DOWNTOWN / UNIVERSITY / 4TH AVE

Dillinger Days, January 18-19

January 17, 2013 | Zocalo Staff

Public Enemy No. 1 returns to Hotel Congress in an exciting commemoration of the events that lead to the capture of John Dillinger. The festivities kick off with a Friday night soiree, the “Dillinger Speakeasy”, that recaptures the spirit of the 1930s, featuring premium whiskeys & cigars. “John Dillinger” will start off the night with a quick-draw, gun slinging show on the Club Congress stage. The night will feature tastings of premium whiskies, including an award-winning local – Vickers Brothers Whisky from Flagstaff. Borderlands Brewery will also be on hand with tastes of their locally made brews. A museum of 1930s memorabilia in Copper Hall plus big band tunes from Kings of Pleasure and music from Duo Vibrato add to the early century vibe. $20/person admission also includes a chili bar from Cup Café.

Then on Saturday, whole family will enjoy a free all day event featuring re-enactments of Dillinger’s capture, live music, carnival, a vintage car show, and more. This event is followed by the amazing Brothers Macabre Dillinger Days Magic Show.

Proceeds will go toward the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation to restore a 1923 American LaFrance Fire Engine – the very engine that responded to the Hotel Congress fire on January 23, 1934.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday, January 19, 2013

*“Hot Pion” will begin at 10:30am and will play on the 1/2 hour for the entire day.

10am Music and Old Time Radio Program (Hotel Congress Plaza)

10:15 Lecture: “A Nine Ring Legal Circus: 10 Eventful Days In

Tucson” – Andy Dowdle (Copper Hall)

10:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

11:00 Dillinger Reenactment Part One (Hotel Congress Plaza)

11:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

11:45 Dillinger Historic Walking Tour – Andy Dowdle. Starts

immediately after reenactment on plaza

Noon Vintage Music and Old Time Radio Program (Hotel Congress Plaza)

12:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

12:40 Old Time Radio Program (Hotel Congress Plaza)

1:00 Dillinger Reenactment Part Two (Hotel Congress Plaza)

1:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

1:45 Lecture: “The 1930’s – Tucson’s Last Quiet Decade” – Ken

Scoville (Copper Hall)

2:00 Vintage Music and Old Time Radio Program (Hotel Congress Plaza)

2:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

2:40 Old Time Radio Show (Hotel Congress Plaza)

3pm Dillinger Reenactment Parts One and Two (Hotel Congress Plaza)

3:30 “Hot Pion” Pioneer Hotel Fire Documentary

4:30 Day Event concludes

5 & 8 PM Brothers Macabre Turn of the Century Magic Show

The Cadence: Bridging 4th Avenue and Downtown?

January 9, 2013 | Teya Vitu

While construction swiftly proceeds for The Cadence student housing project, a leasing office, located at 218 N. 4th Ave., has already been open since the end of September signing University of Arizona students up at the 456-bed complex for the Fall 2013 semester, including 99 apartments with 167 beds on the Centro Garage.

Mostly UA dorm students have been the first to lease rooms that will become available in August 2013 at the eastern edge of Downtown. They will experience an upgrade from tight dorm room bunks to having their own bedroom and bathroom at The Cadence. The dorm prison ambiance gives way to a near resort setting at The Cadence, which has one six-story L-shaped structure next to Rialto Theatre and another three-story structure atop the Centro Garage across the street. “A lot of people renting with us are from the dorms,” Amy Kirby, The Cadence’s marketing and leasing director. “They go ‘Wow’ when they see the mock-up (apartment at the leasing office) and the plans. They are coming from an environment where they are packed like sardines.”

The swimming pool is the center piece at The Cadence. “I think the pool area is going to be where everybody wants to be,” said Stephany Gamboa, a Cadence marketing assistant and UA junior. “The fire pits are awesome.” The L-shaped building will run along the Rialto Theatre and Broadway with a one-story commercial section extending along Toole Avenue to create a tenant-only courtyard with the pool.

“The pool has an outdoor kitchen, Las Vegas-style cabana and you have a movie screen right over the pool,” Kirby said. The pool area also has a large fire pit. A second fire pit will be in the more intimate courtyard on the rooftop on the Centro Garage housing that will feature landscaping, seating and a barbeque. “That will be more of a chill space,” said Chad Izmirian, a Capstone Development senior vice president based in the Encinitas, CA, office near San Diego. Capstone is the developer of The Cadence. The fire pits delineate the basic Capstone vision that the apartment on the garage may be more desirable to older students and the Rialto side for younger students. The Cadence is not targeting freshmen.

