Aside from your summer reading list and rewatching season two of Westworld (it was a lot), here are some entries for July’s page in the calendar, including some movie nights, appearances from Freddy Krueger and Doc Brown, and of course, a trip to the planetarium.
$4 for the Fourth
Known as the ancient heart of Phoenix, the Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeological Park is celebrating the Fourth of July holiday week (meaning July 3 to July 7 but not July 4 as they’ll be closed) with $4 entry for adults. Yes, four bones will get you into this 1,500-year-old archaeological site, where you can explore the Main Gallery’s featured exhibit, "The Hohokam: The Land and the People," and if you dare, the ruins along the Outdoor Trail. See the Pueblo Grande Museum website for hours and more details.
MonsoonCon 2018
This event is exactly what it sounds like — a convention focused on the awe-inspiring monsoon of weather professionals, media meteorologists, storm chasers, and weather enthusiasts (i.e. you) to lose their shit over Arizona’s storm season. MonsoonCon 2018 starts at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 7, at New City Church. Cost is $20 per person at the door without registration (which ended June 30), and children 12 and under get in free with paying adult. See the Facebook event for more details.
Mad Monster Arizona 2018
It’s never the wrong time to think about Halloween, which is why Mad Monster Arizona is an annual horror convention. There are vendors, guests, panels, costume contests, Scaraoke, the Miss Mad Monster Pageant, and horror movie guests like oh, Robert Englund a.k.a. Freddy Krueger. Mad Monster Arizona 2018 is Friday, July 13, through Sunday, July 15 at We-Ko-Pa Resort in Fountain Hills. Tickets range from $25 to $199. See the Mad Monster Arizona website for more information.
Join the "My Father’s Head – Drawing the Human Brain" workshop with artist-in-residence Monica Aissa Martinez.
Courtesy of Tempe Center for the Arts
Gallery at TCA’s artist-in-residence Monica Aissa Martinez is known for her anatomy paintings and drawings, and in this heartening workshop, Martinez tackles the “changes happening at a microscopic level to her own father as he faces the effects of dementia.” Join the free “My Father’s Head – Drawing the Human Brain” workshop, part of the ongoing summer family art workshops, on Saturday, July 14, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Gallery at TCA in the Tempe Center for the Arts. See the TCA website for more details.
Christopher Lloyd Goes Back To The Future
Christopher Lloyd is hitting the Orpheum Theatre stage as Dr. Emmett Brown for a night of storytelling in downtown Phoenix. The topic? Behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the making of Back to the Future and working with Michael J. Fox and Steven Spielberg, mildly powered by an audience-led Q&A. Fingers crossed that he slips in a story or two about Taxi. The show starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, and tickets range from $49 to $135 for VIP. See the Phoenix Convention Center & Venues website for tickets and more information.
Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb
Who doesn’t love a good weird movie night in the summer months? Good thing PHX Film Collective is showing Stanley Kubrick's disturbing 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb. We’re talking three roles from Peter Sellers, that bomb-riding scene from Slim Pickens a.k.a. Major "King" Kong, and all kinds of political relevance. It’s a little on the nose these days, but still enjoyable starting at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Changing Hands Phoenix. Tickets are $8, and you can get them on the Eventbrite page.
History of the Future Film Series: They Live
In a world where we may be seeing more ads than familiar faces on our social media feeds, think about what it all means, i.e. consume. That’s the premise behind They Live, the thought-provoking and equally ridiculous 1988 John Carpenter science-fiction horror film starring actor slash wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. This is the second installment of the History of the Future film series put on by FilmBar and Arizona State University's Center for Science and the Imagination. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 19. Tickets are $7. See the FilmBar website for tickets and more details.
Robot Making with Jordan-Alexander Thomas
If an interactive robot workshop sounds incredibly up your alley, join the Robot Making with Jordan Thomas event at Practical Art. They and Space Boy Robot (Jordan-Alexander Thomas) will provide the supplies while you build your own mini robot surrounded by pros. The workshop is Saturday, July 21, from 2 to 4 p.m. Cost is $50. See the Practical Art website for registration and more details.
3-D Astronomy Shows
A cold theater sounds great, and if a 3-D Astronomy Show happens to be going on at the same time, even better. Marston Exploration Theater uses Definiti SkySkan Planetarium technology with 4K projection systems resulting in some 3-D stereographic vision. They’ll show one of four, 60-minutes shows, including To the Edge of the Universe and Everything in Between. Shows are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m., July 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, and 25. Find it in the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building IV on ASU’s Tempe campus. General admission is $7.50, and students are $5.50. See the ASU website for tickets and details.
Sunday Smash Bros. Tournament
Odds are you’re pretty good at one of these three games: rock paper scissors, air hockey, and/or Super Smash Bros. Good thing The Grid: Games and Growlers in Mesa is hosting constant Sunday Smash Bros. Tournaments throughout July and beyond. The Sunday Smash Tourney is on the latest version via Wii-U and you’re free to BYOC (controller). There’s a $10 buy-in, and a full bar and menu. Tourneys runs from 9 a.m. to noon every Sunday, July 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29. See the Facebook event for the latest details.
