Spring Happenings List: Mar/Apr/May 2022

We’ve had an unusually chilly week in Tucson. As soon as it warms up a bit more, I’ll be on the lookout for wildflowers! I’m hoping we’ve had enough winter rain for some bursts of spring color.

Regardless, I’ll keep doing my best to look for beauty, get outside, and cherish the good days (or moments) as much as I can.

Happenings List

To that end, here’s my handpicked list of standout seasonal Happenings. Not only does it include Arizona adventures, but also online goings-on you can join in from just about anywhere! There’s an upcoming worldwide wildlife photo hunt. Tucson has a festival-heavy spring schedule with celebrations of song, books, film, folk music, agave, and – new this year – the cultural and culinary traditions of corn. (Yep, the Pueblos del Maíz is actually a four-city affair presented by UNESCO!)

So read on…find something that brings you joy, and then jump in!

Virtually Anywhere…

Amerind Artist Talk: Writing our Stories

Fifth-generation Diné (Navajo) Master Weavers Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete present on storytelling traditions and discuss co-authoring the book Spider Woman’s Children.

March 19, 11am / online / free (advance registration recommended)

Tucson Folk Festival: Live Broadcasts

Live broadcasts from all three stages of a festival celebrating acoustic Americana/Folk Music traditions and variations. Performances will feature national headliners, local acts, songwriting competition winners, a family show, and young artist showcases!

April 2-3 / online / free (donations accepted)

More about seeing the Tucson Folk Festival in person is below, under “Arizona.”

City Nature Challenge (CNC) 2022

International citizen science event, motivating people to find and document wildlife in their cities.

April 29 – May 9 / Around the world (44 countries and counting!) / free

April 29 – May 2: Look for wild plants and animals and take photos of them.
May 3-8: Identify the species you observed and upload photos to the iNaturalist app.
May 9: Challenge results announced.
There may be local events planned in your city. (In Tucson, for example, you can take part in a “bioblitz” at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum or Tohono Chul.)

Screenshot from Virtual Tour of the Pottery Project Exhibit at Arizona State Museum.

Arizona State Museum online exhibits

ongoing / online / free

Introduction to the James S. Griffith Collection of Mayo and Yoeme Pascola Masks
19th Century Navajo Weaving
Virtual Reality Tour of the Pottery Project Exhibit
Info on in-person exhibits at Arizona State Museum (Tucson) below, under “Arizona.”

Find Your Virtual Park

In honor of National Park Week, check out NPS online events, games, and virtual tours!

ongoing / online / free

Across the U.S…

National Park Week

To celebrate National Park Week (April 16-24), you can visit any U.S. National Park on April 16 without having to pay an  entrance fee!

April 16 / All U.S. National Parks / Free admission.

Some Parks will also have special activities, like…

Courtyard Jazz Concert at Lafitte National Historical Park’s French Quarter visitor center (New Orleans, LA)
Nature Walk: It’s a Trap! exploring carnivorous plants at Big Thicket National Preserve (Texas)
Full Moon Bike Tour through Everglades National Park (Florida) [the idea of hanging out in the Everglades at night sounds both beautiful and terrifying to me]
It’s also National Junior Ranger Day, so many Parks will have activity books and things specifically for kids to do.
If you can’t make it to a National Park that day, there are also upcoming free admission days on August 4, September 24, and November 11. Or try a virtual visit!

Arizona…

Tucson Desert Song Festival: Women of Song

A series of concerts, a full opera, and a musical play centered on the nuances of the female voice in both jazz and classical music.

Now – March 19, May 13 / Tucson area / Several of the events are free. Ticket prices for paid events range from $17-83.

February 26 – March 19: Nina Simone: Four Women at Temple of Music and Art. A play infused with music that imagines singer and activist Nina Simone in conversation with three Black women from different backgrounds. Tickets $25-73.
May 13: Dianne Reeves (rescheduled concert). Tickets $65 – $80.

Priscilla Tacheney self portrait taken at White Sand National Park in New Mexico — “Serenity” by Priscilla Tacheney via her Squash Blossom Fotos site.

