Let us move “Beyond” on January 11, 2014

From the “Beyond: commemorate, celebrate, commit” website:

We committed to be better.
To be better together.

To spend more time with those we love,
and to reach out to those we don’t yet know.

To get outdoors and enjoy nature’s beauty, 
and to fully embrace all that life has to offer.

To push ourselves beyond our normal boundaries,
and to strive for that next peak on the horizon.

We will commemorate those we lost on January 8, 2011, celebrate the spirit of togetherness we felt in the days and months following the tragedy, and recommit ourselves to building a stronger, healthier future.

As this community-wide outdoor festival enters its third year, we will continue our journey BEYOND – towards a fresh set of challenges and new adventures!

Mark your calendars and start the year off right!

Join us on Saturday, January 11, 2014 for a full day of fun, fitness and family. Outdoor activities are planned for every age group and fitness level at multiple venues throughout Southern Arizona.

Dedicate yourself to healthy living and to strengthening the well-being of your community.

See you on January 11, 2014 at BEYOND.

For a list of outdoor, physical activiites to participate in, click here.
Online registration is encouraged. I’m putting on my Beyond Tucson tshirt and joining in on Saturday, January 11, 2014 to remember the six who lost their lives that day, and celebrate our community coming together. The Main Beyond event at from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at Armory Park and Children’s Museum Tucson, on 6th Avenue, south of Broadway.

This afternoon a lively preview of “Mandisa’s Overcomer” flash mob with Uzo dance was performed in El Presidio Park. If you want to learn it, drop by the Main Event on Saturday at 1 p.m. See full schedule below.

Don’t miss Downtown Parade of Lights on Dec. 21

Don’t miss this spectacular parade in its 19th year in downtown Tucson.

More info at: www.downtowntucson.org:

It’s an eclectic, Old Pueblo eccentric glorious mishmash of goofy to serious entries – storm troopers meeting dog groups meeting accordion players meeting high school marching bands meeting church groups. There are local dignitaries in convertibles; car clubs, scooter clubs, motorcycle clubs; dance troupes, mariachi and folklorico groups. All of these various Tucsonans coming together Downtown, dancing and laughing and singing and showing off lights and song and joy and the inner and outer glow of the season’s spirit.

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will light the tree at Armory Park (221 S. 6th Ave.) at 5:45 p.m., just before the 19th Annual Parade of Lights starts at 6:30 p.m.

Tucson Veterans Day Parade 2013

This year the Veterans’ Day parade is on Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2013 at 11 a.m. Check out the parade route on the map, and be there to cheer on the members of the U.S. armed forces, who have served in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. And be there to also pay your respects to the fallen wounded in past wars and conflicts, and for those still active military serving today.

More info at www.tucsonveteransdayparade.org.

And before/after the parade, stop by Armory Park, 221 S. 6th Avenue to view the names of over 400 who died in WWII, at the new WWII memorial. See photos of the dedication ceremony on November 1, 2013 (click here). Here’s a photo of WWII Navy veteran J. Aviles taken by free lance photographer Jon Scanlon that day. Below that is a photo of a WWII woman veteran who assisted with the unveiling of that monument. Her name is Anne Van Auken, Storekeeper 2nd Class (WAVEs) and was also with the U.S. Navy.

And here’s an inspiring Youtube video on a recent reunion of Vietnam Conflict P.O.W.’s (click here).

Dedication of new Tucson WWII Memorial (photos)

WWII memorial before unveiling

Perhaps the most solemn, touching moment yesterday at the dedication of the Tucson WWII Memorial was when “Taps” was played at a moment of silence before an empty chair “representing all those no longer with us” as proclaimed by Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. About 500 people were at this unveiling of the monument at Armory Park (221 S. 6th Avenue) designed by artists Laura Slenning and Rebecca Thompson.

Photos above & below of the dedication by former Tucson birthday free lance photographer Jon Scanlon.

Memorial with Ft. Huachuca Select Honor Color Guard

The creation of this memorial was the hard work by a lot of people most notably Councilmembers Steve Leal and Richard Fimbres of Ward 5, their staff members esp. Melinda Jacobs, the families of the late Gilbert Quintanilla, a U.S. Marine, and Connie Lujan Harris, who had first approached Councilman Leal about erecting such a memorial in Tucson in 2005. More history in my previous post (click here).

