Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 - (Page 25)

continued from page 23 the ball rolling. Everyone wants to be the first in line to be the second project once the first has been successful.” once that logjam breaks, watch out, says Barr. “People are going to be surprised how fast things are going to go once all these discussion-and-design phases are done, inertia is overcome, and the ball starts to roll. we’re going to get a really good look by the end of the year once the MLK project is done and the Bourn Post project has gone beyond the pre-sale stage. overall, we’ll be as successful as these projects are. anyone concerned with downtown development should want don Bourn, williams and dame, Richard oseran, Ross Rulney (Julian drew project), and 44 Broadway to be successful. It may sound lame, but it’s true that a rising tide lifts all boats, especially in this type of urban environment.” Beyond his immediate and foreseeable future vision is the Year 2012, arizona’s centennial. “that’s the target year,” says Barr. “It may sound far away, but it’s not. By then you should see the Mercado district almost substantially completed, all the museums open, the hotel, arena, and convention center site done, the streetcar in and running, and the interstate highway open. If we’ve done it right in investing public money in these projects, private investment should follow.” the tucson thunder event. other sponsors include competitive Engineering, Inc., alliance Beverage, tucson newspapers, southern arizona Blues Heritage Foundation, Golden Eagle distributors, Pepsi, the Metropolitan tucson convention & Visitors Bureau, city of tucson, and 96 Rock, KLPX. saturday morning starts with a Muscular dystrophy association Poker Run, leaving from the new Harley dealership in Marana. Mayor Bob walkup will host a ride (Mayor Bob’s Ride) to old tucson studios, leaving from the parking lot west of the Music Hall at 10am. a Bike show at La Placita is followed by “Bike Games” at the tucson arena. Following the awards ceremony, Mayor walkup leads a parade through downtown. “If you haven’t heard several hundred motorcycles all lined up, reverberating from the buildings downtown, you haven’t lived. oh, yeah!” says, Kohnke, a big bear of a man who truly loves what he does. the parade is open only to Harleys, but anyone can watch and enjoy. the downtown Museum of the arizona Historical society is getting into the spirit of the event for the second year in a row, with a special exhibit called “Harley davidson Goes to war”. admission is free at the museum located at 140 n. stone ave. what is tucson’s appeal for the HoG Rally? Besides the great rides in southern arizona, another reason for tucson’s popularity is the acceptance that bikers find in the community. this is the second year in a row the HoG Rally has been in tucson. “we got kind of tired of going to williams, arizona for seven years in a row, so we made a proposal to the state board to get the rally moved here. Everybody’s very cycle-friendly down here,” says Kohnke. “Believe it or not, there are still some towns that are not very receptive.” Kohnke credits his wife clementine for getting the rally moved from williams, and credits donovan durband and the tucson downtown alliance (as the Partnership was known until last year) to make the event the success it was last year and bring the event back for a second year. clementine is not the type to ride “bitch” behind her husband. she’s a biker at heart and owns two motorcycles—one emblazoned with “I married a HoG.” despite having her bike totaled last year, when someone collided with her after running a light, clementine is back riding the same as before, putting her all into the tucson rally. “If you’re a biker at heart, it’s in your blood and you can’t get rid of it,” says Kohnke. Prior to the official rally, Harley davidson of tucson will have a kick-off party at their new location at Ina and I-10, in Marana, thursday evening. the event, featuring live music, is free and open to the public. Harley davidson of tucson is one of the largest Harley dealers in arizona. Following the party, riders and the general public can come downtown and catch the second movie of cinema La Placita’s double-feature: the 2007 film, “wild Hogs”, at 9:00pm. the Marx Brothers’ “duck soup” starts at 7:30pm. Kohnke described what distinguishes a bike rider from other people: “a biker is someone who seeks adventure; he or she’s a little bit of a daredevil, a bit more open-spirited, out in the open, somewhat unprotected. It’s not the destination that’s important; it’s the journey. I love riding down the street, seeing a hawk flying overhead. People in cars miss those kinds of things. clementine loves the smells that come when riding a bike. In summer, when you come over a hill and wildflowers are in bloom, the aroma is unbelievable.” For more information on Tucson Thunder, go to www.DowntownTucson.com/tucson_thunder. may.08. downtown tucsonan 25 http://Tucson.com/tucson_thunder http://www.tucsonaz.gov/ets/finalreport.pdf http://www.tucsonaz.gov/ets/finalreport.pdf

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Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008 Contents From the Editor Downtown Lowdown Vital Signs Downtown Live Arts Galleries Performances Vital Signs Continued Events Film Museums Billboard Classifieds

Downtown Tucsonan - May 2008

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