City Week

The Rose Knows

It's well known that a gift of roses can usually turn a haughty fool into a mush. But it's not well known that roses can be used as tools for psychic predications and spiritual enhancement.

Incredulous? Moderately confused? Allow a group of local psychics to answer your questions.

During the Church of Mankind's Mini Psychic Fair, attendees will have the option of consulting rose petals for a psychic reading. Readings through rose petals are done by placing the petals in a crystal dish, topping them with glitter, and voila!--an answer appears. According to Kim Pflueger, minister for the Church of Mankind for 22 years, a variety of results can occur, and "sometimes the glitter will spell out names."

If rose petal readings are not your thing, try a bit of psychometry. Psycho what? Psychometry involves the interpretations of vibrations emitted from particular personal objects such as watches, pieces of jewelry or other ornaments. These vibrations supposedly reveal intimate details and aid in personal spiritual development.

Abstract art, another selection, has the same spiritual function as both rose petals and psychometry. In order to receive answers to spiritual questions, the art is touched and prayed over.

Of course, you can always stick with the classics: Tarot cards, crystal balls and spiritual 1-on-1 are also available.

For those who are seeking spiritual guidance, and for those who still remain unsure about what they desire, Pflueger says that "we give them what they want."

All are welcome to meet with these psychic mediums, but teenagers who want to attend should come with a parent or guardian. Each reading will cost $15 or $40 for a combination of any three. But remember to not steal that money. These homegrown psychics may just know that you did. --B.P.

Young Dudes With Guitars

Have you ever had the urge to dance down the aisles while grocery shopping? If you head out to the 17th Street Market this Saturday, you might just find yourself gettin' down among the balsamic vinegar and lima beans.

The 17th Street Market, which calls itself a "United Nations for Foodies," will be hosting flamenco-rock fusion band Tesoro on Saturday.

The market has live performances each Saturday, and according to Bonnie Brooks, media director for the market, Tesoro fits in perfectly.

"Tesoro crosses over to all cultures and all ages, from the very young to the very old," Brooks said. "They really add to the fun, family atmosphere of shopping at the market."

Tesoro is a local band that was started in 2000 by Salpointe High School classmates who shared an interest in guitar. The two started jamming together, picking up elements from one another's musical influences. From there, they added three members to round out their musical vision.

"We try to keep a world flavor going here at the market, and we hope to add to the flavor of the community with events like these," Brooks said.

The 17th Street Market is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and Tesoro will be playing from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. --E.R.

Another Use for Fish Wrappers

For those bold and brave youngsters who aspire to build their own newspaper empires, the opportunity has arrived.

Children and their families can visit the Tucson Children's Museum's "Zoom Zone"--a room inspired by the PBS educational series Zoom--to build self-designed newspaper towers for the "Yesterday's News, Today's Towers" activity. There is no specific way that a newspaper tower should be built. Towers may take any shape or form, and must be constructed without the assistance of tape or glue. All completed towers must remain standing for a minimum of 30 seconds and will be measured for their height.

Although not a competition, the towers that remain standing beyond the 30 required seconds may remain on display in the "Zoom Zone" room after the activity has drawn to a close.

Peggy Solís, director of public relations and marketing for the museum, said the goal of the project is to encourage kids to think creatively, challenge themselves and have fun. Building newspaper towers "gets you thinking," said Solís. "It's engineering in its simplest form."

For this creative exercise, children are asked to not bring anything other than themselves, their excitement and their brains. "They have to provide their imagination," said Solís. Newspapers are provided by the museum. Parents are also encouraged to put their innovative skills to the test in the building of these towers.

The newspaper tower building begins at 11:30 a.m. and is expected to continue for up to one hour.

Other museum events include "Make-A-Monkey," which will begin at 2:30 p.m., Monday, June 19, through Sunday, June 25.

Children must be supervised by an adult. Admission is $3.50 for children ages 2 through 16; $5.50 for adults; and $4.50 for seniors. --B.P.

A Slice of Local Life

With so many gated communities and new houses blending together, it can be difficult to find a sense of character among Tucson's neighborhoods. Through photos and stories, local high school students are offering a rare glimpse of life in one of Tucson's old neighborhoods.

The project, which was part of a class at City High School, highlights the West Branch and will be on display at the University of Arizona through June.

"The school's focus is on community involvement, and we are just really excited to be able to display that involvement to the public," said Shelbye Reese of the UA Center for Student Involvement and Leadership.

City High School, a downtown charter school, requires its students to participate in one of several classes called "city works." The class that created this exhibit partnered with several local organizations to learn about and take part in activities along the West Branch.

"The exhibit is great, because it goes beyond the typical stuff," Reese said. "There's a section on roping and ranching, and one on water conservation. Plus, the viewer gets to peek into the residents' lives a bit."

The exhibit is designed to inform viewers about the history and current status of the area, and the students hope that the exhibit will encourage more people to become involved in restoring the area.

So if the rows of track homes get to be a bit monotonous, go check out a slice of local life on display at the student union. Admission is free and open to the public. --E.R.