Events

A Festival of Musical Decadence

January 22, 2014 | Jon D Auria

Kelley O’Connor is a featured performer at the Tucson Desert Song Festival.
photo: Zachary Maxwell Stertz

The second annual Tucson Desert Song Festival returns from Jan. 30 to Feb. 16 and unites Tucson’s exceptional arts groups with world-renowned performers to celebrate the power of song. The 11-day festival takes on the theme of French composition, as the work of beloved composers Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz, Poulenc and others will be performed by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Tucson Chamber Artists, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Tucson Guitar Society and Ballet Tucson – all being paired with some of the best vocalists in the world.

“If you’re tuned into the world of opera, you will easily recognize the names of the singers. If you’re not tuned into the opera world, you’ll experience being in the room with a great voice,” says Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director and Conductor George Hanson. “You respond to it in a very direct, almost physical way. When someone is a gifted and well-trained vocalist, it can start the air moving in a room in a way that it almost connects directly with everyone’s soul who shares that space with them. There are only a few hundred people in the world that can sing as such and that’s what we’re tapping into.”

Kelley O’Connor, William Burden, Jordan Bisch, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Christine Goerke and Maria Jette are some of the prestigious singers collaborating with the Tucson ensembles, and special accompaniments have been prepared to showcase the virtuosic prowess and the wide range of the vocalists. It is a rare feat for a music community in any city to assemble such a remarkably talented cast, but this festival series stands as a true testament to the uniqueness of Tucson’s art scene.

“We’re honored to be part of this festival, which is quickly gaining national repute. It’s so special to have so many powerful stars coming to Tucson at one time and we’re thrilled to be one of the acts in the lineup,” says Eric Holtan, Tucson Chamber Artists’ music director. “This is a particularly special performance for us because we’re also celebrating the 10^th anniversary of TCA. The festival this year has a French theme, so we’re doing an all-French program. We’re calling the event ‘Decadence’ which signifies our decade of excellence, but also there’s no more decadent music than French composition.”

The festival was sparked by the efforts of the event’s president Jack Forsythe, who – along with fellow co-founder Cecile Follansbee – had a vision to bring in the best musical voices in the world to pair them with the talent that resides in our desert city. After a highly successful initial run last season, Forsythe decided to take this year’s festival to a larger scale by bringing in bigger acts, utilizing numerous venues (Tucson Convention Center, Leo Rich Theatre, Temple of Music and Art, Crowder Hall, Holsclaw Hall, Fox Tucson Theatre, Tucson Symphony Center and Catalina Foothills High School Theater) and pairing with Casino Del Sol as the corporate sponsor to bring the cultural music to attendees who aren’t versed or exposed to opera or orchestra.

“I was on the Arizona Opera board for some time, and I had an idea to do something like this for a long while. I met up with George Hanson and we talked about it and decided that to get the funding to bring in major world singers we’d need to have more than a symphony to attract that kind of attention,” explains Forsythe. “We decided on a 10-day period centering around vocal pieces that would be selected through larger themes. There’s such a demand for this type of performance here in town and we’re just happy to be able to supply it.”

The schedule of performances, tickets and more information about the festival are available at TucsonDesertSongFestival.org and by calling 1-888-546-3305.

Express Your Inner Horse

January 14, 2014 | Monica Surfaro Spigelman

Tucson Sino Dancers at the 2013 Chinese New Year celelebration at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center.
photo courtesy Tucson Chinese Cultural Center

Pass the lucky-money envelopes and deck the halls anew with simply red. In the spirit of inclusiveness, tradition and fun, Tucson soon should be awash with exotic new year revelry. But don’t forget your saddle, because this is 4711, the Year of the Horse – one of the animals from the Chinese zodiac which rotates annually at this time of the Lunar New Year.

Tradition tells us that those born under the sign of the horse are energetic, intelligent, good communicators and physically strong. Of all the zodiac animals, horses love crowds and entertainment, so expect good social karma to bless Tucson during this most important and longest holiday, which lasts 15 days and begins on Jan. 31.

While Chinese (as well as Korean, Vietnamese and many other Asian) families around town celebrate by feasting at home and making auspicious, elaborate paper cuts to hang from their windows, the rest of us will want to head over to the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC), 1288 W. River Rd., to channel this traditional seasonal festival.

Opened in 2006, the TCCC’s River Road headquarters is the community hub for Tucson’s Chinese-American population, whose legacy in Tucson’s development started along Main Avenue downtown in the 1800s, and grew to include prominence in agriculture, grocery and other businesses across the region.

Now this 15,000 square-foot facility is host to a range of programs and services from business development to Tai Chi for elders, and is a community resource dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Chinese culture across Tucson. TCCC also houses a basketball court, community meeting spaces and a library, but nothing matches the concentrated burst of fiesta-styled energy that infuses Tucson via the center’s Lunar New Year celebration.

This year the public is invited to welcome in the Year of the Horse at TCCC on Sat., Feb. 1. That’s when you can snake your way through a Chinese cultural extravaganza throughout the center’s grounds, enjoying Chinese dancing, folk crafts, songs, instruments, foods and martial arts that demonstrate 5,000 years of cultural tradition. The exquisite Tucson Sino Dance will be there, as will tastings of various Chinese province cuisine. If you’ve not tried the traditional Jiaozi dumplings, local chefs including Wanda Zhang of Oro Valley’s Harvest Moon Chinese restaurant will be preparing the delicacy. (See her recipe below).

You’ll also get a chance to see the Tucson Lion Dancers, accompanied by traditional drums, cymbals and gong, in a colorful ceremony intended to drive away evil spirits and summon good luck. This precision dance requires years of training and a high degree of mental and physical fitness, and Tucson’s troupe (always a show stopper at the Rodeo Parade), has just returned from performing its twists and turns throughout the televised Dec. 28 Fiesta Bowl parade.

California author Sylvia Sun Minnick (who did groundbreaking work on the ethnography of the Stockton and San Joaquin Valley Chinese, and advises the Tucson Center’s local history program) also will sign copies of her new memoir, Never a Burnt Bridge, and present Chinese-American women stories of success and survival at the festival.

Center President Richard Fe Tom says the showcase of regional foods, culture and entertainment attracts thousands.

“We’re celebrating our biggest and most important cultural holiday, and there is something for everyone,” notes Tom, who emigrated as a child from China in the late 1950s. “For those tied directly to our culture, it’s also a time to stay connected with our heritage and our roots. At this time and throughout the year, Chinese Center also serves as a voice to remind ourselves and the community of the many societal and economic contributions the Chinese Americans have made in Tucson and the Southwest. ”

For two joyous weeks after the Saturday celebration, Tucson can expect a ritual of New Year’s activities to continue across the city. According to TCCC’s board member and history committee chair Robin Blackwood, families traditionally will clean their homes prior to the New Year’s arrival, sweeping out old, bad luck and allowing the good luck of the new year to enter. During the commemoration traditionally there’s no cleaning, so New Year’s good luck will not be swept away, she says.

