Although still six months away, plans for Edgewood’s gala 25th birthday are beginning to coalesce.
In what has been an ongoing process since July 2023, the Edgewood 25 Coordinating Committee has been working toward a week-plus-long extravaganza designed to not only celebrate the town’s silver anniversary, but also highlight the area’s businesses.
“The whole purpose of the (committee) is to get town and community leaders to work together to develop events and activities to celebrate Founders Day on July 1 and Independence Day on July 4,” said K.R. Scott, committee chairman. “There are events scheduled before those days and after to give Edgewood community members a wide variety of opportunities to celebrate the best little town at the foothills of the East Mountains and Estancia Valley.”
The committee originally took a scattershot approach to the project.
“We sat down and just went through every activity we could think of and threw it against the wall. And so that’s where we started,” he said. “So this committee, at the time, was to help us read through those, and simplify until we can get something that we really will be able to handle, because what we had was, like five events every day. And that would have killed us if we’d done it that way.”
The process then began to whittle it down to feasibility and expense.
“Over the period of the last six months we have been working on trying to figure out what it is that we think the town could handle,” Scott said. “The schedule was just supposed to be from July 1 through July 4, but that is now expanded, as you can tell. And so now we have things working all over the place. But the idea was to get businesses as much opportunity to get exposure, as well as the town to get exposure. So it’s a balance here.”
And while the plan is an in-progress affair and the committee still is entertaining new ideas, the basic building blocks seem to be in place, he said.
Events are scheduled to kick off July 29 with the kickoff of the Passport to Edgewood program with booklets that can be brought to participating local businesses to be stamped. The idea, Scott said, is that businesses would offer some kind of discount for passport holders, and those who complete all the stamps by the end of the celebration on July 7 would get a prize.
“My idea of a prize is a copy of Edgewood-opoly,” he said. “But we’ll have to see about that.”
In addition the first day will include a gathering at Echo Ridge Park for informal community trail rides and a tailgate social.
And that evening, Plaza Loop will be closed off for a street dance and party.
On July 1, actual Founders Day, a commemorative celebration at Town Hall will feature the unveiling of the town song — which is still in the works with a competition planned – and a gathering of current and former town leaders, with a historical slide show and exhibit in the library.
July 3 will spotlight Wildlife West.
“We’ve given them carte blanche to do whatever they want,” Scott said. “They can have anything they want to do all day long. And then we’re planning to have a town talent show for a melodrama because in this town we are used to that every year. So that’s an old traditional thing and we might do that. But, basically it’s our way to showcase Wildlife West because it was one of the first major businesses here so we’re trying to help them out. And give them a showcase day.”
July 4 will be a big day, highlighted by a morning parade either along US 66 or NM 344.
“The parade will basically include everything you could imagine,” Scott said. “So we’re gonna ask people with tractors to get involved and people are getting into horses and wagons. And there is usually a car show at Tony’s service station so we’re going to try to get his cars and be part of this, as well. And so that would be really interesting.”
The goal is to also have a flyover from the local airpark, while the evening will feature a community picnic with bands, games and a pie auction at Venus Park, capped by a fireworks show.
The town also is working toward getting a carnival to begin a four-day run that day, but that is still tentative, Scott said.
July 5 the town is looking to put on a 5-K run on trails surrounding Venus Park, followed by a pancake or burrito breakfast, with a field to include inflatables, ziplines and other family-friendly events.
That evening, a two-day youth rodeo will start at the Dewey Severs Arena at the East Mountain Cowboy Church.
And July 6 will cap the bulk of the celebrations with a morning balloon glow and rise.
“This will be the biggest celebration in Edgewood’s 25-year history,” Scott said. “We are inviting everyone in the Edgewood and surrounding communities to come to our week of events. We are looking for volunteers to help run events and local musicians, artists, and other talented people to get involved in our competitions.”