Learn! Know! Grow!

Brandon Merchant, proprietor of Southwest Victory Gardens, in his home garden in June. Merchant will teach attendees how to make organic pesticides and herbicides from common household items.
photo by Amber Merchant

Pima County Public Librarians are a cool, inspiring bunch. With all of the offerings at local libraries, it is apparent that the staff is constantly on the lookout for engaging and interesting activities to bring to the people. Take a spin around Library.Pima.gov‘s calendar and it is clear that the mission to “enrich lives and build community through opportunities to learn, know, interact, and grow,” is being met.

To that end, the main library Downtown is hosting DIY (do it yourself) Day, with over 30 Tucsonans teaching other Tucsonans everything from practical skills (like changing a tire), to music, photography, hypnosis and more on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The idea, says Librarian Kassy Rodeheaver, came “from an article in Library Journal about a library in Kentucky doing a DIY day and we thought, ‘Tucson is the perfect place for this kind of event.’

“The people in Tucson are willing to come out and teach new things and teach what they are passionate about and share those things with people. We had a committee brainstorm ideas we hoped people would volunteer to do, and we received over 60 responses during the application period.”

While there are activities happening for all ages, most of the programming is “geared toward older teens and adults,” Rodeheaver explains. There will be “lots of crafts as well practical applications to your everyday life, and other activities you may not have thought of trying, like the pole fitness class being taught by Tucson Pole Fitness. The inspiration there was reading about a public library in Scotland that had a pole fitness class.”

Rodeheaver says she has taken classes at Tucson Pole Fitness. The advanced aspects of the sport require a physicality of muscle control and skill, but there are basic moves accessible to beginners and people of all body types and sizes.

Sara Ivester, a Tucson Pole Fitness instructor teaching an entry-level class on DIY day, says, “We’ll do a few spins, a static hold and strength building exercises.”

Ivester has been teaching pole fitness for about two years, and said media coverage on the sport piqued her interest so she decided to check it out. “I’ve taken dance my whole life, and thought I’d naturally be good at it, which I wasn’t. There’s a bigger strength component that I didn’t realize.”

However, she says that one doesn’t have to build their upper body before trying it – a person just has to start and keep working on it. That is one of the three main misconceptions about pole fitness, Ivester elucidates. “Of course there’s always the stripper connotation, but that’s not what we do. Also, that they are too heavy or not in shape to do it. You (beginners) are always going to have to work hard and keep showing up and trying. People develop and change and get stronger.”

She adds that being a part of DIY day “is good for the sport, to have public events and encourage people to give it a try and hopefully try it again.”

If gardening is more your speed and working to control plant pests with organic solutions has you intrigued, then Brandon Merchant is instructing a class you’ll want to attend. Merchant, proprietor of Southwest Victory Gardens, is set to demonstrate how to make organic pesticides and herbicides from typical household goods.

Merchant was hipped to the opportunity via his neighborhood library at Himmel Park. “I’m there quite a lot and I have gotten to know my librarians and they thought of me. Himmel Park has a seed library,” he further explains,  “and I’m an avid gardener and have been donating seeds (there), and they know I started a businesses where I help people with organic gardening and garden coaching.”

Beyond Merchant’s botany expertise, he embraces volunteerism and the do it yourself spirit. “I’ve always been interested in DIY ethics, I was part of a punk scene with a DIY ethos that I carried through to gardening.

“There’s a whole organic industry out there trying to make a buck when there are common household items – like vinegar or garlic and chili peppers – that can do the same job. I’m going to make a couple (organic pesticides) on the spot and will have products for people to see and plan to do a Q&A afterward with questions regarding specific pests.”

Come ready to learn – bring your notebooks! – to the main library, 101 S. Stone Ave. Questions can be answered by calling 791-4010. The complete schedule was unavailable as of press time, but will be onsite the day of the event, and is online at Library.pima.gov.

Category: Community, DOWNTOWN / UNIVERSITY / 4TH AVE