Zac Reynolds, Director of National Advertising zac@timeslocalmedia.com
A BOY AND HIS BASKETBALL
When Isaiah was about 5 years old, no one believed him. He is tall for his age, and now he’d just turned 9, but looks 13. He wields a peculiar little-boy charisma. He is spindly, in black athletic shorts, shoes (big for his age), and his is an easygoing, shy manner, accented with a kickass medium spiky Afro. He is propelled on kid enthusiasm, wonder and sincerity, a combination that, I imagine, if he keeps it close, could take him far in life. He’s all here, man. I’ve never seen this kid before at the playground in Tucson’s Fort Lowell Park where I come often with my family.
Isiah carries a basketball. He really likes the sport he says. He travels the playground on his own. It is fairly hot out on this June weekday afternoon, no breeze, which is strange; it is gusty in Tucson these days, blows more than I remember as a child growing up here, and I think of climate change and pressure gradients as I watch my daughter play. What else do these children inherit?
My 3-year-old daughter Rickie takes an instant liking to Isaiah. He is kind. His interactions with Rickie build into the jumps, gymnastics moves on the monkey bars, Rickie laughs hard, keen to imitate everything Isaiah does, his movements and gyrations. She attempts the efforts, and he is patient with her struggles, offers help with gentle hands, his smile recurrent and indulgent as a preschool teacher.
I imagine this kid sharing a bedroom with a younger brother or sister, maybe some sports figures tacked up around his bed, an oversized stuffed penguin in the corner, some light-up Fortnite figures on a dresser.
Rickie removes her socks and shoes to climb up one of the slides and Isaiah follows suit. It takes Rickie 30 seconds to slide and climb to the top and Isaiah
does it in one leap, and jumps down from the top, a good seven feet to the woodchip-covered surface of the playground, and rolls. Rickie howls.
I ask him if his parents are around.
“We’re staying here a couple days,” Isaiah manages, pulling a playground woodchip from his hair.
“Staying the park?” I say.
“We’ve been staying around, we don’t really have a home.”
Isaiah points in the general direction of the historic park’s lake, an otherwise lovely respite with the remembrance benches
ancestral homeland. He doesn’t give me any kind of needy or solicitous look, as if for him this is what it is.
It is easy to misread his carriage, to twist any meanings, as it is equally difficult to place myself in his or his mother’s shoes.
From what I gather young Isaiah’s mother is single, and under such circumstances appears to be doing something right, the boy is sharp and observant.
Isaiah tells me his dad lives in Chicago, in an apartment, and his mother is trying to get child support out of him so they can have a place to live.
I do not see the mother anywhere. I cannot ask her such questions and I don’t understand his situation but a gist rises from our hanging out at the park. I would not indulge uneasy questions to a boy but I do imagine a mother somewhere in the recesses of the park, in the forest of creosote, or in a car, nursing degrees of grief. I cannot ask her if she traversed available routes; the homeless services, street
of long-gone park devotees, turtles, flora, grass on all sides pockmarked by a million ground-squirrel holes and an outlying pecan grove and reed-encased duck pond and flowing water features. Ramadas and tennis courts supplant ruins and refurbishments detailing the late-1800s Army post, and the ugly Apache Wars, the disarticulation of the Apaches from their
brutal Tucson summer, is but a guess. Isaiah just wants to play.
Isaiah disappears, crosses a baseball field, around the swimming pool, still alive with sun-burning kids at 5 p.m., and returns a half-hour later or so. He smiles at Rickie and she is excited to see him. But we have to leave.
Rickie and I walk to my car hand-inhand, and my daughter asks, “Where is Isaiah going?” I look back and see Isaiah alone on the playground, clutching his basketball. In that moment he looks around, lets out a visual shrug and tosses the ball in the air and catches it. To Rickie, I say, “He is waiting for his mama.”
She adds, “Where’s his mama?”
I lift her up into my arms and squeeze. Just watching my children grow and change affords so much ache, the endless and tender instant nostalgias, but to throw in any idea of being unhoused, which I’ve been in the past, sends such thoughts swirling.
How potent my sadness is, a swelling with no place to go, and how time-honored that sensation is — the despondency and pity asphyxiating in my gut, resigned and barbed.
As the sun wanes, I wrestle Rickie into her car seat and climb in behind the wheel, fire up the motor and pull out into the brassy setting sun. There is nothing in this moment I can do to help Isaiah. I observe Rickie in the rearview, think of what my father would likely say to me as a boy, that Isaiah has a mother and he is an American, and therefore he will always have a good chance, regardless of his family ethnicity. My dad’s father lost everything in the Great Depression, and there was a time when I was young that my dad, a highly intelligent skeptical optimist, and lifelong Democrat, actually believed in this idea, or at least told us he did. By the time he died, I know he did not believe such things. To me, I grew up thinking my dad understood a world in which society and cruelty were linked like a daisy chain.
outreaches, family shelters, safe-haven homes, hospitality houses, vouchers.
In Tucson, the latest stats (January 2023) by the Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness counted nearly 100 homeless families in Tucson. (The data informs local and national homelessness resource planning.) How many housing-insecure families are on the verge, into an impoverished, often soulless and
Before we left, Isaiah told me he’d be here at the park tomorrow. The following day we return, and I bring some cash. No Isaiah.
Rickie steps on to the playground and asks, “Where’s Isaiah? At the ducks?” We return the next day too, same result. Isaiah is gone. Maybe, at least, like my optimist father believed when I was a boy, somewhere with four walls and a roof.
Story & photos by Brian Smith
CURRENTS
VINTAGE BASEBALL SLIDES INTO BISBEE
By Sullivan Maley Tucson Weekly Staff
After honoring two Bisbee baseball greats with their 12th annual Copper City Classic vintage baseball tournament, the Friends of Warren Ballpark are inviting families and baseball fans back to the ballpark for their Independence Day celebration.
Vintage baseball is played by rules dating back to the 19th century. There’s an element of showmanship, even featuring historically accurate uniforms and equipment, but the games themselves are legitimate, making for a fun show for longtime baseball fans and newcomers.
“Vintage baseball is a sport that started as a result of Civil War reenactors becoming bored with reciting the Battle of Gettysburg over and over and over again,” said Mike Anderson, historian for the Friends of Warren Ballpark. “They decided they wanted to be involved in something that had to do with living history.”
In April, Friends of Warren Ballpark hosted nine such teams for their Copper City Classic tournament. The tournament honors a new set of ballplayers each year with historical connections to the ballpark.
This year’s festivities celebrated Carl Glass, a Buffalo Soldier who served in two World Wars and played baseball in Bisbee when stationed at Fort Huachuca for the 10th U.S. Cavalry, later going on to a long Negro League pitching career.
“Baseball was pretty much the only way that a black man could compete against a white man of those days on an equal level,” Anderson said. “There were a lot of Black players at Fort Huachuca… the United States Army in Arizona provided a large number of very competent
THE MARICOPA MAIDENS ARE AN ALL-FEMALE VINTAGE BASEBALL TEAM, AND DON THE SAME UNIFORMS USED BY THE ALL-AMERICAN GIRLS PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE, LAST ACTIVE IN 1954. (FRIENDS OF WARREN BALLPARK/SUBMITTED)
baseball players to the Negro Leagues.”
The event also highlighted the career and accomplishments of Jesse Flores, the first Mexican-born major league pitcher. Flores had never played baseball before signing for the Bisbee Bees, at the time a minor league affiliate of the Chi-
Athletics and Indians. After his playing career, Flores became a renowned scout for the Minnesota Twins covering most of Southern California. He is credited with signing dozens of eventual big leaguers, including former Arizona Diamondbacks manager and University of
cago Cubs. He posted a stellar 24-6 record his first season as a starter.
His success saw him make the big leagues in 1938, playing for the Cubs,
Arizona baseball coach Chip Hale and Baseball Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven.
“The Pacific Coast League had placed a ban on Mexican born players for years,”
Anderson said. “(Flores) broke the barrier in 1938 that kept Mexican-born players from making it to West Coast organized baseball.”
The tournament drew over 1,000 fans over two days of games, a record turnout for the event. Ticket proceeds went toward the restoration of Warren Ballpark’s historic facilities.
Built in 1909, it’s the oldest ballpark in Arizona, and one of the oldest professional baseball stadiums in the United States. The long list of players who have graced its field include greats like Honus Wagner and John McGraw, as well as trailblazers like Glass and Flores. But the ballpark’s place in history extends far beyond the game of baseball.
In 1917, mining company Phelps Dodge kidnapped thousands of workers who went on strike over poor working conditions. These miners were held at Warren Ballpark and demanded to return to work. The 1,286 workers who refused were loaded on manure-covered trains and deported from Bisbee to the New Mexico town of Hermanas.
New Mexico governor Washington Ellsworth Lindsey wired President Woodrow Wilson, who sent U.S. Army troops to escort the miners to Colum-
VINTAGE BASEBALL PLAYERS USE RULES DATING BACK TO THE 19TH CENTURY, INCLUDING PITCHING UNDERHAND. (FRIENDS OF WARREN BALLPARK/SUBMITTED)
REPORTER HITS HOME RUN WITH BASEBALL BOOK
By Karen Schaffner Tucson Weekly Staff
Vin Scully, the late Los Angeles Dodgers’ play-by-play announcer, was one of the nicest guys in MLB sportscasting.
That’s according to writer Kirk McKnight, but, then again, he might just have been starstruck.
“Talking to him, to me, was my pinnacle achievement,” he said.
“Talking to somebody you’ve listened to your whole life, who you know is the best broadcaster not just in baseball but in all of sports, period, just the graciousness with which he spoke to me, saying, ‘Please, call me
Vin,’ and having the mindset that I had another interview, and just the 25 to 30 minutes that we had are probably my favorite of the whole book.”
McKnight talked to dozens of MLB announcers and compiled their words in a new book, “The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America’s Pastime.”
Although this is a second paperback edition, it includes “broadcasters I wished I’d had the (first) time around. Bob Costas is now in the book. Bob Uecker is now in the book. Tim McCarver, a lot of household names are now in the book,” McKnight said.
This is the first in a series of articles about Arizona authors to read this summer.
A Wickenburg resident, McKnight is associate editor for the Wickenburg Sun. With Spring Training taking place not so far from his town, he put out the word he would like to chat with the announcers. Most readily agreed and he figures there are two millennia of broadcasting experience in his book.
“It is a tour through baseball’s ballparks and key moments over the past 70 years through the perspectives of 50 play-by-play broadcasters, including 11 Hall of Famers like Vin Scully,
Bob Uecker, Dick Enberg and Bob Costas,” he said.
“I interviewed these 50 broadcasters, and they shared their most memorable moments, their inspiration, and, basically, their craft in general.”
McKnight always loved writing, although his first love was screenwriting. That was frustrating and didn’t pay the bills, so he looked for another outlet.
“I thought, ‘Well, why not follow my passion?’” he said. “I came up with the idea specifically for baseball, to talk about the different, unique ballparks in baseball. (Then) instead of me telling the story, why not find broadcasters to tell the story because those guys have been around forever.”
This book is not just about ballparks, however. He wanted to see the parks from the inside, from the people who work there.
“You want to get the essence of something like Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s record,” he said.
“Fortunately, for me, I spoke with
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bus, where they were sheltered in tents for two months. The president manned a commission to investigate the deportation, which they found wholly illegal, leading to the 1918 arrest of 21 Phelps Dodge executives.
“This ballpark has an incredible history that connects to all 16 of the pre-expansion major league teams, that connects to labor history through the Bisbee deportation,” Anderson said. “It’s just incredible. The more research I did, the more fascinated I was by the connections.”
Now, Anderson looks ahead to the ballpark’s next big event, and one of Bisbee’s favorite pastimes — the Fourth of July.
“Fourth of July in Bisbee is an incredibly fun event the whole day,” Anderson said. “It’s an old-fashioned Fourth of July on a scale where both locals and expatriates come back.”
BOOK FROM PAGE 7
John Miller, who not only broadcasts now for the Giants, but had broadcast for the Baltimore Orioles when Cal Ripken was breaking Lou Gehrig’s record.
“He was able to fill me in on everything that led up to that that night and how it centered around the ballpark.”
Warren Ballpark will host teams from Tucson, Phoenix, Yuma and Bisbee for a series of three games, followed by a firework show. The games will start following the conclusion of the Warren Fourth of July Parade, which kicks off at 11 a.m. Admission is free.
“Our Copper City Classic is a fundraiser,” Anderson said, “but we decided that for Fourth of July, let people come into the ballpark for free.”
