August 2025 NM History & Culture Opportunities

The Albuquerque Historical Society & the Historical Society of NM

Encourage your participation in the following history & cultural events:

THE ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY, August 20, 2 pm, free. Program involves nuclear weapons and the role of Sandia Labs. Speaker is Justin Olmstead. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

SUMMER MUSIC/DANCING AT OLD TOWN PLAZA every Friday night, Saturday/Sun afternoons and nights. https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/historic-old-town/summertime-in-old-town

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument free ranger led hikes – all at 11 am. Saturdays and Sundays at Quarai. More information at nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 847-2585 X 221.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEW MEXICO. New Mexico became the 47th state on January 6, 1912. Read about it, https://newmexicohistory.org/nm-journey-to-become-a-state/. Visit – NewMexicoHistory.org to view thousands of entries: photos, videos, podcasts, Timelines for the five periods of NM History & More! The New Mexico State Historian Rob Martinez can be reached at 505-476-7911.

AUGUST 1, 5:30 pm Gabriel Melendez, speaks on Citizens by Treaty” at the NM History Museum in Santa Fe.

AUGUST 1, 5-8 pm, free. ALBUQUERQUE ARTS CRAWL, Open house at various art galleries around ABQ, meet and visit with artists in person. artscrawlabq.com.

AUGUST 1, doors open 6pm, program 6:30-8 pm, $12 includes drink ticket. Science on Tap presents “Curating the Nuclear Science Museum” with curator Meghan Beaudat. Museum of Nuclear Science, 601 Eubank SE. nuclearMuseum.org.

AUGUST 1-10, 103rd annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial. Numerous activities ranging from free to various prices. More info at GallupCeremonial.com

AUGUST 1-3, Old Lincoln Days and the Billy the Kid Pageant. Many programs/activities are free. More information at nmHistoricSites.org/Lincoln.

AUGUST 2, 10 am, free. Roland Penttila speaks on “The Railyards photographs of Jim Kubie”. View the 1972 photographs taken when the Railyards was still an operating repair shop. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd SW. More detail WheelsMuseum.org, 243-6269.

AUGUST 2, 10:30-12 noon, Ernie Pyle Library, 900 Girard SE. National Ernie Pyle Day. Remember the life of Ernie Pyle by seeing the kinds of typewriters he used. Also see the memorabilia collection at this branch that was his house. 505-256-2065.

AUGUST 2, 9am, free. Bachechi Open Space Speaker Series with Ranger Ben from Petroglyph National Monument. Bachechi Open Space building, 9521 Rio Grande NW.

AUGUST 2, 10am-12 noon, free. Family Fun Morning of activities. National Hispanic Cultural Center, more info at nhccnm.org.

AUGUST 2, 8:30-11am, free but register in advance. Bosque Wild Guided Hike, Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW. Contact 768-4951 or depps@cabq.gov.

AUGUST 2, 5-10 pm, free. Summerfest on the Westside at Ventana Ranch Park, 10000 Universe NW. Three different stages with continuous music. Food vendors, arts & crafts. Call 311.

AUGUST 2, JEMEZ PUEBLO FEAST DAY

AUG. 2, 8-11am. Come help clean up Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. Wear hard soled shoes and bring your own tools. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/The communityofHistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present”.

AUGUST 2, 2pm, free. Micky Blake talks on “Early History of Taos Ski Valley”, Kit Carson Boardroom, 118 Cruz Alta Rd in Taos. Sponsored by the Taos County Historical Society. More info at TaosCountyHistoricalSociety.org.

AUGUST 2, 2pm, free. Dr. Joseph Moreno, speaks on the history of the Feast of San Lorenzo and the Los Matachines dance. Martha Liebert Library in Bernalillo, 145 Calle Malinche, 867-1440. Sponsored by the Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites. More information at CoronadoJemezFriends.org.

AUGUST 3 Commemorate the birthday of Ernie Pyle, WW II correspondent.

AUGUST 4, Santo Domingo Pueblo Feast day.

AUGUST 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 8am-12 noon, free. Winrock Artisan Market vendors at Winrock Park.

AUGUST 3, free admission all day 10am-4pm. NM Natural History Museum. Last day of operation before closing for renovation for approximately seven months.

AUGUST 3, free. First Sunday free admission for all NM residents to the Visual Arts Museum. National Hispanic Cultural Center, nhccnm.org.

AUGUST 3, 2-4 pm, free. Platicas Publicas. Francisco Lefebre performs as part of Artists of Levantamiento Chicano Voces del Pueblo. National Hispanic Cultural Center. nhccnm.org.

