HHaappppeennssttaanncceelliiffee hhaappppeennss •• MMaarrcchh 1122,, 22001100

Montefiore Synagogue at Eighth and Douglas, Douglas School in the backMontefiore Synagogue at Eighth and Douglas, Douglas School in the back--ground. c1928 (City of Las Vegas Museum Collection 76.4.33, ground. c1928 (City of Las Vegas Museum Collection 76.4.33, used by permission) Story on page 6used by permission) Story on page 6

Books byF.S. Vander Meer

These books are available in LasVegas at Tome on the Range Book-store. Online purchases may bemade at Amazon, Xlibris, andBarnes and Noble.

Not Just AnotherDay is a series ofdaily reflectionsthat celebrate thegift of life. Basedon the author’sChristian faith tra-dition the bookuses Bible pas-sages, prayersand readings to

capture the common experience of liv-ing a life of faith in an ever-changingworld.

In Future Imper-fect conflictingforces control twoindividuals seek-ing stability andsanity amid esca-lating political andenvironmentalchaos. Their livesare fraught withlies, treachery,and an altered environment.

In The Ballad ofBawdy McClureshort hauler JakeCasey is con-fronted with theage old question:Who can youtrust? From theopening scene inwhich he finds thebody of his mur-

dered friend to the end he is con-stantly questioning the motives ofthose closest to him.

FFrroomm tthhee eeddiittoorr……

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement for thefirst issue of Happenstance. While I would like to believethis little endeavor will get out and about every week, I

can’t be sure that will happen, but I’m going to give it my bestshot.

I hear from some of you that navigating the e-zine is a bit frus-trating. I hear you, I had the same problem, that’s why I will con-tinue to send it out as a PDF. While not interactive or ‘magazine’like, the PDF is easier to open and read. I would make this aprinted product but that is pricey as all get out, and while I willaccept advertising, I’m not actively selling advertising. My chiefreason for doing Happenstance is that it is a way to keep my writ-ing skills sharp and keep me connected to a network that is im-portant to me, my community. So, yes, I’d love to sell you an ad,but I won’t be beating down your door to to do it, however, I maycall upon you from time to time to give you a rate sheet.

In this issue you will find an article about two of my favoritepeople, Tito and Mary Chavez. They are celebrating 25 years inbusiness this year and I’m delighted they allowed me to interviewthem. Everyone thinks they know all there is to know about thesetwo leading and well-respected citizens of Las Vegas. In The littlegallery that could… and did, you might learn a thing or two youdidn’t know (pages 4-5).

The Las Vegas City Museum and Rough Rider Memorial(City’s museum is the heart of the community, pages 6-7) stands out asan excellent example of celebrating the area’s history and cultures.Administrator Lisa Gegick and her staff make good use of spaceand artifacts. Also check out the review of their fantastic websiteon page 9.

I’m also looking for contributed articles for future publication.I’m particularly interested in history about Las Vegas and the area,as well as articles about the people and activities happening today.I also plan to do articles about local artists of every kind. Pleasesend names of people you would like to hear more about.

This week’s Happenstance Kitchen is a pure rip off from myfriend, Kathy Allen. Kitchen tips like these are priceless.

Enjoy this issue of Happenstance; life happens.—Sharon Vander Meer

Send comments, suggestions and criticisms to sharon@vandermeerbooks.com

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 2

Happenstancelife happens

Vol 1, No. 2, March 12, 2010Happenstance is a digital publication of vandermeerbooks.com

Copyright, Sharon Vander Meer, Vander Meer BooksSelected content may be used with appropriate attribution: Sharon Vander Meer, sharon@vandermeerbooks.com

Cover photo: Vintage photoPhotos: Sharon Vander Meer; Historical Photos, LV City Museum

Some images from: clipart.comQuotes on page 3: Winning Words, Allen Klein; wisdomquotes.com; about.com

Recognition of women’s contributions to the pastand the present began in 1978 as Women's His-tory Week in Sonoma County, California. The

week including March 8, International Women’s Day, wasselected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Bar-bara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressionalresolution proclaiming a national Women's History Week.In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month,and March was declared Women’s History Month. Aftermore than 200 years of American history and eons of worldhistory, I think it was about time.

In the early ‘90s, when I was an associate editor at theLas Vegas Optic, in celebration of Women’s History MonthI wrote a series of articles about area women. The list in-cluded a doctor, banker, forrester, writer, educator andpublic servant. Each had quite a unique story to tell and Ienjoyed the interviews tremendously.

What I most enjoyed about writing the articles wasgaining a better insight into the passion these women hadfor whatever they did, and leaning how much they hadcontributed to the community. They were and continue tobe heroes in my view.

Prior to the ‘60s women occupied a stereotypical rolein society, at least on the surface, but I grew up around amother who believed she could do anything, and did. Oh,

she had her challenges, a special needs daughter, amongthem, but she understood at gut level that the only trueobstacles were the ones she created for herself.

She worked in a nurturing field, around people muchlike my sister, constrained in life by ailments or mental de-ficiencies beyond their control. She also worked withclients who had committed a crime, who were incarcer-ated in the state mental facility rather than in prison. Theircases warranted a second look at their ability to knowright from wrong and whether they were mentally stableenough to stand trial. She was a fireplug of a woman,short and broad, who more than once stood toe-to-toewith men twice her size and faced them down. The inter-esting thing is that many of her clients kept in touch withher after they left the facility. Aside from keeping them inline, as a counselor she gave them a sense of their ownworth. She helped them see they were more than their cir-cumstances.

She did the same for all of us, encouraging us to see“outside the box” long before the phrase became a cliche.She was and is my hero and my role model. She died anumber of years ago, but her legacy remains. She willnever be written up in a history book but her history withour family shaped who we are today, and I thank her for it.

—Sharon Vander MeerMona’s daughter

HAPPENSTANCE HEROES

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 3

WORD FROM THE WISE

You are placed on this earth to cre-ate, not to compete.

—Robert Anthony

I saw an angel in a block of marbleand I just chiseled ‘til I set him free.

—Michelangelo

Many times we will get moreideas and better ideas in two hours ofcreative loafing than in eight hours ata desk.

—Wilfred Peterson

There is nothing in a caterpillarthat tells you it's going to be a butter-fly.

—Buckminster Fuller

The intuitive mind is a sacred giftand the rational mindis a faithful servant.We have created a so-ciety that honors theservant and has for-gotten the gift.

—Albert Einstein

For every failure, there's an alter-native course of action. You just haveto find it. When you come to a road-block, take a detour.

—Mary Kay Ash

An invasion of armies can be resis-ted, but not an idea whose time hascome.

—Victor Hugo

I'll be more enthusiastic about en-couraging thinking outside the boxwhen there's evidence of any thinkinggoing on inside it.

—Terry Pratchett

Everything in creation has its ap-pointed painter or poet and remains inbondage like the princess in the fairytale 'til its appropriate liberator comesto set it free.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

To me, the greatest pleasure ofwriting is not what it's about, but theinner music that words make.

—Truman Capote

The world is full of wonders andmiracles but man takes his little handand covers his eyes and sees nothing.

—Israel Baal Shem

creativity

When Tito Chavez first became interested injewelry making back in 1969, silver wasninety cents an ounce; now it’s $20 an ounce,

which demonstrates just one way life has changed over theyears for a man who clearly defines his two roles as a cre-ative individual: one is as a craftsman, the workmanshiprequired to take an idea from concept to reality, and theother is as an artist, the ability to conceive and develop theidea to begin with. That’s apart from all the other roles thatfill his life: husband to Mary, dad, granddad, teacher, com-munity leader, health care advocate, and business owner.Not only does he make it all fit together quite nicely he alsomanages to be a really nice person to know.

He and Mary, the face of Tito’s Gallery, the twenty-fiveyear old business they built together, are an integral part ofLas Vegas, knocking down barriers between business dis-tricts and encouraging an all-out effort to build the econ-omy of the entire town through cooperation and a focus oncivic togetherness.

Tito spends about as much time working to improvethe appeal of Las Vegas and promoting other people as hedoes manning his own store. He is an active member of themorning Kiwanis Club and the Las Vegas First Independ-ent Business Alliance (IBA), and continues to be involvedin education through his board position serving the RioGallinas Charter School. He also teaches jewelry making atthe 7th and 8th grade level at Rio Gallinas, and at theUnited World College. Both Tito and Mary believe in thespirit of community. Their gallery on Bridge Street not onlywelcomes customers, it is a revolving door of people seek-ing their counsel, and contributions.

“We don’t usually give money,” Mary said, “We giveother kinds of help, which may include store merchandise.”These items are typically original hand-made jewelry items signed by Tito. Silentauctions held by organizations like the Ro-tary Club, the Citizens’ Committee for His-toric Preservation, Habitat for Humanityand the Chamber of Commerce have bene-fited from the gallery owners’ generosityover the years.

