Check out the latest in home decorating and renovating ideas this weekend.

Our picks for the top entertainment events of the week

SAHBA Home & Patio Show returns to TCC

Discover an array of home improvement and remodeling ideas for your indoor and outdoor living areas during this three-day show presented by the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association. More than 450 exhibitors will be on hand with services and products. When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday Where: Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave. Price: $8 general, free for ages 12 and younger; discounts available Info: www.sahbahomeshow.com

Spring Fling offers thrills for 35th anniversary

Rides, midway games, food, and both amateur and professional entertainment are all part of this event, the largest student-run carnival in the nation. This year marks Spring Fling’s 35th anniversary. When: 4 p.m.-midnight Thursday-Friday, noon-midnight Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday Where: Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 N. First Ave. Price: $5 admission; free with CatCard or military ID • Parking is $2, or take advantage of free shuttle service at Old Main on the University of Arizona campus and Tucson Mall. For a schedule, visit the Web site. Info: springfling.arizona.edu/Info.html

Weekend concerts benefit Tucson Folk Festival

Twenty-one bands perform Saturday and Sunday to preview and benefit the upcoming 2009 Tucson Folk Festival (May 2-3 at El Presidio Park). Musicians include Kevin Pakulis, Round the House, Batucaxe, and Ice-9. Plentiful seating under the trees, easy weekend parking. All ages. Food and full bar. Visit the Web site for a full schedule of artists. When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Where: Old Town Artisans, 201 N. Court Ave. Price: $10 per day Info: 792-6481, www.tkma.org

Expo returning for the second year downtown at Hotel Arizona

Jon Lewis of 4 Forty 4 Tattoo does a skull tattoo on the back of Travis Shipley, 27, during last year's Tattoo and Blues show and contest at Hotel Arizona. This year's event will be April 10-12.

Tattoo artists will ply their crafts April 10-12 at the second Tucson Tattoo Expo at Hotel Arizona, 181 W. Broadway.

The event will mix local artists with tattoo practitioners from California, New Mexico and as far away as Hawaii and Virginia.

The expo is a homegrown event put on by local tattoo artists Jon Lewis and Mike Davenport. It will feature 40 booths with tattoo artists and 10 vendor booths with clothing, accessories and tattoo supplies.

Lewis and Davenport estimated that last year’s expo drew 2,000 people.

“I was tattooing the whole weekend,” said Lewis, who owns 4 Forty 4 Tattoo, 444 E. Sixth St.

Tattoos have become fully mainstream in the past decade or two.

“There’s not a stigma placed on this any more,” Lewis said. “Every demographic range has artwork on them, basically a tattoo.”

A Harris Poll survey in 2003 found that 16 percent of Americans have tattoos. A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center found that more than one-third of Gen Nexters ages 18 to 25 have tattoos. A 2004 survey by the American Academy of Dermatology found that 24 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 50 have tattoos.

“The main purpose of the expo is for people to get tattooed by artists they have not seen before or been aware of,” said Davenport, an artist at Big Brother Tattoo, 3010 E. Grant Road. “(The tattoo artists) are qualified professionals that work in professional shops with reputations.”

The expo will have a late-night after party April 10 at Hotel Arizona featuring local bands and Black Cherry Burlesque. And local clothing shop Razorz Edge, 427 N. Fourth Ave., will put on a fashion show at the expo at 5 p.m. April 11.

“All of this stuff is so interrelated,” Lewis said. “What we do is in every facet of the world right now.”

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IF YOU GO

What: Tucson Tattoo Expo

Where: Hotel Arizona, 181 W. Broadway

When: 4 to 11 p.m. April 10; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. April 11; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 12

Admission: $10 per day, $28 for a weekend pass

Thousands are expected for the 15th annual Earth Day Festival on Saturday at Reid Park.

The theme this year is “All Species Deserve a Green Habitat.”

The event, at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Country Club Road and 22nd Street, is open to the public and will host about 50 exhibitors.

Exhibits will provide information about sustainability, environmental products, water conservation, water quality, household hazardous waste, wildlife, nature preserves and more.

There will be family-friendly activities such as face painting and hands-on activities for kids. A disc jockey will be playing tunes for most of the day.

People can get their bicycles registered or sign up for a carpool.

Patrons may also watch a parade led by Batucaxé, an Afro-Brazilian music drum/dance ensemble. The parade begins at 10:00 a.m.

Participants are encouraged to dress like plants, animals and insects.

Those in the parade are competing for the top prize. Winners are announced at 11:30 a.m.

Another competition that day will be the solar house and solar car competition.

The house judging will be from 10:45 to 11 a.m. The car judging will be from 11 to 11:15 a.m.

Students from a local middle school will race the cars from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“This festival continues to be the most popular Earth Day event in Tucson,” said Pamela Beilke, chair of the Earth Day Festival.

Another event will be the alternative fuel vehicle show. It will feature vehicles that run on alternative fuels such as biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electric, ethanol, propane and even waste vegetable oil.

Along with the alternative fuel vehicle show, those who have volunteered with Tucson Clean & Beautiful (TC&B) will be recognized.

Bethany Hontz from Saguaro National Park will recognize those volunteers who battle buffelgrass.

There will also be performances by the Retro Rockets, Alumni from Utterback Middle School and the Shadz Band. The Retro Rockets, a 60s Rock and Roll tribute band, will play songs by The Beatles, The Yardbirds, The Turtles, the Byrds, The Young Rascals and Roy Orbison. The alumni band will play swing music.

Last year about 5,000 people attended the Tucson Earth Day Festival.

———

IF YOU GO

What: 15th annual Earth Day Festival

Where: Reid Park at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, Country Club Road and 22nd Street

When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Details: Call Pamela J. Beilke, Chair, 975-9426 or online at: www.tucsonearthday.org

The Reid Park Zoo is offering free admission in conjunction with the Earth Day Festival.

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WHAT IS EARTH DAY?

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day.

Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe on or around April 22.

Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grass-roots organizations and citizens, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect the global environment.

Source: www.epa.gov/earthday

Bruce Bayly lies on a bed of 400 nails at a past Physics Phun Night

There are three words Tony Pitucco doesn’t want to hear when he’s lying on a bed of 400 nails: Do it again.

“Kids always shout ‘Do it again!’ but you really don’t want to do that one again,” said Pitucco, laughing. “You only want to lay on nails once a year.”

Pitucco is the man behind Pima Community College’s annual Physics Phun Night, which is in its 13th year of showing that science is fun.

The show will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at PCC’s West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road, in the Center For the Arts Proscenium Theatre.

The Pima show is an offshoot of a similar family-friendly physics function offered by the University of Arizona each fall.

“The things we do are rather remarkable because they are outside of common sense,” said Pitucco, chair of the physics department at PCC’s West Campus. “We have a bunch of standby experiments with liquid nitrogen, lasers, aerodynamics and the kids really get into it.”

About three years ago, Pitucco and Bruce Bayly, a UA mathematics professor and Pitucco’s partner in physics crime, decided to put the experiments into skits. The skits feature Pitucco, Bayly and a Raytheon engineer who was once Pitucco’s student at Pima.

“There’s an evil scientist, of course, and a good scientist and this year it will be pirates that are going from one island to another trying to solve the mystery,” Pitucco said. “We’re extremely bad actors, but we have no embarrassment and no shame at all.”

This year’s show – titled “The Pirates of PCC” – will also have extra experiments and demonstrations in the campus’ parking lot, courtesy of the Physics Factory Bus.

“Some of the experiments we can’t do in the auditorium because of fire and things,” Pitucco said.

The purpose of the annual event is to engage students in science and to explain that while science can be hard, it’s also really fun, said Pitucco.

“We want kids to see scientists having fun,” he said. “And it works because after the show you can’t stop them from storming the stage with questions. You can keep them there until almost midnight.”

People attending Friday’s Physics Phun Night will have the opportunity to ride a hovercraft, see liquid nitrogen freeze flowers or tennis balls and, of course, see the bed of 400 nails.

