18th Annual Tucson Reptile & Amphibian Show & Sale. With events ranging from a hands-on reptile photography clinic led by Bill Love to a petting zoo for kids to pet reptiles to vendors selling everything from snakes and bugs to books and jewelry, this event has something for everyone. (Unless you truly hate all reptiles and amphibians, even the adorable ones like giant tortoises, and who could hate a giant tortoise?) Come check out more than 50,000 square feet of displays, sales and exhibits. You'll have so much fun at the show that it will be hard to say "goodbye" to the vipers, "after awhile" to the crocodiles and "see ya later" to the alligators. 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Oct. 6. Tucson Expo Center, 3750 E. Irvington Road. $10 adults, $5 kids ages 6 to 12 and free for kids 5 and under.
Sonoran Glass Pumpkin Fiesta. Bippidi boppidi boo! That's what Cinderella's godmother said as she was turning Cinderella into a glass pumpkin, right? Maybe glass pumpkins aren't quite part of Cinderella's story, but they can be a part of your October! Come support nonprofit glass art education by visiting a pumpkin patch full of hand-crafted glass pumpkin masterpieces. You can even make your own glass masterpieces, ranging from a character magnet for $5 to a glass pumpkin for $95 (with objects like suncatchers, fall garden stakes and drink stirrers for $15). Enjoy a glassblowing demonstration at 1 p.m. as well. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6. Sonoran Glass School, 633 W. 18th St. Free.
ZOOcson 2019. Can you believe it's already time for another ZOOcson? This year's is going to be more fantastically flamingo-y than ever, because the theme is inspired by the zoo's new Chilean flamingo flock, whose habitat is on the way next year. This gala features live music, a specialty cocktail, auctions, animal ambassador presentations, photo booths and some of Tucson's favorite restaurants. Bid for crazy-cool prizes, like the chance to be a zoo veterinarian for a day (which sounds like the most fun amount of time to be a zoo veterinarian), tickets to local attractions and performances, and vacation packages. 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court. $125 adults, $95 zoo members, $200 VIP.
Art, Gardens & Museums
Yume Japanese Gardens Reopening. Happy fall! The Yume Japanese Gardens are reopening for the fall/winter season, and they've got lots of new stuff to check out. An exhibit on Japanese papercrafts includes origami, scrolls, woodblock prints and lanterns. The rotating permanent exhibitions will now include hand-painted silk kimonos and vintage Japanese folk-art objects, as well as a new selection of Ikebana vases and containers. And Phoenix Ikebana master Ping Wei's art will be on display through the end of December. Come learn about his work and his life (he also practices Chinese massage and body work) at this artist's reception! (But note that the museum itself won't be open during the artist's reception, so come early!) 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Yume Japanese Gardens, 2130 N. Alvernon Way. $13 adults, $10 seniors, $9 students & military with ID, $6 kids 3 to 15, free for kids 2 and under.
Words of Wisdom. Who says pride has to end just because the event full of parades is over? Southern Arizona Senior Pride is hosting this poetry reading event by LGBTQ elders to keep the party going, and to keep the voices of this community heard. The featured poet is Rebecca Seiferle, Tucson's poet laureate from 2012 to 2016, noted Spanish translator and author of four poetry collectionst. Other speakers include Joan Larkin (also nationally recognized), TC Tolbert (Tucson's current poet laureate), Shawn Finn, Karen Hanson and Edwin Holliday. Attendees are in for a treat! 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Thronhill Lopez Center, 526 N. Fourth Ave. Free.
Artistas del Barrio Hollywood. I don't know about you, but I love any excuse to wander through Barrio Hollywood, so thank goodness their neighborhood association is putting on their fourth annual art show featuring work by more by more than 20 artists. Check out the mixed media, oils, blown and stained glass, metal, stone, wood sculptures and more. Guitarist Gabriel Ayala and the 4 Winds Drum Group are providing live music to make everything even more fun. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. El Rio Neighborhood Center, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd. Free.
Jean LeRoy's Buzzard Creek Ghost Town. If you were around in Tucson in the '80s and '90s, you might remember the little dioramas featured in the Hidden Valley Inn restaurant in the Northeast part of town. Buzzard Creek was one of them. At first glance, it's a cute lil' western town, with a barbershop a saloon and a corner store. But at closer glance, you realize it's full of gun-slinging ghouls, swaggering skeletons and other haunted characters. Fifteen structures handcrafted by woodcarver Jean LeRoy, including a mission church and a haunted mansion, will be featured at the Mini Time Machine Museum through November 3, to get you in the Halloween/Dia de Los Muertos spirit. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures, 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive, $10.50 GA, $8.50 seniors/military, $7 students/youth 4 to 17, free for kids 3 and under.
Learn Something New
UA Science Café Series. Do you have any idea how much cool stuff is going on in the UA College of Science, even besides high-profile projects like OSIRIS-REx and that massive black hole telescope project? This series is your chance to learn a little bit more about it by meeting some of the UA researchers behind the work face-to-face. This week, head to the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill to learn about the history of the Rio Mayo and how the Sonoran Desert originated in part from the tropics! This week, the speaker is actually a special guest from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México's Instituto deo Ecologia, Dra. Angelina Martínez Yrizar. Come learn! 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9. Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, 1675 W. Anklam Road. Free.
Adult Art and Photography Classes at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Art Museum. Have you heard about these things? Apparently, the Desert Museum's Art Institute offers classes for adults that range from Photoshop basics to advanced watercolor to camera composition to weaving. It's never too late to learn something new, and there's such a variety of time, dates and number of sessions that you're sure to find something that works for you. This week alone, they're offering a session on Adobe Lightroom from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 6, for $65, starting a five-session colored pencil class from 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7 for $160. For more information or to register, visit desertmuseumarts.com or call 883-3024.
