A community club will be hosting a cannabis-themed Winter Solstice celebration in Estancia this month, where participants are invited to create artwork and find potential solutions to problems facing their Torrance County community.
The Estancia Valley High Society and Thriving Roots are teaming up to put on their Winter Solstice Puff and Paint event Dec. 21. Cruzita Zamora, owner of Thriving Roots, said part of their goal is to end the negative stigma surrounding cannabis users.
“We’re all cannabis enthusiasts, and we are all also productive members of society,” she said, “The goal of our group is to involve as many people as we can to work toward the betterment of our community and the people who live here.”
The Estancia Valley High Society was formed in November by Zamora and four other members who own businesses or hold jobs in the Estancia community and contribute to the economy. In addition to owning Thriving Roots, Zamora is an herbalist of 19 years and a certified birth doula — a trained professional who provides physical and emotional support and education to mothers before, during and after childbirth — who donates her time to educating groups such as charter schools on the benefits of herbal medicine.
Other founding members include Solomon Svin, a drum-maker and Lakota Song Keeper, Jared Webb, an indie author and floor manager of May Flower Dispensary and Amy May, who owns Mayflower Dispensary. May says Puff and Paint is Estancia Valley High Society’s version of a potluck.
“Instead of bringing dishes of casseroles and chips, we bring our own homegrown, legally purchased or legally sourced cannabis,” she said.
But the group does more than gather to discuss neighborhood issues over a few joints. They hope to change perceptions about cannabis users in Torrance County through community service and education. Svin is a member of the Black Heart Singers, who participate in ceremonies such as the Lakota Sun Dance.
“In addition to teaching those songs to help facilitate those ceremonies, I also teach memorial songs, veteran honoring songs, pow wow songs, children’s songs, usually to young men and women who otherwise would not have anything else constructive to do in alignment with their culture,” Svin said. “Thriving Roots offers a number of services like educational drumming, singing and prayer, herbalist services, apothecary services, doula services, coaching services and classes for people who want to get into the type of knowledge that Cruzita herself has been educated in.”
However, the The Puff and Paint event is also meant to be fun, creative and social. The painting component of the event features Brittney Potter — aka Brittney Monster — a multifaceted contemporary artist from central New Mexico whose work involves themes such as frequencies of the universe, mystical connections with animals and healing through symbols. She will be facilitating the painting session and helping participants develop their own artistic vision through acrylic on canvas.
Zamora says the Estancia Valley High Society wants to breathe some life back into the community and provide recreational spots for residents to gather and discuss important topics in a safe setting.
“We don’t have bars around here; there used to be bars everywhere,” she says. “Cannabis gives us the same opportunity without the alcohol atmosphere. We tend to be more mellow people. It’s sort of the same gathering experience without the problems that come with alcohol.”
For $35, attendees will receive a gift bag with all the necessary materials to participate in the Puff and Paint event, and a free cannabis gift. The club is hoping to expand, and invites anyone interested to join Estancia Valley High Society for a membership fee of $20 per month or $100 per year. Zamora says they plan to get other local business owners to join so that the group can offer more discounts to club members. Currently, Estancia Valley High Society members receive discounts at Thriving Roots and May Flower Dispensary.
Zamora said although the event does involve cannabis consumption, it will not be a raucous celebration and participants must be 21+ to attend. The focus of the Puff and Paint is promoting dialogue about community planning and service, and of course, creating art.
“We want our group to consist of people like small business owners or professionals in some way, or even just responsible, productive people,” she said. “So it’s not going to be like a ‘hang out and party’ kind of thing. We get together and we talk about actual problems in the community, or where we could improve things, how we can improve the laws.”
Winter Solstice Puff and Paint
4:20 p.m.
Dec. 21
Thriving Roots
406 S Fifth St., Estancia, NM
$35