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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #21
August 18, 2000
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Dear Subscriber:

As I have mentioned before, Peggy and I manage two vacation
properties while maintaining and expanding the Cloudcroft Online
Newsletter and Cloudcroft.com. Frankly the properties take more
of our time than cyber-space does... a fact magnified this past
week when it seemed everything decided to leak at once. A
shower was leaking in one bathroom. A toilet was leaking in
another.

In the past week I got to know just about everybody at True
Value Hardware. To be honest, I don't know what is more
rewarding; the high audience ratings my partners and I enjoyed
while on the radio in Lubbock in my last career or my new life...
turning off a freshly repaired faucet and it doesn't drip! Only
other radio people or plumbers could identify with that, I guess.

I made it through, though... thanks in part to Paul. Everyone
knows someone like Paul. If not, that is their misfortune. Paul
is my neighbor. He has a garage filled with every tool,
implement, nut, bolt and gizmo known to man. If it's not in
Paul's garage, it has either not been invented or is illegal.
Because of Paul, my old Ford pickup runs like a sewing machine.
Thanks to Paul my roof doesn't leak.

Paul doesn't play favorites. I've never seen him turn down a
request for help, which means he stays extremely busy all the
time. I told him he needs to learn how to say "no," but for
him that's like not breathing.

On behalf of the neighborhood, thank you, Paul. By the way,
Paul, you wouldn't happen to have a three quarter inch step-
down to a half inch compression pipe union laying around,
would you?

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE POLITICS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- SPRING MOUNTAIN RESTAURANT
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- KID'S KINGDOM
5. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
6. COMING EVENTS
7. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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Temperatures are beginning to cool slightly in the Sacramentos.
Highs and lows (mid 70s - Low 40s) are a couple of degrees
cooler on average than late July highs.

The forest conditions have returned to moderate fire danger and
more long trousers and wind breakers are appearing after
sundown. Rains have subsided again. Heavy dews in the
mornings, but no precipitation in the past 5 days.
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VILLAGE POLITICS
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The most common theme of emails sent to Cloudcroft Online is
on the subject of employment. Are there any jobs in Cloudcroft?
The answer is not many. Those jobs available are often seasonal
and of mainly minimum wage level.

To give you an idea of the economic state of the area:
Alamogordo's average annual income is $14,500. The state
average is said to be about $17,000. New Mexico is ranked 50th
(lowest) in per capita income in the nation. While figures are
not available, it is safe to say Cloudcroft's average income is
lower than Alamogordo's (many people living in Cloudcroft work
in Alamogordo). The point is that Cloudcroft's income is lower
than Alamogordo's, which is lower than the state average, in a
state that is ranked last nationally. Now if THAT doesn't cheer
you up...!

Many of Cloudcroft's full time residents have income sources
outside the area, such as investments, pensions, social
security, etc. Cloudcroft is roughly half full-time and half
seasonal residents.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- SPRING MOUNTAIN RESTAURANT
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One of the area's favorite Bar B Que restaurants. Because of
Spring Mountain's location about half way down the mountain on
Highway 82 between Cloudcroft and Alamogordo, the restaurant is
visited often by people from both towns.

We recommend the ribs, but all their meat dishes are carefully
prepared.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- KID'S KINGDOM
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The remarkable thing about this playground is the way it was
built. The site was designed almost entirely by the kids of
Alamogordo and surrounding communities. It was constructed by
kids and community volunteers. Located at Oregon Street and
Indian Wells in Alamogordo.
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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - The train rides to Cloudcroft must have been exciting. Why
did they stop train service to the village?

A - Logging trains and excursion trains served Cloudcroft for
almost a half century (from 1900 to 1947). After Highway 82 was
constructed from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft the popularity of the
train dropped off and it soon became unprofitable. Although there
was never a fatal train accident on the line, the fear of such
an accident was a contributing factor to the shutting down of the
line. While it has been over a half century since the last train
left Cloudcroft, old timers still consider Cloudcroft a "rail
community" and are proud of the village's railroad heritage.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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August 16 thru 19 -- Otero County Fair. Alamogordo.

August 18 thru 20 -- Singing in the Clouds. High School Cafeteria.

August 19 (5pm to 7pm) and 20 (11am - 2pm) -- Mayhill Volunteer
Fire Department Enchilada Dinner. Mayhill Training Center.

August 20 -- Governor's 10k Run.

August 26 -- Weed Reunion. Weed, New Mexico.

September 2-3 -- Labor Day Fiesta. Downtown Cloudcroft.

September 2-3 -- Timberon Labor Day Weekend.

September 22-23 -- Star Party II. Call 1-505-437-2840 for details

September 29, 30 and October 1 -- Chubby Tire Rendezvous -- Bike
Rally.
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For an online calendar of area events, click the Events Calendar
link in the left column of our home page:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/index.html

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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Dear Newsletter:

My boyfriend bought his cabin one year ago in waterfall. We can
never get enough of Cloudcroft and always get a little depressed
when it's time to drive back to the sands of West Texas.... Thank
you so much for the newsletter, it's a ray of sunshine each time
it pops up on our e-mail. We really enjoy the information about
what's going on. With the recent fire scares, we wanted to make
a suggestion of adding to the newsletter the posted area fire
danger levels that are provided by the National Forest Service.

Thanks again,
Jerry Parsons
Carolyn King

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Dear Newsletter:

Keep up the great job you're doing. Sure would like to hear more
about Timberon, as there are loads of us Lubbockites that were
crazy enough to buy and build up there. But do not get yourself
in trouble for doing so, but it helps us. But again, just wanted
to let you know what a great job you are doing. Just wish they
were longer

Paul G Houston

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Dear Newsletter:

Thank you for your past updates. We have just returned this 
evening from a wonderful visit to Cloudcroft. Hope to return, 
maybe next year. The hiking trail to the old trestle was good.

Ed Engelhardt

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Dear Newsletter:

I agree with the comments in the last newsletter by Sherry 
Wilson. I, too, have been coming to Cloudcroft for years. 
Development is inevitable, as I am sure we all know. But I also
think 'trashy' looking places are one of the worst blights to 
ANY community. Ruidoso has plenty of them. Everything there is 
so crowded. I remember when it was a little more like Cloudcroft. 
Now it is so much more like every other little tourist trap town
throughout the Rockies and West. 

Where we live here in Texas, we have deed restrictions. Now it 
is possible to go overboard with those as well, but if you want
things to stay attractive, less cluttered, and retain your 
property values and peace of mind, deed restrictions can help
with that. Then the second part to that is that the deed 
restrictions must be enforced. That's not always pleasant but
vital. I guess I don't know your process for doing developing
deed restrictions in the Cloudcroft community and area, but I
think it would make a difference and help to better preserve
the serenity we all love about Cloudcroft.

Susan Levonius
Kingwood, Texas

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CONTACT INFORMATION
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