Today

Come check out the Arizona Historical Society Summer Lecture Series "Living Arizona History II" today at 7 p.m. John Lown will present "Arizona Mountain Man," in which he will portray a mountain man in Arizona during the 1830s and 1840s, telling of the mountain manās life and his impact on our state through stories and tools.

Lown is a historian and reenactor specializing in the early 19th century American mountain man. The lecture is being held at the Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. Second St. It costs $6 per lecture, $5 for AHS members and $3 for students with ID. For more Information on this event call 628-5774.

If watching someone reenact history is not your thing, then try reliving something more personal. Healing Trauma Through Dream Work is a workshop lead by UA psychology instructor Patti Harada. She focuses on bringing about self-awareness and change by using dreams to meditate on. Admission is $10 at the door, $5 for UA staff, faculty or students.

The lecture will be held at University Medical Center in the DuVal Auditorium and begins tonight at 7 p.m. For more information on this event contact Patti Harada at 886-6046 or check the website at http://www.lovematters.net.

Do you have trouble stopping conflicts when they arise? Then neutralize your conflict with Aikido. Sonoran Aikikai offers traditional martial arts training with a strong emphasis on solid physical and technical Aikido principles. Three certified 4th degree black belt instructors with over 60 years of combined experience are conducting classes for beginners and experienced students. The conflict resolution will begin at 6 p.m. at the Muse, 516 N 5th Ave. For more information call 271-3874.

Six bands are scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. today at the Ninth Annual Tucson Area Music Awards. The show, which takes place at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., will showcase Tucson Weekly readersā top picks for best local jazz, blues, country, folk and rock artists. Lalo Guerrero, Sunday Afternoon, the Kevin, Hamilton Next Level, Troy Olsen, Teddy Morgan and Sun Seven are slated to perform. The event is free, and you can call 740-0126 for more information.

Friday

On Friday relax with the musical stylings of Mariachi Luz de Luna over at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St. The sexy Latin jazz of Libre de Grasa will ease you into the evening, and then Mariachi Luz de Luna will make you dance the night away. The shindig starts at 9 p.m. and costs a mere $5.

If you are looking for something a bit more upbeat for your Friday night, and you arenāt afraid of nursesā cold hands, check out The Catheters. The group brings down the Seattle sound using raw garage rock of days past as an assault weapon. The show begins after 10 p.m. and will last until the wee hours of the nigh at 7 Black Cats, 260 E. Congress St. A small cover will be charged. For more information call 670-9202.

Saturday

The Arizona Historical Society presents Tucson Heritage Bus Tour this Saturday. The tours are AHS docent narrated and will start and end in front of the Arizona Historical Society Museum.

The tour will include visits to "A" Mountain, the Convento site, downtown Tucson, Barrio Viejo, "Snob Hollow," the Presidio, Rio Nuevo and much more ÷ as participants learn about Tucson and its lifestyle over the past 225 years. Call ahead for reservations, which are required.

Cash or check payment may be made at the entrance to the bus. The tour begins at 9 a.m. at the Arizona Historical Society Museum, 949 E. Second St. Tickets are $20 per adult and $10 per child ten years old or younger. For Information & Reservations, call 628-5774.

After you take the tour of Tucson head over for a Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory Lecture to learn about the skies above Tucson. Saturdayās lecture is entitled "Binoculars and Telescopes and How to Use Them," which is presented by Whipple staff and the Sonoran Astronomical Society. All programs are free and open to the public.

The lecture begins at 1:15 p.m.

Whipple Observatory is located at the base of Mt. Hopkins in the Santa Rita Mountains, 35 miles south of Tucson and just within the boundary of the Coronado National Forest. For more information and directions, call 670-5707 or check out the Web site at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/flwo/visitcenter.html.

Books arenāt just about words. See award-winners in the art and craft of book publishing that have been printed in the last year at Special Collections in the Main Library. All these books were named winners in the 61st annual Western Book Collection juried exhibition from The Rounce & Coffin Club of Los Angeles. The exhibit is open from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays through Aug. 25, and is also open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Sunday

On Sunday evening check out the Bluegrass Music Jam Session at the Udall Recreation Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road. Enjoy toe-tapping bluegrass music with the members of the Desert Bluegrass Association. The concert is outdoors so you may want to bring a chair and, of course, your sun block. Admission is free and is open to all bluegrass musicians and listeners.

The show starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information call 760-0745.

If bluegrass is not your thing then maybe some puppets will help cheer you up, as New Kiva Motions Puppet Theatre presents Basket Full of Puppets.

This is not your normal puppet show. The group has been Arizonaās premier professional puppet theatre since 1980. The show starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Red Barn, 948 N. Main. For more information call 887-5144.