Courting Tucson: The Pad is Riva Mackie’s Love Letter to the Game of Padel

• Here’s what you’ll discover in this week’s conversation with Riva Mackie, co-owner of The Pad Tucson and internationally ranked padel athlete:

  ✅ Inside The Pad Tucson
  Step into one of Downtown’s most exciting new spaces—an indoor racket sports facility that combines padel, pickleball, table tennis, a full café and bar, fitness area, and vibrant community atmosphere.

  ✅ Riva’s Global Journey
  Learn how Riva’s padel career took her from chilly Canada to elite training in Monaco to a camper in Florida—and eventually led her to plant roots in Tucson.

  ✅ Why Tucson? Why Now?
  Find out why Riva and her husband chose Tucson over 12 other cities across the U.S. and what makes it the perfect home for a growing racket sports movement.

  ✅ Padel 101
  Get a crash course in this fast-paced sport that blends elements of tennis and squash, and discover why it’s exploding in popularity around the world.

  ✅ Creating a Culture of Play
  Explore how The Pad is designed not just for athletes, but for anyone looking to move, connect, socialize, and have fun. From leagues and lessons to after-game beers, it’s about community as much as competition.

  ✅ Free Lessons and Open Courts
  New to padel or pickleball? No worries. The Pad offers free intro classes and open play sessions to help you jump right in—no experience required.

What happens when a world-ranked athlete trades international tournaments for Tucson’s historic warehouse district? You get The Pad Tucson, a stunning racket sports facility born from one woman’s deep devotion to the game of padel. In this episode of Life Along the Streetcar, we sit down with Riva Mackie to uncover the journey that brought her from the courts of Canada to the heart of Downtown Tucson.

This is not just a story about sports, it is about purpose, place and a dream transformed into a space where anyone can step in and start playing. Whether you are a seasoned athlete or someone just curious about this fast-growing game, Riva’s story is one that blends passion with possibility in true Tucson style.

A New Kind of Court in Downtown Tucson

The Rise of The Pad Tucson: A Downtown Fitness and Social Hub

Step inside The Pad and you might forget you are in the desert. This massive indoor facility is part sports club, part social scene, and all about community. What used to be a warehouse is now a vibrant playground filled with pickleball courts, padel courts, table tennis, a full café and bar, and even a fitness gym. It is a climate-controlled escape where Tucsonans can rally, relax and reconnect under one high-ceilinged roof.

Riva and her husband were not planning to build something this big at first. But when they walked into this space near Tool Avenue, just steps from Rocks and Ropes and the bustle of Downtown, they saw the potential. Now The Pad Tucson stands as a destination for sport lovers and first-timers alike, offering leagues, lessons and casual games in a space that feels more like a community lounge than a gym.

What makes The Pad special is its intentional design. It is built for social connection as much as athleticism. Players can sip coffee after a morning match, network over craft beer during evening leagues, or just hang out in the lounge while watching the action through glass courts. It is part club, part coworking space, part culture. And it is 100 percent Tucson.

A Champion’s Journey with a Purpose

From Global Athlete to Tucson Entrepreneur

Before she was co-owning a racket sports hub in Southern Arizona, Riva Mackie was living in a camper in South Florida, chasing her dream to compete at the highest levels of padel. Trained by world-class coaches in Monaco and chosen to represent Padel Canada in international tournaments, Riva has built her life around the sport. But it was not just about competition. From the start, she felt a deeper calling to bring padel to new audiences and create spaces where the game could thrive.

That mission led Riva and her husband on a nationwide search for the perfect city to launch their first club. Tucson was city number thirteen on their list, and almost instantly it became the one. The couple had fond memories of playing junior tennis tournaments here as teens, and when they found the perfect space downtown, they knew it was time to commit.

The Pad is the next chapter in a lifelong love story between Riva and the sport of padel. She is not just the co-owner. She is the resident padel pro, the lead instructor, and the visionary behind the culture being built inside these walls. Every lesson she offers, every event she hosts, is part of her mission to share the joy of padel with anyone willing to pick up a racket and step onto the court.

