ROCKIN’ WEEKEND AT DESERT DIAMOND CASINO
OCT. 12 AND OCT. 14 - In a free show Friday night, The Dirt roars in from the Sunset Strip with echoes of all our favorite rock bands. Openers are AC/DC tribute band Noise Pollution, and then Empty Fossil honors Alice in Chains, who visited Phoenix this week to support Guns N’ Roses. Saturday is all about country with North Carolina brothers, Parmalee. Among other career highlights, they’ve toured with Brad Paisley, appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and scored three platinum singles. Expect to hear their hits along with their latest single, “Girl in Mine.”
The Diamond Center, Desert Diamond Casino, 1100 W. Pima Mine Road, Sahuarita, Friday, free, Saturday tickets start at $20, 8 p.m., etix.com
50TH ANNIVERSARY ‘TUCSON MEET YOURSELF’ STAGES
OCT. 13 TO OCT. 15 - Take a lawn chair and a hat and pretend you’re at Coachella — if Coachella were more about the food. This fest’s music is thoughtfully curated for variety, true to the range of ethnic and contemporary genres popular in our region. Let the schedule be your guide. Here are our top picks: Buddy Greenbloom and the Gothic Cowboys, Tom Walbank, Gabriel Ayala, Gertie N the T.O. Boyz, Bouncing Czechs, Ted Warmbrand, Arizona Balalaika Orchestra, Santa Pachita, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, Urvashi Dance Academy, Odaiko Sonora Taiko.
Tucson Meet Yourself, three city blocks surrounding Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson, free, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday,
https://tucsonmeetyourself.org/schedule
STEAM DAY CAMP AT PIMA AIR
AND SPACE
OCT. 13 - Kids ages 5 to 9 make paper flyers, helicopters Ozobots and more, while 10- to 14-year-olds build Quickbuild airplane models, enjoy a balloon rocket challenge and play with drones. The Pima Air and Space Museum’s commitment to STEAM education enrichment is practically unparalleled in Tucson. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics — everything today’s kids need to know to navigate whatever the future brings.
Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, Tucson, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., pimaair.org/daycamp
LIVING HISTORY IN FORT LOWELL PARK
OCT. 14 - Fort Lowell was a U.S. military supply post from 1873 to 1891. The U.S. Cavalry returns there for this event. Feel free to request their autographs along with those of the post’s most famous doctor, Dr. Walter Reed. A Faro dealer will teach the popular card game of the era. Other costumed inhabitants of the old fort will fill you in on Victorian mourning customs and dangers lurking in 19th century homes.
Fort Lowell Park, 2900 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson, free, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., tucsonpresidio.com
SKY ISLANDS FALL ARTISAN MARKET
OCT. 14 AND OCT. 15 - Autumn is such a gorgeous time of the year in Patagonia that you hardly need any other reason to go there. Next up, though, is holiday season, and you’ll need presents. Find the perfect gifts, for yourself and others, in a shady park where 400 craft and other vendors gather, along with food vendors, exhibitors, live music and entertainment. Make a picnic of it, too, with selections from local wineries and growers.
Patagonia Town Park, 325 McKeown Avenue, Patagonia, free, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, skyislandsartisanmarket.com
RHYTHM ‘N ROOTS: QUEBE SISTERS
OCT. 14 - Swing dancers, this one is for you, and for fans of Count Basie, Bob Wills, Willie Nelson and Django Rhinehart. Is there such a thing as sibling fiddling? These Dallas sisters’ three-part vocal harmonies will give you chills, but they lay down intuitively blended licks on their instruments, too — the Western Swing triumvirate of arch-top guitar, upright bass and fiddles. Their take on the genre shows a side of sass with their reverence to their forebears.
Hotel Congress Plaza, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, tickets start at $28.33, 7 p.m., dice.fm
TUCSON’S ADVENTURE STORYTELLING SERIES
OCT. 17 - Six storytellers will spin yarns around the prompt “Going Solo,” with tales of their cycling adventures exploring, discovering and navigating Tucson trails and environmental wonders. Happy hour is from 6 to 7 p.m. in the café, including drinks and food made by Under Pressure Grill to reflect the evening’s theme. Stories start at 7 p.m. on the patio. Be sure to take a chair.
Hello Bicycle and Café, 3702 E. Hardy Drive, Tucson, free, 6 p.m., eventbrite.com
CORN MAZE AND PUMPKIN CELEBRATION
THROUGH OCT. 31 - What luck! Here it is pumpkin season, and we might still be able to get fresh corn. Most of the corn field, though, is now a maze — a 12.5-acre, 600,000 stalk puzzle to test your navigation skills. Apple Annies also offers hayrides through the farm to the pumpkin patch, where you can choose your own to carve. Check out the sunflower field, too, and see flowers taller than you.
Apple Annie’s, 6405 W. Williams Road. Willcox, $13 corn maze and hayride, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with the last ride at 4 p.m., appleannies.com
‘NIGHTFALL: RESURRECTED’
THROUGH OCT. 31 - Old Tucson promises all new terror in this year’s edition of its immersive spook-out leading up to Halloween. Organizers have multiplied all the attractions – five new mazes, four “scare zones,” two new stunt shows, a new musical revue in the Grand Palace Saloon, tarot card readings, a “mentalist” show and a “ghastly corpse resurrection” in the church. There’s also food and a family-friendly “safe zone” with its own attractions.
Old Tucson, 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, tickets start at $40, 6 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, oldtucson.com/nightfall
