‘Taste of Italy’

Club Culturale Italiano invites one and all to experience a “Taste of Italy” at its 11th annual Columbus Day Spaghettata, today at 2 p.m., at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 301 Camino del Pueblo, in Bernalillo.

There will be a live performance by the One Man Band and everyone is welcome. Call in advance for tickets, which are $12.50 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12; children 5 and under are free. For reservations, call Rosalba at 891-8456 or Anna at 856-1260.

Food Drive

The 13th Judicial District Attorney’s Office is sponsoring its third annual Food Drive. Donations of non-perishable food items will be collected benefiting shelters within the district, beginning Wednesday and running through Nov. 10.

For info, contact District Attorney Lemuel Martinez at 343-7516. Donations can be delivered to Sandoval County Courthouse District Attorney’s Office at 1500 Idalia Rd. NE, Bernalillo. The public may also contact Adaline Nuanez-Baca, victim advocate coordinator at 896-3952.

Fall Festival

The Fall Festival at Cabezon Park takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. The free event, hosted by Sagebrush at High Resort, will feature free food, treats, pony rides, fun jumps, carnival games and more.

Everyone is encouraged to attend and have some fun in Cabezon Park.

Sagebrush at High Resort meets Sundays at 10:15 a.m. at Rio Rancho High School.

Light poles go purple

The medians of NM 528, between Southern Boulevard and Westside Boulevard, light poles will be wrapped in purple ribbon through Friday.

The ribbons will serve to remind that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Haven House, a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping abused women and their children on their way toward a life free of domestic violence, in cooperation with Mayor Tom Swisstack, is undertaking a Purple Ribbon Initiative designed to educate victims and non-victims about domestic violence, and engage all Rio Rancho citizens in a zero tolerance for this issue.

Residents and visitors to Rio Rancho can expect to see a profusion of purple around the city, running the gamut from flags, to plants and ribbons on posts, trees and lapels. The month-long initiative will culminate on Thursday at Rio Rancho High School with a candle glow vigil and a recognition ceremony for Purple Ribbon Initiative Projects undertaken during the month.

For more information, contact Joy Bell Tauber at 896-4869 or visit the Haven House Web site, havenhouseinc.org.

Church groundbreaking

The Church of the Incarnation will be holding a ground breaking ceremony for its new church building on Saturday, at 4:15 pm, on the Parish grounds. The groundbreaking will be celebrated by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan. The ceremony will be followed by Mass and a reception. All parishioners are invited.

The church will be a Romanesque design slightly under 26,000 square feet. When completed it’s anticipated it will seat between 1,200 and 1,300 people.

Church of the Incarnation is a Roman Catholic Parish in the Archdiocese of Sante Fe, located at 2309 Monterrey Rd., Rio Rancho. It was established in 1997 as a mission church of St. Thomas Aquinas and became a parish in 2003. The pastor is Fr. Rick Zerwas. The present church, office and all parish functions are currently housed in a group of modular buildings located on the parish grounds.

Search is on for

Mrs. Rio Rancho 2010

Sheree Channel, executive state director for the Mrs. New Mexico Pageant,announces the pageant is seeking applicants for the title of Mrs. Rio Rancho. Once selected, the lucky lady will advance on to represent her community in the 2010 Mrs. New Mexico Pageant to be held on June 19, 2010 at the Albuquerque Journal Theatre located in the Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old (no age limit), married at the time of competition and a New Mexico resident, no performing talent required.

To request the official application or for information, call Channel at 877-631-4447 or visit mrsnewmexicoamerica.com.

Rio Rancho toy run

The 17th Annual Rio Rancho Toy Run will take place on Sunday, Nov. 22 and will kick off at 11:30 a.m. at Rio Rancho High School, 301 Loma Colorado Dr.

Riders participating in this motorcycle rally must donate one new toy and two non-perishable food items, or make a $20 per person donation.

From the high school the rally will travel along Northern Boulevard, Unser Boulevard, US 550, N.M. 528, and east on Sara Road ending at the Italian-American Association, 1565 Stephanie Street.

At the Italian-American Association there will be music, a bike rodeo, refreshments and a raffle.

For more information call 604-4326 or visit RioRanchoToyRun.org.

This event is made possible by Rio Rancho Toy Run Inc., the Rio Rancho Convention and Visitors Bureau and the city of Rio Rancho.

Founder’s Day celebration

Join the Unitarian Universalist Westside Congregation for a Founder’s Day Celebration at 11 a.m. on Nov. 8, at 1650 Abrazo Rd.

The event is to celebrate the installation of fabric art banners. Glo Elliott, a charter member who was instrumental in their design and creation, died in August and the banners will be dedicated to her memory.

The public, members and friends are invited to the service and the reception.

Go Italian

Club Culturale Italiano will hold its general meeting Nov. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Lieutenant William Sibrava Substation, 10401 Holly NE, Albuquerque, NM, with parking on the east side of the building.

The club will be discussing forthcoming events and new ideas.

Everyone is invited. Beverages and dessert will be provided following the meeting. For information, call 828-2903.

ReadWest hosts events

ReadWest will celebrate 20 years of providing free literacy services to adults in the community with two events on November 7 at the Inn at Rio Rancho.

The daytime event is a celebration of reading with 50 New Mexico authors on hand to talk about their books; Michael McGarrity and Don Bullis discussing their best selling books and a Children’s Story Hour. A large craft fair is also included and there will be a silent auction during the day to raise money for ReadWest.

