Tucson has a lot of unique places to check out, but one in particular is getting noticed this week.

The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures (4455 E. Camp Lowell Dr) here in Tucson was recognized by BuzzFeed this week as one of the 10 Quirky U.S. Destinations Every Wanderer Should Discover. 

Calling it a place to find huge wonder in the smallest things, BuzzFeed placed our lovable local museum at number 3, for it's stunningly detailed miniature art. 

Why should you visit the Museum of Miniatures? 
More like why not? The Mini Time Museum of Miniatures has it all, hoping to transport visitors to different eras by viewing their wide variety of collections. 

In one trip a visitor can see houses created by Agua Caliente Elementary School second graders, 26 custom miniature figures of Civil War soldiers created by Joe Seibold in their Exploring the World Gallery and fantasy themed miniatures in their Enchanted Realm Gallery. 

In the spirit of having adults feel like kids again, the museum offers adults the youth admission price every Thursday, meaning a ticket to visit many magical realms and enchanting eras is only $6. 

For more information visit the Tucson Museum of Miniatures website or visit the Facebook event page. 

Family, food, fun and furry friends, Reid Park Zoo's Summer Safari Nights has it all! 

Enjoy the Zoo every Friday evening of the summer, with live music, animal features and dining. 

Each week will have a different theme.

The first Summer Safari kicked off last Friday, but there's still plenty of time to go on an adventure. 

The themes for the remaining nights are as follows:

May 27: Hooray for Underdogs: Meet the Zoo's Lesser Known Animals
June 3: Animal Playground: Watch Training and Enrichment with Zoo Animals. 
June 10: Buggin' Out : Meet the Animals that Dine on Bugs
June 17: Hats Off to Dads: Learn about our Zoo Dads
June 24: Go Grey: Elephant and Rhino Night
July 1: Spots and Stripes Forever: Zoo Animals with Spots and Stripes
July 8: Staying Cool at the Zoo: Learn how the Animals Stay Cool at the Zoo

The last Summer Safari Friday Night will be on Friday, July 8. Safari nights offers families the chance to enjoy a picnic concert or wander through the zoo, learning about animals and participating in wildlife activities. 

Wondering how much these fun filled nights cost? Look no further. $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for children, children 2 years and under are free and members get $2 off. 

Sound like fun? Follow the Summer Safari Facebook or check out their website for more information.  

For some extremely lucky folks, summer means time off. Spend some of that time off with your brain on, reading books by local authors. 

I'm linking to Amazon order pages for ease but don't let that stop you from picking these books up from your favorite indie bookstore instead. 

Enjoyed last week's cover story? Author Amy Silverman will be at Antigone Books this Friday, May 20 at 7 p.m.

A short excerpt from Silverman's book:

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of walking through the sliding doors of Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Phoenix, feeling a whoosh as the hot outside air mixed with the icy air conditioning, ushering me inside a grown-up, important place. I loved the gift shop at Scottsdale Memorial Hospital, particularly the flower arrangements you could order that looked like a clown or a shaggy white dog. I didn't know how they did that, but I knew that if I was ever in the hospital (I never was, not till I had babies), that's what I wanted. Years later, as an adult, I was poking around that same gift shop and noticed something in the back of the refrigerator case. A clown flower arrangement! It didn't look as good as I remembered, just a carnation in a cheap vase, decorated with googly eyes and pipe cleaners. But that wave of nostalgia was a huge rush.

Here in the hospital, at the bedside of an elderly grandparent or great aunt, I'd see cousins, aunts, and uncles I hadn't seen in months (or longer), tape my homemade card on the wall, and head down with other visiting family members for what I considered to be an exotic meal in the cafeteria. Even my father, not the most sentimental of souls, often showed up for visiting hours, which tended to involve minor injuries and illnesses. Nothing too serious (I was not brought along on those visits, anyway), and as far as I know, no one in our family ever had a baby with any kind of significant health issue.

Until Sophie.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's annual Cool Summer Nights program is getting started this Saturday, May 21. 

This weekend's festivities include live music by the Napskippers and Mr. Nature's Music Garden, a free "How to Take Great Animal Photos" workshop, crafts and access to the International Society of Scratchboard Artists 5th Annual Exhibition. This Saturday also marks the first of the summer's four Full Moon Festivals. 

The fun continues each Saturday through Sept. 3, with each event running 5 to 10 p.m. Regular admission rates apply.

Here's the schedule for the rest of the summer (details can be found on the museum website):

Looking for something fun, new and exciting? Then get your derby on and become a Renegade!

Renegade Rollergirls of Tucson, a free roller-derby league, is looking for their next generation of roller girls. 

Starting Monday May 16, there will be free skills and drills practices every Friday and Monday throughout the summer for those interested, curious and wanting to become a renegade roller.