Spooky Specials
Oro Valley Monster Mash. He may have already done the mash, but for us, the mash is yet to come. Head up to Steam Pump Ranch for a day full of spooky fun, including pumpkin decorating, Halloween crafts, a cartoon-themed maze, a scary movie scavenger hunt and a DJ playing haunted tunes. New this year are the spooky carnival games, such as a candy corn ring toss and guessing the weight of pumpkins. Food trucks and witches brew (root beer) will fuel you through all the fun. This event is from 4 to 9 p.m., with haunted hayrides from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4. Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road. Free, though some activities cost money. (Steam Pump Ranch is also offering Haunted Hayrides from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 18. $10 for those 12 and up and $5 for kids 11 and under.)
Haunted Ruins Rising: A Retro Experience. There's always something sorta delightfully spooky about Valley of the Moon, where there may or may not be actual fairies. For October, they're taking guests back in time to see a play that was originally performed in 1976. In it, a band of pilgrims journeys throughout the Haunted Ruins in search of the Golden Key to Happiness. Tickets to the show include access to an area of the park that was formerly closed to the public for decades. (We assume that's where the fairies like to hide, so keep an eye out!) Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout October, with several showtimes per night, from 6 to 8:20 p.m. on Fridays and 5 to 8:20 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Road. This Sunday, Oct. 6 is discount night! Bring a bag of candy or healthy treats and get $2.50 off. $10 adults, $5 kids 8 to 18, free for kids 7 and under.
Boneyard Run. Cheers to it finally being cool enough to run without having to get up at an unreasonable hour! To celebrate, October-style, why not head over to this run at Davis Monthan, through the world's largest aircraft storage and preservation facility? You'll be going right by the aircraft that make up the second-largest air fleet in the world (besides the U.S. Air Force), which is typically only open to employees. If you don't think running or walking 5Ks and 10Ks is your thing, maybe you just haven't found the right race for you. This spooky run through a Boneyard, with proceeds benefiting a moral, welfare and recreation fund for military men, women and their families on base, might be just your type of exercise. 8 to 11 a.m. (with registration starting at 5:30 a.m.) Saturday, Oct. 5. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. $35 to $45.
GLOW!: Freaks n Geeks. Ah, when the spookiness of October and the magic of this glow-in-the-dark art exhibition collide. You're encouraged to dress up in old school clothing, or just in anything that glows. Don't miss the costume contest at 8:30 p.m.—you could win a one-night stay at the Triangle L Ranch and two tickets to next year's GLOW! Tonight's live performances include Young MacDonald, the Datura Moon Orchesta, Peace is Da Bomb, Sir T. Beckles, Saguaro Strutters, Los Puchos and Treasure Mammal. There will also be tarot readings, a liquid solid light show and Gary Platek with his ART CAR(t) zooming around. Ready, set, GLOW! 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Triangle L Ranch, 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road in Oracle. $21.44 for adults, $12.86 for kids 4 to 12 and free for kids 3 and under. $75.04 for a carpool of four adults.
Starry Nights
Star Party at Catalina State Park. The night sky over the desert is always a sight to see, so just imagine how beautiful it must be through the lenses of up to 10 large telescopes provided by the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association. Keep an eye out for planetary bodies like Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and sights like the Andromeda Galaxy and remnants of a past supernovae. There will also be plenty of astronomers onsite to answer your questions and talk about the night sky. Bring water, snacks, a sweater and a red light (to protect everyone's night vision). Wendy Sweet is doing a musical performance at 5 p.m., and star viewing is 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Catalina State Park, 11570 N. Oracle Road. (Meet at main trailhead parking area.) Park entrance fee is $7 per vehicle.
International Observe the Moon Night. When fellow Tucson Weekly writer Jeff Gardner told me that you could fit all of the planets in our solar system in the space between Earth and the moon, I refused to believe him. NOTHING is that far away, let alone the big, beautiful orb we see in the sky every night. But he was right. The moon is so far away, but we're lucky enough to get to see it all the time anyway. Head over to the UA Mall, where Flandrau is sponsoring a free public viewing event, complete with family-friendly moon activities and live music. 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd. Telescope viewing and a special 7 p.m. moon presentation are free (though you have to reserve your ticket for the presentation online).
Fun in General
SAHBA Home & Garden Show. Whatever your needs, the SAHBA Home Show has you covered. Hundreds of exhibitors will be present sharing information on everything from landscaping to cooking to driveways and garages. You can also pick up crafts and gifts while you're there, like lotions, candles, sheets and towels. It's an HGTV enthusiast's dream come true, and you shouldn't miss it. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, and Saturday, Oct. 5. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6. Tucson Community Center, 260 S. Church Ave. $8 adults, free for kids 12 and under. Military discounts every day, half-price admission for seniors on Friday and a $2 off coupon available at sahbahomeshow.com.
Evening of Play 2019. What better way to recharge your batteries than a night out without the kids? How about a night out without the kids where you get to be the kids? This annual fundraiser for the Tucson's Children Museum doesn't have speeches or a sit-down dinner, but it has plenty of opportunities to play and use your imagination. Explore the museum's hands-on exhibits, check out the late-night mac & cheese bar and other fun foods, sip on cocktails and enjoy the live music from Golden BooTs. You get to support two good causes: your mental health/well-being, and the education and enrichment of kids. Perfecto! 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. Children's Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Ave. $125. ■