Through the Lens of Navajo Photographer Priscilla Tacheney

Fine art photography by Priscilla Tacheney, who is inspired by the beauty of southwestern landscapes and her Diné (Navajo) culture.

Now – March 31 / Dragoon (Southeastern Arizona) at Amerind Museum / Included with admission.

Radical Happiness: Lex Gjurasic

Exhibition of the Flower Mound series that Tucson-based artist Lex Gjurasic started making at the onset of the pandemic. Her art helps her combat anxiety, and she hopes it brings others joy, as well.

Now – April 9 / Chandler (Phoenix area) at Chandler Center for the Arts / free

Mexican craft exhibits

Now – July / Tucson at Arizona State Museum (University of Arizona) + online

Wrapped in Color: Legacies of the Mexican Sarape explores how the iconic sarape design expresses Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican traditions and innovative textile techniques, like producing dyes by cultivating wild plants and insects! The exhibit is co-curated by Zapotec textile artist Porfirio Gutiérrez. Included with museum admission ($8/adult).
Pahko’ora/Pahko’ola: Mayo and Yaqui Masks. A collection of wooden masks worn by Pascola dancers from the Mayo and Yaqui communities of southern Arizona / northern Mexico. The exhibit examines their deep ritual significance and related traditions. Included with museum admission ($8/adult). The online introduction to the Collection is free.

Texas Canyon Mountain Bike Fun Ride

Bike ride through beautiful Texas Canyon. The scenic 7.8 mile loop is normally closed to the public.

March 5, rolling start 8-9am / Dragoon (Southeastern Arizona) at Amerind Museum / Entry fee $20 adults, $15 youth (ages 8-14)

Funds raised help the Amerind Museum’s mission of fostering and promoting knowledge and understanding of the Native Peoples of the Americas.
Ride registration includes free entry into the Amerind Museum and Art Gallery.

Hoya Plant Swap + Pop Up

Hoya plant swap open to both new and longtime collectors, who want to talk about plants and continue building this Arizona plant community! RSVP required due to limited space. There will also be vendors with plants, crafts, books, dessert, and coffee for sale.

March 12 / Phoenix at Palabras Bilingual Bookstore / free

Tucson Festival of Books

Beloved annual celebration of the written word. The Festival exists to improve literacy rates among children and adults.

March 12-13 / Tucson at University of Arizona campus / free

Free parking in University of Arizona surface lots and in Park Avenue and Highland garages during Festival weekend.
Cherry Avenue, 6th Street, Tyndall, South Stadium and Main Gate garages will be $5 during the day with free entry after 4pm.
Skip parking by taking the bus or street car.

WineDown With Wildlife

Wine tasting evening to raise funds for the Desert Museum and celebrate World Wildlife Day. Enjoy local food and wine, stargazing, live music from local folk rock band Little Cloud, and time with desert animals.

March 19 / Tucson at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum / Advance Tickets: General Admission $45, Designated Driver $20 / Ages 21+

Food will be available for purchase from Ironwood Terraces and Phoebe’s Coffee Bar, as well as from local food trucks.
General Admission includes 10 wine tastings and admission to Stingray Touch.
Designated Driver Admission includes unlimited fountain drinks, tea, or coffee, Raptor Free Flight cup, and admission to Stingray Touch.
Optional add-on experiences: night hikes and 30-45 minute Sonoran Desert Animal Spotlights for $7 each.

Haiku Hike

Self-guided walking tour of haiku poetry printed on acrylic signage and placed in planters along Congress Street and Stone Avenue. The 20 poems are winners of an annual literary competition, submitted by the public and chosen by Tucson’s poet Laureate, TC Tolbert.

March 20 – June 1 / Tucson in Downtown Tucson planters / free

This year’s theme is Metamorphosis.
Haiku submissions are due March 10.

Folk Festival artist Sophia Rankin performing during MMM anniversary celebration.

Tucson Folk Festival

Accessible and family-friendly festival celebrating acoustic Americana/folk music traditions and variations, like American bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and Latin music styles. Multiple stages will feature live performances from national headliners, local acts, songwriting competition winners, a family show, and young artist showcases!

