Friday, January 4, 2019

17 Great Things to Do in Tucson This Weekend: Jan. 4 to 6

Posted By on Fri, Jan 4, 2019 at 1:00 AM

Nieuwjaarsreceptie: New Year's Get Together. No, that wasn't a typo in the event title. The Dutch Eatery is getting ready for a traditional Dutch new year's celebration with special foods, drink and costumes. (As it turns out, a Dutch new year's costume is to just wear orange.) Featuring live music from Austin Hoffman and drink specials, it's time to get nieuwjaarsreceptie-tacular. 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. 943 E. University Blvd. Details here.

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Brewstillery Tour. So you want to learn more about your town's local brewing scene, but you have no one to go with? Fear not! Tucson Food Tours, the first walking culinary tour in Tucson (and certainly the first walking "brewstillery" tour in Tucson, as far as we're aware), is taking you behind the scenes of Tucson's brewery scene. You'll sample local beers as well as a few local bites. 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. Meet at East Congress Street and Fifth Avenue. $59. 21+ Details here. 

Fifth Annual "Over and Back" Gates Pass. Ride On Cycling is ringing in the new year with a celebratory bike loop ride up and over Gates Pass, a scenic tour through McCain Loop, and then back over Gates Pass. The ride concludes at Batch Cafe & Bar where there will be coffee, whiskey, donuts and more. Ride On Cycling will be collecting a $20 per participant donation in support of Tucson's very own El Grupo Youth Cycling. 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 6. 118 E. Congress St. Details here.

Dark Moon Labyrinth. The Web of Life Labyrinth Tucson and the Web of Life Intuitive Shamanic Animists explain the reasoning behind this event simply: "Each month, when the moon is dark, we need light." Sure we're only five days into the new year, but that doesn't mean you don't have a little bit of darkness in your life you'd like to banish, something you'd like to reflect on, or a problem you'd like to let go of. So take a walk through the light in the middle of all the darkness, and find the inner light to help carry you through. 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. 2016 E. Broadway Blvd. Donations accepted ($5 to $20 requested). Details here.
17 Great Things to Do in Tucson This Weekend: Jan. 4 to 6
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St. Philip's Market. The first Saturday of the year calls for your first trip to a local market of the year (unless you hit up one of those Friday markets). Whether you're looking for handmade pasta, handmade pottery, handmade jewelry or handmade dessert, you're going to find what you need at this market, and you're going to support small local businesses while you're at it. Plus, you'll be surrounded by gorgeous architecture, cobblestone entryways and the shelter of eucalyptus trees and sycamores. Would you believe you can get into this thing for free? 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. St. Philip's Plaza, 4280 N. Campbell Ave. Details here.

Azul Mexicano. If you haven't been down to Tubac to check out this exhibit by abstract artist Jimena Coronado, this is your last chance! Her work is all vibrant colors and good vibes—so good, in fact, that it's been exhibited at more than a dozen places, including in Spain and Mexico. Start your new year off right by immersing yourself in some beauty and supporting a Sonoran artist, courtesy of the Consulate General of Mexico, the Tubac Center of the Arts and the Cultural Arts Committee of Nogales. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Sunday, Jan. 6. Tubac Center for the Arts, 9 Plaza Road, Tubac. Free. Details here.

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS. Tiny Town is presenting an exhibition of books throughout the month by authors like Will Arnold, Maria Lee, Brendan Page and Erika Spreiser. So don't miss the exhibition, but also try not to miss the opening reception this week. Can you think of a more pleasant way to spend a Friday evening than celebrating books with fellow book lovers and book makers over at one of Fourth Avenue's cutest shops? We'd be hard-pressed. 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4. Tiny Town Surplus, 408 N. Fourth Ave. Details here.

Gallery Chat with Tani Sanchez. Head on over to the Jewish History Museum to hear this associate professor of Africana Studies at the UA talk about a tough, important topic: the absence of representation and recorded history of African-Americans in Tucson. Sanchez spent several years working as an editor, broadcast journalist and media information specialist, and is also the first president of the Tucson chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society. Also, she has a doctorate in comparative cultural and literary studies. This woman knows what she's talking about, and we'd all do well to listen to what she's saying. 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 4. Jewish History Museum, 564 S. Stone Ave. Free. Details here.

West African Dance with Denise Bey. If your New Year's resolution was to get movin', it's worth trying out a few different ways of moving until you find one you really like. Maybe you've tried running, Pilates classes or playing tennis and have found none of them are for you. But you probably haven't tried a West African dance class, right? Let dance instructor Denise Bey show you the ropes, and then you can decide if traditional African-inspired movement and interpretive dance are for you. Hey, it's a new year—the perfect time to be open to new experiences. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. Movement Culture, 435 E. Ninth St. $10 cash, $12 with credit card. Details here.

