- McCurren Performance at Arthur Johnson Memorial Library
- Ralph Solano Memorial Exhibit & Sale at Old Pass Gallery
- Old Pass Gallery Art of Women Exhibit
- French Family Band Performs in the Shuler
- Chris Funk, Wonderist, Performs at the Shuler
- Shades of the Southwest Youth Art Show
- A Christmas Carol Opens Friday at the Shuler
- Urban Legends Plays at the Shuler Theater
- Raton Arts Council Opens 2023-2024 Season
- 2023 Lip Sync at the Shuler
- Bus Stop at the Shuler
- Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine
- Market de Mayo
- Chief Comedy Tour
- Dastardly Deeds in Rehearsal
Posted March 30, 2024
Forrest McCurren Performance Elicits Smiles, Tears, and Hope
By Sally Hoger
The Forrest McCurren performance at the Arthur Johnson Memorial Library on Wednesday, March 27, was among the best live performances I have seen. The 90-minute show consisted of original songs, and a few old standards by Guy Clark and John Prine, interspersed with stories about growing up in rural Missouri. The stories and lyrics instilled emotions that ran from smiles to tears. Early in the set, he sang “I’ve Always Been Trouble” and “Dime a Dozen” depicting his wild younger years before marrying Margaret McCurren, who accompanied him on violin, harmony, and vocals. Other songs were about guidance from his grandpa, who was “perfect” and introduced him to the music of Ernest Tubb and Roy Atkins. The final song, “With a Little Luck” was based on advice from a wise waitress at his uncle’s café who said, “Keep your thankfulness high and your expectations low” along with “And don’t be an ______.” The blank was left for us to fill in.
The entire show was filled with a vibe of hope, empathy, and gratitude; something we can all use right now.
The small audience was very appreciative, making cash donations, offers of a meal or shower and pleas to return to Raton soon.
Forest’s music is available on Spotify and You Tube.
Photos by Frank Mahannah
Posted March 10, 2024
Ralph Solano Memorial Exhibit & Sale at Old Pass Gallery
The Ralph Solano Memorial Exhibit & Sale opens on March 29, 2024 at the Old Pass Gallery on Historic First Street in Raton. The show will run through April 27, 2024 and has been a long-time favorite of the community.
Ralph Solano was well-known for his “boxcar art” photography that he exhibited at the Old Pass Gallery for many years. Ralph was active in the visual arts community by serving on the Raton Arts & Humanities, Inc. Board of Directors for many years, where he helped organize many of the art shows, helped bring performances to the Shuler, and often performed on stage at the Shuler in community plays & productions. He displayed his photography and won many awards for Best of Show and Best of Photography at Old Pass Gallery, as well as during the annual International Art Show held at the International Bank in downtown Raton. Several of his pieces can be seen throughout the community, including one hanging above the entrance to the dining room at Pappa’s Sweet Shop located at 1201 S. Second Street, Raton.
Many of Ralph’s pieces can be viewed and purchased at https://boxcargraffitiart.com/gallery, a website produced by Drey Solano, Ralph’s son. Ralph’s family of Solano’s Boot & Western Wear began sponsoring the Ralph Solano Memorial Exhibit at the Old Pass Gallery after Ralph’s death in 2004. The reception for the show will be announced soon.
Download the Ralph Solano Memorial Exhibit & Show Prospectus.
Posted March 3, 2024
Old Pass Gallery Art of Women Exhibit
The Art of Women exhibit opened at the Old Pass Gallery, 145 S. 1st Street, Raton on March 1, 2024. This recurring annual exhibit that features oils, pastels, watercolor, photography, and other visual art media will be shown throughout the month of March. The artist reception will be held March 8, 2024, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, where the visiting public will have the opportunity to meet the artists whose work is on display and to purchase their favorites.
Another annual exhibit at the Old Pass Gallery is the 18th Annual Ralph Solano Photography Show will open on Friday, March 29, 2024 and run through April 27. This very popular annual show was created in honor of Ralph Solano, who loved taking pictures of the artwork on boxcars that passed through Raton. One of Solano’s photographic art can be seen on the wall in Pappa’s Sweet Shop restaurant located at 1201 S. 2nd Street, Raton.
Below are photos of the Women’s Art show now on display at the Old Pass Gallery.
Below are photos of the Old Pass Gallery gift shop that features many books by local authors, kids art, artisan jewelry, and more.
The NM Women’s Art Exhibit will run until March 28, 2024.
Posted March 3, 2024
French Family Band Performs in the Shuler
Although just mom and dad were on hand for Friday night’s performance of the French Family Band, Stuie and Camille, who were the original of the family anyway, stood on their own very well. The duo performed many well-known favorite country songs by successful country singers like Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Anne Murray, Karen Carpenter, and more. The audience sang along with a few, and thoroughly enjoyed all of them, including many originals.
