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News
Fast-acting bystanders douse fire on McKeown
By Dave Lumia
Right place, right time and some quick thinking on the part of the Patagonia Creative Arts Association staff helped avert a potentially dangerous situation on Monday in downtown Patagonia.
Brenda Pentland said she was at the Gathering Grounds on McKeown Avenue when a smoldering cigarette that had been thrown into a plastic planter burned through the planter and ignited a fire in the grass on the adjacent lot, near the Lending Shed’s donation kiosk.
Pentland said Adrian Gomez and Cassina Farley saw the smoke from where they were sitting at a picnic table in Patagonia’s Town Park and ran across the street. Farley rushed into the Gathering Grounds to tell them to call 9-1-1, and Gomez, a counselor for the Association’s summer art camp, grabbed a nearby hose and doused the flames, which were being fanned by gusty winds and starting to spread across the lot.
Pentland said Gathering Grounds employees came out with fire extinguishers after being alerted to the fire, but Gomez’s effort had already snuffed it out.
“Given the wind and other conditions we were fortunate they acted so quickly,” Pentland said. “We were all lucky they acted so fast and that there was a tap and hose right there.”
She’s grateful that the quick response prevented a larger fire and hopes that the incident serves as a reminder for people to be more careful with their cigarette butts.
Patagonia Fire and Rescue chief Zay Hartigan amplified that message in a statement to the PRT:
“Due to extremely dry and windy conditions, multiple fires in our region have gone big recently. Saturday, three fire fighters were killed and two more injured up North. Monday a fire started in VERY short grass next to the Lending Shed due to a cigarette, illustrating how easily a fire can start. Saturday’s tragedy shows how fast they can spread, and just a hint of how deadly they can be.
“We ask all our neighbors to hold off on lighting fireworks until the rains come. And to be extra careful with any flames such as charcoal grills, cigarettes, anything. Fireworks are not allowed in town limits or on state or federal lands around our town.
“Anyone who does start a fire through negligence is liable to be charged with a crime and billed for suppression expenses. I can’t stress how vulnerable our town is to extreme destruction from one little spark. Let’s make sure this special Fourth of July is memorable for the good times we all share, and not for unimaginable destruction.”
Grijalva, Fanning invited to Blue Star Memorial dedication in Patagonia on the 4th of July; fireworks display canceled due to weather
From The Patagonia Museum:
The Blue Star Memorial plaque will be dedicated on the 4th of July at 1 p.m. near the intersection of Beaty Lane and McKeown Avenue in Doc Mock Park. A brief ceremony is planned with Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva and Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Fanning invited to speak. The Patagonia Community Garden will host a reception with refreshments at the Community Garden after the ceremony.
Patagonia Volunteer Fire and Rescue‘s annual 4th of July fireworks display has been canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. PVFR released this statement early Wednesday afternoon:
After carefully evaluating the current weather conditions and the extremely dry environment, we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s scheduled fireworks show.
While we know many of you were looking forward to celebrating with us, the safety of our community, visitors, firefighters, and surrounding wildlands must come first.
We are working to identify an alternative date when conditions are safer. Once a new date has been determined, we will share it on our Facebook page.
Thank you for your understanding, your continued support, and for helping us keep our community safe. We look forward to celebrating together when conditions allow.
SEFD passes budget and renews chief’s contract as deadline nears for candidates to file for two board positions
Sonoita-Elgin Fire District‘s board of directors unanimously adopted the proposed budget of $2,251,007 for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 at its June 22 meeting, in addition to renewing Chief Marc Meredith’s contract for two years.
The five-member SEFD board will have two vacancies at the general election on Nov. 3. The last date for candidates to file petitions for those seats is this coming Monday, July 6, at 5 p.m. Petitions must be filed at the Santa Cruz County Elections Department, 2150 N. Congress Dr., Nogales, Arizona 85621.
Any inquiries concerning particulars of the election should be be made directly to the Santa Cruz County Elections Department.
