The inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival features multiple upbeat activities to prompt thinking about, talking about and doing something about our 100% mortality rate. The range of free and low-cost activities all around Albuquerque include movies, an art show, yoga class, field trips, panel discussions, the “Prelude to Eternity” party, and more!
Here’s a quick rundown of all the events over the course of six days. You can register for many of them, or simply express your interest to help us plan for attendance, through this link.
PREVIEW EVENT: Wednesday, October 11 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – Death Café discussion and preview of festival events at the Palo Duro Senior Center, 5221 Palo Duro NE (just off San Mateo Blvd. north of Comanche), Albuquerque. Come discuss what’s on your heart or mind about mortality issues. Free event.
Friday, October 20 10:30 a.m. to noon – “What You Need to Know Before You Go” panel discussion with local funeral directors, in partnership with Oasis Albuquerque, held at 3301 Menaul NE, Suite 18, Albuquerque. Class registration through Oasis’ website is free.
Friday, October 20 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Come to the cemetery for an evening of food, drinks, music, a theatrical reading, and Death Over Dinner discussions in the Pavilion at Sunset Memorial Park, 924 Menaul Blvd. NE. The Mediterranean buffet offers something for everyone’s dietary concerns. There will be a Before I Die wall for attendees to express their aspirations with chalk. Music provided by Cammy Cook, flautist and lyric soprano: www.CammyCook.com. Wrinklies on Tour provides readings of RESTING PLACES and PLOTS, two very appropriate and very short plays by New Mexico playwright Robert Benjamin. Cost $25 per person.
Saturday, October 21 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Yoga class “From Child Pose to Corpse Pose: Life, Death, Yoga and Spirituality,” in partnership with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of New Mexico. Free to Osher members, or join Osher for $20 and get the class for free.
Saturday, October 21 Noon & 2:00 p.m. – DOUBLE FEATURE FILMS at The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Avenue NE – Harold and Maude at noon, The Seventh Seal at 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 21 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. “Earth, Air, Fire & Water: A Celebration of Cremation and Art” Local artists show and sell their work in ceramics, paper and other materials, featuring artistic urns, garden sculpture urns for people and pets, and other mortuary art. Takes place at the South Valley studio of Mary Sharp-Davis, 1911 Poplar SW, just off of Bridge and Goff. Free event with refreshments.
Saturday, October 21 4:00 p.m. “How Do You Know if an Autopsy is Necessary?” Vidal Herrera, founder of private autopsy service 1-800-AUTOPSY, has more than 40 years of experience as a coroner investigator and pathologist. He’ll talk about options for families when they have questions about a loved one’s death. Event Location: Cooper Art Studio, 130 Quincy NE. Free event.
Saturday, October 21 8:00 p.m. “Albucreepy Downtown Ghost Walk” The 100-minute Albucreepy Downtown Ghost Walk is an interactive exploration of Albuquerque’s haunted past. Experienced paranormal investigators will guide you past 1.3 miles of Albuquerque’s historic (and reportedly haunted) sites such as the KiMo Theater, the old Bernalillo County Courthouse, the Wool Warehouse, the former red light district known as “Hell’s Half Acre,” and more. Your $30 registration includes the tour and a beer, and the tour begins at the Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory at 219 Central Ave. NW, show up by 7:40. Reserve your tickets at www.Albucreepy.com.
Sunday, October 22 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Tour the historic section of Fairview Cemetery, established in 1881, with historian Susan Schwartz providing insights on famous and infamous residents. Location: 700 Yale Blvd. SE, Albuquerque. Free event.
Sunday, October 22 Noon & 2:00 p.m. – DOUBLE FEATURE FILMS at The Guild Cinema, 3405 Central Avenue NE – Harold and Maude at noon, The Seventh Seal at 2:00 p.m.
Urn by Mary Sharp-Davis
Sunday, October 21 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. “Earth, Air, Fire & Water: A Celebration of Cremation and Art” Local artists show and sell their work in ceramics, paper and other materials, featuring artistic urns, garden sculpture urns for people and pets, and other mortuary art. Takes place at the South Valley studio of Mary Sharp-Davis, 1911 Poplar SW, just off of Bridge and Goff. Free event with refreshments.
Sunday, October 22 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. – Panel Discussion: “Making Plans to Live Well Until We Die: Part One,” in partnership with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of New Mexico. Class fee is $20.
Sunday, October 22 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – Panel Discussion: “Making Plans to Live Well Until We Die: Part Two,” in partnership with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of New Mexico. Class fee is $20.
