Editor’s Note: While we are delighted
to see Tucsonans once again gather-
ing for fun events, we are also aware
that variants are in circulation. Please
consider getting vaccinated against
COVID if you haven’t yet.
HUB’s Dog Days of Spring – Pup-up at the Park.
The HUB’s monthlong celebration of all things dog
and ice cream continues this week with a special
event at Reid Park (900 S. Randolph Way). The
HUB’s vintage ice cream truck will be set up at
Miko’s Corner Playground Dog Park and selling ice
cream and dog-friendly treats. Such a lovely way for
folks and their canines to welcome in spring: a stroll
through the park, a scoop of ice cream and a contented hound chowing down on a treat. 3 to 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 20. You can also stop by the HUB Ice
Cream Parlor (245 E. Congress St.) between 5 and 9
p.m. on Wednesday, March 23, for a buck off of a scoop if you bring your dog, or a free
scoop when you bring an item to donate to Pima Animal Care Center. Dog treats will
also be for sale, with half of proceeds benefitting PACC.
Huge Flea Market. Wow, the best kind of flea
market! I’ve been wondering why they’re
called flea markets for about 15 years, and
finally looked it up today. Not a total
consensus, but the most popular story
is that the phrase is the translation of
a name for a French market, where
the furniture for sale was often
infested with fleas. Cute! Anyway,
this flea market blessedly does not
feature actual fleas, but it does have
clothing, shoes, furniture, electronics,
small appliances, tools, artwork, books,
luggage, collectibles and lots more. 7 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 17 through Saturday, March 19. Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565
E. Broadway Blvd.
Wizarding Out West. Calling all wizards! Trail Dust Town is having a special, event
this weekend to celebrate all local wizards and those with an affinity for wizard culture.
The day will feature thematic activities, shopping, food and drinks, plus the usual lovely
selection of rides and shows. A $10 event wristband
(recommended for adults) gets you entry into indoor
activities, a potion class sponsored by Bookmans, and
entrance to the petting zoo and rides. The $15 deluxe
wristband (recommended for kids and superfans)
includes the above, plus a special train ticket, a gold
panning bag, a scavenger hunt list and a wizard school
acceptance letter. Put on your favorite wizard robes, grab
your wands and apparate on over. 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday,
March 20. Trail Dust Town, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road.
Tohono Chul Spring Plant Sale.
Look, whether we like it or not, spring
is here, which, to paraphrase John
Green, means that soon “the raging,
destructive heat will start descending
upon us slowly at first, and then all at
once.” While we gear up for the hotter
months, we can also embrace some of
the positive things about the uptick in
sunshine, like this annual sale featuring more than 1,200 species of native
vegetation. Whether you’re looking for
potted plants or specimens to plant in
your garden, Tohono Chul has got you
covered with plenty to choose from. 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, and
Sunday, March 20. Tohono Chu Park,
7366 Paseo del Norte.
College of Science Lecture Series:
Gems and Planetary Evolution.
The 2022 science lecture series at the
UA is focused on minerals and their
importance throughout history and in
modern life. This week’s talk by Ananya
Mallik, assistant professor of geosciences, is all about gems. The popular kids
of the mineral world, gems have been
celebrated throughout history for how
beautiful they are. But Mallik will talk
about how diamonds, jades and rubies
provide a way to better understand the
evolution and inner layers of Earth. 7
p.m. Thursday, March 17. Attend in person at Centennial Hall (1020 E. University Blvd), or watch virtually at science.
arizona.edu. Free.
St. Patrick’s Day the Verde Way. Saint
Patrick’s Day is on a weeknight this
year, and presumably, some of us are
going to need to work the next day. So,
celebrating over the weekend at the
swap meet might be more suitable for
some people’s schedules. In addition
to all the usual festivities, they’ll have
gold coins at the entrance booths, ride
specials and the all-important verde
beer special. As the Irish say, “May
you always have a clean shirt, a clear
conscience and enough coins in your
pocket to buy a pint.” Tanque Verde
Swap Meet, 4100 N. Palo Verde Road.
3 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 18. 8 a.m. to
11 p.m. Saturday, March 19. 2 to 10 p.m.
Sunday, March 20.
Friends of the Pima County Library
Members-Only Sale. I read once about
an immigrant to the United States who
was absolutely blown away by the concept of libraries. I don’t think I realized
until that moment how lucky I was to
grow up with a library, taking armfuls
of books home over the summer, then
taking them back to exchange them for
more. Anyway, support your local library
and snag some books at an unbeatable
price. Everything at this sale is half-
price, and if you’re not already a member, you can sign up at the door for just
20 bucks. Then you’ll have access to all
the members-only sales throughout the
year. The theme of this month’s display
is “Banned Books.” 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2203
N. Country Club Road. Saturday, March
19.
Hotel Congress St. Patrick’s Day
Party. St. Patrick’s Day is about drinking and eating and toasting and dancing and singing and stumbling. You
can do all of that at Hotel Congress
this year. DJ DC Patty is providing
live music, plus more live music TBA,
and there’s even Irish dancing. Drink
specials include $5 green beer, $6
Guinness Cans and $6 Jameson. Grab
corned beef and cabbage, cast iron
Irish shepherd’s pie, Irish beer cheese
soup or Guinness cupcakes at the Cup
Café. Or get GUINNESS POUTINE
(WOW) at the food truck. And don’t
miss the Great Guinness Toast at 10
p.m. 5 p.m. Thursday, March 17. Hotel
Congress, 311 E. Congress St. $5 at the
door. 21+.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2022.