Prepare to raise a glass (or a few) and celebrate the culinary spirit of Southern Arizona, the World Margarita Championship returns to Tucson next month.

THEATER

In the 22 years since Kimi Eisele came to Tucson to get a master’s in geography from the University of Arizona, she’s accomplished more than most of us do in a lifetime. 

Pinball was originally outlawed in the ’30s and ’40s because it was viewed as an “illegal game of chance” no different than gambling. It wasn’t until the ’70s, when pinball aficionados testified it was a game of skill, that the ban began to lift across the country. 

When Chef David Solorzano bought tickets to Guadalajara, he almost didn’t come back. 

Tucson is such a literary city it manages to surprise both the authors and the hopefuls. While many locals may be surprised to know the Pima County Public Library hosts a “Writer in Residence” program, it is the writers in residence themselves who are surprised by the writing talent of those…

Long before musicians recorded in Tucson, the dust was here. But ever since locals began fusing folk, mariachi, rock and tejano music onto tapes and vinyl records, that same dust has had the chance to (quite literally) become part of the music. 

The Sonoran Desert’s yearly monsoons lost the race into Tucson by a different kind of monsoon: those on the Joe Pagac’s largest mural yet. Pagac, a local muralist known for his massive artworks all throughout downtown Tucson, is nearing completion on a new mural at the corner of Grant and Ca…

If you’ve read this column for the past few years, you know that some of my fellow food writers and I get together each spring for the Tucson Food Media Barbecue Throwdown.

In a city of many talented cuisiniers, there can be only one Iron Chef. The competition heats up at Casino Del Sol for a night of fire and fury as Chef Wendy Gauthier attempts to knock standing champion Chef Brian Smith from the throne. 

Prepare your palate, Oro Valley. Tacos are coming.

By the end of July, The Loft Cinema will boast a new marquee, though the updates may actually look old to longtime residents. With the new “Light Up the Loft” fundraising campaign, The Loft Cinema plans to restore their marquee to its former, taller size, while still maintaining a retro aesthetic. 

Burritos are amazing. That is general knowledge. But is it possible to improve a burrito? How about making it enormous, and wrapping it in bacon? Could it possibly get any better? Make it one of over 20 different dishes available at a festival celebrating all things Mexican food, and it’s su…

Meet Tseng Kwong Chi, world traveler. 

While Christopher Rodarte’s students at Sam Hughes Elementary know him as Mr. Rodarte, on paper he is simply “Rodarte,” a man with a love of spookiness who grew up with the story of La Llorona.

Captain’s Log, Star Date 22.63: The crew of the Spaceship Excelsior is traveling through the outer asteroid belt of the Forbidden Zone, a hostile sector of space that’s long been the site of a brutal war between the intergalactic civilizations of Mylanta and Zantac.

While it’s true the Greater Tucson Metro Area is full of great hiking trails, plenty of shopping and a burgeoning downtown scene, there’s plenty of adventures to be had across Arizona.

They had their spot in the stairwell. They were Chicano kids—Mexican Americans—growing up in Tucson in the 1950s. They were The Chasers. You either were, or were not, a Chaser. 

When I walked into Maru Japanese Noodle Shop, I was immediately greeted by a familiar face: Yoshimi Tashima, owner of the long-standing midtown sushi staple Yoshimatsu, who told me this was a new venture strictly focused on Japanese-style noodles. 

Ballet Tucson recently announced its 2019-2020 season, which includes a steampunk version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a celebration of Dave Brubeck and brand new ballets by local artists.

There was great wisdom in the prescription by Greek physician Hippocrates when he said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Though he spoke these words thousands of years ago, their relevance remains at the newest restaurant to come from the Flores Concepts family, Charrovida.

With Memorial Day behind us, summer has officially started in Tucson and the temperatures are ramping up. Humans are not the only ones who prefer the cooler temperatures of the evenings during these hot months, and the animals at Reid Park Zoo are ready to show off their super powers at Summ…

Fusing elements of soul, funk and pop, Tucson’s recent favorite hard-to-classify band are putting the finishing touches on their debut album. Miss Olivia and The Interlopers have been recording in WaveLab Studios over the past seven months, and expect their new album, Little Stories, to be f…

Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik watched his mother Marian make a lot of sacrifices. A single mom, she toiled away in a nursing job to ensure Steve and his brother Pete had what they needed as kids.

The walls of the Raices Taller 222 Art Gallery & Workshop are covered in art that’s colorful, personal, silly, serious, textured, symbolic and beautiful. It spills off the walls in the form of sculptures and metal work. There’s a painting of a donut, some fiber work of grocery carts sitt…

Whoever issued the decree that the first Saturday in June shall be National Bubbly Day forevermore obviously spent some time in Southern Arizona.

