Two very special birthdays were celebrated in Carlsbad over the past weekend. Ann Halford, also known as the $2 Bill Lady, held her 93rd birthday in her backyard. Jeanne Beeson celebrated her 98th birthday at the same time. About 50 people attended the celebration, and Ann and Jeanne enjoyed all of the cards and photos they received at the event. Special thanks to Amber Waltersheid, Michael Bromka and everyone who helped make the birthday special. Ann and Jeanne are very-well loved members of our community, and it was great to learn about an event honoring them.
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There’s some good news and bad news concerning businesses in Carlsbad. The pizza location Papa Murphy’s has announced its closure from Carlsbad, according to local business owner Shawn Mitchell. We’ll all miss Papa Murphy’s great pizza. It’s a good location for another store – so let’s hope that someone moves in quickly.
The good news is that a new store is coming in to where Bealls used to be at the Carlsbad Mall. According to the City’s planning department, Big Lots is in the process of moving into this location. Big Lots is a retail store with more than 1400 locations in the country. This will be a very welcome addition to our community. Wing Stop, Papa John’s Pizza, a second O’Reilly Auto Parts and a large U-Haul store are also in development right now.
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You may see some film crews around town this week. Thanks to a grant from the American Library Association and support from Nuclear Waste Partnership, the Pearl of the Pecos Arts and Cultural District and Southeast New Mexico Historical Society have begun working on an oral history project. These Heritage Walks including filming at the Lucky Bill and the Cavern Theater. Additionally, another film crew is in town this week doing a production for an oil company. We’re always glad for opportunities to show off Carlsbad.
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Reminder: We’d like to include any local Korean War veterans in our Independence Day celebration this year. We are especially interested in contacting any surviving Korean War Veterans who would like to participate in our ceremony.
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Residents of Southeast Carlsbad may soon see Xcel energy in the area completing several projects along Old Cavern Highway. Work coming out of the Hopi sub station will be completed in mid May. Reconductor work coming out of the Fiesta sub will be complete by early June.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway