Tucson, Arizona: Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

Summer Saturday Evenings Return for 2008

TUCSON – The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is pleased to announce the return of the popular Summer Saturday Evenings program beginning Saturday, June 7 and continuing every Saturday through August 30, 2008. Special discounted admission is just $5 per Adult after 5 p.m. On Saturdays, the Museum is open until 10 p.m. with the last admission at 9 p.m.

Summer Saturday Evenings give visitors the unique chance to tour the Museum until 10 p.m.—a time when many of the animals are at their most active with the onset of the summer heat. Special interpretations focusing on the desert after dark and adaptations to summer environment, along with special weekly programming make each trip a new discovery. Special topics include:

June 7 Live and "sort of" on the Loose venomous reptile presentation features live rattlesnakes or gila monsters to explore natural history, venoms and envenomations, bite statistics, and zoo keeping practices with venomous reptiles. Warden Oasis Theater from 7-8 p.m.

June 14 Geography: How Low Can You Go? Family activities from 6-9 p.m. at the Desert Garden with a live book reading by botanist Jim Malusa from 7-8 p.m at the Warden Oasis Theater. Author of Into Thick Air, Malusa bicycled alone to the lowest point on each of six continents, a six-year series of “anti-expeditions” to the “anti-summits.” His journeys took him to Lake Eyre in the arid heart of Australia, along Moses’ route to the Dead Sea, and from Moscow to the Caspian Sea. He pedaled across the Andes to Patagonia, around tiny Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, and from Tucson to Death Valley. With a scientist’s eye, he vividly observes local landscapes and creatures. As a lone man, he is overfed by grandmothers, courted by ladies of the night in Volgograd, invited into a mosque by Africa’s most feared tribe, chased by sandstorms and hurricanes — yet Malusa keeps riding. His reward: the deep silence of the world’s great depressions.

June 21 A Sustainable Seafood Evening at the Warden Oasis Theater and Baldwin Education Building from 6-9 p.m.

June 28 Family Astronomy Night will feature special telescope, star gazing, and astronomy stations at the Baldwin Education Building and museum grounds from 6-9 p.m.

July 5 All About Bats at the Warden Oasis Theater from 7-8 p.m.

July 12 Live and "sort of" on the Loose venomous reptile presentation features live rattlesnakes or gila monsters to explore natural history, venoms and envenomations, bite statistics, and zoo keeping practices with venomous reptiles from 6-8 p.m. at the Warden Oasis Theater.

July 19 Animal Enrichment on the museum grounds from 6-8 p.m. People and Pollinators, presentation by pollination ecologist Dr. Steve Buchman, 7-8 p.m., at the Warden Oasis Theater; Desert Garden Fun, join local community groups in learning more about growing local plants, from 5:30-9:30 p.m.

July 26 Family Astronomy Night will feature special telescope, star gazing, and astronomy stations at the Baldwin Education Building and museum grounds from 6-9 p.m. Native American storyteller Girard Tsonakwa shares stories and legends of the night sky from 7-9 p.m. at the Warden Oasis Theater.

August 2 Volcano! Join Michael Conway, Ph.D., Section Chief of the Geologic Extension Service at the Arizona Geological Survey for a "brief" rundown on the last 15 million years of volcanic activity in Arizona. You can also go into the Desert Garden to make and erupt your own volcano! Presentations at 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the Warden Oasis Theater Volcano activities in Desert Garden 6:00-9:00 p.m.

August 9 BUGS! BUGS! BUGS! This is the night to learn new facts about Sonoran Desert insects from "the Bugman" University of Arizona Entomologist Dr. Carl Olson. The Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute (SASI) will be in the Desert Garden to give a close-up view of some beautiful native arthropods and to share fun hands-on activities for kids. Warden Oasis Theater presentations: 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. SASI in the Desert Garden 6-9 p.m.

August 16 The Year of the Frog offers fascinating facts and issues facing Sonoran Desert frogs and other populations from one of the Desert Museum’s herpetologists, as well as a chance to see a few species firsthand. Warden Oasis Theater: 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

August 23 Family Astronomy Night will feature special telescope, star gazing, and astronomy stations at the Baldwin Education Building and museum grounds from 6-9 p.m.

Teacher Appreciation Night, sponsored by Tucson Electric Power, is a special presentation for teachers featuring educational programs offered for the 2008/09 school year. The program is presented by a Desert Museum Education Specialist and Sonoran Desert Waters Institute educators. Warden Oasis Theater: 5:30 p.m.

August 30 Live and "sort of" on the Loose venomous reptile presentation features live rattlesnakes or gila monsters to explore natural history, venoms and envenomations, bite statistics, and zoo keeping practices with venomous reptiles from 6-8 p.m. at the Warden Oasis Theater.

Native American Storyteller Gerard Tsonakwa shares stories and legends of the night sky. The Warden Oasis Theater: 7:30 p.m.

Diners looking for a unique culinary experience will find it at the Museum’s flagship restaurant, The Ocotillo Café, which will be open for dinner during Summer Saturday Evenings. This intimate dining room accented with original artwork and views of a private patio garden is the perfect backdrop to a menu that brings the sometimes subtle and sometimes bold flavors of the Sonoran region into the spotlight. Reservations are recommended, 520-883-5705.

Also open for dinner is the Ironwood Terraces Restaurant, the largest dining venue at the Desert Museum. This casual, self-serve grill features several family friendly stations offering grilled items such as chicken breast sandwiches with prickly pear sauce and cheeseburgers with green chiles, a made-to-order sandwich, salad and wrap bar, and hand tossed pizza. Diners can sit inside or out on one of the beautiful covered patios that overlook the natural desert landscape—and often invite a curious lizard or cardinal to stop by and visit.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is one of the nation’s leading outdoor living museums, featuring more than 300 species of native wildlife and 1,300 varieties of desert plants. The Museum, located at 2021 N. Kinney Rd., is open every day of the year from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March through September and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. October through February. In June, July, and August the Museum is open until 10 p.m. on Saturday evenings. Admission is free for members and children under six. September through May admission is $13 for adults and $4.25 for children age 6 through 12. Daily summer rates in June through August are $9.50 for adults and $2.25 for children age 6 through 12. Call (520) 883-2702 or visit www.desertmuseum.org for more information.

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