Santa Fe backdrop for cable TV show

Santa Fe will be featured tonight on the Food Network when the cable television channel broadcasts an episode of The Great Food Truck Race that was filmed here in late April.

The show centers on a competition among operators of vending trucks to sell the most food during stops at a series of cities between Southern California and New York.

A promotional announcement for the episode titled Chile Santa Fe, which can be seen locally at 7 and 10 p.m., says the six remaining teams "make frantic calls to local tastemakers to rally support" as they approach "the small art community of Santa Fe."

Arriving during a spring snow shower, competitors are required to "add a special dish to their menu that includes local red or green chiles."

The producers also use Eric DiStefano of the Coyote Cafe as a "secret judge" to sample each of the dishes, with the winning truck receiving immunity from elimination that weekend before the group moves on to the next city.

In addition to free publicity for their businesses, the competitors are vying for a $50,000 grand prize.

Park and Ride to offer limited free service

The state Department of Transportation during the week of Aug. 30 through Sept. 3 will offer free Park and Ride bus service at certain stops on its Orange Route, which travels between Las Vegas, N.M., and Santa Fe.

Passengers using the bus stops at Rowe and at N.M. 319 near San Jose during that week won't have to pay the usual $3 one-way fare or use a $90 monthly pass.

"This limited-time offer is being provided to introduce area residents to a safe, convenient, comfortable and inexpensive community option," an announcement said.

Parking is free at Park and Ride lots, where buses make three early morning departures and four evening departures. In addition, free connecting shuttle service is available at the South Capitol Station in Santa Fe.

For additional information, call 866-551-RIDE (7433) or 505-424-1110. Schedules are available online at www.nmparkandride.com.

Radio commentator to make Santa Fe stop

Political activist and national radio commentator Jim Hightower is scheduled to make a return visit to Santa Fe next weekend.

The former Texas agriculture commissioner, author of seven books and publisher of the populist newsletter The Hightower Lowdown, is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Saturday at Collected Works Bookstore in downtown Santa Fe as a fundraiser for KSFR, the local public radio station.

Tickets are $10 and available in advance through the station at 428-1379.

Hightower, whose commentaries are broadcast on 150 stations nationwide and can be heard weekdays at 5:30 p.m. on KSFR, also will appear at a benefit reception afterward with food, beverages and live music by The Hot Club of Santa Fe. Tickets for the reception and talk are $35.

Hightower made a similar fundraising appearance for the station last November.

Attorneys to give legal help in Española

Española residents will be able to get free legal help on a variety of topics Saturday during a "legal fair" sponsored by the State Bar of New Mexico.

Attorneys from the 1st Judicial District, which includes Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Los Alamos counties, will be on hand to provide free consultations on a first-come, first-served basis, an announcement said.

Interpreters and bilingual attorneys will be available during the event, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Stroke Senior Center, 735 Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Park Road.

Areas of law in which help will be provided include bankruptcy and foreclosure, creditor/debtor and landlord/tenant issues, guardianships and public benefits, immigration and family law, and Indian and tribal law.

The event is being coordinated by the 1st Judicial District Pro Bono Committee of the Access to Justice Commission, the State Bar Legal Services and Programs Committee, Law Access New Mexico and The University of New Mexico School of Law.

Bandelier reopens visitor center

Bandelier National Monument plans to celebrate the grand reopening of its Visitor Center on Wednesday.

Entry to the park will be free that day, and a free shuttle service will be provided from White Rock, a news release from Superintendent Jason Lott said.

The monument received federal money to expand restrooms, remove asbestos, update electrical wiring and replace security systems, among other upgrades during a project that began a year ago.

"More space has been opened in the museum, allowing us to use funds generated by fees to create beautiful new exhibits," Lott said. "The museum will highlight the rich Pueblo cultural history and the Pueblo relationship to the landscape."

A new theater will show a film featuring high-definition views of Bandelier's natural surroundings.

Festivities on Wednesday will include Pueblo dancers. Shuttles will start at 10:30 a.m. from a lot near N.M. 4 and Rover Boulevard in White Rock and operate until the monument closes at 7 p.m.