Monday, October 23 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – “Mindfulness, Mortality and Self-Care” with Ralph Steele, founder of Life Transition Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Hospice Training Program at Northern New Mexico Community College. Event Location: Cooper Art Studio, 130 Quincy NE. Donations welcome.
Kosher caskets by Fathers Building Futures
Monday, October 23 Noon – Lunch and tour of the casket building workshop of Fathers Building Futures, a nonprofit organization that provides employment and skills to formerly incarcerated parents. The workshop is located at 4301 4th Street NW, Albuquerque. Free event.
Monday, October 23 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. – Death Café discussion at the North Valley Senior Center, 3825 4th Street NW (two blocks north of Candelaria), Albuquerque. Come discuss what’s on your heart or mind about mortality issues. Free event.
Monday, October 23 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – “Answers to Your Burning Questions on Cremation” with Ken Gonzales from The Neptune Society and Gail Rubin with A Good Goodbye presenting comedy film clips about cremation at Rio Bravo Brewery, 1912 2nd Street NW, Albuquerque. Free event.
Tuesday, October 24 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. – Death Café discussion at the North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center, 7521 Carmel Ave. NE, Albuquerque. Come discuss what’s on your heart or mind about mortality issues. Free event.
Tuesday, October 24 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Tour of the Office of the Medical Investigator laboratories, where New Mexico’s true life CSI teams help provide the answers about deaths in our state. Free event, limited to 30 people by online registration only.
Tuesday, October 24 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. – “Jewish Burial Equals Green Burial.” Get your questions about green burial and Jewish funeral traditions answered at this special event hosted by the Jewish Federation of New Mexico at the Jewish Community Center, 5520 Wyoming Blvd. NE, Albuquerque. Speakers will address green burial in New Mexico, kosher caskets, shroud burial, and why Jewish funeral traditions are eco-friendly. There will also be a demonstration of the tahara ritual by the Chevra Kaddisha. Refreshments will be provided at this free event.
Wednesday, October 25 Noon to 1:00 p.m. – Panel discussion on “What You Need to Know Before You Go: Financial Issues” at the Horn Family YMCA, 4901 Indian School Road NE, in the downstairs Technology & Teen Center. Speakers include attorney Jim Plitz with the Morris Hall estate planning law firm, Steve Margulin, CFP®, CMA, ChFC, PFS, and CPA, with Retirement Extender®, and attorney Tracy Ahr with Lasting Legacy, estate and trust services for New Mexico families. A potluck lunch is included in this free event.
Wednesday, October 25 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. – “Money and Taxes Around an Uncertain Life Expectancy” presentation by Steve Margulin with Retirement Extender® at the Horn Family YMCA, 4901 Indian School Road NE, in the downstairs Technology & Teen Center. Free event.
Wednesday, October 25 7:00 p.m. – Closing celebration with a movie and beer at Rio Bravo Brewery, 1912 2nd Street NW, Albuquerque. Vote for your preferred film by commenting in the event registration checkout page. Which one is it? The Loved One, Bernie, Get Low, or Elizabethtown. Free event.
The “Before I Die” Albuquerque festival is being held in partnership with the nonprofit organizations Albuquerque Oasis, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of New Mexico, the Fathers Building Futures nonprofit organization, the Jewish Federation of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College, and the YMCA of Central New Mexico. Thanks also for the support of the Guild Cinema, Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory, Rio Bravo Brewing, and the Cooper Art Studio.
Many thanks to these sponsors of the inaugural Before I Die ABQ Festival for making it all possible:
- A Good Goodbye, funeral planning for those who don’t plan to die;
- French Funerals & Cremations, Albuquerque’s largest and oldest family-owned funeral service company;
- The Neptune Society, America’s most trusted cremation service;
- Lasting Legacy, Inc., providing Estate and Trust services to New Mexico families;
- Express Legal Solutions, LLC, documents you need at a price you can afford;
- Retirement Extender®, a team of specialists making the most of your finances;
- Morris Hall, PLLC, a premier estate planning law firm;
- LifeIZShort.com, publishers of practical guides for dealing with the inevitable by Peter Callan;
- The Old Pine Box, specializing in pine and cedar coffins and caskets, and specialty urns;
- My Final Checklist, a master file for personal information; and
- Zia Trust, Inc., serving clients in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and 38 other states.
- 1-800-AUTOPSY, a thanatology specialty service company.