What’s happening around New Mexico September 29 – October 5

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Check out community events around New Mexico from September 22 – October 5.

Albuquerque

Sept. 29-30 – Costume Swap! – Swap costumes at Color Wheel Toys. Guests can bring items and swap out with others. The event is free to attend. Friday will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1 – New Mexico Railroad Days 2023 – Head to the Albuquerque Rail Yards to experience the trains. The event is free to attend.

Sept. 29-Oct. 1 – Albuquerque Film and Music Experience Festival – Head to five days filled of film, music, and art. There will be a variety of film blocks, conversations, after-parties and more. Ticket prices vary. The events will take place from September 27 to October 1.

Sept. 29-Oct. 5 – U-Pick Produce and Flowers – Big Jims Farms will allow attendees to pick local produce and flowers through October 2023. Individuals can attend the farm for free but will have to pay for items picked. There will also be farm tours, markets, farm animals, and more.

Sept. 29 – 6th Chile Rista Harvest Festival – Head to the La Familia Grower’s Market to enjoy food trucks, live music and learn how to make chile ristras

Sept. 29 – Brews and Boos – Head to the Painted Lady to experience a tour of a haunted location. Guests will be able to view historic photos, receive a complimentary beer and even experience paranormal activity. Tickets are $35.

Sept. 29 – Food Truck Fridays – Every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., food trucks will be set up along Civic Plaza. The event will include a variety of food trucks, live music, and a sitting area to dine.

Sept. 29 – La Familia Grower’s Market – Visit Dolores Huerta Gateway Park from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for food trucks, produce, and live music. The event is free to attend.

Sept. 30 – Oktoberfest @ Duke City Beaches – Celebrate Oktoberfest and enjoy volleyball, food beer music and more. Individuals can enter to play volleyball for $5.

Sept. 30 – Annular Eclipse Events – Learn about what you should expect and safe viewing of the annular eclipse. Guests can also make their own eclipse masks.

Sept. 30 – Downtown Grower’s Market – Albuquerque’s longest-running farmers market, in its 26th year, takes place each Saturday in Robinson Park starting at 8:00 a.m. Vendors bring fresh food, jewelry, crafts, and more to the event. This year’s grower’s market will run through Nov. 4.

Sept. 30, Oct. 4 – Read to the Dogs – Each Saturday and Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. attendees can learn how to read or advance their skills to therapy dogs. Children can pick any book they’d like and read along. The event is free to attend and occurs at the East Mountain Branch Library.

Oct. 1 – Intro to Rock Climbing – Head to the Route 66 open space area and learn how to rock climb. All equipment will be provided by staff. The class is free to attend but they do require registration.

Oct. 1 – The Rail Yards Market of Albuquerque operates on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Oct. 4 – Albuquerque Garden Center Presents: All About Grapes and Winemaking – Head to the ABQ Garden Center to learn from a local gardener on what types of grapes are for winemaking and how to even make your own wine.

Oct. 5 – Swing Dancing Class & Social Hour – Learn how to swing dance. Take a class, meet some new people and have some fun. Tickets are sold at the door and are $15.

New Mexico

Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 – Four Corners Balloon Rally – Visit Farmington, NM to watch balloons fly from Lake Farmington. The event will be three days which will include morning launches, evening balloon glows, vendors and more. The balloon events are free and concert prices vary.

Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 – Southern New Mexico State Fair & Rodeo – Las Cruces, NM is hosting its state fair. Each day will include a variety of activities including carnival rides, rodeo, live entertainment and more. Ticket prices vary.

Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 – Annual La Viña Harvest Wine Festival – Take a trip to La Union, NM and experience a day of wine tasting, music, vendors and more. VIP and regular tickets are available for purchase.

Oct. 4-5 – Sierra County Fair – Enjoy a day in Truth or Consequences, NM for art, crafts, vendors, livestock and more. The events run from Wednesday, October 4 to Sunday, October 8. The event is free to attend.

Sept. 29 – Beer and Wine Festival/Rally on Main – Head to Portales, NM to explore the downtown area. Guests can enjoy food, entertainment and more. The event is free to attend and starts at 5 p.m.

Sept. 30 – Oktoberfiesta with ArtWalk Santa Fe – Visit Santa Fe, NM to take part in an Oktoberfest event. Guests can take part in an art walk, music, food, games and more. The event is free to attend but donations are suggested.

Sept. 30 – Twilight Tours – Ramah, NM is a place where guests can learn about the rescues, ttour and have a talk around the fire. Guests will also be able to view the wolves throughout the evening. Other activities are available for guests. The tour starts at 4:45 p.m.

Sept. 30 – 1st Annual Wild West Fest – Head to Santa Fe, NM to enjoy the first Wild West fest. There will be live music, food and film-related activities. Tickets are $35.

Sept. 30 – Sierra County Farmers Market – Truth or Consequences, N.M. is home to this farmers market. The market runs each Saturday until October 2023. Individuals can enjoy the market for free from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. There will be produce, baked goods, live music, and more available for purchase.