Certainly their presence is felt in efforts

to bring the buying dollar back to town where it can do themost good. “The Las Vegas First message is spend yourmoney where your house is,” Tito said. He talked brieflyabout a study done in the state that demonstrated dollarsspent within New Mexico could amount to a staggering ad-dition to the state coffers through taxes. “The same applieshere. We (IBA) believe if each family just spent an extra$100 a year in town it would net enormous tax income forthe city. They (city leaders) could use that money for civicimprovement.”

Tito and Mary operated a gallery long before theyopened their first store in the Daylight Donuts Plaza in1985. “Ernest and Gloria Martinez made it affordable,” Titosaid. “We wanted to be on the Plaza from the beginning butthe rents were out of our range at the time.”

Their first selling space, however, wasthe living room of their one hundred yearold home on North Gonzales. “We havepeople come in the gallery all the time andtell us they remember buying their firstpiece of jewelry from us off the coffee tablein our living room,” Mary said.

After two years the gallery moved fromthe Martinez’s location on Hot Springs

The little gallery that could

QQuuiicckk FFaaccttss

Location: 157 Bridge StreetContact: Las Vegas, NM 87701Phone: 505 425-3745

titomary@desertgate.comwww.titosgallery.com

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 4

Jewelry artist and craftsman Tito Chavez

“We have people come in the gallery all the time andtell us they remember buying their first piece of jewelryfrom us off the coffee table in our living room.”

—Mary Chavez

Boulevard to a spot inside what is now the Las Vegas PoliceDepartment on the Plaza. “But we weren’t in the walkingtraffic pattern,” Mary said. Being on the Plaza but not quitemade it harder for customers to find them.

When they were squeezed out of that space in about1993, they were offered a spot in a building on Bridge Street(across from their present location), which they occupieduntil they purchased the more than 100 year old buildingthey currently occupy. “We bought it in 1996 but it was ayear before we could move in,” Tito said. The building,commonly known as the Hedgecock Building, was builtaround 1881 and once served as the Town of Las Vegascivic building, which housed the jail. The two remainingcells are quite a tourist draw. For some reason people wantto have their pictures taken behind those bars.

This progression of locations never slowed down theChavez’s energy, dedicationto the community, or retailambitions.

“Perseverance,” Titosaid. “There have been quitea few businesses that havecome and gone since we’vebeen in business, but theyleft for whatever reason.”

Despite not making asmuch profit as they wouldhave liked to make, they con-tinue to persevere. The onlything that slowed themdown for awhile was Tito’sheart surgery. In typicalChavez style, after a periodof recovery, Tito, with Maryby his side, came outstronger than ever, for whichtheir customers and friendsare grateful.

Aside from buyers, Tito’sGallery caters to another setof customers, the artists thegallery represents.

“We represent more than50 artists and crafts people,”Tito said, “and that’s a frac-tion of the number of artistsin this area. People laughwhen I say this, but what weneed is more galleries. I think

if you added them all up there are at least 500 artists in thesurrounding area, most of them working in home studios.They need a place to show their work.” He takes pride inshowing the work of former students, among them JessicaLanham and Carla Trujillo. “It’s exciting to watch talent de-velop,” he said.

Tito is creative and innovative as a craftsman/artist, buthe has another skill that is critical to a working artisan; hehas the gift of listening to what a customer wants and con-verting that into a unique design. He has been commis-sioned by patrons to create matching jewelry items for piecessuch as necklaces or bracelets, or to take someone else’s vi-sion to reality. He does jewelry repair but his true passion iscreating pieces that will become family heirlooms.

Tito estimates that eighty percent of the gallery’s busi-ness comes from locals, but he has an international clientele

that he hopes will grow. “Wedo get people from aroundthe world in the gallery, butour online catalog hasbrought us customers aswell.” The catalog, atwww.titosgallery.com, hashundreds of pieces available.“It is a growing marketplace,”he said.

The Chavez’s gallery is awarm and inviting space, col-orful with its array of art andhomey with the feeling thatwhen you walk in the doorthe owners care that you arethere. Mary’s sales style is towelcome you, invite you tolook around and ask if there isanything in particular you arelooking for. She is helpfulwithout being intrusive andonly chatty if you want her tobe. She has a wealth of infor-mation about the gallery andits artists, and about the area.Tito and Mary are a quietlyinfluential force in the life ofLas Vegas, focused, caring,and devoted to conductingbusiness with integrity whilesupporting the spirit of com-munity.

