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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #38
December 15, 2000
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Dear Subscriber:

It is a good day today. I'm writing this on Wednesday (12-13)
and last night a welcomed fresh blanket of snow fell. While the
snow was coming down outside, the pieces were coming together
for the ultimate conclusion of the presidential election on our
TV screen.

It was almost as if after weeks of "wait" (both with regard to
the weather and the presidency), fate picked Wednesday to break
the stalemate. I was reminded our last significant snowfall was
on election day November 7. I spent 2 hours in the cold and wet
putting snow chains on the pickup that day so Peg and I could
make the trip to town and vote. That was over a month ago and
the election is only just now over.

It is only coincidental that our weather and political cycles
seem to mirror of late.

Now we can turn our attentions to the holidays. The distractions
of the past month have put Christmas on the back burner for many.
Peggy asked me last night what I would like as a Christmas gift
and all I could think of were the the things I definitely DID
NOT want. Here is my Christmas no-wish list.

1. An in-line roller-blade exerciser (or any other exerciser,
 for that matter).
2. A set of dangling chad jewelry.
3. A tube of Al Gore hair goo.
4. A Lionel Choo Choo alarm clock.
5. An all-expenses-paid trip to Tallahassee.
6. Anything in a box marked "some assembly required".
7. A portrait of the US Supreme Court Justices.
8. A bathroom plumbing repair manual.
9. A copy of the "Rosie O'Donnell Poolside" poster.
10. The home version of "Who Want's to be a Millionaire?".

I wish you could see what I'm seeing right now. My dogs are
playing outside my office window in the snow. What is it about
snow that generates a mindless delirium that makes dogs and
children run in silly circles?

I can only imagine the mosaic that will be left on the living
room rug when they finally come in. That's why we have that
John Deere diesel super-heavy-duty 4 wheel drive wet/dry
vacuum cleaner.

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 -- CLOUDCROFT.COM
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SPENCER THEATER
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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About three inches of new snow fell last night (Wed), met by
bright sunshine this morning, but the temperatures stayed low
today and there was little melting. It may be enough snow to
make Christmas a little more exciting for the mountain's
visitors.

It should be enough to provide a viable base for machine made
snow at both the ski area and snow play area, sans any more of
the natural stuff.
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VILLAGE POLITICS
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Third time turned out to be the charm for the Cloudcroft school
bond election, with the vote Tuesday ending up 674 for and 556
against. At issue was a bond amounting to 6 million dollars in
proposed improvements and new construction. Here is how the
boxes broke down:

Cloudcroft: 469 for and 268 against. Mayhill: 53 for and 57
against. Timberon: 45 for and 74 against. Weed: 16 for and 75
against. Pinion: 8 for and 33 against. Absentee ballots: 83 for
and 49 against.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- CLOUDCROFT.COM
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Cloudcroft.com went online over two years ago as a service to
businesses in the Cloudcroft area. Besides being an information
service for those persons world-wide interested specifically in
Cloudcroft, Cloudcroft.com provides space for businesses and
their websites to be seen.

The website has grown along with the internet itself and gained
in credibility as a service to the community in May of 2000
during the Scott Able Fire. Cloudcroft Online provided hourly
updates on the fire situation beginning with its outbreak and
ending after mop-up operations about a week later.

Cloudcroft.com is the parent operation of the Cloudcroft Online
Newsletter.

Cloudcroft.com is easy to find on the Internet, which contributes
to the fact that it is the most widely viewed Cloudcroft-
oriented site on the web. Simply type in "Cloudcroft" on the
address line of your server or go to any of the main search
engines on the Internet and type in "Cloudcroft".
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- SPENCER THEATER
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The Spencer Theater of Performing Arts was opened in Alto, New
Mexico (near Ruidoso) in October of 1999. The Theater is a not-
for-profit organization funded by the late Dr. A. N. Spencer of
Alto.

The structure is actually two buildings separated by a 6 inch
air buffer to prevent mechanical noises from interfering with
the acoustics of the theater.
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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Does Cloudcroft have a radio station?

A - No. A license listing Cloudcroft as the host location for
a radio station has been obtained from the Federal Communications
Commission but no construction has begun in the over two years
since the issuance of the license.