4th of July Vintage Baseball Games
WHEN: 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 4
WHERE: Warren Ballpark, 73 S.
Arizona Street, Bisbee
COST: Free (donations accepted/ encouraged)
INFO: friendsofwarrenballpark.com
“The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America’s Pastime”
(2023 edition; $36) Amazon and other online outlets
phone keys wallet bag
By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist
COX MOVIES IN THE PARK: “TOP GUN”
Bring some popcorn, spread a picnic blanket and pretend you’re at the drive-in movie. (Remember those?) Your friendly cable company is showing movies again this summer: June 30, “Top Gun;” July 14, “Super Pets” and July 28, “Strange World.” The 1986 hit “Top Gun,” starring Tom Cruise, should be a particular hit in this Davis-Monthan-loving town. It was the highest grossing film in 1986 and its soundtrack is nine-times platinum.
7:45 p.m. Friday, June 30, Cox Movies in the Park, George DeMeester Performance Center, Reid Park, 900 S. Randolph Way, coxmoviesinthepark.com, free
CATALINA STATE PARK: LEWIS LEVENSON
As Catalina State Park continues to celebrate the anniversary of its first half century, Lewis Levenson will perform in the park’s Monthly Music in the Park Concert Series. Levinson is widely known locally as the guitar and pedal steel player in the Tucson Band Cochise County All-Stars. He has said his repertoire is informed by the music of the jukebox in his father’s bar in Tombstone, muddled a bit by the jazz influence of Stan Getz and the rock sensibility of Jimi Hendrix.
6 p.m. Saturday, July 1, Music in the Mountains Concert, Catalina State Park, 11570 N. Oracle Road, azstateparks.com
“MURDER AT THE MAGIC SHOW”
Dante’s Fire is hosting a three-course dinner and participatory magic show featuring an award-winning magician Norm Marini. Even as he astounds you, he will make you laugh with his upclose magic and engaging patter. You’ll see the same show he’s performed at the White House. Meanwhile, there’s wizardry in the kitchen, too. Owner and Iron Chef winner Ken Foy is a master of new American cuisine. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, July 1,
BOB LOG III IS COMING TO THE RIALTO
Bob Log, weird, beloved and singularly ferocious hollow-body-guitar-playing robot of high decibel-ic destruction, is back. All he needs is gas money to achieve world domination. What’s more fun than mayhem? The fuzz bomb of the music itself can sometimes pitch for lyricism, notwithstanding the peculiarly muffled sound of his voice, as if there were fireworks exploding underwater within his helmet. Jump on these tickets. This show will sell out.
8 p.m. Saturday, July 1, 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Avenue, boblog111.com, $15
HARPIST VANESSA MYERS PROVIDES ENTERTAINMENT AT WILDE MEYER GALLERY. (VANESSA MYERS/SUBMITTED)
FOOTHILLS ARTS DISTRICT ART WALK
The intersection of Skyline Drive and Campbell Avenue is a hub of Tucson’s art scene. The Northeast corner boasts For Fine Art, Sanders Galleries and Southwestern art hub Settler’s West. On the Southwest corner are Jane Hamilton Fine Art, Sunset Interiors and Design Studio and Wilde Myer Art Gallery. Collectively, they host a lovely evening walk on the first Friday of every month.
4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 6, Southeast and Northwest corner of East Skyline Drive and North Campbell Avenue, foothillsartdistrict.com, free
“OPERATION SPLASH”
concert, consider taking a bag of food to donate.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1, St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Avenue, 192 S. Stone Avenue, tucsonpops.org, free
CELEBRATE JULY 4 IN TUBAC
The Rotary Club of Tubac hosts a morning celebration of U.S. Independence Day at Tubac Presidio State Park. Southern Arizona still belonged to Spain when colonists signed their Declaration of Independence from England. But leadership changed at the Presidio that year, from Capt. Juan Bautista de Anza to Lt. Juan M. Olivia. The Rotary Club is just in it for a good time, and to call attention to its charitable work. There will be balloons, kids’ games, food, prizes and an information fair about Tubac organizations. 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 4, Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, 167 Burruel Street, Tubac, facebook.com/tubacrotary, free
SEE THE FIREWORKS IN MARANA
Put some distance between you and the city lights and watch the fireworks at the town of Marana’s “Star Spangled Spectacular.” Festivities start at 5 p.m. with live music, a car show, a splash pad, field games, inflatables, vendors, exhibitors a musical instrument petting zoo and a creation station for kids. Coolers, chairs, blankets and picnics are encouraged. Fireworks are at 9 p.m. 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, Crossroads Park, 7545 N. Silverbell Road, Marana, maranaaz.gov, free
KEEP MONSOON-DRENCHED STREETS SAFE WITH “OPERATION SPLASH.” (CITY OF TUCSON/ SUBMITTED)
June 24, last Saturday, is the traditional start of Tucson’s summer monsoon, aka, thunderstorm season. “Any day now, the city of Tucson could make you a hero to neighbors and drivers by answering your call for sandbags and barricades where shallows and washes create hazards. That number is 520-7913154. Staff for the city’s Department of Transportation and Mobility are standing by 24/7 through mid-September, but if you know there will be water trouble nearby, you can call or watch their socials for info about when to pick up bags and sand yourself at Hi Corbett Field. Bring a shovel. City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility, Hi Corbett Field, twitter.com/Tucson_DTM, 520-791-3154, free
Dante’s Fire, 2526 E. Grant Road, eventbrite.com, $49 to $79
TUCSON POPS INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
Within the acoustics of St. Augustine Cathedral’s arched ceiling, patriotic music like “The Star-Spangled Ban-
ner” and “America the Beautiful” find the resonance they are made for. After the concert, enjoy the food truck rally coordinated by the Southern Arizona Animal Food Bank (SAAFB). Revenues from the trucks help SAAFB provide pet food to families who need help caring for new pets. If you’re going to the
SUMMER FREE MUSIC CLASSES FOR YOUTH
Tucson Youth Music offers free weekly music lessons for underserved families in the community in Tucson. Any youngster or teen can learn how to play a musical instrument, including proper technique, repertoire, sight-reading, music theory, ear training, performance and music appreciation. All necessary materials are provided to qualifying school-age children, ages 6 to 18. Support, volunteer or find qualifications on the website. Tucson Youth Music, 830 E. 17th Street and Tucson Mall, 4500 N. Oracle Road, tucsonyouthmusic.org, free
CITIZENS HELP
BOB LOG III IS A ROBOT AND A MONSTER ON THAT HOLLOW BODY. (BOB LOG III/SUBMITTED)
LAUGHING STOCK
GASLIGHT THEATRE FLIES HIGH WITH ‘THE REVENGERS’
By Linda Ray Tucson Weekly Columnist
Not to give anything away, but Lady Steel, played by Heather Strickler, is the first woman to fly onstage in a harness at Gaslight Theatre.
