IN CARLSBAD.It straddles the western fringe of Carlsbad, give or take a couple of residential offshoots. It’s a land of rural adventure: you pass by auto yards and farms, but pay attention and you will also glimpse the occasional strutting peacock or beef jerky shop.

It’s hard to believe that the stretch of chain businesses along Pierce, Canal and National Parks Highway are only a few streets away. Standpipe empties into the Dark Canyon area where there are caves and canyons to be explored.

If you are the kind of person who enjoys some light exploring, and I sincerely hope you are, I recommend driving down Standpipe at least once

and looking around. Don’t worry about the other

motorists who are likely driving to simply get from one point to

another quickly and may find your curious moseying to be a bit annoying.

They can pass you.

If you are looking for some additional roads to explore after Standpipe, I

also recommend the streets in the southeastern part of Carlsbad such

as Wood Avenue, East Fiesta Drive and Calvani Road. There’s a record shop and a cemetery out there, but to be honest, I always get

those three roads confused. La Huerta has some neat areas

to explore as well.

We’re kicking off 2015 with “Take

a Second Look,” an

edition that

celebrates the sometimes surprising backstories to the unique people, places and things we see every day. Buildings, streets and even trees each have tales to tell, and so, of course, do the people.

We can’t all afford to take trips to the Antarctic or the Amazon, but there’s some pretty good exploring to be done in our own backyard. In addition to the aforementioned caves and canyons, rural Eddy County is overflowing with abandoned homesteads, World War II practice bomb sites, dams and Hardy Boys-named-hangouts such as Werewolf Hill and Higby Hollow. The Houston suburb where I grew up did not have such wonderful unique spots, though we did, to be fair, have a Chuck E. Cheese.

You don’t even always have to leave town. There was a street behind my college apartment complex in San Antonio with a row of businesses that included a map shop and an exotic animal store. They were both gone when I paid San Antonio a visit a few years ago, replaced with the same chain businesses you can find everywhere else. I am certainly not opposed to the existence of chain establishments offering services that meet our everyday needs, but I hope we can find a way to also keep the world’s streets of peacocks and map shops around.

I guess what I’m saying is that, to borrow from Lee Ann Womack, I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. It’s a pretty neat world out there if you

are willing to take a second look.

Did you know that a house on C-Hill has a turret? Did you know a movie called Gargoyles was filmed at Carlsbad Caverns National Park? Did you know that there’s a beef jerky place on Standpipe Road? Did you know there’s a really cool mulberry tree at the Blue House?

Turn the page, and in the immortal words of Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson, “Let’s go exploring!”

ABOUT THE EDITORKyle Marksteiner is the editorial director of Focus on Carlsbad. He can be reached by email at [email protected]

F O C U S from the editor

KYLE MARKSTEINEREditorial DirectorFOCUS ON CARLSBAD

F O C U S N M . C O M

second lookI T ’ S T I M E T O T A K E A

4 F O C U S O N C A R L S B A D | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

DANIEL’S SALON HAS BEEN SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1984.We became an Aveda Concept Salon in the early 1990s. Our educated stylists offer many services including anything haircare,

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Thank you for your support!

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F O C U S on life


It’s Carlsbad’s very own “Tree of Life.”

For the past 15 years or so, the Blue House Bakery and Café, located at 609 N. Canyon, has been one of Carlsbad’s top coffee hangouts. College students home for the summer, retirees and busy professionals all frequent the downtown spot as part of their morning ritual. Some—those who have the time—hang out for breakfast and a solid few hours of conversation or reading.

While the Blue House tends to draw a few lingerers, the mulberry tree located in the middle of the southern patio has them all beat by a country mile. Long ago, the tree survived several attempts on its life. These days, life is a lot better, as the tree has been adorned with trinkets and ornaments produced by local artists to help decorate the courtyard. If you can’t beat the tree, join it.

“I think Helen Gwinn and The Artist Gallery started that,” reflected former owner Ginny Gregory about the

ornamentation. Artists have primped up the tree with ceramic bird eggs, wind chimes, lizards and a large ornament that reads “Imagine.” The Blue House’s two cats, Romeo and Tarzanna, will sometimes climb the tree to try and swipe the eggs.

A few pretties have come and gone, but new decorations soon arrive. “People have placed gifts on the tree,” remarked current owner Tina Britain. “They will come and ask us now and then, and we usually don’t mind.”

The Blue House was a residential home for many years, and the wooden building behind the café is at least a century old, pointed out former owner Phil Gregory.

Casey and Liz Nicholson first opened the coffee house in 1999, then sold it to Phil and his wife, Ginny, a few years later. The Gregorys retired in 2013 and sold the establishment to its present owners, Tina and Stacey Britain.

How old is the tree?

“Sometime back, someone counted the rings and said there were more than 80 of them,” Phil Gregory stated. “So what I assume is that the tree was planted when that little house was built.”

Ginny Gregory recalls asking Eddy County Extension Agent Woods Houghton to come examine the tree. Houghton said he did not recall the age of this specific tree, but the average mulberry lives to be 25 to 30 years old and the older trees live to be 40 or 50. There are, certainly, trees that have much longer lifespans.

It isn’t unusual for mulberry branches

PHOTO LEFT PAGE: The Blue House “Tree of Life” - its mulberry tree.PHOTO BELOW LEFT: The Blue House Bakery and Café, pictured when it was a residence.PHOTO BELOW RIGHT: Former Blue House owners Ginny and Phil Gregory (at right) pose with Casey and Liz Nicholson and their son.

Blue House

Has Remarkable Historyby Kyle Marksteiner



to have some unusual twists and turns, but the shape of the one at the Blue House is especially unique because it grew back from its own ashes, so to speak. “Someone tried to cut it down and the root came up through the middle,” Phil Gregory noted. “If you look at it, you can also see that at one point it was burned. There’s a stump

in the middle and everything grew back through there.”

“I’ve seen the burn scar and, yes, they are tough,” Houghton added. “Mulberries are very durable. In England, they grow them so they can prune them all the time to keep firewood growing.”

The trees, he noted, have to be watered correctly,

or their roots can damage nearby structures. Even recently, the tree has caused its share of problems. The Britains have considered expanding the yard a bit, but doing so would be challenging, given the fact that branches and roots have grown into parts of the fence. And the mulberry berries, barely edible and certainly not tasty, find a way onto everything.

“Will they kill you? No,” Houghton shared about the berries. “Do they

taste good? No. Birds like them.”

The tree has been trimmed a few times when the branches grew over the roof of the building at a dangerous angle. “It was a mixed blessing,” admitted Ginny.

During the Blue House’s recent history as a coffee house, the mulberry tree has helped host plenty of concerts and special events. The Gregorys even had a German exchange student who was married at the Blue House 20 years after she stayed with them. “She had such a great time in Carlsbad, and she wanted to continue that relationship,” Ginny recalled.

The next time you are at the Blue House, pay a visit to the mulberry tree in the courtyard. Circle the tree to admire its adornments and ornaments, check out the burned stump and twisted branches and admire its determination to survive at all costs.

Then take a second look, and, as the tree says, imagine.

PHOTO: Children hang from the mulberry tree during a party thrown to celebrate when Phil and Ginny Gregory sold the Blue House to Tina and Stacey Britain.


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At the age of three, Edward Calderon, though he likely didn’t realize it at the time, was already well on his way to a life-long career in the hair business.Now at 26, he is quickly establishing himself as a hairstyling phenomenon in Carlsbad and has no plans of slowing down.

Each morning as she was getting ready for the day, Noreen Calderon would plop her young son on the countertop in the bathroom where he’d watch as she went to work, blow drying and fixing her hair. Heaven forbid he had to miss a day. “My mom laughs because she said if I ever didn’t get to see her dry her hair, I would cry; I’d be so upset,” he laughed. “She has pictures of me at three years old walking around with my arms full of brushes and combs. She said I didn’t need any toys as a kid because all I ever wanted to play with was brushes and combs!”

Curious by nature, Calderon said he still remembers the first time he saw his mother use hairspray. It was the ‘90s, and in typical ‘90s fashion, his mother sported bangs and wings. “She would spray the wings and they would just stick. I wanted to know how it worked so I went outside and sprayed the grass but I remember getting mad because it wouldn’t stay how I

wanted it to,” he chuckled. It’s not an exaggeration to say he has had scissors in his hands since he was not much more than a preschooler. His dad,

F O C U S on a lifetime dream


PHOTO: Edward Calderon is at home in the salon, working to make his clients beautiful. PHOTO INSET: While most kids might have been playing with toys and trucks at an early age, Edward Calderon was happy with combs and brushes.

by Staci Guy

Edward ScissorhandsI T ’ S A L L H E ’ S E V E R W A N T E D T O D O

CARLSBAD’S OWN


Edward Sr., recalled a time when he was about five and loved going outside and cutting the grass with scissors. “He said the grass under that tree in our yard was so even where I’d cut it!” he laughed. “I’d cut my sister’s Barbie’s hair, her doll’s hair, my mom’s hair, the grass…you name it!”

