Downtown Lowdown
{Send your Lowdown to Jamie Manser, jamie@downtowntucson.org}
New Businesses
Cushing Street Family Practice
A family practice has moved into the neighborhood! Physician Assistants Ricci Silberman and Molly Wheelwright are currently operating out of 24 W. Simpson, but will be moving into 58 W. Cushing St. within a few weeks upon the building being renovated.
Silberman said she and Wheelwright have been practicing medicine for over 40 years combined. The two decided to move downtown because “Molly was practicing in the south part of Tucson and I was practicing on the Westside,” Silberman said. Moving to Barrio Viejo enabled the two to stay in proximity to their previous clients.
Silberman said they want to create “a real homey feel with soft lighting – no fluorescent lights! We want to have a really different atmosphere than what most people are used to.”
The practice is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, though appointments are appreciated. Most insurance plans are accepted and they also charge a fee-for-service. Call 620-0705 for more information.
Goodbye Arizona Print Copy, Hello Reproductions, Inc.
After owning Arizona Print Copy for over 25 years, owner Robert Stash has retired from the printing industry and sold the business to Reproductions, Inc. Reproductions will be sprucing up services by offering new copy and printing services.
Manager Victor Banda said they “will offer all the services from the main store and will have large format black-and-white and color copiers that can accommodate architects’, engineers’ and lawyers’ special needs. We will eventually have a large-format laminating and mounting machine.”
The hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Banda said “existing customers (of AZ Print Copy) can fill out a credit application to change their account over to Reproductions.” Accounts can be used at any of the four Reproductions locations.
Martin’s on Scott
Look for a new deli opening up mid-month at 47 N. Scott Ave. – the previous location of Emily’s and Mongelli’s!
Events
Cabalgata de Anza 2004
Over 230 years ago, Spain needed to secure Alta (upper) California from those pesky Russians and Britons. Though España held what are now the western states and Florida, their grip on the Pacific Coast was tenuous at best. The few missions and presidios in Alta California had a Spanish population of less than 100.
In order to strengthen their hold, it was imperative for the Spaniards to establish an overland route originating from Sonora that would bring settlers and supplies.
Enter Juan Bautista de Anza, Captain of the Royal Presidio at Tubac. In 1774, Anza conducted a scouting trip – subsequently finding the necessary land route. A year later, Anza was commissioned by the Viceroy of New Spain to lead a group of soldiers and settlers to colonize the port of San Francisco.
The expedition originated in Sonora with Tubac as the final staging ground where the journey commenced on Oct. 23, 1775.
Commemorating this historic journey is the Cabalgata (organized horseback ride) de Anza 2004 where riders and hikers will follow the route taken by Anza and his group, along the Santa Cruz River. The journey will leave from a ranch east of Nogales on Oct. 16 and end at Christopher Columbus Park in Tucson on Oct. 21.
At noon on Thursday, Oct. 21, the riders will arrive in Tucson and stop for a spell at the southwest section of the Santa Cruz River and Congress Street. The public is welcome to rally the riders and Mayor Bob Walkup, Council Member Jose Ibarra and Chair of the San Xavier Tohono O’odam Nation Austin Nunez will be greeting the party.
Contact Lisa Sharp at 520-398-8264 for further information.
Jácome Plaza Historical Marker
On Monday, Oct. 25 at 10:00 a.m., Mayor Walkup will unveil the Jácome Plaza Historical Marker in the Jácome (Main Library) Plaza at Stone Avenue and Pennington Street.
The historical marker memorializes the former locale of Jácome Department Store and includes exhibits, portraits and biographies of Carlos Corella Jácome and wife DionÍcia Germán – the couple who founded the department store in 1896 as La Bonanza.
After the event, a no-host buffet lunch will take place at The Historic Manning House. Tickets for the lunch are $20/person before Oct. 20 and $35/person thereafter. Call The Manning House at 770-0714 or Tina Jácome at 529-8606 for more details.