Sept. 30 – Saturday Cooking Classes – Open Kitchen, LLC, will host cooking classes every Saturday. This weekend they will focus on preparing “cozy soups.” Classes are $115 plus tax. Classes take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sept. 30, Oct. 3 – Santa Fe Farmers’ Market – Voted one of the “Top Ten Farmers’ Markets” by Sunset Magazine, the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market is one of the oldest, largest, and most successful growers’ markets in the country – serving more than 150 farmers and producers in Northern New Mexico. Open Saturdays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Oct. 5 – Downtown Maker’s Market – Farmington, N.M. kicks off the first day of its Downtown Maker’s Market. The market will be held every Thursday until October. The market will be downtown where a variety of vendors will be selling items like produce, food, decor, and more. The event runs from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Albuquerque Notices

🔶 Balloon Fiesta Special Shapes Rodeo day won’t have Park and Ride option – It’s slated to be one of the busiest days of Balloon Fiesta this year, but thousands of people who’d normally hop on a bus to get to the park for some Thursday festivities will need a new option this year.

🔶 Albuquerque Animal Welfare program helps owners from surrendering pets – The City of Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department continues to see an increase in pet owners surrendering their pets. The organization said a major donation to a new program might turn those numbers around.

🔶 El Vado Dam’s temporary closure contributing to metro’s dry Rio Grande –From overflowing this summer to almost nothing. The Rio Grande in the metro is nearly dried up. “It’s been a hot summer, and the spring runoff is gone, and you’re seeing a river section that doesn’t have access to the infrastructure that we normally store water in for late seasons like this.” Jason Casuga, the CEO and Chief Engineer for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, said while a lack of rain is partly to blame for a nearly dry river, the closure of a northern New Mexico Dam is playing the biggest role.

🔶 Albuquerque Public Schools announces snow day changes – Albuquerque Public Schools announced they will be moving to asynchronous learning on days when school is canceled due to weather.

🔶 Sensory room planned for Balloon Fiesta this year – All of the colors and shapes of Balloon Fiesta will fill the Albuquerque skies in just over two weeks. This year, a new four-wheeled addition at the Fiesta aims to make it easier for families and kids with sensory needs. Games, bean bags, and a relaxing feel are what a special trailer called “S.A.V.E.” is bringing to New Mexico’s biggest event for the first time.

🔶 Speed cameras installed along Albuquerque’s Coors Blvd with one coming to Paseo Del Norte – “You can hear them racing down the highway.” While this stretch of Coors isn’t a highway, some drivers act like it is. “There’s times where we’ve have to pull out at 60 miles an hour just so we don’t get run over by the people speeding down the highway coming out of this development, so it’s been crazy,” Renee Regal, an Albuquerque resident, said. That’s why the city recently installed speed cameras along it, one on Coors Bypass just south of Ellison and one between La Orilla and Eagle Ranch.

🔶Visit Albuquerque name places around town to watch Balloon Fiesta – Balloon Fiesta is an event that people travel from all over the world to witness. There is nothing like seeing hundreds of hot air balloons taking off right in front of you. Although there’s no better seat than watching it right from Balloon Fiesta Visit Albuquerque created a list of “The Best Places to Watch the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.”

🔶 New special shape balloons to keep an eye out for at the 51st Balloon Fiesta – The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has announced its special shape balloons for the upcoming 2023 fiesta. This year’s event will include 12 new shapes, adding up to 107 special shapes in total. View the shapes here.

🔶 Balloon Fiesta Schedule of Events 2023 – The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta starts on Saturday, October, 7, and ends on Sunday, October 15. All events below are in Mountain Time. Entertainment events will take place at The Main Street Stage. View the full list of events here.

🔶 Albuquerque will be getting its first year-round growers’ market – A Local Food Campus, developed by Three Sisters Kitchen and the Downtown Growers’ Market, is expected to come to Downtown Albuquerque. The campus will present opportunities for food entrepreneurs, a place for locals to shop, an event space, classrooms, and 45 new jobs – all while supporting food-insecure households with $500,000 in annual food assistance.

🔶 List: Places to get a pumpkin spice latte in Albuquerque – With fall just around the corner, many are anxiously awaiting the return of pumpkin spice lattes. Whether you love the sweet drinks or hate them, they will be hitting Albuquerque shops soon – with some even here already. View the full list of the fall menu release dates for some coffee shops around Albuquerque here.

🔶 APS athletic event tickets shifting to online, cashless sales – With high school football right around the corner, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) announced Wednesday, Aug. 9 they are moving to a cashless ticketing sales system for all athletic events. Prior to this year, all ticket sales were cash only.

🔶 How to prevent stormwater pollution in Albuquerque during monsoon season – Despite it being the driest start to monsoon season on record in Albuquerque, rain can come at any time before the season ends on Sept. 30. Last year, the National Weather Service in Albuquerque issued a record 249 flash flood warnings during the monsoon, nearly doubling the previous high. In the case that heavy rain does occur this year, there are steps residents can take to prevent stormwater pollution in the Rio Grande.

