1 Ponder Earth’s memories. 

Photographs of stones make up Language of the Land, Bernice Ficek-Swenson’s new exhibition at Strata Gallery, in Santa Fe. A Minnesota artist, Ficek-Swenson sees her images as a means of communicating the rich legacy of the land. “A stone represents landscape, and it is also a symbol of the vastness of geologic time,” she says. “Land retains memories and our human presence.” 

Through meticulous research and observation, Ficek-Swenson engages with the stones she collects and the places they come from. She focuses on politically charged spaces like the U.S.–Mexico borderlands or important landmarks like the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Incorporating written reflections into her works, she types recollections with her father’s vintage typewriter onto translucent tracing paper, then crumbles it into small bits and sets the stones on top. “It represents the past and the present simultaneously,” she says. 

See works from three of her series in Language of the Land, on view through March 7. The artist presents a talk at 6 p.m. during the opening reception on Friday. 

Enjoy Santa Fe Restaurant Week, where Alkemē, a 2024 James Beard Awards semifinalist, and other top restaurants offer special menus and unique dining experiences through February 26.

2 Dine out at a discount.

Please your palate during Santa Fe Restaurant Week, when some of the City Different’s best restaurants offer special prix fixe menus, welcoming diners to try new places every evening through February 26. The wallet-friendly event offers well-priced meals at buzzy restaurants like Palace Prime ($50), Sweetwater Harvest Kitchen ($35), and Restaurant Martin ($65). In addition to delicious dinners, Restaurant Week includes wine and appetizer pairings at Hervé Wine Bar, Supper Club at Boxcar, and Flights and Bites at Gruet Tasting Room. Find a full list of participating eateries, links to make reservations, and tickets to special events on the website.

Kathleen Edwards, who has shared the stage with legends like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, performs this weekend at Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery in Santa Fe on Saturday and Fusion in Albuquerque on Sunday. Photograph courtesy of Kathleen Edwards.

3 Listen to a folk musician.

Having taken the stage alongside legends like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, Kathleen Edwards is one of the most ascendant folk/alt-country artists of the past 20 years. She performs two concerts in the Land of Enchantment this weekend: Saturday at Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery in Santa Fe, and Sunday at Fusion in Albuquerque, both at 7:30 p.m.. Expect a mix of songs that bend the traditions of Americana and get tickets here.

On Saturday, dress as a Yeti or Bigfoot for free tubing at Ruidoso Winter Park’s Yeti Fest. Photograph courtesy of Ruidoso Winter Park.

4 See Bigfoot on the slopes.

Sometimes you just need a theme to get loose and have fun. On Saturday, don a Yeti or Bigfoot costume for Ruidoso Winter Park’s Yeti Fest, where folks dressed as hairy humanoids receive free tubing tickets. “If you make any kind of effort, you will get a free ticket,” affirms Kay Sims, chief of staff at Ruidoso Winter Park. 

In addition to hitting the tubing slopes, Yeti Fest-goers can hunt for “yeti eggs” (also known as Easter eggs) hidden on the mountain. They’re filled with coupons for free snacks and drinks, along with tickets to ride the Screaming Eagle Mountain Coaster. The fest also includes a cupcake-eating contest, games, face painting, zipline rides, and a performance by the Doso Dirtbags from noon to 3 p.m. 

This weekend, the Mesilla Valley Winter Meltdown Rodeo at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds offers cowboy tricks, food, performances, and big cash prizes, benefiting the Las Cruces Special Olympics. Photograph courtesy of Mesilla Valley Winter Meltdown Rodeo.

5 Cowboy up.

Cowboy tricks like ropin’ and ridin’ make for an exciting spectacle at the Mesilla Valley Winter Meltdown Rodeo. Happening Saturday and Sunday at the Southern New Mexico State Fairgrounds in Las Cruces, the rodeo includes food and performances from the Las Cruces Boot Boogie Babes and Truth or Consequences’s Suthern Blend Band, plus tons of rodeo events with big cash prizes for the winners. Spectator tickets are $15, and proceeds benefit the Las Cruces Special Olympics.

For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.