Clovis Train Station to Become Restaurant

(Eastern New Mexico News) What's now enveloped in dust and times past may soon be a local staple where eastern New Mexico residents will be immersed in New Mexico history while getting a taste of local culture - literally. 

Brothers Jordan and Tate Nichols of Farwell said they wanted to bring something unique to Clovis. And unique it would be, with residents enjoying fine dining from local farmers and ranchers as they watch trains go by.  

The brothers, who bought Clovis' historic train depot on U.S. 60/84 in 2016, began construction in March to turn the historic treasure into a restaurant. Continued

The Library is Open

The good folks at the Clovis Carver Public Library would like me to remind you that the library is open. All the usual items and services are available and the hours are the same: Mon - Thurs 9:00 to 8:00 and Fri - Sat 9:00 to 5:00. Anyone living within a hundred mile radius of the library can get a free library card, and just like anywhere else these days, you gotta wear a mask.

Bullet Bob Has It

Clovis, New Mexico

The show must go on: Three historic theaters being restored in Clovis

(Santa Fe New Mexican) … Clovis has the Lyceum, built in 1919; the Mesa from 1925 and the State from 1940, all minimally used or standing unused for decades. All are undergoing restorations with the potential of reopening as soon as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham gives the green light for some sort of mass gatherings. Clovis stands out with three historic theaters avoiding the wrecking ball — and on the verge of reopening. Continued

Singer Trini Lopez, 83, dies of COVID-19 complications

(Chicago Sun Times) RIO RANCHO, N.M. — Trini Lopez, a singer and guitarist who gained fame for his versions of “Lemon Tree” and “If I Had a Hammer” in the 1960s and took his talents to Hollywood, died Tuesday. He was 83.
 ... Buddy Holly saw Lopez at a small nightclub in Wichita Falls, Texas, and introduced him to Norman Petty, his record producer in Clovis, New Mexico. Holly died in a plane crash six months later, and Lopez briefly replaced him as lead singer of The Crickets. Continued

Clovis train enthusiasts break out models at mall

 

(ENMNews) Whirring across a miniature track through molded terrain and plastic towns, model train displays are a holiday tradition. They also give hobbyists a chance to show off their collections.
For the past 24 years, members of the Clovis Area Train Society have been sharing their passion for pint-sized locomotives. Continued

Golden West Flour Mill in Clovis Burns Down

It's gone

Remembering the plane-train days

(Eastern New Mexico News) You could fly from Clovis to Kansas City for $47 in those days.
If you were brave enough.
Newspaper Editor Mack Stanton and Santa Fe railroader Charles Reichart were overheard discussing safety and health factors related to air travel.
They made “a solemn agreement that each would hold the other’s head in the event air sickness overtook them.” Continued

Norman Petty

(Wikipedia) Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician and record producer who is best known for his association with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, who recorded in his studio.
Petty was born in the small town of Clovis, New Mexico, near the Texas border. He began playing piano at an early young age. While in high school, he regularly performed on a fifteen-minute show on a local radio station. Continued

Transcontinental Air Transport

 

(Wikipedia) Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) was an airline founded in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys that merged in 1930 with Western Air Express to form what became TWA. Keys enlisted the help of Charles Lindbergh to design a transcontinental network to get government airmail contracts.
… It initially offered a 48-hour coast to coast trip (trains by night, and planes by day in nine flights), with the first leg on the Pennsylvania Railroad overnight from New York City to Columbus, Ohio. There, passengers boarded a Ford Trimotor aircraft at Port Columbus International Airport that flew to Waynoka, Oklahoma. Then, passengers caught the Santa Fe Railway for an overnight trip to Clovis, New Mexico, where they would take a second Ford Trimotor flight to Los Angeles. Continued

Thomas Mabry

 

(Wikipedia) Thomas Jewett Mabry (October 17, 1884, Carlisle County, Kentucky – December 23, 1962, Albuquerque, New Mexico) was a New Mexico politician and judge, who was Chief Justice of the New Mexico Supreme Court (1939–46) and the 14th Governor of New Mexico (1947–51).
Mabry attended the University of Oklahoma and the University of New Mexico School of Law.
He settled in Clovis, New Mexico, where he practiced law and published the local newspaper. He was a member of the New Mexico Constitutional Convention in 1910. Continued

