Organization continues decades of supporting Wild Thing

Each July, Wild Thing Championship Bullriding rocks Gallup with a bevy of entertainment for the whole family. This year marks its 30th anniversary of bringing the number one open bull riding to the southwest.

Wild Thing couldn’t happen without its partners and sponsors. And there’s one local organization that always helps out and receives funding in return.

Manuelito Navajo Children’s Home has been synonymous with Wild Thing for the last 25 years and counting. Its long tradition began when MNCH first took shape on the west end of Gallup in Mentmore.

MNCH takes in children who come from all sorts of family situations. Some may come from a single-parent home, where their parent is struggling to care for all the children at home. Others are taken in due to neglect or abuse. The home feeds and clothes these kids, who also attend the onsite school, in hopes of giving them a better life and chance to succeed later as adults.

Executive Director Jim Christian said Wild Thing is always a fun time for the kids.

“The kids are always excited in wanting to do their part and we also get a little help from friends that come from Arkansas,” Christian said.

Those friends are members of the Church of Christ from Arkansas, who have been doing this for many years, planning their vacation around this time of the year.

GOOD SHOW FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Each year the children, whose ages range from 6 to 16 years old, help at Wild Thing by handling the parking fees at the gate and serving customers at the concession stand. Greeting the hungry crowds is just a small fun part; the kids also get to enjoy the bull riding and other festivities as well.

Even better is that all proceeds from concessions and parking go to MNCH, making it the largest fundraiser of the year for them.

Christian said the kids love being involved and feel valuable in doing this yearly tradition. Even alumni from the school come back and lend a hand.

“We have about a dozen kids that will help out,” Christian said.

The funds help the school get through the slow times. This means paying the electric bill, providing food, and helping the kids go to camp.

“We don’t receive any government funding at all,” Christian said. “Just private donations. It’s an essential key component, it helps create some awareness that we are here and [it] lets people know that we offer those services.”

GETTIN’ WILD

Wild Thing Championship Bullriding is the number one open Bull-riding event in the southwest and is held at Red Rock State Park. This year it takes place July 7 to July 8, kicking off nightly at 7 pm and ending at 11 pm.

Wild Thing is primarily run by Larry Peterson, whose dad, Joel Peterson, started the relationship with MNCH. Joel Peterson built MNCH and was very involved with the organization and essential to starting it.

Having a special place in his heart for the children, Joel came up with the fundraiser to help the kids. Years later, that relationship has continued to grow, all the while providing for the kids.

Christian said he’s very appreciative of the Peterson family.

MNCH is also involved in other fundraising events such as a Memorial 5K and has started building another relationship with the Hubbell Trading Post with their rug auction. MNCH is always accepting donations (monetarily, non-perishable foods, good used clothing).

For more information on Manuelito Navajo Children’s Home, visit website mnch.org, their Facebook page, or call (505) 863-5530.

By Dee Velasco

9:00 am-4:00 pm @Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility (Mon.-Fri.)

Drive-thru Moderna vaccines for individuals, 18 and over; First dose Pfizer vaccine reserved for individuals, ages 16 years old; Second dose Pfizer vaccine, for individuals, ages 16 and over.

9:00 am-3:45 pm @ Piñon Health Center (T, W, Th)

Drive thru; Moderna vaccines for individuals, ages 18 and over; first and/or second doses. Walk-in or by appointment (928) 725-9605.

Pfizer vaccine reserved for individuals, age 16 years old and older; first and/or second doses; Walk-in or by appointment (928) 725-9605.

8:30 am-3:45 pm or until doses are depleted March 20@Crownpoint Healthcare Facility.

Elders and high risk individuals are priority. Individuals ages 16-18 years and older will be scheduled based on available vaccine supply. Call (505) 786-6270 for an appointment.

10:00 am-2:00 pm or until doses are depleted March 31 @Crownpoint Healthcare Facility. Second dose Pfizer vaccines for individuals who received first doses on March 9 and March 20.

10am-3 pm @Pueblo Pintado Clinic (M-Th)

Elders and high risk individuals are priority. Individuals ages 16-18 years and older will be scheduled based on available vaccine supply. By appointment only – (505) 655-3254.

10 am-3 pm @ Thoreau Clinic (M-F)

Elders and high risk individuals are priority. Individuals ages 16-18 years and older will be scheduled based on available vaccine supply. By appointment only – (505) 862-8761.

8 am-4 pm @Gallup Indian Medical Center Internal Medicine Clinic (M-F)

By appointment only. (505) 722-1753.

