The city of Rio Rancho and UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center present Winterfest 2012, which will feature a variety of activities once again taking place in the City Center area on Saturday, Dec. 15.


Those attending this year’s Winterfest are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items and clothing items to the Santa Ana Star Center starting at 4 p.m. on Dec. 15. Those who donate items will be entered into a raffle
to win a variety of prizes including event
tickets to future events held at the Santa
Ana Star Center such as Cirque du Soleil, local restaurant gift cards, and much more. The donated items that are collected at Winterfest will be given to Storehouse West and Community Clothes Closest for distribution to those in need.

Events taking place at Winterfest include a parade through the City Center with thousands of luminarias on display, marshmallow roasting, and a kid’s scavenger hunt. At the UNM West campus there will be refreshments and children’s storytelling.

Inside the Santa Ana Star Center there will be special $1 refreshments while supplies last, games and fun jumps for children, holiday music, a holiday movie showing, a train for children to ride on, and a special visitor from the North Pole will make an appearance with picture opportunities available.

The city of Rio Rancho is now accepting registrations for the Winterfest Parade. The theme for this year's parade is “Rudolph in Rio.” Participants are encouraged to decorate floats that reflect the classic holiday story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In addition, all floats must be well lit through the adornment of holiday lights, and use of LED low-energy lights is recommended.

The parade will kick off at 5:15 p.m. and begin west of the Santa Ana Star Center and travel on Civic Center Circle past Rio Rancho City Hall, west on King Boulevard, south on HP Way, and end back at the Santa Ana Star Center.

Parade registration can be done online by visiting the city’s Web site, http://www.ci.rio-rancho.nm.us/parades, or paper forms can be obtained at the Rio Rancho City Hall offices of the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.


The fee to take part in the parade is $15. Payment  
can be made at Rio Rancho City Hall or over the
phone at (505) 891-5015. The city accepts credit  
cards (Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American
Express), checks and cash. The deadline to register
and pay applicable fees for the Winterfest Parade is
Monday, Dec. 3.  
The scheduled times for Winterfest 2012 events and
activities are:


• 4 p.m. - Doors to the Santa Ana Star Center open and inside there will be train rides for children available, $1 refreshments while supplies last, and holiday music

• 5:15 p.m. to 6 p.m. - Parade around the City Center area

• 5:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. - More than 10,000 luminarias will be lit and on display in the City Center area, marshmallow roasting, and a kid’s scavenger hunt

• 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Refreshments and children’s storytelling at the UNM West campus

• 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – Inside the Santa Ana Star Center there will be a train for children to ride on, $1 refreshments while supplies last, holiday music, a holiday movie showing, games and fun jumps for children, a special visitor from the North Pole will make an appearance with picture opportunities available, and raffle prize drawings for those who donated non-perishable food and clothing items will take place (those eligible do not have to be present to win prizes)

Winterfest 2012 and its associated activities are coordinated by the Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department; the Rio Rancho Convention and Visitors Bureau; and Global Spectrum, the management company for the Santa Ana Star Center. The UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center is a sponsor of the event.

For more information, please call (505) 891-5015. Rio Rancho City Hall is located at 3200 Civic Center Circle.

The City Center area can be accessed either of the following ways:

*From I-25, take the U.S. 550 Bernalillo exit and head west on U.S. 550 through the intersection
of N.M. 528/Pat D'Arco Highway until you reach Paseo del Volcan. Turn left onto Paseo del
Volcan and travel on this roadway until you
reach the entrance (on your right) to the Paseo del Volcan bypass roadway and entrance to the City Center area.

*Proceed north on N.M. 528/Pat D'Arco Highway into Rio Rancho. Make a left on Southern Boulevard and then a right onto Unser Boulevard. Travel on Unser Boulevard until you reach King Boulevard, and then make a right onto King Boulevard to enter the City Center area.