At the ripe age of 11, Calderon unofficially launched his hairstyling business when his cousin asked him to fix her hair in an up-do for a quinceañera. It would prove to be the up-do that launched a thousand more up-dos. “After I fixed her hair, her friends started talking about it and they wanted me to fix their hair, too; word just kind of spread,” he recalled. “I would be booked up on weekends, going around from house to house fixing people’s hair. I especially knew if it was prom or there was a party or a quinceañera, I was going to be busy!” To assist him in his fledgling business, his parents, always supportive of their son and his passion, bought him an appointment book. Before long, he was “seeing clients” at his home.

As he busied himself primping girls for dances and quinceañeras, he always made time to squeeze in his most important client: his mother. “In the summers she would set up shop in her bathroom and I would blow dry and style her hair every day,” he

shared. “She would even let me cut and color her hair. She’d have orange highlights and stuff, but that didn’t seem to faze her. She let me do just about whatever I wanted to because she wanted to show her support, I guess!”

As his passion gained strength and his skills continued to improve, he longed to turn his hobby into a career. “At the time, they had a program in Loving, where I went to school, where you could go to school for half a day and then go to the beauty college for the other half,” he noted. One obstacle, however, stood in his way. Unfortunately, immediately prior to his entering the program, the school discontinued it. He was devastated.

Aware of his desired career path since early childhood, he knew what he had to do. Convincing his parents of his plan, however, would prove to be more difficult. “I went to my parents and said, ‘I know what I want to do, please let me drop out of school,’” he recalled. Not surprisingly, they declined his request, but that didn’t deter him. “After about three solid months of me begging, they finally gave in. They said, ‘Okay, but you will get your GED or you will go back to school.’”

With his parents’ approval, he withdrew from the Loving School

202 W. Stevens • 1509 W. Pierce • 2401 S. Canal

A lot has changed over the years but

the important things remain the same.

SERVING THE PEOPLE OFCARLSBAD FOR OVER 90 YEARS!

PHOTO BELOW: Pictured with Edward Calderon are his parents, Noreen and Edward Calderon, Sr.

System and headed to beauty school. Little did he know, Eddy County Beauty College would be as adamant as his parents that he obtain a GED. Armed with the knowledge that no GED meant no beauty school, he had his mother take him to New Mexico State University-Carlsbad in hopes of obtaining the coveted piece of paper. “They told me at the time that they didn’t offer all the classes I needed right then to get my GED, so I had to take part of the test in Hobbs, part of it in Artesia, part in Roswell and some of it here. About two weeks later, I got a letter in the mail saying I passed! I told my mom to take me to the beauty college and I showed it to my instructor and said, ‘Here, I passed!”

HE WAS 16 ANDWELL ON HIS WAY Not long after enrolling in beauty college, Calderon got wind of a hair competition in Chicago. For reasons he still doesn’t fully understand, he decided to enter the competition. “It was $5,000 to enter; the mannequin heads were like $500 a piece,” he shared. Always supportive, his family hosted a skeet shoot at his grandparents’ farm to help raise the money. “I went by myself—me and my mom—and when I got there it was crazy. I was amazed at all these people with coaches and mentors…I was thinking ‘What...did I get myself into?’

I don’t know how I did it, but I got tenth place out of about 210 people! Then I flew back and finished beauty school.”

Graduating from beauty school was one thing, but getting started in his career would prove to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. Going to work for a salon meant he had to purchase all his own supplies, which can add up rather quickly. “I still remember my grandma saying, ‘I’m going to give you my credit card and you buy whatever you need to get started and you can just pay me back as you can,’” he revealed. “I headed to Armstrong in Roswell to get my stuff and I was shocked when they totaled it up and it was almost $7,000!”With his supplies in hand, he set out for his first real job as a hairstylist at Deandrea’s, a local salon located inside the mall. Life as a hairdresser, however, was not exactly as he had expected—initially anyway. “My first year was one of the toughest years of my life,” he admitted. “People would sit down in my chair and look at me and ask how old I was. When I told them I was 17, they would just get up. No one wanted a young 17-year-old boy working on their hair.”

“I was wondering how I was ever going to build a clientele at that point and it dawned on me; I decided I was going to have to lie. From that point on, I started telling people I was 20 and it worked. They were okay with a 20-year-old doing their hair!”

Originally, he planned to work at Deandrea’s for a year, gain experience and knowledge, and then move to California, where he assumed he would launch his career and build a booming clientele base. It turns out, he didn’t even have to leave Carlsbad for that to happen. “My career jumped so fast, I decided, ‘I am not moving!’” he beamed.

After more than a year at Deandrea’s, a client told him about a new salon in town, Zazz, set to open. “I met with Sue (Baskin) and Memory (Dolan) and they were so structured,” he confided. “I was so young and intimidated because I thought ‘Sue

really knows her stuff,’ but she taught me so much: how to speak to people, how to be professional, how to manage my time…It was a great move for me.” Seven years later, he’s still a staple at Zazz. Many of his clients followed him from beauty school to Deandrea’s to Zazz, and he continues to build upon that strong base. He puts in long hours, which leaves his feet tired and his shoulders sore, but it doesn’t even feel like work to him. “I still remember the first day I stepped into a salon eight years ago and it still doesn’t feel like I’ve worked a day of my life!” he admitted.

It is said that behind every good child is a great mother. Calderon will tell you his mother absolutely fits the bill. Her unwavering support was evident from day one, when, as a young boy he often felt ostracized for his desire to fix hair while most little boys were playing sports and getting dirty. His mom made sure he not only followed his dreams, but that he did so without regard for what others thought. “If I didn’t have my mom I don’t think I would have gotten this far,” he shared. “She has always been there to encourage me and she never let me quit, even when I wanted to. I’ve always been worried about what other people think about me but my mom gives me confidence. My dad, too. They are just so supportive of me.”

He has won the Best of Carlsbad award in the hairdresser category for the past two years and placed second the previous year. It’s a lot for a young hairdresser to take in. “I remember when I was an intern at Daniel’s (a salon downtown). I remember one day thinking to myself, ‘Will I ever be as busy as him?’ Then a few years later I was about to leave work here at Zazz and I looked at my appointment book and it just hit me! I called my mom and said, ‘Do you remember when I was working at Daniel’s and wondered if I’d ever build a client base like his?’ She said, ‘Yes, I remember,’ and I said, ‘I think I made it!’”

Not surprisingly, his mother was there to offer her praise and assure him she never doubted him. “You know, sometimes people will tell you they are proud of you, and they are…but with my mom, I can actually feel it! She’s my biggest supporter!”

PHOTO: Pictured with Edward Calderon, far left, are his family: Fransesca, Justin, Noreen and Edward Sr.

F O C U S N M . C O M12 F O C U S O N C A R L S B A D | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

Visual Arts • Music • DanceTheater • History & Cultural Events

and so much more!

“A city’s culture residesin the hearts and in the souls

of its people.”

Paid for by the Carlsbad Lodgers Tax

- Mahatma Gandhi

www.cityofcarlsbadnm.com/crcmag.pdf

Heading south on Canal Street, few motorists give much thought to the building on the

northwest corner of Fox and Canal Streets. Truth be told, some long-time residents have probably at one time

or another been in the building with stairs leading up to the front of the building facing South Canal Street.

According to Bob Stockwell, former Eddy County manager and historian on the Bataan March and the National Guard’s presence in

F O C U S on a landmark

FROM ARMORYto Events Center

PHOTO RIGHT: Valerie Branson and her husband, Scott, own what is now called the Branson Events Center. She’s pictured here with her youngest daughter, Johnna.

PHOTO BELOW: Members of the 111th Cavalry Regiment on the steps of the New Mexico National Guard Armory in Carlsbad in 1939. Photo Courtesy of Bob Stockwell

by Stella Davis


Carlsbad, the building’s history dates back to 1916 when the National Guard commissioned the construction of a new armory.

During his research, he found in city records the armory construction cost was estimated at $20,000 and was designed by C.P. Ward, a Roswell architect. The contracting firm was Wallace and Pond from Carlsbad. “The upstairs will have drill and meeting rooms and a main floor auditorium,” states the document found by Stockwell.

Stockwell said he remembers as a young boy

watching the 111th Cavalry Regiment coming to the

armory to train on the weekends.