Throughout the musical performance when Stuie enthralled the audience with his prowess on the electric guitar, making it sound like other instruments like a trumpet, xylophone, and steel guitar, Camille would provide background beautifully with her acoustic guitar. The blend of their voices gave the audience a jolly good evening. Camille’s velvety tone during her solos was a delight.
Some of the fun of the evening was during the banter between Stuie and Camille when they talked about their early days of performing, how they started out, eventually moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and the time they received a standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry. Stuie from Australia, and Camille from New Zealand, both spoke with accents, that we from the States, always enjoy hearing. But, when they sang, they sounded like true country-western singers.
This performance was part of the Raton Arts & Humanities Council, Inc. 2023-2024 Performing Arts Season. One final performance of the season is Divas 3 on March 10, 2024 at the Shuler. Tickets are available at the Old Pass Gallery, 145 S. 1st Street, or at the Shuler on the night of the performance. $20 for Adults, $15 for Seniors, and $10 for Students.
Photos by Frank Mahannah
Posted February 12, 2024
Chris Funk, Wonderist, Performs at the Shuler
Chris Funk, Wonderist, brought his Vegas-style performance to a small audience at the Shuler Theater on Sunday afternoon, February 11, 2024. Combining his musical talent on violin, guitar, and flute into his illusions, Chris Funk, performed a quick-moving, unique magic show. He has performed at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, the Venetian, Mandalay Bay, Rio, and Tropicana casinos as well residencies at Disney. Chris combined music with magic because when growing up, he wanted to be a magician, his parents wanted him to be a musician. Now he does both!
This was part of the Raton Arts & Humanities Council, Inc. 2023-2024 Performing Arts Series.
Photos by Frank Mahannah
Posted December 28, 2023
2024 Shades of the Southwest Youth Art Show
Media Categories:
1. Graphite, Colored Pencil, Pen and ink, Charcoal
2. Oil, Acrylic, Water Color, Pastel
3. Ceramic, Sculpture, Mixed Media
Age Divisions: Kindergarden-2rd Grade, 3 rd-5th Grade, 6th-8thth Grade (Middle School), 9th-12th Grade (High School)
Theme: There is NO theme for the show. All art is welcome.
Submission Criteria: Art is to be matted and framed and hang ready. Frames can be store bought or fabricated. (Framing is worth 10 points on the judges score sheet) Submissions must be accompanied with the artist’s name, media, grade, school’s name and contact info and art teacher’s name.
Submission Deadline: Submissions are due by 2 pm Saturday, January 7th, 2022 at the historic Old Pass Gallery. Each school (Elementary, Middle, and High School) is invited to submit up to 8 pieces of Art for the entire show.
Each Age Division within each Media Category will be judged by an independent judge(s) and a First Place, Second Place and Third Place will be awarded for each Age Division within each Media Category. A $50 Best in Show will be awarded for each Age Group and $100 People’s Choice will be awarded for the entire show.
The show will be at the Old Pass Art Gallery. Artist will have the options to sell their art if they like.
There will be a reception on Thursday, January 12th, 2024 from 4-6pm.
Posted December 16, 2023
A Christmas Carol Opened Friday at the Shuler
The Shuler Theater, as is a holiday tradition in Raton, presented “A Christmas Carol” on stage. Opening night was postponed until Friday, December 15, 2023, because of the heavy snow throughout northeastern New Mexico on Thursday, the usual opening night for the performance.
The performers were in fine form, with several wearing new costumes that had been provided by a donation last year from Stanlee Gatti, a long-time supporter of the arts in Raton. This year’s performance was directed by Elizabeth Record along with musical director Samantha Parker, both long-time performers and volunteers for the Santa Fe School for the Performing Arts. And, as always, the cast and crew consisted of many adults and children, several of whom have performed in the production for multiple years, perfecting their performing arts skills.
This weekend performances of “A Christmas Carol” can be enjoyed again on Saturday, December 16, at 7:00 PM and Sunday, December 17 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $10 each or $5 if attending in period costume.
Photos by Lisa Robertson
Posted October 31, 2023
Urban Legends Plays at the Shuler Theater
By Vixie Zorra
“Urban Legends”, the latest play from the Santa Fe School for the Performing Arts, came to Raton on October 27, 28, and 29, just in time for Halloween. Directed by Beki Laird, the show was a series of popular urban legends written to horrify and stun the audience. The biggest urban legends in the show were “The Survivor”, a story about a newly-wed man who had to eat the love of his life in order to survive a plane crash; “On Second Hand”, a legend about a high-school graduate who’s life flashed before his eyes when he was hit by a drunk driver; “Who’s Calling”, which showed what can happen when a prank call pushes someone over the edge in the worst possible way; and “The Con”, where a con artist betrays her partner and pays a gruesome price for it.
