Focus on Artesia Winter 2016

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The Burnt Well Guest RanchBennie’s, Keeping It in the Family

Life in the Rodeo Arena Artesia’s First Lady, Sallie Chisum

Chamber News & More!

welcome to the

FROM THE EDITOR

FOCUS ON A GUEST RANCHAN OASIS IN THE BOONDOCKS

FOCUS ON FAMILY BUSINESSKEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

FOCUS ON BARREL RACINGCHANNELING ENERGY &BUILDING SELF-CONFIDENCE

FOCUS ON THE RODEOARTESIA HIGH SCHOOL RODEO TEAM

FOCUS ON MAINSTREETDOWNTOWN LOWDOWN

FOCUS ON YOUTH IN AGTHE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE

FOCUS ON SALLIE CHISUMARTESIA’S FIRST LADY

FOCUS ON HUNTINGHUNTING SEASON -A FAMILY & FRIENDS ACTIVITY

FOCUS ON WESTERN MUSICPETE LAUMBACH IS STILLBURNIN’ HIS OWN BRAND

FOCUS ON A CHUCKWAGONQ&A WITH THE CROCKETTS

PHOTOS FROM THE PAST

FOCUS ON THE CHAMBER

F O C U S O N A R T E S I A I S P U B L I S H E D Q U A R T E R L Y B Y A D V E N T U R E M A R K E T I N GAd Venture Marketing, Ltd. Co. • 866.207.0821 • ad-venturemarketing.comAll rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Every effort was made to ensure accuracy of the information provided.The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for errors, changes or omissions.

Staci Guy, Editorial Director - Jessica Kirk, AdvertisingPhotography by Jessica Addington, Staci Guy & Submitted Photos

Special Contributors: AHS Journalism Students, Elisabeth Jackson, Beverly Kodesh,Kyle Marksteiner, Sylvia Hewett Schneider & the Artesia Chamber of Commerce

W I N T E R 2 0 1 6

A B O U T T H E C O V E RRylee Strickland (left) and Teagan Miller pose with their horses.

Read their story about life as barrel racers on page 17.Photo by Jessica Addington

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CommunityA proud part of the Artesia

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We have our own way of thinking and doing things out here. To us, things like hunting, fishing and camping are just normal, everyday parts of life. We own horses and wear boots; we drive big pickup trucks and enjoy breathtaking sunsets. We respect the land but understand its value in providing things like food, oil and gas. In the West we value relationships and we learn early on how to shake someone’s hand like we mean it. This is our “normal.” This is life in the West; not the West Coast or the Mid-West, but the American West—the Wild West!

I’ll never forget when I was in my first year of college and my roommate from the San Francisco Bay area came home with me for a visit one weekend in December. Watching her react to life in my tiny hometown nestled in the southeast corner of New Mexico was at first amusing and then somewhat annoying. She couldn’t believe how much snow we got because in her mind, it didn’t snow in the desert—ever. The sight of a vinegarone sent her into a panic attack, and my friend Jonathan’s potbelly pig, Ponzòn, was all she could talk about for weeks after her visit. The number of guns my father owned baffled her and the fact that my uncles owned “real, live horses” blew her mind. Those were all just part of everyday life for me, but to her, I might as well have been plucked right out of a movie set.

Compared to other parts of the

country, life in the West also offers a unique climate and terrain as well as wildlife unlike anywhere else on earth. Depending upon which part of the state you’re visiting, you can see anything from deer and antelope to bears, mountain lions, wild hogs and elk. On any given day you might spot a scorpion, snake, mouse or tarantula scamper across the floor. In the West, critters come in all shapes and sizes, all temperaments and locations! I’m convinced there’s nowhere else on earth quite like the American West. There’s an entire genre of movies and books created around it for goodness sake! Maybe that’s why people from all over the world are drawn to a place like the Burnt Well Guest Ranch, which you can read about on page 7. Can you imagine a family from Denmark making the trip across the ocean to visit a dude ranch in the middle of nowhere in order to experience a cattle drive? Or a couple from the East Coast venturing out to the ranch to unplug and reconnect with one another in a last-ditch attempt to save their marriage? These are stories the Chessers hear time and time again from visitors to their guest ranch. They are stories we find unbelievable, because to us, it’s life, but to others, it’s the stuff movies are made of.

When we began putting this issue of Focus on Artesia together, my excitement about it got the best of me. There were so many story ideas I had

in mind, so much I wanted to dig into and share with our readers. But like every other issue, time and space got in my way and I was forced to whittle down my list. It never fails—after each issue someone will ask why we didn’t include a story about this or photos of that, and the truth is, we have schedules and budgets and it just isn’t feasible to include it all! Trust me, I wish I could. That being said, I hope as you read through this issue you will find something that entertains you, enlightens you, inspires you and maybe even educates you. We covered everything from hunting to ranching, barrel racing to singing. Surely there’s something inside that piques your interest!

As always, it was a pleasure to put together this issue of Focus on Artesia. I’m grateful to have a job where I get to meet so many fascinating people in our area and share their stories with our readers. I hope you enjoy this issue and thank you for supporting our publication.

Blessings, - Staci Guy, Editorial Director

ABOUT THE EDITORStaci Guy is the editorial director of Focus on Artesia. She can be reached at [email protected].

F O C U S from the editor

STACI GUYEditorial DirectorFOCUS ON ARTESIA

310 WEST MAIN STREET • ARTESIA, NEW MEXICO

Artesia Arts Council’sO COTILLO PERFORMING A RTS CENTER

Become a Member - Join the Arts Council! Be a Show Sponsor or Volunteer to Help...W E N E E D V O L U N T E E R U S H E R S , A R T I S T H O S P I TA L I T Y , B OX O F F I C E & M A R K E T I N G A N G E L S !

Ticketsor information, contact OCOTILLO PATRON SERVICES

ArtesiaArtsCouncil.com5 7 5 . 7 4 6 . 4 2 1 2

WE NOW HAVE E-TICKETS!Buy Online • Print Your Tickets at Home • Fast & Convenient!

February 20, 2016JOHNNY RILEY

AVAILABLE NOW2015-2016

Entertainment Guide

March 18, 2016CASHORE MARIONETTES

March 25, 2016BLUFFETT

TRIBUTE TO JIMMY BUFFETT

March 26, 2016JAY WHITE

TRIBUTE TO NEIL DIAMOND

March 5, 2016TERRI CLARK

April 2, 2016CODY JOE HODGES

4 F O C U S O N A R T E S I A | W I N T E R 2 0 1 6

310 WEST MAIN STREET • ARTESIA, NEW MEXICO

Artesia Arts Council’sO COTILLO PERFORMING A RTS CENTER

Become a Member - Join the Arts Council! Be a Show Sponsor or Volunteer to Help...W E N E E D V O L U N T E E R U S H E R S , A R T I S T H O S P I TA L I T Y , B OX O F F I C E & M A R K E T I N G A N G E L S !

Ticketsor information, contact OCOTILLO PATRON SERVICES

ArtesiaArtsCouncil.com5 7 5 . 7 4 6 . 4 2 1 2

WE NOW HAVE E-TICKETS!Buy Online • Print Your Tickets at Home • Fast & Convenient!

February 20, 2016JOHNNY RILEY

AVAILABLE NOW2015-2016

Entertainment Guide

March 18, 2016CASHORE MARIONETTES

March 25, 2016BLUFFETT

TRIBUTE TO JIMMY BUFFETT

March 26, 2016JAY WHITE

TRIBUTE TO NEIL DIAMOND

March 5, 2016TERRI CLARK

April 2, 2016CODY JOE HODGES

by Staci Guy

F O C U S on a guest ranch

Driving out to the location, one might be led to think her directions were wrong, or perhaps she had taken a wrong turn sometime after trading in the paved highway for dusty county roads. But alas, if that same someone continued

traveling north and west, she would encounter an oasis in the middle of the desert; an oasis called the Burnt Well Guest Ranch.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, that someone is me. I’ve never claimed to be good with directions, so when I ventured out to the ranch by myself that Tuesday morning in November, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would take about an hour to get there, and I knew it was far enough out that cell service was non-existent. Those two facts alone left me petrified. I am nothing if not dependent upon my cell phone and its ability to either (A) put me in contact with my husband,

who is the direction guru around our house, or (B) load my GPS. Since neither option was available, I pulled over on the side of the highway and studied Patricia Chesser’s email containing my driving directions in depth before I headed out to the land of dirt roads and no cell service.

The Chessers own the Burnt Well Guest Ranch, and Patricia is no stranger to giving directions. She has been living at the ranch most of her adult life and owns a business that depends upon people finding her. Fortunately for me, her directions were thorough down to the mile marker and distance between each turn. About 17 miles north of Artesia, I turned off U.S. 285 onto Highway 13 and headed west until I came to Old Y.O. Crossing Road, right between mile markers 26 and 25, just like she said I would. From there I traveled north again, and then west again, and then north again, passing her son’s place and eventually winding my way back to an adorable setting in the middle of nowhere. Upon my arrival, a man clad in a cowboy hat with a

AN OASIS INTHE BOONDOCKS

the Burnt Well GuestRanch

AN OASIS IN THE BOONDOCKS

PHOTO: Kim Chesser with his grandson Teagan Chesser, age 4, riding around on the Burnt Well Guest Ranch.


friendly face and a firm handshake met me at my Suburban. I could tell he had been working on the cattle guard straight ahead that I needed to cross in order to enter the property. After introducing himself as Kim Chesser, Patricia’s husband, he apologized for having the cattle guard torn up and asked if I would be able to squeeze through the nearby cattle pens instead. He ushered me in and told me he’d be up at the house shortly for the interview.

As I inched my way through the pens and made my way to the main house, I couldn’t help but smile. There was something warm about Kim’s greeting and genuine about the atmosphere there. Once inside the house, Patricia’s greeting was equally as warm and I felt an immediate connection with her. “Do you need to use the restroom before we get started?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“I do!” I laughed. “How’d you guess?!” Like most guests to the ranch, the last restroom I encountered was quite some time before my arrival to the ranch, and gulping down a big bottle of water on the bumpy drive in didn’t help matters any. By the time I returned and began setting everything up for the interview, Kim had arrived and started a pot of coffee. It was around 10:30 a.m. at that point, and within minutes the whiff of something divine grabbed my attention. Is that a roast cooking? I thought to myself. Calm down and focus. You’ve got work to do, Staci.

