City Week: Weekly Picks

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

Nature Niños. Tohono Chul is partnering with the Oro Valley Children’s Museum this summer to offer themed programming for kiddos every Saturday. This week is all about water, so kids can splash around in a fountain and do watercolor painting in the gardens. This activity is perfect for kids 10 and under, and sessions are tailored to the size and age range of the group. Best of all, there are two sessions every Saturday: a morning session in the ramada from 9 to 11 a.m. and an evening session in the garden from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Tohono Chul, 7366 Paseo del Norte. Free.

click to enlarge

A Black Futures Evening: AIR Artists in Conversations. The Southern Arizona Gender Euphoria House artists are spending a summer residency at Tucson MOCA. At this event, learn about how Black trans and gender nonconforming artists are leading the way to a liberated future. You’ll hear from artists Tyrell Blacquemoss, Kobe Aaron Guilford, Grey Miller and zen mills, along with moderator Zami Tinashe Hemingway. Music and food from the Curry Pot will follow the panel. 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art, 265 S. Church Ave. Free. Masks required.

Art After Dark. With Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Did you know the Children’s Museum hosts local art groups every second Saturday for evenings full of art and play-based learning? This week, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Musicians Association is doing a presentation about the wonder of brass instruments. They’re also having a brass instrument petting zoo so kids can get up close and personal with trumpets, French horns, trombones, tubas and euphoniums. How cute is that? 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave. Free.

Night Wings. The Pima Air & Space Museum features nearly 300 aircraft spread over 80 acres and is home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame. If you’ve got a kid who loves aerospace, they won’t want to miss this one. An evening full of aviation talks, tram tours and seeing airplane silhouettes at sunset, plus plenty of activities for kids. 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Pima Air & Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road. Free for kids 11 and under, $10 for those 12 and up. Tram tours are $8 and first come first serve.

click to enlarge

Summer Safari Nights. Anyone up for an evening stroll around the zoo? With cold drinks and animal encounters, kid’s activities and live music, this event is—cliché though it may sound—truly fun for the whole family. This week’s theme is Beach Party! It’s a long drive to the seaside, so the zoo is bringing the ocean to us with this celebration of waterways and the animals that rely on them. Wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt and come hang out with swimming otters, vibrant flamingos and poolside elephants. And, of course, don’t miss the beach-themed selfie station and the dolphin-themed wet slide. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Reid Park Zoo 3400 Zoo Court. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $6.50 kids 2 to 14 and free for members and kids under 2.

Mezcal Sundays at the Century Room. If you haven’t been to the new jazz club at Hotel Congress, you’re missing out on quite the treat! This new, exclusive tasting series is led by local agave spirits master Doug Smith, who will guide you though a tasting of a variety of agave spirits and small bites. This week’s focus is Bacanora. I know next-to-nothing about Bacanora because I have not yet attended this informative tasting, but I have been told it’s made specifically from Agave Pacifica, with a less smoky flavor than many mezcals. Doors open at 6 p.m. and event begins at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 12. The Century Room, 311 E. Congress. $35 per person. VIP booking for dinner at the Cup Café prior to the event is available for an extra $5.

Tucson Pops Orchestra Music Under the Stars. This is the final summer concert in the park from the Tucson Pops Orchestra, and the final show for music director and conductor László Veres. They are going all out, with everything from “The Lord of the Rings” and “West Side Story” symphonic suites to tunes from “La Traviata” and “How to Train Your Dragon” to Tchaikovsky’s iconic “1812 Overture.” They are also presenting “Rainstorm” from The Journey, by guest composer Peter Fine. Fine taught himself to score for orchestra as a teen and has been composing ever since. (He also played in a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Whole Lotta Zep for 10 years.) 7 p.m. Sunday, June 12. DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center at Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way. Free.

Movie Scores Trivia night at Crooked Tooth. What are some of your favorite movie scores? Jaws? Star Wars? How about Psycho, or Gone With The Wind? Come test your symphonic smarts with this trivia night at one of downtown’s coziest breweries. Head to the patio for a chance to win $10, $15 and $25 gift cards to Crooked Tooth, plus unlimited bragging rights if you win. And it’s a perfect excuse to spend the weekend “studying” aka watching a bunch of movies on the couch. 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 14. Crooked Tooth Brewing Co., 228 E. Sixth St. Free.