1 Go Baroque.

Enjoy songs by female French Baroque composers during SF Pro Musica’s Baroque Holy Week concert. The Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon performances at the First Presbyterian Church, in Santa Fe, feature Stephen Redfield on violin and soprano Clara Rottsolk.

“This is an unusual concert in that it features French Baroque music, which is not often performed,” Redfield says. “It requires antique instruments because its musical expression doesn’t translate well to modern instruments. The other unusual part is that we feature four female composers from the court of King Louis XIV.”

In the 17th and 18th centuries, only the wealthiest women had the means to be classically trained and create their compositions. Louis XIV employed more than 200 singers and instrumentalists, a creative retinue considered the artistic center of France.

“We take an old-fashioned approach to phrasing and creating tone,” he says. “It’s all a trip to another place and time. It’s a lot of fun for us, it brings us very close to the music and the era.”

Join a Saturday morning bird-watching walk led by Bob Walker at the Los Alamos Nature Center. Photograph by Jim O'Donnell.

2 Catch the birds singing. 

Wake up early and take a Saturday stroll through the Pajarito Plateau to see the native bird life during a walk led by Bob Walker. He scouted the area to select the best paths with the most birds, increasing the chances for great sightings. Walkers will meet at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 7 a.m. and carpool to the site. It is free to attend, but space is limited.

The Ruffles and Rust Expo brings vendors selling vintage goodies, home decor, handmade pieces, jewelry, and more. Photograph courtesy of Ruffles and Rust Expo.

3 Hop into Hobbs’ spring market.

The Ruffles and Rust Expo comes to the Lea County Event Center, in Hobbs, on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., bringing vendors selling vintage goodies, home decor, handmade pieces, jewelry, and more. Founded by Camey Maldonado, the market was born from her love of buying and decorating with preloved items. Now, she takes the expo on the road and features local makers in places like Abilene and Amarillo, Texas.

"Nuclear Communities of New Mexico" shows photographs, videos, and memorabilia from Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, and Kirkland Air Force Base. Photograph courtesy of the Albuquerque Museum.

4 See another side of atomic invention.

A new exhibition opening Saturday at the Albuquerque Museum shifts the narrative of nuclear invention beyond pop culture’s current focus. Explore stories by local individuals and communities that were indelibly affected by the invention of the atomic bomb and the coming of the nuclear age. Nuclear Communities of New Mexico shows photographs, videos, and memorabilia from Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories, and Kirkland Air Force Base. It also includes works by artists such as Nina Elder, Luis Jiménez, and Eric J. García. 

The exhibition, which runs through September 15, pays special attention to the Tularosa Basin Downwinders, a group who lived near the Trinity Test site where a plutonium bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945. Through promotional materials that helped recruit folks to work for the labs, viewers of the exhibition get to see another side of the story.

The annual Truth or Consequences Gem & Rock Show at the Sierra County Fairgrounds offers a variety of hands-on activities, demonstrations, and presentations for attendees to learn more about crystals, fossils, gems, beads, and geodes. Photograph courtesy of the Sierra County Rock and Gem Society.

5 Rock on!

Crystals, fossils, gems, beads, and geodes galore come to Truth or Consequences during the annual Truth or Consequences Gem & Rock Show on Saturday and Sunday at the Sierra County Fairgrounds. The event offers hands-on activities like breaking open geodes, panning for gold, spinning the Wheel of Fortune to win fun prizes, and a kids’ rock painting booth. Gem pros give demonstrations and presentations, helping attendees learn more about the beautiful things our earth makes.

Read more: For more things to do, check out our online calendar of events.