A Global Sport With Local Momentum

The Why Now of Racket Sports in Tucson

So why padel and why now? Padel has been around for over 60 years, founded in Mexico and made famous in Spain and Argentina where it now rivals soccer in popularity. In North America though, it is still a hidden gem. That is starting to change and Tucson is becoming an unexpected hotspot for this global sensation.

Like pickleball, padel offers a low barrier to entry and a high ceiling for fun. You can learn the basics in one session, start playing with friends the same day and enjoy a full-body workout that is more about rhythm than power. The game is typically played in doubles on a smaller court enclosed in glass, which means faster rallies and more interaction. It is competitive but welcoming, energetic but accessible.

What Riva believes makes padel so powerful is not just the sport itself but the experience that surrounds it. At The Pad, people are showing up not just to play but to connect. Some are coming in solo and walking out with new friends. Others are rediscovering a love for movement after years away from sports. And some are just here for the beer after a league match. That is the magic. Racket sports are no longer just about performance. They are about belonging.

Ready to Rally?

The Pad is not just a place to play padel. It is a place to be part of something. Whether you are curious about the sport, looking to join a league or just want to check out one of Tucson’s coolest new indoor venues, this is your chance to experience a global movement with local flavor.

🎾 Learn more, book a court or join a free intro session at thepadtucson.com
📍 Visit them in Downtown Tucson, just steps from Rocks and Ropes on Tool Ave

Let’s meet where passion meets the court. Grab a racket and come see why padel might just be your next favorite thing.

For more stories that celebrate Tucson’s people, culture, and creativity, visit lifealongthestreetcar.org
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Tom Heath
Good morning. It’s a bit of a Sunday in the Old Pueblo. And you’re listening to Katy Tucson. Thank you for spending a part of your shower with us on your downtown Tucson, a community sponsored, all volunteer powered rock and roll radio station. This week, we’re going to speak with Areva McKee, a top ranked USA athlete and co-owner of the Pad, which is Tucson’s new indoor racket sports club.

Tom Heath
From national titles to building a vibrant community hub downtown, Riva brings energy, passion and championship level insight to everything she does. Today is July 20th, 2025. My name is Tom Heath and this is life along the street. Car. Every Sunday we shine a light on social, cultural and economic forces shaping Tucson’s urban core from a mountain to the University of Arizona and all stops in between.

Tom Heath
You get the inside track right here on 99.1 FM streaming on downtown radio.org, or through the Downtown Radio Tucson app on your phone to connect with us directly about the show. Follow a life on the Street Streetcar on Facebook and Instagram, or head to life along the streetcar.org. Most episodes are posted there with audio and video. Plus, you’re going to find shows, info on our book and an easy way to reach out.

Tom Heath
Well, even though it’s a little warm here in the middle of July, our next guest has some options for you if you want to do a little exercise in the air conditioning. Her name is Riva McKee and they open up the pad in downtown Tucson after, doing an extensive search across the country for the right spot. So this is the interview we did with Riva just a few days ago in the show Source Studios.

Tom Heath
Well, I’m kind of excited because I got Riva McKee here with a brand new business, which I completely misunderstood. Your business is called The Pad. So I was thinking, like, 1970s bachelor pad going. I was going to see all kinds of shag carpeting, and and I go in and I’m like, this. There’s people playing sports. Oh, man.

Riva Mackie
That was a disappointment.

Tom Heath
No, it was fun. It was absolutely fun. It was. But from shag carpeting to,

Riva Mackie
We have a little bit of a retro vibe going on.

Tom Heath
You have a you do, you do. Well, tell us, tell us about the pad first. We’ll get into the the details of it, but, like, what is this thing?

Riva Mackie
The pad is an indoor racket sport business here. Basically, in the heart of downtown Tucson. We have pickleball, paddle and table tennis, along with, cafe and bar and event space.

Tom Heath
I like everything you could possibly want to, plus everything in one space. And just to be clear, when we talk about a space, this is a massive space. This is like an old like they used to build airplanes or something in this warehouse because they have a lot of space.

Riva Mackie
We do have a lot of space. It actually was not on the plan to take over something that size at the beginning. And we had looked for space across the country. Appropriate for paddle pedal is my main sport okay. And it is difficult to find an indoor space that works well, that has high ceilings and, you know, you can use it for a sports use.

