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Residents Fight To Keep Tucson 'Weird And Wonderful'

Tucson’s 4th Avenue sits right in the heart of the city, full of locally-owned businesses in 100-year-old buildings.

But right now, this uniquely Tucson district is facing change. The strip’s first high-rise is being planned right now, and as we’ve seen happen recently along downtown Phoenix’s Roosevelt Row, where developers see dollar signs, many local business owners and residents see loss.

The recent loss of a few longtime favorites along 4th Avenue like a nightclub called The Flycatcher have some calling to keep Tucson “weird and wonderful.”

The Show spoke with Fred Ronstadt, executive director of the 4th Avenue Merchants’ Association, about this precarious time for the area.

Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.