March 2026
March brings spring to Oro Valley — golf, hiking, and bicycling are the best this time of the year. Here’s what’s happening in OV this March.
What's New in OV
Town Updates – February 2026
The Town of Oro Valley enters March with a major regional vote on the horizon, active community planning underway, and a busy events calendar ahead:
RTA Next on the March 10 Ballot: Oro Valley residents will have the opportunity to vote on the future of regional transportation on March 10. Proposition 418 covers the RTA Next plan — a public-driven, 20-year, $2.67 billion regional transportation investment — and Proposition 419 covers the continuance of the half-cent sales tax that would fund it. Both propositions must pass for the plan to move forward. Planned improvements in and around Oro Valley include work on Lambert Lane, Shannon Road, Thornydale Road, and Tangerine Road. Ballots will arrive by mail; the last day to drop a ballot in the mail is March 3. Visit RTANext.com to learn more.
OV Trails Connect Master Plan Continues: Community input remains open on the OV Trails Connect Master Plan, the Town’s effort to shape the future of Oro Valley’s path and trail network. Residents are encouraged to stay engaged as the plan moves toward finalization.
OV’s Path Forward General Plan Update: The Town’s 10-year general plan update is also actively seeking public participation. A community-wide survey effort is underway, and residents are urged to share their priorities for Oro Valley’s future development, parks, services, and quality of life.
Celebrate Oro Valley Concert Series Launches: A new community concert series is coming to Oro Valley this spring. The Celebrate Oro Valley Concert Series offers residents a fresh opportunity to gather, enjoy live music, and connect with neighbors throughout the season.
Election Deadlines Updated: Under the new state elections law HB 2022, key deadlines for the 2026 municipal election cycle have been moved up. Residents interested in running for office or participating in the upcoming election are encouraged to check with the Town Clerk’s Office for updated timelines.
🏪 New Business Alert
The Town of Oro Valley issued Certificates of Occupancy to the following businesses in February 2026. Please join us in welcoming our new neighbors!
- Solana Pilates, 10355 N. La Canada Dr., Suite 117
- Kinghorn Law | Financial, 2506 E. Vistoso Commerce Loop Rd., Suite 150
- Smashburger, 7625 N. Oracle Rd., Unit 145
- Sun City Oro Valley Community Association – Copper Center, 1119 E. Rancho Vistoso Blvd.
Featured Citizens
What happens when a desert resident, a visual AI, and a strategic writing partner walk into a creative studio together? You get Sonoran Art — and a new way of seeing the landscape outside your window.
Michael, a longtime Oro Valley resident with views of Pusch Ridge and the Catalinas, has spent years photographing the Sonoran Desert at its most compelling moments — the last light on a summer evening, a saguaro silhouette against a monsoon sky, the stillness of a desert wash after rain. Now, as Digital Composer and creative director of Sonoran Art, he leads an unconventional creative team that blends his field experience and vision with the capabilities of AI tools DALL-E and Claude to produce fine art prints celebrating this singular landscape.
The result is something that stands apart from the southwestern art you typically find online — rooted in specific places, real light, and the lived knowledge of someone who knows when something rings false.
From the Santa Catalinas to the saguaro forests of the Sonoran, Sonoran Art brings the desert to your walls in gallery-quality giclée prints on canvas, metal, and fine art paper.
Read the Sonoran Art Roundtable Featured Business
Tucson Cactus & Koi has been turning heads on Oracle Road for eight years — but most people are surprised by what they find once they actually walk through the gate. Three and a half acres of specimen cacti, desert plants, aquatic gardens, and koi ponds await you, along with a knowledgeable staff ready to help you find exactly what your yard needs.
First-time visitor? Mention ILoveOV.com and receive 15% off your purchase.
7810 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley | Open Tue-Fri 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
tucsoncactusandkoi.com
Read the profile → Our Monthly Series
Editor’s Note: While not a signer, Thomas Paine was arguably more responsible than anyone else for creating the public will that made the Declaration of Independence possible.
In our third installment of Conversations Across Centuries, we meet the Revolution’s most incendiary writer. Thomas Paine – pamphleteer, radical thinker, and the man who convinced ordinary colonists that independence wasn’t just possible, but necessary – shares his unfiltered thoughts on power, truth, and what happens when common sense becomes uncommon. Read the profile →
What does St. Patrick think about community, belonging, and the arrival of spring in the Sonoran Desert? Ireland’s beloved patron saint shares his thoughts on Oro Valley’s outdoor life, why desert communities have more in common with the Emerald Isle than you might expect, and what St. Patrick’s Day really means beyond the green beer and parades. Hint: it’s about belonging — and Oro Valley has plenty of it. Read about Cupid →
March 2026 is a busy month: music, theater, markets, chocolate, and more.
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
Week 1 (March 1-7)
- March 1: Trunk Show | Mata Ortiz Pottery
- March 1: The New Christy Minstrels 2:00 & 6:00 pm
- March 2: Retail Theft Round Table
- March 5: Evening Mixer with Oro Valley Hospital
- March 6: Oro Valley Concert Series: David Argentati (Classic Rock & Pop)
Week 2 (March 8-14)
- March 8: Oro Valley Spring Festival of the Arts
- March 10: Que Sera, Sera – Tribute to Doris Day
- March 14: America’s Semiquincentennial and Arizona Statehood in the Pusch House Museum
Week 3 (March 15-21)
- March 15: Motown & Other Soul Gems, starring Joe Bourne
- March 17: Nancy McCallion & Friends St. Patrick’s Party!
- March 19: Rhinestones & Rust, Vintage Country Music
Week 4 (March 22-28)
- March 28: Family Camping at the Ranch
📅 Recurring Events
- Farmers Markets: Every Saturday, 8 am-12 pm at Steam Pump Ranch
- Second Saturday: Second Saturday Each Month, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
- Town Council: February 2, 4 & 18 at 5:30 pm til ?
Want to add your event? Email events@iloveov.com
See Full Calendar Capture OV Beauty: Sonoran Art
Bring the stunning
Landscapes of our Sonoran Desert home into your space with giclee and metal prints. New images added regularly.
Shop Now at SonoranArt.co
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