The Cadence offers a broad array of options, including studios, one, two, three, four and five bedrooms. “From our perspective, it’s more about designing units for a variety of demographics,” Izmirian said. “An older student – seniors or graduate students – would be inclined to rent a unit with a lesser number of roommates. A sophomore or junior is probably more inclined to want more roommates.” The five-bedroom units – there are five of them – were almost an afterthought, not the size Capstone usually builds. But they have proven surprisingly popular in the early months of leasing. “What we’re seeing in leasing is the 4’s and 5’s are going the quickest. The 5’s are almost sold out,” Izmirian commented.

The Cadence will home 97 apartments with 289 beds next to the Rialto – land that used to hold the Greyhound bus station and the Centro Garage will boast 99 apartments with 167 beds. In both buildings combined, there are 14 studios, 29 one-bedroom apartments, 71 two-bedroom, 62 three-bedroom, 14 four-bedroom and five five-bedroom apartments. No four- or five-bedroom units are on the garage.

Izmirian describes The Cadence as high-end urban student housing. The more traditional barren dorm room is becoming something of the past. “Students these days come in with higher expectations. Most students had their own bedroom and bathroom growing up. Technology is a huge thing. What you’re seeing is a bigger push for privacy”, Izmirian says.

Students are also gravitating to more urban environments. “I think they like the location Downtown,” said Ashley Farmer, another Cadence marketing assistant and a UA sophomore. “It’s close to campus but still Downtown.”

The Cadence sits right at the junction of Downtown and 4^thAvenue. Right now, zero people live within a couple hundred yards of where Toole, Congress, 4^th Avenue and Broadway converge. In one year, some 450 college students will occupy the space, and the streetcar should be rolling by in both directions.

“It will be good for Downtown. I do believe this will bridge 4^th Avenue and Downtown finally,” Kirby said.

Construction started in July – and the Centro Garage has already largely disappeared behind and underneath the framing for three stories of Cadence apartments on top and another two stories on the face. There is a ledge off the third level of the four-level garage upon which a dozen apartments are being built. Izmirian calls this the building’s “eye brow.”

“We’re further along on the garage,” Izmirian said. “We essentially are done with framing. The roof will be complete soon. We will start adding windows and the exterior sheathing of the building. We will wrap the building with moisture protection. After that you will see the start of stucco right after Christmas.“ Within the framed structure, all the internal mechanical, electrical and plumbing is now getting installed.

On the Greyhound/Rialto side, the concrete podium that will serve as the ground floor is complete as is the wood framing of the first two levels of student apartments. Three more levels of apartments have yet to be framed and should be in place by the start of February.

The ground floor, with an 18-foot ceiling, will offer indoor amenities such as a fitness room, an event room, a media room, a great room – “a big living room,” Izmirian said, a multi-sport simulator, a business center, a tanning center and a sauna.

The Cadence’s urban character will come with a built-in commercial level. The garage side will have 10,000 square feet of retail on street level, and the Rialto side will add another 9,500 square feet along Toole Avenue. This commercial space could be filled with restaurants, brew pub, a coffee shop, “some sort of market,” maybe some other types of shops.

“We’ve had lots of interest,” Izmirian said. “We are negotiating our first letter of interest. Within the last 30 days, we started marketing in earnest.”

The Cadence offers three studio options with 435 to 472 square feet rent for $975 to $990 per month. The three one-bedroom options measure 531 to 672 square feet with rents of $1,060 to $1,120. The three two-bedrooms options have 748 to 879 square feet and rent for $799 to $825 per bedroom. The four-bedroom option is 1,347 square feet and rent is $678 per bedroom. The five-bedroom apartments cost $708 per month per bedroom, measure 2,162 square feet and a 55-inch television is included in the living area. Rent includes a room furnished with a bed, chair, desk and dresser. Each room also has a bathroom, a washer and dryer, and cable, Internet, water, sewer, pest control and trash are included. Students are responsible for phone and electricity.

For more information visit thecadencetucson.com.

