Old Man Gloom set to burn today

| The New Mexican

9/3/2008 - 9/4/08

It's been called the one thing that virtually everyone in this diverse and sometimes contentious community actually agrees on: Burn Zozobra.

And sometime around dusk, one of Santa Fe's most popular rituals is scheduled to take place for the 84th time — the torching of Old Man Gloom along with the cares and woe of the past year.

Gates open at 2 p.m. at Fort Marcy Park for early birds seeking a good position among the thousands who will watch the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe stage the burning of Zozobra, created in 1924 by Santa Fe artist Will Shuster.

Entertainment is scheduled to start at 3 p.m., featuring Lumbre Del Sol with Sol Fire, Mariachi Buena Ventura, Tony C De Baca, Stone Deep and Estillo.

Because of heavy pedestrian traffic, streets around the park will be blocked off to all but residents beginning around 4 p.m. There will be no parking at Fort Marcy, but All Aboard America shuttles will be available from DeVargas Center. The free shuttle will run from noon until the end of the service day.

Those who haven't bought advance tickets will have to pay $10 at the gate to get into the park; 5-years-old and younger children will be admitted free.

Special-needs parking is on a first-come, first-served basis with no advance reservations. Enter through the gate at Bishops Lodge and Artist roads (the entrance to the recreation complex). All people in the vehicle must have a ticket, and a valid state- or city-issued handicap-parking pass is required. The gate will open at 2 p.m., and the road will close sometime after 5 p.m.

KOB-TV 4 will broadcast live from the event on Pinpoint 4 Weather Plus from 6 to 9:30 p.m. The event will also be simulcast as a live video stream online at www.kob.com.

For more details, visit www.zozobra.com.