New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter of RHS Attends Cottonwood Festival

August 31, 2013

We always say, "Wherever two or four Red Hatters gather a fun time is in store", and the New Mexico heat held many back from attending the Cottonwood Festival in Alamogordo. The Cottonwood Festival is a huge event with many vendors of wares as well as food and rides.

Queen Ladybird (Carla) was late due to another event, but eventually made it and hooked up with the other brave souls. We made our way to the stage just as our lovely Mayor Susie Galea finished officially opening the event sans microphone. It seems that a transformer picked this exact moment to blow.

Margie (Countess of Karr Canyon) was hungry so we stopped at the Walking Taco trailer manned by members of the Sassy Survivor Team of American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. This is a fund raiser for them and their Walking Tacos are delicious. Margie purchased a snack size and we went in search of shade to sit while she ate. We finally found some thick green grass under a large tree and we sat down like we were on a picnic. Many people came by to comment on our attire. Then we were joined by two large Great Danes who were really just puppies! They were quite well behaved and chose to join us in our picnic area.

Margie, my Vice Queen Penny (Duchess of High Rolls) and I walked around for a while longer and the two of them decided they had all the heat they could stand. Unfortunately, I completely missed seeing our newest member, Cyprina, because I was late and the heat got to her right away. I opted to stay a while to visit all the vendor booths.

I met some fascinating people, watched dancers on the stage (they finally got the transformer repaired) and wound up sitting in a booth near the stage waiting for Doug to come pick me up. I met a lady in the booth whose name is also "Carla" and I told her I had purchased a sarsaparilla from a booth across the way. Also, that my first time to taste this libation was last April in Tombstone, Arizona. She began to tell me about her parents owning a bed and breakfast there. It is indeed a small world!

Vice Queen Penny (Duchess of High Rolls)

Queen Ladybird (Carla) Note: Colors are reversed because August is my birthday month

L to R: Penny, Margie (Duchess of Karr Canyon) and Carla

Isn't it lovely that there are always people willing to take our pictures!

Here we are sharing our picnic area with this lovely Great Dane puppy

I must tell you, it was fairly easy to sit down on the grass, but not so easy to get up. However we managed to individually rise without any help at all. Go, Red Hatters!

This is all I have to say for now.