Pitucco said he and Bayly take turns lying on the bed, which demonstrates how pressure is distributed across an area. Another bed of nails is placed on the person’s chest. A brick is placed on the top bed and a Pima student is asked to break the brick with a mallet.

“If there was just one nail, it would be bad, but with a lot, it isn’t painless, but it is distributed,” Pitucco said. “Still, you don’t want to do it more than once a year.”

Spring Fling is the largest student-run carnival in the United States.

Our picks for the top entertainment events of the week

Spring Fling celebrates 35th anniversary

Rides, midway games, food and amateur and professional entertainment are part of the event, the largest student-run carnival in the nation. Each year, more than 3,000 University of Arizona students volunteer to bring fun and excitement to the Tucson community while raising money for their clubs and organizations. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Spring Fling. When: Hours are 4 p.m.-midnight April 2-3, noon-midnight April 4 and noon-8 p.m. April 5. Where: Rillito Park Race Track, 4502 N. First Ave. Price: $5 admission. Free with CatCard, military ID Parking $2 Info: springfling.arizona.edu/Info.html

Last chance to attend Renaissance Festival

Hear ye, hear ye, the 21st annual Arizona Renaissance Festival & Artisan Market Place ends this weekend. You better hurry if you want to be transported back to the days of Camelot. Complete with a 12-stage theater upon which belly dancers sway and jokers jest, the festival has a little something for every member of the family. When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Where: Festival Village, 12601 E. U.S. Route 60 Apache Junction Price: adults $18 in advance, $20 at box office; $17 for seniors; $6 for ages 5-12; free to 5 and younger. Parking is free. Info: 520-463-2700, www.RenFestInfo.com Directions: Pinal Pioneer Parkway (state Route 79) to Florence Junction. West seven miles on U.S. Route 60

Roller Derby features a fight fit for a queen

It’s a battle royal between the royal babes and the Commies as the Iron Curtain takes on the Copper Queens. When: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday Where: Bladeworld, 1065 W. Grant Road Price: $5-$10 Info: 390-1454, www.tucsonrollerderby.com

Jay-Z

Tickets go on sale Friday for next month’s concert by Rapper Jay-Z and “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson at Arizona Stadium.

Alt-rockers Third Eye Blind and Australian pop-rock act The Veronicas also are scheduled to perform at the April 29 Last Smash Platinum Bash presented by Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

Tickets – priced from $26-$200 – go on sale from 9 a.m.-noon Friday for UA students and at noon for the general public. They’re available only online at asua.arizona.edu.

For more information, call 621-2782.

The annual concert under the stars at Sabino Canyon, 5900 N. Sabino Canyon Road, is Saturday.

Four groups will perform for visitors, including the string band of the U.S. Forest Service, The Fiddlin’ Foresters.

The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, along with performers playing Western music and smooth jazz, will share the bill from 5 to 9 p.m.

Donations of $5 a person and $10 for a family will benefit the nonprofit Friends of the Canyon, dedicated to the enhancement of the canyon, said Heidi Schewel, media officer for the Coronado National Forest. Guests can park at no cost in the Sabino Canyon parking lot and walk a quarter mile to the performance stage. Call 749-7720 for more details.

Get your 2009 Pima County Fair ride tickets now and save!

The fair runs April 16-26, at the Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road, but discounted ride tickets are on sale through April 16 at Fry’s grocery stores, said Launa Rabago, a fair spokeswoman.

You can get 10 rides for $10, a 70 percent discount from regular tickets. The discounted ride tickets can be used only on weekdays.

Admission is $7 for adults, $2 for children 6 to 10 years old, and free for children under 5 years old. Parking is $5.

Opening day will be free until 3 p.m. with two cans of unopened food.

Children who read three books and write a report will get a free carnival ride as part of the “Read and Ride” program which will go on throughout the fair, Rabago said.

For more information on daily discounts go to www.pimacountyfair.com.

Join a park naturalist for an easy hike to explore and experience the Sonoran Desert at night.

