Road Closures due to Movie Shooting

 When driving over the next two weeks, make sure to check out road closures in Cimarron Canyon State Park.  A motion picture will be shooting there over the next two weeks, and will need to use a few roads to complete the shots they need.  Although the movie being filmed is not officially being released, many believe it to the movie "The Lone Ranger", which is believed to be shooting in these locations.



Some roads and recreation areas in Cimarron Canyon State Park will be closed over the next two weeks because of filming a motion picture, The Raton Range reported.


 
And while the New Mexico State Parks Division and state Film Office wouldn’t say which movie was being filmed because of confidentiality agreements between the filmmaker and state agencies, a spokeswoman for Angel Fire Resort, which is close to Cimarron Canyon State Park, told The Range on Monday that more than 200 people associated with “The Lone Ranger” had booked rooms at the resort through Aug. 31.

According to the New Mexico Film Office website, “The Lone Ranger” lists locations that could include Cimarron Canyon State Park and the Angel Fire area, The Range said.

Krysty Ronchetti, a media consultant and Angel Fire Resort spokeswoman, told the paper that no filming is scheduled on resort property.

Filmmakers are looking for some residents of western Colfax County to be extras in scenes to be shot beginning this week, according to The Range.

According to a State Parks Division news release, the agency and New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish are working with the movie production company “to minimize impacts to visitors and to anglers” in Cimarron Canyon State Park.

 For more information see the ABQJournal. 

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Westside Summerfest is Saturday!

This Saturday at the Cottonwood Mall is the Westside Summerfest.  Bring your family down for food, music, and activities while shopping around the market.  The event starts at 6pm and runs until 10pm, and it is free admission. 

This summerfest is a celebration of local food and goods in Albuquerque. Located on the North side of Cottonwood Mall, the Westside Summerfest is going to be a great time for the whole family.

The music line-up features the funky sounds of musical headliner, The James Douglas Show, and the bluesy guitar of Alex Maryol. Sample a bazaar of local cuisine and beverages, while shopping in the Market. Some of Albuquerque's best micro-breweries will also be on tap.

The Market will be packed with handmade arts and crafts plus unique, independent businesses. The kids' activity area, always a family favorite, will feature arts and crafts, face painting, a climbing wall and much more to keep the younger set entertained.

The wide variety of entertainment and musical styles of Albuquerque bands will get the crowd dancing!

Entertainment Line Up:
6 p.m. The Breaktone
7 p.m. Aladocious
8 p.m. Alex Maryol
9 p.m. The James Douglas Show

For more information please see ItsATrip.

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"2 Guns" a New Movie is Being Filmed in New Mexico.

A Hollywood movie will be filmed in Albuquerque.  The movie “2 Guns” will start filming at the end of August until September.  It will film around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.  This movie will help boost the economy by helping employment from all the local people this movie will use.  The movie is based off a graphic novel called “Boom!”.

 

An action-drama starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg will be shooting in New Mexico later this month.

The New Mexico Film Office says production of the film "2 Guns" will begin in late August and continue through early September in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Also starring in the film will be Bill Paxton and Edward James Olmos.

The movie, based on the Boom! Studios graphic novels by Steven Grant, is about a DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who are investigating each other when they find out they have both been set up by the mob.

The film office says the production will employ at least 100 New Mexico crewmembers, 10 New Mexico principal actors and more than 400 background talent.

For more information go to KOB.

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The Best Deals for Back to School Shopping.

Back to school shopping can be expensive for any family.  However, there are ways to lower the cost, and you can still get fashionable clothes for your family.  Make to check consignment shops like Just Between Friends Kids and Maternity to get the best deal and the best clothes.  Read below for more information on this consignment shop and the deals they have.

 

Sunday is Half Price Day and Free Admission!