Riva Mackie
We added Tucson as our 13th city that we were looking in and found the space the next day.

Tom Heath
Wow. So we’re like, we’re you said you’re not from Tucson, then?

Riva Mackie
I am not a native Tucson. Okay. Person. Yeah. I’m Canadian, I’m from Calgary.

Tom Heath
Okay.

Riva Mackie
And the last three and a half years, my family lived in a camper in South Florida. Actually, as I was being a student of the paddle game.

Tom Heath
Okay. Yeah. And then, like, what were some of the other cities Tucson was competing with?

Riva Mackie
We looked in a number of different cities in Texas and in Florida and in South Carolina and North Carolina and Wyoming and Utah. Wow. Yeah.

Tom Heath
Well, and in Tucson wins out. I think. Are it we’re going to chalk it up to our Economic Development authority. That’s, making sure there is space available for all types of businesses to come to Tucson.

Riva Mackie
That’s true. And it had, a place in my husband and I are here on the ground running the business. We met when we were young, playing tennis, and we actually came to Tucson to play tennis tournaments. Okay, at Christmas time every year as a junior. And so we had a little piece of our heart.

Tom Heath
Were you at the Randolph course over there on Alvin on. And like near the mall?

Riva Mackie
I don’t even remember. I think the it was called Copper Bowl. Was it junior tournament? And they hosted it at a number of locations because it was huge.

Tom Heath
Yeah. Yeah, that’s that’s one thing. We’ve, we’ve I was surprised to find out that Tucson is, has become quite a place for, for tennis and and other. Well now other racket sports too. Yeah. So in Tucson I think we’re somewhat familiar with the sport called pickleball.

Riva Mackie
Yes.

Tom Heath
And you mentioned that before we got on the air that you were somewhat proficient in this other sport called paddle or paddle or paddle, depending on what part of the world you’re in.

Riva Mackie
That’s right.

Tom Heath
Which I think is a little bit of an understatement because you’re like a champion of the sport, aren’t you?

Riva Mackie
Well, it depends on where you’re looking at.

Tom Heath
Is there or is there a trophy in your in your in your case it says champion. Yeah. There you go. So you are a champion of the sport.

Riva Mackie
Sure.

Tom Heath
Somewhat proficient. Anyway this sport I had no idea this sport existed. So can you tell us a little bit about the paddle paddle, paddle? And I’m kind of joking with the name because it’s all over the world and people say it differently everywhere they do.

Riva Mackie
Yeah. So I actually started playing in Canada of all places, which is hilarious given the history of of paddle, paddle, paddle. We only had outdoor courts and they, I was a pretty good racket sport athlete. I played tennis and my first sport was racquetball. And they had they were hosting world championships in 2008. In my city. And they said, well, we should ask River to play on the team.

Riva Mackie
I hadn’t even played before. And so I played and really enjoyed it, but we only had outdoor courts. So you played three months of the year. Some years you didn’t play it kind of just didn’t have the ability to be a real part of your life. Right. And in 2019, Paddle Canada sent me to what I call paddle camp in Monaco, where I got to learn, really learn the sport, from one of the top coaches in the world.

Riva Mackie
And we were drawn together with a number of people from other countries that came with, you know, two day workouts and drills and matches. It was like the time of my life and after that experience came back with the mission to grow the sport of paddle here in North America. And, I wasn’t sure exactly how that was going to call me.

Riva Mackie
And the first few years of it, it was mostly playing. I’ve been very competitive over the last four years, and now now I’m starting a club.

Tom Heath
Yeah. I think when your family is living in a camper so you can pursue your sport, you are pretty competitive. In fact.

Riva Mackie
Yes, yes, it wasn’t the it wasn’t the original intention that we would land in South Florida and stay there. But, yeah, the paddle is so good and yeah, you just couldn’t leave.

Tom Heath
Well, to the sport itself, though. So give us the give us the framework because this is a again, it’s similar to many sports but it’s different than all of them.

