Arizona Illustrated

AZPM has been working on a very special project: Children of the Holocaust. This project consists of interviews with nineteen Holocaust Survivors now reside in Arizona. AZPM aims to preserve survivors’ first-hand account of their childhood memories of the Holocaust. This segment in Arizona Illustrated aims to inform the public about AZPM’s project and its dedication to tell our communities stories. Chinese chorizo is a historic food symbol of community integration for Tucson. The city-wide festival was created to remind us of the lost origin story for some 114 Chinese grocery stores that were founded by Mexican and Chinese immigrants during the 1880-1960s. These two communities helped each other thrive economically and culturally within Tucson’s downtown historic barrios. About 20 local restaurants participated in the project as official destinations to celebrate the Chinese chorizo. Restaurants received two 15-pound donations of Chinese chorizo: one made with sustainably sourced meats, and one plant-based vegan version with which chefs created signature dishes involving the Chinese chorizo. Twice a year, the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association opens up their exclusive Chiricahua Astronomy Complex to the public for an “ evening under the stars” – a remarkable opportunity for the local community to get a look at the night sky in detail they may never have seen before. The complex sits within a designated Dark Sky area, where the band of the Milky Way shimmers as it parades across the sky, inspiring wows and wonder from star gazers. The creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) is a tough and dependable native that can be found in the Sonoran Desert and other habitats in Mexico and the southwestern United States. We learn more about this successful plant from horticulturist Jack Dash at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.