Strickler demurs, crediting Dr. Lance Tanner, aka “Earth’s Greatest Brain” for the innovation, but the scene’s high energy generates plenty of plaudits to go around.
Lady Steel’s flying act comes near the end of the show, “The Revengers,” onstage at The Gaslight Theatre through Aug. 27. The show features, besides Lady Steel and Tanner (mild mannered as long as you don’t get him “hangry”), a comically light-hearted Thor “Lord of Thunder;” The Insatiable Bulk, aka “Earth’s Greatest Brawn;” bad-news boys Zanor and Loki; wacky scientist Dr. Erica Selving; her endearing lab assistant, Janey; and the stunning Ruby Witch, played by Janée Page, who steals the stage with a solo while the set changes behind the curtain.
The plot takes a turn to the peril of
Selving and Janey when the duo innocently fall victim to Ruby and her dastardly crew. They flee with their captives via spaceship to the balcony, but the heroes pursue a heroic climb in the stage left alcove.
At a crucial moment our hero appears via an enormous video over the house band. The screen is making its debut, having been installed just pre-pandemic and idle ever since.
Of course, the denouement favors the valiant Revengers, and everyone sings at the end.
But it’s not the end! Every Gaslight show concludes with an “olio.” A remnant of the vaudeville era, the term refers to a short variety show between acts in a larger show. In those days, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it might have been a strip tease or a boxing match.
At Gaslight, it’s more like the whipped cream on your hot fudge sundae, which, incidentally, we can’t recommend highly enough. The Gaslight Olio is a short, standalone show which usually has nothing to do with the main event.
(GASLIGHT THEATRE/SUBMITTED) cally as a vocalist with Orkesta Mendoza and Calexico.
Strickler joined the cast in 2013 when she was in graduate school at the UA in 2013. She’d fallen in love with the theater when her parents took her to a show there on her 8th birthday. Long-timers’ careers are common at The Gaslight Theatre, as cast and crew members, but audience members, too, return again and again.
LAUGHINGSTOC K
For “The Revengers,” the olio is a Gen X confection — a remembrance of their childhood in front of the television. It’s a tribute to “The Brady Bunch,” all five seasons, with a cameo by Kermit the Frog.
“The Revengers” is one of two newer shows in the Gaslight repertoire that have been co-written and co-directed by the company’s choreographer and director Katherine Byrne and director Mike Yarima. The pair also wrote the ‘Gaslight Christmas Vacation for 2022.”
Yarema has been a cast member for nearly 25 years. Byrne began performing at Gaslight as a child actor and returned to the theater in 2013 following a touring career as a vocalist. She’s best known lo-
The loyalty owes to the quality of Gaslight productions but also the family-like geniality of the atmosphere. Audience members at every show are recognized for birthdays, anniversaries and service in the military and law enforcement as well as for wherever they journeyed from to see the show.
“We depend on how responsive the audience is,” Strickler told us. “That’s why we always say, ‘Make sure you’re cheering the good guys and booing the bad guys.’
“We really try to get people to interact, because the more they interact, the more you’ll see us break that fourth wall and really play with them.”
Most Gaslight shows sell out well before the run ends. Coming attractions are “Henry Porter,” Aug. 31 through Nov. 8, and “A Small Town Christmas,” Nov. 9 through Jan. 7.
“The Revengers,” Gaslight Theatre, 7010
E. Broadway Boulevard, $25, various days and times through Sunday, Aug. 27, thegaslighttheatre.com
4TH OF JULY EXTRAVAGANZA
Tucson favorite cartoonist and funny man David Wayne Fitzsimmons headlines a blowout of a comedy show on Tuesday, July 4. Co-headlining will be longtime gay comedian and frequent Laff’s headliner Jade Estrada Esteban, aka “The Prada Enchilada.” Some fans may remember him from the Joey Medina Show.
Filling out the lineup are comedians Autumn Horvat, Steven Black, Jesus Otamendi and Morgan Kuen and drag queens Iona Hoya and Kristy Kreme.
The Lady Ha Ha women, Priscilla Fernandez and Mo Urban, organized the event, styling it the “4th of July Extravaganja.” Expect marijuana jokes to be dank. Club Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson, $15, 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 4, dice.fm
KEEP TUCSON SKETCHY MOVES TO CATALYST
Tucson’s insanely popular variety sketch show “Keep Tucson Sketchy” takes its act to the foothills on Saturday, July 1. Find them at Tucson Mall’s Catalyst Creative Collective with back-to-back
LADY STEEL TAKES FLIGHT TO SAVE THE DAY AT GASLIGHT THEATRE.
MUSIC
AND BONNY DOON SAID, ‘LET THERE BE MUSIC’
By Jack Miessner Tucson Weekly Staff
Indie rock band Bonny Doon wants to spread the good-vibe gospel.
“We just want to make simple music that makes you feel good and makes you excited to listen to rock and roll again,” said Bill Lennox, co-singer/ songwriter and guitarist of the three–piece Detroit outfit.
“Music where you hear it, and you feel something immediately.”
On Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1, Bonny Doon will bring its mission to Tucson’s Club Congress and Phoenix’s Valley Bar, respectively. The tour, which is for their 2023 record “Let There Be Music,” will mark a decade since the band’s inception. In a phone interview, Lennox affectionately recalled the early days.
On a 2012 weekend trip to Chicago, Bobby Colombo filled in on bass for Lennox’s band. The latter moved to New York a week later, but the two kept in touch.
“He and I were sending each other demos and stuff we were working on,” the musician said. “And then time passed, and eventually I moved back to Detroit, kind of with the idea that he and I could start something.
“We ended up getting a rehearsal space studio where we were working on our solo stuff together, and over the course of a summer we decided to start the band.”
Once the two quit their parallel play, it wasn’t long before Bonny Doon’s first project, 2014’s self-titled, four track EP, hit the scene.
