August 2026 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 16, 2pm, free. Historic preservation planner Leslie Naji speaks about historic buildings and architecture. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. Albuqhistsoc.org.

AUGUST 29, SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL Mountainair NM. Music, food, every kind of Sunflower items.

AUGUST 22, SATURDAY, 11am ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL SPEAKER SERIES-FREE AT 12 LOCATIONS WITH 12 DIFFERENT SPEAKERS:

  • Roger Zimmerman speaks on Rerouting Rt. 66 through Tijeras Canyon, Wheels Museum;
  • Abraham Santillanes speaks on the Many Roads to Old Town – the original Rt. 66; Special Collections Library;
  • Donatella Davanzo speaks on Route 66 connected: A photo-ethnographic exploration of the contemporary Rt. 66 in NM, International District Library;
  • Lynne Peckinpaugh presents The Italian’s pathway to prosperity on ABQ’s Rt. 66, Patrick Baca Library at Central & Unser NW;
  • Gary Herron speaks on Motels on Rt. 66 in ABQ, Loma Colorado Library in Rio Rancho;
  • Joe Sabatini speaks on North Fourth St.-ABQ’s original Rt. 66, Gutierrez Hubbell House;
  • Jacqueline Loring presents “The KiMo Theatre: Fact & Folklore”,  Pueblo Of Isleta Cultural Center;
  • Chinese Merchants of ABQ’s Route 66 by Aimee Tang; Martha Liebert Library in Bernalillo;
  • Hazel Lathrop speaks on Tijeras Canyon-Five Miles of Road and Hundreds of Stories, Fred Luna Multi Gen Center in Los Lunas;
  • Richard Ruddy speaks on Route 66 in Downtown Albuquerque, Raymond Sanchez Community Center on North 4th;
  • Roland Pentilla speaks about the Little Beaver Amusement Park in Tijeras Canyon, South Valley Library on Isleta SW;
  • Jennifer Bohnhoff speaks about the Civil War along Rt. 66 (Battles of Glorieta, Peralta, ABQ), East Mountain Library.   Details at www.route66speakers.org.

Petroglyph National Monument, 899-0205; Valles Caldera National Preserve, 670-1612; and Salinas Pueblos National Monument, 847-2585. Call and check their websites for details.

AUGUST FEAST DAY DANCES AT PUEBLOS AROUND NM – Call the individual pueblo offices to confirm times.  Aug 10 Picuris, Aug. 12, Santa Clara, Aug. 15, Zia, Laguna; Aug. 28, Isleta.

INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER — Cultural dances every Friday at 2pm, Saturday and Sundays at 11am & 2 pm. More info and ticket prices at indianPueblo.org.

MUSIC EVENTS, free-Old Town Plaza every Saturday 1-3 pm. Also at the La Familia Farmers Market every Friday from 5-8 pm, Dolores Huerta Gateway Park, 100 Isleta Blvd. SW. 

AUGUST 1, 8am-11am. Historic Fairview Cemetery, 700 Yale SE. Come clean a plot to commemorate the past. 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, 1-3 pm, free NM residents, fee otherwise. Jack Rittenhouse, A Western Literary Life. NM History Museum in Santa Fe.

AUGUST 4, 5-8pm, free. Neighborhood Night out gatherings across ABQ. All welcome. More info at link or 311 https://www.cabq.gov/national-night-out/national-night-out-locations

AUGUST 6, Remembrance of atomic bomb detonation on Hiroshima, Japan.

AUGUST 6, remembrance of the USS Bullhead Memorial Park at south end of San Pedro SE. Last US submarine sunk in WWII.

AUGUST 6, 1st day of school for Rio Rancho Public Schools/APS Aug. 7 1st day of school.

AUGUST 7 and every Friday of AUGUST 7, 14, 21, 28; 11am. Free Ranger led hike at Quarai unit of Salinas National Monument. More details call visitor Center, 847-2770.https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

AUGUST 7, 5-8 pm, free. Art Crawl at various galleries across ABQ. Come meet the artists. ArtsCrawlABQ.org.

