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RAISING LIVES THAT MATTER
Grandma settles back into the dining room chair and the identical twin 5-year-old girls, Kiyah and Kiara, climb onto her lap, whisper requests into her ear. The girls are shy, giggle distractedly; there’s a stranger in the house. Respecting grandma’s gentle instructions to self-occupy, the girls slide from her lap and shuffle into their bedroom several feet away, their faces alight in coy, dutiful sweetness.
I’ve never met Leondra Price, aside from a single phone call, and she had me into her house. Sometimes you meet a person whose generosity of spirit makes them easy to reach, and she is. At the age of 73, Leondra is sturdy, younger than her years, with an expressive face that conveys a calm dignity, which completes her presence. She wears a colorful tribal headwrap, her nails are cared for and her laugh opens wide.
At a young age, Leandra was taught broadmindedness to push past the human shortcomings of others into acceptance, which, over the years, has become philosophical. She chooses a sanguine approach to humanity, be-
cause the universe hardly troubles itself with impartiality. She ought to know. She has made a career of helping others in quiet, overlooked ways, even starting a local “Living Library” — a human library to buck hatred, discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice.
Growing up outside Chicago in heavily segregated and redlined Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of a parks and recs custodian dad and a fulltime mother, she was the fourth born of six children. She didn’t know the family was poor. If she dreamed, it was hers. “One of my greatest gifts — I wanted a bike for my birthday, and it was on the front porch from my grandfather.”
She was influenced “by so many people. It’s really my family. Everybody in my family was committed to giving, serving and surviving. My aunts were amazing role models. My aunt was in her 80s still doing meals on wheels. My dad and his four brothers served in the military at the same time, in WWII. My grandmother and my aunt were activists. That’s the stuff I’m made of.”
She recalled teen familiars in words never stippled with resentment or anger; ‘Nam war protests, her racially di-
vided schools, the Chicago riots, the 1968 Democratic National Convention protests, “In spite of that, it was a climate in which you could disagree politically — but you wouldn’t worry about getting shot!”
She drew on her personal history and experience to raise children, and now her grandchildren, in a neighborhood far from any ethnic enclave on Tucson’s far east side, all suburban tract beige, parks and bike paths. Inside, it is airy with wood floors throughout, clean and well-kept, alphabet charts and educational kids’ games mix with art on the walls, Cuban, South American and African masks, and hers is an eye for comfort, narrative and learning. “I would spend my last dollar on art,” she said.
A chalk wall in the kitchen, on which visitors have signed their names and greetings, yet the lower half wiped often to accommodate Kiyah and Kiara’s endless expressions.
In the bedroom, the door is open and the air cracks with child merriment.
She is raising these two of her 10 grandchildren on her own, has been since their first hundred days of life in
the hospital. Their mother Courtney, Leondra’s daughter, is in the army. “Because of Courtney’s unique military service, the kids are with me,” Leondra said.
The children were born at 24 weeks, barely a pound and a half each, could fit in the palm of your hand. Hence, disabilities, which require myriad doctors and medical-center visits. “Physical therapy, hearing, nasal reconstruction, speech pathologists, on and on,” she said, shrugging a laugh.
She relaxes into her nature and talks everything: philosophy, art, books, child-rearing, jazz, family, her dreams and tragedies. And of her five children, two are gone.
Leondra’s first son died at birth around 1980. “I heard him cry one time. He was born slightly premature. If he was born today, he’d be fine. He had underdeveloped lungs.” Soon her son, Matthew, was born.
Three years ago, her 26-year-old daughter Malika Monai Price jumped from the 34th floor of a Vegas hotel to her death. There is a long silence, Leon-
LEONDRA PRICE AT HOME: “WHEN YOU KNOW SOMEONE, IT MAKES IT HARDER TO BE UNKIND.” (BRIAN SMITH/CONTRIBUTOR) Story
dra’s eyes show a somber inward gaze, and she said, “She called for help, and no one came to help her.”
Malika left behind two children, now in the care of their fathers. Leondra shakes her head. “What’s unbelievable is driving down the street in Tucson and I get a call from the Las Vegas coroner.” That day, Leondra pulled the car over and received the news. The woman from the coroner’s office offered a prepared speech, which blurs in Leondra’s memory. She only remembers the message. She sat in her car for a while, reflecting on the tight bond between herself and her offspring. Finally, she mustered strength and phoned her other three children. One, Leondra swears, fainted on the other end of the line.
Malika had “left the kids with their dads,” traveled from Tucson to Las Vegas, “and that was it. She suffered post-partum depression, she was also in a relationship that was unhealthy. I’m saying that from the outside looking in, and maybe I’m speaking out of turn. She kept to herself. I know she loved some-
one who didn’t love her back. I could only see what I could see. As a parent, all I could really do was step back and watch.”
ONE DAY, IN THE LATE 1940S,
before Leondra was born, her father Leon was pushed from a Chicago “L” train by a white guy because of his skin color. Leon pounded him, and assumed responsibility, waited for the cops to arrive to arrest him. In court, the victim accused Leon of using a hammer. Leon raised his arms to show the judge he used only his fists.
Leondra remembers her dad paying an additional fee to have his surname included on his work shirt, a privilege only for whites. Black employees were restricted to solely using their first names. “It was one step up from ‘boy,’” Leondra said. “They said, ‘so as a Black man, you want to be respected?’”
Leon was very proud with a strong work ethic. “Everyone called him ‘Mr. Price.’ He knew everyone and was loved. “Dad said, ‘Get a job, keep a job. And don’t take any crap while you’re there.’ I was named after him,” she laughs. “He
had me under the hood of cars, under sinks. We knew how to do everything.”
What she remembers vividly are the head-swiveling names, the movers and shakers of black power, nonviolent action and civil disobedience who’d gather at her grandparent’s apartment in Chicago. Stokely Carmichael, a figurehead in the civil rights and global pan-African movements and Charles Hamilton, the man who jumpstarted desegregation in schools. Her aunt Sharon organized and hosted SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee), Core (Congress for Racial Equality) and NAACP meetings.
“Our house was a safe house,” Leondra said. “I’d come in to my grandparent’s house and Stokely would be sitting in my grandma’s chair! My grandmother Francis was raised in the south, she’d seen her share, saw things firsthand. She taught us about civil rights. She was an activist. My aunt Sharon didn’t fall far from my grandmother’s tree. It was part of our daily lives.”
in because she wouldn’t drink, there for the music only. She met Miles Davis. At Chicago’s Kendall College, Leondra studied “being stupid. I had no focus.” She got hired as a bus driver, one of the first women in Chicago to do so, she commandeered a 40-foot local commuter from Des Plains to Downtown Chicago.
Leondra met and married her only husband, a white serviceman she met in Chicago, and the couple moved to Tucson for his stationing at Fort Huachuca. She adored Tucson and “it was also a way to get out.”