The record, a noisy, DIY marriage of Lennox and Colombo’s diverse influences, pulled from everything from lo-fi folk legends (Silver Jews, Jeff Tweedy, Woods) to the classics (Neil Young, The Rolling Stones) to the musical zeitgeist of 2010s Detroit.
“It kind of came as a reaction to our previous bands and the DIY punk scene that we came out of. We kind of wanted to bring it down a little bit and play toward what our tastes were at the time, but also
mixed with our punk roots,” Lennox said.
“It just sort of became its own thing, which was beautiful. I think it was refreshing for some people in the scene at that time to have something a little different. At that time, it was the punk and garage rock days, but I think it was a welcomed sound.”
Through the three albums that Bonny Doon has put out since that 2014 EP, the band has dealt with plenty. Namely, drummer Jake Kmiecik’s struggles with Crohn’s disease, and singer/guitarist Bobby Colombo’s dealing with Lyme disease and a serious concussion.
None of it affects the three’s unwavering friendship, though. On the contrary.
“That’s been something that has also brought us closer together, just helping each other and being patient with each other’s needs,” Lennox said. “Our personal lives are important, and it’s just always working out that we keep wanting to do the band.
“I was 23 or something when we started. Now I’m 33 and married, so we’ve grown a lot. Our relationships have grown stronger. I think we’re just lucky that we want to be friends.”
The band’s glass-half-full mentality toward adversity rings out infectiously through their songs, but the singer describes the good vibes as a cycle. Bonny Doon’s music is both product and producer of positivity, a machine that turns their unmistakable joie de vivre into even more delight.
“In a way it is therapeutic,” Lennox said.
“But I think it’s also the opposite, where it’s the music that helps us live that way. Live with more joy and more excitement, because we have this thing that can take us there.”
The pleasingly stripped back and effortlessly tuneful “Let There Be Music” is a testament to the band’s zeal for songwriting. Experimenting for the first time with acoustic piano-driven melodies, the band approached the
record as an “exercise in restraint.”
“We came into it with very simple ideas, rather than whole songs ready to go, like ‘Get in there, track them, overdub them, and that’s it.’ This was more like, ‘We have a good amount of ideas, let’s put them down as minimally as possible.’”
“We barely used any guitar pedals or effects. I’m plugged into the board and getting whatever amp sounds we like,” said Lennox.
The target while recording was to “do justice” to the songs they’d compiled over the past five years of living apart, the band becoming a long-distance project after Colombo’s moves to California and New York.
That kind of separation is demanding for bands, many of which have tried and failed. But for Bonny Doon, distance only makes the heart grow fonder.
“It’s been really good, I think. It’s given us space, and then when we do come together, we’re super excited to hang,” Lennox said.
“It’s taken a lot of the pressure off of the grind of being a band, where you just get together twice a week to practice, and it kind of feels like a chore. It gives our creative process some room to breathe, and when we come together to write, there’s just a wealth of ideas coming from different perspectives and experiences. Rather than us always being together in the same world, drawing from the same inspiration, now it’s a more holistic pool to draw from.”
The band brought that peace of mind with its distance to the record, which concerns itself with the inevitability of change. The candid “You Can’t Stay the Same” serves as both an appreciation of life’s transience and a comforting reminder of a spare key under the doormat.
Natural images abound throughout the album, painting impermanence as an organic affair (check out “San Francisco” and “Crooked Creek”); the trees dancing, sunshine and rain replacing one another, everything in motion.
But while there’s moments of unapologetic alacrity (“Let There be Music”), there’s also moments like “Fine Afternoon” and “On My Mind,” ones of quiet uncertainty, of having to really reach for that sort of tranquility. Bonny Doon tells the whole story: The bitter melancholy of saying goodbye, the euphoric bliss of hello.
“This was the answer to the question of, ‘How does it work,’ the long distance thing,” Lennox said. “This was that experiment in action. And I think it worked out for us.”
Bonny Doon w/Anna St. Louis
WHEN: 9 pm. Friday, June 30
WHERE: Club Congress, 311 E. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $15; 21 and older INFO: bonnydoontheband.com
BONNY DOON BRINGS ITS FEEL-GOOD SOUNDS TO CLUB CONGRESS ON FRIDAY, JUNE 30. (TREVOR NAUD/CONTRIBUTOR)
CHOW LA BAGUETTE PARISIENNE GENERATES RISING INTEREST
By Valerie Vinyard Tucson Weekly Staff
The first thing you’ll notice is the aroma.
When you step out of your car in the Broadway Plaza on Broadway Boulevard and Pantano Road, you’ll get a whiff of freshly baked bread emanating from La Baguette Parisienne.
The scent is what lured shopper Marianne Potter to the bakery on a recent weekday.
“I was leaving Sprouts (Farmers Market) next door, and I smelled something wonderful,” Potter said. “I had to check it out.”
Potter, 48, left the eastside bakery with a box of pastries and a baguette.
“I think this will be the start of a long relationship,” she said, laughing.
Kim Ireland and EJ Marx bought La Baguette Parisienne Nov. 18 from longtime owners Norm and Mel Marini. Norm’s father opened the bakery in 1983.
“I used to go to that bakery when I was a kid,” said Ireland, 41.
Co-owner Marx, Ireland’s personal and professional partner, is a longtime chef and used to own a food cart called Star Dog that used wholesale bread from La Baguette Parisienne.
When Marx heard the owners were closing, he told Ireland, and the two worked out a plan to try and buy the bakery.
At first, the owners weren’t interested in selling. After about 10 days of discussions, they relented, and the bakery rose again. Ireland and Marx officially bought the bakery on Oct. 1, and its grand opening was Nov. 18.
In addition to the regulars, the news was a relief to the 25 or so restaurants that rely on La Baguette Parisienne for
THE CASES ARE FULL AT LA BAGUETTE PARISIENNE.
(NOELLE HARO-GOMEZ/CONTRIBUTOR)
“A lot of the old customers came back,” said La Baguette Parisienne’s general manager Beverly Bruning, 27. “But we’re reaching a whole new set of people.”
That’s partly because the bakery now has a social media presence, and Ireland is working on adding online ordering and custom cake ordering on the website.
Before they reopened, Ireland and Marx gutted and renovated the 3,000-square-foot space. Walls were knocked out, and a new ceiling and new pastry cases were installed. They added new equipment in the kitchen, including an oven imported from France that uses steam to bake the dozens of baguettes every day. The resulting look is brighter and fresher.
