Hey everyone, The Fork has been so pointed lately they had to take the week off for tine-sharpening. Seriously, we're only talking seven measly days until their return. Relax, sit back and enjoy what SFR is calling a preview of The Morning Word.
Preview? What? Didn’t SFR promise the return of The Morning Word was due in February? Then March. And now we’re pushing April? All true. Does that make us a liar? No. Just wrong. Wrong is OK as long as you ‘fess up, and that’s what we’re doing here along with some proof of concept.
Are you asking why we don’t just keep it going in perpetuity after today? Great question. Seriously, couldn't have come up with a better one. Answer: ‘Cuz technically I’m on vacation this week. ‘Nuff said, have some news and, yes, this preview edition gets Forkcentric towards the end.
Hackman-Arakawa Update
Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were Santa Fe residents for more than three decades. The couple did invest in the community socially and economically, but Hackman and Arakawa were fiercely private. The macabre details of their final days have become TMZ fodder, and now the family is trying to fend off requests for the police photos taken of their home by police in the aftermath of their deaths.
The most recent update from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office came on Friday when it revealed details about the death of the dog who died in the closet adjacent to the bathroom where Arakawa was found. The Associated Press reported the kelpie found dead in a crate was the victim of starvation and dehydration.
SFR is always on the side of transparency, as you’ll see in this week’s issue with the return of The Foilies, but in this case we will not be clamoring for the gruesome images sheriff’s deputies found at the Hackman household weeks after the couple died. Descriptions made by investigators in the official affidavits were gruesome, and while the public certainly has a right, well, what is right probably depends on the eye of individual beholders (and whomever has their ear on social media). Fair play. Rather than contemplate photographic evidence of the general state of decomposition of people who died from serious illnesses and the cruel fate of their dog, let's reach into the rich catalog of cinema Hackman left us. Specifically one, conceived with Francis Ford Coppola in peak film-making days even Megalopolis can't besmirch, called The Conversation. Tucked neatly between a pair of Godfathers for Coppola, and not long after his decorated performance as the bombastic Popeye Doyle in The French Connection, Hackman plays Harry Caul in a quiet, stylish thriller. Caul is a surveillance specialist embroiled in job that becomes his undoing. Now that the public has been fed the last vestiges of Hackman and Arakawa’s privacy, perhaps we can go back to just being blown away by his timeless performances.
Early Birds Get to Burn!
Tickets went on sale yesterday for the 101st Burning of Zozobra. Once again, staged by the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, the big burn comes Aug. 29 on the Zozobra Field at Fort Marcy Park. As usual, the event coincides with Labor Day weekend. Zozobra starts it’s second century with a limited capacity burn. This year, Kiwanis Club will sell just 50,000 tickets for “a more comfortable experience featuring new premium seating options and expanded ADA access,” according to the event website. This year, Flame-Ohs will have access to free water stations, separate portable privies for ladies, and a refurbished balcony for the selfie-obsessed. The website also promises a dazzling drone show, spectacular fireworks, and LED wristbands that change colors throughout the night. True steampunkers will be attired in their finest Victorian dress, which will def land them in the background of at least ten selfies. We’re told there is an early-bird discount, find out for yourself at the Zozobra website.
Community Dialogue on Unhoused Set for Southside Library
Local author Juan Blea, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and continuing education provider, will lead a town hall to discuss the ongoing struggles of the unhoused community. He would love to see treatment providers, community members, and stakeholders at the Community Dialogue on Santa Fe’s Unhoused Population to discuss potential solutions. The event is Tuesday from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at the Southside Library’s Community Room. According to a release, the event will focus on the challenges posed by rising homelessness, substance use, and crime in the city, with an emphasis on methamphetamine and fentanyl-related brain changes that complicate treatment.
“I work with agencies to formulate endgames and strategies, yet my community is struggling simply because there is no collective vision for solving this issue,” Blea said in the release. “We cannot wait for others to fix it—we must start the conversation ourselves.”
As part of this discussion, Blea will offer 1.5 free Ethics CEUs for counselors, therapists, social
workers, and psychologists who attend.
The goal of this event is to generate ideas and establish a foundation for actionable solutions. All community members, service providers, and decision-makers are encouraged to participate.
For more information, please contact Juan Blea at juan.blea@jblea1016.com.
Hell No! Rally to Save USPS on Sunday
This Sunday, local letter carriers and residents who appreciate the convenience of parcels delivered to their home will rally on behalf of the U.S. Postal Service. The “Hell No! To Dismantling the Postal Service” rally will be at 1420
Cerrillos Rd. starting at 12:30 p.m. Patricia Chacon, president of Local 989 of the National Association of Letter Carriers, believes if Pres. La Grosse l‘Orange succeeds in privatizing the post office, the public will pay more for mail and folks in rural areas will lose basic postal service and be charged more for deliveries.
“The Post Office is unique because Congress was given the power to establish it and set
policies,” Pacheco said. “People need to stand up for the USPS to show solidarity as Trump tries to dismantle first one service and then another that benefits our neighbors.”
In a release sent out Monday by the postal service union, the rally is intended to fight for “the jobs of 640,000 postal employees nationwide and to maintain services to 51.5 million households and business in rural communities.”
The release said, the local union represents 120 workers expected to attend. Friends of the Post Office (no dogs, I guess) are advised to park at the Pacheco Street Office and car pool to the rally or come early and park on side streets.
Forecast: A Mighty Wind!
The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Warning starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday through 11 p.m. tonight. The NWS advises west winds will range from 35 to 45 miles per hour with gusts up to 70 miles per hour. The wind advisory is for portions of central, north central, northeast and west central New Mexico. Think Lloyd Bridges proclaiming, “Iit’s comin’ right at us!!
Lloyd aside, this is a serious event that could damage trees and power lines, leading to outages and fire hazards. Travel will be especially difficult for high-profile vehicles—18-wheelers, K.I.T.T. and the Batmobile will obviously be fine. Nobody on the road will be happy about the blowing dust these winds will undoubtedly blacken the skies.
Hermit’s Peak Meeting in Las Vegas
Three years after the Hermit's Peak Calf Canyon fire, the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, a fire resulting from federally set prescribed burns, many residents affected by the fire have a chance to gather and share their concerns. To provide a sounding board for the overwhelming majority of those impacted by the fire “A COMMUNITY TO BE HEARD” event is planned for March 29 at Luna Community College in Las Vegas. Organizer Rich Strittmatter tells SFR that the event is intended to collect stories of the continuing and emerging impacts of the historic fires. Thus far, Strittmatter said in a release, residents face continuing issues of inadequate or unhealthy housing, lost incomes, impacts to behavioral health and wellbeing, continued flooding, erosion, falling trees and continued challenges receiving adequate and technically defensible compensation through the Hermit’s Peak Fire Assistance Act of 2022. For more information: email hpcc.2bheard@gmail.com.
Sassella Closes, but what do I do with these gift cards???
Last week, SFR reported the sad news that James Beard Award semifinalist Cristian Pontiggia and his partners had to close Sasella thanks to ancient plumbing turned faulty.
We got an email from someone with a Sasella gift card and were able to connect them with chef Pontiggia. He said to contact him for refunds or make-goods at his next culinary adventure. If you don’t have his digits, contact us at SFR and we’ll get you connected. Email: dave@sfreporter.com
Alkeme at Open Kitchen Welcomes Pulitzer Prize Winner
Last week, I made my first trip to Alkeme at Open Kitchen for the first of what I anticipate will be many trips, considering the palate-dazzling nature of the food and its proximity to my front door. Seriously, y’all. Amazing stuff from chef owner Hue-Chan Karels and executive chef Erica Tai. During the course of the culinary cruise I took down Tai’s seafood tasting menu, Karels approached me to introduce herself. The next thing I knew, she was re-introducing me to a dear friend from Oklahoma City who was dining in the front room. Then she told me about the upcoming Mole and Fish Sauce event Alkeme is doing with chef Francisco Olea of Sazon. Sounds amazing, and I know The Fork co-signed that a week or two ago.
You might also want to know about special dinner Alkeme is presenting to coincide with a visit from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. Karels told me she was beyond stoked to create what she’s calling a “Nostalgia, Loss and Resilience” menu for the event. Nguyen, who is a featured author at this year’s International Literary Festival, has also written A Man of Two Faces, The Committed, and The Refugees. Cost is a stiff $125 per person (plus 20-percent gratuity), but if ever you’re gonna save your pennies for an evening of culinary and cultural celebration, this sounds like that evening.
Pretty pictures of the sumptuous menu chef Tai executed plus the menu with detailed descriptions. That Cha Ca, tho ...
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.The Fork promises to be back next week, sharp and ever-ready to tantalize true believers whilst farting in the general direction of naysayers.
Please email feedback about this preview of The Morning Word to dave@sfreporter.com (NOT The Fork)
