Summer Safari Saturday Nights. You might have heard the rumors that this year's monsoon season is going to be late because we had such a long, lovely winter. Well, that isn't stopping the Reid Park Zoo from talking about how animals follow the rains or the stars during specific times of the year. And who knows, maybe talking about the monsoons will encourage them to come more quickly (that whole thing about them being late might not even be real anyway). The night's live music is provided by The Just Intervals, and the event's featured animals include birds, lion, zebra and tortoise. 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 6. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Ct. $10.50 adults, $8.50 seniors, $6.50 kids ages 2 to 14 and free for zoo members.
Small to Medium at the Wilde Meyer Gallery. We've heard it said "the bigger the better," and the Wilde Meyer gallery is the first to admit they tend to feature, large, impressive art. To offset this, they're spending July emphasizing midsize painting and sculptures, including work by the likes of Jaime Ellsworth, James Swanson and Barbara Duzan. Open through July 31. 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive. Free.
JitterCat Jive! Are you looking to recreate that scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" when George and Mary are killing it on the dance floor (before they fall in the pool)? Or any famous scene in a movie where they're swing dancing or lindy hopping? Take a step back in time by heading to Movement Culture dance studio on the first Saturday of every month to take a beginning lindy hop lesson and then do some social dancing. Dancers of all levels are welcome! 7 to 8 p.m. class, 8 to 10:30 p.m. social dancing. Movement Culture, 435 E. Ninth St. $5, cash only.
Art
Hey Baby! Art against Sexual Harassment. Have you heard about this art exhibit at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library? They're displaying art from PSA Art Awakenings that advocates for everyone's right to be in a public space, as well as explores gender-based harassment and how to end street harassment. This month's theme is "Fragile Supremacy," and focuses on behaviors like catcalling, homophobic slurs, flashing, groping and stalking, which make people feel less safe and restricts where they can go. They're not easy topics to talk about, but one of the many wonderful things about art is that it can get the conversation started. On display throughout July at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Free.
Independence Day
Let Freedom Sing 2019. This musical celebration of our nation's birthday has been proudly displaying the patriotism of Southern Arizona for more than three decades now. And it makes sense! With a mix of patriotic standards and All-American hits, there's something that will pluck at everyone's heartstrings (or at least their nostalgia strings) at this show. Susan Stokes directs and Mark Gary is the guest conductor at this program, which features the Arts Express Choir and Orchestra, the swinging Manhattan Dolls, baritone Andrew Stuckey and Flamenco guitarist Ismael Barajas. 3 and 7 p.m. Thursday, July 4. Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress. GA: $10. Reserved: $25 adult/$15 student or youth. Reserved balcony: $50 for two people (loveseat). Premium reserved: $35.
Star Spangled Family Funday at the Farmers Market. Trail Dust Town is always a good time, but it's especially fun when you go during the Friday Farmers' market. And what better way to beat the, "Aw, darn, Independence Day is over" blues than with an event like this? Fifteen local vendors will be on deck, along with live music, a scavenger hunt and a spin-the-wheel game. There will also be face painting, hula hoops and storytime for the kiddos. 8 a.m. to noon. Friday, July 5. Trail Dust Down, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road. Free.
Independence Day at Old Tucson. "As American as apple pie" is a well-known phrase, but you know what's even more American? Pie eating contests! Old Tucson has all of this and more at their Fourth of July celebration, including games, prizes and special Independence Day shows. Best of all, kids 11 and under get in free Thursday through Sunday, so that you can celebrate our country's Independence with a four-day party and not break the bank doing it! 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7. Old Tucson, 201 S. Kinney Road. Adult tickets are $19.95, with discounts for seniors, military and Pima County residents.
11th Annual 4th of July Freedom Run 4-Miler. Let's take a moment to thank the organizers of this event for being lucrative with how they decided on the distance. They could have made it a 1,776-mile run, in honor of the year our country was founded. They could have made it a 243-mile run, in honor of how old the U.S. is turning this year. But they went with a cool 4, in honor of the day of the month we're celebrating. This year's run is partnering with the That Others May Live Foundation, which provides support, scholarships and immediate tragedy assistance for the families of U.S. Air Force Rescue Heroes killed or wounded in operational or training missions. Bib pickup & registration begins at 5:15 a.m., race begins at 6 a.m. Thursday, July 4. Reid Park, Ramada #22, 100 Country Club Road. $35.
Learn Something New
Country Western Dance Lessons. The East side's favorite country western bar is spreading that country fever by offering up these quick, fun and easy classes. Singles and couples alike are welcome to come learn the waltz, jitterbug, two step and 8 count shuffle. Look, you drive by it all the time on your way up Mount Lemmon, or maybe you've glimpsed it from across the way while you're at the Trail Dust Town farmers market. It's time to go check out The Maverick, and it's time to learn how to dance. 7 p.m. Saturday, July 6. The Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road. $5.
Astronomy Lecture: VERITAS. Earlier this year, scientists working at the Center for Astrophysics' Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory south of Tucson published a paper: Their work with VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) had created a way to measure the smallest stars in the night sky to date. Hooray for making more stars visible! Hooray for this happening in our own backyard! Hear from the project collaborators about what this means for the future of astronomy at this lecture hosted by Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation. 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 10. Historic Canoa Ranch, 5375 S. I-19 Frontage Road, Green Valley. $5, or free for Canoa Ranch members.
