Free Access to Ancestry.com Records

If you’re sleuthing out your family tree, you can get free access to Ancestry.com immigration records this weekend, until Monday September 6, 2010.

Just go to Ancestry.com and plug in whatever information you know or can guess at about your relative (when and where they arrived or where they came from) and see what you find out!

This is the largest online collection of historic U.S. immigration records in the world, and the free access weekend is only till September 6.

Could be a great way to pass the time and share family history if you’ve got family visiting for the Labor Day weekend.  Then again, could be a great way to start a fight if everyone disagrees about exactly when Grandpa came over on the boat. Still, it’s one way to make new memories while exploring old memories, and it’s totally free.

If you’re wondering about the image, it’s the The World War I draft card of Tom Cruise’s great grandfather, Thomas Cruise Mapother, courtesy of Ancestry.com. Not that I’m crazy about Cruise Junior (he’s crazy enough about himself without my help) but that’s where he came from… a true war hero.

Sitting back waiting for the rotten tomatoes from Tom Cruise fans

Thanks to Jody at Charlotte on the Cheap for the heads-up on the free Ancestry.com access. Jody and I aren’t related, except by our mutual passion for freebies!

–Tania

Arts Market and Pet Fest Weekend

The free Tijeras Arts Market and Pet Fest on Saturday and Sunday September 4-5, 2010, looks like great family fun. Bring your pooch, parrot, or other pet to the Pet Fest , and hang out to enjoy the live music, arts market, and prizes. Kids will love it, and there’s discounted microchipping too – for the pets, not the kids!

The outdoor Tijeras Arts Market and Pet Fest takes place in the shady apple orchard with music pavilion by the Just Imagine Gallery & Coffee House. They’ve got quite a lot lined up for this Labor Day Weekend event:

• Pet contests with prizes for a wide range of pet categories which could include: dog with the most spots, most unusual pet, best-dressed pet, cutest pet, pet that looks most like its owner, and just about anything else they think up. Contests will be pretty free-flowing, happening whenever there are enough pets present to warrant an on-the-spot competition.
• Live music from Gene Corbin on Saturday; Los Radiators followed by Gary Reynolds & his Southwest Wind Band on Sunday.
• Discounted microchipping for pets (prices unconfirmed as yet, but we’re hearing somewhere around 50% off, although that’s not set in stone.)
• Rescue organization will be on site with dogs available for adoption

And of course, as it is an arts market, you can browse the booths to see work from local New Mexican artists. 

• When:  Saturday and Sunday September 4 – 5, 2010
• Time:  10 am – 5 pm (pet contests as and when there are enough pets around)
• Where:  Tijeras Arts Market, Just Imagine Gallery & Coffee House
• Price: Free!

The evening before the Arts Market and Pet Fest Just Imagine Gallery is holding an artist reception with Ming Franz, splash ink artist and watercolorist, with refreshments. That’s on Friday September 3 at 4:30 – 7:30 pm.

Check the map at the link for directions: The Tijeras Arts Market at Just Imagine Gallery & Coffee House is located in Tijeras, 7 miles east of Albuquerque.

–Tania

Arts in the Park & Cosmic Carnival: September 5, 2010

If you haven’t made it to the free Sunday Arts in the Park series this summer at City of Albuquerque parks (or even if you have, but you want to wrap up the season in style) bring out your picnic blankets this Sunday, for the last blast…

Arts in the Park and the Albuquerque Cosmic Carnival takes place on September 5, 2010, at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. This will be an extra-special Labor Day weekend event to close the series, with live entertainment, the Cosmic Carnival, and of course you can browse the Artisan Market.

Arts in the Park is free, and runs from noon to 4 pm.

At the Cosmic Carnival science festival, The Albuquerque Astronomical Society will have  solar telescopes set up for viewing the sun, as well as a portable planetarium to see the New Mexico night sky. Other participants in the festival include Explora, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Albuquerque Rocket Society, NRAO Very Large Array, Sandia National Labs, Rio Rancho Astronomical Society, and more.

They’re promising it’s an interactive festival, which makes me a little nervous about exactly what the Albuquerque Rocket Society will be up to…

The live entertainment schedule starts at noon:

• Noon: Jono Manson
• 1 pm:  Interplay School of Music
• 1:30 pm: Justin Ray Jackson
• 2:30 pm: Ballet Repertory Theater of New Mexico
• 3 pm:  Nosotros

Arts in the Park and the Albuquerque Cosmic Carnival takes place indoors and outdoors at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, 9201 Balloon Museum Drive NE,  just south of Balloon Fiesta Park, North of Alameda.

–Tania

Flying Star Cafe Freebie for CNM Students & Staff

If you work or study at Central New Mexico Community College, bring your ID to these Flying Star locations until September 3, 2010, for a couple of extra treats…

Flying Star Cafe is giving Central New Mexico Community College students and staff a back to school treat of a free drink and free cookie (CNM themed cookie, no less) with the purchase of an entree at Flying Star Cafe in the Nob Hill and Bernalillo locations. The deal is only good this week, till Friday September 3.

CNM students and staff get a cookie for each entree you buy, plus either a soda, iced tea or coffee. So, you know, eat there all week. You’ll be cookied out.

You need to take your ID to get the deal, and although you’re never far from a Flying Star   the offer is only valid at these two locations:

Flying Star Cafe Nob Hill (the original!) : 3416 Central Avenue SE

Flying Star Cafe Bernalillo: 200 South Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo

–Tania

Free Sandia Guided Hikes & Open Day: Sept 4

The Sandia Mountain Natural History Center is usually closed to the public, but this Saturday September 4, 2010, you can explore, enjoy the scenery, and join free guided hikes.

The Sandia Mountain Natural History Center in Cedar Crest is open to all this Saturday September 4, 2010, from 9 am to 3 pm, as part of their summer First Saturdays Series – this is the last in the 2010 series.

Usually the 128 acre piñon-juniper forest with over 5 miles of walking trails is only open to school groups, but this Saturday anybody can turn up to hike or spot wildlife from the observation deck, or join guided group hikes.

Free guided nature hikes start at 10 am (till noon) led by SMNHC staff, interpreting the flora and fauna of the Sandia Mountains. The hikes range from an easy child–friendly walk to a moderate 2–mile hike. You need to register for the guided group nature hikes.

Sandia Mountain Natural History Center will be open to explore from 9 am to 3 pm. If you’re not joining the guided hikes, there’s no need to register, just turn up.

• When: Saturday September 4, 2010
• Time: 9 am – 3 pm. No registration required to visit.
  Guided hikes 10 am – noon: Registration required.
• Where: Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, Cedar Crest
• Price: Free!

Sandia Mountain Natural History Center is located at 60 Columbine Lane, Cedar Crest, about 10 minutes from the I-40 / Tramway intersection.

Directions: From I-40 east, take the Cedar Crest exit 175 to Highway 14, the Turquoise Trail. Go through Cedar Crest and about 3 miles from 1-40 look for the Conoco Station on the right and the coffee shop on your left – turn left straight after the coffee shop onto Columbine Lane – it’s a dirt road. The center is about 1 mile ahead – at the end of Columbine.

–Tania

Albuquerque on the Cheap This Weekend Aug 28-29, 2010

Looking for something to do on the cheap this weekend? Here’s a round-up of recently posted deals and events and a couple more weekend freebie suggestions to give you some ideas:

Free Place Names of New Mexico Talk this afternoon (Saturday) at Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center – starts at 2 pm.

Great Southwest Home Remodeling Design Show: Half Price admission with the coupon, Saturday and Sunday August 28 and 29.  

Free Wolf Meet and Greet at Open Space Visitor Center, Sunday August 29.

Shop Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic for 30% off with the coupon. In the Give and Get weekend 5% of your purchase goes to a charity of your choice.

Idalia Road Marketplace: Rio Rancho weekend market with vendors and entertainment.

Enter our Rizzoli and Ives Giveaway – win a T-shirt and a book!

Of course we’d love it if you’d vote for us in Albuquerque the Magazine’s “Best of the City 2010” contest! If you think we’re worthy, please write in “ABQ on the Cheap” in the “People” category under “Best Local Blogger“. Vote for any of your other ABQ faves too on the online form, and then just hit submit! Voting ends September 1.