This article originally appeared on DowntownTucson.org

Thunder Canyon Brewery Downtown NOW OPEN

January 9, 2013 | Hannah Joyce McCain

Steve Tracy is a straightforward, practical kind of guy. The day I meet him he’s wearing no-nonsense work clothes and is fully involved in the hubbub of work at Thunder Canyon Brewery’s new Downtown location (220 E. Broadway at Fifth Avenue.) He apologizes for keeping me waiting, but I’m impressed, not perturbed—Steve started Thunder Canyon Brewery over a decade ago, and it’s cool to see that he’s still fully involved on the ground in day-to-day operations. With plenty of work still to be completed before the brewpub opens on January 8th (ed: NOW OPEN!), Steve is good-natured about the fact that I’m interrupting his day to pepper him with questions.

Of course, the first thing I want to know is how Steve got interested in brewing beer—and how he managed to turn his passion into a career. Homebrewing is a widespread phenomenon today, but back when Steve opened the first Thunder Canyon brewpub, in 1997, it wasn’t nearly as ubiquitous a hobby, nor were microbrews as popular as they are these days.

“It was a big step,” Steve admits, speaking of the decision to leave his comfortable job as a mining engineer to open up his own business. But he explains that he couldn’t turn down the opportunity he’d been presented with: a mutual friend had introduced him to people in Tucson who were interested in working as partners to open up a brewpub. Steve loved brewing, loved the ambiance and interaction with customers offered by the brewpub environment, and, perhaps most importantly, was open to the idea of moving to Tucson—a city he’d visited in the past and found to be beautiful and welcoming.

“It was a quieter city fifteen years ago,” he explains, and the changes Tucson has undergone since Steve founded Thunder Canyon Brewery in 1997 are part of the reason that TCB is expanding downtown. “People downtown don’t tend to go up to the northern part of the city, and vice versa,” Steve told me, so it seemed like a smart idea to capitalize on the ongoing revitalization of Tucson’s downtown and Tucson’s growing appetite for good, local beer by opening up a new location. I asked Steve if he expected his customer base to be different downtown than it was on the north side. “Maybe a little bit,” he said. “More college students, of course. More industry folks. But really the brewpubs draw people from across the board—anyone from twenty-one-year-olds having their first drink to old folks out on a date. Craft beers aren’t an exclusive thing these days. When I was growing up, my parents drank generic light beers. Today, kids are growing up and their are parents drinking local microbrews.” Craft beer is the new normal—Thunder Canyon’s brewpub isn’t trying to fill a niche any more specific than “a place for anyone who likes to drink beer” (and from-scratch pub food—also a crowd-pleaser).

This doesn’t mean that TCB isn’t constantly innovating. “We’re always working on two or three new beers,” and “We always keep in mind what people are asking for,” says Steve. His current favorite TCB offering is the Cuppa Joe coffee porter, which is made with locally-roasted Cartel coffee, he says without hesitation. In general Steve prefers darker beers like stouts and porters—“I’m not so much a hoppy beer drinker,” he explains, though he adds that he appreciates all beers. Any guilty pleasures—a light beer or mainstream national beer? Steve looks slightly disgusted, and the answer is an adamant no. Well then, what are his favorite microbrews? He smiles and admits that he mostly drinks his own stuff. I get it—in addition to being delicious, drinking his own beer has to be the most economical option for Steve!

In terms of his future plans for TCB, Steve seems happy to stay relatively small and local. “In bigger [brewing] operations, sometimes—unfortunately—the accountants end up having more of a role in the brewing process than the brewmasters themselves,” says Steve. “If you’re small like us, you can make sure you’re using the best ingredients and never skimping on quality.” In Steve’s estimation, the biggest mistake a microbrewery can make is trying to get too big, too fast. “It’s easy to lose control,” he says.

Steve’s key to success? “Great people,” he says, such as his general manager and kitchen manager, who have both been working with Steve since he and his partners (who he subsequently bought out) opened the first TCB location over a decade ago. “Craft beer is about interactions. TCB is about more than just brewing beer and going home.” This is why, in Steve’s opinion, the brewpub is the ideal venue for sharing and showcasing craft beer. I look around the downtown Thunder Canyon brewpub—which, with its poured concrete floors and heavy wood tables, is inviting and warm even in its unfinished state. I agree that this looks like a fantastic place to interact with the people who make—and drink—great beer.

