City Week

Thursday 22

GET CLUBBED. It doesn't take a meteorologist to tell you the coolest hours to get out on the town are after that demon sun has called it a day. And while everyone is laying low in the summer heat, the Cool Mix DJs have been working overtime to come up with the alternative dance mixes that'll keep you up all night and sleeping late into the next morning. Tonight and every Thursday is the night to boogie-down midtown at Club DV8 (5851 E. Speedway). DJ Phantom and Alex Ruiz spin the 18-and-over dance party into a frenzy at this casual, easterly nightclub. Cover is less than $5 (I.D. required), and if the drinks were any cheaper they'd be giving them away. You can't have a party without a crowd, so check out the action after 9 p.m. Call 885-3030 for details.

Friday 23

FRECKLED PHENOM. She "freckles" her town upside down, kicks a few bully butts, discombobulates bureaucrats, creates hysterics in high society, and even does her bit for intergalactic peace.

Who could she be? Why, none other than Pippsi Longknickers, of course. And the ornery freckled one takes center stage in Close Encounters of the Sound Bite Aliens, a theatrical performance featuring a slew of local actors.

Show time is 7:30 p.m. in the Red Barn Theater, 948 N. Main Ave. Performances continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through August 14. Tickets are $3.50. For reservations and other information, call 622-6973.

FLAMENCO FLAMB.... Guitar beefcake Jesse Cook brings his spicy recipe for nouveau flamenco to Tucson tonight. Cook is quickly climbing to the top of the rumba heap, with a vibrant blend of Latin, Afro-Cuban and world-beat music that's drawing fans from across the globe.

Born in Paris and raised in the south of France and Spain, his planetary perspective is certainly well-traveled. He also totes a strong classical background, with training at Canada's prestigious El Kassner Guitar Academy, Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, and the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He followed with hands-on work under Andalusian guitar masters in Cordoba, Granada and Madrid.

The result is a stunning, unique sound. "I'm experimenting with rumba flamenco, introducing it to different musical traditions," he says. "My goal is to make these unions sound so organic that they're familiar, as if a lost folk tradition were rediscovered."

Show time is 8 p.m. in the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $16 and $18, and available at the Temple box office, Hear's Music, or by calling 622-2823.

Saturday 24

RUBY ROCK. She's practically immortal at KXCI, where as longtime host of Ruby's Roadhouse, DJ Carol Anderson has spent eons turning on Tucson to rollicking honky-tonk and ornery rhythm and blues.

But even airwave doyennes have their days. Ruby's came a couple months back, when she took a tumble that left her ankle in shambles. Now toting enough skeletal hardware to fill Home Depot, she's still trying to get back on her feet. Unfortunately, like so many of us in the land of space-age medicine, she doesn't have insurance to pay the bills. Enter a few musical pals, who put together a little gig to get Ruby up and running. The result is Rockin' for Ruby, a powerhouse showcase featuring the likes of Elise Grecco, The Sandrockets, High Lonesome, John Coinman, the Titan Valley Warheads, Black Leather Zydeco and The Conrads.

Show time is 7 p.m. in the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St. Donations will be accepted at the door. For details, call 323-6516.

DEEP THOUGHTS. Catch a glimpse of the "old" Old Pueblo when the Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society hosts a tour of Tucson's original Presidio wall.

For several years now, researchers have been poking around our city's buried innards in the downtown area, uncovering a wall that protected early settlers from those who didn't particularly welcome their arrival. Built by the Spanish, the structure remained in place for decades, and remnants still exist today.

Today, society members will lead this mission to unlocking the past, presented as part of the Tucson Origins Project. The tour begins at 8 a.m. in the courtyard east of the Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave. Cost is $10, or $5 for society members. For information, call 298-5167.

ARACHNOTOPIA. You say spiders ain't your multi-legged cup o' tea? Perhaps it's time to give the agile crawlies another chance when the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum presents Spiders! Yikes!

This "Sonoran Study Mini-Class" will teach you about spiders' amazing adaptations for hunting and capturing their prey, escaping from other predators, protecting their egg sacks and building unique homes. Not to mention that a few of them are downright handsome, covering a multitude of colors, patterns, sizes and shapes.

The class runs from 3 to 6 p.m. at the ASDM, 2021 E. Kinney Road. Cost is $25, or $22.50 for museum members. Reservations are required. For reservations and other information, call 883-3022.

Sunday 25

WHAT A HOOT. Those voluptuous Hooters gals strut their stuff for charity tonight in a face-off against the Tucson firefighters, in a fundraising Battle of the Sexes benefiting Community Cruisers.

Cruisers is a non-profit, educationally based recreational outing program for folks with special needs. The girls'll fight the firemen to see who can arouse the most, er, generosity, in a variety of arenas including "best body," "ugliest car" and the climactic tug-o'-war contest. Event includes raffles, prizes and plenty of giveaways.

Doors open at noon at The New West, 4385 W. Ina Road, and admission is free. For details, call 770-0511.

WAY TO BE. Feng Shui is an ancient way of arranging one's environment, particularly home interiors, in a way that provides for the best flow of energy and thoughtfulness. And believe us, it involves a little more than tucking away your TV trays and clearing People magazine off the coffee table. Learn the ins and outs of this artful organizing technique in a workshop with Deanna Chowka.

The class runs from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Cactus Flower Wellness Center, 5813 N. Oracle Road. Cost is $45. For details, call 293-3751.

TINY TALES. Learn how to enthrall your tike at Tellers of Tales' Storytelling for Children program.

These masterful tall-talers, led by Sheila Pattison, teach effective ways for telling stories to kids from kindergarten through sixth grade. The event starts at 3 p.m. in the Ada Pierce McCormick Building, 1401 E. First St. Admission is $5, with free admission for Tellers of Tales members. For details, call 326-8966.

Monday 26

SANCTUARY STROLL. The Damesrocket Theatre Company continues its new-play reading series with Elaine Romero's Walking Home.

The Tucson playwright's "beautiful, evocative" language is fully realized in this work about a contemporary Chicana's encounter with mythical figures from her culture, following the theme of coming home to one's authentic self.

Reading begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Damesrocket Theatre, 125 E. Congress St. Admission is $3, and includes a reception. For details, call 623-7852.

GLOBAL GREETINGS. This summer, a group of women from Kazakhstan arrived in Tucson to observe the activities of our local female activists. With help from groups like the League of Women Voters and the Arizona Women's Political Caucus, they're gaining skills that can be transferred to Kazakhstan's political arena.

Long-time political shaker Sharon Hekman will highlight their visit at a gathering entitled Tucson Meets the World: Tucson Women and the Women of Kazakhstan -- An Update. The event is hosted by the United Nations Association of Southern Arizona.

Tucson Meets the World is 11:30 a.m. in the El Parador Restaurant, 2744 E. Broadway. Admission is $12. For reservations, call 881-7060.

Tuesday 27

MONSOON MUSE. In these steamy days of swashbuckling meteorology, it's nice to know that a few souls are turning humidity into art. That's just what the folks of Raices/Taller 222 Gallery are up to with their group exhibition, Monsoon.

The goal is to portray the constantly fleeting elements of flash storms and sudden heat -- an idea born out of a stormy meeting among the artists, according to gallery spokeswoman Baudelina Amezcua: "After cursing about the season for a while," she says they decided to put their talents where their mouths are. "It appeared that we all felt the same about the season -- we love it and hate it. It's our personal relationships to the monsoon season that will comprise the exhibition."

In addition to Raices/Taller regulars, the show includes guest artists Turner Davis, Ned Gray, Bruce McGrew and George Welch.

Monsoon runs through August 28 in the Raices/Taller 222 Gallery, 222 E. Sixth St. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and during Downtown Saturday Night. For information, call 792-9619.

Wednesday 28

BATTER UP. Great baseball action gets underway tonight when our own Tucson Sidewinders kick some Midwestern bootie, this time against the Iowa Cubs.

Now the Cubs may or may not be weenies. But you can sink your teeth into some real meat either way since it's hot-dog night, with little sizzlers going for a mere 25 cents.

Game time is 7 p.m. at the Tucson Electric Park, 2500 E. Ajo Way. Tickets are $4, $3 for kids ages 6 to 16, and free for children age 5 and under. The series against the Cubs continues through Friday, July 30. For details, call 434-1021.

FRONTIER FINESSE. It was turning out to be a long, hot summer. Sound familiar? It is, except that the year is 1881, and Elizabeth Fremont is a society gal in the rough-and-tumble town of Tucson.

She's been dispatched here by the territorial governor, who just happens to be her father, Gen. John Charles Fremont. The general wants his gentle, reserved, and rather Victorian daughter to keep an eye on things down south.

It's all a bit tough on Elizabeth, who duly records her sultry summer experience in journals. Those dog days are relived by Fremontophile Sybil Needham, who captures Elizabeth's spirit by wearing attire of the period. Her presentation is part of the Arizona Historical Society's Living Arizona History lecture series.

The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. in the AHS, 949 E. Second St. Admission is $6, $5 for society members, and $3 for students. For information, call 628-5774.