Albuquerque Museums Free Admission on Sundays:

Albuquerque Museum of Art and History: Free admission on Sunday mornings from 9 am to 1 pm. General admission is free, special exhibitions still require fees.

Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum: Free admission on Sunday mornings from 9 am to 1 pm.

National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum: Free admission on Sundays.

And one of my faves: the free Old Town Wild West gunfight show by New Mexico Gunfighters Association. The melodrama is great fun with all the bangs, and funny too. Shows are most Sundays at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 pm. The action takes place around Old Town Plaza (usually outside the Rattlesnake Museum on San Felipe when I see it) but they circle the Plaza and give a shout out before the show begins.

–Tania

Rizzoli & Isles Giveaway

We know some readers are fans of the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander, based on the book series by Tess Gerritsen. 

If you’re a fan of the Monday night show (or even if you’ve not seen it yet) enter our freebie giveway!

One ABQ on the Cheap reader will receive a free book The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen and a T-shirt.

If you haven’t seen Rizzoli & Isles, here’s a description from the show’s press kit:

“Boston detective Jane Rizzoli (Angie Harmon) and medical examiner Maura Isles (Sasha Alexander), are complete opposites and good friends who solve crimes and bust some of Boston’s most notorious criminals.  Jane, the only female detective in Boston’s homicide division, is a tough and gutsy cop who doesn’t let her guard down (except with Maura), dodges her overprotective mother and is better at basketball than her brother. Maura is usually more comfortable among the dead than the living. She is always impeccably dressed in designer duds with a steady, sometimes icy temperament. And she’s working on curbing her tendency to diagnose the people she meets – including her first dates. Jane and Maura often find themselves working together as both use their brilliant minds and expertise to figure out the “who done it” as well as the “how done it” of Boston’s most complex cases. Despite their many differences, Jane and Maura are best friends, with a quirky and supportive relationship.”

I used to work with my best friend, and it wasn’t half as dramatic as this. Then again, it was on a fashion magazine, and we didn’t deal with many killers.  Although come to think of it, some of those Paris fashion designers could be a little temperamental and some of the more outlandish outfits on the catwalk could be described as a crime…

Find out more about Rizzoli & Isles including video clips. The show airs on TNT Mondays at 10 pm Eastern / 8 pm Mountain Time.

Win a Book and T-Shirt
One ABQ on the Cheap reader will receive a free book The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen and a T-shirt.  

Enter the giveaway by noon on Tuesday August 31, 2010.

To enter: Leave a comment below this post. Any comment – about the Rizzoli and Isles show, about ABQ on the Cheap, about what free/cheap thing you’re doing this weekend… anything to get your name in the hat. Just please keep it decent… we are a family site

• Submit your comment by noon, Tuesday August 31, 2010
• Comments need to be approved before they’re published, so if yours doesn’t show up at once, don’t worry, as long as it’s submitted by noon on Tuesday, you’re cool.
• One winner will be drawn at random from all qualifying entries – ie submitted as a comment, not by email.
• One entry per person please, only from U.S. residents. Multiple entries by the same person (yes, we can tell!) will be disqualified.
• All times are local Mountain Time

The prize is supplied courtesy of the Rizzoli & Isles team at TNT.

–Tania

Food Freebies & Deals Aug 27-Sept 3, 2010

Restaurant deals this week include half price wine, BOGO half price deal at T.G.I. Friday, pizza specials, 15% off BDW, $20 off at Vivace, happy hour, family fun food fair, and more!

Half Price Wine at Black Angus Steakhouse on Tuesdays. 50% off a bottle of wine when you order two entrees on Wine & Dine Tuesdays. Albuquerque Black Angus Steakhouse is located at 2290 Wyoming Blvd, NE.

Black Angus Steakhouse Happy Hour in the bar on Monday to Friday, 4 – 7 pm, means $3 beers, well drinks and wines, $4 margarita and martini, and full-sized appetizers from $3 to $5. Five bucks gets you a steak quesadilla (among other selections) and Happy Hour also scores $5 off a Wagon Wheel Sampler Platter.

