In this issue: dance with your sweetheart, discover hummingbirds, watch hockey, beer tasting, celebrate health, polka me crazy, kitchen tour, retro run, remember a birthday, explore the desert, do yoga in a park.
This column includes announcements of seminars, workshops, community events, fundraisers and other programs for which there is an admission charge, a donation expected or you are otherwise expected to spend money, such as shopping events. Advance registration is required at some these events, so you might see them listed here weeks before they are scheduled to occur.
If you are looking for programs or activities where there is no charge for admission, you can check my weekly “Free Things To Do” column (it comes out every Monday), or check the monthly calendar of recurring annual events.
Events are presented here in date order.
What: Valentine’s Day Dance
When: Thursday, February 14, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Peoria Community Center, 8335 W Jefferson Street
Get out your dancing shoes and join two great high school jazz bands as they perform at the newly-remodeled Peoria Community Center. The Liberty Jazz Orchestra and Peoria Panther Jazz Ensemble will get kids of all ages swinging to great tunes. $7 entry fee (proceeds go to these high school bands), includes hors d’oeuvres. For more information or advance ticket purchase, call 602-757-3162.
What: Desert Discovery: Hummingbird
When: Friday, February 15, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Where: Environmental Education Center at Veterans Oasis Park, Chandler
Search for hummingbirds in Veterans Oasis Park. Be sure to wear good shoes for walking on the trails and bring a water bottle. During this fun program for parents and children (ages 3-4), there will be stories, games, finger plays and crafts all about hummingbirds. The fee is $6 ($9 for non-residents) per child with an additional $5 supply fee due to the instructor at the beginning of class. Pre-registration is required.
What: NHL Alumni – Celebrity “Play for the Gray” Benefit Hockey Game
When: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 7 p.m.
Where: Coyote’s Ice Den, Scottsdale
The game will put a group of Phoenix Coyote’s alumni against a team of NHL vets. Each team will also include some Hollywood celebrities known more for their acting and entertaining than their abilities to skate and shoot. Dave Coulier from Full House and Chad Lowe are scheduled to play. On the ice for the Coyotes Alums are Brian Savage, Dave Scatchard, Tyson Nash and Greg Adams. The NHL Alumni will feature NHL greats like Reed Larson, Cliff Ronning, Mel Bridgeman, Shjon Podein and Neal Broten, who will be behind the bench. Proceeds will benefit the Coyote’s Amateur Hockey Association and a minimum of 20% of the event net revenue to the Banner Concussion Center and Injury Prevention Education Program at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. $10 adults, $5 kids.
What: Country Club Classic
When: Sunday, February 17, 2013 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: PERA Club, 1 East Continental Drive, Tempe
Beer Tasting and Silent Auction benefiting Camp Not-A-Wheeze, Arizona’s premier summer camp for children with asthma. Blindly sample 3 beers at each “hole” (9 holes) and attempt to match the beer you tasted with one of the options provided. Come in your golf attire but leave your clubs at home. This is a beer tasting event and competition. For every incorrect guess, you acquire strokes. The better the round you play, the better chance you have to win. Prizes, food, live music, games, silent auction. $40 in advance, $20 “caddy fee” for designated drivers. Register online.
What: Celebrate Heart Health
When: Sunday, February 17, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: 5415 High Street (Off Loop 101 at 56th St. and Deer Valley Dr.), Phoenix
The Market on High Street will feature adventurous fundraising activities to support the American Heart Association and heart-healthy fitness demonstrations for children and adults. The American Heart Association will be onsite to provide educational information and a “heartfelt” kids craft. Through a small donation, families can enjoy the EuroBungy trampoline, zip line, bounce house, face painting, balloon animals and a craft. Free exercise demos start at 10:15 a.m. and continue every half hour. They include Zumba Fitness, Dancing with Plaza de Anaya, CrossFit Scottsdale Powered by Kayyem Fitness, Pilates with AZ Body Mechanics, Kids Karate with StrongHeart Academy, Jujitsu and Striking with StrongHeart Academy.