“My dad was fire chief, and the fire

station was across the street (northeast

corner of Fox and Canal Streets). I was

impressed with their swords,” he recalled with

a chuckle. “I would love to have one on display

at the museum. I think they also had an indoor shooting range, which was downstairs. Because they were a cavalry unit, they stabled their horses in the armory. It certainly was not ideal. Later, the cavalry’s horses were stabled out on Fiesta Drive. Eventually, a new armory was built by the stables.”

Stockwell noted that later the cavalry unit became the 200th Coast Guard Artillery and many of the men from Carlsbad in the unit ended up on the Bataan Death March during World War II. “There are a number of photos that show the Guard marching past the former armory on the way to the train station from where they went to El Paso to train before being sent to the Philippines,” he related.

The armory’s auditorium also served as a meeting place for community functions and meetings. According to Carlsbad’s Elk Lodge BPOE 1558 records, the first formal meeting of the Lodge was held in the upstairs room of the armory in 1929. The organization continued to rent space for their gatherings until they were able to purchase the building from the National Guard in 1941 for $22,500.

The facility, with its large upstairs ballroom, was the site of many activities for both members and the community. Groups such as the famed Jimmy Dorsey Band and the Inkspots performed there. Stories have also been told that Elvis Presley performed in the ballroom sometime in the 1950s, as did Buddy Holly.

Long-time resident Harvey Hicks recalled attending dances there in the 1940s and other functions held by the Elks as well as the Lodge’s community sanctioned events. “It was really a gathering place in those days,” according to Hicks.

Downstairs in what had once been the indoor shooting range and stables, members enjoyed the renovated area that served as the lounge. But unlike today at the current facility on Muscatel Avenue, there was no dining area at the time. However, according to the Elks’ written history, that didn’t stop some members from having food with their beverages. They set up their charcoal grills on the patio on the corner of Fox and Canal and cooked steaks. As its membership grew, the facility was not adequate. In 1980 the decision was made to sell the building and build a new lodge on Muscatel Avenue, which is still in use today.

When the Elks Lodge sold its building at Fox and Canal, the new owners turned it into a gym and health club. The

As we continue to grow,we remain committed to

serving people in aChristian environment.

1960 LAKEVIEW PROPERTY

1985 LAKEVIEW VILLAGE

1990 NORTHGATE VILLAGE

1996 HOME HEALTH / 2000 HOSPICE

1997 RIVER BEND

2014 - HEATON HOUSE

CURRENT LAKEVIEW NORTHGATE

SKILLED NURSING CARE • ASSISTED LIVING • HOME HEALTHTHERAPY • HOSPICE • INDEPENDENT RETIREMENT LIVING

575.885.31611905 W. Pierce • Carlsbad, NM 88220

Story continues on page 18 >>>

Supported by the City of Carlsbad & Carlsbad Lodgers Tax Carl

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Admission is always FREE. You are always welcome.

Come Face to Face w

ith History

Sgt. Joe Stanley Smith in the Philippines, prior to the Japanese invasion, 1941.

Upcoming Exhibits & Events

Jan 16—Feb 25 Travelers Hope: An Exhibit by Ferrin

Feb 7 Annual Museum AMIGO Gathering

Feb 28—Mar 28 Carlsbad Area Art Association Membership Show

Mar 7 Made in NM Film Presentation Featuring American Indians by Jeff Berg

Mar 14 Carlsbad & Hobbs Wind Symphony Spring Concert

Mar 20 Women’s History Month O’Keeffe Presentation & Book Signing by Carol Merrill

Apr 1—Apr 30 Carlsbad Municipal Schools Art Show

Apr 22 Earth Day Celebration

May—Sept Exhibit—Empowering Women: Artisan Cooperatives That Transform Communities

May 29

Fifth Friday Event— Art Academy Preview

Take Another Look at the Carlsbad Museum & Art Center

ballroom served as a school of dance for Carlsbad’s youth. After the gym and health club closed, the building remained empty until it was purchased by Scott and Valerie Branson, local business owners and entrepreneurs.

Today, it is known as the Branson Events Center, offering a reception hall where the public can rent it for private family celebrations and other community functions. Valerie Branson said they purchased the building in 2006 and have steadily worked on the renovations. “We still have a lot more work to do,” she emphasized, adding that her vision for the facility is coming together.

The ground floor contains offices for the couple’s various businesses with a few more offices spread throughout the building. The second floor contains the ballroom that has been

remodeled to include new flooring and a heating and cooling system. Connecting the two floors is a metal spiral staircase that was once used by entertainers who slipped down to the lower floor to avoid the crowd in the ballroom between their sets. A third level has also undergone some remodeling.

Branson commented that she keeps hearing from old-timers in the community about the building and is constantly amazed at the stories they have tell. “It’s hard to imagine the National Guard kept horses in this building, but they did. That’s documented,” she acknowledged. “I was also told that during World War II, German prisoners of war were held here until they were taken to the camp that was near today’s hospital. There were a lot dances held here as well as community functions. If only the walls

could talk of the things that went on in this building!”

Branson noted that for now, the events center is limited to private functions because the facility is not wheelchair accessible.

In all, she admitted she is proud of what has been accomplished renovation-wise so far without changing the exterior of the building and thus keeping its integrity. When she learned what the original cost of the building was and the subsequent sale price to the Elks Lodge, Branson laughed and added, “Wow, and I thought we got a bargain when we bought it.”

60th Anniversary

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From Armory to Events Center - Continued from page 15


ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PARADE1 • Christmas Light Parade emcees Bob Scholl and Phil Tozier pose after another successful parade.

NEW ROUTE DOWNTOWN2 • The Electric Light Parade took a new route through downtown Carlsbad this year.

TOYS FOR KIDS CARSHOW3 • Toys for Kids carshow at the Riverwalk Recreation Center.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE ANIMALS4 • A costumed bear joined this year’s Christmas with the Animals at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.

UNDERGROUND FIESTA5 • The Carlsbad Museum and Art Center held a fiesta celebration to honor the return of its Underground of Enchantment exhibit.

HONORING OUR VETERANS6 • The San Jose Senior Center held a special event to honor Carlsbad’s veterans this year.

ADOPTION DAY7 • Dana Valenzuela was the keynote speaker at this year’s Adoption Day ceremony, hosted by CASA and CYFD.

MAYORS’ PRAYER BREAKFAST8 • Allen West addresses the crowd during this year’s Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast, which drew thousands.

TROUBADOURS SING9 • The Carlsbad High School Troubadours wowed the crowd at this year’s Eddy County Mayors’ Prayer Breakfast.

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F O C U S online

WHAT GIVES HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS AND COLLEGE PROFESSORS HEADACHES, BUT IS THE QUICKEST WAY TO FIND OUT WHAT YEAR NAPOLEON WAS BORN, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF PERU IN THE SUMMER AND HOW MANY STAR TREK MOVIES HAVE BEEN MADE? SURVEY SAYS: WIKIPEDIA. (ANSWERS: 1769, IT DEPENDS ON THE REGION & 12)

The judges might also accept Google as a viable answer, but a random Google search often subsequently directs the user to Wikipedia. The online encyclopedia is everything we love and hate about the internet: instant access but plenty of issues with accuracy.

Turns out, Carlsbad residents have quite a presence on Wikipedia. There are the top officials like Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway and Carlsbad Municipal Schools Superintendent Gary Perkowski, sports heroes like Cody Ross and Shane Andrews, and persons of historic significance like Bruce Cabot and Jim White. A number of other Carlsbad residents also show up on Wikipedia and in the spirit of taking a second look, we took

a second look at Carlsbad’s Wikipedia presence. The four individuals below were asked to either expand or provide an update on what got them on Wikipedia.

GUY LUTMANImagine being the guy who invented the “Macarena” dance and you have a pretty good idea what life was like for Guy Lutman back in 1976.

Lutman was the choreographer who came up with a dance routine for the British pop band Brotherhood of Man’s stage performance to their hit song “Save Your Kisses for Me.” Aided by their routine, Brotherhood of Man won the 1976 Eurovision Song contest and went on to fame and glory. It landed Lutman a mention on Brotherhood of Man’s Wikipedia page. Check it out: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_of_Man).

It isn’t Lutman’s only claim to fame. Both he and his wife, Brenda, had extensive professional performing careers in Great Britain, and he also has a spot on the web site IMDb that includes mention of his time as a Russian dancer on the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof.

Brotherhood of Man’s dance routine really caught on, first in Great Britain

and eventually across Europe. “Their manager came to me and asked me to put together a stage act,” Lutman recalled. “I was called to choreograph and get a performance together for their initial competition.”

He remembers that the song had a sweetness to it that he wanted to capture in the dance. “It’s a cute little song,” he noted. “If you listen to the lyrics, it’s actually directed to a little girl.”