Riva Mackie
Yes okay. It is I describe it as a combination between tennis and squash okay. And some of the racquetball players probably would be sad that I use squash as a comparison, but it’s basically a small tennis court inside a glass box. And so you play doubles, so you’re facing two people on the other side of a net. The ball has to go over the net, bounce on the surface before any of the walls.

Riva Mackie
But then it is live to ricochet off of any of the walls and in whatever fashion it does that. So it’s a little bit chaotic. And as you get better at the sport, it becomes this beautiful dance of racket sport.

Tom Heath
Chaos rackets, works. That would be a good name for a club to run. It would get pretty good. And then the the equipment, though, it’s, because I toured the pad as part of the local first mixer, and they were doing a little demonstration. Looks like the the again, it looks similar. The balls look similar to tennis balls, but they said they’re different.

Tom Heath
The paddles are, they don’t have strings.

Riva Mackie
They don’t have strings that we still call it a racket. And now get that one shoe on that one a little bit racket. I get corrected by pickleball players all the time to say it’s not a racket, it’s a paddle. But for paddle, it’s a racket. Yeah, it’s a thick. It’s a shorter tool then tennis racket does not have strings.

Riva Mackie
It is about an inch and a half thick, approximately. Has holes through, foam and fiberglass that make up the inside of it. So it’s much heavier than a pickleball paddle and feels very different than a tennis racket, though the surface is getting a little bit of texture, so you can get spin. The both the holes and the surface allow you to start getting more and more spin for the sport.

Tom Heath
Yeah, it’s it’s now. Now I think it’s appropriate that pickleball has a paddle and paddle has a racket. I mean, that just makes perfect sense. But so I’m at the pad and I had no idea it existed. I honestly didn’t at the time. And that’s why I think local first does these mixers to highlight these things. And I walk in this massive space.

Tom Heath
There are what I thought were indoor tennis courts everywhere. There are pickleball courts. Table tennis like this is everywhere. It’s air conditioned. There’s a bar, and I’m like, okay, I still haven’t gotten my head completely around pickleball. And now this brand new sport is coming out. And I was it was either you or, Larry said, no, no paddle has been around for like 50 plus years.

Tom Heath
And I’m like, yeah, okay. Because pickleball has been around forever too. And I don’t, I don’t know, like there’s an explosion in that sport at some point. Yeah. But it’s existed for a long time. Years.

Riva Mackie
Yeah. I think Padel was founded in Mexico in 63 or 64. I might be getting that wrong, but just.

Tom Heath
So 60 years at this point. Yeah.

Riva Mackie
And it didn’t really grow in Mexico first, even though that was its homeland. It really took off in Spain and Argentina, I think were the two biggest countries for a long time. And now padel has grown around the world. So not in North America. Yeah, not in Canada. In the US it’s it’s still in its infancy here.

Riva Mackie
But everywhere else it’s huge. There are in Spain, for example, there is more recreational participation in padel then soccer.

Tom Heath
That’s Reeva Macky, co-owner of the Pad here in downtown Tucson. We’re going to be back to finish up our review and find out why. Maybe, this is such a popular sport here in Tucson and around the world. But first, I want to remind you that you’re listening to life along the streetcar in downtown radio 99.1 FM, streaming on downtown radio.org.

Riva Mackie
This podcast is sponsored by Tom Heath and the team at Nova Home Loans. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, continue listening or head over to life on the Street Khou.com for current events and information on what to do while visiting Tucson. Tom Heath and MLS number 182420 Nova and MLS number 3087, the UK number 0902429. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Tom Heath
We got some, news coming up here about Tucson Gallery at the end of the show. Speaking of, one of our underwriters, however, right now, still to come back into the interview we have with Riva McKee of the pad, kind of talking about how they ended up here in Tucson. And we’re going to talk a little bit more about the sports and why they’re popular and how you can get involved here in Tucson.

Tom Heath
It seems like it might be a little bit easier on the body than some of these other sports, but I don’t maybe do not a competitive level like yourself, but I’m thinking, okay, there’s two people, it’s a fairly small court and I can run around a little bit like pickleball. I think there’s a lot of attraction because I’ve seen people with all types of abilities.

Tom Heath
Yes, they able to participate and they might have a knee brace and barely be able to move, but they can still participate at a at a comfortable level with a partner.

