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Thursday 18

City Week SAGEBRUSH SAGE. You may know him as the folksy fellow regularly spouting homespun wisdom on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. Further evidence that rural sage Baxter Black is just as comfortable wrestling the written word as hog-tying a wayward steer comes with his new book, Cactus Tracks and Cowboy Philosophy. This time, the acclaimed author of the comic novel Hey, Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? has corralled a whole new, hilarious herd of the poems, tales and songs that have made him the poet laureate of the range.

Black reads and signs copies of Cactus Tracks from 7 to 8:30 tonight in The Book Mark, 5001 E. Speedway. For information, call 881-6350.

URBAN SUBLIMATION. Downtown artists ranging from the mainstream to the downright sublime again open their doors to all comers with another Thursday Night ArtWalk, sponsored by the Tucson Arts District Partnership.

Free tours can be self-guided or docent-led, and begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Park Inn Suite Santa Rita Hotel, 88 E. Broadway. For details, call 624-9977.


Friday 19

WANDERING INTENTIONS. Time's running out to enjoy an exhibit by the Group for Photographic Intentions exploring places from our own backyard "to South Korea to a dreamy little village in France to various fantasy lands that only exist in the photographer's imagination."

Works include Kathleen Velo's dreamy, eerie light and spatial interactions with subjects ranging from sunflower fields to a horse. Amey Broeker and Greg Huston present straightforward landscape studies in Pistachios, Cochise Arizona, while Pam Deutschman, Patricia Katchur and Barry Baldridge tap our curiosity with abstract, mixed-media pieces. Thomas Grubba's black-and-white photos explore South Korea, while Beth Wachtel contributes intriguing color photograms of glassware.

Rounding out the show are photographers Larry Wilson, Ruth Marblestone and Karen Hymer-Thompson.

Exhibit continues through tomorrow in the Bero Gallery, 41 S. Sixth Ave. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. today and tomorrow, and during Downtown Saturday Night. For details, call 792-0313.

WATT'S UP. The Old Pueblo lights up this time of year, with extravagant Christmas displays spread all over town. The Canyon del Oro Assembly of God Church, 2950 W. Lambert Lane, electrifies the holiday with "Season of Lights," touted as the largest outpouring of voltage in Northwest Tucson. The free drive-through production, including scenes from favorite Christmas stories with live characters in full costume, and a living Nativity display, runs from 7 to 9 tonight. Call 742-1168 for details.

And the grandaddy of all Christmas shows continues with the Winterhaven Festival of Lights. This neighborhood annually explodes with bulbs, Nativity scenes, Santas and reindeer. The display runs nightly through December 26, with dozens of homes decked out in holiday cheer.

Rides travel through the neighborhood on the hour from 6 to 9 p.m. Wagon rides are $6.50 per person, or $150 for a group. Carriage rides are $45 for a couple, or $90 for a private carriage, which includes a driver in period costume. For reservations, call 885-6779. The light show can also easily be toured by foot. Winterhaven is bounded by Tucson Boulevard, Country Club Road, Fort Lowell Road and Prince Road.


Saturday 20

OVER ICE. Tucson's favorite cold-blooded types, otherwise known as the Gila Monsters, continue reviving hockey in the Old Pueblo with a face-off against the Anchorage Aces.

Game is 7 p.m. in the TCC Arena. Tickets range from $6.75 to $12.75, and are available at the TCC box office. Call 791-4266 for information.

LIFE AFOOT. Self-motivated toys, mechanical ballerinas and plenty of sugar plums all share a dance when the Ballet Art Foundation presents The Nutcracker. Under the direction of Mary Beth Cabana, this is a full-length production of what probably ranks as the world's favorite holiday classic.

Performances are 2 and 7 p.m. today and tomorrow in the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $12, and available at the door, or by calling 623-3373.

TIME TREK. Explore Tucson's eccentric past with the Arizona Historical Society's walking tours through historic downtown. Sponsored by the Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House Museum, more than 20 homes, sites and buildings are included on these in-depth tours, which are led by professional guides. From the museum, the journeys proceed through the El Presidio Historic Area.

Tours are 10 a.m. to noon today, and every Saturday through March. They begin at the Sosa-Carillo-Fremont House, 151 S. Granada St. Cost is $4.50, with discounts for children. For reservations and other information, call 622-0956.


Sunday 21

DOO-WOP DOINGS. That a capella quartet called The Classics unleashes its timeless chords on the holiday season with a family Christmas concert. The Classics will tackle a roster of favorites both old and new, along with plenty of jazz, doo-wop and rock-and-roll tunes, including hits from the 1920s right up through the '60s.

Performance is 3:30 p.m. in the Catalina American Baptist Church, 1900 N. Country Club Road. Admission is free, but non-perishable donations to the Tucson Community Food Bank are requested. For information, call 327-6655.

