Pick of the Week
HOCO Fest: Get the weekend started on Thursday with a massive dance party with Zackey Force Funk taking over Optimist Club with help from DJ PHATSOUL and long time Opti Resident A SHUTA. Friday is dedicated to performances by acts that are, in a word, Tucson: Howe Gelb, Giant Sand, Gabe Sullivan and Vox Urbana will all be there and you should, too. Saturday brings us a celebration of Tucson's musical past and future with Dusty Chaps, John Coinman, Lando Chill and Combine Vibes all taking the stage. You can even take a piece of the event home with you if you stop by during HOCO Vinyl, the event's record festival. Sunday's events promise a glorious end to a weekend of musical celebration with performances from Sergio Mendoza, Y La Bamba and a musical remembrance of Michael Ronstadt. Some events are free and some are ticketed. Check Hotel Congress' website for details. Sept. 1-4. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street. Food & Booze
Terroir on Tap: Good Oak is featuring draft beers from five breweries (including Flagstaff's Wanderlust) that capture the Sonoran desert through the use of native souring yeasts and local ingredients. Selections will include a Prickly Pear Sour from Dragoon and two collaboration beers from Iron John’s and The Address at 1702 which are built on a shared Green Chili Ale base—delicious. Sept. 2-10, Good Oak Bar, 316 E Congress St. Sentinel Peak Beer Dinner: Haven't made it out to Horseshow Grill yet? Well, you've already put it off too long but you can make up for your error by attending the restaurant's collaboration dinner with Sentinel Peak Brewing. The five-course meal includes stuffed button mushrooms, lamb chops with a mint glaze and a peach and apricot cobbler. All courses are, of course, paired with the perfect brew. Reservations are required so give them at call: 520-838-0404. 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6. The Horseshoe Grill, 7713 E. Broadway Blvd. $40 per person.
The Space Dinner: Give OSIRIS-REx a proper send off at Maynard's Space Dinner. Go for the prix fixe menu featuring Beer-Brined Chicken, Prime Sirloin and Saffron Risotto, then stay for stargazing on the patio with the UA Astronomy Club. 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. $45, with a portion of proceeds going to Time in Cosmology.
Cinema
I hope you have a pet sitter for the weekend, because it doesn't look like you're leaving the Loft for the next few days. Every Thursday in September, the Loft will be playing the films of Jim Jarmusch. Be there for the start of it all with the first film, Stranger Than Paradise: "With its delicate humor and dramatic nonchalance, Jarmusch’s one-of-a-kind minimalist masterpiece forever transformed the landscape of American indie cinema, and it was the director himself who most evocatively described the film’s winning, if incongruous, tone." 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. General Admission is $9.50. Then, fire up your Flux Capacitor, because we're going Back to the Future over Labor Day weekend. Marty and Doc will be at the Loft, experimenting with time and space Friday through Monday at 2 and 10 p.m. each day. Catch the show for $6. Then, show off your movie memorizing skills and get your King Arthur on at the Monty Python and the Holy Grail Quote-A-Long—it'll be like a Sing-A-Long, only you'll be more willing to bring your tone deaf cousin. Now stand aside, worthy adversary! We've got a movie to watch. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. General Admission is $9.50. These events take place as the Loft Cinema. 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Seven Women, Seven Sins: See seven female filmmakers take on the seven deadly sins in this 1986 cinematic masterpiece. Before the show, Burning Palms will put their twist on Mary Pickford’s 1910 silent film What the Daisy Said with a live score commissioned by the Mary Pickford Foundation. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7 EXPLODED VIEW gallery/microcinema, 197 E. Toole Ave. #2. $7.
Literature
It's a literary double header this week at Antigone Books! Join local authors Mark Beauregard and Jillian Cantor to discus their stories of love, history and sacrifice. Beauregard's The Whale: A Love Story is a fictional account of Herman Melville's (perceived, but unconfirmed) romantic relationship with Nathaniel Hawthorne. Is Moby Dick really a love letter from one author to another? Beauregard is betting yes. Cantor's The Hours Count blends fact and fiction as it tells the story of a woman who befriending Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed for conspiring to commit espionage in 1953. 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2. Antigone Books, 411 N. Fourth Avenue. Free.Morgan Lucas Schuldt Memorial Reading: Solmaz Sharif & Danniel Schoonebeek: Revel in a night of poetry as the UA Poetry Center hosts the Morgan Lucas Schuldt Memorial Reading. The event features emerging poets Solmaz Sharif and Danniel Schoonebeek. 7.p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. UA Poetry Center, 1508 E. Helen Street.
Family
Back to School Block Party: It's time for one last back-to-shool bash. Let the kids enjoy free bowling, shoe rental, hot dogs, chips and soft drinks PLUS a free goodie bag with school supplies donated by Global Children's Fund, until they run out. 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Golden Pin Lanes, 1010 W. Miracle Mile.Don't Call Me A Turtle: Author Elaine A. Powers will be reading from her book Don’t Call Me a Turtle, an informative tale about the characteristics that make Tortoises such a unique group of reptiles. Myrtle (her tortoise) and Trevor (her turtle), the real-life inspiration for the story, will be there. 9:30-11:30 a.m., with the story starting over every half hour. Wednesday. Sept. 7.