Riva Mackie
Yeah. The barrier to entry for pickleball is very low in all categories, both, physical ability, social skills. Financially you can you can get on a pickleball court and enjoy yourself. And I think that’s what’s made it really take off here in Canada, in the US. And now it’s starting. Its in its infancy around the world, but it’s really starting to take off other places as well.

Riva Mackie
Padel is similar in that it’s it’s pretty accessible physically, but it is more demanding than pickleball.

Tom Heath
Sure.

Riva Mackie
Anyone can step on a court and start having a game though in one session, and I think that’s the difference. I think that’s what’s really hit with a lot of people around the world, is that tennis is difficult. You know, if we’re comparing them to tennis, you need lessons and time to be able to actually start enjoying yourself on a tennis court.

Riva Mackie
And in both padel and pickleball, you can step on and be having a very enjoyable experience in one hour.

Tom Heath
Yeah. And that was, that was something that I saw when I was on your website that I appreciated. It was that you offer those free sort of introductory lessons to get people comfortable because I, I don’t know either, sport. I don’t I don’t fully understand the allure of pickleball. And now I’m a little bit scared of padel.

Riva Mackie
Because they’re scared.

Tom Heath
Of balls flying around people. I mean, I know racquetball is pretty challenging for me, and this is a bigger surface and a partner. And you got a net in the middle of all this. It’s like, what’s going on over here? But but then I like okay, there’s lessons. Maybe I can go take a lesson and just see if, if there’s a fit for me in one of those.

Riva Mackie
Absolutely. Yeah. We do free intro classes for padel. I ask that people if they can find 3 or 4 people to bring along so we actually can get a game going within that session is really important, but I’m flexible. I’m the padel pro at the pad and happy to get those going at any time.

Tom Heath
Padel pro, the pad that’s so touch your business card.

Riva Mackie
On my business kind.

Tom Heath
Throughout the pay, I lived in a camper to prove it for three years. That’s right. To hone my skills. And then you get this lesser known sport, that all of us probably have played at some point. Ping pong or table tennis. Yeah. You got a few of those in there?

Riva Mackie
We do. Are you three right now?

Tom Heath
Are you an expert at table tennis, too?

Riva Mackie
I am really not. I am a sadly, a little bit embarrassed to say that I’m quite, quite terrible at table tennis. I think we do this thing called pad kit lawn, which is a triathlon of racket sports. Okay, specific to the ones we have at the pad. So you we do it in different formats, but sometimes you come with a partner or sometimes you come and you mix with a partner.

Riva Mackie
And you have to play all three sports and it sort of neutralizes this becomes a very social, very fun event. It neutralizes your inhibition, maybe, so to speak, because you know that, three if you’re a racket sport person, you’re probably terrible at one. And so it takes out this, it takes out the hardcore expectation or competitiveness, and it allows you to kind of laugh at yourself in at least one sport.

Tom Heath
Or all three, depending on.

Riva Mackie
For all three, however, it works out.

Tom Heath
Hey, I’m probably not good at least one. Yeah, at least one I’m not good at. I know that for a fact. It you use the word We talked a little about the socialization. Is that why these sports have become so, like what? What’s the causing these explosions? Is it? I mean, this I know it’s exercise, and that’s a there’s a low barrier in some cases to entry, but it seems like this is a, like a cult mentality at some point.

Riva Mackie
Yeah. I’ve thought about this a lot and I don’t know that I have the answer, but the fact that you are much closer in proximity. Playing with a partner and facing other people makes it a very social experience. I think that it has something to do with it. And pickleball paddle is very different, but pickleball has been founded on this drop in kind of foundation where you just show up and you can show up alone, you can show up with other people.

Riva Mackie
You don’t just only show up and play with your group. You can, of course, if that’s what you want to do. But, there’s a lot of opportunity to, to just show up and get games and meet new people. And I think we live in a world where people need those opportunities.

Tom Heath
When. And one thing and again, I don’t know, I can’t I don’t have anything to compare this to. So I don’t know if it’s normal or not, but you have the social context of you got the sports, but you also have the social context too, like a coffee bar. And you got, you know, I guess they get barrio beer on tap and you know, so it’s a chance to to extend that.