AUGUST 5, National Neighborhood Night out all over ABQ. More info from the City of Albuquerque 311.

AUGUST 5, 6:30 pm, free. Roger Cook speaks on “Rock Art Eccentricities” Sponsored by the Torrance County Archaeological Society. Manzano Mesa Art Council Building, 101 Broadway in Mountainair

AUGUST 6  Moment of reflection, Atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan; AUGUST 9, atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

AUGUST 6, 5:30 pm, free. Nuclear Watch and NM Tularosa Basin Downwinders have various speakers about nuclear weapons to remember the atomic bombing of Japan in WW II. 1420 Cerrillos Rd in Santa Fe. Park in back via Taos St.

AUGUST 6, noon, free, virtual. Death at the End of the Trail: Graves & Graveyards of Santa Fe Trail Travelers. Presented by Dr. Alysia Abbott, archeologist and anthropologist. Friends of History, NM History Museum.

AUGUST 6 USS Bullhead Memorial Park, south San Pedro named for the USS Bullhead submarine, the last naval vessel sunk in WWII.

AUG 6, 13, 20, 27, 5-7 pm, free. Wednesdays at the Winrock Growers market/wellness Wednesdays at Winrock Park, east end of Winrock.

Albuquerque Press Women & Friends take summer break.
Friends of Tijeras Pueblo take summer break.

AUGUST 7, first day of school for Albuquerque and Rio Rancho Public Schools. Aps.edu, rrps.net.

AUGUST 7, 6:30-8pm, free. Author Dr. Irene Blea speaks about her experiences with Rudolfo Anaya from her book “Talking with Rudy”. National Hispanic Cultural Center. nhccnm.org.

AUGUST 7, 6-7 PM, free. Teach-In with NM Center on Law & Poverty presents affordable and stable housing for our community. Presented by Kristen Greer Love with the ACLU-NM. 4022 Rio Grande NW. More info at bkwrks.com.

AUGUST 7, 14, 21, 6:30-8 pm, free. Guided hikes on Thursdays at Piedras Marcadas Canyon. These hikes are 1.5 miles total in length. No amenities in the Piedras Marcadas Canyon parking lot. Bring water with you and dress for the weather. Located at 9501 Golf Course Rd NW in Albuquerque. Double check for unexpected closures. Call 899-0205.

AUGUST 8, 7:30 pm, free. Moonlit  Hike at the Valles Caldera National Monument on NM 4 north of Jemez Springs. Reservations required. Go to nps.gov/vall for information. Meet at Volcano Discovery Center located at 39201 NM 4.  Jemez Springs, NM. Call 505-670-1612 for more info.

AUGUST 8, 10am-12, free. Dave Menicucci talks about the history of local Italian families and the Foraging and Culinary Use of the prized NM Porcini mushroom. This is followed by a field trip to the mountains with the NM Mycological Society. International District Library, 7601 Central NE. Sponsored by the NM Mycological Society.

AUGUST 8, 5-9 pm, free. Albuquerque Downtown Art Walk along Central Avenue between 1st & 8th streets and adjacent streets. Vendors, music, food, arts & crafts. AbqArtwalk.com/eventsmap.

AUGUST 9 – 11, free. Feast of San Lorenzo in Bernalillo has various activities including Matachines dances. More info from the Bernalillo Chamber of Commerce, 867-1185.

AUGUST 9, 10:30 am, free. Kathleen Dull present “DeTourists Delight: Roughing it Deluxe” The beginning of the Fred Harvey Company Indian Detours. Special Collections Library, 423 Central NE at Edith. Watch for parking restrictions. More info at 848-1376.

AUGUST 9, Feast day of Picuris Pueblo

AUGUST 9, 10 am, free. Ron Panebouf speaks on the “Importance of Cartography and NM Maps”. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd SW. More details WheelsMuseum.org, 243-6269.

AUGUST 9, $5, 10am-5pm. Red & Green Veg Fest, 1st Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle NE. More info at RedandGreenVegFestAbq.wordpress.com.

AUGUST 9, 10am-3pm, free. Nagasaki bombing commemoration. Begins at Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Los Alamos. Includes prayer vigil, protest, speakers, march then film showing at SALA Event Center, 2551 Central Ave. Sponsored by NM Peace Fest and Vets for Peace.

