The Housechick Blog

Yesterday, Reid Park Zoo released Watoto, a 2 year old male giraffe, into the public viewing area, joining the two existing female giraffes on display. 

Watoto was born at the San Diego Wild Animal Park on August 11, 2005, and was brought to Tucson to replace Yebo, who died in April at age 17.  Zoo officials hope that Watoto will “contribute to the nationwide giraffe population management plan” as he matures over the next couple of years. 

Described as “very mellow,” zoo employees say Watoto should be ready to participate in the Giraffe Encounter feedings at 10am daily.

Reid Park Zoo is open 9am to 5pm daily.  Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children under 15, and $4 for seniors.  Giraffes are on exhibit from 9am to 4pm.  Giraffe Encounter feedings are at 10am daily, for $2 per person, and allows participants to hand feed the giraffes.  On weekends, there’s an additional feeding at 2pm.  

I think the giraffes are my favorite animal at the Reid Park Zoo.  It isn’t an enormous zoo, but it’s enough to keep you interested, and a great place to visit for a little walkabout after lunch.  Admission prices are reasonable, and you can buy season subscription tickets if you visit often.  This picture is of the giraffes at the zoo in Melbourne, Australia.

We knew it was coming!  The I-10 widening project started this January with minor closures, but the big changes are just ahead.  In 3 weeks, all on- and off-ramps between Prince Road and 29th Street will be closed, and through traffic in that area will be reduced to 2 lanes in either direction.

What to Expect and When:

June 15 - June 22

• Over the weekend, Westbound traffic and all westbound ramps (between Prince and 29th) will be closed.  All Westbound interstate traffic must exit and use the frontage roads.  During weekdays, 2 lanes of traffic may pass through the construction area, but all Westbound ramps will remain closed.

June 22 - June 29

• Over the weekend, all Eastbound traffic and ramps will be closed.  During weekdays, 2 lanes of through traffic will be open, but all Eastbound ramps will remain closed.

June 29 - July 1

• The interstate closes fully in both directions.  All ramps are closed between Prince and 29th.  All I-10 traffic must exit and use the frontage roads.

July 1 - Spring 2010 (estimated)

• All ramps, both East and West bound, are closed between Prince Roads and 29th Street.  2 lanes of through traffic will be open in both directions.

You can sign up to have updates on closures and construction sent to your email from the ADOT homepage for the I-10 widening project.

It’s time to purchase your subscriptions to UA Presents!

UA Presents is a a division of the University of Arizona, bringing the performing arts to Tucson on the university campus at Centennial Hall.  The new performance season starts in late September, with 45 amazing performances and events.  Buy tickets to 4 performances for 10% off, or to 8 performance for 20% off the regular ticket price.

As a dancer, I’m biased toward dance performances.  Here’s what caught my eye:

Martha Graham.  That’s really enough said, right there.  The Martha Graham Dance company is coming to Tucson.  I got to that page in the schedule announcement and I think I stopped breathing for several seconds.  True, I’m more of a ballerina than a modern dancer, but Martha Graham… her work transcends.

The St. Petersburg Ballet showcases ”Giselle,” one of the most traditional and romantic full-length ballets.  Undying love, death, betrayal: it’s all in Giselle.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago promises a reprisal of the original choreography that brought the company into the public eye, on a 30th anniversary tour.

Parsons Dance is a modern dance company of only 10 full time dancers, but they’re so athletic and full of energy and joy, you can’t resist them.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, the all-male troupe who puts a comedic twist on the traditions and culture of formal ballet.  These men are incredibly technically adept, I’m torn between laughing at the antics and being amazed by their skill.

Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado, reproducing the original set design, historic costumes, and choreography from the Savoy stage production of 1884, performed by the Carl Rosa Company of Britain, with a live orchestra.  I’ve heard some of the music from The Mikado, but have never seen a full Gilbert and Sullivan production.  I’m terribly excited, not only to see a full length opera, but to see it recreated as the original.

It should be a fabulous season, so go out there and buy the good seats early!

At a loss for what to do over the long Memorial Day weekend?  Head to Tombstone for Wyatt Earp Days 2007! 

Along with a carnival for the kids, there are a variety of re-enactments, gunfight skit and costume competitions, raffles, a chili cook-off, Wyatt Earp look-alike competitions, and the ever popular souvenir t-shirts.

As an introduction to actual life in Tombstone, the town too tough to die: rules for the gunfight skit include not pointing or waving weapons at the crowd, and participants must have all weapons and ammunition inspected prior to the event, so that no live rounds are “in play” during the re-enactments. 

Events are free to watch, and will take place on historic Allen Street, in Tombstone, Arizona, 10am-4pm, through May 28th.  Proceeds benefit the Tombstone Lions and support their charitable activities.  Tombstone is about an hour’s drive from Tucson.

Hot summer days turn to sweet summer nights in the Old Pueblo, perfect for an outing to the park for a concert and, perhaps, even a picnic under the stars.

Everyone is invited for this series of free concerts, human and canine alike.  Put dinner in a basket, grab a blanket, and head over to Reid Park around 7pm.

The Tucson Pops Orchestra has begun it’s summer series of concerts at Reid Park.  Performances are Sunday nights, starting at 7pm at the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center, ending on June 17th.

Here’s the schedule:

• May 20 - Crystal Stark, Tucson’s link to American Idol
• May 27 - Memorial Day Concert
• June 3 - Rick Wamer and Lorie Heald, Mimes Extraordinaire
• June 10 - Nancy Davis Booth, Soprano
• June 17 - The Three Royal Tenors

The DeMeester center is on the West side of Reid Park, North of 22nd Street, off of Country Club.

Photo via Flickr, courtesy of dances fantastic

Today, thousands of university seniors will graduate, get diplomas, and be released upon the world.  For those wanting to attend, ceremonies are at 9 am and 1:30 pm today, and will be broadcast via the web at KUAT.org.  All the details are at the U of A Commencement site.

I remember when I graduated from U of A.  I didn’t attend the big communal ceremony, didn’t wear the cap and gown, and didn’t toss even a single tortilla.  My engineering college was a pretty small class, so we had our own celebration a few nights before, and that was enough for me, I think. 

This year, there’s a new twist in the graduation ceremonies.  The Daily Wildcat reports that all who enter McKale Center will be searched for tortillas.  Don’t ask me how this search will actually go down: how do you pat someone down for a tortilla? 

For those unfamiliar with the tradition, U of A graduates - instead of throwing their cap at the end of the ceremony - throw tortillas in the air to celebrate their graduation.  It’s a controversial move.  Some people find it insensitive or racist, I even read an argument that it could be dangerous (think airborne stale tortilla shards hitting someone in the eye).

The U of A Administration has taken a stand against the tortilla tossing.  Given their stance, and the search at the entry, it will be interesting to see how many fly at the end of the ceremonies.

Graduation Facts:

There will be 4,557 undergraduate degrees awarded, along with 1,253 master’s degrees and 272 doctoral degrees, according to numbers released from the UA.

Dr. Richard Carmona, former US Surgeon General and a U of A professor of surgery and public health, will give the commencement address at both ceremonies.

EDIT: Overheard while eating at Rosa’s Mexican Food on the day of graduation, “Dude, they don’t throw their hats in the air, they throw tortillas! There were like a thousand tortillas flying, it was crazy!” Guess the person-by-person tortilla search didn’t do so well…

Photo from flickr, courtesy of bwalsh.