SPARE CHANGE. Gather all those wheat pennies and any vintage stamps that might be sticking about, and head on down to the Southern Arizona Collectible Club Show. A wide array of valuables will be featured, including coins, stamps, tokens, post cards, sports cards and first-day-of-issue covers.

"People can buy and sell, and get appraisals on their collectibles," says club spokesman Alex Lutgendorf. While he admits that a lot of his group's collectors are "getting along in age," Lutgendorf says these gatherings, along with outreach programs in area schools, are aimed "at getting youth involved in collecting. For example, through the Postal History Foundation, we give geography lessons about the world using stamps."

Collectible show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the John P. Burns American Legion Post No. 36, 5845 E. 22nd St. Admission is free. For information, call 742-2002.

RINGING REPERTOIRE. The Arizona Repertory Singers celebrate the season with their annual Holiday Concert in the Park. The choir, known for its crystalline a cappela work, will sing secular and religious Christmas songs in Tohono Chul Park's sweet little Performance Garden.

Show time is 3 p.m. in Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte. Admission is $6, $3 for park members and children under age 12 and under. Reservations are required; call 742-6455.


Monday 22

SMALL MIRACLES. Those talented tots and teens of the Bianco Theatre Company reenact the classic confrontation between Kris Kringle and the State of New York in Miracle on 34th Street. And you'll be happy to know that jolly old Kris teaches both the bureaucrats and Macy's muckety-mucks a thing or two about Christmas spirit in this long-lived holiday drama.

Performances are 11 a.m. today, tomorrow and Wednesday in The Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway. Production continues at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday, December 26 and 27, and 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday, December 29, and Friday, January 2. Tickets are $7, $5 for children and students, and available at the door, or by calling 299-2931.

YULETIDE YOUTH. Enjoy seasonal cheer in microcosm when A Time to Dance Studio presents Christmas Carols. Some 40 dancers--most of them kids--will perform an energetic blend of ballet, jazz and modern styles in 19 holiday pieces.

When she founded A Time to Dance, Director Dee Dee Doell envisioned an alternative to the competitive, high-priced studios where children often faced unrealistic expectations. Four years later her notion is a resounding success, with membership and community support continuing to grow. Christmas Carols is the latest installment of that uplifting story.

Performance is 7 tonight in the Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. For information, call 327-5137.


Tuesday 23

BEST-LAID PLANS. Several students from the Third Year Design Studio of the UA College of Architecture faced a daunting task: showing the possible uses for four vacant or nearly vacant sites in downtown Tucson. The sites were selected by faculty as appropriate in-fill locations for various facilities that could help revitalize the area.

A handful of assumptions were made, among them that the city would improve public transportation and convert several nearby surface parking lots to multi-story garages. That would ensure adequate access and parking for the theoretical projects--which now included a restaurant, pre-school, office building, and a multi-use cooking school, cafe and bakery.

So how did the elaborate plans work out? You be the judge. The results are now on display, with a special closing reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, January 17, in the Meliora Gallery, 178 E. Broadway. Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For details, call 792-9544.

UP FRONT. As part of its Figurehead series, the Tucson/Pima Arts Council Community Gallery hosts Full-Frontal Night, an exhibition featuring works by local artists including Diane Kelly, Jill Susan Kelly, Michael Longstaff, Ruth K. Marblestone, Cara Zimmerman and Jennifer Jones

"Figurehead provides a forum for young Tucson artists whose work portrays the human form within a synthesis of diverse media," Diane Kelly says. "The exhibition will be the perception and portrayal of innocents and dreams using the dissolution and re-creation of the human form."

Exhibit runs through January 16 in the Tucson/Pima Arts Council Community Gallery, 240 N. Stone Ave. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For information, call 624-0595.

Wednesday 24

SPANISH SILVER. What's considered to be among the most unique and beautiful silver works ever produced is now on display in a new Arizona Historical Society exhibit titled Un Tesoro de Plata: Spanish Colonial Silverwork.

Drawn from works commissioned by the Viceroyalty of Peru, the exhibit explores the history and development of the silversmith's art in Spanish America. Begun as a purely European craft, silversmithing in the Spanish empire saw the gradual adoption of numerous Mestizo and Indian art forms. The result is an intriguing blend of European Baroque and Neo-Classic forms combined with Pre-Columbian imagery. Ultimately, the style was used throughout the Americas, and as far north as the Arizona/Sonora frontier.

Un Tesoro de Plata is on display through next September in the Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. For details, call 628-5774. TW


City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Tim Vanderpool. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes in location, time, price, etc. To have material considered, please send complete information at least 11 days prior to the Thursday issue date to: Tucson Weekly, P.O. Box 2429, Tucson, Arizona 85702, or fax information to 792-2096, or email us at listings@tucsonweekly.com.


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