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 5

The interior of Tito’s Gallery is warm and inviting, showing to advantage the more the 50 artists the shop represents.

… and did

Go to the museum. If you haven’t been in awhile (or ever) you will be delighted by whatyou find. The City of Las Vegas Museum and

Rough Rider Memorial Collection has been energized byAdministrator Linda Gegick and her staff of one full timeemployee and two part time employees. They are imple-menting the innovative vision of what the communitywants the museum to be. The collections are interesting,professionally staged, and factualin their presentation of the historyof Las Vegas and the area.

Gegick and her team of staffand volunteers have brought themuseum to life in new and excit-ing ways, following up on thework of previous volunteers andstaff members, and adding in theircreativity and ideas.

The city’s museum board setspolicy Gegick said, and theFriends of the Museum have in-creased its visibility, “…100 fold.They help us plan and achieve ourmission.”

In recent years more fundingand resources have been allocatedto the museum and it has come along way since it began in 1961.The genesis of the museum camewhen the City of Las Vegas wasgiven the the Rough Rider collec-tion. Previously it had been heldby the wife of one of the original members of the RoughRider regiment headed up by Teddy Roosevelt, a flamboy-ant character who would one day become the President ofthe United States. Many of the volunteers came from NewMexico and a number of them were from the Las Vegasarea. In the beginning the museum was a fledgling opera-tion at best, warehousing artifacts and collecting more.

The city expanded the mission of the museum to in-clude regional history that puts into context the RoughRider collection. Gegick said the remainder of the perma-nent collection came from the community, and along withalmost every item, an interesting story. In 1965 the museum

moved into the Las Vegas Municipal Building on GrandAvenue, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) projectbuilt in 1939-40.

Story telling might best describe the museum’s pur-pose. The stories may come in the form of artifacts, ex-hibits, or through the educational programs that haveevolved over time. As a key component of the museum’smission the educational programs have emerged as a core

feature of what the museum has tooffer.

When Gegick came on boardsix years ago she recognized thechallenges but was energized by thepossibilities.

“Organization was key,” shesaid. “If you don’t know wheresomething is without going throughfile after file, you can’t provide theinformation people are looking for.”A software system designed for mu-seums has provided a vehicle forcataloging artifacts for easy look up.“What used to take days to find, ifwe could find it at all, can be lo-cated in less than half a day.” Withmore than 7,500 pieces in inventoryand another 500 to 1,000 waiting tobe catalogued, organization is morethan a strategy; it is a must.

The target visitor to the mu-seum is the community and the

area, said Gegick, “…and then everybody else.” Everybodyelse applies to people who are casual visitors, those passingthrough town, serious researchers, the merely curious andpeople of all ages who want to learn a little more about thepast.

The variety of artifacts is staggering, everything froman opera hat and gloves (in the Duncan Opera House ex-hibit), to metal fragments that were intriguing enough toPBS History Detectives researchers that they are consideringdoing a program segment featuring them.

The creative additions to the museum offerings and re-

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 6

The City of Las Vegas Museum and Rough Rider Memorial Collection engages visitors in the rich history of the Las Vegas area by collecting, preserving, and presenting objects and themes relating to the region’s unique heritage, to increase our understanding

of the link between the past, present and future.—Museum mission statement

City’s museum is the heart of the community

A period kitchen is one of the three rooms fea-tured in La Casita, an exhibit at the City of Las VegasMuseum and Rough Rider Memorial Collection.

sources prompted one visiting second grader to say: “Themuseum totally rocks!”

The vernacular of the modern age is easily applied tothe museum, which is using technology to spread theword.

Nellie Price, museum educator, said reaching a broaderdemographic is important to the future of the museum.“We’re on Facebook and Twitter, we have a blog. You haveto be where the kids are going.” She said it’s not just kids,social networks are where people of all ages get informa-tion and make connections.

Price, who came to the museum right out of college,was an intern in the Highlands University Media Arts pro-gram and is credited somewhat with the Duncan OperaHouse installation. Again, it’s about story. “My family issomehow connected to that piano,” Price said. “Knowingthat got me to thinking about how to feature the instrumentand the history behind it as part of a class project.”

