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DEADLINE: October 20

OCTOBER 2006 Signpost Community Calendar

To submit a nonprofit listing to the calendar:
E-mail your calendar listing to: calendar@sandovalsignpost.com. Or go to the Signpost Web site, www.sandovalsignpost.com, and click on Calendar. Or fax your listing to 867-3870. The deadline for submission is the twentieth of the month prior to publication. The community calendar is a free community service by the Signpost.

Sandoval Commission Meetings
Unless otherwise noted, all Sandoval County commission meetings will be held in the county commission chambers, Sandoval County Courthouse, 711 Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo, New Mexico.

Placitas Community Library Hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, 10 a.m. -4 p.m.; Sundays, noon-2 p.m. 867-3355.

Monthly: Parents Without Partners offers support, education, and friendship to single parents of all ages, regardless of custody. Get-togethers, family outings, socials. All welcome. Wayne, 892-2456.

Mondays: Alanon Meeting. 7:30 p.m. Bernalillo Methodist Church, 136 Calle Don Andres, Bernalillo. 239-7370.

Mondays: One Day At A Time Big Book Study. Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting. 6-7 p.m. United Methodist Church (in back), a block west of Abuelita’s Restaurant, 136 West Don Andres, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

Mondays: Cub Scout Meeting. Cub Scouts always welcome. New scouts may join at any point during the year. 6-7:15 p.m. Holiday Inn Express Conference Room, SR 313 and Highway 550. Information: Jessica, 867-0498.

Mondays through Thursdays: Mother’s Day Out. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Las Placitas Presbyterian Church. $13 per session. 867-5718.

First and third Mondays: Optimist Club de Sandoval Meeting. 7 p.m. San Antonio Community Center, Placitas. New members welcome. 867-4646.

Second and fourth Mondays: Grief Support Group Meeting. A free community service available to anyone who is in need of grief and bereavement support following the loss of a loved one. 5:30-7:30 p.m. 3150 Carlisle NE, Suite 25 (at Carlisle and Candelaria). Carol Frank, 821-6056.

Mondays and Wednesdays: The Bernalillo Badminton Club plays at the Bernalillo Community Center. 9-11 a.m. Call Gary Hansen, at 867-2829, for further information.

Tuesdays: Haven House Domestic Violence Support Group for women whose lives have been touched by domestic violence. Topics include Dynamics of Domestic Violence, Safety Plans, Developing Healthy Relationships, and information about available services. All sessions are confidential and free of charge. 6:30-8:00 p.m. Rio Rancho First Baptist Church, corner of Route 528 and 19th Avenue. Call Haven House, 896-4869 or 1-800-526-7157, for more information.

Tuesdays: One Day At A Time Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. (open meeting). United Methodist Church (in back), a block west of Abuelita’s, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

First Tuesdays: SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) support-group meeting, New Mexico Chapter. Meetings are open to survivors and their immediate families, regardless of religious affiliation, if any. 7 to 9 p.m. Good Shepherd UCC, 7834 Tennyson NE (youth lounge). Steve Rabi, 280-3369; www.snap-newmexico.org.

First, second, and third Tuesdays through December: New-Business Tax Workshops covering New Mexico gross-receipts tax, IRS filing requirements, brief summary of other new-business issues. 8:15 a.m.-3:45 p.m., with one-hour lunch break. Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, 5301 Central, NE (Bank of the West building), 10th Floor, Conference Room A. Free of charge. 505 841-6200.

Second Tuesdays: Friends of Placitas Meeting. Public welcome. 7 p.m. Placitas Community Center. 867-5346.

Second Tuesdays: New Mexico Democratic Club meets. 7 p.m., Rio Rancho Inn. www.nmdemclub.com.

Second Tuesdays: Sandoval County Democratic Club meets at 7 p.m., Rio Rancho Inn, 528 near Sara Road, west side of the road. Meetings are open to the public and feature candidates for local, state, national offices. www.sandovaldemocrats.org.

Second and fourth Tuesdays: Village Academy Charter School Meeting. 7 p.m. 274 Don Tomas, Bernalillo. All meetings open to the public. VACS, P.O. Box 1247, Placitas, NM 87043.

