Rocking in Clovis: Watch For Us on TV Tomorrow

The New Mexico Music Commission has produced a documentary film on the Norman Petty Studio in Clovis and its historical significance. The studio is where Buddy Holly recorded "Peggy Sue" and other hits. Other musicians who recorded there include Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison, and Buddy Knox. Although no longer in use, the studio is still open for tours by appointment. 

You can watch the film on PBS stations across New Mexico on Thursday June 4, 2009 at 7PM.

Article in the Clovis News Journal

Norman Petty Studio website

After you've seen the documentary on Thursday, you'll probably want to come and visit the studio itself. The best time is during the Clovis Music Festival. Quotes below are from the Festival website:

The Clovis Music Festival will take place at Marshall Auditorium on September 10-13, 2009. We are excited to have the following artists performing at this year's festival, they are: The Nelson Brothers, The Originators of Rock & Roll featuring Johnny Rogers as Buddy Holly, Darell Croy as Jerry Lee Lewis, Pete Peterkin as Little Richard, Johnny Tillotson, Shirley Alston Reeves of The Shirelles, Dave Somerville of The Diamonds, The Fireballs, Tommy Allsup, Kevin Montgomery and more.

In September of last year, Clovis opened the Norman and Vi Petty Rock & Roll Museum, which is another place to visit. Another quote: [The museum] celebrates the achievements of record producer Norman Petty. The museum features unique items from his life and times. The museum is located at the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce, 105 E. Grand Ave. The museum hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission to the museum is $5 per person. Check back for information about festival hours.

Crazy Wind

Soil going to Texas

The wind has been howling now for two days. It is blowing a solid 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mpg. I “tuned” my windows by opening them just a crack to make the sound even more dramatic, but I shouldn't have done it. Tiny particles of dust are now floating in the inside air, and there is a gritty coating on every surface.

There is drama enough outside. Yesterday a field caught fire and by the time the wind wound down after sunset, 22,000 acres had been burned. This fire jumped the four lane highway between Clovis and Portales, while fire companies from surrounding towns used their equipment and even some tankers from nearby dairies to fight the flames. I was out in the wind in the afternoon, taking pictures of the good New Mexico soil blowing east on its way to Texas, and I watched as a big piece of plastic tarp just hurtled across a whole field—it must have gone 100 yards in practically the time it takes to tell it—so I can imagine the speed of those wind-driven flames.

Dust Storm, Colorado (Library of Congress)*

Driving to Las Cruces from Arizona several years back, my husband and I were almost caught in a severe dust storm just outside of Lordsburg, NM. The highway signs there say Warning—Dust Storms May Exist, Next 17 Miles, but there isn’t a big enough warning possible for what we saw approaching the highway from the left. It was a sky-high cloud of dark brown, gathering up more and more soil from the fields it crossed as it headed for the highway. We had no idea what the right thing to do might be, but we did know that we didn’t want to get caught in that absolutely frightening thing while either driving or stopped along the highway, so we made the almost instant decision to try to outrun it. As we sped through the valley, we could see cars stopped any which way on the other side of the divided highway. It was apparent that another storm had just passed through and caught them. I saw a figure running wildly down the fast lane, arms outstretched and mouth wide open in terror. I had just that glimpse as we hurtled forward and got to the safety of some nearby hills.

Dust in the air inside (click on photo)

Listening to this wind, I think about what it might have been like to live during the Dust Bowl years. Here are a few web sites with amazing Dust Bowl photographs and other information about dust storms.

Dust Bowl Photographs: http://www.weru.ksu.edu/new_weru/multimedia/dustbowl/dustbowlpics.html

Dust Bowl Information and Photos—the second picture shows a dust cloud much like the one that almost enveloped us: http://www.usd.edu/anth/epa/dust.html

NASA Photos of a dust storm as seen from space: http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=6220

Voices from the Dust Bowl: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afctshtml/tshome.html

Wind and Dust Storms across the Southwest (explains how dust storms are formed): http://www.srh.noaa.gov/elp/swww/v8n2/Wxbul8.2.8.htm

*Dust Storm, Colorado: The Library of Congress does not believe that there are any restrictions on the publication of this photo. If you know of any, please let me know via the comments section.

Volunteering in Clovis—Nice Work if You Can Find It

I was hoping that I could find volunteer work here in Clovis by checking either the newspaper or the city web site. There didn’t appear to be any one central listing of volunteer opportunities. When I started asking the people I met, they told me that there are a great many volunteer opportunities, but that people find out about them through "word of mouth."

So I made a list for myself and for anyone else trying to figure out where to start in Clovis. Here is my list of organizations seeking volunteers, with the information and needs that they list on their web sites in italics. I will add to this list from time to time, as I discover other organizations looking for help.

Clovis Public Library: http://www.library.cityofclovis.org/volunteers.html

Volunteer requirements:
Volunteers must be at least 12 years old
A record of hours worked is kept
Applications are required
Applicants are interviewed
Projects can be selected

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Curry County Literacy Council:

http://www.clovis.edu/EducationalServices/CSS/cclc.asp

Goal and mission: “…to provide one with a sense of security to gain employment, have life skills, and assist in language development. It is our mission to help English-speaking adults and families improve their reading, writing, listening, speaking, numeracy and other life skills through programs adapted for the needs of the individual.”

What you can do to help:
Tutor basic literacy students
Tutor English as a Second Language students
Tutor students in need of Life Skills
Help plan special projects, such as Workplace Literacy or Family Literacy
Help promote awareness

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HOSTS program: http://www.cms.k12.nm.us/federal_programs/hosts.html

What it is: H.O.S.T.S (Help One Student to Succeed) is a federal program in the schools where students work with a mentor to help them succeed in reading.

· HOSTS is not a curriculum, but an instructional strategy designed to complement the existing curriculum.
· HOSTS provides assistance to students who need help developing reading skills using one-on-one mentoring by a community volunteer.
· HOSTS mentors provide role models who motivate, support, and provide individual attention for "at risk" students.

The program is looking for people who:

Enjoy working with children
Have 30 minutes to 1 hour one day per week to volunteer
Have a desire to Help One Student To Succeed

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United Way of Eastern New Mexico; Clubs, Civic, and Volunteer Opportunities

http://www.unitedwayenm.org/index.php?pr=211volunteer

This is the kind of listing I wish I had found at the beginning of my search. It will connect you with volunteer possibilities for everything from animal welfare to youth services. 

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VistaCare (hospice) volunteer opportunities: 

http://www.vistacare.com/giving/volunteering.asp

VistaCare provides a comprehensive program of care for individuals with a life-limiting illness. VistaCare offers a wide range of supportive services to terminally ill patients and their families. [The] staff not only treats physical pain and symptoms, but also provides emotional, social, and spiritual support for the individual and their loved ones. [They] also work collaboratively with area physicians and clinicians.

For volunteers: Training is provided and assignments are based on your interests and availability. You can choose to:

· Visit with patients and families to provide companionship
· Visit with a patient to provide the caregiver a time of respite
· Assist with basic maintenance, yard, and handy work at patients’ homes
· Prepare meals or run errands for patients
· Provide assistance with light housekeeping for patients
· Provide grief and bereavement support for families
· Assist in the office with administrative and clerical tasks
· Help recruit and train other volunteers
· Work in your own home making special items for patients
· Contribute your professional expertise