The mixed marriage troubled no one but her new in-laws, who didn’t support it, until they met their grandson, Matthew. “When I first came to the door my mother-in-law treated me like the Avon lady!” Leondra said the baby melted her father-in-law’s hard heart. “From that moment on he supported our marriage in every way.”
Her husband was a tragedy of ‘Nam, PTSD to alcoholism. It wasn’t easy. She told him, “You can’t keep taking us down this road.” They divorced and he died of cancer from agent orange in the ’90s.
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She continues, “It was the UN at our grandparent’s dinner table. You never knew what language you were going to hear. I was blessed to be around people of such diverse backgrounds. There were Jewish people, gay people, Asian, even Navajo. I learned so much.”
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She was reading at 4 years old, thanks to an older sister. Her uncle and older brother got her thinking large. She grew up on books and music, jazz and soul, cites Monk, Coltrane, Curtis Mayfield.
(The first music Kiyah and Kiara heard was jazz. They like pianists’ Keiko Matusi and saxophonist Pamela Williams, guitarist Peter White).
As a teen she’d get her kicks sneaking into Black clubs, where she’d be let
The single mother fostered children, too, it was a houseful, similar to her childhood. “My great grandmother and my grandmother raised kids who were not their kids.”
She struggled and finally found solid work, made a 25-year career working for the city of Tucson, contributing to a greater good; human resources, housing, transportation and in the equal opportunities office as an investigator who dealt with discrimination daily. An
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aide for those in need.
“Oh, God,” she said. “In a way my job was kind of like being a dentist, nobody goes unless they are in pain. And they’re in pain — something is not right, they’ve been discriminated against for whatever reason, and they’re in a great deal of pain.”
She retired from the city with a pension. At one point through her work in the Office of Equal Opportunity, she spearheaded in Tucson something called Living Library, which has since changed its name to Human Library. It was her idea to host it in Tucson. She got to know the folks from Denmark who founded the organization, and they allowed her to be a “librarian.”
The participants are a human book, and you check one out to “read.” The “Librarian” oversees. Human “Dictionaries” serve as interpreters through sign language and foreign languages and interpretation.
“It’s really about having a conversation with someone who looks different, who sounds different, who lived a different life than you. Have you ever had conversation with a trans person? It’s about interactions with someone who is unique from you, facing fears.”
Her time now is motherhood. Her day begins at 5 a.m. Physical therapy for the girls, weights, stretching, working their ankles. Running them to appointments, “a lot since they’ve been in the world.” They ride two miles on a bike path, the twins on tricycles, Leondra on her road bike.
She loves dance, and slips away when she can. The Chicago two-step is her move. “But a babysitter costs me a for-
tune.”
Their teacher Terry George (disclosure: George is my stepsister), is an early childhood special education teacher in the Vail School District, who sees the twin girls four days a week for three hours each. She told me later, “As a parent or grandparent, Leondra is fierce. Kiyah and Kiara are both doing very well and that shows the work and love she puts into them.”
It is a couple days before Easter and eggs set for painting are centered on the dining room table before her. Religion rises in conversation, subjects on which she is learned. She is not beholden to any religion, scoffs at the idea. “I’m universal and inclusive,” she said, “and spiritual,” which, she deduces, really boils down to a few simple truths: “To open your heart, open your arms, never judge another person and do what you can to care.”
At one point she got ordained as a minister “but no church would have me,” she laughed. “No, Gabriel ain’t gonna be blowin’ a horn when I die.”
LEONDRA IS AN ENTHUSIASTIC
gardener, and her walled-in backyard is her sanctuary, the neighboring houses seem to recede from view. It is very pleasing on a cool day in Arizona. Myriad potted plants with all manner of flora, spices, and vegetables; the girls grow their own too, from chocolate mint to sweet pepper.
She plops into a porch chair, her grandchildren play on little pink trampolines on a slight grass stretch, and she said, “I consider them a gift.”
She added, “Young people are not
SALVAGE FROM PAGE 8
CLIMBING IN COLOR HOSTS HIGHER GROUND FUNDRAISER
By Veronica Kuffel Tucson Weekly Staff
Tucson rocks have long been a playground to climbers. But when the Climbing in Color founders entered the world of slabs and ridges, they saw something odd but not uncommon. There were not many people of color on the rocks.
“They noticed there weren’t a lot of people that looked like them in the community,” Treasurer Kellie Murakami said. “They wanted to elevate those voices, build up a community to meet people and give other people of color introductions and access to climbing.”
The group set out to create Climbing in Color, a nonprofit supporting climbers of color and allies with financial
assistance and community resources. To celebrate its anniversary, the organization will launch its second Higher Ground fundraiser on Monday, April 24.
Climbing in Color invites climbers and supporters to participate for a chance to win raffle prizes for their donations.
Climbing in Color started in 2019 as an Instagram account, highlighting climbers of color in Tucson and across the region. They’ve grown into a volunteer-led nonprofit with a goal to foster community and support those who can’t afford to engage in the sport.
“We financially support people of color and allies who want to get exposure to climbing,” Murakami said. “A lot
of our systems are set up in such a way that they don’t support people of color getting into certain recreational activities.”
One of the ways they support the community is through Higher Ground. The fundraiser will run from Monday, April 24, to Friday, May 26, and is an opportunity to donate money and a challenge to climbers. Those who commit are encouraged to set a personal climbing goal, whether it’s peaking a rock formation or visiting a climbing gym for the first time.
Murakami noted not everyone who donates has to engage in the challenge but can enter for a chance to win sponsored prizes. For every $50 donated, participants will receive one raffle ticket for climbing accessories, including those provided by Black Diamond and Summit Hut. The top three fundraisers will get their pick of the prizes.
Climbing in Color’s goal is $8,000, and Murakami indicated the money will go directly to climbers and events in Tucson.
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taught to be critical thinkers. To analyze, tackle big ideas. We need that in our culture now.”
A few houses down, the rooster crows, an anomaly in this neighborhood. Leondra talked of her siblings, all but one is now dead, and she was close with each. She’s keen to publish a book, a simple one of quotes, of wisdoms, culled from her siblings and extended family members, people she met through the years, quippy remembrances as a commendation and tribute of sorts, accompanied by a bio and photo of each contributor. She cited one: “‘You have to let people practice their charity,’ isn’t that great?”
She tied the quote into a larger context of personal disquiet. “It just hurts a lot. A lot. To know that someone thinks it’s their right to judge someone else’s truth, their life. Growing up in Evanston there was someone different at our dinner table at all times. Everyone deserves a place at the table.” She breathed a moment, adding, “When you know someone, it makes it harder to be unkind.”
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TUCSON AGAVE FEST CELEBRATES PLANT’S HERITAGE
By Laura Latzko Tucson Weekly Staff
For centuries, the agave plant has had an important impact on the Southwest borderlands. The annual Agave Heritage Festival celebrates the plant as well as Tucson’s rich cultural history through four days of tastings, seminars, an agave pit roasting, culinary events and live Latin and jazz music.