“On the final night of the festival there are more dances, feasting, fireworks and displays of the paper lanterns that have brought light and color to Chinese observances for centuries,” Blackwood continues, “with mandarin oranges and tangerines, symbols of abundance and good fortune, given as gifts.”

While the New Year’s festivity grabs your attention, there are other activities throughout the year to help you further meander through Tucson’s Chinese culture and commemorate this Year of the Horse.

The center hosts lunch every Thursday to over 100 seniors, and also offers Tai Chi, lectures, mahjong and good fellowship. The center’s Chinese School teaches Mandarin Chinese and as well conducts classes in song, dance, ping pong, badminton and other arts. The center’s History Program is reaching into historic neighborhoods and including neighbors in its programs. A collection of storyboards telling tales of local Chinese families is on display in the TCCC and is free for public viewing.

Come spring, there will be a celebration of Tai Chi and Asian healthy living, and the summer Dragonboat Festival is highlighted by preparation of zongzi (Chinese tamales) by the Center’s Senior Program. A mid-autumn festival is marked by a youth lantern-design competition and lantern parade.

And so Tucson – a horse town in so many ways – finds one more reason to claim its title. To honor your inner horse, Zócalo suggests you dress in red, make some noise to ward off bad spirits and bring yourself special fortune by displaying fresh flowers. Remember your ancestors with poems written on red paper. Add Gung Hay Fat Choy (Cantonese) or Xin Nian Kuai Le (Mandarin) when extending your New Year’s howdy.

Remember how much a part we really are of this immensely diverse city, with so many treasured traditions still unbroken.

The Year of the Horse Lunar New Year celebration at the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, 1288 W. River Rd., is Saturday, Feb. 1, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. General admission: $2; free for children under 12. Year of the Horse Dinner and Fundraiser is Sat., Feb. 8, commencing at 5 p.m. at the Westin La Paloma Resort. The gala features live performance, a silent auction, casino and an elaborate dinner. Tickets are $150 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center. Call the Center at 292-6900 for additional information.

The Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TucsonChinese.org) is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

…

Wanda Zhang (Harvest Moon Restaurant in Oro Valley) will demonstrate Chinese cooking techniques at TCCC’s Feb. 1 Festival. Following is her recipe for New Year’s jiaozi (which makes about 20 to 40 of the dumplings, depending on your wrapping skills, which can take years to perfect):

4 ounces shrimp
4 ounces Napa cabbage
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 pound ground pork (or chicken)

Pinch salt
1 teaspoon garlic-flavored olive oil
3 ounces chicken broth
1 ounce cooking wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon sugar

Pinch white pepper
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger
1 package Peking Potsticker Wraps
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (for skillet)

Water

1. Separately chop shrimp, cabbage, green onion and cilantro into very fine pieces.
2. Mix together shrimp, cabbage, green onion, cilantro, and ground pork, then add the rest of the ingredients (except wrappers, oil and water) and mix thoroughly.
3. Take 1 potsticker wrap and using a finger or brush line the rim of the wrap with a thin layer of water (use a spray bottle to mist water on the wrapper if still dry).
4. Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of the meat and vegetable mixture in the middle of the wrap.
5. Fold and repeat steps 3-4.
6. Fry about six potstickers at a time in a nonstick pan, using 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil at medium heat, until golden brown. Then add a half cup of water and cover pan with a lid (leaving enough of a crack on the lid to allow the steam to boil off). Continue cooking about 10 minutes. The wrap will appear to bubble away from the meat when done.

Source: Wanda Zhang, Harvest Moon Chinese restaurant, Oro Valley

A Celebration of Notorious Tucson History

January 14, 2014 | James J. Jefferies

A long-recognized component of Tucson’s image has been colored by a rugged streak, in part because of its indelible perception as an outpost of the Old West (bolstered by decades of Hollywood productions at Old Tucson), but also thanks to the history surrounding the capture of one of the most infamously popular bank robbers that ever lived, one John Herbert Dillinger, at the Hotel Congress on Jan. 23, 1934.

photo courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

Dillinger was the poster child for an era in which the exploits of criminals fast became fodder for an opportunistic national media eager to print lurid tales of larceny for an American audience hungry for anything to take their minds off the harsh reality of Depression-era economic woes. It was audience already primed for such stories by the explosive gang violence plaguing the country as bootleggers ran their illicit trade in bloody earnest thanks to Prohibition, which had been in effect since 1920.

Dillinger and other infamous scofflaws of the time had become escapist antiheroes for a populace that had grown restless and incredibly skeptical of its institutions. No drinks, no jobs, no fun. Dillinger himself gained fame as an absolutely brazen bank robber with balls of brass, executing a daring string of heists after leaving prison in May of 1933, after having served an eight-and-a-half-year stretch that turned him hard and mean. It was the lawless trail Dillinger blazed across America that actually spawned a federal initiative to form the Bureau of Investigation, which later became the FBI, as no law enforcement agency then had the power to seek justice across state lines.

This cavalcade of cutthroat crimes came to a screeching halt in Tucson, when Dillinger and his gang had to flee a fire in a nearby room as they hid out under assumed names at Downtown’s Hotel Congress. They were arrested in various parts of town by the Tucson Police Department after firefighters recognized members of the gang. Not a single shot was fired, just a twist of fate and an eagle eye from Tucson’s finest managed to pull off what so many other law enforcement agencies in America had been unable to do.

“It’s just this incredible aspect of the history of Tucson,” explained David Slutes, Entertainment Director for the Hotel Congress. “We feel like it’s something to be proud of, and it should be out in the open.” The first Dillinger reenactment was staged as a small theatrical ‘play’ of sorts right in the lobby of the Hotel Congress in the mid-1990s, and going forward, the story has become an ever-more visible part of the historic hotel’s identity, right down to small signs in the outdoor planters featuring a photo of Dillinger warning you NOT to mess with his plants.

“We thought, ‘why not embrace and celebrate this moment…give people a taste of the times, and provide Downtown with a great event’,” said Slutes.

Dillinger Days begins its slate of activities with a Speakeasy on Friday, Jan. 24, featuring live music, a 1930s costume contest, whiskey, cigars, memorabilia from the era and much more. The next day, Saturday, Jan. 25, hosts reenactments of the capture, live music, food, a vintage car show, and games, and will very much be a family-friendly slate of events.

A portion of the weekend’s proceeds benefits the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation, whose mission is to assess and respond to unmet needs of the greater Tucson firefighter community by facilitating access to health and wellness resources, while recognizing the firefighting heritage and culture.

More information is available from Hotel Congress, located at 311 E. Congress St., online at HotelCongress.com and by phone at (520) 622-8848.

Tucson’s YWCA Moves Community Upward

January 10, 2014 | Jamie Manser

The lobby of YWCA of Tucson (YW) was festive in mid-December, with a large Christmas tree and upbeat volunteers. One offers coffee before ringing Tana Kelch to let her know: “A Jamie is here to see you.”

Kelch, the Sales & Marketing Manager and previous proprietor of Bohemia: An Artisans Emporium, comes out smiling. There’s a spring to her step as she approaches, saying there are so many things to share about the YW as the 96-year-old non-profit organization (established locally in 1917) does a lot. A LOT. And many plans are in the works.

The lobby is going to be the most immediate beneficiary of upcoming evolutions. Currently, a nook café is situated by the front door and offers a minimalist menu of select treats and beverages, with its coffee supplied by Bisbee Coffee Roasters. While presently only a few tables and chairs are in place, “we will have seating for 20 once everything is to spec,” emails Liane Hernandez, Community Life Director/Executive Chef. “We want to create an environment where people can meet and hang out,” Kelch explains.

In the lobby space across from the café, a boutique – The Galleria Art and Gifts – will be born in early February. “We will be offering a wonderful mix of YW merchandise and small works and crafts by local artists that embrace our mission,” Kelch says.

The YW’s vision, as posted on the website, is to create “a community of change makers who are working to build a world without racism, where women are empowered and where everyone enjoys peace, justice, freedom and dignity.” The ideals are mighty and the missions lofty, but the YW seems to be pulling it off through its many programs – by way of an 11-women staff and a team of dedicated volunteers.

In addition to the café and future boutique, the YW is working on building out its kitchen in order to offer a catering program. “It’s the brainchild of Kelly (Fryer, the Executive Director),” Kelch shares. “The purpose is to become more sustainable by creating income to fund our programs.” Hernandez further explains that the organization will offer catering through its “YWorks Catering program, which is under development now and we plan on hiring our first cohort of young women in August 2014.”

A woman peruses clothing options in Your Sister’s Closet.
photo courtesy YWCA Tucson

It is pretty incredible how many programs the YW funds and several spaces in the 17,000 square foot building, located on Bonita Avenue in Downtown’s west-side Menlo Park, offer numerous stories of how the organization helps prepare women to enter, or re-enter, the work force.

As we move north of the lobby to explore Your Sister’s Closet, Kelch points out The Galleria – which features exhibits that rotate quarterly and highlights artists who connect to the YW’s missions. “The YW is incredibly lucky to be able to work with Erma Duran and Amy Zuckerman to curate our Galleria,” Hernandez says via email. “Erma is responsible to selecting the artists and pieces for each show.” On display through Jan. 15 is Amy Zuckerman’s gorgeous and heart-wrenching black and white photography. Opening on Feb. 6 is a joint exhibit of Western photography by Mia Larocque and Louise L. Serpa; the boutique’s grand opening will be held the same day.

Kelch checks in with the volunteers at Your Sister’s Closet, making sure it is a good time for a tour. The objective of Your Sister’s Closet is to provide women, who have completed the Skills for Successful Employment program, with a week’s worth of career clothing. The monthly program is a four-day intensive that includes computer training and employment skills workshops, offered for $25 – with scholarships available.

Dorothy Miller, a YW volunteer for over five years, welcomes us with a sweet, warm countenance. There are three rooms, and the first feels like a wealthy woman’s walk-in closet – with its classy wood shelves, a full-length mirror and gorgeous lighting.

“I try to treat them like princesses,” Miller says with genuine affection. “I’m their fashion coordinator; outfits complete with shoes and, of course, purses!” Miller and Kelch list a few of the clothing donors: J. Jill, Burlington Coat Factory, Twice As Nice. Arlene Oliver, another YW volunteer for over five years, chimes in: “Brighton donates a bunch, and Dillard’s.”

In the middle room, there are over ten racks of perfectly professional, stylish attire. In the back, we find the work room where, as Miller explains, “we sort though the donations. If we can’t use the donations, we give the clothing to Twice As Nice or Big Brothers/Big Sisters.”

“It is fun, we love doing it,” enthuses Oliver. “Each woman goes out with three to four outfits and we try to mix and match. We send out some very happy people.”

To date, YW has styled 26,000 women with business wear. Skills for Successful Employment offers a deeper meaning beyond work clothes and pertinent jobs skills – such as resume building, developing job search strategies and becoming proficient with computer programs – it’s about improving women’s lives and giving them the tools, and thereby the self-esteem, to succeed.

Oliver shares a poignant memory. “One gal was here trying on clothes, looked in the mirror, and tears streamed down her face. She said, ‘I’ve never seen that person.’ When they go looking for a job, they look good and feel good and get the confidence to get a job.”

Kelch and I meander to the Wolslager Foundation Learning Center, where a portion of the job skills training takes place. There we find volunteer Richard Griffith busily setting up computers. “We recently received 30 new computers, donated by (Pima County’s) One-Stop (Career Centers),” Kelch says.

“Is this the graveyard over here,” she asks Griffith, referring to a collection of computer towers along the wall. “Yes, those are beyond the hill,” Griffith replies.

In the room, which can be rented out for classes and is utilized by a volunteer group that offers GED tutoring on Saturdays, are about 15 workstations. The space also hosts the Mi Carrera Desarrollo Profesional. Griffith, a 60-year-old single father to a 6-year-old son explains that the name translates to my professional career development.

“The thing about the Y, it is in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood. This place was a bit more formal and not as friendly to the neighborhood, but that is changing,” Griffith says. “This is where it’s at!”

While the large, beautiful and fairly new building – which the organization moved into in 2007 – may not be very well-known to the general public, dedicated efforts have been underway to change that. In addition to the aforementioned offerings, the non-profit also hosts a YW Speaks speaker series in order to facilitate community conversations that encourage a more civil society. There’s also the Women’s Wellness Network and The Happy Organization for children, both of which aim to create healthy lives – mentally, emotionally and physically.

There’s a palpable energy, and it pragmatically exudes a confidence in purpose and a peace that aligns with serving a greater aspiration, which really resides with basic respect.

As YW volunteer Richard Griffith openly shares: “This is the first place in my life I’ve done work that I really love. I went through drug treatment and I’ve gone full circle. I respect this place. Respect comes from knowing it is doing a good thing, and it’s for the people.”

YWCA Tucson, located at 525 N. Bonita Ave. and YWCATucson.org, would appreciate clothing donations on Mondays, fiscal donations and volunteers always, and a wish list of supplies is detailed on the website. Visit YW’s online events calendar to see what’s coming up next. Call (520) 884-7810 with other inquiries.