AUGUST 7, 5-8 pm, Downtown ABQ Artwalk – music & art along Central Ave. More details and maps at AbqArtwalk.com.

AUGUST 7, 1st day of school for APS grades K-12. Kindergarten/preschool Aug. 11.

AUGUST 8 and every Saturday in AUGUST 8, 15, 22, 29, 11am. Ranger led hike at Gran Quivira unit of Salinas National Monument near Mountainair. Call 847-2770 for more info.https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

AUGUST 8, free. Navajo rug auction (more than 150 rugs) at the Palace of the Governors courtyard in Santa Fe. Preview from 9-11am, auction starts 11am. Get bid paddle for $5. Sponsored by the Palace Foundation NM History Museum in Santa Fe. More info nmhistorymuseum.org.

SUMMER BREAK FOR Press Women & Friends; break for Friends of Tijeras Pueblo.

AUGUST 8, 10:30 am, free. Demystifying AI-What it Can and Can’t Do. Speaker is historian/researcher David Menicucci. Downtown Main Library genealogy center, 5th & Copper NW. Free 2 hour parking at City garage across street.

AUGUST 8, 1-3 pm, free. Nuevo Mexico Colcha Embroidery Workshop, materials provided. 2nd Saturday events at Casa San Ysidro. Old Church Rd. In Corrales. More info from Aaron Gardner, agardner@cabq.gov or 768-3918.

AUGUST 8, 10:30-12 noon, free Preserving NM Family Traditions: Steps of our Ancestors presented by Yvette Cohn Stoor at the Dominici Bldg, National Hispanic Cultural Center. Sponsored by the Hispanic Genealogy Resource Center of NM.

AUGUST 8,  61st anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

AUGUST 8-11, free. 333rd Fiesta of San Lorenzo, Rotary Park, 829 Camino del Pueblo, Bernalillo. For details and full schedule go to tobnm.gov/events or cjones@tobnm.gov or call the community development office at 771-7133.

AUGUST 8, 10 am, free. Matachines Dancer and tradition of the Dance presented by Dr. Joseph Moreno, longtime historian of the ancient Native Matachines dance. Martha Liebert library in Bernalillo.

AUGUST 8, 2-3:30 pm, free. “Travel to Norway” with world traveler H. Seltzer and his illustrated slide show talk. Lomas Tramway library, 908 Eastridge NE.

AUGUST 8, 10 am-4pm, $2. Theme is Science Fiction/Horror/fantasy.  Monthly sale of used books, vinyl, posters, music & more. Sponsored by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. Main branch, 5th & Copper NW. Will carry purchase 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 and every Sunday in AUGUST 9, 16, 23, 30, 11 am. Ranger Led hike at Quarai unit of Salinas National Monument. Call 847-2770 for more info.https://www.nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

AUGUST 9, Remembrance of WWII 1945 atomic bomb detonation at Nagasaki, Japan.

AUGUST 10, all day, fee. Commemorate the 1680 Pueblo Revolt, Indian pueblo Cultural Center. Also free program at Petroglyph National Monument, 9-11 am. IndianPueblo.org, Petroglyph Nat Monument, 899-0205.

AUGUST 10, 10:30-1pm. Fill up a grocery bag of books for just $6. Sponsored by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. Main branch, 5th & Copper NW. Volunteers will carry purchase 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.

Summer Break for Sandoval County Historical Society Museum. Off 550 just west of Coronado Monument in Bernalillo. More info at SC-hsm.org. SandovalHistory.org  and Summer Break for: Corrales Historical Society at the Old San Ysidro Church, 966 Old Church Rd. more info at CorralesHistory.org.

AUGUST 12, 7 pm, free. ABQ Concert Band performs at the NM Veterans Memorial, 1100 Louisiana SE. ABQband.org.

