The All Souls Procession is inviting everyone to join them for the last of their All Souls Workshops.

Create a mask, lantern, float, altar, or other object to carry at the processon—with no artistic experience required and no age limit. If you have something in mind for the procession and would like to make that idea a reality, the workshops is the place to do that.

The organizers said it best when it came to why people come out to the procession:

The Procession is a sanctuary for community members from all walks of life to express their grief and loss in a celebration of creative energy and rejoicing of life.

    
The workshops will continue on Wednesday Nov. 2 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Funeraria Del Angel (7 E. University Blvd.).

For more information, visit the All Souls Procession Workshops Facebook page.

Funding full day kindergarten across the state is back in the news. This being Arizona, the discussion is a mix of the reasonable, the semi-reasonable, the semi-ridiculous and the totally ridiculous. Whether anything will come of it, whether the legislature is willing to commit about $200 million of new money to the enterprise—money that isn't stolen from some equally valuable program—is in doubt. But it's good to see people are talking.

Over at Blog for Arizona, Linda Lyon does a better job discussing the issue than I could hope to. Read her excellent post, In Defense of Full-Day K. As an added bonus, at the end of the post, former Ed Supe John Huppenthal chimes in with a comment citing a study which, he claims, explains to her why she's partly right but not as well informed as she should be. After which, I quote another source which discusses the limitations of the study Huppenthal cites.

I can't resist adding one footnote from Howard Fischer's article on the subject. Full day kindergarten was funded in 2005 when Democrat Janet Napolitano was governor. She made a horse trade, giving Republicans the 10 percent cut in state income taxes they wanted in return for full day kindergarten. So far so good. But when money got tight in 2009, the Republican-majority legislature pulled the funding for full-day K, but it held onto the 10 percent tax cut, which, apparently, it figured it still could afford. For Arizona Republicans, investing in children's educations, and their futures, is something of a yawn. But, to paraphrase segregationist George Wallace's words, "Tax cuts now, tax cuts tomorrow, tax cuts forever."

Local ballet fans have a lot to look forward to this year, with Ballet Tucson already promoting upcoming performances of the Nutcracker, Perseus and Andromeda and La Bayadere.

Interested in scoring tickets to these performances? Watch this spot: We'll be doing giveaways all season long. This year our readers voted Ballet Tucson the best local dance company, so you know they're good.

Right now we're giving away a pair of tickets to the Opening Night Gala on Friday, Nov. 18 and the two pairs of tickets to the Fall Concert, which will be performed Nov. 19-20.

Enter below, and we'll get in touch with winners on Friday, Nov. 4:

Hi again, remember me? I'm Ivan!

I have officially lived at HSSA for over two months and I can't wait to find my forever home!

I'm a handsome, 4-year-old boy and I need a new home! I was found as a stray so HSSA doesn't know a lot about my history, but what they do know is that I'm very strong and need a home that is willing to give me ample exercise and play time!

If you're looking for a sweet and loyal boy I might be the perfect dog for your home!

Contact the Humane Society of Southern Arizona Main Campus at 327-6088 ext. 173 to check on my availability and exact location!

Lots of love,
Ivan (831011)

I’m starting to develop a big time like for director Kelly Reichardt.

Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves and now this, a well-crafted movie based on short stories by Maile Meloy.

Three stories featuring Laura Dern, Kristin Stewart and Michelle Williams intertwine in less-than-obvious ways, with stellar performances from all. Dern plays a lawyer who finds herself with an unruly client (Jared Harris) she either can’t help, or doesn’t want to help. Michelle Williams plays a wife building a new house while her husband (James LeGros is alive!) acts all disenchanted. Kristin Stewart chimes in as a woman teaching a class she knows nothing about while an unauthorized student (Lily Gladstone) takes a shine to her.

Gladstone, a relative newcomer, is nothing less than outstanding in her awkward scenes with Stewart, who continues to impress in indie roles. Williams, who has worked with Reichardt a few times before, lights up the screen, even when her character is somber. Dern reminds that she is still one of the best actresses on the planet.

The movie is deliberately paced, and Reichardt has a way of presenting a scene without telegraphing what is going to happen, or demanding we feel or react a certain way as viewers. She let’s her films breathe, and it’s both masterful and daring.

This plays out like a deranged Batman-with-a-calculator action flick. Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a high functioning autistic man who has managed to harness his extreme intelligence with numbers and physical tics down into the strangest of professions. By day, he’s your average accountant helping a farm owner find tax loopholes to save a few thousand bucks. At night, he’s some sort of accountant ninja who can take out a room full of mob guys with a dinner knife and some totally Batman forearm blasts to the face. Christian takes jobs laundering books for dirty folks all over the world and, while he does have a modest, sparsely decorated home, he also has a mobile man cave (or, should I say, Batcave) that keeps all the spoils of his riches—money, gold, Jackson Pollock paintings and, yes, collector’s items like Batman comic books. During one job trying to find missing money for a prosthetics company led by the guy from Dressed to Kill (John Lithgow), he takes a liking to fellow accountant Dana (the invaluable Anna Kendrick), and they conspire to find the missing money, which, of course, wasn’t really supposed to happen. Maybe I’m the only one who sees this movie as Batman doing taxes. Maybe that makes me some sort of amateurish idiot who likes movies that are actually a little on the bad side just because they play out in a weird way in his overreaching mind. If so, I say “Hooray!” to that. My ability to make a movie something else in my head means I have a better chance of making my movie ticket money well spent instead of blown dollars, like the money I blew on that The Girl on the Train piece of shit.

Tim Steller has a worthwhile column for anyone who wants to learn more about the twists and turns of what he calls this "mean and ugly" TUSD board race. There's lots worth discussing in the column, but I want to focus on a short quote from Mark Stegeman where he kind-of denies wanting to close more schools, with one possible exception.

“I have said repeatedly, for several years, that closures are not on my agenda, with the possible exception of one high school, since we never reached the question of closing any of our 10 major high schools. It is also not on TUSD’s current agenda; it is a completely made-up issue.”

So, according to Stegeman, he has no closures on his "agenda." Interesting word, "agenda." It doesn't mean he's against more closures. It just means it's not foremost in his mind right now. Currently, he's not considering putting the issue on a TUSD board agenda. In the future? Who knows?

Except, he might seriously consider closing a high school, though since that's not on the "current agenda," it also shouldn't be talked about right now. He might bring it up soon, but not now.

He sums up by saying the whole closure thing "is a completely made-up issue.” The reason is, it's "not on TUSD's current agenda." Of course, board members are elected to four year terms, which means they'll be making decisions long after the "current agenda" is history, so their view on all issues related to the district, including school closures, is a real issue. But Stegeman doesn't want to discuss that right now.

I've written that I think Stegeman should be voted off the board because of his game-player's strategy of taking positions, not so much because he agrees with them, but more because he wants to create alliances to build a power base which will increase his influence in district decision making. His short quote in Steller's column with all its positions and half-positions is a good example. It allows Stegeman to argue that he's on anyone's side, depending on who he's talking to at the moment. If you're trying to figure out where Stegeman stands on the issue of school closures in the near or far term using this quote, you have your work cut out for you.

Today's the day! The results are in for Best of Tucson. You can read up on the winners here, but you should pick up a physical copy and keep it in your glove compartment for the next time you find yourself in need of a veterinarian, comic book or a really good veggie burger. 

The other reason you should pick up a copy of the paper is to enjoy the lotería cards our in-house graphic designer Oliver Muñoz made for the issue. It's been a few years since we've had any made-for-Best-Of-Tucson illustrations, and we're pretty excited about it. 

Below is a slideshow of the 11 cards (we're just 43 cards short of a functional deck!) and the cover Oliver made for us.

It's the end of October which, in my house, means diving head first into vats of chile and chocolate—and, of course, paying homage to those we've lost with Día de los Muertos.

To that end, Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte, is the place to be this Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29. Buy some chile plants and walk through the gardens enjoying Day of the Dead-inspired artwork, chile roasting, food and wine tastings, live entertainment and free Día de los Muertos-themed face painting, plus activities for the kids.  

Tickets are $15 ($5 for members, free for kids under 12), but we're giving away four pairs of tickets, good for either day. 

Want to win? Enter below. We'll get in touch with winners throughout the day.

Your Weekly guide to keeping busy in the Old Pueblo.

Pick of the Week: Halloween & Día de los Muertos 

Nightmare on Congress - Halloweekend: Halloween is quickly approaching and Hotel Congress is hosting a different Halloween parties every night starting Frida through Monday, Oct. 31st with live music, alcohol and costume contests. There are a ton of events to attend over the four nights, so be sure to check the Hotel Congress website to view prices, times, age restrictions and activities for each event. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress Street. 

Night of Fright: The Pima Air and Space Museum is hosting a family Halloween event as Flight Central Hangar takes on a look of its own with spider webs and ghosts taking to the Hangar skies. The event includes "Ghoulish" games, pony rides, fishing for prizes and much more for all ages to enjoy. The Flight Grill restaurant will transform into Fright Grill for the night and will serve many delicious halloween dishes. 5-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Flight Grill, 6000 E. Valencia Road. $10 for adults, 12 and under free, free for members.

Feast With The Dearly Departed: It's tradition to celebrate the passing of a loved one with a feast—and the Botanical Gardens brings the community together to make that happen. This weekend, attend the fifth annual Feast With the Dearly Departed and enjoy music, pan de muerto and, of course, sugar skulls. Don't miss out. 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27. Tucson Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. General admission $13.

Chiles, Chocolate & Day of the Dead: Tohono Chul is celebrating Día de los Muertos Friday and Saturday, honoring those who have passed away with chile, chocolate and culinary delights. There will be food trucks, chile roasters, live music, chile plant sales, free face painting and plenty of activities for children at this family-friendly event. Tickets are available at the door and online. 9am-5pm Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29 Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte. $5 members, $15 public, 12 under free. 

Nightfall at Old Tucson: As October comes to a close we dawn upon the last weekend of the year that Nightfall will be at Old Tucson. Immerse yourself in a night full of scares as you make your way through the haunted town. It is the perfect way to get into the spirt of Halloween and have a boo-tiful night while your at it! Thursday and Sunday 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 to Sunday, October 30 Old Tucson, 201 S Kinney Rd. General admission $28, with discounts for kids.  

Rocky Horror Halloween Bash: Get ready for the late-night, double-feature Halloween party at The Loft Cinema. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a monthly tradition at the Loft but this time, it comes with a twist: it's the 38th annual Halloween Bash. Come dressed up as your favorite Rocky Horror character for your chance to win the $100 grand prize. The Loft will also ring in the Halloween season with pre-show games and more prize giveaways. 11 p.m. - 1 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 The Loft Cinema, 3233 E. Speedway Blvd. Loft members: $5 General Admission: $6.