Portales festival kicks off this weekend

PORTALES — Portales’ Peanut Valley Craft and Music Festival, which took a year off last year due to COVID-19, will come back to the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, and organizers are optimistic it will be well-attended.

The Roosevelt County Health Fair will share space the Peanut Valley festival on Saturday morning, offering COVID-19 and flu vaccines along with its usual health screenings, according to Karl Terry, executive director of the Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce.

The health fair and the festival begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The festival, as it has for 48 years, will offer plenty of shopping, dining, demonstrations and entertainment, Terry said.

The fairgrounds’ Pavilion building will host the health fair from 9 a.m. to noon or later, Terry said.

Arts and crafts vendors will be housed in the Roosevelt County Events Center building on the fairgrounds.

Along with local artisans, Native American pottery and jewelry makers are expected to travel from several pueblos to sell their wares, Terry said.

The festival will feature a steady stream of outdoor entertainment and demonstrations on The Slab.

Featured demonstrations will include trained dog demonstrations, along with tips for everyday dog training by Allegiance K-9, which trains dogs for tracking, medical assistance and therapy.

Students from Portales Junior High School will perform ballet folklorico dancing, which is a first, Terry said.

Local members of the Society for Creative Anachronism will demonstrate life in medieval times, including combat between knights in armor and the tasks of daily living in the Middle Ages, Terry said.

“It’s great for the kids,” Terry said. “They learn how heavy the armor and helmets are,” and tour a medieval village.

Dance groups like Dance Studio Extreme, which features performers from age 8 through high school, and the Fusion World Dancers, who perform in Middle Eastern dance styles, will take the stage, along with live music throughout the weekend, Terry said.

There will also be a presentation by the Miss New Mexico Latina organization.

Musical performers include Colton Stevens, the Pony Creek Trio, Kenny Allen and Randy Chavez y Sol.

Terry noted the weather outlook is favorable but added outdoor events can move indoors if necessary.

“There are some other things going on in town as well,” he said, “so we’re expecting a good crowd.”