April 2-3 / Tucson + online / free

Drive-in stage at Park Place Mall.
Concert livestream.

SOUNDspace

10 tap dancers and an acoustic bass player from NYC-based Dorrance Dance explore what is most beautiful and exceptional about tap dancing – movement as music. The company aims to expand tap dance’s audience with both an acknowledgment towards the past and a look into the future.

April 2 / Tucson at Centennial Hall / Tickets $35-65.

Aioli Burger with fries — Deliciousness from Phoenix-based food truck Aioli Burger awhile back. No idea if they’ll be at the Festival. But those fries look good, right?

FRIED Festival

French fry + music festival with live bands and DJs, lawn games, and a kids’ zone with French fry themed crafts!

April 9 / Phoenix at Margaret T. Hance Park / Tickets $12 (advance purchase, food and drink not included), free for kids under 3.

Craft brews, wine, soda, and bottled water will be available. (Cash only.)
Leashed dogs under 25 lbs. are allowed.
From the founders of Phoenix Pizza Festival.
The event benefits Downtown Phoenix, Inc.

2022 Spring Made in Tucson Market

Market of goods handmade by Tucson artists, many of whom will be there demonstrating their work.

April 10 / Tucson on 7th St. between 4th Ave. + 5th Ave. (Historic Fourth Avenue District) / free

Artist applications due March 5.

Arizona International Film Festival (AZIFF)

Film festival with a focus on independent cinema and diverse cultures. Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, AZIFF has exhibited over 3,000 films from 100 countries to over 168,000 Southern Arizona patrons.

April 20–30 / Tucson at The Screening Room, MSA Annex, Hotel Congress, and several other venues throughout Tucson. / Past ticket prices: Single admission/$8, all-access pass/$100

April 20: World Premiere of Canyon Del Muerto at Fox Theatre. The festival begins with this portrayal of North America’s first female archaeologist, Ann Axtell Morris, who worked side by side with the Navajo in the 1920s in Canyon De Chelly. Ticket info TBA.
April 23: INDIEYOUTH Shorts at The Screening Room. Films under 15 minutes by young filmmakers, ages 12 – 18. Free.

Mayahuel mural by Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez — Mayahuel, mural of the agave goddess, by Rock ‘‘CYFI’’ Martinez.

Agave Heritage Festival

Celebration of the agave plant, the culture surrounding it, and the spirits made from it – not just tequila but also other regional varieties like mezcal, sotol, bacanora, and lechuguilla. Throughout the festival, there will be a focus on sustainability and small agave spirits labels (Lamata, Rancho Tepúa, Rezpiral, Sotoleros, etc.). The newly-renovated Century Room Borderlands Jazz Club and Mezcal Lounge at Hotel Congress will also host several jazz concerts throughout the long weekend.

April 28 – May 1 / Tucson

April 28: Lila Downs at Centennial Hall. Tickets $25-60.
April 29: Larry Redhouse Trio at the Century Room (Hotel Congress). Tickets $15 + one item minimum.
April 29: Ignite Agave – Women of Mezcal at Leo Rich Theatre. 10-minute presentations from six women involved in agave growing or spirits production, plus a panel Q+A and live mariachi band.
April 30: Agave Fiesta on the Hotel Congress Plaza. Over 40 agave spirits, an agave cocktail showdown, live music, presentations from industry experts, agave art and other goods. $50 entry includes 4 agave spirit tastings, 4 cocktail tastings, and paired food from the Cup Café Culinary team.

Pueblos Del Maíz: Tucson

Produced by UNESCO Tucson City of Gastronomy, this is the first weekend of a month-long international culinary celebration of maíz (corn). The inaugural festival will include regional food vendors, art, chef demonstrations, spirits, panels and lectures, and live music and entertainment.

May 5-8 / Downtown Tucson

Summerhaven Artisans Market

Local artisan market on Mt. Lemmon held Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer, starting Memorial Day weekend. Part of the proceeds benefit Southern Arizona Animal Food Bank (SAAFB).

