Yes, this is a baseball, not a softball, but you get the point.

Anyone wanting to help a kid while they take in a ballgame can do so Saturday.

The second annual KLPX Us n Them Softball Tournament to Benefit La Paloma Kids hits Hi Corbett Field, 3400 E. Camino Campestre, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each of the four tournament teams consists of one KLPX radio station DJ backed by listeners chosen over the last few weeks.

There’s no admittance fee, but folks are asked to come armed with new or slightly used sporting goods that will be donated to La Paloma.

The event also offers live music from Tucson band Crosscut Saw, food, drinks, game booths and most likely some hilarious antics on the field.

More info: www.klpx.com/events.php

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Do you know of other charity events to benefit non-profit Tucson organizations?

Post them below or e-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com (rynski@tucsoncitizen.com)

Dulce Gonzalez, 5, cools off in a running creek at Madera Canyon.

Day trips are a great way to get away without the cost of, say, flying to Paris.

Southern Arizona is rife with riveting adventures and a three-day weekend is the perfect time to take one.

I thank the reader who suggested a day trip feature and hope others contribute their own ideas.

Since the paper had an awesome staff of feature writers, I scoured the archives and found an ideal trip for late May.

DAY TRIP: MADERA CANYON

With the weather heating up, it’s a perfect time for the short trip to Madera Canyon. Nestled in the Santa Rita mountain range, you’ll be protected by foliage as you hike or picnic. (You’ll still want to start relatively early to beat the heat. Temperature tends to be about 10 degrees cooler than in Tucson.)

One of the big draws for the thousands of folks who visit the canyon annually is birding. Among the canyon’s residents are the trogons, Townsend’s warblers, yellow-eyed juncos and gray flycatchers, though there are many, many more – some 200 species have been seen. For a nice, up-to-date list of recent bird spottings, visit friendsofmaderacanyon.org.

Hikers can enjoy a variety of trails, and Madera is also a popular spot for photographers.

Where to eat

Get shade from sycamores at the Madera picnic area, and from oaks across the road at Madera Trailhead Picnic Area; $5 vehicle parking.

Or, for something less rustic, try the Grill on the Green at Canoa Ranch. It’s a Bob McMahon restaurant and features fare similar to Old Pueblo Grille; (520) 393-1933. (Yes, I checked Friday. The place is still open and will be this weekend.)

The drive

About 42 miles south of Tucson. Take Interstate 19 about 25 miles south of Tucson to Exit 63. Turn left onto Continental Road and drive one mile. Turn right on White House Canyon Road and go 14 miles to the top of the canyon.

To learn more

Nogales Ranger District (Santa Rita Mountains, Madera Canyon): (520) 281-2296

fs.fed.us/r3/ coronado

Memorial Day weekend update from the Coronado National Forest

Santa Rita Mountains (Nogales Ranger District)

Open: Madera Canyon campground and picnic areas, Upper White Rock campground, Whipple picnic site, and Calabassas picnic area.

Note: All Pena Blanca Lake recreation areas remain closed due to mercury clean-up efforts.

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Madera Canyon sounds grand, but remember it will probably be packed due to the holiday.

Also remember to steer clear of the Pena Blanca Lake area unless you’re a fan of mercury.

County public health director Dr. Bob England says Lowell Elementary School has been “experiencing a much higher than normal rate of absenteeism due to illness that looks like flu.”

England ordered the school closed as a precaution until May 26.

He says with swine flu and seasonal flu behaving much the same way, it’s not recommended that students already home with mild illness be tested for swine flu. So, England says it’s likely that the strain of flu will remain unknown.

Lowell Elementary School spokeswoman Sara Bresnahan said officials saw a spike of absences on Monday among the school’s 700-student population. About 20 percent of the student body called in sick.

England ordered three schools closed April 29 after students contracted swine flu. A few days later, he announced he wouldn’t order new closures unless a particular school had a widespread outbreak.

I have a huge crush on this guy at school. I know he doesn’t like me, and I’ve even told him that I like him. (But) he won’t give in. What should I do?

Sincerely, Z.B.

