September 2, 5 – 7 p.m.
Exhibit opening: Sally Quillin
Painter and Las Cruces gallery owner Sally Quillin is the featured artist in the El Paso Electric Gallery at the Rio Grande Theatre for September. She has been a professional artist and art educator for over 40 years. The exhibit will open with an artist reception during the First Friday ArtRamble on September 2 from 5 to 7 p.m. Regular exhibit hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
September 2, 7:30 p.m.
Second Line Survivors with special guest musician Mike Sizer
Extend your visit to the First Friday Ramble by staying for an outstanding Dixieland Jazz concert at the Rio Grande Theatre. The musicians are talented jazz artists performing under the name The Second Line Survivors: special guest artist Mike Sizer on clarinet, tenor sax and vocals; David Jellema on trumpet; Frank Otero on trombone; Mike Francis on piano; Ricky Malichi on drums; and Jim Shearer on tuba and vocals. Sizer is an internationally renowned Dixieland Jazz musician who performed with the famed Dukes of Dixieland and created much of the soundtrack for the PBS show “Great Chefs of New Orleans.”
Tickets are $12 for students or members of the Jazz & Blues Society, or $17 general admission, with all fees included. The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main Street in Las Cruces. More information and tickets are available through the website, www.riograndetheatre.com or by calling (575) 523-6403.
September 13, 7 p.m.
Coyote: Biography of an American Original lecture with author Dan Flores
The Southwest Environmental Center present Dan Flores, environmental historian, university professor, and author of ten books, most recently “Coyote America.” His latest book has been widely praised as both an environmental and a deep natural history of a true American original, the coyote. It traces the five-million-year-long biological story of an animal that has become the “wolf” in our backyards, as well as its cultural evolution from a preeminent spot in Native American religions to the hapless foil of the Roadrunner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and beyond is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse, with a pioneering hero whose career holds up an uncanny mirror to the successes and failures of American expansionism. The talk is free and open to the public. Flores will be available to sign copies of his books immediately after the talk. For more information, call (575) 522-5552 or e-mail Kallie@wildmesquite.org.
September 14, 6:30 p.m.
Every 2nd Wednesday with Jazzman Ross and Friends of the Jazz & Blues Society
Ross "Skip" LeCompte has been performing on the trumpet and as a jazz vocalist for over 60 years. He has performed with various jazz, dance, and show venues throughout the United States and Europe, backing vocalists such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Frank Sinatra, Jimmy (Mr. 5 by 5) Rushing, Mel Torme, Frank Fontaine, Helen O'Connell, Rosemary Clooney, Lynn Anderson, and Bob Eberly. LeCompte has been a featured trumpeter/mellophonist/flugelhornist, with the bands of Cozy Cole, Tony Parente's Dixie Allstars, Don Ellis Big Band, Ray Starling's Quartet and Big Band, Johnny Green's Orchestra, The Johnny Bello Big band, The Lester Lanin Orchestra, and was a member of the Merv Griffen Show Band under the direction of Mort Lindsay. He’s played with a list of well-known jazz musicians extending from Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge to Charles McPherson and Lenny Tristano.
Ross and his wife, Alta, relocated to Las Cruces in 2011 from southern Virginia where he produced and directed the Jazz By The Lake festival in Clarksville for 10 years.
Locally he has been experimenting with performing as a single, with pre-recorded background music and is a board member of the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society.
Every 2nd Wednesday is a free monthly program offered by the Doña Ana Arts Council showcasing local talent. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance begins at 6:30 p.m. For additional information, visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or contact the Doña Ana Arts Council, (575) 523-6403
September 17, 7:30 p.m.
Selena Tribute with Karla Perez (Kick-off for the National Tour Series)
The National Tour Series’ first event coincides with a special evening in Downtown: the dedication of the new plaza. Make it a full evening by enjoying the dedication and dinner out, and then heading to the Rio Grande Theatre for a show that commemorates the music of Latina superstar Selena, the Queen of Tejano music. Karla Perez and her band hit it out of the park, and do honor to the memory of Selena.
