Events

3 Resources to Help You Navigate This Weekend’s Open Studio Tour

November 13, 2015 |
The 2015 Tucson Fall Open Studio Tour takes place Saturday and Sunday, November 14 & 15, from 11am-5pm.

Over 180 Tucson artists open their studios to the public. Use any of the following resources to assist you on this self-guided tour:

1 – TPACOST.org – The most comprehensive guide to the tour, with listings by name and by area. Detailed google maps guide you to your destination with ease and the site is mobile friendly.

2 – Zocalo Magazine in print – If you haven’t already, grab a copy of Zocalo Magazine’s November edition, available at over 350 locations city-wide. Inside, you will find 12 pages dedicated to the tour with 180 artist listings and map locations. Extra copies of the magazine have been recently stocked DOWNTOWN, at Wood & Pulp (outside rack) at 439 N 6th Ave, SW corner of 6th St and 6th Ave; MIDTOWN at The Loft Cinema; EASTSIDE at Bookman’s Speedway (6230 E. Speedway) and in the FOOTHILLS at AJ’s Fine Foods (inside, near checkout) in the La Encantada shopping plaza.

3 – Zocalo Magazine online – Use the digital version of Zocalo Magazine (a replica of the print edition) OR browse the digital standalone version of the Open Studio Tour guide, here.

2015 Fall Open Studio Tour brushes

Remembering Together

November 4, 2015 |

The 2015 All Souls Procession Weekend

With thousands of more participants, a finale performance of grand proportions and epic new art and music installments, the All Souls Procession of 2015 is bigger and more impactful than ever before.

Tucson All souls_1What began in 1990 as a small gathering to celebrate the memories of deceased loved ones through performance art has now grown into the biggest celebration of its kind in the US, as the 26th annual All Souls Procession prepares to host over 150,000 participants to the storied festival. The highly edifying and cathartic event, organized by local non-profit organization Many Mouths One Stomach, will be taking place this year on Sunday, November 8th in Downtown Tucson.

The All Souls Procession is a celebration of death and life that coincides with Mexico’s Dia De Los Muertos in honoring and remembering loved ones who have passed on. Masses of Tucsonans and people from all over the world will gather to march in the streets with painted faces, masks and festive garb to honor the lost souls by bearing blown up photographs, posters and letters commemorating them. The finale that will be taking place next door to Mercado San Agustin, where live music, fire dancers, and performance artists will entertain the crowd before the urn that is filled with letters and messages to deceased loved ones will be raised and ignited high above the crowd in a moment of exulting release.

“The one thing I see lacking in our society is how we honor our dead, at least in Western civilization. Most people don’t take the time or put the intention forth into slowing down and honoring our lost loved ones and celebrating their lives,” says event organizer and Director of Flam Chen Paul Weir. “The goal is that this experience is authentic and real and taken seriously. We want people to let go and feel supported and connected. Everyone is a participant in this. Everyone is invited into the streets to be a part of this and to feel part of something much bigger as a collective. Especially in today’s society, this is a very visceral and authentic experience and there’s a lot of value on each and every person involved.”

This year procession route is the same as last year’s event, as it starts downtown on 6th Ave and 6th street near the underpass. There will be a DJ playing there and sending out dedications and the Hungry Ghosts busking crew will be roaming around to collect donations. People will start culminating at 4:00pm and then procession will begin around 6:30pm. The march is a two-mile route from the underpass to Alameda to Congress Street and then underneath I-10 to the finale location at San Agustin.

This year’s event carries a specific theme to honor those who are “unmournable” due to unfortunate circumstances before they passed. “The theme this year that we’re working with is UnMournable Bodies, which includes everyone from criminals to drug addicts to people who were enemies of the state and people who are caught in the crossfire of war. A lot of people die nameless when families get decimated. A lot of people are forgotten because of one or two poor choices or actions they made while living. So our finale ceremony this year pays homage to those people,” says Weir.

As the event continues to grow to mass proportions, it increasingly gains attention from such outlets as The New York Times, Huffington Post, CNN and many other news organizations. Because of this, the number of people who travel from all over the world to be a part of it has also steadily been increasing, which is great for the event itself, and for the city of Tucson as a whole. Those attending the event for the first time will undoubtedly be in awe, but it’s important to remember the sole purpose at the heart of the festival.

“People coming for the first time should definitely put something in the urn for someone they’re trying to remember to really make that walk and experience meaningful to them,” says Weir. “It is beautiful and it is a spectacle, but everyone walking in that parade is walking for somebody. Hold that in your heart and understand that it’s a public ritual and you’re here to participate in it. It’s really that memory and that intention that is the most valuable part of the experience. The show at the finale is beautiful and we really try to push ourselves in creating something from an authentic place of expression. But in the end, it’s about the urn burning and the flames consuming those memories and sending them out to the universe.”

To prepare for an event of this magnitude, MMOS has to fundraise and plan ahead accordingly to accommodate for the annual growth. The board has already started planning for 2016 and 2017’s events in order to stay within their tight budget. While the city recently gave them a grant for $10,000 a year, the event typically costs more than $150,000 to put on, so donations and support is greatly appreciated and essential for the livelihood of future year’s processions.

“Donations are so meaningful to us because it’s a free event to attend and you can come participate at the deepest of levels for absolutely nothing. We don’t pollute the space with advertising or endorsers at all, because we take it very seriously that this is to honor our loved ones, so we turn down that kind of thing. We’re a non-profit and mostly artists created every year. Our board and staff are primarily volunteers and the directors of the parade that do the long, hard work get paid just a few cents per hour. So when you see the Hungry Ghosts busking crew out during the event, please remember that even a dollar or two per person goes an extremely long way for us.”

