Mileposts/Calendar

Boots Made for Lookin'

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg has put together a premier exhibit of custom-crafted Western boots, from the cowboy's workaday gear to flashy duded-up styles that a showbiz celeb might envy. Precision-stitched, hand-tooled, decorated with inlay and overlay, the boots dazzle with artistic craftsmanship: one design features a leather flower so realistic it could fool the birds.

"Sole of the West: The Art and History of Cowboy Boots" runs through June 12, 1994. Admission is $1 to $3.50; free, kids five and under. Contact the museum at 21 N. Frontier St., P.O. Box 1446, Wickenburg, AZ 85358; (602) 684-2272.

Travel Made Easy

Despite its name, Access Arizona, An Atlas and Travel Guide for Disabled and Mature Areas is a comprehensive guide for all kinds of travelers to the state's parks and recreation areas.

Travelers to Major Outdoor

In addition to general and accessibility information, the handy spiral-bound Arizona State Parks book includes easyto-read maps and provides contact addresses and telephone numbers for attractions. Large-size type and a liberal use of symbols is a plus for those with visual impairments.

The book costs $10 and can be obtained from Arizona Highways. To order, telephone tollfree 1 (800) 543-5432; in the Phoenix area, call 258-1000.

Stagecoach Tours

Established during the Indian wars of the 1870s, Fort Huachuca has gone from horsemounted troopers sending messages with mirrors and signal flags to being a major Army installation dealing in communications and intelligence. But the past is still very much alive at the historic fort, and visitors can relive part of it in the style of the Old West: narrated 30-minute stagecoach tours rumble through the "Old Post" to the cemetery - where notables rest next to unknowns - passing such sites as a "haunted" Victorian house that once served as a hospital.

Tours run hourly from 1 to 4 P.M. on weekends and cost $3.

For reservations, contact Rusty Payne, Buffalo Corrals, ATZS PCR-B, Building 13555, Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613; (602) 533-5220.

EVENTS Old Town Tempe Festival March 4-6; Tempe

Downtown Tempe's Mill Avenue will host the 17th Annual Old Town Tempe Spring Festival of the Arts. The huge event features more than 500 artists and craftspeople from across the country, four stages with continuous entertainment, a petting zoo, pony rides, and a kids' zone. Admission is free. Information: 967-4877.

Races to Hispanic Day (Saturday) with its Spanish dancers, mariachi music, and chile-pepper-popping food booths. Admission is $3 for adults; children 12 and under get in free. Information: 723-5242.

Yuma Crossing Festival '94 March 10; Yuma

This evening event will transform the main exhibit hall of the Yuma Civic & Convention Center into a parklike setting where diversions will include live entertainment, dancing, and strolling mariachis. Restaurants will serve tempting foods out of old-time storefronts. Admission is $15 for adults; $50 per family. Information: 329-0471.

Quilting Show March 18-20; Phoenix

"Impressions from the Heart" is the theme of the 1994 Arizona Quilters Guild show. Held at Phoenix Civic Plaza, the event -highlighting the skills of quilters throughout the state - will feature a judged quilt show, classes (preregistration required), lectures, a fashion show emphasizing needlework embellishment, and "high tea." Admission is $5 per day; the fashion show and tea cost $12.50. Information: 985-2859.

Territorial Days March 5-6; Tombstone

When Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday roamed the streets of "the Town Too Tough to Die," local pastimes were often a bit rougher than this weekend's family activities. Saturday there'll be an All-Kinds-of-Pets Parade with such critters as puppies, rabbits, and raccoons; and Sunday will serve up championship fire-hose cart races, followed by gunfight reenactments. Information: 457-2211.

Pinal 4-H and County Fair March 9-13; Casa Grande

There's fun for everyone at this whoop-de-do, from carnival rides, live entertainment, puppet shows, and stock-car

Gem and Mineral Show March 26-27; Cottonwood

The town of Cottonwood hosts the 18th annual Verde Valley Gem and Mineral Show at Mingus Union High School. The show spotlights rough and polished stones, carvings and lost wax, and mountings. Admission is a $1.50 donation for adults; kids under 12 get in free. Information: 634-6382.