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The Pond at Old Canoa Ranch
JUST 15 MIN FROM TUBAC !
There’s a small lake in the desert, at the old Canoa Ranch, between Tucson, Arizona and Nogales on the Mexican border. For a few weeks, early each winter, the trees turn a radiant gold and orange… it’s a beautiful sight reflected in the stillness of the water. Perhaps it’s a reminder that possibilities exist… that there is always hope.
(Thank you to Amanda Gibbs for sharing her amazing photo! This painting is available for sale and will be part of my Featured Artist display at the Tubac Center of the Arts starting Feb. 9 th and during the Open Studio Tour.
Heritage Happenings that preserve, celebrate & educate.
Check out fun events on their website.
EXPLORE with Border Community Alliance -BCA.
Schedule of coming events:
Upcoming Events & Tours
Week of March 9
Let’s Speak Spanish: 4-week Spanish classes begin
Starting the week of March 9, BCA will offer special 4-week classes custom-developed by our native facilitators. The classes are designed to help you build conversational skills, learn more about popular culture, and simply have some fun! Beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes available. Class fee: $50/BCA member; $60/non-member. Click to browse classes and register.
Saturday, March 14 & Sunday, March 15
Borderlands Literature & Film Circle: Tucson Festival of Books
Come visit BCA’s booth (#320) at the Tucson Festival of Books held at the University of Arizona Campus. We will have book signings from Sarah Towle, Joseph Mathew, Daisy Hernandez, Dora Rodriguez, Seth Michelson, and Carolyn Niethammer. Click to learn more.
Wednesday, March 18, 9am - 5pm
Cross-Border Tour: Nogales, Sonora
Visit two of our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales. Learn about the value of “social investment” in cultivating community with our neighbors to the South. Enjoy the best burrito ever, featuring Sonoran tortillas at Burrito Hass; learn about the vast city of Nogales, Sonora as we tour the various neighborhoods; then end up with coffee & flan at La Roca. We will meet in Nogales, AZ then cross the border together to meet our van in Nogales, Sonora. There is some walking (less than 1 mile) on this tour. Tour fee: $95/BCA member; $105/non-member. Click to register.
Saturday, March 21, 8:15am - 3pm
Borderlands Day Tour: Ultimate Murals Tour in Tucson
Come experience the city’s most awe-inspiring street art. Over 50 murals in under 3 hours! Our tour also highlights Tucson’s public art and memorials, each telling its own unique story of our community’s heritage and spirit. There will be several stops along the way where you can walk around, stretch your legs, and get different perspectives of the murals. We'll enjoy a NO-HOST lunch at one of Tucson's top downtown eateries. Tour fee: $95/BCA member; $105/non-member. Sponsored in part by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation. The BCA van from Green Valley is full but there are still spaces on the tour if you are able to meet us in Tucson. Please contact our office to register (520-398-3229).
Wednesday, March 25, 10:30am - 12pm
Borderlands Forum: An Update on Border Economics in These Changing Times. Join us at the United Methodist Church of Green Valley or on Zoom for a panel discussion with borderlands business leaders who will discuss the impact of U.S. and Mexico trade, economic, and foreign policy changes on borderlands businesses, the region and beyond. Free event, $15 suggested donation. Sponsored in part by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation. Click here to register.
Thursday, March 26, 8am - 4:30pm
Borderlands Day Tour: Historic Patagonia Schoolhouses
Enjoy a day adventuring to the Patagonia area and visit two historic schoolhouses, the Patagonia Elementary School (1914-2014) and the Lochiel School (1882-1972) located at the US-Mexico border at the edge of the San Rafael Valley. Learn about the efforts to honor these histories and hear the stories that have been passed down through many generations. Pack your own picnic lunch and join us for the beautiful drive through the Patagonia Mountains. Tour fee $85/members; $95/non-members includes transportation from Tubac. Sponsored in part by a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation. Click to register.
Wednesday, April 1, 9am - 5pm
Cross-Border Tour: Nogales, Sonora
Visit two of our partner nonprofit organizations in Nogales. Learn about the value of “social investment” in cultivating community with our neighbors to the South. Enjoy the best burrito ever, featuring Sonoran tortillas at Burrito Hass; learn about the vast city of Nogales, Sonora as we tour the various neighborhoods; then end up with coffee & flan at La Roca. We will meet in Nogales, AZ then cross the border together to meet our van in Nogales, Sonora. There is some walking (less than 1 mile) on this tour. Tour fee: $95/BCA member; $105/non-member. Click to register.
