Five cool things you can still do in Tucson this weekend
- Updated
Some huge events in store for this weekend.
- Updated
The SAHBA Spring Home and Patio Show, which kicked off Friday and will run through Sunday at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association’s show are $8. Military discounts are available, and children 12 and under are free. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 8, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 9. For more information, visit sahbahomeshow.com
- Updated
“Ginormous Food,” a national television show that seeks out “the biggest and tastiest foods in America,” will film at several restaurants in Tucson this weekend, according to its website.
The program, which debuted on The Food Network in January, is slated to be at Lindy’s on 4th, 431 N. Fourth Ave., on Friday, April 7, Boca Tacos, 828 E. Speedway, on Saturday, April 8, and Stray Dogs, 78 W. River Road, on Sunday, April 9, according to host Josh Denny’s official Facebook page.
Denny’s Facebook page also indicates that they have been filming at restaurants in Phoenix since Monday.
Tucson has long been a destination for basic cable food programs, even before its designation as UNESCO City of Gastronomy in December of 2015.
Other shows that have filmed in town include the Travel Channel's “Bizarre Foods” with Andrew Zimmern and “Man v. Food,” also on the Travel Channel, with Adam Richman.
— Gerald M. Gay
- Updated
Spring Fling, the University of Arizona's student-run carnival, returns this weekend with more than 30 rides, games and 20 food booths.
The annual event takes place on the UA Mall and brings in an estimated 32,000 people.
More information can be found on the Spring Fling website.
- Updated
From reporter Kathleen Allen:
Tracie Morris is coming to town. She'll be appearing at several events through the weekend (see schedule below).
That’s exciting news for lovers of words, avant-garde and sound poetry, and of perspectives that push you to think in new ways.
Morris is a poet, performer, singer, a theater professor at New York City’s Pratt Institute and the author of several books, including “handholding: 5 kinds,” published late last year by Tucson’s Kore Press.
But that short list of what she does doesn’t give a clue to what’s in store when one spends an evening with Morris.
You see, she is smart. And funny. And talented. And original. The one-time champion slam poet’s insights on race, feminism and politics are compelling and provocative.
Morris is here in support of her book, and Kore Press is planning a series of events, including an evening with Morris and Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 movie “Eyes Wide Shut,” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The piece, included in the Kore Press book, provides alternative dialogue for the movie, one from a feminist, black perspective. She calls this sort of call and response between her and Kubrick’s movie “handholding.” The book has her doing the same with other artists.
Traveling in Mexico, she answered our questions by email:
Why “Eyes Wide Shut?”
“What intrigued me, ultimately, was the reversal that I ‘discovered’ in the film: In this film, in my humble opinion, the straight, successful white guy knows the least of anyone in the film.
“He’s the ingénue. I don’t think I’d seen that in a film before.
“All aspects of knowledge: carnal, relational, intellectual, social, even medical (the subtexts of his patients’ desire, his lack of knowledge of his patients’ status when he enters the hospital, etc.), all the things he thought he knew about life based on his personal choices and privileges were turned on their heads. ...
“I also read through Kubrick’s archives in London a bit and that absolutely reinforced my sense of the meta-commentary on race, class, sex, power and desire that Kubrick was aiming for. To me, this is what the film is about.”
Politics of all sorts are woven through your art. What kind of impact, if any, has the last election and the current state of the country had on your work?
“The last election has, oddly to some, made me more optimistic. We are currently in very unusual times as a country, but one of the things that is no longer the case is that people are passive: About the importance of their vote, the need to actively engage with politics and politicians, that we have to be active forces for the change we want to see. There is a large-scale understanding of this among regular folks, not just activists, that we haven’t seen in a long time, if ever. That gives me hope. People who are very different are starting to come together on specific ideas. ...
“So I would say that the impact it’s had on my work is to be energized, positive and more connected to people who want to feel connected to the world, in real time, not just virtually.”
With the threat to federal funding for the arts, it seems they are more and more devalued. What role does art play in our lives?
“I don’t think art is being devalued, I think the current federal administration wants to starve out the arts because of its value, because the arts are important, and they know it. ... I think the pushback to support the arts will come from conventional and surprising corners of the country.