Envision Your Year! Maybe you meant to take some time at the end of 2018 to reflect on everything that's happened and everything you hope for in the new year, but didn't get around to it. Never fear! It's never too late to start moving forward with intention. Lyndi Rivers will guide a class through some Yin and flow yoga to get your creative juices flowing, and offer journaling activities throughout so you can figure out exactly what it is you want this year. Then everyone is going to make vision boards! You're encouraged to bring a journal, magazines, images or art supplies to use on your board, but those items aren't required. Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6. Tucson Yoga, 150 S. Fourth Ave. $60, or $42 for Tucson Yoga members. Details here.

14th Annual Grease Collection & Recycling Event. OK, so maybe this isn't the most fun event you can attend this weekend, but it's one of those things you probably should, because you've been putting it off and you have a big old bucket of old cooking grease and oil sitting under your sink that you don't know what to do with. You can't pour it down the drain, because it'll clog your pipes. And you could throw it away, but why not bring it to one of five collection sites around town so it can be converted into biodiesel? 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. O'Rielly Chevrolet, 6160 E. Broadway. Pima Community College West Campus, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tucson City Council Ward 3 Office, 1510 E. Grant Road. Pima Community College Northwest Campus, 7600 N. Shannon Road. Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way. Details here.

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Three Wishes Puppet Show with Gwen Ray. What would you do with three wishes (assuming, as the old caveat goes, that you aren't allowed to wish for more wishes?) World peace? A new car? The willpower to stay strong in your New Year's Resolution? In this kid-friendly puppet show, puppets Ralph and Ruby of Gwen Ray's Hanuman Puppet Theatre decide what they'd do with theirs. And we don't want to spoil too much of it, but the fun-filled show has a bit of an environmental twist. It might just give you an idea of what to wish for if you ever get a chance to make three real wishes. 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4. Joel D. Valdez Main Library, 101 N. Stone Ave. Free. Details here.

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Jeff Foxworthy at the Desert Diamond Casino–Sahuarita. If you live anywhere near Wilmot and Pima, then you've known Jeff Foxworthy was coming to town since, like, 2015. Because that's how long it seems like that billboard has been up. But in honor of the King of Rednecks himself coming to town, here are the punchlines to a few of his "You Might Be a Redneck If" jokes: "If you've ever raked leaves in your kitchen." "If you prefer car keys to Q-tips." "If you have ever spray-painted your girlfriend's name on an overpass." "If you were shooting pool when any of your kids were born." If you answered "no" to all of these, you're not necessarily home clear—you still might be a redneck. Best to have Jeff Foxworthy clear it up for you in person. 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4. Desert Diamond Casinos & Entertainment, 7350 S. Nogales Hwy. $81+. Details here.

Classic Car Show. You can always count on Little Anthony's for some classic family fun. You can especially count on Little Anthony's every other Saturday, when their parking lot becomes a colorful, chrome-y wonderland of classic cruisers. If you don't like cars, you'll still enjoy the delicious food and great music. And, actually, even if you don't like cars, you'll be able to find a car that you'll find interesting in some way—even if it's just the color of the paint or what's hanging from the rearview mirror. Finding the wackiest combinations of upholstery, tires and frame is half the fun of any car show. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. Little Anthony's Diner, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Details here.
17 Great Things to Do in Tucson This Weekend: Jan. 4 to 6
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The RunAround Tucson. No, this event doesn't involve you not answering the city's calls. It's a relay race on the Loop! Form a team of two to eight people to run a total of 53.8 miles. The individual leg lengths range from 4.85 miles to 8.6 miles, and there will be water at every exchange station. But if you form a team of fewer than eight, your runs will obviously be longer. If you do have fewer than two people, be sure to still check in at every exchange. There are prizes for fastest all-male team, fastest all-female team and fastest co-ed team; best dressed team; and best team name. On your marks, get set, go! 6 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. Brandi Fenton Park, 3482 E. River Road. $45 in advance or $55 on race day. Details here.

Let My People Go: South Dakotans Stop Predatory Lending. In South Dakota, predatory lending interest rates once reached a staggering 574 percent, but after passing Initiated Measure 21, rates capped at 36 percent. This half-hour documentary released by the Center for Responsible Lending depicts how the people of South Dakota fought to cap these interest rates against predatory payday loans. This rental of The Loft Cinema, presented by The Center for Economic Integrity, is free admission. 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 6. 3233 East Speedway Boulevard. Free. Details here. 

Tucson International Jewish Film Festival. Featuring 20 films over two weeks, this year's Tucson International Jewish Film Festival spans genre and nationality. While there are too many films to list and describe, a few standouts this year are: The Driver Is Red, an award-winning animated short film about a secret agent; A Quiet Heart, a drama about a secular woman living in fanatically religious modern-day Jerusalem; and Bye Bye Germany, a drama/comedy about Holocaust survivors trying to raise money to get to America. The Tucson International Jewish Film Festival runs from Jan. 6 to Jan. 20, and includes screenings at multiple venues around town. Details here.

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If you go to any of the events listed above, snap a quick pic and message it to us for a chance to be featured on our social media sites! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @tucsonweekly.

Events compiled by Tirion Morris, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.

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