I accidentally had the pleasure of attending one of the largest social events in Pagosa Springs' history last Saturday, June 27 — an event which had its beginnings 50 years ago. I guess it was a stroke of luck.
Jefferson Walsh, the teenage son of Daily Post writer Glenn Walsh, poked his head in my office last week an asked if he could borrow a professional video camera.
“What do you need a camera for?” I asked.
“I’ve been asked to shoot a wedding on Saturday,” he told me. “Can I use one of your cameras?” Continued...
Moyses and Clara Martinez celebrated their 50th anniversary with a renewal of vows at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church and a community feast and dance at the Pagosa Springs Community Center last Saturday, June 27. The celebration included a presentation of a family heirloom, a "50th Anniversary plate" with had been passed through the family as each brother and sister has celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Standing behind Moyses and Clara are Tomas and Lola Perez, Eva and Andy Martinez, Wilfred Martinez, and Bennie Martinez. |
I told him I don’t loan out my professional cameras, but if it was a wedding, I would be willing to work with him, as a team. In my experience, I told him, finished wedding videos always look better when shot on two cameras. We could shoot the wedding with both of my digital cameras and then edit the two rolls together.
Assuming, of course, that Jefferson would take on the job of editing the footage. He said he would.
“So, where is the wedding? Who’s getting married? What time do we have to be there?” I asked him.
“I don’t know yet.” He’d been contacted abut the project by a teenage friend’s parents — and hadn’t been told much yet in the way of details.
As it turned out, the wedding was to take place at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church on Saturday afternoon — except it was not a wedding after all. It was a renewal of vows, and the couple, Moyses and Clara Martinez were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary that day — with a special Mass at IHM, followed by a big feast and dance party at the Pagosa Springs Community Center. Jefferson was being asked to shoot both the Mass and the party ... and I would get to tag along as his assistant.
It sounded like there might be a lot of people in attendance, at both events. Continued...
Moyses and Clara both grew up in Pagosa Springs, according to their son John, whom I had the pleasure to interview briefly during the party at the Community Center.
“I think they met down in Trujillo. They were both born and raised here in Pagosa; they had ten brothers and sisters each — who were all born and raised here.” Some of Moyses’ family stayed in Pagosa, but much of Clara’s family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in search of better jobs — and Moyses and Clara joined them there, and raised their own five children in Las Vegas.
About 12 years ago, Moyses and Clara retired and moved back to Pagosa Springs, to live in Clara’s family home.
 ”There’s still a lot of our family that lives here,” John told me. “We’re related to basically half of Pagosa. My uncle Andy used to drive the street sweeper. So Pagosa was the perfect place for us all to come and celebrate this event. It just brought everybody back, to where it all began. Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, everybody came here and it has been just perfect ..”
I got the impression the party had been organized mainly by Moyses and Clara’s five children: Ronnie, Dennis, Sabrina, Felicia, and John. Dennis is the only one of the kids who currently lives in Pagosa — and many folks here have enjoyed his artistic work as a commercial window painter, the man who decorates the downtown store and restaurant windows with colorful poster paints for the various holidays. The rest of the kids still live in Las Vegas.
“Dennis is the only one who lives here, but the rest of us come here three, four times a year, and we consider this our home. It is. It’s our home. We live in Vegas, but this is our home.”
John described his father as “one of the pillars of his family, that people look up to, people talk to,” even though Moyses is not the oldest in his own family.
“That’s why this event is so big.”
Indeed, as we stood in the Community Center, listening to the Mariachi band playing traditional Spanish and Mexican songs, the room was packed with as many people as I’ve ever seen in one place during my 16 years in Pagosa — about 600 people, many of whom had traveled from far away towns and cities to attend the event. The traditional Southwestern style meal — deliciously prepared enchiladas, beans, rice, salad .. and Pepsi, of course — had been catered by Chavalo’s Restaurant.
Following the meal, the Rivas family band, Variety Express, took the stage and played a mix of dance tunes long into the evening. One of the first dance numbers, however, was one I’d not heard before — a huge line dance called a Marcha that included nearly everyone in attendance. Continued...
The Marcha was followed by a solo dance featuring Moyses and Clara, showing that they could still move gracefully together after 50 years of marriage. Continued...
Earlier that day, Moyses and Clara had been standing with joined hands, before the standing-room-only crowd in the Catholic Church on Lewis Street. Padre Carlos Alvarez had offered a blessing at the beginning of the Mass.
“God our Father, bless Moyses and Clara. We thank you for their long and happy marriage ... for the children they have brought into the world ... and for all the good they have done. As you blessed the love of their youth, continue to bless their life together with gifts of peace and joy. We ask this through the Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit ... one God forever and ever.”
The congregation chanted in unison, “Amen.” |