The Scottsdale Family ArtsFest is a free festival that runs for two days in the Scottsdale Civic…read moreCenter. It features performing arts by K-12 so it's actually more catered to kids. There's performances and various booths. What I found very lacking was their food choices. The theater's first floor features a variety of art done by kids which I thought was neat. Otherwise, this isn't all that special unless you're a kid.

What a gem! I have lived here for 8 years and never visited the museum. Mesa has such a rich…read morehistory. The rooms were well organized by theme which change often, and right now there is a Falcon Field and the Royal Air Force display as well as Kachina dolls. Lots to learn about the Hohokam, the canals and Mesa origins. The gift shop is super cute too.

What a nice small museum. It gives you a great prospective of early Mesa. It goes into RAF at…read morefalcon field to the earliest settlement. Takes about 2 hours to see it. Worth a visit

Great fundraising group! Fun and full of people from all walks of life and all adult agesread more

Valley Opera Triumph…read more Valley Opera's performance of The Elixir of Love is a triumph. Beautiful music combines with romance and laughter in Chandler, Arizona. The run of the performance finished February 22nd, 2024. The setting of the opera has successfully been moved from Spain to Arizona. Opera Co-Founder Emily Gibson combines soulful acting as Romantic Lead Adina and angelic singing. The small supporting orchestra was superb under Director Nikolovski and featuring Dr. Jeremy Peterman on piano. Dr. Peterman has been a mainstay of the company from its founding. In a top hat, snake oil salesman Dulcamara as played by John Pierce Kraft is a charming rogue who spices up the whole performance. The company continues to prosper under the leadership of Co-Founder Richard Gibson.

Valley Opera uses the best of musical talents and then infuses music with passion and caring…read more While centered on opera, it has patriotic songs in its Veteran's Day concert and has an upcoming Best of Broadway. The co-directors, Richard Gibson and Emily Gibson, lead the troupe with energy and thoughtfulness. Treat yourself, Go see Valley Opera. ValleyOpera@Gmail.com

This was my first time hearing of this Non profit business as we came here to attend the Turkish…read moreFestival . AZ is full of growth and is rapidly becoming Diverse which is a plus! I've always enjoyed different Cultures and learning about each Culture as it helps me understand that although, we're all different with beliefs, foods, and attire yet, we're really all the same! The Turkish event was AWESOME! I wish more people of all races were in attendance but, it wasn't highly advertised ! The food was fantastic and we met some really nice people of different ethnicities which was also fun. They taught us about the food and how to pronounce some of them. I'd recommend attending this event at least once! It's been growing and returning each year! I went online to read about Sema and because of this event being held here, I'm actually more interested in learning more. Get out folks...learn about each other so that the world may become a better place and so that we can all continue to grow and help one another As usual, Parking was free

This museum was very small, but informative. I liked that it was kid friendly. They had signs…read moreeverywhere that said "please touch." My son was all about this. Barb, the docent, was very knowledgable and friendly.

I love the atmosphere in this museum of regional significance. Water is always an important aspect…read moreof desert life, and these walls tell our story. The partnership with the Ft. McDowell Yavapai Nation is apparent in the displays starting right in the lobby. Sneak a peek at the exciting International Dark Sky Discovery Center dome, which will open later this year, while you are visiting the Museum located on the Fountain Hills Civic Plaza.

This is always a fun game to attend around the new year. We are fortunate here in the Valley to be…read morea part of the college playoff bowl system. The Fiesta Bowl has been in existence since 1971 and was hosted by Sun Devil Stadium until they moved to State Farm Stadium in 2007. There have been a handful of college national champions decided at this bowl. In 1998, the Fiesta Bowl hosted the first BCS National Championship Game. Out of all the teams in college football, Ohio State has made more appearances than any other team. I attended my first Fiesta Bowl in 1997 when I received free tickets to the game. Since 2000, I have been a Fiesta Bowl season ticket holder and have attended almost every game since then with my good friend from college. I also at times volunteer to be a balloon handler in the Fiesta Bowl parade. I love the Fiesta Bowl organization and all the charity work that they do in this community. They are currently sponsored by Playstation. They used to be sponsored by Tostitos and we would get a free chips and salsa when we attended the game. One of my favorite things to do is to tailgate in the parking lot and party with fans that travel here from other schools. There have been so many memorable games over the years. One of the most memorable games I attended was the 2003 BCS title game in which Ohio St beat Miami in double overtime. It is also nice to look back and see how many future NFL stars I have seen play in the Fiesta Bowl over the years like Andrew Luck, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, Trevor Lawrence & Joe Borrow. I'm a huge college football fan and have enjoyed this holiday tradition of going to the Fiesta Bowl for the past 20 years. I look forward to many more games in the future.