T.G.I. Friday’s Buy One Get One Half Off Purchase one entree, and your second entree is half price with the coupon! For dine-in only at participating locations, one coupon per person per table, to September 1, 2010. You can’t use the BOGO deal with the Free T.G.I. Friday’s $10 Gift Card we’ve posted about before. The free gift card comes with the purchase of two entrees from the Caribbean-inspired summer menu, at Albuquerque T.G.I. Friday’s till September 6.

Vivace pay $20 for $40 worth  Buy before midnight Sunday August 29, certificate expires in a year to eat at the Vivace Italian restaurant in Nob Hill.  The Half Price Vivace Groupon deal is limited to one per person/per table, although on a table of more than 5 or more diners, two of you can use your deal certificates.

Whole Foods Local Farmers and Food Artisans Road Tour on Saturday August 28, 11 am – 3 pm, at the Indian School Plaza store. Food fair with free samples, face painting for kids and other kids’ activities, music by local duo Ten Cats Laughing, and door prizes. If you’re going shopping, might as well make it fun! Only at the Indian School Plaza Whole Foods Market, 2103 Carlisle Blvd. NE.

Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Bowl is back for $8.95! The deal itself is not never-ending, it’s for a limited time only.

Straight Up Pizza coupons valid to September 30. It’s hard to know where to start slicing the pie on the Straight Up Pizza deals – there are so many of them! How about the $6.99 Lunch Special 10″ pizza with two toppings and a 16 oz drink? Valid 7 days, 11 am to 3 pm. Or the $19.99 Monday Combo: 18″ large pizza and three toppings, 12 wings, and a two liter drink – good on Mondays only. See all the Straight Up Pizza coupons, say you’re using one when ordering, and pizza delivery is free within this area. (East of I-25, bordered north/south by Alameda and Montgomery.)

Boston Market Restaurant Discounts with the coupons valid to September 25, 2010.
Get $1 off any individual plate, $2 off a $10 purchase, and $4 off a $20 purchase. Sorry, but the coupons can’t be used with $2.99 Meal Deals or $4.99 Rotisserie Meal Deal (otherwise Boston Market might as well just pay US to eat there, huh? Hey, we’re on to something!)

Hotel Andaluz Ibiza Bar Wine Tastings with hors d’oeuvres for $18 per person on Wednesdays September 1 and 8. Our earlier Ibiza Bar Wine Tasting post has the details.

15% off BDW (Burgers, Dogs & Wings) Save 15% on your order over $10 with the coupon via Valpak. Currently showing as good till September 10, but Valpak expiry dates often roll back depending when you view and print.

80% off Restaurant.com certificates and gift cards till August 31 with the promo code: CLEARANCE (Enter the code at checkout to see the discount). Buy by August 31, no expiration date on certificates. Certificates are already discounted, so with the extra 80% off promo code:

• $10 certificate (usually $4) now costs 80 cents
• $25 certificate (usually $10) now costs $2
• $50 certificate (usually $20) now costs $4
• $100 certificate (usually $40) now costs $8
• $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card (redeem at 15,000 restaurants nationally) now costs $8

To get the 80% off, select your Restaurant.com certificates and enter the promo code CLEARANCE at the check out page.  (The full 80% discount doesn’t show till then.) Check the small print for any restrictions.
Participating Albuquerque restaurants currently include Sophia’s Place, Peppers Cantina, Asian Cafe,  Casa Chaco, Cazuela’s Mexican Grill. There are also Santa Fe and other restaurants in the program if you’re traveling. 

Kids Eat Free at Bernalillo Flying Star on Thursdays from 5pm to closing.  Buy one entree and pick one free item from the kids’ menu. Valid only on dine-in, only at the Bernalillo location, for children aged 12 and under.

Buy one dessert and get one free at Bernalillo Flying Star on Date Night Friday. Take a date from 5 pm on Fridays only. They’ve also got a couple of wines for $3.99 a glass, and live music.

Free Jack in the Box Mini Funnel Cake when you buy a Really Big Chicken Sandwich Combo at $3.99 for sandwich, fries, and drink. Last chance on this coupon, expiring August 29.

