Trains, Samurai music and Celtic craic are just a few of the events around town this weekend.

Burque Bop: Samuri.Machine.Gun
The Albuquerque band mixes performance writing with live music. Three emcees/spoken word poets and four musicians comprise the group. The music is a mix of hip-hop, jazz, funk and rock and roll. The Burque Bop series is a family friendly event and great for dancing. Oz Patisserie and The Zingaro food trucks will be on hand for eats. Friday, May 18.

Explora Adult Night: Under the Microscope
Kids 18 and over can experience Explora from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, May 18. Hear live music by Le Chat Lunatique; see Darwin come to life in a one act play; meet HAM radio operators and view the heavens with the Albuquerque Astronomical Society, who will be on hand with telescopes.

Spring Fling Quilt Show Featuring Centennial Quilts
The New Mexico Quilt Association will display quilts from artists throughout the state. This year in honor of the Centennial, there will be vintage and contemporary quilts honoring 100 years of Statehood. At the Convention Center May 18 and 19.

Railroad Fair
If the kids missed the Train celebrations downtown last weekend, don't despair. They can catch a huge model railroad exhibit at the State Fairgrounds on Saturday, May 19. There will be more than 250 tables set up with working trains for them to enjoy.

Crawl Daddy Blues Festival
Hear national and local blues acts, and see Madrid for the day. Acts include the Desert Southwest Blues Band, Phil Arnold and Ray Griffin, Felix Y Los Gatos and more. Blues, funk, zydeco and good times await on May 19 and 20.

Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival and Highland Games
The annual Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival features food, dance, music, games and more. Live music, dancers, a classic British car show and more will be on hand at this annual favorite, to take place at Balloon Fiesta park. Enjoy vendor booths, competitions and events such as hurling, Gaelic football, celtic ponies, clan gatherings and more. It's happening this weekend, May 19 and 20. Call (505) 275-6633 for information.

National River Cleanup
Here's a chance to volunteer and see the river--from the inside out, on a raft. Cleanup takes place in the bosque and on the river, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 19.

Filipino Celebration
The annual celebration of Filipino culture begins with the traditional 5:30 p.m. Holy Mass at San Felipe de Neri church, followed by a procession around the plaza. A free event in Old Town on Saturday, May 19.

Natalie MacMaster at Albuquerque Zoo The master fiddler will be at the zoo with the New Mexico Philharmonic on Saturday, May 19 at 8 p.m.

Festival of Asian Cultures
The free event takes place at Civic Plaza, with food vendors, educational activities, music and dance. Cultures include Cambodian, Japanese, Lao, Thai and more on Sunday, May 20.

Bark in the Park
Bark in the Park is for those fans who are both baseball and dog lovers. Take Fido out to the game and enjoy berm seating with that best friend. The Bark in the Park takes place Sunday, May 20, but the Isotopes are playing all weekend.

Beer Week is happening all over town--find out where to taste the latest and greatest.
Wondering where to see the fabulous annular eclipse? It's happening Sunday, so don't miss out.

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Albuquerque Beer Week features ten days of food, fun and beer tasting in locations around town. There will be beer on tap from local breweries as well as special releases featured on different nights. Things kick off tonight at Chama River Brewing Company with a special dinner, and a special beer release from Ska Brewing at Imbibe in Nob Hill.

There will be tasting events, beer pong, competitions, and even an introduction to home brewing at SW Grape and Grain. It all culminates on Sunday, May 27 at the ABQ Blues & Brews at Sandia Casino Resort. Get your tickets asap, as they sell out prior to the event. And here's a tip: the Alibi has half price entry tickets.

Find out more about Beer Week in Albuquerque.
Read about Albuquerque's breweries.
If you love beer, you'll want to follow local blogger ABQ Beer Geek.

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_{Photo © Aileen O'Catherine, licensed to About.com}

Albuquerque lies along the path of the annular solar eclipse that will pass through the southwest on May 20, 2012. In addition to that great good luck, the city also has clear skies that are great for astronomical viewing. The last annular eclipse was almost 18 years ago and the next one won't happen until 2023. This is a must see event.

There will be plenty of places to view the eclipse, which happens at maximum from 6:28 p.m. to 6:33 p.m. The UNM Campus Observatory will have a free event beginning at 6 p.m. that will host about 2,000 viewers. You'll definitely want to take a lawn chair. The observatory is on Yale just north of Lomas. Get more information about this event and eclipse viewing from my Annular Solar Eclipse article. The piece also includes talks featuring the annular eclipse.

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_{Photo Courtesy Helios/XRT}

The weather feels like summer, which always makes me think of baseball. I can still remember being about five and hopping the train with my dad to see the Philadelphia Phillies. Peanuts, ice cream, the crack of a bat--what's not to love? Granted, bats aren't made of wood anymore, but baseball is still pure fun.

The Isotopes return home for a huge, 12 game home stand stretch of beginning Thursday, May 17. They'll take on the Sacramento River Cats, the Fresno Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Red Hawks. There will be a whole lot of promotional giveaways, including a replica jersey giveaway, a tin lunch box giveaway, a Jason Wood bobblehead giveaway, an adult fun run and more. Military Appreciation Weekend is May 26 and 27, and both nights feature fireworks. Be on the lookout for Bark in the Park on Sunday, May 20, and bring your best animal friend with you for a bit of the game.

Take a tour of Isotopes Stadium.

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_{Photo © Aileen O'Catherine, licensed to About.com}