Wednesday, April 8, 10 - 11:30am
Borderlands Literature & Film Circle: Jack Dash and Luke Takata, “Atascosa Borderlands Multi-Media Visual Storytelling Project”
Join us on Zoom for our monthly BLFC. Naturalist and writer Jack Dash and documentary photographer Luke Takata will share insights from this long-term visual storytelling project that archives the remote Arizona-Sonora borderlands through photography and oral history. This a free event, $20 suggested donation. Click to register.
contact information
520-398-3229
info@bordercommunityalliance.org
Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday
9:30am-3:00pm
or by appointment
Mailing Address:P.O. Box 1863Tubac, AZ 85646
Office Address (no mail):8 Burruel St Tubac, AZ 85646
Explore San Carlos !
Executive Chef Saul Diaz makes up a chicken enchilada dish.
Six Tucson restaurants are among Yelp's top spots to eat in the country.
Six Tucson restaurants including one that has been open just over a year landed on Yelp’s 2025 Top 100 Places to Eat in America, a list that Tucson vegan Mexican restaurant Tumerico topped last year.
Tucson’s Baja Cafe at 7002 E. Broadway and 2970 N. Campbell Ave. was the first Tucson restaurant on the 2025 list, coming in at No. 34. Buendia Breakfast & Lunch Cafe, 2530 N. First Ave., landed at No. 38, followed by Tito & Pep, 4122 E. Speedway, at 56; Penelope Pizza, 800 N. Kolb Road, at 65; and The Parish, 6453 N. Oracle Road, at 69.
The big surprise on the list was Tucson’s innovative, upscale La Frida Mexican Grill & Seafood, which has only been open since December 2023, located at 7230 E. 22nd St.
La Frida broke the Top 50 at No. 41, likely driven by Yelp reviews that praised its unique twists on classic Mexican specialties including Aguachile de Ribeye, a dish normally centered on shrimp.
“A lot of the things we come up with is from our chef Saul Diaz, who’s from Mexico,” General Manager Jesus Arana said, describing a recent Diaz creation — cheese ceviche with cucumber, green tomato and onions — that was hit with diners.
Arana’s mother, Claudia Vindiola, opened La Frida, which draws inspiration from her family’s restaurant in her native Magdalena, Mexico, and from dishes she has experienced throughout Mexico. The molé Magdelena, a complex sauce that employs 37 ingredients, takes its cues from Oaxaca while seafood dishes are inspired by meals Vindiola had in Baja California.
Diaz plates every dish with precision and an emphasis on beauty, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by diners posting Yelp reviews.
“We try to put a lot of new innovative twists in our food as far as presentation and stepping out of the box,” said Arana, giving a lot of the menu’s credit to Chef Diaz, who he said “is the hands and my mom is the brains.”
La Frida’s marked its one-year anniversary by recently expanding, growing from 48 seats to 84 after knocking down a wall in the dining room. But Arana said there are still wait times.
“Sometimes people wait 45 minutes to three hours, and they don’t leave,” he said.
The six Tucson restaurants on this year’s Yelp list is two more than we had last year. Baja Cafe was No. 50 last year and Buendia was 39.
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Arizona's Beautiful State Parks
VISIT ARIZONA STATE PARKS
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge- Arivaca
Enjoy THE VIEW - Ruby Road to Pena Blanca Lake, Arivaca.
BISBEE - JUST 2 HOURS AWAY !
BISBEE BY DAY by DAVID DAY
BISBEE BY NIGHT by DAVID DAY
Town of Patagonia 45 min from Tubac
patagonia, AZ -see stunning green hills, a BIRD SANCTUARY & a HISTORICAL RANCH museum.
patagonia, AZ -see stunning green hills, a BIRD SANCTUARY & a HISTORICAL RANCH museum.
patagonia, AZ -see stunning green hills, a BIRD SANCTUARY & a HISTORICAL RANCH museum.
Patagonia State Park lake -hiking, camping and boating, only a few miles from town !
patagonia, AZ -see stunning green hills, a BIRD SANCTUARY & a HISTORICAL RANCH museum.
patagonia, AZ -see stunning green hills, a BIRD SANCTUARY & a HISTORICAL RANCH museum.
Explore: Madera Canyon- 45 min away from Tubac
Great birding, hiking, picnic tables, camping & even mountain climbing. Bring your senior park pass.
At The Tubac Market
the Tubac Market
new at the tubac market
walk ins welcome !