Third Tuesdays: RESOLVE, Central New Mexico, Meeting. RESOLVE provides information and support for those dealing with infertility, pregnancy loss, high-risk pregnancy, making the decision to adopt or life without children. National-affiliate support includes professionally led support groups, peer-support gatherings, guest speakers. Call or e-mail for location: 291-5066; resolvecentralnm@yahoo.com.

Fourth Tuesdays through December: New-Employer Tax Workshops for small businesses that have or plan to have employees. Regulatory and tax-filing requirements from six different federal and state agencies will be covered. 8:15 a.m.-3:45 p.m., with one-hour lunch break. Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, 5301 Central, NE (Bank of the West building), 10th Floor, Conference Room A. Free of charge. 505 841-6200.

Tuesdays and Thursdays: Book study and meditation groups. WOW–Women of Wonder, Tuesdays, 1:30-3:30 p.m.; POW–People of Wonder, Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Moon Dancer Book Gallery, 4484 Corrales Road, Corrales, 249-3742.

Wednesdays: Corrales Growers Market, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., 500 Jones Road, next to the Corrales Post Office. 898-7927. [See main listing under Sundays.]

Wednesdays: Mothers’ Support Group. $3 per session. 10-11 a.m. United Way Building, Southern and Unser Boulevard. 896-1250.

Wednesdays: Parenting Group Meeting. 6-7 p.m. La Buena Vida, Bernalillo, 867-2383.

Wednesdays: Thinking Straight Step-Study Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting. 6-7 p.m. First Assembly Church, 274 Camino Don Tomas, south of PNM, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

First Wednesdays: Jardineros de Placitas, 9:30 a.m. each month except January and December. A community-involved organization of women with groups interested in bridge, cooking, stitchery, crafts, art, reading, day trips. Monthly meetings feature speakers and subjects of local interest. 771-8941.

First Wednesdays: MOMS Club of Rio Rancho South General Meeting. Free. The MOMS Club (Moms Offering Moms Support) is an international nonprofit organization specifically designed to support at-home mothers regardless of race, religion, financial stability. 10 a.m. First Baptist Church of Rio Rancho (across from Intel). 891-1909, 994-9687, www.momsclub.org.

Second Wednesdays: Placitas Community Library board meetings are now at the main PVFB station on 165, still on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Inquiries about these meetings or the library: 867-3355. All meetings are open to the public.

Second and fourth Wednesdays: Village Academy Charter School Meeting. 7 p.m. San Antonio Community Center. VACS, P.O. Box 1247, Placitas, NM 87043.

Fourth Wednesdays: Bereavement Support Group for parents who have had a baby die through miscarriage, stillbirth, Sudden Infant Death, or other natural causes within the first year of life. 7-8:30 p.m., Office of the Medical Investigator, UNM Medical School Campus. 272-2485, 272-3397.

Wednesdays through Saturdays: Casa San Ysidro, the historic Gutiérrez-Minge House in Corrales, on Old Church Road, is open for tours at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Adults $4, seniors $3, students $3, children $2. 897-8828.

Thursdays: Depression and bipolar support group meetings. DBSA Albuquerque offers weekly support-group meetings for those suffering from mood disorders. Friends and family members welcome. 6:30–8:30 p.m. Nob Hill area, Albuquerque. Information available regarding support groups in Los Lunas and Santa Fe. 505-889-3632, dbsa4albq@yahoo.com.

Thursdays: One Day At A Time Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting. Noon-1 p.m. (open meeting). United Methodist Church (in back), a block west of Abuelita’s, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

Fridays: Friday Night Live Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting (open meeting). 7-8 p.m. Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church Motivation Center, 301 Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

First Friday: Coronado Kennel Club Meeting. All-breed obedience kennel club, 7 p.m. Call for meeting place. 867-4510.

Second Fridays: SanBern Federated Republican Women meets (except July and August) at Chamisa Hills Country Club, in Rio Rancho, 11:30 a.m. Anyone interested in attending may call 922-6252 for more information.

