Banquet makes return

The Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce banquet Saturday showed significant changes its director hopes leads to bigger and better event next year and beyond.

With the banquet back after a one-year hiatus, the Viva Las Tucumcari event at the Tucumcari Convention Center featured a casino theme for attendees' own amusement instead of watching live entertainment, plus a serve-yourself Taste of Tucumcari food from four vendors instead of a catered meal.

Chamber Director Carmen Runyan, presiding over her first banquet since being hired for the post in March 2018, said she wouldn't have final figures for attendance and revenue until later this week because she's busy making goodie bags and other preparations Wednesday for Quay Day, where area leaders will meet with New Mexico Legislature officials in Santa Fe before the lawmaking session begins.

Runyan said the chamber's goal was to sell 200 tickets, and she said a few days before that ticket sales were going well. The banquet serves as a major fundraiser for the chamber.

Runyan said she was pleased with what she saw Saturday night.

"I'm very excited with how the event went," she said. "It's got the potential to be a big event for a lot of people to have fun, which is the whole point. We're really excited to have the opportunity to share our businesses with our food vendors and their supplying of prizes. It's a win-win for everybody.

"I'm always and eternally grateful - every version of that word - for the community and businesses as a whole," she added.

Runyan said she'd been planning the 2020 banquet since shortly after her hiring. She said she wanted "something different with the potential to grow."

"I know there were people there were people who missed the event last year," she added. "I hope this event makes up for that."

The crowds of people in the casino area impressed Gail Sanders, Runyan's predecessor as chamber director.

"It looks like everyone having a ball over there," she said. "I don't see any empty spots."

Sanders also praised the Taste of Tucumcari setup that featured select food from Loretta's Burrito Hut, Cornerstone First Edition, Be Blessed Catering and the Roadrunners 4-H Club. Those vendors essentially served heavy hors d'oeuvres ranging from shrimp with Andouille sausage, Gouda mac 'n' cheese, enchiladas and individual meatballs in marinara sauce.

"The food was absolutely delicious, and it was a nice variety," Sanders said.

The banquet also included prize raffles and silent auctions.

As indicative of the banquet's Las Vegas-inspired name, casino decor reigned supreme Saturday night. Attendees received a complimentary bag of casino chips and could buy more for $10. Staffers from Parties, Picnics & Promotions in Amarillo ran the craps, blackjack and roulette tables that remained full for much of the night. The gambling was all for amusement and not for money. Extra chips could be used to buy extra raffle tickets.

The crowds around the faux-gambling tables brought to mind Tucumcari's failed bid last summer to land a license from the New Mexico Racing Commission. The agency declined to award a sixth and final license to any suitors from Tucumcari, Clovis and Lordsburg that would have enabled the construction of a racetrack and casino.

Runyan said the racino angle hadn't occurred to her for the banquet, and she said she didn't regard Tucumcari's lack of a license as an opportunity lost.

"I think Tucumcari has the ability to do whatever it wants to do with or without outside assistance," she said. "We have a lot of great people; we have a lot of talent, a lot of potential.

"It's a shame with the racino, but I don't think it's going to be the end of Tucumcari," Runyan added.