by Maria Manuela on
1 Hit spring arts festivals.
Bosque Redondo Memorial Fiber Fair, Fort Sumner
Sheep shearing, wool carding, and weaving are on the schedule Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bosque Redondo Memorial’s fourth annual Fiber Fair. The event features skilled weavers from Las Arañas Spinners & Weavers Guild, along with guided carding, weaving, and spinning classes for adults and children to acquaint visitors with traditional textile arts practices. “One of the questions we hear the community ask is if we are going to offer classes,” says Aaron Roth, site manager at Bosque Redondo. “That inspired us to want to teach people—with the help of professionals—that they can do the process from sheep to skein themselves.” The onsite Navajo-Churro sheep, which have lived in New Mexico for centuries, are shorn on Saturday morning before their wool is used in the classes. Children’s classes begin at 10 a.m., followed by adult sessions starting at 1 p.m.
An annual sale that excites experienced collectors and newbie treasure hunters alike, the Folk Art Flea runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Santa Fe County Fairgrounds. Featuring hundreds of donated folk art pieces, the event benefits programs at the Museum of International Folk Art.
Spring Flea Market at the Santa Fe Woman’s Club
Shop a collection of furniture, books, jewelry, antiques, kitchenware, and more at this sale benefitting local nonprofits, educational programs, and building improvements at the Woman’s Club. With spring cleaning in full swing, expect plenty of treasures. The flea is open Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
2 Celebrate Smokey Bear.
In 1950, during a wildfire near Capitan, a bear cub who escaped the flames was found by a fire squad. He was rescued and became the real embodiment of a wildfire prevention character, Smokey Bear. This year, the Smokey Bear Historical Park celebrates its 50th anniversary during the annual Smokey Bear Days event, happening Friday and Saturday. The birthday party includes a parade, firefighter games, a cornhole tournament, birthday cake, a presentation of awesome birds by the Raptors of New Mexico Foundation, Mescalero family dancers, and more.
3 Take a History Detour.
As the centennial celebration of Route 66 continues through 2026, the New Mexico History Museum presents the “100th Anniversary of Fred Harvey’s Indian Detours,” at Santa Fe’s La Fonda on the Plaza on Sunday at 2 p.m. Featuring four speakers knowledgeable about the famous day trips, which took tourists throughout northern New Mexico, the free program will share lesser-known details about the tours that took railroad visitors to New Mexico’s pueblos and historic sites. “When they launched in 1926, the Harvey company had been promoting them around the country and internationally for over a year,” says Kathleen Dull, librarian and archivist at the New Mexico History Museum. “By the time the first tour happened, there were over 5,000 people signed up, and more than 10,000 people took the tours in the first six months.”
Eventually the tours expanded to iconic Southwest spots like Mesa Verde, the Grand Canyon, and Carlsbad. “These guided road trips were described as motor cruises, like a more affordable version of cruising the Caribbean,” Dull explains. “They were these very curated trips, and they would bring along Fred Harvey food. They were like the OG glamping—a very luxury experience and a break from being in the hot railroad cars.”
In addition to Dull, the speakers include Harold Stacy, who will speak about Indian Detours after the Fred Harvey era; and Elmer and Deborah Torres (San Ildefonso), who have reimagined the Indian Detours and now lead modern versions of the trips from an Indigenous perspective, Passport to Pueblo Country.
4 Find fun at the fiesta.
The 76th Truth or Consequences Fiesta adopts a patriotic theme—Red, White, & Blue—this weekend, with events happening Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The fiesta offers live music on the main stage at the Bank of the Southwest parking lot, fun rides at a kiddie carnival at Healing Waters Plaza, a Miss Fiesta pageant, a Saturday-morning parade, and the Sierra County Sheriff's Posse Fiesta Rodeo. Truth or Consequences Brewing Company hosts a beer garden, while an all-ages Desert Glow Fest invites folks to wear glowy face paint, pick up glowy swag, and dance to DJ sets on Friday evening at Ralph Edwards Park.
5 Root for fast (and cute) donkeys.
On Saturday at 9:45 a.m., speedy burros and their human partners race the streets of Cerrillos during the Turquoise Trail Pack Burro Race. An annual tradition, the teams race down Main Street before beginning one of two courses, a 3-mile and a 6-mile option, through Cerrillos State Park. The race rules prohibit excessive pulling and any hitting, so these animals are protected while they race. The races uphold traditions that link back to mining practices, which heavily relied on burros, in New Mexico, Colorado, and California.
For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.