Fridays through October: Bernalillo Growers’ Market, on the west side of Camino del Pueblo, south of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Bernalillo, every Friday, 4 to 7 p.m., through October 27. For information: Charles, 891-2230, or Emily, 550-0234.

Saturdays: Children’s reading program. 10 a.m.-noon. Placitas Community Library, Tierra Madre #1, Placitas. 867-3355.

Saturdays: One Day At A Time Big Book Discussion Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting (open meeting). 9-10 a.m. United Methodist Church (in back), a block west of Abuelita’s, Bernalillo. 266-1900.

Saturdays through October 28: Free art workshops for South Valley Día de los Muertos celebration and Marigold Parade. Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice Studio, 803 La Vega SW (corner of La Vega and Armijo): October 7: Marigolds, papel picado, celebration signs; October 21: Altars; October 28: Crosses. All ages welcome. 344-4028.

Sundays: Placitas Big Book Study. Alcoholics Anonymous. 7-8:15 p.m. (open meeting). Presbyterian Church (Bell Tower), Placitas. 266-1900.

Sundays: Narcotics Anonymous Meeting. If you have a problem with drugs, or even think that you might have a problem, you are welcome! 10:30 a.m. 4324 Corrales Road (in the community center behind the old fire station). 260-9889, 260-7195.

Sundays: Corrales Growers’ Market is open 9 a.m.-12 noon. Live music on Sundays. The market offers fresh vegetables, greens, herbs, fruits, flowers and bedding plants, jams, salsas, baked goods, goat cheese, milk and yogurt, and other natural agricultural products, such as soaps, hand cream, a wide variety of New Mexico grown items, and the Market Shop.

Third Sundays through October: Art in the Park. Outdoor exhibition cosponsored by Corrales Society of Artists and Corrales Department of Parks and Recreation. Some of New Mexico's most accomplished artists present a variety of fine arts and crafts, along with live music in a cool and shady country setting. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. La Entrada Park, northwest corner of Corrales and La Entrada Roads, adjacent to the Corrales Library. Admission and parking free. www.corralesartists.org.

September 29, 30, and October 1: 2006 Placitas Home Tour features a self-guided tour of custom homes in the Placitas area. Also continues the following weekend: October 7 and 8. Maps at La Puerta Real Estate Services, 01 Ridge Court, Highway 165, Placitas. 867-7492.

September 30: Badminton clinics with Cristina Raduca, athlete-development/public-relations specialist for USA Badminton. Warming up, drills, footwork, racket techniques, tactics. Experienced adults, 9 a.m.-noon; beginning adults, 1-3 p.m. $20 fee; limit twenty participants. Bernalillo Recreation Center. Contact Bernie Linnartz, 771-4355 or www.empowermentexperts.com; Gary Hansen, 505 867-2829 or ghansen110@comcast.net.

September 30: All-Day Growers' Market at the Corrales Harvest Festival 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Music and prepared foods, arts, crafts add to the excitement of a bountiful harvest. Fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables, herbs, chile, harvest-based products. Corrales Road. 898-7927.

September 30: Bernalillo Spartan Rookie Football. Valley vs. Bernalillo. 4 p.m. Bernalillo High School.

September 30: Kan’Nal, Tribal Trance Formation II presents international Shamanic performers. “More than a concert ... an evolutionary experience.” With Family Productions break-beat master DJ Mikey Fisher, healers, tribal vendors, fractals, belly dancers, and more. $12 advance; $15 at the door. 21 and over. El Rey Theater, 7th and Central, Albuquerque. www.3sidedwhole.com/kannal.

September 30 through October 1: Corrales Harvest Festival. Twenty-first annual two-day festival honoring Corrales’s farming roots and preservation of its rural atmosphere. Food, activities, arts and crafts, farm tours, wine tasting, hayrides. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. All along Corrales Road. 792-8912.

October 1: Optimist Club de Sandoval in conjunction with the Placitas Community Library are hosting a Meet the Candidates Forum. Local, state, and federal candidates of all parties have been invited to share with us the reason we should vote for them. 1-3 p.m. Refreshments served. Las Placitas Presbyterian Church. Contact: 505-629-4207 (Santa Fe).