The piano has been in the collection since 1965, but did-n’t make it into the main exhibit hall until 2006, after it hadbeen restored by Don Faulkner. The story of the piano goessomething like this: Mary Wight Duncan, the wife of aprominent Las Vegas man, loaned money to purchase apiano for the opera house. When the person who bought itdidn’t pay her back, she took the piano. Price says there issome disagreement over this story. Someassume it was Mary’s husband, James,who loaned the money and ended up withthe piano, but that’s not where historicalclues point; they point to Mary.

While visitors are not allowed to playthe piano, from time to time special pro-grams are held featuring gifted local pi-

anists. It is a historical artifact, a conversation piece, anddelivers beautiful music.

While her education didn’t prepare Price to developcurriculum and lesson plans, there can be no better prepa-ration than believing in what you do. And Price believes;she believes the hands-on demonstrations and role-playinggames help young people to experience the museum inways that stay with them long after they leave.

Gegick said history gives a better understanding of thecommunity and that’s where the museum comes in, whichis why the museum recently underwent a process to de-velop an interpretive plan that will be implemented overthe next several years. While the budget for the museumhas gone up dramatically, it is still far short of the fundsnecessary to fulfill the phased plan’s objectives, which in-clude upgrading the permanent collection exhibit space,renovating a space for temporary exhibits, developing anoutdoor exhibit space, and rehabilitation of the buildingwhere the museum is housed.

The dollars needed for the future aren’t standing in theway of getting things done today. The staff has made gooduse of limited floor and wall space, creating interesting dis-plays with accompanying historical placards, such as theGit for Vegas Cowboys exhibit.

In the early 20th century, the Las Vegas Cowboys’ Reunionswere one of the biggest annual cowboy gatherings this side of theMississippi. This exhibit documents how the event engaged allsegments of the community, adapted over time, and answers thequestion “Why Las Vegas?” (From the museum website).

The installation conceived and curated by Pat Romero,museum assistant and research specialist, uses photos andartifacts to take visitors back to another era. And it isn’t justcowboys, there are several cowgirls recognized as well. Theexhibit will be up through December.

One of the more popular exhibits is La Casita,whichshows what the inside of a home might have looked like100 years ago. The furnishings and artifacts are all itemsthat have been donated to the museum, primarily by locals.

Gegick said the area has a varied and rich heritage withspecific areas of interest that include agriculture, travel,trade and the military. Telling those stories through its re-sources is the mission of this dedicated small museum in

the historic town of Las Vegas, N.M. Romero summed up the importance of

the museum in the life of Las Vegas and thearea. “It is the heart of the community. Justlike all systems of the body connect throughthe heart, all the systems of the communityconnect through the museum.”

The Duncan Opera House piano, renovated in 2006, is oftenused in special events at the museum.

QQuuiicckk FFaaccttss

Location: 727 Grand Ave.Hours: Tues - Sat, 10 am - 4 pm

Las Vegas, NM 87701Phone: 505 454-1401 x283www.lasvegasmuseum.orgmuseum@desertgate.com

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 7

Featured exhibit: Git for Vegas Cowboys

Happenstance • March 12 • Page 8

One summer when I was visiting with mymother in Colorado I found the following inone of her cookbooks, the local hospital auxil-

iary’s Sharing Our Best. I’m sure there were lots of goodrecipes in this book but one thing that caught my eye wasthis little poem.

I didn’t have potatoes so I substituted rice.I didn’t have paprika so I used another spice.I didn’t have tomato sauce; I used tomato paste.A whole can, not a half, I don’t believe in waste!

A friend gave me this recipe; she said you couldn’t beat it.There must be something wrong with her—

I couldn’t even eat it!

The moral here must be, “Follow the recipe!“My dad experienced first hand what can happen when

a cook becomes too creative. He and my mother were visit-ing Macky, my sister, and her family in Illinois. They wentto a church potluck meal and one of the desserts was a co-conut cream pie. Our dad loved coconut cream pie, so hetook a piece. He couldn’t eat it. It tasted awful! The proudcook happened by and said she’d made that pie. She thenconfessed that when she had the filling ready, except forthe coconut, she realized she had NO coconut. So shethought about what would be similar in texture and de-cided on, of all things, sauerkraut… True story, or so I havebeen led to believe. Daddy is no longer living, so my ques-tion and his answer will have to wait.

Speaking of getting things right, these tips may makeyour time in the kitchen go more smoothly or help you getthe desired results.

• Place a small dish of water in the oven while bakingbread to keep the crust soft.

• Spray gelatin salad molds with cooking spray beforefilling to simplify salad removal.

