In a little over a week, Lincoln County and Mescalero will gather to honor the many heroes who quietly move among us. Some will be well known. Some will be less known. But, at the end of the 2013 HEAL Heroes with Heart Awards Gala on Sunday, March 3rd at Mt. Annie’s Center for the Arts, our community will rise, once again, to honor and thank these amazing people who give so much of themselves. The event is free and everyone is welcome.
Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) and the Nest Domestic Violence Shelter started the Heroes with Heart program in 2010. Each year, 12 local heroes are selected from a mountain of nominations submitted by the community. In addition, one HEAL employee is selected as the HEAL Advocate Hero of the year by their peers.
This is the third year Mt. Annie’s has served as the location of celebration for Heroes with Heart. The theater has deep roots in our community and has recently undergone several changes, updates and renovations in its renewed efforts to showcase different modalities of the arts. These new changes will add an even more impressive venue for the Awards Gala.
Mountain Annie’s is run Jamie and Shirley Estes. Jamie is a Past President of the Help End Abuse for Life (HEAL) Board of Directors and a guitarist for the local rock band, Roadmap. His wife Shirley manages the extensive art gallery at the Mt. Annie’s, runs the venue’s website and is a long-time supporter and promoter of HEAL. Together, they dream of transforming Ruidoso into a destination for artists and audiences alike.
“We want to support all forms of art, whether performing, visual or otherwise, and to make Ruidoso a place that people go for its arts and entertainment, rather than being a sideline for skiing, the casino, and the racetrack. We thought, ‘If Santa Fe can do it, why can’t we?’” said Shirley Estes.
In pursuit of their goal, they brought in help: Jacob Stickle is the resident theater-technology expert of Mountain Annie’s. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable and forward-thinking, he has been the main person taking charge of the recent sound and lighting redesigns.
Stickle is leading the charge in creating a “green,” environmentally-conscious theater. The stage is waving goodbye to the old, incandescent lighting that remains a standard installation of venues everywhere. In their wake, Mountain Annie’s is installing LED lighting.
“With the old lighting, depending on the set up, we can use up to 36,000 watts, which is a pretty significant amount of power. With the LED lighting, it will come down to about 3,500 watts,” said Stickle. The lamps also come with color capability built in, so it will be more versatile.
The sound system is also designed in the name of flexibility and versatility. “With the sound system, we can have a full set-up for concerts or a minimal one to leave more visibility and space for performers or presenters, and we won’t lose quality either way,” said Stickle.
If you would like to see the developments before the ceremony, you can catch owner Jamie Estes playing his bass guitar along with local rock band Roadmap playing at Mt. Annie’s on Saturday, February 23, at 7pm.
For more information about Mountain Annie’s Center for Arts and upcoming events, please go to www.mountainannies.com.
Pictured is Jacob Stickle, theater-technology expert at Mt. Annie’s Center for the Arts.