Dear Z. B.,

Reality check! Even though you’re head over heels for this fella, it’s not gonna change how he feels about you. I know this is a big-time disappointment, but you really need to take a step back and pursue your other interests.

Friends always, Boomer Bear

Dear Boomer,

I’ve dreamed about going to Sea World and Disneyland. I can see myself riding on the back of a giant whale or dolphin. That would be so exciting! I’ve heard so much about the Mickey Mouse Club. Meeting Donald Duck or Goofy would make my day.

B.T.

Dear B.T.,

You’ve got a great imagination and could probably make a heckuva commercial for southern California’s tourism office! After school lets out for summer, lots of families head for San Diego (Sea World) or Anaheim (Disneyland) to escape the Arizona heat.

If your family doesn’t have the money or time for such a big trip, there are lots of cool places nearby like Mount Lemmon. I think my family is driving up to the White Mountains for our vacation. Good luck with the rest of the school year!

Your buddy, Boomer

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ASK BOOMER

He’s wise, he’s cool and he’s ready to respond. Write a letter to Boomer Bear of Bear Essential News for Kids!

Bear Essential News for Kids

1037 S. Alvernon Way, No. 150

Tucson, AZ 85711

boomer@bearessentialnews.com

Kredible is a wonderful magician and comedian, and I recently met him. Kredible got started as a magician/comedian at age 12 and got his first job at 16. He grew up always knowing he wanted to follow in the footsteps of legendary magicians David Copperfield and Lance Burton. Before he started to travel and perform, he went to college at Emerson University in Boston and got a degree in journalism. Kredible’s mom told him that he needed a backup plan – if he couldn’t be a magician, he’d be a journalist.

Kredible’s first show was at the Brotherhood of Magicians in Norfolk, Va. He won the competition! The largest place he has performed had a crowd of 2,500 people. His favorite place to perform is Tucson’s Gaslight Theatre because his grandparents live here. They love his show and enjoy watching it.

He’s been on Rachael Ray’s TV show several times. When the show got started, the producer wanted a young, up-and-coming star, and that was Kredible! He performs for all age groups, from little kids to adults. Kredible changes his jokes for the audiences but does the same brilliant tricks.

He’s has won the College Campus Activities Magazine entertainer of the year for the third year in a row and will be on an episode of “Suite Life On Deck” in August or September.

Shows are June 29 at 7 p.m. and July 1 at noon. Tickets are $16 for adults, $10 for children (12 and under) on June 29; $12 for adults, $10 for children on July 1. For tickets, call the theater at 886-9428.

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PROMOTING LITERACY THROUGH JOURNALISM

The Tucson Citizen is in partnership with Bear Essential News, Domino’s Pizza and KVOA to promote literacy through journalism.

The school, 6880 E. Broadway, had the highest average number of books read per student in a Tucson school.

In February, March and April, the school’s 157 students read 10,476 books, or an average of 67 books a student.

The school was one of 22 in Tucson to participate in the third annual challenge. Tucson students read more than 160,000 books for the challenge. Statewide, students read more than 296,500 books.

Representatives from Bookmans Entertainment Exchange will present the grand prize check at a 9 a.m. Wednesday award ceremony.

CHICAGO – Leo Lytel was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. But by age 9 he had overcome the disorder.

His progress is part of a growing body of research that suggests at least 10 percent of children with autism can “recover” from it – most of them after undergoing years of intensive behavioral therapy.

Skeptics question the phenomenon, but University of Connecticut psychology professor Deborah Fein is among those convinced it’s real.

She presented research this week at an autism conference in Chicago that included 20 children who, according to rigorous analysis, got a correct diagnosis but years later were no longer considered autistic.

Among them was Leo, a boy in Washington, D.C., who once made no eye contact, who echoed words said to him and often spun around in circles – all classic autism symptoms. Now he is an articulate, social third-grader. His mother, Jayne Lytel, says his teachers call Leo a leader.

The study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, involves children ages 9 to 18.

Autism researcher Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, called Fein’s research a breakthrough.

“Even though a number of us out in the clinical field have seen kids who appear to recover,” it has never been documented as thoroughly as Fein’s work, Dawson said.

“We’re at a very early stage in terms of understanding” the phenomenon, Dawson said.