The night walk will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday.

The walk will be at Saguaro National Park East, 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail.

Dress for the weather, wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring water and a flashlight.

Park entrance fee is $10 per car.

Space is limited, advanced reservations are required.

Call 733-5153.

Shoppers walk along North Fourth Avenue near East Ninth Street during the Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair on Sunday. About 400 arts and crafts vendors set up booths.

The 40th annual Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair has wrapped up, after drawing an estimated 300,000 Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with mixed reviews.

Some said the money was good, even with a faltering national economy.

Other said not as much was being spent by visitors this year.

“I think we’ve had a good turnout of people. Despite all the bad news about the economy, people have decided to go to the fair,” said Kanella Conklin, owner of Kanella’s, a North Fourth Avenue clothing store.

John Sedwick, executive director of the North Fourth Avenue Merchants Association, said the word he was getting from art-booth operators was the revenue from sales at the fair were down about 20 percent.

But vendors, many of whom follow a circuit of street fairs around the country, report that revenue at other street fairs is down 30 to 50 percent, Sedwick said.

“People are not spending at the level of past years, but the artists are pleased,” Sedwick said.

Monica Cota, 34, owner of the Rustic Candle Co. said of the fair, “It’s been good, but it’s been a little slower than the winter one.” A street fair is also held along the avenue in the winter.

People are holding back, “maybe a little,” on their spending because of the economy, said Cota, whose business is on North Fourth.

But, Cota said, “in general, I think it’s going well.”

The street fair, Sedwick said, featured 400 booths, with merchants selling such things as ethnic foods from a variety of cultures, including Greek, Mexican and Thai foods. There also were a variety of arts and crafts and T-shirts being sold along the avenue.

There also were street jugglers, a kids’ hands-on art pavilion, face painting, balloons and a Ferris wheel for the kids, Sedwick said.

In past years, Sedwick said, the fair has drawn between 200,000 and 400,000 people.

The fair, Sedwick said, helps fund a number of non-profit charities each year.

Among those at the fair Sunday were Hector Garcia and his wife, Delores, in Tucson for the weekend from El Paso, Texas, to see a Diamondbacks spring training game.

With the couple was their 9-year-old daughter, Alejandra Garcia.

Sunday was her first time at the street fair and she said, “It’s good, lots of things to look at.

Her mother said the family had not bought anything at the fair other than food, but that was only because they had just arrived early Sunday afternoon.

“We just barely got here,” Delores Garcia said.

She said her family decided to come to the fair after seeing an information pamphlet about it at their hotel.

Alejandra Garcia, 9, of El Paso, Texas, enjoys some brisket on Sunday at the Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair.

Barton has worked at Reid Park for past five years

Reid Park Zoo's Scott Barton will run the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif.

Reid Park Zoo’s general curator will leave Tucson next month to become director of the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif.

Scott Barton, 51, has been the zoo’s general curator for five years. He said he’s excited about the opportunity but sad to leave Tucson.

“Tucson’s an amazing community, and this zoo is a great resource for the community,” he said. “I will miss it very much.”

Barton will work with other zoo employees to “make sure everything is taken care of” before his departure at the beginning of May, he said.

Susan Basford, the zoo’s administrator, said that the search for Barton’s replacement will begin as soon as the city approves it.

“This position is essential and we hope to find someone that can bring as much experience, creativity and energy as Scott did,” Basford said. “We are happy for him but sad to see him go.”

Barton grew up in Fresno and graduated from Fresno State University in 1982.

His first job in a zoo was at the Roeding Park Zoo in Fresno from 1980 to 1984.

Readers say they love eateries, such as Feast, that use fresh ingredients.