Exploring The Art of Storytelling

December 30, 2013 | Herb Stratford

Storytelling is one of our oldest and most revered art forms, and cinema at its best and in the right hands can be used to bring great stories to life. Film festivals are usually a great place to find compelling stories, as someone has curated them with an eye towards presenting the best. The 23rd annual Tucson Jewish International Film Festival brings together an amazing group of stories by master storytellers for Tucson audiences Jan. 12-25.

"Brave Miss World" closes the Tucson Jewish International Film Festival on Jan. Film Festival on Jan. 25. Image courtesy of Jewish Community Center

“Brave Miss World” closes the Tucson Jewish International Film Festival on Jan. 25.
Image courtesy of Jewish Community Center

The festival screens at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Ballroom with a special early kick-off screening at the Desert View Performing Arts Center, 38759 S. Mountain View Blvd. – in Saddlebrooke, on Jan. 12. An opening night screening takes place at The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd., on Jan. 18, leading into a diverse and robust schedule of narrative and documentary films at the JCC. In addition to film screenings, the festival offers panel discussions and Q & A sessions after some films with filmmakers.

Lynne Davis, Director of Arts and Culture for the JCC, expressed praise for the films chosen by the screening committee this year. “There’s such important and powerful films this year,” along with the films that also educate and enrich with their content. Davis said most attendees to the festival see between three to six films, and this year they may feel like seeing a few more based on the lineup.

A few not to be missed films include: the documentary Wagner and Me, an intriguing look at the music of German composer Richard Wagner by actor and writer Stephen Fry. As a Jew, Fry carries guilt for loving the music of Wagner, whose music was co-opted by the Nazi’s and forever besmirched, but the brilliance of Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung“ operas is hard to shake. Wagner was not a Nazi, but his racist attitudes appealed to the Nazi Party, as did his grand operatic works. The film shows once at the JCC on Jan. 19, at 7 p.m.

The touching and poignant drama Any Day Now stars Alan Cumming and Garret Dillahunt as a gay couple in the 1970s attempting to adopt a disabled boy whose family as all but abandoned him. With a career-best performance from Cumming, the bittersweet tale is a real tearjerker with a powerful message of love despite all obstacles. Check it out Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. at the JCC.

Another fascinating documentary is American Jerusalem: Jews and the Making of San Francisco. The film details the unique role that Jews had in the founding of San Francisco during the gold rush of the 1850s. Largely cast out of Europe, the immigrant merchant class found a city of open arms and great opportunity. The legacy of that timely migration was the creation of a new type of American citizen, one both true to their Jewish heritage and also op en to the new world. The film screens Jan. 22 as part of a double feature that starts at 5 p.m. at the JCC.

Wrapping up the festival on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m. is the staggering documentary Brave Miss World. Directed by the daughter of Hollywood great Gregory Peck, Cecilia Peck traces the story of Linor Abargil, a beauty pageant contestant who was raped just months prior to being crowned Miss World by a pageant juror. Abargil’s quest to fight back and raise awareness worldwide of rape and its victims, is awe inspiring. Her passion and dedication to give voice to other victims, and tireless advocacy is remarkable. The film has been the darling of the film festival circuit, and Davis calls it “the most important film I’ve seen all year.” A special free screening of the film is also being planned post-festival at the Hillel campus for students that will feature a SKYPE Q & A with Linor Abargil on Jan. 28.

The 23rd annual Tucson International Jewish Film Festival is Jan. 12-25 at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Rd. and a few other select locations. Tickets are $8-$10 per film with discount, group and festival passes available via the film festival page of the JCC’s website at TucsonJewishFilmFestival.org.

Select Events Jan 2014

December 30, 2013 | Marisa Bernal

Sat 4

HOLIDAY FREECYCLE SWAP All items available for swapping. See website for locations. Free. 2pm-4pm. 791-4010, Library.Pima.Gov

SAJCC’S MOCHITSUKI Mochi (Japanese rice cake) demonstration and tasting. 1pm-4:30pm. $5-$9. Yume Japanese Gardens, 2130 N Alvernon Way.

Fri 10

SUPER RAD AWESOME ART STUFF A collaborative art and music show featuring five bands and 10 artists. $5. 8pm. Plush, 340 E. 6th St. 798-1298, PlushTucson.com

Sat, Jan 11

2^ND SATURDAYS A monthly downtown festival with live music, street performers and food vendors. Featuring K-Bass, Andy See and His Swinging Jamboree, plus more! Free. 2pm-8pm. 2ndSaturdaysDowntown.com

TUCSON PRESIDIO: LIVING HISTORY DAYS Re-enactment of Tucson life from 1775-1856. 10am-3pm. Free. 133 W. Washington St. 837-8119, TucsonPresidio.com

BEYOND MAIN EVENT AT ARMORY PARK Fun activities and entertainment to get your body moving. 12pm-3pm. See website for more details. Armory Park, 221 S. 6th Ave. 975-8443, Beyond-Tucson.org

Wed 15

STREETCAR CELEBRATION “Destination Main Gate Square” with merchants offering specials, promotions, entertainment and the modern streetcar will make an appearance. 4pm-8pm. University between Park and Euclid. StreetcarFriends.org

Thu 16-Sat 25

TUCSON INTERNATIONAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL 23rd annual film festival showcasing the Jewish experience, current and historic, locally and internationally. See the Zocalo article here for more, plus, visit: TucsonJewishFilmFestival.org

Fri 17-Sat 18

WOMANKRAFT’S RUMMAGE FAIR BOUTIQUE Bi-annual rummage fair featuring books, music, games, decorations, etc. 8am-4pm. WomanKraft Art Center, 388 S. Stone Ave. 629-9976, WomanKraft.org

Fri 17-Sun 19

TUCSON QUILT FIESTA More than 300 quilts, guest speaker Joe Cunningman and other quilted items displayed at 36th annual Tucson Quilt Show. $10. Fri-Sat; 9am-5pm. Sun;10am-4pm. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 547-5463, TucsonQuiltersGuild.com

FORT LOWELL SOCCER SHOOTOUT Tucson Association of Realtors presents a soccer extravaganza for U.S. Youth Soccer and Arizona Youth Soccer. Prices vary for players. Fort Lowell Park, 2900 N. Craycroft Rd. 529-1493, www.FortLowellshootout.com

Sat 18

FREESTYLE RAP & BEAT BOX WORKSHOP Two hour workshop help by Rahman Jamaal of Rap Force Academy. 2pm-4pm. $10-$15. Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. 7th St. 398-2542, TheSeaofGlass.org

SENIOR PROM “BIG BAND BASH” A trip back to the 40s, 50s and 60s for guests 55+ hosted by MHS healthcare and The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance. $20-$25. MHC Healthcare, 13395 N. Marana Main St. Saaca.org

Fri 24

“Nimbus,” lithograph by L. Wallin, will be available as one of The Drawing Studio’s Gala Silent Auction offerings.

