Taos On The Cheap

Authors and artists reflect on the ’60s in two free Summer of Love August events at Taos Public Library. Lisa Law on Aug 8 is an amazing photographer with plenty of good stories to tell, and the inimitable John Nichols, author of books including The Milagro Beanfield War, is not to be missed on Aug 22. John leaves every audience spellbound, and he captures more of the Taos spirit than a Rio Grande gorge-full of margaritas.  Both free events run from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Saturday August 8: Photographer Lisa Law and Rick Klein, 1960’s Commune Owner

Saturday August 22: Author John Nichols and photographer Bill Davis.

Taos Library is at 402 Camino de la Placita, 575- 758-3063.

On Saturday August 8 the Harwood Museum hosts a free 30 minute interactive yoga session for children in the soothingly divine Agnes Martin Gallery, followed by arts activities. Starts 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m, led by Jayne Schell for Lila Yoga and Art for kids.

The Movies in the Mountains series at Taos Ski Valley is FREE for all, and there’s even free popcorn! It runs through August and September 2009, at the base of ski lift number one. (If the weather gets iffy, the movie is shown inside Tender Foot Katie’s instead.) A run-down of movies is below, so bring your chairs and blankets and head to Taos Ski Valley for these super free screenings. All movies begin at sundown / 8:00 p.m.

Friday Aug 7  – Mamma Mia
Friday Aug 14 – Ironman
Friday Aug 22 – Seabiscuit
Friday Sept 4 – Casablanca
Friday Sept 11 – Narnia Prince Caspian
Friday Sept 18 – Kung Fu Panda

Take a free hike on the evening of the full moon, Wednesday August 5, from Taos Ski Valley to lovely Williams Lake. The moderate hike is a 5 mile round trip, led by village mayor Neal King. Hikers should bring flashlights, snacks, and water, and wear suitably warm clothing and boots. Not recommended for the wee ones, it’s best if kids are aged 12 upwards. There’s a special dinner menu at TSV’s Bavarian Restaurant beforehand. Check for meeting place and timing with the Taos Ski Valley calendar.

The free Questa Vecindad Studio Tour is on the weekend of August 1 and 2, visiting the homes and studios of artists around Questa, El Rito, and San Cristobal. Meet arts and crafts people working in forms including blown glass, woodwork, furniture, pottery, photography, paintings, jewelery, textiles, and leather. Apparently there are quite a few cakes too. You can download a free studio tour map, or pick a copy up at the Questa Chamber of Commerce. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Taos is of course a literary hot-spot, so for some free summer reading, check out the Read It Forward free book deal from The Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House.  Pick one of three novels in this book giveaway:

Something Missing, by Matthew Dicks
The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha
Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

Just sign up for the free book you fancy – only one request per email address, while supplies last in July 2009.

If you don’t snag the novel of your choice, hie thee to Brodsky Bookstore or Moby Dickens in Taos to order a copy instead. Even if you do get a freebie, that leaves you more spare cash to fix your fiction cravings, and both stores stock plenty of local authors, so you can support the regional arts as well.