Tumac‡cori turns 100 on Sept. 15

On Sept. 15, it will be one hundred years since President Theodore Roosevelt signed the proclamation establishing Tumac‡cori National Monument, setting aside the ruin of the Tumac‡cori mission church to be protected for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

Renamed by Congress in 1990, Tumac‡cori National Historical Park now protects the ruins of three missions -?— Tumac‡cori, Guevavi, and Calabazas.

The public is invited to join the National Park Service and the Friends of Tumac‡cori at the park’s centennial birthday party, beginning with a commemoration program at 10 a.m. on Sept. 15.

The commemoration program will feature music by Mariachi Chuk Shon and three speakers: retired University of Arizona Folklorist Dr. Jim Griffith, Desert Museum Education Specialist Jesœs Garcia, and National Park Service Deputy Regional Director Tony Schetzsle.

There also will be be an introduction of the people who have helped with a 12-year museum project.

The all new, state-of-the-art museum will not quite be quite ready for a ribbon cutting, but will be available for guided preview tours.

The first tour of the museum will begin with 10 people at 11:30 a.m. and will be followed every 10 minutes throughout the day by another tour.

For more information, call the park, 520-398-2341.