At the time, the Lutmans lived in a small cottage with his mother. He said he listened to the song and read the lyrics, then got to work in front of a mirror developing the dance routine. “I remember telling my mother at around 1:00 a.m. ‘I’ve got it!’” he recalled. “The challenge,” he added, “was to then try to convince four individual artists that this is the best way to enhance their song and then sell it to their manager.”

Brotherhood of Man won their initial competition in London and went on to win the Eurovision Competition. The “stupid little dance,” as Lutman jokingly called it, really helped with their competition, especially since band stage choreography was in its infancy back then.

The dance itself also became a hit. “Everywhere you’d go, you’d see kids in the street doing it,” Brenda laughed. She still performs the dance quite well, by the way.

Life for the Lutmans remained hectic for years, sometimes each one

PHOTO: Carlsbad resident Guy Lutman once designed a dance move that would sweep Europe.He’s pictured here dancing on a television show in the 1970s.

CARLSBAD GOES

by Kyle Marksteiner


tackling multiple show or dance performances around London in a single day.

Years later, when the couple attended a Brotherhood of Man concert, they had the opportunity to go backstage and chat with the band again. Guy was later introduced to the entire audience and received thunderous applause. “They became millionaires overnight, and they are still going strong,” Lutman observed.

Want to see the Brotherhood of Man dance? Try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykKNC6NjgMc.

CATHRYNN BROWNState Representative Cathrynn Brown appears on Wikipedia twice: once on a page mentioning her as an elected official and once as one of the founders of Carlsbad’s Jefferson Montessori Academy ( JMA). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Montessori_Academy)

The school’s two other founders, Arleen Standiford and Patricia Verch, have since left town. “Actually, they were the originators of the school,” Brown responded. “I showed up one day when there was a notice to the public inviting everyone to find out more about the concept.”

She happened to mention that she was an attorney and was quickly drafted to help with paperwork. “I had no clue how much time it was going to involve over the next nine months,” she reflected.

Brown revealed that though she wanted to support the school,

the original plan did not include enrolling her children into JMA. However, four of her five children said they wanted to try it out. “As a parent, you want your children to have the best education. Each child is a little bit different, and we looked to find the best fit,” she shared.

Jefferson Montessori Academy opened its doors in 2002 and is still going strong today. It was named Charter School of the Year by the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools in 2010.

“I think they’ve achieved quite a bit,” Brown bragged. “For me, the best part is going to a graduation

and hearing the students who are graduating speak. Every student is expected to get up and give a speech, and they are outstanding.”

She didn’t know about her Wikipedia presence, but she noted that you never know with the internet.

CHUNKY CLICK“Famous or infamous?” joked former Eddy County Sheriff M.A. “Chunky” Click, now retired. Click was Eddy County’s sheriff when one of Carlsbad’s most headline-grabbing news stories in history happened. East Coast hiker Raffi Kodikian was accused of killing his best friend, David Coughlin, after the two became lost and dehydrated in the backcountry of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Kodikian said his best friend was severely dehydrated and begged him to end his life.

Click, who is mentioned in the Wikipedia article about the incident, thought there was more to the story, and he still isn’t convinced. His thoughts on

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the matter are immortalized, for a limited time, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_David_Coughlin.

“I think what stands out the most is the fact that they were down in Rattlesnake Canyon supposedly out of water and food, but they were only two or three hundred feet from the trail, and at night you can see the headlights off of the highway,” he declared.

District Judge Jay Forbes apparently saw some truth in Kodikian’s story. The accused pled guilty to second degree murder but received a prison sentence reduced to two years. Additionally, no law enforcement investigations have contradicted his story or indicated a conflict between the two men.

“Another thing that stands out in my mind is the amount of media attention it received,” Click recalled. “There were people here from Boston and New York.”

Every now and then, Click will receive a media call from someone doing a follow-up on the Kodikian story. He also still gets calls from members of the community with law enforcement questions. “I’m not the sheriff anymore, but I’m glad to help if I can,” he noted. Though retired, he still sings and runs karaoke at the Elks Lodge and other events.

Like Rep. Brown, Click wasn’t aware of the fact that he turns up on Wikipedia, either. “In fact, I stay off of Facebook and usually don’t even get on the computer,” he concluded. “It’s like Jerry Springer when you go online.”

JAYANN SEPICHJayann and Dave Sepich’s effort to bring legislation to expand DNA testing for felony arrests is well known to most residents of Carlsbad. Their daughter, Katie, was killed in 2003. Her killer was identified through DNA evidence after he was convicted of another crime.

Through the effort of the Sepiches, Katie’s Law was created, which now requires DNA samples be taken from suspects arrested for felonies. Jayann Sepich has worked tirelessly since then to introduce similar legislation across the country. The effort is documented on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie’s_Law.

Sepich’s home office includes a large picture of Katie that stands near a “war map” of the United States with markers indicating which states have such laws, which do not, and which have a current sponsor in the House or Senate. This is an important year for her efforts, as it is the last year states can receive federal funding through the Katie Sepich Enhanced DNA Collection Act.

“We’ve got quite a few states we are working with this year,” stated Sepich. “We’ve been working in Oklahoma on and off for the past eight years, and we’re really hoping to get them this year.”

The bill has a lot of support, both in the State House and State Senate and from law enforcement agencies, but there is opposition from people who worry about giving government more power. “Oklahoma is going to be tough, but we are energized,” she declared.

Minnesota is also on this year’s list, and Sepich said she has strong support from a woman who also lost a child under similar tragic circumstances. Connecticut passed a bill a few years ago, but she is pushing for a tougher version similar to what exists in most states. Pennsylvania and Arkansas are also on the list for revisions or improvements.

Currently, some version of Katie’s Law exists federally and in 28 states, and Sepich wants to work on the remaining 22. Even laws in “completed” states sometimes need to be revisited due to legal rules or changes to the law. Her legal arguments have the support of the United States Supreme Court, which has ruled that DNA testing is not in violation of the Fourth Amendment.

While support remains strong everywhere, Sepich said unrelated government spying scandals have caused an increased pushback against Katie’s Law, as some groups feel it leads to more government control. She vehemently disagrees. “The system was designed to protect privacy from the beginning,” she added. “There was a lot of research done.”

A DNA strand has more than three billion pairs, she pointed out, and the coding system only uses 13 pairs

that are not genetically significant. “Even if the data were hacked, it would not tell you anything,” she argued, noting that access to the limited information is also extremely regulated. “There are no names or social security numbers in the database. It is all designed to protect privacy.”

To make the point, Sepich passes out business cards that include her own DNA code information.

“I do believe DNA really is the truth. It’s the science, and there is no bias,” she emphasized, adding that the system has also helped clear people who have been falsely convicted of crimes.

Trying to make the world a better place can be an endurance test, and Sepich admits that she could use some help. She said she’s not especially internet savvy, and she could use some extra assistance with creating a Facebook page and Twitter account to inform supporters of weekly developments.

“A lot of people have friends and relatives in Oklahoma and other states, and we’re asking them to contact them to make calls in support,” she affirmed. “Those calls help.”

Statistics in New Mexico show that Katie’s Law has resulted in 827 cases matched that have led to 778 arrests, meaning earlier arrests and prevention of future crimes. But there’s an awful lot more to this issue than just statistics. Sepich pointed out a letter she’s sent out to every legislator in a state without such a law. Two young women, both victims of violent crimes, are described and pictured on the letter.

“They would have been having Christmas with their family,” Sepich summarized. “We think we save lives with this, and that’s what keeps me going.”

PHOTO: The parents of Katie Sepich are fighting to get DNA testing laws enactedin her memory.


PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN- the 16th president of the United States, was born on February 12, 1809. Here are a few facts about President Lincoln that you may not know.Abraham Lincoln had no middle name. He was named after his paternal grandfather who had been killed in 1786. He was simply (and legally) just Abraham Lincoln his entire life.

Abraham Lincoln is the only president to have a patent. The patent was for a Lincoln-devised device for freeing ships that had run aground in shallow water. Lincoln received patent number 6469 in 1849.

Lincoln’s coffin has been moved 17 times, mostly due to numerous reconstructions of the Lincoln Tomb and fears for the safety of the president’s remains.

During the Black Hawk War in 1832, Abraham Lincoln joined a volunteer company and was elected captain. He never fought in a battle.

Once a shot was fired through Lincoln’s hat (possibly by a hunter but probably by a sniper) while the president was on horseback near the Soldiers’ Home. The incident happened in August of 1864. The president asked that no mention of it be made to the public as it might worry his family.

