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October 3rd is the 10th Annual Fiesta de las Calabazas at Oracle State Park

(Phoenix, AZ - September 23, 2009) - The 10th Annual Fiesta de las Calabazas is Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 11 am - 3 pm at Oracle State Park. This year's event will not only celebrate wildlife conservationist, Aldo Leopold, but also wild foods and the wonders of the Mesquite tree. All event parking for the public is on-site at Oracle State Park this year. The normal park entrance fee of $6 per vehicle will apply and carpooling is appreciated. (The full schedule is below).

Oracle's own harvest festival welcomes back live music by "Tortolita Gutpluckers" from 1-3 pm on the Main Stage, playing desert bluegrass featuring banjo, guitar, vocals, fiddle and tub bass. Opening up the event at 11 am will be female duo "InAscent" who will perform with guitar, harmonica and vocals. Visit calabazas.org for more details.

On the Main Stage at Noon, Kim Stone (horticultural specialist at Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park) will be portraying Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) and will answer audience questions in character. Learn more about this influential wildlife conservationist, archer, teacher and author of "A Sand County Almanac," who first came to the Arizona Territories in 1909 to work for the US Forest Service.

Desert Harvesters of Tucson will set up a "hammer-mill" during the event, for grinding mesquite pods into flour for home-cooking use. The public is invited to bring buckets of clean pods for milling. There will be a charge of $3 per run of 3-5lb bags of pods and the proceeds will go to the Friends of Oracle State Park, who are sponsoring the hammer-mill. Mesquite pods are nutritious and the flour gives traditional baked goods a distinctive sweet flavor. Local vendors will be on hand selling products made from wild foods, including mesquite jelly and syrup, mesquite pancake mixes, jellies and syrups made from prickly pear fruit. There will also be products made from bees, homegrown squash bread and more.

The Fiesta de las Calabazas, as in past years, will highlight the cultural and natural diversity of the Oracle area, along with local talent. Take a guided tour of the historic Kannally Ranch House. Authors include: Herbalist, Charlie Kane, with a display of useful wild roots and second edition copies of his book, "Herbal Medicine of the American Southwest." Aldo Leopold scholar, David E. Brown, will be on hand for book signings. Evaline Auerbach will provide books by Aldo Leopold and more.

Arizona Game and Fish will host an Aldo Leopold Archery Event at the corrals. Sign-up for a 30-minute group lesson beginning at 11 am, 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1 pm, 1:30 pm, 2 pm and 2:30 pm. Ages 8 to adult are welcome. Call (520) 896-2425 to reserve your start time. Open slots are available the day of the event also.

Friends of Oracle State Park will host the Pumpkin Patch, with pumpkins and gourds for kids of all ages to decorate and take home. Look for the Friends of Oracle State Park Plant Sale, mesquite-based recipes, Calabazas Tote Bags for sale and more. Kids activities will also include Ed Moll of the Tucson Herpetological Society, with live reptiles.

Lunch is available from 11am-3pm, featuring vendors "Not Jus Doggs" selling hotdogs, Italian sausage, chips, drinks and more, or enjoy Mexican burritos, carne asada and other selections by Rita Pina.

For more information, call Oracle State Park at (520) 896-2425. Oracle State Park, Center for Environmental Education, is a 4,000-acre wildlife refuge, set on the old Kannally Ranch in the northern foothills of the Catalina Mountains. The park is located in the town of Oracle, approximately 45 minutes north of Tucson off of Highway 77.

For more information about the 30 State Parks, statewide hiking opportunities, off-highway vehicle trails, and other outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities in Arizona, call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free (800) 285-3703) or visit AZStateParks.com. Follow us on twitter.com/AZStateParks.

Fiesta de las Calabazas

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Oracle State Park

8 am: Oracle State Park gate opens. Event parking is on-site for $6 per vehicle.

11 am: 10th Annual Fiesta de las Calabazas begins with live music on the main stage by female duo "InAscent." Food Vendors open. Aldo Leopold Archery Activity begins: Sign up for a 30-minute group lesson at the corrals by Arizona Game & Fish. Ages 8 to adult welcome. Mesquite Pod Grinding Hammer-mill opens. Grind your mesquite pods into flour for home-cooking use. $3 per run of 3lb-5lb buckets of pods benefits Friends of Oracle State Park. Wild food vendors, author tables and interactive booths open. Kids activities begin.

11:30 am: Guided Tour of the historic Kannally Ranch House begins (45 minutes). 30-minute Archery lesson begins for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

Noon: On the Main Stage: Kim Stone portrays the "Father of Wildlife Conservation,"Aldo Leopold (1887-1948), and answers audience questions in character.

12:30 pm: Guided Tour of the historic Kannally Ranch House begins (45 minutes), 30-minute Archery lesson begins for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

1 pm: "Tortolita Gutpluckers" perform live music on the Main Stage until 3pm. 30-minute Archery lesson begins for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

1:30 pm: Guided Tour of the historic Kannally Ranch House begins (45 minutes). 30-minute Archery lesson begins for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

2 pm: "Shrinking Habitat" Environmental Education trail program begins. Sample activities from the interactive Oracle Adventure & Oracle Odyssey Programs (30 minutes). 30-minute Archery lesson begins for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

2:30 pm: Last chance for 30-minute Archery lesson for age 8 to adult. Sign up at corrals.

3 pm: Event closes

4 pm: Park closes

-end-

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