Previous studies have suggested between 3 percent and 25 percent of autistic kids recover. Fein says her studies have shown the range is 10 percent to 20 percent.

But even after lots of therapy – often carefully designed educational and social activities with rewards – most autistic children remain autistic.

Recovery is “not a realistic expectation for the majority of kids,” but parents should know it can happen, Fein said.

Doubters say “either they really weren’t autistic to begin with . . . or they’re still socially odd and obsessive, but they don’t exactly meet criteria” for autism, she said.

Fein said the children in her study “really were” autistic and now they’re “really not.”

University of Michigan autism expert Catherine Lord said she also has seen autistic patients who recover. Most had parents who spent long hours working with them on behavior improvement.

But, Lord added, “I don’t think we can predict who this will happen for.” And she does not think it’s possible to make it happen.

The children in Fein’s study, which is still ongoing, were diagnosed by an autism specialist before age 5 but no longer meet diagnostic criteria for autism. The initial diagnoses were verified through early medical records.

Because the phenomenon is so rare, Fein is still seeking children to help bolster evidence on what traits formerly autistic kids may have in common. Her team is also comparing these children with autistic and non-autistic kids.

So far, the “recovered” kids “are turning out very normal” on neuropsychological exams and verbal and nonverbal tests, she said.

The researchers are also doing imaging tests to see if the recovered kids’ brains look more like those of autistic or nonautistic children. Autistic children’s brains tend to be slightly larger than normal.

Imaging scans also are being done to examine brain function in formerly autistic kids. Researchers want to know if their “normal” behavior is a result of “normal” brain activity, or if their brains process information in a nontypical way to compensate for any deficits.

Results from those tests are still being analyzed.

Most of the formerly autistic kids got long-term behavior treatment soon after diagnosis, in some cases for 30 or 40 hours weekly.

Many also have above-average IQs and had been diagnosed with relatively mild cases of autism. At age 2, many were within the normal range for motor development, able to walk, climb and hold a pencil.

Significant improvement suggesting recovery was evident by around age 7 in most cases, Fein said.

None of the children has shown any sign of relapse. But nearly three-fourths of the formerly autistic kids have had other disorders, including attention-deficit problems, tics and phobias; eight still are affected.

Jayne Lytel says Leo sometimes still gets upset easily but is much more flexible than before.

Michael Luria, the new executive director of the Tucson Children's Museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave., says, "I keep one eye on the present, to make it more fun. And the other eye on the future: What does the Children's Museum look like in three, four, five years?" He is standing by a model of a Tyrannosaurus rex in the museum.

Home prices are way down, 401(k) tumbles have negated many a near-term retirement and jobs are vaporizing left and right. But people are going to the Tucson Children’s Museum in growing numbers.

That doesn’t surprise Michael Luria, who became the museum’s executive director April 18 after serving six years on its board, the last four as president and president-elect.

During his board tenure, attendance has mushroomed from 59,470 in 2003 to 95,204 in 2008. Attendance this year is up 10.4 percent.

“I keep one eye on the present, to make it more fun,” Luria said. “And the other eye on the future: What does the Children’s Museum look like in three, four, five years?”

In the “present,” a new coat of paint went onto the 1901 facade in recent weeks; the wall blocking the view of the Carnegie Library building that houses the museum came down last year; Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s Toys will become the museum’s gift shop on May 21; summer camp is being revived; Monsoon Mondays will keep the museum open until 8 p.m. on Mondays from Memorial Day to Labor Day after one- and two-month trials the past two summers; and two new exhibits are in the works for fall.

For the future, Luria wants a new museum facility, a quest he’s pursued since 2006, when the Legislature approved extending the Rio Nuevo tax increment financing from 2013 to 2025. Luria was the board member most keen to get a new children’s museum in the lineup for the now-sidelined Rio Nuevo Tucson Origins complex.

He still remains eager to build a new museum twice the size of the present one, which is squeezed into the confines of an early 20th-century library. But he acknowledged that is in a “holding pattern” now because the City Council has put Tucson Origins on the back shelf.

