Standin' On The Corner

Are you an Eagles fan or maybe you just like the song "Take It Easy". Well, if that is the case, you can go to Winslow, Arizona and visit the Standin' On The Corner In Winslow Arizona Park. There is a statue of a young man holding a guitar and a mural of a girl driving by in a truck. There is no cost to visit the small park.

For more information: standinonthecorner.com or winslowarizona.org.

Baseball Exhibit at Mesa Historical Museum

Do you love spring training baseball games? The Mesa Historical Museum has a new exhibit which commemorates 100 years of professional baseball in Arizona - Play Ball: The Cactus League Experience. The exhibit will include interactive children's games and never-before-seen memorabilia. Their website - playballexperience.com - includes a history of the Cactus League. It even allows you to share your favorite Arizona spring training memory.

The Mesa Historical Museum is located at 2345 N Horne St. Call 480-835-7358 for more information.

Fishing in Phoenix and the East Valley

Through a joint program with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and local parks divisions there are 16 lakes in the Valley that have been stocked with fish. If you are 14 or older, you will need a Class U license to fish in a lake that is part of the Urban Fishing Program. Licenses are available at Arizona Game and Fish departments and many fishing, hunting, and sporting goods stores. The 2008 Class U fishing license is on sale for half price in November and December.

Locations of Urban Fishing Lakes

AZ Republic article - Urban Anglers Can Reel in Fun Without Having to Leave Town

AZ Game & Fish Department

Check Out a Fall League Baseball Game

Did you know that Arizona hosts some MLB fall league baseball games? Minor league players representing the major league teams play ball in the valley. So if you want to relax and enjoy the weather while watching a game, check the links below.

AZ Republic article - AZ Fall League Helps Families Save Money

AZ Republic article - Fall League Teams

MLB AZ Fall League Site

MLB AZ Fall League Schedule

New Ice Skating Rink for East Valley

Polar Ice is opening a new location in Gilbert. It is currently scheduled to be opened on September 13. There is an information trailer currently open to the public to obtain information. There will be youth and adult hockey leagues available, as well as skating classes, and open skating times. This can be a fun way to get some exercise and cool off during the hot summer months. They are located at Crossroads Park on Greenfield Road in between Ray Rd. and Warner Rd. in Gilbert. There are also currently Polar Ice locations in Chandler and Peoria. Click on one of the links below to get more information.

Polar Ice - Gilbert

Polar Ice - Chandler

Polar Ice - Peoria

Races in Arizona

I like to run in foot races. Anything from a 5k up to the marathon. But, race organizers don't always advertise races in the papers. So, where do you find them? My favorite is GetSetAZ. They have a race schedule for every state. Running, biking, triathlon, specialty races, you name it. Other places I find races at are Arizona Road Racers, a great group of runners. Arizona Running Events Calendar. Runner's World Online Magazine.

If you want to run I recommend these places to visit online. If you need motivation I'd go to this great page.

Now here's some races you should run in September:

8/31/08 8:00 AM
Arizona Road Racers Jerome Hill Climb

4.6 miles Run, 4.6 miles Walk

Website

9/1/08 6:30 AM
Saguaro National Park Labor Day 8-miler

8 mile Run, 2 mile Fun Run/Walk, 2 mile Walk

Website

9/13/08 8:00 AM
"Life Without Pain" 5K Fun Run/Walk

5K Run, 5K Walk Website

9/14/08 7:15 AM
Arizona Road Racers I-Did-A-Run 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run

10K or 5K Run, 10K or 5K Walk, 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk Website
Reach 11 Arizona Horse Lovers ParkPhoenix, AZ

9/20/08 7:00 AM

Air Force Birthday 5KRun
Pima Air and Space MuseumTucson, AZ

9/21/08 7:00 AM
Race JudicataRun
Tempe Kiwanis Park, AZ

9/27/08 7:00 AM
Moon Valley Grasshopper Bridge 5K

5K Run, 5K Walk Website
Moon Valley ParkPhoenix, AZ

Fourth of July Events

There are lots of different events you can attend over the 4th of July weekend in and around the East Valley. AZCentral's Event List contains a large list of events. Scroll down the page to see events happening in the East Valley. It lists information for festivities and fireworks in Apache Junction, Chandler, Raw Hide (Gila River Reservation), Gilbert, Maricopa, Mesa, Queen Creek, and Tempe.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

The California Advantage

Sorry we haven't posted in the last few days. We took a much needed short family vacation to San Diego. One of the advantages to living in the Phoenix area is that it is only a six or seven hour drive to San Diego, Los Angles, or Las Vegas. How long it takes can depend on where in Phoenix you are starting from and how many stops you make. If you stop for a meal, you might need to add on to that time. There was not a lot of traffic on the highways despite it being around Memorial Day weekend. We think this was probably due to the gas prices. One fill up of the tank on our mini-van was $69! The gas prices are higher in CA.

While July and August are considered the prime beach months in CA, we enjoyed an afternoon at the beach while we were there. Went to the beach on Coronado which was very nice and clean. The kids even went in the water eventhough it was pretty cold. We also attended a Reds - Padres baseball game that went 18 innings. Yes, we stayed for the whole thing. It started at 1:00pm and ended around 7:00pm.

AZ Archer to Compete in Olympics

Brady Ellison who is from Glendale, Arizona won the men's U.S. Olympic Archery Trials this weekend at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. He is one of three men who will be representing the United States at the Beijing Games. Brady is 19 years old and in the past has competed as a youth archer in Arizona. He has also spent time at the Olympic Training facility in CA. Brady Ellison Article- AZ Republic 05/04/08.

If you are interested in target archery, Arizona has tournments for youth and adults. Our son used to compete and we have meet a lot of great people through archery. For more information:

• Arizona State University Archery Club


• Arizona Junior and Collegiate Archery (JOAD)


• Arizona State Archery Association

Quilt Show at Gilbert Historical Museum

"The Art of Quilting" Quilt Show runs from March 1 to May 31 at the Gilbert Historical Museum. The museum is located at the corner of Gilbert an Elliot Roads, in the old Gilbert School building. The museum hours are Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays, 9am to 4pm. Adult admission price is $5 and $4 for seniors. On Saturdays, a group of local quilters demonstrate frame quilting and they can arrange to hand quilt one of your projects.

Spring Training - Cactus League

It is that time of year again - the start of baseball in Arizona - spring training. The AZ Republic had a pull out section today - Cactus League Preview. There are three teams that play in the East Valley: Oakland A's at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim at Tempe Diablo Stadium, and the Chicago Cubs at Hohokam Stadium. All told, there are 12 Major League Teams that host spring training in Arizona. Click on the team names previously listed to link to the game dates and ticket prices. Hohokam Stadium and Tempe Diablo Stadium both offer lawn seating which can be fun.