THE DRAWING STUDIO 2013 GALA CELEBRATION A Breath of Plein Air, an exhibit exploring the outdoors, takes place from 6:30pm-9:30pm for a TDA benefit. Meet the artists preview Wed, Jan 22 from 5pm-7pm. $120. The Drawing Studio, 33 S. Sixth Ave. 620-0947, TheDrawingStudio.org

Sat 25

80TH ANNIVERSARY DILLINGER DAYS Indoor and outdoor event centered around Hotel Congress, with Toole Avenue and 5^th Avenue closed for outdoor stages. Downtown turns back the clock to the 1930s with period music, costumes, and re-enactments of the Dillinger Gang’s exploits in the Old Pueblo; includes film screenings and tours. Family-friendly, includes children’s activities. Free. 10am-5pm. HotelCongress.com

Sat, Feb 1

SAVOR SOUTHERN ARIZONA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL Enjoy Southern Arizona’s culinary arts featuring 40 chefs, wine, beer and cheese. $65-$75. 11am-3pm. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N Alvernon Way. 797-3959, Saaca.org

ONGOING

TUCSON FOOD TOURS Tucson’s only walking food tour. Combination of foods and a little history of downtown Tucson. Takes you through the historic downtown and 4th Avenue districts of Tucson. See website for dates. 477-7986, FoodToursTucson.com

WILDCAT HOCKEY Wildcats take to the ice at the TCC against York University on Fri, Jan 3 & Sat, Jan 4. Oklahoma; Thu, Jan 9. Central Oklahoma Fri, Jan 10 & Sat, Jan 11. Liberty University; Fri, Jan 17 & Sat, Jan 18. San Diego State; Fri, Jan 24 & Sat Jan 25. Arizona State; Fri, Jan 31 and Sat, Feb 1. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 7:30pm. Prices Vary. ArizonaWildcatHockey.org

Mondays

MEET ME AT MAYNARDS (@Hotel Congress) Southern Arizona Roadrunners’ Monday evening, non-competitive, social 3-mile run/walk, that begins and ends downtown at Hotel Congress, rain/shine/holidays included! 311 E. Congress St. 991-0733, MeetMeAtMaynards.com

A Light Parade, Old Pueblo Style

December 1, 2013 | Jamie Manser

Santa at the 2013 Downtown Parade of Lights.
Photo: Scott Griessel/courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

It is crazily popular. Tucsonans love this parade.

It’s an eclectic, Old Pueblo eccentric glorious mishmash of goofy to serious entries – storm troopers meeting dog groups meeting accordion players meeting high school marching bands meeting church groups. There are local dignitaries in convertibles; car clubs, scooter clubs, motorcycle clubs; dance troupes, mariachi and folklorico groups. All of these various Tucsonans coming together Downtown, dancing and laughing and singing and showing off lights and song and joy and the inner and outer glow of the season’s spirit.

Meander along the parade route, sit and stare and soak in the ambiance of community.

As a previous employee of the organization that pulls it together, and as a freelance contributor for the same organization – the Downtown Tucson Partnership (DTP) – I am always amazed by the crowds that consistently come out in droves for the annual Downtown Parade of Lights (POL).

Over the last several years, the parade has featured 70 to 80 groups with over 500 participants. The crowds are even more impressive – easily 30,000 attendees gather along the parade’s footprint.

This wasn’t always the case.

As City of Tucson’s Events Coordinator Chris Leighton remembers – on good authority as he was one of the event’s founders – the first parade in 1995 had 15 entries with perhaps 1,500 to 2,000 people showing up to watch. The five-person committee that ignited the annual holiday parade, says Leighton, included “Sheila King from the [now defunct] Downtown Arts & Business Alliance, someone from TPD, myself, and Sarah Clements from the [now defunct] Tucson Arts District Partnership, Inc. And Beth Walkup we dragged in too, she was head of the Children’s Museum then, before Bob became mayor.”

That committee thought it was important to have a local holiday parade as, Leighton says, it seemed like “a tradition that most other cities have that we were missing. We still had some retail Downtown at that point that was struggling, so it was a way to compete against the mall and get crowds down there on Black Friday.” It was a daytime event that year, explains Leighton, “and boy did it piss off the malls; we were getting calls complaining about it!”

The next year, Leighton recalls, the parade was on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and moved to nighttime with the name eventually morphing to Holiday Parade of Lights “because then we made everyone light everything.”

Since 1996, POL has been an evening event. In more recent history, it was generally on the second Saturday of December and coincided with the 4^th Avenue Street Fair. This year, however, the event is moving to the third Saturday, on Dec. 21.

Leighton thinks the date shift is a good idea. “I’m excited to see what the late date is going to do; I have a feeling it may get even more people out because by late December, there is less to do other than Christmas coming up and Christmas shopping, so I’m thinking we may get a bigger crowd this year.”

Downtown Parade of Lights Dec. 2013.
Photo: Scott Griessel/courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

Brandi Haga, Downtown Parade of Lights Coordinator and DTP’s admin extraordinaire, further elucidates that the date was chosen based on “so many other events happening every other weekend in December, so we decided on Dec. 21 – we didn’t want to compete with other events and wanted to give the public a more holiday feel,” since that date chronologically brings the parade closer to Christmas.

Haga, who has been coordinating the POL since 2008, (Zócalo publisher David Olsen – who is also a previous employee of DTP – ran it from 2003 to 2007), takes a hands-on approach when it comes to managing entries and placing parade participants.

“A lot of parades have online registration these days, but we get entries mailed in,” Haga explains as we sit together at her desk. She pulls out a purple folder, stylized with white flowers, and extracts some applications.

“It makes it more personable, and I like that, having that communication.” As she is talking, Haga is handed mail that includes another application – which punctuates the point. “And, seeing the envelopes come in!”

There is certainly something to having tactile experiences in an ever increasingly digital world. She demonstrates the physical process of separating the applicants into four piles – float, vehicle, walking, and musical. Haga pours over the applications, making sure to not put musical groups next to each other, respecting requests of walking groups to not be behind big diesel floats.

Haga says some of the most rewarding aspects of the hard work includes meeting new people and working with different Tucson organizations. The various participants, long term and newbies, are also stoked to be a part of the parade and work with Haga and the DTP.

Coming into their sophomore year, Cher Conklin of Peppermint Jim says via email that they enjoy interacting with the parade’s enthusiastic crowds, meeting Santa in the line-up and “getting the display/float ready, making it better and nicer each year.” Their groovy shtick last year was a mock mint distillery with “steam” and mint coming out on all ends. Conklin says they appreciate that “the organization/management is solid and there seems to be a very loyal following for it in Tucson, which makes it all the more fun.”

