If you missed the first of two Cyclovia Tucson events on April 7, here’s information on the 2nd one in midtown/north central Tucson, on April 28, also 10 to 3 p.m.

The April 7 event was well attended with hundreds of bicyclists (two wheels, tandems), three wheeled vehicles, scooters, baby strollers, wagons, skaters, walkers, etc. enjoying the downtown streets sans automobiles/trucks. There were numerous family-friendly activity centers along the route, as there will be on April 28 as well.

More info: www.cycloviatucson.org. And below are the activities scheduled at each activity area:

La Madera Park Hub

Official event Kick-off Celebration with Ward 3 Council Member Karin Uhlich at 10 am.
Cox Communication’s Kids Zone, Strider Obstacle Course along with El Grupo’s Bike Rodeo and free youth helmet give away while supplies last.
Zumba classes, food trucks, and more!

Keeling Neighborhood Activity Hubs

11 am – 1:30 pm Live Entertainment: Tucson Friends of Traditional Music, Contra Dance Flash Mob, and The Saguaro Stompers
DJ Carl Hanni and DJ Herm
Tucson Audubon Society Bird Watching Activity
Keeling Neighborhood “Glazing in the Park: Art Activity to Beautify the Bike Boulevard”
BICAS Recycled Art hosts a “Fur and Flower Your Bike Decorating Station”

E. Glenn St. and Mountain Ave.

Bike Boogie: Learn to Dance with your Two-Wheeled True Love with Kimi Eisele
Solar powered Music by Chet Gardiner
Ben’s Bells
Cakes for Causes
Bookman’s Recreation Exchange
Bicycle Tune-Ups by Road Runner Bike Shop
Rocks and Ropes Climbing Wall

“Farm Corner” at Mountain Ave. and E. Blacklidge Dr.

HabiStore, FreeCycle™, Pima County Office of Sustainability, Technicians For Sustainability Solar Demo
Honeybee Demo, Tucson Village Farm, Zen Hens Urban Chickens
Tucson Organic Gardeners Compost Experience, Community Food Bank
Music by Tucson Ukulele Meet-Up

North Dodge Boulevard

DJ Alias with Solar Power provided by the Solar Store
Bicycle Tune-Ups by Arizona Bicycle Experts
Pima County’s “The Loop” Info Booth, Giant Bubbles by the Pima County Library
Living with Urban Wildlife Trailer by Pima County Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation
Feed the Koi, Tucson Koi and Water Gardens
Raku Pottery Demonstration by Tucson Clay Co-op
Drum and Drummer School of Percussion at Tucson Metal Arts Village

Enjoy the streets of Tucson and enjoy Spring outside.

I recently read an article in the AZ Daily Star “East side has so much to offer” by regional editor Tiffany Kjos.

So I started pondering about what I liked about central/midtown Tucson, where we have lived (two apartments, one home) for over 25 years. So here’s my informal list of 10 things I like about Midtown. Click on the blue hyperlinks if you are new to Tucson and need more information.

1. Himmel Park (south of Speedway, between Tucson Blvd. & Treat Avenue), has tennis courts recently resurfaced, an open air pool now open again for the summer, lots of grass, playing fields, an outdoor grass amphitheater for plays/concerts. A Shakespeare in the park performance of “The Taming of the Shrew” is performing there opening tonight, for three weekends at 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation, to benefit El Rio Theatre Project.

2. Himmel Park Branch Library, oldest branch library of Pima County (built in 1961), children’s storytime, teen activities, Senior Games (including mahjong), films & lectures, lots more, even books to borrow.

3. Reid Park at NE corner of E. 22nd St. and N. Country Club, much larger park with an outdoor performance center & stage, ramadas, playground equipment & stone turtles for children, a rose garden, dog run, a duck pond & gurgling streams, artistic sculptures, etc.

4. The Reid Park Zoo for the children and out of town guests: elephants, tigers, bears, (oh my!), even unusual anteaters and a capybara.

5. The Loft Theater, 3233 E. Speedway, independent and creative movie showings, plus a promised expansion and often freebies during special events

6. Casa Video, 2905 E. Speedway, terrific collection of recent and old DVDs and videos, plus free popcorn whenever you drop in (open daily 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.)

7. Yoshimatsu/Sushimatsu at 2660 N. Campbell – authentic Japanese food in two unique restaurants, plus a very cute gift shop of Japanese items, toys

8. Bookman’s on Grant (SE corner of Campbell): a used book store and much more – gift items, art paraphernalia, current magazines, musical instruments, electronic stuff, even jewelry. And a new Bookman’s is coming to E. Speedway near Camino Miramonte.

9. The University of AZ, between Speedway & E. 6th Street, between Euclid Ave. and Campbell, not only an undergraduate & graduate university, but a resource for the community with art displays, outdoor sculptures, lectures, musical & dance performances, festivals & workshops, intellectual stimulation for all ages. Starting tomorrow an 8-day Chinese Culture Festival, event schedule at www.confucius.arizona.edu.

