ABQ holds first annual Prickly Pear Festival

On Saturday, Aug. 31 the first annual New Mexico Prickly Pear festival took place at Three Sisters Kitchen. According to the website, the festival seeks to celebrate everything prickly pear including food, art and music. 

According to Desert USA, the prickly pear cactus, otherwise known as Genus Opuntia, “represent about a dozen species of the Opuntia genus (Family Cactaceae) in the North American deserts.” The flesh (tuna) of the fruit produced by these cactus are typically used to make pulp, juice and syrups, among other products.

When asked what inspired the Prickly Pear Festival, Will Thompson, consulting arborist and co-owner of Agri-Environmental, told the Daily Lobo that he used to have a small farm in the North Valley, and one of the things he noticed after he stopped farming was that people really do not utilize the prickly pear even though it is a native food. 

TAAS Sky Party teaches about the night sky

On a dusty corner of the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge at 7851 2nd Street SW, members of the Albuquerque Astronomical Society (TAAS) came together to share telescopes and knowledge with more than 100 members of the community. Many of the people who attended the Star Party heard about it online. 

Arriving at the event, people were greeted by a dozen or so telescopes set up and pointed at anything interesting in the sky. Each telescope was manned by a helpful and informative TAAS member.. 

This gathering was a part of the TAAS Summer Star Parties — events held every summer that bring members of TAAS together to enjoy the night with anyone else who wants to come. Star parties typically take place further outside of Albuquerque, like at Oak Flats in the Manzano Mountains or the TAAS Observatory in Belen, so this is the first time one has been held at the Valle de Oro.

Coffee with a cop at UNM

The University of New Mexico hosted Coffee with a Cop on Wednesday in the plaza outside of Dane Smith Hall. Standing next to tables filled with Flying Star coffee and boxes of cookies were members of the UNM Police Department, looking to interact with any student wanting to talk.

As a part of the UNM Campus Safety Week, Coffee with a Cop is supposed to encourage both interaction with members of the campus police force as well as to spread information about various security concerns on campus. On the table were several sheets of paper promoting UNMPD’s social media accounts in addition to a raffle for a bike lock and steering wheel bar.

Detective with the UNMPD and co-director of the Campus Safety Council, Trish Young sees Coffee with a Cop as part of an effort to communicate with the larger community, she said. 

Review: BROCKHAMPTON's renaissances is sad, honest

BROCKHAMPTON released their fifth studio album, “Ginger” on Aug. 23. The 12 tracks trudge through the boy band’s recent emotional turmoil and Shia Labeouf’s studio meditation sessions, following the removal of founding member Ameer Vann. 

Contrary to comments made by Kevin Abstract, a founding member of the band, declaring Ginger to be a summer “feel good” record, the album is heartbroken, bitter and flustered.

Notable songs on the album are “BOY BYE,” “ST. PERCY,” “DEARLY DEPARTED” and “VICTOR ROBERTS.” 

Uni Nights hosts water battle event

Crowds of excited students sweltering from Albuquerque’s relentless heat swarmed to the Uni Night’s Water Battle, motivated by the promise of free food and the cooling water of a balloon fight. 

Uni Nights is a student-led program, run through the Student Activities Center, that put on events throughout the year. The water battle was hosted last Aug. 24. Past Uni Night events have included a variety of activities — from last semester’s plant night to late-night breakfasts, to even a masquerade ball. 

Blue Mesa Review editor talks writing

University of New Mexico poet Tori Cárdenas loves writing, almost as much as she loves her dog. 

Cárdenas is a master of fine arts student and the poetry editor of “Writers Resist,” a feminist literary collective born of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. She has also worked her way up to become the editor in chief for Blue Mesa Review, UNM’s graduate student literary magazines, during the 2019-2020 school year.  

Cárdenas said that Blue Mesa is dedicated to showcasing authors and artists, especially in the southwest. She hopes to include more information about the mission and goals of the magazine for readers and artists to help people better understand the culture.