This year, the festival will run from Thursday, April 27, to Sunday, April 30, throughout Downtown Tucson.
Various businesses and organizations are involved with the event, including restaurants, bars, hotels, Mission Garden, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Sosa-Carrillo-Fremont House
Museum and Local First Arizona.
The festival highlights the culinary, commercial and cultural importance of the agave plant.
In Metro Tucson, there are around 125 agave species. Six species of agave grow natively in the Tucson Basin and surrounding mountain ranges.
The agave plant has a long history in the region, especially as a source of food. Agave cultivation goes back over 1,000 years in the Tucson Basin.
Hotel Congress Chief Executive Officer Todd Hanley founded the festival in 2008. It started with a Cinco de Mayo celebration and bartender showdown and has grown into a citywide event.
Hanley said at first, the festival was meant to bring more people into Downtown. Over the years, it has become more focused on the ecology, conservation, sustainability and education related to the plant.
“It’s about the bigger element of how our region should be aligned as much as possible to this plant that is endemic to this region,” Hanley said.
Many of the events take place at Hotel Congress, which has its own mezcal room. This year, bars from Costa Rica; Baltimore; Dallas; Oaxaca, Mexico and Brooklyn will take over locales for onenight, offering special cocktails and experiences.
The festival will also have more than 15 intimate, guided mezcal tastings, where participants learn more about the history, culture and cultivation of agave spirits.
Guided dinners at Downtown restaurants will feature multicourse dinners,
cocktail pairings and presentations.
A new event on Sunday called the Spirit of Sonora: Consumer Expo will celebrate the Sonoran Desert and region, as well as Sonora’s partnerships with Arizona. Held at Maynards Kitchen, the event will have Bacanora and Sotol samples, food, live music, presentations, book signings, vendors and
an art exhibit.
One of the signature events of the festival, the Agave Fiesta on Saturday evening at Hotel Congress, brings together live music, food, samples from 50 mezcal producers and an agave showcase.
Hanley said through the festival, he hopes educate others about the agave plant in engaging, hands-on ways.
“The festival is designed to allow for the consumer to understand, appreciate and thoroughly enjoy agave distillates, because nobody wants to be force-fed information about aspects of our environment and our ecology without having fun. You are sampling generations of knowledge,” Hanley said.
Agave Heritage Festival
WHEN: Various times Thursday, April 27, to Sunday, April 30
There will be chances to try types of mezcal, a word used to describe spirits that are made from agave, produced in regions of Mexico. This includes tequila, Bacanora, Raicilla and Sotol.
The festival will highlight mezcals from more than 10 producers.
“Our focus is on the artisanal and ancestral mezcal producers, but we also work with what we consider to be ethos-minded producers. It’s very diverse, from very small to pretty big,” Hanley said.
Hanley has become knowledgeable about the agave plant over the years, but he takes on more of a role of community connector. He brings together experts from different fields to showcase the agave plant.
“There are people who are experts in this field from the botany perspective, from the archelogy perspective. They’re critically important in the festival. I utilize them for all of the expertise that they bring,” Hanley said.
This year, the festival will include Carlos Camarena of Tequila Ocho, a third-generation tequilero and fifth-generation farmer who is involved in conservation and ecological efforts in the agave industry.
Another prominent guest this year, Asis Cortés comes from six generations of mezcal producers in Oaxaca. He has recently been working on a project related to regenerative farming and ranching.
WHERE: Various locations in Tucson. At the center of the festival is Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Price points vary depending on the event. Tickets for each event sold separately
INFO: agaveheritagefestival.com
CURRENTS
SWAP MEET ALLOWS GUESTS TO EXPLORE MOVIE SET
By Laura Latzko Tucson Weekly Staff
Popular movies like “Tombstone” and “The Quick and the Dead” as well as over 100 other westerns were filmed in Benson at the Mescal Movie Set.
During the upcoming Cowboy Western Tack and Swap Meet on Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, visitors can walk around the movie set while shopping from local vendors.
During the market, vendors will sell items such as tack, antiques, period clothing, cowboy hats, leather crafts, rocks and minerals, jewelry, pottery, Native American artwork and western décor.
Rick Harker from Harker’s Museum will have movie props.
Mescal Movie Set Program Director Paul Retzlaff said around 50 vendors will be out at the swap meet.
Most of the vendors are from Tucson and nearby cities, such as Willcox, Benson, Sonoita and Sierra Vista, as well as New Mexico and Wisconsin.
Authors who have written about movies made at Mescal and the area will appear. Food vendors will sell barbecue, hot dogs, baked goods, freezedried or old-time candy, flavored soda, ice cream or gourmet sandwiches.
A local Buffalo Soldiers group will
have a display dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers who served at Fort Huachuca.
The Buffalo Soldiers were a group of African American soldiers who served in the West in the period following the Civil War. The 1997 film “Buffalo Soldiers,” which starred Danny Glover, was filmed at Mescal and nearby locations.
During the event, a donkey rescue will visit with their animals. A dealer will teach guests how to play the oldtime card game Faro.
Movie legends who have filmed at Mescal such as Emily Blanton, Ed Adams, Lynn Steele, Glen Gould and Frank Noel will be out at the set, meeting with guests and handing out cards with their likenesses and signatures.
Mescal had a similar of vendor fair last November. The upcoming event is more cowboy and western themed, while last year’s vendor fair had a holiday flair.
There will be a mixture of returning and new vendors at the swap meet.
The movie set has also hosted a Civil War canon demonstration, car shows and meet and greets with movie legends who have filmed at Mescal.
Retzlaff said he hopes to bring more events to the studio.
“We are an active movie set. We still
are pursuing and doing productions,” he said.
“In between, we want to make sure we share the set with people, both for the movie history and just the general feel of what it’s like to be at a movie set. Something like this fits in very well. People get to come, walk around, shop, see some of the local merchandise and still get to look at our wonderful little movie town.”
Proceeds from the swap meet go toward restoring the movie set and bringing western films back to Arizona.
ic. He previously appeared in Buffalo Bill Wild West re-enactment shows in Wisconsin.
He and his wife decided to move to the area after seeing Mescal.
“We fell in love with it. We knew that we needed to fully retire and move down here and be part of it,” Retzlaff said.
Many volunteers, including Retzlaff, dress up in period costume when they are out at Mescal.
The swap meet will take place throughout the movie set. The only two buildings that will be open are the Redemption Saloon from the movie “The Quick and the Dead” and the Tonsorial building, which houses the gift shop.
Efforts to rebuild the town started during COVID-19 with new owners, the local Kartchner family of Kartchner Caverns. Much of the renovation work has been done by volunteers such as Retzlaff.
“We definitely did a lot of pre-construction, salvaging and trying to save the movie set before it was ever open for people to come in,” Retzlaff said.
