The Grand Finale at Toole & Stone Ave. will feature pyrotechnics by Flam Chen, Ensphere (rock band), Odaiko Sonora (taiko drumming), Silver Thread Trio and more! New this year will be a metal art tower for the procession’s climax.

“Flam Chen have been creating, performing, and touring new circus and fire theater since 1994. We create dazzling public spectacle by merging daredevil acrobatics, pyrotechnics and a mastery of light, air and fire.”

Log onto www.allsoulsprocession.org or sponsor Many Mouths One Stomach, www.manymouths.org for more information.

Many Mouths One Stomach (MMOS) is a Tucson-based collective of artists, teachers and community activists who come together with the intent to create, inspire, manifest and perpetuate modern festal culture.The All Souls Procession is an event that was created to serve the public need to mourn, reflect, and celebrate the universal experience of Death, through their ancestors, loved ones and the living.

Poster is entitled “For the Road”- original artwork by Philip Felix at Red Sky Studio.

And last year Val Canez, former employee of the Tucson Citizen newspaper was marching in the All Souls Procession, with other former employees carrying a coffin of our beloved print edition. The Tucson Citizen, age 139, ceased publication on May 16, 2009, may it R.I.P.

Photo of Val and “Our epitaph”, courtesy of Ryn Gargulinski, one of the two online Tucsoncitizen.com’s editors.

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.”