As Tucson slowly begins to reopen and our weather – even more slowly – starts to cool down, there are some good things going on I wanted to share with you!
Happenings List: Tucson
Oct 1 / Hotel Congress, Tucson
The historic Hotel Congress, which had to close its doors the last 3 months due to the coronavirus, re-opens October 1st.
- Reopening special $80/night October 1-10. Must call to book.
- Club Congress concerts and Soul Food Wednesdays also resume this week with strict safety measures in place. All events will require masks, limit capacity (first come, first served), and have spaced seating.
- Cup Cafe has expanded patio seating and added a new all-day menu.
Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe Grand Opening
Oct 1 / 8969 E. Tanque Verde Rd, Suite 209, Tucson
Popular piemaker Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe has moved into a brick-and-mortar bakery on the northeast side and is open for business!
Tucson Meet Yourself (TMY) Folklife Festival “Reframed”
Oct 1 – Oct 31 / Tucson
This popular food and arts festival has come up with some creative ways to continue to safely showcase Tucson cultures!
- All month: Live online conversations, demonstrations, and performances with folk artists, musicians, dancers, cooks and others keeping the many cultures and heritages alive in Tucson.
- All month: Online marketplace featuring works for sale by select TMY folk artists.
- Friday evenings: Traditional artists on walls! Video projections on public walls around Tucson of traditional dancers and artisans practicing their crafts.
- 3 weekends: Oct. 10-11, 17-18, + 24-25 from 11am – 5pm. Three Tucson heritage sites will have vendors selling food-to-go and large LED screens showing performances from long-time TMY performers to watch while you wait.
- Oct. 30, 6:30 + 8pm. Renowned Pascua Yaqui performer Gabriel Ayala closes the 2020 festival with an on-screen drive-in concert, following the Yellow Bird Indian Dancers.
Oct 2 – Oct 11 / Tucson
For 10 days, locally-owned restaurants across Tucson offer 3-course prix fixe menus for $25 or $35. Part of the proceeds benefit Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona.
SN: This spring Sonoran Restaurant Week organized “Tucson To Go” to spotlight local eateries offering takeout while dining rooms were closed for the pandemic. We had excellent meals from Reforma and Tito + Pep! (Photos on Travelcraft Journal’s Instagram.)
A Desert Feast: Carolyn Niethammer Book Launch
Oct 17, 9am – 1pm / Mission Garden, Tucson
Book launch party for Carolyn Niethammer’s A Desert Feast: Celebrating Tucson’s Culinary Heritage, which explains the agricultural and culinary history that led to Tucson’s designation as the first “UNESCO City of Gastronomy” in the U.S.
- Other Tucson makers, local food system experts, and representatives from the City of Gastronomy project will be present.
- COVID-19 precautions will be in place, and there is plenty of room in the four-acre garden for social distancing. Please wear a mask.
SN: We saw Carolyn Niethammer give a fantastic cooking demonstration at Mission Garden during the Agave Heritage Festival!
Native Seeds/SEARCH Online Fall Plant Fair
Oct 21 – 27 / Native Seeds/SEARCH Conservation Center (3584 E River Rd), Tucson
Sale of surplus arid-adapted plants grown by non-profit seed conservation organization Native Seeds/SEARCH.
- Online-only sale.
- Pre-order plants (5 plant minimum) for curbside pickup at the NS/S Conservation Center.
Nov 5 – Nov 7 / Tucson Expo Center, Tucson
Expo with sewing, quilting, needlework, and craft supply vendors (both local and national), as well as workshops and presentations.
- Free admission and parking.
- New health safeguards include requiring face coverings, frequently sanitizing high-touch surfaces, and allowing for social distancing with wider aisles and larger vendor booths.
- Look for the show program and coupons 10/26.
SN: We went to the Tucson show last year. While there were fewer vendors than at the Phoenix show, it was much less crowded and less hectic.
Have fun, be safe, and let me know what you’re up to this fall!