“We all feel that we should be preserving the western history and the movie history in general and making sure that we stay on the map, that people know we are here and what we do.”
Hailing from Wisconsin, Retzlaff moved to Arizona during the pandem-
“The buildings aren’t open, but they are free to walk up and down the main street, look at the exterior of the buildings. We also have historians on site to explain to people what movies and what buildings were used and who was there,” Retzlaff said.
“You get to have the experience of walking up and down the same street as Clint Eastwood, Glenn Ford, Steve McQueen and some big stars have walked.”
DURING THE COWBOY WESTERN TACK AND SWAP MEET, VISITORS WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SHOP FROM LOCAL VENDORS AND SEE THE MESCAL MOVIE SET. (MESCAL MOVIE SET/SUBMITTED)
NEW OUTDOORS GROUP HOSTING MEET AND GREET
By Veronica Kuffel Tucson Weekly Staff
Toyin Ajayi is an entrepreneur and lover of the wilderness, but as a Black woman, she considered herself a minority in outdoor spaces. It only took a few minutes online to understand why.
“When I would do a Google search on the outdoors or ‘outdoorsy,’ I wouldn’t see women like me represented as much,” Ajayi said. “If you can’t see yourself even represented with the word outdoors, you’re going to be too scared to try it.”
This motivated her to start Outdoorsy Black Women, a social network to connect and explore the outdoors in different capacities. Since 2021, the organization has welcomed more than 6,000 members across the nation. Their Arizona chapter now has three groups, including one in Tucson that launched earlier this year.
Outdoorsy Black Women will host its second monthly meetup as a hike in Tucson on Saturday, April 22, and Black women are invited to register and attend the event. Ambassador Ashley Perez started the initial meetups by hosting hikes around Southern Arizona, gauging interest and taking recommendations from the community.
“Since it’s such a new group to the Tucson area, I feel like the sky’s the limit,” Perez said. “We recently had our first meetup last month, and we had a great turnout. I found the Black women in our community have so many interests and skills they haven’t explored.”
Perez joined the organization out of a love for Tucson and its outdoor spaces. She saw Outdoorsy Black Women as a way to pass on her experience and techniques to other women, creating an opportunity for them to find community in a not-so-common place for Black people.
The organization is a resource for
Black women and Afro-WOC to experience the outdoors through meetups, forums, book clubs and nationwide events. Outdoorsy Black Women also features a Black-owned business directory and encourages support from allies. Now in Tucson, Perez noted the impact the group will have on the local population.
“This is something new to Black women in our Tucson community and I’m excited to see what the future holds for us,” Perez said. “This is for us to come together and have a safe space to explore the outdoors. It’s for all body types, all different intensity levels and skill sets.”
Ajayi created the space to foster different interests, developing groups for activities like camping, snow sports and homesteading. Along with other events through regional chapters, Black Outdoorsy Women hosts an annual Wine and Waterfall campout in Georgia.
Black women across the country get to experience the outdoors at whatever level they choose, through activities like glamping, vineyard tours and a waterfall hike. Outdoorsy Black Women also has quarterly meet and greets to broaden the community. Ajayi hopes to bring more events to areas like Tucson and also explore outreach options.
“We want to work with schools and get some of the younger ladies more involved in the outdoors,” Ajayi noted. “This includes community outreach in terms of back-to-school drives or giving away equipment to mothers and kids who can’t afford it.”
Though Outdoorsy Black Women of Tucson is in its initial stages, Perez and Ajayi are excited for the potential of the group in Southern Arizona. Perez addressed how families, neighbors and friends can come together to explore
the beauty of the desert and its natural resources.
Outdoorsy Black Women not only supports members in the outdoors, but encourages them to define what it means for themselves. Whether camping in the backcountry or enjoying a drink in a backyard, Ajayi hopes all Black women will find a way to be outdoors that works for them.
“When you feel empowered with knowledge and when you feel represented in spaces, you will be more inclined to try new things or feel like you belong,” Ajayi said. “Providing resources and a community will give these ladies the confidence to try new things and claim more space in the outdoors for themselves.”
For information on upcoming events, those interested should register for membership on the Outdoorsy Black Women website or app. Ajayi noted there are free membership options and first hikes are free.
Outdoorsy Black Women Monthly Hiking MeetupTucson
WHEN: 9 a.m. Saturday, April 22
WHERE: Info sent to verified members
COST: Dependent on membership plan
INFO: https://bit.ly/OBWTucson
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OUTDOORSY BLACK WOMEN OF TUCSON MEMBERS AT THEIR FIRST HIKE ON YETMAN TRAIL.
“We’re focusing it all on Tucson climbers,” Murakami said. “Mainly, we use it to subsidize both indoor and outdoor climbing events and educational clinics. We partner with other climbing organizations… There’s a lot of overlap between the climbing groups in Tucson.”
Climbing in Color will partner with Rocks and Ropes to give out a few spots for its lead climbing clinic. The nonprofit is also working with Granite Mountain Guides to subsidize the cost of services for their end-of-theyear outdoor event.
Along with sponsoring events, Climbing in Color will also
help fund scholarships for POC climbers to go toward equipment and experiences.
“Our annual fundraiser helps us increase access to climbing by allowing us to provide climbing scholarships, gym passes and outdoor climbing opportunities for climbers of color and allies,” President Angela Soliz said in a statement.
Climbing in Color hosts regular climbing meetups at Rock Solid Climbing and Rocks and Ropes. With their POC Climb Nights, the organization encourages climbers of all levels to come out and experience the sport with a strong community.
Murakami noted the group provides mentorship, inviting
new people to their events and introducing them to the sport. They provide resources and means for those interested to learn about climbing, ensuring the activity is fun, safe and accessible to all. With their upcoming fundraiser, Climbing in Color will continue to help POC climbers and allies find Higher Ground, here in Tucson and across the globe.
“Anyone around the world can join, and you get to work toward your climbing goal with a community of support,” Soliz stated. “If you don’t climb but want to support, you can sponsor a fundraiser. It’s a lot of fun and so much good comes out of this fundraiser every year.” SORENSEN
Inside the gift shop and saloon, guests can purchase cream sodas and sarsaparilla. It also offers laser-engraved, salvaged wood from the movie set for sale.
Guests may be greeted by Sammy, the mascot cat who has lived on the set for 11 years. Many of the buildings inside Mescal were constructed specifically for productions. The mercantile store, for example, was built for “The Outlaw Josey Wales.”
There are also cottages and the O.K. Corral from “Tombstone,” a livery from “Tom Horn” and a brothel from “Dirty Dingus MaGee.”
Buildings are also added to the set with new productions.
Mescal has recently been the site for a feature western film, a rap video, western and non-western short films and commercials.
Retzlaff said although Arizona has a rich history of filmmaking, for a time, it wasn’t a popular destination for film. He said recently places like Mescal have become attractive to filmmakers.