AUGUST 14, $12 (includes one drink), doors open 5:30pm, program 6pm. The Fastest Woman in the world: Jackie Cochran. “Science on Tap”. Speaker Donna Pedace talks about the records involving Cochran breaking the speed of sound. Museum of Nuclear Science, 601 Eubank SE. NuclearMuseum.org.

AUGUST 14, 7:30 pm, free. Dark Skies/Bright Stars at Abo. (telescopes, star information) Salinas Pueblo National Monument, Mountainair NM. Call 505-847-2585 for more info.

AUGUST 14 commemorate the end of WWII as Japan surrenders.

AUGUST 15, 4-7 pm, free. “Community Fair, Hearts in the Park” with back to school supplies, music, free refreshments, Phil Chacon Park, 7600 Southern SE at Louisiana.

AUGUST 15, 10am-5pm, fee. Red & Green VegFest, cooking demos & presentations. Unitarian Church, 3701 Carlisle NE at Comanche. RedandgreenvegfestAbq.com.

AUGUST 15, 10am, free. Mapping the Authentic Route 66 Mother Road, a presentation by Dontella Davanzo. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. More info at wheelsMuseum.org or call Leba Freed at 243-6269, or info@WheelsMuseum.org.

AUGUST 15, 10am-12, free. BARK Ranger – dog etiquette for visiting the Refuge. Contact sierra_necessary@fws.gov,  contact dakota_dominguez@fws.gov. Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge,7851 2nd St. SW, 248-6667.

AUGUST 15, 4:30 pm, free. “State of the City” program by ABQ Mayor Tim Keller, Rt. 66 Visitor Center, 12300 Central SW.

AUGUST 15/16, free activities at the NM History Museum highlighting indigenous arts, literature & culture to coincide with Indian Market. 10am-4pm Aug. 15 vendors inside the Palace of the Governors. August 16, talk by Dorothy Denetclaw (Dine) The Sons of Gun Shooter book talk/signing. 

AUGUST 16, 2 PM, free. Historic Preservation planner Leslie Naji speaks about historic buildings and architecture. ABQ Historical Society, NM. Free parking & free admission to the ABQ Museum in Old Town. albuqhistsoc.org.

AUGUST 16, Pueblo Independence Day, commemorate the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Jemez Historic Site, 575-829-3530.

AUGUST 18, 7pm by Zoom, free. “It’s Mayan, Not Yours”. Leading a congregation in Guatemala for the Jewish High Holidays. Speaker is Rabbi Jack Shlachter from Los Alamos. Sponsored by NM Jewish Historical Society, nmjhs.org.

AUGUST 19, 3:30-4:30 pm, free but must register. Use three lines and blocks of bright color to “paint a masterpiece”. Juan Tabo Library, 3401 Juan Tabo NE, 291-6260.

AUGUST 20, 5-8pm, free. 3rd Thursday at ABQ Museum featuring performances by Chatter. Music, talks, food & beverage for sale. ABQ Museum in Old Town. More info from dianadelgado@cabq.gov.

AUGUST 22, 2 pm, free. Coronado Lecture Series. NM Railroad expert Fred Friedman speaks about The Railroading of Geronimo: the part played by railroads in the 1886 capture of Geronimo and his transport as a prisoner of War. Martha Liebert Library, 124 Calle Malinche in Bernalillo. More info at BernalilloLibrary.org or 505-867-1440.

AUGUST 22, 1-2 pm, free. “Growing up bilingual in NM in the 1950s” with author Maria Dolores Gonzales. Rudofo Anaya North Valley Library,  7704 2nd St. NW.

AUGUST 22, 3-4:30 pm, free. Growing, harvesting and Using Garden Herbs. Cherry Hills Library. 6901 Barstow NE.

AUGUST 22-30 NATIONAL PARK WEEK AT Petroglyph National Monument.  POTTERY demos Aug 22/23 all day; Aug/ 23 hiking safety in the desert, 9-11 am. Contact 505-899-0205 for more info. 6510 Western Trail NW.

