Centerpieces & Cocktails. Here's a great class where you can learn how to impress your holiday guests, and have a cocktail to deal with them at the same time! Green Things is teaching you how to create a beautiful, living holiday centerpiece and also serving up some fancy "Poinsettia Cocktails." What more could you ask for? Other than the holidays being over. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. 3384 E. River Road. $5 plus the cost of supplies. 21+ for the cocktails. Details here.

Brewstillery Tour. Tucson Food Tours, the first walking culinary tour in Tucson (and certainly the first walking brewstillery tour in Tucson), is taking you behind the scenes of our blossoming brewery scene. You'll get to sample local beers and local liquors. And although the focus is on the drinks, you will also sample a few local bites. 1 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Meet at W. Congress St. and Fifth Avenue. $59. 21+ Details here.

A Christmas Concert with TaliasVan's Bright & Morning Star Choir & Orchestra. So, TaliasVan's Bright & Morning Star Choir & Orchestra has been around for more than 20 years now, performing music by its founder, the one-and-only (we assume—it's not a very common name, as far as we know) TaliasVan. The 50-voice choir performs both classic carols and original Christmas compositions that were written to reflect the divine. TaliasVan's CosmoYouth Choir, a group of 12- to 16-year-olds that have been performing professionally all over Tucson for the last four years, is opening the show. Feel free to come early and enjoy the beer and wine garden, food truck, snacks and Sacred Treasures shop. Santa will be there too! 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Sea of Glass Center for the Arts, 330 E. Seventh St. $15. Details here.

Southern Arizona Women's Chorus Winter Concert. You've heard the men's choir, the boys' choir, the girls' choir and a broad selection of co-ed choirs this holiday season. Now it's the women's turn to step up to the plate, and they're not doing a typical holiday concert. The theme of this one is "Tibetan Sounds and Psalms," and will feature—alongside the sound of the choir's lovely voices—singing bowls and gongs. If you've had enough traditional holiday music (it's OK. You can say it. It doesn't mean you hate Christmas, or fun. Just that every building, car and outdoor area you've entered for the past month has played nothing but holiday music, and you need a break), this is your chance! 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. The Benedictine Monastery, 800 N. Country Club Road. $20. They've got another performance coming up in January, too! Details here.

A Cirque Holiday. One of the best things about living in a town full of artists is all of the opportunities for different kinds of artists to team up and do awesome stuff. Case in point: The Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Troupe Vertigo (actually from Los Angeles) are putting on this show that combines orchestral music with performance art. Contortionists, strong men and aerialists will perform above the orchestra, who will be playing holiday favorites from The Nutcracker and Babes In Toyland. Not to mention plenty of classic carols like "Jingle Bells" and "The Little Drummer Boy." Santa Claus will be in the lobby after performances to accept Christmas lists. 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23. Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. $30 to $76, and half price for kids under 18 and active military. Details here.

Musical Theatre Karaoke. If all these performances of The Music Man have you screaming classic showtunes at the top of the lungs on your commute to work, this event is for you. Following select performances of the show (put on by the Arizona Theatre Company), everyone is welcome to flock to the Temple of Music & Art's café for some free showtune shenanigans. You don't have to only sing musical theatre, but if you do, what'll it be? Something from a classic, like Singing in the Rainor Thoroughly Modern Millie? A comedy piece, like I Am Adolpho from The Drowsy Chaperone? A contemporary favorite, from a show like Wicked or Hamilton? The possibilities are endless. Break a leg! (And check the Facebook event page for nightly code phrases for drink specials). 9:45 p.m. to midnight Friday, Dec. 21 an 28 and Saturday, Dec. 22 and 29. Arizona Theatre Company, 330 S. Scott Ave. Free. Details here.

Dance-With-Us. You might have heard that Moscow Ballet's production of The Great Russian Nutcracker is coming to town. But did you hear about their community engagement program, "Dance-With-Us"? Moscow Ballet audition directors travel around to local dance studios and let kids audition for roles as party children, mice, snowflakes, snow maidens and more. Then kids spend the fall rehearsing at host studio Flor de Liz Dance and perform in a professional ballet, with costumes provided courtesy of Moscow Ballet. Basically, this is a chance to see performances by young rising stars who have spent the past few months receiving Russian Vaganova ballet training. What a neat world we live in! 3 and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. $33 to $73+. Details here.