“Arts, aesthetics, help define who we fundamentally are as humans. It’s not a luxury. Art shapes us and our understanding. Our sense of who we are is often based on the intangible and concrete ways in which we express the meaning and beauty (as well as the ugliness, horror and fear) of our being.
“Art gives us joy, grounding and helps us to understand the world. We are not just made to go through life doing things to survive, to perpetuate ourselves. Art infuses our lives with meaning. I feel that we could not exist, as humans, without it.”
You haven’t been to Arizona since the state’s SB 1070 legislation seven years ago. Why now?
“I love Arizona. It’s one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever seen. It’s got it’s own energy, a sense of itself, that I adore. I feel like I’m in another dimension whenever I visit. It’s like nowhere else.
“I, and others, especially initially, felt that the state no longer held that ‘luster’ when it was overtly, and legally, dividing its inhabitants. When I can’t connect to a place in a generous way, it’s better for me to avoid it. ...
“Now that the teeth have been thoroughly taken out of SB 1070 and it’s no longer compelling folks to show their papers, now that it’s truly a shell of its former self, I feel I can come back to the state with joy, I can focus on sharing my work here. ... I’ve missed Arizona — a lot. I hope to return regularly. I have to say again, there’s no place like Arizona for me.”
Schedule
3-5 p.m. Thursday, April 6, "Meet the Author," talk and reading from book, University of Arizona Museum of Art, 1031 N. Olive Road in the UA fine arts complex. Free.
6-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, "An Evening with Tracie Morris," with a revisionist vocal performance of "Eye's Wide Shut," while the movie screens. There will be a discussion after the performance. Doors open at 4:45 p.m., Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave., $26.
12:30 - 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8. Discussion on "Sound and Politics," with Morris, Mark Hosler and Bob Ostertag, Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, 564 S. Stone Ave. Free
3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 8, "Collaborators Noise Showcase," Morris will be joined by musician and poet Sam Ace. Steinfeld Warehouse, 101 W. Sixth St., suggested donation, $3-$5.
9 a.m.-noon, Sunday, April 9, "South and Body," a Morris-led writing workshop for writers and sound artists at Dunbar Pavillion, 325 W. 2nd St. $40.
Reservations/information: korepress.org, 327-2127.
- Updated
Arizona's annual country music mega-fest, Country Thunder kicks off this Thursday and promises to be four days of fun this year.
Reporter Cathalena Burch has the scoop:
Country Thunder Music Festival boasted its biggest audiences ever last year — average attendance 29,000, which officially meant that the festival sold out all four nights.
With the star power heading to Florence this weekend — Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Thomas Rhett and Blake Shelton — organizers are betting they’ll see a repeat.
And the weather is expected to cooperate. Aside from a very slight (10 percent) chance of rain on Friday, April 7, Florence is going to be a sun-bathed oasis for the tens of thousands filling the Country Thunder West festival grounds Thursday, April 6, through Sunday, April 9. Daily high temps are expected to reach the mid-80s and flirt with the 90s.
That’s a far cry from last year, when rain threatened all four days, culminating in torrential downpours on the festival’s closing day with headliner Eric Church.
If the forecast holds true, it should be a pleasant evening when Blake Shelton closes out the 2017 festival on Sunday.
Here are five more tidbits about the 2017 festival that piqued our interest:
- Party ‘til dawn:
- OK, maybe not that late, but the Electric Thunder dance party under the circus big top cranks up the crazy late night yee-haw rave. DJ Hish joins forces with the wildly popular producer/performer David Fanning for the after-hours bash. (Warning: It can get kinda crazy in there.)
- Hitch a ride: For the second year, Uber is at Country Thunder. If you find yourself having imbibed too many adult beverages, or you just like the idea of someone else driving you down that winding bumpy stretch from the festival grounds to the main road, the ride-share service will offer discounts on your first ride. Download the Uber app and use the promo code CTAZ17 and get $15 off.