City High School on National Radio Show “This American Life”

December 21, 2012 | Zocalo Staff

Great story coming out of City High School, in Downtown Tucson. Read and listen to the full story HERE

Posh Petals: Arranged to Flourish

December 14, 2012 | Emily Gindlesparger

For Katie Treat, owner of Posh Petals, setting up her new shop in the historic Tophy Building has brought her into the fold of 4^th Avenue. Posh Petals specializes in custom flowers for events, so the retail space is a bit of a blank canvas. It’s a comfortable shop that she’s filled with funky antiques, artful glass vases, flower boxes, pots, and votives.

“Katie collects the best antiques,” says Christina Fey, her assistant, and Katie quips back, “this is everything I can’t fit in my house!” But the collection creates an organic sense of style that nestles nicely into 4^th Avenue; with everything pretty and everything for sale. There’s a stage and plentiful room on the walls, so Katie envisions a space for the whole community. “I love being a part of what’s going on down here so much that if somebody wanted to do an open mic night, or somebody wanted to put their art on the walls, I’d be totally open to that,” she says. And with a joking tone, she adds, “I mean, we’re just sitting here.”

The duo is relaxing after the whirlwind of wedding season, which often includes five weddings in a single weekend or even a single day. “Katie really cares about the brides or whomever it is we’re working with,” Christina says. “If for some reason something is missing, or the bride needs an extra boutonniere or anything else, Katie will come back, create it, and take it; because she wants their day to be perfect.” Katie responds simply, “It’s their wedding day. That’s important stuff. That’s stuff that is never going to go away, and part of it is that I’m not going to be that person that they’re mad at 20 years later,” she adds, laughing.

“It’s a dying business to do the job right. I think that a lot of people on 4^th Avenue share that idea and it’s part of the camaraderie. People are down here doing what they’re good at; they care about what they do. And I don’t think there are a lot of places like that. It’s great to be part of like-minded people who try really hard. It really makes this a fun place to be.”

Posh Petals is located at 224 N. 4^th Ave. 408-0101. Visit PetalsPetalsPetals.com for more information.

Desert Vintage

December 6, 2012 | Jess Holzworth

Almost 40 years after Desert Vintage was opened by Kathleen Lauth, the 4th Avenue vintage store is enjoying a rebirth under new ownership. The new owners are the visionary couple Salima Boufelfel and Roberto Cowan. The tradition of the store is being carried forward with a fresh global appeal.

Salima Boufelfel was born and raised in Tucson. She traveled with her parents when she was young through Africa and France. Her parents settled in Tucson when she was six. Her father is North African and a professor of physics. Her mother is local artist Linda Cato. Salima studied history and French at the University of Arizona. Salima’s passion was born in high school when she started her own vintage clothing collection.

Roberto Cowan was born and raised in Tucson as well. His father is from Bisbee and his mother is from Sonora, Mexico. He lived in a California suburb during his youth outside of Hollywood for a short time. Roberto’s mother was an avid shopper and from an early age he accompanied her many shopping excursions. Roberto attributes these early childhood memories as experiences that sparked his interest in fashion. Roberto took business and fashion design courses at Pima College where he earned a liberal arts degree.

Salima and Roberto met in 2009 while they were working at Buffalo Exchange. There was an immediate connection between them; one might say it was kismet. They bonded over vintage items with historical relevance and eccentric quality pieces. Both became buyers at Buffalo and Salima even gained managerial experience. They were mastering their eye for style and fashion and learning the business of recycled clothing.

This year Salima and Roberto packed their bags and headed to Paris for an adventure. They attended Paris Fashion Week with the crème de la crème of fashion. Salima was exposed to an eclectic group of people and fashion while working for Mamie Rose, a vintage emporium. In this creative environment, Salima and Roberto gleaned knowledge from many sources, especially the buyers. The vision to start a store transpired in this milieu. Their concept was to include vintage clothing, modern brands, various art forms, and incorporate art installations. Their idea was to have a global-minded approach. Initially they had considered opening a store in Paris. Due to complications with visas the time to start a store in Paris did not seem right.

Salima and Roberto came back to America with the intent of renewing their visas and returning to the famous “City of Lights”. It seems destiny had another plan for Salima and Roberto. On a serendipitous day while shopping at Desert Vintage, they were informed by the owner, Kathleen Lauth, that she was retiring. Kathleen inquired if they would be interested in purchasing the business. Initially they were excited to have the opportunity, but soon they had second thoughts. They were concerned about their ability to continue in the tradition that had been set by Kathleen. As they contemplated their choice and weighed the odds they began to feel this was a grand opportunity that had been put before them. They put forth an offer and it was accepted in July 2012. They immediately began renovations. The grand opening was on August 4^th, 2012.

