New Mexico’s 16-month Centennial Celebration is off to a spicy start with the 3rd annual SalsaFest Sunday (August 28) in Las Cruces; and “Catch the Kid” – the New Mexico Tourism Department’s summer travel promotion scavenger hunt – will be on hand to join in the fun.
Downtown Las Cruces between Las Cruces Ave. and Bowman, including La Placita on Main Street, will come alive with a day-long fiesta, 11am to 5pm. Downtown Las Cruces Partnership is host of the event, which includes salsa music, salsa dancing, food and activities for the whole family.
There will be stories from NM Centennial Storyteller Joe Hayes, a classic car show, food and craft vendors, in addition to a salsa dance competition, the salsa band Son Como Son, and a salsa recipe competition. The Partnership is also hosting a dinner gala Saturday (August 27) on La Placita at 6 p.m.
Founded in 1849, La Mesilla on the southern end of Las Cruces witnessed Billy the Kid's incarceration, two-day trial and conviction in April, 1881, for the April, 1878, murder of Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady. The Kid's original jail cell is in the Gadsden Museum, two blocks east of the former jail, now an art gallery at 105 Calle de Parian; and the former courtroom is today an art gallery and souvenir shop on the southeast corner of the plaza.
The Plaza is home to a clue on this summer’s hot “Catch the Kid” promotion. You can’t miss it – it’s hanging on the wall of the famous courtroom, the Billy the Kid Gift Shop. To join in the fun, visit www.catchthekid.com
For more information on Las Cruces SalsaFest visit www.lascrucescvb.org/new-mexico-centennial-to-kick-off-with-salsafest/
For more information about top events in New Mexico take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in New Mexico.