Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 52

4 venue Friday, May 5, 2006 SMOKEY BEAR DAYS Capitan celebrates with art show always shocking that people realize Smokey Bear is from New Mexico. The little fuzzy black bear that became the national symbol of can prevent forest was found badly burned in the Capitan Mountains in southern New Mexico. Today, Smokey is buried there. But, this weekend the village of Capitan will celebrate the annual Smokey Bear Days. The party kicks off today with an arts and crafts fair, a car show, a street dance and more.

Also, the event is one of the biggest gatherings of Smokey Bear memorabilia collectors. Of course, there will be fire-prevention courses and activities. Events will last until 10 p.m. Saturday. Visit www.villageof- capitan.com.

LIGHT ROCK, NO IRONY Top 40 rockers visit Sky City Casino Once upon a time, Top 40 hits could be sweet and innocent, about lost loves and happy times they have to be or and My There was once a time when a guy named B.J. ruled the light rock world. B.J. Thomas and fellow light-rocker Billy Joe Royal will be at the Sky City Casino on Saturday, May 6, for two shows, at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Thomas is best known for Keep on My and Royal is the man behind in The Tickets are $15 and $25 for both shows.

Visit www.skycity.com. N4TH KICKOFF Gallery features Cambodian performers The N4th Theater and Gallery will celebrate its grand opening tonight with a special show of work from Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture. The students from the school will perform in the theater tonight at 8, and the gallery will hold a special preview at 7:30. Tickets to the performance are $20, or $12 for students and seniors. N4th is at 4904 Fourth NW.

Call 345-2872. WHAT TIME IS IT? Morris Day gets funky at Isleta Of all the groups and singers brought to stardom by Prince in the from Apollonia to Sheila E. and Vanity and The Bangles, or Wendy and Lisa, it seems only Morris Day has stuck around. But with songs like and The Time is hard to resist. While Prince was off making music about sexy thangs, The Time was homage to his funk and past, and he wrote most of The songs.

Morris Day and The Time will perform Saturday, May 6, at Isleta Casino Resort at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $15 through www.tickets.com. MARIACHI MARATHON Trumpeting a festival at Paolo Soleri Mariachi is one of those genres that, if you become a fan, no turning back. Before you know it, asking the trio at to play your favorite songs. Well, the Mariachi Marathon at Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre on Saturday, May 6, will either cure you or inspire you.

The stars of the Santa Fe Youth Mozart Mariachi program will play, but the fantastic group Mariachi Los Arrieros of El Paso will headline the show. It starts at 6 p.m. at the Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre at the Santa Fe Indian School, 1501 Cerrillos Road. Tickets are $12.50, or $7.50 for children. Call (505) 982-8483.

By David Steinberg JOURNAL STAFF WRITER inger Perla Batalla went to Argentina to meet her family for the first time and returned a month later with a suitcase full of cherished memories. The time spent there included pleasurable meetings with the women in her family but also other encounters. stopped their lives to spend time with me, my husband, daughter. This is an enormous Batalla said in a phone interview from her home in Ojai, Calif. aunt has owned a restaurant for 50 years.

on the river and the only way you can get there is by water She loved the cafe style of living, people sitting in a cafe and talking for hours. did go see some tango concerts where they played a lot of (Astor) Piazzolla and they played (Carlos) Gardel. The male singers come up in an almost Irish tenor kind of voice, very Tango these days, she said, is so refined that she wishes it still had its original growling, rough sound. visit last year also resulted in her newest CD, aptly titled I Did On My Summer The album contains romantic interpretations of several venerable tangos, including and Que Me Mixed in with those cuts are Violeta a la which Joan Baez popularized, and the poetry of Jorge Luis Borges. Batalla said for her two New Mexico concerts do some of the songs on the new CD, some canciones mexicanas, including ballads and rancheras, as well as other tunes recorded.

Batalla was reared largely in her Mexican record store in Southern California so visiting Argentina opened a window for her daughter. wanted my daughter to feel that she has family all over the she said. Perla Batalla widens horizons Argentina trip connects singer with family, music Perla Batalla WHEN and WHERE: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at El Rey Theater, 620 Central SW and 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 8, at St.

Francis Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, 107 W. Palace in Santa Fe HOW MUCH: Tickets for the Albuquerque concert are $20 in advance at Bookworks, Natural Sound and online at www.abqmu- sic.com or $25 at the door. Tickets for the Santa Fe concert are $20 in advance at the Lensic box office or by calling (505) 988-1234 or online www.ticketssantafe.org or at the door Perla newest CD reconnects with her Argentinian roots..