Photo Credit: Thanksgiving Snow at Old Church (photo by Lisa Sparks)
Who’s afraid of Friday the 13th? Instead, let’s focus on this wonderful time of the year with its bright and bracing days. In keeping with the season, there are still opportunities to help others in the community. There’s the Corrales food drive where you can bring non-perishable food and turkeys to the Corrales Fire Department. The Giving Tree in the Village Office still has tags waiting for you. Help a local family by giving a gift to a child. I am proud of the support this community gives to our neighbors, at this time and throughout the year.
Let’s stay safe during this holiday decorating time and heed PNM’s top tips. 1) Consider purchasing LED lights which use less energy and run cooler than traditional incandescent lights. 2) Use only decorations bearing a label from an independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) which have been tested for safety. 3) Use a GFCI outlet for outdoor lights, and use the right lights for the environment (outdoor vs indoor). 4) Always look up and exercise caution outdoors when decorating near power lines. Keep yourself and your equipment at least 15 feet from power lines. 5) Inspect all electrical decorations for damage before use. Damaged cords may cause a serious shock or can start a fire. 7) Avoid overloading outlets and only plug one high-wattage appliance into each outlet. Keep all extension cords and light strings clear of snow and standing water. 8) Keep a live Christmas tree well-watered. 9) Protect electrical cords from damage. Cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces, placed under rugs, located near heat sources or attached by nails or staples. 10) Turn off all electrical decorations before leaving home or going to sleep.
The December 6 Library Gala was beautiful and a testament to the hard work of the Library staff and the many volunteers who make it such a special place. Thanks to John Perea for his unfailing generosity in furnishing adult refreshments. Visit the Library’s Giving Tree and help enrich the library collection with your donation.
The Starlight Parade was such a hit. The weather was great and so were the cookies, St. Nick, the carolers, the bonfire and the food. Thanks to all who participated, volunteered, cooked and/or ingested cookies.
Kudos to our own Corrales Winery. They entered 3 wines in the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition and brought home 3 medals. Hooray!
Speaking of local business, the Village Council has adopted a Shop Local Resolution. The facts clearly show that so much more of your dollar stays in the community when you shop local. Please patronize our Corrales stores and those throughout Sandoval County. Your dollars not only keep our merchants in business, but also fund our municipal services. We may not have the biggest business district, but let’s make it mighty. For more business related news, check out the Corrales MainStreet website at visitcorrales.com.
Congratulations to our newly minted police detective, Detective Julie Rogers. She brings competence, commitment and winning ways to her job. It was delightful to see her family help celebrate the public announcement of her promotion at the Tuesday night Council Meeting.
In March there will be an election for 3 Council seats (Districts 2, 5 and 6), the municipal judgeship and 2 bond measures. Between now and Election Day on March 3, please take the time to learn about the issues and the candidates. Village Clerk Shannon Fresquez will have candidate packets available starting next Monday if you or someone you know is interested in running for election. I am going to nag you from now until March 3, because your vote matters.
On Saturday and Sunday visit the Festival of the Nativities at the Old Church from 10 am to 5 pm. There will free parking as well. 966 Old Church Road.
Please explore our Village website if you have not already done so. There is new content going up all the time and it is the easiest and best way to communicate with all of you with news or alerts. We are up to about 700 hits but we want to have many more.
There is so much going on this time of year; it can seem a bit overwhelming. But my wish for you is that whatever you are doing, you are enjoying it Corrales-style.
Jo Anne Roake, Mayor
