The Fall 2010 Kino Mission Tours have been canceled.  SMRC volunteer board members are currently exploring ideas for new tours to missions in Arizona and New Mexico.  Check this website for updates in the coming months.

Tubac Presidio State Park is in imminent danger of closing. In the face of the current economic downturn, the State of Arizona has announced that 21 of its 30 state parks will close, including Tubac Presidio, Picacho Peak, and Homolovi Ruins. Local nonprofit organizations have banded together to try and raise money to keep some of these parks open. In Tubac, the Tubac Historical Society (THS) is the chosen representative in negotiations with the Arizona State Parks Board to craft an agreement that would turn over control of Tubac Presidio to THS. The Tubac community has rallied to the cause by donating more than $15,000. If you would like to donate money to keep this important historical marker open, please visit www.ths-tubac.org and click on the “Save the Presidio Park Initiative” link.  [Tubac Historical Society Newsletter, March 2010]

The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque has been hosting a three-month exhibit on the history of penitentes in New Mexico and southern Colorado. The exhibit debuted in March and will run until the end of May. It features paintings, retablos, and santos collected by author Ray John de Aragon and his wife, Rosa María Calles, as well as photographs of moradas by Craig Varjabedian. [Albuquerque Journal, March 6, 2010]