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What’s New in Tucson
March 2007
Artful Promises of the Garden—Springtime is in the air and on display at Tohono Chul Park. Two new art exhibits celebrating nature’s bounty have opened at the northwest Tucson desert-retreat. One exhibit is a garden of mixed-media delights, while the other is a glorious homage to spring. The “hand + spirit + art” exhibit (March 8-May 20) is a collection, by some of Arizona’s finest artists, of juried works which range from art quilts and fiber arts, to fired and glazed clay, and wood and jewelry compositions. “Promise of the Garden” (March 15-May 1) features colorful displays of robust flowers and new growth by Tucson painter, Cynthia Miller and Mesa ceramicist, Farraday Newsome. Both exhibits are in the park’s 1937 restored adobe Exhibit House building, and both are free with paid park admission. For details, visit www.tohonochulpark.org.
El Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Grand Opening—Experience life in Tucson during the American Revolution through the Civil War. A new interpretive center is opening on the site of Tucson’s original adobe-walled fortress (presidio), established by Spain in 1775 and in use until 1856. El Presidio San Agustín del Tucson will celebrate its grand opening Saturday, May 19, with a public ceremony and all-day street fair, beginning at 9 a.m. at the corner of Church Avenue and Washington Street in the heart of downtown. The free event will include tours of the Presidio, historic reenactments, live music, living history demonstrations, American Indian culture, food, and children’s activities. The attraction is part of Tucson Origins Heritage Park, one of the City of Tucson’s major downtown redevelopment projects. The Presidio’s programs are a joint venture of the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department and the Tucson Presidio Trust for Historic Preservation. For details about the Presidio, contact Marty McCune, City of Tucson Historic Preservation Officer, (520) 791-4505. For details about the grand opening celebration, call Stefanie Teller, (520) 885-9009.
New Value-Priced Luxury Suites—The newest hotel to grace Tucson’s hottest retail–dining–and–art corridor opens this August at the southeast corner of Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue. Located directly across from fashionable La Encantada shopping center, the Embassy Suites Tucson–Paloma Village blends value rates with upscale amenities and is designed for modern travelers on either business trips or family vacations. Each of the hotel’s 120 guest suites will offer two separate living areas, equipped with two 32-inch flat-screen televisions, work desk, sofa bed, and kitchen appliances; many will have private balconies or patios, and every guest gets a complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast, and beverages at a nightly Manager’s Reception. The 3,256-square-feet of indoor meeting space will accommodate meetings and events in the shadow of the beautiful Catalina Mountains. As for décor, the hotel has commissioned Tucson painter, Diana Madaras, to create original artworks for the property. For more information, contact SueAnn Lemon, Director of Sales, (520) 591-3857 or visit www.embassysuites.com.
Southwestern Cooking Lessons—Bring Southwestern cooking flair into your kitchen, following a class at the Tubac Culinary School. Under the expert direction of Chef Noah Aguilar, the school is plating up a variety of down-to-earth cooking classes designed to provide participants with a place to learn how to prepare, present, and serve some of the world’s finest dishes while, at the same time, making new friends and having fun. Classes meet in an ultra-modern demonstration kitchen in the Tubac Culinary Center (in the new Plaza de Anza, 45 miles south of Tucson), set up to accommodate up to 15 participants, each with his or her own space and chair. Cooking classes for kids are available on Saturday mornings, and classes are taught in foreign languages, by request. Learn more at (520) 398-8501, or www.tubacculinaryschool.com.
Ready for Another Winning Season—Tucson’s Minor League Baseball champions are ready for another winning season. The opening home game for the Tucson Sidewinders—winners of the 2006 Minor League Baseball Triple-A Championship—is on Fireworks Friday, April 13, 6:30 p.m. against Colorado Springs, at Tucson Electric Park (TEP). Single-game tickets go on sale Tuesday, April 3 at 10 a.m. at the TEP box office, in the Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way; by phone (520) 434-1021; or online at www.TucsonSidewinders.com. Prior to April 3, fans may call Sandy Davis, (520) 325-6026, to order season tickets, discount ticket packages, or ticket vouchers. Ticket vouchers come in multiples of 10 or 20 tickets, are cheaper than single-game tickets, and are good for any regular-season home game. Adult tickets are $6 (general admission) and $9 (reserved box seats). Tickets for seniors and children 12-and-under are $5. The Tucson Sidewinders team is the AAA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks Major League Baseball team.
Soulful Adventure Travel—Imagine settling down to a muscle-relaxing massage followed by a gourmet picnic after a day of hiking or biking in beautiful Southern Arizona wilderness. Sol Journeys, a Tucson-based outdoors adventure and backpacking company, combines yoga, massage therapy sessions, and delicious food, with hiking, kayaking, backpacking, and biking expeditions. Owner Jill Hewins has spent 20 years as a wilderness and outdoor-adventure guide. She and her team of experienced guides arrange Tucson retreats and active vacations, women’s retreats, and spiritual retreats, and yoga vacations that include hiking and backpacking. Sol Journeys offers custom and private trips. For more information, go to www.soljourneys.com.
Dinner and a Show— Indulge in an atmosphere full of exotic sounds and tastes at Downtown Tucson’s new restaurant, Casablanca Bar and Grill. Located at Franklin Street and Stone Avenue, in the pink building that used to be the Rocky Mountain Oyster Club, the multi-roomed Casablanca is an enticing place to enjoy authentic Moroccan and Mediterranean dishes and entertainment. Friday and Saturday evenings, dinner includes a spellbinding show of traditional Moroccan music and belly dancers. Saturday nights, guests may dance the tango to disc jockey music, beginning around 10 p.m. Sunday afternoons, a pianist plays. The 500-seat restaurant has both indoor and outdoor accommodations, including a lovely courtyard, suitable for banquets and other private events. Owner and Chef, Jeff Wer just added a big-screen television for screening classic movie favorites, such as Casablanca, perhaps?
100-Year-Old Hopi Indian Tiles—In the Southwestern United States, Mexican ceramic tiles are typical, but what about American Indian tiles? In northeastern Arizona, Hopi Indian potters began producing decorated tiles for sale to visitors who arrived via railroad in the late 18th century. A collection of these works, “Clay2: Southwestern Indian Pottery Tiles,” is on display at Arizona State Museum (on the University of Arizona campus), March 16–October 14, 2007. More than 75 different postcard-sized tiles will be displayed, including near-perfect 100-year-old tiles decorated with traditional geometric and stylized animal shapes, and contemporary pieces featuring innovative designs. Notable artisan, Fanni Nampeyo, the matriarch of early 20th-century Hopi potters, painted her tiles with precision using a brush made from a section of yucca-cactus stem, its end chewed to give it rudimentary bristles. For details, phone (520) 626-8381, or go to www.statemuseum.arizona.edu.
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