For those who are unable to make it to the event this year, or if you don’t like big crowds, fear not, because the final ceremony will be live streaming at www.VisitTucson.org. Check the website up to 48-hours before the event to find the link, which will include video, audio and a commentator from 6:30pm to 9:30pm on November 8th. And if you do make it to the procession, make sure to get there early, bring the whole family, and get ready for one of the greatest experiences of your lives, and all in celebrating and honoring the spirits of the dead.

Complete details on the 2015 All Souls Procession can be found at allsoulsprocession.org

All_souls_lady

Tucson’s Inaugural 10 West Festival

October 16, 2015 |

10_west An Innovative Way to Drive Economic Development

This month, Tucson creators and entrepreneurs come together for the first ever “10West Festival,” a new and innovative approach to fostering a creative and technological environment in Tucson, with the goal of attracting and retaining talent in Southern Arizona.

To learn more about the festival, Zócalo reached out to Greg Teesdale, Executive Director of 10West. In addition to 10West, Greg delivers curriculum to Startup Tucson accelerator and incubator programs as well as provides senior executive leadership to Startup Tucson.  He is a member of the Desert Angels and also the Chief Financial Officer of Tempronics, a local growth stage technology company and a Desert Angels portfolio company.

Z: Please tell us about 10West and what you hope to accomplish during this inaugural event.

GT: Central to our mission at Startup Tucson is driving economic development in southern Arizona by fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem, creating an environment where technologist and innovators can develop their ideas into real businesses and hold events, like 10West, that reflect these goals.

We describe 10West as the 20-40 year old demographic, the streetcar line geographic and the October 18-24 chronologic. This is the foundation year for an event that will ultimately be identified with Tucson and Southern Arizona on an international level.

The biggest challenge in this inaugural year has been gaining widespread recognition and endorsement of the event. The most important measure of success this year will be in attendance and we’re shooting a combined 5,000 – 10,000 people across all the events. Thinking long-term the true test will be how well we attract and retain talent in Southern Arizona.

Z: Can you describe the three organizational tracks the festival is focused on, why they were identified as such, and their importance to our region?

GT: 10West has been shaped to address the long-term goal of attracting and retaining talent in southern Arizona. When one believes that Southern Arizona is the place to achieve their desired life-work balance they will build careers and chase their entrepreneurial dreams here. The 10West technology track features workshops, panels and talks on cutting edge topics like 3D printing, virtual reality and the internet of things while the entrepreneurship track has sessions on building a company, access to capital and the many skills essential to every entrepreneurs’ toolbox. The 10West creative track addresses the live part of live-work with network mixers, music and entertainment as well as programming on the business of entertainment. Combined, these events are intended to attract the demographic that will be deciding their future.

Z: How is Tucson or Southern Arizona different from other regions in terms of our innovative and creative environment? What sets us apart?

GT: Southern Arizona has a number of features – a great university with a technology transfer agenda, a vibrant arts district, formation capital and, of course, the weather – that are important factors in attracting and retaining businesses and talent. The business community has to continue to get better at leveraging these features.  The one thing that is unique to southern Arizona is the proximity to Mexico.  There are great cross-border things happening and I’m seeing a noticeable up-tick in those activities.  You’ll hear this theme echoed in the words and initiatives being promoted by Ricardo Pineda at the Mexican Consulate, Sandra Watson at the Arizona Commerce Authority and Denny Minano at Sun Corridor.  It is no coincidence that these organizations are active supporters of 10West.

Greg Teesdale, 10West

Greg Teesdale, 10West

Z: What is it going to take to jumpstart a Tucson economic boon, centered around technology, innovation, and creativity?

GT: A common saying in the national startup scene is that you have to take a twenty-year view and every day we start a new twenty years.  While there’s great appeal to the idea of a magic bullet that will “jump start” economic development, success or more likely defined by a long list of small wins.  We’re seeing those kind of small wins every day.  And it takes the cooperation and participation of the collective stakeholders to keep these wins coming.

Z: How did 10West come about? What was the inspiration behind the creation of this festival?

GT: There are two key events in 10West that are the foundation of 10West.  IdeaFunding was founded 19 years ago by Larry Hecker, a local attorney and active member of the business community.  The Desert Angels, the local angel investor group, is the 3rd most active angel group in the US and the host of the Southwest Regional Angel Capital Conference.  The organizing groups around these events felt there was an opportunity to leverage these events into something bigger and broader.

Last February we kicked this thing off at the Startup Tucson offices.  We didn’t have a name, a mission, a logo or a website.  The themes (technology, entrepreneurship, creative class) and definitions (demographics, geographic, chronologic) were all decided early on and we went from there.

Z: What are some of the highlights of the event?

GT: If we’ve done this right the highlight of the event will be different for everybody.  It’s important to us that 10West be viewed in its entirety and not defined by any individual series of events.  Even the events that get the best attendance may not be the most important in the long run. Having said that, the 19th year of IdeaFunding has to stand out.  Larry Hecker’s vision continues to inspire.  The technology and entrepreneur workshops and panels are at the heart of the mission.  The Connected Communities Forum on Monday represents the confluence of technology and public infrastructure and will give us insights into how the Tucson of the future will look and feel.

Z: How is 10West being funded?

