Did you survive the first time? Then come back for more! After a wildly popular Surviving in the Desert workshop, Jon Helleson of Southwest Survival returns to the Presidio for a deeper dive into primitive skills.

In this hands-on class, you’ll carve your own traditional fire-by-friction set and learn how to coax flame from wood using only natural materials and ancient techniques. Jon will guide you step-by-step through the process, blending practical survival knowledge with a deep respect for ancestral ways.

Jack's back! Join us as we welcome Jack Lasseter, well known local orator and historian, to share stories about the animals who share this land with us. Arizona has the greatest amount of diversity in natural terrain of probably anywhere in the United States, with its mountains, canyons, Sonoran Desert, grasslands, riparian areas, forests, lakes, meadows, the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, the buttes, mesas and fabulous vistas of Monument Valley and Navajo Land, and of course the Grand Canyon. Along with that diversity of habitat, it also has the greatest variety of wildlife of anywhere in the U.S.

Your ticket includes admission to the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum, light refreshments and lecture. Although, this isn’t your typical "lecture"- free from Powerpoint, sit back relax and enjoy a story about our state.

Saturday,December 20 @ 2:00 pm

Feliz Navidad! Buon Natale! Joyeux

Noel! Merry Christmas! Treat yourself

to an afternoon of gentle harmonies

and soaring, powerful melodies, as

the Christmas Tenors take you on a

round-the-world musical journey

filled with Christmas classics!

Close out the year with the unforgettable music of Ted Ramirez, Tucson’s official folksinger, live at the Tubac Presidio. Ted’s songs honor the heritage of the Southwest, blending original ballads with beloved folk traditions. His warm voice and storytelling spirit transport audiences through the landscapes, history, and cultures of our borderlands.

This holiday season, gather in the Presidio’s historic setting for an afternoon of music that uplifts, inspires, and celebrates community. It’s the perfect way to slow down and savor the beauty of the season with friends, family, and neighbors.

Your ticket includes concert, park admission, refreshments and light bites.

Tucson author Melani Martinez shares the story of her family's 70-year-old tamal and tortilla factory through her memoir The Molino, revealing how food anchors community and preserves cultural identity in the desert borderlands. Set in Tucson's historic Barrio Presidio, this moving exploration follows three generations of a family business and examines the heartbreaking effects of gentrification on longstanding community institutions. A compelling story of belonging, transformation, and the sacred work of nourishing others in Southern Arizona's changing landscape. 

Melani “Mele” Martinez is a writer and educator from Tucson, Arizona whose work explores the intersections of memory and cultural identity. Her debut memoir, The Molino (UA Press 2024), is a 2025 Int'l Latino Book Award Honorable Mention. The Molino blends family history with the shifting cultural landscape of Tucson’s barrios, honoring her family’s beloved tamal/tortilla factory and lunch counter, El Rapido, that served Tucson customers for nearly 70 years. Melani holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction and teaches in the Writing Program at the University of Arizona, where she designs courses that engage borderlands history, folkart, poetics, and storytelling.