FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Event
Contact:
Todd Hanley
GM, Hotel Congress
todd@hotelcongress.com
520-622-8848
Tucson Celebrates 75th
Anniversary Dillinger Days
Friday, January 23, 2009: Benefit Gala for Concerns of Police Survivors
(C.O.P.S.) at Hotel Congress
Saturday, January 24, 2009: Free All
Day Festival Downtown
TUCSON, Ariz. (Jan. 21, 2009) - Downtown
Tucson will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Tucson's 1934 capture
of John Dillinger's notorious gang on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, at Hotel
Congress.
Dillinger's
Depression-era crime spree - which enthralled the nation and ended in Tucson after a nationwide manhunt - has
now captured the modern-day attention of Hollywood, which is set to release Public
Enemies in July, starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Visitors and
locals are welcome to experience the rip-roaring 30s at the free 2009 Dillinger
Days festival in Downtown Tucson.
Dillinger Days will kick off Friday night, Jan. 23, with a ‘30s-themed benefit gala at Hotel
Congress to raise money for local charity Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS).
Saturday's free, all-ages street festival will feature re-enactments of the
gang's capture, lectures, film screenings of the 1936 classic The Gay Desperado
at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre, live music from the Dusty Buskers, the Matt
Mitchell Trio and DJ Carl Hanni, walking tours, exhibits, food vendors, arts and crafts, photo
booths, children's activities, antique cars and more. Participants are encouraged
to dress in 1930s garb and be "extras" in the re-enactments!
Free
Street Festival
Downtown Tucson, www.DowntownTucson.com,
520-547-3338
Beginning at 9 a.m. on
Saturday, Jan. 24, the east end of Downtown Tucson will transform into another
era with all-ages activities at Hotel Congress, Toole
Avenue, the Historic Train Depot, the
Southern Arizona Transportation Museum, Fox Tucson Theatre, and the Arizona
Historical Society's Downtown Museum.
Enjoy period-inspired live music from; dozens of vintage
cars; guided downtown walking tours; a bustling craft market; screenings of The
Gay Desperado (which was shot in Tucson) at the Fox Tucson Theatre; tours
of the historic Hotel Congress, and lots of children's fun. The highlight of
the festival is the Hot Shot Performers' live, action-packed portrayal of Dillinger and
his gang, in two acts (at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) with a combination of the acts
performed at 4:30 p.m.
Dillinger Days Benefit Gala
Hotel
Congress, 311 E. Congress St., 520.622.8848, www.HotelCongress.com
On Friday, January 23, a casino night-themed ticketed gala
featuring live music will be held at the Hotel
Congress' Copper Hall. Proceeds will benefit Concerns of Police Survivors
(C.O.P.S.), a 25-year-old organization comprised of family and co-worker
survivors of police officers killed in the line of duty. The association
provides support in various ways to assist survivors in "Rebuilding
Their Shattered Lives."
###
Contacts:
Street Festival
Press & Public Information - Todd
Hanley, GM, Hotel Congress, todd@hotelcongress.com,
520-622-8848
Beneficiary Ball
Press - David Slutes, Hotel Congress Entertainment Director, David@hotelcongress.com,
520-622-8848
Public
Information - Hotel
Congress, www.HotelCongress.com, 1-800-722-8848
General Information on Tucson
Press - Jessica Schlievert, Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitor's
Bureau, JSchlievert@visittucson.org, 520-770-2165
Public
Information - Metropolitan
Tucson Convention & Visitor's Bureau, www.VisitTucson.org,
1-888-2-TUCSON.
|
