World video travel guide

News • New Mexico • United States • 2011-12-22

Farm & Ranch Museum Kicks Off Statehood Centennial Events

The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces is the place to be to celebrate the state\'s centennial.

Two new exhibits, and a Chautauqua are among the items on the schedule, but the big event is the museum\'s living history program featuring a re-enactment of President Taft signing the proclamation making New Mexico the 47th state in 1912. The event is called \"Eyewitness to History: New Mexico Becomes a State\" and begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 in the Museum\'s Tortugas Gallery.

The time travel program will have a news anchor and a reporter, along with a commentator (Dr. Jon Hunner of NMSU) -- set in 2012 -- reporting on the event, 100 years to the minute after it happened in the Oval Office at the White House. While the commentator and news team will be in 2012, the audience will watch as the New Mexico delegation waits on stage for the arrival of President Taft to sign the Statehood Proclamation in 1912. The President will be played by Dale Liikala of Ohio, a veteran of portraying Taft for many years. Local \"actors\" will portray the NM delegates and cabinet secretaries who were present at the signing in 1912.

The program is expected to last about an hour and is free to the public.

Immediately following Friday\'s re-enactment, the Friends of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum and the New Mexico State University Foundation are co-hosting a luncheon at 12:15 p.m. at the museum. Dr. Hunner will speak about New Mexico long struggle to statehood during the lunch, which will feature some 1912 items on the menu. The cost is $25 per person and the proceeds benefit the museum\'s education department and NMSU\'s history department. To purchase tickets, call Lori Holguin at (575) 522-4100, or Deb Widger at (575) 646-4034.

The state\'s centennial activities in Las Cruces kick off on Thursday, Jan. 5 when Liikala portrays President Taft in a Chautauqua performance at 7 p.m. \"Our Reluctant President\" introduces the audience to the only man in history who served as President, and later, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. His path to these two positions winds through five decades and across many continents. A 40-year veteran of community theater, Liikala brings an artistic touch to his portrayal of Taft, engaging audiences in his thought-provoking and, at times, humorous narrative. Admission to the Chautauqua is $2.

The museum also has two new exhibits that provide a fascinating look into New Mexico\'s first 100 years. \"Land of Enchantment: Commemorating New Mexico\'s Centennial\" is located in the Traditions and Legacy galleries and features the largest collection of previous New Mexico statehood celebrations memorabilia (40th, 50th, 60th, and 75th). The exhibit also shows some of the highlights of New Mexico\'s first 100 years as a state and chronicles the almost-comical journey to become a state.

Opening on Dec. 21 is the new exhibit \"It\'s All Symbolic: The State Symbols of New Mexico.\" This exhibit reviews the icons, images, and emblems that help make New Mexico stand out. While there are numerous unofficial symbols, these are the 40 symbols officially adopted by the Legislature.

For more information, please call (575) 522-4100. New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, 4100 Dripping Springs Road, Las Cruces, NM 88011. www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.

RSS • All news