The 13th annual Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration will be held this Friday, November 30, 2012 at the Oro Valley Marketplace, 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. The event will be emceed by KOLD News 13 Anchor Dan Marries, and the tree lighting will be conducted by Mayor Satish Hiremath.

The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance will be hosting the third annual Holiday Festival of the Arts, which will take place at the Oro Valley Marketplace on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s that time of year again, when people have practically a tinderbox sitting in their living rooms, wrapped with lights and electrical wiring.

An annual tree-lighting ceremony is planned for the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Resort this Sunday, Dec. 7.

Final details are set for the Oro Valley Holiday Celebration, a two-day event this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 4 and 5, at historic Steam Pump Ranch off Oracle Road.

As 2011 winds down to an end, activities are cranked up to their fullest. The holidays are here, and with them comes a wealth of concerts, classes, plays and other events, most aimed at bringing smiles to people of all ages.

Most of us played "Telephone" or the "Grapevine" in our youth, where one person  whispers a story in the ear of the person next to them and it goes around the circle, ending up something very different than the original tale. It was often humorous and a fun game — when we were kids.

At this special and festive time of year for people of various faiths, it is disconcerting to read that Oro Valley's interim manager, Jerene Watson, has decided to be "politically correct" on a very important issue to so many of us.

Oro Valley Festival of the Arts, the annual presentation of the Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance, features food, music, art and more this Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5, at Oro Valley Marketplace.

All across Pima County, seasonal decorations festoon homes, businesses and, in some cases, government buildings.

Effort tries to clamp on thefts from motor vehicles

Take your pick.

The Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance has announced its upcoming schedule of fine art and craft festivals in partnership with local municipalities and high traffic shopping center developers throughout the Southern Arizona region.

LD 25, 26 GOP board taps officers

An Arizonan has been summoned to Washington. Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano has been chosen by President-elect Barack Obama as the nation’s next director of the Department of Homeland Security, the post-Sept. 11 bureaucracy charged, simply, with protecting America from all threats natural and man-made.

April 6, 2005 - The Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce awarded the Pinnacle Award for Small Business of the Year to EXPLORER Newspapers on April 5. The chamber honored the business during its awards banquet at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa.

Discussions got heated again at the Oro Valley Town Council meeting last Wednesday.

Carrabba’s holiday drive

MOVIES

MOVIES

A listing of upcoming arts and cultural activities in the area.