Homicide Survivors will host its annual vigil Saturday to stand up for victims’ rights and remember those killed by violence.

The vigil runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at Children’s Memorial Park, 4851 N. 15th Place. The program includes remarks from survivors, music, a memorial balloon release and candle lighting.

The 25th annual vigil is part of the National Crime Victim Rights Week.

For more information, contact 740-5729.

RYN GARGULINSKI

A giant alligator, sizable skull, jumbo serpent and two big ghosts have found new homes in Tucson, nearly the last of the Magic Carpet Golf statues.

The only concrete statues left from artist Lee Koplin’s collection are the massive sphinx and the roulette wheel. They remain at the defunct golf course at 6125 E. Speedway Blvd.

The sphinx’s interior measures at least 200 square feet, said statue-saver Charlie Spillar, big enough to be transformed into an artist studio or office.

Spillar, an artist himself, is also the spokesman for Valley of the Moon, a 1920s-era fantasy land at 2544 E. Allen Road. Five of the statues are going to Valley of the Moon, while the rest have gone to area businesses or residences.

Anyone interested in the sphinx or roulette wheel can contact Spillar at cspillar@q.com.

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.

Come join the peace effort at the 6th annual Jewish-Muslim PeaceWalk.

The event starts at 2 p.m. Sunday, going from Congregation Or Chadash, 3939 N. Alvernon Way, to the Al Huda Islamic School, 2800 E. River Road, where a meal will be served at 5:30 p.m.

There will also be activities at Brandi Fenton Park, River Road and the Rillito River, west of Dodge Boulevard.

For more information, call 404-1988 or go to www.peacwalktucson.org.

Kaya, a 16-month-old African lioness, is the newest addition at the Reid Park Zoo. She came from the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park.

The king of the jungle is getting a queen at the Reid Park Zoo.

Kaya, a 16-month-old female African lioness, arrived at the zoo last week and will soon be joining male African lion Kitabu in his habitat.

She’s currently in quarantine, just to make sure she’s “super-healthy” before she’s introduced into the zoo’s population, education curator Vivian VanPeenen said.

The two lions will be more roommates than anything else, as Kitabu had a vasectomy in December.

Even though they won’t be mating, Kaya is expected to bring a playful bounce back into the habitat.

“She will challenge Kitabu to put pep back in his step,” VanPeenen said. Kitabu is still a young 16 years old, and he’s expected to become even more spry with a younger pal.

“She is full grown but still has that sort of baby look to her,” VanPeenen said of the lioness.

Kaya hails from the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, where her keepers described her as “bold and independent.”

“They said she was incredibly inquisitive and very playful,” VanPeenen said.

A third lion at the Reid Park Zoo, old man M’bali who is 21, will not interact with Kaya.

He’ll stay in the large area behind the scenes when Kaya and Kitabu are in the main exhibit. The lions will be rotated, with the duo behind the scenes when M’bali is on exhibit.

“People will never see all three lions together at once,” VanPeenen explained.

The zoo’s previous female, A-Tatu, used to trade off spending time with both males. She was euthanized in October at age 21 because her quality of life was diminished due to ailments like progressive arthritis.

Kaya, however, may be a bit much for M’bali to deal with.

“For geriatric animals, it’s too much of a challenge,” VanPeenen said.

She said Kaya should be out of quarantine in another two to three weeks.

Prior to Kaya, the most recent additions to the zoo were three little pigs – Visayan warty pigs, to be exact. Pearl, Dakila and Calaya came to the Reid Park Zoo in July.

A Pig Party is planned for the trio at 1 p.m. Sunday, which is National Pig Day.

“We never had pigs before,” VanPeenen said. “This is new for the zoo.”

The Pig Party will feature pig crafts, activities, a warty pig training demonstration and a pig parade for the kids.

The party is free with regular admission to the zoo.

Reid Park Zoo's Visayan warty pigs, another fairly new arrival, will be celebrated at 1 p.m. Sunday with a Pig Party.

Kruse International show first of its kind for Tucson

Michael Moga leans on a 1970 Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda with a rare A990 Hemi racing engine. The 1971 Hemi 'Cuda (center) has a 426 Hemi engine. The third car is a 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner A-12.

Tucson will get a taste of big-time classic car auctions Feb. 27-28 at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave., where some cars are expected to sell for more than $1 million, the sponsor said.

The Greater Tucson Collector Car Auction is the first major classic car auction here. It will be put on by Kruse International, based in Auburn, Ind., which had one of the four prominent winter classic car auctions in Phoenix/Scottsdale alongside the high-profile televised Barrett-Jackson auction.

