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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #45
February 2, 2001
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Dear Subscriber:

January is not my favorite month of the year and I have to
admit I'm not sad to see it go.

As if to accentuate my point, February dawned around here with
fresh white fluffy snow...about 20 inches...up to the "W"s on
my Wranglers. As if it were scripted, Peg and I bought a nice
4x4 Ford pickup to replace the old Ford that was sacrificed to
Highway 82 in a January 9 accident (another reason added to my
stack of reasons why I don't like Januarys). So now, after
being full-time residents of the area for over 5 years, we
are finally properly equipped for the terrain and the weather.

Snow in Cloudcroft is the mountain equivalent of rain on a
dryland farm. It's good for the local economy. People from the
flatter areas of the Southwest pay us a visit to play in the
snow. OK..., it's not just the visitors. The locals like a
nice friendly snowball fight, too. Snow ice-cream is a good
reason to bust a diet, also.

Cloudcroft, when it snows, is really a special place. Since it
is not often the destination of choice for most ski enthusiasts,
it is less crowded for those savvy enough to come here. There's
more elbow room on the ski slopes and the tubing runs than, say,
at Angel Fire or Taos or Red River. The village folks here are
down-to-earth. The gift-shop prices are fair. The restaurant
food is not always fancy (the menus are all in English), but
it's darn good. The movie stars go somewhere else to ski, which
is just fine with us. Everybody gets the down-home stroke here,
whether you have vanity tags on your car or not.

No, the Chamber of Commerce didn't ask me to write this. I just
looked out my window at the wonderland outside and thought it
would be nice to share it with some people.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE NEWS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- MOUNTAINTOP MERCHANTILE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE
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 20 inches of new snow in the past 7 days, adding to the
amount that was already on the ground.

Highs in the mid-30s. Lows often in the single digits.

While the Cloudcroft streets and highways are kept well graded,
it might be wise to equip yourself with a set of snow chains if
you're not arriving in a 4-wheel drive.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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The new First National Bank Cloudcroft Branch is almost
complete, but it may be early Spring before the new building
is occupied.

Bank officials were hoping for a January opening, but weather
and other contributing factors have changed those plans. 
They're shooting for March now.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- MOUNTAINTOP MERCHANTILE
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Under new ownership, Mountaintop Mercantile continues to offer
services available nowhere else in the village, such as fresh
baked pastries and breads every day. Video rentals and fresh
produce are also a part of their service to visitors and
locals. On Highway 82 in Cloudcroft.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE
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New Mexico's largest lake, about 100 miles from Cloudcroft.
Elephant Butte has year round activities from boating to 
fishing, with accommodations for campers and RVs. The lake is
about 40 miles long with roughly 200 miles of shore-line.
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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Why don't the ski area and the snow play area in Cloudcroft
have snow-making equipment? It seems they could make snow when
natural snow was scarce.

A - Both areas have snow making equipment but it has to be cold
enough for long enough to make snow making a viable alternative
to natural snowfall.

If the ground is too warm, the man-made snow would simply melt
off. Cloudcroft's southern location provides a mild climate.
The area doesn't have a constant frigid winter like other areas
further north.

Conditions lately have been favorable to supplement natural snow
with man-made. Every year is not a good snow year in Cloudcroft
but this year is.
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COMING EVENTS
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February 10 -- Full Moon Skating Party. Skating pond. Hwy 82

March 10 -- 2nd Annual Cloudcroft Dance Theatre Dinner & Ball.
6pm.

If you would like to report a public event scheduled for the
Cloudcroft area in the next 30 days, please contact us by email.

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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:

Thank you so much for the newsletter. I'm not very gifted on 
the computer, but do like that you include weather reports in
your newsletter. We flatlanders living in the sweltering heat 
just love to hear expository on the cool mountain breezes and 
hope for Ski Cloudcroft to keep in business.

Thanks again,
John T. Doll

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Dear Newsletter:

Just wanted to let you know I attended all the hoopla in 
Washington DC and it was the biggest thrill of my life.

I had seats for the swearing in, parade, and the Texas-Wyoming 
Ball. The weather was miserable and the protesters a pain in 
the rear.

To be part of something this historic was beyond belief and
worth every penny of it. I am still trying to get reimbursed 
from the cleaners that ruined my ball gown, but luckily there
was an identical one, and it was altered in one day to fit.

Yes, it was at times where you could hardly move, but that did
not diminish the expectations I held. 

I think what I was most inspired about was the attendance of
the youth of America. There were a number of teenagers in 
attendance and I was very impressed by their views of and on
politics. To see teens today in formal attire and impeccable 
manners is heart-warming. All I can say is I did not regret 
one minute of it, and was there for a week.

About racing. We are professional drag racers. If you have 
never attended a National Hot Rod Association National Event, 
you don't know what you have missed. At these events, you are
in the actual pits watching the crews do their magic. The 
drivers, owners, sponsors, are usually pretty accessible. We 
run 2 nitro-burning cars and you will walk away with the 
happiest tears you have ever had when one of these fire up.

We are an independent team with no sponsors, but we run with
the best of them. So if you get to an event where we are, come
by and have a sit in one of our Hot Rods. You will never forget
it.

Lana J. Sosenka
Mrs. Magoo Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel Dragster

www.mrmagooracing.com

I am redoing the website so it will be a few weeks before all
the new pictures are in place. The dragster is not on there 
yet, but it will be soon.

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Dear Newsletter:

I went to Cloudcroft this summer with the family. My wife has
family in Cloudcroft.

It was my first time there in many years. This time I loved it
so much, I bought a log home in Cloud Country West.

We are from California, (know we won't try to change the small
town to big town) and love it up there in God's country. Some 
day we might just pack up and move there. Meanwhile, keep me
informed on the monthly doings.

Thank you and keep up the good work.
Larry and Aletha Leon

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