- Concert for a cause: For the first time in as long as we can remember — and we’ve been paying close attention for 18 of the festival’s 23 years — Country Thunder is hosting a special benefit concert in conjunction with the festival. Here’s the scoop: Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander will play an intimate concert in the backstage VIP tent around 11:30 p.m. Saturday following Thomas Rhett’s Main Stage show. The cost is $250, which includes your Saturday admission and a chance to slip backstage and see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member so close up you’ll feel like you’re in his living room. Tickets are limited and proceeds benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation, a music industry nonprofit that funds cancer and AIDS medical research.
- Not exactly ladies night: The 2017 lineup is a little short on the ladies. In fact, there are just three female acts over the four days, starting with veteran Canadian country star Terri Clark playing the 6:30 p.m. slot Thursday. Newcomers Runaway June, a trio with roots in California and Florida whose three-part harmonies will remind you of the Dixie Chicks, introduce themselves at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Three hours later, the last of the ladies, the pop-country duo of Maddie & Tae, are back on the Country Thunder Main Stage after debuting at the 2015 festival.
- Cheaper at ‘the corner of happy and healthy’:
- Stop into your neighborhood Walgreens for discounted Country Thunder tickets while they last.
2017 Country Thunder Music Festival
When: Thursday, April 6, through Sunday, April 9.
Where: Country Thunder West, 20585 E. Price Station Road, Florence.
Tickets: $190 for four-day festival pass, $50 for Thursday, $75 each day for Friday through Sunday through countrythunder.com
Lineup
Thursday, April 6
3:30 p.m., Brandon Ray.
5, Jackson Michelson.
6:30, Terri Clark.
8, LoCash.
10, Chris Young.
Friday, April 7
2:30 p.m., Gunnar & the Grizzly.
3:30, Runaway June.
4, Aaron Watson.
6:30, Maddie & Tae.
8, Jon Pardi.
10, Dierks Bentley.
Saturday, April 8
2:30 p.m., Dorado.
3:30, Ryan Hurd.
5, Randy Rogers Band.
6:30, Frankie Ballard.
8, Joe Nichols.
10, Thomas Rhett.
Sunday, April 9.
2:30 p.m., Lanco.
4, High Valley.
5:30, The Oak Ridge Boys.
7, Tyler Farr.
9, Blake Shelton.
The SAHBA Spring Home and Patio Show, which kicked off Friday and will run through Sunday at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Tickets to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association’s show are $8. Military discounts are available, and children 12 and under are free. Show hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, April 8, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, April 9. For more information, visit sahbahomeshow.com
“Ginormous Food,” a national television show that seeks out “the biggest and tastiest foods in America,” will film at several restaurants in Tucson this weekend, according to its website.
The program, which debuted on The Food Network in January, is slated to be at Lindy’s on 4th, 431 N. Fourth Ave., on Friday, April 7, Boca Tacos, 828 E. Speedway, on Saturday, April 8, and Stray Dogs, 78 W. River Road, on Sunday, April 9, according to host Josh Denny’s official Facebook page.
Denny’s Facebook page also indicates that they have been filming at restaurants in Phoenix since Monday.
Tucson has long been a destination for basic cable food programs, even before its designation as UNESCO City of Gastronomy in December of 2015.
Other shows that have filmed in town include the Travel Channel's “Bizarre Foods” with Andrew Zimmern and “Man v. Food,” also on the Travel Channel, with Adam Richman.
— Gerald M. Gay
Spring Fling, the University of Arizona's student-run carnival, returns this weekend with more than 30 rides, games and 20 food booths.
The annual event takes place on the UA Mall and brings in an estimated 32,000 people.
More information can be found on the Spring Fling website.
From reporter Kathleen Allen:
Tracie Morris is coming to town. She'll be appearing at several events through the weekend (see schedule below).
That’s exciting news for lovers of words, avant-garde and sound poetry, and of perspectives that push you to think in new ways.
Morris is a poet, performer, singer, a theater professor at New York City’s Pratt Institute and the author of several books, including “handholding: 5 kinds,” published late last year by Tucson’s Kore Press.
But that short list of what she does doesn’t give a clue to what’s in store when one spends an evening with Morris.
You see, she is smart. And funny. And talented. And original. The one-time champion slam poet’s insights on race, feminism and politics are compelling and provocative.
Morris is here in support of her book, and Kore Press is planning a series of events, including an evening with Morris and Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 movie “Eyes Wide Shut,” starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The piece, included in the Kore Press book, provides alternative dialogue for the movie, one from a feminist, black perspective. She calls this sort of call and response between her and Kubrick’s movie “handholding.” The book has her doing the same with other artists.
Traveling in Mexico, she answered our questions by email:
Why “Eyes Wide Shut?”
“What intrigued me, ultimately, was the reversal that I ‘discovered’ in the film: In this film, in my humble opinion, the straight, successful white guy knows the least of anyone in the film.
“He’s the ingénue. I don’t think I’d seen that in a film before.
“All aspects of knowledge: carnal, relational, intellectual, social, even medical (the subtexts of his patients’ desire, his lack of knowledge of his patients’ status when he enters the hospital, etc.), all the things he thought he knew about life based on his personal choices and privileges were turned on their heads. ...
“I also read through Kubrick’s archives in London a bit and that absolutely reinforced my sense of the meta-commentary on race, class, sex, power and desire that Kubrick was aiming for. To me, this is what the film is about.”
Politics of all sorts are woven through your art. What kind of impact, if any, has the last election and the current state of the country had on your work?
“The last election has, oddly to some, made me more optimistic. We are currently in very unusual times as a country, but one of the things that is no longer the case is that people are passive: About the importance of their vote, the need to actively engage with politics and politicians, that we have to be active forces for the change we want to see. There is a large-scale understanding of this among regular folks, not just activists, that we haven’t seen in a long time, if ever. That gives me hope. People who are very different are starting to come together on specific ideas. ...
“So I would say that the impact it’s had on my work is to be energized, positive and more connected to people who want to feel connected to the world, in real time, not just virtually.”
With the threat to federal funding for the arts, it seems they are more and more devalued. What role does art play in our lives?
“I don’t think art is being devalued, I think the current federal administration wants to starve out the arts because of its value, because the arts are important, and they know it. ... I think the pushback to support the arts will come from conventional and surprising corners of the country.
“Arts, aesthetics, help define who we fundamentally are as humans. It’s not a luxury. Art shapes us and our understanding. Our sense of who we are is often based on the intangible and concrete ways in which we express the meaning and beauty (as well as the ugliness, horror and fear) of our being.
“Art gives us joy, grounding and helps us to understand the world. We are not just made to go through life doing things to survive, to perpetuate ourselves. Art infuses our lives with meaning. I feel that we could not exist, as humans, without it.”
You haven’t been to Arizona since the state’s SB 1070 legislation seven years ago. Why now?
“I love Arizona. It’s one of the most beautiful states I’ve ever seen. It’s got it’s own energy, a sense of itself, that I adore. I feel like I’m in another dimension whenever I visit. It’s like nowhere else.
“I, and others, especially initially, felt that the state no longer held that ‘luster’ when it was overtly, and legally, dividing its inhabitants. When I can’t connect to a place in a generous way, it’s better for me to avoid it. ...
“Now that the teeth have been thoroughly taken out of SB 1070 and it’s no longer compelling folks to show their papers, now that it’s truly a shell of its former self, I feel I can come back to the state with joy, I can focus on sharing my work here. ... I’ve missed Arizona — a lot. I hope to return regularly. I have to say again, there’s no place like Arizona for me.”
Schedule
3-5 p.m. Thursday, April 6, "Meet the Author," talk and reading from book, University of Arizona Museum of Art, 1031 N. Olive Road in the UA fine arts complex. Free.
6-8:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, "An Evening with Tracie Morris," with a revisionist vocal performance of "Eye's Wide Shut," while the movie screens. There will be a discussion after the performance. Doors open at 4:45 p.m., Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave., $26.
12:30 - 2 p.m. Saturday, April 8. Discussion on "Sound and Politics," with Morris, Mark Hosler and Bob Ostertag, Jewish History Museum/Holocaust History Center, 564 S. Stone Ave. Free
3-5 p.m. Saturday, April 8, "Collaborators Noise Showcase," Morris will be joined by musician and poet Sam Ace. Steinfeld Warehouse, 101 W. Sixth St., suggested donation, $3-$5.
