By Kevin Hendricks, The Paper. — Rio Rancho’s Fall Festival is still happening Saturday — just not where you might expect. Due to weather concerns, the city moved the annual autumn celebration from Campus Park to the Rio Rancho Events Center, spreading activities between the arena floor and the front parking lot. It’s the biggest local anchor of a weekend that also brings professional hockey watch parties for three straight nights, two free community lectures in Bernalillo, a prescription drug take-back event and a Goosebumps sequel on The BLOCK’s outdoor screen.
Friday: Comedy, country and puck drop
Dedrick Flynn opens a two-night run at Quezada’s Comedy Club, 54 Jemez Canyon Dam Rd., Bernalillo, with shows Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Originally from East Atlanta, Flynn built his national profile through “Kill Tony” — the live podcast hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe where comedians get one minute to impress — earning a regular spot on the show and a following that tracks him to major venues like the Comedy Mothership in Austin. Nicknamed “The Dark Storm,” he’s known for bold, high-energy storytelling with a candid edge. Tickets at quezadas.holdmyticket.com.
The Waylon Bailey Band takes The BLOCK Main Stage at 7 p.m. at 7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE — high-energy country, Southern rock and honky tonk with fiery guitar and foot-stomping rhythms.
The Goatheads open a three-game home series against the Tahoe Knight Monsters Friday night in Tahoe. Game time is 8 p.m. and The BLOCK will be showing the game on all screens all three nights.
Saturday: Fall Festival, drug take-back and puck drop
Got old prescriptions collecting dust in the medicine cabinet? Saturday is your chance to get rid of them safely. The Rio Rancho Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration host a prescription drug take-back event Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rio Rancho Police headquarters, 500 Quantum Road NE. Drop off expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs — no questions asked. The DEA operates additional take-back sites across the region Saturday, including at the Bernalillo Police Department, Sandoval County Sheriff’s Department, Cuba Police Department, San Felipe Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo and Santo Domingo Pueblo. Find a site near you at dea.gov/takebackday.
The city’s Fall Festival runs Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Events Center, 3001 Civic Center Circle NE — moved from Campus Park due to weather. Activities run both inside the arena and in the front parking lot: live music, an Artisan Market, Food Truck Alley, a Children’s Cakewalk (2–5 p.m.), Pumpkin Carving (2–6 p.m.), a Costume Contest at 5 p.m. and Trunk-or-Treat at 6 p.m. Planners say they’ll need participants with enough candy for roughly 2,500 kids. Admission is free. Blankets and coolers welcome; glass containers and outside alcohol are not. For more information, call the Cabezon Community Center at 505-892-4499 or email cabezon@rrnm.gov.
Martha Liebert Public Library in Bernalillo hosts photographer and researcher Donatella Davanzo Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon at 124 Calle Malinche. Her presentation, “Route 66 Connected,” explores the tangible and intangible heritage of New Mexico’s stretch of Route 66 through photo-ethnographic work — examining historic roadside facilities as a “living legacy” that preserves and reinterprets stories of the Route 66 era. Part of the Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series. Free.
Flynn returns to Quezada’s Saturday for his second and final night — shows again at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
The Sugar Show plays The BLOCK Main Stage at 7 p.m. — classic country and New Mexico Spanish music.
The Goatheads visit the Knight Monsters again Saturday night at 8 p.m. with the game airing on all screens at The BLOCK.
Sunday: Pony Express, Goosebumps and the season finale market
The Corrales Growers’ Market closes out its 2026 season Sunday from 9 a.m. to noon at 500 Jones Rd., Corrales. Last call until next season.
Will Grant brings his slideshow and lecture “The Last Ride of the Pony Express” to Martha Liebert Public Library Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. at 124 Calle Malinche. Grant retraced the full 2,000-mile Pony Express route on horseback in 2019, covering changing landscapes from the Missouri River to California, historic sites along the route and the story of a mail service that lasted only 19 months before it was gone. Part of the Coronado Lecture Series. Free.
The BLOCK again will be hosting a watch party as the Goatheads close the series against Tahoe Sunday at 1 p.m.
The BLOCK wraps the weekend with a free outdoor screening of “Goosebumps 2” at 7 p.m. at 7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE. Rain or shine; blankets and chairs welcome, no outside food or drinks.
What’s happening this weekend
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day
When: Sat, Oct. 24 | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Where: Rio Rancho Police Dept., 500 Quantum Road NE
Also at: Bernalillo PD | Sandoval County Sheriff’s Office | Cuba PD | San Felipe Pueblo | Cochiti Pueblo | Santo Domingo Pueblo
No questions asked | dea.gov/takebackday
Rio Rancho Fall Festival — Venue Change
When: Sat, Oct. 24 | 2–8 p.m.
Where: Rio Rancho Events Center, 3001 Civic Center Circle NE (moved from Campus Park due to weather)
Schedule: Live music, Artisan Market & Food Trucks (2–8 p.m.) | Children’s Cakewalk (2–5 p.m.) | Pumpkin Carving (2–6 p.m.) | Costume Contest (5 p.m.) | Trunk-or-Treat (6 p.m.; bring enough candy for ~2,500 kids)
Admission: Free | Blankets and coolers welcome; no glass or outside alcohol
Info: 505-892-4499 | cabezon@rrnm.gov
New Mexico Goatheads at Tahoe Knight Monsters
Where to watch: The BLOCK, 7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho
Fri, Oct. 23 | 8 p.m.
Sat, Oct. 24 | 8 p.m.
Sun, Oct. 25 | 1 p.m.
Dedrick Flynn — Quezada’s Comedy Club
When: Fri, Oct. 23 & Sat, Oct. 24 | 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. nightly
Where: 54 Jemez Canyon Dam Rd., Bernalillo (Santa Ana Star Casino Hotel)
Tickets: quezadas.holdmyticket.com
The BLOCK — Weekend Lineup
Where: 7805 Enchanted Hills Blvd. NE, Rio Rancho
Fri, Oct. 23 | 7 p.m.: Waylon Bailey Band
Sat, Oct. 24 | 7 p.m.: Sugar Show
Sun, Oct. 25 | 7 p.m.: “Goosebumps 2” (free outdoor movie; blankets and chairs welcome, no outside food or drinks)
Martha Liebert Public Library — Bernalillo
Where: 124 Calle Malinche, Bernalillo | Events Room | Free
Sat, Oct. 24 | 11 a.m.–noon: Donatella Davanzo, “Route 66 Connected” — Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series
Sun, Oct. 25 | 2–3 p.m.: Will Grant, “The Last Ride of the Pony Express” — Coronado Lecture Series
Corrales Growers’ Market — Season Finale
When: Sun, Oct. 25 | 9 a.m.–noon
Where: 500 Jones Rd., Corrales | 505-899-8900
Final market of the 2026 season