The smell of roasted green chile is in the air, midway is open at the State Fair and football season in full swing. Although it’s still officially summer, fall events are just around the corner. Get a taste of what’s to come at some of the events going on this weekend right here in the far Northeast Heights:
1. Become the 5,294th member of The Albuquerque Hiking and Outdoor Meetup group by visiting meetup.com/hiking-204. On Thursday, Sept. 8 the group will hike up Pino Trail for 2.75 miles before heading back down. The evening cardio hike begins at 6 p.m. Practice rock climbing with the group Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Stone Age Climbing Gym North. The regular gym climb is for all skill levels and begins at 6:20 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 10, the group will hike Oso Ridge Trail before heading east through the Vertical Forest to meet the Crest Trail. Hikers should be physically prepared for the challenging 11.4 mile hike and should bring plenty of water.
2. Start the weekend right with a little soccer action at Albuquerque Academy. The Albuquerque Academy Invitational takes place Sept. 9-10 at Richard Harper Memorial Field. Boys and girls varsity teams will be playing multiple opponents during the invitational. Visit academychargers.com for more details about the tournament and other school events.
3. Get ready for the New Mexico Ice Wolves 2022-23 season with a public skate session at the Outpost Ice Arena. Prices range from $1 for ages 5 and under to $10 for skaters 6 and up. Skate rentals are $3 plus tax. There are four sessions on Friday, Sept. 9, three on Saturday, Sept. 10, and three public skate sessions on Sunday, Sept. 11. Each session is two hours. To find the best time for you or to register for a clinic or camp, visit outposticearena.com.
4. Take a blast to the past at Cherry Hills Library with ’80s trivia from 2-2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Play alone or on a team of up to five members. The winners will take home prizes for retaining all the useful information about the 1980s. Registration for the event is required, and players must be age 16 or older. Want to go further back in time? Come back to the library Sunday, Sept. 11, for the Type-In! Public Typewriter Gathering from 1:30-4 p.m. Ditch those digital devices and let the creative magic flow through an old-school mechanical typewriter from the 1920s to the 1970s. Use the library’s typewriters or bring your own during the digital detox, distraction-free day of writing. For more information, visit abqlibrary.org/cherryhills.
5. Have fun with the whole family at the North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center this weekend. Get in on the Bingo action from 1-2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, and stay for the ninja course family game night from 6-8 p.m. Get the squad together for family flag football every Saturday in September from 11:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. in the half-court gym. Memberships is required and cost $20 a year. For more information, call 505-764-6475.
6. The American Youth Soccer Organization season begins Saturday, Sept. 10. Come see what all the fuss is about at North Domingo Baca Park, where some of the younger teams will be playing every Saturday for the next eight weeks. Games will be played throughout the day on the grass fields west of the playground. To become a volunteer with AYSO to help coach, ref or line fields, visit ayso.bluesombrero.com/region104 and click on the Volunteers tab.
7. It’s homecoming weekend for the La Cueva Bears, and alumni are invited to the big game against Volcano Vista. The Bears varsity football team take on the Hawks Friday, Sept. 9, at Wilson Stadium with the game kicking off at 7 p.m. La Cueva’s varsity volleyball team also plays Friday with match five of the Albuquerque Metro Championships taking place at 5:45 p.m. at Highland High School. La Cueva takes on Valley, with games continuing through Saturday, Sept. 10. The gold bracket championship match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday. La Cueva’s homecoming dance is from 7-10 p.m. the same day.
Citywide events
8. The New Mexico State Fair is under way. Hours for the fair are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, continuing through Sept. 18. The midway opens at 2 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older and kids ages 5-12, and children 5 and under are free. Parking is $10 Monday through Thursday and $20 Friday through Sunday. It is located at Expo New Mexico, on the north side of Central Avenue between San Pedro and Louisiana. For more information, visit statefair.exponm.com.
9. Menchie’s will be hosting a fundraiser for the families of the first responders killed in the Metro 2 helicopter crash in July. On Saturday, four locations will participate from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. The locations at 11225 Montgomery Blvd. Suite A, 6001 Winter Haven, and 1101 Unser Blvd. will donate 100% of the day’s sales to the four families, while the location at 6500 Holly Ave. will donate 25% of sales to the fundraiser.
10. Albuquerque Fire Rescue will host a 9/11 stair climb and memorial ceremony Sunday at 1 Civic Plaza NW. At 8:46 a.m., firefighters will honor public safety personnel that responded to the Twin Towers on Sept. 1, 2001, by completing the 110-story stair climb in memory of the 343 New York City firefighters that died that day. Following the stair climb, a memorial ceremony will be held at noon to commemorate all victims, survivors and those affected by the 9/11 attacks. Both events are open to the public.
11. Take the dog for a swim this weekend at the Rio Grande Doggy Paddle. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, the Department of Animal Welfare and the city’s Aquatics Division are teaming up to host a dog swim day at Rio Grande Outdoor Pool, 1410 Iron Ave. SW. Admission is $5 per dog. For a complete list of rules and regulations for the event or to obtain the liability waiver, click here. For those closer to Rio Rancho, head over to the Pooch Plunge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Haynes Pool, 2006 Grande Blvd. SW. This is the final activity held at the Rio Rancho pool before closing for the season. All dogs must be current on vaccinations and have a copy of records, be accompanied by an adult, and have a collar and leash to and from the pool. Cost is $5 per dog. For more information, click here.
