Family Fun

Free outdoor band concerts
Free outdoor band concerts are presented in Sierra Vista's Veterans Memorial Park at 7 pm on Thursday evenings through June and July. Bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on. (520) 417-6980

May to October, Thursday noon to 5 pm
Sierra Vista Farmers' Market
Enjoy fresh local produce from the Sierra Vista Farmers' Market. Growers present salad veggies, fresh garlic and specialty items such as snow and sugar snap peas. New vendors will also bring pinon, juniper, cypress and other native trees. The market is open from noon till 5 every Thursday at the northwest corner of Wilcox and Carmichael streets on the West End.

August 6-10
Southwest Wings Birding & Nature Festival
The 2008 Southwest Wings Festival will be held at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center in Sierra Vista from August 6-10. The event includes self-guided and professionally guided nature tours for all ages, plus exhibits and programs about Southern Arizona birds, butterflies and critters. Find more information at Southwest Wings Birding Festival or call (520) 678-8237.

August 8-10
Vigilante Days (Tombstone)
Friday morning festivities begin at 10 am with the National Anthem, and there will be continuous street entertainment until 4 pm. On Saturday, the cooks set up for the chili cook-off at 8 am. Chili cups will go on sale at 1 pm. If you don't get there early, you will miss out on some really good chili. There will also be street entertainment from 10 am-4 pm on Saturday. The 22nd annual 10K run begins on Sunday at 6:30 am. More street entertainment from 10 am until 4 pm again on Sunday. Some of the participants scheduled this year include: The Daughters of Fatima, The Tombstone Territorial Actors, Gail Martin, Ron Hale our Singing Vigilante, and The Yuma Vigilantes.

September 13
National Day of the Cowboy Benefit (Bisbee)
The Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee will be sponsoring a fundraiser for the National Day of the Cowboy Organization in Bisbee’s City Park from 2 to 6 p.m. on Sept. 13. There will be live music by local artists Nightlife, Terry Wolf, Pat Gahn and “Fiddle Jake” Wise. The Helldorado Mavericks from Tombstone will present a staged gunfight and cowboy poet Bud Strom will act as the host of the show. The $8 donation which will go the the National Day of the Cowboy nonprofit organization.

September 25-28
Cochise County Fair (Douglas)
Come to the Fair! Enjoy carnival rides, 4-H demonstrations, livestock auctions, collegiate rodeo, bull riding, food concessions, retail booths, animal exhibits, arts and crafts, and live entertainment. Lots of fun for the kids. Gates open at 10 am Thursday through Sunday. Gates close at 10 pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 5 pm on Sunday. County Fairgrounds, Leslie Canyon Rd., North of Douglas. Despite cuts in funding by the state legislature, the Cochise County fair will still be held this year. For full information visit the fair website.

October 2 - 5
Annual Rex Allen Days (Willcox)
This annual celebration honors the late Rex Allen, Willcox's own silver screen cowboy. Activities include golf tournament, parade, country fair, rodeo, turtle race, softball tournaments, cowboy dances and a country music concert. For more information call the Willcox Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture at 520-384-2272 or visit http://www.rexallenmuseum.org

October 31 - November 2
Tombstone Western Music Festival
Adults: $15.00
Students with student ID: $10.00, Kids under 12 are free
The talent lineup this year includes: Patty Clayton, Kip Calahan, Due West, Doc Stovall, Joe Bethancourt, Journey West, Justus and the Montanas, and Bill Barwick, the Voice of the Western Channel.

Ongoing:
Arizona Folklore Preserve

Tombstone Covered Wagon and Stagecoach tours
With some of the driver/guides the narration of this tour tends to wander somewhat into the land of legend, but the huge, slow-paced horses are wonderful and the stagecoach has been richly re-upholstered in keeping with its original style. There is also a covered wagon option which provides less comfortable seating but a much better view. If you have a small child or grandchild you won't get out of town without taking this ride---every time. We tend to alternate between the covered wagon one visit and the stagecoach the next, just for variety. Kids love it.