+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #7
May 11, 2000
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FIRE ALERT -- CLOUDCROFT.COM SPECIAL REPORT
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After this newsletter was written, a fire began in our area.
We are posting information on this fire on Cloudcroft.Com as it
becomes available to us. Here's what we have posted so far:

May 11, 2000 -- Cloudcroft.Com Special Report

6:30 pm MDT -- Fire reported between Weed and Cloudcroft. Forest 
service describes it as "a serious start up". Last word is the 
fire is moving away from Cloudcroft. We will keep you posted on 
Cloudcroft.com.

8:20 pm MDT -- Fire has burned 2500 acres. Chippaway and Weed 
communities have been evacuated.

9:00 pm MDT -- The forest service is evacuating Perk Canyon. 
The danger to Cloudcroft is still minimal at this time.

9:20 pm MDT -- Fire moving East, away from Cloudcroft. 4000 
acres consumed so far. No structural damage. No injuries.

9:45 pm MDT -- Evacuees from Weed area are being housed at 
Cloudcroft Middle School. Fire direction NE. No injuries. 
No structural damage reported. Number of firefighters involved 
unknown at this time. Forest Service advises civilian help 
should stand by, but no help is needed at this time. Heavy 
equipment owners should stand by. Stay away from fire zone 
unless otherwise advised.

10:20 pm MDT -- No changes in direction of the fire. No 
reports of injuries or structural damage. Winds in Cloudcroft 
area are subsiding. Fire still out of control.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Subscriber!

I hate to write corrections. It means somewhere along the line
I screwed up. Here's a correction. The High Altitude Classic
Mountain Bike Race is NOT on the 20 and 21st of May. It is
actually scheduled for May 13th and 14th. Hope it hasn't caused
too much confusion. I can blame the source of my information for
the mistake, but ultimately it is my fault.

Our fears have been realized. Two major fires are burning in
New Mexico right now. One near Ruidoso which is predicted to be
brought under control by the 17th or 18th. Our latest info is
the fire has moved away from populated areas but wind conditions
can change that in a hurry. Let's hope not. The fire near Los
Alamos is much more threatening at this time and there's no
indication of when that one may be brought under control. The
atomic lab at Los Alamos is said to have been "fire proofed"
and officials are saying there is no concern of damage to the
atomic materials there.

Are we concerned in Cloudcroft? Certainly. We have the same
weather and forest conditions (dry and windy) here that
contributed to the two fires burning in the state now. It is
up to each of us to be extra careful. There is nothing we can
do about naturally ignited fires (lightning, etc) but we can all
work to prevent human-caused blazes (the latest information is
that both the Los Alamos and the Ruidoso fires were started by
people).

The forest service has set the fire danger at "very extreme"
and have extended the restrictions on campfires to include the
forest service campgrounds. Campers can still use coleman-
style stoves for cooking. Forest service restrictions are
subject to change at any time.

Let's be careful out there!

Don Vanlandingham
-----------------------------------------------------------------
IN THIS ISSUE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE POLITICS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- HIGH ALTITUDE
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- OTERO COUNTY ELECTRIC CO-OP
5. A CLOUDCROFT PIONEER FAMILY -- (PART IV -- A NEW GENERATION)
6. COMING EVENTS
7. CONTACT INFORMATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
-----------------------------------------------------------------
We are still weeks away from our usual rainy season and as we
mentioned earlier our conditions remain extremely dry. It has
been unseasonably warm in Cloudcroft the past week, which is to
say it has gotten up to 80 degrees a couple of days. Still very
cool by flat-land standards. It has been pretty windy this week
but the winds should subside as springtime turns to summer. We
have had calls from people planning visits to Cloudcroft asking
where they can stay that has air conditioning. As hard as it 
may be to believe, there is still no need for air conditioning 
here on the mountain. At the warmest of times, a fan is all
you need. We still suggest packing a light jacket for the cool 
nights.
----------------------------------------------------------------
VILLAGE POLITICS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Six future leaders from Cloudcroft will attend Boys' and Girls'
State June 4th. High school juniors Cody Adams, Joseph
Renteria, Bjorn Brastad, Aaron Lopez, Julia Saulietis and Molly
Hunter will study politics and civic affairs during that week.
The young men will go to Eastern New Mexico University in
Portales and the young ladies will go to New Mexico Tech in
Socorro. These half dozen Cloudcroft High School students were
selected by their teachers based on their scholastic and
leadership qualities.
----------------------------------------------------------------
INSIDE THE SHOP -- HIGH ALTITUDE OUTFITTERS
----------------------------------------------------------------
Not just any bicycle is a good mountain bike. Mountain bikes
are built especially for the grades and terrain of the
mountains. Mountain bikes are available for rent and sale at
High Altitude Outfitters on the Burro Avenue boardwalk. High
Altitude also carries a line of casual wear for him and her.

