MainStreet secures master plan funding

The Belen MainStreet Partnership has received the funding it needs to create a downtown master plan for Belen. Last week, the New Mexico Economic Development Department awarded the $50,000 grant to the Belen MainStreet Partnership. The downtown master plan will provide a vision for downtown Belen through a series of community meetings and expert analysis […]

Old city hall roof restoration to start

Thanks to a new $15,000 grant from PNM, the Belen MainStreet Partnership and City of Belen will begin restoration of the leaky roof at old city hall. “Belen was recently recognized as an emerging MainStreet community,” Gov. Susana Martinez said during the announcement on December 18, “And is working to develop its distinctive characteristics, like […]

Community garden gets grant

From PNM: The PNM Resources Foundation announced grants to 32 organizations, 29 across New Mexico and three in Texas, conducting projects which promote environmental stewardship and/or community improvements of public spaces. Grants totaling $300,000 will be awarded in honor of the PNM Resources Foundation’s 30th anniversary. Community members will be able to enjoy the benefits […]

MainStreet works to restore old city hall

The Belen MainStreet Partnership has undertaken a multi-phased process to restore old city hall on Becker Avenue in Belen. The old city hall is a Works Progress Administration project, originally constructed during the Great Depression. Over the years, the building housed city hall, the fire department, police department and the municipal court. The building has […]

Country & Americana Festival is August 17

CELEBRATE BELEN COUNTRY & AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL – A BENEFIT FOR OUR VETERANS WHEN: SATURDAY, AUGUST 17th, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm WHERE: BELEN’S BECKER STREET FROM SECOND to FIFTH STREETS This first Celebrate Belen Music event offers music, art, food, & New Mexico wine & beer in a street festival setting on Belen’s downtown […]

Depp films ‘Transcendence’

Downtown Belen has been transformed into a post-apocalyptic movie set and staging ground for Johnny Depp’s latest movie Transcendence. Depp will be joined by Morgan Freeman and others in Belen and other locations this month to film the movie. In it, a group tries to stop two scientists from creating computers so power they can […]

‘As Cool As I Am’ hits theaters

As Cool As I Am, filmed in downtown Belen last year, was released this week in theaters and on movie streaming websites like Amazon. Featuring Claire Danes and James Marsden, As Cool As I Am is a story about a teenage girl coping with a dramatic family life in a small town. Not only was […]

MainStreet transitioning to ‘Start-Up’

The Belen MainStreet Partnership will be transitioning to the “Start-Up” phase of the New Mexico MainStreet program in late July, according to the director of the New Mexico MainStreet program. New Mexico MainStreet announced in an email yesterday that the Belen MainStreet Partnership has met all of the benchmarks needed to successfully enter the next […]

‘The Last Stand’ hits theaters

The Last Stand, filmed in Belen last fall, was released this weekend in theaters around the country. The Last Stand, which brought Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaimie Alexander, Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzman to Belen, was filmed along Becker Avenue in downtown, where a set was constructed among Belen’s historic buildings. The set included the construction of […]

MainStreet updates city on accomplishments

The Belen MainStreet Partnership updated the Belen City Council yesterday night about it’s accomplishments. Here are some of our recent activities mentioned during the presentation: EVENTS FOR THE PUBLIC Events held and supported by the Belen MainStreet Partnership, which have increased activity in downtown, include: – Farmer’s Market: MainStreet provides organizational support to Jenniffer Singleterry […]