May 28 – October / Summerhaven (Tucson area) next to the General Store

Tucson Comic-Con

Community-based pop culture convention with a mission statement of “Pop Culture For All!”

September 2-4 / Tucson at Tucson Convention Center / Ticket prices TBD (2019 full weekend price $50.)

Finally, some things to keep in mind with the Happenings List:

I’m not in charge of anything on the List, except for picking out stuff that sounds interesting to me and sharing it with you.
I do my best to share accurate information. But there’s a chance that something is not or that something may change.
If you go to something on the List, I’d love to hear how it went! Feel free to contact me.

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022

Drive-Through Rodeo Parade Museum

When the Tucson Rodeo Parade Committee realized they’d have to cancel the 2021 parade, they came up with a creative alternative to the usual crowded streets and packed grandstands – they’d turn the parade inside out!

Wagons and buggies would be pulled out of the Rodeo Parade Musuem and set up along a winding route through the rodeo grounds in South Tucson. For one day, you could drive through it, passing by the floats and entertainment that would normally be passing you by.

In lieu of charging admission, they’d accept donations for Casa de los Niños, a local organization that promotes children’s wellbeing by supporting families. You could drop off school supplies for them in a rodeo bucking chute set up in the Museum parking lot.

We tied a bandanna on Quijote and headed to the rodeo grounds to check it out.

When we arrived, cars were backed up from the entrance, up one side of the street, curled around the dead end, and down the other side. We inched forward, idling in front of a tortilla factory.

Once we were through the front gate, we caught a glimpse of 5 beautiful black draft horses taking a snack break. Apparently, these are Shire horses, a breed that’s supposed to be from Britain, but I suspect may have actually originated in Middle Earth.

Some of the horse-drawn wagons along our route were decorated by local businesses who were sponsoring the event.

Others had been used by early Tucson firefighters and police, and still others were used for ranching, mining, or making deliveries. We even passed a replica of a steam calliope and an old circus wagon with rodeo scenes painted on the side.

We continued on to see the Modelos y Charros de Arizona, a non-profit group dedicated to preserving their Mexican heritage.

The Modelos (models) were wearing super-sized versions of their trademark Mexican folklorico dresses. Since this would probably be the one year they wouldn’t need to be able to actually walk in their embellished hoop skirts, they could really go next level.

They were interspersed with Charros (distinctively-dressed riders of Mexican rodeo – or charrería) demonstrating trick roping.

Also showing off their roping skills were members of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, who swung lassos while recordings played from past choir performances.

High school folklorico dancers performed in front of closed ticket windows.

We drove through a section of wagons from movies and television.

A lot of classic westerns were filmed at Old Tucson Studios and on location in Southern Arizona. The Rodeo Parade Museum often provided antique vehicles for their shoots, like fringe-topped surreys (carriages) for the movie Oklahoma. Or the simple buckboard wagon that retired from working on a farm and went on to appear in the TV series High Chaparral and the film McLintock!

Farther down, the band Gertie and the T.O.Boyz played their signature Waila (old time dance music) tunes.

The final section was devoted to wagons made by F. Ronstadt Wagon Works, founded by Linda Ronstadt’s grandfather.

After that, we exited the west gate and went to get lunch. The band kept playing, the draft horses’ tails flicked away flies. But, like those antique wagons, we were history.

– More Tucson, Rodeo, and Parade Info –

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros 2022 will be held February 19-27 (with the parade on February 24).
2020 Parade: Pre-pandemic photos that include many of the same wagons and carriages we saw, except with people in/on them!
2021 Drive-through Parade
For more on charreada, “Mexico’s original rodeo,” check out this Q+A with painter Edgar Sotelo. (He also explains the difference between a charro and a vaquero.)
Wild Ride: The History and Lore of Rodeo by Joel H. Bernstein: Book they gave away copies of at the drive-through event and a great resource about rodeo history!
Why Tucson has a Rodeo Parade Museum: Basically Part 1 of this post.

