By Gary Jaramillo
Alamo Indian Days 2009 was everything that everyone hoped for last Saturday and Sunday. The festive mood was obvious as little girls dressed in fabulous traditional native American regalia walked about the huge crowd and stopped along the midway to pose for visitors requesting photos. The carnival atmosphere and wonderful aromas of the foods being prepared by the vendors kept everyone moving from booth to booth and enjoying a plethora of scrumptious delights.
Saturday’s events started by a colorful parade with beautiful floats, wonderful horses and riders and several live bands playing all types of music along the way. The float participants were all dressed in dazzling regalia and traditional jewelry. All the princes, princesses and the queen, Ms. Latanya Apache, sat on colorful hand sewn rugs and blankets upon the various floats with wonderful, differing hair styles.
After the parade made its way to Walter’s Park, the military colors were presented by two Native American World War II veteran heroes from Alamo. Presentation of the Colors was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance in both Navajo and English by last year’s Miss Teen Alamo Josephine Stanton. Visiting dignitaries were introduced and everyone was invited to enjoy the day.
The celebration was truly a success, and the music and colorful dancing was spectacular. The weekend’s crowd was over 2,000 people. Nice cool breezes with temperatures hovering around 75 degrees for both days, almost as if it was custom ordered.
Everyone who came to Indian Days could not get over how hospitable all of the Alamo residents were throughout the festivities. There were mechanical bucking bulls, carnival hammers and twisters and jumpers and slides along with exciting carnival games of all kinds for kids and families.
They even had a bingo game going all day and night. It was apparent that the planners behind the scenes of the Alamo Days celebration really did their homework and thought of everything. It was truly a comfortable and fun time for all. I left with a great hometown feeling and a really full stomach.
I hadn’t been to the Alamo Indian Days for a few years and it reminded me just how wonderful the celebration had been in the past.
Life races by at break neck speed and we become tied up and little slowed down in the everyday habits in around our own back yards, and forget just how fabulous getting out into the great outdoors and visiting our truly great neighbors in Alamo can be.
I’m so happy that I had the opportunity to cover Alamo Indian Days for the Mountain Mail.
I’ve already realized one of my first good reasons for wanting to be a part of this newspaper. It’s about the people who make Socorro and Catron counties so very special. It’s about rekindling those old friendships with people I hadn’t seen in some time. It’s a very short and pleasant drive through some of the prettiest country around and friendly, funny and genuinely good people are there waiting for you when you arrive.
I can’t think of a better place to spend a weekend than with the people at Alamo Indian Days on the reservation. No matter how big the world seems to grow around you, it truly is the small things in life that make it worth living. Hope to see you all there next year so we can have another great visit.
Pictured: Miss Alamo 2009 Latanya Apache
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