Tucson Weekly: City Week (February 18

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Thursday 18

City Week SQUARE DEAL. Pull on your happy spats and hit the traditional slats at the Square Dance Jamboree, hosted by the Desert Squares Dance Club. It's a great way to get a little cardiovascular action while increasingly your repertoire of smooth moves in this increasingly popular, remarkably unpretentious dance genre. There's no charge, and dancers of all skill levels are invited.
Dancing runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Dance Center, 613 E. Delano St. For details, call 324-0548.
LUSTFUL LABORS. Describing herself as an "evangelist for great sex," Merryl Sloane believes there's no such thing as a stupid question. She also treads towards touchy subjects with healthy humor. "If I can't laugh, I don't want to play," she says.
Sloane brings her light-handed style to a series of sex workshops for women. The seminars blend written self-discovery exercises, open discussion, and plenty of straight-forward explanation and candid answers.
Tonight's workshop is from 7 to 8:30 p.m., with another set for Thursday, February 25, in the Zenith Center, 330 E. Seventh St. Cost is a sliding scale, ranging from $5 to $25. For information, call 320-1797.

Friday 19

WAY DOWN HOME. Although he's a newcomer to the acoustic blues scene, Eric Bibb is already drawing comparisons to Ry Cooder, Keb Mo and Taj Mahal. It's quite a feat, considering his first major performance was only three years ago at the London Blues Festival. He now ranks among the top modern interpreters of old-time blues, and recently he won the Best Newcomer title in the British Blues Awards.
Bibb's gospel-tinged folk style draws on a long tradition, from pre-Civil War roots up through musical legends like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Mississippi John Hurt, Son House and Reverend Gary Davis. Steppin' Out Magazine calls Bibb "a total original," and "one of the most exciting artists leading the black acoustic revival."
Bibb brings that sound to Tucson, with an opening performance by local blues-folk stalwart Stefan George, at 8 p.m. in the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. Advance tickets are $10, available at Hear's Music and Enchanted Earthworks. Tickets are $12 at the door. For information, call 297-9133.
LUNAR JOY. Valley of the Moon shifts into lunar mode with Quest for the Golden Key to Happiness. Meet enchanting Valley creatures on this interactive, walk-through play geared toward kids and adults. A "wizard's apprentice" leads each trek through this cool fantasy-land created by late local eccentric George Phar Legler.
Free tours run every 30 minutes from 7 to 9 tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Road, north of Prince Road and east of Tucson Boulevard. Call 323-1331 for information.
SUPERLATIVE SPAWN. Widely considered Tucson's top all-male chorus, the Sons of Orpheus let the chords rip with their Intergenerational Choral Festival. This warblers' extravaganza also features the Canyon del Oro High School Concert Choir, Coronado Middle School Chorus, and Harelson Bobcat Choir.
Tonight's musical highlights include "Back in the Saddle Again," "Green Leaves of Summer," the Rawhide theme, and mezzo-soprano JoAnne Anderson on "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart."
Show time is 7 p.m. in the Canyon del Oro High School Auditorium, 25 W. Calle Concordia. Tickets are $3, $1 for students and children, and available at the door. Call 797-3959 for details.

Saturday 20

VENERABLE VENDOR. Storyteller Ron Lancaster rings up a new take on the age-old classic, The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare's timeless characters--Shylock, Portia, Bassanio, Antonio--and their supporting cast come alive in this powerful tale of bigotry and revenge. A discussion follows the presentation, sponsored by the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
Performance is free and begins at 2 p.m. in Border's Books and Music, 4235 N. Oracle Road. For information, call 326-8966.
BIG BITE. Artists Joe Forkan, Michael Longstaff and George Huffman tweak tall tales with The Giant Eats Jack and Other Stories, now on display in Raw Gallery.
The exhibit features recent mixed-media prints and paintings, with each in trio contributing to three, six-panel narratives "in a cooperative mode" of working.
The Giant Eats Jack and Other Stories runs through April 3, with an opening reception from 7 to 10 tonight, in the Raw Gallery, 43 S. Sixth Ave. Regular gallery hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and during Downtown Saturday Night and Thursday Night Art Walks. For information, call 882-6924.
CHEMICAL LEGACY. It's been in our midst for eons, but has the missile factory now owned by Raytheon been a good neighbor? Citizen activist Rose Augustine takes a hard look at the former Hughes plant with a lecture titled Raytheon Part 1: History of Tucson's Missile Manufacturing Complex and Its Lingering Effects on our Community. The free lecture begins at 2 p.m. in the Quaker Friends Meetinghouse, 931 N. Fifth Ave. Call 622-5753 for details.