Club Crawl’s Coming!
Club Crawl, the semi-annual Tucson Weekly music festival, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 with over 20 stages/venues of genre-spanning entertainment. The fall fest features fabulous local acts along with ensembles from California, New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona.
The downtown event will find Congress Street closed from the Rialto Theatre to 6th Avenue. Wristbands are on sale at CD City, 2890 N. Campbell Ave., with the first 2000 buyers receiving the compilation CD – comprised of local groups – Club Crawl Vol. 1. The 21 and over event commences at 8:00pm. See the October 14 issue of the Tucson Weekly for more information.
Retrospecticus
In Retrospect: September
A demolition team quickly descended upon the Thrifty Block last month, leveling the buildings from 26 to 56 E. Congress. Although the buildings were on the chopping block for some time and the public controversy surrounding the demolition was well publicized, it felt like we barely had a chance to say goodbye. Among the buildings to tumble were the old Thrifty building, the Fields Jewelers building, and the Talk of the Town Saloon. Fortunately however, there will now be plenty of opportunities to belly-up to the Saloon’s bar, saved from destruction and reinstalled in the Hotel Congress. If you were lucky enough do be down there in mid-demolition, you had the chance to see an old art deco façade hidden behind that of the Thirty’s façade. Did anyone even know that was there?
A new parking garage gets built as another one is being demolished. In September, the building of the Pennington Street Garage got underway while the wrecking ball fell on the City Court garage just up the street. We are assuming here that we will still see a net increase in parking spaces downtown. We’ll keep you posted on this one.
Tucson’s arts season was officially kicked-off in September at the 3rd Annual Arts Anew BBQ, where artists and arts organizers gathered to preview each others seasons at the Historic Steinfeld Warehouse. The 250 people in attendance enjoyed live music and food sponsored by WAMO (Warehouse Arts Management Organization), Tucson Pima Arts Council, and The Tucson Downtown Alliance.
The Tucson Convention Center was host of several noteworthy events last month, including Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate John Edwards who visited the arena and spoke to 5.500 people. Edwards, who was joined by Governor Janet Napolitano and Congressman Raul Grijalva, spoke for forty minutes while people outside were shut out when the event reached full capacity.
Also in September at the TCC, a thousand members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and allied community gathered for Wingspan’s Seventh Annual Benefit Dinner and Awards. The dinner, Wingspan’s largest to date (tickets were sold out the week before the event) raised over $150,000 to support Wingspan’s mission to promote the freedom, justice, and well-being of LGBT people in Southern Arizona. Keynote speaker Evan Wolfson, Executive Director of national advocacy group “Freedom to Marry,” addressed the guests, and speakers throughout the evening urged everyone to make their voices heard at the ballots in November. Guests of note included Congressman/Superstar Raul Grijalva, Attorney General Terry Goddard, Mayor Bob Walkup, former Mayor George Miller, a generous handful of officials from City Council and the Board of Supervisors.
Broadway in Tucson premiered at the TCC Music Hall in September with its season opener, “Movin’ Out”. The six day run drew an estimated 13,000 attendees. The 2004-2005 season marks the first of five seasons for which Broadway in Tucson, presented by the Nederlander Producing Company, has contracted with the TCC.
And finally, on September 11, the Tucson-based grassroots organization Reel Inspiration hosted the Reel Inspiring Film Contest at the Muse. Filmmakers were challenged to produce films (five minutes or less) about the good in the world today. Bill Kersey and Edward Kim of Tucson, won the top prize of Best Film for their short film “Garpenfargle”. Bill Kersey also won the Popular Choice Award at the same contest for his other short film, “Solace”. Second prize went to Jaqueline Veissid of Los Angeles, California for her film, “The Mysterious Mystery of Something Important”. Derek Griffith won the Tucson Filmmaker for his film, “Somebody Loves Me”.