Buddy Holly

(Wikipedia) Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll.
Holly was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression; he learned to play guitar and to sing alongside his siblings.
... Unhappy with Bradley's control in the studio and with the sound he achieved there, Holly went to producer Norman Petty in Clovis, New Mexico, and recorded a demo of "That'll Be the Day", among other songs. Continued

Jerry Allison

Buddy Holly and
the Crickets in 1958
 (top to bottom: Allison,
 Holly and Mauldin)

(Wikipedia) Jerry Ivan Allison (born August 31, 1939) is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for the Crickets and co-writer of their Buddy Holly hits "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue."
Allison's first professional recording can be heard on a 45-rpm disc of a local group, Hal Goodson and the Raiders. This very rare recording was named "Who's Gonna Be the Next One Honey." It was also performed at the Norman Petty studio in Clovis, New Mexico, about six months before "Peggy Sue" was recorded.
In their early days at the Lubbock Youth Center, Buddy Holly's vocals and guitar were backed only by Allison's drumming, allowing for some of Holly's best guitar work. Continued

Joe Mauldin

(Wikipedia) Joseph Benson Mauldin, Jr. (July 8, 1940 – February 7, 2015) was an American double-bassist, songwriter and audio engineer, best known as the double-bassist and an original member of rock and roll group The Crickets.
... Born in Lubbock, Texas, Mauldin became the bassist in the group The Crickets, which included Buddy Holly and drummer Jerry Allison and guitarist Niki Sullivan. The first rock band he played in was The Four Teens of Lubbock in 1955.
He appears to have recorded with this group (that included the recording artist Terry Noland) in Dallas, prior to his recording with Buddy Holly in Clovis, NM. Continued

Where to put the Racino?

 

(A guest editorial by Tom Ketchum) Though I lived in Clovis four times longer than I did in Tucumcari, I never met a tourist in Clovis. I met a lot of them in Tucumcari. People, mostly Route 66 fans, come from all over the world to see Tucumcari’s old motels, gas stations, and tourist traps. This has been going on for a long time and doesn’t look to stop anytime soon, considering a whole new generation thinks of it as Radiator Springs.
I don’t have anything against Clovis, it’s just not the best choice for a racino. Clovis is a great family town, Tucumcari is a great tourist town. Here’s 10 more reasons to put the Racino in Tucumcari: 

1. Tucumcari, believe it or not, has three museums to Clovis’ one.
2. Tucumcari is on a major interstate.
3. Tucumcari has a lot more public art than Clovis.
4. Clovis already has gambling at the Red Arrow which features bingo and pull tab machines.
5. Tucumcari has some very nice vintage motels in operation, such as the Blue Swallow and The Historic Route 66 Motel.
6. Tucumcari is central to other tourist stops like Glenrio, Cuervo, and Santa Rosa.
7. Tucumcari is close to Conchas Dam and Ute Lake.
8. Tucumcari is midway between Amarillo and Albuquerque. Clovis is midway between Muleshoe and Taiban.
9. The people of Tucumcari have been accommodating visitors for generations.
10. Though much smaller than Clovis, Tucumcari has greater name recognition.

Norman Petty

(Wikipedia) Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician and record producer who is best known for his association with Buddy Holly and the Crickets, who recorded in his studio.
Petty was born in the small town of Clovis, New Mexico, near the Texas border. He began playing piano at an early young age. While in high school, he regularly performed on a fifteen-minute show on a local radio station. Continued

Hermes

Main Street Clovis, New Mexico

(GG&G) Hermes was one of the 12 Olympian Gods and was god of trade, thieves, travelers, sports, athletes, and border crossings, guide to the Underworld.

He was the second youngest Olympian god and was the son of Zeus and Maia, one of the seven Pleiades and daughter of the Titan Atlas. Continued

Country Churches: The Potter's House, Clovis, New Mexico

Continuing  a long, colorful tradition of storefront churches

Main Street Clovis, New Mexico (South End)

Strickland's Floral and Gifts: Clovis, New Mexico

This is one of the stranger facades I've ever seen on a building,
but I have to admit, I look at it every time I pass by.