Fall 2020 Happenings in Tucson

As Tucson slowly begins to reopen and our weather – even more slowly – starts to cool down, there are some good things going on I wanted to share with you!

Happenings List: Tucson

Hotel Congress reopening

Oct 1 / Hotel Congress, Tucson

The historic Hotel Congress, which had to close its doors the last 3 months due to the coronavirus, re-opens October 1st.

Reopening special $80/night October 1-10. Must call to book.
Club Congress concerts and Soul Food Wednesdays also resume this week with strict safety measures in place. All events will require masks, limit capacity (first come, first served), and have spaced seating.
Cup Cafe has expanded patio seating and added a new all-day menu.

Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe Grand Opening

Oct 1 / 8969 E. Tanque Verde Rd, Suite 209, Tucson

Popular piemaker Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe has moved into a brick-and-mortar bakery on the northeast side and is open for business!

Bonyang Michaels demonstrates Lao weaving at Tucson Meet Yourself.

Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY) Folklife Festival “Reframed”

Oct 1 – Oct 31 / Tucson

This popular food and arts festival has come up with some creative ways to continue to safely showcase Tucson cultures!

All month: Live online conversations, demonstrations, and performances with folk artists, musicians, dancers, cooks and others keeping the many cultures and heritages alive in Tucson.
All month: Online marketplace featuring works for sale by select TMY folk artists.
Friday evenings: Traditional artists on walls! Video projections on public walls around Tucson of traditional dancers and artisans practicing their crafts.
3 weekends: Oct. 10-11, 17-18, + 24-25 from 11am – 5pm. Three Tucson heritage sites will have vendors selling food-to-go and large LED screens showing performances from long-time TMY performers to watch while you wait.
Oct. 30, 6:30 + 8pm. Renowned Pascua Yaqui performer Gabriel Ayala closes the 2020 festival with an on-screen drive-in concert, following the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers.

Sonoran Restaurant week

Oct 2 – Oct 11 / Tucson

For 10 days, locally-owned restaurants across Tucson offer 3-course prix fixe menus for $25 or $35. Part of the proceeds benefit Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.

SN: This spring Sonoran Restaurant Week organized “Tucson To Go” to spotlight local eateries offering takeout while dining rooms were closed for the pandemic. We had excellent meals from Reforma and Tito + Pep! (Photos on Travelcraft Journal’s Instagram.)

Carolyn Niethammer cooking demo — Carolyn Niethammer’s cooking demo at Mission Garden.

A Desert Feast: Carolyn Niethammer Book Launch

Oct 17, 9am – 1pm / Mission Garden, Tucson

Book launch party for Carolyn Niethammer’s A Desert Feast: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary Heritage, which explains the agricultural and culinary history that led to Tucson’s designation as the first “UNESCO City of Gastronomy” in the U.S.

Other Tucson makers, local food system experts, and representatives from the City of Gastronomy project will be present.
COVID-19 precautions will be in place, and there is plenty of room in the four-acre garden for social distancing. Please wear a mask.

SN: We saw Carolyn Niethammer give a fantastic cooking demonstration at Mission Garden during the Agave Heritage Festival!

Native Seeds/SEARCH Online Fall Plant Fair

Oct 21 – 27 / Native Seeds/SEARCH Conservation Center (3584 E River Rd), Tucson

Sale of surplus arid-adapted plants grown by non-profit seed conservation organization Native Seeds/SEARCH.

Online-only sale.
Pre-order plants (5 plant minimum) for curbside pickup at the NS/S Conservation Center.

Quilt at craft festival — Quilt by The Rabbit Hole at Quilt, Craft, Sew Festival in Tucson.

Quilt, Craft, Sew Festival

Nov 5 – Nov 7 / Tucson Expo Center, Tucson

Expo with sewing, quilting, needlework, and craft supply vendors (both local and national), as well as workshops and presentations.

Free admission and parking.
New health safeguards include requiring face coverings, frequently sanitizing high-touch surfaces, and allowing for social distancing with wider aisles and larger vendor booths.
Look for the show program and coupons 10/26.

SN: We went to the Tucson show last year. While there were fewer vendors than at the Phoenix show, it was much less crowded and less hectic.

Have fun, be safe, and let me know what you’re up to this fall!