After six years of research that sent Kate Stewart trekking around the globe, the local author’s first biography offers a dazzling view into the life of a librarian who refused to walk the line. 

The Gaslight Music Hall is bringing Oro Valley three decades worth of music this summer with their Golden Oldies Rock & Roll Revue, a production series celebrating the music of the 50s, 60s and 70s. For every Thursday throughout the summer months, the Gaslight Music Hall will erupt into …

Do you have a talent you’d like to show off and win $1000 in the process?

Shortly after the Tucson massacre of January 8, 2011, an unknown mourner planted six crosses across the street from the Safeway parking where 19 people were shot.   

Arizona filmmaker Travis Mills is on a mission to make 12 feature-length westerns in 12 months, and local thespians are invited to audition for roles in productions filming in Southern Arizona.

In 1744, that old contrarian Mary used silver bells and cockle shells to make her garden grow. Some 275 years later, it’s Chef Ken Harvey who’s transposing that cadence to aquaponics and hydroponics for gardening success.

In this heartbreakingly funny play by Andrew Bovell, we watch as members of the Price family struggle to make room for their true selves within their predetermined family roles.

A fascinating new documentary film from Netflix flaunts the thirty-something generation’s lust for social media clout and the completely blind followership that often ensues. At the pinnacle of this networking magic trick is American rapper Ja Rule and an unbeknownst con-man Billy McFarland,…

Elisabeth Kinghorn, a senior at Ironwood Ridge High School, found a singing voice she never knew she had. Her piano teacher had her sing for a recital and just a few years later, she won the Schmidt Vocal Competition. 

Oh, how prophetic a breakfast dish can be.

The first indication that “Avengers: Endgame” is an iconic cinematic masterpiece was finding myself having to park at the mall in spots that only see cars the day after Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas. With a $1.2 billion global box office total and $350 domestic take between last…

Drive through any Tucson neighborhood, and you’ll quickly see that the sword-shaped leaves of century plants are among the most common greenery to adorn the front yards of homes and businesses in the Old Pueblo. Their lovely, fragrant blossoms perched high on enormous flower stalks attract b…

It’s going to be a musical spring if Tucson Premium Outlets and the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance have anything to say about it. Regular collaborators, the two organizations last week announced the lineup of a weekly music event in Marana.

One of Netflix’s most recent original movies depicts a parent’s worst nightmare: a daughter’s life-threatening struggle for survival following a horrific accident. The film “Walk. Ride. Rodeo.” encapsulates the true-life story battle of 19-year-old, nationally-ranked rodeo barrel racer Amber…

Art finds many homes in Southern Arizona, including some unlikely ones like Roche Tissue Diagnostics in Oro Valley.

The first guitar Mdou Moctar ever played was made from pieces of wood and the brakes of a bicycle.  Now, he travels the world performing his psychedelic tunes. 

Capturing the same high school romantic comedy magic found in 1980s hits “Sixteen Candles” and “Pretty in Pink,” this newest Netflix original movie focuses on difficult high school relationships. Two teens unbelievably perplexed at one another finally understand their perfect love chemistry …

The 1800s brought many influential things to Germany: Adolf Hitler, Nietzsche, The Brothers Grimm and the infinite creep factor of “Der Struwwelpeter.” This is the backdrop for Arizona Repertory Theatre’s season finale, Spring Awakening.

Tickets are on sale now for “The Fantasticks,” the Oro Valley Theatre Company’s spring musical, presented April 25, 26 and 28 at The Gaslight Music Hall in Oro Valley.

Fresh from a Peace Corps tour in poverty-stricken Jamaica in the late sixties, photographer Bill Owens landed a newspaper job in Livermore, California. 

The year is 1987: big hair is in, Swatch watches are all the rage and only the coolest kids are wearing Coca-Cola brand clothing. It’s to that radical era of bright-colored sunglasses, trendy side ponytails and hoop hearings that the Gaslight Theatre transports its cast and crew for its new …

Every year around Easter we see an uptick in faith-based films celebrating human life and how no one is promised tomorrow. 

A trip to the land of country music was right around the corner for one local musician. Steff Koeppen, winner of the 2018 Passport to Nashville songwriting competition, recently came back from the once in a lifetime trip, experiencing things only Music City, U.S.A. could offer. 

Eight years ago, sculptor Al Glann decamped from Phoenix and moved south to Tucson.