A New Mexican New Year
What will it be, red or green?
Downtown Las Cruces Partnership will still celebrate the 7th annual Las Cruces Chile Drop, Thursday (Dec. 31). While the event does not safely allow for an audience this year, DLCP will continue the tradition, broadcasting via El Paso/Las Cruces CW channel beginning at 11:55 PM and airing on the DLCP facebook Channel at the same time.
While the event will be pre-recorded, the community spirit will be live.
“Letting our many community gatherings slide away has been a choice for the better good and public safety,” said DLCP director Jennifer Garcia Kozlowski. “Having said that, we are delivering the Chile Drop, so it is not left behind, and so our community bond has that simple moment to be proud–recognize our great borderland, family and set the stage for a better 2021 to come,” she said.
Inspired by New York, Cultivated by New Mexico
Beginning in 2014 in Las Cruces City Hall, Mayor Ken Miyagishima asked for an initiative to be started based on the New York Ball Drop. Project MainStreet was asked to invent a Chile Drop for Las Cruces. Over the years, the torch has been passed to DLCP.
Created by Russ Smith, the chile is a chrome, 19-foot-long apparatus with 400 feet of programmed LED lighting. The structure of the chile is elevated with the help of Weaver Welding and Crane, so it could be lifted high into the air for Las Cruces to see.
The lighting program is provided to pose the mystery, “Which color will it be? Red or Green?”
“The Las Cruces Chile Drop gives us a moment of pride. Our community has learned to identify with this event as a beacon of light, that shows the world Southern New Mexico’s chile industry and our civic pride,” said chile creator Russ Smith.
Bringing More than Heritage
With the wild ride of 2020, DLCP’s main accomplishment this year was to provide a reason to celebrate and to have hope.
“A simple Chile Drop becomes special. It becomes a lighthouse panning the horizon, taking our history into the future. Here comes 2021,” said Jennifer Garcia Kozlowski.
Tune in on New Year’s Eve to uphold the New Mexican identity and enjoy a tradition that won’t be cancelled. Discover the spice and color for 2021; will it be red or green?
To watch go to @LasCrucesMSDT on Facebook or tune into ABC channel 7.
