Here are some photos of last night’s 2nd Saturdays Downtown urban street fest, along and around E. Congress Street, compliments of Donovan Dean Durband (Ward 6 Council aide and former Executive Director of the Downtown Tucson Alliance), and Tucson Birthday’s photographer Jon Scanlon.

human statue, courtesy of Donovan Durband

A Son y Sol at Ronstadt Transit Center, courtesy of Donovan Durband

Roll Acosta on the Scott Avenue Stage, courtesy of Donovan Durband

A couple of art receptions were going on as well at Arts Marketplace (featuring artist Mel Dominguez), teen art at The Drawing Studio, and “The Art of Functional Fashion” mixed in with bike training (with drums!) at the newly opened 02 Modern Fitness center at 186 E. Broadway (corner of 5th Avenue). Over on Congress, Daniel Martin Diaz was showing his art in Sacred Machine (photo below). There was definitely diverse community art to choose from last night.

Daniel Martin Diaz's Sacred Machine gallery, courtesy of Donovan Durband

Also here are some photos by Jon Scanlon for Tucson’s Birthday at the Fox Tucson Theatre.

standing room only at the Fox Theater, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

We spent almost our entire time at the free Fox Tucson Theater concert, featuring first The Seven Pipers Scottish bagpipe troupe, then the Gospel Music Workshop of America, followed by former Tucson Citizen staffer Daniel Buckley‘s video of Cele Peterson, and a short talk by “Big Jim” Griffith (of Tucson Meet Yourself fame), then lots of great music.

Gabriel Ayala at the Fox, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

Gabriel Ayala (Native American guitarist) was followed by STICKSnFINGERS Caribbean band with 5 calypso like dancers, Chinese Lion dancers of the Tucson Chinese School, then guitarist Salvador Duran (with Chili Willie on bongos), Los Gallegos (4 talented brothers), and finally Mariachi Sonido de Mexico with singer Olga Flores. Wow, it was a multi-cultural fest of terrific local music & dance, for over two hours.

Sticks & Fingers with dancers, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

Chili Willie with Salvador Duran, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

Los Gallegos at the Fox, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

Mariachi Sonido de Mexico, courtesy of Jon Scanlon

“Big Jim” on stage said it all “This is our community, and ain’t it great?” This event was a tribute to Tucson’s “First Lady of Fashion”, Cele Peterson, who passed away at age 101 in May of this year. For more photos of this Fox Birthday event, go to the Tucson Birthday website (Flickr) for Jon Scanlon’s photo file (click here).

If you haven’t been to a 2nd Saturdays Downtown event yet, mark your calendars for the next one on September 11. It’s a family-friendly event as well, as shown by this photo last night of these joyful little boys playing with bubbles:

boys playing with bubbles, courtesy of Donovan Durband

A year ago the 138 year old Tucson Citizen newspaper ceased publication (print edition), but is very much alive online as Tucsoncitizen.com. Where have all the former 65 reporters/staffers gone since then?

One of the Citizen’s investigative reporters Renee Schafer Horton who has a blogsite here at Tucsoncitizen.com (“God Blogging and more”), wrote an article on “Where are they now?” in this week’s Tucson Weekly (page 15, May 13, 2010 issue). You can read it online here.

She writes about what happened to Carli Brosseau (pictured in the Weekly article),
and other reporters/staffers including MJ McVay, Rogelio Olivas, Lorrie Brownstone, Jennifer Boice, Tom Stauffer, Judy Carlock, Steve Rivera (now “Steve Rivera Ventures” here at Tucsoncitizen.com).

Renee has finished up her teacher certification coursework and will be student teaching at Salpointe Catholic High School in the fall.

Dan Buckley is running his own video company, www.danielbuckleyproductions.com, and I just saw him on Monday May 10, video taping Cele’s Peterson’s memorial service at the U of A Poetry Center.

Dylan Smith & Mike Truelsen have launched the Tucsonsentinel.com (“news, info & commentary”), online only. Jennifer Boice is on their board of directors, along with Michael Chihak, former publisher.

I recently heard former Associate Editor Mark Kimble again on the radio, as he works as an aide to CD 8 Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at her Tucson district office.

Does anyone know what happened to Garry Duffy, the political reporter who acted on the side as wizard Zoggog at the Valley of the Moon? I toured that fantasy land on Saturday and wondered about his whereabouts.

Of course Mark Evans and Ryn Gargulinski have been competently co-editing this online “The Voice of Tucson”, at Tucsoncitizen.com for a year now. And former cartoonist Arnie Bermudez just joined us recently with his own “Bermudez Shorts” blogsite. Sports writers Andy Morales (“High School Sports with Andy Morales”) and Anthony Gimino (“AG’s Wildcat Report”) have been blogging here since July and September, respectively.

I was a “My Tucson” guest columnist (under a Work for Hire contract) for 2008-2009 and continued blogging for the Tucsoncitizen.com after the demise of the print version. I still remember the shock when Gannett, Inc. announced in January, 2009 that the Tucson Citizen newspaper, which had been continuously publishing since 1870, would cease publication. At that time, the concept of “citizen journalists” continuing this news resource online as “The Voice of Tucson” was novel. Two other former “My Tucson” columnists, Elizabeth “BJay” Woolley (“BJay’s Work from Home Experience”) and Don Smith (“Fort Buckley”) are occasionally writing here as well.

Many of these former Citizen staffers had a float (actually a “Press Corpse” coffin) at the All Souls’ Procession parade on November 8, 2009. I’ve linked to Ryn’s slide show of that procession, including photo # 40 of former Citizen staffer Val Canez with an “Our epitaph” tshirt & sign.

R.I.P. Tucson Citizen print newspaper, a year later.

“Gone, but not forgotten.”