Photo Credit Janice Watkins
Monte Vista’s Faith Hinkley Veterans
Memorial Park gets signage
COOL scene Tuesday in Monte Vista when city workers were busy installing the digital sign at the new Faith Hinkley Veterans Memorial Park. Makes you want to pull off the side of the road and learn more about the park and Sgt. Faith Renee Hinkley.
As you walk into the park you learn of Hinkley and Sgt. Glen Edward Martinez, both Monte Vista natives killed in war. Hinkley, 23, died on Aug. 7, 2010, of wounds suffered during an insurgents attack on her unit in Baghdad. Martinez, 31, was one of five Marines killed on May 2, 2008, when their Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Fallujah, Iraq.
City workers were adding new signage facing Highway 160/285 through Monte Vista. A digital billboard sits under the name and will help the community with public messaging.
The park itself has benches from sponsors like RG Bank, Monte Vista Rotary Club, and others to spiritually honor and remember veterans like Hinkley and Martinez.
The Friends of the San Luis Valley
National Wildlife Refuges awarded tourism grant
MONTE VISTA, CO — The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges was awarded a $28,000 marketing matching grant from the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) to fund an enhanced marketing program for the Monte Vista Crane Festival, the organization announced Tuesday. The goal of the campaign, it says, will be to increase visitor stays and spending during and around the annual series of events each spring.
“With this grant, The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Wildlife Refuges, Monte Vista Crane Festival Committee, strive to encourage diverse tourists of all ages to come experience and learn about Sandhill Cranes and their link to wetlands and agriculture,” said Deb Callahan, president of the Friends of the SLV National Wildlife Refuges and co-chair of the Monte Vista Crane Festival Committee. “We hope once tourists experience the festival they will extend their stay beyond the three-day Monte Vista Crane Festival to take advantage of all the unique experiences available in the San Luis Valley.”
With the funds from this grant, The Friends of the San Luis Valley National Refuges organization says it will launch a variety of efforts to enrich the Monte Vista Crane Festival, including promoting other unique experiences in the San Luis Valley during February, March and April. It also plans to help educate the public on why cranes depend on the San Luis Valley for successful migration between wintering grounds and breeding grounds.
Priscila Zapata-Chavez crowned
75th Spud Bowl Queen
PRISCILA Zapata-Chavez, a senior at Center High School, was crowned the 75th Spud Bowl Queen during halftime of the Adams State University vs. Fort Lewis College football game on November 6, 2021. Autumn Yocom, a 2020 Sargent High School graduate and current Adams State student, also received recognition at halftime. Due to 2020 COVID restrictions Yocum’s crowning was not public.
The Spud Bowl tradition began in 1946, when the potato farmers in the Valley were asked to contribute sacks of spuds to the University, which, in turn, were converted into cash to supplement the athletic program. The tradition and spirit have continued, and Spud Bowl remains a highlight of each football season. Each year, San Luis Valley high schools are asked to nominate a senior candidate for Spud Bowl. The candidates are interviewed by a panel of judges, and the winner is selected and announced at halftime of the football game. The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee and Adams State University Foundation award scholarships of $1,000 to each contestant to attend Adams State and $2,000 to the Spud Bowl Queen.
The 2021 candidates were: Aracely Pedro-Pablo, Alamosa High School; Marissa Chacon, Antonito High School; Jessa Christensen, Centauri High School; JaeLea Maestas, Centennial High School; Priscila Zapata-Chavez, Center High School; Hannah Trujillo, Del Norte High School; Camille Rawinski, Monte Vista High School; Yessenia Vera, Mountain Valley High School; Dailin Estrada, Sanford High School; Kamryn Rogers, Sangre de Cristo High School; Kyla Davis, Sargent High School; and Sofia Minchaca, Sierra Grande High School.
Judges for this year’s contest were Roger Mix and Matt Seger, Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, and Maria Valdez, Adams State accounting technician II.
