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An Independent Monthly Newspaper Serving the Community since 1988 |
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Peña Blanca Sunflower Project plans first festival in August—Jane Moorman New Mexico’s newest agricultural festival is coming in August. The Peña Blanca Sunflower Project will host its first Sunflower Festival on August 25 and 26 at the community center on NM 22 in Peña Blanca. “Since the Los Conchas Fire destroyed Dixon Orchards, we decided to offer an event where families may continue the tradition of an outing in the country,” said Patrice Harrison-Inglis, coordinator of the project. The Peña Blanca Sunflower Project is an economic development project supported by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. Several farmers in the Peña Blanca area have planted sunflowers this year under the direction of Del Jimenez, NMSU Cooperative Extension Service agricultural specialist at NMSU’s Sustainable Agriculture Science Center at Alcalde. The Sunflower Festival organizers plan to have tours of the fields in the area. Activities will also include educational exhibits about the crop, as well as booths where people can sell their art, crafts, and vegetable produce. And, of course, there will be sunflower products for people to buy and enjoy. Artists and produce vendors, as well as food concessions and musicians are welcome to reserve booth space now at discount rates by calling the festival organizers at 505-917-8189. To reach Peña Blanca, exit I-25 at the Santo Domingo exit and travel west to Cochiti Lake; signs will indicate the community center location. |
