Life, food, events, and community in Albuquerque, NM

State Fair - All Tingley about a Coliseum

STATE FAIR! The Biggest Show in New Mexico, is an undated, but recent, book dedicated to: "New Mexico's children and children at heart who have faithfully made the State Fair a part of their lives."

I'm one of those. I've had some of the best and worst times of my life at the fair - my first horse show, first kiss, first concert, first injury. I can almost remember the smell of the freshly printed "Premium Book" we looked for in the mail each summer. It signaled the season and included the listing of events, schedules and criteria for fair exhibitors. Mom entered flower arrangements. I was in 4-H and rode in horse shows. Dad was a show steward and sometimes announcer.

I was dragged behind a horse in Tingley Coliseum once while wearing a sequined chartreuse getup in a horse show costume class. The horse had reared and the saddle slipped so I jumped off. I landed on my feet, briefly triumphant. But the horse, the unfamiliar costume saddle now goosing his underbelly, took off. I remembered that the unwieldy long cape had been pinned to the saddle a moment before I was yanked horizontal by the neck, rhinestones flying, fabric ripping. The horse thundered around the ring with me bumping along behind in the dirt before the cape clasp snapped and I was rolled into a heap of twisted green velvet and sparkles. I got a couple stiches, a blue mark on my neck and a standing ovation from the spectators.

I get understandably unhappy about the popular idea of tearing down Tingley Coliseum, as well as the recent decision to sever racing from the fairgrounds. The "obsolete" coliseum and badly aging grandstand seem to be both scapegoats and victims of what led to their decline. The future of the fairgrounds is "open" but the biggest decision has already been made. Horseracing, the fair's cash cow since the beginning, was sacrificed for a new racino in Moriarty.

Horse racing contributed mightily to the agricultural economy of this State and racing kept the heart of the fairgrounds beating. Without this most lucrative of the horse events, there is little to keep the fairgrounds going. The importance of the race track move to the fate of the fairgrounds is reflected in fair history. As when the federal government placed a wartime ban on racing in 1945 and officials canceled the entire fair.

From, STATE FAIR! The Biggest Show in New Mexico, come these photos and this description of racing origins:

"The State Legislature set the stage for a fair comeback when it passed a bill allowing tracks to keep a portion of racing bets. Though not created with the fair in mind - other tracks stood to benefit as well - pari-mutuel betting clearly offered a steady source of income for a budding exposition."

"Because New Mexico was the only western state with para-mutuel racing in 1938, the fair titillated a growing demand for organized betting. More than 5000 screaming pony fans packed the new grandstand opening day. The first horsemen from Nebraska, Montana, Texas and throughout the Southwest quickly filled the WPA stalls with their horses. Latecomers housed their animals in Army tents provided my the Fair."

"Along with traditional horse racing, the inaugural season featured harness races, steeplechase races, and trotters and pacers. Since no betting was allowed on harness or novelty racing, the Fair lost money on its most popular event, and management wisely dropped non-betting races from the lineup in 1939."

By severing racing from the fairground's future, the Governor has created another huge redevelopment opportunity in a town with too many of them already. The sports that Tingley Coliseum was built for: rodeo, horseshows and the occasional wonderful circus are not obsolete. And now I'll have to drive or get a senior bus all the way to freaking Moriarty to watch a horse race when there is a perfectly good track right at Central and San Pedro.

People are healthier when they share places that reflect history. Our built environment shouldn't only demonstrate modern aspirations and how far we've come from these agricultural roots. It should also reconnect us to them.

Share Twitter

Comment by Anthony R. Lovato on July 13, 2008 at 11:47am: One of my favorite memories about Tingley Coliseum was of a Van Halen concert. It was the bass solo. The set up was a wall of speakers, from top to bottom. I felt the bass against my body and the rafters shook with each note. I remember leaving the concert and laughing, because all of us sounded like Donald Duck to each other—all of the screaming and some ear damage I suppose. Ah, to be young again.

Comment by Barelas Babe on July 13, 2008 at 1:38pm: Coco - A thought-provoking piece, as usual.

I love the sentiments in your last paragraph. It makes me think about the current trend of urban agriculture and reconnecting with this past. Yesterday's Albuquerque Journal story about Bessie Sue, the cow living in Huning Highlands, and the urban chicken trend in Albuquerque, on DCF, and beyond are indicators of this, no doubt fueled by the sustainability movement.

It is ironic that the state is moving one of the few livestock venues in Albuquerque away from the city as this trend surfaces. In many ways, Albuquerque is on the cutting edge of this move toward sustainable agriculture in the city - it is lamentable this decision counteracts this.

Comment by Adelita on July 13, 2008 at 3:45pm: My favorite memory of Tingley was on a visit back home. My ex and I were living in San Francisco and the band he was in, The Dynatones, were booked to perform at several outside stage shows at the Fair in '92. One of the headliners at Tingley - Ray Price - failed to show up for his concert. The Tingley folks asked the Dynatones if they would fill in for Ray Price after the rodeo.