Santa Cruz Little League can claim another district title on Thursday
By Dave Lumia
The Santa Cruz Little League is in position to claim a second consecutive District 8 championship on Thursday night in Sierra Vista.
Santa Cruz, 10 boys representing Sonoita, Elgin and Patagonia in the 9-to-11-year-old division, has steamrolled through its first three games of the district tournament with wins over Nogales (16-1), Sierra Vista (4-0) and Mount Graham (14-4).
Thursday’s game, which will be a rematch against Sierra Vista or Mount Graham, will be at 7:30 p.m. at the Stone Complex (3308-3598 E Tacoma St.). A win there will qualify the team for the state tournament in Tempe. If Santa Cruz loses on Thursday, the same teams will play on Friday at 7:30 in a winner-take-all game.
“We’re super pleased with how the boys have been playing,” said Aaron Thomas, league president and an assistant coach. “It’s just been playing our brand of baseball, which is good pitching, good defense, putting pressure on their defense by not striking out and putting lots of balls in play.”
Pitching and defense have been particularly strong over the three games — evidenced by only five runs allowed. In the victory over Sierra Vista, Jax Raley gave up only one hit and struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings.
“We’re not doing anything special,” head coach Evan Raley said. “Throwing strikes, not walking people, making the routine plays.”
Santa Cruz’s district title last year in the 8-to-10 division was more than a little unexpected given that the league had no previous success at the district level, but Thomas said it’s a different vibe this time around. They’re no longer underdogs; instead they have a target on their backs.
“We have a confidence this year that we didn’t have last year,” he said. “The experience last year gave us that. We know we can compete with anybody.”
Raley said that’s been instilled in the team since practice began: “We tell them you’ve been there before. When you show up to a game, show up loose, trust in themselves, trust in the process we’ve been establishing.”
Oh, one other thing — a little thing called “fun,” which Raley and Thomas both mentioned.
“We’ve been having fun,” Thomas said. “The whole winning attitude has been kind of contagious around our practices and with our families and our fans.”
Sizable crowd braves gusty winds at Lavender Festival
By Pat McNamara
Elgin’s seasonal Sky Island winds did not discourage a record crowd of 1,700 from attending Firesky Farm’s third annual Lavender Harvest & Craft Libations Festival. Live music and the lovely scent from the field of over 7,000 lavender plants greeted the public as they entered the large welcome tent. A second tent featured local vineyards, distilleries and breweries offering tastings of their various beverages, and food trucks were in abundance to satiate a variety of appetites as well.
Tours of the many lavender fields were available either by foot or, for the little tots, in a colorful “tot train.” Local artisans were also present with their many wares and handmade items, and attendees could participate in classes to learn how to make various items from the lavender plants. An unusual feature was a tent housing a worm farm where the “farmers” informed the public of the value that these lowly creatures offer to our various agricultural ventures.
Plenty of parking and a well-organized entry process made for a pleasant experience, despite the blustery wind and occasional blowing dust.
All aboard! Kids take a ‘tot train’ guided tour of the lavender farm grounds during last Saturday’s festival. Photo by Pat McNamara 
Live music and the lovely scent from the field of over 7,000 lavender plants greeted the public as they arrived at Firesky Farm’s third annual Lavender Harvest & Craft Libations Festival. Photo by Pat McNamara 
A record crowd of 1,700 were on hand for the all-day event. Photo by Pat McNamara 
Local artisans were present with their many wares and handmade items. Photo by Pat McNamara 
Salespeople peddled Snake Oil products at the festival. The beverages, made with herbs and electrolytes, help recovery from too many adult beverages. Photo by Pat McNamara
Impact of border wall construction intersects with humans, wildlife, flora
By Carrie White
The ebb and flow of people and wildlife across the border in the San Rafael Valley has long been a function of need.
For humans on both sides of the border, the crossing enabled connection between family and friends. The ties were deep and multi-layered.
