City Week

One Dog Night

Midnight Mutt-ness
6 p.m. to midnight Friday, June 4
Pima Animal Care Center
4000 N. Silverbell Road

What are you doing Friday night? How about a change from the same old dinner and a movie--it's time for some Midnight Mutt-ness.

Every year, the Pima Animal Care center holds a late-night animal adoption event for dogs, cats, kittens and puppies.

"This is the time of year when our facility is overflowing with wonderful animals," says Dr. Rodrigo Silva, manager of the Pima Animal Control Center. The center has successfully gone for 16 months without having to euthanize adoptable pets, but an unfortunate side effect is that the shelter simply has too many animals. They all need homes, and the center's staff and volunteers hope to surpass last year's number: During 2003's Midnight Muttness, approximately 125 animals went home with their new families.

There are a variety of perks for pets at the event. Vendors will offer animal massage, pet birthday parties, gourmet pet treats, hip duds for doggies and a plethora of other products and services. If your dog needs some new digs, check out the silent auction of one-of-a-kind dog houses, built by Wilson K-8 students and Life Scouts.

There's good stuff just for the humans, too--try free hamburgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, pizza, chips and salsa, burritos, donuts, drinks and other delicacies to feed your play-induced munchies. While you're chowing down, enjoy rock music from the Jons, Zydeco and Tex-Mex from the Carnivaleros, blues from Mitzi Cowell and the Valiants, folk rock from the Guilty Bystanders and tunes from the Desert Bluegrass Association.

Adoption fees are $65 for cats and $75 for dogs. These prices are a bargain: They include vaccinations, a spay or neuter procedure, a vet check, two months of pet insurance and a microchipping service. Most importantly, it is a small price to pay for a healthy and happy furry friend. For more information, call 743-7550 or visit midnightmuttness.com.


Choo-Choo, Whoo!

Gadsden-Pacific Summer Train Show & Swap Meet
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 5
Rodeway Inn Event Center
West Grant Road and Interstate 10
797-1184

I have vivid memories of the toy trains my sister and I had during our childhood. A blocky, wooden, connect-the-tracks set led to a mechanized, several-car train with fused tracks. I also remember a burning scent regularly emanating from the locomotive, but I think it was supposed to be that way. In either case, my father was just as enamored--if not more so--with the train set than my sister and I were. I suspect that we were not alone in this situation.

That is why this weekend's Summer Train Show and Swap Meet is a sure bet for families and kids of all ages (Hi, Dad). The Gadsden-Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum's biannual open house is an effort to help introduce people to the toy-train hobby and to allow toy-train operators and collectors to find those pieces they've been searching for. The event will feature several operating toy-train layout displays and a rug layout for little kids.

Whether you're an aficionado, a newbie or merely interested in seeing what sort of things are out there in the toy-train world, the Summer Train Show and Swap Meet promises a fun time for all. Admission is $3 per adult; kids below the age of 13 get in free with an adult.


A Movie-ing Experience

Sunday Night At The Movies
5 p.m. Sunday, June 6
St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church
4265 E. River Road
299-9063

There is a force working in our community to foster understanding between different faiths through films. The coalition of Congregation Ner Tamid, the Islamic Center of Tucson and St. Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church call themselves an "interfaith task force." They schedule community movie nights on Sundays, followed by a discussion of the movie.

This weekend's movie is A Majority of One, the story of a Jewish widow who travels to Japan to join her daughter's family after World War II. On her reluctant voyage, she meets a Japanese widower, and the two find they have a lot in common. The film also dissects the cultural differences and issues involved in relationships of this nature. It stars Rosalind Russell and Alec Guinness.

A potluck dinner is scheduled for pre-show sustenance, so be sure to bring a food dish to share. The movie discussion will close out the night, so save up your opinions, questions and ideas. The event is free.


Getting Into Hot Water

"Domestic Hot Water" Lecture
7 p.m. Wednesday, June 9
The Solar Store
2833 N. Country Club Road
322-5180

In Tucson, a city blessed with strong, near-constant sunshine, solar energy is a big deal. Houses are often built to harness solar energy for lighting, heating or other uses, providing a novel, environmentally responsible energy supply. The Solar Store, a valuable source for these renewable-resource technologies, offers regular classes to educate Tucsonans on these opportunities to utilize a clean, reliable and inexpensive resource.

This week, The Solar Store offers a class on solar-powered hot water. The general concept of these systems will be discussed, as will the different types of systems and the different components involved. With the store's experts on hand, attendees will learn the facts of solar water heating and its benefits.

The price of the seminar is $10, which is refundable in the form of a gift certificate toward any future purchase at The Solar Store.