“We are an interesting set because we are surrounded by empty land and mountains. A lot of the filmmakers love that. They don’t have to worry about having to block out houses and traffic,” Retzlaff said.
After experiencing the town during the swap meet, visitors can return for tours. They are offered 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays when filming
isn’t in progress.
Tours are $15 for adults, and free for children 10 and under.
Reservations are encouraged.
During the warmer summer months, the movie set offers tours every other Saturday in the evenings.
The tours are led by a group of historians.
Cowboy Western Tack and Swap Meet
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22 WHERE: Mescal Movie Set, 1538 N. Mescal Road, Benson
COST: $10 per vehicle INFO: 520-255-6662, mescalmovieset.com.
MEMBERS OF THE NONPROFIT CLIMBING IN COLOR AT ROCK SOLID CLIMBING. (KELLIE MURAKAMI/SUBMITTED)
By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist
CIRQUE ITALIA: “WATER CIRCUS”
It’s a water circus! It’s a pirate show! It’s an AI monster display! If you’ve been bored with circuses since you were a kid, Cirque Italia may update you on the fun of lights, magic, laughter and screaming. The aerial choreography and acrobatics are breathtaking. One aerial artist performs on a giant wheellike armature attached to an overhead apparatus that looks like it could bring the whole tent down. Fans of Flam Chen will probably love this show. We understand the lines can be long, though, so reservations are advised.
Various times through Sunday, April 23, Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 128, Tucson, silver.cirqueitalia. com/events, tickets start at $25 adult, $10 for kids
PIMA THEATRE: “PROOF”
Mathematics is always just behind the curtain in this story touching on mental health, aging and caregiving. Following the death of a prominent mathematician, his daughter is accused of appropriating credit for an important new proof. But might the work actually be hers? ASL is provided for the performance on Friday, April 21.
7 p.m. Thursday, April 20, to Saturday, April 22 and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 23, Pima Community College, West Campus, Center for the Arts, Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road, pima.edu/cfa, tickets start at $10
FAMILY EARTH DAY FESTIVAL
Families discover ways to help make the world a healthier place to live as they explore exhibits, activities and hands-on experiences that reveal surprising aspects of our environment. Demonstrations are designed to inspire a new generation of climate-conscious families who can make sustainability a priority.
9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Children’s Museum Tucson, 200 S. Sixth Avenue,
ESPERANZA DANCE PROJECT SHOWCASES NEW CHOREOGRAPHERS. (ESPERANZA DANCE PROJECT/SUBMITTED)
EMERGING CHOREOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE
Emerging choreographers debut 10 original works at this year’s showcase presented by the Esperanza Dance Project. The program also includes a performance of the group’s classic repertoire, “House of Hope,” and an exhibit of works by local visual artists. Esperanza Dance Project is a local nonprofit that works to empower survivors of childhood sexual trauma and help them find hope and healing through artistic expression.
7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, SAACA’s Catalyst Arts and Maker Space, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 110, esperanzadanceproject.org, $17 suggested donation
SCOUNDREL & SCAMP:
“ONE TWIG AT A TIME”
Playwright Wolfe Bowart is uniquely conscious of the space around his characters and the objects in his script. The result allows directors to create new dimensions onstage, maximizing the play’s inherent comic potential. This production of “One Twig at a Time” is chock full of funny business, including puppets, time dashes, abstract sketches, dreams, magic realism, the “vacuum of space” and imagination, manifest.
7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, April 30, The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, Historic YWCA, 738 N. Fifth Avenue, Suite 131, scoundrelandscamp.org/one-twig, $30, $15 students and teachers
Forty-plus sculptures, comprising more than 800,000 Lego pieces, interrupt, with bright color and whimsy, the otherwise relentless serenity and loveliness of the gardens. “Nature Pop” underscores the joy of spring, and the garden’s lush blooms hold their own.
Kenney has said that the Pop-Art movement that flourished in the 1960s informs the bold colors in this. The mechanics of the sculptures carry the message that humankind is similarly interlocked with, and dependent on, the natural world. The installations are accompanied by interpretive signage illuminating their relationships with the natural world.
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily through Sunday, May 14, Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way, tucsonbotanical.org, $15
childrensmuseumtucson.org/earthday, free
CELEBRATE EARTH DAY AMONG THE POLLINATORS
Suzie Daigeneault’s Triangle L Pollinator Project hosts a day for exploring, learning about sustainable practices and taking home ideas about being
Triangle L Ranch, 2805 N. Triangle L Ranch Road, Oracle, trianglelranch. com/pollinator-project, $10 suggested donation
TUCSON POETRY FESTIVAL: “POETRY & PRESENCE”
April is national poetry month, and on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, The Tucson Poetry Festival will celebrate its 40th year. This year’s featured poets and workshop leaders include Laura Tohe, Farid Matuk, Joni Wallace, Sarah Kortemeier and youth poet Jesse Begay. Their bios are on the Tucson Poetry Festival Facebook page. Saturday’s schedule begins workshops and a reception at the UA followed by an evening of readings at the Temple of Music and Art. Sunday afternoon features an open mic at LaCo. Find times, workshop topics and venue information on the website.
Tucson Poetry Festival, various locations, tucsonpoetryfest.org, free
“SOUL’D OUT SUNDAY”
The D-NC Band featuring LEXA heads up the April edition of this event, hosted on the fourth Sunday of every month by Strictly Grown Folks. The entertainment also features DJ Smokin’ Gene and spoken word by Andar Tha God. Outside, find food for the soul at O the Hook Seafood and Sticky Fingerz Soul Food Kitchen.
6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 23, Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway Boulevard, chicagobar-tucson.com, $10 admission
KAITLIN BUTTS WITH MAMMA COAL
good neighbors to our native habitat. Experts guide Q&A sessions, presentations and nature walks. Visitors can create a clay tile with a pressed image of local pollinator botanicals. The Borderlands Restoration Network hosts a plant sale on site, and Native Seeds/SEARCH will deliver online orders to you there. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22,
Fresh from her Grand Ole Opry debut, Kaitlin Butts stops by on tour behind her new record, “Sad YeeHaw Sessions.” Butts has a gift for bringing country characters to life and grounding their unique realities, but her women break the mold of traditional country music stereotypes. They own their troubles and celebrate their own triumphs over them. Her first album asked, “What Else Can She Do?” and revealed the answer to be, “plenty.” Players like long-time Tucson favorite, Mamma Coal, have helped show the way.
7 p.m. Thursday April 27, The Maverick, 6622 E. Tanque Verde Road, tucsonmaverick.ticketspice.com, $12
“ONE TWIG AT A TIME” UPENDS EXPECTATIONS. (TIM FULLER/CONTRIBUTOR)
STANLEY, STEED TEAM UP FOR GOOD
By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist
Nancy Stanley is impulsive, reckless and messy. Mary Steed is compulsive, cautious and perfect. Stanley said as much right after she noted that Steed is skinny, and she is not.
Stanley was iterating a litany of ways the duo di ers, by way of illustrating that they are perfect teammates for organizing a wildly successful comedy show series to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
“Mary is careful and detailed and unfailingly pleasant, and I can be snappish and, I think more given to bursts of energy and not steady work,” Stanley said. “So, our roles, me (performing) on stage,
LAUGHINGSTOC K
and her doing everything else, is what really kind of works.”
The series name, “The Estrogen Hour,” signals that the comedy is inspired by the lives of women. It’s also delivered by women, notwithstanding the occasional “Guestosterone.” But the name also suits the lighthearted cheekiness of many of the women’s jokes. They’re honest, sometimes heartwarming, occasionally self-deprecating and usually shared like secrets among friends.
“The Estrogen Hour” returns from a pandemic hiatus at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at La ’s Comedy Ca e. Tickets are $15. Details are at facebook.com/TheEstrogenHour.
31ST ARiZONA INTeRNATiONAL FiLm
FeSTivAL
Showcasing independent films to southern Arizona!
Single Tickets $10
All Access Pass $100
Saver Pass $30 (admission to 6 films)
Steed and Stanley met about 30 years ago as members of the newsletter committee of the Junior League. They barely knew each other when they embarked on a ten-day tour of Italy. “Nancy would’ve gone by herself, but she asked me,” Steed said. “I’d never traveled outside the United States, but I thought, ‘Who better than her to travel with?’”
Stanley added, “We laughed ourselves to death, and that’s friendship.”
research around blood cancers.
Steed committed to run LLS half-marathons to support her sister’s e orts, but by her third year, the one-on-one fundraising was a struggle. Stanley suggested that they team up on a fundraising comedy show.
The two have since worked professionally in the same departments of three di erent organizations, most recently at the University of Arizona College of Law. Until Stanley retired there, she said, “Mary worked 30 feet away from me. What’s really aggravating is that, after the first month, people are like, ‘She’s perfect.’ They never say, ‘and you are too.’”
HEALING DAKOTA
THE YEAR OF THE DOG FRI April 21 | 8:00PM at The Screening Room 127 East Congress
WED April 26 | 7:30PM at the Mercado Annex 267 South Avenida del Convento
Of Stanley, Steed said, “Nancy’s very creative and sort of at her best when somebody throws a wrench into any planning. She really thinks fast on her feet. I like things to be really planned and orderly. Nancy is perfectly fine with chaos, and it all works.”
In 2012, Steed’s brother-in-law died of multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. As he and his family struggled with the e ects of the disease, Steed’s sister started fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Since its founding in 1949, the LLS has raised billions for
By that time, Stanley was already in thrall to standup, having learned to write comedy on a cruise featuring Lewis Black, then worked her way to the top tier of the Tucson comedy scene. With Steed’s help, she’d started running a small monthly showcase for women comics in the golf club at Randolph Park. She called it “The Estrogen Hour,” and it lit the spark for Tucson’s now-thriving women’s comedy scene. Stanley had a bigger idea, though. The audience at those early mics was too small, she thought, to engage with the comics in a way to help them improve. “I always kind of thought we could develop it into a franchise.” Stanley said. “So, we did.”
The current incarnation of that franchise, “The Estrogen Hour,” launched in 2014. Except during the pandemic, shows have taken place roughly quarterly. “This is a show with a business model,” Stanley said. “‘Virgin’ comics (those who have never before performed comedy) draw attention to our
NANCY STANLEY HOSTS “THE ESTROGEN HOUR.” (NICCI RADHE CELESTIAL PHOTOGRAPHY/CONTRIBUTOR)
shows by inviting their friends. That expands our audience for future shows because those people come back.
“So, while I’m nervous about selling out our first show (post-COVID-19), there have been times when we’ve turned people away at the door. We consistently fill at least 80% of the showroom. And I love that.”
The lineup for the April 23 show is still being finalized, but so far it includes local favorites
Roxy Merrari and Rebecca Tingley Fox plus Cathy Sproul and Nicole Riesgo, with Ana Montanez and Corrina Eklund. Comedy virgins include Ileana Hubert and “Lynne D.” Your humble scribe, Linda Ray, also performs.
Stanley invites anyone interested in being a future “comedy virgin” to talk to her about it at the show. She said she always makes herself available to coach. ”I’ve figured out that what I am best at, is encouraging other women to get over
their fears of getting up on a stage,” she said.
In 20 shows to date, the “The Estrogen Hour” has raised more than $44,000 for April 27 - 30
4-27
27-30
4-27
4-28 SAT 4-29 SUN 4-30
BANHEZ AgAvE HERITAgE DINNER
SEIS KITCHEN ON RIvER - 5:30 PM
CHEF JAKE MUNOZ (SEIS KITCHEN)
NOCHELUNA AgAvE HERITAgE DINNER
MAyNARD’S KITCHEN - 6 PM THE MAyNARD’S CULINARy TEAM
CHEF gARy HICKEy (SI CHARRO) & gUEST CHEF JOSE LINO (qUIRIEgO)
CLAYTOONZ By Clay Jones
REBECCA TINGLEY FOX IS NO COMEDY VIRGIN. (REBECCA TINGLEY FOX/SUBMITTED)
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
By Connor Dziawura Tucson Local Media Sta
APRIL 20
Delta Daze, Gutter Town,
The Pilot Fighters and Reptilian Youth Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10
Dougie Poole
Hotel Congress Plaza, 7 p.m., $17.51
Heather “Lil’ Mama” Hardy
LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free
Lil Jon
Pima County Fair, 8 p.m., $20
Rachel Eckroth Trio
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $20-$30
Sonoran Cannabis Concert featuring Dougie Poole, RXKNephew and Top Dead Center
Hotel Congress, 7 p.m., $23.18
Tony Furtado
191 Toole, 8 p.m., $20
Tucson International Mariachi Conference
Armando C. Gonzales Student Showcase
The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 6 p.m., $15
APRIL 21
’80s Rock Invasion! w/Steven Pearcy of Ratt, Great White and Slaughter
Pima County Fair, 8 p.m., $20
Greg Morton and Jim Stanley
LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free
Lethal Injektion
Rialto Theatre, 7 p.m., $5
Mingus Birthday Celebration featuring Jack Walrath and Cynthia Hilts
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $25-$40
Paladin, Overthinking and Napalm Strike Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10-$12
APRIL 22
Elder Momma, KC Price, Skylar Patrick and Featherframe Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10
Gabe Rozzel
LaCo Tucson, 6 p.m., free
James Clay Koweek
LaCo Tucson, 10:30 a.m., free
Nick Finzer
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $20-$30
Tucson International Mariachi Conference
Espectacular Concert featuring Mariachi
Vargas de Tecalitlán
The Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, 7 p.m., $40-$150
APRIL 23
Connie Brannock’s Little House of Funk
Hotel Congress Plaza, 5 p.m., $10
Diane & Lisa
The Century Room, 4:30 p.m., $20-$25
Ginuwine, Ying Yang Twins and Paul Wall
Pima County Fair, 7:30 p.m., $20
La Maquinaria Norteña and Los Pescadores del Rio Conchos
Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $65-$100
Mik and the Funky Brunch
LaCo Tucson, 11 a.m., free Roots & Boots
Fox Tucson Theatre, 7 p.m., $55-$90
APRIL 24
Giovannie & the Hired Guns
191 Toole, 8 p.m., $18
SPLLIT w/Class and The Freezing Hands Club Congress, 8 p.m., $10
Uncle Kracker
Pima County Fair, 7:30 p.m., $20
APRIL 25
Ian Munsick
Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $30-$50
Lee Greenwood
Pima County Fair, 7:30 p.m., $20
The Lemon Twigs Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $22-$26
Miss Lana Rebel and Kevin Michael
Mayfield
LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free
APRIL 26
Angel Charity for Children Inc. presents Rock the Fox featuring Elle King w/ Madeline Edwards
Fox Tucson Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $70-$300
Hot August Night (Neil Diamond tribute)
DesertView Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $30
Jeremy Camp
Pima County Fair, 7:30 p.m., $20
Oscar Fuentes
LaCo Tucson, 5:30 p.m., free
Scott Yoder
Club Congress, 7:30 p.m., $10
blood cancer research through the LLS.