GT: 10West is being funded by a variety of financial sponsors from the community including the Arizona Commerce Authority, Research Corporation for Science Advancement, New York Life, the Desert Angels and many others.  In addition we are receiving in-kind sponsorships from our partner organizations such as Hotel Congress, Rialto Theatre, Tucson Museum of Art, Connect Coworking and many others.  Finally we have a number of media sponsors including this magazine, Clear Channel Outdoors, Arizona Daily Star, AZ Bilingual and many others.

Z: What are your plans for subsequent festivals?

GT: During 2015 we have answered the question “What is 10West?”  We intend to build on name recognition and the goodwill of all of those involved to grow and broaden our reach.  Over time we expect to grow regionally, nationally and internationally. We’ve engaged the Hispanic community and expect those connections to draw attendance from Sonora and points south.  There are other legacy October events that may be brought under the 10West umbrella provided they fit the mission of the festival.  10West 2016 is scheduled for October 16-22.

Z: Anything else you would like to add?

GT: There is a lot of support for 10West but, more importantly, there’s even more support for the things that 10West represents.

10West takes place in Downtown Tucson, October 18-24th. For information, including a complete schedule of events, please visit www.10west.co

An Evening of Intrigue & Mystery

October 1, 2015 |
Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown

Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown

The Haunted Hotel Congress’ Voodoo & Black Magic show

“Oh Erzulie Freda, if you are here give us a sign,” yelled Kenny Stewart as he summoned the voodoo deity of love with a loteria card folded up and in between his gritted teeth.

I open the card I had placed in between my own teeth to find that my original card, which I had written my name on, is no longer the one I am unfolding. The card I unfold reads ‘Magic Kenny’ written in purple sharpie. At the same time, across the table, Kenny takes the card out from his mouth, unfolds it, and I see my name in my handwriting written diagonally on it. I stare wondering how the card that I had put between my teeth was now in his hands.

“I just can’t make this stuff up,” exclaimed Kenny as he opened his hand flashing his silver skull ring and putting my card next to the wood voodoo figure.

Chances are you may have already met Kenny Stewart in the line of one of his many other professions. Some may know him as Kenny the Sommelier, which he has been since growing a taste for wine in his twenties. Kenny the lively bartender who aims to please customers. Kenny the occasional Burlesque dancer. Kenny the salesman or even Kenny the ordained minister who will perform magic tricks at wedding ceremonies.

But as we sit in the dimly lit “Hidden Room” on the third floor of Hotel Congress at a table with tarot cards and a straw voodoo doll strewn across it, he is known as Magic Kenny Bang Bang a Macabre and Medium.

“I guess I have always had a connection to the macabre and sort of the occult. I’m also a performer and entertainer. They lend to each other very nicely,” he explains as we sit.

Kenny has put on magic shows since he was a thirteen-year-old boy growing up in New Jersey. Now into his 40s he continues to put on shows but with a twist, with the intent to thrill and intrigue the audience through fear and mystique.

“During this time of year people generally want to be scared,” said Kenny.

“What I am creating is live horror theater.”

Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown

Magic Kenny Bang Bang, Midnight Malanga, and Harold Garland. Photo by Andrew Brown

In 1934 the third floor of Hotel Congress mysteriously caught fire. The entire floor was destroyed, except for one room, “The Hidden Room” which also happened to be the site where notorious gangster, John Dillinger, and his gang had stayed.  Today this room is the site where Kenny hosts his shows in October and has every October for the past three years.

The room is dark and eerie with a dusty bed stashed in the corner and random chairs spread throughout the clustered floor. The room gives off an uneasy feeling which is not surprising once you learn its history.

“It is perfect for a show every October. They [Hotel Congress] don’t use it anymore for anything except the show. You walk in here and it takes you back in time. It has this weird and creepy dark energy, which sets a premise for the show” said Kenny.

Last October Kenny had put on twelve shows in the room, with the theme being the conjuring. He described the show as “somber” and “serious”. This year Kenny is ready to go “full throttle” with new material centered around the mystique of Voodoo.

“Basically what I am doing for all of these shows is I am summoning the deities of Voodoo,” said Kenny. “The way Voodoo works is through, believe it or not, possession.”

Kenny explained that there will be different deities him and his partner, Lauren Malanga, will call upon to have possess them. The deities are spirits from the Haitian Voodoo culture, each deity has its own distinct personality, behavior, and style.

“You walk a fine line. We are summoning these deities and there are moments where I can truly go crazy, as a deity possesses me. It can be scary even for me,” he says.

Voodoo, an art that Kenny is perfecting, can also be a threat and a scary reality if it is not shown a true respect. Thus, he is traveling to New Orleans, a hub of Voodoo, before the show in hopes of becoming more educated on the Voodoo culture.

“I’m going to New Orleans to do my homework. Not only that but I want to bring that real authenticity to the show,” said Kenny who will be joining Voodoo rituals during his travels.

In today’s world, there are movies and stories about the terror of Voodoo. Many may shiver at the thought of white possessed eyes or needles being stabbed into Voodoo dolls, but Kenny sees this fear as entertainment.

As a teenager Kenny would sneak into abandoned houses and an abandoned asylum filled with underground catacombs, pursuing a moment of pure adrenaline that although scaring him made him return for more. This feeling of uneasiness yet intrigue is one that Kenny hopes to invoke in his audience.

“I want them to feel sort of bewildered. Like what just happened. I want them to have this feeling where they have been taken somewhere else for forty-five minutes. But once they go back downstairs it will almost feel like it had never happened- like a dream.”

