SUNDAY,JUNE 25, 2017 Inside: $1.50 Yesteryear’s draggers tell stories of their adventures on Main Street. — Page 1B Vol. 89 ◆ No. 74 SERVING CLOVIS, PORTALES AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES EasternNewMexicoNews.com Main no drag for thousands ❏ Promoters: Combining music festival with Draggin’ good idea. By David Grieder Main with Gene Porter. STAFF WRITER “We’ve had good atten- [email protected] dance — real good atten- dance.” CLOVIS — Gina Promoters predicted Hochhalter was delighted 800 cars would cruise to see all the people. downtown Clovis. Those “For me it’s about see- figures may well have ing the town and the held up. At least that diversity of Clovis,” she many more came without said. “And the cars. cars, crowding the side- There’s old cars, new walks for almost a dozen cars, dented cars, shiny blocks. cars. It’s just cars! And Boone said he “totally motorcycles.” expects” the numbers Thousands of people this year to meet or — and their vehicles — exceed last year’s crowded Clovis’ Main turnout, a record aided Street on Saturday for by the agreeable weather the fourth annual Saturday (partly cloudy Draggin’ Main. and mid-70s) and multi- Organizers declared it ple class reunions, in another success. addition to the music fes- The experiment this tival and a softball tour- year was to host the Main nament that attracted a dragging with the Clovis few thousand on its own. Music Festival. The overlap in pro- “I know that people gramming may have also have been real happy contributed to the logisti- Staff photo: Tony Bullocks with the combination,” cal hurdles that saw a Clovis’ Main Street party featured agreeable weather. said Bryan Boone, who co-founded Draggin’ MAIN on Page 2A Romance rocks music festival ❏ Newlyweds have first dance onstage with Firehouse. By Stephanie Losoya salute to The Clovis Sound band’s tour director once STAFF WRITER made famous by Norman they heard they were coming [email protected] Petty. to Clovis and were set up Friday’s show also includ- with a VIP package that CLOVIS — It was the ed ’80s band, Winger. allowed them on stage to “Love of a Lifetime” at “It was great looking into share their first married Clovis Music Festival on (Tina’s) eyes and being in the dance. Friday. moment,” said the newly “We were blessed to share One lucky couple had the married Carlos Molina. that experience,” Molina opportunity to share their The song has long held a said, “it was unreal.” first dance as husband and special place in the love Molina said he did not feel wife during the Firehouse birds’ hearts and Molina said awkward to be on stage Courtesy photo performance of “Love of a the timing was perfect. Newlyweds Tina and Carlos Molina, center, are on stage with the band Firehouse Lifetime” during the annual The couple contacted the FESTIVAL on Page 3A after their first dance as a married couple. Dad: Son ‘enjoyed the people around him’ ❏ Portales native was killed in Tres Piedras Damian Herrera, 21, is accused had recently retired from his posi- — a sometimes complicated sub- of killing his stepfather, brother and tion as the west district archaeolo- ject — simple for others, James earlier this month, one of five shooting victims. mother in La Madera. Police said gist for Carson National Forest. Kyte said. he then drove to Tres Piedras, His father, James Kyte of “He enjoyed talking with people By Eamon Scarbrough Michael Kyte, 61, of Tres where Herrera is accused of killing Portales, struggled to find any and working with people on STAFF WRITER Piedras, grew up in Portales and Kyte and stealing his pickup, which motive for his son’s death. archaeology and things like that. [email protected] graduated from Eastern New he used to drive to Abiquiu, where “It just caught us off guard. As He could take you out and show Mexico University with a master of a fifth man was killed. far as we knew, he never knew the you the artifacts and things in a PORTALES — A gentle, pas- arts degree in anthropology. Herrera was arrested that same person that did it. His wife just way that you could understand it,” sionate teacher left this world on He was one of five people killed evening and faces five counts of came in and found him in the drive- he said. June 15, but his influence is still in a rampage this month in northern murder, among other charges. way,” he said. felt, according to his father. New Mexico. Kyte was killed at his home. He Michael Kyte made archaeology KYTE on Page 6A Forecast: Today Monday Tuesday Index Calendar............................2A Crossword ........................2B High: 74 High: 81 High: 88 Classified ......................5-6C Obituaries..........................2A Comics ..............................4B