The Voice of Marana since 2007
Volume 29 • Number 48 November 23, 2022
www.Maranaweeklynews.com
Behind the scenes of McKale Center: What they know
INSIDE News
Tucson native initiated into corps of cadets
BY AIDAN WOHL Tucson Local Media
T
he most endearing plays are only as profound as the stage they are set on. This case can be illustrated not only for theatrics, but for collegiate athlet-
| Page 5
News
Tucson welcomes 105 new citizens | Page 8
Sports
Counting his sports blessings | Page 16
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Marana kicks off the holidays with festival BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Tucson Local Media
T
he town of Marana will usher in the holiday season with a day full of family fun from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at the municipal complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive. The Christmas Tree Lighting & Light Show is one of the town’s four signature events. “It is really fun,” said Shelby Scheer, special events supervisor in the town’s parks and recreation department. “We put a lot of effort into providing experiences for guests of all ages. We have community performances on two stages this year. It’s just so popular that we added a stage. We have groups from Marana High School and Mountain View
High School. We also have the mariachi group from Tucson High School performing and a folklorico group. In addition, we have a whole bunch of other local dance groups. It’s a fantastic way to showcase young talent.” Scheer said “the star of the show” is the Christmas tree lighting at 6 p.m., with an 8:30 p.m. encore. “What’s cool about the holiday tree is it’s a show that runs the whole month of December. At 5 p.m., the 17-and-a-half-minute show goes off, and there are synced lights to music.” The show runs every hour on the hour from 5 to 9 p.m. “We also have hundreds of thousands of lights See HOLIDAY Page 11
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ics. The University of Arizona’s McKale Memorial Center is notorious for its rich 49year history of transcendence and merit. However, none of this would be made possible without the foundation for which each fan-favorite contest is prepared and produced: event management. This behind-the-scenes team holds a mission of ensuring the safety and satisfaction of every guest in the 14,644-capacity arena. Though being behind the curtain, their work does not go unnoticed. It’s hard to absorb the extensive significance of the historic McKale Center unless one has been there to see the progression through the years. Matt Brown — a 21-year event operation staffer and assistant director of athletics for event operations — grew up in Tucson and attended UA. In 2001, he was hired, checking the box for a dream job. “It means so much more to me, just being a native of Tucson and growing up around athletics as a young kid,” Brown said. “Now finding myself behind the scenes
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