Tom Heath
And in one space you can, you can meet, have a cup of coffee, play, work up a sweat, grab a beer and yeah, spend the day there. I guess.

Riva Mackie
You can. There are people that are even starting to work from from the club throughout the day, which is kind of nice to see.

Tom Heath
Yeah. I was telling Jessica from from local first. I never thought I’d be in a pickleball, but they have a bar.

Riva Mackie
That’s right. We just finished one. We run leagues and and right now our leagues for pickleball are on a monthly rotation. And the last night of the month is a is it playoff tournament. And everyone gets a free beer and so it’s always a really fun time with very spirited competition. But everyone comes together over a beer after after the tournament’s over.

Tom Heath
But people need to find out more than they go to. Is it the paddock? What’s your website?

Riva Mackie
The Pad tucson.com okay.

Tom Heath
And, I’m assuming they can sign up. We got all the information and free classes, the schedule, the leagues, all that stuff’s on there that we do. Okay.

Riva Mackie
Yeah. And it will. We have buttons that take you to our booking. Booking website, which is a little bit different than the pad to some, but it should be working. Well, no.

Tom Heath
I gotcha, and it just really is an amazing facility. It’s down on and tool.

Riva Mackie
Yeah.

Tom Heath
In that area with all though, there’s all kinds of different warehouse sports in there. I mean like rock and rope and.

Riva Mackie
Rocks and ropes is another big one. That’s a staple in Tucson. Everyone knows rocks and ropes. I use it as a point of reference all the time.

Tom Heath
So next door.

Riva Mackie
Right next door, right.

Tom Heath
Next door to that. And I would really know as you dive more deeply into this over the next few years and get a sense of it, I’d really like to understand, like the why now? I mean, because these sports have been around for so long. Like, why or why now? Or is it maybe just I’m more aware of it, but there wasn’t a pickleball court in Tucson like five years ago that I knew of.

Tom Heath
I mean, there might be small ones, but now there are multiple options to play.

Riva Mackie
Yeah, there’s quite a few options here in the city to play pickleball. I don’t know if I have the answer to that. Pickleball in the US and Canada though. On a professional level I think they go hand in hand is how big the community is getting at a grassroots level. And then the money available at a professional level that’s really taken off for pickleball, for padel, that’s happening around the world now.

Riva Mackie
There’s many more opportunities for top level players and I think there’s got to be a marriage between those two things.

Tom Heath
Is there, are there you’re the only one that I know that has the paddle. The those courts, are there others?

Riva Mackie
There are. Yeah. There are four places to play paddle here in Tucson. Now, there’s an outdoor one called Paddle Alley. They have a couple courts at Tucson Racket Club, and there is also, paddle SC Americana.

Tom Heath
Okay. Because it is an air conditioned warehouse which.

Riva Mackie
Well, I will say, I think we have the nicest courts in town. For sure.

Tom Heath
It is. It is a beautiful facility, top to bottom. There’s even like a weight room in there too, or something.

Riva Mackie
We do, we do. We have a smallish but, functional fitness gym that has everything you need to do, what you need to do for your body on the court.

Tom Heath
Well, Reva. Moderately successful and Patel, I’m still not going to play her for money and table tennis because I think she’s probably got more skills than she’s saying. I appreciate you coming on, Sharon. And, we’ll just kind of keep in touch and see how this the sport is changing the fabric of Tucson over time.

Riva Mackie
We’re going to get you on that court. You know that, right? It’s going to happen. This beer and this beer. We’ll share one after.

Tom Heath
Thank you.

Riva Mackie
Sounds good. Thanks.

Tom Heath
Well, she knows how to get me into those racket sports, by offering beer. It is a fun set up in there. I was quite impressed when when we, took the tour there for the local first event. It was really interesting. My name is Tom Heath. You’re listening to Lifelong Streetcar in downtown radio 99.1 FM and streaming on Downtown radio.org.