The first foreign statue honoring Abraham Lincoln was erected in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was unveiled on August 21, 1893. There are three statues of Lincoln in Mexico located in Tijuana, Mexico City, and Juarez. Additionally, there is a statue of Lincoln in Parliament Square in London.

On Monday morning, March 8, 1830, during the Lincolns’ move from Indiana to Illinois, at Vincennes they headed for Haines’ ferry, drove the caravan onto the ferry, and crossed the Wabash River into Illinois. Here, the Lincolns’ dog, Honey, jumped overboard, landed on a thin sheet of ice and was about to drown, but Abraham, seeing the crisis, jumped into the icy water and saved Honey’s life.

Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith passed away on December 24, 1985. He was the last living Lincoln descendant. Thus there are no descendants alive today. Trivia facts taken from http://rogerjnorton.com.

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F O C U S on mainstreet

AMANDAMELVINFormer Executive DirectorCARLSBAD MAINSTREET

A sense of calm and feeling of clarity radiates within the MainStreet office as its staff begin the

implementation of activities and tasks for another year of making downtown Carlsbad a lively, vibrant place where people can shop, eat and find entertainment on weekdays, weekends and evenings. The Carlsbad MainStreet board retreat occurred in November of 2014, and in collaboration with board members and community participants, a workplan with clear goals and priorities to progress downtown revitalization efforts emerged.

Carlsbad MainStreet outlined some key concerns to address in its 2015 workplan. Downtown design elements garnered high priority including the challenges presented in routing visitors and tourists off the main drive (Canal Street). Detouring is necessary for people to experience downtown

boutiques and historic district buildings and museums as well as the Halagueno Arts Park. Additionally, public safety, including safe alleyways and rights-of-way for visitors and shoppers, is a concern that will receive action as well as the ever persistent lack of customer parking in retail areas. Moreover, sharing information about MainStreet’s Master Plan and garnering involvement in downtown activities is of continual importance.

In addition to tasks and activities to address the aforementioned concerns, Carlsbad MainStreet, in partnership with its organizational partners, is preparing its 2015 events calendar. The events will begin in early summer with another exciting and bountiful season of the Carlsbad Downtown Farmers’ Market. We hope to again bring back its event days including the Mayor’s Salsa Contest, which was a big hit last year, and our educational programs regarding health, food and farming. This year we will be hosting

the 3rd Annual Progressive Dinner Partnership Drive, and you can plan for another year of downtown trick-or-treating. We are especially excited to take part in the Grand Illumination in partnership with the City of Carlsbad as the 2015 holiday season begins with one big light switch that lights up Halagueno Arts Park and all of downtown Carlsbad in addition to kicking off the 2015 electric light parade.

Are you interested in historic preservation, business development, downtown events, farmers market, walkable communities or other areas related to creating a vibrant downtown? Do you want to get more involved in your community? Carlsbad MainStreet relies on community volunteers to accomplish its mission and would like to hear from you. To get involved, visitcarlsbadmainstreet.org and submit an electronic volunteer form or call the MainStreet office at 575-628-3768.

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The Carlsbad Downtown Farmers’Market(CDFM) is coming to the courthouse lawn very soon. Last year was one of our best ever for customer turnout and vendor income. The plan for the future is to add even more growers and add to the events that have been so well received by the community.

Whenever I travel, I do my best to visit a local farmers’ market. The most recent one was the Winter Farmers’ Market in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It was indoors, which was a good thing as it was snowing, blowing and cold outside. Inside the historic depot, it was warm and busy with customers buying winter vegetables, grass-fed meats, fresh baked breads, salsas, jams, local cheeses, crafts and more. Live music contributed to a festive atmosphere.

I know there has been some disappointment expressed by customers with the CDFM because we don’t have some of those kinds of foods available. It hasn’t been for a lack of trying, but is instead an issue of onerous health regulations which have made it hard to comply with or are unaffordable. Although I did some research for food poisoning issues at farmers’ markets, I was unable to find any documented cases. We all know that locally available produce and other foods are fresher, definitely tastier and higher in nutrients, but the possibility, though perhaps rare, of food-borne illness is always an issue. The regulations around our food supply are so important, especially for the large agribusiness suppliers who deal in quantities of food in

the multiple thousands of pounds. I want to know that the foods I am buying at a supermarket chain or a large restaurant are safe. However, I’m not so convinced that what I buy from a local CDFM vendor, with whom I may have a relationship, should be required to follow the identical rules. I have cooked for my own family in my own kitchen for many years with no food poisoning problems, so I see no reason to have to invest approximately $17,000 to bring it within regulations similar to a local restaurant to produce a few jars of salsa or jams. I can, however, follow reasonable guidelines for a clean environment that I would expect to follow to feed anyone.

The CDFM committee will continue to find a way

to bring an extended number of items to our market, but for the time being our attitude will have to be that “it is what it is.” What it is, for a small desert community, is very special.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Margaret Barry is a local gardener and fiber artist and is a vendor at the CDFM. She teachers organic gardening for the Continuing Education program at NMSU-C, and is Vice President of the Carlsbad MainStreet Board of Directors, which sponsors the Farmers’ Market.

F O C U S on the garden

by Margaret Barry

GardenNotes

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CARLSBAD’S HOUSING SCENE IS SOMETIMES CHALLENGING, BUT ONE PRIME PIECE OF LOCAL REAL ESTATE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR TENANTS FOR SEVERAL YEARS.The only problem is that you have to have wings if you want to live there, be able to hang upside down and, well, be a bat.

The National Cave and Karst Research Institute’s (NCKRI) bat roost has yet to draw any bats, but that’s not completely unexpected, observed NCKRI’s executive director Dr. George Veni.

“Bat Conservation International’s information is that it takes, on average, from two to five years for a bat to discover a roost once it becomes available,” Veni stated. “We’re moving into our fourth year (since the completion of the building).”

The bat roost is a specially designed portion of the building at Carlsbad’s Cascades Development. The roost includes sensors and monitors allowing scientists to study the bats living inside. One entire wall of the building was designed to serve as the ideal bat pad for the area’s creatures.

It just still needs some bats.

Veni believes one issue may be that Carlsbad has been in a drought for most of the past few years, saying, “They migrate up from Mexico in the spring and they follow the food.” Because neighboring Texas has not been under the same drought conditions New Mexico has, “the majority of them may have gone over there,” he mused. Additionally, bats respond to population pressure. If the area’s bat population is not increasing, bats may not need to search for new homes.

The installed sensors let Veni and members of the Institute know that it is not a matter of the bats finding the roost and rejecting it. They simply have not checked it out.

Some varieties of bats are more social and tend to look for new homes together, while others are often solitary. There are actually a lot of unknowns about how and why bats decide to search for a new home. “We’ve seen bees and birds and wasps come to visit. We know it works,” Veni declared.

The roost consists of six crevices for bat occupation, each 60 centimeters high. The walls, roof and dividing panels are all made of concrete with a brushed finish for bats to grip while roosting. Designers estimate that the roost could hold a maximum of about 7,500 bats, with 5,000 as a likely average high.

Don’t offer bringing some bats to the roost, however. This is, after all, a science experiment that includes examining how bats choose their habitat. So coating the area in some form of batnip or just bringing a bunch of the suckers over isn’t going to cut it. “We’re not doing anything to attract bats, but we are trying to make the roosts as attractive as possible,” Veni added. “This is a

luxury condo. What’s unique about our roost is that it is the first in the world designed to be a bat roost.”

So Veni isn’t worried, but if a few more years pass without any batty neighbors, the Institute may look at some variables such as lighting to try to determine why the area’s bat population are thumbing their furry little noses at the roost.

In the meantime, NCKRI is busy touching up several parts of the building, including the outside courtyard, the library and the laboratory, thanks to help from the City and a lodger’s tax grant. NCKRI is also hosting meetings and planning

F O C U S on bats

PHOTO: Dr. George Veni, executive director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, examines the Institute’s bat roost.

Bat Pad StillLooking for Tenants

by Kyle Marksteiner


conferences. Scientists are finalizing the results of research projects and helping with geophysics work to track underground passages.

There’s still a lot of work left to be done, and Veni noted that the physical construction at the library doesn’t mean the books themselves will be in place overnight. The Institute, incidentally, is also looking for volunteers to help with data logging, book cataloging and other projects.

Suzanna Langowski, NCKRI’s Advancement Director, said the Institute is planning a Deep Karst seminar in 2016 that will be very relevant to the area’s oil and gas industry. During this past summer’s oil and gas summit, Veni told the audience there that the Institute can help with the area’s oil and gas industry by making sure there are no large cavities in a proposed drilling site. “They (drilling rigs) can run the risk of collapsing,” he suggested. “That’s expensive, dangerous and environmentally bad. We’re not trying to be a consulting company,

but it is an important public service that helps us better understand deep voids.”

