EDITORIAL: State fair's culture, food worth the visit

With all this focus on Sept. 11, the New Mexico State Fair has been left to sit in its dust.

So this is for the UNM community members that aren't from the Land of Enchantment and might not know very much about our fair. Here's what it's mainly about: food. If nothing else, go for the food. Even the most disinterested or cynical New Mexicans go to the state fair for the food. One can spend hours wandering around only the food section of the fair in rapturous joy.

Forget the funnel cakes, cotton candy and curly fries - it's all about the Powdrell's turkey drumsticks, beef on a stick, frybread at the Native American Indian Village and enchiladas at the Villa Hispania.

And while many New Mexicans cringe at the thought of seeing Nelson Martinez singing "De Colores" at the Villa Hispania one more year, the cultural aspects of the fair are what make it such a tradition amongst New Mexicans. Watching the dances at the Native American Indian Village and the mariachi and salsa music at the Villa Hispania are a must.

Then, of course, we have the American Indian and Mexican arts and crafts all over the fair grounds. Walking in buildings and seeing the Navajo rugs and pottery makes one feel the very essence that is New Mexico. That's what the fair is - an amalgamation of all things New Mexican, from the art to the agriculture to the dances and music.

New Mexico is a beautiful state despite everything that seems so inherently wrong. The cultures that mix and become one throughout the state are nothing short of amazing. Here, borders seem to shift and slide. The only other states that seem to come even close to it are Arizona and California, but even they are less concentrated in culture.

The New Mexico State Fair offers all the things that make New Mexico unique and stunning. If you've never gone, check it out and have a taste for yourself.

Angela Williams

Editor in Chief