Loft Kids Fest!
Our favorite post-pandemic comeback, the Loft Kids Fest, kicks off with a fun-filled evening party in Himmel Park, then continues over eight weekend mornings of free kids’ movies at The Loft Cinema. The open-air Friday event features games, activities, giveaways and prizes leading up to a screening of “Looney Tunes.” Morning shows feature the same amenities at 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays through mid-July. Titles include “Toy Story,” “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” “Sing 2,” “The Sandlot,” “Minions,” Matilda,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Encanto.” All screenings are free and first come, first served. Doors open at 9:15 a.m. for weekend shows.
6 p.m. Friday, June 23, Himmel Park, 1000 N. Tucson Boulevard, loftcinema.org; 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday Saturday, June 24, to Sunday, July 16, The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Boulevard, free.
Drag Queen Spelling Bee
Allonna Dee became enchanted by drag the first time she saw Diva, Janee Starr and China Collins in a show at IBT’s. She jumped at a chance to work behind the scenes as a dresser, but with Diva and her friends as mentors, she eventually started winning competition titles, including Miss Gay Tucson. Now she may be Tucson’s most glamorous spelling champ. She debuts her Spelling Bee at Hotel Congress to benefit Tucson Pride.
7 p.m. doors, Thursday, June 22, Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, hotelcongress.com/family/club-congress, $10, ages 18 and over.
Snakes!
Arizona boasts almost five dozen species of snakes. They’re not all dangerous, but their sheer numbers and variety make it important to be able to recognize when we or those nearby are in danger. Those not dangerous can be even more fascinating. Environmental educator Jeff Babson talks about diversity among snakes, from tiny worm-like creatures to garter snakes, boas and rattlesnakes. He’ll also cover ways to avoid a venomous snake bite and what to do if they bite you first.
10 a.m. to noon, Zoom only, Tucson Botanical Gardens, tucsonbotanical.org, $30, register online to get the link.
“Summer Rock Revival” at Hotel Congress
What a lineup! This party will pack the patio with three fun flavors of Arizona rock ‘n’ roll. Mason brings the ’60s blues-rock side, shaded with Robert Johnson vibe. Tucson favorites Birds & Arrows slicken the hard edge of indie rock with dazzling, powerful vocals. Phoenix band Daphne and the Glitches adds the weird we crave, a taste of frenzy and psychedelia.
6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, Hotel Congress Plaza Stage, 311 E. Congress Street, saaca.thundertix.com/events, $15, over age 21 only.
Skate Country Late Skate
Let’s change it up for a date night, or for any other occasion when you’d like to feel the rhythm even if the motion is a little awkward. Go roller skating! Be fearless about looking foolish among friends. You’re in it together to hold each other up. Best of all, it’s affordable. Late Skate is for grownups only. Expect music for dancing.
10:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24, to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 25, Skate Country, 7980 E. 22nd Street, skatecountry.com, $15 includes skate rental, ages 18 and older.
El Dia de San Juan Fiesta
Faithful Tucsonans have long believed that on June 24, 1520, when the explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado stood on the banks of the Santa Cruz River and prayed for rain, his response was a summer monsoon rain, resplendent with sky drama. Coincidence? Since the fifth century, June 24 has been celebrated all over the world as the saint’s day of John the Baptist. The Menlo Park Neighborhood Association invites us to join in their longstanding annual celebration with festive music, dancing and popular West Tucson cuisine, as well as traditional blessings and activities for all ages. Maybe take an umbrella.
6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 24, Mission Garden, 948 W. Mission Lane, missiongarden.org/events, donations encouraged.
Sea of Glass: Allison Brown
Bela Fleck’s banjo jazz made people look at the instrument in a whole new way, one that highlighted its previously much-underrated versatility. The banjo had become popular in the pioneer-era when its main asset was portability. It could also support the fiddle with rhythm and percussion. Allison Brown has earned an international reputation for introducing us to even more of the instrument’s potential, including lilting romance, empathetic tenderness and unique lyricism, plus all that jazz.
7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 24, Sea of Glass, 330 E. Seventh Street, eventbrite.com, tickets start at $7.
Live Theater Workshop: “Walter Cronkite is Dead”
Stuck in an airport in a chaos of delayed flights, opposite strangers start up a chat in a random, featureless cocktail lounge. One a boisterous southerner, the other a liberal from Washington, the pair clash on every level. Or so it seems, until the bond of shared humanity turns their anger to empathy. Joe Calarco’s play couldn’t be a timelier guide to our way through the divisiveness now consuming our cultural climate.
Various days and times through Saturday, July 8, Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road, livetheatreworkshop.org, tickets start at $17.
“Pioneer Women of Main Avenue” Tour
The Presidio San Agustin has added a new tour to its collection of walks through Tucson history. A modified version of its Main Avenue Mansion tour focuses on the role of pioneer-era women in shaping Tucson’s history. Over the span of just a quarter-mile walk, we can hear the stories of Gladys Franklin, Atanacia Hughes, Bettina Steinfeld, Annie Neal Cheyney, Edith Kitt and Sarah Sorin, the first female attorney to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court unassisted.
8 to 10 a.m. Sunday, June 25, Café a la C’art, 150 N. Main Avenue, tucsonpresidio.com/walking-tours, $25.
Flandrau Planetarium: “Undersea Discovery”
As far as it sends us up into the sky, the Flandrau Planetarium now takes us down under the sea. “Undersea Discovery,” includes among its exhibits, some squirmy live kelp and squid, hands-on activities, an ocean sounds game and a “Touch Tank.” The planetarium already has exhibits revealing the lifestyles of such fascinating dry-land creatures as insects and snakes, and we can still watch Pink Floyd light shows in the theater dome.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Boulevard, flandrau.org, $12.95, several discounts available.