“We’re shoppers”, Salima quipped, “We love Tucson. There are great people here. Tucson has a unique twist on things and a unique inventory to pull from.”

We are lucky to have these globe-trotting, trendsetting collectors with their own style and panache in the Ole Pueblo.

Desert Vintage will also be expanding to an online store which will be up and running within the new year.

Desert Vintage is located at 636 N. 4^th Ave. Tucson, AZ 85705 620-1570.

Atelier de LaFleur

December 6, 2012 | Emily Gindlesparger

Left to right, Dale Rush, Darci Hazelbaker, Colleen LaFleur, and Jason Gallo. photos Purple Nickel Studio, courtesy LaFleur Plantscapes

A Workspace for Beauty and Sustainability

Stepping onto the broad tiled floors of the new Atelier de LaFleur, visitors are greeted with the scent of flower arrangements displayed across a wall of thin steel shelves, and in the center of the room a 16 foot work table awaits new creations.

“The work table is the essence of the Atelier,” explained Darci Hazelbaker of HA | RU, the design firm that created this space in the historic train depot on 410 N. Toole to house a combined downtown flower market and workshop for LaFleur Plantscapes. “In the morning Colleen may use it to assemble arrangements for walk-in patrons, in the afternoon may use it as a work space for creating all the center pieces for a wedding, in the evening she may host a class for eight to ten people on orchid care, and on the weekend she may throw a farm-to-table dinner party for 15 or more close friends.” The worktable is symbolic of the visions and collaboration of Hazelbaker, Dale Rush, Jason Gallo and Colleen LaFleur, owner of the Atelier. The piece started with reclaimed oak beams found at a Tucson salvage yard, which were then milled locally at Picture Rocks Mesquite and built by the designers into an indispensable centerpiece. “We’re told these beams are close to 100 years old and I believe it,” Hazelbaker added. “It’s the densest wood we’ve ever worked with.”

“We see the ideas of sustainable design as the way architecture should be executed as standard protocol,” she wrote. “We regularly source local materials and craftsman as much as possible, reuse and reclaim materials when appropriate, use products made from recycled content or products that are easily recyclable, as well as employ passive energy strategies, and new green technology when the design and budget allow.” This philosophy is visible everywhere in the Atelier, from the slim steel shelves that can be recycled to the custom steel office desk and vintage rug and lamp purchased locally.

It’s a philosophy that rings true with LaFleur as well. Colleen’s plantscape designs revolve around native low-water flora and her floral arrangements always include a living plant “that can go from the event to the garden,” as she described it. “Our firm’s sustainable operations focus on re-purposing planters and containers, propagating and recycling native plants and succulents from prior event work, encouraging the use of live plants, supporting local artisans and farms and purchasing all of our landscape plants from local Tucson vendors.”

“The concept of an atelier grew out of the idea that if we offered classes and workshops on garden related topics we would provide the downtown urban gardener with a place to network and meet others who shared similar green interests,” LaFleur explained. A traditional atelier is an artist’s studio, where a master and assistants work together, and the idea has been decanted in the downtown Tucson space to a flower shop where customers can work in petals at the bar and learn from the professionals. Classes every week give apprentices an opportunity to learn something more about sustainable growing in the southwest, balcony gardening, or working with design elements of beautiful blooms. December brings workshops on holiday succulent arrangements and “homemade living gifts” that can be planted and enjoyed for years to come.

But perhaps the most important feature of the new flower shop is its beauty. “We wanted the space to have the feel of an old European artisan workshop but also showcase the natural beauty of the living plants and floral arrangements much like an art gallery,” LaFleur noted, and along one wall the squared-off shelves create dark, minimalist frames around splashes of color from the flowers. The two designs complement each other. Of HA | RU, LaFleur wrote, “They shared my passion for sustainability and delivered a space that uses hand crafted, beautiful natural materials.” But in this gallery, Hazelbaker added, “The art is Colleen’s living compositions.”

Atelier de LaFleur is offering special December classes on Thursday evenings, 6-7pm: 12/6 Holiday Succulent Arrangement, $30 (includes an arrangement to take home) and 12/13 Forcing Bulbs & Homemade Living Gifts for the Holidays, $15.

Atelier de LaFleur, 410 N. Toole Ave., 548-1338. Visit LaFleurPlantscapes.com for more information.