AUGUST 22, 11 am, free. ROUTE 66 SPEAKER SERIES at 12 locations throughout metro area (ABQ, Bernalillo, Rio Rancho, Isleta Pueblo, Los Lunas) with different speakers. Go to www.route66speakers.org for list of speakers, details of talks and locations/ addresses.

AUGUST 22, 11am-4pm, Centennial 66 Vendor Market with music, and food/drink trucks. Rt. 66 Visitor Center, 12300 Central SW.

AUGUST 22, 11am – 4pm, free. Historic northern NM “High Road” Catholic churches open to visit & tour interior (4TH Sat of the Month). Includes Truchas, Las Trampas, Cordova, San Jose de Gracia. Brochure info at Prayatalltimes.com/mission-churches.

AUGUST 22, 10am-12 noon, free. Butterfly Celebration with slideshow, learn to identify butterfly types with outside walk, prizes and more. Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors NW. Contact depps@cabq.gov or 768-4951

AUGUST 23, 10am-5pm, $5 adults, age 12 & under free. Tomato Festival at the ABQ Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE. Tastings, food demos, crafts, food for sale. albuquerquegardencenter.org.

AUGUST 23, 2-3 PM, free. Local award winning photographers Roberto Rosales and Nathaniel Paolinelli discuss “photographing the other Rt. 66”. Albuquerque Museum in Old Town.

AUGUST 25, 10am-12 noon, free. The history of the National Park Service as it observes its 110th birthday. Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center, 6510 Western Trail NW.

AUGUST 25, 6pm, free. Carla Chung Mattox presents, National Parks and the Supreme Court: Groundbreaking Legal Battles. Book Works, 4022 Rio Grande NW, bkwrks.org.Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW, bkwrks.org.

AUGUST 26 Commemorate Passage of 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote in 1920.

AUGUST 26, free, 10:30am. BARK hike for well behaved dogs on leash. 2.2 mile guided hike in Rinconada Canyon. Leave from Rinconada Canyon parking lot. More info at Petroglyph National Monument, 899-0205 or 897-8816.

AUGUST 29, SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL, free. Mountainair NM. Music, food, dozens of vendors with every kind of Sunflower items. ManzanoMountainArtCouncil.org for more info.

AUGUST 29, 10am-2pm, free. Route 66 Show & Tell with 600 maps, postcards, then and now photo exhibit. Wheels Museum, 1100 2nd St. SW. More info at wheelsMuseum.org or call Leba Freed at 243-6269, or info@WheelsMuseum.org.

AUGUST 29, 10:30am-2pm, free. North Valley Rudolfo Anaya Library, 7704 2nd st. NW. Pop Up sale of books, CD, vinyl, puzzles, great bargains. Sponsored by the Friends of the ABQ BernCo Public Library. All proceeds benefit the Library. FriendsofthePublicLibrary.org.

AUGUST 29, 3-4 pm, free. Enjoy the Sandia Mountain Dulcimers. South Valley Library, 3904 Isleta SW or call 877-5170.

AUGUST 29, 11am-12 noon, free. Come learn about ancient Egypt with a drop-in-family workshop for kids ages 5-12 at Juan Tabo Library, 3407 Juan Tabo NE, 291-6260.

Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge. 7851 2nd St. SW, 505-248-6667.

Valles Caldera National Monument on NM 4 north of Jemez Springs. Go to nps.gov/vall for information.  39201 NM 4. Jemez Springs, NM. Call 505-670-1612 for more info. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/valle-de-oro.

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near Mountainair.  Contact Natalia Sanchez Hernandez for more info. Call 505-847-2585, nps.gov/sapu/planyourvisit or call 505-847-2585 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 & Sunday, 10am-2pm. Call first to confirm, 505-243-6269 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/

New Mexico event music groups at the Rt. 66 Visitors Center, music, exhibits. 12300 Central SW, 768-3556. Call city’s 311 for more info.

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

  • 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.
  • 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 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: