Archaeology Café: Tucson’s Electric Streetcars, Then and Now
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2009
Contact: Kate Sarther Gann
(520) 882-6946
All aboard for a lively evening devoted to Tucson’s streetcars, old and new!
EVENT: Tucson’s Electric Streetcars—Then and Now
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Casa Vicente, 375 S. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ.
ADMISSION: Free and open to the community—all are welcome. Guests are encouraged to support our host, Casa Vicente, by buying their own food and drinks.
The Center for Desert Archaeology and Casa Vicente invite all to the next meeting of Archaeology Café, a casual, happy hour-style discussion forum dedicated to promoting community engagement with cultural and scientific research.
The next Archaeology Café will convene on Tuesday, January 5, 2010. Our presenter will be transit historian Gene Caywood, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Old Pueblo Trolley. Gene will present an overview of Tucson’s original trolley line, which started in June of 1906 and continued operation for almost 25 years. Fifty years later, Old Pueblo Trolley formed to “Bring Back the Trolley!” This effort, in turn, helped to spur the City of Tucson’s Modern Streetcar Project. The project centers on a four-mile modern streetcar line that will connect the University of Arizona to the Fourth Avenue commercial district, downtown, and the redevelopment area west of downtown.
Come settle in with a drink and a plate of delicious tapas at downtown Tucson’s own Casa Vicente. We meet the first Tuesday of each month from September through May at 6:00 p.m.; presentations begin at 6:15 p.m. Seating is open—be ready to make new acquaintances! Our forum opens with a brief, informal presentation on a timely or even controversial topic, followed by a question and answer period and a short break. Moderator Doug Gann then commences spirited but focused discussion.
The Center for Desert Archaeology videotapes these events and streams them on our website, www.archaeologysouthwest.org, for the benefit of the community and our more distant supporters and friends. More information on the international science café movement that inspired us to host Archaeology Café is available at www.sciencecafes.org.
ABOUT GENE CAYWOOD
Born and raised in Tucson—and alum of Catalina High School and the University of Arizona—Gene Caywood is one of the founders of Tucson’s Old Pueblo Trolley (OPT). He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of OPT. A transit historian, Gene has authored several publications on Tucson’s transit and railroad history. He has been a transportation consultant for many years, and now works for Parsons Brinckerhoff as a planner and designer of transit and roadway facilities.
ABOUT OLD PUEBLO TROLLEY
OPT is a volunteer-run non-profit corporation that began with the goal of bringing electric streetcars back to Tucson’s central city streets. OPT currently has three divisions: the Street Railway Division, which operates heritage trolleys on a mile of track under overhead electric wire; the Motor Bus Division, which is preserving and restoring more than one dozen transit buses used in various Arizona cities; and the Museum Division, which operates the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum at the restored Southern Pacific railroad depot. More information on OPT may be found at its website, www.oldpueblotrolley.org.
ABOUT THE MODERN STREETCAR PROJECT
More information on the City of Tucson’s Modern Streetcar Project is available here.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DESERT ARCHAEOLOGY
The Center for Desert Archaeology envisions a society in which the places of the past are valued as the foundations for a vibrant future. As such, the Center preserves the places of our shared past. The Center achieves this mission by researching questions of broad interest, promoting an ethic of preservation to the public and professionals, acting to ensure long-term preservation of cultural heritage, and enabling people to learn about the past through creative and varied means. The Center is a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
300 E. University Boulevard, Suite 230
Tucson, AZ 85705
(520) 882-6946
ABOUT CASA VICENTE
Family-owned Casa Vicente serves authentic Spanish cuisine in a lively atmosphere. Parking is available on the premises.
375 S. Stone Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 884-5253