Magic Kenny Bang Bang and Midnight Malanga will be hosting two shows every Thursday and Friday in October at 7pm and 9pm. Audience members must be twenty-one or older to attend. Shows run for forty-five minutes with an exclusive tour of the haunted and grim history of Hotel Congress. Tickets are $15 at the door or can be bought in advance online at HotelCongress.com/Events/October.

“It is truly a lost art horror theater,” said Kenny. “The audience will be taken out of their comfort zone. There will be moments were they are scared. There will be things they have no explanation for. And then at the end of it all, they will be safely brought back downstairs.”

Firebird III GM Concept Car

October 1, 2015 |
photos: Courtesy GM Media Archives

photos: Courtesy GM Media Archives

With its tailfins, double bubble canopy and air brakes disguised in its body, the Firebird III is space-age in the extreme. But it’s not just its Jetsons-meets-Batman style that makes it special.

“Most concept cars were just fiberglass dummies and didn’t have parts that really worked. This was the ultimate dream car or show car and it was also a research car,” says Jim Ewen, one of  two designers of the Firebird III who will talk about it during Tucson Modernism Week while the car is on display at MOCA, the weekend of October 3rd.

19_FIrebirdIII_06-0386The Firebird III, built in 1958, is powered by a gas turbine engine as well as a two-cylinder gasoline engine for the accessories. A two-seater with a double bubble canopy, it has a joystick instead of a steering wheel and a titanium skin. Like GM’s other concept cars, it was inspired largely by fighter aircraft.

1958 Firebird III at#4AAB0D (1)Ewen, now living in Tucson, was brought in to develop the wheels, interior and instrument panel. He says the design team was convinced some of their concepts – particularly the gas turbine engine – would one day be adopted by every car manufacturer. “We often talked back in the 1950s about how the year 2000 would be the ultimate year [in car design],” he says. But mainstream design proved to be much slower than they anticipated.

As for Ewen, his own car choice is far more subtle. Rather than vintage cars, he says he prefers to get around in something a little more reliable. Currently that’s a Chevy Malibu.

For tickets and a complete schedule of Tucson Modernism Week happenings, please visit TucsonMod.com

Songs Stuck on Repeat

September 29, 2015 |

It’s a nearly universal human phenomenon, an experience that can be a blessing or a curse; educational or irritating; crazy-cool or enough to drive someone crazy. It happens to over 90 percent of us and scientists still don’t really know why.

This occurrence is the ubiquitous ear worm – a tune that gets stuck in your head. It spins around ad nauseam, and maybe fades away when more complicated, cerebral tasks come along only to pop up again later when your brain isn’t otherwise occupied. Or perhaps when it is otherwise occupied. It really depends on you. One thing The Arizona Ear Worm Project investigators have found is that the ear worm experience is highly personal.

Last month, in an office at the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences building on the University of Arizona campus, these researchers discussed their project “Musical Cognition, Emotion and Imagery: Understanding the Brain, One Catchy Song at a Time.” The project was funded through the UA’s Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry Faculty Collaboration Grant program.

What was discovered and what remains to be uncovered surprised the interdisciplinary team. They will present their findings in a presentation called “Can’t Get You Out of My Head!” for Confluencenter’s Show & Tell event on Wednesday, Oct. 7.

“One of the main things that happened – (which was) exciting from a scientist’s perspective – is that we got rid of all the easy answers,” said Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences Associate Professor Andrew Lotto. “All the easy answers are not true: that ‘all ear worms look like this, everyone who has an ear worm looks like this.’ One of the things about scientists that oftentimes people don’t understand (is that) easy answers are not that exciting to a scientist. So, as this has gotten more and more complex, it becomes more and more interesting.”

The Arizona Ear Worm Project includes Dan Kruse, an ethnomusicologist and AZPM radio announcer, UA Associate Professor of Music Theory Don Traut, and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Professor Andrew Lotto. photo: Jamie Manser/Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry

The Arizona Ear Worm Project includes Dan Kruse, an ethnomusicologist and AZPM radio announcer, UA Associate Professor of Music Theory Don Traut, and Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Professor Andrew Lotto.
photo: Jamie Manser/Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry

Dan Kruse, a radio announcer at Arizona Public Media and an ethnomusicologist, was inspired several years ago to investigate why songs get stuck in people’s heads after hearing a National Public Radio story on music psychologist Victoria Williamson, “who, of all things, was doing research into what starts ear worms,” said Kruse. “And I thought, ‘that’s so interesting, that somebody would actually study such a thing because I’ve experienced this my whole life.’”

Kruse recruited Lotto and Associate Professor of Music Theory Don Traut to join the team. “Don had done some really interesting research about hooks in pop music that lined up so beautifully with this,” Kruse shared.

When Lotto, Kruse and Traut – all music lovers – initially began batting around ideas and hypotheses, they collectively realized that their combined knowledge and perspectives would work together perfectly. Kruse was responsible for the interviews and the human touch, Traut approached it from a music theory perspective, and Lotto from the hearing sciences angle.

Once they started drilling into the meat of the matter, ideas about common harmonic patterns leading to ear worms and common songs recurring among the research subjects were tossed out due to lack of evidence. “Out of 150 to 200 ear worms (we studied), there were less than half a dozen that were repeat songs. It’s not like everybody has the same four to five songs stuck in their head,” Traut said. “It’s really a very personal thing. I thought that was significant. I thought there would be more uniformity.”

While the individuality of the ear worm occurrence was notable, Kruse said there were also cases when the song-stuck-on-repeat became a collective experience among partners, friends or coworkers. “Sometimes unspoken, they just notice they will hum something out loud and notice later that someone has the same thing going on,” Kruse said.

