Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
After a solid year of postponed and canceled events, the weekend that is coming (even with all the still-necessary modifications) represents a glorious return of some beloved events and local traditions.
Get ready for some virtual elbow-rubbing time with science fiction folks, a High Plains talent show, tasty smoked pork chops, high stakes domino championships, and a cascade of petunias and geraniums.
The fun kicks off Thursday with events that will be vying for space on the device of your choice, from laptops to smart phones.
Eastern New Mexico University is hosting two events over the next several days, both completely online. One is the 44th annual Jack Williamson Lectureship, and the other is a new offering called “Talent of the High Plains.”
For those keeping score, the Lectureship that starts Thursday is a COVID-delayed remake of the event that would have taken place a year ago.
The originally scheduled guests of honor — science fiction writers James Patrick Kelly and Rebecca Roanhorse — have gamely signed on for this virtual version, which will be “hosted” in part by their sci-fi colleague Connie Willis from her home in Colorado.
The schedule is packed from Thursday through Saturday. Even if you don’t consider yourself a science fiction fan, take a look. It opens with a presentation called “Crime Scenes, Bloodstains, and More!,” includes games and prizes along the way, and concludes with a writer’s workshop on Saturday morning.
All events are free. For a complete list, as well as those all-important Zoom links, go here: https://my.enmu.edu/web/jack-williamson-lectureship/2020-lectureship.
Since the University Theatre Center is not yet open to the public, Eastern’s Department of Theatre and Digital Filmmaking is bringing a production to us with some familiar faces, to boot.
Director Anne Beck held auditions this spring and has booked a number of talented individuals for shows that will stream at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at enmu.edu/Theater/Live.
Beck said the lineup will be “fun for all,” and includes music, magic, dancing, drumming, and poetry, with “no objectionable material.”
If you have a hankering for a great wood-smoked pork chop, act fast. The Portales Rotary Club will likely sell every available ticket for its annual fundraiser that is a carryout or delivery only event this year.
The action takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at Central Christian Church, 1528 S. Main, Portales. The $12 tickets are available by calling the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce at 575-356-8541 or from any member of the Portales Rotary Club.
Local domino gurus are invited to the Farwell Community Center, 309 Ninth St., Farwell, for the10th annual Clovis Rocks 42 Domino Championship Tournament on Friday and the 11th annual Rock’N Roll 42 Domino Championship Tournament on Saturday.
Friday’s tourney kicks off at 7 p.m. MDT, and the tiles are scheduled to start clicking at 8:30 a.m. MDT Saturday. Trophies and cash prizes are on the line. Give Dewey Pierce a call at 575-714-3947 to register or learn more.
And finally, because it’s such a perfect weekend for good causes, brighten your home or garden with petunias and geraniums from the Kiwanis Club of Portales’ annual spring flower sale that opens at 7:30 a.m. Saturday in the C & S parking lot at 300 W. First St., Portales.
To limit contact, club members ask that you bring exact cash or checks made out to the club. They’ll have red, white, and pink geraniums for $6 each, and six-packs of red, white, purple, and pink petunias for $5. These are beautiful, locally grown flowers that have historically been so hardy that even I — the harbinger of plant death — have been unable to finish them off.
If you’d like to know more, or place a pre-order, call Dorothy Glover at 575-714-7780, Anthony Schroeder at 575-309-1052, or Elwin Hulett at 575-607-6152.
My calendar has been empty for far too long. It’s wonderful to see light — even virtual light — at the end of our tunnel.
Betty Williamson is firing up her laptop and craving pork chops. Reach her at:
