Tucson Greek Festival. Opa! You'd better put on your stretchy pants, because it's time for baklava, falafel, gyros and other food that will make you want to move straight to the Mediterranean to pursue a life of seaside leisure and tableside deliciousness. Of course, Greek culture is more than just food—this festival also features plenty of dancing, live entertainment and local artisan vendors. There are also full-scale carnival rides, which may not be especially Greek, but will be especially fun. And hey, it's all Greek to me, anyway, am I right? 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. 1145 E. Fort Lowell Road. $3.
Free Barefoot Yoga. Barefoot yoga is the best yoga. And doing it outside now that the weather is cooling down is a delight. Throw in the fact that this is a free, quick, 30-minute sessions that you can fit in before work, and wow! You better get your yoga clothes on, and your shoes off. The Lohse Family YMCA of Tucson is leading this class in Jacome Plaza downtown to get your Thursday off to a good start—in body, mind and spirit. And if you still have time before work, you can continue to unwind with a game of giant Jenga! 7 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. Jacome Plaza Downtown, 101 N. Stone Ave. Free.
Bear Down Fridays. There's nothing quite like living in a college town. Embrace it at these Friday afternoons spent cheering on the football team before home games, preferably wearing your red and blue finest. The Pride of Arizona marching band, Wilbur and Wilma, the UA cheerleaders, the pom squad and the twirlers will all be on deck, so don't miss your chance to see these Tucson celebs. UA coaches make guest appearances at these events as well. There's also a kids' area, food and drink specials and all sorts of sales up and down University Boulevard. Bear Down! 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Main Gate Square. Free.
Learn Something New
Beavers, Brews & Santa Cruz. Maybe you know a little bit about river restoration, and you probably know plenty about local beers, but how's your knowledge on the reintroduction of beavers to Southeast Arizona? This event hosted by the Watershed Management Group is going to teach you all about beavers and rivers, and Pueblo Vida, Whiskey Del Bac and Ren Coffeehouse are going to keep you hydrated through it. They're screening a documentary called The Beaver Believers, and they're having a panel of beaver experts, including reps from the AZ Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ProFauna Wildlife, WMG and Friends of the San Pedro River. How many chances are you going to get in your life to see a panel of beaver experts? 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28. WMG headquarters, 1137 N. Dodge Blvd. $20.
Mindfulness Meditation. Sometimes the library really does seem too good to be true. Not only can you check out all sorts of books for free, but they're constantly offering events where you can learn more about everything from computers to languages to how to be a better gardener. This Monday, learn a little bit about mindfulness, or the art of paying purposeful attention to the present—something that's a lot easier said than done, but is a learnable skill. Find out how it can benefit your physical health, your mental health, your relationships and other aspects of your life. And all you have to do is go to the library and listen. 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1. Joyner-Green Valley Library. 601 N. La Cañada Drive. Free.
Art
Made By: Exploring the Makers Behind Our Collections. The Arizona History Museum is going meta in this exploration of the artists behind the art, and the connections between art producers, museums and museum patrons. Kim Nicolini will be discussing her moving art series Facing Work, which displays paintings of workers Nicolini has seen in her everyday life. She'll also do a reading from her upcoming book of the same name. Come take a stroll through the museum, and then hear some though-provoking words about what a stroll through a museum, indeed, what many of your everyday actions and interactions, might mean. 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Arizona History Museum, 949 E. Second St. $10 GA, $8 seniors & students, $5 for youth 7 to 13, free for AHS members and kids 6 and under.
Sizzling Summer Saturday. As the Saturdays in Tucson mercifully start to sizzle a little bit less, the Wilde Meyer Galley is still celebrating with this reception for its September exhibit. The group show features artists including Nancy Pendleton, Judy Choate and Melissa Johnson. The Plaza Colonia merchants will all be participating in this show, including the Wilde Meyer Gallery, Jane Hamilton Fine Art, Karimi Rugs and Elements. Come on down and check out the art—and maybe even take some home! Hey, you have to celebrate Sizzling Summer Saturday somehow. And the exhibit is up through the end of the month. 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Free.
Spirit Animal Month. The Madaras Gallery is celebrating 20 years this year, and, in honor of the last two decades of art, they're highlighting a different subset of Diana Madaras' work each month. For the spookiest month of the year, they're featuring her spirit animal paintings, which tell the story of her deep, lifelong connection to animals. By the end of the year, she'll have 20 of these babies—colorful, geometric portraits of birds, fish, tigers, bears, horses and more—completed. Come see them on special display throughout the month. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road. Free.
Performances
Tucson Pops. It's the last edition of this outdoor summer concert series, conducted by László Veres. This week's program is featuring two soloists from the orchestra. Cellist Anne Gratz is a member of the Tucson Symphony String Quartet and runs a full private cello studio in town. Jessica Campbell plays the bassoon and contrabassoon for TSO, coaches the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra bassoon section and runs a bassoon/contrabassoon reed-making business. Also on the schedules are selections from Offenbach's Bluebeard, Saint-Säens' The Swan from Carnival of the Animals and plenty more. 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Free.