What: Polka Me Crazy
When: Monday, February 18, 2013; Sunday, March 3, 2013; Sunday, March 17, 2013 from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Wild Horse Pass Hotel Casino, Chandler
Live polka music, food and drinks. $40 per person. Ticket price includes two drinks and all the food you can eat. Food includes a selection of tastes from the Midwest: Bratwurst, cheese curds, fries with gravy etc. Drinks include a selection of beers from the Midwest. Tickets sold online or at the casino. 18+ only.
What: Kitchen Tasting Tour
When: Saturday, February 23, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Six upscale homes in North Scottsdale and Home Design Idea Center, 19120 North Pima Road, Scottsdale
The first Annual Lymphoma Research Foundation Kitchen Tasting Tour is a self driving tour of extraordinary kitchens and cuisines. Get an up close and personal look inside six of the area’s most fabulous homes and entertaining spaces located in North Scottsdale. Along with viewing some of the best designed kitchens, ticket holders will sample signature dishes prepared by talented Valley chefs and view beautiful tablescapes, all while raising funds for lymphoma research. $40.
What: The Retro Run 5k
When: Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 9 a.m.
Where: Rio Vista Park, Peoria
The Retro Run 5K™ is a unique 3 mile run focused less on speed and more on crazy Retro fun with friends and family. Retro runners come from all different ages, shapes, sizes, and speeds; but everyone toeing the start line has a blast. Register by March 1. $45.
What: Champagne Brunch Silent Auction Fundraiser
When: Saturday, March 2, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: San Tan Conference Center, 1800 S San Tan Village Parkway, Gilbert
East Valley based non-profit Birthdays Remembered is holding a brunch and silent auction fundraiser to help fund their mission of providing birthday gifts to children in need. activities will include a silent auction, a penny social, a fashion show, and the brunch, which includes a “bottomless” glass of champagne with the goal of raising money to continue their mission of providing birthday gifts for children and their families who need a little help to make a birthday a real celebration. $45 per ticket, a table for ten is $400. Deadline to register: February 22, 2013.
What: Desert Explorers Workshop
When: Saturday, March 9, 2013 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Deer Valley Rock Art Center, Phoenix
A workshop for children ages 8-12 years old. Desert Explorers will discover a living Sonoran Desert through bird watching and ethnobotany hikes, ecological art projects, hands-on activities, and cultural desert knowledge. Advance registration is required, deadline February 22, 2013. $12 Members, $15 Non-members.
What: Yoga in the Park
When: Various
Where: Margaret T. Hance Park and Steele Indian School Park, Phoenix
From February through mid March, Margaret T. Hance Park and Steele Indian School Park will alternate as hosts of two-hour outdoor yoga sessions that include live music, free instruction, vendors and a special program for kids ages 3 and older called Camp Yoga Rocks. There is a $10 fee per child for the camp. This is the second straight year for the yoga series at these two parks. The dates: Feb. 10, Feb. 17, Feb. 24 at Hance Park (west side of the park in the grassy area adjacent to the playground and just north of the Japanese Friendship Garden); March 3, March 10, March 17 at Steele Indian School Park (in the Circle of Life, north of the historic buildings; closest to the 3rd Street or Central Avenue entrances). Registration begins at 1 p.m. for each event, yoga and music from 2 to 3:30, and music, vendors and demonstrations until 4 p.m. There is no charge to participate in the Yoga classes, though Yoga Rocks the Park is suggesting a donation of $10 per class. A portion of event revenues will benefit Yoga Worldreach, a 501-3C non-profit that brings yoga to needy areas. Call for information 602-430-1736.
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If you’ve arrived at this page and find that the event dates have past, check my recent blog entries for more fundraisers, seminars and programs happening around town.
If you have an program or event that is open to the public that you’d like me to consider for this column, complete this form and submit it to me at least 8 days prior to the event (or registration deadline, if applicable).
All dates, times, prices and offerings are subject to change without notice.