• To prevent pie crust from becoming soggy fromcream filling, sprinkle crust with powdered sugar.

• Filling cake pans about 2/3 full and spreading batter

well into corners and to sides and leaving a slight hollow incenter will help prevent raised centers.

• NEVER let moisture get into dipping chocolate.• Shape barely softened sherbet with cookie cutters

and refreeze. Float frozen shapes in punch.• For a little different taste sprinkle crust of banana

cream pie with a mixture of 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 tea-spoon cinnamon. Bake.

• Put a layer of marshmallows in bottom of pumpkinpie, then add filling. Marshmallows will come to top andmake a nice topping.

• Keep candles for birthday cake in refrigerator for aday before using. They will burn slowly and evenly.

• When making candy using granulated sugar, buttersides of pan before adding the sugar to help sugar crystalsfrom forming and ruining the fudge.

• If sugar crystals do form (see above) dampen papertowel and CAREFULLY wipe sides of pan to get rid of crys-tals.

• Potato water boiling over? Put knife from silver orstainless service across open pan and it should not boilover. (If you’ve over-filled, forget this tip!)

• Adding a bit of butter to water before cooking rice,noodles, or macaroni prevents boiling over.

• Muffin tins are excellent for baking apples, stuffedpeppers, etc.

• Ice cubes help sharpen garbage disposal blades.• To freshen garbage disposal, drop 1/8 lime or lemon

into running disposal. (Don’t forget the water!)• To clean starch build-up from iron, sprinkle a damp-

ened sponge with baking soda and rub ironing surface.Make sure iron is cold and unplugged!

• Polish copper-bottom cookware by using a mix ofequal portions of flour and salt and adding vinegar to forma paste. Keep paste in refrigerator.

• Spray plastic food storage containers with non-stickcooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces. Nomore stains.

• Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the re-frigerator, it will keep for weeks.

• Place half an apple in hardened brown sugar tosoften it up.

• When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar tohelp bring out its natural sweetness. I do this with regularcanned corn too.

Fix it before it becomes a disasterTTHHEE HHAAPPPPEENNSSTTAANNCCEE KKIITTCCHHEENN

Yes, it can be done. These tips can simplify work in the kitchen and in other areas of the household. Imagine, a simple trick like placing a stainless or sterling silver knife across a pot of potatoes can keep the water from boiling over. Think how much of a mess you’ll avoid!

I didn’t have potatoesBy Kathy Allen

From her book, Someone’s in the Kitchen

www.lasvegasmuseum.org

Check it out! The museum’s website is full of in-formation, it’s easy to get around on, and visu-ally it is a knockout!

The last time I had occasion to access the museum’swebsite was about two years ago, and while it served itspurpose I don’t recall that it held my attention beyond get-ting the information I was looking for. The new site is aneye-popping link to the museum and to a catalogue of arti-facts and images that is mind boggling.

There are also pagesthat talk about mission,the collection, the RoughRider Memorial, all theevents scheduled (andthere are more than youmight imagine), and afew surprises. I was in-trigued by the programsoffered and curiousenough to try out thegames. Click on Exhibitsand Programs and youfind a description ofwhat to expect in theway of temporary andpermanent displays, butyou will also find a link

to the education page. (The website intro to the education page). The Museum

designs age-appropriate education and outreach programs to au-diences ranging from K-12, and for adults. In the 2008 -09 schoolyear, the Museum served over 100 students via class visits to themuseum, and Museum visits to the classroom. Some of these vis-its included Rio Gallinas Charter School, Paul D. Henry, TonySerna, Valley, New Mexico History University (NMHU) FirstYear Experience classes, NMHU and Luna Community College(LCC) history classes, students and parents from the HomeschoolAssociation, and more. The City of Las Vegas Museum seeks toincrease availability of programs so that every class in the City’sschool system will have an opportunity to experience and learnleadership skills from our area’s diverse and compelling local his-tory. We encourage educators to schedule a visit. We are happy tocustomize our activities to fit your educational needs.

Did you know the museum provides podcasts? I didn’teven know what a ‘podcast’ was, but I did know it hasvalue as an educational tool. The podcasts are available at

the museum, throughthe website or throughiTunes. The podcasts ac-company a visit throughthe galleries with addi-tional information, ormay be viewed as stand-alone presentations.

The wealth of infor-mation and photographsavailable on the web siteis incredible. Seeingwhat is available makesyou want to go to themuseum and see it foryourself. (For more onthis story go to pages 6-7).

