Author Archive: James J. Jefferies

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Library Events Abolish Boredom

July 11, 2014 |
The Pima County Public Library's DIY arts and crafts series is extremely popular, as this show of happy hands can attest to. photo courtesy Pima County Public Library

The Pima County Public Library’s DIY arts and crafts series is extremely popular, as this show of happy hands can attest.
photo courtesy Pima County Public Library

The yearly inferno is upon us, dear Tucsonans. The dog days of summer are here and your seat belt buckle sizzles silently, waiting to scorch your poor fingers unless you happen to have a sweating fountain drink nearby to ease the burn. And if you happen to have young ones, you will no doubt hear the eternal summertime whine of pretty much every kid who ever lived: “I’m bored!”

Thankfully, the folks at the Pima County Public Library system have a very thorough and entertaining Summer Reading Program – which runs through mid-July – to keep your kids’ minds sharp and percolating with new ideas. This year’s program culminates with an end-of-program shindig, the Fizz-Boom-Read! Zoo Celebration at the Reid Park Zoo, 3400 Zoo Court, on Saturday, July 19.

This year’s theme is science, with the core idea being that science is truly all around us, and all of the events and readings are created with this firmly in mind. “We really want reading to become a lifelong habit and want to encourage kids to read at least 20 minutes a day,” said Kenya Johnson, Communications Manager for the Pima County Public Library. The Summer Reading Program has specifically engineered content aimed at babies, kids, teens and adults, so no matter how old you are, there is genuinely something for everyone.

Events aligned with the reading program at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library, for example, include programs such as The Science of Bubbles, Skulls from the Sonoran Desert, Sign and Storytime, Tech Craft for Teens, Mixed Bag of Minecraft, and Stop Motion Animation! There is an enormous spate of events going down at all of the Pima County Public Library branches under the banner of the program, though, so it is best to consult the calendar at Library.Pima.gov for events closest to you. There is even an online component where kids can participate and track their reading all summer long!

In an era when our educational systems face incredible challenges, the one thing you can most easily do to enhance your child’s chances of succeeding no matter what they decide to do with their lives is to instill a love of reading as early as possible. The Summer Reading Program is an excellent opportunity to do just this.

Throughout August, there will also be Storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Children and their parents/caregivers will engage in activities involving learning, playing, and of course books. On Saturday, August 16, the main library, 101 N. Stone Ave., hosts another one of their excellent Do-It-Yourself (DIY) event series, geared towards both kids and the whole family, focusing on the art and history of mandalas.

Mandalas are graphic symbols that originated in Hinduism/Buddhism, and are supposed to represent a metaphysical or symbolic microcosm of the universe. There’s a basic form that incorporates a square with four gates and a circle with a center point, and traditionally they are used as teaching tools, meditative aids, or decorations to denote a sacred space. Participants in the DIY event will learn about the history of this art form and will make their own mandalas.

Again, the sheer number of events going on – and continually being announced – throughout the entire Pima County Public Library system is really something to behold, and getting handy with their calendar is essential. “I would also suggest that folks visit our website every week to see what new events and programs are happening. We’re updating our calendar every day,” said Johnson.

No time like the present to start making the fantastic spate of free activities and programs offered by the libraries a regular habit right here in Tucson. Did I mention every location has air conditioning?

Visit Library.Pima.gov for the countrywide list of libraries and their events. This article is courtesy of the Downtown Tucson Partnership.

A Celebration of Notorious Tucson History

January 14, 2014 |

A long-recognized component of Tucson’s image has been colored by a rugged streak, in part because of its indelible perception as an outpost of the Old West (bolstered by decades of Hollywood productions at Old Tucson), but also thanks to the history surrounding the capture of one of the most infamously popular bank robbers that ever lived, one John Herbert Dillinger, at the Hotel Congress on Jan. 23, 1934.

photo courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

photo courtesy Downtown Tucson Partnership

Dillinger was the poster child for an era in which the exploits of criminals fast became fodder for an opportunistic national media eager to print lurid tales of larceny for an American audience hungry for anything to take their minds off the harsh reality of Depression-era economic woes. It was audience already primed for such stories by the explosive gang violence plaguing the country as bootleggers ran their illicit trade in bloody earnest thanks to Prohibition, which had been in effect since 1920.

Dillinger and other infamous scofflaws of the time had become escapist antiheroes for a populace that had grown restless and incredibly skeptical of its institutions. No drinks, no jobs, no fun. Dillinger himself gained fame as an absolutely brazen bank robber with balls of brass, executing a daring string of heists after leaving prison in May of 1933, after having served an eight-and-a-half-year stretch that turned him hard and mean. It was the lawless trail Dillinger blazed across America that actually spawned a federal initiative to form the Bureau of Investigation, which later became the FBI, as no law enforcement agency then had the power to seek justice across state lines.

This cavalcade of cutthroat crimes came to a screeching halt in Tucson, when Dillinger and his gang had to flee a fire in a nearby room as they hid out under assumed names at Downtown’s Hotel Congress. They were arrested in various parts of town by the Tucson Police Department after firefighters recognized members of the gang. Not a single shot was fired, just a twist of fate and an eagle eye from Tucson’s finest managed to pull off what so many other law enforcement agencies in America had been unable to do.