While you’re in the South Tucson area…

Visit the Rodeo Parade Musuem at 4823 S. 6th Avenue, Tucson. It’s open Thursdays through Saturdays. Admission is $10/adults, $2/children.
Alejandro’s Tortilla Factory storefront is located at 5330 S. 12th Avenue, Tucson. You can buy freshly made tortillas and chips and/or order breakfast or lunch from La Cocina Lorena (menu).
You’ll be in the heart of the Best 23 Miles of Mexican Food (north of the border, of course). Nearby 12th Avenue is full of places to get Sonoran hot dogs, tacos, birria, and all kinds of deliciousness!
We picked up food at BK Carne Asada + Hot Dogs after the Rodeo Parade Drive-through. Both the carne asada and the Sonoran dog were excellent!
South Tucson is also known for its abundant murals and mosaics, so keep your eyes open!
Mission San Xavier del Bac is about 10 minutes away. Visiting is currently limited. However, it’s a really beautiful 18th-century Spanish Mission style building, and it’s worth checking out the architecture, even if it’s only from the outside.
The San Xavier Co-op Farm is a cooperative of Tohono O’odham landowners growing traditional crops. They sell honey, dried beans, mesquite flour, and other products in their farm store at 8100 Oidak Wog, Tucson. It’s closed Sundays and Mondays.

February 7, 2022March 1, 2022

Why Tucson Has a Rodeo Parade Museum

Rodeo Parade Museum.

The phrase made me pause the first time I heard it, as I tried to make sense of those words together as a unit. I wasn’t aware that rodeos had parades or that parades had museums – until I moved to Tucson.

Rodeo

Officially known as “La Fiesta de los Vaqueros,” Tucson’s Rodeo takes place for nine days in late February. It’s a big enough deal that schools take off the Thursday and Friday of Rodeo Week. There are roping and riding competitions, a large parade, kids’ events, barn dances, a rodeo clinic that’s also a fundraiser for local breast cancer patients, and something called “cowboy church.”

La Fiesta de los Vaqueros was first held in 1925, as a way to preserve Tucson’s cowboy-era culture, while also bringing in tourist dollars.

The idea came from winter visitor and Arizona Polo Associaton president Frederick Leighton Kramer. He met with local business owners, cattlemen, and probably some of his polo buddies to organize the inaugural Tucson Rodeo, which they held at a polo field near his house.

Parade

Before the competitions began, however, there was a 300-person parade down Congress Street. Among the participants were ranchers, U.S. Army bands from the Buffalo Soldier 10th Cavalry and 25th Infantry Regiments, Leighton Kramer’s polo players, and artist/cowboy/part-time Tucson resident Lone Wolf in the impressive regalia of his Blackfeet tribe.

Now considered the longest non-motorized parade in the U.S. (possibly the world), the 2.5-mile long procession of horses, carriages, bands, folk dancers, and decorated wagons continues to be a part of La Fiesta de los Vaqueros tradition. In past years, it has attracted around 200,000 spectators.

Museum

When the historic vehicles are not on parade, they reside in the Tucson Rodeo Parade Musuem on the west side of the current rodeo grounds in South Tucson. Specifically, they’re exhibited in a couple barns and a hangar that’s a holdover from the property’s previous days as an early municipal airport.

After the first Tucson Rodeo Parade, the museum started collecting horse-drawn vehicles and restoring them. In some cases, families donated carriages that they no longer used after switching to automobiles.

In 2021, many of these wagons and buggies were put on display outside of the museum for a special event (which is where most of these photos were taken), but that is a story for another day…

– More Tucson Rodeo Info –

Tucson Rodeo history
The Town of Marana and rodeo
As far as I can tell, “Rodeo Week” in Tucson refers to the 5-day workweek in the middle of the festival. The Rodeo also includes the weekend before and after that, making the whole thing 9 days.
La Fiesta de los Vaqueros is one of the top 25 professional rodeos in the U.S.
Professional rodeos are the ones where the competitors do rodeo full-time (like professional ball players). There are also regional amateur rodeo circuits for people who just want to compete on weekends.
I learned about Tucson schools observing “Rodeo Break” or “Rodeo Vacation” from a friend who grew up here. He always had those days off – and he never went to the rodeo.