9 a.m.-noon, Sunday, April 9, "South and Body," a Morris-led writing workshop for writers and sound artists at Dunbar Pavillion, 325 W. 2nd St. $40.
Reservations/information: korepress.org, 327-2127.
Arizona's annual country music mega-fest, Country Thunder kicks off this Thursday and promises to be four days of fun this year.
Reporter Cathalena Burch has the scoop:
Country Thunder Music Festival boasted its biggest audiences ever last year — average attendance 29,000, which officially meant that the festival sold out all four nights.
With the star power heading to Florence this weekend — Chris Young, Dierks Bentley, Thomas Rhett and Blake Shelton — organizers are betting they’ll see a repeat.
And the weather is expected to cooperate. Aside from a very slight (10 percent) chance of rain on Friday, April 7, Florence is going to be a sun-bathed oasis for the tens of thousands filling the Country Thunder West festival grounds Thursday, April 6, through Sunday, April 9. Daily high temps are expected to reach the mid-80s and flirt with the 90s.
That’s a far cry from last year, when rain threatened all four days, culminating in torrential downpours on the festival’s closing day with headliner Eric Church.
If the forecast holds true, it should be a pleasant evening when Blake Shelton closes out the 2017 festival on Sunday.
Here are five more tidbits about the 2017 festival that piqued our interest:
- Party ‘til dawn:
- OK, maybe not that late, but the Electric Thunder dance party under the circus big top cranks up the crazy late night yee-haw rave. DJ Hish joins forces with the wildly popular producer/performer David Fanning for the after-hours bash. (Warning: It can get kinda crazy in there.)
- Hitch a ride: For the second year, Uber is at Country Thunder. If you find yourself having imbibed too many adult beverages, or you just like the idea of someone else driving you down that winding bumpy stretch from the festival grounds to the main road, the ride-share service will offer discounts on your first ride. Download the Uber app and use the promo code CTAZ17 and get $15 off.
- Concert for a cause: For the first time in as long as we can remember — and we’ve been paying close attention for 18 of the festival’s 23 years — Country Thunder is hosting a special benefit concert in conjunction with the festival. Here’s the scoop: Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander will play an intimate concert in the backstage VIP tent around 11:30 p.m. Saturday following Thomas Rhett’s Main Stage show. The cost is $250, which includes your Saturday admission and a chance to slip backstage and see the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member so close up you’ll feel like you’re in his living room. Tickets are limited and proceeds benefit the T.J. Martell Foundation, a music industry nonprofit that funds cancer and AIDS medical research.
- Not exactly ladies night: The 2017 lineup is a little short on the ladies. In fact, there are just three female acts over the four days, starting with veteran Canadian country star Terri Clark playing the 6:30 p.m. slot Thursday. Newcomers Runaway June, a trio with roots in California and Florida whose three-part harmonies will remind you of the Dixie Chicks, introduce themselves at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Three hours later, the last of the ladies, the pop-country duo of Maddie & Tae, are back on the Country Thunder Main Stage after debuting at the 2015 festival.
- Cheaper at ‘the corner of happy and healthy’:
- Stop into your neighborhood Walgreens for discounted Country Thunder tickets while they last.
2017 Country Thunder Music Festival
When: Thursday, April 6, through Sunday, April 9.
Where: Country Thunder West, 20585 E. Price Station Road, Florence.
Tickets: $190 for four-day festival pass, $50 for Thursday, $75 each day for Friday through Sunday through countrythunder.com
Lineup
Thursday, April 6
3:30 p.m., Brandon Ray.
5, Jackson Michelson.
6:30, Terri Clark.
8, LoCash.
10, Chris Young.
Friday, April 7
2:30 p.m., Gunnar & the Grizzly.
3:30, Runaway June.
4, Aaron Watson.
6:30, Maddie & Tae.
8, Jon Pardi.
10, Dierks Bentley.
Saturday, April 8
2:30 p.m., Dorado.
3:30, Ryan Hurd.
5, Randy Rogers Band.
6:30, Frankie Ballard.
8, Joe Nichols.
10, Thomas Rhett.
Sunday, April 9.
2:30 p.m., Lanco.
4, High Valley.
5:30, The Oak Ridge Boys.
7, Tyler Farr.
9, Blake Shelton.
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