9 am-4 pm @ Fire Rock Casino March 27. Second dose Pfizer vaccines for individuals, ages 16 years and older, who received their first dose on March 6.

More and more homeowners across the country are turning to solar energy to keep the lights on. As of 2024, 4.2 million single-family homes are equipped with solar installations out of the 84.69 million eligible homes. The switch can lead to some major savings for the average homeowner — anywhere from $28,000 - $120,000 over the lifespan of a solar panel system, depending on an area’s electricity costs.

According to the President of Gallup Solar Bill Bright, the average Gallup citizen pays over $100 a month in electrical bills. He said that with a solar panel, the electrical bill can go down to about $80 a month. A household can save an average of $20,000 over the lifespan of a solar panel system. But Bright also wants people to know that there are some risks when it comes to installing solar panels.

Gallup Solar and Bright recently learned of a scam going on around the McKinley County community where salespeople are showing up to peoples’ doorsteps and encouraging them to go solar and allow a company to install solar panels.

The solar panels work fine and provide electricity to the homes, but the homeowners eventually learn one major flaw: they’re not seeing a reduction in their electricity bill, which is one of the perks of installing solar panels for a homeowner.

“It’s unfortunately happening across the U.S,” Bright said. “I”ve been hearing news about it. [It’s] corruption, which is rampant in our country with retailers and contractors unfortunately. And they’ve moved into the solar industry.”

When an electrician installs a solar panel system at a house or business, they are supposed to fill out a permit application and send it to the city. Without that application, the city can’t give the homeowner or business a special meter that tracks how much energy the panels are producing and using

Soon after the installers have been paid and leave, the home and business owners realize something is amiss when they look at their electrical bills and don’t notice any changes.

BETHANY CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH GETS SCAMMED

Rick Kruis knows what Bright is talking about all too well.

He is a deacon at the Bethany Christian Reformed Church, and in September he recommended that they put solar panels on the church’s parsonage, which is a house provided for the church’s clergy.

Kruis felt confident in the project because he’d had it done to his own home and he’d gotten solar panels put on the church.

“It’s sort of my ambition to be able to tell my grandchildren I did something for this climate crisis we have,” Kruis said. "I'm trying to promote solar anywhere I can.”

After a recommendation from a friend, Kruis checked out the company SunPower. He liked what he saw — the company allegedly had an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and they were ranked the #1 residential solar panel installer in the country.

The project was eventually subcontracted out to a company called Jag Inc. And Kruis said that’s where things went wrong.

“I was duped because I had so much confidence in the supposed parent company that I took things for granted,” Kruis said.

The church signed a contract with Jag in September, and they came out and began the project in early October. Kruis said they wrapped it up by the end of that month.

The contractors left, and everything seemed to be fine. Until Kruis was alerted to the problem with the parsonage’s electric bill: nothing had changed. It didn’t take Kruis long to realize the contractors hadn’t submitted a permit to the city.

“It only costs $160 [to submit the permit], but I think maybe the permitting process was intimidating to them,” Kruis said.

Kruis said he called SunPower and Jag Inc., and at first the representatives were responsive and kind. But they weren’t forthcoming about finalizing the permit.

A SunPower representative eventually emailed Kruis and told him that Jag Inc. actually doesn’t have a contract with them, they merely supply the company with the necessary equipment.

Kruise eventually realized he needed to get another entity involved, so he had the New Mexico State Electrical Inspectors come out and take a look at the parsonage.

The inspector confirmed that Jag Inc. had installed the solar panels correctly.

But that still didn’t solve the permit problem.

The church is still paying full price for electricity because the city can’t inspect the solar panel without a permit.

Kruis said he may have a solution though: he has an electrician friend who has helped him with permits in the past. He said his friend isn’t a big fan of permits either, but they have a system where Kruis fills the paperwork out and then his friend files it under his LLC.

Church members donated a total of $19,000 to get this project completed, and now Kruis says he feels embarrassed for even suggesting the project.

THE PROBLEM CLOSE TO HOME

Unfortunately, Larry Foster knows the type of pain Kruis is going through.

About 18 months ago, a man came knocking on Foster’s door and told him about the benefits of solar energy, specifically explaining that he could save a lot of money on his electrical bills. Foster said he knew the man and his family, so there was a sense of trust there. He went ahead and signed a contract with a company called GoodLeap LLC, which is based out of Oregon.