We don’t work for Gannett. We’re paid by Gannett to work for you. With that in mind, here are the restaurants most frequently mentioned as favorites among readers with whom I’ve corresponded over the last two years:

Acacia 4340 N. Campbell Ave., 232-0101

Arizona Inn

2200 E. Elm St., 325-1541

Athens on 4th Avenue

624-6886

Blue Willow Cafe

2616 N. Campbell Ave., 327-7577

Cafe Poca Cosa 110 E. Pennington St., 622-4400

El Charro Cafe

311 N. Court Ave., 622-1922

El Guero Canelo

517 W. Utah St., and 2480 N. Oracle Road, 295-9005 and 882-8977

Feast

4122 E. Speedway Blvd., 326-9363

Guadalajara Grill

1220 E. Prince Road, 323-1022

In-N-Out Burger

3711 E. Broadway and 8180 W. Cortaro Road, 800-786-1000

Janos 3770 E. Sunrise Drive, 615-6100

Jonathan’s Cork

6320 E Tanque Verde Road, 296-1631

Le Rendez-Vous

3844 E Fort Lowell Road, 323-7373

Mi Nidito Restaurant

1813 S. Fourth Ave. 622-5081

Pinnacle Peak

6541 E Tanque Verde Road, 296-0911

Primo Restaurant

380 W. Starr Pass Blvd., 792-3500

RA Sushi

2905 E Skyline Dr., 615-3970

Red Sky New American Cuisine & Catering

2910 N. Swan Road, 326-5454

Shish Kebab House of Tucson

5855 E. Broadway, 745-5308

Sullivan’s Steakhouse

1785 E. River Road, 299-4275

The Grill at Hacienda del Sol

5601 N. Hacienda Del Sol Road, 529-3500

Verona Italian Restaurant

120 S. Houghton Road, 722-2722

Vivace Restaurant

4310 N. Campbell Ave., 795-7221

Wildflower

7037 N. Oracle Road, 219-4230

The weather should be nice and toasty for this weekend's 4th Avenue Street Fair.

Our picks for the top entertainment events of the week

Find all you want at 4th Avenue Street Fair

The fair, which takes place between Ninth Street and University Boulevard along Fourth Avenue, includes 400 arts and crafts booths, 35 food vendors, two stages, street musicians, jugglers, street performers, kids’ hands-on-art area, face painting, balloons and other activities in three days of celebration. When: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday Where: Fourth Avenue Price: free admission Info: 624-5004, www.fourthavenue.org

Literary arts fest part of Nuestras Raices event

The all-day event features free entertainment, stories, music and dance representing Mexican-American culture. Activities include a mercado, folklorico dancing, a bilingual puppet show and a youth mariachi competition. When: The fun kicks off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday Where: Jacome Plaza, 101 N. Stone Ave. Price: free admission Info: 791-4010, www.library.pima.gov/spotlight/nuestras

Friends hold benefit for ailing musician Jones

Tucson’s popular percussionist Plato T. Jones of the venerable desert reggae band Neon Prophet is fighting cancer and facing a mountain of medical bills. He has been unable to work, so friends are having a musical celebration and benefit on his behalf. When: 6 p.m. Sunday Where: Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Price: $10 suggested donation (but no one will be turned away) Info: 690-0991, www.boondockslounge.com

Jones

Don something green and head downtown for Tucson's St. Patrick's Day Parade and Festival, where the theme this year is "Wearin' o' the Green.'

St. Patrick’s Day is about more than just drinking. Tucsonans can show their Irish pride at a parade, a festival and a worthy fundraiser. After doing your good deed, then you can party. Here are some options:

SATURDAY

DANCE PARTY: Tucson’s own Irish singer-songwriter Nancy McCallion has teamed up with Mollys alumni Kevin Schramm, Gary Mackender and Danny Krieger for a special St. Paddy’s dance party. Local fiddle player Tom Rhodes also spices up this tasty Irish musical stew. The Boondocks will offer a special holiday menu to keep you energized for dancing. When: 8 p.m. Where: Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Price: $10 Info: 690-0991