Speaking at the dedication were:
– Ward 5 Councilman Fimbres, who spoke of the 8 ½ years it took to build the memorial to “thank & honor those who served & died in WWII.”
– Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who read the City of Tucson’s proclamation, with “the highest respect and admiration for those who served in WWII”, who showed “indomitable spirit and fortitude”. His lawyer father is a WWII Veteran.
– CD 2 Congressman Ron Barber, who said their “WWII service will never be forgotten”, as the son of a WWII U.S. Army Air Corps veteran. He spoke of the impact of losing 400 Tucsonans whose names are on the memorial, from a much smaller Tucson community of only 40,000 at the end of WWII.
– D 2 Supervisor Ramon Valadez, who read Pima County Board of Supervisors’ proclamation.
– City Manager Richard Miranda, the son/son-in-law of WWII Veterans, who spoke of keeping their “sacrifice and commitment in our hearts”.
– former Ward 5 Councilmember Steve Leal, who reiterated Gilbert & Connie’s dream and perseverance, that the “soul of Tucson harnesses itself to what needs to be done” in the building of this memorial. His father and uncles served in WWII.
– former House Rep. Phil Lopes, who explained how he fought to get $100,000 from the State budget.
– former Mayor George Miller, a U.S. Marine in WWII, now age 91 who jokingly spoke of when he was younger about how they laughed of the old “guys left from the Civil War”, and that now he was one of the old guys left from WWII.Mayor Miller spoke of “3 important wars – the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and WWII, which “ended facism in Europe and the Pacific.” He also reminisced about a friend of his (nearly blind in one eye) who served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII and died in battle.

Former Mayor George Miller, US Marine Corps WWII veteran

– D 5 Supervisor Richard Elias, spoke of “honoring all who served”, and whose cousin Henry A. Elias is one of the names on the memorial.
– Matthew Sample and Kellianne Candelaria, grandson and daughter respectively of Gilbert and Connie, who both thanked everyone present for making their family’s dream a reality in such a collaborative effort.

Connie Lujan Harris’ daughter Kellianne Candelaria and Gilbert Quintanilla’s grandson Matthew Sample (L-R)

Diocese of Tucson Bishop Gerald Kicanas spoke of the “blessings of peace, and eternal peace for those who died” in WWII, after the unveiling of the memorial. Jerry Carlyle, Vice Chair of San Xavier District of Tohono O’odham Nation also solemnly performed a Native American blessing.

WWII memorial unveiled with names of over 400 Tucsonans who died in battle

Memorial unveiled with some WWII veterans who assisted with the unveiling

Many other politicians/officials were present today: State Senators David Bradley, Steve Farley, Olivia Cajero Bedford; State Reps. Ethan Orr, Andrea Dalessandro, Macario Saldate, Bruce Wheeler; Tucson Councilmembers Shirley Scott, Regina Romero, and Karin Uhlich, representatives from Councilman Paul Cunningham’s and CD 3 Congressman Raul Grijalva’s offices;former State Senator Victor Soltero, former House Rep. Ted Vogt, now State Director of Veteran Services; Don Jorgensen, Chair of the Pima County Democratic Party, and CD 2 House candidate Col. Martha McSally.

The compass design on the memorial’s east side represents “that Tucsonans left home to fight in every corner of the world” according to Councilman Fimbres (see photo below). The actual wording is “The compass at the heart of this Memorial is a reminder that this war was fought from every direction across the globe”.

compass on the WWII memorial’s east side

farewell to fallen comrades

WWII memorial with most of the WWII veterans in attendance at the dedication on November 1, 2013

Tear Down the Walls Nov. 1 to 3

Tear Down the Walls National Gathering will bring multiple movements together to strategize and network on how to build a more unifed, powerful movement for transformational change in the U.S.

This will be the largest gathering of those working for social and economic justice in the U.S. in 2013.

Tear Them Down:
Wall Street
Walls of Sexism
Walls of Citizenship
Militarized Border Walls
Apartheid Walls in Palestine
Walls of Racism
Walls to Housing
Walls to Education
Walls of Oppression
Walls of Homophobia

Sponsored by Alliance for Global Justice, www.AFGJ.org. Go online to register and check on the workshop topics. Alliance for Global Justice Headquarters 225 E. 26th St., Suite 1 Tucson, AZ 85713; 202-540-8336; info@afgj.org. More info at www.teardownthewalls.org.

