City Week

Starting the Month Off With Some Culture

First Thursday Art Walk

6 to 8 p.m., next Thursday, May 7

Main Gate Square

University Boulevard, between Park and Euclid
avenues

622-8613

Sculpture, glass art, culinary art and media art are just some of
the things that will be showcased at a variety of venues on University
Boulevard—including the Auld Dubliner Pub, Espresso Art and Grand
Central Clothing—next Thursday, May 7.

“Our goal is to support local artists in a local way, and no matter
what age you are, you can enjoy it,” says Marshall Foundation general
manager Jane McCollum.

Vila Thai restaurant and the Vila Art Foundation have been
presenting art showcases like these since 2007, according to McCollum,
but the Marshall Foundation only recently got involved with what has
become a regular event on the first Thursday of each month. (See “Sex
and Art at Main Gate Square,” City Week, Feb. 5.)

The nonprofit foundation was founded in the 1930s, and owns and
manages the buildings in Main Gate Square. Thanks to profits from the
businesses located in the area, the foundation can give money back to
Pima County and the University of Arizona.

More than 30 local artists will be showing their wares at the art
walk. The goals of the event are to bring more traffic to Main Gate
businesses and to present some of the best in local art and live
music.

“We have always supported artists and culture. … They make up the
fabric of our community,” says McCollum.

Other events include a wine tasting at Vila Thai for $5, a
public-participation mural and live music at Frog and Firkin.

“We just think (Main Gate Square) is a great location, because it’s
pedestrian-friendly, and you really feel like you’re in a city. …
(The Art Walk) creates a place where students and the community can
benefit,” says McCollum. —L.A.

Get Your Pog On

Pogs and Cogs Championship Alleycat Race

3 p.m., Sunday, May 3

UA Old Main

1200 E. University Blvd.

exxonvaldezfs@gmail.com

Remember pogs? They are those flat, smooth discs that kids
everywhere traded and invested in during a burst of popularity in the
1990s.

While the pogs fad fizzled out for the most part, there are still
many fans of pogs, and there’s a good chance those fans will be at this
weekend’s Pog and Cogs Championship Alleycat Race—where they’ll
be joined by bike enthusiasts. And they’ll all get a good workout.

Event organizer Beca (who asked that only her first name be used)
explains that bike-riding participants will be given a list of
pog-collection checkpoints to go to within a certain amount of time.
After bicyclists complete the list and collect the pogs, they will make
their way back to the starting point at Old Main.

Beca says that only single-speed, fix-gear bikes can be used. For
those who are unfamiliar with these types of bikes, Beca explains:
“They are bikes you have to pedal to keep moving. With other bikes, you
can pedal for a bit and then stop and cruise on your bike. Single-speed
bikes pose more a challenge for bikers. … These types of bikes are
becoming more popular, because they don’t require much attention, and
because people like the challenge.”

At the end of the race, racers will use the pogs they collected from
each checkpoint to compete in a pog championship for various
prizes.

“I think that anyone who loves bikes will enjoy this race!” Beca
says.

Signup for the race begins at 2 p.m., with the race itself beginning
at 3 p.m. There will be an entry fee of $7. —L.L.

¡Fiesta Beneficio!

Calexico benefit concert

8 p.m., Saturday, May 2

Rialto Theatre

318 E. Congress St.

rialtotheatre.com;casadecalexico.com

Calexico’s Joey Burns has a heart like an over-ripe avocado: It’s
got a lot of soft spots.

Over the years, Calexico shows have raised money for a variety of
causes, including the gallery/studio/venue Solar Culture, Rep.
Gabrielle Giffords’ re-election campaign, and Pueblo High School’s
Mariachi Aztlán, which needed funds to travel to Washington
D.C., to play.

Calexico will be home in Tucson this weekend, wrapping up a
five-state tour which included playing at the Coachella Music and Arts
Festival. And what better way to celebrate the end of the tour than,
you guessed it, a benefit show?

The beneficiaries this time are the Gentle Hands Center for
Children, the daycare where drummer John Convertino sends his son; and
Pan Left, Tucson’s progressive nonprofit film production collective,
which is celebrating its 15-year anniversary.

Socially and politically conscious causes are Calexico’s specialty,
Burns says, and giving back to the Old Pueblo is top priority.

“We like to play benefits here in town,” he says humbly. “So as a
result, I think there have been several people who have asked us to get
involved with their causes, and we try to do what we can, when we
can.”

Though they tour the world, Calexico keeps it local. From the
recurring immigrant theme in their music to the collective spirit and
improvisational style, Calexico represents Tucson.

During their latest tour, they took advantage of their location,
Burns says, by taking mini-trips around the Southwest with other
Southwestern musicians.

Sergio Mendoza y La Orkesta, a big band with a big sound, will open
the show, as will Calexico’s longtime tour buddy Salvador Duran.

Tickets are $20 for general admission in advance; $22 at the door;
and $26 for balcony seating. —H.S.

Thirst Quencher

Carry5 Walk for Water

8 a.m., Sunday, May 3

UA Old Main

1200 E. University Blvd.

www.water1st.org/events/CARRY5.html

While getting drinkable water here in Tucson is easy—just turn
on the tap—in countries around the world, potable water is a
hard-to-find commodity.

To raise awareness of this problem—and to raise funds to
help—students in the UA’s Department of Hydrology and Water
Resources have put together an event taking place this weekend.

As event coordinator Michael Barnes says in an e-mail, “The walk
represents the daily struggle to obtain water, and through
participating, we can help end it.”

How will the 5k walk work? “Participants carry (5 gallons of) water
with them as they walk, allowing them to experience part of what people
struggle with daily as they gather unclean water from streams and
ponds,” Barnes writes.

While this weekend’s Carry5 Walk for Water will be a learning
experience for participants, the walks made in other countries can be a
matter of life and death.

“The lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitary latrines is
the top public-health problem in the world and the no. 1 killer of
children in the world,” Barnes writes.

The walk will begin at Old Main, where participants and groups can
sign up.

“By walking, we can make a very concrete impact on the lives of
those in need of clean water,” Barnes writes.

Participants can register for the event at the above Web site, or at
the UA Old Main building on the day of the event. Registration is free,
but fundraising is encouraged; all proceeds will help provide the
poorest communities with access to clean water and sanitation. For more
information, e-mail mbarnes@email.arizona.edu.
—L.L.

This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2009.