During the read-throughs for the play, it was clear that this wasn’t a comedy or a musical. The show had serious and mature material, including domestic violence, characters smoking, drug sales and use, murder, and suicide. Despite this, all of the actors put all of their heart and soul into giving the audience something that they have never seen before. They also proved that, despite their young age, they were capable of handling strong and emotional scenes, including a doctor who didn’t care enough to save someone who recklessly tried to drive home from a party until he realized that it was his own son, whom he was just bragging about for getting into Princeton.
“Urban Legends” was something the audience will never forget, especially during this Halloween season. The show also allowed the cast and crew to prove not only to the audience, but to themselves that they are capable of bringing joy, sadness, and gasps from the audience all in the same show.
Photos by Frank Mahannah
October 3, 2023
Raton Arts Council Opens 2023-2024 Performing Arts Season
The Raton Arts & Humanities Council, LLC opened its 2023-2024 Performing Arts Season with two musical performances at the Shuler Theater featuring Here Comes the Sun and Empire Trio.
Here Comes the Sun, a group of talented musicians/singers, performed several hits made famous by the Beatles. This versatile group featured five singers/musicians who delighted the audience with well-known hits like “Yellow Submarine,” “Help,” Hard Day’s Night, “Paperback Writer,” and many more. After a standing ovation the group performed an encore number.
Empire Trio was a treat for everyone who attended this performance on October 16, 2023 at the Shuler Theater. The vocal range and musical ability of all three of the performers amazed the audience. Beside singing, the performers showed their talents on the piano, the guitar, and violin.
The next Raton Arts Council Performing Arts scheduled event will be Kiss Me Once on February 3, 2024 at the Shuler Theater
Here Comes the Sun Photos by Frank Mahannah
Empire 3 Hooray for Hollywood Photos by Frank Mahannah
August 11, 2023
2023 Lip Sync at the Shuler Provides Great Entertainment
On Friday, August 4, 2023, a Raton tradition returned to the stage to bring back fond memories of founder Eileen Gonzales and the hilarious, sometimes touching Lip Sync event. Eileen, who had succumbed to a heart attack this past year, created the event more than 30 years ago as a fund-raiser to help local residents and their family members with their medical needs for diabetes. The Lip Sync had been on hold because of the lock-down during covid, and then because of the passing of Eileen. The family had a difficult decision of whether or not to hold the Lip Sync again because they felt that they couldn’t do it as well as Eileen had and they weren’t sure if the community would come out to support it. However, after much deliberation and praying, husband, Robert Gonzales, and the two adult children, Robynn and Robi, decided it would be a great tribute to Eileen to continue the annual event. The fact that so many friends and families with diabetes still needed financial assistance with the huge expense of insulin and diabetic supplies contributed to their decision. Of course, the community came out to fill most of the seats in the Shuler Theater both nights, showing its support of this uniquely Raton tradition.
The curtain parted for the first time in three years to reveal this year’s Lip Sync performances. The two-night event provided the audience with some delightful acts by youngsters, adults, and even elderly performers. Mid-way through each show, during intermission, a drawing was held to give out all of the items that had been donated by local businesses, organizations, and individuals. On Saturday, the winners of the lip sync competition were announced.
Five judges, two from Texas, two from Raton, and one from Albuquerque scored each act during the Friday performance using three criteria: Lip Sync – how well the perfomers stay in sync with their chosen song, Costume – Does the costume go with the song, Props – Were props used during the performance. On Saturday, the judges were asked to judge only the top scoring acts from Friday to determine first, second, third, and fourth place winners.
And the winners are…..!
1st Place – Poor Unfortunate Souls – Ursula
(Performed by Allie Ruiz)
2nd Place – You’re the one that I Want – Olivia Newton John/John Travolta
(Performed by Aleigha & Azarias Trujillo
3rd Place – Guitarzan – Ray Stevens
(Performed by Chris, Christian, and Cathy Padilla
4th Place – Trouble – Austin Butler
(Performed by Eduardo Skaggs)
Honorable Mention – One Pair of Hands – Carroll Robertson
(Performed by Joshua Trujillo)
(Photos by Frank Mahannah)
Bus Stop Plays at the Shuler
by Vixie Zorro June 2, 2023
The Santa Fe Trail School for the Performing Arts presents a show called “Bus Stop” at the Shuler Theater. The play, based on the popular movie from 1956, is the directorial debut of Zach Osborn and has 8 characters: Grace, Elma, Will, Carl, Cherie, Bo, Virgil, and Doctor Lyman.
“Bus Stop,” a drama-comedy set in the ‘50s, is the story about five people on a bus that is caught in a snowstorm, thereby stranding them in a nearby diner. While waiting for the bus to get up and running, the characters’ personalities start to clash, creating hilarious and dramatic circumstances.
Grace is played by Sametta Parker, Elma is Laura Robertson, Will is Susan Ward, Carl is Elizabeth Record, Cherie is Zoe Gomez, Bo is Hugh Yardis, Virgil is Niko Ibanez, and Doctor Lyman is played by David Lamb.
Zach gives his very special thanks to the following people who have put so much work into making this show: The Village of Folsom, Nathaniel Sandoval, Brenda Ferri, Mike Kowalski, The Santa Fe Trail School for the Performing Arts, Willow Springs Traders, Record’s Ace Hardware, and Kathy McQuery.
Performances at the Shuler Theater are on June 2, 3, 8, and 10 at 7 P.M and June 4 and 11 at 2 P.M. Adults $20.00. Seniors and children $10.00.
Photos by Frank Mahannah
Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine
by Vixie Zoro May 23, 2023
Hello, fellow Ratonians! This is Vixie, coming to you as the reporter for the Arts for The Ratonian online news media. For the spring show, the Santa Fe School of the Performing Arts did a show called “Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine” at the Shuler Theater in Raton, New Mexico. The play within a play was directed by Beki Laird and Elizabeth Record. As one of the 53 actors who performed in the show, I thought I would give you first hand insight into the play.
If you weren’t at the shows on May 12th, 13th, 20th, or 21st, then let me catch you up a bit: “Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine” was a melodrama that took place in 1893 and followed the stories of a villain named Lester Lawless and his Barf Boys, Sheriff Rimshot and her Mounties, a hard-of-hearing prospector named Looney Yoursin, and many others in a small town in the French-Canadian Rockies called Chilcoot Pass. In the show, there was also the role of Dog, a dog that two Orphan Boys (or are they?) carried around. The role was played by a dog named Vader some nights, and a dog named Tinkerbell other nights.
Different nights brought different amounts of emotion and participation from the audience. The young sign-holders drew responses from the audience with everything from “Boos” for the villains and “Awws” for the moments and people that would tug on your heartstrings.
This show was well attended each of the three evening shows and the final Sunday matinee and is one of the several shows presented to Raton by the Santa Fe Trail School for the Performing Arts.
Market de Mayo
Friday May 5 through Sunday May 7 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Contact The Art of Snacks to sell. It is $10 per day or $25 for all three! 575-707-8020
The Chief Comedy Tour
Lively entertainment at the Shuler Theater, Thursday, 7:00 PM.
Dastardly Deeds in Yoursin Mine in Rehearsals
The Santa Fe Trail School for the Performing Arts is in rehearsals for the upcoming community play, “Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine.” The cast of more than 50, and a dog (Tinkerbell), is co-directed by Beki Laird and Elizabeth Record and is in rehearsals at the Shuler Theater on several weeknights.
Laird, who works from home, is employed full-time with the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Raton office and volunteers in the performing arts during her free time. She started acting at the age of 14 in Midsummer’s Night Dream, in the Pull-Tight Theater in Franklin, Tennesee.
After moving to Raton in 2017, Laird took her acting abilities to the Shuler stage in the community play, “Mary Poppins.” Since then, she has had parts in the annual “A Christmas Carol,” and has directed other performances at the Shuler. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the SFT School
for the Performing Arts.
Elizabeth Record, a life-time resident of Raton, is employed by Records Ace Hardware in Raton and spends her spare time helping produce the various community plays at the Shuler. Record attended Raton High School where she participated in Raton High School Drama. She later attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs and finished her degree in Anthropology at UNM in Albuquerque. She has
performed in the annual “A Christmas Carol” as a charity woman, and other productions offered by Missoula Children’s Theater in the Shuler Theater. She is the Assistant Director for Dastardly Deeds play. Record heartily agrees with Laird who said, “We make great partners!”
The Santa Fe Trail School for the Performing Arts is served by the following Board of Directors:
Brenda Ferri – President & Treasurer, Rick Trice – Vice-President, Elizabeth Record – Secretary, and General Board Members Sara Kowalski, Bill Crary, Zach Osborne, Darci Oldroyd, Beki Laird, Zoë Gomez, Wanda Henson, and Hugh Yardis.
Performances for “Dastardly Deeds at Yoursin Mine” are scheduled for May 12th, 13th, and 20th at 7:00 PM and on Sunday, May 21st at 2:00 PM at the Shuler Theater, 131 N. 2nd Street.