3 Degrees of Strangers

December 6, 2012 | Jon D Auria

Bill Mackey (left) and participating students, Zola Zermeno, Myra Pixler, Claire Mirocha, Mariah Hoffman, Jessica Schulte, Nate Sema

Downtown Tucson is a hub of diversity where you’ll find all walks of life: business people, lawyers, executives, artists, students, travelers, the homeless and many others. While the people you encounter Downtown may take up very little of your consciousness, there is an interesting juxtaposition of strangers and community that can either connect us to everyone or isolate us entirely. This is what sparked Strangers Anonymous and Associates (SAA) to create their 3 Degrees of Strangers: Connections in Downtown exhibit that will be taking place on Saturday, December 8^th from 6:00PM-10:00PM at 245 E. Congress St. #171.

The exhibit, which is created by a group of honor students from the University of Arizona (SAA), was spawned from a class project that challenged the students to take a large concept, research it and turn it into an interactive exhibit that the public will participate in. “The students brought in concept ideas and one of the themes they came in with is the idea of strangers,” explains Bill Mackey, the instructor of the class. “We tried to define it together and in the context of Downtown one of the first things you think of for strangers is the homeless. It morphed from that more into the idea that Downtown is a specific place in Tucson where one can simultaneously be connected to the community and can also be anonymous.”

The attendees will play a strong role in the events of the evening, as different interactive pieces will require audience participation to illustrate our connectivity. Other multimedia pieces, including audio recordings, images and interviews, will illustrate how we perceive strangers and how they affect our daily lives and shape us as individuals.

“One of the pieces that is going to be in the exhibit is what the students are calling the ‘Connections Board’,” says Mackey. “When you come into the exhibit we will take a picture of you and give you the picture to put up on the wall along with an index card that says who you are and other basic facts about you. We’re going to have you put it on the wall and see if there are people up there who you know. Then we’re going to have you connect your photo to other people’s that you know with a different color string to signify your relationship. Then you’ll see the people you’re connected to and whom they’re connected to. We don’t know what the results will be, but that makes it pretty exciting for us.”

The twelve students that have planned and organized the exhibit were very adamant about the focus being on Downtown and have spent many hours collecting interviews, data and research for the event throughout the semester. “Downtown is a place where you typically find the most diversity in a city. It’s where the homeless people have as much of a place as high-powered lawyers,” says honors student Stephanie Brunson. “This project wouldn’t have been as interesting or in depth if we’d focused on a bubble of a neighborhood or a certain class of people, and Downtown is the opposite of that. Everyone impacts each other down there whether they know it or not.

“People are so linked into things like the Internet, Facebook and their phones and that can desensitize them to what’s surrounding them in the physical world,” says Brunson. “It’s easy for people to interact behind a computer screen, but we really looked into how we treat each other and coexist in the real world beyond that.”

The event will take place on Congress Street in the empty space next to Sparkroot and admission is free to the public. Snacks and beverages will be provided as well as a rare chance to see how connected Tucsonans really are to one another.

Visit www.facebook.com/events/113587635467739/ for more information.

BICAS Art Auction

December 1, 2012 | Jon D Auria

Local non-profit organization Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage (BICAS) will be hosting their 17^th annual Art Auction and Celebration on December 1^st and 2^nd at Whistle Stop Depot (177 W. 5^th St.). The two-day weekend event will merge the strong local communities of Tucson artists, cyclists and art lovers who will be gathering to view and bid on over 300 pieces handcrafted by local artists.

The wide array of art will include everything from metal art and sculptures, to paintings, photography, quilts, printmaking, fiber arts, video installations, illustrations, ceramics, and many other mediums. The only requisite for the art submitted is that they’re bicycling themed, portray the cycling lifestyle or that they include bicycles parts.

Saturday, December 1^st is the art preview segment from 6-10pm. It will feature music and family friendly entertainment and attendees will be able to preview the art that will be auctioned and meet the artists to discuss their work. Sunday, December 2^nd is when the silent auction will take place. There will be a DJ, a puppet show, catering and entertainment. This event goes from 6-9pm.

Last year the auction raised $11,400, which goes directly back to fund BICAS’ community programs. “The initial art auctions were much smaller in scale and were fundraiser events where the community would get together and bid on around 100 pieces of art,” says BICAS Art Coordinator Casey Wollschlaeger.