Both Carondelet St. Mary’s and the Tucson GLBT Chamber of Commerce are first year participants, and are looking forward to the event. Amy Beiter, M.D., president and CEO of Carondelet St. Mary’s Hospital (the parade’s presenting sponsor) says via email: “We enjoy supporting organizations and events that are also uniquely Tucson and that promote good health and a strong sense of community. I’ve heard it described as fun and eclectic and a true representation of Tucson’s character. We love the fact that so many volunteers rally to put on a festive holiday parade in Downtown Tucson.”

Timothy Brown, with the Tucson GLBT Chamber of Commerce, says, “Many people in Tucson do not know that we exist as a chamber so this will be great publicity for us and way to let people know that there are other options for networking and meeting other business people in the Tucson area.”

Debra Jackson, Tucson Parks and Recreation Recreation Supervisor, wrote through email that they’ve been involved since the beginning and always look forward to it.

“The excitement starts months ahead when we sit down and brainstorm the theme for the year. Then the construction, and finally the night of the event when all 200 plus kids from our after-school program come out and see what has been created, and how they fit in to the overall theme. It’s a great time for sharing the joy to those lined along the streets of Downtown.”

For Haga, after months of planning and hours of work before the entries unhitch, her favorite part is a few minutes of quite solitude in the dark. “After the parade takes off, I drive the golf cart into a little dark corner and watch. Even if they are out of order, it doesn’t matter because people are happy and having fun – especially all of the cute kids!”

The 19th Annual Parade of Lights is Saturday, Dec. 21 and starts at 6:30 p.m. The Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony happens before the parade at Armory Park, 221 S. Sixth Ave. at 5:45 p.m. More information on the festivities, along with a route map, is available at DowntownTucson.org/visit/parade-of-lights/. Entry forms are also available on the website and are accepted through Dec. 9. Email brandi@downtowntucson.org with inquiries.

Downtown Parade of Lights Dec. 2013.
Photo: Scott Griessel/courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

Where L’Chaim Illuminates

November 30, 2013 | Monica Surfaro Spigelman

Head to Downtown’s Jewish History Museum to learn local Jewish lore that goes beyond this month’s Hanukkah candles and Christmas-Day Chinese dinners.

The front of the Jewish History Museum.photo courtesy Jewish History Museum

The front of the Downtown Jewish History Museum. photo courtesy Jewish History Museum

To delve into the sometimes-odd-but-always-fascinating corners of Southwest Jewish history, you need to turn onto the road less traveled: Go south on Stone Avenue, past the police station and the cathedral, to the simple, classical revival structure that was the original synagogue in the Arizona Territory, in fact the first house of worship for Jews throughout the Southwest.

There’s lots of what you might call the stranger side of Tucson Jewish folklore there to be discovered.

Before 564 S. Stone Ave. was re-opened as the Jewish History Museum in 2001, iterations as a Mexican radio station and a flophouse collected in the 1910 building’s long and storied history. Abandoned after Temple Emanu-El moved further east from Downtown in the 1940s, the building thankfully survived and is now a restored showcase of one-offs and collections depicting a rich regional Jewish history. The museum specializes in found objects — amazing stuff that somehow made its way out of owners’ hands and into this house of treasures.

Take, for example, one of the first 48-star flags flown in Tucson (February 14, 1912). Mercantile businessman Charlie Gold flew the flag over his shop on Congress Street, just west of Church Avenue. There’s also a Tucsonan-owned pocket watch with a Hebrew-inscribed time-face that was given to Jewish soldiers who served the Kaiser during World War I. And there’s an 1897 centavo Mexican coin, which was in the time capsule placed in the cornerstone laid at the synagogue in 1910.

A timeline of western Jewish lore and the personalities who shaped it surround the meticulously-preserved original woodwork and pews as well as the cases of memorabilia. The Jews of the late 19th and early 20^th century territorial Tucson were an interesting mix of miners, bankers, merchants and businessmen prominent in the entertainment business. Some of these Jewish pioneers include Drachman (earliest Tucson Jewish businessman), merchandiser Zeckendorf (and nephew Steinfeld), Mansfeld (founded first public library and helped found UofA), Levin (founded first entertainment district, whose descendants include Linda Ronstadt), and Strauss (Tucson’s first Jewish mayor). Gabby Giffords and her family also are highlighted (Gabby’s dad Spencer became a bar-mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El, when it was still on Stone Avenue, and just last month Gabby, a member of Congregation Chaverim, was honored with the Museum’s 2013 Jewish Heritage Award.)

This picture of Charles Strauss – the first Jewish mayor of Tucson, with his son – can be viewed at the Jewish History Museum. photo courtesy Jewish History Museum

Local volunteers conduct enthusiastic, informative tours, regaling visitors with tales of territorial Jewish oddities. One story worth listening to involves Southern Arizona mine owner Mark Lulley, the scrappy proprietor of Wandering Jew Mine who captured bear cubs in the Santa Rita mountains. Lulley apparently made a saloon wager which called for him to walk the bears down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House if McKinley was re-elected in 1900. The January 1901 newspaper clip of McKinley’s inauguration, and also Lulley’s presentation of the Southern Arizona bears to the National Zoo, are on display through December at the museum.

Because you can’t look at memorabilia all the time, the museum also is ringleader of a number of quirky Tucson happenings, including trivia and Brooklyn nights. It also masterminds the annual Christmas Day Chinese Dinner; however, this year the overworked and tiny volunteer museum staff has decided to give the formalized Chinese-food-for-Christmas dinner a rest. Would-be yentls, however, are encouraged to continue the tradition via their own serendipitous gatherings at Chinese restaurants across the city on Dec. 25.

And instead of Christmas day sesame chicken, museum staffers hope you’ll join them New Year’s Day, when a museum gathering will offer 2014 New Year refreshments, a fashion show and the kick-off of a new exhibition.

Combining Judaism and art, the Jewish History Museum’s exhibition will feature Ketubahs, beautifully-decorated Jewish marriage contracts written in Aramaic, and wedding dresses. Even Tucson has a long tradition of creation and signing these formal contracts that are ceremonial works of Jewish art and the January exhibition, with its collection of dresses and related items dating back to the late 1800s, should be perpetually absorbing.

“You don’t have to be religious to enjoy it,” promises Dr. Barry Friedman, the hardy Jewish History Museum president and all-around advocate. “The museum is a carefully-preserved collection-turned-public treasure that’s relevant, incredibly diverse and phenomenal fun.”

In October, in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, the museum opened The Holocaust History Center – a walk-in, floor-to-ceiling installation that’s a poignant yet ultimately inspirational depiction of over 130 Holocaust survivors who made Southern Arizona their home.