Kruse proposed that future research could “go ethnomusicologically – what are the qualities of music that people listen to? Are there certain things in music that people attach to? Are there music universals?”

“Again, the ear worm itself is a way of getting into the questions that we care about,” said Lotto. “The ear worm is one of these experiences that nearly everyone has related to music and it lets us start getting at why this sound (music) is so important across cultures for every single person, because it is a complex sound – it’s like a speech sound, an animal call – these are all complex structures.

“Why music and why not these other sounds?” Lotto queried. “There’s nothing really special (from a hearing science perspective) about the sound of music, yet our experience of it is very special.”

Find more information on The Arizona Ear Worm Project at AZEarWorm.org. The  presentation “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is on Wednesday, Oct. 7 for Show & Tell at Playground, 278 E. Congress St. The free event starts at 6 p.m. Visit Confluencenter.org for details or call 621-0599.

Mesquite Milling Time

June 10, 2015 |

MesquitePlant, Harvest, Mill, and Celebrate Wild Abundance Before the Rains

Desert Harvesters is co-organizing events to plant, harvest, mill, and celebrate local wild foods in the month of June—the peak of our native bean trees’ harvest season. These events will give you the opportunity to taste and enjoy delicious desert wild foods; learn how to significantly elevate the quality and flavor of your harvests; and enable you to align more closely with the Sonoran Desert’s seasonal cycles in a way that enhances our shared home and biome. Toward that aim, Desert Harvesters is teaming up with local culinary businesses to increase both the offerings of native wild foods in their cuisine, and the growing of some of these native food plants within water-harvesting earthworks next to their buildings and streets.

But why is Desert Harvesters doing this during the hottest, driest time of summer? In June, many of our essential native wild food plants will be in the process of pumping out incredible fruit, seed, and bounty in preparation for the first summer rains, which typically begin sometime between June 24—Día de San Juan—and July 4. This way, when the rains come, they will enable the seeds to germinate and grow abundantly—especially where the rain is planted, or harvested, with the seed.

The events include:

Celebration of Place: A Desert Harvesters Evening of Story, Food, Drink, and Music Tuesday, June 9, 2015 5–10pm. Hosted at La Cocina 201 N. Court Ave, 5–10 pm: Live music along with drinks and dinner featuring locally grown and harvested native wild food ingredients. Come try a margarita made with locally harvested prickly pear juice! 7:30 to 8:15 pm: Desert Harvesters: Planting & Harvesting Rain, Wild Foods, and Place-Based Celebration, presented by Brad Lancaster. This entertaining story tells how Desert Harvesters and other individuals and organizations have cultivated stronger ties to wild food production, habitat, and health to regenerate ourselves, our community, and our shared watershed and ecosystem—and how you too can be a dynamic part of it all. As part of La Cocina’s Tuesdays for Tucson tradition, 10% of all proceeds from the evening’s food and drink sales will be donated to Desert Harvesters.

Desert Harvesters Guided Native Food-Tree Harvest Tours Thursday, June 18, 2015 Hosted at the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market in partnership with the Community Food Bank 100 S. Avenida del Convento West of I-10 at Congress and Grande, 4:30 pm: Required sign up for walking harvest (tour begins at 5 pm) 5:30 pm: Required sign up for biking harvest (tour begins at 6 pm) Led by Desert Harvesters including Amy Valdés Schwemm and Brad Lancaster $5 to $10 per person (sliding scale). These short, easy-paced hands-on harvest tours show you how to:

– Identify and sample from the mesquite trees with the best-tasting pods. Every tree is different, but some varieties are consistently much better than others. Taste the difference, and you’ll settle for only the best. They will also likely harvest from desert ironwood, canyon hackberry, and palo verde.

     – Harvest safely, ethically, and responsibly. Harvesting pre-rains is the best practice to avoid invisible toxic mold; harvesting from the tree avoids fecal contamination of ground harvests, etc.

– Use cool tools such as the harvest hoe.

– Plant seeds at the best time for the best bean trees (and other native perennial food plants), and how to plant water in a way that ensures the growth of a vibrant, multi-beneficial tree with tasty and prolific harvests irrigated passively with only free on-site waters. These trees can be the basis for edible forest guilds. Everyone is strongly encouraged to bring sun protection (hat, sunscreen, sunglasses), and a reusable water bottle.

In addition, Barbara Rose of Bean Tree Farm will be offering Bean Tree Processing Demonstrations from 4–7 pm. These demonstrations by a desert-foods farmer/fermenter/cook will show you how to process milled or whole desert ironwood seeds, palo verde seeds, and mesquite pods into numerous tasty dishes ranging from sprouts to edamame to desert peanuts to atole to sauces and beyond. (These demonstrations are part of the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market’s ongoing Desert Harvest series to teach the public how to identify, process, and use native foods.)

Other tasty & useful features of the event include: The official launch of Exo Roast Company’s new Exo Mesquite Cold Brew coffee drink, made with locally sourced mesquite pods, as well as Exo Chiltepin Cold Brew which features Sonoran-grown chiltepin peppers, dark chocolate, and cream—both will be available for sample and sale Demonstration of cargo bicycles for harvesting set up by Transit Cycles Hand-made harvest bags by Iskashitaa for sale Native wild foods for sale such as mesquite flour; cactus fruit, drinks, syrup, and popsicles; ocotillo blossom kombucha; and cholla buds. Look throughout the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market for San Xavier Farm Co-op, Desert Tortoise Botanicals, Aravaipa Heirlooms, Black Mountain Spring Kombucha, and other vendors.

