9 cool things to do in Tucson this weekend
Friday, Nov. 10-Sunday, Nov. 12 — Raise a pint to Pueblo Vida on its 3rd anniversary
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Pueblo Vida has grown from a scrappy newcomer to a well-established downtown brewery in its three years in existence.
It will celebrate its third anniversary this weekend with three full days of events. The schedule includes tasting sessions, beer releases, food trucks and collaborations.
Get all the details on the Pueblo Vida event page.
Friday, Nov. 10-Sunday, Nov. 12 — Hit vintage markets all over downtown
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Tucson's vintage and antique fans have several monthly markets to choose from this weekend:
Gather A Vintage Market, 657 W. St. Mary's Road — This market, an already well-established anchor of the Wildcat Storage shops on St. Mary's Road, tends to pick themes for its one-a-month affairs. This time around, the concept is "Comfort and Joy" with an emphasis on the holiday season. Gather runs from Thursday-Sunday. More information here.
Mercado Flea, 100 S. Avenida del Convento — One of Tucson's newest and most promising vintage market is the Mercado Flea, which takes place every second Sunday of the month at Mercado San Agustín. The Sunday event offers booth after booth of unique items, ranging from Old West to mid-century modern. The Mercado runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Menlo Home and Garden Flea Market, 914 W. Congress St. — This understated antique shop holds monthly flea markets (on Saturdays and Sundays) in front of the store at the Congress/South Grande Avenue intersection. It's a great place to stop after exploring the Flea, with dealers offering a mix of vintage and antique wares.
Friday, Nov. 10-Sunday, Nov. 12 — Nerd out at the TusCon 44 Sci-Fi convention
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Following on the heels of Tucson Comic-Con is the city's long-running TusCon 44 Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror convention, this Friday-Sunday.
TusCon organizers like to delve deep into science fiction literature, film and art, with a long list of writers, artists, editors and filmmakers making appearances.
This year's Author Guest of Honor is Timothy Zahn, a popular sci-fi author known for his "Star Wars" expanded universe novels and "Thrawn" series.
TusCon, which takes place at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites, also features an art show, table top gaming, a video room that runs 24 hours, science presentations and a cosplay fashion show.
Saturday, November 11 — Add heaps of titles to your vinyl collection
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If records are your thing, head to the Fraternal Order of Police Hall, 3445 N. Dodge Blvd, for the 13th annual Tucson Record Show this Saturday.
The show, running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will showcase dealers from all over the southwest selling their best and most interesting titles.
Among the other items available for purchase: CDs, handbills, posters, t-shirts and other music memorabilia, according to the Facebook event page.
Admission is $4.
Saturday, November 11 — Taste local wines on UA property
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Twenty Arizona wineries will showcase their varietals this weekend as the Arizona Wine Growers Association Festival at the Farm sets up at the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ “Farm” on North Campbell Avenue.
Winemakers will uncork their latest vintages and pour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the UA Farm, 4101 N. Campbell Ave. Participating wineries: Alcantara Vineyards, Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, AZ Wine Cellars, Callaghan Vineyards, Carlson Creek Vineyard, Coronado Vineyards, Dos Cabezas Winery, Four Tails Vineyard, Golden Rule Vineyards, Keeling Schaefer Vineyards, Kief Joshua Vineyards, Lightning Ridge Cellars, Pierce Wines Arizona, Pillsbury Wine Company, Sierra Bonita Vineyard, Sonoita Vineyards, Southwest Wine Center, Su Vino Winery, Wilhelm Family Vineyards and Zarpara Vineyard.
Details:
What: Arizona Wine Growers Association Festival at the Farm.
Hosted by: Arizona Wine Growers Association and the University of Arizona.
When and where: Founders Gala honoring four Arizona wine pioneers, 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at the University of Arizona’s Memorial Student Union; wine-tasting with 20 of the state's wineries, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Farm, 4101 N. Campbell Ave.