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 9

TTHHEE BBEESSTT OOFF TTHHEE WWEEBB

• A description of exhibits and programs• The education page• A history of the museum’s development

• Rough Rider Memorial• The permanent collection• La Casita (This you must click on!)• The history of the MunicipalBuilding

• Upcoming Events• Games• Advisory Board • Friends of the Museum

What you can expect to find at www.lasvegasmuseum.org

A scrumptious site!

Who are these masked people? Good question. This photo is captioned: Costumed guests at the Beaux Artes Ball, Plaza Hotel Ballroom. c1960 (City of

Las Vegas Museum Collection 64.64.1, used by permission)

The Book: Buffaloes, Beads and IndiansThe Author: Steven FivecatsAvailable at: Amazon.comPrice. $10

Like fine art, poetry is oftenin the mind of the be-holder. I’ve read more than

one poem in my life that left mescratching my head afterward. That

isn’t a problem when reading the work of Steven Fivecats.His Buffaloes, Beads and Indians © 2009, simply written andeasily absorbed, takes on the complex emotions and experi-ences we all encounter: love, rejection, death, loss, sadness,joy and everything in between. For ten bucks it’s a greatbuy. Not only is reading the material a treat, looking at thestructure of the work is an education in itself.

Like e.e. cummings, Fivecats eschews capitals, and forthe most part punctuation. His work catches you in midthought and takes you through the emotional ride untilyou get to the end, and then there is more, you know thereis because there is no period signaling the end. I like that. Ilike that this creative poet leaves the door open to imagina-tion. And I like the way the words dance across the page,no alignment ‘left or right justified’ just a song sung andstrung together and the reader gets to determine the music.

The introduction speaks of the dwindling herds of buf-falo, long seen as an important symbol in Native Americanculture, and likens it to the dwindling interest in the poetrythat thrived during the ‘flower power generation’ only towane in recent years. “Poetry in this time frame of the early1960s and ‘70s, flourished like the buffalo,” the introduc-tion points out, “but has virtually vanished from popular-ity with the American public. Yet today there are still smallherds of buffaloes throughout the nation, and like the buf-falo, poets and poetry survive through small presses andpoetry societies.” Thank the good Lord for that. Fivecats isan exceptionally good poet in a less than traditional fash-ion.

It is obvious in his poetry that Fivecats is a spiritualperson who sees beyond this moment and into the next. Ifyou want something that gives you a lift, makes you thinkand occasionally makes you smile, I recommend Buffaloes,Beads and Indians, available online at amazon.com.

Editor’s Note: Steven Fivecats is the editor of the online bookreview site, yellow30scifi.com, which reviewed The Ballad ofBawdy McClure, written by Sharon Vander Meer.

The Magazine: Reader’s DigestContent: General InterestGenesis: Co-founded in 1922 by

Lila Bell Wallace and DeWitt WallaceTo subscribe: Go to www.rd.com

With more than forty million readers in thirtycountries around the world, Reader’s Digestdoesn’t need me to help it get up and run-

ning. Oh, to have that kind of success! But it didn’t happenover night and it didn’t happen in an era when print mediais struggling to find its way in an IT world. Informationtechnologies and how to make best use of them has baffledthe best, and the number of small and large newspapersfalling by the way side is scary. Magazines struggle too, buttheir niche markets generally support them. Add to that, asI’m finding with Happenstance, the difficulty of manipulat-ing pages in digital format is a challenge for even the mostweb savvy, unless they have top of the line equipment andsoftware that is beyond the pocketbooks of most con-sumers.

Where was I? Oh, right, Reader’s Digest.The reasons I like this magazine are two-fold: I like its

size (book-sized format), and I like the fact the stories, re-ports and articles are succinct and relevant. Interior and ex-terior design has changed and they no longer publish thecondensed versions of books (thank the Lord!), but thehumor bits are still there and overall the look is more pleas-ing to the eye and less cluttered. It looks more contempo-rary. I do miss the wonderful cartoons that used to befeatured on the back page, but surprise, surprise, that spacehas been given over to advertising.

The heart of Reader’s Digest is the content. I love thecompelling stories about people and the reports and arti-cles about a variety of subjects.

