This past Saturday, we enjoyed a wonderful day at the Mimbres Valley Harvest Festival. The annual Health Fair was packed. There were lots of vendor booths and several choices of delicious food to eat. The musical entertainment was just that, very entertaining. And this seemed to be a good year for vegetables and fruit. The Granny Smith apples I purchased were excellent. We give two thumbs up to the organizers of this annual event.

On the drive back to Silver City, I decided we would swing by the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. When I moved to Silver City five years ago, the National Cemetery at Fort Bayard had to be the ugliest, worst maintained National Cemetery in America. It was literally just dirt and rocks. The trees were in terrible shape. There were areas through-out the cemetery that were washing away each time we would get a hard rain. Five years ago, this place of honor was very dishonorable. It was really, really bad.

So, now we fast forward five years. If this was a movie, we would cue rays of sunlight shining down from the heavens. We would cue white doves to fly across the screen. We would have a chorus of angels singing in harmony. Why…? Because the Ft. Bayard National Cemetery is now beautiful.

Really! If you haven’t visited the National Cemetery in a while, you should drive out there. The water irrigation system is working well and grass is coming up everywhere. All those places that were washing out and eroding every time it rained have been repaired. The cemetery maintenance crew has designed and placed barriers that minimize the erosion. The trees actually look as though they have been trimmed and they look very healthy. The Ft. Bayard National Cemetery now looks the way a National Cemetery should look… clean, refreshing, and a place that is respectful and honorable for those heroes who have made Ft. Bayard their final resting place. Ft. Bayard National Cemetery is now a place we can be proud of. Our sincerest thanks to the men and women who have worked hard to make the Ft. Bayard National Cemetery the wonderful place of honor that it is today.

Speaking of the beauty of Ft. Bayard National Cemetery, the holiday seasons are approaching fast. Locally, there is another group that works tirelessly to make the Cemetery a beautiful place during the holidays. They are already seeking donations for “Wreaths Across America”. On Saturday – December 15, 2018 (National Wreaths Across America Day), their mission to Remember, Honor and Teach is carried out by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,400 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea and abroad, including Ft. Bayard National Cemetery. Each wreath costs $15. There’s even a heck of a deal, for every two wreaths purchased, an additional third wreath will be donated to the Fort Bayard National Cemetery. It would be so nice to have a wreath posted at every marker this year. It will definitely be a time to make another visit to the National Cemetery… and it will be a time to take a camera along to preserve the beauty of this solemn facility.

By the way, if you would like to help or donate to Wreaths Across America, call 575-538-2626.

We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful area. We are fortunate to have so many neighbors who volunteer to make our communities and our region such a great place to live. If you have questions about Grant County and southwest New Mexico, give our office a call. You can reach the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce and Conference Center at (575) 538-3785.