Daily schedules at Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave.

November 1
registration 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
workshops/ceremonies 12 noon to 10 p.m.

November 2
registration 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
breakfast at Armory Park, 220 S. 5th Ave. at 7 a.m.
workshops/ceremonies 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

November 3
breakfast at Armory Park
workshops/ceremonies 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Alliance for Global Justice’s mission statement:

It is the mission of the Alliance for Global Justice to achieve social change and economic justice by helping to build a stronger more unified grassroots movement. We recognize that the concentration of wealth and power is the root cause of oppression requiring us to work together across ideologies, issues and communities. The Alliance nurtures organizations seeking fundamental change in international and national conditions that disempower people, create disparities in access to wealth and power, poison the earth, and plunder its resources.

We support locally-based grassroots organizing by sharing political analysis, mobilizing for direct action, monitoring the centers of corporate and government power, expanding channels of communication, and sharing skills and infrastructure. Our commitment to solidarity and to non-hierarchical democratic process enables us to respectfully listen and respond to each other within the movement.

Tucson Commemoration of 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

This historic march of 200,000 people in Washington, D.C. lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Participate in this commemoration with the Tucson community on August 28, and continue to work for civil rights and economic justice for all.

Press release from AZPM (Arizona Public Media) about upcoming shows for this commemoration:

On PBS Channel 6, Tuesday, August 27:
“In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the
Civil Rights Movement” at 9 p.m.
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, PBS 6 will present an encore broadcast of “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement.” This special program features songs from the Civil Rights Movement as well as readings from famous Civil Rights speeches and writings. Guest artists include Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir. Guest speakers are Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah.

“The March” at 10 p.m.
This special film reveals the dramatic story behind the event through the remembrances of key players such as Jack O’Dell, Clarence B. Jones, Julian Bond and Andrew Young. Supporters and other testimonials of the March include Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte and Diahann Carroll. Additional interviewees include Roger Mudd, the CBS anchorman who reported from the March, Clayborne Carson, founding director of Stanford’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute and a participant in the March, and Oprah Winfrey, whose life was transformed by watching the March on television along with millions of other Americans. Also featured are the remembrances of ordinary citizens who joined some 250,000 Americans who thronged to the capital on that momentous day to peacefully demand an end to two centuries of discrimination and injustice.

The UA Channel will broadcast the following specials during the week of the anniversary:

“Building the Dream” – Monday, August 26 at 8 p.m.
Building the Dream offers unique insight into the challenges faced – and overcome – in the twenty-seven year effort to create a national memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. Interviews with Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, Andrew Young, John Lewis, John Warner, Connie Morella, John Sarbanes, King family members, and others tell the story of the Memorial from conception to completion. Building the Dream recounts the origins of a bold idea for an MLK Memorial which originated at a small, informal gathering of King’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers in 1983. Alpha Phi Alpha takes up the cause, eventually creating the MLK Memorial Foundation to broaden the effort including corporate and private partners in the cause.

American Masters: “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket,” Tuesday, August 27 at 8 p.m.
The life, works and beliefs of the late writer and civil rights activist are recounted: what it is to be born black, impoverished, gifted, and gay in a world that has yet to understand that “all men are brothers.” James Baldwin tells his own story in this emotional portrait. His close friends and colleagues — even critics — illuminate the narrative, among them writers Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka and William Styron, plus entertainer Bobby Short.

“The March,” Wednesday, August 28 at 8 p.m. (see description above)

Independent Lens: “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights”,
Thursday, August 29 at 8 p.m.
This documentary follows Whitney Young as he shuttles between the streets of Harlem and the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, tying the needs of Main Street to the interests of Wall Street. The film shows the pivotal events of the civil rights era — Brown vs. Board of Education, the March on Washington, and the Vietnam War — through the eyes of a man striving to change the established powers in a way no one else could: from within.

