🍽️ Unbelievable Borderlands Festival Benefit Dinner
September 16, 2026
Experience Camp Naco under the stars
Kick off the inaugural Unbelievable Borderlands Festival on Friday evening, October 16, with an unforgettable celebration of the stories, cultures, and communities of the borderlands. The evening begins at 5:30 PM and features inspiring guest speakers, live music, and a one-of-a-kind culinary experience, all in support of the preservation and programming at historic Camp Naco.
Experience the borderlands through food, culture, and the land itself as Tarra Lazos Creative, led by Indigenous foodways expert Jeffrey Lazos Ferns, presents a thoughtfully curated culinary journey. Joined by acclaimed chefs Mario Etsitty and Apollon Lewis, the evening will explore the rich connections between Indigenous foodways, Black culinary traditions, and the flavors of Sonora through exceptional cuisine and storytelling.
ccess & Contact:
Camp Naco is located at
2118 W. Newell St., Naco, AZ 85620. For questions about the dinner, tickets, or accessibility, contact the Naco Heritage Alliance at
(520) 432-9031 or
info@CampNacoAZ.org.
Reserve your seat here: https://givebutter.com/unbelievable
History. Music. Food. Stories. And a few wonderfully strange surprises.
Join us for a showing of this film, stay for a discussion, and light refreshments.
Sunday, June 14th, 2pm Tombstone Brewing West End, 332 N Garden Ave, Sierra Vista Free to attend with registration: https://givebutter.com/BorderHistory Our small section of the US-Mexico border has been the focus of major military and civil conflicts in the early 20th century. Learn how the stories of these people and events intertwined in this small region of Cochise County and how work continues in the present to preserve this history. Discover the people, places, and untold stories that shaped the Borderlands—register now to join the conversation at Tombstone Brewing Company.
Sunday, June 7th, 2pm Tombstone Brewing West End, 332 N Garden Ave, Sierra Vista Free to attend with registration: https://givebutter.com/BorderHistory Cochise County has always been a borderlands. Its mountains and valleys of the sky islands have always been corridors for exploration and conquest. Spanish explorers traveled them in the 16th century. Mexico’s battles for independence and then revolution focused on the northern frontier. The westward push for gold and Manifest Destiny established the current line. Learn how those stories still resonate and shape today’s borderline. Discover the people, places, and untold stories that shaped the Borderlands—register now to join the conversation at Tombstone Brewing Company.
Sunday, May 31, 2pm Tombstone Brewing West End, 332 N Garden Ave, Sierra Vista Free to attend with registration: https://givebutter.com/BorderHistory For more than 10,000 years people have called this region home. Learn about the prehistoric residents of our region from the earliest residents who hunted now extinct mammoths through the first indigenous peoples who encountered explorers from Spain and the United States. Discover the people, places, and untold stories that shaped the Borderlands—register now to join the conversation at Tombstone Brewing Company.
Friday, May 29 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm — Join us as we step into Arizona’s past through the story of Wing Fang, exploring the resilience, struggles, and everyday lives of Chinese Arizonans in a powerful journey through overlooked history.
Friday, May 22 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm — Join us for a powerful look at the young people who helped shape Arizona’s history through stories often left untold, presented by a first-generation Colombian American historian focused on community storytelling and hidden histories.
Thursday, April 23rd, 5:30 PM Free Online Event, Register Here We’re honored to invite you to a special upcoming program with Jeff Haozous, co-founder of Ndé Bikéeyá, the Chiricahua Apache Land Trust. In this virtual talk, Apaches and Earth Mother , Jeff will explore how the Chiricahua Apache people have expressed their deep connection to the natural world through language, stories, and culture. His work—both as a leader and as someone living in the Cochise Stronghold—offers powerful insight into the enduring relationship between people and place in the borderlands.
Thursdays, April 16th, April 30th, & May 14th, 6:00 PM Goar Park Lunches, 89 Main Street, Bisbee Free to Attend (Donations welcome and benefit Naco Heritage Alliance and Goar Park Lunches) - Register Here This April, Camp Naco Fellow Marilyn Noble brings Endangered Foods of the Borderlands to life—a three-part series exploring the deep histories behind everyday foods of the region. Through tastings and conversation, Marilyn draws on her work as a journalist, author, and food writer to connect dishes like chiltepín, empanadas, and masa to the people and stories of the borderlands. It’s part history, part storytelling, and part shared table. As part of her Naco Heritage Alliance Fellowship, and working in partnership with Goar Park Lunches, Marilyn is uncovering overlooked narratives of this region, and this series offers a delicious entry point into that larger exploration—one rooted in community, memory, and resilience. 🌶️ April 16th - The Chiltepin: The Hot Mother of All Chiles 🥟 April 30th - From Cornish Pasties to Mexican Empanadas: Hand-held Meals for Miners 🌽 May 14th - Masa: From Dried Corn to Tortillas, the Secrets to Making Nixtamal Come learn, discuss, and taste! Register here for one session, or all three!
Friday, April 10, 2026 2118 West Newell Street, Naco Free to attend, Registration Required Take a walk through history at Camp Naco. Join us for a guided tour exploring the site, the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, and the ongoing work to preserve this historic place. Register here to reserve your space today!