Nature
What's Brewing in Environmental Health: Grab a beer and talk and join the UA's Southwest Enviornmental Heath Sciences Center to talk about issues facing us today. September's topic is the Zika virus, featuring Michael Riehle and Kathleen Walker as guest speakers. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. Borderlands Brewing Company, 119 E. Toole Ave. Free.Prickly Pear Foraging: Take a drive up north and meet herbalist John Slattery at Oracle State Park for a day of foraging. You'll learn about our environment, harvest some prickly pears and sample some drinks. Bring ample protection from the sun and perhaps a notebook or camera. 8-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Oracle State Park, 3820 Wildlife Drive, Oracle. $3 for the class, plus entry to the park. Nature/Food
Fashion
How Sweet It Was Grand Re-Opening: Get your fall shopping done at the new How Sweet It Was location (you may know it as the former Toxic Ranch Records space). Have a drink, listen to music, enjoy some discounts and find your new favorite outfit. 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. How Sweet It Was, 424 E Sixth Street. Free to attend, but you should buy some clothes.Pets & Beasts
Help Stop Animal Cruelty: The Animal Cruelty Task Force of Southern Arizona and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona will host a free public seminar for Tucson residents to understand the signs of animal cruelty and what they can do to help. 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7. Tucson Police Department Operations Division West, 1310 W. Miracle Mile. Free, but you need to RSVP. Contact Pat Hubbard: phubbard@hssaz.org or (520) 321-3704, ext. 138.Fitness
Brewery Bootcamp: It is a truth universally acknowledged that you should always have a beer after a workout. Dragoon is offering a full-body regimen followed by post-exercise brews. All fitness levels can participate. Bring your own mat, water, and sweat towel. (21+) 11 a.m. to noon. Sunday, Sept. 4. $10 per person, which includes one beer. Dragoon Brewing Co., 1859 W. Grant Road #111.DO(OM) Yoga: Every Sunday, you can get your fix of slow & low yoga—inspired by a Sabbath-worship and doom metal soundtrack. It's the yoga class you've been waiting for. 8 p.m. Sundays. Floor Polish, 215 N. Hoff Ave, Suite 107. $6.
Music & Nightlife
IBT's Monday Morning Madness: Start your Labor Day off right—at the club! IBT will be opening at 10 a.m. with a free breakfast buffet, followed by a Dive-hosted drag show, karaoke and more. Is there a better way to celebrate the labor movement? Absolutely not. 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday, Sept. 5. IBT's, 616 N. Fourth Ave. Free.
Comedy/Classes
TIM Monthly Drop In Class: Improv actors, line up! If you've got the basics of improv down, but could use a few courses to hone in on your craft, consider coming by Tucson Improv Movements September drop-in class and spend two hours working on physicality in improv (as it relates to character and to stage picture). They're capping it at 15 participants, so make sure you sign up online. Tucson Improve Movement, 329 E. Seventh Street. $5.Community
Season Kick-Off Potluck for All Souls Procession: Want to really be a part of the All Souls Procession this year? Whip up your favorite snack to share and take your creative mind over to the event orginizers. Be one of the 300 volunteers/artists that make this event shine. 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1. Rhythm Industry Performance Factory, 1013 S. Tyndall Ave. Community Theater
Frankenstein: Watch a modern take on an old classic as the Gaslight Theatre opens their new show Frankenstein this Thursday. Make sure to buy tickets early to this comedic musical that will be sure to bring you to life. Gaslight Theatre, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. $18.95.
Nogales: Storytellers from Cartel Country:On October 10, 2012, Border Patrol Agent Lonnie Ray Swartz shot Nogales, Sonora, teenager Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, firing through the slats in the border fence. Swartz says he used lethal force because rocks were being thrown at him as he, with other members of the BP, were attempting to deal with drug smugglers. The New York Times says videos, not yet made public, show him pulling up to the fence, jumping from his vehicle, firing the round in the chamber of his gun, reloading and emptying the twelve rounds in that magazine, reloading and firing at least one additional round. The first two shots would have killed Jose Antonio, although he sustained eight additional shots, all 10 bullets entering his body from behind. Witnesses said the teenager had nothing to do with drug smugglers and was simply walking down the street. This tragic and outrageous incident is the basis of Nogales—Storytellers from Cartel Country, a new play quite literally years in the making. Through Sept. 25. Read more about the show in this week's Weekly.
Sports
Kicking Off Football Season: The Arizona football programs opens up the 2016 season with a neutral site game against an old WAC opponent. The Wildcats head to Glendale to take on BYU at University of Phoenix Stadium. Arizona will debut their new defense after hiring a whole new defensive staff, while BYU has a new head coach and two new coordinators. It's an away game, but you should still tune in at your favorite sports bar.Hot Shot 50: In need of some action? Well look no further because the Tucson Speedway is revved up and ready to give it to you. On Saturday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m., they will host a 50-lap car race for Super Late Models, Modifieds, MiniStocks, Bombers (Chicane) Legends and Bandoleros. If you like thrill, you do not want to miss out on this event. $7-$30.