10. Bicycle path on E. 3rd St. runs from Wilmot Road westward through midtown past lovely, small Miramonte Neighborhood Park (NW corner of Richey Blvd.), one block south of Himmel Park aforementioned (Treat Ave. and Tucson Blvd.), right through the University of Az (on University Blvd.) through to 4th Avenue and Stone Avenue, with several bicyle-friendly “hawk” crossings to help bicyclists cross the major intersections. For more info on bicycling and bike maps in Tucson, go to Tucson Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee website (click here).

These are the 10 things that make my life more enjoyable and fun in midtown Tucson. What are yours?

12 hours of terror (Friday the 13th, 9 p.m. to Saturday the 14th, 9 a.m.), (un)Lucky Seven “hand-picked horror films”:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Street Trash
Child’s Play
From Beyond
Sleepaway Camp
Dead & Buried
Piranha

Nothing to do tonight? Here’s something fun & exciting to do — if you dare. Besides the 7 horror films you can also watch “vintage horror flick trailers” and particpate in “repulsive giveaways” before each movie, imbibe “disgustingly delicious” drinks, and to top it off, get a barf bag for all “chickens with weak stomachs.”

Happy dreams on Saturday…if you can sleep after these 12 gruesome hours of frightening flicks!

Sponsored by Bookman’s Entertainment Exchange (www.bookmans.com), and at the Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway.

Stay up all-nite at the sickest, scariest, most scream-errific cinematic slaughterhouse you’ve ever seen! It’s guaranteed to curdle your blood, raise your hair and give your gag reflexes a real workout, so all scaredy cats need not attend! Thrills and chills await you throughout the nite as we unleash SEVEN hand-picked horror classics that are so scandalously shocking, the only way to hold on to your sanity is to keep repeating to yourself – “it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only movie …”

Featuring: Vintage horror flick trailers before every movie! Scary short films! Disgustingly delicious drink specials! Freaky food surprises! Repulsive giveaways before each movie! Barf Bags for all chickens with weak stomachs!

Come in your pajamas and bring your favorite pillow, since you won’t be leaving until the sun comes up … if you make it out alive, that is!

This year’s scream-inducing line-up (all start times are approximate):

9:00 PM
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974, 83 min., rated R)
Tobe Hooper’s original, finger-licking-good terror masterpiece, the drive-in classic that forever changed the course of American horror! Watch as Leatherface and his crazy clan invite a gang of hapless travelers to a down-home barbeque dinner at which THEY’RE the main course!

10:40 PM
STREET TRASH (1987, 91 min., Not Rated)
Thirsty winos are melting and exploding all over the streets of New York City … could it have something to do with that delicious new liquor called Tenafly Viper? Featuring a bevy of psychotic junkyard killers, dumb cops, trashy gals and liquefied body parts, this gloriously cracked bad taste classic is like a Herschell Gordon Lewis horror flick crossed with a John Waters comedy, with an extra helping of gut-churning goop poured on top.

12:20 AM
CHILD’S PLAY (1988, 87 min., rated R)
In director Tom Holland’s original installment of the beloved horror franchise, everyone’s favorite pint-sized, homicidal rag doll, Chucky, proves that when it comes to delivering pure terror, big (and bloody) things very often come in small packages.

2:00 AM
FROM BEYOND (1986, 86 min., rated R)
Stuart Gordon’s freaky follow-up to Re-Animator is a wild slice of Lovecraftian horror detailing the adventures of a nutty scientist and his slimy love affair with a gang of other-dimensional creatures. Starring Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton from Re-Animator, and Dawn of the Dead bad-ass Ken Foree!

3:40 AM
SLEEPAWAY CAMP (1983, 84 min., rated R)
This gruesomely goofy summer camp slasher flick will drive a very-sharp knife (not to mention various other slicing-and-dicing implements) through your love of the great outdoors, before knocking you on your keister with one of the greatest shock endings of all-time! Oh, Angela!

5:20 AM
DEAD AND BURIED (1981, 94 min., rated R)
From Dan O’Bannon, creator of Alien and Return of the Living Dead, comes this twisted tale of a quaint small town populated with corpses who just won’t stay dead … and buried! Featuring great gross-out gore effects by the legendary Stan Winston, and a seriously creepy performance by Jack Albertson (“Grandpa” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!) as the weird town mortician.

7:10 AM
PIRANHA (1978, 94 min., rated R)
Joe Dante’s fishy fright fest, scripted by John Sayles, is a tasty Jaws rip-off swimming with squeamish scares, outrageous black humor and gallons of gore … not to mention a gaggle of hungry little beasties just itching to sink their teeth into a delicious cast of B-movie icons, including Barbara Steele and Paul Bartel!