Featured in the April issue are articles about myths sur-rounding the effectiveness of vitamins; a man overboardand a teenage son put to the ultimate test; the hope foundamong the devastation in Haiti; a young girl’s brave recov-ery; and of course the standard RD fare of office humor,Word Power, funny stuff from people in the military andmuch, much more. It’s a little book walking around in verybig shoes, delivering intriguing perspectives on the worldaround us. The jokes are the best. Everyone needs a laughand the humor in Reader’s Digest is never offensive andoften comes from everyday experiences.

The RD website is okay, but give me the hands on mag-azine any day. For one thing it never has pop-ups. Hon-estly, those things drive me up the wall!

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 10

HHAAPPPPEENNSSTTAANNCCEE RREEVVIIEEWWSS

Happenstance • March 12, 2010 • Page 11

From the Small Business Administration Websitewww.sba.gov

In business, there are no guarantees. There is simplyno way to eliminate all the risks associated withstarting a small business — but you can improve

your chances of success with good planning, preparation,and insight. Start by evaluating your strengths and weak-nesses as a potential owner and manager of a small busi-ness. Carefully consider each of the following questions:

Are you a self-starter? It will be entirely up to you todevelop projects, organize your time, and follow throughon details.

How well do you get along with different personali-ties? Business owners need to develop working relation-ships with a variety of people including customers,vendors, staff, bankers, and professionals such as lawyers,accountants, or consultants. Can you deal with a demand-ing client, an unreliable vendor, or a cranky receptionist ifyour business interests demand it?

How good are you at making decisions? Small businessowners are required to make decisions constantly — oftenquickly, independently, and under pressure.

Do you have the physical and emotional stamina to runa business? Business ownership can be exciting, but it's alsoa lot of work. Can you face six or seven 12- hour workdaysevery week?

How well do you plan and organize? Research indi-cates that poor planning is responsible for most businessfailures. Good organization of financials, inventory, sched-ules, and production can help you avoid many pitfalls.

Is your drive strong enough? Running a business canwear you down emotionally. Some business owners burnout quickly from having to carry all the responsibility forthe success of their business on their own shoulders. Strongmotivation will help you survive slowdowns and periodsof burnout.

How will the business affect your family? The first fewyears of business start up can be hard on family life. It's im-portant for family members to know what to expect and foryou to be able to trust that they will support you duringthis time. There also may be financial difficulties until thebusiness becomes profitable, which could take months oryears. You may have to adjust to a lower standard of livingor put family assets at risk in the short-term.

Why Small Businesses FailSuccess in business is never automatic. It isn't strictly

based on luck, although a little never hurts. It depends pri-marily on the owner's foresight and organization. Eventhen, of course, there are no guarantees.

Starting a small business is always risky, and thechance of success is slim. According to the U.S. Small Busi-ness Administration, roughly fifty percent of small busi-nesses fail within the first five years.

In his book Small Business Management, Michael Amesgives the following reasons for small business failure:

• Lack of experience• Insufficient capital (money)• Poor location• Poor inventory management• Over-investment in fixed assets• Poor credit arrangements• Personal use of business funds• Unexpected growth Gustav Berle adds two more reasons in The Do It Your-

self Business Book: • Competition• Low salesThis isn’t meant to scare the entrepreneur, but to pre-

pare him or her for the rocky path ahead. Underestimatingthe difficulty of starting a business is one of the biggest ob-stacles entrepreneurs face. However, success can be yours ifyou are patient, willing to work hard, and take all the nec-essary steps.

While there are are many reasons to think twice aboutstarting your own business, there are good reasons to forgeahead because done properly the advantages of businessownership far outweigh the risks.

• You will be your own boss.• Hard work and long hours directly benefit you, rather than increasing profits for someone else.• Earning and growth potential are far greater.• A new venture is as exciting as it is risky.• Running a business provides endless challenge and opportunities for learning.

For more information on getting started with your newbusiness contact the Small Business Development Center inyour area. In Las Vegas call 505 454-2582; outside the areacall 800 588-7232 ext. 1759, open 8 am - 5 pm, M-F.

Is entrepreneurship for you?In an uncertain economy and with jobs at a premium, are the benefits of having your own business worth the risks?

Happenstancelife happens

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Happenstance is in the development stage and all recommendationswill be appreciated and considered. It is intended to appeal to a

wide range of readers. Material will be selected based on its generalappeal to a broad readership, with a focus on Las Vegas, NM, and the area.

Thank you for reading this first issue of Happenstance.

Happenstance is a publication of Vander Meer BooksPO Box 187 • Las Vegas, NM 87701

www.vandermeerbooks.comCopyright 2010

Material may only be used by permission with appropriate attribution.