The Mesquite Street Amigos are holding several community events to celebrate the 175th birthday in the Las Cruces original townsite and the first event features a historic home with a remarkable garden.
On display is a drought-tolerant garden filled with upcycled glass garden art. Mixed in with the plants are glass and ceramic totems, stained-glass windows and painted windows, glass flowers, as well as little glass and ceramic surprises.
The Hutson/Verploegh historic home, 706 S. Mesquite St. in Las Cruces, is on the original El Camino Real de la Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, an indigenous trail which became the Royal Road from 1598 to 1882. In Las Cruces, a portion of this trading route is on Mesquite Street, the eastern side of the original townsite of Las Cruces since 1849.
The City of Las Cruces, established in 1849, celebrates her 175th anniversary in 2024, and "Glass in the Garden" is a fundraiser to support Mesquite Street Amigos, a group of neighbors living in the Mesquite-Street Original Townsite Historic District.
There is a $5 per person suggested donation to visit the garden; there will be painted windows and other glass art for sale. For information call Irene Oliver-Lewis at 575-312-3910.
Visit Las Cruces’ annual ¡Mira! Las Cruces fest kicks-off its second year with an expanded presence in the heart of downtown and an all-new live performance lineup. The event is designed to highlight the city’s art and culture, cuisine, outdoor recreation, sights and sounds.
The festival is from 2-9 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at Plaza de Las Cruces and downtown Main Street with live performances on the Robert V. Estrada stage. It is free for all ages.
Headlining is Grupo Control, a norteño, cumbia group based in Houston, Texas. They are set to take the stage from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Members have ties to the borderland region, and their music reflects the culture and community in Las Cruces and the surrounding area. They refer to themselves as Los Reyes de la Cumbia (The Kings of Cumbia) and were founded in the late 90s. The group has 812,000 followers on Facebook with millions of videos views on the same platform.
New Mexico State University’s cover band, Proud Pete, returns as the opener for this year’s headliner. Back by popular demand, dance lessons by Sol Ballroom will follow, getting the crowd ready to dance before Grupo Control takes the stage.
“The turnout for last year’s event was amazing and surpassed all expectations,” Visit Las Cruces Executive Director Rochelle Miller-Hernandez stated in a new release. “This year, with the expanded activities and the very popular headlining act Grupo Control, we expect an even better visitor experience and community response.”
The festival kicks off at 2 p.m. with performances from local high school cheer groups, Silence Disruptors and Danza Azteca Cuitlahuac. Live entertainment will continue throughout the day with several ballet folklorico performances and Mariachi Jaliciense.
Debuting at ¡Mira! Las Cruces is a radio-controlled hot air balloon exhibit. The 20 ft.-tall balloons will take flight at 5 p.m. with a balloon glow once the sun goes down prior to Grupo Control taking the stage.
Other activities include a chalk art competition, Kids Can vendors, an expanded Farmers and Crafts Market experience, community mural, Puppy Petting Zoo with adoptable pets, luchadores, car show and off-road vehicle display and more. The Rio Grande Theatre will have a special screening of “The Book of Life” at 5 p.m. with a shadow cast by A Children’s Theatre of the Mesilla Valley (ACT). For those who are unaware, a shadow cast is a live performance by amateur actors or theatre companies in tandem with the on-screen actors during the movie showing.
The food truck fiesta area returns with more food and drink options and a live DJ. A beer and wine garden will be located near the main stage and open during the entirety of the event.
The city will be shutting down Main Street at 5 p.m. April 26 from the north roundabout to Bowman Avenue, as well as Las Cruces and Griggs avenues.
The Las Cruces Farmers and Crafts Market will move to Sunday, April 28; however, many vendors will attend ¡Mira! Las Cruces on April 27 for the expanded “Farmers Market Experience” lining Main Street.
There is limited seating for the festival, so visitors are allowed to bring chairs. Well-behaved dogs are welcome but must be leashed.
The full ¡Mira! Las Cruces festival schedule is available at VisitLasCruces.com/Mira. The schedule and entertainment lineup are subject to change.
The Range Las Cruces is offering an evening of music featuring rising pop auteur Dent May and Jimmy Whispers. The concert is from 7-11 p.m., Tuesday, April 30.
May brings his critically acclaimed "What's For Breakfast?" tour to Las Cruces. His music is described as “a captivating blend of pop sensibilities and introspective lyrics, creating a sound that is both catchy and thought-provoking.”
Whispers, a Los Angeles-based artist and collaborator on Dent May's latest album, will be gracing the stage with his unique brand of music.
Tickets for Dent May + Jimmy Whispers are available now at TheRangeLC.com and at the door.
The Range Las Cruces is at 3217 El Camino Real Road in Las Cruces.
The Branigan Cultural Center is excited to announce a new exhibit, Tlazoh Amoxochitl: Florecimiento del Conocimiento Preciosos: Flowering of Precious Knowledge, featuring artwork that investigates pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultural traditions painted by K-5 students at the Raices del Saber Xinachtli Community School. The exhibit opens on May 3 and runs through June 22. There is an opening reception scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, May 3. Students and teachers from the Raices del Saber Xinachtli Community School will be in attendance. An Aztec dancing group will perform during the reception.
This exhibit presents 43 paintings that represent the young students’ interpretations of pre-Hispanic stories and legends of Mesoamerica. Drawing from oral traditions, the students were exposed to stories in school about how corn was created, how a girl and a monster produced the cacao tree and the symbolism of death and resurrection found in the change of caterpillars to butterflies. From these stories, the K-5 students created a wide range of artwork. Objects that are used to process corn and cacao beans are part of the exhibition.
The Raices del Saber Xinachtli Community School offers a multicultural and bilingual curriculum that infuses indigenous Mesoamerican teachings and traditions in a child-centered dynamic. The artwork presented in the exhibit was created in an afterschool program that was taught by teacher Diana Ginez during the spring 2024 semester.
The museum is located at 501 N. Main St. More information is available at lascruces.gov/museums or 575-541-2154.
