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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - SPECIAL PROGRAMS
August 18, 2025
By Kim Elliott, CLP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Life was meant to be lived." The Leisure
Incident cries out loud in agreement! The Roswell Recreation Department wants to help!
The Roswell Recreation Department’s Special Programs Division fills the void that
the Yucca Recreation Center and the Roswell Adult Center may leave in programming for the
community. Not everyone will go to the Roswell Adult Center or Yucca Recreation Center.
Even though we may find sporting, educational, social and cultural programs taking place
in our recreation centers, the real opportunity for interaction is through our Special
Programs Division.
What do you have to do to take advantage of these opportunities? Robert Louis Stevenson
put it this way. "All the constitution guarantees is the pursuit of Happiness; you
have to catch up with it yourself."
Roswell has many and varied opportunities for leisure. The Special Program’s
Division works hard to provide these opportunities and is headed by Mr. Joe Vargas,
Recreation Supervisor.
This Division stays busy all year round with the planning of events and activities for
people of all ages in the community. These are events like Festival in the Park, Cahoon
Park and October Runs, Summer Schoolground Program, Concerts in the Park, The Roswell
Games, Neighborhood Park Programs, Hershey Track and Field, Cinco De Mayo Celebration,
Fishing Clinic, Summer Band Camp, Latino Bands Appreciation, and others. The UFO Encounter
and the Party on the Pecos are two of the events that are co-sponsored by the Department.
These events, and more, accounted for over 46,300 participations in 1997. Most of these
programs had out of town participants making our Special Programs Division a factor in the
economic growth and stability of the community.
All of this is done for the community in locations around the Roswell Community. At
present, there is not a specific place that the Division can say, "This is
ours!" However, that may change as Roswell moves into the next century.
A study done by Delamere and Hinch in 1994 examined the impact of community festivals.
They found that they establish an opportunity for community pride, social interaction,
sharing ideas, community identity and community wellness. Festivals like Party on the
Pecos, Festival in the Park, PinataFest, and yes, even the UFO Encounter can do the same.
Cielo Grande Recreation Area has a large Special Event Area planned for use by the
community. This area will have a large turfed area for festival type activities and an
amphitheater for large community concerts. This area is needed because Cahoon Park is
located in the midst of a quiet residential area with very limited parking. Large groups
of several thousand participants have the potential for disrupting the neighborhood. We
have had 4,000 - 6,000 people at one time attend concerts in Cahoon Park. The current NMMI
Amphitheater can only accommodate @2,000 participants at the most. Cielo Grande Recreation
Area, when completed will be able to handle from 8,000 - 10,000 people in one location
without disrupting the neighborhood. Cahoon Park was not designed for a large groups. We
can plan for these types of activities and groups at Cielo Grande before it is even built
for use by the community.
Cielo Grande Recreation Area will truly have the potential to benefit the community.
One of these benefits will be the encouragement of family activities.
The entire park site is group and family oriented. The soccer complex being built now
will encourage the family to support one another. The future Family Aquatic Center will
allow for families to play and interact together. The future Indoor Multipurpose
Recreation Center will allow for families to play and learn together. The future group
picnic areas will promote family interaction. The future Special Event area will provide
for a variety of wholesome activities that will support and be of interest to the entire
the family.
Roswell needs a place where families can go and spend leisure time together. Cielo
Grande Recreation Area just may be that place.
Parks and Recreation - The Benefits are Endless...TM