SUNDAY

PARADE & FESTIVAL: “Wearin’ o’ the Green” is the theme for this year’s parade and festival, which also marks its 22nd anniversary. It all takes place at Armory Park beginning at 10 a.m., with the parade at 11. Festivities include a kids’ play area, food, beer and all things Celtic for purchase. The parade route will start at Stone Avenue at 13th Street and moves north on Stone to Broadway. It will turn west at Broadway to Church Street, where it then will proceed north. It turns east on Congress Street, then south on Sixth Avenue to Armory Park at 13th Street. Streets between 13th and 15th and streets east of Sixth Avenue will be closed, except to parade participants and vehicles. Where: Downtown Tucson Info: 623-9922, www.tucsonstpatricksday.com

HOOLEY: Thousands converge upon downtown for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, but when it ends, some revelers want to keep on reveling. Enter Club Congress, which is offering a free party that’s intended to break down into a big-ol’ Irish singalong. Helping that cause will be local band the Dusty Buskers as well as a piano player offering up all those traditional Irish tunes that sound a bit better with a bit of Guinness in your belly. Tucson Emerald Isle Society is helping organize this one, and those folks know how to get an Irish party started. When: 5 p.m. Where: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. Info: 622-8848, hotelcongress.com

TUESDAY

O’MALLEY’S: O’Malley’s for eats, O’Malley’s for drinks. If St. Patrick’s is an all-day affair, you can wake up with green beer and end it with a leprechaun by your side. Seriously- we’re told no fewer than three leprechauns will circulate the bar “granting wishes and surprising guests with gifts.” We’re not clever enough to make that up. From 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., $10 gets you access to the buffet, which will include Irish stew, corned beef tacos and Irish whiskey wings. Live music (both on the indoor and outdoor stages) starts at 12:30 p.m. with The Laune Rangers and continues with the Dusty Buskers, Cheat the Hangman, Irish drum corps, Holy Rolling Empire and Sunday Afternoon. To whet that thirst, the bartenders will be serving up Irish trinity drinks – that’s Irish whiskey and cream and Guinness. Where: O’Malleys On Fourth, 247 N. Fourth Ave. Info: 623-8600

AOH FUNDRAISER: The Ancient Order of Hibernians, a Catholic, Irish American Fraternal Organization founded in New York City on May 4, 1836, celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a fundraiser party. Proceeds from the sales of food, shirts and beads, as well as tips received from bartending members in the south parking lot tent will be donated to the following: The Merilac Foundation, San Miguel High School scholarships, the UMC Pediatric Oncology Ward, and others. Put on your Irish and join us in supporting these worthwhile causes. When: 11 a.m. Where: O’Malleys On Fourth, 247 N. Fourth Ave. Price: free admission Info: azaoh.com

SUPPER SHOW: Nancy McCallion is best known as the songwriter and vocalist for original Celtic-Norteño-you-name-it folk-rock cult band The Mollys. This St. Patrick’s Day, she teams up with Mollys alumni Kevin Schramm and Danny Krieger for an early supper show beginning at 6 p.m. Expect traditional and original songs featuring accordion, banjo, pennywhistle and bouzouki; cry in your beer, pound the table and dance as necessary! Traditional corned beef dinner available. All ages welcome. When: 6-9 p.m. Where: Boondocks Lounge, 3306 N. First Ave. Price: $3 cover, $7 dinner Info: 690-0991

BREEZE: Two things elevate this celebration: patio dining and green JELL-O shots. Yes, there’s also corned beef and cabbage and green beer. Is it JELL-O shot before beer, never fear? Or beer before Jello, feeling swell-o? We can never remember. When: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Where: Breeze Patio Bar & Grill, 6555 E. Speedway Blvd. Info: 721-7100, rstucson.com

FROG & FIRKIN: Yes, this is an English pub. And? They still like any reason to have a party, so you can watch performances of traditional Irish music all day (and night) long. To whet the Irish whistle, F&F has Guinness, Harp and Smithwick’s on tap. When: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Where: Frog & Firkin, 874 E. University Blvd. Info: 623-7507

HIFALUTIN: Corned beef and cabbage tastes so much better with $3 cocktails. Hifalutin will be serving up both Midori margaritas and Jameson whiskey highballs for that low, low price. When: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Where: HiFalutin Rapid Fire Western Grill, 6780 N. Oracle Road Price: $10.99 Info: 297-0518