     13th Annual Desert Harvesters Mesquite Milling & Wild Foods Fiesta Thursday, June 25, 2015 (in the unlikely event of heavy rain the milling may be postponed to the following Thursday, July 2) 4–7 pm Hosted at the Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market in partnership with the Community Food Bank 100 S. Avenida del Convento West of I-10 at Congress and Grande, Mesquite (and carob) pods will be milled BEFORE THE SUMMER RAINS to encourage harvesting before the rains (as recommended by the Mesquite Harvest Working Group) for a higher-quality harvest, with less insect predation, and far less potential for invisible molds than are more common in post-rain harvests.

Pods for milling must be clean; dry; and free of mold/fungus, stones, leaves, and other debris. Cost: $3/gallon of whole pods, with a minimum of $10. 1 gallon of whole mesquite pods mills into one pound of flour, so the price averages $3 per pound of flour—this is a bargain considering that the flour usually sells for $14 to $20 per pound. After pod inspection and prepayment, you may leave your pods in sealed food-grade containers (preferably 5-gallon plastic buckets with lids) with owner’s name and phone number written clearly on each container. Flour will be ready within a week and must be picked up.

Mesquite flour is a naturally sweet, nutritious, and delicious addition to recipes for cakes, cookies, pizza, bread, tortillas, granola, dog biscuits—you name it! And like many other native foods, gluten-free mesquite is great for people with hypoglycemia and diabetes as it regulates blood glucose levels.

Desert Harvesters Happy Hour Friday, June 26, 2015 5–8 pm Tap & Bottle 403 N 6th Ave #135. Celebrate the harvest and coming rains with cool local brews. Tap & Bottle will have great regional brews on-hand, some infused with locally sourced native wild ingredients. A percentage of all happy-hour sales will be donated to Desert Harvesters. Plus, a local food truck will be on site with delicious offerings, some including native wild ingredients.

     For more info visit: www.DesertHarvesters.org or to find  out how you can volunteer, email volunteer@DesertHarvesters.org

 

Tucson Summer Nights

June 1, 2015 |
photo © David Olsen

photo © David Olsen

When the temperature rises to the point that the plastic cups in your car begin melting into their cup holders, some Sonoran Desert dwellers experience a buildup of unfathomable rage. If you’ve lived here long enough, you may have been there yourself—at that point where you feel like you could lift and toss a small car, or at least a motorcycle, just to snag the only shady spot in the parking lot. We get it.

But there are a few other ways that we as Tucsonans can choose to deal with these feelings which fall comfortably short of literal or metaphorical combustion: 1) we can complain about it, making the lives of everyone else around us just a little more miserable; 2) we can lock ourselves indoors in the protection of those ever-sacred climate modification devices that keeps us from losing all motivation to live; or 3) we can find a way to shift our schedules ever-so-slightly so as to enjoy more of the cooler, more palatable moonlit hours of the day. Here are a few ideas for those of you who are looking to go nocturnal this summer…

Cinema La PlacitaCatch an outdoor flick

When: Every Thursday evening at 7:30pm through the end of August at La Placita, or 5:30 pm at Reid Park June 5 and 19, as well as alternating Fridays through August 14.

Where: La Placita Village downtown, 110 S. Church Ave; Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way.

What: The outdoor family-friendly film series, Cinema La Placita, has been running every summer since May 2000. Bring the kids, your (good) dogs, and $3 for admission, but popcorn is included for free! Check the Cinema La Placita Website for upcoming titles or to make movie suggestions at CinemaLaPlacita.com. Reid Park also runs a similar series for free every second Friday with a number of vendors and entertainers on site starting at 5:30, and shows starting at dusk. More info at SAACA.org/Cox_Movies_in_the_Park.html.

Wander the Desert Loop Trail

When: Every Saturday night from June 6-Sept 5 from 5pm-10pm.

Where: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum; 2021 N. Kinney Rd.

What: Each uniquely themed Saturday evening in the 14th Annual “Cool Summer Nights” series at ASDM will feature three live music venues (including one specifically for children), live animal demonstrations, activity stations run by the museum’s Junior Docents, and educational and entertaining programming related to each theme. Covering everything from the oceans, to astronomy, to comedy, ASDM promises something for everyone this summer, and at no additional charge on top of regular admission. ASDM’s Director of Marketing, Rosemary Prawdzik, says that the kids are especially fond of “Insect Insanity!” (July 18) and can even buy black lights at the gift shop to help in the hunt for scorpions.  “Coming to the Desert Museum at night is a very different experience than during the day time,” says Prawdzik, pointing out that the low lighting on the grounds allows for easy stargazing, and that the animals on site tend to be more active after the sun goes down. No wonder this annual event has become a tradition for many local families. Watch in coming months for “Full Moon Festivals” which will shine a spotlight on the arts.

Celebrate the Solstice

When: Saturday, June 20 from 7pm-1am.

Where: Sky Bar; 536 N. 4th Ave.

What: What’s better than, pizza, beer, and fire spinning—at a safe distance, of course. Drop by Sky Bar to celebrate the summer solstice—the longest day of the year—with live music and an always-thrilling performance by the Cirque Roots crew.

23rd Annual Summer Art Cruise, image: Naoto Hattori, Recollection 029, 3.8 x 5.8, acrylic on board, 2015, at Baker + Hesseldenz Fine Art, June 6.

23rd Annual Summer Art Cruise, image: Naoto Hattori, Recollection 029, 3.8 x 5.8, acrylic on board, 2015, at Baker + Hesseldenz Fine Art, June 6.

