THROUGH AUGUST 23
HOME COOKIN’ ON THE PLAZA

Outside In Productions’ free Santa Fe Bandstand Concert Series winds down its 11th season with a lineup that features loads of stellar local musicians, including three faves we’ve featured in New Mexico Magazine. Taos-born singer-songwriter Max Gomez (“The Golden Boy,” February 2013, bit.ly/MaxGomez) hits the stage August 7. Alt-country mainstay Joe West (“Joe West’s New Mexico Songbook,” December 2012, bit.ly/JoeWest) performs August 8, and beloved Santa Fe singer-songwriter/producer Jono Manson (“The Leader of the Pack,” May 2013, bit.ly/JonoManson) closes the season on August 23. (505) 986-6054; santafebandstand.org

THROUGH AUGUST 29
HONEY IN THE HOUSE

The ABQ BioPark’s Summer Nights Concerts (on Thursday evenings at the Botanic Garden/Aquarium) and the Friday-night series, Zoo Music, offer a wide variety of live music. On August 8, the Derailers present their neo-honky-tonk best, and on August 22, singer-songwriter Steve Poltz takes the stage. But it’s the August 1 show by New Mexico–based trio Honeyhouse that’s sure to raise the roof on the raptor exhibit. Led by classically trained singer Hilary Smith, Honeyhouse blends folk, R&B, gospel, blues, and country under a layer of lush vocal harmonies. You can also catch them at the Santa Fe Bandstand on July 25. $3–$10. 7 p.m. (505) 768-2000; abqbioparkmusic.com

AUGUST 2–10
RODEO DAYS

The 78th Annual Lea County Fair and Rodeo, in Lovington, is the occasion of the biggest rodeo in the state. With barrel races; the Oldest, Youngest & Farthest Fiddler’s Contest; a carnival; and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association competition, the fair has something for rodeo aficionados and fun-loving fairgoers alike. $5–$7, children 5 and younger free. 8 a.m.–midnight. (575) 396-8686; leacounty.net/fairdefault.html

AUGUST 3, 31–SEPTEMBER 2
THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE

Starting in the 1620s, early Spanish settlers established a legacy of viniculture here—the oldest wine-growing region in the U.S. Plenty of vintners keep the tradition alive, resulting in a passionate wine community that has earned numerous awards for its New Mexico vintages and reserves. Cloudcroft draws crowds to Art and Wine in the Cool Pines (Aug. 3; $12–$15; 575-682-2733; cloudcroft.net). At the end of the month, folks can travel north to Bernalillo’s three-day extravaganza, the New Mexico Wine Festival (Aug. 31–Sept. 2; $5–$12; newmexicowinefestival.com), and south to Las Cruces’s New Mexico Wine Harvest Festival, which occur on the same days. $13.
(575) 522-1232; nmwine.com

AUGUST 4, 10, 12, 15
SAINTS MARCHING IN

Pueblo Feast Days are held in honor of Pueblo cultural and spiritual traditions and patron saints, and August offers up four of them: August 4, Kewa Pueblo; August 10, Picuris Pueblo; August 12, Santa Clara Pueblo; August 15, Zia Pueblo. A Corn or other harvest-season dance always takes place on a Feast Day, and at Picuris, visitors can watch a 60-foot pole climb and a footrace. For more information and etiquette guidelines, contact the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (505-843-7270; indianpueblo.org) or the individual Pueblos: Kewa, (505) 465-2214; newmexico.org/kewa-pueblo. Picuris, (575) 587-2519; newmexico.org/picuris. Santa Clara, (505) 753-7330. Zia, (505) 867-3304;
newmexico.org/zia

AUGUST 15–17
ROCK THE RÍO

The annual Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights festival at Red River is a marvelous way to enjoy northern New Mexico’s milder summer climate. The Chili Appreciation Society International’s Red River Red chili cook-off and the Lone Star BBQ Society competition are among the events in Brandenburg Park. The Lost Love Saloon and the Motherlode Saloon also host bands playing country, blues, and good ol’ rock’n’roll. (575) 754-1708, (877) 885-3885; redriver.org/hot-chile

AUGUST 22–25
WADDLE, DON'T DAWDLE

If duck racing happens to be your sport of champions, well, your Super Bowl is coming up. The Great American Duck Race takes place the fourth weekend of August, in Deming. You may wish to take in the Tournament of Ducks Parade and the hot-air balloons, but the main attraction is the big race. A $5 entry fee gets you a loaner duck, and if yours wins, you could go home with over $1,000. That may explain why the event’s chief duck wrangler, Steve Smith, has spent the last year at his training camp. Smith says, “Two or 92, you can race if you can get from where the ducks are to where the track is.” (575) 544-0469; demingduckrace.com

THROUGH AUGUST
ALL ABOARD

Built in 1880, The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad earned its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 2013. Along the route, its steam-powered engine and passenger cars cross the state line 11 times between Chama, New Mexico, and Antonito, Colorado. Splendid Rocky Mountain views are reason enough to take the eight-hour ride, but specialty excursions and shorter trips give travelers more options. New in 2013 is the Saturday “Cumbres Sunset” trip, with live music and dining atop the Cumbres Pass. There’s also a Sunday Express: a four-hour tour for those seeking a half-day jaunt. And kids 2–12 ride free with the purchase of an adult ticket. (575) 756-2151; cumbrestoltec.com

AUGUST 31–SEPTEMBER 1
CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST

The 42nd Annual Hatch Chile Festival promises to be the hottest yet. Floats, bikes, and you-name-it will be decked out in their red-and-green Christmas best for the parade, which kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday. Then it’s out to the airport grounds for the cooking and tasting events. The aroma of roasting Hatch chile fills the air as you take in some live music, a chile cook-off, carnival rides, and food booths serving up everything from gorditas to burgers, all of it dressed with New Mexico’s signature crop. $5/carload. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Dance: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. (575) 267-5050; hatchchilefest.com

AUGUST 2–30
COME TOGETHER

In 1964, photographer Mike Mitchell scored a press pass to the Beatles’ first U.S. concert, in Washington, D.C. Mitchell’s black-and-white images of the Fab Four were taken without a flash, and he captured the lads on stage in the full flush of their mop-topped innocence. Taos gallery David Anthony Fine Art presents Mitchell’s Beatles prints and work by other photographers as part of the gallery’s inaugural DAFA Photography Invitational. (575) 758-7113; davidanthonyfineart.com

AUGUST 30–31
MIRABAL’S OPERA TURN

In 2001, Taos Pueblo artist, storyteller, and flutist Robert Mirabal was featured in a PBS television-concert special titled Music from a Painted Cave. Mirabal is back with another PBS concert, to be filmed at The Santa Fe Opera August 30–31 and aired next year. Rooted in Mirabal’s contemplation of the Pueblo Corn Maiden stories, Music and Myth blends music and dance to explore cultural traditions and bring to light the seriousness of the earth’s shrinking natural resources. 7 p.m. $25–$65. (800) 280-4654, (505) 986-5900; santafeopera.org