Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday Thursday 12 WIDE OPEN. The Southwest Center for Music throws melodic caution to the wind with its first-event open house tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. The Sugar Hill Chorus will provide a harmonic backdrop, accompanied by kids' entertainer Mr. Stew, refreshments, a raffle, and musical and teaching demonstrations. Begun in 1994 to provide an all-age alternative to Tucsonans with a musical itch, the non-profit school arranges financial assistance and boasts generally rock-bottom prices--tuition for a whole 12-week semester is less than a C-noter. That provides a big draw for up to 300 locals at a pop, says executive director Sarah Evans. She adds the open house is just a chance for the school to strut its collective stuff. "We wanted a showcase for the teachers and the facility, just to make people aware of us, since we're relatively new to the community," she says. "Our primary goal is to provide access to music for the entire community." The Southwest school is located at 2175 N. Sixth Ave. Call 884-0811 for information. WATCH CLOSELY. If dropping a bit of cash doesn't make you edgy, then you may consider attending the Wellness Center's Less Stress: Self-Hypnosis Workshop at Smuggler's Inn, 6350 E. Speedway. Bad attitudes, twisted perceptions and that lousy human baggage known as free choice can get your blood roiling, just as can unrealistic expectations, perfectionism (fold your skivvies in squares?) and social conditioning. Lay those banal anal habits to rest, and let your own perception of what the outside world is doing to your inner serenity evolve from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Call 325-4138 for details. PHONETIC FUN. The Tucson Literacy Center opens its house from 3:45 to 6 p.m. to celebrate bringing all community residents into the written fold. Help celebrate those good words at this soiree, co-sponsored by the Literacy Volunteers of Pima County and the Tucson Adult Literacy Volunteers. The center is located at 125 W. Yavapai Road, Building 800, on the Ampitheater High School Campus. R.S.V.P. by calling 292-0602 or 292-0092. PRE-POSTAL. Full metal jackets get hung out to dry, as managers discuss ways to avoid workplace violence in an increasingly frayed society. The Arizona Consortium for Education and Training hosts this seminar from 8 a.m. to noon at Sunquest Information Systems, 4801 E. Broadway. Even if buzzwords raise your deadly dander, you might gain some peaceful insight as these bosses hash out "proactive strategies" for keeping their staffs and yours at ease. The cost is $49--breathe deep--and you can call 299-7512 for information. Friday 13 UNSINKABLE MOLLYS. Tucson's favorite Celtic dervishes are back home for an 8 p.m. blast at the Southwest Center for Music. They arrive after romping from Canada's Winnipeg and Jasper folk festivals to the west coast, with Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts thrown in for kicks. This might be the last chance to catch their trademark Irish hybrid any time soon, since they're back on the road for another month, and won't return until a CD-recording gig in October. Tickets for tonight's show are a measly $6. The Southwest Center is at 2175 N. Sixth Ave. For information, call 882-5643. Saturday 14 MEOW MIXER. You can bet your Boots, or Fluffy, or Killer or whatever, that the well-coifed contestants at Kino Kat Club's annual Fall Allbreed and Household Pet Cat Show haven't up-chucked a furball in years. Never mind that this show features more than 250 breeds much prettier and well-mannered than your own, including exotics like the Singapura and Ocicat, and the better known Abyssinians and Persians. These pampered pusses will debut in glittery cages and four judging rings. Ebullient owners will be on hand to answer cosmetic questions and offer kittens for sale in this feline prêt á porter extravaganza running today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show also features pet supplies, pet furniture, related gato gifts, maybe even a gilded litter box or two. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $2 for kids ages 2 to 12. For details, call 622-3827. CULTURE VULTURES. Catch a buzz at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum's Annual "Bye, Bye Buzzards!" party, where the center's flock of Turkey Buzzards will be offered a fond adieu before departing for winter carcass grounds. Featured guests of honor--or potential entrees--will be Chitter, the antelope ground squirrel; Becky, the ringtail; Leo, the long-eared owl; Chainsaw, the American kestrel; and one anonymously whopping California king snake. Aside from these raptor delicacies, the lovely aboretum offers miles of scenic trails, stunning cactus gardens, a museum and gift shop. Vulture viewing starts at 7 a.m., followed by various displays, and by a combo buzzard party and memorial service for Reggie, who now enjoys heavenly carrion, at 10 a.m. The cost for adults is $4, $2 for kids ages 5 to 12. Group discounts are available. The Boyce Thompson Arboretum is two hours north of Tucson via Highway 79, and three miles west of Superior, along Queen Creek Canyon on Highway 60. Call 689-5248 for information. FINGER PHENOM. East coasters called him "one to watch." Now you can take that advice to heart as singer, songwriter, guitar wizard and former Sundogs member Jim Henry performs at the Southwest Center for Music. The roots-rocking Dogs played the Newport Folk Festival three years running, and Henry later won critical acclaim for his Into the Blue release, which was featured in New Country magazine's CD sampler. Jacksonville, his second recording, shows this Kansas boy rising into the elite ranks of America's new breed of musicians, filling out genres from country, bluegrass and folk to rock-and-roll. See all these traditions rolled into one at tonight's 8 o'clock show. Tickets are $7 in advance, and $6 for Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association, Tucson Friends of Traditional Music and KXCI members. Pick 'em up at the Folk Shop, Hear's Music and the Southwest Center, 2175 N. Sixth Ave. Admission is an extra buck at the door. Call 887-5413. Sunday 15 POST TOASTIES. Local author Jonathan Lowe takes on the