Bumper Apple Crop Ripe for the Picking at Los Luceros Apple Harvest Sunday, September 16

September 3rd, 2018

(Alcalde, NM) - The Los Luceros Fall Apple Festival on Sunday, September 16, 2018 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

“We’ve got a bumper crop of apples to be picked during the beautiful New Mexico autumn on this idyllic property which will certainly make for a perfect day to enjoy this treasured historic property,” said Patrick Moore, the director of New Mexico Historic Sites.

New Mexicans are encouraged to bring the whole family for a fun afternoon in Alcalde. The Fall Apple Festival will include a Farmers’ Market, an educational presentation on heritage apples, demonstrations of apple cooking ideas with take-home recipes, a cider pressing demonstration, live music, and tours of the historic ranch buildings. There will also be an exhibition space for area agricultural groups offering resources including the FFA, 4HA and extension office. The festival will be held at the the Los Luceros historic property located off State Route 68 in Alcalde, New Mexico.

In a state blessed with numerous cultural gems, the 148-acre Los Luceros ranch located north of Española along the Rio Grande near the village of Alcalde is special. The cultural site is surely one of New Mexico’s most scenic and historically significant properties. 

The centerpiece of the historic Los Luceros ranch complex is Casa Grande, a 5,700 square-foot, 18^th century Territorial-style adobe home, which was renovated by the Cabot Foundation in 2004 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The property also includes a visitor’s center, director’s residence and a small gallery. In addition to the hacienda and the visitor center complex, the property contains three residences, an 18^th century chapel, the original village jail, numerous farm buildings, apple orchards, irrigated pasture and bosque on the Rio Grande.

The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, which purchased the Los Luceros property from the family of Frank and Ann Cabot in 2008, is the state’s cultural steward and is working to ensure the site’s preservation and integrity in perpetuity. 

 Link to video about Los Luceros Apple Harvest 2018: http://media.newmexicoculture.org/video/LosLucerosAppleHarvest.mp4

 About New Mexico Historic Sites: http://nmhistoricsites.org/ On March 14, 1931, the New Mexico Historic Site system was established by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico, to "declare by public proclamation that historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of scientific interest that are situated upon the lands owned or controlled by the State of New Mexico, shall be state monuments, and may reserve as a part thereof such parcels of land as may be necessary to the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." Under the direction of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, six sites are open to the public: Coronado, Fort Selden, Fort Stanton, Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial, Jemez, and Lincoln. The Los Luceros Historic Property is open to the public during scheduled events and by appointment (505) 476-1130.