All females 18 and older are eligible to play, and experience is welcome but not necessary.

Membership, travel and a uniform are all free but skates, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and a helmet are required to participate in practice. Don't have the required equipment? You're still welcome to come and meet the team.

R.R.O.T. also offers advice about finding gear and has limited gear available for loan—if notified ahead of time.

Practices are held every Friday and Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. through Friday, July 29. You join throughout the summer—but you'll get more out of it the sooner you join.

Practices are at 3525 E. Pima Street, located at a hockey rink attached to the parking lot at the corner of Pima and Palo Verde. 

Interested? Check out the Renegade Rollers of Tucson website or the Tucson Renegades Recruitment and Info Facebook page for more information.

Spork Press has been operating out of Tucson since the early aughts. Their handmade books and tapes, which have been distributed primarily online and at various events around the country, have found a home in their new storefront (2229 E. Broadway Blvd.) The shop, which doubles as Spork’s production facility, will also be a space for readings and music, and will carry books from other small presses.

You can help break in the new space on Wednesday, May 4, during Spork’s soft opening. Enjoy readings, music and drinks while celebrating the latest development in one of Tucson’s literary cornerstones.

Reader bios from the Facebook event:

taylor jacob pate is a writer, painter & runner born in New Orleans & raised lots of other places. He received his MFA from The New Writer’s Project at UT Austin. Along with his partner Blake Lee Pate, he founded & edits smoking glue gun. His first collection of poetry, Becoming the Virgin, is out from Action Books.

Jos Charles is a trans poet and writer. They are author of Safe Space, forthcoming from Ahsahta Press and founding-editor of THEM: a trans literary journal. They are making amends with their situation.

Blake Lee Pate was born in New Orleans & currently lives in Austin. She received her MFA from the New Writer's Project, where she served on the board of Bat City Review. She is the editor of smoking glue gun. Her poems can be found in Dusie, Glittermob, H_NGM_N, Forklift Ohio, Black Warrior Review & elsewhere.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information on Spork Press, visit the local bookmaker's website.

It's big, it's loud and it's golden. And 14 local filmmakers want it. 

"It" is the esteemed "Golden Gong" trophy—the prize one filmmaker will win, along with $1,000, for their submission to The Loft Cinema's First Friday Shorts: The Golden Gong Year-End Showdown short-film contest on Friday, May 6.  The showdown currently plans to feature shorts from locals Gilbert Rataezyk, David Bornstein, Adela Antoinette, Brooke Hartnett, Matthew Vanek, Jacob Webb, Mac Benning, MJ Watz, Brian McAdams, Kevin Kittle, Steve Roggenbuck, Malcolm Critcher, Cody Hunt and Dom Villarrubia, but The Loft will accept up to seven new film entries at the show itself. If you're interested, submit your short quickly—the spots will fill fast. 

The Loft's twelfth annual installment of First Friday Shorts will also begin the same evening, right after host Max Cannon presents the Golden Gong to its rightful owner. The First Friday Shorts winner will win a "sweet" $200, so be sure to submit your short to the contest. 

Admission is $5 for Loft members and $6 for everyone else. Get your tickets here. For more information on The Golden Gong Year-End Showdown and First Friday Shorts in general, check out The Loft's website. 

Amy Goodman, the host of radio show Democracy Now!, will be making a Tucson appearance to talk about her new book, Democracy Now!: Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America.

Goodman, whose show airs on KXCI, 91.3 FM, will talk to fans from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, at the TCC Leo Rich Theatre, 260 S. Church St.

The talk is a benefit for KXCI community radio. Tickets are $16, with kids 16 and younger allowed in free as long as they’re accompanied by an ticket-carrying adult.

The gang at Hotel Congress have assembled quite a celebration of the thorny succulent that gives us the sting of tequila.

The debut Agave Heritage Week starts Tuesday, May 3, and includes some sumptuous meals, live music, guest speakers and more, all built around the humble agave.

You can find the whole schedule here, but check out this dinner that Janos Wilder is preparing at his new Carriage House on Friday May 6:

Passed Hors D’oeuvres
Local Beef Cheek Mini Tacos
Smoked Poblanos and Mushroom Flautas
Cocktail: Blanco tequila, raspberry, habanero shrub, sparkling wine

First

Ceviche Blanco
Wild Mexican shrimp, pickled nopalitos, local chiles, mizuna greens, Anita’s corn tortillas
Agua Amarga: Blanco Tequila, Apple Almond Orgeat, Lime, Averna

Second

La Codorniz Con Tequila
Tequila and lime cured quail, agave chiltepin glaze, mesquite smoked beef tongue, roasted pan patty squash, garlic confit, prickly pear and yucca root puree.
John Rose: Reposado Tequila, Demerara syrup, lemon, AZ Red Malbec, salt