Awesome Auction
Treasures for TIHAN
6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 9
Doubletree Hotel
445 S. Alvernon Way
299-6647; www.tihan.org
The Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network is getting ready for one of its biggest fundraisers: The 12th annual Treasures for TIHAN event.
Treasures for TIHAN will bring together an exceptional bunch of items for both silent and live auctions; these goodies range from trips to tickets to crafts and more.
"All funds generated from the fundraiser go directly to the organization, which allows us to help people living with HIV/AIDS," said TIHAN executive director Scott Blades.
Blades promised that the evening's fun goes beyond the auctions.
"There will be great food and entertainment, and a carnival type of theme. We want people to come, have fun and participate in both auctions, because they are for a great cause!" he said.
KOLD Channel 13's Chuck George will be the evening's master of ceremonies, and a blues band will play music.
Aside from the auction items, food and drink, there will special prizes for moms. Since the fundraiser is taking place on Mother's Day weekend, Blades explained, "There will be a special raffle for moms where they will have opportunities all night to win prizes just for attending!"
Overall, Blades said, "It is a great event that we hope attracts lots of people, because it is to help those who need the most help. We want people to come by, enjoy the food and have a cocktail while mingling and purchasing items from the auction."
Finally, Blades insisted that "while there will be lots of great treasures up for auction, the real treasures are the people of this organization, especially the volunteers, because they are at the heart of the organization. We love our volunteers."
Tickets are $65 in advance, or $75 on the day of the event, and can be purchased by calling 299-6647 or visiting www.tihan.org. —L.L.
Justice, LGBT-Style
Amancio: Two Faces on a Tombstone
7:30 p.m., tonight, Thursday, May 7
Loft Cinema
3233 E. Speedway Blvd.
Amancio Corrales was dressed as a woman the night he was stabbed to death in the desert. The 23-year-old had dreamed of becoming a Las Vegas performer and was well-known as a female impersonator in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. When his body turned up in the Colorado River in May 2005, one Yuma resident, Michael Baughman, began a fight to bring Amancio's murderers to justice.
That is the story of Amancio: Two Faces on a Tombstone, which is screening at the Loft as part of the Reel Pride series presented by Wingspan, Tucson's LGBT community center. Baughman and director Tom Murray are both slated to be at the screening.
The timing of the screening is rather relevant, said Jason Cianciotto, Wingspan's executive director, because Amancio was murdered four years ago this month, and because a bill which would expand the federal hate-crimes law just passed in the U.S. House and is moving on to the Senate.
Tucson has always been considered a safe place for transgender-identifying people, Cianciotto said, yet transgendered people are still the subject of a lot of intolerance.
"The tragic, horrific murder of Amancio Corrales was just a more recent example of how transgender people are disproportionately impacted by anti-LGBT violence and bias," Cianciotto said.
Wingspan has been presenting the Reel Pride series at the Loft for nearly four years, Cianciotto said, but as the economy struggles, he's worried about the series.
"Over the past several years," he said, "Reel Pride ... brought the community, gay and straight, together ... "
Reel Pride series includes several movies per month. The Amancio screening is $10, or $8 for Loft members. All proceeds go to Wingspan and the Loft. —H.S.
Lefties Leaving Town?
Local Bands Groove for Local Campaigns
6 p.m., Saturday, May 9
The Hut
305 N. Fourth Ave.
earthfirstjournal.org;myspace.com/thehuttucson
Dear Tucson conservatives: We know it's been a rough year for you, what with the socialist takeover of America and all, but there is at least one reason to celebrate: The folks behind Earth First! Journal, those militant hippies trying to stop economic development down at the proposed Rosemont Mine, may soon be leaving town.
But before they do, they're throwing a benefit.
"The Earth First! Journal is known for being really radical," said organizer and fundraiser Leah Rothschild. "A lot of our roots definitely stem from wanting to work with nonprofits, but being able to step out of that light and into a more controversial place."
About 10 different campaigns will be setting up tables at the event, said Rothschild, and bands including Spirit Familia, Planet Jam and The Wayback Machine will help spread the love.
Featured campaigns include the Center for Biological Diversity talking about saving the scenic Santa Rita Mountains, and the Sierra Club talking about the effect of the border wall on the environment.
"Hopefully, we will have a good opportunity to let people know that if they do want to tap into these local campaigns, this is part of a more accessible way of doing it," Rothschild said.
The journal was established in Tucson 29 years ago, and returned to town in 2001 after stops in Montana and Oregon in the 1990s. If all goes according to plan, Earth First! Journal will be back on the road soon, moving to Asheville, N.C., within a year.
"The journal itself has a somewhat transient history," Rothschild said.
The whole night of music and information (for those 21 and older) costs only $5, so come on down to The Hut and help these hippies get out of town. —H.S.
Oral Tales
Odyssey Storytelling presents "The Body"
7 p.m., next Thursday, May 14
Club Congress
311 E. Congress St.
730-4112; www.odysseystorytelling.com
The art of storytelling goes back to the first grunts made by our ancestors inside a fire-lit cave. Stories have always served as a form of communication and a way to pass down traditions to younger generations.
In this age of technology bombarding our consciousness with information (useful and useless), it's a delight to see artists gather at Club Congress to tell stories in a forum known as Odyssey Storytelling.
Odyssey Storytelling is an ongoing project dedicated to sharing different perspectives through the use of spoken word. The theme of the upcoming installment is "The Body." Tales of anomalies, appearance and complications with feeling comfortable in one's skin will be told by six different storytellers from diverse backgrounds.
The storytellers lined up for next Thursday's event are Cynthia Meier, Stephanie Baldwin, Tony Hinkins, Alberto Ramirez, Susan Kovitz and Alison Davison.
Odyssey Storytelling founder Penelope Starr became intrigued with the art of storytelling five years ago after seeing a group of artists and writers in San Francisco captivate an audience with their oral tales. Starr thought that the Old Pueblo should have a similar creative outlet.
"After hearing these stories, I began to ask myself: What curiosities do people tell stories about?" said Starr.
Starr and Hostetter choose themes for the storytelling sessions by asking this question and by taking suggestions from subscribers to Odyssey storytelling's e-mail list.
"People e-mail us ideas for themes, and then we find interesting people who may have a different view on the topic." said Hostetter.
For more information or to become a storyteller for an Odyssey Storytelling session, check out www.odysseystorytelling.com. —A.C.