The bats, when they arrive, will be an important part of the Institute’s commitment to cave and karst, but the show is going on. Langowski noted that the Institute is also tasked with helping teach about the benefits of bats.

“A single bat will eat its body weight in mosquitos a night,” she shared. “We also want to correct misconceptions about bats and focus on educating the public of their importance.”

The eastern wall of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute is worth a second look.

The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is a non-profit government-supported institute headquartered in Carlsbad. Its goals are to conduct, support, facilitate and promote programs in cave and karst research, education, environmental management and data acquisition and sharing. For more information, please visit www.nckri.org.

PHOTOS: Pam Cox, a ranger from Carlsbad Caverns National Park, collects the data loggers from inside an office where trap doors in the floor allow access to the top of the roost. The data loggers are set in the tops of holes that extend down to the top of the crevices where the bats will live. Monitors are checked weekly to see if bats have found the roost. The camera for the monitor is infrared (to see at night as well as day) and is looking across the bottom of the roost toward the second infrared camera on the opposite wall. The bats will live in the ¾” wide crevices at the top of the photo. Photos courtesy of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute.

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Visitors to New Mexico’s arid Southwest often describe Carlsbad as an oasis in the desert because of the Pecos River, which wanders lazily

through it. But the oasis is not a new creation, nor was it created by chance. It was a vision carefully crafted by two men, Charles B. Eddy, who owned the land, and John James Hagerman, who had the imagination. Together they mapped out the townsite around the river, planted hundreds of lush, green trees, and proceeded to entice hot, weary travelers to settle in its shade.

It worked, and the little town prospered. As a result of this progress, Carlsbad’s train station was built in 1904. In typical Santa Fe style, it was a compact brick building (the brick possibly coming from the enormous sugar beet factory north of town which burned in 1903). It consisted of two large rooms, one on the south side for holding luggage that had large arched windows open to the track, and another on the opposite end for accommodating passengers. It was covered with a peaked shingle roof.

The train station’s success mirrored, somewhat clumsily, that of the town. As Carlsbad’s fortunes flowed and ebbed, so did the station. Somewhere between 1924 and 1929 as people were drawn here to the cool shade and as the potash and oil industries were established,

F O C U S on history

Train Station Legacyby Sharon McIntire

PHOTO LEFT: The Carlsbad, NM Train Station. PHOTO RIGHT: A model replica of Carlsbad’s train station, located at the Carlsbad Museum & Art Center.


the station accommodated the increased business with an expanded waiting/seating area and a larger “express luggage area.” In addition, the brick walls were covered in adobe and the shingle roof was replaced with a flat one. A bay window was also added between the two areas. Bay windows are attractive of course, but also practical: this one gave the trainmaster in charge of announcing arrivals and departures a clear view of the train tracks in both directions. In time a large park was also built on the north side of the station where many of the town’s festivities took place.

In the 1920s, another man with larger-than-life dreams entered the scene. Fred Harvey developed Harvey Tours, which took travelers on luxury tours across the new nation in a set of Pullman train cars. These elite railcars offered nothing but the finest accommodations and food, and his well-trained Harvey Girls made sure that each passenger was pampered and coddled. Carlsbad became one of the four tours he offered, taking his Pullman car off the main east-west route at Clovis and dropping his passengers off at Carlsbad, where they were escorted in style on a tour of Carlsbad Caverns, back to the station for a night on the town and then back to Clovis where they would continue their journey west.

As the automobile became the favored mode of transportation, the popularity of rail travel diminished. Freight continued to be big business, however, and most of the trains became mixed trains with some passenger travel but mostly freight. During the ‘40s and until the late ‘50s motorized passenger cars, which required no steam engine, continued to ferry travelers to and from Carlsbad. But by the early ‘60s there was little demand for passenger business, so the railroad industry confined its business to freight.

The latest remodel of the train station occurred in 1972. Due to increased freight traffic and the lack of demand for passenger travel, the station closed in its outside waiting area and filled the space with two offices. A new freight station was built to replace the one that was torn down in the ‘20s and a walkway was built between it and the concrete loading dock.

The inside of Carlsbad’s train station is an interesting mix. Because all of these changes to the train station were made for practical rather than aesthetic purposes, little was done to camouflage the building’s original structure. So, while the outside of the structure is almost unrecognizable other than the brick sidewalk which surrounds it, you can still see the original

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arches and much of the brickwork that composed the inside of the station in 1904. The building’s 1918 benchmark is also still evident, though you’d have to ask to see it, as it is hidden inside a small closet.

The railroad industry has survived a lot of changes in our nation’s history. In spite of pipelines, freight trucks and airplanes all vying for its livelihood, the mournful sound of a train’s whistle still fills the air, making the nostalgic traveler wonder where it is going and what sights it will see on its journey. Anyone who has had the privilege of traveling on those Pullman cars, who has eaten in their elegant restaurants and slept on their starched white sheets, who has been lulled to sleep by the clack of a train‘s steel wheels and the call of its sad whistle knows there is mystery and romance in a train that earns its own special place in our hearts. Hopefully those whistles still will be a part of our history a hundred years from now.

The best way to see what Carlsbad’s original train station looked like is to go to the Carlsbad Museum. Since March of 2013, Willi Gung and Phil Porter have painstakingly recreated much of the town of Carlsbad as it was in 1905. It’s a fascinating bird’s eye view of the potash mines as well as the townsite painstakingly recreated to the last detail with the train station proudly displayed in the center of it all. The train station is one of only three original buildings in downtown Carlsbad still standing; the others are the offices of Durham and Associates which used to house the Masonic Hall upstairs and a mortuary downstairs, and the Trinity Hotel which was originally a bank. Gung and Porter have researched their work to the smallest detail and are more than willing to share their vast knowledge with curious visitors. Historical information in this articleprovided by Willi Gung.

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PHOTO: The train station, pictured from across the Pecos River, has been reproduced in detail.


LET’S Eat!Pistachio FluffFruit SaladIngredients: • 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice• 1 (3 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix• 1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed• 2 large bananas, sliced • 2 cups miniature marshmallows• 1 (15.25 ounce) can fruit cocktail, drained• 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained

Directions:Dump instant pudding into a large mixing bowl. Add pineapple and mix well. Mix in whipped topping. Stir

in bananas, marshmallows, fruit cocktail and mandarin oranges. Cover and

refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I visited the Midwest for the holidays, so I thought it might be fun to “go Midwest” for this edition’s recipe list. If these recipes are alien to you, you obviously have not spent much time in Milwaukee. Recipes taken from allrecipes.com.

German Potato SaladIngredients: • 3 cups diced, peeled potatoes• 4 slices bacon• 1 small onion, diced• 1/4 cup white vinegar• 2 Tablespoons water• 3 Tablespoons white sugar• 1 teaspoon salt• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions: Place the potatoes into a pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool.

Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add onion to the bacon grease and cook over medium heat until browned.

Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon.

Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top and serve warm. Makes 4 servings.


F O C U S on an artist

DR. ROBERT KEYES’ MUSE IS HIS KNOWING THAT HE CAN DO BETTER. Once, he was visiting the Chicago Art Institute and admiring the work there. Then he spotted a painting on display that did not impress. “It looked like a six-year-old kid had done it,” he remembered. “How can something like that end up in a great institute?”

Keyes decided he could do better, so he began studying and practicing oil painting. He even took on portraits, because he heard they were the most difficult type of painting and figured he might as well tackle the hard stuff.

Then there was the time he obtained his Master of Business Administration. Someone made a comment that an MBA “was a dime a dozen,” Keyes recalled, and that ticked him off just a little bit, so he went on to get his doctorate.

“I was just challenged to do it,” he stated.

Nobody ever said inspiration only has to be upbeat.

Keyes has been the Vice President for Business and Finance with New Mexico State University-Carlsbad since 2012. He’s originally a native of Pensacola, Florida, where he and his father ran two funeral homes and a

crematorium. He had a CPA license, so after the businesses sold, he moved to Chicago in 1996 to work as an accountant for the Illinois Institute of Technology. He worked his way up the chain there until 2010, when the collapse in the economy resulted in the elimination of his job. He also obtained his two advanced degrees while living in Chicago.

Keyes loved much of the artwork

at Chicago’s art museums, but it was a piece that he did not like that really inspired him to try his hand at oil painting. He studied lots of Rembrandts and other masters. He replicated Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, that now hangs above his office desk, and has done many more similar works.

“I was living by myself after my divorce. It was cold outside and

PHOTO: Dr. Robert Keyes shows off a portrait he painted himself: a recreation of Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. OTHER ART: Some of Dr. Robert Keyes’ creations.

