Aug 1 ArtFare Block Party

Saturday night brought out a motley crew of families and folks to enjoy the ArtFare Block Party on 6th Avenue downtown. We enjoyed music, a little shopping, tarot card readings and a jumping castle. My group took frequent breaks for candy, soda and air conditioning at neighboring Kelly's Market. Despite fewer vendors and crowds than last year everyone had a good time. Ambassadors Carolyn, Sallye and Linda handed out lots of cards and buttons to promote Tucson Birthday events - see you at the next one!

El Presidio San Agustin del Tucson

Hi fellow ambassadors. This is my first time blogging so we will see how it goes. It was great to visit El Presidio San Agustin to see a replica of Tucson's original Presidio and the history behind the walled fortress. I am including a few pictures to show the event.

The picture below shows the dress of the period:



The cannon was fired every hour on the hour in a demonstration of protecting the citizens of the Presidio:

Below is a demonstration of spinning cotton and wool into thread for weaving:

Attending events like this increases the pride of living in such a great city with all the diverse culture and history that we have. I am proud to be a part of the celebration!

Ruth Allard-Tucson Birthday Ambassador

Hello from a Tucson's Birthday Ambassador - Bjay

Hello,

I am one of the Tucson's Birthday Ambassadors and so excited about the Tucson's Birthday events. I will be catching some of the events on my little hand-held video and posting them here.

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. Hope to see some of you guys out there celebrating!

LOL...sorry about the video preview picture below. I have one of those bucket-of-mud faces that always look funny in stop-action motion.

I could go try to figure out how to change it...but nah, I'll leave it so you guys can get a good laugh out of it.

See you out there!

Bjay

Celebrate Four Millennia of Tucson's History and Community in 31 Days

Tucson will launch Tucson's Birthday, a month of celebration, education and exploration honoring Tucson’s history, cultural diversity and natural wonders. Most events are free or low cost, and all are family-friendly. Complete information is available at www.tucsonsbirthday.org.

Community leader and founder of the month-long, Tucson’s Birthday celebration Cele Peterson says, “August is a perfect time for Tucsonans to explore our town because we have it mostly to ourselves before our busy cultural season starts and winter visitors arrive.”

This year’s celebration kicks off August 1 with an interactive re-enactment of life in the Presidio by members of the Tucson Presidio Trust. The re-enactment will be continuous from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will be free. It will take place at the corner of Washington and Church Streets in the reconstructed portion of El Presidio de San Agustín de Tucsón, which was established on August 20, 1775.

Featured within the reconstruction is an archaeological excavation of a Hohokam pit house, remains of a community that existed on the same site thousands of years before the fort was built.

Also on August 1, from 1 p.m. to midnight, ArtFare hosts a block party on 6th Avenue next to the Ronstadt Transit Center. The free event will feature music, dancing, food and a beer garden from 4 p.m. to midnight. Through August 6, the Postal History Foundation is accepting entries for a children's competition to design a postage stamp for Tucson's Birthday. Details for submissions are available at www.tucsonsbirthday.org.

Information about all activities scheduled throughout the month is available at www.tucsonsbirthday.org. Events are added throughout the month. They range from neighborhood ice cream socials to movies and library events and city-wide birthday cake competitions, as well as guided tours, forums, lectures and entertainments around aspects of Tucson's history and culture.

The website also features a 4100-year timeline of Tucson history.