Rush To The Crush pARTy in Tucson

Don't get crushed by the rush to the Tucson Crush Wine Festival, Friday, April 4th to Saturday, April 5th, at 6:00 p.m. both nights. This will be the first annual Wine Auction to raise funds for the Tucson Art Museum and the largest outdoor wine festival in Arizona. The venue is an amazing outdoor plaza and the temperatures promise to be in the 70s and 80s, perhaps cooling down to the 60s. Tired of the cold, wet, dark of the North? Fly to Tucson for sun , wine, art, and a great break. If you are from Seattle (auction capital of the world), for instance, you could pay for your airfare with the difference between a Poncho Auction ticket at $600 and a Crush Classic Fine Art And Rare Wine Auction Dinner at the bargain price of $200. People have already flown in from all over the country and around the world for the first of the special Pre-Crush Seminars: The Importance of Shape by Maximillian Riedel. For only $150 per person, you got a great experience plus a set of Riedel Vitis wine glasses.

Don't miss the pARTy! Friday's pARTy will include a silent auction - original art by regional artists, wine, art classes, restaurant gift certificates, jewelry, and many other items. The whole spectrum of auction items and prices will be represented, so that any of us peasants can find something affordable. The price is $60 in advance or $75 at the door. The Crush Classic will be a full blown gala dinner - black tie optional. With black tie optional, I'm not sure whether you could wear your Paul Bond custom-made "Las Vegas" alligator cowboy boots, but at $5000 a throw, you could probably get away with it. More likely, you would be the life of the party! Maybe next year, I'll get me some boots made with wine glasses on the sides. Then I'll be able to join Garrison Keillor's cowboy sidekicks Rusty and Dusty for a gourmet dinner. The Classic will feature a wine paired gourmet dinner, "quick-draw" plein-air paintings, rare wine and cigar bar, and, of course, a live auction of fine art and rare wine including Bordeaux, followed by music and dancing. All this, ladies and gentlemen, for only $200.

The Museum is in historic downtown Tucson close to major hotels at 140 N. Main Avenue. Check out the website at: www. tucsonmuseumofart.org. Call 520-624- 2333, ext.111 for tickets. Sounds like it's going to be a gem of a show!