Jazz in AZ. One act, one hour, and one helluva lot of impressive dancing. Jazz, tap and contemporary come together in this show by the UA School of Dance. First, seven dancers take the stage to tell a story about a young man's dream of playing the saxophone in Michael Williams' tap piece, AlittleSAXophoneSTORY. Then, Sam Watson presents an excerpt from his piece Something Blues, a duet set to music by Canadian DJ Kid Koala and featuring old blues and hip hop recordings. Last is Larry Keigwin's Megalopolis, which the New York Times described as "a divinely will structured encounter between formalism and club culture." Don't miss your dance chance to see this show! 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 through Thursday, Oct. 3. Stevie Eller Dance Theatre, 1737 E. University Blvd. $16 adults, $14 senior/military/UA employees, $12 student.
The Sun Serpent. This play at Pima Community College is based on the story of Cortes' arrival in South America, which is almost as fascinating as it is horrific. The story focuses the young, newly orphaned Anahuac, who sets off on a journey to warn her brother to watch out for the Spanish. Along the way, she must navigate a dizzying combination of the Aztec prophecies and jungles she is accustomed to and the Spanish horses and ships she is not. And it's actually a children's play, by none other than José Cruz González, who was once a playwright-in-residence at Childsplay up in Tempe. 2 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, and Oct. 5, 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, and Oct. 6. 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4. (Sign language interpreters available at the Friday showing). Proscenium Theatre, Pima Community College West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road. $8.
Festivals and Celebrations
Fall Pumpkin Celebration at Apple Annie's. We did it! We made it to October! Or, close enough! It's time to celebrate by heading out to get yourself a pumpkin. And at Apple Annie's, they're doing it right: an all-you-can-eat pumpkin and pancake breakfast, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pies, pumpkin bread and homemade cider donuts. And you can either pick your own pumpkins (plus other veggies, if you want) at the farm, or pick up some pre-picked pumpkins at the stand. A portion of proceeds benefit the Lupus Foundation of Southern Arizona, March of Dimes and Youth Haven Ranch. Breakfast is 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch is 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays throughout October. Apple Annie's Produce & Pumpkin Patch, 6405 W. Williams Road.
Tucson Pride: Rise Up. This year, Tucson's annual pride festival is centered around the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the six days of protests that followed a police raid of a gay club in New York City. In the six months following the riots, three newspapers were established to promote gay and lesbian rights. Within a few years, LGBTQ+ rights organizations were founded all over the world. In the five decades following the riots, we've made even more progress. Celebrate how far we've come, and get energized for all the progress we still get to make, with a parade, a pride royalty crowning, a vendor exhibition and lots of live music. Parade at 11 a.m. Festival noon to 9 p.m. Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. $5 to $20.
Fun in General
Comic and Cartoon Creations. Calling all artistically inclined (or even just artistically intrigued) teens and tweens! Who doesn't love a good comic or cartoon? Ever been interested in making your own? Maybe you have a project that's already started? At this session, you'll learn how to draw cartoon characters, create superhero panels and make your own comic book. Feel free to bring your own project to work on, or to create a project along with the art leader. This is especially for beginner and intermediate artists. 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27. Flowing Wells Library, 1730 W. Wetmore Road. Free.
National Parks Free Entrance Day. There are lots of parts of nature that are free every day, but the national parks, which host some of the loveliest and most pristine sections of it, usually cost money to get into. Not this Saturday! In honor of National Public Lands Day, the National Park Service sites that normally charge an entrance fee—including Saguaro National Park and the 13 other national parks, recreation areas and monuments in the great state of Arizona—will be free to everyone. Maybe this is the Saturday that you finally drive up to see the Petrified Forest National Park, or the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. Whatever you do, do it outside if you can! Saturday, Sept. 28. Locations and hours vary.
WWE Live. Are you ready to rumble? You'd better GET ready to rumble. Because WWE Live is coming to the Tucson Arena. Seth Rollins and Baron Corbin are facing off in a street fight, so its Rollins' famous Curb Stomp finishing move (a running stomp to the back of an opponent's head when they're bent over) against Baron Corbin, who, according to his WWE profile, got kicked out of the NFL because he was just too aggressive and full of rage. You'll also see Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch and Lacey Evans facing off in a woman's championship match, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, the Lucha House Party and plenty more. 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. Tucson Arena, 260 S. Church Ave. $15 to $105+.
Tuesday Teen Time. It's a Tuesday afternoon... do you know where your teenagers are? Well, if they're cool teenagers, they'll probably be at the Eckstrom-Columbus Library for this cool class about how to twist balloons into funny animal shapes. Seriously, what better party trick than to be able to whip out a bright purple latex giraffe at a moment's notice? Or how much cuter and more unique is it to give someone a balloon flower you made yourself than a bouquet from the grocery store? For those who especially enjoy it, balloon twisting could even become a lucrative side hustle! Send your teens to learn about entrepreneurship and the art of balloon twisting. 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1. Eckstrom-Columbus Library, 4350 E. 22nd St. Free.
David Rosenfelt Book Signing. David Rosenfelt has received lots of acclaim for his books, including his 20 Andy Carpenter Novels, and a nonfiction bestseller called Dogtripping. That one is about a move from Southern California to Maine with 26 (26!!) dogs and a group of volunteers. He and his wife have rescued more than 4,000 dogs, and they always have at least 20 living in their home. So, if you don't have a million questions for this guy, I don't even know what to say to you. Anyway, this event with Arizona wine or beer and hors d'oeuvres will feature the release of Rosenfelt's newest book, Dachshunds Through the Snow, a book signing and several other treats. And it's a good chance for you to rescue some animals too—proceeds benefit the Southern Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue. 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1. Arizona Wine Collective in St. Philip's Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave. $75. Tickets at sagrr.org/store.