Photos and digital displays immerse the visitor in a tiny space, opened adjacent to the Jewish History Museum in a portion of a partially-restored 1880s territorial purchased by the museum.

There is a Jewish custom of placing stones rather than short-lived flowers on graves as a sign of permanence. A bowl of small stones sits at the entrance to the museum’s Holocaust center, for all who wish to leave such an offering for the survivors.

Open to the public Wednesday-Thursday, Saturday-Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Friday from noon to 3pm, the small museum (JewishHistoryMuseum.org) and its carefully-curated homage to Tucson Jewish lore helps you travel back in time. There’s everything to surprise you, with displays that treat Tucson history with respect and thorough documentation. A visit here also will make you laugh. Your eyes will be opened and so will your heart.

Events Dec. 2013

November 29, 2013 | Marisa Bernal

Fri 6

TEDX TUCSON Chuk Shon To Tucson will feature TED videos, artists, live music and seven speakers. $21. Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. 740-0071, TedXTucson.com

TUCSON FESTIVAL OF TREES A celebration for the holiday season and benefit for the Arizona Oncology Foundation. Twelve elegantly designed holiday trees, wreaths and arrangements will be displayed. 6:15pm. $75. Savory Opera House, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Rd. 870-6060, ArizonaOncologyFoundation.org

Fri 6-Sat 7

BICAS ART AUCTION Art, music, bikes, libations, food trucks, kids activities and more. Fri, 6pm-10pm. Sat, 11am-5pm & 6pm-9pm. Whistle Stop Depot, 127 W. 5th St. 628-7950, Bicas.org

Sat 7

TAMAL & HERITAGE FESTIVAL Experience the rich flavors of the tamale in a fun-filled day of art, culture and entertainment. Free. 10am-5pm. Ava Amphitheater, 5655 W. Valencia Rd. CasinoDelSol.com

ARIZONA HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY FESTIVAL Musical performances by The Tucson Junior Strings, The Tucson Boys Chorus, a magic show by Chris Wright, Story Telling and crafts by Ben’s Bells. $5. 10am-4pm. AHS Arizona History Museum, 949 E. 2nd Street. 628-5774, ArizonaHistoricalSociety.org

1ST SATURDAY ART WALK Walking tour of Central Tucson Gallery Association’s participation galleries and museums. 6pm-9pm. Downtown art galleries along 6th Street, 6th Avenue, Congress Street, Toole Avenue and 4th Avenue. FirstSaturdayArtWalks.com

ART ON TAP Craft beer festival presenting sixteen Arizona craft breweries, food trucks and musical performances by Carlos Arzate and the Kind Souls and Saint Maybe. $20-$65. Tucson Museum of Art, 140 N. Main Ave. 624-2333, TucsonMuseumOfArt.org

Sun 8

13TH ANNUAL SUGAR PLUM TEA Features a festive holiday boutique, silent auction and a narration of the Nutcracker story with characters from the ballet. 11am and 3pm. $75 per person. Marriott Tucson University Park, 880 E. 2nd St. 745-3000, BalletTucson.org

Ballet Tucson holds its 13th annual Sugar Plum Tea on Sun, Dec 8.
Photo by Ed Flores

Tue 10

CHAMPAGNE & MISTLETOE: A VICTORIAN HOLIDAY AUCTION Annual holiday celebration featuring live and silent auctions and food to benefit the National Association of Women Business Owners. 3:30pm-6:30pm. The Historic Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave. 326-3926, NawboTucson.org

Fri, Dec 13-Sun, Dec 15

4TH AVENUE STREET FAIR 400 arts and crafts booths, 35 food vendors, performance stages, street musicians, food, jugglers, kids entertainment, face painting, balloons, more. 10am-6pm. Free. 624-5004, FourthAvenue.org

Sat 14

SANTA LANDING Breakfast buffet, crafts for kids, and Santa flying in by helicopter! Adults;$12.25-$15.50. Children, $9. Under 6, free. 8:30am-2pm. Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Rd. 618-4850, PimaAir.org

STUFF THE HUMMERS FOR CHILDREN IN TUCSON Toy Drive and Car Show being put on by Sullivan’s Steakhouse. 9:30am-noon. Sullivan’s Steakhouse,1785 E. River Rd. StuffTheHummers.com

PRESIDIO LUMINARIA FESTIVAL A living history celebration to welcome the holiday season. Free. 5pm-9pm. Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, 133 W. Washington St. 837-8119, TucsonPresidioTrust.org

2ND SATURDAYS A monthly downtown festival with live music, performers, and vendors! 3pm-8pm. Free. Scott Avenue Stage: Payphone Mafia, Tesoro, The Long Wait. Santa at MEB Management, 120 E. Congress St., 4pm-7pm. Kids Area with Cinema La Placita & Southern AZ Transportation Museum at 414 N. Toole Ave., 4pm-8pm – interactive magic, art & train activities; 5:30pm, screening of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966). 2ndSaturdays.com

Tesoro performs at 2nd Saturdays Dec. 14, 4:15pm-5:30pm. Photo courtesy Tesoro

Sun 15

LA FIESTA DE GUADALUPE The annual family festival celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe with spirited outdoor performances by youthful mariachi and ballet folklorico groups. 10am-4pm. Free Degrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Rd. 299-9191, Degrazia.org

BOHEMIAN HOLIDAY: AN ARTISAN’S SHOWCASE Over 25 artists are selling unique items for your special gift-giving needs (and also offering raffle prizes). Includes live performances by some of Tucson’s best musicians. Noon-6pm. YWCA Tucson, 525 N. Bonita Ave. More info here or call 884-7810.

Sat 21

9TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY EXPRESS Write letters to the North Pole, listen to a reading of The Polar Express, watch a screening of The Polar Express, and take a photo with Santa in front of Locomotive 1673. Bring a can of food for the community food bank. Free. 2pm-4pm. 414 N. Toole Ave. 623-2223, TucsonHistoricDepot.org

19TH ANNUAL PARADE OF LIGHTS Young and old bask in the warmth of shimmering, lighted floats, vehicles and musical groups winding through Downtown, includes Santa Claus himself! Free. 6:30pm-8pm. Armory Park, 221 S. 6th Ave. 837-6504, DowntownTucson.org

Santa at the 2013 Parade of Lights.
Photo: Scott Griessel. Courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

Tue 31

TUCSON JAZZ SOCIETY 8TH ANNUAL NEW YEARS EVE GALA Join The Tucson Jazz Orchestra, The Jim McCullum Jazz Band and George Howard’s Motown and Rhythm & Blues Show to celebrate the Tucson Jazz Society’s 8th Annual New Year’s Eve Spectacular. 6:30pm. Westin La Paloma Resort and Spa, 3800 E. Sunrise Dr. 903-1265, TucsonJazz.org