However, GoodLeapLLC is just the middleman. They set Foster up with a plan for $15,000 and put him in contact with a New Mexico company called My Solar. My Solar gets their equipment from Add on Electric. Once they had the equipment they came out to Foster’s house and began the work.

But Foster soon realized they didn’t do everything they were supposed to, and similar to Kruis, they left without filing a permit with the city.

Foster said that during this 18-month period, he was still paying his full electrical bill, which averaged about $150 a month. Foster estimated that he’d lost almost $3,000 paying an overpriced electrical bill when he technically had solar power capability.

THE LEGITIMACY OF A BUSINESS

The Sun tried to track down representatives from both Add on Electric and SunPower. Nobody from SunPower responded to multiple emails or calls, and Add on Electric’s website says it’s currently in “Maintenance mode” and that it will be available soon. There is no contact information listed on the website in its current state.

A representative from the New Mexico and Southern Colorado Bureau of Better Business said Add on Electric is no longer accredited with the non-profit organization.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Gallup Solar is trying to get the word out about this scam.

When people call and tell them they got scammed, the non-profit organization tells them that the first thing they should do is call the company that installed the solar panels.

Bright gave some advice for anyone interested in putting solar panels up at their home or business. He suggested that people should do their research before signing a contract with any company.

“People should do their homework to check out a company before  they sign any contract, just like they would any other contractor,” he said. “You want to get some testimonies from other people to see if they’re viable. You want to get some background [information] to see if they’re a legitimate company. Most of them are legitimate, but we have these few people who are doing this.”

As a non-profit, all Gallup Solar can really do is try to educate people. Bright said they’re trying to get young people interested in becoming solar engineers because right now there aren’t any in the local area.

“Unfortunately we don’t have any dedicated solar engineers in Gallup or the surrounding area,” he said. “They’re mostly coming from the Rio Grande corner, mostly from Albuquerque and Santa Fe. They’re coming over here and bringing their own electricians and doing a good job, but taking all the money out of our economy."

In an effort to keep money in the local economy, Gallup Solar offers free training to anyone interested in solar engineering. They then encourage those people to develop those skills even further and become solar contractors.

To learn more about Gallup Solar and their mission, visit gallupsolar.org.

By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor

More maintenance on tap

Golfers rejoice!

The Fox Run Golf Course reopened on April 3.

However, only the back nine holes are open to the public. In an interview with the Sun, the city’s Director of Golf Matthew Alcala explained why he could only open half of the course right now.

“The front nine needs a lot more work than the back nine, and you can kind of see a lot of the work that we have done on the back half has been reestablished,” he said.

The areas that still need some “love and care” according to Alcala include the tee box, the green surrounds, and two greens. These areas need to be reseeded, along with the driving range t-box.

Alcala said he and his team are trying to get golfers off the mats and back on to the green again, but a lack of water in 2023 prevented that goal.

“The big thing is when you lose water one of the first things you tend to let go to conserve water is your driving range area,” he said. “That’s why that area looks so bad because we’re always having to conserve water to try and keep other spots alive on the golf course. ... When you don’t have potable water for two weeks and you also don’t have effluent running, you just really got to pick and choose what you keep alive and save,” he said.

PUMP PROBLEMS

PERSIST

Gallup’s water department is currently working on a new effluent line. Gallup’s Water and Sanitation Director Clark Tallis was unavailable for comment on the project.

At the beginning of the year, the Water Department took over the effluent line project from the golf course. Before that, Alcala came in front of the Gallup city council during their Dec. 12 meeting to explain the current problems the golf course was having before the season started.

Alcala told the council that the effluent line project was taking longer than expected, partly because the original plan of having two contractors work on opposite ends of the effluent line and then come together in the middle fell through. One of the contractors, which Alcala would not name, backed out of the project. So, a project that was initially only thought to take two or two-and-a-half months has now taken longer than six months.

At the Dec. 12 meeting Alcala said about 1,000 feet of the effluent pipe still needed to be built.

Another problem occurred when the temporary pipe that pumps water from the treatment plant to the golf course broke down in May. A rental pipe was put int for two and a half weeks, but that cost the city about $99,000.

“I don’t know why we keep having  this issue with this,” Councilor Sarah Piano, Dist. 3, said at the meeting. “I feel like we’re having continual issues with the pump breaking down. ...”

Alcala came in front of the council at that meeting to ask for $332,000 to cover the pump and effluent line rental cost. Despite any misgivings, the council approved the request with an unanimous vote.

By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor