Cheap Thrills

OUT ON THE STREET. Here's a chance to hear one of the most unusual musical groups in Tucson.

The Street Minstrels will appear at the Tucson Farmers' Market on Sunday.

The group is a trio of guitarist Franklin Ross, violinist David Rife and wind instrumentalist Jay Vosk.

The group plays a wide variety of music ranging from Mexican to country, classical, American standards and jazz. It began as a guitar-mandolin duet in 1986, playing mostly Irish classical and traditional music. Eventually it became a trio whose third member plays flute and clarinet.

All three are accomplished musicians. Rife is a violinist for the Tucson Symphony and first violinist for the Tucson Symphony Quartet. Vosk is a composer and arranger, one of whose compositions will be performed at Lincoln Center in New York.

For an earful of these guys, visit the market at St. Philip's Plaza at River and Campbell. The performance begins at 11 a.m. The market's winter hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Twenty or more vendors sell fruits, vegetables, beef and European-style breads. For more information, call Erzsebet or Richard Bruner at 743-8063.

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY. In the 1930s, the federal government and local photographers--including Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Milton Snow and Norman Wallace--created enduring images of Arizona.

Visions in the Dust: Photographing Depression-Era Arizona reveals what life was like in Arizona during the Great Depression. It's a real pick-me-up for those who don't know just how good we've got it.

See and hear what these photographs reveal about Depression-era Arizona during the event from 8:30 p.m. to noon Saturday in the Special Collections area of the UA main library. Free and open to the public, this program was made possible in part by a grant from the Arizona Humanities Council. For more information, call 626-8429.

IT'S ARTS IN THE FAMILY. Art is everywhere, and if you don't believe it, head downtown this weekend.

The Family Arts Festival, dreamed up by Tucson Arts Odyssey, aims to be a multicultural event celebrating the breadth of the arts in the community.

The first-year event promises performances, interactive demonstrations and exhibits by more than 50 of Tucson's cultural groups, arts organizations and educational institutions including Pima Community College, ArtNet, the Tucson/Pima Arts Council and the Tucson Arts District Partnership. Dozens of diverse live performances are planned.

The event, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, is free. The festival takes place at the Tucson Convention Center and La Placita Village, located in the heart of downtown. In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to the TCC Exhibition Hall. For more information, contact tucsonarts@aol.com.