The place was packed. The show was about to begin and the State Fair queen announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome the Dyna-STONES!" Shoulda been an omen for what ended up happening that night.

The lead singer Chip was quite a showman. Came out in a convertible mustang with a vintage sequined jacket waving to the crowd of cowboys waiting to hear Ray Price. The band got on the rotating stage and started playing 'Mustang Sally'. They had the horns bopping and all the guys dancing in step. They were a blue-eyed soul band that had Tommy Castro as the lead guitarist at the time. They played soul, R&B, and killer blues.

What the poor guys in the band couldn't see because of the spotlights, was a mass exodus of everyone from Tingley. There I was, a relative newlywed with my mom and mother-in-law watching everyone leave like a stink bomb had just been set off. We were so grateful that the lights didn't allow the band to see that we were the only 3 people left in the audience. They cleared the joint. You can't expect Ray Price fans to dig a bunch of soulsters doing the splits and singing Sam and Dave songs.

The sound guys were in heaven, though. They had all surrounded the stage yelling "We're not worthy" while bowing in reverence with their arms raised. At least they appreciated the show! The lights went on at the final song and the poor band realized they cleared the place. Fortunately they were good spirited about it - hey, they got a big ol' unexpected paycheck out of it and got to play on that damn revolving stage.

I had taped most of the show and years after moving back to 'Burque, Tommy Castro and his new band came here to play and came by the house for dinner. I dragged out the tape and we watched the whole thing, dying laughing.

Tingley holds lots of crazy memories for me from rodeos, to Scorpions games, to many many concerts. Hope they maintain the integrity of the place and mostly those wonderful old memories! Thanks Coco, for yet another wonderful piece.

Comment by Gemini Goddess on July 13, 2008 at 8:51pm: My best memory - we lived close or at least in walking distance to the Fair Grounds, so all my aunts and uncles (and cousins) would come over to our place and park their cars there. Then as a huge group, we would all walk to the fair! Us kids would ride as many rides as we could as the adults gorged themselves on fair foods. *lol* It was a great family outing!

Comment by Pat O. on July 14, 2008 at 12:13pm: Best memory: I took my daughter to a Shrine Circus at Tingley Arena around 1990. We enjoyed the circus mostly, but found our view blocked by the steel pillars that hold up the roof. If the roof could be redesigned to get those pillars out of the way, Tingley might have an extended life. Otherwise, it probably needs to be rebuilt.

Comment by A Saucy Lass on July 14, 2008 at 1:38pm: Excellent post, especially that last paragraph.

Tingley and the Fair Grounds are rather Velveteen Rabbit-y. They've been used, abused and loved for so long the velvet has mostly worn off. They're not new and shiny anymore, they're shabby and worn down, they're they're so last millenium.

But the history! The location! The ties to the past! Sure, Tingley Coliseum and the Fair Grounds are old and shabby--but so what? It's all worth fixing up and preserving. It's Albuquerque history, it's in the heart of community, and it's worth saving.

To me, Tingley and the Fair Grounds are:

Elementary school field trips from Santa Fe to the State Fair in the fall. The midway, the cotton candy, greasy fair food, rabbit feet keychains, plastic bird warbler whistles filled with water, the petting zoo.

The Arabian Horse Nationals, the smell of fresh sawdust, the elegance of the regal horses against the backdrop of the aging stalls, the way the Fair Grounds were magically transformed from everyday shabby to faraway lands chic.

Concerts at Tingley, running through the parking lot, Corey Hart and his sunglasses at night.

Checking out everyone's entries at the Fair, from your own photography entries to the beautiful arts and crafts, the food, the animals, mingling with your unknown neighbors around the common theme of community participation.

Driving up Lomas past the grounds on summer evenings, windows open to the sultry evening air, drinking in the smell of honeysuckle.

Comment by Pat O. on July 14, 2008 at 2:42pm: By the way, I like the rest of the Fairgrounds and the attractive, pseudo-adobe themed buildings. It's kind of small compared to fairgrounds in other states, and I wonder if those buildings will need to be expanded in the future.

Comment by Coco on July 14, 2008 at 2:52pm: Pat: Those are real adobe buildings. Not psuedo-adobe themed buildings.

Comment by Pat O. on July 14, 2008 at 3:01pm: OK--then they're the Real McCoy. Cool!

Comment by neal copperman on July 14, 2008 at 3:32pm: I loved this post. As a newcomer to NM, a trip to Tingley does not carry any of those memories or history, and it is hard to see it by experiencing the building itself. Like your Velvetine Rabbit, it just looks like a crummy, worn out toy. It's good to be reminded how the toy got to be in that state, from years of use, love and life.