Gallery hop

When: Saturday, June 6 from 6pm-9pm.

Where: Central Tucson Gallery Association (CTGA) Galleries downtown and on University Blvd.

What: What: The 23rd Annual Summer Art Cruise is the biggest night of the year for the seven member galleries (Baker+Hesseldenz, Conrad Wilde, Contreras, Davis Dominguez, Moen Mason, Philabaum, and Raices Taller 222) that extend their hours for this single evening of connecting art fans, collectors, and artists—and the best part is, it’s free to you. Each gallery curates its own events (of course) and co-owner of Davis Dominguez Gallery, Mike Dominguez, says that many offer hors d’oeuvres and live music. Dominguez says that, for their part, the Davis Dominguez Gallery will be holding a reception for the 80+ artists featured in the Small Works show that will close the following week. “There will be plenty of people out,” says Dominguez, “and a lot of the artists will come together to fill the streets here.” The question is will you be there with them?

Take a flashlight hike

When: Saturday, June 6 from 6:30pm-9:30pm.

Where: Catalina State Park; 11570 N. Oracle Rd.

What: Take a moonlit hike in Catalina State Park with the Town of Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Department to celebrate National Trails Day. Snacks will be provided and an expert guide will be on hand, but be sure and bring plenty of water and your own flashlight. More info available at OroValleyAZ.gov.

Hotel Congress Underwear PartyTake your clothes off

When: Night of Saturday, June 13 until 2am.

Where: Club Congress; 311 E. Congress St.

What: The annual Underwear Party at Club Congress has been known to draw more than 1200 nearly-naked alcohol-consuming individuals of both sexes for an evening of good-natured debauchery unlike any other. Any questions? If so, check out HotelCongress.com… I wash my hands of this one.

Check out Second Saturdays

When: Saturday, June 13 from 6:30pm-10pm .

Where: Congress St., Downtown Tucson.

What: If you haven’t been to a Second Saturdays Downtown event yet, take advantage of the quiet, cool summer evenings to do so this month. As always, there promises to be plenty of entertainment, music, street performances, vendors, and all of that fair food nobody can seem to get enough of. Grab a bite to eat and a drink or just make a free night of it by catching a live show or two—you’ve got nothing to lose with this regular crowd-pleaser.

Have a “Brew at the Zoo”

When: “Brew at the Zoo” is on Saturday, June 20 from 6pm-9:30pm; Summer Safari Nights run every Friday through July 10 from 6pm-8pm.

Where: Reid Park Zoo; 3400 Zoo Court.

What: The third annual iteration of this highly-anticipated event combines two of everyone’s favorite things—alcohol and animals. Craft Tucson provides plenty of sudsy drink for the event, the admission cost of which covers the beer. Tucsonans come out in droves, so make sure to get your tickets in advance. This year’s Brew event, themed “Healthy and Hoppy”, will help support the construction of a new medical facility on the zoo’s grounds, so drinking to excess here is actually for a good cause. You’ll have to leave the little ones at home for this night of frivolity, though, as it is strictly 21+. For a more family friendly atmosphere, check out the zoo’s Summer Safari Nights program, in which the zoo reopens between 6pm and 8pm every Friday for a cooler trip down the Tanzania Trail. Tickets to the Brew event are $40 general admission, $35 for zoo members, and $20 for designated drivers if purchased in advance. Admission to Summer Safari Nights is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for kids ages 2-14—zoo members get $2 off. More info available at ReidParkZoo.org.

Catch a soccer game at Kino Sports Complex

When: Every weekend in June (various dates).

Where: Kino North Stadium; 3400 S. Country Club Rd.

What: With the addition of a women’s team to the FC Tucson family, there will be a lot more competitive soccer in Tucson this summer, and you can bet the Cactus Pricks are ready for the action. For a full schedule for both the men’s and women’s teams, tickets, or more information, visit FCTucson.com. Also, check out the article on FC Tucson in this issue.

 

Learn some history and celebrate freedom

When: Saturday, June 20 from 10am-9pm

Where: The Donna Liggins Center/Mansfield Park; 2160 N. 6th Ave.

What: Did you know that it took a full two-and-a-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation for all of the slaves in the United States to finally obtain their freedom? June 19th—or Juneteenth—of this year marks 150 years since the last slaves were set free in Galveston, Texas. It also marks the 45th anniversary of Tucson’s own annual Juneteenth Festival. Indoor educational activities end at three and give way to the evening celebration, which will feature guest speakers, free hotdogs for the kids at 5:30pm, historical exhibits, as well as live entertainment. More info available on the “Tucson Juneteenth Celebration” Facebook page.

Do some stargazing

When: Every night through July 14.

Where: Kitt Peak National Observatory.

What: This stargazing program is so popular in the winter months that Visitor Center Manager Bill Buckingham says that Kitt Peak has to turn away more than 1000 people each day during high season. And it’s easy to see why the nightly observation program is such a hot ticket (wrong phrasing?)—Kitt Peak can be a full 25 degrees cooler than Tucson in the evenings. Reservations are $49 per person, but there’s actually a good chance of landing one during the slower summers. Also, be on the lookout for the Kitt Peak-sponsored binocular stargazing program to return to Saguaro National Park West for an out-of-this-world experience that’s a little bit closer to home.

Agave Fest

May 1, 2015 |

agaveby Cristina Manos

Mezcal is tequila’s cousin, made from the heart of the maguey plant, a type of agave native to Mexico. The spirit is called the “elixir of the gods” and Hotel Congress is getting ready to celebrate this Earthly gift starting at 6pm on Saturday, May 2 for the seventh year in a row. Agave Fest is fast becoming a popular cultural event in Southern Arizona.

