Monday, November 9, 2020
The Children’s Museum in downtown Tucson has announced their plans to reopen with limited admission on Wednesday, Nov. 11. The Museum will be open with two two-hour play sessions from 9-11 a.m. and from 2-4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. Visitors will have access to all indoor exhibits, as well as their outdoor “curiosity courtyard.” Museum admission, including the courtyard, will be by timed ticket only, with a limit of 50 visitors at the museum at once.
Visitors ages 5 and older will be required to wear masks while at the museum. There will also be sanitation stations in the courtyard for visitors, and staff will clean and disinfect activities and areas between sessions.
The Curiosity Courtyard is filled with activities, crafts and games, including a cactus ring toss and animal-themed beanbag toss. A dig pit with backhoes has also been added to the courtyard.
The Children’s Museum in Oro Valley will continue with virtual programming only as part of their phased reopening plan.
Admission is $9 per person, with discounts available for military and visitors on public assistance. The Children’s Museum is located at 200. S. 6th Ave.
For more information, visit ChildrensMuseumTucson.org
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Flying Aprons is moving their in-person cooking classes online via Zoom starting Thursday, Sept. 9 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This week's class, Shaken Not Stirred-Single Malt Whiskey Tucson Style & Savory Bites—featuring Tucson's own Whiskey Del Bac—pairs Phoenix mixologist Jax Donahue with beloved Tucson chef Devon Sanner to produce three delectable food and libation experiences you'll learn how to recreate at home:
First Cocktail: The S.S.S with Whiskey Del Bac Dorado, honey syrup, citrus bitters and other ingredients.
First Savory Bite: Prosciutto-wrapped fig, honey + chamomile goat cheese, thyme, prickly pear gastrique.
Second Cocktail: The Lawless Drinker, using Whiskey Del Bac Old Pueblo, passion fruit, vermouth and lemon.
Second Savory Bite: Ginger and lemongrass shrimp spring rolls with coconut and peanut dipping sauce.
Third Cocktail: Stone Fashioned, features Whiskey Del Bac Classic, peach syrup and other ingredients.
Third Savory Bite: Pecan and basil pesto bruschetta with heirloom tomato, balsamic agrodolce.
Registration for the Zoom class is $40 per screen and ready-to-go kits for the cocktails and savory bites are available to preorder and pick up before the class begins.
Click here for more information.
Friday, September 4, 2020
Comedy at the Wench: A Virtual Funnyraiser. Fourth Avenue staple the Surly Wench Pub has been closed for almost six months now! While they’ve adapted to the times with their weekly comedy special, “Comedy Away From the Wench,” event is specially designed to help raise much-needed funds. Tune in for two hours of sketches, stand-up routines and other bits that are both live and prerecorded. They’ll also be auctioning off one-of-a-kind portraits of some local comedy icons. 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 7. Tickets start at $10 and come with a sticker, but paying more gets you more treats—all the way up to $100+ donations, which get you a sticker, a pin or magnet, a mug or face mask, a t shirt or cap, and a limited edition Surly Wench 16th anniversary logo T-shirt. Details here.
Garden Bistro at Tohono Chul. Tohono Chul’s Garden Bistro is reopening this Friday, Sept. 3. What could be fresher than dining in a garden? They’ve got brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday out on their patio. Plus, there’s a bottomless prickly pear mimosa & margarita deal that we could all probably use right about now. While you’re relaxing, you can take in either a view of the gardens or of art by local and regional artists hanging in the dining rooms. See their website for an updated menu and more details.
Art as Resilience, Resistance and Respite. Local artist-run exhibition space Untitled Gallery is holding a virtual opening for their new show designed to connect artists and art lovers. David Andres of the Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery will be serving as guest judge at the Facebook Live event, and you’ll get to see the fantastic selection of art which will be on sale until Oct. 30. Perhaps the best part of a gallery opening from home is that you get all the hors d'oeuvres to yourself. 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. Details here.
Friday, August 28, 2020
Taste of the Fair & Drive-In Movie Weekend. Ahh, remember the fair? Remember being in crowds of people, touching door handles and sitting at dirty picnic tables? The cool thing about this weekend is that it has the good parts of the fair without so many of the bad parts: Just visit the five concession stands and pick up some treats, then enjoy them either at spaced out picnic tables or on your own lawn chairs. Entry and admission are free! If you want to stay late and pay $15 per vehicle, check out this week’s drive-in movies too: Friday is Secret Life of Pets 2 (8 p.m. showtime) & The Karate Kid (10:30 p.m. showtime), and Sunday is Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (10:30 p.m. showtime). Friday, Aug. 28 and Saturday, Aug. 30. Doors for Taste of the Fair open at 5 p.m. Pima County Fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road. Details here.