All Levels Screen Printing Workshop. Screen printing has been around for more than a thousand years, so it's about time we learn how to do it, right? Plus, every time you go into Tiny Town, don't you wish you knew how to make one of their T-shirts? At this workshop hosted by Tanline Printing, Jeik Ficker will teach the class by working on a silk screen project. You can bring an image (a drawing or digital file) or use one they supply, and you'll all leave with an edition of prints. They'll focus on how to set up a job, print it and clean up properly. They'll supply two next-level T-shirts, and you can bring up to 10 shirts to print (maybe get some of your Christmas "shopping" done now by treating yourself to this class and your friends and family to a T-shirt you handcrafted?) 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 6. 1537 S. Fourth Ave. $135. Email [email protected] to register and pay.
Especially for Kids
Super Stellar Glow-in-the-Dark Storytime. We have a theory that you could add "glow-in-the-dark" as a prefix to anything to make it instantly more appealing. Sure, a trampoline sounds fun. But what about a GLOW-IN-THE-DARK trampoline? Waffles? Cool. GLOW-IN-THE-DARK waffles? Triple cool. You get the idea. Storytime and crafts are fun, but they're even better when they GLOW IN THE DARK. The library is hosting this event for kids of all ages, so head on down! 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, July 5. Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Ave. Free, but room capacity is 75 people, so arrive early.
Make it Mondays! The Tucson Children's Museum is always a good place to take the kiddos, but there's something especially appealing about spending a summer day wandering around a museum, learning and having fun at the same time. Every Monday at the museum until Labor Day, admission is just 3 bucks, and there are special guests from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This week, the UA Optics program and Edible Optics, a company started by two UA students, are on deck. Instead of using expensive, fragile glass to create lenses for learning about optics, they make "lollipop lenses" out of sugar. Willy Wonka may have told the group there was no knowing where they were going, but we know exactly where we'll be this Monday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, July 8. Children's Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave. $3.
Cool Summer Nights. Another Saturday night means another evening drive out to the Desert Museum, this week to learn about some of the fascinating critters that thrive in the Sonoran heat—like, even without air conditioning. Two presentations about our furry, scaled and winged pals are on the docket, and, as usual, Chris Maynard's solo art exhibit, the stingray touch exhibit and a chance to play in the Packrat Playhouse are all available. Into the night – learning awaits! 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 6. Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road. $21.95 GA, $19.95 seniors 65+, $8.95 for kids 3 to 12, free for kids under 3, $17.95 for active or retired military, $16.95 for Arizona/Sonora residents.
Fun in General
Red Cross Pint for Pint Blood Drive. Giving blood isn't so much difficult as it is a hassle: remembering to sign up, making sure you eat enough that day, setting aside an hour or so in your schedule. So, it might feel selfish, but you wouldn't be alone in thinking, "What's in it for me?" At this event, for every pint of blood you donate, you get a voucher for a pint of beer at Arizona Beer House back! (But there's a pretty strict one-pint donation limit here, considering we're talking about life-sustaining bodily fluids). Holiday weekends present the largest demands for blood donors, so why not head on down. Food truck American Asian will be there, serving up $4 burgers for donors. And you'll get a free T-shirt, too! 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 6. Arizona Beer House, 150 S. Kolb Road.
Rodents of Unusual Size. If this event title made you think of The Princess Bride right away, then I don't think this event means what you think it means. Which is to say, it's actually just about big rodents, not about The Princess Bride. The Tucson Petting Zoo and Funny Foot Farm are presenting this session for kids and their families about the capybara, Patagonian mara and other big ol' rodents. Tickets are free, but space is limited. Tickets are available at the desk of the library 30 minutes before the program starts, so get there early. Not quite "camp-outside-the-store-the-day-before-Thanksgiving-for-the-Black-Friday-sales" early, but, you know, in time to snag a ticket. 2 to 3 p.m. Monday, July 8. Dusenberry-River Library. 5605 E. River Road. Free.
Tucson Saguaros vs. Alpine Cowboys. Sure, cowboys are sentient, but saguaros are fearsome in their own, tranquil way, so we have confidence in the home team this week as they take on this team from Texas. Tucson's own professional baseball team plays in the Pecos League, an independent league whose teams hail from an average elevation of 4,870 feet—which means everyone has killer lung capacities. But nobody plays baseball like the Saguaros! 7 p.m. Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6. 4 p.m. Sunday, July 7. Cherry Field, 425 S. Cherry Ave. $7.50.
The Lightest Object in the Universe. You've probably heard of Tucson's own Kimi Eisele in one way or another—she's a dance, writer and artist who's involved in all sorts of events and projects around town. Check out the launch of her new book, which has been named a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, a Powell Books' pick for The Best Reads of 2019 and a member of Reader's Digest 15 Best Summer Books to Read List. Eisele will read and sign copis, Conjunto Nopal will provide live music, EXO will sell drink and Don Pedro's Peruvian Bistro food truck will serve food. See an excerpt of the book in next week's isse of the Weekly! 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 9. EXO Bar, 403 N. Sixth Ave. Free,