federally disgruntled in his new thriller Postmarked for Death, set in Tucson and featuring one letter sorter who's more than sorta unhappy. Self-expression takes an incendiary hue as the clerk fires up the Cherrybell station, depriving fellow citizens of their monthly government dole. But gumshoes soon try stamping out the wrong guy, and romp through the Old Pueblo led by a rookie postal inspector. Meanwhile, the true Ted Kaczynski-wannabe continues his high-charged mayhem via letters to entitlement offices. Lowe is now busy penning a screenplay version of Postmarked, but he'll still be on hand to sign copies at Borders Books and Music, 4235 N. Oracle Road, from 1 to 3 p.m. For information, call 292-5049. HEY, POPS! The venerable Tucson Pops Orchestra continues its fall season tonight with selections from Tchaikovky's Swan Lake, Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, and a nod to the uncommon Manilow, as in Barry. With Independence Day fading into far-off galaxies, and alien-free skies predicted, this is the perfect chance to enjoy the balmy September nights in relative safety and fine melodic company. The performance is free: Bring your own accouterments (that's French for "stuff"). Call 623-6165 for details. WHEREFORE ART THOU? Put that niggling question to rest as the Tucson Orienteering Club sponsors a class in the Santa Rita Mountains. Tapping compass and map, you'll find specific spots beyond the Porta-Potty at 9 a.m., then practice your new wherewithal on basic, intermediate or advanced courses from 9:30 to noon. No word yet on merit badge accreditation, but the club is known for being helpful, courteous and kind. The cost is $5 for individuals, and $7 for a team. For directions to the meet site and other little details, call 628-8985. Monday 16 TOASTED. Sick of slobbering over cue cards while a gaggle of Realtors impatiently straighten their blazers? Ever tried to deliver inspirational monologues on humble beginnings, only to end up mumbling nervously about splintery outhouses and your teenage bride who's also a third cousin? Or how's about finally raising hell at a Board of Supervisors meeting, only to crumble as Ed Moore picks his teeth with a bloody survey stake? Well, you can put such diatribal detritus to rest with the help of Saguaro Toastmasters. This local branch of the venerable international institution invites you and yours to their Monday night meetings, holidays excepted, at the Church of Nazarene, 404 S. Columbus Blvd. The well-spoken gatherings start at 7 p.m. Call 327-8998 or 749-4811 for information and fees. SOME CALL HIM HARRY. That's Mr. Belafonte to you. The indomitable superstar with the good lookin' offspring will perform a combo of old favorites and fresh world beats at UA Centennial Hall. "We have traditional material like 'Matilda' and 'Island in the Sun' in our show," the enduring star says, "but even that material has been redefined. 'Banana Boat,' for example, will be recognized instantly, but it's presented differently. With audience participation, it's no longer just a song, it's a celebration." Musician Johnny Greenwood, who earned the right to call his friend Harry, will open the show with a chat about when the pair toured together back in the '50s. Belafonte's appearance fires up the UA Presents American Rhythm Series, continuing into the spring. Tickets for tonight's show are $19, $25 and $35 each, with discounts for students, kids, UA faculty and staff. Visit the Centennial Hall box office at 1020 E. University Blvd. between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; or call 621-3341 for information. Tuesday 17 TRUE BEREAVERS. Counselor Janna Excell will speak on the latest adventures of those returning from death's doorstep at 7 p.m. in the Sunrise Chapel, 8421 E. Wrightstown Road. Interest in the topic has grown in the blinding white light of Raymond Moody's 1975 book, Life After Life, and Leon Rhodes recent offering, Tunnel to Eternity. In this aftermath of almost afterlives, Excell and others have created a growth industry out of our nearly departed. Tonight's discussion will focus on her work at the International Association of Near Death Experiences, and attendees--even those with skeletons in the closet--are invited to air their personal views. For details, call 298-1245 during working hours Monday through Friday...before it's too late. Wednesday 18 LOOK WHO'S TALKING. Café Magritte's cozy little Bowler Room presents the Last Word of Summer open mic session tonight. It's the final chance to corral your cerebral wanderings and spout them to a contingent of fellow mental pilgrims before the harvest season rolls around. Even if you have no literary crops to tend, you can still revel in the fruitful labors of others. Sign-up is at 7 p.m. Café Magritte is located at 250 E. Congress St. Call 884-8004 for information. BISBEE OR BUST. Fans of Richard Shelton's Going Back to Bisbee will meet tonight as part of Barnes and Noble Bookseller's ongoing fiction group. In his charming memoir, author and UA prof Shelton focuses upon his days as a Bisbee teacher. But the tale actually begins at his Tucson Mountain home and crawls the pavement toward the queen of the copper camps, amid top-shelf geographic and historical descriptions, and ultimately one delightfully long flashback. Think we liked this book? Whether you've enjoyed it, too, or just have a hankering to begin, you'll enjoy this free gathering that starts at 7:30 p.m. The fiction group meets the same time every third Thursday of the month at the store, 5480 E. Broadway. Call 745-9822 for information. A DÓNDE VA? Get the latest on downtown's creative scene as the Tucson/Pima Arts Council presents the public forum Tucson Arts District: What is it? Where is it Going? at the Main Public Library. The informal presentation begins at noon and wraps up at 1 p.m. They're brown-baggers, so bring your own chow while enjoying sample cuisines from various downtown eateries. Participants will also have a chance to win valuables contributed by merchants, and to scope other retail wares. For information, call 624-0595. City Week includes events selected by Calendar Editor Mari Wadsworth. 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.

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