One showing only! Wednesday, Aug 15th 2012 at 6:30pm at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway

$8.00 in advance at Summit Hut, Antigone Books, and the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop
$10.00 at the door and online at http://www.sonorandesert.org

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival brings together a selection of films from the annual festival held each January in Nevada City, CA, which is now in its 10th year! The films speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet. “Films featured at Wild & Scenic give people a sense of place,” says Tour Manager Lori Van Laanen. “In our busy lives, it’s easy to get disconnected from our role in the global ecosystem. When we realize that the change we need in this world begins with us, we can start making a difference.”

This event will inspire the people of Tucson to go out and make a difference in the community. Because of engaged citizens who were motivated by what they saw in last year’s featured film, Bag It, the City of Tucson is now seeking solutions to reduce plastic bag consumption!

This year’s slate of films is bound to be just as motivating and entertaining. Mining Patagonia explores the issues and consequences that an open pit mine would impose on this environmentally rich yet fragile town just an hour south of Tucson. Connecting the Gems follows two hikers as they traverse the northern Rockies, seeking out wildlife corridors and identifying the challenges faced by wildlife as they journey between wildland “gems.” In Meet the Beetle we see how even the tiniest of critters plays an important role in keeping our world a vibrant place and how school children can get engaged in conservation in a powerful way.

The festival is a natural extension of the work of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. The Coalition, comprised of 41 conservation and community groups, works to create a community where ecosystem health is important, nature and healthy wild animal populations have value, and where visitors, children and future generations can all drink clean water, breathe clean air, and find wild places to roam.

This year’s festival is once again being held in conjunction with Tucson Audubon Society’s annual Bird & Wildlife Festival. Visitors from all over the world will be converging on Tucson for a week of birding and wildlife-related activities and the Coalition is excited to share the film festival as one of the featured evening programs.

Special thanks go out to local event sponsors Summit Hut and Betts Printing, the event’s major national sponsor Patagonia, as well as other local and national sponsors.

For more information contact Gabe Wigtil, gabe.wigtil@sonorandesert.org, 520-388-9925 or visit www.sonorandesert.org.

For you bike commuters, this is your week to enjoy your ride to/from work, as well as festivities & freebies at various businesses in town. And for those of you not yet commuting via a bike, here’s a great way to ride for the first time & learn more about Bike Week.

See http://www.livingstreetsalliance.org/bike-fest/bike-to-work-week/ for a full schedule of events, including the following in alphabetical order:

APRIL 9TH – 13TH, 2012 BIKE TO WORK STATIONS

Ajo Bikes
1301 East Ajo Way
Monday – Friday
April 9th-13th, 9am – 6pm
Ajo Bikes would like to thank you for riding your bike with a free water bottle. Stop in and say hello!

Antigone Books
411 North 4th Avenue
Monday – Thursday
April 9th – 12th, 10am – 7pm
Friday April 13th, 10am – 9pm
Ride your bike to Antigone Books, show your helmet and say, “Bike Fest,” for a free bike sticker.

Beyond Bread
Central 3026 North Campbell Avenue Between Glenn & Ft. Lowell
Northwest 421 West Ina Road SE Corner of Ina & Oracle
East 6260 East Speedway Blvd. Monterey Village at Wilmot
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th, 6:30am – 8pm
Ride your Bike to any Beyond Bread location wearing your bike gear and receive a free fountain beverage, regular coffee, or tea with any purchase.

Brooklyn Pizza Company
534 N. 4th Avenue
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th, 11am to 6pm
Mention Bike Fest and receive two free scoops of Italian ice (one per person per day). Feel free to fill your water bottles and don’t forget to show your helmet.

Building Health: Energy Medicine and the Arts
1720 N. Dodge Blvd. (just north of Pima)
Wednesday
April 11th, 7am – 9am
In honor of Bike to Work Week, Building Health is supporting local commuters by offering up treats for the body and soul. Stop in on Wednesday April 11th between 7am and 9am for the following:

Free bottle of water that you may choose to energize with a local desert flower essence
Sore muscles? Free packet of The Desert Heals bath salts
Clean Air Discount coupon for a healing session

Cartel Coffee Lab
Campbell Ave: Tucson
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th
Stop by the Cartel Coffee Lab on your bike and get a free large iced toddy with the purchase of a meal. We hear they are super bike friendly in their new location just a few doors from their original.