Kids Eat Free at IHOP in August – Last chance! Till end of August, a child aged 12 and under gets a free meal from the Just for Kids menu, with the purchase of an adult entree, daily between 4pm and 10pm on dine-in only. It’s one freebie per adult entree. According to the location finder at the IHOP Kids Eat Free link, there are seven participating Albuquerque IHOPs.

NOTE: Not all locations may be participating in all offers – call ahead if you want to be sure.

Thanks to Jennifer at Fort Worth on the Cheap for tipping us off about the T.G.I. Friday BOGO deal!

–Tania FYI: I’ve given you my Restaurant.com and Groupon.com affiliate links. If you feel like sending a little love this way to support the ABQ on the Cheap site, please use the links.

Free Albuquerque Yoga Classes

National Yoga Month heads to the mat in September 2010 with free Albuquerque yoga classes August 30 – September 4, and new students get a week of free yoga in September or October with the Yoga Month Card.

National Yoga Month aims to educate us to the benefits of yoga and inspire everyone to live healthier, happier lives. Can’t argue with that, can you? Especially when it’s all FREE!  I’m feeling happier already.

Here’s what we’ve got so far on National Yoga Month in Albuquerque, although other yoga studios may join in and play. We’ll update if we hear more.

Free Yoga Classes at Alignment Yoga NM

• Every class is free next week, August 30 – September 4, 2010.
• That includes beginning/intermediate classes, pre-natal, back care, and meditation
• Teacher Christine Stump leads these alignment and breath-based Hatha yoga classes (she’s also studied Iyengar, Ashtanga, and Anusara yoga)
• Alignment Yoga NM classes take place at Holistic Wellness Co-op, 1024 Eubank NE.

You’re saving $16 bucks a class, as that’s how much their classes usually cost at the drop-in rate. Although (another deal alert!) if you’re a new student, your first session is $16 and the second class is FREE! Monthly rate for unlimited classes is $80.

Free Week of Yoga Classes for New Students with the Yoga Month Card

The card for a free week of yoga is for NEW students only, to give you a chance to try out yoga at participating studios. Our understanding is that ‘new student’ means new to a particular studio – you don’t have to be a beginner. That’s the case with Alignment Yoga NM, but check in advance with other locations.

• Use the card for a week’s worth of free lessons between September 1 - October 31, 2010
• Register for the Free Yoga Month Card, choose a studio, then print out the card
• Check the small print for details. EG: one card per person, and when you print out the Yoga Month Card, it must include the URL at the top of the page to be valid
• Participating Albuquerque yoga studios (more may be added):  Yoga Now (Downtown), Nob Hill Yoga Center on Central, Alignment Yoga NM at Holistic Wellness Co-Op on Eubank NE.

Note that if you take an Alignment Yoga NM free yoga class next week, you can’t use the Yoga Month Card for more freebies later. Because, you know, you won’t be a new student there any more! So take your pick.

The luxury of freebie yoga choices is rather fab. And if you’re going to do a sun salutation, what better place to do it than sunny Albuquerque, New Mexico?

–Tania

Place Names of New Mexico: Free Talk August 28

New Mexico has some of the best place names. Truth or Consequences anyone?

If you’re interested in hearing the anecdotes and folklore behind places like Chi-Chi-Tah, Custer Mountain, and Mogollon, then this event has your name on it! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) And best of all, it’s totally free!  You couldn’t even name a price… oh I’ll shut up now.

Chautauqua speaker Bob Julyan gives a free talk on the Place Names of New Mexico on Saturday, promising plenty of humor (more than you’re getting in this post, anyway) and showing how the names cited in his local examples reflect New Mexico’s history and character. And what a lot of history and character we’ve got, huh?

Place Names of New Mexico talk:

• When: Saturday August 28, 2010

• Time: 2 pm (finishing 3 pm)

• Where: Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center

• Price: FREE!

No reservations are needed, and there’s no fee to enter Petroglyph National Monument. It’s located on the Westside of Albuquerque on Western Trail just off Unser Boulevard NW.  

Here are directions and a map to the Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center.

–Tania

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