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Saturday

St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival — Parade begins Downtown at Franklin Street and Stone Avenue, then goes south on Stone to Pennington Street, west on Pennington to Church Avenue, north on Church to Alameda Street, west on Alameda to Granada Avenue, north on Granada to Franklin, and east on Franklin to Stone. Celebration of Irish heritage with "The Celtic Tiger" theme parade. (Related story, Page XX.) Festival will be held at the Jácome Plaza (Main Public Library), 101 N. Stone Ave. Includes music, entertainment, food and vendors. Festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; parade, 11 a.m. March 18. Free. 419-1057.

Tucson Jet Rally 2006 — Tucson International Modelplex Park. Take Speedway west from Interstate 10 through Gates Pass, make a right on Kinney Road, continue on Mile Wide Road, continue past Sandario Road and turn right on Reservation Road (online map, www.timpa.org). A gathering of modelers flying jet-powered planes. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. March 18; 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 19. $5 per car. Bring lawn chairs. 744-0633.

Monday

126th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Railroad in Tucson — The Historic Locomotive No. 1673, 400 N. Toole Ave. Excerpts from speeches made on that very day and time in 1880. 11 a.m. March 20. Free. 623-2223.

Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair — Along Fourth Avenue between East University Boulevard and East Ninth Street. Arts and crafts booths, food vendors, street musicians, kids activities, three entertainment stages. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 24-26. Free. 624-5004.

18th Annual Arizona Renaissance Festival — Seven miles east of Apache Junction on U.S. 60. European-style country fair, vendors, 12 stages for live entertainment, games and demonstrations. Advance discount tickets available at Fry's grocery stores. Visit www. RenFestInfo.com online. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through April 2. Advance tickets: $18; $6 ages 5-12; at the gate: $20; $8. 1-520-463-2700.

16th Annual Festival of the West — Rawhide at Wild Horse Pass, Interstate 10 and SR (loop) 202 at the Wild Horse Pass Exit, Phoenix. Go online for event schedule (www.festivalofthewest.com). 10 a.m.-7 p.m. March 16; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 17-18; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 19. $12; $11 seniors; $4 kids; $40 four-day pass. 1-602-996-4387.

Annual Celebration of Native Cultures — Amerind Foundation Museum, 2100 N. Amerind Road, in the Dragoon Mountains. American Indian arts and crafts, food, music, storytelling, flute-making workshop for children ($5). Presentations on Native American art and cultures. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 18. $3; children under 12 are free. 1-520-586-3666.

West of Western Culinary Festival — Arizona Center, 400 N. Fifth St., Phoenix. The second annual event features the Grand Tasting with more than 50 innovative and award-winning Arizona chefs who have collectively redefined the image of Western cuisine. Executive chefs, chefs de cuisine and pastry chefs will provide samples of their restaurants' signature offerings. Their offerings will be complemented by the Wine Table, with wines from local, national and international vintners. There also will be live acoustic jazz. Noon-5 p.m. March 18-19. $14-$55. 1-602-262-5652.

Antique Show and Sale — Arizona State Fairgrounds, 1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix. Antique dealers from all over the country. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. March 18; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 19. Free admission; parking $6. 1-602-717-7337.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum — 2021 N. Kinney Road. Take Ajo Way west from Interstate 19. World-class zoo, arboretum and natural history museum dedicated to the Sonoran Desert. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $12; discounts available. 883-2702. Ongoing: Raptor free-flight demonstrations, just off the Desert Loop Trail. Showcasing the natural behavior of native birds such as barn owls, prairie falcons and Harris' hawks. Flights occur at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. daily through April 16.

Biosphere 2 — 32540 S. Biosphere Road, Oracle. On Arizona 77 at Milepost 96.5, about 30 minutes north of Tucson. Explore the million-gallon ocean on the Under the Glass tour. All visitors go inside on a guided tour of this engineering marvel. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Open daily; call for tour times. $19.95; discounts available. www.bio2.com or 838-6200.

Mission San Xavier del Bac — 1950 W. San Xavier Road. Take Interstate 19 south to West San Xavier Road and follow signs. The mission, founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, is a fully functioning parish church primarily serving the Tohono O'odham Tribe. Visitors can take a self-guided tour. Church and gift shop open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Free; donations appreciated. 294-2624.

Old Tucson Studios — 201 S. Kinney Road. Take Ajo Way west from Interstate 19. The Western movie location features stunt shows, Wild West gunfights, musical revues, guided studio tours, rides, games and Western-themed restaurants. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. $12.95; discounts available. 883-0100.

Arizona Historical Society — The society's four Tucson museums feature exhibits that convey the history of the region. A pass, good for one visit to each of the museums, is $7; discounts available. Free days: the first Saturday of the month at all museums, festival days, special-exhibit openings and special events. 628-5774. Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second St. "Río Viejo/Rio Nuevo: Uncovering Tucson's Past" continues through May 26. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; closed Sundays. $5; discounts available. 628-5774. Fort Lowell Museum, 2900 N. Craycroft Road. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. $3; discounts available. 885-3832. Downtown Museum, 140 N. Stone Ave. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. $3; discounts available. 770-1473. Sosa-Carrillo-Frémont House Museum, Tucson Convention Center complex, 151 S. Granada Ave., Downtown. Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays. $3; discounts available. 622-0956.

Arizona State Museum — University of Arizona campus, East University Boulevard at North Park Avenue. "The Jewelry of Ben Nighthorse" is on display through May 7. "Masks of Mexico: Santos, Diablos y Más" runs through November. "Carving Culture: The Yoeme Masks of Frank Martinez" continues through April 2. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Free; $3 donation requested. 621-6302.

The Jewish Heritage Center — 564 S. Stone Ave. In a tour of the temple, docents in 1910 costumes will lead the audience through a living-history program about the legends of the pioneers who built the first Jewish house of worship in the Arizona Territory in 1910, and the city they helped to build. 7-8:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of the month. Museum displays are open noon-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Free; donations accepted. 670-9073.

Pima Air & Space Museum — 6000 E. Valencia Road. From Interstate 10, take the Valencia Road exit, then go east two miles. More than 250 planes displayed indoors and outdoors. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with last admittance at 4 p.m. $11.75; discounts available. 574-0462. Tram Tours: This narrated tour of the outside aircraft exhibits takes about one hour. 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 and 3 p.m. daily. Tickets are available in Hangar 1 for an additional $5. Walking Tours: Docent-led tour covers the exhibits in Hangars 1, 3 and 4 and takes about 1.5 hours. The tour starts in Hangar 1 and is included in admission price. 10:15 a.m. Mondays-Fridays; 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. AMARC (Aerospace Maintenance Regeneration Center) Tours: Tours of the AMARC facility at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base last approximately one hour. Reservations are strongly recommended; check in at least 30 minutes prior to departure time. By reservations Mondays-Fridays. $6; discounts and group rates available. 618-4800.

Pima County Sports Hall of Fame — 110 S. Church Ave., Suite 4198, in La Placita Village, Downtown. Displays of historical sports memorabilia. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. $2; discounts available. 296-3788.

Titan Missile Museum — 1580 W. Duval Mine Road, Sahuarita, 25 miles south of Tucson, off Interstate 19. Walking tours of the Titan II missile site are conducted every half-hour and last one hour. Walking shoes are required, and there are 55 steps to walk down to the control center. Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Last walking tour begins at 4 p.m. $8.50; discounts available. 625-7736.