This year, #9 Penn State was selected to play in the Fiesta Bowl vs #11 Washington. Coming in, Penn…read moreState was the favorite and playing with Marcus Allen, Jason Cabinda, DaeSean Hamilton, Mike Gesicki and possibly Saquon Barkley for the last time. To give them an amazing farewell, our fans traveled well! The Nittany Lions started off strong, with a beautiful Trace McSorley pass to DaeSean Hamilton for a 48 yard touchdown! Later, Penn State's success continued as they drove straight down the field for a Saquon Barkley touchdown to make it a 14-0 Penn State lead. When the game looked like it was all Penn State, Washington responded with a trick play that took them down to the 10 yard line. Eventually, Jake Browning snuck in for a touchdown, to get Washington on the board. However, when momentum looked like it was shifting Washington's way, Penn State responded with a Mike Gesicki third-down conversion and a DeAndre Thompkins catch on the 1 yard line, which lead to a Miles Sanders touchdown. Eventually, Penn State got the ball back on their own 8 yard line and it was time for Saquon Barkley to make his mark. He found a hole and was off and running 92 yards to the house to make it a 28-7 Penn State lead! Penn State was able to get the ball again and have a chance to put the game way, but a costly fumble lead to a Myles Gaskin score. Eventually, half-time came and went and Washington got the ball. They then went on to drive down the field for a touchdown to make it a one-score game. However, Trace McSorley lead Penn State right down the field for a DaeSean Hamilton back shoulder touchdown catch to put Penn State up 35-21! Penn State had another chance to put the game away with the ball in the red-zone, but McSorley had another unlucky interception, which lead to a long Myles Gaskin score. Washington was within one touchdown again. Penn State once again drove down the field up by one touchdown and had a chance to put the game away with a Tyler Davis field goal, but from 45 yards away, he pulled it. Luckily, Washington had no time outs and only 30 seconds to score. With 15 seconds left, Jake Browning converted a fourth-down, but a hook and later lead to a fumble recovered by Brandon Smith!!! The best part was when #9 (and moving up) Penn State got the W. 35-28 #WeAre

The Scottsdale Culinary Festival is two days of food, drinks and entertainment spread out around…read morethe Scottsdale Civic Center Mall. Calling the event a "culinary" festival might be misleading but "The Food, Wine, Beer, and Music Festival" is kind of long and not very exciting. When you arrive, do not pay for parking because there is plenty of free parking around the area. You can use the money you saved to buy your food tickets to spend at the festival. I got discounted tickets online (2 for $10) from coupon site. These were general entry tickets and did not include food tickets or the Beer Garden and VIP areas. But, did include areas like: Big Green Egg Grill-tainment Zone, Kid's Zone, Teen Cook-Off, and 3 music stages. The event makes great use of both indoor and outdoor space around the center which include the outdoor amphitheater, water fountains, a lagoon, and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. We went on Sunday, which was the second and last day of the festival. It was a breezy afternoon but felt warm-ish due to minimal shade. Luckily, many of the booth lines were short, if there was a line at all. Lots of the vendors gave out freebies like coupons, stickers, energy drinks and snack bars. There were many different booths to choose from but not everything we tried was that good. It is really just depends what you pick. However, a few of my favorite tasty items from the day were: Fried Mac N' Cheese Bites with Chipotle Aioli from Aioli Burger, Honey Sesame Chicken Biscuit from Two Brothers and Bailey's Cheesecake Beignets from the Beignet Babe. If day-drinking is your thing, buy tickets for the Beer Garden and you'll probably be happy. If people watching is your thing this event provides plenty of opportunity to do so. And if listening to music while trying food and drinks is your thing, then you'll enjoy spending time at the Scottsdale Culinary Festival.

Almost everything you wanted to eat you could find here, a…read morelittle bit of everything. A plethora of Food Trucks, Food Stations, Beer and Wine Gardens. They also had two stages with Live Bands, a Kids Zone and more.