This is the Land of the Sun Theater in Artesia, New Mexico. It is one of the main hangouts on a Saturday night in this small town of 12,000. I like the lights how they light up the quaint Main Street. I remember this theater from my childhood visits, but I believe the lights have been freshly refurbished along with the rest of downtown.
Artesia is in the middle of the oil patch in southeastern New Mexico. It is home to the Navajo refinery, Yates Petroleum, a Federal Marshall training facility, and a thriving community of dairy producers. My mom grew up here, and lives here now along with her twin sister and my cousins’ families. I have fond memories of this place when we visited Grandma’s house. We complained about the smell from the refinery, and my mom would say it was the “smell of money”. She also called it the perfume factory. I think I finally got a straight answer when I was in high school.