“I feel that we are growing the event into something special. This year, as we partner with Visit Tucson and the Mexican Consulate to add more interesting programming, I feel we are offering a more substantive cultural experience, rather than simply a fun agave cocktail party. Albeit, it will be that too, for sure!” Dave Slutes of Hotel Congress says.

Agave Fest has much to offer, especially for those who are interested in the history and culture behind agave-based spirits and for adventurous tasters who want to try mescal that is not normally available in the United States. Downtown Tucson does it right. There are several events in addition to Agave Fest, making the whole weekend an opportunity for regional education and local fun.

This is the first year Chef Janos Wilder of Downtown Kitchen & Cocktails is getting involved with Agave Fest, adding to the expertise of native ingredients and cultural traditions.

“Mezcal is a small, fun piece of it,” Chef Janos says, “I’ve been working with local products in every form for over 30 years. The menu [at Downtown Kitchen & Cocktails] is saturated with different elements from the region that go back thousands of years.”

Chef Janos is tapped into the bigger picture, and his contribution to the weekend includes regional cuisine, native culture and history, and local agricultural conservation. He is the wizard of his gardens, one of which is located at the Tucson Children’s Museum, and many guests who dine at his restaurant may not realize they’re eating fresh vegetables and herbs grown right across the street. Chef Janos has been involved with Native Seeds Search for 20 years, and this year, his benefit dinner joins powers with Agave Fest for this year’s cultural celebration of regional food and spirits.

Agave Dinner Benefit: Friday May, 1, 7pm at Maynards Market & Kitchen. Proceeds benefit Native Seeds Search, a local nonprofit that focuses on the conservation of our traditional agricultural community and native resources. Tickets are $95, with 32 available seats. Hotel Congress and Chef Janos Wilder of Downtown Kitchen & Cocktails are hosting the event, and world-renowned mescal expert, Sergio Inurrigaro will be present to meet and greet guests at 6:30p.m. prior to the Agave Dinner.

The Agave Fest: Saturday May 2, 6pm at Hotel Congress. Tickets $35 in advance. Includes 10 tasting tickets, a commemorative shot glass, a cascarone, Cup Café specialty taco & salsa bar, live entertainment by Vox Urbana, and a vote for the Best Cocktail by the historic East Bartenders sponsored by Yelp.

Hotel Congress will also offer hotel packages to tasters who want to spend the night. The package includes two tickets to Agave Fest, a hangover recovery kit, and Agave Fest memorabilia. This event is likely to sell out.

Prior to Agave Fest at Hotel Congress: Saturday May 2, at 5pm, the Agave 101 lecture by President and Founder of the Pro Mezcal Culture Association and Director of Master Mezcalier Program, Sergio Inurrigaro. This your chance to meet the Mezcal-Man himself. Inurrigaro has been all over the world and back. He’s led more than 1,750 tastings across the world. His knowledge and stories will set the tone for your mezcal tasting adventures.

Agave Fest will feature over 50 spirits to choose from. Tequila lovers are in for a real treat, so don’t wait another year to taste rare mezcal spirits, as many of them won’t be in town again until the next celebration. Hotel Congress will offer tequilas by rock star Roger Clyne and movie star George Clooney. They are even offering chapulines, yes grasshoppers, for super-curious tasters who don’t mind a crunchy, traditional treat considered a delicacy to some.

For more information and for tickets to the Agave Dinner or Agave Fest go to www.hotelcongress.com. Article courtesy of Downtown Tucson Partnership.

 

Mercado San Agustin Spring Bazaar

May 1, 2015 |

Spring-Zocalo-2015-01.eps

Sat and Sun May 2nd and 3rd

The Annual Mercado San Agustin Spring Bazaar returns in May getting shoppers into the spirit of celebrating family and friends, and having some fun finding gifts for Graduates and Mother’s Day.

In conjunction with Spring Bazaar, there will be a special ‘Farm to Table Brunch’ event with covered outdoor seating in the beautiful old world courtyard for patrons to enjoy.  Sample food, coffee and artisan cocktails while you shop.

The mercado has handpicked 50+ local shops, makers and artisans to offer shoppers an event where they can buy a variety of unique and one-of-a-kind gifts during this weekend-long event.  The Mercado San Agustin Spring Bazaar is dedicated to sharing bright and emerging entrepreneurs and businesses from within the region.  Included in this juried pool of very talented makers who will be onsite during Spring Bazaar will be a group of high school students from the Western Institute of Learning Development, a local public school, who have created and developed a line of bags that they have made in their journey to discover the power of entrepreneurism and the opportunity it brings.

Some of the Artisans and Shops attending include:

Woolies and Buster and Boo, Lila Clare Jewelry, Val and Vanessa Galloway, Guatemala Acupuncture Project, Razzle Dazzle,  Eco Grow, Revolutio, Collected Artifacts, Anita’s Crafters, Elaine Isner, Jacqueline Knits, Linda Cato, W.I.L.D. High School, Creative Kismet, Desert Vintage, Willies Fort, Tu Kaets Pottery Studio, Avenue, Tin & Teak, Becky Zimmerman alongside our permanent stores like MAST, Transit Cycle and Blu.

The Spring Bazaar takes place at Mercado San Agustin, 100 Avenida del Convento, Tucson, on May 2 and 3 (Friday & Saturday 10am-6pm). For more information, vist www.mercadosanagustin.com

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