“I feel like we’ve accomplished so much in the past eight months,” said Ireland, who has a psychology degree from the UA.
Changes included extending the bakery’s hours and accepting credit cards. Not everything changed, though.
“We kept all of the same recipes, all of the same stuff, but we also added a lot of stuff,” Ireland said. “If things were working, we didn’t want to change them.”
The bakery employs 28 employees, and Ireland said that most of the former employees stayed on. As a longtime employee in the restaurant industry, Ireland believes in taking care of her employees.
“I make sure they make a livable wage,” Ireland said. “I’m making sure employees are supported, are valued
It’s baaaaaack!!
Tuesday, July 4 at 6 p.m.
Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, 2500 E. Ajo Way
FREE entry with a donation to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona
One non-perishable food item or $1 per person
Fireworks immediately following the baseball game
$1 Hot dogs • Carnival Games • Inflatables Giveaways Prizes • Drink Specials
their bread and rolls.
and are paid.”
Marx handles the breads, and Ireland runs the business side, such as invoicing and payroll.
She now can add “baker” to the list, too.
“The pastry side was lacking,” Ireland said, “so in December, I jumped back there and took that department over.”
Ireland and her new baker continue to use the time-tested recipes from the original owners, but she’s added many new desserts.
“I didn’t know it would be something I’d be good at,” she said. “EJ’s a chef and he’s incredible, but he was so busy with perfecting the bread.”
What surprises many customers are the low prices. A slice of New York cheesecake costs $3.25, a fat éclair topped with chocolate runs $4.25 and a full-size coconut cream pie costs $15.95.
“We really try to keep the prices reasonable,” said Ireland, who gives kids free rolls when they come in. “The reaction has been a really, really positive one.
“We want to be that family place where kids can come in and pick out what they want, and the parents don’t freak out about the price.”
At least 10 breads are available daily. Depending on the size and type, loaf prices range from $2.65 to $5.85 and include country whole grain, country French and rustic French. Besides the rolls, baguettes and Parisians, there’s an epi, which Ireland described as bread shaped like a wheat stalk: “You get like 10 rolls to an epi,” she said. For smaller appetites, there are jocos ($1.90), or smaller-sized French loaves. A customer favorite is Bavarian rye, which is offered Tuesdays and Fridays.
“We have the best baguettes in town; our bread is so good,” Ireland said.
For those with a sweet tooth, La Baguette Parisienne offers about 30-plus pastries a day.
“Everyone comes for the bread, but the highest sellers are the pastries,” Bruning said.
Once you gaze at the pastry cases, you’ll see why.
Rows of croissants, Danish pastries, cakes, cookies, tarts, cheesecakes, are
artfully arranged in several cases.
Try a “mini hand pie,” which is a puff pastry rolled in cinnamon and sugar and filled with an apple or cherry.
“I had heard about this place for a while, and then I finally went there,” said Ben Durham, a 42-year-old self-described dessert lover who “lives for pastries.” “These are fresh. And they cost less than a lot of places in town.”
La Baguette Parisienne
7851 E. Broadway, Tucson 520-296-1711 labaguetteparisienne.com
Hours: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays and Sundays; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Closed Mondays.
EJ MARX AND AND KIM IRELAND OWN LA BAGUETTE PARISIENNE IN TUCSON. (NOELLE HARO-GOMEZ/CONTRIBUTOR)
performances at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Keep Tucson Sketchy is a comedy show that mixes videotaped sketches with live sketches and live music. Their shows routinely sell out. The cast engages more than a dozen actors, writers and tech people.
Catalyst has recently created a variety of spaces to accommodate new and emerging performance and art projects. Groups who share the space also often teach classes. KTS’ Allana Erickson Lopez recently gave a sketch workshop there. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for future developments.
OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK
Chuckleheads, 41 Brewery Avenue, Bisbee, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1, chuckleheadsaz.com, $20. Ali Musa, an affable Arab American whose best jokes are about his dad, Mexican food and the character of a southside Circle K, Musa podcasts on Spotify.
Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, June 30, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1, laffstucson.com, $15, $20 preferred seating. Greg Romero Wilson is judgy on shows about dumb YouTube clips but not the one where he plays the tooth fairy as a con artist.
Moto Sonora Brewing Company, 1015 S. Park Avenue, 7 p.m. Saturday, July 1, free, Stacy Scheff hosts “Belly Tanks and Belly Laughs Standup Comedy Show” featuring Dom DiTolla with Alvaro Hermosillo Jr., Corbin Barker, Lynne D., Andrea Carmichael, Gay Rose, Genny Burnette.
Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street, Summer break, returning next weekend. tucsonimprov.com, $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam and open mic.
Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard, unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 30, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU); 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 1, NBOJU; 9 p.m. “The Back Yard” (experimental space for improv ensembles and forms).
LIVE MUSIC CALENDAR
By Connor Dziawura
Tucson Weekly Staff
JULY 1
Bob Log III
191 Toole, 8 p.m., $15
Cel Damage, After Tomorrow, Spit, Overthinking and Maldita Gente Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10
Night Weather Club Congress, 7 p.m., $10
Noah Haidu, Buster Williams and Lenny White celebrate Keith Jarrett Standards
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $25-$35
Southbound Pilot Hotel Congress Plaza, 7:30 p.m., $8-$10
JULY 2
The Wayback Machine & Friends Hotel Congress Plaza, 6 p.m., $8
JULY 3
Century Room Jazz Orchestra
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., $15-$20
JULY 4
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
JULY 5
America the Beautiful DesertView Performing Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $30
Mysterious Babies Traditional Jazz Band
The Century Room, 7 p.m., $10
Summer Nights Show w/Disband, Rae L, Bliss Out, Chai and Elder Momma Club Congress, 6:30 p.m., $10
JULY 6
Juan Wauters Club Congress, 8 p.m., $14-$16
JULY 7
Analog Monsters, Hotel Pink, Cherry Avenue and The Jonah Show Groundworks, 7 p.m., $10
Brice Winston Celebrates Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers
The Century Room, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., $20-$30
The Jack - A Tribute to AC/DC Rialto Theatre, 8 p.m., $15 Line of Fire
191 Toole, 8 p.m., $10
Tides Listening Party Club Congress, 8 p.m., $10
IT’S ALIVE! WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY?
By Eva Halvax Tucson Weekly Contributor
As the cannabis industry continues to boom, consumers are met with an ever-changing lexicon of jargon.
Let’s break down two key players within the world of cannabis concentrates: live resin vs. distillate. Both are potent forms of cannabis extracts that are consumed by vaping or dabbing. However, they possess a myriad of differences that can help determine which one is right for you.
Distillate — created from cannabis that has already been dried and cured
— is known for its high THC content, with potency levels that can reach the upper 90s.
The plant matter is then extracted from the cannabis flower to purify the desired cannabinoids, such as THC.
At this point in the extraction process, compounds such as fats, lipids and chlorophyll are removed through a process known as winterization, where the extract is mixed with ethanol, and then placed in a cold environment for at least two days.
The impurities begin to separate, and the mixture is filtered to remove
the ethanol. And boom. A thick and potent cannabis oil, the color of honey, is born.
Distillate tends to be a bit more cost effective when compared to other cannabis concentrates. It’s geared toward creating a cannabis product that is as potent as possible. Distillate tends to be a bit more discreet in regard to its smell, and is perfect for anyone looking for a high-potency product. But while distillate succeeds in delivering THC oil in its purest form, there is a cardinal trade off to be aware of.
Distillate is extracted at high temperatures that burn away the terpenes from the cannabis plant. And those terpenes? They’re pretty savvy. Not only are they responsible for delivering specific flavors and tastes but can be unique in amplifying the effects of a cannabis strain.
Some cannabis brands reintroduce terpenes into the distillate oil to enhance the flavor and aroma of the strain, but this is where live resin comes in.
Live resin shines in its ability to
preserve a rich terpene content. Live resin is produced from fresh frozen cannabis, which is done to preserve the plant’s chemical compounds and terpenes. The extraction process is similar to distillate but is done at a lower temperature to further preserve those compounds. Because live resin is less refined than distillate, they contain a robust variety of cannabinoids and terpenes.
While terpenes are not a psychoactive component of THC, they do play an integral role in the overall effect of a particular strain of cannabis.
And of course, this wouldn’t be a real cannabis article if there was no mention of the entourage effect — the theory that all properties of the cannabis plant work in harmony to deliver a wider scope of benefits.
Live resin may encourage said entourage effect, thanks to its preservation of terpenes and cannabinoids that are unique to a particular strain.
Some like to compare live resin as the cannabis concentrate that is most
BLOOM TUCSON
4695 N. Oracle Road, Suite 117
520-293-3315; bloomdispensary.com
Open: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
BOTANICA
6205 N. Travel Center Drive 520-395-0230; botanica.us
Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
DESERT BLOOM RE-LEAF CENTER
8060 E. 22nd Street, Suite 108 520-886-1760; dbloomtucson.com
Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Offering delivery
DOWNTOWN DISPENSARY
221 E. Sixth Street, Suite 105 520-838-0492; thedowntowndispensary.com
Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
HALO CANNABIS
7710 S. Wilmot Road
520-664-2251; thegreenhalo.org
Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
HANA GREEN VALLEY
1732 W. Duval Commerce Point Place
520-289-8030
Open: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
7139 E. 22nd Street 520-214-3232; d2dispensary.com
Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday
EARTH’S HEALING
Two locations:
North: 78 W. River Road 520-253-7198
South: 2075 E. Benson Highway 520-373-5779
earthshealing.org
Open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays; Offering delivery
GREEN MED
WELLNESS CENTER
6464 E. Tanque Verde Road 520-886-2484, greenmedwellness.com
Open: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday
Two locations:
• 4220 E. Speedway Boulevard
• 1525 N. Park Avenue
520-44-PRIME; theprimeleaf.com
Open: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays
TUCSON SAINTS
112 S. Kolb Road
520-886-1003; medicalmarijuanaoftucson.com
Open: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
ALIVE FROM PAGE 17
like smoking actual flower, in part because of its flavor, but also because of the quality of the high. This can be an attractive quality for those looking for a substitute for smoking flower. Potency levels on live resin products may not always be able to compete with the levels that distillate products boast. But what you lose in THC potency, you gain in a rich feast of terpenes and cannabinoids. Both distillate and live resin have
their significant roles within the cannabis industry. Everyone has a preference that is unique to them; and that is completely OK. And it doesn’t help that the marketing surrounding the two is packed with confusing inconsistencies. Some brands offer 100% live resin, some offer a mix of live resin and distillate, and some have distillate with live resin terpenes. So, whatever you choose, I hope it’s delightful.
DEALER’S CHOICE
THIS WEEK'S INDICA: Slurricane is a legendary indica strain, made by crossing Dos-I-Dos and Purple Punch. If you’re looking for an aromatic strain with fluffy and deep purple nugs, Slurricane is the one to choose. Slurricane delivers a warm feeling of euphoria; one that slowly creeps into undisturbed relaxation. Slurricane is also rich in caryophyllene, a terpene with anti-inflammatory and stress-relieving properties.
THIS WEEK'S HYBRID: Chemdawg is a hybrid strain that brings on a beautiful buzz of creativity. Chemdawg packs a pungent and diesel aroma, making it a distinct classic. Known for its cerebral effects, Chemdawg encourages an upbeat and uplifted mood. Chemdawg’s dominant terpenes include caryophyllene, limonene and myrcene.
THIS WEEK'S SATIVA: Limoncello is a must for any lover of sativa strains. Crisp and citrusy, Limoncello is a vibrant and tasty little treat. Limoncello can encourage a talkative and giggly mood, making it the perfect choice for anyone looking for a buzz of euphoria without feeling too sedated. Limoncello is rich in pinene, a terpene that can be helpful in managing pain, anxiety and inflammation.
COMICS
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL
19)
Visionary author Peter McWilliams wrote, "One of the most enjoyable aspects of solitude is doing what you want when you want to do it, with the absolute freedom to change what you're doing at will. Solitude removes all the ‘negotiating’ we need to do when we're with others." I’ll add a caveat: Some of us have more to learn about enjoying solitude. We may experience it as a loss or deprivation. But here’s the good news, Aries: In the coming weeks, you will be extra inspired to cultivate the benefits that come from being alone.
TAURUS (APRIL
20-MAY 20)
The 18th-century French engineer Étienne Bottineau invented nauscopy, the art of detecting sailing ships at a great distance, well beyond the horizon. This was before the invention of radar. Bottineau said his skill was not rooted in sorcery or luck, but from his careful study of changes in the atmosphere, wind, and sea. Did you guess that Bottineau was a Taurus? Your tribe has a special capacity for arriving at seemingly magical understandings by harnessing your sensitivity to natural signals. Your intuition thrives as you closely observe the practical details of how the world works. This superpower will be at a peak in the coming weeks.