October 1: Autism Awareness Walkathon. 10K/5.2 miles in Albuquerque. Route to be announced. Call Margaret Stribling, 898-4546 or margaretstribling@yahoo.com. Fax 344-7229; www.walkaroundtheworld.org.

October 1: Verna Williamson Teller speaks on Native Women Breaking Political Barriers. As the first woman governor of Isleta Pueblo (1987-1990), Teller knows firsthand how difficult it is for women, especially tribal women, to become politically active. Presented by the Sandoval County Historical Society. 2 p.m. Free and open to the public. Delavy House Museum, Bernalillo. Off Highway 550, west of Coronado Monument, on Edmond Lane (last house). 867-2755.

October 1: Corrales Growers' Market participates in The Corrales Harvest Festival in front of the Corn Maize. Music in the food court: Lucas Critchfield and Mike Anaya with Marimba Dulce; traditional Chiapas Marimba 9 a.m.–11 a.m. and Los Primos from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fresh fruits and vegetables from local growers, natural cosmetics, freshly cut flowers, fresh and dried culinary and medicinal herbs, zucchini bread and carrot cake muffins. Chile and apples abound. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Corrales Rd. 898-7927.

October 2: 7-8:30 p.m. Gardening with the Masters. George Cornelius, of USDA Wildlife, will speak on controlling wildlife pests in home landscapes. Free. Open to all. Rio Rancho City Hall, South Conference Room, 3900 Southern Boulevard SE in Rio Rancho. 867-2582.

October 5: Effective Work Search Skills Class is designed for women out of the job market for a number of years and women in transition. Free. Registration required. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. NM Commission on the Status of Women, Displaced Homemakers Office, 300 San Mateo Boulevard NE, Suite 101. Contact Lorraine Bantista, 222-6600.

October 5: Depression screening. Detect mood and anxiety disorders. 10:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. University of New Mexico Student Union Building, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. For other participating sites, see NDSD Event Locator http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/locator/NDSDmap.aspx. On-line screening also available at www.MentalHealthScreening.org. Call 889-3632 for further information.

October 6 through 8 and 13 through 15: Thirteenth annual Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival “Under the Big Top.” Arts-and-crafts demonstrations, outdoor food court, Kids Creation Station, Sand Art Booth, Sand Play Area, entertainment on center stage. Admission $6 adults, six-day festival pass $9, children under 12 admitted free. $13 Rio GRANDE pass for unlimited admissions to October and December 2006 and March 2007 Festivals. The festival benefits Casa Angelica, a home for profoundly disabled children. 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. I-25 and Paseo Del Norte, Albuquerque.

October 6 through 15: Eighteenth Annual Corrales Fine Arts Show, a New Mexico multi-media art exhibition and sale in Corrales at the historic Old San Ysidro Church. Works of forty artists—painting, mixed media, sculpture, photography — selected by jury from over 200 entries. No charge for admission or parking. Open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Opening reception: October 6, 5–8 p.m. A portion of each sale goes to the Corrales Historical Society for restoration and preservation of the Old San Ysidro Church. One mile north of the Corrales Post Office on Corrales Road, then 3/10 mile west on Old Church Road. 890-0618.

October 7: Bernalillo Spartan Rookie Football. WM South vs. Bernalillo. 2 p.m. Bernalillo High School.

October 7: Authors sign books at LPD Press/Rio Grande Books booth, Los Ranchos Farmer’s Market. Father Tom Steele and Tom Lucero will sign copies of Religious Architecture in Hispano New Mexico and Father Steele will sign Archbishop Lamy in His Own Words, Regis Santos, and Seeds of Struggle f8:30–9:30 a.m. Bob Gallegos will sign Navajo and Pueblo Earrings, which documents his collection, 10–11a.m. Barbe Awalt will sign Faces of Faith, Our Saints Among Us, Nicholas Herrera: Visions of My Heart, Charlie Carrillo: Tradition and Soul, and Portfolio of Spanish Colonial Design, 8–11 a.m. Rio Grande Books is publishing Don Bullis’s New Mexico Biographical Dictionary, to be released in late October. He will also be in attendance. Rio Grande Road, in the village of Los Ranchos. Free admission.

