By Dan Brown, Past International President (2021-2022)
On behalf of all the New Mexico Civitan Clubs: City of Vision, Farmington Noonday, River of Hope, Route 66 and Sandia
we want to invite and hopefully welcome you to the Civitan International Convention August 4-7th, 2024 in my hometown,
Albuquerque, New Mexico. We promise to make this the absolute best convention you have ever attended and you probably won’t ever want to leave!

My goal for this article is to get you to register right now and get to planning your trip. Most of you remember David Letterman and his Top 10 lists. I have put together a few of my own.

Dan’s Top 10 Reasons to Attend the Civitan International Convention
10. Vote on the Bylaw changes
9. Vote on the new leaders of Civitan
8. Attend the installation banquet
7. Tell lawyer jokes to President Dee Hutsler
6. Meet and get a hug from past World Citizenship Award winner and first person with
Down Syndrome to own a restaurant, Tim Harris.
5. Participate in Walk-n-Roll in Old Town Albuquerque
4. Play in the 31st Annual Breakthru Golf Event at Twin Warriors
Golf Course. Sponsor a Special Olympic foursome to play in the event.
3. Get informed and motivated at the incredible workshops
2. Buy some Civitan swag at the Supply House store
And the Number 1 reason to attend the Civitan International Convention in
Albuquerque:
#1 – See old Civitan Friends from around theworld and make new lifetime friends.

Dan’s Top 10 Things to See and Do in Albuquerque
10. Go on brewery tour of the 40 microbreweries in town
9. Visit the Rio Grande Zoo, Aquarium and Botanical Gardens
8. Visit the Petroglyph National Monument
7. Go to an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game-AAA affiliate of the Rockies
6. Visit the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
5. Visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
4. Take a “Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul” tour
3. Take a Ghost Tour of Albuquerque Old Town
2. Take a ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway, the longest and highest tramway in North America. Dine at
10,300ft elevation at the Ten 3 Restaurant.
And the number one thing to see and do in Albuquerque:
#1 – You are in the Hot Air Ballooning Capital of the world, take a balloon ride!

Dan’s Top 10 Things to See and Do in New Mexico
10. Visit the Bisti Badlands wilderness and see the magnificent Hoodoo formations
9. Visit Chaco Canyon National Historical Park
8. Visit Taos Pueblo which has been continuously inhabited for more than
1,000 years. Visit the quant town of Taos
7. Visit the birthplace of the Atomic Bomb, Los Alamos
6. Visit El Morro National Monument, Inscription Rock, Volcanic Caldera and Ice
Cave near Grants.
5. Visit Meow Wolf in Santa Fe
4. Visit the International UFO Museum
and Research Center in Roswell
3. Visit the City Different, Santa Fe, our capital and the Santa Fe Opera
2. Visit White Sands National Park
And the Number 1 thing to do and see in New Mexico:
#1 – Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Dan’s Top 10 Places to Eat in Albuquerque
10. Church Street Café for New Mexico Food
9. Monte Carlo Steakhouse for steak
8. Campo at Los Poblanos farm-to-table dining on a lavender farm
7. D.H. Lescombes Winery and Bistrogreat wine and variety of food
6. Sawmill Market- an upscale food market with a wide variety of options to choose
5. Duran Central Pharmacy-great New Mexican food
4. Stripes Burritos-best breakfast burrito in town
3. Laguna Burger-best green chile cheeseburger in town
2. El Pinto-“touristy” New Mexican food but the best patio dining in town
And the Number 1 place to eat in Albuquerque:
#1 – Hot Tamales in Rio Rancho-nothing fancy except great New Mexican food and prices

I hope that this really got you motivated to attend this year’s convention. It has been 25 years since the last Albuquerque convention and I still have people tell me that one was the best ever. We are planning to top that one. I know many of you will be coming from a long distance and I hope that you just don’t come for the convention. Make this a New Mexico vacation. There is so much to see and do in The Land of Enchantment. Here’s the link to register: www.civitan.org/convention

Dan Brown, Civitan International
President 2021-22