Archeology Fair brings history alive

Murray Nelson, 9, flings an Atlatl or spear-thrower into a target at the New Mexico Archeology Fair in Grants on Friday afternoon. The Atlatl was developed more than 30,000 years ago and is considered one of the very first hunting and fighting weapons used by man. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

Denise Koerber, 7, of Roswell, works on making a clay pot in the Kids Corner at the New Mexico Archeology Fair in Grants on Friday afternoon. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

GRANTS — The 14th Annual Archeology Fair made its first appearance in Grants over the weekend, and according to attendance figures, it scored a direct hit.

City Hall Park took on a new “old” look Friday afternoon as the modern world gave way to teepees, mountain men and the practice of the ancient art of atlatl throwing by young and old alike.

The fair officially opened at noon on Friday as an army of school buses arrived discharging its cargo. Pupils rushed to the area to partake in hands-on demonstrations and learning about the history of the area and its people in a manner that event organizers say is history disguised as fun. It worked.
Gary Wolff, director of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance was happy with the turnout.

“This is great. The kids usually come early and then bring their parents back the next day, but this turnout is wonderful,” Wolff said.

Glenna Dean, state archeologist, echoed the sentiment. “Everyone is very enthusiastic. The atlatl tossing is always a big draw for the kids as you can see from the line of them waiting their turn. We already had about 100 people here as we got under way,” Dean said.

The main purpose of the fair is to reach out to the younger generation, and they were there in force.

Tracy Camplain, who teaches fifth- and sixth-graders at from Mesa View Elementary, was as excited as the kids. “These kids are loving it, they’re all over the place learning and having fun at the same time,” she said.

The pupils couldn’t agree more. “This is so cool and a lot of fun. I really enjoy building stuff and getting the sap out of that tree over there,” Chris Guthrie, 12, said.

Curtis Salazer, 11, backed him up on his assessment of the fair. “This is pretty fun. I really enjoy drilling in the trees and learning things.”

Andrew Patterson, 11, said “I like building the little houses out of the sticks. And drilling that hole in the tree.”

City Manager Bob Horacek was on hand enjoying himself and the fair. “This is good for Grants to have this type of educational, yet fun event take place. It’s great to see everybody in the park enjoying themselves,” he said.

The economic upside of the fair is that there were 50 exhibitors on hand with family, so the numbers of people from out of town was around 75 according to Dean. These 75 people stayed in motel rooms, ate at restaurants and purchased from local retailers so the event was not only fun and educational, but a new weapon for tourism in Cibola County.

When asked if she would come back to Grants for the fair, Dean said, “ In a minute. This is our 14th fair and the first time we’ve been here but I can honestly say this is the biggest turnout we’ve ever had. You bet I’d come back here. This community should be proud of the community spirit we’ve seen here today.”