September 23, 2020June 19, 2021

Walking Back to MMM

I realized recently that I hadn’t posted the video I took when we did our first Meet Me at Maynards (MMM) walk through Downtown Tucson.

So I went back to the footage I’d taken and finished putting it together into one video.

Party Like It’s 2019

It’s been weird coming back to the photos and videos I took that day.

Even though it was just last year, it felt like I was opening a time capsule from another era or peering into a parallel universe – where no one is worried about COVID-19, because it didn’t exist yet. They are leaning in to talk to strangers, stuffing cash into tip jars, crowding in front of the main stage in the Hotel Congress plaza, walking under theater marquees crammed with upcoming show dates.

We still lived in Phoenix and were in town for Arizona International Film Festival (AZIFF). We didn’t know that we’d have a Tucson address less than two months later!

Band Together

Of course, here we are now in 2020. I’m glad to be in Tucson but heartbroken when I think about the things COVID-19 has put a stop to.

Since artists have been hit particularly hard, I’ve listed the bands / musicians from the video below. Consider supporting your favorite(s) with a Venmo tip, CD purchase, or social media shoutout. Some of them are doing livestream or socially distanced shows you can see too.

One Heart Beat
Sophia and Tom: Sophia Rankin with Tom Carpenter
Southern Comfort Band
Kelsey St Germaine
Impromptu
Duo Vibrato: Joshua Rhoads (of Duo Vibrato) on guitar with Michael Moynihan on sax
After 7

Also, several of the venues featured are non-profits that you can make tax-deductible donations to, including the Fox Tucson Theatre, The Screening Room, and The Rialto Theatre.

The historic Hotel Congress, which has also been closed due to COVID-19, re-opens October 1st.

August 19, 2020August 19, 2020

August 2020 Updates and Follow-Ups

A few news items worth mentioning and items I’ve mentioned that deserve some follow up…

Black Lives Matter mural by To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf — Smoke from the Bighorn Fire behind To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf’s mural, 6/16/20.

Bighorn Wildfire: Out

The monsoon rains have arrived, and the wildfire I wrote about is no longer making the Tucson air all smoky.

After burning across the Santa Catalina Mountains for a month and a half, the Bighorn Wildfire was finally 100% contained on July 23.

Catalina State Park campground — View of Santa Catalina mountains from Catalina State Park (before the fire), 5/25/20.

Thankfully, firefighters were able to ensure that no lives were lost and no homes or businesses burned down. Many of the mountains’ recreation areas (including Sabino Canyon and parts of Mt. Lemmon) are tentatively closed due to road repairs, flash flood danger, etc. until November 1, 2020.

Mt. Lemmon

Initially, all access to Mt. Lemmon was going to be shut down that long. But businesses in its mountaintop communities of Summerhaven and Ski Valley urged the County for a quicker opening, so visitors could return sooner.

Road crews were able to repair fire-damaged guardrails along the Catalina Highway, which goes up Mt. Lemmon. Amazingly – in what may be a construction project first – it reopened 3 months early! Officials may limit traffic to prevent crowding, since many areas are still restricted, but at least there is some access.

Open:

The Cookie Cabin: Its patio seating has been arranged for social distancing.
Mt. Lemmon General Store and Gift Shop.
Ski Valley Sky Ride, which is the ski lift when there’s no skiing. (Tickets $15)

Closed:

Coronado National Forest trails and campgrounds: No picnicking, hiking, or fishing.
Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter: Observatory closed to the public.
Trails in nearby Sabino Canyon.

Watch: Our drive up the Catalina Highway from the Tucson desert to Mt. Lemmon pines in 2015.

Murals at MSA Annex: New

There are a couple more mural additions at MSA Annex!

The mural honoring ancestors that To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf was working on when I met her is finished now.

Black Lives Matter mural by Adia Jamille — Mural by Adia Jamille.

Also, textile designer Adia Jamille completed a sweet painting of a couple next to her larger “Black lives matter when they are…. alive” mural.

"Black Lives Matter when they are alive..." mural by Adia Jamille — Mural by Adia Jamille.

Watch: Star Wars actor John Boyega – who plays Finn, the former Stormtrooper turned “big deal” in the Resistance – gave an impassioned speech at a protest in Hyde Park, London: “Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something.” It’s beautiful and makes me tear up every time.

