October is here, and it has brought much cooler weather and even rain! Fall foliage is not far away.
It’s Balloon Fiesta time, from October 2-10th! There are some changes this year, but nothing can take away the thrill of watching balloons overhead or landing in our yards and fields. For a complete fiesta line-up see: https://balloonfiesta.com/.
Save the date for a special event. Celebrate Día de Los Muertos at Casa Perea Art Space with our Poet Laureate, Rudy Miera, on October 30, from 6-9 pm. Prior to the event, you can help build a Corrales Community Altar by bringing photos, momentos, toys, etc. on October 25th from 10am-5pm. Or perhaps you’d like to submit a poem on Wednesdays and Thursdays in any style in English or Spanish about love/amore, recuerdos/memories, honor/recognition, etc. (1 page 8 1/2 x11, typed with author’s name). See flyer below.
Improvements are happening around town! We’ve now approved 7 resolutions for capital outlay projects and soon we’ll be able to start obligating money for the: Thompson Fence-line trail, Meadowlark Trail, departmental vehicles, repairs and upgrades to municipal roads, buildings, fire substation 3, parking facilities and more! Corrales is authorized to use the federal monies to plan, create and upgrade our wastewater system. Our bond monies will purchase much needed vactor and water trucks. It’s all good – we just need to clone the employees to get it all done quickly! Thanks belong to state and federal funders and to you the citizens, for making all these upgrades possible.
Keep your fingers crossed that weather stays dry for the FOCL pop-up book sale this Saturday and Sunday in La Entrada Park from 9am-4pm. Big bargains!
Statewide, COVID numbers are dwindling, but hospitals are full. Corrales is still getting three or four cases per day. Good news is that Vaccinations and Boosters are readily available for eligible folks. To sign up, go to https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org, fill in the information and choose a location. If you need help, reach out to Commander Lattin at 505-702-4182.
We are still looking for a new Village Clerk. Competitive salary and nice co-workers. Find the job description at: https://www.corrales-nm.org/clerk/page/village-clerk.
We know state legalization of cannabis is causing many communities, including Corrales, concern. Many people are not necessarily opposed to cannabis but they don’t want it next to their residences. This is hard to achieve in a community like ours, which doesn’t have industrial zones and is zoned almost entirely Agricultural -1 acre (A-1) and Agricultural -2 acres (A-2). But we are working on it; to find further ways to protect our community, the Council will be examining possible amendments to our local ordinance at a work study on October 5 at 6:30. The public is invited to listen via zoom. https://www.corrales-nm.org/villagecouncil/page/cannabis-work-study
Next Thursday, October 7 at 2 pm in La Entrada Park, there will be a dedication ceremony for the pollinator garden created by our own Corrales Community Gardeners, a worthy offshoot of Sandoval Master Gardeners. It’s a beautiful garden and our volunteers deserve a lot of credit.
It’s time for the 33rd Annual Old Church Fine Arts Show. Visit the Old Church in person from October 2pm-10pm to see and purchase fabulous works of art (and then go online from October 11-31). May these wondrous works sell as quickly as those pies!
This weekend, with a little luck, we will see balloons overhead. Along with enjoying our trails and byways, you’ll also have the chance to buy books and art or watch kids playing soccer on the fields. To check out local business happenings, see https://visitcorrales.com. Don’t forget the Corrales Growers’ Market on Sunday from 9am-12pm. But whatever you do, please stay safe and have some fun, Corrales-style.
Jo Anne Roake
Mayor of Corrales
