City Week

On the Border

Local film, art and theater groups are joining together to express the diverse voices of the Southwest during the annual Festival Sin Fronteras, presenting the rich diversity of the border states.

One part of the festival, Border Stories, takes place at the Screening Room (127 E. Congress St.) at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12; $5 suggested donation.

"The Border Stories are composed by three authors--Kathryn Ferguson, Ted Parks and Dr. Norma Price--who, in narrative form, will be presenting their experience of migrants they've encountered in the desert and the stories of these peoples' journey," says James Workman, Borderlands Theater's officer manager. "The theme is about crossing both actual borders and borders that we have in our own minds toward art and culture by bringing together different groups who wouldn't normally collaborate."

The festival also includes the play Dust Eaters (see Performing Arts) and El Deseo, written by Victor Hugo Rascón Banda.

"(El Deseo) is about a university professor who ...meets a man, falls in love with him then brings him back to the United States through marriage," Workman says. "Through their desire and love for one another, they find that their differences in age and culture eventually push them apart." The play, performed last year and back due to popular demand, will be performed Oct. 24-28 at Zuzi's Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave.

Meanwhile, the Screening Room will host several films, including Trespassing (Oct. 19-21), Danzon (Nov. 2) and short-film showcase Cine Sin Fronteras (Nov. 3).

Theater performances range from $7 to $19.75. A Festival Sin Fronteras pass is available for $40 (12 admissions) and is valid for Borderlands Theater plays and Screening Room film programs. Call 882-7406 for more information. --J.W.

Africa and Weather Warfare

We all know Africa is suffering from a lot of problems. Keith Harmon Snow, hired by the United Nations as a genocide investigator, knows from personal experience.

On Monday and Tuesday, the award-winning human-rights investigative journalist will discuss a variety of issues he has researched and seen firsthand. The two presentations will cover different aspects of Snow's travels and research.

Monday's lecture will focus on Ethiopia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"The thing I try to bring out more than anything is the Western nations involved in the mining, in the humanitarian sector," Snow said. "It's bad for the people, bad for the country and bad for the continent."

Snow will analyze the role of both the Clinton and Bush administrations and corporations in the slavery-connected mining, coffee, rubber and palm oil industries in Africa.

Tuesday's lecture will focus on climate issues, which Snow calls "global climate mayhem."

Snow earned a master's degree in electrical engineering, in a specialty called remote sensing, which he believes is being used to modify our environment.

"There are military programs focused on modifying and altering the environment," Snow said. One of the many programs in this field is called hurricane steering. "They could have steered Katrina offshore if they wanted to."

"Weather welfare" began in 1948 and though the U.S. signed a treaty to discontinue the research in 1976, Snow claims it is still being used today.

For more information, visit Snow's Web site, www.allthingspass.com. --D.P.

Spooky and Silly!

The scarecrows and spider webs dotting the suburban landscape can only mean one thing: Halloween is right around the corner. Before you know it, the pumpkins will be smashed, and the candy will be gone (and you'll be five pounds fatter, if you're not careful)--so go Trail Dust Town for a little family fright!

Polish your spurs and dust off your cowboy hat: The Western town, a landmark in Tucson for more than 40 years, will host a comedy/action show featuring explosions, gunfire and stunts when two Old West deputies match wits with a slippery outlaw, all while being hunted by a phantom!

"The Sam and Latch characters, we've used for years and years," says Jerry Woods, the entertainment director of Trail Dust Town.

The play is fun for all ages. The Wild West is combined with a spooky caper, with silly jokes on the side, Woods says. The show is free, though a donation hat is passed around at the end.

While you're there, you can also take a ride on a miniature train, go panning for gold, test your aim at the shooting gallery, take a carousel ride or check out some old-school uniforms and weapons dating back to the Civil War--and nothing costs you more than $2. If you're hungry, round out the day in true Western fashion with a yummy meal at the Pinnacle Peak steakhouse, "home of the famous cowboy steak." --D.P.

Pumpkins and Animals!

With fall in full bloom, there is no better place in Southern Arizona to celebrate this season's colors than on a 63-acre historic, hacienda-style farm, where you can pick your own fresh pumpkins and let the kids run around in a hay-barrel maze.

Agua Linda Farm's fall pumpkin festival starts this weekend with unlimited hayrides, a petting zoo and pick-your-own gardens. Then there's that aforementioned maze.

"We have a hay-barrel maze set up with straw instead of corn husks; it's more kid-friendly, so the children can play in it without getting lost for two hours," says Laurel Loew, one of the family members who helps run the farm.

"We have our fresh vegetables in season coming out of the garden to choose from, along with our own pasture-raised, grass-fed happy cows," says Loew. "We aren't certified organic, but we don't use any pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics or hormones in anything; it's community-supported agriculture, about eating local foods.

"There is also a store on the farm that is open year-round. The theme is local foods; all our products are from Arizona, most of them from Southern Arizona. We have jam, honey, soap and salsa. This year, we are baking pumpkin pies, too; they are already a big hit!" says Loew.

"What really sets us apart is our landscape; there are giant shade cottonwoods everywhere and green, grassy fields. We are kind of an oasis down here in the desert," Loew says.

Admission is $7 per car and includes the hay maze, petting zoo and hayrides. Pumpkins and produce are priced per pound, and a concession stand will be open--so no outside food is permitted. --J.W.