Sculpture Showing: The Return of Angelica. Back in May, local artist John Benedict had one of his statues, Angelica, stolen. Angelica was recently recovered, and will be on display for the public at the Hacienda del Sol Guest Ranch Inner Courtyard through Saturday, Sept. 12. This is the last time to see the statue before John places it in his permanent collection! He’ll be around on select days for a socially-distanced meet and greet, including from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. this Friday, Aug. 28. While you’re there, enjoy a special Angelica’s Revenge cocktail. In honor of Angelica, and of justice, of course. On display 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily through Saturday, Sept. 12. Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort, 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road. Details here.
The Positivity of Art. What’s been keeping you sane these days? For us, one of those things is art, and thank goodness for the local artists who still have it in them to create during these crazy times. The Wilde Meyer Gallery is featuring a group show of gallery artists throughout August and September, in a space that’s carefully following COVID-19 guidelines. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive, suite 170.
Friday, August 21, 2020
The Oro Valley branch of the Tucson Children’s Museum launching a fundraiser that will allow families to have play time in the museum by themselves for a donation fee.
The program, called Oro Valley Outing, is intended to allow families to have a fun and enriching time away from the home while staying safe from COVID-19 and supporting the museum financially.
Beginning Sept. 9, families and social bubbles of up to 10 people can sign up for private 1.5 hour reservations at the museum for a $150 donation. While it seems like a steep price, the museum had to close back in March when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and hasn't been able to bring in the admission revenue that helps them pay the rent and other expenses, so the donations keep the museum going until it can fully reopen.
Oro Valley Outings follows the museum’s successful summer fundraiser at the downtown Tucson location, which raised more than $20,000.
“It’s important to younger children to have an outlet for curiosity and play, and we know that some parents are anxious to get out of the home,” said Executive Director Hilary Van Alsburg in a press release. “With its focus on Early Childhood Education, Children’s Museum Oro Valley offers a great opportunity for those parents to visit a place that’s safe, fun and advances learning for their kids.”
The museum will be cleaned for each visiting group, allowing children to have the full hands-on experience of the museum. Oro Valley Outings will be available Wednesdays through Sundays from Sept. 9 to Sept. 30. Families who are unable to donate the $150 can register to win a free session on Give Back Tuesdays.
Find details here.
Tags: Children's Museum , Oro Valley , Outings , Fundraiser , COVID-19 , Image
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story
I’m a major Ren and Stimpy Show fan. Love the first two seasons to death. Not crazy about what happened after its creator, John Kricfalusi, left the series; he didn’t make it past the second season. The quality dropped off in a big way.
Also, I’m not at all happy that it turns out John K. was a pedophile—a story that came out two years ago. (John K. seduced a teenaged Tucson girl, Robyn Byrd, who would later move in with him after she graduated high school at age 17 and go to work at his animation studio; you can read the details in this Buzzfeed report.)
This new documentary, Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story, which includes John K.’s participation, wouldn’t delve into his issues with underage girls, right? That would be crazy. Surely John K. would avoid any film that paints him as the sicko that he apparently is. Right?
For a large part of the 104-minute running time, it seems as if the subject won’t be breached. Directors Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood interview John K. and his colleagues about his rise and fall in the animation world. He was a genius, but he had a crazy attention-to-detail obsession that got him in trouble—along with a nasty temper.
But then, lo and behold, the movie goes there—not only speaking to some of the women who were victimized by John K. as girls, but talking with the man himself about what happened—and not in a whitewashed sort of way. They go right at him; he answers; his answers are not good. It’s really quite remarkable.
So, the movie is two things: It’s a really cool look at the institution that is Ren and Stimpy—which is being rebooted by Comedy Central without John K.’s involvement—and it’s a surprisingly daring character profile of John K. and everything he did to mess up the show, his life and the lives of others. He’s a mess, but this movie isn’t.
Available for rent and download on Apple TV and Amazon
Monday, July 27, 2020
Tucson Weekly is on the hunt for these long-lost treasures—and we need your help to find them as we embark on Best of Tucson® 2020.
