Tucson Weekly: Cheap Thrills (May 7

Cheap Thrills TUCSON SIDEWINDERS: Can't make it up to Bank One Ballpark to see those gleaming new Diamondbacks? Then skip the major-league hype and go see a winning team--the Diamondbacks' Triple-A farm club, the Tucson Sidewinders, which wraps up the current homestand on Tuesday, May 12. The team has a whole bunch of promotions slated for the weekend, starting with buck beer night on Thursday, May 7. Cold beer and soft drinks are only $1 from first pitch till 9 p.m. On Friday, May 8, the Sidewinders carry on the great tradition of the Diamond Dig by burying a valuable diamond on the infield for a little post-game prospecting by the ladies in attendance. And on Sunday, May 14, you can catch a five-hour Mother's Day concert of Tejano music beginning at noon. Free tickets for the concert are available at several local McDonald's franchises. Games begin at 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, at Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way. Tickets range from $3 to $8. Discount vouchers good for $1 admission to every Monday night game are available at all Circle K stores. Two-for-one tickets are available every Tuesday night for Safeway Club cardholders. For more information, call 434-0121.
SMAUG FIGHTERS: Bilbo Baggins was just a hairy-footed little hobbit happily living out his days in a comfortable hole in a hillside at Hobbiton. That, of course, was before Gandolf the Wizard came into his life. Gandolph wanted Bilbo to join him and a party of dwarves on a great adventure, and before it was done, the dwarves would crusade to kill that nasty old fire-breather Smaug, and reclaim the treasures of the mountain.
Now Bilbo and the little folk of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world visit the Old Pueblo with The Hobbit, adapted by Brainerd Duffield and performed by Tucson Parks and Recreation's Community Children's Theatre.
Free performances are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9, and May 15 and 16, in the Randolph Center Auditorium, 200 S. Alvernon Way. Call 791-4663 for details.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK: Forget those household outlets and Tucson Electric Power. When it comes to power, the sun beats them all, hands down. Proving that the big golden orb is important for more things than a nifty tan, Citizens for Solar and Catalina State Park are hosting the 16th-annual Solar Potluck and Exhibition.
They'll reveal ways all of us can harness the sun's energy to conserve our planet's shrinking resources and save money at the same time. There will be demonstrations throughout the day showing practical uses of solar power. Even the music will be provided using only the sun's energy. Visitors are likewise encouraged to cook their own food by solar, or bring non-perishables from home for the potluck. Utensils are also necessary.
Event runs from 9 a.m. to sundown Saturday, May 9, in Catalina State Park, located north of Tucson on Oracle Road, Milepost 81. Event is free, but the park charges an entry fee of $4 per carload. For details, call 292-9020.
TEENAGED VISIONS: The Audio Visual Club of Sahuaro High School points its collective adolescent lens at modern life when it presents the Moviemakers Film Festival. This two-hour collection of video documentaries, narrative short films, news feature stories, music videos, and public service announcements, was all conceived by students, and produced on school equipment. And who knows? It just might turn up a budding Spielberg or two.
Free festival runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the Saguaro High School Choral Room, 545 N. Camino Seco. Call 722-0497 for details.
FILM SALON: The AIVF-Tucson Salon (Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers) will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 7, in the lobby of the Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. For more information, contact Beverly Seckinger at 621-1239, or at bsecking@u.arizona.edu. Information on the salon and other AIVF events is available online at http://access.tucson.org/aivf/.

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