The Tucson auction will feature more than 300 cars, including a 1970 Plymouth A990 Hemi ‘Cuda and a 2009 Bugatti Veyron that could exceed $1.8 million, event sponsor Michael Moga said.

Other cars listed so far are a 1966 Ford Mustang, a 1971 Chevrolet Camaro, a 1954 Chevrolet Corvette and a 1934 Ford Coupe.

Moga, a Tucson resident since 1967, said he negotiated directly with Kruse owner Dean Kruse to land the auction for Tucson.

The Tucson auction is one of 15 collectible car auctions Kruse is staging this year. The list includes the Kruse Fall Auction each Labor Day in Auburn, Ind., which is the largest classic car auction in the world, drawing more than 5,000 vehicles and 200,000 attendees. The Labor Day auction is the fourth largest event in Indiana behind the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Indiana State Fair, according to the Kruse Web site.

“We want to have our own high-caliber classic car auction,” Moga said.

Moga expects bidders to fly in from as far away as Florida, New York and Mexico City. He thinks there will be more than 200 registered bidders.

Tucsonans can be bidders, too, by paying a $100 bidder fee and being able to verify the source of payment.

Tucsonans can also put their cars on the auction block for $350 for a reserve (minimum) selling price or $250 as a nonreserve entry with no minimum selling price.

Spectators who just want to look at classic cars can get in for $10 per day and children 12 or younger get in free. The auction starts at 10 a.m. each day and runs until 6 to 8 p.m., depending on how sales progress during the day.

More information is available at www.kruse.com/auctions/tucson09.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to view extremely rare and exotic and collectible automobiles,” Moga said.

The Tucson Convention Center has put on car shows and auctions but nothing reaching this caliber, said Kate Breck Calhoun, TCC’s sales and marketing director.

“Because of the huge success with Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, we’re tapping into an incredibly popular phenomenon,” Calhoun said.

The Kruse auctions started in 1971 in Auburn, where the luxury Duesenberg cars were built, and later that same year Thomas W. Barrett and Russell Jackson brought Dean Kruse in to help start a collector car auction in Phoenix.

“(Kruse is) the originator of the collector car auction,” Moga said. “Kruse started Barrett-Jackson.”

Moga, a Salpointe Catholic High School and University of Arizona graduate, will auction some classic cars from his own collection, which ranges in size from 15 to 33 cars, depending on how much he’s buying or selling. In his stable, he has Corvettes from 1953, 1962 and 1967 and the 1970 Hemi ‘Cuda that will be auctioned.

“That’s the center of my collection,” Moga said about the Hemi ‘Cuda, a model that in past years has brought in a half million dollars at Barrett-Jackson.

Firecrackers, dancing, beauty pageant featured as Vietnamese celebrate

The dragon dance kicked off the festivities during the Vietnamese New Year's celebration at the Our Lady of LaVang Parish, 800 S. Tucson Blvd.

Tiffany Le, 4, loved the dancing dragon. For Cecilia Nguyen, 17, it was the food.

Both were among the more than 1,000 who attended the fifth annual Vietnamese New Year’s celebration at Our Lady of LaVang Parish, 800 S. Tucson Blvd.

“It’s getting bigger every year.” said Anton Tran, who left Vietnam in 1979 and arrived in the United States after spending eight months in Thailand.

Officially, the Vietnamese New Year began Monday, but Tucson Roman Catholic Diocese Bishop Gerald Kicanas authorized a Mass and celebration to occur Sunday, Tran said.

Many of the attendees were Chinese, who are also celebrating the new year with their own festivities, said Jane Trinh, 26, a church spokeswoman.

This year, the Chinese and Vietnamese new year are on the same day, but that is not always the case, Trinh, said.

This new year for both is the Year of the Ox, which represents “prosperity through fortitude and hard work.” Trinh said.

Hard work paid off for Le, who knocked enough stuffed animals off a shelf at a carnival booth.

Wearing a light-blue flowery traditional Vietnamese dress called an ao dai, she won a teddy bear at the Animal Kingdom booth.

Other activities included a beauty pageant, bingo, dance performances and firecrackers to scare away evil spirits.

The church yard was lined with stands selling traditional food.

David Chen, 19, a University of Arizona biochemistry and molecular biophysics major, is Taiwanese-American.

According to Chen, despite cultural differences, the Chinese celebrate the new year much like the Vietnamese. Chen’s mom makes moon cakes and long noodles to celebrate the new year.

And eating long noodles is a good thing.

Short noodles mean you will have a short life, while long noodles give you a long life, said Duyen Kim, 29, a Vietnamese Buddhist who came to the United States in 1993.

People reach for the envelopes on the fortune tree during the Vietnamese New Year's celebration Sunday. It's the Year of the Ox.

By David L. Teibel, Daniel Woolfolk

The downtown First Night Tucson celebration on New Year’s Eve will wrap up with a midnight fireworks show, organizers confirmed Monday.

The Tucson Fire Department gave clearance for fireworks to be launched from near the Tucson Music Hall-Leo Rich Theater plaza, where the countdown to the new year will take place, said Cara Rene, vice president for community relations at Downtown Tucson Partnership.

The fireworks cap off the 11:45 p.m. grand finale that includes a laser light show and the Brazilian rhythms of the local drum-and-dance ensemble Batucaxé.

“It will be very close, fun and intense experience,” Rene said about the proximity of the fireworks show, which will be funded by $10,000 from the Downtown Tucson Development Co.

First Night activities start at 4 p.m. Wednesday at several downtown locations and continue into the midnight hour.

Register now to explore the natural lore of the solstice holiday on a night-time drive through Saguaro National Park – Rincon Mountain District on Saturday. The Holiday Car Caravan auto tours will feature several stops along the eight-mile Cactus Forest Drive. Each tour lasts approximately 90 minutes. Cookies and cider will be offered at the visitor center throughout the evening. Space is limited. When: 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Where: 3693 S. Old Spanish Trail Price: Park fees apply – $10 per vehicle or pass Info: 733-5153

Say hello to 2009 with safe, family-oriented fun

Downtown Tucson Partnership is offering a family-oriented New Year’s Eve celebration.

This is the first year for the event, at seven venues in the heart of the city.

Paid admission allows entry to all venues. Buttons are on sale at all Bookmans and Food City stores, The Fox Tucson Theatre, and the partnership’s Web site.

Here are the details.

IF YOU GO

What: First Night Tucson

When: 4 p.m.-midnight Wednesday

Where: Seven downtown locations: • Leo Rich Theater at Tucson Convention Center, Scottish Rite Cathedral and Beowulf Alley Theatre. The ticketed sites feature varied entertainment including Hispanic roots music and dance, bluegrass, jazz, blues and world music, comedy and more. • The Fox Tucson Theatre. Movies will be screened, including a children’s feature from 4-6 p.m. • La Placita Village and Leo Rich Theater Plaza. Continuous free entertainment is featured during the festival. • Tucson Children’s Museum. Free entertainment outdoors from 4-8 p.m. A festival badge will allow attendees inside the museum for hands-on activities.

Price: $12 adults, $6 ages 6-12, free for 5 and younger

Details: 991-7926, downtowntucson.org This family-friendly, alcohol-free festival offers multicultural music, dance, comedy, magic, children’s activities and more. Activities and entertainment lead up to a grand finale at midnight.

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

LEO RICH THEATER at Tucson Convention Center 260 S. Church Ave. (Hispanic roots entertainment) • 4 p.m. Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s String Quartet – “Josefina the Javelina” (a musical adventure) • 5 Mariachi Aguilitas de Davis • 6 Nelly y Javier • 7 Ballet Folklorico Tapatio (traditional Mexican dance) • 8 Los Quatros Vientos (mariachi quartet) • 9 La Mezcla • 10 and 11 Santa Cruz River Band (Southwestern folk music)

SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL 160 S. Scott Ave. • 4 & 5 p.m.: Rodney Housley Children’s Magic Show • 6: Mirror Image (jazz duo) • 7: DeGrazia Spanish Guitar • 8: Silver Thread Trio (folk/jazz/world music) • 9 Leila Lopez (folk fusion) • 10 and 11 Tim Weed (bluegrass)

TUCSON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 200 S. Sixth Ave. (All outside entertainment is free; festival badge gets you inside for hands-on activities) • 4 p.m. Thorton Willoughby, the Southwestern Wizard (magic) • 5 Human Project New Era (hip-ho

dance) • 6 Sticks and Fingers (percussion) • 7 Puppet Muzik (puppet show)

BEOWULF ALLEY THEATRE 11 S. Sixth Ave. • 4 p.m. Stories that Soar! • 5 Lisa Otey and Diane Van Deurzen (singalong) • 6 Stories that Soar! • 7 Lisa Otey and Diane Van Deurzen (blues) • 8 LaughingStock Comedy Co. (improv) • 9 Angel and the Blues Disciples • 10 LaughingStock Comedy Co. • 11 Angels and the Blues Disciples

