The Horizon Band of Deming will perform at The Flame in Silver City to raise funds for the Silver City Museum. Band members (pictured left to right) are Craig Irwin, Kelly Fetrow, Mel Quarrell, Charlie Sera and his son, Steven Sera. All Proceeds to Benefit the Silver City Museum

Silver City -- Calling all dance lovers! The Silver City Museum Society presents the second annual "Diamonds and Denim Ball," Saturday, July 6, from 7:00 to 10:00 pm at The Flame, 2800 N. Pinos Altos Road in Silver City.  The Horizon Band from Deming will play a variety of danceable music - country tunes from the 70s and 80s, a few contemporary country hits, along with rock and roll and Latin favorites.

Members of the band have deep roots in southwestern New Mexico. Craig Irwin is the band's rhythm guitarist and nephew of Meredith Neal from the band, Meredith Neal and The Bootheel Boys, a popular Western swing band that played regularly at the Murray Hotel from the 1950s through the 70s.  

"We just love to get people dancing," said Irwin, whose mother, Dona Irwin, was New Mexico's District 32 state representative for 18 years. "That's what inspires us, is to see that crowd dancing and enjoying themselves."

Meredith Neal got Irwin out on stage at just 15 years old. Meredith's wife, Bobbie, and her sister Dona Irwin, both were born and raised in the H.B. Ailman House when it served as the town's fire station. Their home is now home to the Silver City Museum. The drummer of the Bootheel Boys was Inez Ybarra, Patsy Madrid's father. Patsy, the creative force behind this fundraising event, is the chairperson of the Silver City Museum Society's Fundraising Committee, and also serves as vice president of the Society's Board of Trustees.

In addition to Irwin, the band includes Charlie Sera, lead guitarist and singer; his son, Steven Sera, bass guitarist and singer; Kelly Fetrow, fiddle player and backup vocalist; and Mel Quarrell on drums.

In its heyday, the band won the Dodge Wrangler Country Showdown in Albuquerque, and was sponsored by local radio station KNFT to attend the national competition, playing the Roy Acuff Theater in Nashville. The band also enjoyed gigs on the old strip on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada, and throughout the southwest, before calling it quits to focus on family and other interests. Original band members Teddy Tapscott, who played pedal steel guitar and lead guitar, drummer Larry Dennison, and Rick Haxton, bass guitar and harmonica player, have all since passed away.

The group started playing again some 10 years ago after a 30-year hiatus. "It's in your blood, said Irwin. "We decided to start playing again because we enjoy it so much, and love to see people having fun."

Tickets for the fundraising event are $15 per person or $25 per couple, and available at the Silver City Museum Store, 312 West Broadway Avenue, or at Vintage Fantasies, 412 N. Bullard Street. All proceeds from the event support museum exhibits and programs.  A cash bar will be available. Events sponsors: the Town of Silver City, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Western Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL), and Flowers on 11th.

For more information, please contact Brittany Beers, the museum's community engagement manager, at (575) 597-0230, or communityengagement@silvercitymuseum.org .

The Silver City Museum creates opportunities for residents and visitors to explore, understand, and celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of southwestern New Mexico by collecting, preserving, researching, and interpreting the region's unique history. The museum is nationally recognized through its accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums. For more information, please visit www.silvercitymuseum.org .