BUSINESS AND FINANCE VEEP

by Kyle Marksteiner


there was nothing to do,” he reflected. “Oil painting is very time consuming and productive. I could go to the nearby art institute and read all the professional literature about oil painting and styles. I kept working at it.”

As a side portion of his job, he’s currently teaching an oil painting class at NMSU-C, “and if you follow my instructions, you will paint a brilliant picture,” he promised.

Keyes has gone on to expand his artistic repertoire. One of his teachers told him to paint what he feels, so he also began drawing what he felt—literally. “I put the pencil to the paper and started drawing an emotion,” he revealed. “I came up with a hieroglyphic style of drawing that anyone can look at and just get.” He coined the term for this effort, linoglyphic art, and published a book with a collection of his emotions, depicting images ranging the gamut of feeling from “lonely” and “self-doubt” to “inspired.” He has other ink drawings that he gives out as Christmas presents, and he has even held two exhibits.

Additionally, Keyes also has a

love for music. He played violin as a child and took up the jazz/bass fiddle while he was living in Chicago. He’s currently taking piano lessons and says he’s at the intermediate level, though he still challenges himself by attempting to play the works of classic composers. “It’s just a matter of stretching my limits,” he shared.

He said he always picks the greats when he’s seeking artistic inspiration. He is realistic about it, but he might as well shoot for the moon. “If I pick people at the pinnacle of their achievements, then I’m not going to be mediocre,” he concluded, and that’s always the goal.

Take a second look. The Vice President of Business and Finance just might also be a true Renaissance man.

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F O C U S on an Eddy Co. Legacy

We don’t want to be seen as just a wedding location,” declared Chad Ingram, Camp Washington Ranch director, and given the Ranch’s rich

history and anticipated future, that is probably not a problem.

As a division of CARC, Inc., the Ranch raises money to support CARC, which provides services for people with developmental disabilities or special needs. CARC has 16 residents who live on the property and work in the community, according to Ingram. “Everything we do out there—the main focus is on the clients.”

Camp Washington Ranch is a 4,000 acre facility located about 30 miles south of Carlsbad. Beyond being a destination for weddings, facilities at the Ranch are rented for business retreats, family reunions and concerts. The Ranch features a dining hall, pond, conference center and basketball court. There are even cabins, dorms, RV spots and three motels rooms available for rent.

“We like to brag that we’re the second closest (after White’s City) to Carlsbad Caverns,” Ingram stated. “There are so many things we can do out there and we have the land and the abilities to do it.”

On the horizon are plans for a paintball course. Ingram disclosed that the Ranch is going to have a group come out in February to test things out and aims for a full blown opening by March or April. Plans for a human foosball court and a Ga-Ga pit are also underway.

“Imagine a UFC case made out of wood and 20 people playing dodgeball inside,” he explained. “We’re going to call all of this the Washington Ranch experience.”

Ingram revealed that he’s worked with local paintball enthusiasts in designing the court. “We’ll have all the equipment to rent, and it’s going to be a combination nature and speedball course,” he offered. Paintball at Washington Ranch will be only by reservation when it first starts. “This will give area youth another option,” he noted.

Washington Ranch’s history probably best begins with its colorful founder, W.E. (Bill) Washington, known as Uncle Bill to his close friends. His marriage into a wealthy Chickasaw family granted him certain privileges, and he was a millionaire by age 38, though he ultimately crossed ways with the Chickasaw and was forced to leave the area.

He settled in southeastern New Mexico in 1908 and decided he enjoyed ranching in the Black River area by 1910. He was by no means the first pioneer to live in the area, however. The property includes a small cemetery with graves of members of a Welch family who were born between 1844 and 1872. Additionally, Henry (Hank) Harrison was a pioneer at nearby Rattlesnake Springs.

According to Washington Ranch’s bio, there were quite a few less-than-flattering stories about Washington. There are, for starters, rumors that he sold the same herd of cattle or horses to more than one buyer. He paid his cowboys 50 cents a day in his own

CAMP WASHINGTON RANCH:Historic Treasure Trove and Bright Future

PHOTOS: In 2013 Washington Ranch began a major facelift that added motel rooms and will soon add a paintball range, but the pond has always been popular.PHOTOS (OPPOSITE PAGE): Historic photos of Camp Washington Ranch

by Kyle Marksteiner


currency which they would later trade for gold. There are also stories, according to Washington Ranch, that he would have his bodyguard kill some of his ranch hands when they were on their way home so he could keep their gold. To be fair, though, there are also other stories of his kindness and generosity.

During the heyday of visits to Carlsbad Caverns, he began constructing a resort to draw in tourists. Unfortunately, the highway was constructed two miles east of his ranch, but many of the rooms he built are still part of the Ranch today.

He eventually sold his property, and after what the Ranch bio describes as “a period of uncertainty and despair,” ownership passed to Texas businessman J.W. Miller and his wife, Patricia. Miller helped organize Globe Exploration Company, Inc. and moved the company to the forefront in seismic exploration. The company would eventually

become known as Globe Universal Sciences, Inc.

During the Millers’ ownership of the Ranch, they opened it to numerous guests and friends. Tragically, the Millers and three others died in 1980 in a plane crash near Juarez when his Cessna hit a mountain peak during a snowstorm.

CARC, Inc. then purchased the Ranch and began using it for clients. A ropes course was added in the 1990s that was used for team building activities but was removed last year for liability reasons. In 2013, the CARC board of directors began a concerted effort to rebuild the Ranch.

The Ranch has a total of 13 structures, including the aforementioned lodging facilities.

For rental inquiries, please call 575-785-2228. For more information, please visit campwashingtonranch.org.

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F O C U S on food

BEING TOLD THAT YOU SMELL LIKE BEEF JERKY MAY NOT BE WHAT EVERY LADY WANTS TO HEAR, BUT GAIL MEADOWS CONSIDERS IT A COMPLIMENT.After all, when she’s recognized around town as the Beef Jerky Lady, that means business is going well and she’s staying really busy.

Gail and husband Dean run Dean’s Jerky, a family business on the southern end of Standpipe Road. The business has been open for the past 3½ years, and 5-ounce and 16-ounce bags of jerky are sold out of a small shop and kitchen adjacent to their home.

The sign outside calls the brand “Dean’s Jerky,” but newer business literature calls the business “Dean and Gail’s Jerky.”

“I work at the mines and she does most of the work,” confessed Dean. That is going to change pretty soon, however, as he retired from his job at Mosaic Potash in December.

The business began several years ago when he began bringing beef jerky to work to share with everyone. It was popular, and his co-workers encouraged the couple to begin selling their creations. “If you sell one bag a year, you need to get a license,” he recalled. “So we decided to get a license.”

The Meadowses offers 14 different flavors of beef jerky ranging from strong flavors like fajita and chile to milder flavors such as lemon pepper and teriyaki. Their business is open seven days a week during the day, and they do some deliveries. A doorbell beside the gate lets the Meadowses know that a customer has stopped by to restock his or her jerky supply.

They have advertised a little bit, but

their customer base is largely word of mouth. A customer stopped by during Dean and Gail’s interview with Focus. The man said he lived down the road and had always been curious. He purchased a couple of bags of jerky and promised he’d be back.

“It’s something I can do without working too many hours,” Gail admitted. “I like to be around people.”

There are busy days and slow days, but jerky sales really pick up after paydays, Dean observed. The jerky is all prepared in the business’ official kitchen. “You get the meat and you trim as much fat as you can,” Gail explained. Then you either marinate it or just add the salt and pepper. After that, the strips of meat go into the dehydrator.

Now that Dean is retired, there is talk of expanding the business by building a larger shop and dehydrator.

Standpipe Road is a bit of an isolated location to have a business, but Gail claimed visitors from Carlsbad, Roswell and Artesia make the trip for jerky. “Some people buy it and send it overseas to family members in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan,” she noted. It’s obviously popular for

people on their way to hunt or fish, and it is even used by some people trying to lose weight.

They are only licensed to sell beef jerky, not wild game. They developed their recipes through trial and error. Dean said he’s often encouraged by associates to raise his prices. Right now, 5-ounce bags sell for $10 and 16-ounce bags are $25. Dean says he’s often encouraged to raise prices, but he does not plan to do so.

Dean and Gail said their grandchildren are all big fans of their jerky, but they are not the only ones. “My dog loves it too,” Gail concluded. “Every time I come out of the door, I have to give him a little piece of beef jerky.”

Dean and Gail’s Jerky is located at 3404 Standpipe Road. They can also be reached at 575-885-1224 or 575-725-8374.

