Briskets sale to benefit Quay County Fair
Just in time for Easter, the Quay County Fairboard will be cooking its famous briskets, said Brenda Bishop of the Quay County Extension Service. 
Only 130 briskets will be available and they will be sold on a first come first serve basis, Bishop said.
Briskets will be $40 and   precooked weight will be about 10 pounds.
To reserve a brisket call Nick at Holiday Tire at 461-1184.
Proceeds will be used to cover expenses for the 2009 Quay County Fair.
Deadline to reserve a brisket is April 5.
Briskets are to be picked up  from noon to 5 p.m. on April 10 at the Quay County Fairgrounds.

Scholarships available to Forestry Camp
 The Canadian River Soil and Water Conservation District is offering two scholarships to the New Mexico Forestry Camp, according to a press release.
Campers work with resource professions to learn about trees, streams, archeology, insects, wild land fire, range management, wildlife, outdoor ethos, search and rescue,  soils and geology.
Any New Mexico resident age 13 to 17 with a strong interest in the outdoors is eligible.
About 40 forest campers will attend the five-day outdoor workshop slated for May 31 – June 5, the release said. The camp is held at Rancho del Chaparral Scout Camp in the Jemez Mountains near Cuba.
Applications are due April 15 and are available at the district office, 706 S. First Street.
For more details, call  Lou Briscoe at 461-3612, ext 5.

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan to visit Quay County area Thursday
U.S. Rep. Ben Luján will meet next with constituents to discuss issues in their communities and items before Congress next week.
Here is Lujan’s schedule in the Quay County area:

Thursday
• 8:15 am – Congress at Your Cafe, Pow Wow Cafe, 801 W. Route 66 Blvd., Tucumcari
• 12:30 p.m.   – Congress on Your Corner, Mosquero Courthouse,  35 Pine St., Mosquero
• 2 p.m. – Congress at Your Cafe, Roy Sundries Cafe, 325 Chicosa St., Roy

Deadline for rural communities to seek grant funds extended
The USDA Rural Development’s Business and Cooperative Program has announced that the deadline to apply for the Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG) Program for FY  2009 has been extended to April 30, according to a release.
Acting state director Eric Vigil said, in the release,that the old deadline did not give potential applicants sufficient time to apply.  So, the deadline was extended throughout the nation.
The primary objective of the RBOG Program is to promote sustainable economic development in rural communities. This is accomplished by making grants to pay costs for such things as economic planning for rural communities, technical assistance for rural businesses, or training for rural entrepreneurs or economic development officials.
The grant money is available to public bodies, nonprofits, federally recognized tribal groups and cooperatives, the release stated.
Applications for the RBOG non-earmarked funds will not exceed $50,000 and for multi-state projects $150,000.
Applications are due to the state’s USDA Rural Development Office, Business and Cooperative Programs, 6200 Jefferson NE, Room 255, Albuquerque, NM  87109,  no later than 4:30 p.m. April 30. Applicants will compete nationwide for the funding.
For more information  call (505) 761-4953, or visit the  USDA Rural Development Programs Web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.