“Having a new facility would create endless opportunity for type, size and variety of exhibits we could have,” he said, especially traveling exhibits that are too large for the museum’s current space.

Luria describes this as a “year of change” for him.

He turns 40 on May 25. He started the year as the face (and owner) of Terra Cotta restaurant and now he’s the full-time face (and executive director) of the Children’s Museum, transitioning from interim executive director, the post he assumed Nov. 17.

The “interim” melted away after he, his father, Don Luria, and stepmother, Donna Nordin, closed Terra Cotta on Jan. 31, giving Michael Luria the clear schedule to devote to the museum requested by board members.

“If you look at the context of where we were seven years ago, we did a pretty good job,” Luria said. “If you look at other children’s museums, it’s not that we aren’t doing a good job but that others are doing a better job.”

Luria attended a Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums meeting in 2006, and from that day on all of his travels involve visits to children’s museums, 18 so far. Other board members also have added children’s museums to their travel itineraries.

He just returned from an Association of Children’s Museums meeting in Philadelphia, where the Please Touch Museum boasts 165,000 square feet in its new home at historic Memorial Hall, which was built in 1876. It moved into the new space in September.

“That’s 10 times our size,” he said. “The thought I hope I helped plant (with board members) is, as good as the museum is, there’s more that we can achieve to have exciting, international facilities that are fun.”

Luria also was impressed by the Children’s Museum of the Desert in Palm Springs, Calif., and the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Palm Springs museum prides itself on being a “magical place . . . in a cheery, bright and inspiring environment,” executive director Lee Anne Vanderbeck said.

Chattanooga offers hands-on exhibits with “a friendly staff that loves to play and have fun,” executive director Henry Schulson said.

Luria and his wife, Maya, have two children, 12-year-old daughter Kelsey and 8-year-old son Max, but his children didn’t draw his attention to the museum. Neighbor Pete Torrez, a real estate investor, was on the museum board and he tapped Luria in 2003 to get involved for two reasons: Luria operated a successful business, Café Terra Cotta, and he had two kids.

Six years later, Torrez credits Luria with helping turn a deficit of $139,000 on $414,000 in revenue in 2001 into $9,353 net income on $719,000 in revenue in 2008.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled that he was chosen,” said Torrez, who served two terms on the museum board earlier this decade. “I think he is the ideal candidate. He is well-connected and he knows how to get things done. He knows how to cultivate relationships.”

Evelyn Carswell-Bing was co-founder of the Children’s Museum in 1986 and chaired its board of directors for the first few years. “He would be my ace student,” said Carswell-Bing, a retired associate professor of early childhood education at the University of Arizona. “I have seen executive directors come and go. The thing I found about Michael immediately is when he made a decision, he always followed through. More important to me, he looked at the museum as a children’s learning center as opposed to another activity.”

Luria spent his entire adult life and late adolescence at Café Terra Cotta, which dropped the “cafe” after a 2004 fire. When it opened in 1986, he was a busboy and then transitioned to the business side and working the room.

By 1992, Luria had become operations manager for the two Terra Cottas – one at St. Philip’s Plaza and the other in Scottsdale. He organized construction of the cafe’s last home on Skyline Road, which opened in 2001, the same year the Scottsdale cafe closed.

Reopening after the 2004 fire led his parents to step back and Michael essentially became the primary owner. Post-fire lunch numbers declined and last year Terra Cotta became dinner-only, just in time for a sliding economy.

“In early January, we as a family, we decided to close,” Luria said. “We had a horrible fall. December was a telling month for us. January was not good, the season isn’t going to be good.”

Terra Cotta closed Jan. 31.

“Meanwhile,” Luria continued, “the (museum) board was making plans for a search. (The executive director) position was posted about 45 days. People understood how committed I was. I had some board members encouraging me to apply. In some ways, it’s a very natural transition because I’ve been so involved with the museum.”

Luria has brought improvements to the museum's home in the 1901 Carnegie Library.

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MICHAEL LURIA’S TOP GOALS FOR CHILDREN’S MUSEUM

1. Enhance educational programming

2. Broaden museum accessibility for those in need throughout our community

3. Install new hands-on exhibits

4. Strengthen collaborative relationships in the community

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IF YOU GO

Tucson Children’s Museum

200 S. Sixth Ave.

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday except for Monsoon Mondays, which start May 25 and run through Sept. 7. The museum will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with $1 admission after 5 p.m.

