CONTRA-DICTION: Learning to dance is like learning to jabber: You just put one foot in front of another, and pretty soon you're flappin' with the best of them. That's exactly the point, according to the Tucson Friends of Traditional Music. As proof, they continue dishing up their Saturday night contra dancing extravaganzas. Contra is a social dance, similar to square dancing, which emphasizes group participation. This week's dancing will be to the lively sounds of JP and The Steves, in their "debut and farewell" performance. The dance runs from 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, January 16, in the Armory Park Recreation Center, 220 S. Fifth Ave. Donations are suggested. For information, call 327-1779. VISUAL RECALL: Demonstrations of Japanese art and presentations about Japanese culture are the tools Takeo Uchida uses to educate others about the devastation of war. As a volunteer with the Never Again Campaign, he'll be spending the next couple of months spreading that word throughout Tucson. Uchida will present a free, hands-on demonstration of Japanese calligraphy, and speak about Japanese letters, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, January 16, in the Tucson/Pima Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Call 791-4343 for details. He'll also present a free program focusing on Japan through a slide show about traditional and contemporary life, and a discussion of the Japanese language, characters and alphabet, at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 23, in the Nanini Branch Library, 7300 N. Shannon Road. For information, call 791-4626. LI'L WHISTLERS: Put a bustle in your caboose when the Gadsden Pacific Division Toy Train Operating Museum hosts the 10th-annual Coyote Train Swap Meet. You might remember the excellent museum from its days in the Foothills Mall. Now the Gadsden has built new digs, and is still putting the finishing touches on relocating its exhibits. That work is slated for completion next summer. In the meantime, museum aficionados still aim to acquaint the public with their cool little hobby, and help toy train collectors expand their fleets. Numerous collectors from around the region put their wares on the block for your perusal at this weekend's gathering. More than 700 items are expected. The meet runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, January 16, in the Roadway Inn Event Center, 1365 W. Grant Road. Admission is free. For details, call 749-0228. WINGS OF DESIRE: A horde of lovely winged creatures has descended upon one humble Arizona burg, setting the stage for the sixth annual "Wings Over Willcox" sandhill crane celebration. Sandhill cranes are among the oldest living bird species in fossil record, going back 10 million years by some estimates. Each year the festival draws nature lovers from across the land to witness thousands of the birds in their winter habitat on a vast, dry playa. Festival activities continue Friday through Sunday, January 15 through 17, in Willcox. Take 1-10 east to the Willcox exit; drive time is approximately 90 minutes. For details, call (800) 200-2272.

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