Not Your Ordinary Nut/Winter Showcase. Maybe you appreciate The Nutcracker on, like, an intellectual level, but an hour and a half of straight ballet just isn't up your alley. Danswest Dance's one-act production of the "Un-Nutcracker," featuring tap, jazz, hip hop and aerobic dance, might be just what you—and your whole family—are looking for. The "second act" of this show is a student showcase, highlighting some of these young dancers' biggest achievements for the season and making you feel all warm, fuzzy and proud of today's youth. 2 and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22. Palo Verde High Magnet School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega. $15 to $25. Details here. 

In the Christmas Mood: A Holiday Music Spectacular. If you've heard of Christmas (and we suspect you have), then you've probably heard of Andy Williams, whose 74-year career in the music industry is best-remembered by many people for the many, many Christmas TV specials and song recordings it included. The Fox Theatre is bringing back some of that good old-fashioned holiday spirit with this show, featuring classics like "Jingle Bells" and "Sleigh Ride" being sung by Tucson's own Crystal Stark, New York performer Brian Levario and a cast of other talented performers—including the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. A portion of the evening's proceeds benefit the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona, and volunteers will also be collecting diapers at the event, so your heart can feel as content as your ears. 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. The Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. $22 to $32. Details here.

MOCA Winter Solstice Celebration. If you haven't seen "Blessed Be: Mysticism, Spirituality, and the Occult in Contemporary Art," over at MOCA, the closing party—full of artmaking activities, tarot readings, a bonfire, movie screenings and live performances—is the perfect chance to do it. Self-described psychonaut Adam Cooper-Terán is putting on "All of the Answers are in the Earth," a story about the wrongful arrest of Michael Joseph Cooper. Vabianna Santos' piece, "Headless Love," alternates between passages of singing and breath being held underwater in a narrative that fuses ideas about queer intimacy with physical endurance. And Angèle Lebert's "Meditation II" is described only as an "interpersonal experimentation" that will have viewers/participants crossing all sorts of borders. 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21. Tucson Museum of Contemporary Art, 265 S. Church Ave. Free. Details here.

Earthrise. You know the photo: The one with part of the moon's surface in the foreground and the Earth rising out of the darkness in the distance? Astronaut Bill Anders took it on Christmas Eve 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission. Considering Christmas Eve is this week, and that we're all still abuzz about the recent milestones in the OSIRIS-REx mission, Flandrau is screening a new documentary about and named for this iconic photograph. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee directs the 30-minute film that brings us the voices of the Apollo 8 astronauts talking about their experiences and trip around the Moon. 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, and 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd. $8 adults, $6 kids. Details here.

Southern Solstice: A Winter Fire Ritual in the Sonoran Desert. This time of year is filled with all sorts of reasons to celebrate, whatever you choose to celebrate. So it's only fitting that Cirque Roots is offering up this show will all sorts of talent. Fire dancing, acrobatics, aerial arts and stilt dance will all be going down during sunset in celebration of the winter solstice. Bring your own chairs and blankets, sip on a hot drink from Peddler on the Path and take a moment to celebrate this special point in the Earth's orbit. And do it all overlooking the gorgeous Catalinas. 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, 3482 E. River Road. $10 to $20, or free for kids under 10. Details here.

The Arroyo Café Radio Show. If the holiday season doesn't make you feel all warm and nostalgic enough already, then you really ought to experience gathering around the radio with the family, preferably in the dim glow of a string of Christmas lights, and listening to the Christmas Eve broadcast of a radio show. Better yet, gather up the family, drive through Tucson's festive streets and go watch a taping of the Arroyo Café Players on the AZPM Holiday Spectacular. The show features Crystal Stark, Marty Bishop, Fitz, Jay Taylor, Grandsons of the Pioneers and even Wilbur the Wildcat. There's also many more entertainers, including a special mystery guest! 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. The Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress. $15 online or $20 at the door. Details here.