Emma Matus-Voss worked at the U.S. Customs House in Lochiel when it closed in 1983. Matus-Voss, who now lives in Corona de Tucson, recalls that the produce growing on the Sonoran side was highly prized.
“You would buy bushels of green corn to make tamales,” Matus-Voss said. And the apples, which had to be parboiled to make them acceptable for import, went into empanadas and pies on both sides of the border.
For wildlife, the need to travel freely through the San Rafael Valley was and still is about survival. The area has been identified by the Arizona Game and Fish Department as the most important wildlife corridor for the movement of jaguar, black bear, mule deer and mountain lions in the state. Those animals are among many threatened by the construction of a 30-foot steel bollard wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rare fauna — the desert marigold, Sonoran Desert tortoise plant, Chiricahua Mountain sage and Pima pineapple cactus — also could be impacted as heavy equipment barrels through the Valley to widen an easement and construct a wall.
Crews from Fisher Sand and Gravel, the North Dakota-based company that was awarded a $309 million contract by the Trump administration to build a 27-mile stretch of wall in the Santa Cruz County, arrived in the Lochiel area last week and began widening the easement and tearing down the existing barriers at the border. Word began spreading that the construction would result in the removal of historic 200-year-old cottonwood trees to make room for the new wall, mobilizing activists concerned about the consequences on the area’s ecosystem.
Today, the easement along the border at Lochiel/La Noria is strewn with downed paradise trees and underbrush. Turned earth lines the roadway. Gnarled metal, remnants of the Normandy wall installed around 2008, has been piled in a huge heap.
Click here to continue reading this article.
Obituary
Public Service Announcements
To submit an announcement, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
From Santa Cruz County:
JP-East Justice Court will resume its services on July 17, 2026.
JP-East Justice Court services are available every first and third Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Sonoita Community Space/County Building. We provide civil services, including small claims, civil complaints, evictions, orders of protection and weddings — bringing access to justice closer to Elgin, Sonoita, Canelo and Patagonia. We’re here to serve our community with fairness, empathy and integrity. Call: (520) 375-7661.
School News and Youth Events
To report school news or list an event, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format. To list an event, please submit by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
From Elgin School Parent Teacher Club:
The Elgin PTC is looking for new members to join our team and help make our school an even more amazing place for our students, staff, and families! Whether you can volunteer a few hours a month or help with a specific event, there is a place for everyone in the PTC! Interested in learning more? Send us a message at Elginptc@elgink12.com. We’d love to have you join our flock! Together, we can help Elgin soar even higher!
Upcoming Events
To list an event, please submit an image file in JPEG or PNG format. Email your submission to prtadast@gmail.com by Monday, 5pm. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
From Sky Island Alliance:
Join us for our next virtual Coffee Break on Thursday, July 9, at 9:30 a.m. SIA Wildlife Specialist Meagan Bethel will take us on a deep dive into the different cottontail and jackrabbit species that make their home in the Sky Islands and bring so much joy with their every hop and step. Together, we’ll learn how to identify each species in the field and on camera. Meagan will also share their life history and distribution across the region using data from our FotoFauna and Border Wildlife Study cameras.
To register, visit: https://ow.ly/cFCm50ZbkQO
From Borderlands Nursery & Seed:
Our second bilingual Native Plant Propagation & Nursery Management Workshop of 2026 is coming up on Saturday, August 8, from 10 AM to 2 PM, and we only have a few spots left for participants!
Join us for an informative class to learn about all things related to running and managing a native plant nursery, such as propagating native plants from both seeds and cuttings, seed and plant sourcing, plant lists, dormancy, mechanical scarification, temperature stratification, transplanting, pot sizes for retail vs. restoration needs, irrigation, soil type, timelines, and more. The nursery will also be open for shopping.
Sign up at borderlandsplants.org
Recurring Events
To list an event, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format. Remember to submit your event at least one week before the event date. Thank you!
