Downtown Gallup ready
for Mother’s Day

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff writer

GALLUP — Sunday is Mother’s Day, but Saturday in downtown Gallup offers three unique ways to buy mom a one-of-a-kind gift while helping a nonprofit group at the same time.

Students from the Church Rock Academy Steel Band, local members of Special Olympics Gallup, and the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life will all be sponsoring fun, fund-raising events downtown on Saturday featuring the sale of fine art pieces and handcrafted gift items.

World Beat Band

The Church Rock Academy Steel Band’s family fund-raiser will run from noon to 5 p.m. at Sammy C’s Restaurant, 107 W. Coal Ave. The students are raising the last of the money needed to send them to Washington, D.C., where they are scheduled to perform in June at the Smithsonian. The student musicians will give a free concert performance on Saturday at Sammy C’s. In addition, their event will feature a cake walk, bike raffle, limbo contest, and silent art auction with art donated by area artists. Information: Randy Markham at (505) 863-3409.

Art Show & Auction

The athletes of Special Olympics Gallup are sponsoring their Third Annual Art Show and Silent Art Auction from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday at Yazzie’s Indian Art, 235 W. Coal Ave. Some of the Special Olympics athletes who create handcrafted items and artwork will sell their work directly, with the proceeds going to the athlete-artist. In addition, area crafts people and artists have donated artwork — jewelry, paintings, leather work, dolls, photographs, and more — to the event’s silent auction to help send local Special Olympians to the state summer games in Albuquerque, May 30 to June 1. Donated artwork is still being accepted for the fund-raiser. Information: Chris Livingston at (505) 879-0193 or Janie Lee Hall at 870-8707.

Bird House Auction

More than 80 area residents — from young children to professional artists — have donated their time and talent to create one-of-a-kind bird houses to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life organization in Gallup. The bird houses will be auctioned off at 8 p.m. on Saturday at Sammy C’s Restaurant, and all the proceeds will go to help fund the programs of the American Cancer Society. All 80 bird houses can be viewed prior to the auction by visiting www.gallupbirdhouses.com. Information: Linda Shelton at (505) 722-2175.

In addition, these three fund-raisers are being held in conjunction with Gallup’s monthly Arts Crawl. A number of downtown galleries and businesses on Coal Avenue will be hosting Saturday evening art show receptions.