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Soberfest induces fun at Haynes Park
K9 Officer Nigel, a 6-year-old German shepard, practices taking a "perp" by the arm.
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There wasn't any drinking, drugs or gambling at Haynes Park Oct. 12, and there wouldn't have been because SoberFest was going on.
While Oktoberfest, which was held in September, has a strong connection to beer, SoberFest focused not only on fun around music, food and cars but also, more importantly, the recovering addicts of Rio Rancho and their sobriety. The event featured the familiar faces of Rio Rancho's The Mesa Club and Desert Mountain Healing. Both organizations focus on helping people with their recovery.
"I think it's really important because the community can see how many resources there are out there," The Mesa Club's Joleen Sanchez said.
She added that while there are many entities that assist people in their journeys to recovery, all work together toward the same goal.
Sean Roberts, with Desert Mountain Healing, couldn't agree more.
"Today is an absolutely special day to be able to celebrate people recovering and have an event in Rio Rancho that is focused on that recovery," he said.
He added that vendor and attendee turn out was "incredible."
While celebrating sobriety, people could get a good view of several cars lined up along the fence, including many from the Volkswagen Club of Rio Rancho. There was also plenty of sobriety-themed music played at the event.
One of the most interesting displays came from Rio Rancho Police Department's K9 Officer Nigel, who did a demonstration for onlookers. One officer dressed in a heavy training uniform for the demo, and Nigel bit down hard on one of his well-protected arms.
According to Nigel's training officer and owner, Nigel was named after Officer Nigel Benner, who was killed while on duty in 2015. The K-9 is a 6 year-old German shepard who could retire soon. Nigel has had some medical issues in the past bue "still behaves like a puppy," according to his trainer. His speciality is in narcotics, but he also assists with other officer tasks on patrol.
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All in all, SoberFest was a show of how many resources people have in Rio Rancho. Besides police, The Mesa Club and Desert Mountain Healing there were at least a dozen other vendors.
For more information, visit mesaclub.org or dmhiop.com.