COMEDY ELSEWHERE THIS WEEKEND
Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street. 7 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Tucson’s longest-running comedy hit Retro Game Show “$9.95 Pyramid,” link.dice.fm/Rc0377343a49, $15.
La ’s Comedy Ca e, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, la stucson. com, $15, $20 preferred seating. DJ Sandhu: Diabolical humor lurks beneath the best beard in comedy.
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street. tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20, Improv 101 and “Finding the Words;” 8:30 p.m. Open Mic; 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox;” 9 p.m. “Femme Drop” (dista standup); 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, “Tootpole” and “Game Show Show;” 9 p.m. “LOL and Order.”
Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre. org. $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, Family-Friendly Improv; 6 p.m. Saturday, April 22, Improv Basics Showcase; 7:30 p.m., “Sorry, Bill:” Fun with Shakespeare; 9 p.m. Uncensored Improv Comedy with house teams NBOJU (Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed) and The Big Daddies.
MORE AMERICANS CELEBRATING 4/20 WITH HEMP
Special to Tucson Weekly
As Americans celebrate the biggest holiday for cannabis consumption, culture and community on April 20, millions will also incorporate hemp products in their festivities.
A recent survey of U.S. cannabis consumers found that 41% of respondents regularly use hemp products such as Delta-8 and Delta-9, according to data commissioned by Hometown Hero CBD, the veteran-supporting cannabusiness of hemp-derived THC and cannabidiol-based products.
“There is little doubt that more and more adult consumers, from soccer moms to veterans, are consuming hemp-derived products to help them with their everyday lives so they can be their better selves,” said Lukas Gilkey, CEO and cofounder of Hometown Hero CBD.
“We’re not only celebrating 4/20 for the federal legalization of hemp, but greater adoption of hemp-derived products across the country among all walks of life.”
According to the survey’s findings, re-
laxation is the number one motivation for using cannabis among respondents. Below are the top five reasons for using cannabis:
• Relaxation (67%)
• Reduce/ease pain (60%)
• Sleeping (59%)
• Control/ease anxiety (58%)
• Treat or manage a medical condition (40%)
The data also revealed that one out of four survey participants (25%) who have not tried cannabis will probably/ definitely purchase it in the next year, while 22% of respondents say they are open to using it but not considering at the moment.
Though derived from the same cannabis sativa plant species, hemp and marijuana have distinct di erences, particularly hemp being federally legal, while recreational use and medical marijuana is legal in select states.
Nearly three quarters (74%) of survey respondents claim to know the di erence between hemp and marijuana, although only half (51%) of cannabis users are aware that di erent laws govern
hemp and marijuana.
Congress legalized hemp through the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (aka Farm Bill), defining hemp as containing 0.3% or less of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component traditionally a liated with marijuana, which remains under federal prohibition.
“There is confusion in the marketplace and it’s important that consumers are aware of the di erent types of cannabis products,” Gilkey added.
“April 20 is a great opportunity to bring awareness of hemp-derived cannabinoids to adult consumers who are regular users, as well as the millions more who are considering trying it for the first time.”
In celebration of 4/20, Hometown Hero CBD is o ering a variety of discounts and bundles for adult consumers. The company also regularly o ers free samples for consumers new to cannabis.
Hometown Hero products are available at OV Vapescape and CBD, 12152 N. Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, Suite 140, Oro Valley.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19)
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22)
In English, the phrase “growing pains” refers to stresses that emerge during times of rapid ripening or vigorous development. Although they might feel uncomfortable, they are often signs that the ongoing transformations are invigorating. Any project that doesn’t have at least some growing pains may lack ambition. If we hope to transcend our previous limits and become a more complete expression of our destiny, we must stretch ourselves in ways that inconvenience our old selves. I’m expecting growing pains to be one of your key motifs in the coming weeks, dear Aries. It’s important that you don’t try to repress the discomfort. On the other hand, it’s also crucial not to obsess over them. Keep a clear vision of what these sacrifices will make possible for you.
TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20)
Satirical Taurus author Karl Kraus defined “sentimental irony” as “a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves.” Please avoid that decadent emotion in the coming weeks, Taurus. You will also be wise to reject any other useless or counterproductive feelings that rise up within you or hurtle toward you from other people, like “clever cruelty” or “noble self-pity” or “sweet revenge.” In fact, I hope you will be rigorous about what moods you feed and what influences you allow into your sphere. You have a right and a duty to be highly discerning about shaping both your inner and outer environments. Renewal time is imminent.
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)
In his poem “October Fullness,” Pablo Neruda said, “Our own wounds heal with weeping, / Our own wounds heal with singing.” I agree. I believe that weeping and singing are two e ective ways to recover from emotional pain and distress. The more weeping and singing we do, the better. I especially recommend these therapeutic actions to you now, Gemini. You are in a phase when you can accomplish far more curative and restorative transformations than usual.
After careful analysis of the astrological omens and a deep-diving meditation, I have concluded that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to indulge in an unprecedented binge of convivial revelry and pleasure. My advice is to engage in as much feasting and carousing as you can without completely ignoring your responsibilities. I know this may sound extreme, but I am inviting you to have more fun than you have ever had — even more fun than you imagine you deserve. (You do deserve it, though.) I hope you will break all your previous records for frequency and intensity of laughter.
