More than 100,000 Tucsonans showed up to the 2014 Thunder and Lightning over Arizona show. Our videographer Alan Davis infiltrated the base and uncovered what was really going on. Davis used his dashing good looks and dreamy eyes to extract all the information you need to know about the air show.

He's the Abercrombie & Fitch model of secret agents.

The Tucson Contemporary Women's Art Collective is highlighting 20 local professional female artists and their work will be on display until Friday, May 16, at Thunder Canyon Brewery 220 E Broadway. There will be a special reception at Thunder Canyon from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 19.

Our goal is to amplify each woman’s unique voice to resonate within the arts community and ignite a new conversation reaching beyond the surface level façade of the mass media’s mind controlling perception of female identity, beauty, and gender roles. We believe that change begins with action and hope that our collective can build the momentum which inspires such change through creation and activism.

Here’s a list of the participating artist from Tucson:

Devin Inglee
Holly Ives
Jamie Woodard
Jen Wilson
Jessica Gonzales
Kathryn Polk
Kathy Keler
Kati Astraeir
Katy May Goodson
Lauren Raine
Mary Griffin
Marcy Miranda Janes-de Quintanilla
Mary Theresa Dietz
Monique Laraway
Nicole Welch
Tanya Rich
Tracy Brown
Sara Roche
Sharon Isabel Curley
Yu Yu Shiratori

A new Al Jazeera America documentary series, Borderland, premieres today, with the first episode featuring Tucson organization No More Deaths, Pima County Medical Examiner Greg Hess and other familiar border-associated folks. A screening and Q&A takes place this evening in the UA School of Journalism's student lounge on the third floor in the Marshall Building at 845 N. Park Ave., from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. (Someone will be at the west door to let people in.)

The screening starts at 6 p.m. followed by a TQ&A with one of the Borderland producers via Skype. Bring your own popcorn.

From Al Jazeera America:

Six Americans are tasked by a frontier medical examiner with retracing the footsteps of three dead migrants — three of the nearly 6,000 illegal immigrants who perished in the desert in the last 15 years while crossing from Mexico. Gathered at the morgue, the participants are handed three case files and told, “We’ve given them a name. You must give them a story.” The six, from all walks of life, first explore the issue on the U.S. side, embedding with law enforcement and Arizona ranchers angry at the cartels that now control not just the drug trade but the migrant routes as well. Then, split into three groups, they head for Mexico and Central America, learning about the lives of the migrants they’ve been asked to follow. In a twist, the medical examiner instructs the six to work their way back to the United States alongside real migrants by whatever means necessary … on river rafts, on foot through gang-controlled jungle and, once regrouped, on top the infamous cargo train known as La Bestia. Finally, from cartel-held Sinaloa state, they attempt the journeys that proved fatal to their assigned migrants — a dangerous trek through the hot badlands. They’ll live. But will they learn?

From a recent New York Times reviewhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/12/arts/television/borderland-is-to-debut-on-al-jazeera-america.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1:

"Borderland" is exploitative in a good way, using the ignorance of ordinary Americans to enlighten viewers about a problem so intractable that it's often easier not to look.

Here's an excuse to put on some pants and turn off the Netflix machine. The students and faculty of City High and local sponsors are hosting the sixth annual Pennington Street Block Party from 4 to 7 p.m. on Pennington Street. The block will be closed from will be closed from South Stone to North Scott Ave.

There will be a parklet near Ikes coffee, food trucks, live music and dozens of fun booths for the whole family including dogs and cats.

But wait, there's more:

Test-drive a robot … Record your family’s stories … Enjoy scenes from “Grease” … Build a boat … Play in the Gaga ball pit … Build a worm bin … Hang in a parklet … Conduct experiments … Get info on what to do with household hazardous waste … Ride a bike … Grab a bite … Sing happy birthday … Celebrate student service … Become a teen attorney … Make art … Buy art … Listen to live music … Check out solar energy in action … Watch karate and yoga demos … Learn more about the Sonoran Desert … Experience the border … See chemistry in motion … Meet a therapy dog … Make a book … Draw a self portrait … Get silly with skits … Play arcades … Commit to kindness … Find out about volunteer opportunities…

Mayor Jonathan Rothschild will be at the event to present the Ray Davies Student Service Award to commence the event. It's Global Youth Service Day, so celebrate it accordingly. Click here for more information and here to RSVP on Facebook.

One of Tucson's finest midtown neighborhoods is Colonia Solana, which is filled with stately mansions along the winding roads just west of El Con Mall.

You can get a peek inside many of those fine homes between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 12, during a home tour of the historic properties. Tickets are just $35 and proceeds benefit the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation.

Find more info here.

Had a rough week and you just want to dance? DJs E_Rupt & DanH are hosting a "dance rock/rock dance party" starting at 9 p.m. at Plush, 340 E. Sixth St. Live performances covering LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, The Juan Maclean and Holy Ghost by some talented local musicians. Tickets are only $5 at the door.

Added bonus: I hear that there will be a 90s dance off with the 1998 Spring Off Dance champion Joshua Levine.

Mari Herreras' story in this week's issue gives us a great feel for Tumamoc Hill—its history, its culture and its many fans. If you want to try the hike, there are just three rules: No pets. No hiking on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. And no messing with the plants and wildlife.


Follow these tips to make your experience more enjoyable for yourself and your fellow hikers.


• Enjoy the community. Smile at everyone you see. Tumamoc introduces you to a cross-section of Tucsonans that you might not otherwise meet. For that moment, you also get to part of their story.


• Say hi to the mayor. You might see Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild early in the morning. Or you might be greeting his doppelganger, Dr. Ron Spark, a physician who helps with the Friends of Tumamoc.


• Save the planet. Take a water bottle, but be sure it’s a refillable one. You can top it off at the water fountain near the research buildings. There’s a port-a-potty available, too. Keep it neat.


• Keep it quiet. Lots of people want a soundtrack to help them climb; use earbuds. Nobody else, and we mean nobody, wants your soundtrack. This rule will become very important to you at some point. Feel free to share it.


• Share the sights. Wildlife is always around. If you see a coyote, javelina, deer, tarantula, hawk or owl, don’t holler, but be sure to let others know so they can share the fun.


• Keep the lights low. Nights on Tumamoc come with sparkling city views, astronomical wonders and nocturnal critters. Take a flashlight so you know where to put your feet, and try not to shine it on the hillside or on people. That will ruin everything for everyone, including the critters.


• Catch the moon. The moon is especially beautiful when seen from Tumamoc. You can still see city lights, but they're far enough away that the moon cuts a crisp figure in the sky. Bring a night-sky phone app to identify the stars. And next Tuesday, April 15, there’s a total lunar eclipse, so load some Nick Drake into the pocket-sized device of your choice and catch the “Pink Moon” about half past midnight. You won't be alone; it's the “Place to Be.”

To speak out against sexual violence, Tucson's Take Back the Night returns today at 4:30 pm at the Joel D. Valdez Library downtown, 101 N Stone with a march ending at the Mercado San Agustin, 100 S. Avenida del Convento in Menlo Park off Congress Street at 6:30 pm.

From Take Back the Night organizers:

Tucson unites to end all forms of sexual and relationship violence and support survivors. Stand up and speak out against sexual violence by joining the community for an evening of awareness raising, education, media, and performances by local artists, dancers and musicians. Together, we have the power to end sexual violence!

ASL interpretation and Spanish translation will be available!

... Take Back The Night Tucson's program of speakers and performances will begin at the Mercado at 630 pm.

Time flies when you're turning 30 years old every month. We are celebrating our Dirty 30 Dive Bar Birthday Celebration every second Wednesday through 2014. The Weekly has been going to everyone's favorite dive joint around town to drink and talk about the good old days.

We are celebrating our Birthday party from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9 at the Bashful Bandit, 3686 E. Speedway Blvd. Come down and take some $1 jello shots off my chest (Dan Gibson will pay for them)! Pick some of your favorite jams with our sales guy Ryan Foster and take a selfie with Linda Ray and Mari Herreras!

There will be cake. There's always cake. See you there.

First, The University of Arizona has nurtured and made a space for the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive (has one of the largest video game collections in the world) ... Second, the Archives co-curators Ken McAllister and Judd Ruggill are coming back to downtown on Wednesday, April 9, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Playground Bar & Lounge, 278 E. Congress St. McAllister and Ruggill are hosting another one of those amazing Confluence Center's Show & Tell presentations—free snacks, happy hour drinks and fun brain food.

The return to Playground for McAllister and Ruggill is called "Confluencenter's Multimedia Learning Game Experience. Tales from the (Video Game) Archive II," and the curators return with some of the collections more unusual artifacts: arcade machines sponsored by the CIA to video game sex toys to a game controller with nearly 50 buttons (all cool as long as the video game sex toys are not the ones with the 50 buttons).