A low-power station offering visitor information went on the air
in Cloudcroft in March of 1997, but was forced off the air by
the FCC in January of 1998 due to broadcast power restrictions.
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COMING EVENTS
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December 16th -- Santa Town -- Zenith Park

December 16th -- Pet Parade -- Burro Street

December 22nd -- "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" Cloudcroft
Dance Theater performance. Lodge Pavilion. 7pm.

December 23rd -- Caroling in the Clouds. Lantern-lit caroling
from Burro Avenue to the museum beginning at 4pm.

December 31st -- Torch Light Parade. Ski Cloudcroft (if
conditions permit).

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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:

First of all, I'd like to thank you for all this information
that you send to me, even though sometimes I don't get to read
it all 'cause my phone rings constantly as I'm in the Purchasing
Dept for IBM. I just want to let you know that I thank you very
much for all of your updates.

My family and I plan on visiting and spending Christmas there
on Dec. 22 thru 27 with a friend who lives in Cloudcroft and,
hopefully, with God's willing, everything will work well as
planned.

Hope to see Cloudcroft again.
Again, thank you for the info.

James "Chico" Mojica

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Dear Newsletter:

I just had to laugh when I read the letter asking if there
were snow mobiles for rent in Cloudcroft. I remember 15 years
ago, when the children were teenagers, and we decided to snow
mobile over the Christmas Holidays. I had never been, and was
really skeptical, but the people in Cloudcroft assured me they
were safe and could not be turned over.

Well, they lied. The first big turn, over the snow mobile went,
landing on top of me. I was laughing so hard I couldn't get up
and the kids had to come back to rescue "ole Mom." We had a
great time and I miss those days. I only get up to our cabin
in the summer now, and long for the cool crisp days and a few
snow flakes as our 80 degree temp soars in Southern Calif.
Keep up the good work with the newsletters, makes me feel
closer to home each time I read it.

Happy Holidays to all our Cloudcroft & Mayhill neighbors.

Jan Bradley & Allene Fawcett
San Bernardino, Calif. 

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Dear Newsletter:

Just a "thank you" to Pete Newman in Sunspot referring to my
letter about oil prices. He made my point exactly and I
appreciate it. OPEC and others DON'T have to sell to us. That
is why we need to become less dependent on them. Maybe my
wording didn't make my point as I had wished.

Thanks, Pete, and we enjoy visiting Sunspot each time we come
to Cloudcroft.

Sincerely,
Bud Sparks

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Dear Newsletter:

Back in town for a short break and would just like to add to
all the other comments and praises of this wonderful area.

My wife and I are on a world tour which is into its third year
of a planned 5, I/we both still agree that we have yet to find
a nicer all around place to call home.

To all our friends we wish a Merry "white" Christmas and a
Happy New Year.

T and I Foster
Auckland, New Zealand

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Dear Newsletter:

Your weekly letters about Cloudcroft are so interesting to me.
My grandparents, Rice and Ida Tipton, and Ida's brother and his
wife, Bill and Mary Sellars Turner, owned pieces of land east
of Cloudcroft in the early 1900s. A few years ago, a friend
told me that this property later became the Chalet Camper
Village. My grandfather served as Superintendent of Schools
for Otero County.

After World War I, my father, Everett H. Tipton, was the editor
of the Cloudcroft newspaper. He left there in 1920 to work for
the Associated Press in El Paso, Texas. I was born later in
Santa Fe when my dad was with the AP there.

Last month I sent this information to the Mountain Monthly,
along with a picture (ca. 1908) of my father, his brother, and
his uncle branding cattle on the old place. Also attached was
a copy of the letterhead of the Weekly Cloudcrofter which
showed my father's name. So far I haven't heard whether they
would use anything like this in the monthly. I just wanted to
let you know why I have an interest in Cloudcroft.

My great-grandmother is buried in a little cemetery beside
the highway in James Canyon, east of town. I went through
Cloudcroft in 1977, but didn't know where everything was at
the time. I hope to return again someday to visit these places.

Thank you for including me on your list of recipients. I feel
a considerable affinity for the area.

I hope you get the snow you are all wishing for!

Sincerely,
Helen Sills
Eugene, Oregon

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Dear Newsletter:

The 647 yeas and 556 nays have spoken. Long live the majority,
but let's hope Hiway 82 will have a bright and shiny House of
Learning.

Dayton

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