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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #24
September 8, 2000
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Dear Subscriber:

There is a risk of becoming too flowery in a description of life
in the Sacramento Mountains in the early stages of Autumn. The
pushing and shoving of the seasons continues with summer
temporarily winning out this past week. Unseasonably warm days
since the Labor Day weekend have been visited upon the area.

It will be hard to say a final farewell to summer for another
year, but in these mountains (because we are located so far
South in the state) it is not unusual to have an occasional
visit of warm weather throughout the typical winter months.
That is a "good news, bad news" thing, since tourist oriented
businesses in Cloudcroft are hoping for a sustained snow-
cover to generate a respectable patronization of parka-clad
flat-landers.

While I am behind local commerce one hundred percent, I have
a hope in the back of my mind that the upcoming winter will
be snow-covered but not snow-laden. You see, Peg and I may
be the only locals that still drive two-wheel powered vehicles
(a hold-over from our life in Lubbock). Heavy snows to us
means manhandling those cumbersome snow chains.

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 -- ALLSUP'S CONVENIENCE STORE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NIVISON LIBRARY
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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High temperatures popped back into the 80s at this late date in
the mountain summer. Lows are easing into the high 30s. It has
been comparatively dry since Labor Day weekend.
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VILLAGE POLITICS
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The federal government is proceeding with their damage assess-
ment of the Scott Able Fire, which claimed about 30 million
board-feet of forest in May near Weed, NM.

Much of the partially burned area is still salvageable if the
trees in these areas are harvested soon. Otherwise insects
could render the trees useless. The National Forest Service
is locked in a wrangle with the Environment Protection Agency
to try and get the harvest started as quickly as possible. The
EPA. says their process of assessment, public input, etc.
could take up to 18 months. The Forest Service says the
salvageable trees could be ruined by then.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- ALLSUP'S CONVENIENCE STORE
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Allsup's is one of America's biggest chains of convenience
stores, but their policy is that each store become a part of
the community. Allsup's in Cloudcroft is managed and staffed by
local people. They offer a complete line of groceries, picnic
supplies, deli items and fresh bread and milk. They have the
best gas in town! They can say that with confidence because
they have the ONLY gas in town!
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NIVISON LIBRARY
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In the 80s, Cloudcroft's then-mayor Micheal Nivison worked hard
with other community members to establish a library for the
Village. In recognition of his hard work on the project, it was
decided to name the library after him. The Nivison Library is
located in the building that housed Cloudcroft's first school.

After extensive renovation the building now houses the library
as well as a large meeting room for community use.

Email us if you have books you would like to donate to the
Nivison Library.
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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Road safety is important, I know... but some speed limits
around the Cloudcroft area seem awfully conservative. Is this
just another way to generate money through traffic fines?

A - That could be the impression some visitors have, but the
fact is there are numerous blind spots and sharp curves on the
state and county roads throughout the Cloudcroft area. Slower
speeds are necessary to prevent accidents. The slower speeds
are also designed to protect wildlife that can dart out in
front of a vehicle without warning.
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COMING EVENTS
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September 22-23 -- Star Party II. Call 1-505-437-2840 for
details.

September 22-23 -- Healing Hearts Weekend. Call 915-550-3302 
or visit http://www.jps.net/trvlnell/goc/ for details.

September 29, 30 and October 1 -- Chubby Tire Rendezvous Bike
Rally.

September 30 -- Cloudcroft Garden Club Style Show. Middle
School.

October 6-7 -- CLOC Melodrama. 7:30 pm in the Open Air Pavilion.

October 7-8 -- Oktoberfest. Zenith Park activities. Sales and
special events in downtown Cloudcroft.

October 28 -- Harvestfest

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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:

As a sit writing this letter, it is 103 in Corpus Christi. I
close my eyes and return to July, 1999, when we spent the month
in the beautiful village of Cloudcroft and I feel a little better.
Please take care of my village. We're bringing our children and
grandchildren there for Christmas week.

A Cloudcroft inhabitant in my heart
Judy Pate
Corpus Christi, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

How pleased I was to discover your on-line newsletter. Each
briefing makes me feel as if I am there on the Mountain Top with
the rest of you good folk... which daily I wish I were.

Cloudcroft is most definitely my favorite location of anywhere,
& like many of the respondees to your newsletter, I hope to
retire there in the next few years. My heart is in the beauty
& relaxed atmosphere of the Sacramento Mountains & Lincoln
National Forest. I continually check for houses & cabins on the
Web sites & hope to win the lottery soon.

Don, you're a smart man being a TTU supporter as well as an
Aggie foe... so am I, particularly since I am a Tech grad &
employee.

Good luck for a successful Labor Day Weekend to the Cloudcroft
businesses. Hopefully, I will be able to venture your way again
soon to help lower the inventory in some of the shops. In the
meantime, enjoy your views & sights for me.

Keep up the good work on the newsletter!

Mil Gracias,
Nan Hutson 

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Dear Newsletter:

Thanks so much for your great newsletter. We look forward to
reading all about your wonderful town that my family loves so
much. My little grandson "Zachary" turns one year old tomorrow
and we are hoping to share the experience of Cloudcroft with him
very soon!

Thank you,
Sandra Bailey
Arlington, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

I have been receiving your newsletter for about 2 months now and
sharing them with my fiancee' and each issue makes us want to
visit Cloudcroft that much more, plus the fact that my supervisor
at work has a place there and has shown me a photo album of the
area, plus we are debating moving to Cloudcroft depending on what
we can find out about the area.

We are getting married the 21st of October and are planning on
spending our honeymoon there, partially thanks to my supervisor
and his wife, who are letting us use their house there.

Sincerely
Virgil Finney
Ft. Worth, Tx

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Dear Newsletter:

A few issues back, there was some information about a community
library being started by some individuals there in Cloudcroft.
If these person/s are taking donations of books, please pass my
e-mail address onto them. I have a large number of children's
books (my children are grown) that I would be pleased to pass on
to others.

I live in Phoenix Arizona, however I have property in Cloud
Country West. I plane on visiting sometime in October (work
permitting) and would be happy to deliver the books.

Thank you
Bill White

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CONTACT INFORMATION
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