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A farewell tour from a Latin music legend tops a weekend packed with live music, family-friendly exhibits, creative workshops and community gatherings across Rio Rancho and the surrounding area this Friday through Sunday.
Before you make entertainment plans, make a plan to vote. Early voting runs through 6 p.m. Saturday at five locations in Rio Rancho. Election Day is March 3.
The weekend’s marquee event arrives Saturday night when Ramón Ayala brings his Historia De Un Final farewell tour to the Rio Rancho Events Center, 3001 Civic Center Cir NE. Known as the “King of the Accordion,” Ayala is a towering figure in norteño and conjunto music. The show begins at 8:30 p.m.
Friday evening offers local live music as January Storm performs at The Hopper Pub and Pizzeria, 4500 Arrowhead Ridge Dr SE, starting at 6 p.m.
Families looking for something educational Saturday morning can head to the Esther Bone Memorial Library, 950 Pinetree Rd SE, Rio Rancho, for the New Mexico Rocks! Exhibition, a mobile museum exploring the state’s geological and landscape history. The exhibit opens at 9 a.m.
Lynne Franchini Peckinpaugh will continue the Route 66 Centennial Celebration series by exploring how Italian-owned businesses shaped the core identity of Central Avenue and the surrounding streets in Albuquerque during the 1900s. Italian-owned theaters, clothing stores, auto shops, and grocery stores were integral to the area’s development. Attendees will be introduced to the families behind these iconic businesses that appeared along Albuquerque’s stretch of Route 66. The lecture will take place from 11 a.m.-noon on Saturday in the Auditorium at the Loma Colorado Main Library, 755 Loma Colorado Blvd.
For families with young children, A Park Above — the city’s inclusive playground at 2441 Westside Ct SE — offers open-air fun any day of the weekend, including a dedicated tractor-themed play section.
If you want to take advantage of the beautiful weather, THE BLOCK, 7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd NE, has musical artist LoPhat performing live at the Top of The Block Friday night at 7. THE BLOCK is also hosting Brain Gang Trivia Night Sunday from 5-7 p.m.