But we’re not just looking for lost treasures. We’re celebrating the living legends of today: our restaurateurs, our brewers, our artists, our musicians, our bartenders, our coffee grinders, our bakers, our writers, our merchants and all the others who make our Sonoran home such a hospitable place.
That’s where you come in! We’re asking you to vote in the final round of Best of Tucson®! Earlier this summer, you told us your picks for Tucson's best in the first round of voting. Web editor Tara Foulkrod has tabulated those votes and now presents you with a ballot featuring the finalists in nearly every category. Now it's your turn again! This final round of voting will continue through midnight on Monday, Aug. 24. And on Oct. 22, we’ll announce the winners in our special Best of Tucson® collector’s edition!
Find your ballot here!
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Join the fun on MOCA's YouTube channel at 6 p.m. tonight
Tags: MOCA , film festival , film , movies , Image
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
According to an email to members sent by CEO Marsha Tank, the decision to move the program online was made “based on many factors including current Federal and State guidelines, guidance from the CDC, restrictions from the Forest Service, and dialogue with other local youth-serving organizations.”
“This decision was made The importance of girls' safety, their health, and wellbeing— as well as that of staff and you, [Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona’s] extended family— is at the forefront of every decision,” Tank wrote.
Each week, campers will receive a box of supplies in the mail. Campers will also check in with counselors on Zoom, and participate in virtual group activities like campfire talks and sing-alongs.
Registration and more information is available online at girlscoutssoaz.org/camplogon. Campers do not need to be Girl Scouts to attend.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Some local events and offerings to enjoy that either allow for plenty of physical distancing or don't require leaving the house at all.
Digital Programs at MOCA. Since you can’t go visit the art on display at MOCA in person, the museum is providing you the tools to emulate these artists yourself. Learn how to make your own flipbook animation, inspired by Diana Shpungin’s drawings and videos, and see her work in action online. Try making a still life with objects from around your house, in the style of Amir H. Fallah. And create your own text blocks in a wordplay game that would make Gary Setzer proud.
Oro Valley Online Concerts. If you were planning to attend the Oro Valley Concert series, the good news is you still can, without leaving your house! The Thursday-night concerts are about 60-90 minutes long, and videos of each show are available at the SAACA website and YouTube channel after they air. This week, Canyon Currents, a bluegrass/swing/country group, is playing a mix of original songs and well-loved tunes. Lex Browning is on fiddle and guitar, Brian Davies is on bass and national flat-pick guitar champion Peter McLaughlin is on guitar. 5 p.m. Thursday, May 14.
Pop-Up Sculpture Park at Hacienda del Sol. This sculpture park is a great way to get an art fix and treat yourself to a trip out of the house, but with the safety of not having to leave your car. Just under 20 popular artists, many of them local, have large-scale sculptures on display in this exhibit organized by Sculpture Tucson. Just drive through the Hacienda del Sol parking lot (5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road) between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. any day through the end of the month. See the Sculpture Tucson website for artist statements and more information on the displays.
Unscrewed Theater House Party. We could all use a laugh right about now, yeah? Come have one with this beloved local improv group, from the comfort of your couch. They’ll be creating characters, games, scenes, and songs based on your suggestions. Just head over to the website to register and get the Zoom link. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16.
The White Chip: A Live Benefit Reading. If you missed the reading of this dry comedy by the Arizona Theatre Company on Monday, you can still view it online through Friday, May 15. Written by Sean Daniels and directed by Sheryl Kaller, the play tells the story of Steven, who is just about to land his dream job running one of the hottest theaters in the country when his life spirals out of control. Performance is free, but donations, which will support the Voices Project and Arizona Theatre Company, are welcome.
Tohono Chul Online Plant Sale. Looking for some plants to spruce up your work-from-home office? Maybe you just feel like you need another living thing around, even if it’s not sentient? Tohono Chul has got you covered! Purchas plants online through this Thursday, and, when you’re checking out, schedule a time to come do curbside pickup. Just have your order number ready when you swing by, then get your space all spruced up!
The Loft Cinema is offering about a dozen streaming options this week, ranging from a witty rom-com to a documentary exploring wealth inequality to collections of short films from the New York International Children's Film Festival. If every night has become movie night in your household and you're looking for something fresh, check out these titles!