Live from Lincoln Center: “Audra McDonald in Concert: Go Back Home,”
Friday, August 30 at 8 p.m.
Join five-time Tony Award-winner and series host Audra McDonald as she takes a turn as the featured performer, singing songs from her new album and other favorites in a special spring concert at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.

Car free Cyclovia Tucson in downtown on April 7

Cyclovia Tucson is now in it’s fourth year and is a free, family friendly event for bicyclists, skateboarders, skaters, joggers, walkers, etc. who follow the street maps along the route which is closed to traffic. (We bicycled one of these earlier routes near the University of Arizona, and it is lots of fun, with activities along the way, such as arts & crafts, exhibits, puppet shows, demonstrations freebies, etc.)

Here’s the specifics below for the April 7 Cyclovia, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. It’s being advertised as “car free, and care-free”.

The North End
(Armory Park & Tucson Children’s Museum)
Axé Capoeira Tucson
BICAS Bike Rental
Jumping Castle by Cox
Safford K-8 Magnet School Band

The East Side
(Santa Rita Park & Restaurant Row)
Interactive Games by Pima County
Giant Chess Set
The Pima County Book Bike

The South End
(Arizona Children’s Association & Mission View Elementary School)
DJ Javi
Mission View Chill Zone

The West Side
Santa Rosa Park
Fur and Flower
Your Bike Station by El Grupo
Free Bike Helmets for Kids (while supplies last)
Kids’ Bicycle Obstacle Course
Pima County Loop Information
Bicycle Commuting & Safety Info

Ochoa Elementary School
Literacy Station
Dance Movement Station
Arts and Crafts Station by U of A Early Childhood Learning Center

En Route Activities:

(Near 4th Ave and 24th St)

– TriSports Activity Van: basketball hoops, FREE water bottles!!!
– Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicylist: bicycle-plate decorating, bicycle prizes, guided rides
– Sun Tran “bike-on-the-bus” demo
– REI

And save the date for the 2nd Cyclovia Tucson event this year on April 28, also 10 to 3 p.m. in North and Central Tucson. Click here for route.

“Cyclovia Tucson is a project of Living Streets Alliance, a local non-profit organization whose mission is to promote healthy communities by empowering people to transform our streets into vibrant places for walking, bicycling, socializing, and play. Living Streets Alliance is improving access to alternative modes of transportation in the region through outreach, education, advocacy and research”.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival on St. Patrick’s Day this year

St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival of Tucson

Sunday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day)

Armory Park, 10 AM
Downtown (SE corner of E. 12th Street and S. 6th Avenue, south of Broadway)

A St Patrick’s Day Event

Sunday, March 17, downtown Tucson will come alive with Celtic tradition as the 26th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival brings the Irish spirit to Tucson!​

​​​The St. Patrick’s Day Festival opens at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, March 17 at Armory Park (Military Plaza) on S. 6th Ave, in Downtown, with live Irish music, dancers, entertainment, a children’s game area, and food and merchandise vendors. Irish organizations, ethnic and cultural tables will be set up in the park as well. Festival Schedule TBA.​

​​The one hour Parade will begin at 11:00 A.M. at Pennington & Stone Avenue, making its way through Downtown – around the Presidio – down Main – through the heart of Tucson. ​

​This years Grand Marshal will be Jim Critchley, Tucson Fire Chief.​

​The 2013 parade will feature marchers including floats, military units, local dignitaries, media and entertainment personalities and civic, cultural and social groups. The Tucson parade has a 26-year history and provides a good time for the entire family!

This year this parade/festival is on March 17, 2013 – St. Patrick’s Day. In the past it has been held on a Sunday in March, but not always on March 17, due to scheduling and calendar dates.

Having been “adopted” by an Irish Catholic family of Connecticut while in law school, I learned to bake Irish soda bread and enjoy “all things Irish” excluding Irish whiskey. My husband and I even honeymooned in Ireland, so I have been going to this festival & parade for years now. And I do believe in leprechauns, and the luck of the Irish.

And if you crave corned beef & cabbage & can’t find it at the festival, walk on over a few blocks to new Playground restaurant, which is having an all you can eat offer starting at 11 a.m. at 278 E. Congress, SW corner of E. Congress St. and N. 5th Avenue. Only $5 with a wristband, what a deal for lots of delicious corned beef & cabbage. They’re open to 2 a.m. on Sundays.