Christy’s Corner Cafe and Defenders of Wildlife
La Placita Village
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th
Stop by Christy’s Corner Cafe during Bike to Work Week and enjoy a free cup of Arbuckles local, Fair Trade, Organic Coffee with the purchase of a bagel. Defenders of Wildlife will be giving away 5 reusable bags each day at the cafe to the first 5 bicyclist who stop in. They will also have their calendars and stuffed animals for the kiddies! Christy’s Corner Cafe is located in La Placita Village just south of the footbridge and next to the Arizona Hotel. Learn more about Christy’s Corner Cafe on her Facebook Page, and check out Defenders for Wildlife on their website at www.defenders.org.

Law Office of Eric Post, P.L.L.C.
Eric-Post-Law-Office.png
FOOD STATION
3256 East Speedway Boulevard
Thursday
April 12, 8:30am – 5:30pm
On Thursday morning stop by the Law Office of Eric Post for some refreshments and food on your commute to work. Turn North on N. Camino Miramonte off of the 3rd Street Bike Blvd. and look West for his refreshment station on the corner of Speedway and N. Camino Miramonte in the parking lot.

Food Conspiracy Co-op
412 North 4th Avenue
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th
Anyone who rides their bike to the Food Conspiracy CO-op during Bike to Work Week will receive a free 12-oz dark roast Conspiracy Coffee. Don’t forget to mention Bike to Work Week!

The HUB
266 East Congress Street
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th
Saddle up and bike on over to the Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery for a buy one get one HUB Scoopon when you mention Bike To Work Week and show your helmet.

Keeling On The Move
FOOD STATION
Fontana Avenue/Blacklidge Street
Wednesday
April 11, 2012, 7am – 8:30am
Ride your bike along the new 4th Avenue/Fontana Bicycle Boulevard and stop by the Food Station just south of Blacklidge for food, drinks, and free water bottles to the first 25 people who arrive. Pima Association of Governments + Tucson Department of Transportation are to thank for this special Bike To Work Week Treat!

Maynards
400 North Toole Avenue
Friday
April 13th, 7am-9am
Maynards supports Bike to Work Week by hosting Bike to Work’s grand finale event – the Downtown Celebration. Enjoy live music, free food, awards, and more. Sponsored by the City of Tucson and Living Streets Alliance.

Oro Valley Bike to Work Day
FOOD STATION
Rooney Ranch (NE corner of First Avenue and Oracle Road, commonly known as the Home Depot Plaza)
Thursday
April 12th 7am-9am
Stop by Rooney Ranch on your bicycle and you can enjoy a warm cup of coffee, bagels + snacks, and raffles for prizes from local bike shops!

O2 Modern Fitness
186 E. Broadway Blvd.
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th
Receive 10% off any lunch time or 4:15pm classes the entire week if you show up on your bike.

Pima Community College – Downtown Campus
FOOD STATION
Corner of Stone/Speedway
Friday
April 6, 2012 7am-9am
The Downtown Campus will be hosting a bike to work station. Members of the student Sustainability Club will be offering water, homemade granola, and chatting with riders. Information about Pima will be available for those who would like to learn about classes. We will be set up at the corner of Stone/Speedway under the Pima College marquis.

The Campus will also be hosting a Ride to Work contest through April to encourage the use of alternative means of transportation. Bikes will be the focus of this event, but all transportation methods are included. Participants should register with the Rideshare website to track their mileage. Prizes will be awarded to the winners!

Sky Bar
536 N. 4th Avenue
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th, 9am – 6pm
Stop by Sky Bar for a free cup of coffee (one per person per day) to get your day rolling.
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th, 5pm – 8pm
When you bike home from work, why not pop into Sky Bar for $1 off wells and drafts. Water refills available. Don’t forget your helmet.

Sparkroot • coffee bar + fare
245 E Congress St
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th, 7am-9am
Ride to Sparkroot any morning during Bike To Work Week and get an Espresso + Homemade Granola Bar for $3. Fuel up on a quick, tasty, and healthy treat to energize the rest of your morning commute!