Pop-Cycle Holiday Clothing Drive. If you haven't already donated jackets, scarves, gloves, socks, backpacks, toiletries, sleeping bags or some sweets or fruits for Pop-Cycle to hand out to people in need, you're not too late! They're collecting new and gently-used donations until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 23. The Pop-Cycle crew is heading out on Christmas Eve to hand out the supplies, and you can get in touch with them if you'd like to be a part of the delivery process. You probably have a jacket lying around you just never wear anymore, or are going to see some warm, fuzzy socks for cheap while you're waiting in the checkout line doing some Christmas shopping. Why not spread some holiday warmth and light with a simple, easy gesture? Pop-Cycle, 422 N. Fourth Ave. Details here.

Winterhaven Festival of Lights. If you haven't made it to Winterhaven for the holidays yet, you'd better get over there! There's less than a week left until Christmas! You've probably been running around like crazy trying to prepare for the holidays, for going out of town, for giving everyone the right gift. This is what we recommend: Find yourself some parking and then take a leisurely stroll through the area known for having the best lights in town. If you prefer, take your tour on a hayride wagon, a bus trolley or a pedal-powered group bike. When you're nice and filled up with the holiday spirit, head home, make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, and do something that makes you feel calm and happy. 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day through Wednesday, Dec. 26. Winterhaven Neighborhood. Free. Details here.

Santa at Little Anthony's Diner. Little Anthony's Diner has been serving up heaping helpings of family fun ever since it opened. During the holidays, it's kicking the family fun into high gear by bringing in the big man himself for kids to chat and take photos with. Photos are free when you bring a non-perishable food item donation to benefit the Tucson Community Food Bank! He'll be around a few different days, but if you're looking to kill two birds with one stone, or to visit Little Anthony's twice in one day, then check out the restaurant's classic car show from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22. DJ John hosts, and there's tons of trophies, prizes and giveaways—plus a jumping air castle! Santa is around 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, through Sunday, Dec. 23. Little Anthony's Diner, 7010 E. Broadway Blvd. Free with food donation. Details here.

Las Posadas Navidenas. Compania de Danza Folklorica Arizona and local professional and youth mariachis are teaming up for the first time for this event, and we're all in for a treat. Las Posadas is a 400-year-old Latinx tradition reenacting Mary and Joseph's pilgrimage to Bethlehem before Jesus' birth. Mariachi music makes the whole shebang extra festive. It's family friendly, it's full of holiday spirit and it's a great opportunity to support some local artists and enjoy a beautiful cultural celebration. Feliz Navidad! 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. $10. Details here.

Ugly Sweater Party + Como Se Dice + Beefeaters. There's nothing quite so festive as a name like "Beefeaters," so if this show by Tucson Improv Movement doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, we don't know what will. This holiday medley show features longform improv by two of the crew's house teams, lots of ugly sweaters and even more fun. Wear an ugly sweater yourself to get a buck off of beer and wine. Consider it pregaming for Christmas, or just taking a night off from going to holiday parades and tree lightings. And you'll have time afterward to hit the town, if you want. 9 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. 313 E. Ninth St. $5. Details here. 

Retro Game Show Night's All-Star Seven Year Anniversary Show. Hotel Congress claims that their Retro Game Show Night is the longest-running monthly show in Tucson, and we're inclined to believe them—they're up to 84 months' worth of this event. Hosted by Tempest DuJour, the "Delicate Flower of the Desert" and Tucson's largest drag queen, the show features vintage television game shows, special "celebrity" guests and real contestants from the audience. At this anniversary bonanza, viewers will enjoy an episode of The $9.95 Pyramid (based on the old $10,000 Pyramid series and all of its spin-offs). 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St. $12. Details here.

Black Cat Bones. With tambourines, handclaps and plenty of sunny guitar work, Black Cat Bones is keeping the spirit of blues rock alive right here in Tucson. Their vivacious songs and occasional jams sound fit for the open road a la Allman Brothers—and would almost seem ripped straight out of the '70s—if not for their genre fusing of jazz and soul as well. If Black Cat Bones formed to stand the test of time and keep the blues alive, they're doing a damn fine job of it. The Rialto Theatre is presenting a Festivus holiday party, full of local bands and noisemakers. See Black Cat Bones alongside Los Streetlight Curb Players, Funky Bonz, The Endless Pursuit, Desert Fish, Creating The Scene and Nocturnal Theory. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22. 318 East Congress St. $5. All ages. Details here.

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If you go to any of the events listed above, snap a quick pic and message it to us for a chance to be featured on our social media sites! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @tucsonweekly.

Events compiled by Tirion Morris, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.

