A salute to oil and gas, the industry that makes Artesia’s economy run, and the “red dirt” sound drew Artesians of all ages downtown Saturday for the inaugural Red Dirt Black Gold Festival, presented by the Artesia Chamber of Commerce, Artesia MainStreet, the Artesia Arts Council, and the Artesia Arts & Cultural District. Above, Sunny Sweeney, left, entertains the crowd at the free street concert near Heritage Plaza. Below, a group of children take a ride down Main Street in a backhoe during the Oilfield Equipment Parade. At bottom is a gallery of photos from the parade and Oilfield Olympics.