Tickets: $125 for Arizona Founders’ Dinner, $15 to $20 for Festival at the Farm wine-tasting event through eventbrite.com (search for Festival at the Farm, Tucson) or Facebook.com/ArizonaWine
Cathalena E. Burch
Saturday, November 11 — Wish Tumerico a happy 1st birthday
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It's been one full year since chef Wendy Garcia planted roots into Tucson's restaurant scene with a brick and mortar location at 2526 E. Sixth St., just east of North Tucson Blvd.
Her scratch kitchen, serving healthy, tasty Mexican cuisine, has done well in its current spot and is on the verge of expansion.
Garcia will mark her first year with a celebration that will include free yoga, free drinks, cooking classes and live music.
The fun begins at 10 a.m. Find out more on the Facebook event page.
Saturday, November 11 — Celebrate our veterans at holiday parade
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They fought for our country. Now Tucsonans can celebrate our nation's veterans at the 98th annual Tucson Veterans Day Parade, running downtown this Saturday.
The 2017 parade Grand Marshal is Adolfo "Harpo" Celaya, who survived for five days on a raft after his ship, the USS Indianapolis was sunk by a Japanese submarine in 1945, according to the parade website.
The parade starts assembling at 8. Get all the details here.
Sunday, November 12 — Explore the childhood home of Ray Bradbury
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From the outside, Dolores and Jerry Cannon's house looks like an antique dollhouse with a white picket fence - not the kind of place one would think the author of such celebrated books as "Farenheit 451" or the "Martian Chronicles" once lived.
But it is - Ray Bradbury called the Armory Park home in 1931, when he was just 11. You can imagine where he might have gotten some of his early inspiration on the Nov. 12th Armory Park Home Tour which will include 15 homes.
The Cannons moved to the house in 1985 and immediately set to work on renovations. Before the couple lived there, the place had served as a boarding house for Cope Community Services. Each room was made into an apartment, each with a stove and refrigerator. The stable in the backyard was converted to three rooms. In total, there were 13 units.
"We had a lot of undoing to do, as you can imagine," Dolores says with a laugh.
The couple and their children lived in the upstairs portion of the house for nearly two years while they renovated the downstairs area.
The Cannons had their work cut out for them: no air conditioning, an old electrical system, floors with four levels of linoleum on them, a hallway with cracked plaster. Ivy nearly as thick as tree trunks pulled at the front porch, where the wood was so dry you could crunch it. Still, Dolores knew the family could handle the renovations.
"I had worked on some other older houses; I thought, well, I could do this," Dolores says. "It was intimidating because it was a real mess after people had lived in it."
The Cannons tried to return the house to its original style, which dates back to 1896. They matched their new sliding wooden doors to the century-old sliding wooden doors across the hallway. They added antique furniture from the era.
The family carried out the renovations off and on throughout the years, and they finished most of the work by 2000.
"We've never gone back to find out how much it cost us or how much we spent, we just kept moving," Jerry says. "We're here and we're going to make it work."
The Cannons participated in the home tour in the late 1980s, but now participants can see the aftermath of their renovations.
Intensive renovations such as these are not uncommon in the historic Armory Park Neighborhood, according to Anne Cooper, the vice president of the Armory Park Neighborhood Association. Many of the homes on this year's tour are being shown for the first time since the 1990s.
During the tour, the Cannons will be home. Their grandchildren, who have a certain pride about the house, will be there, too.
"I have one grandchild that everybody he meets he brings them over here &. he just runs them all over the place because he just loves it," Dolores says. "They just really enjoy the house. They remember it from when they were so small. It's nice that they appreciate it."
Details:
Where: It starts at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church at 545 S. 5th Ave.
Cost: $20 per adult, children under 12 are free
Where to buy tickets: Online at armoryparktucson.org or at the church on the day of the tour
Sunday, November 12 — Upgrade your bike or buy a new one at the bike swap
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Need some interesting new accessories for your bike? Or maybe a new bike altogether?
Whatever you want, chances are you'll find what you are looking for at the Greater Arizona Bicycling Association's Bike Swap, happening this Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 500 N. Fourth Ave.
The bike swap attracts more than 5,000 attendees and more than 40 vendors bi-annually, according to the website.