Anaheim Convention Center — Star Wars Celebration, 2015.

Star Wars Celebration: Postponed

The 2020 edition of Star Wars Celebration, the big non-annual convention we attended a few years back, has been canceled. It was supposed to return to Anaheim this month, but, of course, this is not really a time for crowded cons. It has been rescheduled for August 18-21, 2022.

Watch: In lieu of the in-person event, some fans are organizing a virtual conference, ForceFest, August 28-30. I think you need an account on the GetVokl platform to see the livestream, but you can just sign up free with your phone number, Twitter, Facebook, or Patreon account. (I did. It was pretty quick.)

Disney Parks: Reopening in progress

Speaking of Anaheim (and Star Wars), Disney properties have began to open back up in phases. Precautions they’re taking include operating at reduced capacity, adding distance between parties on rides, requiring masks, and sanitizing the heck out of anything that can be sanitized. Some attractions will remain closed for the time being.

Opened in July:

Walt Disney World Resort theme parks
Many (but not all) Walt Disney World Resort hotels
Disney Springs (the dining and shopping area near the Orlando Parks)
Tokyo Disneyland
Tokyo DisneySea (yep, that’s real)
Disneyland Paris
Downtown Disney District (the dining and shopping area near the Anaheim Parks)

Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure Park — Disney California Adventure Park by Joshua Sudock / Disneyland Resort.

Still closed:

Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure (opening delayed due to state restrictions)
Disneyland Resort hotels
Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, and several other Walt Disney World Resort hotels

Listen: Podcast the Ride episode on the craziness of the day Disneyland first opened in 1955. (Heads up: Even though it’s about theme parks, this is not a podcast meant for kids.)

Paper Disney park — Via Disney Parks Blog.

DIY: A couple Disney Imagineers designed these cute Disney Paper Parks. Print out Sleeping Beauty’s castle, buildings from Main Street, U.S.A., and floats from the “Magic Happens” parade (which barely debuted before the coronavirus shutdown), and then color, cut out, and fold them to set up your own little Disneyland!

July 30, 2020July 30, 2020

Colossal Cave Coatis

We were already on the road to Colossal Cave Mountain Park, when we realized we’d overshot our original destination. We had heard about the cave but hadn’t ever been there. So, instead of doubling back and trying to find the entrance for the nature preserve we had probably just driven through but weren’t sure how to access, we kept going!

We weren’t even sure if we’d be able to get into the park or if it was still closed due to the coronavirus. And we certainly weren’t planning on going into any caves since Quijote was with us. But it was Phillip’s birthday, and he voted to go see what we could find.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park

Colossal Cave is a dry cave system under the Rincon Mountains in the Tucson-adjacent community of Vail. Before being developed into a tourist attraction by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, the cave had served a variety of functions, including a shelter for the Hohokam people, train robber hideout, and guano mine.

What to know if you decide to visit:

The park around the cave is open for hiking, camping, and taking in the views. (Free entrance. You just pay fees if you’re going on a cave tour or camping.)
Cave tours have restarted on a limited basis – currently only the Classic Cave Tour is available.
You can choose your tour time and book tickets online. (Adult $18 / child $9 / military or first responder $14) You can only enter the cave on a tour.
Face coverings and social distancing (six feet apart) are required during tours.
Under the roof of this cool rock structure built by the CCC is the cave entrance, Terrace Cafe, and gift shop.
Because the CCC were so instrumental in developing Colossal Cave Mountain Park, there’s a statue in honor of the CCC workers at the entrance to the terrace.

There are also nice hiking trails outside the cave – I’m sure they’ll be even nicer when it’s not summery hot.

Coatimundis

We were looking around the terrace when I overheard one of the staff tell the group waiting for their tour time that they often see coatimundis going in and out of the cave.

That stopped me in my tracks.

A coatimundi (or “coati”) is a long-nosed member of the raccoon family that mostly lives in Central America, but has also found its way into higher elevations of the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico (Mt. Lemmon, for example).

Phillip and I have been on the lookout for one ever since we went to Chiricahua for the first time and didn’t see any there.