AUGUST 10, 10-4 pm, fee. Commemoration of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

AUGUST 10, 10am-4pm, $7. Jemez Historic Site. Commemoration of Pueblo Revolt with pueblo dancers and native arts/crafts. Call 575-829-3530.

AUGUST 9, 10 am-4pm, $2. Featuring Sci-Fi materials. Monthly sale by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. Main branch, 5th & Copper NW. Carry out to your vehicle. Two hour free parking across the street at the City garage. Bring your ticket in to be stamped. All proceeds benefit the Library. FriendsofthePublicLibrary.org.

AUGUST 9, 1-3pm, free. Author Anne Hillerman speaks about how NM history and her family roots inspire her writing. Come early to guarantee a seat. Casa San Ysidro.  Contact Aaron Gardner, agardner@cabq.gov, 898-3915. 973 Old Church Rd. Casa San Ysidro in Corrales.

AUGUST 13, 7pm, free. Albuquerque Concert Band plays outdoors at NM Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana SE at Gibson.  Bring your own lawn chairs or blanket. You may bring your own food/beverage.

AUGUST 14, virtual, 6:30 – 8 pm, free. Dr. Irene Blea gives a writing workshop. National Hispanic Cultural Center. More info at nhccnm.org.

AUGUST 15 Zia Pueblo Feast Day.

AUGUST 16, 10am-4pm, free. “Pop-Up” Friends of the Library book sale at Tony Hillerman Library, 8205 Apache NE, 505-291-6264. Volunteers will carry books to your car.

AUGUST 16, 10 am, free. Jo Cunningham and Barbara Fricke speak on “Adventures of NM Women in Aviation”. Hear fun & exciting stories of flying aircraft, hot air and hydrogen balloons. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd SW. More details WheelsMuseum.org, 243-6269.

AUGUST 16, 2-4 pm, free. Closing reception for art galleries at Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW.

AUGUST 16, 7:30-9:30Am, Free. Hike at Ellena Gallegos Open Space, meet at Kiwanis shelter. Contact akbezner@cabq.gov, 768-4959.

AUGUST 16,  9:30 am, free. “Bark in the Park” hike at Quarai. Learn etiquette for how to bring pets to Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. More information at nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 847-2585 X 221.

AUGUST 17, 2 pm, free.  Albuquerque Historical Society. Program involves nuclear weapons and the role of Sandia Labs. Speaker is Justin Olmstead. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

AUGUST 17, 1 pm, free. Cathy Notarnicola, curator of the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, speaks about “Honoring Tradition: the Santa Fe Indian Market”. New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe.

AUGUST 21, 5-8:30pm, free. Third Thursday at the ABQ Museum. 7pm. More information Albuquerque Museum or 311.

AUGUST 22, 7:30-10 pm, free. Dark Skies & Bright Stars at Abo unit of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Start with a ranger led hike followed by star viewing with telescopes and training how to take dark skies photos. More information at nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 847-2585 X 221.

AUGUST 23, 10am-4pm, free. Mountainair Sunflower Festival. Demos, numerous vendors, arts & crafts. Mountainair NM

AUGUST 23, 10 am-12 noon, free. Butterfly Celebration, Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW.

AUGUST 23, 8-11am, animal tracking. Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW. Contact Dionne Epps, 768-4951 or depps@cabq.gov.

AUGUST 23, 2-4 pm, free. Opening reception for art galleries at the Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW.

AUGUST 23, 10:30AM-12 noon, free but you must register. Unbreaking the Circle: Stories of Service. Various presenters will speak on the military experience. Cherry Hills Library, 6901 Barstow NE, 857-8321.

AUGUST 23, 10 am, free. George Sanders speaks on the Civil War in New Mexico.   Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd SW. More details WheelsMuseum.org, 243-6269.

AUGUST 23, 10am-4pm, $5 plus parking. Bosque Chile Fest with music and food vendors. Expo NM.

AUGUST 24, 11 am-3pm, $5 & free for kids under age 12. Tomato Fiesta at Los Altos Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE. Tasting, recipes, vendors, seminars, crafts with tomato theme.

AUGUST 24, 2pm, free. Jon Ghahate speaks on “Pueblo Independence Before and After the 1680 Pueblo Revolt”. Martha Liebert Library in Bernalillo, 145 Calle Malinche, 867-1440. Sponsored by the Friends of Coronado and Jemez Historic Sites. More information at CoronadoJemezFriends.org.

AUGUST 26 Women’s Equality Day, commemoration of the certification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 which gave women the right to vote.

AUGUST 23, 10am-12 noon, free. How to build a backyard habitat, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge. 7851 2nd St. SW, 248-6667. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/valle-de-oro.