Spoke6
FOOD STATION
439 N 6th Ave, #101
Tuesday
April 10th, 7am – 9am
Spoke6 will be hosting a free commuter breakfast for all who ride their bikes to work on Tuesday Morning! Enjoy a spread of bagels, coffee, and tea, and have breakfast with other Tucson commuters. Stop by and check out Tucson’s professional co-working office space located on the SW corner of 6th Ave and 6th Street in heart of our local arts district.

Tucson Community Acupuncture
2900 East Broadway Blvd Suite 170
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th 9am – 7pm – Don’t forget to make your appointment!
Bike and Relax!
Take a break from your commute and bike in for an affordable acupuncture treatment at Tucson Community Acupuncture. New patients can get a relaxing treatment in our community space for $15, return patients for $10, when you show your helmet and mention Bike Fest. Appointments are required and offer is available Monday-Friday 9am-7pm. Call 881-1887 or schedule online at http://www.tucsoncommunityacupuncture.org.

Bike parking available outside, be sure to bring your lock!

Tucson Yoga
150 South 4th Avenue
Monday – Friday
April 9th – 13th classes start at 7am
Rejuvenate your mind and body at Tucson Yoga. All 7am classes are free to bike commuters who show their helmet and say, “Bike Fest”.

UA, Fairwheel Bike Shop, BICAS, UA Cycle Club
UA Mall in front of the science library
Wednesday
April 11th, 9am – 2pm
We will have a lot going on for bicyclists – free bike registration with a free bike light kit and free bike bell (while supplies last), free minor bike repairs/tune-ups, free nutritional bars from Clif bar, and free maps, brochures, and giveaways.

Xoom Juice
245 E. Congress
Monday – Friday
April 9-13th, 7am – 9am
All week at the Downtown Xoom Juice, show up on your bike and get a $2 Smashing Strawberry Smoothie with a protein boost, the perfect breakfast smoothie for a quick in and out morning blast of healthful energy on your ride to work!

Three full days: December 9, 10 and 11 — 10 to 6 p.m. daily, on 4th Avenue between University Blvd. and E. 9th Street (north of the underpass).

Free to the public, the Fourth Avenue Street Fair brings together 400+ arts and crafts booths, 35+ food vendors, 2 stages, Community Stage North, Main Stage South, street musicians, food, jugglers, street performers, the ever so popular Free Az Virtual Academy’s Tucson’s Children’s Museum’s kids hands-on-art Pavilion, face painting, balloons, and tons of other fun activities, then packs them into three days of celebration.

The Fourth Avenue Street Fair began in 1970 when Fourth Avenue merchants put tables in front of their stores to attract customers before the holidays. From that beginning it has developed into one of the premier street fairs in the nation, drawing crowds of 200,000 to 350,000 and ranking as one of the top visual arts fairs in the country.

For information: http://www.fourthavenue.org/. Just in time for Christmas shopping, or for other winter celebrations.

While at Antigone Books (411 N. 4th Avenue) or Delectables restaurant (533 N. 4th Avenue) you can pick up a copy of the new Tucson photography book “Together We Thrive” (click here for blog). It features 22 beautiful photos of those three memorials after the mass shooting on 1/8/11.

Today at the YWCA of Tucson a beautiful book of 22 photographs taken at the 3 memorials by YWCA’s Executive Director Janet Marcotte, following the mass shooting on Jan. 8, 2011–combined with words by President Barack Obama (given at the Jan. 12 speech at the University of Arizona) was released before an audience of about 120 community members. The book sells at $20, and $17 of the proceeds will be divided equally between the YWCA and the Fund for Civility, Respect & Understanding — to fund anti-bullying programs, community mental health awareness, and to promote civility.

A community panel spoke at today’s release reception with MC Pamela Doherty of the YWCA Board — Mayor-elect Jonathan Rothschild, District 4 Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, YWCA Executive Director Janet Marcotte, and CD 8 Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford’s District Director Ron Barber (who was shot twice on January 8, 2011 and is still recovering from his leg injury).

Mayor-elect Rothschild said that the “community was changed forever, but it came together to go forward” after January 8. Supervisor Carroll (who attended 5 of the 6 funerals for the six who died that day) said that the photographs & quotes stirred his emotions, and that it is “bad to turn ON others”, we should instead “turn TO others”.