UPDATE: change in parade route to Start at E. 16th St. x Stone, north to Ochoa, then east via Scott Ave. to Armory Park. See comment below for link to new map of parade route.

More than 1000 participate in Ride On, Tucson! with actor Patrick Dempsey

News release about the Ride On, Tucson! event that drew more than 1,000 kids and adults on bikes and on foot to Armory Park today.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey and top American pro cyclist Tom Danielson led cyclists on a 2.2-mile loop closed to traffic that extended from Jackson Street to 19th Street and included South Fifth and South Meyer avenues.

The event will be featured in Bicycling Magazine’s next issue.

Patrick Dempsey and Tom Danielson, courtesy of Pima County Communications

My previous blog post announcing this bicycling event (click here).

Ride on, Tucson!, courtesy of Pima County Communications

Actor Patrick Dempsey to bicycle in “Ride on,Tucson!” event on January 20

Visit Tucson and Pima County News have posted this exciting event already, but here’s another repeat story for those of you who haven’t heard that Patrick Dempsey is coming back to Tucson:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/visit-tucson/2013/01/18/ride-on-tucson/

Press release from Pima County:

Patrick Dempsey, photo by John Shearer/Getty Images

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey and top American pro cyclist Tom Danielson will host a bike party in Armory Park on Sunday, January 20, 1 – 4 p.m. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and Board of Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez will kick off the event and join this community ride for people of all ages and abilities.

“Patrick and I really like the community aspect of bike riding,” says Danielson. “And we wanted to get everyone out for a bike ride. It doesn’t matter if they’re riding an old bike or a new one, we just want people to have fun on their bikes.” Danielson rides for the Garmin-Sharp pro cycling team and prepares for his race season by training in Tucson in the winter.

The Ride on, Tucson! route will be closed to vehicle traffic so everyone can enjoy a leisurely ride around one of Tucson’s oldest neighborhoods. Armory Park will host music, including Jovert, Tucson High Magnet School’s steel drum band, and the Determined Luddites. Other festivities will take place throughout the afternoon. Bicyclists can ride the 2.2-mile route multiple times, meet some new bicycling friends, and pick up event posters signed by Dempsey and Danielson.

Pima County Bike Ambassadors will help keep bicyclists moving in the right direction along the route and provide information about bike safety and other great places to ride in Pima County. Mechanics will be on hand to fix flat tires and do other minor repairs.

Bicycling Magazine will visit Tucson for the event as well. Editor-in-chief Peter Flax will arrive a few days early to ride on The Loop shared use path. He will also tour other bike infrastructure in Tucson like the Rattlesnake Bridge and bike boulevards.

“It’s a great way for us to showcase The Loop to the over 400,000 people who read Bicycling Magazine,” says Huckelberry. “Pima County and Tucson can promote our region as a bicycling destination and showcase the economic development potential of The Loop.”

Like Danielson, Patrick Dempsey also has a connection to Tucson. As a teenager, he starred in the 1987 movie, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” that was filmed here. He enjoyed his time in the city then and looks forward to the ride. In a recent video interview with Bicycling Magazine, Dempsey talked about encouraging kids to ride: “Think about when you were a kid, you had the opportunity to go somewhere, the bike gave you freedom. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”

Helmets are required for Ride on, Tucson! Event participants may be featured in upcoming Bicycling Magazine videos and articles. For Ride on, Tucson! information, go to: http://www.20-20cycling.com/ride-on-tucson/

For more information about The Loop, the bike and pedestrian paths being developed along the Rillito, Santa Cruz and Pantano rivers and on Julian Wash and Harrison Road greenways, visit http://www.pima.gov/theloop/

For info contact: Mary Reynolds, Communications Coordinator
520-724-3738, Mary.Reynolds@pima.gov

I rented that Tucson movie “Can’t Buy Me Love” a few years ago, and it’s worth seeing esp. the very young, cute Patrick Dempsey, way before he became an actor portraying a doctor on “Grey’s Anatomy”. And check out the movie scenes at Tucson High School. Please join in with this healthy, community event for a 2.2 mile ride around downtown Tucson. See the route map below starting at Armory Park, down south to E. 19th St., then back up to Jackson Street.