The evening celebration features appetizers, live music and speakers Ann Hillerman, author of “Tony Hillerman’s Landscape” and ReadWest’s own author, Marten Griego. Attendees will an opportunity to bid on fabulous auction items including an autographed copy of President Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope.”

All proceeds from these two events will benefit the ReadWest Adult Literacy Program. Tickets for the evening event are $35 and can be purchased online at readwest.org or by mailing a check to ReadWest, P.O. Box 44508, Rio Rancho, NM 87174.

Department recognized

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded Rio Rancho’s Financial Services Department and Marta Ortiz, accounting division manager, with a certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting.

This award recognizes the city’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2008, and the individual primarily responsible for preparing the award-winning document.

In receiving this prestigious honor, the city’s CAFR had to clearly communicate the city’s financial story among other criteria.

The GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving 17,500 government finance professionals throughout North America. 

Senior services honored

Recently, at the New Mexico Recreation and Parks Association annual conference, the city of Rio Rancho’s Senior Services Division was recognized with the “Senior Services Program of the Year Award” for their East Meets West Health Fair.

The health fair was held last fall and was conceived as a means to provide a unique blend of Eastern and Western medicine perspectives. Featured at this event were practitioners of acupuncture, hypnotherapy, chair massage, therapeutic oils, Tai Chi Chih, reflexology, yoga and much more. In total, more than 300 attended the health fair.

The next East Meets West Health Fair will take place at the Meadowlark Senior Center, 4330 Meadowlark Lane, on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, call 891-5018 or visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us.

The Senior Services Division is a part of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.

‘Cop Talk’ on the air

A new episode of “Cop Talk” is now airing on RioVision, the city of Rio Rancho’s public, education and government cable channels.

In this latest installment, host Officer John Francis provides tips for parents including information on stranger danger, the Amber Alert System and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“Cop Talk” episodes air daily on RioVision - available to Cable One subscribers - on cable channel 15 at 11 a.m.; 3 p.m.; and 5:30 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Visit RioVision online at riovision.tv.

Twitter with the City of Vision

Residents can keep up with the city of Rio Rancho on the popular social networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter.

By utilizing these free sites, citizens can get city news, traffic and event information sent to them electronically. In addition, Rio Rancho’s Facebook page provides links to online city services, videos and additional information about the city.

To sign up and follow the city using Facebook and Twitter, visit the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us, and click on the Facebook and Twitter graphic links which can be found on the main home page.

The city’s Facebook and Twitter pages will update automatically each time the city’s Web site has event information, traffic notices and news releases added.

Mayor’s talk show

The latest episode of Mayor of Rio Rancho Tom Swisstack’s talk show has begun airing on the city’s public, education and government cable channels.

In this installment, Mayor Swisstack interviews Dianne Torrance, executive director of Haven House.

Conversations with Mayor Swisstack can be seen on RioVision cable channels 15 and 22 for those Rio Rancho residents who are Cable One subscribers. The mayor’s talk show airs each day on channel 15 at 6, 7:30, and 11:30 a.m. and 5 and 8 p.m. Channel 22 shows this program daily at 8 and 11 a.m., and 6 p.m.

Approximately every four weeks, a new episode airs on both cable channels in their regular time slots. In addition, episodes are posted to the city’s Web site, ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/mayorswisstack, shortly after a new episode debuts on RioVision.

Visit RioVision online at riovision.tv.

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xxx international adoption workshop at library

The Esther Bone Memorial Library will offer a workshop on international adoption on Saturday, November 14th at 10:00 a.m.  Don Fox, the Regional Office Director, for Great Wall China Adoption, will present an overview on how to adopt a child from another country.

Great Wall China Adoption is an internationally recognized leader in Chinese adoption for over 13 years.  They are a non-profit organization with experience in placing more than 7,000 adoptions nationwide and around the globe.

Mr. Fox will be joined by Rio Rancho Library staff member, Kim Femling, who recently adopted a child from Ethiopia.  Ms. Femling will discuss her family’s experience in bringing an adopted child into her home.

Registration is not required to attend this program.  The Esther Bone Library is located at 950 Pinetree Rd. SE in Rio Rancho.  For more information please call 891-5012, extension 3128.

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xxx COME SHOP WITH US!!!!!

COME SHOP WITH US!!!!

COME SHOP WITH US!!!

COME SHOP WITH US!!

AT THE:

 VISTA GRANDE RETIREMENT CENTER

“SMALL BUT CRAFTY”

HOLIDAY ARTS FAIR

ON: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009

FROM:  9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM

LOCATED AT: 4101 MEADOWLARK LANE, SE

RIO RANCHO, NM

(AT THE INTERSECTION OF 528 AND MEADOWLARK LANE/SOUTHERN BLVD.)

YOU WILL FIND SOME OF THE FINEST HAND CRAFTED ITEMS EVER IN CROCHET, KNITTING, NEEDLE WORK, ART AND JEWELRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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xxx Date of Event     Friday, November 6, 2009

Event Title    Marketing Lessons I Learned from the Wedding Business

Speaker    Linda Mertz, Wedding Officiant

Time    11:30am-1:00pm

Location    Chamisa Hills Country Club

Host    Women Make a Difference

Cost    $27.00 per person, reservations required

Contact    Val Romero, 505-362-8546