Fourth of July Free Events 2010

Time to celebrate our freedom with these Independence Day events in and around Albuquerque…

This year, the big Freedom 4th party at Balloon Fiesta Park is indeed FREE! (Although there is a parking fee – check out the details below).

There are plenty of freebie celebrations too in Rio Rancho, Madrid, Acoma, and further afield around the state.

So let’s (erm) go forth: Bring on the fireworks, flags, and fun!

Freedom Fourth – Albuquerque - Sunday July 4, 2010

• Gates open at 3 pm for a 4 pm start, free admission for all! Freedom 4th is held at Balloon Fiesta Park, and live entertainment includes Vanessa Aragon, The System, Marsh, and Honor Society. Plus food vendors, free jumpers, face painting, a climbing wall, and 4th grade poster competition on display in Mayor Berry’s Very Important Kids Zone. All culminating of course in the fireworks display after dark.
• Parking is $10…  depending how many of you are in your group, you could save cash (and possibility your sanity) by taking the Park & Ride for $1 round trip; 35c for ages 62 and up; free for kids aged 10 and under.  You need exact change and bus passes aren’t accepted for Park & Ride. West side pick up is St. Pius High School, east side is  Coronado Center.
• There are quite a few “thou shalt nots” at this event – you can’t take pets (you know they don’t like fireworks) nor alcohol (although alcohol is available to purchase), so check the City of Albuquerque Freedom 4th page for all event details and a list of what you can and can’t take.

Rio Rancho Holiday Parade and Fireworks - Saturday July 3 2010

• Bike Decorating Contest registration starts at 9 am – open to kids and adults with prizes for the kids contest only (natch!) for best decorated and patriotic bikes! Register free at Joe’s Pasta House parking lot, 3201 Southern Blvd, then join the parade (children must wear a helmet).
• Holiday parade starts at 10 am, heading east from Country Club Drive down Southern Boulevard.  and ending on Pinetree Road near the Esther Bone Memorial Library and the Rio Rancho Veterans Monument Park.
• A ceremony follows at the Veterans Monument Park, starting at around 11 am.
• Free fireworks at the Rio Rancho High School football stadium on Saturday July 3 start at 9:30 pm – but you can hear live music from 8 pm. Parking at the High School is $5 per vehicle (proceeds to the Rio Rancho High School Booster Club).
• See all the details on the Rio Rancho Holiday weekend events.

Madrid Fourth of July parade starts at noon on Sunday July 4, from the Back Road to the Ballpark.  Stay on for the First Annual Bluegrass Festival after the parade at the Old Coal Mine Museum ($10 admission for adults, free for kids under 12, and admission includes entry to the Museum.)

Other New Mexico Independence Day Weekend Events:

If you’re planning to travel around the state, check out these other mostly free (or cheap) 4th July celebrations over the weekend.  See each link for day, times, and details:

• Acoma Pueblo Sky City Free Sky Works outdoor concert and fireworks starting at 6 pm on July 4 with music from the James Douglas Show and The JIR Project, followed by fireworks at 8pm, at Acoma Pueblo’s Sky City, about an hour’s drive west of Albuquerque.
• Cloudcroft Games, Street Dance and Parade
• Eagle Nest Parade and Fireworks
• Elephant Butte 4th of July Fireworks Display (park fees waived from 6–9 pm)
• Farmington Freedom Days Parade and Fireworks
• Las Cruces Electric Light Parade, Street Fest, Free Concerts (Unauthorized Journey on Sat 3, and Clay Walker on Sun 4) and Fireworks
• Moriarty Star Spangled 4th of July-Parade and entertainment
• Red River 4th of July Parade, Games and Cookout
• Santa Fe Fireworks display ($1 admission).
• Santa Rosa 4th of July Celebration and Fireworks
• Silver City Cowboy Breakfast, Ice Cream Social, Antique Tractor Show, Parade and Fireworks
• Socorro Free Fourth of July concerts and fireworks
• Taos Parade in Arroyo Seco, Fireworks in Taos
• Taos Ski Valley Parade, Games, and Rubber Duck Race

Plenty of places to celebrate…. on the CHEAP! Happy Independence Day!

–Tania

Free: Made-in-New Mexico Film Retrospective

Normally, we don’t run “free with paid admission” items because…well, they’re not exactly “free” if you have to pay for admission, right?

But this one’s a little different.

The State Fair is offering a fabulous event for film buffs. In conjunction with the New Mexico Film Museum (wait, we have a state film museum?), the State Fair will present daily screenings of films made in New Mexico over the past 100 years. How cool is that?!

The schedule includes some of the most famous movies filmed here, like Independence Day and No Country for Old Men, but we’re more excited about the oldies: Ace in the Hole, The Left-Handed Gun, and, of course, the classic Salt of the Earth.

In all, 33 films will be screened during the fair, with three screenings per day at 10:30am, 2:00pm, and 7:00pm. All showings will be held in the 300-seat auditorium in the African American Performing Arts Center. The news release from the State Fair does not specify how seating will be handled. Presumably, it’s first-come, first-served, so get there early to nab the best seats.

If you take advantage of the Family 5-Pack ticket offer, you can attend three screenings in one day for a mere $4 admission fee. Not to mention experiencing everything else the fair has to offer.

The 2009 New Mexico State Fair begins September 11. The fairgrounds is located in the northeast heights, bounded by San Pedro, Central Ave, Louisiana, and Lomas Blvd.