Just Between Friends Kids & Maternity Consignment Back to School event is August 4-5th at the The Pavilions at San Mateo Shopping Center (I-40 & San Mateo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, 87110.  Next to the Dollar Tree!).  http://www.jbfsale.com/albuquerque

JBF is a bargain shopper's dream come true! 15,000 square feet of maternity, infant, baby & kid items. That's right, all under one roof! No running from garage sale to garage sale to hunt down your bargains. No calling online postings, making appointments to see items and showing up only to be disappointed. All items are inspected for quality, cleanliness and recalls. The floor is arranged by type, gender and size.

What does JBF have? New and gently used maternity & kids clothing (0-12 yrs), shoes, books, toys, games, furniture, outdoor equipment, bikes, shoes, etc. Brands such as Carter's, Osh Kosh, Gymboree, Little Tykes, Step 2, Fisher Price, Melissa & Doug, Old Navy, Children's Place, Gap and more! We've got legos, leap frog, Barbie, exersaucers, baby carriers, wagons, toddler beds, pack ‘n plays, changing tables, train tables, Star Wars, bikes, tricycles, power wheels, you name it! Everything you need for your growing family!

For more information please go to dukecityfix.

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"Breaking Bad" Brings Tourism to Albuquerque

"Breaking Bad" is an AMC series that is based in Albuquerque, but the meth lab saga was not always welcome here. The controversial topics of the show were thought to be putting a bad image on the city. However, visitors started to increase to these famous places that were shown on series.  This led to a perfect time to capitalize on the tourism in the city.  Tours and events centered around "Breaking Bad" put Albuquerque in a positive light, and it is starting to increase tourism profits in the city.

AMC's meth-lab saga Breaking Bad- an Albuquerque-based series the Washington Post's Hank Stuever says "comes from such a dark hole of the American cultural psyche that you sometimes have to wonder how it ever made it on TV" - is now fodder for the city's tourism bureau.

CAPTION

ABQ Trolley Co

"When Breaking Bad began airing five seasons ago, we were less than thrilled by the subject matter, which is based on a fictional character and story," says Dale Lockett, head of the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau.

But given its popularity, "people are traveling to our city to see the locations featured in the show and then spending time at our attractions, restaurants and hotels," he adds.

 "This unexpected new visitor market is definitely a pleasant surprise, and we will soon be marketing it more aggressively" - including a self-guided tour that links Breaking Bad filming locations (an Octopus Car Wash, among them) with nearby museums and other, more conventional draws.

One local tour operator, the ABQ Trolley Co., added a three-hour, $60 per person Breaking Bad tour timed to this month's season premiere - and promptly sold out all seven scheduled departures.
Of course, Albuquerque isn't the only destination to make tourist lemonade out of film location lemons.

For more information see the USATODAY.

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Wildlife West Music Festivals

  Wildfire West Music Festival is close to home and is packed with great bands that your family will love.  Children's admission is free, and parking is also free of charge for the weekend.  Bands perform every two hours with activities and contests continuing during the festival.

Wildlife West is just 20 minutes east of Albuquerque in nearby Edgewood, New Mexico, and parking is always free! Free weekend camping (dry camping) is provided. Children under 12 are admitted free. No alcohol or open fires are permitted at the festivals.

10th Annual Wildlife Music Festival July 20-22, 2012

This summer's festival will feature the Quebe Sisters Band and The Byron Berline Band.
Friday kicks off at the Historic Bean Barn with a Country Barn Dance with South by Southwest.
The following contests are scheduled: Fiddle Contest, Banjo Contest, Sunday, July 22 at 4pm.
Saturday & Sunday begins at 11am with

The Quebe Sisters Band

When Grace, Sophia and Hulda Quebe (pronounced Kway-bee) raise their fiddles and play, audiences marvel. When the girls sing their vintage style three-part harmony, audiences are blown away. Add the extraordinary rhythm guitar of Joey McKenzie and the swinging upright bass of Drew Phelps and the Quebe Sisters Band becomes a force of nature. The QSB's unique brand of music has taken the Americana music scene by storm. They perform a refreshing blend of western swing, vintage country, bluegrass, jazz & swing standards, and Texas style fiddling.
The band has been awarded the 2007 Crescendo Award by the Western Music Association and winner of the 2008 Western Swing Album of the Year from the
Academy of Western Artists,

