“Oracle Road / Historic Route 80, Oro Valley’s Main Street”
SATURDAYS UNTIL APRIL 26
See how historic Route 80 went from accommodating stagecoaches and cattle drives to the six-lane road travelers use every day. Tours are self-guided, with docents available for free, with donations accepted. Shop at the Heirloom Farmers Market and then take a stroll through history to add to Saturday activities.
Pusch House Museum, Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road, Oro Valley, free admission, orovalleyaz.gov
TobyMac
MARCH 26
“Hits Deep Tour” sees TobyMac — one of the most influential Christian hip-hop performers — welcome support acts Crowder, Cain, Ryan Stevenson and Terrian.
Tucson Arena, 260 S. Church Street, Tucson, tickets start at $19.75, 7 p.m., ticketmaster.com
Bob Schneider
MARCH 27
An Austin-based singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Ugly Americans and The Scabs, Bob Schneider is a highly regarded musician in the live music capital. Combining diverse styles, Schneider’s music spans genres, blending elements of folk, rock, rap, funk, bluegrass, reggae and country with the more traditional singer/songwriter aesthetic.
Hotel Congress Plaza Stage, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, tickets start at $30, 7:30 p.m., hotelcongress.com
Tucson Sculpture Festival
MARCH 29 TO MARCH 30
Celebrate art under the Tucson sky. The Tucson Sculpture Festival features more than 60 talented sculptors showcasing a diverse range of 3D artwork of all sizes, from tabletop to monumental installations and food trucks. Among the exhibits is Julia Arriola’s “Remember Me: Bring My Story to Light” to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The city of Tucson has the fourth-highest MMIWG rating in the country, and Arizona has the third-highest rate.
Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, 3482 E. River Road, Tucson, free, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., sculpturetucson.org
Arizona Balalaika Orchestra’s Slavic Spring Concert
MARCH 29
The family-friendly Slavic Spring Concert will feature the 20-piece orchestra in authentic Russian and Slavic costumes, playing imported Slavic instruments, including the balalaika, mandolin-like domra, accordions, winds, and percussion. Performers include the Lajkonik Polish Folk Ensemble dancers, as well as virtuoso guest soloists Denis Zhukov, balalaika, and Guzel Safiullina, domra, making their Tucson debut. Dr. Alexander Tentser and Rafael Reyes-Worman will conduct the concert.
St. Cyril of Alexandria Catholic Church, 4725 E. Pima Street, Tucson, $20 adults, $10 students, 7 p.m., 520-327-4418, azbalalaika.org
Shakey Graves
APRIL 2
The multihyphenate entertainer comes to the Rialto with special guest Tyler Ballgame. Born Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Shakey Graves melds blues, folk, country and rock into his music. On the side, he’s an actor, who had roles in “Friday Night Lights” and “Spy Kids.”
Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson, tickets start at $36, 8 p.m., rialtotheatre.com
April Tucson ArtWalk
APRIL 3
Guests are invited to join the Wilde Meyer Gallery for art, light refreshments, and live music by harpist Vanessa Myers. For the month of April, Wilde Meyer Gallery will present a show by a variety of gallery favorite artists.
Wilde Meyer Gallery, 2890 E. Skyline Drive, Suite 170, Tucson, free admission, 4 to 7 p.m., 520-615-5222, wildmeyer.com
Beyond the British Invasion w/Alex Mack and Tyler Wright
APRIL 3
Music history changed once British bands like The Beatles conquered the United States in 1964. An “invasion” followed, with bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Queen hitting stages. Mack and Wright study what’s next in their rocking follow-up to the ’70s.
Gaslight Music Hall, 13005 N. Oracle Road, Suite 165, Oro Valley, visit
website for ticket prices, 6 p.m., gaslightmusichall.com
Nopalitos Workshop
APRIL 3
The prickly pear cactus pads offer life-sustaining calories, vitamins, calcium and other minerals. When the young nopal pads are cut up, they become nopalitos and can be mixed with other ingredients. Locally, young prickly pear pads appear in the late spring, but Mexican farmers manipulate their crops so nopales are available year-round. Led by Carolyn Niethammer, author of “The Prickly Pear Cookbook,” this class will show attendees how to clean the pads of spines and cook them.
Tucson Presidio, 196 N. Court Avenue, Tucson, various prices for members, nonmembers, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 520-622-0594, tucsonpresidio.com