Riva Mackie
Support for downtown radio is provided by the Tucson Gallery, located in downtown Tucson. Instead of the proper shops attended East County Street, the Tucson Gallery offers original work, reproductions, and merchandise from Tucson artists like Joe Pejic, Jessica Gonzalez, Ignacio Garcia, and many more. For information about other artists, including when they open up at the gallery, head to the Tucson gallery.com or find them on Instagram and Facebook as Tucson Gallery.

Tom Heath
Well, don’t go anywhere just yet. I’m going to stay tuned for words and work as Ted presents key interviews, writers and others from the labor movement that’s happening here in just a couple of minutes. And then at the top of the hour, it’s Ty Logan with heavy metal back into the music there. Right after. If there’s things you want us to share on the show, you know, let us know through Instagram, Facebook, probably the best ways to do that.

Tom Heath
Here are listening to a hyper local show. So you probably know things happening in our community. And if you want to share, what others are doing or maybe something you’re doing, just please let us know. We’d love to have you featured on the show, or at least connect with you on social media and share out to the world what’s going on.

Tom Heath
Facebook and Instagram are probably the best ways to reach us, but you can also get us at our website lifelong the streetcar.org or email contact at. Life along the streetcar.org. Well, I mentioned briefly during one of the breaks that there’s going to be some upcoming news on the Tucson Gallery, one of our underwriters here on Downtown Radio. And also as a, a little bit of a nugget there.

Tom Heath
I’m also one of the owners. So you should probably know that as I share this with you. But we’re making a move. So the Tucson Gallery has been located at 300 East Congress, inside of the proper shops for last almost three years. And, as of next week, we’re closing our doors at the proper shops because we are moving to a larger space which is only a block away, not even a block away.

Tom Heath
It’s like half a block away on the other side of the street. It’s a bigger space. We’re really excited about it. More news on that will be coming. Just wanted to give you the heads up. If you go to the Tucson gallery, it will be there at the end of July. But, stay tuned. Tucson Gallery, the Tucson gallery, dot com.

Tom Heath
If you want more information on that, will be, seeing it open back up in, in October. Big old party, I’m sure. So get on the newsletter and find out all the details there. That’s the Tucson gallery dot. Com website. Another website you might want to check out is Celebrate tucson.com. As we kick off this, 250 plus year celebration of the amazing history of Tucson, not just as a city, but the the thousands of years of of history prior to, to the founding of Tucson as an official city when the Spanish got here night and, the start of the Presidio in 1775.

Tom Heath
But this weekend, the 25th, there is a celebration unveiling the four murals. I recently was told that the tickets, the RVs, are gone. There’s no more room for, additional people at the event. However, there is a waitlist you can jump on. So if there’s cancellations, you will, be notified and have a chance to, to get in there.

Tom Heath
So that’s going to be coming this, coming up here on the 25th, and we’re gonna be doing some things to celebrate the, history of Tucson, throughout the next couple of months here on the show. And, just, we’ll have, Paloma Kcen. She’s one of the muralists. We’ve talked with, Joe Patrick in the past.

Tom Heath
Ignacio. We’ll get Camila on, and, but, we’ll have Penne macias on an upcoming show. And then as we roll into August, we’ve got the, the mission garden coming back, the very first show we launched. And as we approach episode 350, thought, hey, you know what? We should bring them back. So lots of things to happen.

Tom Heath
And again, if there’s something you want us to cover, please let us know. Contact the lifelong streetcar, Facebook, Instagram or our website. And, finally, speaking of websites, please head over to the Downtown radio.org website. Check out all the fabulous shows, volunteer DJs, volunteer staff. Just doing really tremendous work to put out quality product and expand all of our collective, musical horizons.

Tom Heath
So you can see all that on downtown radio.org. Well, our show is, brought to you through a group effort. We have Riva Mackie, our executive producer. Amanda Maltose is our associate producer. And as you’ve heard, my name is Tom Heath. I am your host.

Tom Heath
Each week, we have the privilege of playing music from Ryan Hood. They’ve let us use their song Dillinger Days to kick off the show. And we’re going to close today with a group called Tangi from their 2025 album a Madison Summer retrospective. Very appropriately titled song for, Today’s Guest. It’s called Racket Sports. Have a great week and join us next Sunday for more life along the streetcar.