Your weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo
Family Friendly
Family Funday at the Farmers Market. Bring the kids to this carnival-meets-farmers-market event presented by Trail Dust Town and Heirloom Farmers Market. More than 20 food vendors will be on site, and the carnival portion of Trail Dust Town will be open for the kids (and young at heart). Enjoy live music, rides and face painting while perusing some of the finest local products on the market. 8 a.m to noon. Saturday, July 29. Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road. $6.
Summer Safari Nights. The Tucson Medical Center hosts these childhood utopias Friday evenings at the Reid Park Zoo. Aside from their regular lions and tigers and bears, they’ll be offering face painting, glitter tattoos and camel rides, oh my! Adults can enjoy the live music, sponsor booths and the café specials: chimichangas on July 28 and pulled pork on Aug. 4. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 4. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 E. Zoo Court. $3-$9.
Meteor Mania! The Kitt Peak National Observatory is hosting a viewing party of the Delta Aquariid meteor shower. The viewing starts at 10 p.m. and goes until 3 a.m., so those in attendance are encouraged to bring warm clothes, blankets and lawn chairs. Thanks to a waxing crescent that sets before midnight, the Delta Aquariids shouldn’t be blocked out by moonlight, and viewing may reach peak rates of up to 15 to 20 meteors per hour. 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday, July 29 to Sunday, July 30. Kitt Peak National Observatory Visitor Center. noao.edu/kpno. $47-$55.
Sports
Golden Boy Boxing on ESPN. Summer can be a slow time for sports. If you enjoy the sweet science, you'll love the fight card being put on by Golden Boy Promotions. Head down to Casino del Sol and catch the headliner between talented welterweight contender Sadam Ali, as he takes on long-time veteran Johan Pérez. Undercard fights will begin at 3:05 p.m. 4 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Casino del Sol Conference Center, 5655 W. Valencia Road. $40-$120.
Art
MOCA’s 20th Birthday Party. If it’s been too long since you’ve donned a zebra-print snap bracelet and watched a Winona Ryder movie, MOCA has got you covered with its ’90s themed birthday festivities. Join the museum’s two-decade anniversary celebration with a Gameboy photo booth, a grungy double feature and a ’90s dance party. Noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 29. MOCA, 265 S. Church Ave. $10.
Hot Sun Art Exhibition. The Madaras Gallery is displaying Southwest scenes by local artist Diana Madaras, who has been voted the Best Visual Artist in the Weekly's “Best of Tucson” issue seven times. Enjoy an array of paintings depicting the vibrant colors of summer in Tucson. Pop into their first Thursday event on Aug. 3 from 7 to 9 p.m. for wine, cheese and the chance to meet Diana herself. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road. Free.
Fun in General
The Return of the Dating Game! Long before The Bachelorette and Dating Naked, but long after humanity lost the last vestige of hope for finding love in everyday life, there was The Dating Game. Enjoy a return to simpler, purer times at The Flycatcher, where contestants compete to win a date with a stranger. Comedian Stacy Scheff opens the show. 9 p.m. Sunday, July 30. The Flycatcher, 340 E. Sixth St. Free. 21+.
Harry Potter Charity Ball. Come dressed as your favorite Harry Potter character, whether they’re a tertiary mythical creature (Fenrir Greyback, anyone?) or a rightfully well-known staple (such as the The Boy Who Lived himself). Proceeds from the event go to four Tucson charities, and the night includes music, dancing and a cash bar. A silent auction offers goods such as two tickets to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in LA. If you haven’t had enough beer (butter or otherwise) when the ball ends at 10 p.m., head over to the HighWire Lounge for an after party that goes until 2 a.m. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Tucson Scottish Rite Cathedral, 160 S. Scott Ave. $15-$45. 21+.
Odyssey Storytelling “Potluck.” Odyssey Storytelling events are formatted similarly to The Moth podcast, in which people share stories about a common theme in front of a live audience. This month’s event is centered around perhaps the most universally appealing human experience: food. Six people will speak from personal experience about the subject, which could mean anything from culinary cultural traditions to providing food for the hungry. Come hungry for stories, but not for food, as this is really more of a metaphorical potluck. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3. The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St. $6-$8.