Building Better Beef Jerkyby Kyle Marksteiner


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1-800-658-6251 ArtesiaChamber.com

Annual EventsMain Event Car Show & Cruise

Last Weekend in March

Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball1st Weekend in June

Smokin’ On the Pecos BBQ ChampionshipLast Weekend in June

Fourth of July CelebrationClays Crusher Fun Shoot

3rd Weekend in September

Balloons & Bluegrass FestivalFirst Weekend in November

Carlsbad Medical Center and Pecos Valley Physician Group are pleased to announce the arrival of two new obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn) providers to Women’s Health Services and to the community. Nelson Pou, MD received his medical training at Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He has 18 years of experience and is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (FACOG) and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). Dr. Pou is fluent in English and Spanish. Gary Kipp, MD received his medical degree from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. He completed an ob/gyn internship and residency at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, West Virginia. Dr. Kipp is board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is also a FACOG Fellow and has 25 years of experience.

Dr. Pou and Dr. Kipp, along with Dr. Stephen Schneberger and Dr. Mario Toledo-Couret, offer compassionate care, whether you need an annual well-woman exam or you are perhaps starting a family or preparing for a healthy menopause. Women’s Health Services is also now pleased to offer 3D ultrasound for an image you can treasure even before your baby is born. Women’s Health Services is accepting new patients. Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance plans are welcome.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 575-885-0995. You can also request an appointment online at PecosValleyDocs.com.

F O C U S business briefs

CMC Introduces Two New OB/GYN Providers

Nelson Pou, MD

Gary Kipp, MD


F O C U S on the chamber

HAPPY 2015 FROM THE CARLSBAD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE! We hope you’ll mark your calendars and save the dates for these 2015 annual Chamber events. We’ll kick off our year with the “Bat Brigade” legislative trip to Santa Fe on March 1-3. We’ll visit with Governor Martinez and Lt. Governor Sanchez, legislators and cabinet secretaries. We will also co-host the Eddy County Legislative Reception with the Artesia Chamber of Commerce and Carlsbad Department of Development on March 2 in

Santa Fe. The Carlsbad 40 Under 40 recognition banquet will be April 23, and our second annual Microbrew Festival on the Pecos will be on Saturday, May 9 at the Pecos River Village Conference Center. This event will again feature microbreweries from New Mexico and include special food vendors. Tickets will be on sale in early April for this event.

Summer events will include the annual golf tournament in early

June and our annual meeting and banquet on July 9. October 22 is the date for the Business Expo and Job Fair. We will finish the year with the Carlsbad Winter Wine Festival on December 4-5 and light up the river from November 27 through December 31 with Christmas on the Pecos.

Please contact us at 575-887-6516 or visit www.carlsbadchamber.com for additional events and announcements.

ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF BEING A CHAMBER MEMBER! Need employees? Need a job? Looking for a particular business? Want to know what’s going on in Carlsbad? The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce can help!

Being a member of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce provides several benefits including visibility on the Chamber’s website atwww.carlsbadchamber.com.

• Your business is listed in the Business Directory, where visitors can search by category, keyword, or alphabetically.

• Your own online informational brochure on the chamber’s website can include your business description, hours of operation, location information, and up to eight keywords that help identify your business when a website visitor does a keyword search on the Business Directory.

• Add your own job postings to the Chamber’s website, which also get posted to our Facebook page. Website visitors can view job openings and contact you directly for additional information.

• Hot deals include special offers on our website.

• Add your business’ events to the Chamber’s Online Events Calendar. Website visitors can add your event to Outlook, email the details to a friend and request an automatically generated email reminder for your event. Events also get posted to our Facebook page.

Please visit us at 302 S. Canal Street, call us at 575-887-6516, or visit our website at www.carlsbadchamber.com for more information on the benefits of being a Chamber member or additional events and announcements. We’re here to help!


CARLSBAD HAS BEEN ACCEPTED AS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S NETWORK OF AGE-FRIENDLY CITIES AND COMMUNITIES, MAKING OUR CITY THE FIRST COMMUNITY IN NEW MEXICO ACCEPTED INTO THE PROGRAM.The network membership will remain valid until 2016, according to John Beard, director of WHO’s Department of Aging and Life Course in Geneva, Switzerland. In a letter to Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway, Beard said that as a member of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities, Carlsbad will be part of a growing global movement of cities and communities that are striving to better meet the needs of their older residents. “We are delighted and honored to be chosen as a new member of the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities,” Janway maintained. “I want to especially thank Chamber of Commerce Retirement Council Chairwoman Marsha Drapala

for all the time and hard work they (the Retirement Council) put into this effort. This designation will help us as a city in making sure our older residents’ needs are met.”

This past June, the Carlsbad City Council adopted a resolution in support of the Retirement Council’s initiative to obtain the designation for Carlsbad.

Drapala, who has served as Retirement Council chairwoman since 2005, noted the Council worked closely with the Carlsbad Department of Development, Chamber of Commerce, the AARP and the City to receive the designation. “We (the Retirement Council) had a consultant come here to tour our city and give

us her opinion on the destination for retirees in our community. She gave us plans and we followed them,” Drapala explained.

She indicated that the process to obtain the designation has been long one: five years to be exact. In putting together the application, Drapala reported that the suggestions from the Mayor’s Long Range Planning and Implementation Committee were included in the baseline assessment meeting. In addition, a three-year community-wide action plan was also developed based on the findings.

The topics that were addressed include social participation; civic participation; employment; communication and information, community support; health services, outdoor spaces and building, housing and transportation.

Janell Whitlock, Chamber retirement director, responded that the idea to apply for the WHO designation came about after she was researching community retirement ideas on the internet. “I came across WHO’s website that talked about the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities initiative,” Whitlock commented. “After reading the criteria, I felt Carlsbad met the criteria and we could work on the stringent process required for the designation.”

Becoming an age-friendly community is the first step, Drapala and Whitlock noted. It will require continued commitment and improvements by the city and its citizens. Drapala added that age-friendly does not mean simply elder-friendly. “Age-friendly is for all ages,” she pointed out.

On December 11, the public attended a reception and presentation for the Age-Friendly City and Community certification. AARP State President Jackie Cooper and AARP Outreach Director Gary Williams presented the award to city and county officials.

Janell Whitlock, Director of Retirement,can be reached at 575-887-6516.


Carlsbad Joins a Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities


FINANCIAL SECURITY CREDIT UNIONFinancial Security Credit Union (FSCU) celebrated its 60th anniversary and the grand opening of its new location at 2603 S. Canal Street. FSCU can be reached at 575-887-6030.


WELCOME NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS!Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is proud to welcome the following businesses as new members.

AMERICAN MEDICAL GROUP (Walk-In Clinic)2402 W. Pierce, Suite 6A575-689-8700

C-N-G BBQ CATERING956-607-8241

CUSTOM TOUCH VILLAGE325-574-3620

FUSION WELLNESS1900 Sudderth, Ruidoso575-257-4772

LAQUINTA INN AND SUITES 4020 National Parks Highway575-236-1010

LOVING LOCKSMITH SERVICES 575-200-6797

PERMIAN SOLUTIONS, LLC505-218-3701

SD ENTERPRISES, LLC575-725-3057

SLEEP INN AND SUITES3825 National Parks Highway575-941-2300

SUPERIOR CLEANING SERVICES, LLC877-734-1770

TITAN LANSING TRANSLOADING, LLC806-894-4852

VORIS INDUSTRIES860-836-6720

YUM YUM YOGURT906 W. Pierce575-616-1670

For more information or to join the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce call 575-887-6516 or visit carlsbadchamber.com.

YOUR CHAMBER STAFFROBERT DEFER, Chief Executive [email protected]

BRENDA WHITEAKER, Director of [email protected]

LISA BOEKE, Director of Tourism & Marketing [email protected]

JANELL WHITLOCK, Director of [email protected]

DONNA CASS, Senior Admin. [email protected]

DOROTHY RIDGEWAY, Admin. [email protected]

RANDY BAKER, Director of Facility [email protected]

JESUS TORRES, Facility MaintenanceJAVIER LOPEZ, Facility Maintenance

EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLStudents, teachers, parents, board members and the Carlsbad community cut the ribbon for Carlsbad Municipal School District’s Early College High School located on the NMSU-Carlsbad campus. For more information, please call 575-234-3300.

BORN LEARNING TRAILMembers of the community celebrated the opening of the Born Learning Trail, created by the United Way of Carlsbad and South Eddy County. The Born Learning Trail is located at the corner of Riverside and Blodgett next to the blue playground. The trail is a playground made for kids and their caregivers to engage in learning together. 41S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 | A C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E

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Keep advanced breast cancer treatment close, and your support system closer.

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focus on carlsbad spring 2015

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