“The amount we’ve brought in has steadily increased and the caliber of artists we’re getting are amazing. It’s been a really beautiful evolution within the community and we keep having to get larger spaces for it. Last year we had 350 pieces donated for the art auction. It just keeps getting better and better.”

For more information visit www.bicas.org

Milling Around

November 12, 2012 | CJ Shane

Desert Harvesters, a Tucson-based non-profit volunteer group devoted to native Southwest desert food, is holding two mesquite-milling events in November.

Anyone can bring buckets of dried mesquite seed pods to be ground into mesquite flour. The flour is used in a variety of baked goods such as bread, pancakes, and cookies. Cost of milling is $2 per gallon with a $5 minimum. Bring your own plastic gallon containers labeled with your name and phone number to hold the finished mesquite flour.

The first milling event will be held Thursday, November 15, from 3 to 6 pm at the Santa Cruz Farmers Market, 100 S. Avenida del Convento. Nadia Delgado, Farmer’s Market Assistant at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, says that an instructional presentation on cooking with mesquite flour is planned for the event. This is the eighth year that the Santa Cruz Farmers Market has hosted mesquite milling.

The second milling event is the 10^th Annual Mesquite Milling and Fiesta on Sunday, November 18, at the Dunbar/Spring Organic Community Garden, 11^th Avenue and University Blvd. Milling starts at 8 and goes to 2 pm. As with the Santa Cruz Farmers Market milling, there is a cost of $2 per gallon with a $5 minimum and a maximum of 15 gallons of mesquite pods. The fiesta includes a display of desert foods, medicines, live music, and a bake sale which goes from 9 am to noon.

Brad Lancaster, one of the founders of Desert Harvesters and well-known for his work in water harvesting, says, “Mesquite is a gateway food that introduces you to a whole variety of desert foods. What we’re pushing for in part is greater food security and food availability. Instead of going into the desert, we want to help you plant the desert in your own backyard and neighborhood street. These tasty nutritious foods can survive on our rainfall, but they really thrive if you harvest water and irrigate them.”

Amy Valdés Schwemm, workshop leader and contributor to the Desert Harvest recipe book “Eat Mesquite!”, is organizing the bake sale. She says that in the early years of the milling event, “Not many showed up because they didn’t know what mesquite would taste like. But now we have a so many coming in with mesquite pods to mill that we need all three mills to grind them.” She adds that the bake sale last year offered “cakes, cookies, and savory foods such as scones and cornbread.” Lancaster adds to this list mesquite baklava, Indian naan bread, and dog biscuits. And it’s not just mesquite. Schweem says that oak acorn baked goods were also in last year’s bake sale.

Two years ago the fiesta included a mesquite pancake breakfast. According to Lancaster, “We served over 1,500 pancakes in 3 hour period. But last year we switched to the bake sale to make more food and a great diversity of food available to more people.” A display and sale of desert foods such as prickly pear syrup, jams and juices; mesquite pancake mix, mole mixes, and native herbal medicines will be available. Local musical groups will perform and an informational booth will be open to help educate about native foods.

Schwemm includes backyard gardening in the group’s work. “Desert Harvesters expands the concept of gardening. That is, we work toward garden that might sustain itself without supplemental water. It’s the idea of ‘perennial crops.’ We are expanding the notion of arid-lands gardening. Desert Harvesters is interested in promoting all sorts of wild plants like that – acorn, edible cholla cactus buds, jojoba, barrel cactus, hackberry, and more.”

Lancaster has been active in the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood for several years in the development of native plants for landscaping and as a food source. “Water harvesting and landscaping with native plants controls floods, provides shade, reduces the heat island effect, and increases productivity of soil.” Since 1996, he says more than 1,250 trees have been planted in the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood.

“We emphasize food and medicine-bearing native shade trees. When we started, the only wildlife was exotic pigeons. Now we’ve attracted over two dozen native songbirds which have taken up residence along the streets – birds such as cardinals, curved-bill thrashers, cactus wren, hummingbirds, and flycatchers.” He explains that not only do these trees provide shade, they also reduces climate change because the trees are not dependent on imported water or the water pumps that take energy and add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

What is Lancaster’s favorite part of the annual milling fiesta? “The community! So many wonderful people come together to make a truly joyous event around food grown and harvested in prepared in our desert. The fiesta is kind of like welcoming everyone home.”

For more information about Desert Harvest programs and the two milling events, go to www.desertharvesters.org