Borderlands Theater is back in Barrio Anita for a community celebration focusing on the heritage of summer in the barrio.

Last year, Borderlands Theater did a remarkable thing: It brought the Barrio Anita neighborhood and Tucsonans together for an art-filled celebration of the tiny neighborhood near downtown.

There was poetry, theater, music, videos of the neighborhood residents talking about the history and life of Barrio Anita.

And thousands came out to celebrate.

This year, the company is back at Barrio Anita with a tardeada, designed to celebrate the “heritage of summer in Barrio Anita,” according to a release.

There will be food, music and a talk by the much-loved neighbor Ramon “Chino” Quiroz. In the 1980s and ‘90s, Quiroz served as the program coordinator at the Oury Neighborhood Center. His athletic events and other projects brought the community together and made the center the heart of the barrio.

The event is 4 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at Oury Neighborhood Center, 600 W. St. Mary’s Road. And it’s free.


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Contact reporter Kathleen Allen at kallen@tucson.com or 573-4128. On Twitter: @kallenStar