RESOLUTION 2014: A GLAMOUR & GLITZ NEW YEARS EVE Enjoy a state of the art light and multimedia show, and participate in a champagne toast at Aloft! Hosted by Tucson Young Professionals. $75 pre-sale (available here), $85 at door. 9pm-2am. aLoft, 1900 E. Speedway Blvd. MeetUp.com/tucson-young-professionals

ONGOING

WILDCAT HOCKEY Wildcats take to the ice on Fri, Dec 6 and Sat, Dec 7 against Arizona State. Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. 7:30pm. Prices vary. ArizonaWildcatHockey.org

Sat, Dec 14-Sat, Dec 28

WINTERHAVEN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 63rd Annual Festival of Lights. Central Tucson neighborhood adorned with holiday decorations, using LED lights. Walk through every night. Drive-through on Dec 17, 27, 28. Free. 6pm-10pm. Winterhaven Neighborhood, in between Fort Lowell Road, Prince Road, Country Club, Tucson Boulevard. 881-4483, WinterhavenFestival.org

Mondays

MEET ME AT MAYNARDS (@Hotel Congress) Southern Arizona Roadrunners’ Monday evening, non-competitive, social 3-mile run/walk, that begins and ends downtown at Hotel Congress, rain/shine/holidays included. 311 E. Congress St. 991-0733, MeetMeAtMaynards.com

‘Tis The Season

November 29, 2013 | Phoenix Michael

Zoo Light Penguins at Reid Park Zoophoto courtesy Reid Park Zoo

Zoo Lights’ Penguins at Reid Park Zoo
photo courtesy Reid Park Zoo

Are your halls decked? Jolly or not, the holly days are indeed upon us. This final month of the calendar year can feel surreal in sunny Southern Arizona where “winter has no snow,” as Tucson’s unofficial mayor Al Perry warbled on the anthemic “We Got Cactus.” Coldness isn’t a mandatory Christmas or Kwanzaa requirement, though! Although the white stuff may be in short supply, opportunities for revelry are abundant. Gay apparel = donned.

Zoo Lights at Reid Park Zoo returns to put you in the spirit from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. nightly Dec. 6-23. On those dates the zoo’s pathways will transform into a wonderland of flickering bulbs, jingling bells, animal-shaped light sculptures and noshing of free cookies. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children; zoo members pay half price. The zoo can be found at 3400 Zoo Court in the physical realm and at ReidParkZoo.org online. Call (520) 791-4022 for more information.

Dec. 6-8 from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. each evening, the Tucson Botanical Gardens welcomes all to its 27th annual Luminaria Nights featuring live music, food trucks and a ho-ho-hoing Santa at the garden grounds, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Performances over the course of the weekend include appearances by the Tucson Women’s Chorus, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance and the Tucson Flute Club, among others; for a full entertainment schedule, visit TucsonBotanical.org. Hermanos Hot Dogs and Planet of the Crepes are among the many food vendors scheduled to be on hand. Admission is $11 for adults and $5 for children; members pay $9 and $3 respectively. What’s a luminaria, you say? It’s a small twinkling paper lantern; expect to see hundreds lining the garden’s walkways. Any other questions? Call (520) 326-9686.

Luminaria Nights at Tucson Botanical Gardens 2012. photo: Tim Fuller

DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, 6300 N. Swan Rd., hosts its yearly La Fiesta de Guadalupe on Sunday, Dec. 15 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free to all, this event honors the “Queen of Mexico” with stylish yet sacred dance, music and song. Yaqui Deer Dancers, mariachi bands and folklorico dancers will all pay tribute to Our Lady. The Gallery itself is the ideal location for such a celebration. Having originally been built in the 1950s by Arizona artist Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia, as Tucson grew and developed around it this 10-acre slice of heavenly desert retained its authentic Old Pueblo properties. Learn more at DeGrazia.org or by calling (520) 299-9191.

Tohono Chul Park presents its popular Holiday Nights program Dec. 6-7 and 13-14 from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. at 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. The idea here is to stroll the park grounds with beverage in hand, making vegetative discoveries and canoodling under the Sonoran sky. Musical and dance performances are of course included as well. The first weekend of the month spotlights Yaqui guitarist Gabriel Ayala and bluegrass outfit The Sonoran Dogs; musical cowboy storytelling act Way Out West and magical mentalists/madmen The Brothers Macabre perform the second. Tohono Chul’s Garden Bistro will be open during Holiday Nights; call (520) 742-6455 x501 for reservations. Tickets are $15 for general public, $10 for members and $2 for children under 13 years of age. Visit TohonoChulPark.org for more details.

Still missing that snow? Check out La Encantada Shopping Center’s Enchanted Snowfall on Friday and Saturday nights at 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. through Dec. 21. Taking place in the Tucson Lifestyle Courtyard at 2905 E. Skyline Dr., the event does indeed include a white substance falling from the sky as well as live music and hot chocolate sampling from Blanco Taco + Tequila. You won’t need chains on the tires, although you’ll want to bring your wallet to cross names off your gift-giving list. Visit LaEncantadaShoppingCenter.com for directions and a store directory.

The grandfather of all Tucson holiday celebrations, the Winterhaven Festival of Lights, is now in its 63rd year of good cheer and going strong. From Dec. 14-28 (drive-through nights are the 17, 27 and 28), this neighborhood puts on its best face and invites the public to bask in the glow. You may even want to wear your sunglasses at night. See WinterhavenFestival.org to plan a hayride, find out how it all started and offer support for this longstanding nonprofit, community-funded event. Also bring non-perishable food items for the Community Food Bank. Last year, the event raised $20,753 and 33,905 pounds of food were donated – you can help increase these numbers!

Also awesome:

Jenna Johnson as Sugar Plum Fairy and Stuart Lauer as Cavalier in “The Nutcracker,” with performances Sat, Dec 14-Sun, Dec 15.
Photo: Ed Flores

Dec. 13-21: Zuzi! Dance Company’s “The Poetry of Water” 16th Annual Solstice Celebration at The Historic Y, 738 N. 5th Ave. Visit ZuziMoveIt.org.

Dec. 13-15: Waypoint Theatre Company’s “The Gift of the Magi” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” at the Scottish Rite Cathedral’s Campbell Hall, 160 S. Scott Ave. See Waypoint-Theatre.org.

Dec. 14-15: Ballet Tucson’s “The Nutcracker” at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. Visit BalletTucson.org.

Dec. 19-22: Borderlands Theater’s “A Tucson Pastorela” at the Tucson Convention Center’s Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave. See BorderlandsTheater.org.

Dec. 21: Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” at the Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Visit FoxTucsonTheatre.org.

Dec. 21-22: Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s “The Magic of Christmas” at TCC’s Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Visit TucsonSymphony.org.

Happy safe and fun holly-daze from all of us at Zócalo Magazine!