Downtown Tucsonan - January 2009 - (Page 5) D ow n tow n Low d ow n There’s a lot of wide-awake folks on the east end of downtown, kept that way by recent demolition noises on the south half of the old 4th Avenue Underpass. Structural concrete will be poured during 1Q09 followed by lighting, signals, and landscaping. The 1916 underpass, the state’s oldest and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is scheduled for a grand opening in July or August. Go west of that construction and the new restaurant and market, past the Hertz Rental parking, the Mahlia Collection Showroom, and the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum and you run into more construction taking place at the MacArthur Building, Toole and Pennington, the soon-to-be-new-home of Madden Media right next to a giant hole-in-the-ground foundation that will become a multi-tiered parking garage for One North Fifth, Hotel Congress, and other happening places in the area. rolls back the calendar to 1934 and a re-enactment of the apprehension of one of the ‘outlaw heroes’ of the Great Depression. The all-ages festival includes displays of vintage cars, film screenings at the Fox Tucson Theatre, lectures, tours, and exhibits as well as action-packed portrayals of the events leading up to the gang’s capture by Tucson police. Festivalgoers are encouraged to dress in 1930s garb to become ‘extras’ in the live re-enactments. Visit www. HotelCongress.com or call Hotel Congresss (622-8848) for further information. [Dillinger’s Depression-era crime spree that ended in Tucson has captured the attention of Hollywood movie makers who will release Public Enemies in July starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale]. Beyond The Renaissance of China: Antiquities from the James Conley Collection. “The collection of Asian antiquities contains more than 100 works of art from the Neolithic period (3,000 BC) to the Qing Dynasty from the 1600s to the early 1900s, offering a rare opportunity to view objects drawn from nearly 5,000 years of China’s creative inspiration,” says TMA Marketing Director Meredith Hayes. “It’s both an introduction to Chinese art for the uninitiated and an opportunity for scholars to enjoy these important materials.” The Year of the Ox celebration will be held January 24, 5-7pm at the Museum, cosponsored by the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center. For further information, check out www.TucsonMuseumofArt.org. WORLD SERIES OF PHILATELY Take a break from the recreation of Dillinger criminality and visit ARIPEX 2009, the World Series of Philately show, presented by the Arizona Federation of Stamp Clubs. Scheduled for January 23-25 at the Tucson Convention Center, this year’s theme revolves around the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth with exhibits documenting the life of the lean and lanky president and artifacts from the Civil War. Admission is free. For ARIPEX details, log on to www.aripexonline.com. SPEAKING OF ONE NORTH FIFTH Walk around the street frontage of the old MLK building and you’ll notice the shell for retail option has been completed and ready to be sheetrocked to client specification. “We’re in the process of looking at potential tenants,” says Matt Brown, project manager for developer Williams & Dame. “We’re not in a position to share names at this time, but we have strong interest from a number of good potential tenants and hope that in the foreseeable future, we’ll be able to make an announcement on our retail tenant line-up.” WHICH CAME FIRST, THE IMAGE OR THE STORY? Hurry before “What the Animals Had to Say” closes January 2nd at Tooley’s on Congress, 278 East Congress. The exhibit explores the relationship between the creation of images and stories and illustrator Jorge Porrata may even answer the question of which came first. At the Central Arts Gallery, 274 East Congress, a “Celebration of Line” member exhibition stays open through January 31st (www.CentralArtsGallery.org). MINERAL MADNESS Tucson will glow with gems, minerals, crystals, beads, meteorites, fossils and more during the Tucson Gem/ Mineral/Fossil Showcase that gets underway January 31st and runs through February 15. The world-renowned showcase involves dozens of shows scattered all over town, at hotels, exhibit halls and under huge tents. The one show that got it all started, now the 55th annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, takes place at the Tucson Convention Center Arena February 12-15 with this years spotlight on “Mineral Oddities.” Check out www.visitTucson.org/visitor/events/GemShow for further information on Tucson’s largest treasure hunt. PARKING PRICES Downtown parking tickets that formerly cost $28 have jumped to $62, effective January 1, to cover higher court processing fees and a state surcharge. And there are changes involving parking fees: “First-hour parking at three city-owned garages (101 N. Stone Ave.; 110 E. Pennington St.; 498 W. Congress St.) is now free,” says ParkWise parking coordinator Chris Leighton, who notes, “If you park more than an hour in those garages, that firsthour-free goes away and motorists will be charged $1 per hour up to an $8 maximum.” DEJA VOUS FOR FARE INCREASE Transportation Department planners spent some holiday time coming up with a proposed Sun Tran fare increase to be considered by the City Council, the same body that turned down a similar increase proposal last summer --well before the economy really tanked and Sun Tran was asked to figure out ways to cut $3 million. Estimates are that $2 million of the budget shortfall may be made up by increased ridership and cheaper gasoline. The other million might come from an increase in regular trip fares from $1 to $1.25 (and a ten cent increase in economy fares to 50 cents). YEAR OF THE OX Your calendar may not reflect it, but this is The Year of the Ox and Tucson Museum of Art will be holding an exhibition to honor Chinese culture in the Old Pueblo. Sculpture, bronzes, earthenware and antique Chinese furniture are featured in the exhibition now on view at TMA, Han and NOT-SO-BASHFUL BANDITS This will be the 75th anniversary of the capture of notorious bank robber John Dillinger and his gang at the Hotel Congress. On January 24th, Downtown Tucson january.09. downtown tucsonan 5 http://www.HotelCongress.com http://www.HotelCongress.com http://www.TucsonMuseumofArt.org http://www.aripexonline.com http://www.CentralArtsGallery.org http://www.visitTucson.org/visitor/events/GemShow
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