Sunday 21

FIDDLIN' AROUND. They say the toughest thing about the Old-Time Fiddle Contest is keeping your feet from fiddling around. But then, who really gives a darn anyhow? This 59th annual gathering brings out the best fiddlers in these parts, ranging from little fellers to seasoned veterans, and plenty of 'em: Last year's contest drew more than 100 participants in eight categories. They competed for $1,500 in prizes, and pulled in a big, toe-tapping audience.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Reid Park DeMeester Performing Arts Center, east of Country Club Road and north of 22nd Street. Admission is free. Call 791-4079 for information.
PRETTY PALACE. Escape your dusty old crib and take a gander at the good life, when the Tucson Museum of Art League unveils Designer Showhouse '99.
Way beyond the reach of most Tucsonans, this palace at Castle Rocks is 4,200 feet of pure, custom-built luxury. At the moment, it contains the work of 22 local interior designers, each displaying their handiwork in a various nooks and crannies, and all created especially for this home. There's also a gift boutique and sculpture garden, with proceeds benefiting the Tucson Museum of Art.
Designer Showhouse '99 is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, through March 28. It's located at 2560 N. Lightning "A" Drive, in the Lakes at Castle Rocks, east of Catalina Highway on Tanque Verde Road. Tickets are $10, available at the showhouse, or at the TMA. For information, call 624-2333.
GONE FISHIN'. Angle for something other than compliments when the Arizona Game and Fish Department offers a public fishing program at Kennedy Lake. The department will provide 125 rods and reels, along with a limited supply of bait and tackle. Open to everyone from toddlers to seniors, fishing license requirements will be waived for participants, for this event only. Fly fishing instruction will also be available.
The workshop runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at Kennedy Lake, in Kennedy Park, 3700 S. Mission Road. Call 884-9394 for details.

Monday 22

CELTIC MOSH. Blend musical Celtic angst with powerhouse punk, throw in some dervish whirling, and you have one incredible night of rhythmic action. That's just what's in store for Tucson when the Casey Neill Trio and The Paperboys roll into town for a single performance tonight.
Neill's band draws heavily from the timeless Celtic odes, combining fiery instrumentals with stark, haunting ballads.
The five-piece Paperboys roll the fiddle, accordion, banjo, flute and mandolin into a high-energy folk-rock fusion that Folk Roots describes as "breath-taking, bursting with pride and joy."
Show time is 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 22, at the Mat Bevel Institute, 530 N. Stone Ave. Tickets range from $7 to $10, and are available at the door. For information, call 622-0192.
QUALITY TIME. Damesrocket Theater Company plumbs the paternal depths with Jeff Hoffman's Father Acts, presented as part of their new play-reading series. Through four short plays, Hoffman delves into different angles of the father/child relationship with humor and poignancy.
The New York playwright packs an impressive curricula vitae. His work Francis Brick Needs No Introduction won the 1998 Samuel French Original Short Play Festival, and his play Rubbernecking was a finalist in the Actors Theatre of Louisville's 1998 Ten-Minute Play contest.
The reading of Father Acts is at 7:30 p.m. in Damesrocket Theater, 125 E. Congress St. Admission is $3. For information, call 623-7852.

Tuesday 23

DESERT LIFE. Over the past four years, thousands of southern Arizona kids have been treated to top local dancers stepping through 400 years of regional history in Viva Arizona! Now the "musical and cultural extravaganza" again retraces our regional pageant from its early Tohono O'odham, Spanish and Mexican settlers right up to the present.
This year's outing showcases the work of Ballet FolklÛrico choreographer Julie Gallego, who expands the show to include music by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Mariachi Tierra del Sol, and Latino SÛlido. Dancers hail from the high-caliber ranks of Ballet FolklÛrico Arizona. A focus on Tucson's musical heritage offers up tributes to Lalo Guerrero, hometown mariachi players and Hispanic contributions to the Big Band era of the '40s.
School-time matinee performances are at 9:45 a.m. today and 10 a.m. tomorrow in the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. Call 544-9543 for information.
Tonight's performance is at 7 p.m. in the Music Hall. Tickets are $15, $12 for seniors and $10 for kids, available at the TCC and Dillard's box offices, or by calling 791-4266.
MOE IS BETTER. Rolling Stone recently ranked them among the 10 hottest underground bands, and they did some serious roof-raising at last summer's Further Festival.
Moe brings a roaring, state-of-the-art synchronized sound to the Rialto Theatre, on the heels of their new album, Tin Cans & Car Tires. Following the Further show, The New York Times wrote that "moe. (sic) has a way of making a jam evolve imperceptibly from quiet, overlapping musical queries to bluegrass-tinged breezy propulsion; it also delved into funk, reggae and a touch of jazz, building each song into a series of peaks as sweet and smooth as a meringue topping."
Show time is 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater, 318 E. Congress St. Tickets are $10, and available at Zip's Music, Guitars Etc., or by calling 299-4733.

Wednesday 24

LAWN ROMP. The UA hosts a lunchtime rock-and-roll blast as part of the Groovin' on the Grass free concert series.
Sponsored by the University Activities Board, ASUA Special Events and KAMP Student Radio, these concerts are meant to shed a little light--sunlight, that is--on the best in local and regional musical talent. Today, that includes a brown-bag jam by Wine Field, under lovely Arizona skies.
The free concert runs from noon to 1 p.m. on the Arizona Mall Stage, at the north end of the main mall on the UA campus, east of Old Main. For details, call 621-1111.
ROOTS RX. Get to the root of your floral problems with help from the Tucson Botanical Gardens, which offers a sick plant clinic with retired UA Plant Sciences Professor Paul Bessey. The doc will gladly field questions on everything from plant pests and diseases to nutrient deficiencies.
Clinic hours are 10 a.m. to noon Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the TBG, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. Cost is included with admission, which is $4, $3 for seniors, and free for members and children under age 12. Call the hotline at 326-9686, ext. 30, for more information.

City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Tim Vanderpool. Event information is accurate as of press time. The Weekly recommends calling event organizers to check for last-minute changes in location, time, price, etc. To have material considered, please send complete information at least 11 days prior to the Thursday issue date to: Tucson Weekly, P.O. Box 2429, Tucson, Arizona 85702, or fax information to 792-2096, or email us at listings@tucsonweekly.com.

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