Best Costuming Group 2010 | Arizona Costumed Revelers | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Costuming Group

Arizona Costumed Revelers

Simply put, the main goal of AZ Costumed Revelers is to dress up in wacky, elaborate outfits and party. Apparently, this is a ton of fun, as illustrated by the group's numbers. Since its founding in July 2009, the group has more than 157 registered members and has participated in more than 77 events. AZ Costumed Revelers love a good theme, too, and they've incorporated all kinds of costumes into their parties and pub crawls, from zombies and pirates to gladiators and showgirls. Some of their biggest events have included the "Epic Superheroes vs. Villains" battle at Tempe Beach Park, and the "Brides of March" pub crawl, in which participants (including men) donned bridal dresses and went bar-hopping along Mill Avenue. Currently, the group is gearing up for its steampunk-themed Wild Wild West Con in Tucson next year.

Best Costumed Event

The "Brides of March" pub crawl

Local social groups Arizona Costumed Revelers and the Arizona Cacophony Society love to dress up and drink, and what better way to celebrate nothing in particular than to wear bridal gowns and invade Mill Avenue on a Saturday afternoon? More than 30 "brides" participated in this pub crawl, which started at the entrance to Tempe Beach Park and worked its way down Mill, with drinking stops at places like Margarita Rocks and Gordon Biersch. They reportedly were refused service at Hooters, where management apparently had no idea how to handle a massive influx of drunken brides. Or it could have been the men wearing dresses and nothing underneath them — not exactly balcony-friendly fashion. Either way, the thirsty Brides of March would not be thwarted, so they finished their pub crawl near Mill and University. We can't wait to see what the "newlyweds" will do for an encore.

Best Face Painting

Anna Banana Face Painting

If you want your mug painted by a bona fide artisan, you'd be wise to seek out the services of Anna Ramsey. Whether it's a house party, concert, hoedown, or kid's birthday party, the local artist/musician will doll up your mug free of charge (though she'll accept tips and donations). Ramsey, born and raised in El Paso, Texas, learned her face painting skills in Flagstaff, where she honed her craft at events like the county fair. Since moving to the Valley, Ramsey has painted all sorts of designs — ranging from minimalist shapes to a complete face-full of color — for folks hanging out at Conspire as well as partygoers at Scottsdale's The Rogue Bar and Angels & Outlaws.

Best Sci-Fi Convention

LepreCon

At 36 years old, LepreCon is the second-oldest sci-fi convention in Arizona, behind only the TusCon in Tucson. But in many ways, LepreCon is bigger: It draws about 500 fans annually and regularly hosts some of the biggest names in science fiction. Previous guests included Charles Vess (the artist for the popular Sandman comics), George R.R. Martin (Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire), and acclaimed Lord of the Isles author David Drake. But it's not just the guests that make LepreCon great; there are also sci-fi and fantasy art shows, gaming rooms, a Masquerade Ball, and even live music (the performer in 2010 was author and former Flash Girls folk rocker Emma Bull). With all its spacey, fantastic ambiance, LepreCon is heaven for sci-fi geeks, and a great introduction for newbies.

Best Anime Convention

Saboten-Con

Saboten-Con is entering just its third year, but this annual anime convention has already outdone its primary local competition, AniZona, which was canceled this year because of budgetary woes. From the looks and size of Saboten-Con, it's not suffering similar problems. This year's event drew about 300 people to the Hilton Phoenix East for a plethora of anime programming, including a Japanese fashion show, a costuming masquerade, and a "Maid Cafe" hosted by cute female cosplayers. Saboten-Con also hosts guests from the world of anime, including most recently voice actor Steve Blum (Spike in Cowboy Bebop and dozens of characters from Digimon) and artist Maura Aum, who's worked on such Tokyopop titles as Dark Moon Diaries and Silky Pink. But one of the best things about Saboten-Con is the people-watching — we just love to see ninjas with hot pink hair dancing with fuzzy bunnies.

Best Game

The Citadel

In some ways, The Citadel is like any other live-action role-playing game (LARP) — players pretend to be certain characters and enact scenes within a story (à la Vampire: The Masquerade), and they are often prone to paranoia (à la Assassin). But The Citadel is unique in that players are given a mystery to solve, and game play takes place at various locations throughout Central Phoenix. The premise is that players are agents for The Citadel, a fictional international spy organization. Each game is a chapter in an ongoing story, and game play begins with the story that a double agent has infiltrated The Citadel. Over the course of three or four hours, players try to find out who the intruder is by visiting places around the Valley, examining clues, and interacting with actors who've been planted at different places. It's incredibly immersive (and slightly creepy), which makes it the perfect game to play in downtown Phoenix at night.

Best Book Club

Downtown Phoenix Book Club

This isn't your grandma's book club. Rather, the Downtown Phoenix Book Club is a lively group of bookworms that meets the fourth Wednesday of each month to drink and discuss handpicked tomes. The small group meets at MADE art boutique and then makes the short jaunt to eye lounge (which is connected to MADE), where Jewish News of Greater Phoenix associate editor Deborah Sussman Susser leads a discussion amongst beautiful works inside the contemporary art gallery. DPBC alternates between fiction and non-fiction — recent examples include Little Bee by Chris Cleave and Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi — and the books are always available in paperback (pick up a copy at MADE at a 10 percent discount). It's a BYOBB (bring your own book and bottle) format, and the crew and is always open to new literary nerds, meets at 6:30 p.m. sharp to 7:30.

Best Way to Learn About the Harvey Girls

Arizona Capitol Museum Exhibit

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Wanted: Young women 18 to 30 years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent. Let's face it: In the 1880s, American ladies didn't have a lot of choices. What was an adventurous girl to do? Many headed to the Southwest. The Harvey Girls were single women who answered newspaper advertisements in the Midwest and the East to go into the Arizona and New Mexico territories to work as waitresses for Fred Harvey and his hotel/restaurant chain. Between 1883 and 1950, nearly 100,000 women came west to work. They could serve a four-course meal in less than 30 minutes. In the process, they became part of the first significant female workforce in the United States. Check out this exhibit about the Harvey Girls' contribution to Arizona's growth.

Best Place to Learn How to Rescue a Raptor

Liberty Wildlife

With a great horned owl, it's the talons — with a blue heron, the beak. Understanding the pain-avoiding principles of raptor capture is just part of the training as a volunteer of the Rescue and Transport Team at Liberty Wildlife, an organization promoting wildlife rehabilitation, environmental education, and conservation. Following an orientation and a training class that puts you up close and personal with an actual raptor, brave-hearted bird buffs will be given gloves, a box, and a buddy to shadow before graduating to the front line of feathered field work, awaiting the call to save an injured or helpless bird of prey in hopes it will one day fly free again.

Best Way to a Homeless Pet Without a Long-Term Commitment

The Foster Care Program at the Arizona Humane Society

For homeless pets too young, sick, or injured to make it out onto the adoption floor, the foster care program at the Arizona Humane Society allows animal lovers to temporarily take home a four-legged friend in need. Following a three-hour orientation session, fosters bring a pet home that day, providing basic care, socialization, trips to the Second Chance Animal Hospital, and lots of scratches and tummy rubs. With the average length of care anywhere from three weeks to three months, your short-term hospitality can put Socks and Spots alike on the furry fast track to a permanent new home.

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