October 7: Chamber Music Albuquerque, in collaboration with the Rio Rancho Performing Arts Association, presents a free family concert with oud master and composer Rahim AlHaj, who was forced to leave Iraq due to his political activism against the Saddam Hussein regime. He began a new life in Jordan and Syria, moving to Albuquerque in 2000 as a political refugee. He has performed hundreds of concerts throughout Europe, the Middle East, and the United States over the last fifteen years. 2 p.m. Rio West Community Church, 6751 Pasilla Road NE, Rio Rancho, www.riowest.org, www.cma-abq.org. Reservations requested: 505-268-1990 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.

October 7 and 8: 2006 Placitas Home Tour features a self-guided tour of custom homes in the Placitas area. Maps at La Puerta Real Estate Services, 01 Ridge Court, Highway 165, Placitas. 867-7492.

October 7 and 8: Join the celebration of the bountiful fall harvest and take a trip back in time to farm life along the Rio Grande in the 1920s and -30s at the third annual Harvest Festival. Demonstrations, apple-cider-making, wagon rides, farm animals, vineyard and farmhouse self-guided tours, farm crafts and cooking, traditional music, children’s activities, and more. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Rio Grande Botanic Garden ’s Heritage Farm at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden (Garden open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily). Admission $7 adults, $3 seniors 65 and older and children 3-12. Special assistance: call 311 locally, or (505) 768-2000 (NM Voice/Relay or 711) or visit www.cabq.gov/biopark.

October 8: Las Placitas Association will hold a public meeting to update the community and gather input about the new gravel-mine expansion that Lafarge is planning for BLM lands in Placitas. Representatives from our New Mexico congressional delegation as well as our county commissioner and other local officials will be in attendance. 7 p.m., Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, six miles east of I-25, on NM 165 (Exit 242). 867-8080.

October 8: Corrales Growers' Market features the music of Jimmy Abraham, singer-songwriter from The Albuquerque Folk Festival. Breakfast burritos from Burritoville, made with local eggs and New Mexico red and green chile. Goat cheese, organic sprouts, roasted chile, organic raspberry jams, fresh apples from local orchards, baked goods, plants for your garden, beautiful dried flower arrangements, fresh produce. 9 a.m.–12 noon. 500 Jones Road, next to the Corrales Post Office. 898-7927.

October 10: Friends of Tijeras Pueblo Monthly Lecture Series, Dave Phillips, curator of archaeology at Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, UNM, will provide an introduction to Pottery Mound, in the Rio Puerco Valley, west of Los Lunas. 7 p.m. Sandia Ranger Station. 281-3304.

October 11: County Health Alliance Council Meeting. 9 a.m., Call for location: 505-771-7941.

October 12: Senator Dede Feldman will speak at the monthly meeting of the League of Women Voters on "Health Care Reform in New Mexico". Feldman is the vice-chair of the Legislative Committee on Health and Human Services. Tickets: $14. 11:45 a.m., Wyndham Hotel Albuquerque (near the airport). Reservations required: 505-884-8441 (M-Th 10–11:30 a.m.) The LWV is a nonpartisan organization.

October 12 through October 29: A new adaptation of Voltaire’s 1759 novel Candide, with original music. “Is this the best of all possible worlds?” Conceived and developed by Joe Feldman and Tricklock Company artistic director Joe Peracchi. Thursday-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. Tickets: UNM ticket office, 925-5858; www.unmtickets.com. Opening-night tickets $25. Other dates: $20 general admission; $15 UNM faculty members and seniors; $10 UNM staff and students. Three special Thursday evenings are planned. (See further details in an article in this Signpost.)

