May 10, 2018 / Modified may 14, 2018 11:03 a.m.

A Taste of Tucson History

Also on Arizona Spotlight: An update on Central American asylum seekers at the U.S. / Mexico border; using music to build community for America's homeless; learn about the traditions of Ramadan from a Tucson Muslim family

mission gardens hero 1 Nancy Tom harvesting fuzzy melons in the Tucson Mission Gardens.
courtesy Friends of Tucson's Birthplace

Featured on the May 11, 2018 edition of ARIZONA SPOTLIGHT with host Mark McLemore:


  • Find out how this year's San Ysidro Harvest Festival at the Mission Gardens is celebrating the contributions made by Tucson's Chinese and Mexican pioneers. Mark talks with Dena Cowan and Fe Tom of The Friends of Tucson's Birthplace. The community is invited to sample treats including winter melon soup at the free San Ysidro Festival, that will include dedications for the Mexican and Chinese Gardens, with mariachi music and dragon dancers. Author Patricia Preciado Martin will give a presentation about the tradition of the Dia de San Ysidro Labrador in Tucson. The event is Saturday, May 18th from 9:00 - 11:30 AM at the Mission Gardens, located at 946 West Mission Lane.


mission gardens spotlight 1 Dena Cowan and Jesus Garcia after harvesting, threshing and winnowing wheat at the San Ysidro festival in 2016.
courtesy Friends of Tucson's Birthplace
mission gardens unsized image VIEW LARGER Fe Tom at the San Ysidro Festival at Mission Garden in 2016.
courtesy Friends of Tucson's Birthplace


  • And, Andrea Kelly spends time with a Tucson Muslim family while they observe the holy month of Ramadan, and break their daily fast together with a traditional evening meal. This story was recognized with a 2018 Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
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