SPECIAL EVENTS Events This Week ART FEST. Sample fine foods, fine arts and crafts, music and more at ArtFest '97 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, at Rillito Park. There will be over 150 top juried fine artists and craftspeople from across the nation, plus the "Mini-Monet" area with a selection of art activities and creative fun for children and families. Call 1-888-ART-FEST for information. DINE OUT FOR SAFETY. Support the many services of the Tucson Rape Crisis Center with Dine Out For Safety, all day Wednesday, March 19 at Ovens Restaurant. There will be celebrity servers and excellent musical entertainment at lunch with Patricia Harris, and dinner with the R. Carlos Nakai Quartet, and the Martha Reed Group. Call Ovens at 577-9001 for reservations. DOWNTOWN SATURDAY. Once again, the downtown Arts District teems with activity all day and all night on Saturday, March 15. Start off your Saturday at The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St., with their Great Screen Performances series. At 4 p.m. they will show Hour of the Star, winner at the 1985 Berlin Film Festival. The evening heats up with the Hot Desert Love Toads from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Ronstadt Transit Center. Check out the Arts For Me display from 7 to 9 p.m. on Pennington Street between Scott and Sixth Avenues. For information on other events, stop by the booth on Sixth Avenue and Congress Street, or call the Arts District Partnership at 624-9977. EMERALD BALL. The Saint Patrick's Educational Society presents the third annual Emerald Ball beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16, at the Hotel Park Tucson. The evening will be complete with dinner, dancing, and Irish and Irish-American entertainment including flutes, fiddles, jugs, reels and step dancers. Tickets are $65 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Ulster Project for Children and the Tucson Ecumenical Council Legal Assistance. Call 740-0000 or 299-5581 for tickets and information. ST. PATRICK'S PARADE. The St. Patrick's Educational Society hosts the 10th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, Festival and Children's Fair on Saturday, March 15. Parade begins at 10 a.m., going north from 17th Street on Stone Avenue to Broadway, then east on Broadway to Sixth Avenue and south into Armory Park. From there, the Irish Music Festival will begin complete with tunes by the best Irish bands in Arizona, dancing, food and refreshments. The Children's Fair will be across the street at the Tucson Children's Museum, 200 S. Sixth Ave., with games, rides and plenty of activities. Sixth Avenue will be closed between the park and the museum for public safety. RENAISSANCE FAIRE. Take a trip back in time to the Spanish Renaissance Fair in Ajo's historic downtown Plaza Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 15. There will be food and craft booths, music, games, and more. Visitors are invited to dress in Renaissance attire. Call 1-520-387-7742 for information. SPIRIT OF SPRING. The Spirit Weavers' present the Spirit of Spring arts and crafts festival from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, at Ventana Village, East Sunrise Drive at North Kolb Road. There will be more than 80 juried artisans, artist demonstrations, music and more. A portion of the proceeds from the festival will be donated to Mobile Meals, and donations of hard candy, stationary and pens will be gratefully accepted at their booth. Call 529-2072 for information.

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