SWEET HARVEST
Los Luceros invites public to annual fall apple festival
It’s harvest time in New Mexico.
And Los Luceros Historic Property is opening the gates to the community for its annual fall festival.
This year, there is an abundance of apples from its 148-acre property.
“We’ve got a bumper crop of apples to be picked during the beautiful New Mexico autumn on this idyllic property, which will certainly make for a perfect day to enjoy this treasured historic property,” says Patrick Moore, director of New Mexico Historic Sites.
Moore is encouraging New Mexicans to take the whole family for a fun afternoon at the property in Alcalde on Sunday, Sept. 16.
The Festival will include a farmers market, an educational presentation on heritage apples, demonstrations of apple cooking ideas with take-home recipes, a cider-pressing demonstration, live music, and tours of the historic ranch buildings.
There will also be an exhibition space for area agricultural groups offering resources including the FFA, 4HA and extension office.
“Apples are pretty important,” Moore says. “They are a key staple crop of northern New Mexico. We can look back to the Dixon apple, and you think about the legacy of the apples and how fertile the land is. … Agriculture is the history of northern New Mexico, and we want to reinforce that. It goes along with the lifeblood of the Rio Grande.”
The centerpiece of the historic Los Luceros ranch complex is Casa Grande, a 5,700-square-foot, 18th century territorial style adobe home, which was renovated by the Cabot Foundation in 2004 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The property also includes a visitor center, director’s residence and a small gallery.
In addition to the hacienda and the visitor center complex, the property contains three residences, an 18th century chapel, the original village jail, numerous farm buildings, apple orchards, irrigated pasture and bosque on the Rio Grande.
“Fortunately, we have new staff, because the importance of Los Luceros is growing,” he says. “We’re going in a new direction. My current staff has been integral in putting this event together, and it will be nice to get some more staff up here for future events.”