The Giant Saguaro Neon Sculpture. created by Tucson Artist Dirk Arnold, will be lit up Monday April 5, at an official lighting ceremony. A little history of the neon sculpture can be found at my previous article.

Giant Neon Saguaro Sculpture by Dirk Arnold

It was designed in the spirit of the enduring neon signs of the Miracle Mile area. It stands in the median of Oracle Road, just north of Drachman Street. It’s the public art component of the intersection reconfiguration that removed the roundabout.

The official lighting ceremony will be Monday from 6:15 until 7:00 pm. College Place at 1601 N Oracle Rd is the official gathering place near the sculpture. It’s the former Del Webb’s Hiway House/Statler Hilton hotel on the west side of Oracle. There is plenty of street parking on the side streets on the east side of Oracle.

The Oracle/Miracle Mile area is presently experiencing a major renovation and it is definitely coming back from the degenerated area of the past decade. To see and experience the renewed area I recommend you attend the third annual Miracle Mile Festival, one of the early outcomes of the Oracle Area Revitalization Plan.

This event will be Saturday, April 24, from 9am until 5pm, with the festivities centered by the Oracle and Drachman intersection. This year’s celebration of the Miracle Mile area as Tucson’s historic main motor gateway is sponsored by the area’s new Gateway Business Alliance. There’ll be classic cars, tours of nearby historic sites, food, artists and more. Visit www.celebratehistorictucson.com for more info about the event.