Bear Down Downtown at Playground All Season Long with ZonaZoo!
by James Jefferies
It’s no secret that Downtown Tucson has reclaimed its throne as the center of civic life in Southern Arizona, in addition to thriving as a hub of fantastic nighttime entertainment options, rapidly becoming a globally-renowned capitol of gastronomic wizardry and cutting edge technological startups fostering ideas as big and bright as an Old Pueblo sky.
As exciting as that is, for most Tucsonans, there are other things that also tug powerfully at our heartstrings, a shared tradition of supporting teams from the University of Arizona for more than a century now. On any given winter day, regardless of age, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, we’re glued to the tube to cheer our elite Arizona Men’s Basketball teams to victory… or thrilling to another incredible post-season run by Arizona Baseball just as the weather begins to go full summer blast. Wildcat fandom is THE most common connective thread in our community. So it was inevitable that the explosive rebirth of Downtown and the great tradition of Arizona Athletics would cross paths in a major way.
The Downtown Tucson Partnership and Playground Bar & Lounge have allied with ZonaZoo to invite everyone to Bear Down Downtown at Playground! Playground Bar & Lounge will now be the Official ZonaZoo Watch Party Headquarters, hosting road game watch events with ZonaZoo throughout the entire 2016-2017 Arizona Men’s Basketball and Baseball seasons (and hopefully post-seasons!). This alliance will also be promoted by way of 30-second video ads run before home games at McKale Memorial Center and Hi-Corbett Field.
In addition to the hosted events, the brand new ZonaZoo app (downloadable by ANYONE) will lead fans to special deals and discounts offered by a variety of Downtown merchants on game days! It’s a wonderful opportunity for ZonaZoo members and Wildcat fans to become more acquainted with some of the terrific food, beverage, retail, and service offerings provided by your local Downtown Tucson merchants.
Participating merchants at press time include Tony Ray Baker of Tierra Antigua Realty, Hotel Congress, Maynards Market & Kitchen, Got All Your Marbles?, Chicago Music Store, Autobahn Indoor Speedway of Tucson, Ike’s Coffee & Tea, Hub Restaurant & Creamery, and Hub Ice Cream Factory, with more jumping on board everyday!
The Downtown Tucson Partnership is committed to making Downtown Tucson the most dynamic urban center in the Southwest. The Partnership is a non-profit, 501 (c)(6) corporation, charged with acting as a catalyst for the re-development of Downtown. The organization was created in 1998 to implement the services for the Downtown Business Improvement District. These services include enhanced security, maintenance, marketing, festivals and events and economic development.