After an initial meet & greet (as many of us have never met), Mark talked about how our page views have almost doubled since January 2010, about staff changes with Anthony Gimino coming on as a Sports Network Administrator, and the resignation (today) of Co-editor Ryn Gargulinki, but the hiring of a new Social Media Editor in January. He wants to add more bloggers, more content, perhaps a new site design & features. Hopefully in the future, some of the blogsites will be generating revenue through advertisements. Mark also spoke of more community outreach through other local media, having a booth at the upcoming March 12 & 13 Tucson Festival of Books, and a booth at next December’s 4th Avenue Winter Street Fair in 2011.

Who attended this afternoon:
Anthony Gimino (Anthony Gimino’s Wildcat Report)
Sonja Taysom (Living Thin)
Peter Norback (One Can a Week)
Jonathan DuHamel (Wry Heat)
Carolyn Classen (Carolyn’s Community – me)
Cherlyn Strong (Paranormal Old Pueblo)
Linda Strader (Dry Heat Gardener)
Bonnie Lewis (Pour me Some Grapes)
Debbie Price (future photo blog)
Molly Thrasher (Tucson Bites)
Karyn Zoldan (From Market to Food Market)
Art Jacobson (The Data Port)
Kyle Arps (Bleed Red & Blue)
Denise Early (Medicare & More)
Charles Spillar (Artistic Tucson)
Larry Liascos aka Jimmy Petrol (Humor: Fueled by Petrol)
Penelope Starr (Telling Stories)
Karl Hoffman (Living on the Border)
Matt Minkus (The Matt Minkus Show)
Bjay Wooley (Tucson Tales)
Scott Terrell (UA Sports.net)
Pamela Powers (Tucson Progressive)

About 7 guests (spouses/partners/friends) also attended and enjoyed the luncheon.
Mark created a 10 question Tucson Citizen trivia contest, which was won by yours truly and 2nd place went to Cherlyn Strong. I won a lightly used Lumix camera (which I need), and Cherlyn won a gift certificate to Target. (If any of you are interested in what the questions were, comment below and I’ll let you know.)

Missed the rest of you who weren’t able to attend & party with us. The online Tucsoncitizen.com started off with 7 bloggers (along with Mark and Ryn) back on June 2, 2009, went up to 45 in January, 2010 and is now at 65 bloggers online! Keep writing everyone!

Happy Holidays from Tucsoncitizen.com.

Toby Chivers

Event schedule to date from website, www.2ndsaturdaysdowntown.org.

Scott Avenue Stage (between Congress St. and Broadway Blvd.):

6:00pm-7:00pm: A Son y Sol (Latin American music with a twist)
7:15pm-8:30pm: Banana Gun (upbeat acoustic)
8:45pm-10:00pm: Jumper (power-pop)

Along Congress Street:

Art Car Exhibit: 10+ vehicles presented by Automorphosis
Odyssey Storytelling: Look for the StoryArts Cart on the topic – “Masks: Hidden Identities”
5:30 pm-6:15pm: 7 Pipers Band – bagpipers
7pm-9pm: Critical Stilts – Stilt walking & dancing
6pm-10pm: Living Statues, presented by Parasol Project (see photo below courtesy of Donovan Durband)

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Ronstadt Transit Center @ 6th Ave & Congress Street:
5:30pm-7pm: Les Avenge – beat boy acrobatics
7:00pm-8:00pm: Desert Melodies
8:00pm-9:00pm: The Technophobes – candy folk music
9:00pm-10:00pm: Honey Pistol – folk rock/indie/acoustic
7pm-9pm: Magician John Coppin
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Indian Village Lot – Kid’s Corner! Between Stone & Scott on Congress:
West wall: Cinema La Placita screens “Alice in Wonderland” & an encore presentation of a compilation of music videos from the Tucson Film & Music Festival.
East Wall: Ultimate Electronics hosts Rock Band video competitions.

Plus art activities for the kids, an anti-gravity jumping device and more!
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Old Pueblo Garage, 27 E. Congress Street:
6pm-8pm: Blanco Cliff & John White – blues

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NW Corner – Congress St./Stone Ave:
6pm-8pm: The Missing Parts – Folk music from an undiscovered country

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SW Corner – Congress St./Stone Ave:
7:30pm-10pm: Les Avenge – Beat boy acrobatics
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Chicago Store, 130 E. Congress Street:
6pm-10pm: One Phat DJ
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June’s Corner Store, 10 E. Broadway Blvd.
6:30pm-8pm: TBA
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Flanagan’s Celtic Corner, 222 E. Congress Street:
Annual Celtic Pumpkin and Gourd Carving Contest. Gift Certificates to Flanagan’s Celtic Corner will be awarded.

