Five Things to Do This Weekend

1 Bloom in the sunshine. 

The historic town of Mountainair celebrates art and nature at the Mountainair Sunflower Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. What began in 2000 as a small celebration has become a big draw for the small town. “We started out a very local festival,” says Anne Ravenstone, president of the Manzano Mountain Art Council, which hosts the event. “Now, we estimate over 3,000 visitors to come celebrate with us.” The festival muse often lines the backroads of Mountainair with tunnels of sunflowers.

With happenings at both the Monte Alto Plaza and the Manzano Mountain Art Council, the festivities include more than 50 art vendors, community booths, kids’ games, the Rio Grande Mustang Club Car Show, and strolling musicians. Catch live music from Merry Rosenfield, Jacques Dorier, Kathy Liden, and TerriSunflower on the art council’s back patio and onstage in the plaza with Second 2 Last, Honky Tonk Jukebox, Jeremy Sanchez Band, and DBGomez and the Bosque Boys.  

Art is the heart of the festival and includes opportunities to support local artists, including an art raffle, silent auction, and treasure sale. Strut your own stuff in your brightest, floweriest fits for the sunflower hat and costume contest. “It is such a wonderful event for this small town—to offer people a look at what Mountainair is like,” says Ravenstone.

2 Bear witness to wildlife.

Join the Pajarito Environmental Education Center on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a bear-y fun time at the Los Alamos Nature Center for Bear Fest. The event includes educational crafts, booths, and games designed to help visitors better understand the area’s wildlife and how to safely live with black bears and other wildlife in northern New Mexico. Those hungry for more can attend the Bear Dinner at Fuller Lodge on Friday at 6 p.m. that includes a presentation from Dr. Kathleen Ramsay, founder of New Mexico Wildlife Center and known as the “Bear Doc.”

3 Follow the Mother Road.

Reflect on the significant impact of the Mother Road at the Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., . Developed by documentary filmmaker Katrina Parks, the exhibition includes interpretive panels, oral histories, and artifacts collected over the past 25 years. On Saturday, visitors can record personal memories and family stories connected to Route 66, which may be incorporated into Parks’s ongoing documentary to preserve the history of the road. On both days from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., artist Marla Allison (Laguna Pueblo) leads an art activity customizing iconic car designs followed by a license-plate-making activity hosted by museum staff. Additionally, catch special screenings of Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road throughout each day. On Sunday at 2 p.m., a special preview screening of Parks’s new documentary explores the atomic legacy of Route 66 through perspectives from the Navajo Nation and includes a panel discussion featuring Parks, journalist Sharon Niederman, and Kaisa Barthuli, retired program director for the National Parks Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.   

4 Attend a powwow. 

Gather for a day of competition and tradition at the second annual Painted Skies Pow Wow at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque on Saturday. Explore more than 75 artisans selling handmade art with techniques from the past and the present. Gourd dancing begins at 11 a.m., with grand entries at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. A Native handgame tournament runs throughout the day with prizes for first, second, and third place. View the full schedule of events at paintedskiespowwow.org.

5 Savor the moment.

Start the harvest season with a stomp on Sunday at Enchanted Vine’s Harvest Party in Alto. Savor an afternoon of Noisy Water Winery’s finest, with additional local craft beverages. Unwind with live music featuring the soulful Doso Dirt Bags from noon to 2 p.m. and the neo-indie Nova Rush from 2 to 4 p.m. Kick off your shoes for the highlight of the afternoon at 1 p.m., when guests climb into a large vat and stomp grapes from across the state.