The three of us made ourselves comfortable at the round table at the end of the kitchen and settled in for business. Like most people I interview, the Chessers weren’t sure what to expect, so I tried to set their minds at ease by starting off with small talk. I’m

not one to write out a long list of interview questions when I’m working on a story. After years of writing, I have found that just visiting with people provides more than enough information, and it helps the process feel more like a

conversation and less like an uptight interview. The Chessers and I talked about everything from growing up on the ranch to raising children on the ranch, from starting businesses to playing music. We talked about faith and family, food, animals and some of their most memorable guests. We talked about success and failure, religion and cooking. Before I knew it, five hours had passed.

A couple of hours into my visit the smell of roast continued to taunt me, making it increasingly difficult to maintain my focus. Somehow I managed. My conversation with Patricia didn’t miss a beat as she got up from the table and began preparing some fresh green beans. She continued talking, answering questions without even realizing it, as she sliced the roast, took the potatoes out of the oven, prepared a salad and took some fresh cantaloupe out of the refrigerator. As she continued working her way around the kitchen, my mouth watered, and two thoughts kept running through my head: I hope she didn’t go to all this trouble just for me, and I hope that food is for me! It was. In all the years I have conducted


interviews and written stories, this was the first time I had been privy to such a delicious home-cooked meal.

About half-way through our lunch—or dinner, as they called it—our conversation took an unexpected turn. We were discussing music and Patricia’s love of bluegrass when I chimed in with memories of listening to my grandfather, who also loved bluegrass. I reminisced about growing up listening to him play and commented on how much I used to love it when he would yodel. Kim asked me his name.

“His name was Wayne Bedingfield,” I replied, “but he’s deceased now.”

“I’ll be right back,” Patricia said as she excused herself from the table rather abruptly. Kim sat there smiling from ear to ear, which left me a bit confused. I wasn’t sure what to expect. In less than a minute, she returned, holding something in her hand that unexpectedly brought me to tears.

“Oh my goodness,” I sobbed. “My grandfather made this for you, didn’t he?” I immediately recognized his work. I was looking at a fiddle my grandfather had made for her many years ago. Her own eyes brimming with tears, she answered with a simple nod.

“Look inside,” she urged me. When I looked inside, I saw her name and his. I sat there and wept while the delicious lunch I had eagerly anticipated grew cold. Patricia went on to tell me the story of how she came to be in possession of the fiddle, and in that moment, it was as if I had been there when it happened. I could almost hear my grandfather saying the words Patricia recalled him saying. By the time I regained my composure, Patricia and Kim were finished eating and my lunch was good and cold.

Kim headed back out into the cold wind to resume his work—that cattle guard wasn’t going to fix itself—while Patricia and I cleared the table, but my mind continued to race. I couldn’t help but feel even more of a

connection with the Chessers.

“I’m so sorry I lost it earlier,” I apologized. “I don’t typically do that in an interview.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she reassured me. “I just can’t believe what a small world it is!”

After we were finished in the kitchen, Patricia and I put on our jackets and headed out for a tour of the ranch. The grounds were neatly maintained and well thought out. The area surrounding the house consisted of spaces for grilling or sitting; some were shaded areas and others were great for campfires. Rocking chairs dotted the porches while paved walkways led from one facility to the next. The first structure we came to was an adorable house the Chessers refer to as the “Casita,” which they rent out by the night. It was cozy and intimate with a kitchenette, a living room and a bed all occupying one space with no dividing walls, while upstairs was a loft with two twin beds. The only enclosed space in the Casita was the restroom. Immediately upon entering, I mentally began planning my family’s trip to the ranch and our stay in the Casita. Patricia explained that many families come to unwind and relax by the fire, ride horses and play board games at the kitchen table. It’s a short enough drive from Artesia or Roswell that a weekend stay is perfect.

Our tour led us past the Casita to the building that brings people from all over the world to the Burnt Well Guest Ranch: a sprawling facility with a rustic vibe and a ranch house feel. The Chessers call it the “Bunk House.” The ceilings are high and the décor is authentic to a working cattle ranch with cow hides hanging on the walls, giant wood beams supporting the structure and a large watering trough takes the place of a bathtub. The Bunk House even houses a small general store where guests can purchase authentic New Mexico-themed items and some necessities. “We just work off the honor system in here,” Patricia noted. “I used to set up hours when

PHOTOS RIGHT: The top two photos shown are the Burnt Well Casita. The bottom three photos feature the exterior and interior of the Bunk House.

I’d come over and let them shop, but I found that it just made people uncomfortable. So now I leave a little charge tablet in here, and they can shop whenever they want. They just keep track of what they spend, and we square up at the end of their stay.”

It might seem like a brazen idea, but Patricia said business in the store has actually increased since she implemented the honor system, and she hasn’t had any issues with items being stolen. “It usually surprises people when I tell them I trust them to write down what they take,” she admitted, “but it works. They really seem to like it.”

The general store’s honor system is but one of the many aspects of the ranch that helps transport guests back to yesteryear when times were simpler and the pace of life was noticeably slower. There are no cell phones vying for guests’ attention and no internet service to lure them away to the land of social media or online shopping. It’s just them and nature for as long as the stay and as far as the eye can see.

Twice a day, full-service guests are

treated to a home-cooked meal at the Chessers’ house, where they all eat family-style around the dining room table. “Our guests really seem to like eating around the table,” Patricia shared. “They like that they get fresh meals and that the beef and lamb come from right here on the ranch.”

Depending upon the season, guests can watch authentic ranch work being done, such as branding calves and doctoring cattle, weaning calves and lambs for market, marking lambs and shearing sheep. For guests who are more hands-on, there’s an arena where they can try their hand at pole bending, barrels, roping, or cattle sorting and penning. Outside the arena guests can give horseshoe throwing a try or enjoy a game of pool or checkers. To help unwind and remedy those saddle-sore muscles at the day’s end, many guests relax on the deck or in the hot tub. And remember back when I told you about Patricia’s love of music and those areas designated for campfires? She and some of her musician friends will often treat their guests to live bluegrass and western music outside by the campfire. Imagine the bright New

Mexico moon shining above while you listen to local cowboy musicians and poets bring art to life around a campfire. If that doesn’t paint a perfect picture of the American West, I don’t know what will!

Those experiences, combined with a need for supplemental income, are what prompted the Chessers to start the Burnt Well Guest Ranch nearly 14 years ago. At the time, the working cattle ranch that has been in Kim’s family since 1950 was the couple’s only source of income. In addition to Kim and Patricia, the ranch also provided income for Kim’s parents. Times were understandably difficult and Patricia started thinking about ways to supplement their family’s income. That’s when the idea for a guest ranch entered her mind. “I started working on a business plan for a dude ranch, but nothing would gel,” she revealed. “I learned later that I was getting the cart before the horse in a lot of areas.”

Then one fateful Sunday morning a couple who owns a dude ranch in Colorado visited the church in Ruidoso that the Chessers attend.


“Kim glanced over during the service and noticed manure on the guy’s boots,” Patricia laughed. “We knew we needed to talk to them!” After church the Chessers talked to the couple, who suggested the first thing they do was join the Dude Ranchers’ Association. That’s exactly what the Chessers did. “We joined as association members so we could go to a convention in Albuquerque, but when we got there, the dude ranchers were so different than what we were expecting.”

She went to on to explain, “We are a working cattle ranch. Most dude ranches have cattle to entertain their guests, but ours are our livelihood, and the dude ranch supplements our ranch.” Although the Chessers were taken aback by some aspects of the convention, they were also encouraged by it. “We met a lot of people who encouraged us to do this.”

“They (conference officials) were excited because in general, dude ranches have been getting away from being real working cattle ranches,” Kim interjected. “Most dude ranches today are just for entertainment purposes.”

At the end of the convention, something happened that perhaps altered the trajectory of the Burnt Well Guest Ranch forever. “There was an auction, and they had donated a [web]site on Tim Gordon’s website (Gordon’s Travel Guide),” Patricia reminisced. “It was an $1,800 value, and I decided to bid on it and won it for $1,200 for a year.”

With Tim’s permission, the Chessers paid for the site but decided to wait to activate it until they had actually started the ranch. “That was the point we jumped off the cliff!” she beamed. “We weren’t going to invest $1,200 that we really didn’t even have and not do something with it. I felt like I was freefalling.” The Chessers canned their initial business plan and started fresh. “The main thing Tim told us was, ‘You have the passion; put that aside. We’ll unleash it when the time is right.’”

Other than a brief stint in the hardware business in the late ‘70s, the Chessers didn’t have any experience owning a customer-based business, so their desire to open a dude ranch surprised many people. “We couldn’t get a bank to loan us the money for it,” Kim remembered. “Everyone laughed at us. We still have people to this day who say they thought we had lost our minds when we told them we wanted to open a guest ranch!”

The critics were eventually silenced when the first guests started arriving in August 2003. Among those first guests was one of the Chesser’s most memorable visitors to date, a lady named Margaret. As a member of the Sierra Club environmental group, Margaret became upset when she found out some of the local men were hunting coyotes. Once the group came upon a rancher’s sheep that had been killed by coyotes, however, she changed her tune. “They (environmental groups) were lying to us!” she protested. Margaret had been

led to believe that coyote hunters were brutal and cruel, hunting just for the fun of it. After witnessing the carnage left by the coyotes, she realized hunting the animals is a necessary part of ranching in the southwest, not just a barbaric form of entertainment.

When they got back to the Bunk House, Kim handed Margaret a copy of Range magazine and asked her to read it to “get the other side of the story from environmental groups.” She got all the copies she could find and took them back with her. “It’s not that they are stupid, but they are ignorant to the facts, and they haven’t heard the reality,” Kim reckoned.

Patricia added, “When we first started, we wanted to expose guests to the western way of life, to our family and to our faith. And lo and behold, our first guest was blown away by this Range magazine. One person at a time, we will make a difference!”

Kim expanded upon her thoughts, adding, “A lot of people have misconceptions. They think ranchers are just using the land for nothing; they think we abuse the land. But since we started the guest ranch, we’ve had the opportunity to talk to a lot of people about those misconceptions and educate them about ranching.”