Photographer Janet Marcotte said that she wanted to “honor all those who were killed & injured on January 8″, and celebrate the community’s response. She thanked all those who had donated their time & efforts to make the book possible including Terry Rich, Sheila Johnson, attorney Sandy Forbes, Matt Russell, and Delectables restaurant for the catered reception food. Janet was obviously moved by tears as she spoke of 6 clay pots with yellow pansies at one of the memorials, for the 6 who died (photo on page 34 of the book).

Finally Ron Barber spoke of that fateful day reminding the audience that Tucson “had never seen such response”, showing its’ “strength of community spirit & unity.” Being a victim of the shooting he said he was touched by the “outpouring of compassion & love” at the memorials, and that he had decided to create the Fund for Civility, Respect & Understanding while in the ICU at University Medical Center (UMC). The 3 memorials after the shooting were outside of UMC, at the Ina/Oracle Safeway where the shooting occurred, and in front of Congresswoman Giffords’ district office (at that time at Swan/Pima).

Books can also be obtained online at www.ywcatucson.org. 30 retail outlets will be selling the book with no percentage taken: Walgreen’s, Bookman’s, Hallmark at Grant/Swan, Antigone Books, Crizmac, Ben’s Bells, Girls Scouts Shop, Hair & Nail Place, Delectables.

Each & every photo & quote from President Obama’s speech is moving throughout the 46 pages of this book. I was particularly touched by his words on page 28: “Their actions, their selflessness poses a challenge to each of us. It raised a question of what, beyond prayers and expressions of concern, is required of us going forward. How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?”, and the accompanying photo of colorful butterflies at one of the memorials. After January 8 I spent a bit of time at each memorial and helped water the plants, fix the wind-blown balloons and mementos, re-light the candles.

By our community purchasing this book in tribute to the victims of that day, and supporting the work of the YWCA of Tucson & the Fund for Civility, Respect & Understanding, the questions asked by our President are being answered.

Tickets are $8 in advance and can be purchased at Summit Hut, Antigone Books, and the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop, or $10 at the door and online at www.sonorandesert.org.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival brings together a selection of films from the annual festival held each January in Nevada City, CA. The films speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet. “Films featured at Wild & Scenic give people a sense of place,” says Tour Manager Susie Sutphin. “In our busy lives, it’s easy to get disconnected from our role in the global ecosystem. When we realize that the change we need in this world begins with us we can start making a difference.”

Featured films of the evening include Bag It, Walking the Line, and Wild vs. Wall. Bag It seeks to unravel the complexities of our modern plastic world. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effects on our waterways, oceans, and our bodies. Walking the Line follows thru-hiker Adam Bradley as he walks 500 miles of a proposed transmission line – a line through some of the West’s most remote landscapes – to find out how our country’s transition to renewable energy will affect the land, wildlife and people. Wild vs. Wall examines the environmental impact of the current border policy. Created by the Borderlands Campaign of the Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter, this film addresses the ecological effects of enforcement and infrastructure in the four states that share boundaries with Mexico.

The festival is a natural extension of the work of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection. The Coalition, comprised of 39 conservation and community groups, works to create a community where ecosystem health is important, nature and healthy wild animal populations have value, and where visitors, children and future generations can all drink clean water, breathe clean air, and find wild places to roam.

This year’s festival is being held in conjunction with Tucson Audubon Society’s first annual Bird & Wildlife Festival. Visitors from all over the world will be converging on Tucson for a week of birding and wildlife-related activities and the Coalition is excited to share the film festival as one of the featured evening programs.

The film festival offers an opportunity to entertain and engage the community while supporting the on-going work of the Coalition. Special thanks go out to local event sponsors Summit Hut and Betts Printing, the event’s major national sponsor Patagonia, as well as other local and national sponsors.

Sounds like it’s going to be a “wild” evening.

The plot below of “The Lost Illegal”, an original, new play by Linn Lane and directed by Gayle Swanbeck– “illustrates the difficulty we face in living with the laws we make.”