🔶 Albuquerque residents can apply for discount on their internet bill – Locals who need help covering the cost of the internet can apply for federal assistance. Those who qualify can get up to $30 per month off their internet bill. The discounts are part of a nationwide program overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To apply, go to this link.

🔶 KRQE Cares: Providing shoes for kids – KRQE Cares has been distributing new shoes to students at Title One schools since 2015. These efforts would not be possible without generous donations from our KRQE News 13 viewers. Donate anytime online, here.

New Mexico Notices

🔶 Bicycle donations being collected for New Mexicans in need – A local non-profit is hosting a series of donation drives to provide bicycles to New Mexicans who might not otherwise have access to them. Free Bikes 4 Kidz is holding these drives throughout the fall in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Los Alamos. The organization hopes to collect hundreds of bikes from the community.

🔶 Moose spotted in New Mexico: What to do if you encounter one – While moose are not native to New Mexico, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish says moose have made their way to the state over the past few years. “We’ve had just a handful of sightings over the last dozen years or so. It’s getting less and less rare but it is still uncommon,” said Darren Vaughan communications director of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

🔶 New Mexico state parks prepare for seasonal operating hours – Due to the excessive heat in New Mexico, an emergency amendment has been made to the New Mexico Administrative Code; it allows school buses to idle while students load and unload.

🔶 New Mexico educators work to curb teacher shortage – It’s no secret public schools across the state are struggling to fill teacher vacancies. Now, a New Mexico group is highlighting issues they claim could be contributing to the shortage. New Mexico school leaders and prospective teachers shared their ideas on Wednesday, discussing how they think New Mexico schools can get better at recruiting and retaining educators. The Golden Apple Foundation has made it a mission to find and keep good teachers in New Mexico schools, and they say the job has never been harder.

🔶 Halloween 2023 events in New Mexico – There’s nothing quite like getting the gang together and going out to a haunted house or event. The season is upon us and New Mexico is officially celebrating spooky season. Here’s a list of haunted houses and other events happening in the Land of Enchantment.

🔶 Bernalillo County offering free vaccines and microchips for pets – The Bernalillo County Animal Care and Resources Center is giving pet owners in unincorporated parts of Bernalillo County a chance to get free vaccines and microchips. Starting September 6 through February 28, from 9 a.m. to noon every other Wednesday the county will be providing the free vaccine and microchipping services.

🔶 New Mexico looking to pay farmers to let their land go dry near lower Rio Grande – New Mexico’s Interstate Stream Commission is boosting its efforts to conserve water around the lower Rio Grande. The commission will take grant applications for farmers to let their land go dry.

🔶 U.S. Fish and Wildlife takes public comment on listing New Mexico lizard as endangered – A small, brown lizard could get federal protection. The public comment period on the proposal has been extended to add the lizard to the Endangered Species List, so the public can now comment on the idea until October 2, 2023. You can find more info and access the link to submit public comments online at this link.

🔶Surf group wants to help New Mexicans catch the perfect wave on the Rio Grande –Surfing on the Rio Grande: that’s the dream of some local river surfing enthusiasts and water sports groups. One of those groups just got thousands of dollars from the state to see if they could build waves in northern New Mexico.

🔶 Special events planned for 2023 Balloon Fiesta during solar eclipse appearance – The most magical time of year in Albuquerque is quickly approaching. While the International Balloon Fiesta is always special, this year will be one for the books. Saturday, October 14, a little after 9 in the morning, the annular solar eclipse will be visible in the sky. It’s something the Balloon Fiesta team has had their sights set on for the past few years.

🔶 New Mexico eyeing nearly $3.5 billion in extra money – New Mexico’s lawmakers have even more money to play with than previously expected. The latest estimates by New Mexico’s economists show the state will likely have $3.482 billion in “new money” by fiscal year 2025. That new money is the cash left over after the state pays for all its yearly expenses.

🔶 Official 2023 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta poster released – The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta has released the Official Balloon Fiesta Serigraph Poster for its 2023, 51st annual event. This year’s serigraph poster was painted by Kevin A. Short.

🔶 2023 Music Fiesta headliner announced – The lineup for the 2023 Music Fiesta has been announced. Multi-Platinum selling country artist Lee Brice will be headlining the festivities on Saturday, October 14.

🔶 Here’s a list of New Mexico’s offerings for parents – With the new school year underway, New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department is reminding parents of a range of resources that can help make life easier. View the list here.

🔶 List of haunted places in New Mexico – Around the world and the United States there are a variety of locations and places that are classified as haunted. Here in New Mexico, there is no shortage. View the list here.

🔶 Rough pavement alert: Contractor runs out of asphalt for I-25 repaving in Santa Fe – A one-mile section of I-25 is going to remain “rough” for a while. The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) says the contractor doesn’t have the asphalt to finish the road for now.

🔶 Arcosa in Belen to create 250 jobs –  The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose mission leads strategies designed to grow and diversify the economic base of the greater Albuquerque Region. In March, the company Arcosa chose a location in the Belen/Valencia County area for a new wind-tower production facility. This manufacturing facility will create roughly 250 jobs, with production to begin as soon as next year.