Another perk? Getting to know people from everywhere and hear them share their stories. “We have been able to travel all over the world sitting right here at the kitchen table,” Kim concluded.

To learn more about the Burnt Well Guest Ranch, log on to burntwellguestranch.com or call toll free 866-729-0974.

PHOTO LEFT: The General Store inside the Bunk House, where guests can purchase authentic New Mexico-themed items, operates on the honor system. Guests can shop whenever they want and keep track of their purchases then square up at the end of their stay. PHOTOS BELOW: Life on the Burnt Well Guest Ranch, a working ranch owned by the Chesser family

A LOT HAS CHANGED IN DOWNTOWN ARTESIA SINCE THE 1940S.The parking meters that were installed in that era and caused great grief for drivers have since been removed, retail shops and trees have taken the place of pool halls and hotels, and bronze statues now scattered about the area proudly depict our town’s rich history. Countless businesses have come and gone since then, but one western wear store has stood the test of time. Perhaps you’ve heard their jingle: “Bennie’s Western Store, the westmost western store.”

When Bennie Mason purchased an existing boot repair shop in 1947, he probably didn’t envision it supporting three generations of his family well into 2016 with no signs of slowing down any time soon. But that’s exactly what has happened. Originally located at 411 W. Main, Bennie’s Western Wear thrived for 10 years at that location before moving two blocks down to its current location. “In the mid-‘50s we moved down to this end

of town—next door, actually,” recalled Bennie’s son, Jimmy Mason. “The original store was right there where you walk in now.”

To make room for the growing western wear store, they demolished two two-story buildings in 1962 and constructed a single-story building right next door. “A pool hall was in one of the buildings,” Jimmy noted. “Of course, Main Street used to be full of pool halls and bars and hotels back then.”

Having grown up in the family business, Jimmy spent plenty of time in the store growing up and knew early on that he wanted to return to Artesia after graduating college to follow in his father’s footsteps. After spending one semester at the College of Artesia and three semesters at Abilene Christian College, he transferred to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales and obtained a business degree in 1972.

“I’ve been working here ever since…Never made enough money to leave,” he joked.

Not long after he returned home, a young school teacher named Bunny caught his eye. “Us single guys checked out those new teachers each year!” he quipped. “You had a woman with an education and a job with insurance...” He went on to marry that young school teacher, and together they raised three children, the youngest of whom now carries on the family tradition of dishing out friendly greetings to customers that enter the door of Bennie’s Western Wear. Of his three children, Jimmy said Clay was the only one who expressed an interest in moving back. “I never really asked [them to come back]. My dad was the same. We always knew we were welcome to come back and work, but he was good with it if we wanted to go and do something else. That’s how I was with my kids. Clay came back when he graduated college, and he’s part owner now. I figured he might as well get started because I’m not gonna last forever!”

F O C U S on family business

by Staci Guy

KeepingIt in theFamily

PHOTO: Jimmy Mason, far right, poses for a photo with his parents, Bennie and Mildred Mason, in March 2005 for a story in Enchantment Magazine.


LIFE LESSONSWorking with family can be a balancing act—pros and cons, love and respect, teaching and learning, work and family. It’s definitely not for everyone, and you’re either cut out for it or you’re not. Fortunately for the Masons, they seem to have found the right balance. “When I was younger we’d fuss and fight some, but he was really pretty good,” remembered Jimmy of working with his father. “When I came back full time after college, he gave me parts that I took over. He let me make my mistakes and didn’t say much. He wasn’t one to micromanage me.”

The elder Mason was known as a dedicated family man with high standards for what it took to enjoy life and run a successful business. In his obituary published after his passing in 2006, his family acknowledged his legacy and his knack for imparting valuable life lessons. While it would be impossible to list all of the lessons he imparted to others, Jimmy offered a couple that he in turn passed on to his own children—lessons about failure and self-reliance.

While many parents today tend to go overboard in preventing their children from failing, Bennie saw it as an opportunity. “He let me make my mistakes, and I learned from them,” Jimmy emphasized. “Failure is a good teacher. That’s why I tried to let my own kids make their mistakes as well. It’s better for them to make mistakes when you’re there with them, that way

they’re prepared better when they head out on their own.”

If failure is a good teacher, then self-reliance might be considered a tenured professor. There are some things you just can’t learn from a book or in a classroom. Some things have to be experienced. Case in point: “When I was a kid, my dad would drop us off east of town on his way to work around seven and pick us up around eight in the evening,” Jimmy remembered. “We’d ride horses, ride the river, ride to town…They trusted us to take care of ourselves. We didn’t need someone to watch over us 24/7. It taught us a lot of self-reliance.”

“That’s one thing I believed with my kids,” he confided. “We want them to be responsible, self-sufficient adults. It’s important to teach them self-reliance.”

Perhaps the lesson Bennie is most well-known for, one that he lived rather than preached, was to treat people with respect and greet each one with a warm, friendly smile. Those greetings have become synonymous with Bennie’s Western Wear. “I’m always greeted with a ‘hello’ and a friendly smile,” commented Ben Fuentes, a long-time customer. The warm welcomes usher customers in, but it’s the customer service that keeps them coming back. “The employees are always friendly and ready to help with any of my shopping needs,” he added. All three generations of Masons have made it a point to put their customers first, even if it means practicing something as unorthodox

as offering customer charge accounts. “It drives my bookkeeper crazy,” Jimmy revealed. “We probably have 700 or 800 accounts. But a lot of people can’t afford that kind of stuff if we didn’t offer charge accounts. We want people to be able to afford it, so if charge accounts help, then we’re happy to offer them.”

Customer charge accounts are something Bennie started decades ago as a means of helping his customers, who, at the time, consisted primarily of those in the agriculture industry. “For years my dad wouldn’t even send bills out on that stuff because it was mostly farmers and ranchers and they only paid about twice a year when they sold crops,” he shared. “We send out bills now and most are 30-day accounts. Charge accounts have their problems but they also develop somewhat of a loyalty between us and our customers.”

FROM COWBOY BOOTS AND TACK TO STEEL TOES AND FRsAs one can imagine, Bennie’s Western Store has seen significant change over the decades. For many years, people all over the Pecos Valley made Bennie’s their one-stop shop for western attire, boots and tack. “In those days, girls didn’t wear jeans, and cowboys wore nicer clothes, too. People rode more,


so we sold more tack. Now our clothes are more Carhartt and Cinch brand-type clothes; nice, but not quite as dressy.” Cut to 2015 and customers still visit from all over the valley, but now more than half of them purchase work wear, such as steel toed boots and fire retardant clothing (FRs). “In the ‘60s, farm and ranch was the main economy of the valley,” Jimmy proclaimed. “Now oil and gas is our main employer and many of them are required to wear FRs and steel toes. FRs changed the work-wear business completely. Several years ago we didn’t even know what FRs were.”

He continued, “Artesia is pretty fortunate, though, because the dairies increased farm and ranch [industry] around here, and we also have FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center), which has had a tremendous impact on our economy. Many of their instructors and maintenance people are good customers, too.”

Another recent change that has brought in a whole new customer base is the addition of firearm and ammunition sales. “That was Clay’s baby there,” Jimmy said, pointing to the gun counter. “We thought about it for a while before, but we didn’t want the paperwork. Clay likes it and saw an opportunity, so we decided to go ahead with it. It’s been a good addition to our business.”

Times have certainly changed the landscape of downtown Artesia, but one thing that remains the same is the warm greeting customers encounter when they enter the doors of Bennie’s Western Wear and the friendly customer service they continue to experience. Having a third-generation Mason on the giving end of those friendly greetings would surely make his grandfather proud. “Business has changed a lot in all the years,” Jimmy reminisced. “We’ve grown a lot over the years. Artesia has always been a good business town. They’ve been good to us. My parents raised me and my sister here; I raised all three of mine here; and now Clay moved back and will hopefully raise his family here.”

He acknowledged, “We’ve had lots and lots of good, loyal customers. Any kind of store like this is nothing without its customers.”


Commitment Runs Deep

Robby Gaines is an engineer, educator, philanthropist and all-around role model. He has created or had a signi�cant role in so many projects, events and causes, it’s hard to imagine what Artesia was like before Robby. His passion for cycling and helping the community sparked the Ride for Bikes program. Robby and his program have provided more than 5,000 bicycles to local children.

The Devon team congratulates Robby Gaines on being named a 2015 Devon Hometown Hero.

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F O C U S on barrel racing

Outwardly speaking, Teagan Miller and Rylee Strickland are as different as night and day. Teagan is

petite, spunky and quick-witted with blonde hair and big brown eyes. Rylee is a bit taller with a slender build, a shy smile, dark hair, and a soft, quiet demeanor. For all their differences though, the girls have two things in common: their love of horses and their dedication to the sport of barrel racing.

“I’ve been on a horse since I was 18 months old,” proclaimed 10-year-old Teagan. “I’ve always loved horses as long as I can remember.”

“She started racing right before she turned five,” confided her mother, Jennifer Miller. Having watched her

cousin, Kenna Wilbanks, race in the past, Teagan, who was four at the time, thought it looked like fun and wanted to give it a try.

As fate would have it, she was at the arena with her father, Robby Miller, when a conversation came up about barrel racing. “She said she wanted to do it, so I said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Robby recalled. All it took was one time and Teagan was hooked.

“I loved it! I was like, ‘Oh, Dad! I want to do this again!’” she exclaimed.

The sport of barrel racing proved to be the perfect fit for the energetic young girl. “Teagan likes fast-paced things,” Jennifer noted.

Teagan interjected with a laugh, “Giddy up and go! That’s what I like!”

“She’s never been one to sit and be idle, plus, she loves the social atmosphere,” her mother added.

Robby, who had spent many years in the rodeo circuit as a bull rider and roper, initially expressed more enthusiasm about her decision to barrel race than did Jennifer. “A lot of it had to do with financial reasons,” Jennifer explained. “I was unfamiliar with all of it; I didn’t do that growing up. Robby had been roping, so I knew how expensive it was and that was really my only experience with rodeo.”

Robby chimed in, “I knew it was going to be expensive, but if she wanted to do it, it was fine. I mean, I’d have a lot more money if she didn’t, but….” He shrugged his shoulders.