Sports ............................1-4D Low: 60 Low: 60 Low: 64 Commentary ..................4-5A PAGE 2A ✦ SUNDAY, JUNE 25, 2017 LOCAL THE EASTERN NEW MEXICO NEWS attended. “The only big difference Teen Main “Everybody seemed to now is there’s two lanes like the venue as far as instead of four,” said from Page 1A being on the grass at Johnny Romero, a lifelong missing scheduled Saturday morn- Marshall (Middle School),” Clovis resident. ing car parade canceled, but Boone said. “We tried to “We didn’t have a special Boone was not discouraged. make the event more cen- day (for Draggin’ Main), There was “not enough tered around Main Street we did it every night back at Lake this year. It’s a continuation (pre-registration) atten- in the ’60s and ’70s,” said of trying to promote the dance to justify” the parade his wife of 33 years, Mary on Saturday morning, given businesses on Main.” Romero. Sumner the street closures it would Main Street may have changed since many of the “It’s a shame it’s only By David Grieder have required. The town did not seem to old-timers cruised it in the once a year. During the STAFF WRITER badly miss the event, as the 1950s and 1960s, but it summer, this should happen [email protected] Gearhead Gathering from could not have had more all the time. Or every Staff photos: Tony Bullocks FORT SUMNER — State 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. life 60 years ago than it did Saturday,” said Jenny Promoters predicted about 800 cars would cruise Main police are expected to con- Saturday was robustly Saturday night. Martinez. Street Saturday during the Draggin’ Main event. tinue the search today for a missing teenager believed to have drowned Friday at a diversion dam near Fort Sumner. De Baca County Deputy Medical Investigator Juan Chavez said officials were going to shut off water at Lake Sumner dam and resume the search at 8 a.m. today. Sheriff’s officers received a report Friday evening of a possible drowning at the diversion dam “along the Pecos River, north of US Highway 60 near milepost 325,” according to an NMSP press release. Colton Alexander Sawyer, 19, of Tularosa was said to have “not resurfaced” after jumping into the river with two others, the release said. The sheriff’s office was notified around 7:30 p.m. Friday, Chavez said, and state police were called in to assist around 9 p.m. NMSP’s Search and Recovery Dive Team searched the area Saturday morning, along with others, along the river south of the dam. Chavez said the search Saturday was “pretty exten- sive,” with “ranchers on horseback, ATVs, firemen, and people on boats” out looking for any sign of the teen. Saturday’s search opera- tion was suspended about 3 Staff photos: Tony Bullocks p.m., Chavez said, with the No Refund jams at the old Levine’s location on Main. hope that shutting off water to the dam will aid the search today. Obituaries Lottery Meetings calendar Events calendar Friday Monday Use Committee — 5:30 p.m. Today Information: 575-356-3940 Funerals ■ Parks, Recreation and at Dora Community Building. ■ Juneteenth — 3 p.m. at ■ Toddler Time — 10 a.m. Monday Mega Millions Beautification Committee — Public Town Hall meetings Legacy Life Family Church. at Clovis-Carver Public Library Merle Terry — 10 a.m. at 12 20 53 66 74 5:30 p.m. at city hall, Clovis. regarding land use plans. Presenters, poets, music. for ages 10 months-3 years. Kingswood Methodist in Megaball: 11 Information: 575-769-7828 Information: 575-356-5307 Information: 575-749-6570 Information: 575-769-7840 Clovis, 2600 N. Main St. Megaplier: 2 Tuesday Thursday Monday Thursday ■ Roosevelt County Land ■ Roosevelt County Land ■ Movie Mondays — 1 ■ Steven Gamble retire- Use Committee — 1 p.m. at Use Committee — 5 p.m. at p.m. in Ingram Room, Clovis- ment reception — 2 p.m. at Roosevelt County Courthouse, Floyd Community Center. Carver Public Library. Movie: Campus Union Building, commission room. Public Town Public Town Hall meetings “Sing.” Information: 575-769- Eastern New Mexico University. Hall meetings regarding land regarding land use plans. 7840 Information: 575-562-1011 ■ use plans. Information: 575- Information: 575-356-5307 Full STEAM Ahead — ■ Blooming Talent — 356-5307 10:30 a.m. at Portales Public 10:30 a.m. at Portales Public ■ Clovis Municipal School This calendar is a daily list- Library for grades K-6. Activity: Library. Guest: Garden Source Bristle bots. Information: 575- Board — 5:30 p.m. in district ing of area public meetings. Nursery. Information: 575-356- 356-3940 board room, Clovis. To place an item on the calen- 3940 Information: 575-769-4300 ■ Farmers Market opening dar, call the newsroom at 575- ■ Childrens’ Storyhour — 763-6991 or e-mail: day — 5 p.m.