“It’s just this incredible aspect of the history of Tucson,” explained David Slutes, Entertainment Director for the Hotel Congress. “We feel like it’s something to be proud of, and it should be out in the open.” The first Dillinger reenactment was staged as a small theatrical ‘play’ of sorts right in the lobby of the Hotel Congress in the mid-1990s, and going forward, the story has become an ever-more visible part of the historic hotel’s identity, right down to small signs in the outdoor planters featuring a photo of Dillinger warning you NOT to mess with his plants.

“We thought, ‘why not embrace and celebrate this moment…give people a taste of the times, and provide Downtown with a great event’,” said Slutes.

Dillinger Days begins its slate of activities with a Speakeasy on Friday, Jan. 24, featuring live music, a 1930s costume contest, whiskey, cigars, memorabilia from the era and much more. The next day, Saturday, Jan. 25, hosts reenactments of the capture, live music, food, a vintage car show, and games, and will very much be a family-friendly slate of events.

A portion of the weekend’s proceeds benefits the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation, whose mission is to assess and respond to unmet needs of the greater Tucson firefighter community by facilitating access to health and wellness resources, while recognizing the firefighting heritage and culture.

More information is available from Hotel Congress, located at 311 E. Congress St., online at HotelCongress.com and by phone at (520) 622-8848.

A Barrel of Unpretentious Fun

October 31, 2013 |

photo by James J. Jeffries

Wine is one of those things everyone knows something about, but for most people, that knowledge is usually confined to decision trees involving bottled or boxed, red or white.

Frank Lietzau is on a mission to change that, without all the buttoned-down stuffiness often associated with the world of distant vineyards and sommeliers. One needn’t look further than the Hofsbrau Münchhausen T-shirt he wore on a packed Friday afternoon last month at his new downtown wine bar, Unplugged at 118 E. Congress St., the entrance to which is flanked by two very large oak barrels.

Lietzau’s knowledge of wine ran deep. He dished out detailed anecdotes with each successive bottle he poured to a group of giddy bar patrons eager to learn more about the fantastic wines they were sampling. More importantly, he is refreshingly unpretentious about his very misunderstood trade.

“One has to be honest,” said Lietzau. “If you want to learn about the world of wine, you simply have to go out and taste things, and if you don’t like them, be honest!”

The menu at Unplugged is designed in a way to be extremely accessible to patrons making their first foray into wines. Order a flight for $12, which will consist of a specific array of wines – such as red, white, obscure, or Rieslings – and you’ll get three glasses of 1.5 ounces each to sample.

As you down your first glass, you’ll begin to feel the warm, relaxing, and convivial atmosphere of the bar take hold. The bar and table surfaces are thick wood, buffeted by grey metal fixtures and warm, soft lighting provided by votive candles and a few understated industrial lamps. The glowing light wall behind the bottles changes color according to what Lietzau deems appropriate given the day’s crowd and playlist.

In this sense, Lietzau’s venture is very much in line with the driving forces and overall vibe behind the explosive development in Downtown Tucson; he’s offering a terrific, difficult-to-find variety of small-winery products from across Europe that he is truly passionate about, but going about it in an incredibly welcoming manner that perfectly merges stylish and casual.

“This is my second time here,” said Terri Callarez, as she enjoyed a wine flight of obscures. “It’s a really mellow place to abandon your workday.” She also referred to a choice she made on her first outing, another unusual offering called the John Lee Hooker, which is comprised of one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer. (wink, wink).

“Tucson doesn’t have anything like this,” said Lietzau, referring to his ability to bring in wines that are very seldom seen in this part of the world. It’s this mixture of high quality and openness that exemplifies the spirit of the new movement energizing the city’s heart, as Lietzau honors the skilled beer and winemaking excellence of the Old World, bringing it right into our own community’s historical epicenter.

And if you simply want to relax in this atmosphere, but you’re not so into wine or want a buffer to all of those rich fermented grapes, Unplugged still has you covered with an array of craft beers, including Gaffel Kölsch.

Gaffel Kölsch, as Lietzau explains, “has been brewed near my hometown in Germany for more than 500 years.” It, along with other suds that come from right here in the Old Pueblo – such as Dragoon Brewing Company’s Monsooner – is sold at a very reasonable $5.50 per glass.

Unplugged also offers a rotating variety of delightful small eats, from bruschetta to bratwurst and the customary cheese and fruit plates to accompany your journey into something new and wickedly wonderful.

As is fast becoming the rule these days, this wine bar seems to be yet another compelling destination for Downtown adventurers craving bold new flavors firmly steeped in culinary tradition.

Unplugged resides at 118 E. Congress St., just west of the historic Chicago Store. For more details, visit their Facebook page at Facebook.com/unpluggedtucson. This article is courtesy of the Downtown Tucson Partnership. For more information on where to eat, shop, live and play downtown, visit DowntownTucson.org.

photo by James J. Jeffries