Music
Reik. This R&B-pop trio is mighty huge in Mexico. If they sang in English they’d be equally giant stateside. From romantic weepers like “Creo en Ti,” (“I Believe in You”) to torch songs like “Te Fuiste de Aqui” (“You Were From Here”), Reik creates anthems for lovers out of crystal falsettos, acoustic guitars and violins. Think Chris Isaac’s sexual tension, Luther Vandross’ gushy phrasing and hints of The Wallflowers or Coldplay’s hausfrau rock. Too, Reik’s native romance language rises to great heights, but you don’t have to understand them to feel the magic. They’ve nabbed Latin Grammys and sweet songwriting awards in Central and South America. So now it’s our turn to fall in love with
los hombres romanticos de Mexicali. With Diluvio on Thursday, July 27. Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. 7 p.m. $56-$89. All ages.
Mason. The Moldy Pueblo’s psych-blues-inspired Mason can lock you in hip-swinging groove, having first seduced with Jimi-meets-Elvis vocals (yes, Jimi-meets-Elvis, but in context, yo) before shooting stinging guitar riffs straight into your skull, until you swear you’ve heard each tune a million times before. More, their bravado matches their hi-watt singsong—they cycle through the confident swagger of Beck (“Odelay" era), the gleeful zest of Jon Spencer (“Bell Bottoms” era) and the gusto of The Blues Brothers. Without stooping to irony, Mason provides a narrative distance, allowing you to be in on the secret: Why get bogged down in the monotony of life when you can be a “Rockstar Paperboy”? Go to Mason’s debut record release, aptly titled Midnight Road Tour Party, and carpe noctem with great
panache. With Sugar Stains, Quarter Royal and Santa Pachita, at 7 p.m. Friday, July 28. 191 Toole Ave. $10-$12. 21+.
Elf Power. Since 1994, Elf Power has been quietly concocting a stylized blend of lo-fi experimental folk. It’s Real Deal stuff, to be sure, complete with high indie cred. (They’ve shared members with Neutral Milk Hotel, Of Montreal, and toured with Wilco). Their newest (13th!) album,
Twitching in Time, has them “left to wait for answers and then turned away like trash.” The quirky-but-sincere lyrics recall Guided By Voices, which is perfect, because they’re sharing a bill with Tobin Sprout. From the haunting Ugly Casanova-esque “Halloween Out Walking,” to the Flaming Lips-y fuzzy pop power of “Sniper in the Balcony,” it’s clear Elf Power continues to create its fetching din for the right reason—because they are moved to. If you’ve not heard of them go see why they’re considered authentic, and a heartfelt underground treasure. With Tobin Sprout on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 8 p.m. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. $13-$15. All ages.
Real Real Talk. As their name implies, Real Real Talk is at once hyper-sincere and tongue-in-cheek. This so-indie-it-hurts Bay Area foursome sells handmade reclaimed thrift-store T’s and 100 limited-edition gilded cassettes along with their digital downloads. But before you yawn, know the floppy-fringed combo’s capable of musical brilliance. The drummer’s a standout, able to keep the shimmer shimmering and the wide-open, post-Broken Social Scene soundscapes grounded. There are solid funk underpinnings too, and spacey, swoon-worthy jams amidst purposely cringe-worthy passages that make you envy the howl of the star dog cover art. Though they often veer into piles of ironic plastic doo doo, Real Real Talk have good hearts. You wind up rooting for them for the same reason you come home with another box of Thin Mints or that twelver of Bud—there’s something winning if slightly expectant in this band's spirit. Go support a couple kids' dream on a lonely planet night. With The Michael Character on Monday, July 31. At PoMoRo, 933 N. Main Ave. 7 p.m. All ages.
Crafts
Plate Decorating Workshop. You know the sad feeling of looking down at your plain, empty plate after finishing a meal? Take the opportunity to mitigate your misery by giving yourself something to look forward to once your food is gone, by designing and detailing your own plate. The class is led by Bob DeArmond, who has been designing dinnerware for over 44 years, longer than most people have done… well, anything. 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 4 and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5. Santa Theresa Tile Works, 440 N. Sixth Ave. $65.
Antiques, Crafts and Small Business Fair. The Cochise Crafters sponsor small business events with affordable vendor fees to accommodate hobbyist crafters. It’s a perfect way to support local businesses and pick up some gifts for those upcoming summer birthdays. (Birthrates are highest in August and September, perhaps due to high levels of holiday cheer in December brought on by decorations bought at last year’s craft fair). 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5. The Mall at Sierra Vista, 2200 El Mercado Loop. Free.