The Byron Berline Band

Members: Byron Berline, John Hickman, Jim Fish, Richard Sharp, Greg Burgess and Steve Short
Byron Berline is a three-time National Fiddle Champion who turned to a musical career after earning a B. A. in Physical Education at the University of Oklahoma. Originally from Oklahoma where he began playing the fiddle at age 5, Byron lived and worked in Los Angeles for 26 years before returning to his home state in 1995.
Byron's professional career reads like Who's Who in the music business as he has performed with or recorded with so many notables. He has led or been a member of the following bands : Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, 1966 - 67; Dillard & Clark, 1969-1970; Dillard Expedition, 1970-71; Country Gazette, 1971-75; Sundance, 1975-85; Berline, Crary & Hickman, 1978-90; L. A. Fiddle Band, 1978-93; California, 1990-96; Byron Berline Band, 1996- Present
Also appearing at the 10th Annual Festival will be:

• Holy Water & Whiskey
• The Squash Blossom Boys
• Muddy River String Band
• Lost Howling Coyotes
• Kitty Jo Creek Band
• Hot Club of Santa Fe
• Zoltan Orkestar
• Breaking Blue
• Gary Reynolds & the Southwest Wind Band
• Coyote Crossing
• Cheap Shots
• Jimmy Abraham
and more

Bands change every hour on two stages.

We kick off the weekend with the Friday Barn Dance, 7pm July 20 featuring South by Southwest. Saturday and Sunday feature a dozen bands on two covered stages. The Quebe Sisters and Byron Berline are staying over to play Sunday, and with the new dance floor in the amphitheater there will lots of boot-scootin’ to some terrific fiddlin’.

Workshops in songwriting, banjo and fiddle, Jam Sessions and camaraderie, plus the non-releasable wild animals in this 122 acre nature park make for a great weekend. There's always free camping and parking and remember - it’s cooler in Edgewood.

For more information on the festival head to the Wildlife West Website.

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Vacation Tips to Keep Your Packing Light

Are you going on vacation this summer?  Whether you are running out of room in your car or want to avoid the extra rates on the plane, packing light is essential.  Here are some great tips on how to avoid those extra rates, and still bring everything you need on the trip.

Start early: For a trip that's a week or longer, I typically get my suitcase out two or three days before I'm leaving. It helps me get into travel mode early, which means I'll have time to think of things like laundry and outfits.

Make a list: My mom recently brought up that when my brother and I were little, she made a point of teaching us how to pack our own bags. List-making was always the first step to doing it efficiently.

Stick to a few versatile pieces of clothing and pairs of shoes: Choose colors and patterns that will mix and match easily so that you'll be able to wear each piece more than once. This forethought reduces how much you'll pack and can make getting dressed easier. For women, dresses are pretty foolproof. Include things that can transition from casual to dressier; for shoes, think loafers for men or ballet flats for women. (And I never pack more than three pairs.)

Think about outfits: Similarly, you'll end up bringing less stuff if you spend a few minutes planning outfits. By having incorporated versatile tops and bottoms, you'll still have options to choose from depending on your mood when you're traveling. Women can include a few staple pieces of jewelry, which won't take up much space but can change a look.

Dress your heaviest onboard: I travel wearing my bulkier items, which for airplanes in the summer includes pants and the only cardigan I'm bringing.

Learn what you don't have to pack: To save suitcase space you can easily forgo many items, particularly hair dryers and most toiletries. Hotels and hosts typically will oblige, and, if need be, you can pick up toiletries at a drugstore. And in general remember that when it comes down to it, very few things (e.g. prescriptions and contacts) are essential.
 
Go for light reading: I love to read while traveling and try to stick to paperbacks under 300 pages or else magazines.

For more vacation tips check out Apartment Therapy.

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