–Elizabeth Hanes

Fourth of July Freebies and Deals for 2009

There’s an old saying: Freedom isn’t free. And that surely is true enough. Lucky for you, however, Independence Day celebrations are free (or, at least, cheap), and we’ve got a roundup of many places you can enjoy events and fireworks for mere pennies!

Albuquerque

• Freedom 4th; gates open at 3:00pm; $2 adults, kids under 12 free; Balloon Fiesta Park. Enjoy live musical entertainment by South by Southwest, Savor, and The Blues Brothers Review. Plus, food vendors, a beer garden, and children’s activities on the green will keep you fed, watered, and entertained. The highlight of the evening is the fireworks display, natch, which kicks off at dark and ends around 10:00pm. Parking is free, but your best bet is to use the FREE park-n-ride, which starts service at 4:00pm. The westside pickup location is St. Pius High School. On the east side, jump aboard at Coronado Center (northwest corner). There are quite a few “thou shalt nots” involved with this event, so be sure to read the fine print at the bottom of the city’s informational webpage.
• Netherwood Bike Parade; 9:00am; Netherwood Park; free. Decorate your two-wheeler and cycle on over to Netherwood Park for the neighborhood association’s annual bike parade. Food, games, piñatas — what more could you ask for?

Los Lunas

• Parade; 9:00am; beginning at the Valencia “Y” across from Smith’s; free. You can’t beat the pageantry of an old-fashioned, small(er) town Independence Day parade. Expect plenty of floats, marching bands, horses, firetrucks, and more! The parade will travel west along Highway 6 to City Hall.
• Fireworks; gates open 4:00pm; Daniel Fernandez Park; free. Live musical entertainment with Eddie Benavidez e Los Jesters, Vanessa Aragon, Roberto Griego y Su Banda. Plus a men’s softball home run derby and all-star game, beginning at 5:00pm. And, we’re thinkin’, plenty of activities for kids!

Moriarty

• Star Spangled Cowboy 4th of July Celebration; all day, beginning at 8:00am; town of Moriarty; some stuff free, probably some stuff with admission fees. Expect lots of horses and authentic cowboys in this Indpendence Day do, which includes a parade, rodeo, and dance. We don’t have more details than that, but then Moriarty isn’t a big place, so we’re sure you can mosey over there and find everything all right.

Rio Rancho

• Bike Decorating Contest; register beginning at 9:00am July 4th; Albertson’s parking lot on Southern Blvd; free. Kids ages 2-12 and their parents are invited to contribute to the 4th of July parade pageantry by decorating bikes and bringing up the rear of the parade (see below)! Prizes will be awarded to one bike in each of three age categories that is best decorated, most patriotic, and most original. So, go hunt up some bunting and streamers!
• Parade; 10:00am; begins at Country Club and Southern; free. Enjoy the pageantry of classic cars, military organizations, marching bands (presumably), and a bike contest by grabbing a great spot along Southern Blvd. as the parade heads eastward toward the Veterans Monument Park, where a ceremony will conclude the parade.
• Fireworks Extravaganza; gates open at 4:00pm; Loma Colorado Park; free (parking $5 per car). Enjoy live music from The Brahma Band, The Hit Squad, and The StingRays, plus kids’ activities, food vendors (shaved ice, anyone?) and more!

Santa Fe

• Fireworks; gates open 4:00pm; Santa Fe High School; free ($5 per car for parking). This event is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Fe.

Elsewhere around New Mexico

And if you’re planning to travel around the state this holiday weekend, check out these other free or cheap 4th of July events:

• Alamogordo Freedom Bike Rally
• Arroyo Seco Parade
• Capitan 54th Annual Smokey Bear Stampede
• Carlsbad Independence Day Fireworks Celebration
• Carrizozo Star Spangled Spectacular
• Chama Fireworks Fiesta
• Eagle Nest Parade & Fireworks
• Elephant Butte 4th of July Fireworks Display (park fees waived from 6:00 – 9:00pm)
• Farmington Freedom Days
• Las Cruces 4th of July Celebration
• Madrid 4th of July and Heritage Days
• Pecos Rodeo (Sunday admission is half price when you present your 4th of July ticket!)
• Santa Rosa 4th of July Celebration & Fireworks Show
• Silver City 4th of July Celebration
• Socorro 4th of July Outdoor Festival
• Taos Ski Valley 4th of July Celebration

We’re sure there are more than this, but it’s what we could scare up and stuff into this post! If you know of something cool going on for Independence Day 2009, be sure to add it in the comments thread!

–Elizabeth Hanes

New Gallery Opening: Jemez Springs Fine Art

If you’re itching for a little road trip this 4th of July weekend, tool on up to Jemez Springs for the grand opening of Jemez Fine Art Gallery: An Artist Collective!

This new gallery’s grand opening celebration takes place July 4 (2009), from 4:00 – 7:00pm. Located in gorgeous Jemez Springs, the gallery features the works of N. Scott Momaday, Ed Samuels, Theodore Green, Jim Forcier-Call, Betsie Miller-Kucz, Troy Williams, Susan Vigi-Vigil, Erica Kane, Rollie Grandbois, Greg Shores, Lindsay Locke, James A. Vigil, and Clifford Fragua. Fine art in many glorious forms, from watercolor and acrylic paintings to sculptures, is on display and available for sale.

Afterwards, hang around Jemez Springs for fireworks in the park. Grab lodging now to make it a delightful Indepence Day getaway!

Jemez Springs Fine Art Gallery is located at 17346 Highway 4 (just south of the Village Plaza) in be-yoo-tee-ful Jemez Springs, NM (which itself is located north of Rio Rancho; take Hwy 550 north, then turn right at San Ysidro).

–Elizabeth Hanes