Lesbian elders Julia and Allie have already paid their personal and political dues; the couple are both proud of, and frightened by their granddaughter Tanya, who is walking a familiar path. During a stint in jail Tanya meets Joe (a homeless activist) and Inez (the lost illegal) who has her own reasons for being in the US.
The complicated relationship between these five brings them into contact with Roger, the Arizona ICE officer in his various authoritarian guises

Starring:
Lindy Bowser as Julia
Edin Sirak as Allie
Cuffs as Joe
Christina Pflueger as Tanya
Sophia Moreno as Inez
Vic Roych as Roger (Immigration & Customs Enforcement agent)

(Photo of Vic Roych as “Roger” and Christina Pflueger as granddaughter “Tanya”)

5 performances at:
Dunbar Dance and Art Academy
325 W. 2nd Street
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Production dates:
Saturday, November 20, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 21, 2:00 p.m.
Friday, November 26, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 27, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 28, 2:00 p.m.

Tickets available at:
WomanKraft Art Center, 388 S. Stone Avenue from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday, 520-629-9976, and at Antigone Books, 411 N. 4th Avenue during regular business hours, 520-792-3715.

Ticket prices:
$12.00 WomanKraft Members
$13.00 general public (advance)
$15.00 general public admission on day of show
$10.00 bulk price for 10 tickets in advance of show

Sounds like a very contemporary play especially as it deals with humans affected by the Mexican-US border and immigration issues. And my husband and I are personally acquainted with actor Vic, who also performs in Borderlands Theater‘s “A Tucson Pastorela” every year.

Photo above of Sophia Moreno, as “Inez”, the lost illegal (subject of the play’s title).

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The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour brings together award-winning environmental and outdoor adventure films designed to inspire and motivate you to go out and make a difference in your community and around the world.

This year’s touring films were chosen from among the favorites at the annual film festival held in the Sierra Nevada foothills each January. The chosen films not only highlight environmental concerns but also provide solutions, reaching people through beautiful imagery, and inspiring local individuals to get involved in “Conserving the Wild & Scenic Places Close to Home.”

The festival has grown to receive local, regional, and national acclaim for celebrating the spirit of environmental activism and has become the largest traveling festival of its kind in North America, hitting more than 70 cities across the country.

The feature film of the evening is Eric Bendick’s documentary DIVISION STREET. This film highlights the environmental challenges presented by North America’s vast system of roads. Roads are the largest human artifact on the planet; they have fragmented wild landscapes, ushered in the ‘age of urban sprawl,’ and challenged our sense of community. This film looks at the promise of wildlife corridors, the potential for ‘greening’ our highway system, and the fusion of high-tech engineering with the best and brightest environmental research happening today.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to explore hot-button environmental issues and solutions through cinema, and support the important ongoing work of the Coalition right here in Southern Arizona!

For more information visit:
www.sonorandesert.org
(Running time: approximately 3 hrs.). Get your tickets today before they sell out!

The Loft Cinema is at 3233 E. Speedway (east of Country Club).

It’s a fast paced, easy to ready “whodunit” mystery set in a fictitious, up-scale development in the Santa Catalina Mountains of Tucson, with the main characters trying to figure out who committed “murder most foul” in their midst.

book cover

“The quiet routines of two couples are interrupted when someone in their circle of acquaintances is cruelly murdered; and then another murder follows as skeletons in many varieties—and even the Aztec Lord of the Underworld, Mictlantecuhtli—revel during the night of the Day of the Dead. What forces of evil have been unleashed in the community that is encroaching on the rugged Mountain Lion Canyon? Above the canyon hovers the scraggly large rock that was named La Roca, the new development in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. A mountain lion stalks the canyon and so do, it seems, human predators.” (from the back jacket)

What’s fun about this book is the Southwest desert setting, with University of Arizona college professors, Tucson developers, artists, and lawyers all involved in the mystery story line. There’s even mention of “Arizona’s white-haired senior senator” in attendance at the opening cocktail party at the developer’s mansion (page 28). The Pima County Sheriff and his deputies also play an active role in the murder investigations.

Author Nicholas Hazel (pseudonym) is a Tucson retired college professor and administrator, so he does know the background of some of the protagonist professors portrayed in this novel. And he does know the Catalina Foothills which he writes about.

You can buy this book online at www.Xlibris.com (the publisher), or find it at Antigone Books on 4th Avenue, or Clues Unlimited, a mystery bookstore at SE corner of E. Ft. Lowell and N. Country Club.

Since I enjoy mysteries (mostly Agatha Christie’s) I won’t disclose the ending, or most of the mystery’s complex plot involving the 20 characters. Read the mystery for yourself to find out.

Tucsonans will enjoy this book, and identify a lot of familiar locales.