1 Take off for a balloon rally.
Meet balloon pilots, snap pics with colorful balloons, and then see them ascend over the mountains in Angel Fire during this three-day event. With more than 30 balloons taking to the skies with mass ascensions over the Moreno Valley each morning at 7 a.m., it’s a beautiful way to celebrate Father’s Day weekend. Angel Fire keeps the fun going all weekend with DK and the Affordables playing at Frontier Park Friday at 5 p.m. On Saturday, the Kite and Glider Festival runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and Mimosas on Mainstreet takes over the center of town with food, entertainment, music, and, yes, mimosas from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then shop the Angel Fire Farmer’s Market on Sunday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m.
Get to the Bloomfield Soccer Field early to see mass ascensions at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as part of the San Juan River Balloon Rally. Then come back later for a Balloon Glow, including the Smokey Bear balloon, on Saturday at 5 p.m.
2 Go where visual art meets tech.
Art and technology combine in Santa Fe during the Currents New Media Festival June 14–23. The arts fest features 65 works by almost 100 artists who have created immersive installations, live multimedia performances, augmented and virtual reality experiences, robotics, and experimental videos. Currents kicks off with an opening night party Friday from 6 to 11 p.m. at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe and includes indoor and outdoor installations in the Santa Fe Railyard, weekend pop-up performances, and offsite events at Form & Concept, Violet Crown Cinema, and the Institute of American Indian Arts Digital Dome.
3 See the work of a resourceful artist.
Dominick Porras (Chicano/Coahuiltecan) uses his creative spark to translate his experiences and memories into his art, which ranges from photography to installation. His new exhibition, Silvery Synthesis, opens Friday at the Roswell Museum and features works based in the ethos of Rasquachismo, which believes that art should use whatever materials are readily available. “The barrio I called home served as an invaluable teacher, imparting lessons in resourcefulness and instilling in me the ability to reimagine materials as a continuous thread in the fabric of artistic expression,” Porras says in a press release. The exhibition, which kicks off with an artist reception and talk at 5:30 p.m., runs in the Entry Gallery through August 18.
4 Remember an important treaty.
Traditional dances by the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers open the annual Commemoration of the Treaty of 1868 at the Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site on Saturday at 1 p.m. Every year, the site marks the anniversary of the treaty, celebrating the strength of the Diné. “This event commemorates not only the return of the Diné to Dinétah (the Navajo Nation) after surviving great hardships while interred at the former Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation, but also the revitalization of heritage sheep and traditions,” says Aaron Roth, site manager, in a press release. Shawn Price (Diné) will lead a cultural program about the treaty in the Memorial Resource Room and attendees will receive a piece of muslin cloth donated by the Sherman House Museum/Fairfield County Heritage Association in Lancaster, Ohio.
5 Pick a bushel of summer fun.
Having sticky hands covered in juice from fresh fruit is an essential summer experience, one the folks at Nichols Ranch and Orchards in La Luz know well. Experience the fresh summer fruit at the annual Cherry Festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, when attendees can pick their own berries, gobble cherry pie, and sip cherry cider while enjoying live music, over 80 arts and crafts vendors, and local beer and wine. Musicians performing include The High Mesa Band, Dallas Burrow, and Hooks and the Huckleberries.
Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.