“He’s offered many times to buy her an

Channeling Energy& Building

Self-ConfidenceTWO YOUNG GIRLS RECEIVE VERY DIFFERENT BENEFITS FROM THE

SPORT OF BARREL RACING by Staci Guy

PHOTO: Rylee Strickland (left) and Teagan Miller with their horses Julio and Tilly. Photo by Jessica Addington 17W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 | A C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E

expensive set of golf clubs if she trades in all her horses,” Jennifer joked.

“And that has always been a ‘No!’” Teagan quickly retorted.

Eventually Jennifer’s reservations gave way to excitement and steadfast support for her young daughter’s dreams of barrel racing. For the past five years, barrel races and rodeos have consumed the majority of the family’s time and resources. “I’m still the more organized one that stands back and looks at the finances, looks at the budget to see what we can and can’t do. Sometimes I’m the buzz kill!” admitted Jennifer.

Rylee, on the other hand, started riding horses at an early age but didn’t begin barrel racing until 2015 when her parents began looking for an activity that would help her build self-confidence. Her mother, Jessica Strickland, had done her research and had talked to other racing parents, so she knew it was something Rylee might enjoy and excel at. Rylee struggled with school from a young age and after a series of doctor’s appointments and testing was finally diagnosed with dyslexia. “She had no confidence in anything she did and didn’t want to try anything new because of the let-down if she failed,” Jessica revealed. “We were looking for something that she alone could do that didn’t depend on anyone else.”

Like Teagan, Rylee also quickly fell in love with the sport of barrel racing. “She loved to ride and took to barrel racing immediately,” Jessica contended.

“I had been wanting to do it [barrel race] for a long time, so when I finally got to, I was excited but nervous,” insisted Rylee, also 10 years old. “I had been on a horse since I was little, but my dad had to teach me how to run the horse, which was a little scarier than walking on one.”

“I really like racing now,” she boasted. “I still get nervous, but my dad says that when you quit being nervous you need stop racing because that means

you’re not enjoying it anymore.”

The Stricklands’ plan to help their daughter build her self-confidence seems to be working. Having only been racing less than a year, Jessica said Rylee has progressed at an impressive rate, improving her time and her skills with each race. “She was a natural at it, and very early on we could tell it was helping her build confidence,” her proud mother stated. “After only doing it eight months, she went from being at the bottom of the 8U to winning things in the open. She has come a long way in a short time. It’s definitely a talent, and these girls are natural at it.”

Barrel racing, it turns out, has been a game-changer for the Strickland family. After years of watching their daughter struggle in school and struggle to form close bonds with her peers, seeing her blossom into a more confident young woman has been monumental. “With the diagnosis of dyslexia, the change in schools, and barrel racing, she has turned around 150% regarding her confidence!” Jessica pronounced. “I think it’s important for people with dyslexia to know that there are many aspects in life they can excel in. It’s more than just switching numbers and letters. They have some of the highest IQs in the world; they just learn a little differently. Finding an individualized sport for Rylee has been incredible for her self-confidence.”

Life in the ArenaThe Millers and Stricklands alike will be the first to tell you that the life of a rodeo family is not for everyone. It is expensive and time-consuming, not to mention a tremendous amount of work that takes dedication. Nonetheless, both families are willing to make the necessary sacrifices in order for their daughters to experience life in the arena.

Like any sport, practice is a necessity, but practices are two-fold. Not only

PHOTOS: Teagan MillerBottom Photo by Jessica Addington18 F O C U S O N A R T E S I A | W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 F O C U S N M . C O M

do the girls have to practice riding their patterns, but they also have to train their horses to cooperate and run patterns as well. It’s no easy feat. “Teagan has trained all her barrel horses up until she got Ace last July,” Jennifer maintained. “He’s the only ‘finished’ barrel horse she’s had.” Most of her horses come off ranches and require extensive training. “It has taken a lot of practice and training to get where they are today.”

“Rylee has been able to see for herself that if she doesn’t practice, it affects her performance,” Jessica commented. “And it also affects the performance of her horse. She knows she’s got to practice at least two or three times a week.”

Along with the countless hours of training and practice comes a lesson many youth today lack: responsibility. With animals involved, feeding and care rank high on the level of importance as well as paying for entry fees to the races and all the equipment that comes along with it. “There’s a lot of responsibility with it,” Jennifer insisted. “It helps them grow up in a way.”

With each win, the girls take home some sort of monetary payment. “Any money she wins pays for the next race,” Jennifer continued. “She also paid for half of her first saddle. If I pay for a race, we will take her winnings. [I] reimburse myself, and then she will get the rest. That’s just how we do it and it helps teach her about responsibility and money management.”

Jessica remarked. “Rylee has won enough the last few times that I make her pay for her entry fees and if there’s any left, I put it in her savings account. She also uses her winnings to pay for some of the things she wants at the races.”

Practice and training are important, and responsibility is a key by-product, but one would be remiss if the topic of safety didn’t arise when discussing young girls and big horses. “Of course it makes me nervous for her to be racing,” claimed Jessica. “I grew up around horses and I know what can

happen.”

Both ladies credit their faith with helping them cope and say that prayer plays a vital role in keeping their nerves at bay. “There is a lot of prayer involved. I didn’t grow up in this lifestyle, but I have faith in my husband, too, that he won’t put her on something she can’t handle,” Jennifer confessed. “We’ve also been very blessed with the horses we’ve got. Her horses take fantastic care of her.”

Barrel racing, like most other rodeo events, draws many of the same crowds to each race, which means even though it’s a competitive sport, participants and their families tend to form strong bonds with one another. Those bonds extend across the arena and into daily life. The Stricklands and Millers both realized there’s only so much that parents with no barrel racing experience can teach young racers before outside help becomes a necessity. Fortunately for them, several local women graciously offered their services to help mentor and train the young barrel racers. “I didn’t know anything about running barrels,” quipped Robby. “I just let Kenna Sullivan and Kerri Pitts take over! They’re the ones that taught Teagan how to ride barrels. A girl named Chezie (Parsons) finished it, or ‘tuned her up.’”

“I’ve noticed Chezie and the older girls are always willing to help them and teach them,” Jessica observed. “It’s neat to see them interact with the younger girls at the races. They don’t have to do that, but they do and it means a lot to Rylee and Teagan.” She also credits Kirstan Carlson with helping Rylee excel in the sport. “Both Chezie and Kirstan have helped her so much.”

Being a self-described “outsider,” Jennifer said she, too, is impressed with the way in which the participants interact with one another. “Some of Teagan’s good friends are 12, 15, and there’s a respect there,” she acknowledged. “Being an outsider myself, it’s impressive to me how welcomed everyone makes you

PHOTOS: Rylee StricklandBottom Photo by Jessica Addington 19W I N T E R 2 0 1 6 | A C O M M U N I T Y M A G A Z I N E

feel. Had I not seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. It’s a really neat thing.”

Jessica agreed, “We immediately felt welcomed when Rylee started racing. It’s like a family, and everyone is so willing to help out. We even watch each other’s kids at the races!”

The girls couldn’t agree more and cited the friendships they have formed amongst their favorite aspects of barrel racing. “I love riding and all the excitement, but I also love the friends I’ve made,” beamed Teagan.

“I do, too,” Rylee nodded as her mother confided, “She has been more interactive with school mates and the new friends she has met at barrel races. It has been such a good experience for her.”

Barrel racing might be considered a competition, but Jennifer described it as “competing against yourself more so than competing against one another.” “You want to improve your time each time, so that’s really where the competition comes in. It lets them set their own goals,” she explained.

Jessica concluded, “Everyone competes against each other time-wise, but it’s neat because all the kids stand at the fences screaming and cheering for the next one. They are competitive, but they don’t hate each other; they are so supportive.”

Painting the perfect picture of evidence, Teagan and Rylee started a side discussion about how much Rylee has improved, how “awesome” Teagan is and how excited Teagan is for Rylee to be competing at a higher level now. A friendship that began in kindergarten has certainly blossomed in the rodeo arena. Whether it’s for corralling a 10-year-old’s boundless energy or boosting the self-esteem of a young girl with dyslexia, it seems barrel racing just might be the answer.

PHOTOS: Rylee Strickland (top two)Teagan Miller (center two)Bottom Photo by Jessica Addington

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In 2007, Eric Greer was interviewing for a teaching job in the Artesia Public School District when then-Superintendent Mike Phipps brought up the idea of starting a school rodeo team.Given Greer’s history with rodeo, he was interested in the position as a coach and decided to accept both the teaching and coaching positions offered to him. With 11 high school students on the team and three freshmen from the junior high, it was the beginning of a long line of roping and riding.

Greer moved on and is currently serving as high school principal,

having turned over the reins of the rodeo team to Kerrie Pitts, who is also passionate about the sport of rodeo. Pitts has not only been coaching the rodeo team for three years but also has had a lot of past experience with high school rodeo. In Pitts’ four years of high school rodeo, she was a Texas State Qualifier in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying and breakaway roping. In other words, for four years straight, she was fourth place or above

in all four categories mentioned. Pitts also claimed the title of Champion Breakaway Roper in 1989 and Reserve Champion Breakaway Roper in 1990.

Athletes on the rodeo team are enthusiastic about their sport. Some ride bulls, some rope calves, but they all describe the same experience: meeting new people and being challenged to be their best. They love their sport, the thrill of competing and the friends they make while doing it. “My favorite aspect of rodeo is the big family that develops as you go down the road,” confessed junior bull rider and roper Blaise Milligan.

Members of the 2015-2016 rodeo team are passionate about what they do, which makes for an even better team. Like most athletes, if they are serious about their event, they are more likely to perform to the best of their abilities. Many claim to love the feeling they get while roping or riding.

F O C U S on the rodeo

by Artesia High School Journalism Students - Deonna Hoy, Nic Jenkins, Kiara Escarnero-Herron and Alexis OrtegaPhotos Submitted by Kerrie Pitts, Rodeo Coach

Rodeo

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“Most people do drugs to get high,” reckoned Morgan Brown, another junior on the rodeo team. “I just ride bulls!”

The team’s performance reflects its members’ love of competition. “We all compete against each other, but we are all friends,” proclaimed Maddy Deerman, a sophomore member.

After winning the state championship in 2014 and having several members qualify to go on to national competition, Pitts knew the hard work they put into practicing their events had paid off. Several members qualify for nationals each year, which means the Artesia team is especially experienced.

This year the Artesia High School rodeo team was able to attend the state championships, and they came out victorious.

Greer and Pitts both claim to be proud of the students and their progress, commending them on their accomplishments, their character and their future. Both coaches know first-hand what it takes to be in rodeo and know personally the dedication and sacrifice it requires. “This sport teaches lots of responsibility, initiative, teamwork

and dedication,” stated Greer. “If they can find patience and effort to put into rodeo, they can do just about anything they set their mind to.” Rodeo, however, hasn’t always been a sporting event. It was once an integral part of cattle ranching in areas of Spanish influence, such as right here in southeastern New Mexico. Two of the activities that were introduced by the Spanish and incorporated into the sporting version were bull riding and steer wrestling. Bull wrestling, on the other hand, is an ancient tradition throughout the world, originating in Spain. These customs eventually spread through Spain and were found at 19th century fairgrounds, racetracks and festivals in the southwestern areas that now make up the United States.

Today, the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) produces and hosts the two most elite youth rodeo events in the world. The NHSRA is, unsurprisingly, one of the fastest growing youth organizations in the country. Annual membership includes approximately 12,500 students across 41 states, five Canadian provinces and parts of Australia. More than 1,500 contestants from these countries meet for

the National Junior High and National High School Finals Rodeos, which were founded on two main principles: to encourage youth to stay in school and to promote the highest type of conduct and sportsmanship. The New Mexico High School Rodeo Association is dedicated to keeping these founding principles in place while working with the NHSRA to set up events and competitions.

Athletes who attend these events compete for national titles, assorted prizes and their own share of thousands of dollars in college scholarships. In order to obtain these prizes, however, the athletes must win the contests they participate in. These events are held twice each day, and the top 20 contestants in an event will advance to the finals round. Winners receive championship buckles for their respective events. The events, separated into boys, girls and team exercises, are numerous and cover a wide variety of subjects. Events include bareback riding, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping and cutting for boys; breakaway roping, barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, cutting and the NHSRA Queen contest for girls. Boys and girls get together to compete in a team roping event.

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PHOTO: Eric Greer, Artesia High School principal and former rodeo coach, shows off a plaque he received from the first rodeo team in the school’s history.


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F O C U S on mainstreet

ELISABETH JACKSONExecutive DirectorARTESIA MAINSTREET

TAKE A WALK THROUGH ARTESIA’S HISTORY AS A PART OF THE AMERICAN WEST BY VISITING THE HISTORY IN BRONZE SERIES IN DOWNTOWN ARTESIA. Start your tour with the Cattle Drive series. The three monuments—The Trail Boss, The Vaquero and The Rustler—tell a story typical of the cattle drive era of the late 1800s. The series is designed to honor the ranching industry in southeastern New Mexico, a vital part of the American West.

As the story goes, while moving a herd of cattle, the vaquero (cowboy) spots the cattle rustler (thief) attempting to alter the brand on one of the trail boss’s steers. The vaquero has signaled to the trail boss, who is shown spurring his horse to action in response. The rustler is aware that he has been noticed and is preparing to defend himself in the inevitable confrontation. The Trail Boss bronze sculpture was created by Vic Payne and unveiled in 2007 as the first in the series. The trail boss was often the owner of a small herd of cattle and was the man in charge. The Vaquero, Spanish for “cowboy,” was created by Mike Hamby and was unveiled in 2008. Hispanics of the era were known for their skills as cowboys, and the influence is evident today in many Spanish-based words used for cowboy equipment.

The rustler was a personality common in the American West; some were well known, such as Billy the Kid, who traveled to this area frequently. A rustler would steal cattle from a herd, alter the brand and claim them as his own to sell. The Rustler was created by Robert Summers and unveiled in 2009.

During your tour, take time to stop and see the First Lady of Artesia. Sallie Chisum, niece of the famed cattleman John Chisum, settled in Artesia in 1890. Her accomplishments as an entrepreneur, developer and businesswoman led her to be known posthumously as the “First Lady of Artesia.” This monument, also created by Robert Summers, was unveiled in 2003 and is dedicated to the spirit of the pioneer woman.

The remaining History in Bronze sculptures commemorate Artesia’s history and our promising future. The Derrick Floor and Oilfield Pioneers monuments celebrate southeastern New Mexico’s oil patch and the men and women who built it. The Freedom’s Fire sculpture, a part of Baish Veterans Park, honors North Eddy County’s veterans. The Foundation monument, located in front of the Artesia Public Library, celebrates our community’s youth and symbolizes books as the foundation of knowledge, learning and understanding.

Interested in seeing all that downtown Artesia has to offer? Pick up a Walking Tour Guide at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce, 107 N. First Street, today.

You can stay up to date with the latest from Artesia MainStreet by liking us on Facebook. Find us at www.facebook.com/artesia.mainstreet.

For more information, you can also visit our homepage at www.artesiamainstreet.com or call 575-746-1117.

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The agriculture clubs of 4-H and FFA are an important part of Artesia’s agricultural industry. 4-H is a youth organization that builds leadership and

agricultural knowledge in children too young to join FFA. FFA, on the other hand, is an organization that shares many similarities with the 4-H organization, building the leaders of agriculture, yet it is primarily geared toward students in grades 9-12.

In New Mexico, 4-H was started in 1912 with the help of the Agricultural College, which supplied educational speakers, and the Santa Fe railroad, which brought livestock and farm exhibits to New Mexico. Special meetings were held for the young people of New Mexico about livestock and farming information. In 1921 it was obvious that the club work of 4-H was helping to increase the quality of both livestock and seed treatment. High grade livestock were being produced in club projects all across the state, and seed treatment was improved through the club projects as 4-H members tested the prevention of diseases in plants.

To be in Eddy County’s 4-H program today, a prospective member must attend five monthly meetings, present a demonstration to the club, participate in one or more community service projects, complete a financial record book for all projects, lead a monthly meeting activity and participate in a 4-H council meeting. The club now includes many different types of projects for children and young

adults to participate in. Members can have a project in creative arts, health and nutrition, natural science, and plants and animals, just to name a few. Caden Golden, a nine-year-old member of the Cottonwood 4-H Club, enjoys showing steers and pigs as well as being a part of the parliamentary procedure team. He comes from a family of 4-H and FFA members and will be likely to continue using the skills he has acquired with 4-H as he progresses through to FFA.

Anyone between the ages of five and 19 can participate in Eddy County 4-H clubs. 4-H members below the age of nine are known as Cloverbuds, while regular 4-H members range from nine to 19 years of age. Adults can join in 4-H as volunteer leaders.

4-H promotes leadership, management skills, positive self-esteem, communication skills, responsibility and the ability to make sound decisions. The four Hs in 4-H stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. Callie Bennett, an 11-year-old member of the Cottonwood 4-H Club, expressed her opinion that “4-H will help you get out of your comfort zone and allow you to meet new and different people.” Both Bennett and Golden have seen the benefits of their 4-H membership; Bennett has learned to speak in front of people and has developed a good work ethic, and Golden has learned how to take care of his animals. Dana Thalman, the Cottonwood 4-H president and a senior at Artesia High School (AHS), claimed 4-H has helped her “obtain poise, public speaking skills, reasoning, a love of animals and basic veterinary skills, including giving shots,

F O C U S on youth in ag

The Futureof Agricultureby Artesia High School Journalism Students - Alice Herrington, Sysylya Harris, LeAnna Madrid and Kaity DevinePhotos by Kaity Devine


worming and changing feeding regimens.” She added, “I have also learned sewing, baking and food preservation.”

FFA, otherwise known as Future Farmers of America, was first founded by a group of young farmers in 1928. The mission of FFA is to assist future generations of farmers in dealing with the struggles of farming for a continuously growing population. As time progressed, FFA branched out into different fields of agricultural learning other than farming, which is why the name was changed to the National FFA Organization in 1988. FFA is still preparing the future agriculturalists of America as well as preparing the future vets, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs.

Until 1949, the only option for students at Artesia High School who wanted to study agriculture was to take an agriculture class taught by Mr. Coll. That all changed in 1949 when Artesia High School’s FFA chapter received its national charter. It would be another 20 years, however, before females were allowed membership in FFA. Before 1969, girls were only allowed to participate in FCCLA, which stands for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America.

Still today, members of FFA live by the motto “Learning to do. Doing to learn. Earning to live. Living to serve.” Since the beginning, the FFA chapter has

become a source of pride for the Artesia community. Miles Mitchell, one of the two current ag teachers at AHS, stated, “This town has such a great and supportive community. It’s very friendly, warm and inviting, full of support not only for the schools, but for everyone.” Artesia FFA is creating a chapter that is competitive and knows how to succeed.

FFA teaches students to make a positive difference in their lives by developing their knowledge and skills through agricultural education. Donna Solt, a senior at AHS and the chapter president, proclaimed, “[FFA] has taught me to be a leader in all that I do.” FFA encourages students to develop their potential for leadership, personal growth and career success. Artesia FFA members do this by participating in competitions or attending conventions. There are many different Leadership and Career Development Events for FFA members to participate in, including chapter conducting (also known as parliamentary procedure), livestock evaluation (livestock judging, or just livestock), veterinary science and horse evaluation (horse judging). Solt competes in public speaking, parliamentary procedure and veterinary science. She also participates in the judging of wool, livestock and horses. Chapter conducting is a competition in which a team conducts a mock chapter meeting and displays the correct use of parliamentary procedures.

Artesia FFA has been represented in leadership positions on the district, state and national levels. The elite students who serve as national officers complete an enhanced interview process before being elected at the national FFA convention. Two Artesia FFA members have served as national officers: Hunt Zumwalt, who served as the national FFA secretary from 1953-1954, and Stuart Joy, who served as national FFA western region vice president from 2005-2006.

The National FFA Organization has a three-component school-based agricultural education model. The components include classroom learning, supervised agricultural experience (SAE) and FFA. Artesia High School is fortunate to have experienced agriculture teachers to aid students in classroom learning. SAE programs are utilized to allow students to develop skills in a specific industry and to apply the knowledge they are obtaining to future careers. Kellan Bennett, an 11th grade member of FFA, shows steers for her SAE. Bennett earned the opportunity to show steers at the county, state and national levels through her SAE.

Due to Artesia being an agricultural community, the futures of both 4-H and FFA are promising. The current members of each organization are continuously bringing new ideas and event championships to the Artesia community.

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lthough what we think of as the Old West only lasted two or three

decades, its uniqueness spawned countless books, movies, activities,

stories, art, music and a continuing sense of that culture mostly fostered by Hollywood and folklore.

Deep conflicts developed between ranchers who needed vast parcels of land for grazing and farmers whose smaller plots were plowed, planted and surrounded by fences. Then there were the conflicts both ranchers and farmers faced from the native Indians

trying to retain their way of life. This need for protection may have led to our nation’s desire for personal firearms.

On top of this was the always fickle weather, lack of water, vast distances between settlements, transportation that was limited to horseback or walking and the aloneness and self-sufficiency, all of which appeal to different kinds of people. Calling it freedom, some people thrive on openness without neighbors. Others prefer neighborhoods, schools and churches and call it civilization or progress.

Sallie Chisum entered this mix when, as a young woman, she came to New Mexico with her father, James and little brothers Will and Walter. Her mother had died several years earlier, so it fell on Sallie to be the woman of the house.

“We traveled through the open country expecting Indian attacks at any time,” the 19-year-old wrote in her memoirs about the harrowing trip the family made to Roswell from

Denton, Texas, near where she was born on May 26, 1858.

“We had three wagons, a hack and our saddle horses. We spent one month on the road. We had packed all the fruit trees, flowers and shrubbery we could in the wagons, and they were the beginning of the first Pecos Valley orchards and flowers,” she added.

When she first saw the town of Roswell, she called it the “jumping off place at the end of the world” and wanted to return home to Texas. According to historic accounts, there were dirt streets, few buildings, no trees and little beauty in the desert town, but she stayed. The plants and trees the family brought were planted, which created the first spots of beauty in and around the city. Roswell became known as “the Oasis in the

Artesia’s First LadyF O C U S on Sallie Chisum

PHOTOS LEFT: Sculptor Robert Summers of Glen Rose, Texas works in his studio on his model for the bronze statue of Sallie Chisum. The 10-foot bronze statue titled First Lady of Artesia is located in front of First American Bank in the downtown district.

by Beverly Kodesh


Desert” by travelers and cowboys alike.

The family came at the invitation of Sallie’s uncle, John Chisum, who already had made a name for himself as the “Cattle King” of the West. He claimed he needed help to maintain his massive Jingle Bob herd on the Pecos River northeast of Roswell, according to historical writings. John also is associated with the famed Chisum Trail, which served as an early-day solution for ranchers to get their cattle to eastern markets.

“With the passing of the years, the huge cattle empire that had once covered several hundred miles of lush grassland began to fall apart,” recorded Clarence S. Adams in a series he wrote for The Roswell Daily Record in 1998 about Sallie Chisum. “Nesters poured into the valley, filed on claims, built houses and plowed up the soil.”

As John Chisum’s health failed, his empire crumbled. Following his death in 1884, the Jingle Bob Land and Cattle Company, which had been incorporated by Sallie and her uncles before John’s passing, was dissolved and the estate was disposed of. Some of what little was left after settlements went to Sallie, according to Adams. Her days as Queen of the Jingle Bob and official hostess to visitors at the ranch had come to an end.

It was time for a new beginning. Sallie and her husband came to the Artesia area, which was little more than a watering hole near Eagle Draw, where she homesteaded. Just imagine Eagle Draw with sheep and cattle grazing on it. No concrete. No trees. Few houses. That’s what it was like around the year 1900 when Sallie Chisum, with her dad and two brothers, homesteaded and lived in a small adobe house that would later be destroyed by a flood. She lived for a time in another house, then in 1907 or 1908 she contracted for the first “concrete cast” house in Artesia to be built at the corner of Texas and 8th Street, “far enough away from Eagle Draw to be safe from flooding,” Sallie explained.

To augment their income, Sallie served meals and rented rooms to

travelers. She took in orphans and abandoned women who needed a place to live. A century later, the house was acquired by Grammy’s House Artesia Domestic Violence Shelter to house office space and once again shield domestic violence victims. Today, the icon is a National Historic Site and a Registered Cultural Property of the State of New Mexico, but thanks to community efforts and generous donors, it now belongs to Grammy’s House and is leased as offices for 50/50 Backhoe to help supplement various domestic violence programs.

Historical writings claim Sallie was a pretty young woman whose nickname was Tex, and she was allegedly loved by every young man in who came to visit her uncle’s ranch. She was said to be as good a cowboy as any of her male counterparts. In 1932 when she rode in the Old Timers Parade in Roswell, she rode side saddle as was her custom, wearing her old-fashioned riding habit. By that time she had become a pillar of the Roswell community.

Sallie was married twice and was the mother of two sons. Neither marriage lasted, but she was resilient and made a mark in the fledgling community by drilling the first water well, sharpening her hostess skills by running a hotel of sorts, making lucrative real estate investments and displaying the sort of grit early-day women needed to survive.

“Her accomplishments as an entrepreneur, developer and woman led her to be known posthumously as First Lady of Artesia,” wrote Hayley Klein in her “Hayley’s Comment” column in the May 23, 2004 issue of The Artesia Daily Press, celebrating what would have been Sallie’s 146th birthday.

“Artesia’s MainStreet chose to celebrate Sallie and her contributions to the development of the town that became Artesia by creating a sculpture of her (First Lady of Artesia),” the column continued. “Standing on the corner of 3rd and Main Streets, the sculpture beautifully represents the Sallie that was well known to children as a great storyteller and friend.”

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F O C U S on hunting

Kelcey McCaleb’s dad taught her right.That’s why, at eight months pregnant, she brought down an eight-point buck during this year’s annual fall hunting trip. “It was an easier hunt this year, because I couldn’t do as much,” stated Kelcey, who works for Artesia’s Chamber of Commerce, “but I still wanted to be out there. It has always been a special thing me and my dad have always done together.”

Since around 1986, a group of friends and then family members, largely originally from Artesia, have found time to get together for an annual hunt. They are not alone—hunting is pretty big deal in southeastern New Mexico—but what is unique about this annual hunting trip is that it has persisted for nearly 30 years.

The annual hunt actually started several years before Kelcey was born, explained her father, Mark McCaleb. Members of the core group were all about the same age and had gone to school together. Individually, they each started hunting with family members when they were in the sixth or seventh grade, but they didn’t formally go hunting together until they finished high school.

“Some of us went on to college, and it became a way for us to all get back together,” he reflected. “At any point, there are as many as ten of us who went to school together who still hunt together.”

The location of the hunt varies, but it is typically up in the Sacramento Mountains. The four members of the group who hunted this year stayed in a cabin in Cloudcroft and hunted in the Mayhill area. “People have work and family commitments, so they can’t always make it every year,” Mark added. “But you still have people who come all the way from as far away as Pennsylvania.”

When the male friends first started hunting together, their girlfriends and

by Kyle Marksteiner

HUNTING SEASON

a family & friends activity

Members of the Wild Bunch, camping through the years. PHOTO TOP: (From L to R) Mark McCaleb, Jeff Youtsey PHOTO BOTTOM: (From L to R) Mark McCaleb, Kelcey McCaleb (2014)


“The Wild Bunch”Hunting Group

Note: Names that are in all caps are original members of the group. The names not in caps are children or other family members who have joined the group as time has gone on. Not everyone’s children were listed, just the ones who went on these trips. Also, there have been many more guests to the camps over the years, but these are the main ones who have actually hunted and participated.

MARK MCCALEBDaughters: Kelcey & Anniston McCaleb

Jarad George (Kelcey’s boyfriend)

ROBERT GUINANSon: Trevor Guinan

Nephew: Stran Hammond

DAN LEWISSons: Caleb & Brad Lewis

JEFF YOUTSEY

Son: Chandler Youtsey Son-in-Law: Justin Bilberry

MARK PETERSONSon: Tyler Peterson

RANDY SCOTTSon: Codey Scott

MARK BOLING

DARIN CHANDLER

GREG CARPENTERBrother: Jeff Carpenter

RODNEY SMITH

Son: Dallas Smith

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then wives had a nickname for them: “the Wild Bunch.” They laugh that as they’ve gotten older, the group has changed into “the Mild Bunch.” They’ve also shifted from tent camping to staying in trailers or cabins. However, “we still do a bonfire that you can see for 100 miles,” declared Dan Lewis, who has been a part of the core group since the beginning.

Members of the group also started bringing their children along. Kelcey, now 25, said she started attending when she was 10 or 11. “My dad first started taking me out bird hunting, and I was his bird dog,” she confessed. “When we’d go on the deer hunts, the thing I remember the most was the campfire and the marshmallows.”

This year, Kelcey brought her own special guest along, Jarad George. Shortly after they returned from their hunt, Kelcey and Jarad welcomed their baby girl into the world in December 2015.

Originally from Arizona, Jarad has been

in Eddy County for four years now. “It was good to do this with Kelcey,” he contended. “I hunted with my dad and younger brother growing up, and it was always a fun experience.”

Jarad reported he served as a pack mule this year. He carried Kelcey’s deer for her and helped gut it. He has a guiding license in Arizona, so it was all familiar territory for him.

A typical day on the hunt starts with a cup of coffee at around 5 a.m., less than an hour before daylight. There’s a morning hunt, then lunch, a break and an afternoon hunt. “We’ll drive more than we’ll walk,” admitted Dan. “We’re back in the evening, and then we’ll grill and have a nice fire.”

Around the bonfire, the most common topic of conversation is stories about previous hunts. There are a lot of funny stories, to be sure, but on this trip, a lot of the talk was sharing memories about a member of the group, Mark Boling, who

passed away earlier this year.

Bedtime is around 10:30 p.m., or at least it was during the Wild Bunch days. Dan joked that it is closer to 8:30 p.m. these days.

It was a small group this year, but they still bagged three deer, all before 9 a.m. “Whether we get a deer or not, it’s fun to hang out,” remarked Dan. “When we were younger, we really wanted to kill a deer. Now, we don’t care as much. We’re working in an office all day, so we just like the chance to get out with friends.”

Some hunting spots in the mountains can get crowded, but being near other groups of hunters can be helpful since it herds the deer in the right direction.

There will be a new member of the family by the time the next hunting season rolls round. When it will be time to take the baby hunting? The expecting couple was giving the matter some thought.

“I can cut holes in the pack frame so she can go out with us,” Jarad pondered. “Probably about three. Maybe earlier.”

“I think next year, she’ll hang back with me at the campsite,” laughed Kelcey.

PHOTO TOP LEFT: A typical Campsite PHOTO TOP RIGHT: (From L to R) Jeff Youtsey, Robert Guinan, Greg Carpenter, Unknown Hunter, Mark White, Jim Brewer PHOTO BOTTOM LEFT: (From L to R) Tracy Kinnibrugh, Jeff Youtsey, Mark Boling, Dan Lewis, Robert Guinan, Greg Carpenter, Mark McCaleb PHOTO BOTTOM RIGHT: (From L to R) Jarad George, Kelcey McCaleb (2015)


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F O C U S on western music

It’s tough to think of things “western” without thinking about music. There’s country and western, western swing, country, bluegrass, rockabilly—so many genres that appeal to

us here in the wild, wild West. At the heart of all good music, there is a story to be told. In the West, the best stories are told in the form of cowboy music. Whether it’s over mornin’ coffee, gathered around the campfire after a round-up, or just sittin’ around the bunkhouse swappin’ lies, cowboys are marvelous storytellers, in part because of the marvelous stories they have to tell.

Pete R. Laumbach of Hope, New Mexico is just such a storyteller. Born March 12, 1947 in Roy, New Mexico, a small town in Harding County, Pete began gathering story material from the cradle. “Dad told stories. We didn’t need TV,” Pete chuckled, “which was good, because we had no reception. Man, they were awesome stories.” So many of Pete’s songs are autobiographical. “Back in the hills of La Cinta, back where I lived as a kid, brought up on fresh air and sunshine, many were the good times we had,” are the opening lyrics to one of his songs that will give you some insight into the old-fashioned values Pete grew up with and to which he adheres today.

Pete grew up working in the Bell Ranch area of Harding County. Family was always around; there were chores to be done and hardships to overcome. But even in a remote rural area, there was fun, and there were stories. Roy

was a good place to grown up, and Pete was quick to share that Roy was one of the locations for a recent movie, Did You Hear What Happened to the Morgans?

Hard work, family and God are common threads woven into many of his songs. Some songs, like “Turn My Appaloosa Loose,” are simply fun. Pete has a way with words, turning

by Sylvia Hewett Schneider

PHOTO: Pete R. Laumbach Photo Courtesy of the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration

Pete Laumbach is Still Burnin’ His Own Brand


a phrase that delights the listener while incorporating tidbits from his past, from his faith and always from his heart. In the Appaloosa piece from his 1993 album Burning My Own Brand, he wanted to create a song with a little Indian flavor to honor his Native American heritage. He liked the way “turn my Appaloosa loose” rolled off his tongue, and it tickled him that his grandfather had referred to an Appaloosa as a “speckled pony,” so he had to incorporate that phrase into the song as well. It’s one of my personal favorites.

A few events along the way altered the path Pete was traveling. In the song “Wild Bull Rider” from the 2002 album Hangin’ By a Spur, Pete tells the tale of meeting a gal at the New Mexico Highlands University homecoming parade: “I don’t expect you to believe this, but I met a girl in Vegas and I changed my wild and reckless ways,” and “from then on, my life has never been the same.” He married that gal, Joyce, and they have two daughters, Amy and Robin (a.k.a. DeeDee), who between them have a four-year-old, one-year-old twins and a newborn. All those sweet babies will probably have a chance or two to experience “Nanner Puddin’ Kisses” in person, a whimsical song from 1991’s Two Wraps and a Hooey.

Pete described a particular event—which went on to become a song—as one of the “crowning jewels” in his life: he, his brothers and some friends had a homemade mechanical bull, known as a “barrel bull,” to practice bull riding. One of the lads took a bad tumble, and Pete learned “the crown of his head ruined a perfectly good cedar post,” and that a cow pie doesn’t make a good hat! Realizing that they had a pretty dangerous hobby, Pete changed his ways. In his words, “It turned me around.”

These and dozens of other songs are included in the book Penning the Wild Ones, which Pete described as a collection of his song lyrics. Having only taken junior high band, Pete doesn’t read or write music. He enjoys the double entendre of “penning” to mean corralin’ wild horses and writing good songs. On the album My Picture Window, which was released in 2008 and is available from www.cdbaby.com, one of the songs is titled “Penning the Wild Ones.” Another song from that album, “Upon a Thousand Hills,” has been credited with saving a life! Pete told me about a woman who shared with him that she had taken a pretty bad fall. She was stranded for a long time before help arrived, but she had Pete’s

CD playing in her truck. That song, she told him, kept her alive.

These are the moments that matter and the reason that so many of his songs are a sharing of faith. For Pete, singing for God is his ministry. He has been coming up with cowboy songs that people are able to relate to on a personal level. He has participated in Cowboy Church meetings around the state and used to sing a special at the Methodist Church in Hope almost every week. Even his secular songs will often have a reminder that the Lord is with us and include expressions of thanks to God intertwined in the verses of the story.

Pete has been a performer at the Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso every October since 1991. He still considers it an honor to perform there and has been privileged to meet other singers, songwriters and storytellers at the event. He has taken a chance on his music in several venues and has been well received. While most genres of music tend to have a niche into which they fit, western music, particularly cowboy music, really does have an appeal for just about everyone. From babies to grannies, cool kids to old fogies, you will find something to laugh at, wonder about or marvel over.

Taking tidbits of local history and local

color, Pete has written about the village of Hope, where he was the mayor in the 1990s, and its relation to the Titanic and a legendary lost treasure. There’s more than one song about train robbery, and Billy the Kid is mentioned in some of his music as well. With a touch of Spanish music and brass, Indian rhythm, lots of good guitar and mellow back-up singers, one of whom is his sister, there’s no doubt some of Pete’s stories in song will resonate with you. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Pete wrote an amazing and touching tribute, “For The Ones That We Love.” He wrote the song “Artesia” a couple of years before the city’s centennial in 2005, which might have to be my all-time favorite Pete Laumbach song! Visit the Focus on Artesia website (FocusNM.com) to hear it, as well as one titled “Land of Enchantment.” If you’re fortunate enough to get Pete’s CDs, you will also love hearing about Ruidoso in “Somewhere Along the Noisy Water” with backup vocals by Chuck Tharp, an original vocalist with The Fireballs.

Pete is a humble man, who even now is impressed by the many celebrities he’s met and with whom he’s performed. So while he can say that he once sang with Lynn Anderson, I can now say that I once “sang” with Pete Laumbach!


Kristy and Doepp Crockett might be relatively young when it comes to chuckwagon cooking, but that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing their passion. Several years ago the couple purchased a chuckwagon from a local family and has since gone on to create precious memories while cooking with family and friends.

When did you purchase your chuckwagon and why? We’ve borrowed other people’s wagons beginning in 2008 and finally purchased our own wagon in February 2014 from Dick Champion of Artesia. It took us a while to find the perfect wagon.

Cowboy cooking via chuckwagon doesn’t seem like something very many younger people do. What made you decide to purchase it? Our age has always been a shock to people. During the first competition in which we cooked solo without any help, which was

in 2009, people thought we were crazy. They didn’t pay us much attention or offer any advice. We mostly got sideways looks and whispers as fellow chuckwagon cooks walked by. We competed against national champions that day. We didn’t expect much other than to have a fun time. It wasn’t until later that afternoon during the awards ceremony when we placed in a couple of food categories (taking second place with our peach cobbler) that people realized we were serious. After the awards, we returned to our wagon to finish cleaning up from the day’s events. To our surprise, other cooks came by to congratulate us and welcome us “young’uns” to the competition. Every time we’ve cooked since, people stop and comment on our age. They are mostly baffled at why we would be cooking on an old style wagon with primitive cookware. Our response is always the same: “It’s something you don’t see every day, and we have a lot of fun doing it!”

Did either of you know how to cook on a chuckwagon or was there a learning curve? If so, who taught you? Neither of us had ever cooked using a chuckwagon or had even been close enough to see one until 2008 when Doepp’s stepdad, who already had several years of experience, invited us to help him cook at a competition in Clovis sponsored by Joe’s Boot Shop. Jerry Slaton was one of the officials for the event so he wasn’t able to compete. He had therefore invited Doepp’s stepdad to be the head cook on his chuckwagon. The idea developed to use the Slaton wagon and invite the kitchen cooks from Cannon Air Force Base to come out and help us cook. The soldiers at the base are always encouraged to do community involvement events, so the soldiers happily participated.

Any memorable experiences that stand out? Our greatest memory came in 2009. Once again we were invited to Clovis to help cook in the chuckwagon cook-off sponsored by Joe’s Boot Shop. Doepp’s stepdad suggested we invite our good friend, Emory Mann, to come help, stating simply, “We could use the extra hands.” Little did we know what that statement truly meant! We arrived in Clovis and began setting up the Slaton chuckwagon. Once we were done, Doepp’s stepdad said, “Now boys, let’s go get the other wagon.” With confused looks on our faces, we quickly learned WE had our own wagon that year. A local wagon owner had donated the use of his wagon for the competition, and Doepp was to be the head cook. So we went out to his old barn, pulled back a dusty tarp and uncovered this chuckwagon that had been sitting in the barn for at least 10 years. The cast

F O C U S on a chuckwagon

by Staci Guy


iron had rusted on the inside, and the cookware had over an inch of dirt on it. Less than 12 hours before the competition, we not only had to come up with recipes and a game plan, but we also had to clean everything in the wagon top to bottom, front to back. We cleaned until about 3 a.m. before we decided to take a break and get a couple of hours of sleep. Because it was a lunch competition, we needed to start fires for coals around 5:30 a.m. Like the year before, the kitchen cooks from Cannon Air Force Base were guest cooks on the Slaton wagon. In 2009, the competition was taken a step further when a few of the drone pilots from Cannon were invited to be guest cooks on our wagon, and the two groups of soldiers were going to compete against each other for a bronze trophy made especially for the soldiers. I remember Doepp and I looking at each other wondering

what we had gotten ourselves into. Not only were we cooking by ourselves, but now we had to teach these drone pilots how to do something we weren’t even sure we knew how to do ourselves! So we threw out any hopes of winning and just had fun—and boy, did we have fun! We cooked against 18 wagons, taking fifth place over-all. As for the soldiers, we lost to the “more experienced” cooking crew by only two points. The best part, though, was that we nearly beat them using Doepp’s stepdad’s recipes. Little did they know that Kristy had borrowed an old recipe book he had written. Oh boy, was he upset when he found out we had used his recipes against him!

Where all have you cooked/competed/used the chuckwagon? We continued to cook competitively in Clovis for a couple more years with great

success before the event was cancelled. During the second year of cooking with our own wagon in Clovis, we arrived at the competition prepared and ready for battle. We had kept in contact with the drone pilots and had perfected our recipes. We took third place over-all and beat the Slaton wagon with the “more experienced” kitchen cooks by a large margin this time. After cooking with the pilots from Cannon and competing side by side with family, we have not found competition cooking to be as much fun any longer. Since 2011, we’ve spent most of our time cooking at charity events for churches, schools and non-profit organizations. We’ve also catered a wedding, a couple of family reunions and some private events.

What has owning the chuckwagon taught you about yourself? About one another? We’ve learned we can do

anything we set our minds to. We’ve learned a lot over the years, but mostly, we’ve learned we make a good team.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of owning the chuckwagon? We love chuckwagon cooking, and we really enjoy being able to donate our time and equipment to help organizations by doing fundraising dinners. It’s a unique way to give back to the community.

Are you glad you purchased it? Why? We take great pride in owning a chuckwagon, mostly because we know it’s a dying art. We enjoy keeping the history and heritage of chuckwagon cooking alive. It’s something we hope to pass down to our kids—not just the wagon itself, but the fun and love of cooking as a family.


2

1

1 • Felix Cattle Company, 1921

2 • Miller’s Valley, 1904

3 • Pool Wagon Outfit, 1898

4 • Roundup near Hope, early 1910s

5 & 6 • West of Artesia, 1910

PHOTOSCATTLE DRIVES,CHUCK WAGONS,& THE LIFE OFSETTLERS IN THE ARTESIA AREAAROUND 1900

3

4

5 6


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F O C U S on the chamber

DIRECTOR’SNOTEHAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU, FOCUS READERS! ARTESIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WELCOMES 2016 WITH HOPES AND PLANS FOR A PRODUCTIVE YEAR.Artesia Chamber of Commerce and Artesia Economic Development roll into 2016 celebrating our fifth anniversary together. It was in February 2009 that the City and the Chamber finalized a plan for an economic development function at the Chamber with a director dedicated 100% to the effort. Nearly five years later, we can point to several “wins” that are contributing to Artesia’s economy and quality of life. As we wade through the first few months of 2016, we will be examining the next set of goals for Artesia’s economic development program, keeping in mind continuing demands on the housing market, the slowed oil and gas industry, activity at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, employment, and quality of life needs and desires of the residents of our town. We expect 2016 to be a great time for information gathering, planning and creating strategy for the next five years of economic development for North Eddy County.

We are working hand-in-hand with Economic Development on legislative

issues our business community may face. Artesia Chamber of Commerce is already working with Roswell Chamber of Commerce in planning for the eighth annual Washington Fly-in scheduled for later this spring. We will organize a group of 20+ business leaders and elected officials to represent our unique area of southeast New Mexico to meet with federal officials and elected leaders, who will hear our concerns about overregulation in the areas of environment, banking, healthcare and more. Today, the Chamber views the regulatory environment as perhaps the single greatest threat to our economy. Our local business leaders will voice that concern with specific examples from their own sectors of the economy.

Artesia Chamber and Economic Development will also be in Santa Fe during this legislative session working on tools to give as much local control as possible to meet our economic development needs. Any community knows better than Santa Fe what is best for its own residents, and we

would like to see legislation that allows as much local decision making as possible. We will spend time watching other issues that matter to us, such as the state of the New Mexico driver’s license issuance rules, workers comp, prevailing wage rates and more. And, of course, we will represent Artesia and our member businesses by attending every event that gives us an opportunity to brag about you, our members and community, and encourage visitors to visit one of New Mexico’s best kept secrets … Artesia.

This year is also an election year. We will see elections taking place as early as March for local city council positions, primaries for county, state, and federal positions in June, and, of course, the big general election in November. Chamber staff will be at the ready early in 2016 to register voters. Whether you need to change your address or party affiliation or just get registered at all, Chamber staff will be able to assist you in the process. It is not a time consuming or overwhelming process, and we urge you to pay attention to the candidates, understand where they stand on issues that matter to you and your community, and vote!

To our members, we thank you for your ongoing support. Stick with us throughout 2016 so we can make it a great year together.

If you are interested in learning more about Artesia Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development, stop by 107 N. 1st or give us a call, 575-746-2744.

- Hayley Klein, Executive Director Artesia Chamber of Commerce



The Artesia Chamber of Commerce and the Trailblazers proudly recognize a Chamber member business each month.

We take pride in our Chamber members and enjoy celebrating their service to the community and their commitment to the Chamber! Here are our most recent Businesses of the Month:

Listen to member station KSVP and check out the Artesia Daily Press to see who next month’s Business of the Month will be.

ARTESIA CHAMBER OFCOMMERCE BUSINESS OFTHE MONTH PROGRAM

SEPTEMBER 2015 AAGA110 E. Mill Rd. (Business Office)

202 E. Main St. (Hardware Store) 575-746-3522Artesia Alfalfa Growers Association was named the September Business of the Month by the Artesia Chamber Trailblazers. AAGA has a long history in Artesia. Open since 1929, AAGA’s hardware store has been supplying a variety of tools and other items necessary for your handyman and professional projects. AAGA’s business office, located at the Industrial Park, is where staff manage the cotton cooperative business. Thank you for being a long time member of the community and the Artesia Chamber of Commerce!

OCTOBER 2015ARTESIA LANES1701 Tumbleweed Rd. 575-736-4545 www.artesialanes.comArtesia Lanes was Artesia Trailblazers’ selection for the October Business of the Month. Owner Les Bowen has worked diligently to make Artesia Lanes a fun place for everyone, offering 16 lanes, a bowling pro shop, a game arcade and a café. Artesia Lanes also serves beer and wine in their newly opened Sports Lounge. Throughout the year they have seasonal competitive bowling leagues for adults and children. Hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Sunday. Thank you for being a valued Chamber member and business in the community.

NOVEMBER 2015NAPA AUTO PARTS111 W. Richardson Ave.575-746-3596NAPA Auto Parts was Artesia Trailblazers’ November Business of the Month. Steve and Cindy Anderson have owned NAPA in Artesia since 1992 and have been strong Chamber partners since that time as well. They carry all of your automotive needs from your personal vehicle to your RV. NAPA keeps a friendly and helpful staff who are always available to help you find what you need. Open Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Thank you for being a committed member of the Artesia Chamber.



WELCOME NEW CHAMBER MEMBERS!

TANYA YASTEINSURANCE SERVICESOF NEW MEXICOP.O. Box 597 Artesia, NM 88210575-703-1417www.insurancenm.com

LITTLE CASTLELEARNING & DEVELOPMENTCENTER, INC.108 S. 14th StreetArtesia, NM 88210575-746-9642

DAZZLING DIVAS1407½ W. MainArtesia, NM 88210575-746-6303

SUPERIOR EXPRESS610 N. 26th StreetArtesia, NM 88210575-308-9248www.artesiacarwash.com

MY DRIVERSUE KIZER817-939-0978

SAN PEDRO NURSING & REHAB CENTER 1402 W. Gilchrist • 575-746-6006The Artesia Chamber and Trailblazers joined San Pedro and the community to celebrate the grand opening of their newly named and renovated facility on June 30. Previously known as Heartland Care Center, San Pedro Nursing and Rehabilitation Center worked hard to regain certification for the facility with many new upgrades and renovations to keep their residents in Artesia and near their families. Thank you for continuing to support Artesia, the Chamber and the ones we hold dear to us.

BOLIDE SERVICES 1510 W. Fairgrounds Rd. • 575-513-4688Members of the Artesia Chamber and Artesia Trailblazers met with Fabian Lopez, owner of Bolide Services, to congratulate him on the success of the opening of his company. Bolide Services is an oilfield service and parking lot maintenance business. They specialize in parking lot resurfacing, repairing and striping, and pressure washing and tank cleanouts in the oilfield.

DAZZLING DIVAS 1407½ W. Main St. • 575-746-6303The Artesia Chamber and Trailblazers welcomed the opening of Artesia’s newest retail store, Dazzling Divas, specializing in affordable women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. Thank you for your support of the Chamber and we wish you all the best in business!

LITTLE CASTLE LEARNING & DEV. CENTER 108 S. 14th St. • 575-746-9642The grand opening of Little Castle Learning & Development Center was celebrated by the Artesia Trailblazers and Chamber of Commerce in October. A non-profit preschool and childcare center for children ages six weeks to 12 years, Little Castle provides a safe environment with secure entry and interior/exterior video monitoring to comfort parents’ minds. Among other impressive attributes, Little Castle gives parents electronic access to view their child’s progress and participate with the curriculum/lesson plans. Hours of operation are 6:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

SUPERIOR EXPRESS610 N. 26th St. • 575-308-9248A ribbon cutting for Superior Express, located in front of Walmart, took place October 23 with members of the Chamber and Trailblazers to welcome Robert and Patty Duncan’s newest state-of-the-art car wash. With Superior Express you can get the best wash for your vehicle inside and out. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

MY DRIVER – SUE KIZER817-939-0978 The Artesia Chamber and Trailblazers celebrated the beginning of a new transportation business owned and operated by longtime local Sue Kizer. Sue, a certified Uber driver, saw the need for some type of public transportation in Artesia and took it upon herself to provide this service. Rates start at $3.75 with an additional dollar for every mile. For a flat rate of $50, she will drive you to the Roswell airport. My Driver will run Monday-Sunday 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Reservations can be made.

CENTURY 21 BLACK GOLD 1102 W. Main St. • 575-736-0021“New name, same faces” was cause for celebration at Century 21 during the real estate office’s open house. Emily Moore and Roxann Johnson have taken over sole ownership of the Artesia Century 21 office and officially changed the name to Century 21 Black Gold. Thank you for your continued support and growth of Artesia and the Chamber of Commerce. Visit www.c21artesia.com for more about them!


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Focus on Artesia Winter 2016