October 13 through 15: Thirteenth annual Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival “Under the Big Top.” Arts-and-crafts demonstrations, outdoor food court, Kids Creation Station, Sand Art Booth, Sand Play Area, entertainment on center stage. Admission $6 adults; six-day festival pass $9; children under 12 admitted free. $13 Rio GRANDE pass for unlimited admissions to the October and December 2006 and March 2007 festivals. A benefit for Casa Angelica, a home for profoundly disabled children. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. I-25 and Paseo Del Norte, Albuquerque.

October 13 through November 5: The Woman in Black, by Steven Malatratt (based on the novel by Susan Hill), the longest-running play in recent theater history. The tale will make your spine tingle. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays 2 p.m. Tickets $12 ($10 students and seniors); group rates available. Adobe Theater, 9813 Fourth Street NW. Ticket information and reservations: 898-9222.

October 13 through March 2: Child Find Screenings for children ages two to five, including developmental speech, language, fine-motor, gross, motor, social/emotional, and adaptive-behavior concerns. Assistance with sign-ups for Medicaid through New MexiKids, a program for no-cost or low-cost health coverage for kids. screening are scheduled as follows: October 13: Cochiti Elementary School; October 20: Santo Domingo Head Start; November 10: Roosevelt Elementary School; November 17: Algodones Elementary School; March 2: Roosevelt Elementary School. Information: Linda McClain, 228-9128.

October 14: DownHill Phil singer-songwriter performs his unique brand of original acoustic music. 11 a.m. Piñon Café. 771-1700.

October 14: The West Mesa Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) regular monthly luncheon meeting. Featuring Tom and Meredith Sayles Hughes, founders of the Food Museum and authors of the book Gastronomie!, sharing their expertise on culinary sites and museums, their foods and flavors, and the characters and curators they met on their gastronomic road trip to every corner of France. Lunch by individual orders from the restaurant’s regular menu. 11:30 a.m. Copeland’s Restaurant, 10051 Coors Boulevard NW. 821-7204, 897-3196, 897-0148.

October 14: Last Placitas Flea Market of the season. Skip the lonely garage sale and bring your unused items to this community flea market. Artists, crafters, growers welcome! (Vendors: no hot foods or sandwiches, please.) $10 vendor fee collected morning of event. Fees support Placitas Elementary School's art program. 6 a.m.–4 p.m. Homestead Village’s west field, three miles east of I-25, on Highway 165, Exit 242. Information: 867-0027.

October 14: Annual Star Party. Join members of the Albuquerque Astronomical Society to learn the constellations, stars and planets in our night sky. Telescopes will be provided. 7-10 p.m. Homesteads Village, 221 Highway 165.

October 15: Corrales Growers' Market features the music of David Palsce and Wally Davidson, folk rock singer-guitarists. Find local honey and eggs, goat cheese, feta, yogurt, fresh baked goods with locally grown fruit and vegetable ingredients, fresh flowers, dried arrangements, lavender oatmeal soap, great garlic oil and celery-onion seasoning, jams, salsas, apples, chile, breakfast burritos. 9 a.m.–12 noon. 500 Jones Road, next to the Corrales Post Office. 898-7927.

October 17: Las Huertas Creek Watershed Project Meeting. Community members welcome. 6-7:30 p.m. Placitas Community Center. Visit http://www.lasplacitas.org/watershed.php or call Lolly Jones, community-outreach coordinator, 771-8020, or Reid Bandeen, watershed coordinator, 867-5477, for information.

October 18: League of Women Voters Westside Unit Meeting. Nandini Keuhn, Health Services Consulting, will speak on "A Presentation of Models for Achieving Universal Health Care Systems in Australia and the United States.” 12 noon. Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation, 1650 Abrazo Road NE, Rio Rancho. 505-818-7974, 505-271-2078.

October 17: Democratic Women of Sandoval County General Meeting. Matt Brix, executive director of Common Cause New Mexico and member of the Governors Task force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform, will present the program. Learn firsthand the results of the task-force meetings. Social time: 6:30. Meeting: 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone is encouraged to attend and bring a friend. Information: Janice Saxton, 867-1139 or jnjsaxton@msn.com. UU Westside Congregation Social Hall, 1650 Abrazo Road (corner of Inca, near the intersection of Northern and Unser), Rio Rancho.