We had no idea there’d be a chance to see one that day. Apparently, though, they’re a common sight, going in and out of the cave and hunting around the park for trash (which, of course, is on-brand for the raccoon family).

Moments later, we saw a young coati atop the hill above the cave entrance! He started sniffing along the edge, and then scampered down its sheer face and into the cave.

Phillip barely had time to snap photos, and I had my hands full with Quijote.

But we saw it.

It was like nature gave Phillip a colossal birthday surprise!

July 4, 2020December 17, 2020

The Fight to Breathe

It’s a weird time to be alive.

It’s a weird time to be breathing.

Because this virus keeps spreading across the world, carried by breath. You could inhale sickness and never know where it came from. You could exhale death and never know where it landed.

Bighorn fire photo by Phillip. — Fires burning near the top of the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/10/20.

Because wildfire keeps spreading across the mountains in Tucson. Even far from the danger, we feel its burn in our eyes and throats as we breathe in the smoke.

Because violence keeps spreading across the U.S.

When you saw that an officer would block an unarmed man’s windpipe with the weight of his knee, did you feel your own throat tighten? When you saw how quickly police would turn on the people they’re supposed to protect, did you realize you were holding your breath?

When you remembered that air can still pass into your lungs, did you wonder what it means that you’re still breathing? And what we should do now?

Some raged against the injustice by smashing windows and starting fires. Some by showing up in the morning to pick up the pieces and sweep up the glass. Some by activism and art.

Tucson Together mural by Jessica Gonzales.

Tucson has a history of making art in response to tragedy, mosaics from shards.

After two nights of anger spilling into downtown Tucson streets, volunteers came to clean up.

Over boarded-up windows, they painted the Ben’s Bells symbol – that bright green flower shape with the words “be kind” in the center. If you’ve been to Tucson in recent years, you’ve seen it. But you might not know the project’s story, that it began as a way for founder Jeannette Maré to work through the grief of losing her son, Ben. She threw her energy into spreading kindness and making ceramic windchimes.

Art is helping us navigate this perplexing time too.

Black Lives Matter Tucson held a Celebration of Black Lives on the U of A campus with speakers and music. You can see videos of it on their Facebook page, including this transcendent dance performance by Na-il Ali Emmert.

Hotel Congress with Camila on Canvas mural — Black Lives Matter mural by @CamilaOnCanvas.

There are new murals popping up around Tucson. One that feels particularly of the moment is by Camila Ibarra on the north wall of Hotel Congress. Her portrait of a face-mask-wearing Black woman with the words “Black Lives Matter” in her natural hair has this intensity, this electricity in every brushstroke.

Muralist Joe Pagac has been connecting Black artists with downtown Tucson walls. Several murals have already gone up at MSA Annex. I was walking Quijote around there the other day and got to meet one of the artists, To-Ree’-Nee’ Wolf, who was in the process of painting an extension to her mural.

A week after George Floyd’s death, there was a vigil in his honor outside The Dunbar Pavilion, an African American art and cultural center. There was a stage set up, where Tucsonans took turns at the mic, sharing stories of loved ones they’ve lost to police violence, about fearing for their children, about the need for grassroots change.

Because being Black in America – simply existing – puts you in more danger.

As nature photographer Gina Danza wrote, “Peace doesn’t come without worry, fear for Black womxn. There is never a moment where we can be fully at peace.”

We can’t let that continue to be the case.

Candles at a vigil for George Floyd. — Photo by The Dunbar Pavilion of candles lit in remembrance of George Floyd.

The Enough is Enough vigil wrapped up with a moment of silence – actually 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence – to remember George Floyd. As we lit candles or turned on cell phone lights to hold up, the speaker said, “When your arm starts getting tired, remember that at least you’re not on the ground with someone’s knee on your neck.”

Before leaving, people placed flowers and candles and handmade signs on a table in front of the stage, turning it into a kind of a shrine.

Tucson wildfire smoke — Smoke rising from the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina mountains on 6/17/20.

Of course, the fight is far from over.

There’s been some rain, but the fire in the Catalinas isn’t out yet. There was a short reprieve, but the virus is spreading quickly. There has been some progress, but the violence hasn’t stopped.

We need to look out for each other, make sure everyone can keep breathing.

We need to be kind.