Shake, Rattle and Roll in Cimarron, NM

Bill Haley and the Comet’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll” comes on as high school juniors in their lettermen jackets invite their steadies for a trip along the dance floor. Calls for “hamburger, rack em’” are prevalent. People are sitting on red covered metal legged stools nursing their meals while another customer comes in.

“Miss Garner, may I have a chocolate shake to stir up the evening?” All of a sudden the music stops and the day dream is over. The milk shake stand remains, but the dancing and noise go away. Cimarron, New Mexico is amongst many American towns that struggle with modernization and “progress.” Yet, they have learned to deal with it through the use of imagination. Walk inside Cimarron Art Gallery in Cimarron, New Mexico, and it will feel like a cross between a typical Norman Rockwell Saturday evening and a look inside an old west community. According to owner Valerie Kutz, in 1936 the building was built, and a year later the soda fountain came about. The oak floors, whose creaking sounds provide a nostalgic flavor, have been around as long as the building has been there. The location has been the home of a drugstore (perfect with the soda fountain), a clothing store, leather goods store, shoe store and a craft store. In 1982, Pierce & Ethel Ramsey created an art coop and called it Cimarron Art Gallery. The gallery serves milk shakes and malts. “In the summer, we offer chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, while in the winter we feature mint chocolate chip and rocky road.”

While waiting for the shake, put some money into the jukebox and get ready to rock n’roll. The music collection features tracks from Bob Seger to ZZ Top. “The jukebox plays stuff from the late 60s and early 70s, all on original 45’s,” Lutz points out. As “LaGrange” comes on check out the gallery in the back. From earrings to Navajo pottery, and portraits of the New Mexico landscape by local and national artists, the gallery promotes local and unique art. “John White and James Jones are real popular,” Lutz notes. White is a landscape artist that uses water and color. Examples of his work include “Wind Spirit” and “Red Mesa Adobe.” He has appeared in shows such as the Colorado Indian Market in Denver, Colorado. On the other hand Jones is a Wildlife photographer from Washington State. His natural world exploits have led him across North America. His paintings of animals like eagles and brown bears have also earned him various awards and accolades.

In 1991, Kutz and her husband attended the Philmont Scout Ranch Training Center and fell in love with the community. “We came here a year earlier to attend Philmont,” Lutz says “and we loved it. The next year we relocated and purchased the gallery.” Right behind the counter is the cash register and all along the wall above it are a plethora of Boy Scout patches, including one with Elvis Presley. “The Boy Scouts and the Cimarron Art Gallery do not collaborate to put on events, but the visitors and participants from Philmont are a big part of the local economy,” says Fritz Harmuth, Executive Secretary of the Cimarron Chamber of Commerce. “While it is not official, there is collaboration in the sense that the folks from Philmont just know to visit the Art Gallery while they're here.” During the summer, Lutz sees over 20,000 members of the Boy Scouts and as a result she hires four fresh hands to help satisfy the demand. People from as far as Texas and Colorado come down, those traveling to and from Taos, Red River and Angel Fire, New Mexico are the biggest customers, according to Lutz. What makes the shop special? “Honestly,” Harmuth reflected, “it is hard to pick one memorable experience in the Cimarron Art Gallery because you never know who you will meet and there is always an interesting conversation going on over there. It's the collective picture of Scouts coming off the trail and encountering some of the luxuries of ‘civilization’ again, the interesting folks who come from all over the world to see our historic town, and the local folks who stop in regularly to get their kids ice cream.” Moreover, “the Cimarron Art Gallery is definitely an anchor business in our community,” Harmuth said. “It is a constant when it comes to civic duty and an example of a well-run business.” The shop is open seven days a week from 9-6 during peak season (May 1st to October 31st) and six days a week from 9-5 during the offseason. “The reason we close at six during peak season,” according to Lutz, “is due to ice cream socials. We do not know what night we will be needed.” Lutz has been working at the gallery for 22 years. “I love coming down each day and being busy; from the cleaning to reorganizing,” Lutz says with a smile. “Although, I do not always enjoy the paperwork, but it helps keep us going.” Cimarron Art Gallery 337 E. 9th St. Cimarron, NM 87714 http://cimarronartgallery.com/