Coming weekend really has something for everyone

“Something for everyone” is a phrase that arguably gets used too often. 

But on a weekend like the one we have coming in our area, it’s tempting to say that yes, indeed, there IS something for everyone, including a used book sale, live theater, a community band concert, Frisbee golf, and even a volunteer opportunity at our local state park. 

Seriously, isn’t there something on that list that calls to you? 

Here are some highlights: 

The annual Friends of the Portales Public Library’s used book sale opens at 5 p.m. Thursday and will run during regular library hours for a week.  

The sale follows last year’s successful “pay what you can” model through Wednesday. On the last day — April 28 — all remaining stock will be available free of charge from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., in the organization’s ongoing effort to get books into the hands of readers. 

Theater goers won’t want to miss Eastern New Mexico University’s final production for the spring semester, “Six Stories Tall,” by Marco Ramirez. As the name implies, the show includes six vignettes that run without intermission in about 70 minutes. 

“Six Stories Tall,” directed by ENMU theater instructor Ricky Quintana and performed by an ensemble cast of 12, has been described as springing from “a unique mix of narrative influences including comic books, video games, hip-hop music and mythology.” I sat in on a weekend rehearsal and found myself chuckling one moment and deeply touched the next.  

While the content is family friendly, young children might get restless, but I’d say upper elementary and older would enjoy these poignant tales with characters ranging from a mermaid to a “subway monster.” 

The final piece may be my favorite, a heart-tugging effort by a child frantically trying to keep color alive for her grandfather who is losing his vision. 

“Six Stories Tall” runs at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday on the MainStage at Eastern’s University Theatre Center. Tickets will be available at the door: $10 general admission, and $7 for seniors and military. 

The Clovis Community Band hopes you’ll set aside Thursday evening for its annual spring concert, set for 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall at Clovis Community College. 

The event is called “Music and Mingle.” The $10 tickets include the concert, plus a reception afterward complete with hors d’oeuvres and an opportunity to chat with the musicians. Interested and want to be sure you have a seat? Tickets could be available at the door, but your best bet is to find a band member this week or call 575-799-1448 or 575-760-6257 to reserve your seat. 

The Clovis area Senior Olympics have been under way for much of April at venues around town, but if Saturday turns out pretty, you might consider a trip to Ned Houk Park north of Clovis to catch the finals in Frisbee golf, set to … um … fling off (?) … at 10 a.m. 

No need to bring a Frisbee — it’s too late to enter for this year — but if the winds cooperate, this could be a good day for a picnic and a chance for Frisbee-lovin’ seniors to scope out the competition for next year.  

If your heart is, instead, calling you to service on Saturday, Kelsey Prince would love to have you bring a rake and a pair of gloves and meet her and other volunteers at the pond at Oasis State Park north of Portales for an ongoing effort to clean pesky tumbleweeds out of the water. 

Prince and her fellow Friends of Oasis (a.k.a. “FOO”) have been working on this project for months now, meeting every second and fourth Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Many rakes make light work. Text or call Prince at 575-760-0229 if you’d like to join Team Tumbleweed. 

Whether you’re browsing books, thinking about theater, mingling with musicians, flinging Frisbees, or tossing tumbleweeds — or you’ve figured out a way to do all of those things at once — have a wonderful High Plains weekend. 

Betty Williamson is happy to see the calendar getting crowded again. Reach her at:

[email protected]