Vicky Westover had an itch for art, which propelled her from fine arts photography to film and then from London to Baltimore to Tucson – and the 2011 Tucson Cine Mexico Film Festival.

The festival, which is being held this week in several venues around town, came from Westover’s efforts to create community-driven venues to showcase international cinema. It will offer Mexican films not usually shown in the U.S., including Amores Perros, named one of the top Mexican films of the last decade, and a panel on documentary film chaired by Mexican documentary-maker Elena Fortes.

“I came to Tucson (in 2002) without a job and then I thought, ‘If I was a film programmer here, what festival would I start?’” Westover said. “At the time there wasn’t a Mexican film festival in the United States, and it made sense.”

Mark Krider moved to Tombstone and opened his western apparel store in February on the north side of the city’s main transportation drag, Fremont Street.

He said that, so far, “it’s been kid of slow” at his shop, Bandit & Belle, 302 E. Fremont St.

That’s not to say he’s pessimistic. While many in town see Fremont Street as a barrier between the tourist-heavy Allen Street and the rest of town, Krider said he’s hoping for a near-$1 million transportation project to bring tourism north of Fremont Street.

Arizona Route 80 becomes Fremont Street through Tombstone.

Narrowing the street to provide room for lighting, wooden boardwalks and awnings will give the highway more of the old west feel, said Steve Troncale, city councilman and city project manager for the improvement.

[caption id="attachment_24" align="alignright" width="864"]The Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company was founded in 1943. (Photo by Samantha Sais/ASNS)[/caption]The odor of spices inside Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company in Tumacacori greets visitors even before they open the front door.

Here, spices are not just a product. They’re a craft and a tradition. Sauces, powders and pastes of all colors fill the store from wall to wall.  Some are local flavors, such as the company’s own brand of chili sauces and powders made from fresh peppers harvested on family owned farms each fall and processed at a factory in Pearce.

The company was founded in 1943, though its origin dates back to 1931 when Gene England came to the Southwest and bought a ranch in the Santa Cruz River Valley. Over time, the business expanded, and now the store only has to handle retail sales as well as packaging, labeling and shipping of online sales.

For John Fields, or “Johnny One Dog” as he’s known around town, an old and possibly unstable adobe garage is the perfect place from which to sell sarsaparilla.

The 67-year-old’s business is known as Johnny One Dog’s Tombstone Sarsaparilla. It’s located on Third Street between Fremont and Allen streets and has been open since late last year.

Johnny said the idea to sell sarsaparilla came to him during one of his regular walks with his dog, Jenny. He noticed that the town’s shops only sold Sioux City Sarsaparilla.

“Sioux City has had the market for years, and I saw a need for Tombstone’s own private label,” he said. “Tombstone is a famous town in the Old West. I thought it would be a good souvenir item.”

Johnny then scribbled a few sketches for a label, which included a logo that consisted of a “J,” “1” and “D” to symbolize his nickname, which evolved from locals saying, “There’s John and his one dog,” Jenny.

With his sketches, he turned to John Ludwig, a Tombstone art designer.

Two weak puppies sat on a couch on the front porch that spanned the length of the Southwestern-style, one-story home, struggling to keep their heads upright.

On an adjacent couch, flies swooped over the body of a dead puppy.

Welcome to an area south of Tucson near Old Vail Connection Road and the Old Nogales Highway, a place some people call “Dogpatch.” It’s an area where small houses and trailers on dirt roads spread across the desert, and where residents own a lot of animals.

It’s also a place some people come to abandon animals they no longer want – or dump carcasses.

“Dogpatch is an area that we’ve known about for a long time,” said Jayne Cundy, public service supervisor for Pima Animal Care Center. “It’s an area where dogs are known to wander and animals are abandoned there.”

The rescue group Angels for Animals of Tucson has been going to Dogpatch on weekends for the past year to rescue dogs. Nancy Maddry started the nonprofit rescue group in December 2009 when it became evident there was a need to rescue abused and abandoned animals in the area.