FOX TUCSON THEATRE 17 W. Congress St. • 4 and 6 p.m. Free “Spongebob Squarepants: The Movie”

LA PLACITA VILLAGE COURTYARD 110 S. Church Ave. (Free children’s and family-friendly programming) • 4-6 p.m. Face painting • 4 The Dusty Buskers (children’s set) • 5 The Rosano Brothers • 6 Beatnik Dream Vacation • 7 Kate Becker Project • 8 Stefan George • 9 The Tryst • 10 The Evolution • 11 The Dusty Buskers

LEO RICH PLAZA (in front of Leo Rich Theater) 260 S. Church Ave. • Ongoing Art installation by Mat Bevel • 3:30-6 p.m. The Physics Factory • 3:30 Amber Norgaard • 5:30 Mission Creeps • 7:30 Beatnik Dream Vacation • 8:30 Namoli Brennet • 9:30-11:30 El Camino Royales • Midnight grand finale with music and dance by Batucaxé and a countdown laser show.

He pitches in $1,500 for security at event that draws 8,000

Adilene Martinez, 3, gets a stuffed toy dog from Santa during the Miracle on 31st Christmas Party at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds.

A last-minute present from a 10-year-old boy gave thousands of area youngsters something to smile about Wednesday.

David Martinez ensured the annual Miracle on 31st Street Christmas party would go on by donating $1,500 to help pay for security at the event.

Organizer Ramon Gonzales was left scrambling when the agency that normally provides security for the holiday gift giveaway at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds backed out Tuesday.

The city would not allow the event – in its 38th year – to take place without security, Gonzales said.

Hiring off-duty Tucson police officers would cost about $1,200, Gonzales said, but all the funds raised for the event had already been spent on toys.

Enter David, who – though he had already donated $4,000 in toys this year (and $5,000 last Christmas) – provided another $1,500 Tuesday to pay for security.

“This whole party can happen because of that little boy,” Gonzales said.

How a 10-year-old could afford to pay thousands of dollars for security and presents will remain a Christmas mystery, however, because David and his family declined to discuss the donations.

Two police motor officers worked the event while on duty, which meant there was no charge for their services, said Officer Charles Rydzak, a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

And three off-duty officers worked the approximately nine-hour event for $35 an hour each, he said.

“TPD stepped up to bat so the event could go ahead,” he said.

Kids began lining up in the predawn chill at 5:30 a.m. to wait for Santa, who arrived by helicopter shortly after 10 a.m.

Adilene Martinez, 3, and her 2-year-old brother, Javier, were among the first to arrive.

Wearing Bratz shoes and a Barbie sweater, Adilene munched on a hot dog and chips during the wait. Though eager to see Santa, she was tired from getting up so early.

“She was the first one up this morning,” said her father, Angel Martinez. “She really wants to see Santa.”

When her turn came to see St. Nick, Adilene sat on his lap. She left with a big grin on her face, clutching a Care Bear, fashion phone and an astronaut Barbie.

Seven-year-old Alondra Sandoval eagerly awaited her turn to sit on Santa’s lap.

“I’m going to tell him to come to our house and give us lots of presents,” she said.

Food at the event was supplied by Silver Saddle Steak House, which provided chili dogs, chips, sodas and bottled water for the crowd.

Owner Orlando Alva said his restaurant has participated in the event for 23 years.

“As long as Ramon throws this party we’ll be there,” he said. “It’s for the kids. It’s the least we can do to give back.”

Live music and a display of motorcycles and lowriders helped entertain the partygoers.

By the time festivities were were winding down at 2:30 p.m., far more than last year’s total of 8,000 children had received toys, Gonzales said.

Collecting enough toys was again a last-minute scramble, said Gonzales, a retired sheet metal worker.

On Dec. 17, only 700 toys were on hand, he said, but more than 8,000 were collected in the final week of the drive.

“All of a sudden, all these people were knocking on the door. The phone never stopped ringing,” Gonzales said. “Toys for Tots gave us more than 6,000 toys.”

At 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, two trucks filled with toys collected by the Marine Corps Reserve for the Toys for Tots effort arrived at the Rodeo Grounds, destined for area kids. Toys for Tots had been desperate for donations itself this year. But earlier this week car dealer Jim Click donated $25,000 to the drive.

“Every year, the community comes through with the toys, and this year they did,” Gonzales said.

“Thanks to all people who supported this party for years and years and years.”

Gonzales has organized Miracle on 31st Street all 38 years of its existence.

He began throwing the party for a few children in his neighborhood and family in the 400 block of West 31st Street, hence the name.

He hopes Miracle reaches its 40th anniversary, and maybe more.

“God willing, I’ll try for two more years,” he said. “Why not dedicate one day a year to these kids?”

Some of the thousands of kids who lined up to see Santa. Miracle on 31st Street organizers saw to it that more than 8,000 kids received holiday toys and food. Event founder Ramon Gonzales said the turnout was the largest in the 38 years the party has been held.

Alexis Camargo, 4 months old, came dressed like Santa.

Adilene Martinez with her toy dog

Neighborhood festival turns juice on nightly through Dec. 27

Walkers stop to look at one of the many homes decorated for the annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights on Sunday. The festival in the midtown neighborhood, bordered by North Tucson Boulevard and East Prince, East Fort Lowell and North Country Club roads, runs through Dec. 27.

If you’re wondering where to find a Christmas winter wonderland, it’s not at the North Pole.

It’s in Tucson, near East Kleindale Road and North Bentley Avenue.

That’s in Winterhaven, where, for more than half a century residents have festooned their homes and yards with Christmas lights – bright, sometimes elaborate displays.

The 58th annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights began Saturday in the midtown neighborhood and runs nightly through Dec. 27

Strolling along Kleindale, Elizabeth and Wayne Sebring, with their 3-year-old son Kyle, took in the show as they have since they were children in Tucson.

“It means it’s Christmas and we enjoy them every year,” said Elizabeth Sebring, 40.

It’s “good,” Kyle chimed in.

His father, Wayne Sebring, 50, said, “It’s a tradition, I guess. I think it’s nice they (residents) go to all this trouble.”

Steve Pageau, 54, doesn’t mind.

“It’s part of living in Winterhaven,” he said, standing at the door of the decorated home he and his wife Nanette, 52, have lived in for eight years.

Their yard is decorated with white lights, and penguins on an iceberg.

“A lot of people come through and they make comments like, ‘This is wonderful. Thank you,’ ” Steve Pageau said.

Like the Sebrings, Nhung Do 48, lives outside the neighborhood.

Do, originally from Vietnam, said she has seen the Festival of Lights each year for the past three years.

“I come here; like it,” Do said, “I feel it’s very beautiful.”

Perhaps the neighborhood’s centerpiece is the Winter Wonderland, a home covered with lights from wall to rooftop.

The lighting is so thick that it is difficult to see the home underneath. Colored lights cover the roof and walls and spill into the yard.

A home across the street boasts a light, water and music display that draws crowds.

The lights and water jets in the front yard are synchronized with classical music.

As the water jets upward, it is hit with colored lights, turning it into a red and green fountain.

“It was awesome,” said Christy Morrison, a 52-year-old rehabilitation teacher for the visually impaired.

Morrison drove all the way from her home near East Wrightstown and North Pantano roads.

She has visited Winterhaven every year for the past 25 years. “I think it’s spectacular.”

Wayne and Elizabeth Sebring and their son Kyle, 3, take a walk through Winterhaven on a cool Sunday evening.

Joggers with the Southern Arizona Roadrunners club run through Winterhaven while enjoying the displays.

———

IF YOU GO

What: The 58th annual Winterhaven Festival of Lights

When: 5:30 to 10 p.m. nightly through Dec. 27

Where: Winterhaven, the midtown neighborhood bordered by North Tucson Boulevard and East Prince, East Fort Lowell and North Country Club roads.

Details: Admission is free but visitors may bring canned or boxed food to donate to the Community Food Bank.

For more information: Call 881-4483 or go to www.winterhavenfestival.org/festival.html

Range of holiday music, from Reperatory Singers to Reveille

Arizona Repertory Singers, including Ed Strain, Julie Patrick and Eloise Fredrickson in front, practices earlier this month at Christ the King Episcopal Church, 2800 W. Ina Road.

Within the sacred walls of the Benedictine Monastery, the voices of the Arizona Repertory Singers will ring in Christmas this weekend.

For some faithful patrons who have attended the group’s concerts for 25 years, it is the most meaningful part of the holidays.

“People come up to us after the concert and say, ‘This is Christmas for me, right here, right now,’ ” says longtime singer and board member Angela Hagen.