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22)
In 1886, Vincent van Gogh bought a pair of worn-out shoes at a Paris flea market. When he got home, he realized they didn’t fit. Rather than discard them, he made them the centerpiece of one of his paintings. Eventually, they became famous. In 2009, a renowned gallery in Cologne, Germany, built an entire exhibit around the scru y brown leather shoes. In the course of their celebrated career, six major philosophers and art historians have written about them as if they were potent symbols worthy of profound consideration. I propose that we regard their history as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. What humble influence might be ready for evocative consideration and inspirational use?
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)
Gliding away from the routine for rendezvous with fun riddles? I approve! Delivering your gorgeous self into the vicinity of a possibly righteous temptation? OK. But go slowly, please. Size up the situation with your gut intuition and long-range vision as well as your itchy fervor. In general, I am pleased with your willingness to slip outside your comfortable enclaves and play freely in the frontier zones. It makes me happy to see you experimenting with aha and what-if and maybe baby. I hope you
summon the chutzpah to find and reveal veiled parts of your authentic self.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22)
The German word Sehnsucht refers to when we have a profound, poignant yearning for something, but we quite don’t know what that something is. I suspect you may soon be in the grip of your personal Sehnsucht. But I also believe you are close to identifying an experience that will quench the seemingly impossible longing. You will either discover a novel source of deep gratification, or you will be able to transform an existing gratification to accommodate your Sehnsucht. Sounds like spectacular fun to me. Clear some space in your schedule to welcome it.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21)
Most of us have at some time in the past been mean and cruel to people we loved. We acted unconsciously or unintentionally, perhaps, but the bottom line is that we caused pain. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to atone for any such hurts you have dispensed. I encourage you to be creative as you o er healing and correction for any mistakes you’ve made with important allies. I’m not necessarily suggesting you try to resume your bond with ex-lovers and former friends. The goal is to purge your i y karma and graduate from the past. Perform whatever magic you have at your disposal to transform su ering with love.
SAGITTARIUS
(NOV. 22-DEC. 21)
The blues singer-songwriter B.B. King wasn’t always known by that name. He was born Riley B. King. In his 20s, when he began working at a Memphis radio station, he acquired the nickname “Beales Street Blues Boy.” Later, that was shortened to “Blues Boy,” and eventually to “B.B.” In the spirit of B.B. King’s evolution and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to identify areas of your life with cumbersome or unnecessary complexities that might benefit from simplification.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)
Proboscis monkeys live in Borneo and nowhere else on earth. Their diet consists largely of fruits and leaves from
trees that grow only on Borneo and nowhere else. I propose we make them your anti-role model in the coming months. In my astrological opinion, you need to diversify your sources of nourishment, both the literal and metaphorical varieties. You will also be wise to draw influences from a wide variety of humans and experiences. I further suggest that you expand your financial life so you have multiple sources of income and diversified investments.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)
It’s challenging to track down the sources of quotes on the Internet. Today, for instance, I found these words attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: “I enjoy the simple things in life, like recklessly spending my cash and being a disappointment to my family.” That can’t be right. I’m sure Plato didn’t actually say such things. Elsewhere, I came upon a review of George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm” that was supposedly penned by pop star Taylor Swift: “Not a very good instructional guide on farming. Would not recommend to first-time farmers.” Again, I’m sure that wasn’t written by Swift. I bring this up, Aquarius, because one of your crucial tasks these days is to be dogged and discerning as you track down the true origins of things. Not just Internet quotes, but everything else, as well — including rumors, theories, and evidence. Go to the source, the roots, the foundations.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20)
In accordance with astrological omens, I’m turning over this horoscope to Piscean teacher Esther Hicks. Here are a rmations she advises you to embody: “I’m going to be happy. I’m going to skip and dance. I will be glad. I will smile a lot. I will be easy. I will count my blessings. I will look for reasons to feel good. I will dig up positive things from the past. I will look for positive things where I am right now. I will look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It’s natural for me to love and laugh. I am a happy person!”
Lead Project Controls & Analysis (67680) with BHP Minerals Service Company located in Tucson, AZ . Establish standard methodologies, procedures, and templates for Cost Engineering and all facets of project controls (change management, contingency drawdown, WBS alignment, and SAP integration). Travel to unanticipated domestic and international worksites required. To apply, please visit careers.bhp.com, filter by job country to the USA, select ‘Lead Project Controls & Analysis (67680)’, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click apply now. From there, please follow the instructions as prompted including completing the form and uploading a resume.
ACROSS
1 Moved like a pendulum
6 Qatar’s capital
10 Title for Francis, Gregory or Paul
14 Outdoor grilling spot
15 Rivers in Spain and Portugal
16 Airline that grounds its planes during the Sabbath
17 Gets overlooked, literally 20 Deep down
21 Originates (from), as a word
22 Org. that’s pro-Second Amendment
23 Jaguars and Impalas, for instance
24 Gets into bed, literally 31 Blank paper bearer 32 Oracle
33 Starting action on a court
34 Clears (of)
36 “Get well soon” process, informally
39 Person who won’t just talk, but act
40 New York City mayor Adams and others
42 Where Lake Erie reaches its southernmost point
Home of Arches
44 Rx writers: Abbr.
45 Makes suddenly aware of something, literally
___ Creed (Christian avowal)
49 Wharton’s “___ Frome”
50 German car maker
Amusement park racers
51 Election year event
54 All excited
58 Finding hidden meaning, literally
60 Cold War power, in brief
61 Deserve
62 Like the shape of an eggplant
63 M.L.B. team that played its first two seasons at the fabled Polo Grounds
64 Lose layers
65 Some surface damages
13 Fraternal order since 1868 18 Actor Brendan 19 What five horizontal answers do with this one
23 Stadium noisemaker
24 Shopping splurge
46 Behind-the-arc shots,
Rare roll with two
Father of Nor way’s King Harald
1 Agcy. that promotes adoption 2 Witch’s facial feature
3 Home of Arches National Park 4 ___ Creed (Christian avowal)
Fraternal order since 1868
Amusement park racers
“Dagnabbit!”
Slick substance
Actor Brendan
Impede
Trust issues?
Got completely destroyed
What five horizontal answers do with this one
Father of Norway’s King Harald
Rate
Stadium noisemaker
Shopping splurge
25 Difficult to sort out, informally
26 Country singer/songwriter Rabbitt
27 Big name in jeans 28 Eat at
25 Difficult to sor t out, informally 26 Countr y singer/ songwriter Rabbitt 27 Big name in jeans
“___ dog has its day”
Eat at
Laconic
Plot developers
Tuna type
38 It tolls
“___ dog has its day” 30 Laconic 35 Plot developers
37 Tuna type
38 It tolls over British Parliament
41 Stringed instrument that rhymes with another stringed instrument
Climb
51 Fruit used to make slivovitz 52 Climb 53 The “I” of M.I.T.: Abbr.
The “I” of M.I.T.: Abbr.
Tenderhearted 55 Celine with five Grammys 56 Section of a textbook
