By Mary Alice Murphy

At the monthly Silver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce luncheon two speakers talked about the organizations they represent.

The first was Karen Beckenbach of the Grant County Community Concert Association.

"We are in our 61st season," Beckenbach said. "We are an all-volunteer organization. We used to be all classical music, but now we have branched out into various types of music to appeal to a broader audience."

The organization sends a delegation to preview potential concerts and rate them. When they return to Silver City, the full board reviews and chooses the five or six concerts for the next season.

"We are trying to increase awareness of the Community Concert Association," Beckenback said. "In addition to the concerts, some of the performers also provide educational outreach concerts for school students. We also support other cultural organizations. For instance, for this year's Vocal Trash concert where the performers used recycled materials as instruments, we invited the libraries and the schools to have their students create recycled art to decorate the lobby. All our concerts take place at the Western New Mexico University Fine Arts Theatre."

This next year, "we plan to livestream the outreach concerts," she continued. "We will be able to reach Silver and Cobre schools and perhaps even as far as Animas and Reserve. We also plan to run videos of upcoming performances."

Beckenbach played a preview of each concert for the 2019-2020 season. They vary from classical to pop to country to folk music. They include Alina Kirayeva on Oct. 1, 2019, with an educational outreach earlier in the day; Burlap to Cashmere on Nov. 8, 2019; The Maxwell Quartet from Scotland on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020 and an educational outreach that morning; Dan Miller's Cowboy Music Review on Feb. 24, 2020; Sons of Serendip on March 3, 2020; and Savannah Jack on April 4. 2020.

She noted that ticket sales are part of the organization's revenue, but sponsors and ad buyers in their program books make up the rest of the budget.

At present, WNMU students may attend at no charge and children up to age 17, with their parents who have tickets, can attend at no cost, as well as residents of local nursing homes. "We also offer tickets to the senior centers to allow senior citizens to attend."

The next speaker was Ron Parra of the USSSA, United States Specialty Sports Association. "We are the largest sports organization in the world and have the largest baseball program. We've had a league in Silver City since 2003. We offer baseball, slow pitch and fast ball. Our summer league plays at Ben Altamirano Field. We also have T-ball."

"We strive to keep kids of all ages off the streets and on the ballfields," Parra said. "We provide gear to students who need it. We also have closing ceremonies each season. We don't have opening ceremonies. We just get into it. We are honored by the Arizona Diamondbacks every year. Laurinda (Wright) organizes it every year. Each year, they offer us seats behind the dugout, with tickets for $10 per kid and $56 per adult, but they always give us back $10 for each ticket. They also give us four premium tickets to raffle off to help us promote our league. Last year, we took over 150 kids to a game. The Diamondbacks offer the same thing to Phoenix, but last year, maybe 20 kids went. Four of our kids got to go down to the field during batting practice."

Wright said the program offers two phases of tournaments. "We had great tournaments in Tyrone, but they decided to turn the fields into a Senior Community. Taking away our ballfields, they took away our tournaments. We got it going again at Ben Altamirano Field. We used to have our tournaments on Memorial Day weekend, but the Mimbres Region Arts Council took it away for the Blues Festival. The city said we were earning too much money and using the field too much, so we are now at Scott Park and the city is helping us."

"We have tournaments five months out of the year," Parra said. "Colorado, Arizona and Texas, plus New Mexico bring us teams from all over. We use social media to get them here. We have senior world champs that come to Silver City. All our tournaments are called Gila Monsters, kids, adults, whatever. For winter ball, we have 10 teams of girls."

On June 29 and 30 this year, 25 girls' teams will compete at Scott Park. "We put more heads in beds than anyone else. Our average men's teams book 8 to 10 rooms each. We bring in large amounts of gross receipts tax. Our tournaments are just starting up again. We're know nationally. Youth baseball and softball are huge. The state championship will be here in May."

Scott Terry, chamber president and executive director, said there are things that hold them back from expanding their programs. "We need more hotel rooms. We need restrooms at the park."

Silver City Mayor Ken Ladner said the town has a request in to the legislature to get funding for restrooms at Scott Park. "About a year ago, then Senator Howie (Morales) came to me and asked about the scoreboards. We have the scoreboards, but we need power to them."

Parra said teams from Phoenix, Albuquerque, El Paso and Tucson come to us and say: "Why can't we have fields as good as these?"

Ladner asked what it would take to rehabilitate the Tyrone fields.

Parra said they have someone who wants to put Tyrone into the USSSA Hall of Fame. "It was the Wrigley Field of the area."

Wright said the tournament phase pulls up the summer league.

Terry said on May 2, Virgin Galactic is coming to speak to the chamber luncheon.

Ladner invited people to attend his Monday Meetings with the Mayor, which happen in different locations each month.

The next Chamber member luncheon will take place March 7 at 11:45 in the Sunset Room of the WNMU Cafeteria.