October 18: Annual Senior Solutions Conference, focussing on the needs of seniors throughout the state. Speakers: Michelle Lujan Grisham, Cabinet Secretary of the State Department of Health; New Mexico Aging and Long Term Services Cabinet Secretary Deborah Armstrong. Includes luncheon, workshops, round-robin table discussions, potential long-term solutions, long-term care, resources, and the lifestyle transition of the senior population of New Mexico. Open to community members statewide with an interest in the needs of our senior populations and their challenges, especially service providers, caregivers, volunteers, local or state agency representatives, community leaders. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th Street NW, Albuquerque. Call Albuquerque Meals on Wheels, 823-8061, for details.

October 19: Sandoval County Commission Meeting, 6 p.m., Commission Chambers.

October 19: Commission on Senior Affairs, 10 a.m., Jemez Springs Senior Center, Jemez Springs.

October 21: Nineteenth Annual Ryan's Run to benefit Ronald McDonald House charities to help provide housing to New Mexico families with ill children. Registration: 8 a.m. New this year is a Kids K at 8:30 a.m. The competitive 5K Run and Walk, 2-mile fun walk, and 2-mile wheelchair roll will start at 9 a.m. Prizes, massages, continental breakfasts provided. Registration fees are based on long-sleeve T-shirt size: $15 adults, $8 youth. Groups are encouraged to participate and the school and youth organizations and teams with the most participants will receive prizes. For a registration form, call 842-8960 or e-mail salavis@comcast.net or register on-line at www.rmhc-nm.org.

October 22: Placitas Artists Series presents 2005 Van Cliburn Piano Competition finalist Davide Cabassi in a special recital. Reception at 1:30 p.m. for exhibiting visual artists Nina Adkins, Carmine DiVivi, Janet Yagoda Shagam, Suzanne Visor. Concert at 3 p.m. Tickets at the door one hour before the concert or in advance at La Bonne Vie Salon and Day Spa, Homestead Village Shopping Center, Placitas; Gatherings, 9821 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque; on-line at www.PlacitasArts.org. $18 general admission, $15 seniors and students. Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, six miles east of I-25, on NM 165 (Exit 242). 867-8080.

October 22: Corrales Growers' Market hosts the music of the Squash Blossom Boys, traditional country-mountain music by a favorite local group. Growers from all over the state supplying the best varieties of apples. Breakfast burritos and specialty products such as goat cheese, garlic oil, organic sprouts, farm-fresh eggs, natural cosmetics made with home-grown lavender, mint, lemon balm, calendula flowers. 9 a.m.–12 noon. 500 Jones Road, next to the Corrales Post Office. 898-7927.

October 24: County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting, 6 p.m., Commission Chambers.

October 25: DWI Planning Council and DWI Taskforce, 2 pm, Rio Rancho DPS Substation 5, 5103 Santa Fe Hills Drive, Rio Rancho, or call 362-6010.

October 28: A festival to benefit Casa Esperanza. Fine arts and crafts for sale. Meet “spirit portrait” artist Barbara Besser and other artists. Award-winning salsa and refreshments. 10–5 p.m. Art Gallery 66, 373 N. Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo, 867-8666.

October 28: Join Las Placitas Association as they explore the old mining-community ghost town of Hagan, on Diamond Tail Ranch. Sturdy vehicles, hiking boots, bringing water, are recommended,and bring a snack if chuck-wagon chow isn't on your diet. 10 a.m. Meet at Park-and-Ride Bernalillo, then carpool to the site. No cost to attend; registration encouraged: www.lasplacitas.org to RSVP or call 867-6330 and leave a message.

October 29: Corrales Growers' Market features the music of singer-songwriter Paul Salazar, with Kenny Trezza on congas. Beautiful dried-flower arrangements for the upcoming holidays. Stock up on dried herbs, garlic, honey, chile, jams, salsas made with this season's local harvest. Natural soaps and lotions. Place orders for fresh-baked goods, cosmetics, dried herbs and other products. 9 a.m.–12 noon. 500 Jones Road, next to the Corrales Post Office. 898-7927.