“It’s nice to be that for people for 25 years,” she says. “That’s tradition.”

The concerts are among many musical choices Tucsonans have to help celebrate the holidays this year.

From the Reveille Men’s Chorus’ “Holidays in Hollywood” to the Southern Arizona Women’s Chorus’ “A Jazz Noel Holiday Concert” to the Sunnyside High School Jazz Band, there are musical offerings aplenty.

For many, the holidays would not be complete without a Repertory Singers concert. And this year, the peaceful break the music provides from the realities of the world seems especially welcome, says Jeffry Jahn, director since 1990. The group performed last week at Christ the King Episcopal Church.

“It was a release for them,” he says. “For an hour and a half, it put all their troubles behind them and allowed them to soak up the season.”

This weekend, the group performs twice at the Benedictine Monastery, a serene, rose-hued Spanish Renaissance-style structure at 800 N. Country Club Road.

This season, the groups added a second concert at the monastery after people were turned away from the full house last year.

“It’s a gorgeous acoustic (space) and a wonderful place to listen to music,” Hagen says. “The acoustic just goes on forever. Probably the last chord from last year is still hanging around.”

Says Jahn of the monastery, “It’s one of the best kept secrets in Tucson. It’s very European-looking, right in the middle of Tucson.”

A portion of proceeds from the two concerts will benefit the Benedictine Sisters, which has experienced financial difficulties.

To celebrate its 25th season, the ensemble will present an eclectic program of a cappella classics, including Russian liturgical music by Rachmaninoff and Tschesnokov, Brahms’ motet “O Heiland reiß die Himmel auf,” Renaissance works and traditional English and American carols.

The nearly 50 singers in the group, selected through auditions, are students, retirees and professionals, including a doctor, a lawyer, a nurse and several teachers.

Jahn says you won’t hear any commercial pop tunes at the concert.

“We have some very serious Christmas music you won’t hear elsewhere.”

Arizona Repertory Singers director Jeffry Jahn during choir practice

Reveille Men’s Chorus (shown in a 2006 concert) performs its holiday concert Friday

———

IF YOU GO

What: Arizona Repertory Singers’ 2008 Holiday Concerts: A Silver Christmas Celebration

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 21

Where: Benedictine Monastery, 800 N. Country Club Road (Friday and Sunday), Fountain of Life Lutheran Church, 710 S. Kolb Road (Dec. 21)

Price: Donations at the door are $12 adults, $10 seniors and students and free to ages 12 and younger.

Details: Early arrival is recommended, especially for the monastery concerts; 792-8141, www.arsingers.org

———

MORE HOLIDAY CONCERTS

Search the “holiday” category at www.tucsoncitizen.com/events.

What do “home” and “family” mean to you?

That is the theme of an essay contest for Tucson middle and high school students, sponsored by the Arizona Theatre Co., in conjunction with its January production of “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Entry deadline is Jan. 5.

The play tells the story of a family living on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. The drama follows their journey as they try to grab a piece of the American dream by leaving their cramped apartment for a home of their own.

Students in sixth through eighth grades may write 100- to 250-word essays; high school students 250- to 500-word essays. Winners will receive tickets to the show, an opportunity to meet the cast and other prizes.

Include your name, grade, school and contact information and mail it to Arizona Theatre Co., Attn.: Jennifer Bazzell, P.O. Box 1631, Tucson, AZ 85702.

Or send an e-mail it to jbazzell@arizonatheatre.org.

For information, call 884-8210.

As Christmas approaches so does a beautiful, longstanding Tucson tradition – the Winterhaven Festival of Lights.

Every year, residents of the midtown neighborhood strive to outdo themselves, decorating homes and yards with festive holiday displays.

The 58th annual Festival of Lights begins 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Winterhaven Island, a large traffic island in the center of the neighborhood.

Admission is free, visitors may donate canned or boxed food to the Tucson Community Food Bank, said Janine Kaucher, the festival committee’s chairwoman.

Winterhaven is bounded by North Tucson Boulevard and East Prince, East Fort Lowell and North Country Club roads.

Kaucher said Saturday’s opening ceremony will feature local entertainment, including singing by the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy youth choir and 12-year-old Annie Bathen.

Visitors may walk through the neighborhood 5:30 to 10 nightly Saturday through Dec. 27, said Kristen Culliney, a festival committee volunteer. Drive-through nights are slated Dec. 16, 18 and 27.

For more information, call (520) 881-4483 or go to the festival’s Web site at http://www.winterhavenfestival.org/festival.html.