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And over at El Presidio Park and the Jacome Library Plaza of the Joel D. Valdez Main library is Tucson Meet Yourself, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., also on Saturday! Read my blog on that annual event (click here).

Upcoming 2nd Saturdays Downtown: Saturday, November 13, 2010 and Saturday, December 11, 2010.

Jamie O’Brien was playing his uplifting Irish music at One North Fifth (with Sharon Goldwasser on violin & mandolin), then I rambled over to the lovely Fox Tucson Theatre to hear the renowned Portland Cello Project (five cello musicians) on stage with a drummer. They played a haunting “Godfather Theme” in the first hour and even a rousing singalong “Hey ya”, followed by several lively songs with Weinland (a vocal guitarist).

Then I ran into fellow TC.com blogger Charles Spillar (“Artistic Tucson”) and we set off to explore two fabulous L.A. themed bars– Sapphire Lounge (rooftop bar, with several floors of ultra elegant dance/lounge areas) at 61 E. Congress, then Zen Rock, an equally elegant dance/lounge with a basement at 121 E. Congress. Wow, neither of us could believe these two high scale bars existed on Congress Street.

Then we checked out “Catacoustic Groove” a men’s cappella rock/soul/R & B group of six fellows including Dr. Bruce Bayly, an old friend of mine. They were drawing a large crowd at the Ronstadt Transit Center.

Also happening: a rock sound stage on Scott Avenue with The Modeens, The Mission Creeps, and Greyhound Soul, and nearby the Tucson Circus Arts with people on stilts, who teach juggling, clowning & taiko drumming. A local pie maker (Big Skye) sold me a delicious strawberry/rhubard pie. It seems street musicians were everywhere, along with mimes/human statues with grey faces & costumes, and a good mix of food and craft vendors. Most of the restaurants on E. Congress were open and doing good business as well. Stefan George was performing over at the Hotel Congress for free.

Cinema La Placita showed Beatles’ movies on a large screen projected on the wall of the large empty lot on E. Congress between Scott and Stone, and Ultimate Electronics encouraged youth to participate in karaoke/musical instrument participatory singalongs, also Beatles’ music. I loved hearing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” again. Cinema La Placita organizer Erika O’Dowd was passing out flyers for their upcoming Beatles movie on May 13, “A Hard Day’s Night.”

Need I say more? It was a fantastic “Urban Street Fest.” Kudos to former TC.com blogger Donovan Durband and his new boss Ward 6 Councilmember Steve Kozachik who apparently had a big hand in pulling this event together. Both men were present as well, enjoying themselves.

And as Everett, the guy with a humorous “Free advice for 5 cents” stand on the corner of Congress/6th Avenue said “my advice is to come back” for another 2nd Saturday. I recommend we all take his advice.

The second 2nd Saturdays Downtown is slated for June 12. Don’t miss it.

5/9/10 UPDATE: Photo gallery of shots taken by Donovan click here.

Featured art includes sculptures, paintings, assemblages, jewelry and functional art all made using recycled bicycle parts or with bicycle themes. Both the Art Auction/Celebration and the Sneak Preview will include music, entertainment and refreshments. The Auction is silent bidding and final bids will be called at 9:00 PM.

Both events will be at the same location: The Art Gallery, 1122 N. Stone (NE corner of Stone and Speedway, across from De Anza Park). Blogger Charles Spillar (“Artistic Tucson”) wrote about this eclectic gallery on November 30.

“Through advocacy and recycling of the bicycle, the BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Action & Salvage) mission is to promote education, art, and a healthy environment while providing service and opportunity for those in need.” They are located in the basement of a large building at 44 W. 6th St. near 9th Avenue, phone: 520-628-7950.

My family has taken classes there in bike maintenance, donated old bikes and parts to them for recycling, fixed bikes ourselves in their workshop (photo below). You can also participate in their monthly community bike rides or view bicycle movies there.

BICAS workshop

Do show up to check out these unique bicycle inspired art objects. I’ve gone to the Art Auction in the past and am always amazed at what people can create out of bike parts, or to look like bikes.

And you don’t have to be a bicyclist to appreciate the creative artwork.