According to a new study released by the United States Census Bureau, more new residents are moving to Arizona than nearly any other state in the U.S.

In terms of overall resident growth, Arizona ranked fourth in the nation with 122,770 new Arizonans recorded between July 1, 2017 and July 1, 2018. In terms of percentage growth, Arizona also ranked fourth, with a growth rate of 1.7 percent. Over 122,000 people moved to Arizona of the course of the time studied.

As stated in the report: “The U.S. population grew by 0.6 percent and Nevada and Idaho were the nation’s fastest-growing states between July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018. Both states’ populations increased by about 2.1 percent in the last year alone. Following Nevada and Idaho for the largest percentage increases in population were Utah (1.9 percent), Arizona (1.7 percent), and Florida and Washington (1.5 percent each).”

The office of Gov. Doug Ducey sent out a press release Dec. 20 to announce the positive growth for the state.

“In the game of states, people vote with their feet, and Arizona is winning,” said Ducey, in a release. “With our high quality of life, growing economy and abundance of new jobs, and some of the best schools in the nation, Arizona continues to prove itself as an unbeatable place to live, raise a family and retire."

Read all about the new census report here.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the entrance fees at Saguaro National Park will increase by $5, the park announced in a press release Dec. 20.

The seven-day private vehicle entrance fee at Saguaro National Park will go up from $15 to $20, the seven-day motorcycle entrance fee will rise from $10 to $15, individual entrance passes for pedestrians and bicyclists will increase from $5 to $10 and the Saguaro Annual Pass will increase from $35 to $40.

According to Saguaro National Park, the change comes in response “to public comments on a fee proposal originally released in October 2017 to modestly increase entrance fees in order to raise additional revenue and address the $11.6 billion in deferred maintenance across the system of 418 park units.”

“Federal law requires that recreational fees charged on public lands be used for direct visitor benefits,” said Leah McGinnis, park superintendent. “Every fee dollar collected in Saguaro National Park stays in Saguaro National Park and is invested back into improving visitor facilities and services here.”

In 2019 the National Park Service is offering the following fee free days:

Monday, Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Saturday, April 20 for the First Day of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day; Sunday, Aug. 25 for National Park Service Anniversary; Saturday, Sept. 28 for National Public Lands Day; and Monday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day.

The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass, along with the Lifetime Senior Pass will remain at $80. The free annual pass for active duty military personnel and free lifetime passes for people with disabilities are also available. Families with fourth grade students can utilize the Every Kid in a Park pass, permitting a fourth grader and all of their family into all Federal Recreation Areas for free for the year.

The tone of Wednesday's clash between the Arizona Wildcats and visiting Montana Grizzlies was decided on a thunderous dunk by Arizona forward Chase Jeter.

Jeter, who finished the night with a game-high 21 points, caught the skyward pass by teammate Brandon Randolph, before throwing it down, to the delight of the 14,000 or so in attendance.

The exploits of Jeter and Randolph were enough to carry the Wildcats (8-4) to victory, 61-42, snapping the Wildcats' two-game losing streak, one home and one away.

It was a night of stifling defense and sloppy ball-handling, with each team committing 16 turnovers and the Grizzlies shooting a meager 26.9 percent from the field.

It was a result that longtime Arizona coach Sean Miller appreciated, calling his team's defensive effort one of the best he's seen all year.

"The one thing you try to have a gauge on is how hard your guys play," Miller said. "Our guys gave it everything they have tonight. Montana didn't have a bad night. They are a very good basketball team, but we worked really hard defensively and made it tough."

Miller admitted that he wasn't sure how his team would respond to the team's 58-49 loss to the Bears last Saturday, a defeat that snapped the team's 51-game non-conference home winning streak.

"Coming off the Baylor game you don't really know what to expect. We were connected and a lot of guys did a great job," Miller said.

The Wildcats really only needed Jeter and Randolph on Wednesday, with the two combining to score 35 of the team's 61 points, with no other Wildcats scoring in double digits.

Jeter believes the team has turned a corner on both sides of the ball from their losses to Alabama on the road and the Bears at McKale.

The Duke University transfer is hopeful that their victory against a quality Grizzlies squad can jumpstart the rest of their season, ahead of their final non-conference game, against the University of California-Davis at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22.

"The main thing was to just keep positive and not let two losses define the rest of our season," Jeter said. "I think Montana was a good team and it was a big win for us tonight."

Mobile Meals of Southern Arizona announced that its clients will receive a special meal delivery this Christmas, thanks to a partnership with Tucson Medical Center.

According to a press release issued by Mobile Meals, TMC offered to prepare holiday meals for Mobile Meals’ clients after learning the Salvation Army was not doing so this year. Mobile Meals’ volunteers will deliver meals to clients across Tucson on Christmas day.

“We are very grateful to TMC for their generosity not just this Christmas, but really throughout the year,” said Mobile Meals’ Executive Director Tamara McKinney. “They have been a tremendous partner for Mobile Meals since the program began in 1970, and truly go above and beyond to help the community.”

Mobile Meals’ volunteers deliver nearly 100,000 meals each year to homebound adults throughout Pima County. Learn more at MobileMealsSoAZ.org.

Live at 11 a.m. check in for the live stream of this event put on by the Arizona Center For Judaic Studies.

Find more Claytoonz here.

Jester King Launch Party. Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar is bringing some new brews into town, all from Jester King, a farmhouse brewery in Texas that uses local ingredients and ferments all of its beers twice—the second time, in the bottle. At this launch party, they'll have five beers on tap and four in bottles. For example: Cerveza de Tempranillo, a sour beer with tempranillo wine grapes; La Vie En Rose, a dry ale re-fermented with raspberries; and Foudreweizen, a Hefeweizen that gets trucked into enormous oak vats called foudres to spend several months maturing. You could probably use a beer, so why not treat yourself to some really artisan stuff? 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20. Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar, 220 N. Fourth Ave. Details here. 

Holiday Shindig. The TucsonSentinel is having a gathering to celebrate several things. In lieu of our own description of the event, enjoy this far more entertaining one by the TucsonSentinel team. "PLEASE ACCEPT with no obligation - implied, implicit, inferred, contrived or obliquely winked—our qualified non-denominational BEST WISHES for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the time period generally coinciding with the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable—if any—traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all... and a fiscally successful, Maslovianly fulfilling, personally safe, Gannett-and-Lee-free and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2019." 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20. The Shanty, 401 E. Ninth St. TucsonSentinel.com. Details here.

Earthrise. You know the photo: The one with part of the moon's surface in the foreground and the Earth rising out of the darkness in the distance? Astronaut Bill Anders took it on Christmas Eve 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission. Considering Christmas Eve is this week, and that we're all still abuzz about the recent milestones in the OSIRIS-REx mission, Flandrau is screening a new documentary about and named for this iconic photograph. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee directs the 30-minute film that brings us the voices of the Apollo 8 astronauts talking about their experiences and trip around the Moon. 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, and 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24. Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium, 1601 E. University Blvd. $8 adults, $6 kids. Details here.

Send Us Your Photos:

If you go to any of the events listed above, snap a quick pic and message it to us for a chance to be featured on our social media sites! Find us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @tucsonweekly.

Events compiled by Tirion Morris, Emily Dieckman, B.S. Eliot and Jeff Gardner.

An amendment to the neighborhood plans of Miramonte and Broadway-Alvernon was granted by Tucson City Council yesterday to allow for an “adaptive re-use” of the Benedictine Monastery. This latest development will bring the developer, Tucson Monastery, LLC, the city and the residents one step closer to finalizing development plans on the historic site.

The mayor and council unanimously passed a motion to amend the plans to allow for public use of the monastery and to incorporate a joint letter of agreement between the Tucson Monastery, LLC and the residents as conditions of the rezoning. It is still undecided what the monastery will be used for in the future, so the letter of agreement ensures that the public will have a say in the outcome.

The letter also ensures that no student housing will be established on the site surrounding the monastery, but rather 250 units of high-end apartments. It states any building cannot surpass 55 feet in height (which council member Steve Kozachik said is about 30 feet less than where this conversation began) and a row of oleanders on the southern and eastern sides of the property will remain intact.

The 7.5 acre site has split zoning between O-3 (professional and semiprofessional office, high density residential developments, and limited research and development uses) and R-3 (high density residential, primarily for apartments or single-family development).

Kozachik, of Ward 6 where the monastery resides, gave a ten-minute speech explaining the long and difficult process that preceded this agreement and amendment. He said the original zoning of the site allows for 660 student housing beds and complete demolition of the monastery. In May the council initiated the process of providing the Benedictine Monastery with a historic landmark designation, which protects it from demolition.

There have been dozens of meetings, hundreds of people included in public outreach by the developer and the architect, three planning commission hearings and significant neighborhood communication, according to Kozachik.

He said in the beginning of this process, the developer had an underlying entitlement because of the existing zoning and made some initial proposals. Over a hundred people came to each of the two public meetings held to discuss the proposals last summer.

“At the first one, where the initial concept of a project was presented, it was seven stories tall, it was approximately 86 feet tall, and there was an audible gasp in the room when the rendering of that was shown on the screen,” Kozachik said. “Remembering, of course, that the underlying zoning still existed and that was the opening gambit for what was going to be proposed.”

After that bad reaction, the developer worked with the Miramonte and Sam Hughes neighborhood associations to make some consensus about what would be done with the property. With this agreement and amendment passed, a rezoning process can move forward.

“I sit here tonight wanting to just simply make the point that we are preserving the monastery, there will not be student housing, we have significantly reduced the mass over what was originally proposed, there will be a public use of the monastery, and there will be a public process going forward,” Kozachik said. “It’s been a difficult process, everyone knew it was going to be because this is a sensitive site.”

David Fitzsimmons once dreamed of hosting his own Prairie Home Companion. It was 2008, and at the prompting of radio personality Bobby Rich, he began creating celebrity-studded radio plays to benefit the Southern Arizona Diaper Bank. “Attendance swelled,” Fitzsimmons says. He was onto something. 

In recent years, he’s translated the format into The Arroyo Café Radio Hour, a live show and AZPM broadcast he produces every December at the Rialto Theatre. This year’s event is Saturday, Dec. 22. Tickets are $15 at rialtotheatre.com. The show always sells out. 

“We’ve raised more than $20,000 in the (four) years we’ve been at the Rialto,” Fitzsimmons says. “This year the funds are going to AZPM (Arizona Public Media), because I love NPR, Reveille Men’s Chorus because I love their mission and music and Mariachi de Pueblo High School because Pueblo educator John Contreras has a wonderful music program that deserves support.”

Reveille’s Grandsons of the Pioneers are a regular feature of the show, performing in the almost-forgotten harmonies of the popular Western music genre. The 20-year-old organization promotes excellence in music, but also human rights, diversity and advances against AIDS.

“Our musical director Lindsay McHugh is the heartbeat of our show,” Fitzsimmons says. “She is a music teacher and a classical opera virtuoso. She gives us our Gaslight melodrama flavor.”

Besides the Grandsons of the Pioneers, the show’s musical guests include Mariachi Aztlan de Pueblo High School, the popular folk and roots quartet French Quarter and Tucson’s American Idol contender Crystal Stark. Fitzsimmons says, “Her comedic chops always delight us.” 

Each year, an all-star cast of comedians begin meeting in September with veteran radio producer Marty Bishop to write the show. Regulars include Estrogen Hour co-founder Nancy Stanley; KXCI personality and podcaster Brigitte Thum; veteran sketch writer Mike Sterner; comedian and attorney Elliot Glicksman; in-demand local Josiah Osego, and, shaking off the cobwebs of comedy retirement, adman Jay Taylor.

Also featured are Wilbur Wildcat and, and a mystery guest. Fitzgerald says only that “It isn’t Santa Claus.” 

AZPM Producer John Booth, who formerly worked for the PBS documentary series Frontline, edits the show. Fitzsimmons says Booth hopes to take the show statewide one day.

Rialto executive director Curtis McCrary says the venue’s staff looks forward to the Arroyo Café Radio Hour to kick off the holiday season. “It really brings the spirit of the season alive—corny jokes, uncomfortable events with your relatives, music that drives you crazy, hokey Christmas fashion, and at the center of it all, Mr. Dave Fitzsimmons, serving as the Ham that no Christmas celebration should be without! We all get to have super Christmas fun while raising money.”

Comedy Family Christmas at The Mint

Drown your family-holilday-anxiety hangover at The Mint on December 25. The club’s Tuesday comedy night, hosted by Jose Joey G, takes a hiatus in January, but closes out the year with headliner Polo Cisneros and feature comedian Bri Giger. An open mic follows.