AUGUST 27, 8:30 am-12 noon, free. CNM/Central NM College celebrates its 60th anniversary. It began as Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (TVI). Various activities and tours of the new Ted Chavez Trades and Tech building.

AUGUST 29, tickets start at $37.50. Annual burning of Zozobra. More info at BurnZozobra.com.

AUGUST 30, 3-4 pm, free. The Sandia Mountain Dulcimers play at the Cherry Hills Library, 6901 Barstow NE. 857-8321.

AUGUST 30-SEPT. 1 Labor Day weekend.

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair.  Contact Natalia Sanchez Hernandez for more info. Call 505-847-2585,  nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 847-2585 X 221.

Randall Davey Audubon Center and sanctuary, 1800 Upper Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe. Tour the gardens and historic Randall Davey house. Fridays @ 2 pm are docent led house tours, $5. Saturdays @8:30 am are guided bird walk. More info at RandallDavey.audubon.org. Monday – Saturday, 8am-4pm.

INDIAN EDUCATION AT UNM, iaie.unm.edu. Watch several previously recorded programs about Native American education, the Dine language and more.

HISTORIC SANTA FE FOUNDATION (historicSantaFe.org) offers many free programs to watch: Ron Duncan Hart speaking on the Early Jews in NM; Rob Martinez – The Enduring Hispanic Music of NM.

The Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. Monday -Thursday, 9 am-12 noon, Sat. 12 noon-2pm. Call first to confirm, 243-6269 or info@wheelsmuseum.org

MURALS OF ALBUQUERQUE (www.murosabq.com) This shows over 130 murals in the ABQ metro area. You click on each picture and it shows the mural, gives its title and address, describes the image, and the artists.

Cibola County History Museum, 525 West High St., Grants NM. Go to the museum’s Facebook page for more information.

NUCLEAR MUSEUM – The Museum has a huge collection of oral history interviews (also transcribed) called Voices of the Manhattan Project. There are some 600 interviews of individuals who were either at the Manhattan Project or a family member who worked there. The  interviews are organized into 39 categories such as: Internment of Japanese Americans, Life in the Secret cities,  Hispanic employees, Native American. https://www.nuclearmuseum.org/educate/atomic-heritage-foundation  https://www.manhattanprojectvoices.org/

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. invites anyone to come and hoe tumbleweeds and goat heads. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk and accessible through the gates of Fairview Memorial Park. Wear hard soled shoes & bring your own tools. www.HistoricFairviewCemeteryABQ.org or Facebook.com/HistoricFairviewCemetery. “Where the Past meets the Present.

AMAZING HISTORY / CULTURE OPPORTUNITIES ONLINE

Many of the museums and cultural centers in the ABQ metro area have put programming on their websites, Facebook pages or YouTube links. This includes everything from:

  • concerts, history lectures, video tours of various museum collections,
  • photograph pod casts, curriculum and study guides for children, audio interviews,

All of this is free and even “low tech” individuals can navigate these websites. There are YouTube channels available at no cost to watch to all. You are urged to explore many websites but especially these:

  • CORONADO HISTORIC SITE – Watch numerous programs from the website of the Friends of Coronado Historic Site. CoronadoJemezFriends.org/presentations. All info on their website.
  • NEW MEXICO HISTORY IN TEN MINUTES (newmexicohistory.org) On the home page, go to the bottom and click on Video of the Month. The entire list of episodes will appear by clicking on the corner of the video. NM State Historian Rob Martinez is most engaging and informative and there are more than 40 Episodes. The episodes may be heard in chronological order or by topic which is introduced in the first minute or so of the episode.
  • CIVIC AUDITORIUM HISTORY VIDEO (1957-1986) www.modernabq.org. Go to the Resources Tab, then the drop down to the three Civic Auditorium videos. They tell the story of the structure: why it was built, how it was used and why it was ultimately demolished.
  • HOLOCAUST MUSEUM and GELLERT EDUCATION CENTER NM, 616 Central SW. Go to the website nmholocaustmuseum.org. Questions call 247-0606.
  • ALBUQUERQUE OASIS LIFELONG LEARNING PRESENTS VARIOUS NM TOPICS www.albuquerque.oasisnet.org  or 884-4529.
ALBUQUERQUE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ARCHIVED VIDEO PROGRAMS

The Albuquerque Historical Society provides videos of scheduled program presentations. The videos are linked from the appropriate AHS Program pages. Presentations captured on videos to date include: