Volume 13 • Number 17
The Voice of the Catalina Foothills
August 23, 2023
www.tucsonlocalmedia.com
Home Sweet Home Special Section Inside!
INSIDE
SAACA event is a fiesta come to life BY BANNON CLARK Tuscon Local Media Staff
G HOT PICKS ...................2 Lyle Lovett and His Accoustic Band make the scene at the Fox Theatre
uests can indulge in a fusion of flavors at the 10th annual Salsa, Tequila & Taco Challenge, hosted by the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SAACA), at El Conquistador Tucson. The Saturday, Aug. 26 event blends cocktail craftsmanship and culinary creativity, showcasing the region’s offerings and celebrating
the city through salsa, tequila and tacos. The event will feature 30 vendors from the Tucson area, competing for 20 awards. Apart from the food and drinks, this year the event will introduce six lucha libre wrestling matches. Music and dance performances will also be the highlight of the night, featuring an assortment of mariachi, folklorico, Mexican pop, and more. This year holds special significance as it marks the event’s 10th anniversary and the
first one since 2019. According to Jonathan Frahm, SAACA marketing and events coordinator, the event began as a block party but evolved into what it is today. “We wanted to do something different to make it more memorable, with it being our 10th anniversary,” he said. Adding a special touch to the event is HighWire Tucson, a premier bar and the home of
see SALSA page 6
Thomas Gerald new assistant LIVEN UP ..................... 8 band director Live Theatre Workshop trains future stars of the stage
BY AIDAN SCHONBRUN Tuscon Local Media Staff
T HOME SWEET HOME .. 12 HabiStore keeps Tucson's DIYers going strong
homas Gerald was inspired by Ramon Sepulveda, his fifth-grade and high school band teacher. So much so that Gerald is following in his mentor’s footsteps, replacing him as the assistant band director at Catalina Foothills High School. Sepulveda stepped down in May. “He’s always been a huge mentor for me and one of the reasons I really loved band so much,” Gerald said. “The reason I really wanted to go into teaching was because of him.” A 2019 Catalina Foothills graduate, Gerald was a member of the Tucson Philharmonia
Thomas Gerald is new assistant band director at Catalina Foothills High School. (Submitted) Youth Orchestra, and the Arizona Symphonic Winds, with whom he made multiple solo appearances performing John Williams’ “Jabba the Hutt,” Lebedev’s Concerto in One
Movement, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Bass Tuba.
see GERALD page 7