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About the Event

Tired of the crowds, the search for parking, and high concession prices? Wouldn’t you like to listen and dance to New Mexico’s favorite music – for free?

Here’s a sizzling tip: Ditch the Big City for the small town of Socorro and enjoy Independence Day as it was meant to be celebrated – with music, entertainment, food, fun, and fireworks in a friendly community setting. Returning from last year's hiatus is a parade to open the day, starting at 10 a.m. at the Historic Plaza, going north on California, up Bullock, and ending at the music venue, Macey Center.

New Mexico Tech and City of Socorro have just the ticket: a 26th annual Fourth of July celebration on the grassy grounds of the campus north of Macey Center that’s free to all – and so is parking.

PERFORMERS

TOBIAS RENE    7:45pm
A native of New Mexico, Tobias Rene has had a successful career in the Southwest since 1999 as a singer of traditional Spanish music. His first album, Por Primera Vez, was issued in 1999 and went on to win an astounding 12 Hispano Music Awards. The follow-up, Con Ganas, was released in 2001. In 2005 Rene switched gears a bit and moved in a more traditional country music direction for his debut English-language recording, Living Dreams, released by V-Tone Records.

SUAVECITO       5:30pm
Suavecito is a variety six piece band from Socorro, New Mexico, performing New Mexico Spanish, country, oldies, funk, R & B, Top 40 and rock.  They perform for Socorro’s annual Fourth of July Celebration along with well-known performers such as Darren Cordova, Al Hurricane & Al Hurricane Jr., and El Gringo, and tour throughout New Mexico.  Suavecito performs for weddings, retirement parties, Christmas parties, graduations, church fiestas, local events for the City of Albuquerque, and Matanzas. Suavecito performs at the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque and the Sky City Casino in Acoma. One of their highest honors was playing for the Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan at the re-dedication of the Catholic Church in Isleta, New Mexico.  The six piece band consists of two guitar players, bass, keys, and drums. Members of the band include two former members of La Raza Unida, which their songs still air on 89.1 KANW radio station in Albuquerque. Together they possess over a hundred years of musical talent that keeps the dance floors packed.  Suavecito has a CD titled “Que Padre” and are working on another recording. They have sold over a thousand copies and have had great feedback.

ERNESTINE ROMERO    3:30pm
Recording artist and song writer from Santa Fe, NM, Ernestine has released numerous albums in her youthful career. She has received awards for her CDs which include her latest “Gracias Senor,” named after the duet song she did with 2-time Grammy Award winner and Tejano legend Ruben Ramos (El Gato Negro). Ernestine displayed her passion for music at the age of three and began her professional career at the age of eight. She released her first CD at the age of 11 and always looked to her father as a mentor. Ernestine’s career began when she was a child watching her father's band perform, and she was determined to get on the stage to perform as well.  Though heavily influenced by her father, she also loved Selena, and knew that like Selena, the stage is where she belonged. She says her career was inevitable.  Her instinctive understanding of rhythm, passion for performing and her willingness to take creative risks is what has led her down a musical path of artistry. Knowing that music has no boundaries has fed her artistic growth and inspired her voice to become a vehicle of diverse expression. Possessing an ability to completely captivate audiences with her stage presence has made her a unique female performer.  Ernestine Romero continues to expand and diversify her music and style, while staying true to her NM roots. She continues to show how her evolution can be a great commodity when it comes to creating new ways to reach people and is a sign of more to come.

THE COWBOY WAY    2:00pm
The Cowboy Way is a New Mexico-based Western music trio combining the talents of Jim Jones, Doug Figgs, and Mariam Funke. Both Jim and Doug are multiple award winning singer/songwriters each winning awards from the Western Music Association, the Academy of Western Artists, and the Western Writer’s Association, among others (Mariam co-writing on many of their songs). Mariam is the master musician that ties it all together. Their songs paint vivid stories of the West from yesterday and today including fast paced songs reminiscent of southern rock, heartfelt ballads, and everything in between. Their debut CD, “The Cowboy Way," won the prestigious 2017 “Wrangler Award” from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Two songs from this album, “Halfway Down the Devil’s Road” Jim Jones/Allan Chapman and “Tularosa Rose” Doug Figgs/Les Buffham respectively, were winner and finalist for the Western Writers of America 2017 “Spur Award."“ The Cowboy Way” was also honored by the Western Music Association as 2017 Group of the Year.

WISE FOOL NM'S "Backstage at the Circus"    1:00pm
This fun-filled show gives audience members a glance behind the scenes at the big top. Tightrope walking, clowning, acrobatics, puppets, trapeze and fabric performances,  of course a bit of magic.  It is Wise Fool New Mexico's mission to ignite imagination, build community, and promote social justice through performances and hands-on experiences in the arts of circus, puppetry, and theatre.  Wise Fool is a beloved and award-winning non-profit organization at the center of Santa Fe's community arts scene. Wise Fool serves 2,000 youth and adults with hands-on activities and 14,000 audience members annually with high-quality experiences built upon our core values of community, arts accessibility, and social justice.  As a pioneer in the emerging North American social circus movement and the only contemporary circus arts company in New Mexico, Wise Fool is further evolving circus as an art form by developing quality productions, professional artists, and expert teachers for circus-based arts curriculum. Encouraging audiences to jump the bounds of possibility and recognize that we are all capable of the extraordinary, Wise Fool offers first-hand explorations and skill-building experiences in which participants discover and develop their own connection to the arts.