State Police plan May checkpoints statewide, Belen offers youth arts programs

Drivers in Valencia County are entering a month of sobriety checkpoints, saturation patrols, and license, insurance and registration checks as New Mexico State Police conduct enforcement in all 33 counties. The New Mexico Department of Public Safety issued the statewide notice on April 30, saying the campaign is intended to reduce impaired-driving fatalities through heavier media attention and advertising. For families heading through Belen, Los Lunas or the county’s rural roads, the practical message is simple: expect more traffic stops and be ready to show a valid license, insurance and registration.

While the enforcement effort is aimed at keeping roads safer, Belen families also have a cluster of youth and arts deadlines that land before summer fully begins. The Belen Art League’s annual Summer Arts Program is set for June 8-11 for children ages 7 to 11, with supplies included and a modest registration fee. The league is also marking its 70th anniversary with a poster contest that carries no entry fee and no age limit, with submissions due May 30. Founded in 1956, the Belen Art League operates as a nonprofit arts organization run by volunteers, and its children’s programs have historically served ages 7 to 15 in small classes.

The calendar in Belen and nearby communities stayed crowded with low-cost public events. The Pilot Club of Belen held a rummage sale May 7-9 at the Red Brick Building. Open Mic Night was set for May 8 at the Belen Public Library, and a senior expo took place the same day at the Daniel Fernandez Recreation Center. On May 9, Wonders on Wheels was scheduled at the Belen Public Library, the Mother’s Day concert was set for First Baptist Los Lunas, and the New Mexico Special Orchestra planned its spring show at the Valencia Sheriff Posse Hall in Belen, with a small door charge for the Bosque Farms Community Center performance by Fiddlers and Musicians of New Mexico.

Belen’s busiest spring dates are still ahead. The city’s Free Concert Series is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 15 at Anna Becker Park, with live music, food trucks and the Farmers Market. Anthony’s Art in the Park follows May 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the same park, and the Belen Art League Spring Art Show runs May 16-30. The Belen Growers’ Market is listed at Anna Becker Park on Fridays from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., June 13 through Oct. 31, putting the park at the center of the city’s warm-weather calendar and giving Valencia County families a clear run of events, deadlines and safety checks to track over the next several weeks.