This weekend High Altitude will host the annual High Altitude
Classic Mountain Bike Race. The Saturday race is on a 9 mile
course through the surrounding forest. The Sunday race is a
daring down-hill race on the ski slope at Ski Cloudcroft.

Live music and activities on Burro Avenue will be held Saturday
after the day's racing events. See more about High Altitude
Outfitters on Cloudcroft.com. or email them at

highaltitude@hauns.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------
CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- OTERO COUNTY ELECTRIC CO-OP
---------------------------------------------------------------
Cloudcroft and the area gets its electric power through the
Otero County Electric Co-operative.

A co-op is theoretically owned by the people that use the
electricity. To keep things running smoothly they elect a
board of directors that, in turn, hires the administrators and
managers of the co-op.

The co-op doesn't actually generate electricity. It buys power
from companies that do generate it. Power from a non-profit
organization like a co-op should be cheaper than from a for-
profit supplier, right? Not always. In the Sacramento
Mountains, for instance, it takes more poles and wire to hook
up remote locations, adding to the cost of operation. In
theory, the more people serviced per mile of poles and wire,
the cheaper the power. The fewer the customers per mile of
service, the more cost per customer.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A CLOUDCROFT PIONEER FAMILY -- PART IV -- A NEW GENERATION
---------------------------------------------------------------
(Note: For the past three weeks we have documented the life
and times of Thomas and Winnie Pittman, two of Cloudcroft's
pioneers and community leaders. Their son, Hugh, also left his
mark on the village.)

Hugh Pittman spent most of his life in Cloudcroft. The son of
Cloudcroft pioneers Thomas and Winnie Pittman, he started
school in Cloudcroft in 1917. He helped his parents run the
bowling alley in Cloudcroft. He met his wife Irene in
Hagerman where his dad was running the movie theater.

Hugh, Irene and their daughter Janice moved to California for
a time where Hugh worked in an aircraft plant. They returned
to Cloudcroft to run the family businesses in 1960 when
Thomas Pittman became ill. Hugh was the original vice
president of the Cloudcroft Chamber of Commerce, president of
the Lion's Club and a member of the Planning Commission. The
fire hose cart on display at the Cloudcroft Museum was donated
by the Pittmans. They sold the Keystone Cabins and bowling
alley in the late 1970s. The bowling alley was closed soon
after. Hugh Pittman died in 1981. Irene remarried and still
lives in Alamogordo. Her second husband, Jack Frilick, also a
long time Cloudcroft resident, died in 1997.
--------------------------------------------------------------
COMING EVENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------
May 13-14, High Altitude Classic Mountain Bike Race

Memorial Day Weekend
May 26-28, Rodeo at the G. Gordon Wimsatt Arena
May 27-28, Arts and Crafts Show in Zenith Park
May 28, 8:30pm - Mayfair Street Dance - Burro Avenue

June 3, National Trails Day - 10K walk
June 3, Cloudcroft Concert - Alamogordo Community Concert Band
June 9-11, Western Roundup Weekend
June 14, Flag Day Parade (5pm Burro Avenue)
June 23-25, Bluegrass Festival
================================================================
CONTACT INFORMATION
================================================================
To UNSUBSCRIBE
----------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, email: unsubscribe@cloudcroft.com
SUGGESTIONS
----------------------------------------------------------------
If you have comments or suggestions for this newsletter, please 
direct them to: newsletter@cloudcroft.com
================================================================
Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to your friends.
However, we ask that you keep it intact and forward it in
its entirety.