JONATHAN’S CORK: Cozy up next to one of the four beehive fireplaces in the dining room and get yourself corned beef and cabbage as prepared by Chef Jonathan Landeen. When: 5 p.m. Where: Jonathan’s Cork, 6320 E Tanque Verde Rd. Price: $15.95 Info: 296-1631

O’SHAUGHNESSY’S: Celebrate the day with good food and song. Servers will serenade you with Ireland song while you enjoy a special Irish menu. The menu includes Irish stew, corned beef, cabbage, Irish potatoes and Mistress Murphy’s Bread Pudding. When: 10 a.m. Where: O’Shaughnessy’s Steak House & Piano Bar, 2200 N. Camino Principal Price: Menu items vary Info: 296-7464, www.songhall.com

SIGNATURE GRILL: Corned beef and cabbage not your thing? Splurge and head to the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort, where its Signature Grill will be serving a five-course meal. Start the meal with chicken liver pâté (paired with Jameson Irish whiskey), followed by parsnip and apple soup with bleu cheese toast served (with Irish Harp Lager), a roasted beet and goat cheese salad (with Smithwicks Red Ale), an entree of Guinness-battered fish and chips (with Guinness) and dessert of an Irish coffee pot de creme with cinnamon shortbread cookies. When: 5:30-10 p.m. Where: Signature Grill, JW Marriott Starr Pass 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd. Price: $65 per person Info: 791-6071

THE IRISH PUB: Party all day and into the night with $1 domestic green beer mugs and live entertainment by Jay Faircloth (beginning at 8 p.m.). Don’t forget the corned beef, cabbage and red potatoes all day for $8.95 or corned beef and cabbage with Swiss on rye for $8.25. Featured drinks are Black and Tans, Blacksmith’s and Half & Halfs ($5.75 each), and Guinness, Bass and Smithwick’s ($5 each). When: 11 a.m. Where: The Irish Pub, 9155 E. Tanque Verde Road Price: Menu items vary Info: 749-2299, www.irishpubtucson.com

FRIDAY’S STYLE PARTY: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day T.G.I. Friday’s style. Drink specials and half-price appetizers will be featured all day long. If you’re lucky, you may just catch some free beads and buttons. When: 11 a.m. Where: T.G.I. Friday’s, 4901 East Broadway Price: Menu items vary Info: 745-3743, www.tgifridays.com

The Green Corn Tamale Plate at El Torero is a favorite with diners.

Good options for a quick bite

Philabaum Glass Studio & Gallery, 711 S. Sixth Ave., is featuring “Let the Good Times Roll,” an exhibit of murrini roll-ups by Paul Anders-Stout. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m Tuesdays-Saturdays. Here are five good lunch spots within a mile or so of Philabaum:

BIRRIERIA GUADALAJARA

304 E. 22nd St., 624-8020, 7 a.m.-8:30 p.m. daily

Jalisco-style tacos at this modest, corner joint are good, fast, and inexpensive.

EL MINUTO CAFE

354 S. Main Ave., 882-4145, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays

Has been serving great carne seca, chile rellenos and more for 70 years.

EL TORERO

236 E. 26th St., 622-9534, 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays, noon-9 p.m. Saturdays, and noon-8:30 p.m. Sundays

Venerable, old-school restaurant serves Sonoran-style classics including excellent Topopo salads and giant cheese crisps.

MOLCA’S MEXICAN GRILL

2425 S. Sixth Ave., 295-4466, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 7 a.m.-midnight Fridays-Saturdays

Sinaloan fare in this former Wienerschnitzel A-frame includes excellent, fried-to-order Tacos Dorados.

TAQUERIA PICO DE GALLO

2618 S. Sixth Ave., 623-8775, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays

Baja-style fare featuring the best fish and shrimp tacos in town. Add the namesake fruit cup for a heart-healthy dessert.

El Minuto Cafe has been serving traditional Mexican dishes to downtown diners for 70 years.