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20)
According to a Welsh proverb, “Three fears weaken the heart: fear of the truth; fear of the devil; fear of poverty.” I suspect the first of those three is most likely to worm its way into your awareness during the coming weeks. So let’s see what we can do to diminish its power over you. Here’s one possibility: Believe me when I tell you that even if the truth’s arrival is initially disturbing or disruptive, it will ultimately be healing and liberating. It should be welcomed, not feared.
CANCER
(JUNE 21-JULY 22)
Hexes nullified! Jinxes abolished! Demons banished! Adversaries outwitted! Liabilities diminished! Bad habits replaced with good habits! These are some
of the glorious developments possible for you in the coming months, Cancerian. Am I exaggerating? Maybe a little. But if so, not much. In my vision of your future, you will be the embodiment of a lucky charm and a repository of blessed mojo. You are embarking on a phase when it will make logical sense to be an optimist. Can you sweep all the dross and mess out of your sphere? No, but I bet you can do at least 80 percent.
LEO
(JULY 23-AUG. 22)
In the book “Curious Facts in the History of Insects,” Frank Cowan tells a perhaps legendary story about how mayors were selected in the medieval Swedish town of Hurdenburg. The candidates would set their chins on a table with their long beards spread out in front of them. A louse, a tiny parasitic insect, would be put in the middle of the table. Whichever beard the creature crawled to and chose as its new landing spot would reveal the man who would become the town’s new leader. I beg you not to do anything like this, Leo. The decisions you and your allies make should be grounded in good evidence and sound reason, not blind chance. And please avoid parasitical influences completely.
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22)
I rebel against the gurus and teachers who tell us our stories are delusional indulgences that interfere with our enlightenment. I reject their insistence that our personal tales are distractions from our spiritual work. Virgo author A. S. Byatt speaks for me: “Narration is as much a part of human nature as breath and the circulation of the blood.” I love and honor the stories of my own destiny, and I encourage you to love and honor yours. Having said that, I will let you know that now is an excellent time to jettison the stories that feel demoralizing and draining—even as you celebrate the stories that embody your genuine beauty. For extra credit: Tell the soulful stories of your life to anyone who is receptive.
By Rob Brezsny.
RealAstrology.com
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT.
22)
In the Mayan calendar, each of the 20 day names is associated with a natural phenomenon. The day called Kawak is paired with rainstorms. Ik’ is connected with wind and breath. Kab’an is earth, Manik’ is deer, and Chikchan is the snake. Now would be a great time for you to engage in an imaginative exercise inspired by the Mayans. Why? Because this is an ideal phase of your cycle to break up your routine, to reinvent the regular rhythm, to introduce innovations in how you experience the flow of the time. Just for fun, why not give each of the next 14 days a playful nickname or descriptor? This Friday could be Crescent Moon, for example. Saturday might be Wonderment, Sunday can be Dazzle Sweet, and Monday Good Darkness.
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV.
21)
From 998 till 1030, Scorpio-born leader Mahmud Ghaznavi ruled the vast Ghaznavid empire, which stretched from current-day Iran to central Asia and northwestern India. Like so many of history’s strong men, he was obsessed with military conquest. Unlike many others, though, he treasured culture and learning. You’ve heard of poet laureates? He had 400 of them. According to some tales, he rewarded one wordsmith with a mouthful of pearls. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to be more like the Mahmud who loved beauty and art and less like the Mahmud who enjoyed fighting. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to fill your world with grace and elegance and magnificence.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21)
About 1,740 years ago, before she became a Catholic saint, Margaret of Antioch got swallowed whole by Satan, who was disguised as a dragon. Or so the old story goes. But Margaret was undaunted. There in the beast’s innards, Margaret calmly made the sign of the cross over and over with her right hand. Meanwhile, the wooden cross in her left hand magically swelled to an enormous size that ruptured the beast, enabling her to escape. After that, because of her triumph,
expectant mothers and women in labor regarded Margaret as their patron saint. Your upcoming test won’t be anywhere near as demanding as hers, Sagittarius, but I bet you will ace it—and ultimately garner sweet rewards.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19)
Capricorn-born Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was an astronomer and mathematician who was an instrumental innovator in the Scientific Revolution. Among his many breakthrough accomplishments were his insights about the laws of planetary motion. Books he wrote were crucial forerunners of Isaac Newton's theories about gravitation. But here’s an unexpected twist: Kepler was also a practicing astrologer who interpreted the charts of many people, including three emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. In the spirit of Kepler's ability to bridge seemingly opposing perspectives, Capricorn, I invite you to be a paragon of mediation and conciliation in the coming weeks. Always be looking for ways to heal splits and forge connections. Assume you have an extraordinary power to blend elements that no one can else can.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)
Dear Restless Runaway: During the next 10 months, life will offer you these invitations: 1. Identify the land that excites you and stabilizes you. 2. Spend lots of relaxing time on that land. 3. Define the exact nature of the niche or situation where your talents and desires will be most gracefully expressed. 4. Take steps to create or gather the family you want. 5. Take steps to create or gather the community you want.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH
20)
I’d love you to be a deep-feeling, free-thinker in the coming weeks. I will cheer you on if you nurture your emotional intelligence as you liberate yourself from outmoded beliefs and opinions. Celebrate your precious sensitivity, dear Pisces, even as you use your fine mind to reevaluate your vision of what the future holds. It’s a perfect time to glory in rich sentiments and exult in creative ideas.
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ACROSS
Close ones 5 Group in which Iceland is the only member without an army
“Son of,” in Arabic 52 A founding member of 5-Across
Want 55 Audibly blown away 57 All-you-can-eat venues with elbows and bow ties 58 Guru’s honorific
Extensive
Ready to pour
It may have a down side
Clip component
68 Traveled to another country 69 Cornfield formation 70 Unit associated with waves 71 Places to rest or sleep 72 Skilled climber in the logo of Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park
Starting on
Timberwolves, e.g.
Multinational financial services firm
Ducks, in poker
Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley
2021’s Illinois vs. Penn State football
of
One in a skirmish
Accumulate charges … or what you must do to answer four clues in this puzzle
