Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I always had easy access to arts, culture and entertainment. One of my fondest memories as a child was attending outdoor summer concerts at a vineyard in the Livermore Valley. There is just something about a cool, early evening breeze coupled with fine wine (back then it was lemonade), that makes everything right. Add in a little music and there isn’t much that could make it any better.
What is exciting to me is that LAVA, the Live Acoustic Venue Association, in Tucson has also found this to be a winning recipe. Every Sunday through September 5th, LAVA Music will be presenting an outdoor concert series entitled Music on Mt. Lemmon.
While Tucson is known for record-breaking temps in the summertime, attendees of the event may want to bring a wrap or even a sweater for the evenings set in the Village of Summerhaven, just 30 miles north of Tucson. The Village of Summerhaven provides the crisp, cool mountain air (at an elevation of 8,200 feet) that enhances the ambiance of the evening’s entertainment. The family-friendly lineup leans toward acoustic bands playing bluegrass, country, blues, rockabilly, and folk rock, with some Cajun and R&B thrown in for balance. Admission is free and guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on. Concerts presented by LAVA Music will take place Sundays, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the summer. For a complete look at the scheduled lineup, visit www.lavamusic.org.
If you aren’t into the music scene, another option awaits for al fresco entertainment—Cinema La Placita. Since 2000, Cinema La Placita has been playing feature films outdoors, using downtown Tucson as a backdrop. An average of 200 movie lovers attend Cinema La Placita’s weekly outdoor film series.
Cinema La Placita shows mostly black and white Hollywood movies in the La Placita Village courtyard every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m., fromMay through October. This summer's series will feature A Hard Day's Night (1964) with the Beatles and The Island of Lost Souls (1932), starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi, as well as a dozen or so other classic films. Audience seating is available but many people settle in with their own lawn chair or blanket. Admission is free, but a $3 donation helps keep the films rolling and the popcorn popping.
To Learn More
LAVA Music, www.lavamusic.org.
Cinema La Placita, 520.326.5282, www.cinemalaplacita.com.
