Lines of children greet visitors on their arrival for Saturday's fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson. A puppy was auctioned at the event, held at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Jeffry Scott / Arizona Daily Star

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An area that Vail residents know as "between the tracks" will be bright with holiday sights and sounds from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

That's when a tree of lights, church and school choirs, a magic show with candy canes, Santa Claus, hot chocolate and cookies will set a festive mood during the Vail Preservation Society's first Between the Tracks — 'Tis the Season event at 13105-2 E. Colossal Cave Road.

As its name suggests, Between the Tracks — 'Tis the Season will take place in an area between two sets of railroad tracks. That's where there are small businesses, dirt parking and a historic adobe building known to locals as the old post office — all amid the ambience of passing trains' horns.

The event's 25-foot, star-topped tree of lights will be illuminated nightly through Christmas, adding to the area's rustic, village-center feel.

When Diane Murphy moved to Sahuarita from Denver in June, she didn't know a soul.

Murphy, self-employed as a business consultant and with two sons, she needed to meet her new town and neighbors. So Murphy went to the academy.

The Sahuarita Citizens' Leadership Academy, that is.

"It felt like a good way to get connected and know where the town is going strategically," said Murphy, who lives in Rancho Sahuarita.

Murphy was one of 16 Sahuarita residents who completed the 11-week maiden program sponsored by the town. The academy's intent is to give residents an inside look at how the town government functions.

Murphy and three other participants said the program delivered a close-up view of the town's government.

The academy, patterned after similar programs offered by other communities in the county and state, brought together department directors, other town officials and outside individuals who deal with local governments.

Some consider it the best-kept secret in Tucson. Others find it feeds their addictive personalities. And they all agree it's just plain fun.

Karting, essentially high-speed go-karts of childhoods past, has a home on Tucson's far Southeast Side at P1 Kart Circuit, 11800 S. Harrison Road.

"I just came out here one day and fell in love with it," said Ron Anderson, who now finds himself at the track near the Pima County Fairgrounds every Saturday.

Racers travel on a replica of the famous Suzuka Kart Circuit in Japan, said Charlie Quiroz, track manager and president of the Southern Arizona Kart Club.

Abraham Jones quipped that it "was either this or drugs" as he got off the track.

On Dec. 7, the second annual fundraiser to benefit cancer research, called "Laps for Life," will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Karts and other rentals will be available. Go online to www.p1kartcircuit.com/home for more information.

Talk about a live auction.

At Saturday's Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson fundraising dinner and auction, Item No. 24 was indeed both an auction item and live. And a little bit wiggly.

The 10-week-old Australian shepherd mix puppy, donated by the Pima Animal Care Center, brought many well-coifed attendees to their knees to pet the pooch as he and his handler made their way through the crowded halls outside the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa ballroom, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive.

As attendees arrived Saturday, children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson lined the entryway, greeting visitors. At least one girl complimented the gown of every woman entering.

In a unanimous decision last week, the Marana Town Council approved construction of a 55-foot cell phone tower that will be disguised as a palm tree.

It will be built on the south side of the 5500 block of West Linda Vista Boulevard, west of North Hartman Lane, at the water reservoir and pump site.

Crown Communication Inc. is putting in the tower. The camouflaged pole will be in the company of two live palms, which will stand about 45 feet high.

The height and visual impact of the tower was a point of concern for neighborhood residents. The original plan was for a 65-foot pole. The revised plan calls for a 55-foot pole.

The 25 mph speed-limit signs are finally gone. Gone too are the uneven roadway, zigzagging lanes and construction barriers. Some of the businesses have changed. And gradually, people are returning.

Few ribbon-cuttings in recent memory were accompanied by as much relief as the one held Saturday to celebrate the completion of the North Thornydale Road widening project.

Area residents, Marana town staffers and business owners expressed elation that the project was finished about five months ahead of schedule, and just in time for the holidays.

"I'm surprised that we made it. I'm so thankful that we made it through," said Windy Burdon, owner of Sports Buzz Haircuts, at Thornydale and West Horizon Hills Drive.