Whether you are in the market for new custom cabinets or are just looking for ways to make your existing cabinets more functional and user-friendly, 3 Cubed Cabinetry would love to talk to you! Support local with beautifully custom-made cabinets for your home.

If you happen to be driving down Valencia this weekend and see some impressive aerial stunts banking over the desert across from Mica Mountain High School, don't be surprised. From April 10 to April 12, the skies above the Tucson Radio Control Club (TRCC) will be filled with some of the most impressive miniature engineering in the world. Wings Over the Desert is back, and it’s bringing "Giant Scale" excitement right to our neck of the woods.

The TRCC field (located just off E. Valencia Rd near Houghton) isn’t your average toy-plane meetup. This is the heavy-hitter league of the RC world.

In the RC community, "Giant Scale" is exactly what it sounds like: big. To qualify for this event, monoplanes have to have at least an 80-inch wingspan, while biplanes need to be at least 60 inches. These aren't the foam gliders you see at the park; these are high-performance machines that look, sound, and fly like the real thing.

The highlight for many is the turbine aircraft. Yes, actual jet engines. You’ll see quarter-scale replicas of legendary birds and modern turbines streaking across the blue Arizona sky. Just a heads-up for the purists: this event is for the big league, so you won’t find any foam turbines here—only the high-end, high-speed composite builds.

While the pilots compete for bragging rights and show off their latest builds, the event is a fantastic outing for local families. There’s a certain thrill in hanging out by the runway, feeling the desert breeze, and catching a miniature jet pulling a vertical climb that defies gravity.

Here is what you need to know if you're planning to head out:

Events like Wings Over the Desert remind us why our corner of the desert is so special. The TRCC field is one of the premier flying sites in the Southwest, drawing pilots from all over the region who want to take advantage of our wide-open spaces and clear visibility. It’s a great way to support a local club that has been a staple of the Vail/East Tucson community for years.

Whether you’re a lifelong aviation geek or you just want to see something cool with the kids on a Saturday morning, head east on Valencia and follow the flight paths.

Quick Details:

Cypher (A888740)
Located At: Pima Animal Care Center - Tucson
Description: Neutered male Pit Bull Terrier
Weight: Approximately 54.5 lbs.
Age: About 2 years and 4 months old

A cypher is an algorithm for performing encryption and decryption to secure information, acting as a secret method of writing. Our Cypher not only doesn’t know how to encrypt or decrypt secret codes, but he also doesn’t know how to write at all! Give him a break, though, because what he lacks in written communication skills, he more than makes up for by being a VERY good boy!

Cypher shares his kennel with another PACC pup and has been social and playful when meeting other dogs in the playgroup. He’d like to meet any resident dogs before heading home to ensure a good fit and is looking for a home without cats. Ask to meet Cypher today!!

Featured events and happenings around the greater Vail area.

Join your friends at Charron Vineyards for a delightful, family-friendly Spring Celebration! 🎉 On Saturday, April 11th, there will be a delicious local food truck, live music, TWO ladybug releases, and a very special guest - Chris Robie from the Xerces Society!

12:00 - 4:00: 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 & 𝐂𝐨 (sandwiches, salads, baked goods, non-alcoholic drinks & more)

12:30 - 1:15: Interactive talk by Chris Robie - Nature Expert:

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐁𝐚𝐝, 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬" Play a simulated underground native bee journey, go on a scavenger hunt, craft caterpillars! This is for ALL ages. Prizes for all participants! Proceeds from every Slushie sale will go to the Xerces Society (xerces.org), which is all about helping the little guys, the invertebrates (especially pollinating insects), who we could not live without. Lots of FREE gardening info for bees, butterflies, birds, and bats will be available. Chris Robie is a Pima County Master Naturalist and Xerces Society Ambassador, and a lover of nature since growing up on a PA farm.

1:30: First ladybug release! 🐞🐞🐞

2:00 - 4:00: Live Music by Johnny & Lisé

4:30: Second ladybug release! 🐞🐞🐞

The Pima County Fair returns to the fairgrounds on Houghton Road from April 16 to April 26, bringing ten days of carnival lights, livestock shows, and deep-fried treats to our backyard. This year’s "Color Outside the Lines" theme features a heavy-hitting concert lineup including Stone Temple Pilots and Midland, alongside classic midway thrills.

Pro tip: Don't miss the Sunday Canned Food Drives (April 19 and 26) for free admission until noon. Whether you're there for the 4-H spirit or a funnel cake, it’s the ultimate local tradition.

Welcome to the Home on the Range section. It’s here where we drink our coffee together on the porch as we talk about what it’s like to live in the desert. If you have a home, Airbnb, or desert living tip you’d like to highlight, secure your spot here.

Starting April 13, we join the rest of the country in celebrating National Dark Skies Week. Our corner of the Cienega Valley remains one of the best places in the state to step onto a patio and see the Milky Way in all its glory. Preserving this high-desert heritage is a true community effort. By simply shielding our outdoor lights to point downward and swapping out harsh white bulbs for warmer amber tones, we ensure that our local wildlife thrives and our backyard planetarium stays open for the next generation. This week, we encourage every Trail Mix neighbor to turn off the porch lights, head toward the Rincon foothills or the dark stretches of Marsh Station Road, and take a moment to look up. It’s a powerful reminder that the best show in Vail happens right above our heads.

Add an upcoming event to the Trail Mix calendar! It's free right here. ⤵️

April 9

April 10

April 11

April 12

April 13

April 14

From Rachel Schultz

Sunrise: 6:00 AM

Sunset: 6:48 PM

Moon Phase: Third Quarter

Publisher, Arizona Trail Mix
Southern Arizona's Unofficial Hype Woman