This past Saturday morning, representatives from 10 Tucson neighborhood associations rolled out of bed at dawn and converged on the Ward 3 City Council Office. The Ward Office hosted a free breakfast and workshop on a very timely topic: graffiti removal. Sorry to say, but Tucson is under heavy attack by taggers. And, with city…
Since mid-April, I’ve been blogging about Tucson’s weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run and Walk. And here I go, I’m doing it again. This past Monday marked the 14th running (or walking) of MMM. And, once again, I went walkabout with my camera. I’m not going to be one of those Downtown Tucson cheerleaders…
This past Saturday was Tucson’s hottest day of the year — so far. The temperature topped out at 107 degrees. But the sultry weather didn’t stop more than 500 people from attending a health care reform rally at the Tucson Convention Center. The event was hosted by Congressman Raul Grijalva’s office. It drew young and…
Since mid-April, a group of walkers and runners has been exploring Downtown Tucson. The weekly Meet Me at Maynards Social Run/Walk has proven to be a big hit. Even during this summer weather. Last week, the festivities were cut short when a giant windstorm came roaring into town. The wind was blowing so hard it…
This past Saturday was our nation’s 233rd birthday. This All-American event was celebrated with parades, speeches, picnics, and fireworks. Here in Tucson, it was a great day to take Old Glory for a bicycle ride. And that’s just what I did. Taped a small flag to my tire pump, then stowed the pump and flag…
This past Friday, Habitat for Humanity Tucson had a four-house dedication ceremony at its Corazon del Pueblo project. Like many other Habitat events, the media were included… Habitat Tucson’s executive director, Michael McDonald, checked last-minute details with the clergymen who blessed the houses… The crowd joined in a prayer for the houses and families…
In addition to being the coolest station in Tucson, KXCI-FM 91.3 has some marvelous community events. This past Saturday, KXCI deejay Cathy Rivers played the tunes while Sunflower Market served burgers for a buck… Burgers for a Buck proceeds benefitted KXCI.
Since mid-April, I’ve been participating in the weekly Meet Me at Maynards social run and walk through Downtown Tucson. A record number of 212 people participated this past Monday, bringing the total participation in the six events to 1,087. Not bad for almost summer in Tucson! Here is a look at Monday’s action, starting with…
This past weekend was a busy one in Tucson. The Downtown scene was enlivened by the 24th Annual Tucson Folk Festival, which featured two days of music, workshops, and food and craft vendors. The Folk Festival attracts talent from near and far, and here’s the really cool part: There’s no charge to attend any of…
In the interest of helping its members grow more of their own food, the Food Conspiracy Co-op just presented a composting workshop at Tanque Verde Gardens. Our Professor of Compost was none other than Leo Mercado, owner/operator of Tanque Verde Gardens… Leo talked about his farm and his philosophy for creating great compost. He showed…
Last month, I blogged about the weekly Meet Me at Maynards (MMM) social walk and run around Downtown Tucson. MMM #4 happened this past Monday, and the crowd voted overwhelmingly to keep going throughout the summer. And now, here’s a MMM retrospective: The crowd gathers before the start… Gotta set that watch… MMM co-founder Randy…
Permit me to start this post with a disclaimer: I’m not an economist, and I don’t play one on TV. But I have been noticing that, despite all the news of economic turmoil, locally-based, community-oriented businesses are doing just fine. Take Tucson’s Food Conspiracy Co-op, for example. Despite its location on parking-scarce 4th Avenue, sales…
Ever been to a wheelchair basketball game? It looks like a cross between basketball and roller derby. Just look at the chairs. They’re built to withstand hard collisions, tip-overs, and other forms of mayhem. The players are pretty rugged too. I recently caught a Tucson Lobos practice. Thirty minutes into the scrimmage, the guys were…
Downtown Tucson has been under revitalization (read: construction) for many, many moons. Despite all of the dust and detours, things are happening Downtown. One of the newest and most promising is the Meet Me at Maynards social run and walk. The inaugural version happened last night, and it attracted 184 participants. The three-mile course featured…
One of the necessities of event planning is anticipating the crowds that show up. Take, for example, Tucson’s popular 4th Avenue Street Fair. The most recent edition drew around 300,000 people over three days. While 4th Avenue was closed all but pedestrian traffic, 6th Street was still open. Crowd control was provided by police officers…
This past weekend, 300,000 people converged on Tucson’s 4th Avenue for the 2009 Spring Street Fair. Amidst all the arts, crafts, and food booths were some great musicians. Here’s Chip Ritter performing with the reggae band Neon Prophet…
Tucson’s 2009 St. Patrick’s Day Parade happened a couple of days ago. But an Ides of March Parade just doesn’t have the same ring to it. Like any notable Tucson parade, it had its own touch of weirdness. If such an award were given, the Green Man Group would have won first prize for having…
Yesterday morning was perfect for bicycling. So, I pedaled down to Tucson’s annual Fords on Fourth car show. Held on Fourth Avenue, this show was the place for all things Ford… I visited this show last year and decided it was an annual must-do.
This past Saturday, it was Carnaval time in Tucson. Downtown’s Armory Park was taken over by all manner of festive types. We’re talking singers, dancers, drummers, and plenty of watchers. Included in the merriment were Capoeira Malendragem… Mimes… Jovert, the steel drum band from Tucson High School… And those high-steppin’ stilt walkers from Flam Chen…
Neighbors just had a Friday the 13th party. In the backyard, there was plenty of skateboarding action… In the living room, there were three live bands… I got photos of two bands performing. First up was Lenguas Largas… Lenguas Largas was followed by Vanish Twin…
On Monday, January 19, hundreds of Tucsonans commemorated the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a march and festival at Reid Park. The festival featured music, mime, poetry, and dancing. Tariq Rasool and the Songhai Drummers got things going… My neighbors, Chuck and Beatrice, enjoying the festivities…