• Regular admission: $5 children and senior citizen, $7 adults

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ATTENDANCE

2003 59,470

2004 60,698

2005 69,836

2006 80,611

2007 88,568

2008 95,204

MOST POPULAR EXHIBITS

For children

1. Mind Your Own Body

2. Build It

2. (tie) Dino World

For parents

1. Build It

2. Mind Your Own Body

3. Dino World/ Fire Engine

Kyle Lehew, an employee of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle's Toys, shows kids infant friendly robots. The store will open a location inside the Tucson Children's Museum later this month.

Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s Toys will open a downtown branch, replacing the gift shop at the Tucson Children’s Museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave.

The 32-year-old local toy merchant at Grant and Swan roads will open at the Children’s Museum on May 21, said Lisette DeMars, a store manager.

Shoppers will not have to pay museum admission to go to the store.

“I’m superexcited about people who work downtown being able to buy Christmas gifts during their lunch hour,” DeMars said.

This collaboration transforms a gift shop into a full-fledged toy store, said Michael Luria, the museum’s executive director.

“That is not our core competency,” Luria said. “Our primary focus is not for the gift shop. (Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s) puts us in a superior league” compared with other children’s museum gift shops.

DeMars will stock the downtown store with similar educational, wooden and European toys carried at the 4811 E. Grant Road store.

“We’re having tons of fun planning for all the parties we can throw once we have a permanent space downtown,” DeMars said.

She hopes to have activities on the museum lawn such as bubble blowing and kite flying. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s is an activities-oriented toy shop, she said.

Luria said gift shop discounts to museum members will apply at both Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s shops.

“They have the opportunity to move products back and forth between the shops,” Luria said.

The museum gift shop orders from 25 vendors, while Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s does business with 6,000 vendors. DeMars plans to triple the inventory in the 300-square-foot space.

Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s has had event collaborations with the Rialto Theatre and the Loft Cinema, and managers DeMars and David Correa were eager to expand to downtown.

“To be really honest, we started a whisper rumor,” DeMars said. “We said, ‘The Children’s Museum, wouldn’t it be cool if we could be there?’

“We secretly visited the gift shop. It’s a good gift shop, but gift shops is not what they do. Within a month, the rumor had made it to Michael (Luria). He said, ‘Can we have lunch?’ ”

The museum gift shop will be closed May 18-20 to allow conversion to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle’s, which plans to open May 21 before its grand opening event May 25.

Beginning May 25, museum and store hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays to Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

I can’t wait to be a Young Reporter. This is a great club. Thank you for letting me join. There’s a whole big world of things to write about. That means I get to travel to all these exciting places to get the scoop.

B.E.T.

Dear B.E.T.,

I dig your enthusiasm! Being a Young Reporter is a great opportunity to meet new people and to visit exciting new places. And summer is the perfect time to join so you can report on awesome places, camps and other things that happen during your break.

To print the sign-up forms – for any kid currently in second through eighth grades – visit BearEssentialNews.com, click on “Young Reporters” and follow the buttons to “Young Reporter Forms.”

Get the scoop! Boomer Bear

Dear Boomer,

I want to find out how old you are because most of my friends are always asking me. I also want to ask you what’s your full name. And what is your favorite basketball team. Mine is the L.A. Lakers. By the way, I’m in fifth grade.

J.V.

Dear J.V.,

My full name is Boomer Bear. I’m 10 and also in fifth grade! Steve Nash, Shaq and the rest of the Phoenix Suns make up my favorite team. A lot of people expect the Lakers will be playing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. But I’m not sure that the Lakers will make it that far.

Hoops, anyone?

Boomer Bear

———

ASK BOOMER

He’s wise, he’s cool and he’s ready to respond. Write a letter to Boomer Bear of Bear Essential News for Kids!

Bear Essential News for Kids

1037 S. Alvernon Way, No. 150

Tucson, AZ 85711

boomer@bearessentialnews.com