Fresh vegetable distribution Mondays at the Patagonia Senior Center
Come with friends and pick up your weekly fresh vegetables from East Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank every Monday at the Patagonia Senior Center (100 Quiroga Ln, Patagonia) at 10:30am. Take what you need and give what you can.
The Sonoita Food Pantry at The Vine Church is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Monthly bird walks at the Paton Center
From the Paton Center:
Fun news: we will now be having regular monthly Paton Center bird walks led by docent Wayne Smith on the fourth Saturday of every month! Join us for a relaxing morning featuring short, easy walks (less than a mile total) along trails like the Cuckoo Corridor and Gray Hawk Birding Trail. We’ll also spend some unhurried time enjoying the activity around the bird feeders.
-Alexis Stark, Paton Center Site Manager
Boat tours at Patagonia Lake State Park
Every Saturday and Sunday, $7 per adult, $5 per child (13 years and under)
- 9 a.m. Avian Adventure Tour
- 10:15 a.m. Avian Adventure Tour
- 11:30 a.m. Lake Discovery Tour
- Twilight Tour on Saturdays only. Time varies.
Call the park to make your reservation: 520-287-2791
Boat rentals are available at the Patagonia Lake Marina.
Alcoholics Anonymous:
- Sonoita Bible Church – Tuesdays at 7pm, 3174 N. Highway 83, Sonoita. Doors open at 6:30. Zoom option: 601-758-3907.
- Patagonia Methodist Community Church – Thursdays at 6:30pm. 387 McKeown Ave., Patagonia. Contact Dave at 207-249-8302.
Crossroads Quilters: Are you a textile artist (weaving, embroidery, knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting)? The Crossroads Quilters invites all interested textile artists to our meetings. Bring a project to work on and enjoy a morning of information sharing and camaraderie. We meet the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 9am at the Sonoita Bible Church, 3174 N. Highway 83. For more information email: alisbunting@gmail.com
Overeaters Anonymous: The OA Sky Islands Recovery group meets every Wednesday 11am-12noon at the East Santa Cruz County (ESCC) Food Bank at 772 Harshaw Ave in the meeting room at the end of the driveway. For additional meeting info, go to oasouthernaz.org. Contact Adrienne H. for more info 520-404-3490.
Click here to consult the PRT’s ‘Community Calendar’ for additional events and meetings.
Employment Opportunities
To list an employment opportunity, please email prtadast@gmail.com. Image files should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format.
We are hiring seed collection seasonal positions in Tucson and Patagonia, AZ this season!
These jobs primarily consist of field work collecting seeds and digital data collection. Applicants should be comfortable working outside in a variety of weather conditions, be prepared for some weeks of camping in the field, be interested in native plants, and enjoy working on a team. Crew Lead applicants should also have some experience with data collection and leading crews. Apply by July 10.
For more details visit www.borderlandsrestoration.org/employment.
Questions email phmcnelis@borderlandsrestoration.org
We are hiring a full time Nursery and Seed Specialist for the Borderlands Restoration Network Native Plant Program in Patagonia, AZ!
This position is a full time year round position responsible for assisting with nursery management and retail nursery and seed sales in the native plant program with a full-time benefits package. Apply by Monday, July 20.
For more details visit www.borderlandsrestoration.org/employment.
Questions email afclaverie@borderlandsrestoration.org
Farmers Markets
Patagonia Farmers and Crafts Market – Thursdays 10am-12pm by Red Mountain Foods.
Sonoita Farmers Market – Saturday Mornings 9am-12pm at the Sonoita Post Office parking lot (NW corner of Hwy 82/83)
Sierra Vista Farmers Market – Thursday 10am-2pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park
Nogales “Little” Mercado – Fridays 4-7pm 163 Morley Ave, Nogales
Church Events and Schedules
St. Therese Parish in Patagonia
Patagonia Community United Methodist Church
Click here to consult the PRT’s ‘Community Calendar’ for additional events and meetings.
Our Advertisers
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A 2026 CORE Grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona provides the Patagonia Regional Times with valuable operating support.