No one else captures the sound, style, looks, and complete essence of Selena like Karla Perez. Perez has proven time and time again over the past three years why she is widely regarded as the top-rated Selena tribute artist in the United States and Mexico. She has been performing for Selena fans across the country, making each performance an astonishing experience. Karla is from Guadalajara, Mexico, currently residing in Phoenix, Arizona. She began her musical career at a very young age, recording jingles for political campaigns, radio stations, commercials, as well as winning singing competitions, and auditioning for La Academia, Objetivo Fama, and La Voz México reality shows. She has been the lead female singer of many versatile bands playing at private parties, bars, and nightclubs. Perez sings all types of music and is one of the most dynamic entertainers in the Latin music industry. She studied music in the Conservatory of Guadalajara and Arizona Western College in Yuma.
This show is included for season subscribers of the National Tour Series. Call the theatre box office to purchase Series Tickets before September 2nd. Individual tickets are available for $27 - $37, all fees included, after September 2nd at www.riograndetheatre.com or at the theatre box office.
September 22, 6:30 p.m.
Film premier of "Lost Padre Mine"
Presented by Troy Scoughton Sr. and Borderland Media, "Lost Padre Mine" is a narrative feature set in present day El Paso, Texas. The story follows Wayne Braddock, a less-than world-renowned treasure hunter who, under the invitation of a member of the local clergy, arrives in El Paso to search for the missing Padre LaRue Spanish gold. Filming took place from June to August 2015 in El Paso, as well as areas of New Mexico, including Las Cruces. The film runs 85 minutes. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., the show starts at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $6.50 general admission and available at www.riograndetheatre.com, at the RGT box office, or an hour before show time.
September 23, noon
Promoting Art in Las Cruces
The program will be presented at the Main Street Bistro next door to the Rio Grande Theatre. The monthly meeting is free; lunch may be ordered on your own. All are welcome.
September 24, 4 p.m.
C.A.R.E Fashion Show
The Fourth Annual CARE (Cancer Aid Resource & Education) Fashion Show fundraiser features models who are cancer survivors. They beautifully exhibit strength and courage — which never go out of fashion. This year, the fashion show is part of The Big Event…A Community that CAREs, which will be celebrated for three days, September 23 – 25, on the new Las Cruces Plaza and other locations downtown. The Big Event will celebrate southern New Mexico’s traditions: people, great food and culture. The proceeds will be used to benefit the community by providing assistance to local cancer patients in treatment for cancer. For more info, visit www.carelascruces.org or call Yoli Diaz, executive director, at (575) 649-0598. Tickets for the fashion show are $15 and are available at the door.
El Paso Electric Gallery
Artist for September: Sally Quillin
Painter and Las Cruces gallery owner Sally Quillin is the featured artist in the El Paso Electric Gallery in the Rio Grande Theatre for September. She has been a professional artist and art educator for over 40 years. She experiments with many different mediums including acrylic, watercolor, pen and ink, pencil drawing and collage. Always known as a colorist, Quillin uses color to express her emotional as well as physical reactions to subject matter rather than using realistic color. She says, “Right now my work is in a time of change and it seems like several styles of art are in the process of emerging. I have suddenly begun painting detailed black and white value studies on my canvas before I add the color. This has created more depth, realism, and detail than I have ever used before.”
Every month the Doña Ana Arts Council welcomes local artists to exhibit in the El Paso Electric Gallery in the lobby of the Rio Grande Theatre. Regular exhibit hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, or to book an exhibit, call the Arts Council offices during regular working hours.
The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and is managed by the Doña Ana Arts Council. For additional information, visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or contact the box office, (575) 523-6403, located on the second floor of the Rio Grande Theatre. The theatre box office is open M – F from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.